"It's not only Christ who can forgive sins." "So can we." "The victim is a college dean, Phil Beskin." "Oh, my God." "You did it, didn't you?" "It works, Carina." "How is it literally possible to become as Christ?" " Where were you last night?" " I was with you all night, wasn't I, sir?" " Sure." " Thanks for covering." " No problem." "Laura's idea is to be on hand for the birth of her niece's baby, mine to see a bit of the world while we're still young enough to enjoy it." "Far, far too late for you." "Sorry I'd like to, but I just can't make tonight." "Gina!" "About his tattoo." " His what?" " Phil Beskin had the same and he's dead." "The sacred art." "Nigredo being the first stage of the Great Work, the Magnum Opus." "This could be just the beginning." "Looks like she was strangled and then tied to the post." "Holding her body in place so the river washes continually over her." "Time?" "Educated guess between 12:00 and 4:00am." "There's a head wound, but I'll know more after the post-mortem." "Great." "More alchemy." "So the pattern's the same, but this time they came by boat." "Victim Annapurna Kinneson is a linguistics lecturer." " Waiting to speak to her head of department." " Check out her movements yesterday?" "Her husband's already said she went for a drink at the Waterman's with Jay Fennell." "OK." "Let's set up a search along the riverbank between here and there." "OK." "Both the deaths were out in the open, theatrically staged." "The staging may be sophisticated but the manner isn't." "Phil Beskin battered over the head with a rock, Annapurna Kinneson strangled." "Crude, angry acts." "Is this somebody on a moral crusade who thinks Annapurna Kinneson needed to be purified?" "If so, why?" "What had she done?" "What had Phil Beskin done?" "In terms of the Great Work, we've had nigredo and albedo." "The third stage is citrinitas." "Associated with the male gender, the sun and yellow if that's any help." "Play nice." "I gather one of our key suspects in this case is a student, Nate Hedesan." "You were keeping tabs on him?" "Yes, and I lost him, sir." "To be fair, we don't know if there's any link between Nate Hedesan and Annapurna Kinneson." "Actually, we do." "According to Lizzie, Mrs Kinneson's head of department just called to confirm Hedesan is one of her students." "So she kicked him off the course a few days ago." "Just find him." "Never mind Moody, listen to me." "Get yourself home and get cleaned up." "No, I need to speak to Hedesan." "I can do that with Maddox." "Get home, have a shower." "You look a right state and you're starting to stink." "Hey, Nell." "How could you do that?" "We waited for ages." "I hate that place." "He was waiting for us, for you." "Not exactly the white heat of academic endeavour in here, is it, lad?" "What do you want?" "Well, you can start by telling us why you got booted off your linguistics course." "You're the detective." "Too much like hard work and the tutor did my head in." "Mrs Kinneson, I believe." " Were you angry that she'd kicked you off?" " Never been happier." "Hanging out at the Blue Rondo two nights in a row can't help your studies." "Last night you arrived at 10:45." "You been following me or something?" "Two nights ago, you settled your bill just before midnight and then you left." "Whereas you told us you were there all night." " What time did you leave last night?" " He left about 1:30." "With me." "Can anyone vouch for your being there?" "This help?" "Ow." "Hey, let me see." "Not here, Sam." "Someone might see." "You shouldn't have to do this." " You barely know me, Sam." " Well, I'm working on it." "I wouldn't if I were you." "Now go on." "Get lost." "Someone looks happy." "Yep." "I need a favour, though." "Can I take half a day?" "Nate's taking me punting, don't you know?" "I hope you know what you're doing." "I do." "We made up." "Oh, can I, please?" "You can get us a brew first, skiver." "Mr Kinneson?" "Robert." "Blood." "The blood is... is from a fishing trip." "I..." "I caught my arm on a fish hook." "We'll need to get Forensics to check." "Where were you last night, Mr Kinneson?" "Here all evening." "Your wife had a tattoo." "As did Phil Beskin." "As does Jay Fennell." "Do you?" "Am I right in saying it's a symbol of a mystical order created by Charles Williams, called the Companions Of The Co-Inherence?" "Have you revived the order?" "We're gonna need a list of the members." "We think you might all be being targeted." "You're in danger." "OK." "There's about a dozen of us." "We vowed not to talk about it." "Can you think of someone who might have opposed the revival?" "Someone who was thrown out?" "Rejected?" "You argued with Phil Beskin." "Why?" "I'm publishing some rare writings of Williams." "Phil didn't think I should." "It's... no big