"Ripped By mstoll" "Very good." "This is an ungodly outrage!" "Oh, dear." "No!" "This is lovely." "Two evenings out in one week." "Two?" " You're looking after Betty tomorrow night." " Ah, yes." "Your first time in sole charge." "Nervous?" "No." "I've got it all planned." "We're going to watch a classic film." "Fantasia?" "A Thirst For Blood or maybe The Mummy Rises." "Betty can choose." " You looking forward to your wild night out?" " Can't wait." "Yes, Nelson?" "Sorry, sir." "St Cyprian's Church, Midsomer Oaks." "I'm afraid it looks like murder." "You ducked out early, did you, Magnus?" "Luke." "There's been an accident." "Severe cranial trauma from the impact of the box." "There are also two separate penetrations in the neck from shards of Perspex." "There was a flash and a bang before the box fell, but the audience thought it was part of the act." "It looked like a terrible accident, but it wasn't." "This was done with explosives." "What do we know about the victim?" "Hannah Altman, owned the village pub." "Tonight was a church fundraiser and she was playing the piano." "And the magician in the box?" " Gideon Latimer." " Hm?" "He's a famous illusionist." "This was one of his signature stunts." "And why was this famous illusionist performing in a church in Midsomer Oaks?" "He owns Melmoth Hall, the big house outside the village." "So who was meant to die... the magician or the publican?" "They can't keep us here all night." "You've already spoken to the police, Carole." "Just go." " What went wrong?" " I don't know." "We've done that stunt a dozen times." "You're Gideon's manager now." "How could you let an accident like that happen?" "I'm sure it wasn't Theo's fault." "DCI Barnaby, Causton CID." "Sir, this is Gideon Latimer." "Mr Barnaby, my son has had a terrible shock, and he needs to go home." "Not before I've spoken to him, Mrs Latimer." "But if you've given your statement, you're free to leave." "Luke!" "Please!" "It's all pre-programmed." "Gideon's performance is timed down to the last second." " Who rigged the equipment?" " Theo and I did, this afternoon." " And you did all your standard safety checks?" " Yes." "The church was unlocked all afternoon, while everything was being set up." "Could anyone have had access to the rig after your final checks?" "It's possible." "How many people knew the box would be revealed while Hannah Altman was playing?" "All of us." "Anyone else involved in organising the concert." "And the Vicar said he'd tell the pianist, so she wouldn't freak out." " How well did you know Hannah Altman?" " Not at all." "We hadn't met her before tonight." "You never go to the local pub?" "We haven't lived in Midsomer Oaks for long." "Gideon only bought Melmoth Hall a few months ago and we've been touring." "Luke!" "No, Luke!" "How did you get into the box?" "You can't expect me to answer that." "Mr Latimer, someone died here this evening." "Where is he?" "Where's Gideon?" "Sir, please." "This is Luke Altman, Hannah's husband." "Sorry for your loss." "Shall we talk somewhere?" "If anyone's dead because of his stupid trick, it should be him!" "The trick didn't go wrong." "The equipment was sabotaged." "This is murder." "Someone tried to kill me?" "A judgment from God." "On you... for polluting his house." "God works in mysterious ways, Andrew." "But are you really suggesting this tragedy is his doing?" "This village has a dark present..." "and an even darker past." "If the battle to bring it into the light requires violence and suffering then so be it." "I'm sorry." "But I can't carry on working with someone who worships such a petty, vindictive, unimaginative God such as yours." "I'm sure there are parishes crying out for your..." "rigorous brand of Christianity, but it has no place in Midsomer Oaks." "I'll speak to the Bishop." "I think he'll be more interested in what I've got to say." "Will he?" "Will he really?" "Trouble?" "No, no, no." "Bluster, that's all." "If you're a newcomer to Midsomer Oaks, why do you think someone here would want to kill you?" "Gideon has hordes of fans, Sergeant Nelson, but there are the haters too." "Some of them are quite poisonous." "Obsessives, lunatics who claim Gideon stole their tricks, religious fanatics..." "You name it." "They post things online all the time." "Anything specific since you came to the village?" "Actually, there was a letter." "It said Melmoth Hall was cursed." "Threatened Gideon with hellfire and damnation if he didn't abandon it and move far away." " You didn't tell me about that." " Dealing with hate mail is my job." "Still have the letter?" "It went into the shredder, like all the other rubbish." "The fact you've been targeted by someone who knows where you live is cause for concern." "Tell me everything you can remember about that letter." "Hannah was playing a solo at the concert tonight." "Was that a big deal for her?" "Was she nervous?" "A little, maybe." "But she was used to playing in the pub." "I'm wondering why you didn't come