Whitechapel s03e01 Episode Script

Series 3, Episode 1

Georgie? Yes, sir? Where's the food? I put it there earlier.
I don't know where it all goes.
Georgie, be a sweetheart and get everyone something to eat.
Yes, Mr Salter.
Thank you.
Conga - Eddie, Eddie, Eddie! - Oi, oi, oi! Eddie! Oi! Eddie! Oi! Eddie, Eddie, Eddie! Oi, oi, oi! Hey! Less of them sausage rolls, son.
Cheers, sir.
All right, all right.
Open the door! The door is open! Good riddance to you! Freak! Good riddance! Let's Get It Started You must love that beer, you've been holding it all night.
I'll get you another.
A pint and a half of lager and a white wine.
What makes a great detective? Guts.
Legwork.
Contacts.
I was thinking experience.
Yeah, well, that comes from time.
What if you could have 200 years of experience? What kind of detective would you be? One gagging for retirement.
No, no, really, listen.
What if we could use the past as a map to guide us through difficult investigations? For inspiration.
Insight.
As a cautionary tale.
You expecting another copycat? I don't think so.
No, not copycats.
I mean knowing the history of crime and using it to our advantage.
Yeah, very clever.
Thanks.
But you know how I feel about books.
I was thinking we could do with a researcher.
No.
No, no.
Yes, yes.
Are you serious? Yes.
No.
Four salmon, Rita.
Oi.
There's a queue.
I'm a regular not a tourist.
I don't care who you are, everyone waits.
Not me.
Bitch.
Tosser.
But you could have anyone you wanted as a researcher.
You could have a graduate, someone pretty, brighten up the office.
Buchan has passion.
He loves crime history.
And he'll work for tea and biscuits.
Don't go back there, the bridesmaids are getting awfully grabby.
On your head be it.
Hello? Hello.
I've got your bagels that you asked me to get.
Hello! Come on, open the door.
This isn't funny.
Open the door! Pick up, you arseholes.
Open the door! Please, just open the door! Get away from me.
What's all the noise about? Anyway, this is the last dance for anyone still waiting to pull.
So, come on, grab someone and dance! Go on, sir! Pick someone and dance! Never Forget Mr Salter? Aiden? Right, where's the fuse box? It feels like it's raining in here.
My God! My God! You're drunk from last night.
It still is last night.
You called before I got to bed.
Did you leave with anyone? All those bridesmaids going begging.
Focus, please.
What's this one then? The return of Dr Crippen? He only killed one woman, his wife, and buried her dismembered body in the cellar.
Swot.
Right.
So what have we got? Four dead.
One in each room.
Heads caved in.
It's a massacre.
The only multiple murders I've attended have been of families.
Mad dads.
Enmeshment where the murders are the extension of a desire for suicide.
But this is different.
No suicide to be seen here.
Locks and bolts on all the doors and windows, a state-of-the-art alarm system.
No forced entry.
The shop was secure.
Whoever did this was invited in.
Yes.
Right, everyone.
Attention, please.
Thank you.
The murders took place here, at Ben Salter's.
Ben Salter, Stuart Middleton, Aiden Harris and Archie Pugh.
These are the four victims.
Doors and windows were locked.
No forced entry.
It was not a raid or robbery.
The killer was invited in.
He was known to them.
Ben Salter managed to build a successful business in a highly competitive market.
You don't do that without making a few enemies.
We need to look at family members and friends who might bear a grudge.
Big grudge.
This is a huge undertaking.
There's a lot of information to process.
- Be accurate.
- Vigi Be vigilant.
Kent, you take the lead on all the family and friends.
Yes, sir.
Well, I've made it.
Don't let it go to your head.
You're still a civilian.
Of course.
Show me where my desk is and I'll make a start.
Follow me.
Mansell.
You too.
Yes, sir.
Just give me a hand, could you? That's it.
I want you to research home invasions, mass murders, anything that might help inform our investigation.
You're in here.
I thought we'd be sharing an office.
It's the Met's crime archive.
It was being digitised, page by page, but then the budget was cut and the project was shelved.
It was going into storage, so I volunteered to take it.
Do you know what you have here? This is treasure.
I knew you'd like it.
I will be like Atlas, carrying the weight of your investigations.
It's been dumped in no particular order.
Just a huge mess.
Hi.
DC Meg Riley.
Pleased to meet you.
Riley is an historical re-enactor, so you should have a lot in common.
What era? War of the Roses.
Always the busty wench.