deal." "And Carina Beskin, is she a member of your group?" "Does she have the tattoo?" "No." "No, Carina's not interested." "We know that Dax Kinneson had a spat with Phil Beskin." "We just found blood in his boat, whatever he says about it." "Why kill his wife?" "He may have had the means, but no motive that we know of." "And what is the motive for targeting a bunch of seemingly spiritual people?" "Even spiritual people get messed up sometimes, don't they?" "They've all got secrets, skeletons." "We should be delving into their past." "What about Wouter Eisler?" "I hear he's not a fan of Williams." "He's also got the alchemy link." "That's a good point." "He's definitely hiding something." "He dedicates all his books to someone called Chen." "Maddox, do you mind doing a name check on Chen for me?" "Yeah." "A word." "I asked Hathaway for a full report on the investigation on my desk this morning." "Sir." "Two words. "Investigation ongoing."" "He was never great at paperwork." "Hello, yes." "Erm..." "Carina Beskin." "I had a couple of questions." "He has a problem with authority and a blatant disregard for status." "As do all good detectives." "I learned that from the best." "And this is eight years ago?" "No, no, you've been very helpful." "Thank you." "I had hoped that your presence might... help." "Part of your remit." "You know, like a... father figure." "A father figure?" "With all due respect, sir, I'm a detective." "I'm not a nanny." "Anyway, I'm going to be away for six months soon." "How do you think Hathaway'll cope in your absence?" " He'll be fine." " He'd better be." "Or I'm going to have to bring someone else in." " What do you mean, "someone else"?" " I don't know." "But sands can shift, can't they?" "See you later." "Sorry to have to inform you that Annapurna Kinneson was found murdered this morning." "What?" "An alchemic symbol was found with her body." "Do you know anything about that?" "No." "You see, I checked with your college." "Yes, you're a scout, but you also studied here." "Double first in theology." "PhD, Fellowship, then eight years ago it all unravels and now you need to tell me why." "I..." "I had a crisis." "Of faith." "It happens." "Is that why you're not in your friends' group?" "No." "Do you know of any reason why anyone would want to harm Annapurna Kinneson?" " No." " Know of any disagreement between your brother and Dax Kinneson about some unpublished Williams' writings?" "Tell me now." "It wasn't writings." "They..." "They fell out over a ritual." "A ritual." "What happened?" "I've just seen Mr Kinneson." "Tray got knocked over, that's all." "No big deal." "He's upset about Annapurna." "We all are." "Why did he want to see you?" "Is he scared because he's a potential target, is that it?" "Cos we can protect you, if it is." "No, no." "I don't want that." "He just wanted to check that Annapurna was OK last night." " And was she?" " More than." "She was really happy." "The two of you went back a long way, I gather?" "Before Dax." "We have a shared interest in Charles Williams." "Carina started an informal group and we all attended." "So Carina was into Charles Williams, but isn't any more." " Is that right?" " Yeah." "Does this mean anything to you?" "I don't know anything about alchemical images." "I didn't say it was alchemical." "I've seen enough to recognise the style." "You OK, Mr Fennell?" "I'm fine." "I'm just upset." "Something happened to Carina Beskin eight years ago." "She goes from being post-graduate prodigy to cleaner and girlfriend of Binman Sam." "Sam Langton? "Binman"?" "Well, it's room-cleaning etiquette, same as at Cambridge." "Leave your bin out if you don't want the cleaner to come in." "No bin out, cleaner comes in." "Never leave your bin out, cleaner comes in a lot, hence the nickname "Binman"." "Maybe he's just tidy." "I'll try harder with Moody." "I didn't ask you to." "All set for the grand tour?" "Counting down the days." "Aren't we?" " Absolutely." " Annapurna Kinneson." "Autopsy confirms there was no water in her lungs." "Added to which, the absence of diatoms in her blood indicates she was dead before she entered the water." " Head wound?" " Deep traces of varnish." "Consistent with taking a whack in the rowing boat." "She was strangled before she was put into the boat." "Moving a corpse is never easy... bang!" "Maddox." "Forensics got back about Dax Kinneson's boat." "The blood they found was his and his alone." "And how about the riverside search?" "They're doing everything they can." "I will go and chase them up." "Wouter Eisler's dedication to Chen." "It's a common Chinese surname or a Hebrew word meaning grace." "As in Phil Beskin's wife?" "Yeah." "I think he dedicates his books to her." "Will you speak to both of them?" "What's your leaflet?" "My