along to listen to her." "One of us had to stay and look after the place." "Will we find anyone prepared to verify that you were behind the bar all evening?" "Magda was there, she helps us out sometimes." "I was down in the cellar for a bit." "We had a problem with one of the barrels." "How long is "a bit"?" "Er... five, maybe ten minutes." "Hannah was quite young to be a pub landlady, wasn't she?" "She inherited The Green Man when her dad died." "I think she struggled at first, but she was determined to make it work." "Hannah was the one good thing that's ever happened to me." "I want to walk back." "I need some air." "I'll come with you." "Someone needs to go in the car, since my mother has bothered to wait." "I'd like some time alone with my wife, if that's OK, Theo?" " She'll be cross now." " No, she won't." "Not with you, with me." "I'd never have allowed you buy Melmoth Hall if I'd known she'd be moving in with us." "What was wrong with her old house?" "It's not as if she was far away." "She was lonely." "We're hardly short of space." "I know you owe her a lot, but she's everywhere." "She's my mother." "What do you want me to do, throw her out?" "And I'm your wife, but it takes a murder to get us ten minutes alone together!" "She's just feeling a little redundant since Theo took over." "Be kind, Annabel." "It'll get easier." "Do you really think someone was trying to kill you?" "It's the most likely explanation, isn't it?" "Maybe we should go away for a while, just in case." "Why?" "Because if someone is trying to kill you..." "It'll be OK, darling, I promise." "There were many people in the village who strongly objected to... to... to the presence of an enter..." "Mr Barnaby, how is Luke?" "As you might expect." "Reverend Soane was just telling me that Luke was supposed to be here tonight, singing with a local band, but he didn't turn up." "Yes, he must be feeling dreadful about that." "Were Luke and Hannah regular churchgoers?" "No, but they were very community-spirited." "Hannah played the piano with us and so on." "I understand you had some people walk out during the concert, when Gideon appeared." "Yes." "My curate, Andrew Maplin, among others and one of the churchwardens..." "Ailsa Probert." "Andrew strongly disapproves of magic." "He believes it encourages people to meddle in the dark arts." "Where does he stand on turning water into wine?" "Please don't ask him, unless you're in the mood for a long and rancorous debate." "Hm." "The concert was in aid of the church restoration fund?" "Yes." "We need vital building work done, and the diocese won't give us a penny." "And if we don't raise the money in the next couple of weeks, it will be the end for St Cyprian's." "So he's crouched down at the bottom, there's a trick of light, the glass goes black, the trapdoor opens, he pops up and suddenly there he is, in the box." "The modern equivalent of smoke and mirrors?" " I'm heading back to the lab." " Thanks, Kate." "Nelson was just explaining to me how Gideon's stunt works." "I had to threaten to arrest them before they'd tell me." "They probably guessed that you had an ulterior motive." "Nelson had one of those magic sets when he was a kid." "I think he cherished hopes of turning professional." "The Magic Circle's loss is CID's gain." " I was pretty good, actually." " We'll take your word for it." "Goodnight, Kate." "They're taking the cabling back to the lab, but preliminary tests for nitro-glycerine have come up positive." "And we've found fragments of what looks like possible bomb casing." "No traces of a timing device, though." "That suggests it was activated by remote control." "Which means that our killer wasn't necessarily in the church at the time." "The Latimers and Theo Bainbridge had by far the best knowledge and opportunity." "But they say they'd never met Hannah before." "Do what you can to see if that's true." "If Gideon was the target, then Theo and Annabel are prime suspects." "But I can't help thinking that neither of them would have made a mistake." "If they'd meant to kill Gideon, he'd be dead." "But he's not, and Hannah Altman is." "Gideon?" "♪ Joy of heaven to earth come down" "♪ Fix in us..." "That must be Andrew Maplin, standing next to the Vicar." "He's been busy posting comments on Gideon's website." "Real fire and brimstone stuff." "We'll talk to him when he's finished singing about love and mercy." "Let's go and find out why Luke Altman lied about the concert." "♪ Pure unbounded love thou art" " Oh!" " Only me." "I'll do that." "It's no bother." "It's all Gideon's stuff." "Carole, just leave it." "Did Gideon sleep well?" "Yes." "He's not as robust as he appears." "You need to look after him." ""Be kind, Annabel." "It'll get easier."" "Did your wife make a will?" "Not that I know of, no." "So you'll inherit the pub?" "A fat lot of good it'll do me." "This place is mortgaged to the hilt." "Hannah did her best to make it work but it's a money pit." "Last night you said you'd never planned