Well, henceforth you will be known as Beck and Call.
Now who's going to fetch me a coffee? Who would want them all dead? I don't know.
No-one.
You make excellent suits.
All bespoke? That's right.
Who are your customers? Stylists working for bands.
We do a lot of skinny indie boys.
And artists.
It is Whitechapel, after all.
And businessmen.
You know, Russians.
What kind of business? I don't know Russian business.
Did Ben Salter have any unhappy customers? No.
No complaints, grievances No, you don't understand.
Ben was an amazing tailor.
He could make any man look twenty pounds thinner and three inches taller.
Everyone loved him.
He only made friends, not enemies.
All the guys were lovely.
The only person who wasn't was me.
I thought I was better than everyone else.
I went to St Martin's and everyone came to see my final show.
I've been a cast-iron bitch my whole life.
I've never cared about the people I've offended or upset.
If anyone deserved to die last night, it was me.
In the 19th century autopsies took place in the pub surrounded by gawkers.
Thank God some things have changed.
Like DNA? The crime scene is a business, customers in and out, tradesmen, you name it.
It's a forensics nightmare.
Plus, they were attacked from behind.
No chance to defend themselves.
No struggle.
Each one was ambushed.
So no physical contact between killer and victims, except for the weapon itself.
Four dead and there's nothing we can use? Wait.
Each blow to the head was delivered with such force that part of the skull was pushed into the brain, leaving a hole.
Which is good for us cos that hole is an imprint of the weapon.
A hammer.
Find the hammer.
Find the killer.
What have we got? Lots of friends.
Lots.
Hundreds on the social networks.
Plenty of real ones too.
No enemies.
From what I can gather Ben Salter's an all-round nice guy.
Complicated family though.
Dad, John, has family from the first marriage.
They've been arguing over money.
Normal squabbles or motive? I don't know yet.
His family's huge.
OK.
Good work.
Thanks.
Miles? Yes, well, we're racking them up.
One of the apprentices, Archie Pugh, was a cokehead.
He had debts.
He owed quite a lot of money to a lot of people.
We've got the names of interested parties.
Could be worth a look.
Who are the others? Yeah Aiden Harris.
He got into a fight in a club a week ago trying to break up an argument between his mate and one of the local crew with a reputation to keep up.
Threats were made but he didn't take it seriously.
Maybe he should have.
Yeah, maybe.
We got uniforms rounding up the faces.
We'll see.
Customers? Yes.
Artists, a few bands, a couple of dodgy Russians that we'll have a look at.
Otherwise, we'll see what the door-to-door brings up.
All right.
Where's Buchan? Ed.
What time is it? It's so easy to lose track down here.
It's six.
I've missed lunch then.
Never mind.
We're swamped.
Too many possible suspects.
Too many unknowns.
I need your help.
My travails have unearthed a fascinating case.
Two hundred years ago, not more than a stone throw from where we are now, the Ratcliffe highway murders were committed.
The murders were a sensation.
How does this help me? A shop girl sent out for oysters after midnight returns home to find her employer, Timothy Marr, a linen draper, and his family, massacred in their own home.
This could be our precedent.
Hello, son, my name's DC Mansell.
I don't suppose your mum's in, is she? DC Kent, Whitechapel police.
Hi, DC Meg Riley, I wondered if I could talk to you for a few moments.
About them murders, yeah? I'm afraid so, yeah.
Everyone's saying the killer isn't human.
Why are they saying that? Everyone knows that house was like a fortress.
That's not entirely true.
They say the killer gets you when you turn out the lights.
Now everyone's afraid of night coming.
OK.
Have you got anything on how the police caught the Ratcliffe highway murderer? There were no police.
There were.
The Bow Street runners.
I know my history.
Their job was to patrol the streets and make arrests but, crucially, they did not know how to investigate or detect crimes.
The thing is the police didn't exist Not in a way that we'd recognise.
There was a parish constable paid for by the local magistrate, there were the watchmen paid for by the local guilds and there were the runners.
No detectives.
No.
And no concept of forensics.
And a belief that a man's good character was synonymous with innocence.
No forensics.
Good character.
Walked free.
I heard everything.
Don't you worry.
There's families freaking out.
I've got three people naming the same suspect.
Who? Jinn as in ancient Arabic demon.
Hello, police, can we talk to you, please? Hiya, DC Riley You've just been mugged.
Knocking on the door.
After you, Riley.
I know why you're here and I know what you want to know.
That's lovely, thank you.