dad needed some help, so I gave it to him." "I said, "Call the number, speak to the person on the other end of the line."" " Someone I knew once." " And did he?" "No." "But he kept this, funnily enough." " How is your dad?" " He's fine, thanks." " And your sister?" " Oh, no." " OK if I go?" " Of course." "Gina." "Be careful, yeah?" "Jay?" "I need to talk to you." "No, I can't right now." "The police?" "No, wait." "OK, let's meet." "Sorry, I've gotta go." "Bye." "Dr Eisler?" "Why have you dedicated all your books to another man's wife?" "Grace Beskin?" "Grace?" "No, don't be ridiculous." "I'll just go and ask her, then, shall I?" "OK, why should I be ashamed?" "I fell for Grace some years ago, but sadly it's not a feeling that's reciprocated." "But I live in hope." "Are you having an affair with her?" "If only." "Grace won't countenance such a thing." "Well, maybe those chances have improved in light of Phil Beskin's death." "Seemingly not." "How well do you get on with Annapurna Kinneson?" "We're not close." "Why?" "First Phil, then Annapurna." "I know." "Two down, two to go." " If it's connected." " Course it's connected." "Once is a coincidence, twice is a vendetta." "Who by?" "We're the only ones who know what happened." "Which means it's either me... or you." "Police, please." "I might not have been having sex within my marriage but that doesn't mean it's OK to have sex with someone else." "But you do have feelings for Dr Eisler?" "Yes." "Although since Phil died, they're mainly feelings of guilt." "Given his feelings for you, do you think his frustrations could drive him to... other extremes?" "Please, God, I hope not." "That's great, if he wants to talk." "Tell Mr Fennell that DI Hathaway and I will be right over." "Yeah, Robert?" "Jay?" "Find out who owns the boat." "Where had you been?" "Er... to meet Nate." "We were meant to go punting, but he didn't turn up." "So Nate knew that you weren't in the shop?" "Where is he now?" "Gina, Jay wanted to say something to us." "Do you know what it might have been?" "Earlier, when Mr Kinneson kicked off, what was that really about?" "He said his wife had been killed and he wanted to know what had happened." "Happened when?" "Erm..." "Jay wouldn't say." "Ages ago." "Mr Kinneson flipped out, shouting he was carrying his wife's guilt and he wanted Jay to tell him why." "Signs of a struggle." "No quote or image this time." "Much messier." "It's interesting what she says about guilt." "Williams was into a process called substitution where you take on other people's burdens, transferring them literally onto yourself." " How do you do that?" " Rituals." "What did you mean, you were carrying your wife's guilt?" " Her guilt for what?" " I don't know." "It's about the ritual, isn't it?" "Alleviating people of their burdens." "Anna was haunted by guilt for something that happened in her past before I met her." " I relieved her from that." " From what, though?" " What happened?" " I've no idea." " Did you ask?" " A thousand times." "This event from her past, did it also involve Phil Beskin and Jay Fennell?" "Yes." "But it's their secret." "And what happened to Carina Beskin eight years ago is her secret." "What does it have to do with alchemy?" "I've no idea." "Mr Kinneson, may I see the ritual, please?" "Might be relevant." "Any word on that boat or Nate Hedesan's whereabouts yet?" "OK, Lizzie, listen." "Take uniform, see if you can find Sam Langton." "He might know where Nate is." "Nah, we're... well, Hathaway's getting some religious uplift." "Did the entire group perform the ritual?" "Not Jay." "Phil a while ago... and Anna yesterday." "Where have you been?" "I've been worried." "Er..." "I just got caught up." "Jay's dead." " Jay?" " Somebody killed him." " What's that?" " Nothing." "It can wait." "You're breaking up with me?" "Sorry." "We're not gonna work." "But we said we'd try." "There's someone else." "At the club." "Mr Hedesan, we need to talk to you." "Interesting." "I was promised "relevant"." "Phil had done the ritual, Annapurna had done the ritual, and as a result both of them are forgiven." "This is about forgiveness." "It's got nothing to do with alchemy." "So somebody wasn't happy about them being forgiven." "What about Jay Fennell?" "Has he done this ritual thing?" "Apparently not." "Can you let them know?" "Where were you this afternoon between 1:00 and 3:00?" "Trying to pluck up the courage to do what I've just done." "With your new girlfriend, more like." "Ah, when I said I was at the club with him, I wasn't." "I went there, but I couldn't find him." "Yeah." "Now." "Nate Hedesan's alibi has just fallen through." "Gina Doran was lying for him." "Back in the frame." "As is Carina Beskin." "I just spoke to Forensics." "They found muddy boot prints in that