to attend the concert." "Would you like to reconsider that statement?" "I was supposed to be there, yeah." "There's a local band, I sing with them sometimes." "What made you change your mind?" "Hannah and me were having a few... problems." "And yesterday afternoon, we had a bit of a row." "But it was nothing serious, we'd have worked it out." "Why didn't you tell me this last night?" "I would have done, but once you said it was murder..." "What was the argument about?" "It was nothing to do with any of this." "But something must have triggered the row yesterday, something specific?" "What was it, Luke?" "She'd had a fling." "Who with?" "A guy called Rhodri Probert." "His wife used to be Hannah's friend." "You were angry with her, presumably?" "Of course I was, yeah." "But that doesn't mean I killed her." "Are you here about Hannah?" "Detective Sergeant Nelson, Causton CID." "This is DCI Barnaby." " And you are?" " Ailsa Probert." " I understand you joined the walkout last night?" " Yes." "Fakery has no place in God's house." "But I wanted to go back and speak to Hannah afterwards, make sure she knew it wasn't aimed at her." "You were friends?" "We hadn't seen much of each other lately, as I'm busy with the children and the church." "We'd like a word with your husband, actually." "Is he with you?" "He's at work, the florist on the green." "Why do you need to speak to him?" "We told your officers everything last night." "Just routine." "Thank you, Mrs Probert." "Harry, Flora, come on." "The search team's at the pub now." "Shall I go back over?" "After we've talked to the Curate." "Andrew, we should talk." "Before you do anything rash." "I'm afraid I have nothing left to say to you, Lorna." "But I have plenty to tell Magnus." "I'm sure you do." "He is your vicar, after all." "For a little while longer." "Andrew Maplin?" "Might we have a word, please?" "I object to the use of so-called "magic" anywhere, and in a church, it's an abomination." "Gideon's an illusionist." "It's not real magic." "You and I know that, Sergeant, but there are plenty of gullible people who think otherwise." "Even the pretence of sorcery is dangerous as well as wrong." "If you think that, why not simply boycott the performance, instead of walking out?" "That would have been cowardly." "And less dramatic." "And you're rather fond of drama, aren't you?" "I'm thinking of the message you posted on Gideon Latimer's website accusing him of being the son of the devil." "I was quoting the Bible, Inspector." "Was it you who wrote the letter threatening Gideon with hellfire if he remained at Melmoth Hall?" "I'm not sure those were my precise words, but I urged him to leave that house of sin and darkness, yes." "You feel very strongly about this, don't you?" "Indeed." "Strongly enough to attempt to bring Gideon down in public?" "What are you suggesting?" "That someone made sure the stunt went wrong, possibly intending to humiliate or harm Gideon." "But not necessarily intending to kill anyone." "That's an outrageous accusation!" "Even though, "A man that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death"?" "I was referring to spiritual death." "Evil didn't arrive in Midsomer Oaks with Gideon Latimer, Inspector." "He made himself heir to a very old and dark legacy." "It's my job to root it out and that's what I intend to do." "An affair with Hannah?" "Where did you get that idea?" "From her husband." "Look, Luke's always been a bit paranoid." "I heard him and Hannah were having a rough patch." "But there was nothing between us." "Are you sure about that, Mr Probert?" "This is a murder investigation." "Look... it was a one-off thing." "You know how it is." "A one-off?" "OK, a few times, then." " And this was when?" " A couple of months ago." "It was a bit of fun." "Like I said, Luke and Hannah were having difficulties, and Ailsa had just found God." "Seemed to prefer him to me." "Whose decision was it to end the relationship?" "It was mutual." "No hard feelings." "I assume your wife knows nothing about any of this?" "No." "You won't tell her, will you?" "And he left the parish when?" "OK, thank you." "Sir?" "Err... would you..." "No, thank you." "What did you say about me to that detective?" "Nothing but the truth." "That you strongly objected to Gideon's participation in the concert." "Before you try to cast blame on others, perhaps you should look closer to home." "What on earth are you talking about?" "I've suspected for a long time." "And now I have proof." "You said the business was struggling." "That's what Hannah told me." "So where did this come from?" "I don't know." "Thank you." "Hello, sweetheart." "Everything all right?" " Where's the kids?" " Playing next door." "What did the police ask you?" "They wanted to know if we supplied flowers for the church last night." "Nothing about Hannah?" "How well I knew her, that kind of thing." "And did you tell them?" "£20,000." "Luke claimed he had no idea where it came from." "He was right about