How much do you want what I have? Well, if your information proves useful to the inquiry then I'm sure you'll be in line for a small reward.
Don't mess me about, love.
Up front.
Well, that's all I've got.
No way.
Here you go.
I saw the devil walking in Whitechapel.
I thought you guys had clocked off.
Do you do you do this every night, sir? What? No.
Of course not.
That would be strange.
What are you doing here? A witness looked out of her back window an hour after the murders cos she heard the sirens.
Lots of people were heading towards the shop.
But she saw one bloke going in the opposite direction to everyone else In a hurry.
She thought it was odd.
Everyone was going to see what happened except for one man going the other way.
He had a limp too.
Which made it easier to find him on CCTV.
Told you.
Morning.
Miles? Is everything OK at home? Yes.
Why? Well, the bags under your eyes tell me that you you haven't slept very well.
You haven't shaved again so you were rushing, probably getting the kids ready for school which is normally Judy's job.
Don't play the detective on me.
I'm not trying to be nosey.
I'm just concerned about you, that's all.
Judy's not well.
What? Women's problems.
And her mother had the same symptoms.
And it didn't end happily.
What the hell is this? OK, phones off, everyone.
- Usher, lights, please.
- Usher! It's a bit dark.
How do we use History? By not making the same mistakes.
In 1811 Margaret Jewell was the shop girl who left the Marrs alive to shop for oysters and returned to find them dead.
She was a significant witness but because she repeatedly fainted during her testimony, the coroner abandoned any attempt to question her properly.
Why did she faint? Was she ill? Or did she have something to hide? I put it to you that Margaret Jewell knew the killer and let him in.
Thank you.
Georgie Fox, sole survivor.
Did she let the killer into the house? What's he doing? He's dug his grave.
Now watch 'em push him into it.
What's her motive? What does she gain from it? We looked at her.
Financially she had nothing to gain.
No romantic relationships.
No grudges, no scores to settle.
And she was locked out of the house.
The PC had to break in.
She was lucky not to die that night.
Exactly.
The shop girl was overlooked in the investigation.
Do not make the same mistake again.
Especially since there was another foul massacre a mere twelve days later.
So you need to hurry.
You're taking the history too literally.
The cases aren't identical.
This isn't a copycat.
There's no need to scaremonger.
Charles Manson, 1969 sent his family of disciples to kill for him.
Ed.
They murdered six at Sharon Tate's house then slaughtered the LaBiancas too.
Multiple-victim serial murder is rare but when it happens it is a blood bath.
The killer may strike again.
My office.
Now.
Have I done something wrong? Can't you see the sense in what I'm saying? Isn't this why I'm here? I've worked hard to gain the loyalty and trust of my team.
I earned their respect by making tough decisions and taking risks.
You're one of those risks.
If I'm undermined and second-guessed in front of them, I lose that.
I meant to cause no embarrassment.
If you have any information, like, for example, an historical precedent of a second murder, you tell me first.
Yes, Joe.
Sir.
Having second thoughts now? The minute you gave him a laminated ID you created a monster.
He's settling in, that's all.
Speed bumps.
He's out of the box and you know it.
He's under control.
It won't happen again.
Look at the footage and see if you recognise the man with the limp.
I don't know him.
Are you sure? Look properly.
It's important.
If I don't know him, I don't know him.
The man in the CCTV may have murdered everyone you worked with.
Don't you want to help? I don't know any cripples, OK? Good to see you're back to your old self.
This place really is a fortress.
Still, a maniac got in.
Scary.
Bet the killer knocked and Ben Salter knew him.
Locks won't help if you invite your killer in.
That's like vampires.
You have to invite them in.
And then they bleed you dry.
This place is going to need new floors.
It's a shame.
Some of it's been recently restored.
A carpenter's been working here.
Hammers.
Hammers.
Mr Driscoll? DI Chandler.
And DS Miles.
Yeah? I'd like to ask you a few questions about Ben Salter.
God.
Shocking.
I can't believe that.
It's awful, even for round here.
When did you last see Mr Salter? Day of the murders.
Yeah, I was there in the morning.
I just can't get my head around it.
Did you notice anything unusual that day? No.
I was working on the stairs.
No, everything seemed fine.
And where were you that night? I was at home.
Anyone who can vouch for that? No.
I live alone.
Do you mind if we examine some of your tools? Yeah, of course.
Which ones do you want? The hammers.
Because the killer Yeah.
I can't work without my tools.
We'll return them as soon as we possibly can.
There was something.