boat, mud thick with limestone." " Which is important, why?" " Oxford's built on clay." "You have to go right out almost to Burford to find the limestone stuff." "Also, tissue fibres from the head wound match, so Annapurna Kinneson was definitely in that boat." "Both boats registered to Phil Beskin." "What are you thinking, Grace Beskin?" "She says her and her husband hardly use them, but Carina does." "She rowed for the university." "I row every morning." "Helps to burn off some of my tension." "What is it?" "Jay?" "We know about the ritual, we know what it does." "What we don't know is what happened eight years ago between you and your brother and Mrs Kinneson and Jay Fennell." "All of whom are now dead." "Which means either you're guilty of multiple murder or you're in real danger." "Why didn't Jay do the ritual?" "Because... he just didn't feel the need to." "There are many ways of forgiving yourself." "Belief?" "Simple faith?" "Mm." "Jay felt those things more than the rest of us." "My brother and Annapurna needed something else." "Something more." "What about you?" "I don't think you can magic those things away." "We just want to find out who killed your friends before something else happens." "You could be next." "If that's what it takes." "I'm processing full background checks on all the victims." "But eight years ago?" "It's going to take a while." "OK, I'll catch up with you." "I'll see you there." "Hello?" "Hi, it's James." "Can I come and see you, Father?" "The cause of death, stab wound to the chest." "Yellow thrown on him afterwards." "To symbolise the coming of enlightenment and to mirror the sun, apparently." "Japanese Yakuza needle inserted beneath the xiphoid process at the base of the sternum straight into the heart." "Death wouldn't have been immediate." "The needle's been forced straight through the centre of the tattoo." "Somebody is not a fan." "Dr Eisler?" "Grace Beskin?" "There's one more stage." "Rubedo." "Meaning completion, redness." "And blood." "Great." "A while since we've seen you." "17 years." "I would have thought you'd have given up in that time." "Ditto." " Still running?" " Oh, you know." "Funny thing, faith, isn't it?" "Actually, I meant still running." "Oh." "Erm, no." "I er..." "I took up rowing at Cambridge." "You were good at cross-country." "That's probably down to those extra morning runs you sent me on as punishments." "There is that." "So you became a policeman?" "For my sins." "A very good one, I gather." "Oxfordshire police." "And a detective inspector now, I hear." "All that discipline, you see?" "What do you mean, you hear?" "Your father told me." " How is he?" " Why are you talking to my father?" "You told him to come and see me." "Yeah, years ago." "Indeed it was." "He kept coming." "More after your mother died." "What for?" "That's between me and him, really." "Dad's erm... not well, Placid." "He's erm..." "He's losing his mind." "I erm..." "He came to talk about you." "How he felt bad about being a distant parent." "That it was too late to turn back the clock." "How he wished you and Nell saw more of each other." "I can't believe he came." "Come and have some breakfast." "Stay for our conference." "You'd like it." "A series of lectures about Giordano Bruno," ""Hero or Heretic?"" "Hero, surely?" "What sort of conference is it?" "An esoteric conference." "A joint venture with another spiritual group." "We provide the theology, they bring the mystery traditions." "Do you have a computer and wi-fi here?" "We're monks, James, not cavemen." "Come on." " Yeah?" " There was a conference in the Tickenham area near Bristol eight years ago." "Check with local plod for any incidents reported around November time." "I've figured the link." "Alchemy is an esoteric tradition." "Williams believed in an esoteric form of Christianity, there are conferences on this stuff." "This one, about a Christian mystic called AE Waite." "He influenced Williams and he wrote on alchemy." "Two talks, guess who was at them?" " "Phil Beskin." "Annapurna Kinneson."" " Here we go." "Fatality recorded." "A car accident." "Francis Fisher was knocked over and all of our four were in the car." " Was there a police investigation?" " And an inquest." "The coroner recorded a verdict of accidental death." "Cos they weren't charged, there was nothing on the system." "Someone disagreed with the verdict." "Check on Fisher." "Find out if he was married, where he lives and if he had any children." "Under "occupation", it says he was a practising alchemist." "Grace said you'd be here." "We know about Francis Fisher." "If the death was ruled accidental, why do you feel so guilty?" "Why do you think?" "Because they got it wrong." "According to the inquest, your brother was driving a car..." "No, no." "I was." "I was drunk." "We'd spent the evening in the pub." "When I reached the grounds er..." "I turned the headlights off." "We'd been warned not to stay out late and I was trying to sneak back in without being seen." "We were showing off... mucking about." "Phil had been surfing on top of the car." "He was getting in through the back window." "Anna was laughing, I was laughing." "Jay was pushing Phil to the front seat and then... bang." "Out of nowhere." "I didn't even see him." "How come you weren't charged?" "Well... we lied." "Phil said he was driving and, weirdly, he was under the limit." "We didn't mention the headlights." "So you got away with it and all agreed not to tell anyone." "We were all... haunted by it." "But... the others found Williams." "And his concept of forgiveness." "You couldn't, could you?" "No." "My... faith... or my guilt... .. wouldn't let me." "Never will." "So who else knows?" "Fisher's dead, who else is there?" "I've no idea." "Sir?" " Fisher?" " Widowed." "But there were two sons." "Elder one, Leslie, in the Royal Marines currently on exercise in Canada." "And younger son, John." "Age of the younger son?" " 21." " Nate Hedesan?" " Can we check if Fisher was black, please?" " Yeah." "Hedesan lied about his movements on both nights." "He got Gina out of the tattoo shop on the promise of punting." "I think he's changed his name, he's gone to the college where Phil Beskin works, he's enrolled on Annapurna Kinneson's course, befriended Gina in order to meet Jay." " What about the boat?" " Phil Beskin could have told him about it." "He got close to each and every one of them." "We met at the Blue Rondo a while back but something only happened between us two nights ago." " Mr Kinneson?" " I'm bisexual." "Anna knew." "Somehow we made it work." "The night Phil Beskin was murdered." "Nate was with me, in a hotel." "We went there straight after the club." "I can give you the name." "We didn't see each other the next night." "I went to the club, but then I got your message that you weren't coming, so I headed back to college." " Why didn't you meet Gina?" " Dax needed me." "We met at a chapel." "Nate, did anyone else know that you were taking Gina punting?" "Erm..." "I don't know." "Sam?" "S..." "Sam Langton?" "So he would have known Gina wasn't at the tattoo parlour?" "Did he know Jay?" "He was the person that first took me to the parlour." " That's how I met Gina." " What about Annapurna?" " She wasn't his regular tutor." " Not officially." "She'd agreed to tutor his dissertation." "Fisher was Caucasian and Nate Hedesan's parents check out." "What about Sam Langton?" "Er... funded by a trust." "Sam!" "Home address." "The Forge, Balcon Lane, outside Burford." "Where the limestone is." "Carina." "Where's Sam?" " Er..." "I don't know." " Did he tell you who he was?" " How do you mean?" " Stay here." "John?" "Dad used to love it out here." "Hour after hour, practising his alchemy." "Is all this really what your dad would have wanted?" "I'll never know." "You've lived all alone here ever since, what, you were 13?" "I lived with my brother till a couple of years back." "He took his anger elsewhere." "Ah." "Say sorry to Gina." "Here's her phone." "Who..." "Who were you hoping to kill with that?" "Carina?" "She is nothing like the others." " Because she can't forgive herself?" " It's not for them to decide they're forgiven." "But it's not for you, either." "This isn't a spiritual process." "This is about you playing judge and jury." "No." "There has to be justice." "So what's the plan if Carina's to live?" "Then it's finished." "I complete the fourth stage." "No, no." "Just wait." "Carina!" "Wait." "Please, think about it." "It isn't over, Sam." "She's never going to let herself off the hook, but you can." "If you truly love her, you can release her." "I forgive you." "You forgive me for what?" "For killing my father." "What?" "What have you done?" "You killed my brother and my friends?" "I just missed my dad so much." "Well done, James." " Thank you, sir." " You were right." "He'll be fine without you." "Are you coming for a drink?" "Robbie's buying." "I would do, but I've got a girls' night." " Another one?" " I know, yeah." "Ah, Bex." "You've met Bex before, haven't you?" "Bex is my new next door neighbour." "Her husband is away also, so we've been keeping each other company." "Pint?" "There you go." "To your travels." "I haven't gone yet." "It's all right, you can admit it." "Admit what?" "That you're gonna miss me very, very, very much." "As if." "You made up with your sister yet?" "The peace process has begun." "We are spending the weekend at a retreat in Ilchester Abbey." "A retreat?" "To get in her good books?" "What if she doesn't like it?" "She'll do her nut." "No, she won't." "It is a silent one."