Mr Salter wanted the place doing with traditional materials and techniques and then he went and spent a fortune on security, on window locks and alarms, even though they weren't in keeping.
Why would he do that? Because he was scared.
Sir.
Sir, we know who Ben Salter was afraid of.
Who? Last year he had to go to court.
He was summoned as a witness to a mugging of a kid by a local gang.
Six of them were found guilty and sent to young offenders.
The gang leader was known as Wilkie.
He served his sentence and returned but his turf had been taken over by a rival gang and he was forced out of the area.
He has motive, revenge and a history of violence.
Georgie Fox's page.
A school trip to Hever Castle.
Georgie is sitting next to Wilkie.
Wilkie has a grudge.
Georgie lets him in.
Good work.
Let's find Wilkie You'll never let me forget, will you? Because of my history, every time there's a crime you look me up.
Why do I have to keep answering for what happened years ago? Statistically, you're likely to re-offend.
Georgie Fox.
What about her? Good friend is she? She's a dark-sided bitch.
I haven't seen her since school.
She worked with Ben Salter, Stuart Middleton, Aiden Harris and Archie Pugh.
No.
I won't let you put my name on that.
You were angry at Ben Salter.
He put an end to your gang, your little empire.
You were forced out to the arse-end of London and you wanted revenge.
So you got Georgie Fox to let you in so you could kill 'em all.
No! I don't hate Ben Salter! I owe him everything! Calm down.
Daniel, sit down.
Go on.
Tell me what you mean.
I should be dead by now.
All the men in my family have died on the streets.
No-one ever made it to 21.
I thought that was my destiny, so that's the way I lived my life.
Then I lost my crew.
I moved away.
I got a job.
I met a girl.
And now I've got a baby on the way.
It was my birthday last week.
I'm 22.
Ben Salter wasn't afraid to stand up to me in court.
He saved my life.
Do you believe in redemption? Yeah.
Anyone can change their life for the better just not criminals.
Ed? Thank you for coming.
You found something? A warning from history.
You've just arrested Ben Wilkie but beware.
An innocent man hanged himself because of the Ratcliffe murders.
Are you sure? The police arrested John Williams because he knew Timothy Marr and was at the Williamsons' house on the night of the second murder, had no money before the murder and had some silver after it.
Strong circumstantial evidence.
But he was open about visiting them and had pawn tickets to account for the money.
His connection to the Marrs was tenuous at best.
I'll read the file.
John Williams committed suicide in prison.
Please, Joe, don't let history repeat itself.
Done and dusted.
'Night.
See you in the morning.
Movie night tonight.
Yeah, what are you watching? We never get to watch the films.
I said I'd sleep with the kids.
They're scared of killer bogeymen.
What about you, Emerson? Night on the town? No, I'm staying in.
All my flatmates are out.
On your own? Don't turn the lights out.
Nighty night.
'Night.
Miles.
Would you like to go for a drink? I'm sorry, I can't.
Judy, you know.
Of course.
Send her my best.
Are you OK? Absolutely.
Good night then.
Yeah, 'night.
'Night, skip.
Can I do anything, sir? There's no overtime in it for you.
I don't mind.
Everything all right? Local people are saying that the killer's some kind of evil spirit a jinn or an aswang that can create itself out the darkness.
You can't be irrational.
You can't start thinking superstitiously.
Look Come with me, there's something I want to show you.
John Williams, the man accused of the Ratcliffe highway murders, was buried here after he committed suicide in prison.
He was buried here at a crossroads so that if his tortured spirit emerged it would be confused and not know which way to go.
They dumped his body in a small pit so he'd feel discomfort for eternity and drove a stake through his heart to prevent his soul from wandering.
They thought they'd captured a bogeyman.
John Williams wasn't a bogeyman.
He may have been innocent.
Circumstantial evidence, an hysterical public and terrible fear.
They made a mistake.
We can't afford to be wrong about Wilkie.
Wilkie finished his shift at the kebab shop and went to wait for the N551.
That bus would take him down the highway and past Ben Salter's at around midnight.
Yeah, but look, skip.
The bus was late.
He's still waiting at the time of the murders.
Fast asleep.
Hello, mate.
Can I get one of these, please? Thank you.
Cheers.
Lizzie, your visitors are here.
Lizzie Pepper.
Hi.
DI Chandler.
I'm DS Miles.
I Sorry.
I Sorry.
I couldn't find any blood traces at all so then I ran tests to see if the tools had been cleaned recently.
Negative.
Dr Llewellyn provided us with a mould taken from an imprint in one of the victim's skull and brain.
None of the hammers fit.
They're too big.
Well.
It was worth a try.
Thank you.
Thanks.
Thanks, Jill.
Miss Peterson, DC Mansell, how can I help? Sorry I didn't come in sooner.
It's OK, you're here now.
Relax.
Take a seat.
No, thanks.
Listen, on the night of the Salter murders I I caught a cab from the Strand.
The driver was ranting about how he shouldn't have to drive a cab but was cheated out of a lot of money by his brother.
OK.
So what makes you think he's connected? He was really aggressive and he freaked me out.
I didn't feel safe with him so I asked him to stop the cab and I I took a picture of his ID before I ran away.
I was just glad to get away from him.
I didn't think about it again until today when I looked at the picture.
Thanks for this.
Do you mind if I take a copy? Who alibied Marcus Salter? I haven't got to him yet.
He's on the list.
Well, move him to the top.
Police, stay where you are! He's blacked out the windows.
Get off me! Marcus Salter, I am arresting you on suspicion of the murder of Ben Salter, Stuart Middleton, Aiden Harris and Archie Pugh.
Read him his rights.
Yes, sir.
Bag up his things.
Sir.
Come on.
No! My eyes! My eyes! My eyes! My eyes! He has photo what? Photophobia.
A symptom of a genetic disorder.
If he's exposed to bright light he'll get a crippling migraine and we won't be able to interview him.
So he cabbies at night.
Yeah, and sleeps during the day.
The time is 7pm.
I'm DS Miles.
I'm DI Chandler.
And the suspect Please state your name.
Marcus Salter.
Turn it up a bit.
I can't hear it.
Turn it up.
You have a limp.
Part of the spectrum of my illness.
I have weak joints, prone to dislocation.
Being thrown to the ground by your lot doesn't help.
Ben Salter is your half brother, is that correct? Yes.
Tell me about him.
I'm not sorry he's dead if that's what you mean.
Why should I be sorry? Ben ruined my life.
How did he do that? He was born.
He was the perfect, beautiful son and I was the freak.
He got all the love and attention.
I got nothing.
When I wanted money to see a specialist in Switzerland my dad said it was a waste.
He said I was incurable.
But when Ben wanted a fortune for his shop, well they gave him everything, didn't they? Are you incurable? Yeah.
My heart is dead.
Nothing you can do about that.
Did you kill Ben Salter, Stuart Middleton, Aiden Harris and Archie Pugh? I thought about it.
But then someone beat me to it.
Right, mate, that's you.
Are you afraid of the dark, Constable Pinchin? You should be.
Salter has motive, he's made threats to kill and we can place him in the area at the time.
He isn't sorry they're dead either.
No remorse, no confession.
A night in the cells will put things in perspective for him.
He likes the dark.
What? He's not sleeping upside down like a bat.
Despite his front and bravado, we've got him.
Exactly.
Go home.
Get some rest.
Now I lay me down to sleep I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
And if I die before I wake I pray the Lord my soul to take.
Have you said your prayers, Sean? How's Judy? She thinks it's cancer.
It's difficult to tell her otherwise the way the doctors frown and pat her arm and tell us nothing except, 'See you after the scan.
' And you? How are you coping? I'm all right.
Come on, we've got a whole bottle here.
Talk.
She's always there.
I get home, she's there.
If I want to be alone she leaves me alone.
If I want company she's by my side.
In 15 years she's never told me what to think.
She's backed me up even when she knew I was wrong.
She lets me be me, doesn't make me feel guilty about it.
That's why I can't lose her.
To find someone like that is incredible.
Don't get me wrong, she can't half nag.
Why haven't you ever married? That's personal.
But there are ways nowadays.
Civil partnerships.
No, God.
You just don't you don't get it at all.
If that's not the issue, then what is? I am a very particular man.
I like to have things a certain way.
I'd rather live alone than try to accommodate someone who who doesn't understand that.
I can't change.
I accept that that's the way it is and always will be.
DI Chandler.
What is it? The prisoner's escaped, sir.
He's gone.
He was there at ten and when I went to check him just now he was gone.
From a locked cell? This is impossible.
Nobody disappears into thin air.
Well, he has.
So where's he gone? Dad.
Murder! Bloody hell.
I have to tell everyone what we're going to do and I don't know what to say.
I have an announcement to make about Judy.
Three more people are dead! Why? Why would you do that? So where did he go? It's like he just vanished.
Like a ghost.

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