one thing, though." "The pub is in dire straits." "The mortgage is massively in arrears and the bank is threatening to repossess." "Find out if there are any rumours of dodgy dealings at The Green Man." "Drugs, you mean?" "Or stolen goods." "One other thing." "We found Hannah's passport, but Luke said he doesn't have one." "I've just checked and he never has." "Could be he just never fancied going abroad." "On the other hand, you should do a full identity check." " I've already set the ball rolling." " Good." "Rhodri Probert says his relationship with Hannah was long over, but we only have his word for that." "Nor can we be sure his wife didn't know about it." "Anything else?" "Andrew Maplin has worked in four parishes in the last five years." "Seems like a lot." "I can't say I'm surprised." "But he's not mad, and he's not stupid." "When he says there's an ancient evil at work in Midsomer Oaks, he means something specific." "But what?" "It's perfectly simple..." "I asked you to think of something..." "Gideon?" "The Curate's on the front lawn, praying." "He seems to be performing some sort of exorcism." "Don't worry." "I'll come and sort him out." "Drive the spirits of evil out of this house of shadow and pain." " You're on private property." " The faithful of Midsomer Oaks may be freed..." "I'm calling the police." "...give me the strength to carry out your work here today." " Grant us the strength..." " Reverend Maplin, isn't it?" "How kind of you to call." "Has anyone offered you tea?" "Surely even you must realise the time for mockery is past?" "You didn't heed my warnings and now a woman is dead." " What a wicked thing to say!" " I'm just being honest, Mrs Latimer." "Others may stand by and watch while your son pollutes this village by invoking its foul past, but I will not." "May I ask how you propose to stop me?" "By exposing your purpose in coming to Midsomer Oaks, and showing the world what you really are." "All of you." ""Murderers, fornicators, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, shall have their lot in the lake which burns with fire and sulphur which is the second death."" "You're insane." "Go in peace." "You may have turned your back on God, Gideon Latimer but you will not escape the fury of his wrath." "It's OK." "Come on." "I'm not too sure what your problem is." "Go." "Silence, child!" "It's your father who's to blame." "So, how did you get on?" "Betty finished her bottle and Sykes enjoyed his bone." "Or was it the other way round?" " How was your evening?" " Splendid." "Three hours of drink and debauchery." "I'd expect nothing less from the quarterly meeting of the Midsomer Historical Society." "It was very interesting, actually." "A local historian gave a talk." "Fascinating." "Don't mock." "Some of the grislier episodes in the past make your schlocky old horror movies look tame!" "Don't say any more." "Sykes has already spent half the evening behind the sofa." "That's not cos you're scared, is it Sykesie?" "He just prefers rom-coms." "I'm here." "Where are you?" "Argh!" " Here." " Oh, thanks." "Do you want to see a trick?" "Is it too much to ask to just have my coffee in peace?" "No, no, no." "Come on, watch." "I'm gonna make a coin pass through a pack of cards and drop into that glass." "Behold, a shiny coin." "Watch it pass through a solid pack of cards." "One, two, three..." "There are two coins." "One is in your hand, the other was concealed under the deck of cards from the start." "Spoilsport." "Sir?" "Andrew Maplin, curate of this parish." "He was wearing this when he was found." "It's made out of oak leaves." "Looks a bit like a ceremonial mask." "Perhaps some kind of sacrifice?" "Ashes are cold." "So that fire wasn't lit last night." "It looks as if he fell over here and was dragged to the big stone in the middle." "There was a clunky old mobile phone found here." "It's being dusted for prints now, then you can take a look." "Chances are, it was the victim's." "Because we wouldn't be lucky enough to find the murderer's phone at the scene?" "Exactly." "All this swaddling is gonna to make it tricky to pin down time of death." "I'd like to take him back to the table as soon as possible." "It'd be good to know what we're dealing with." "Nelson, come and look at this." "Let's get him back to the lab." ""Sir Hugo Melmoth." "Born 23rd January, 1758." "Died June 23rd, 1802." "E Flammis Vito."" ""Vita" is life, isn't it?" "In Italian, anyway." ""Out of the flames comes life"." "And yet this place feels full of death." "Always follow the same route when you run?" "No, but I've been that way a few times." "Had you ever met Andrew Maplin?" "He came here yesterday evening." " What did he want?" " An audience he could rant at." "After Andrew Maplin left, what did you do for the rest of the evening?" "We had supper, cleared up... nothing special." "You were all here, the whole evening, the two of you, Mr Latimer's mother, Mr Bainbridge?" "Yes." "We all went to bed quite early." "We were a bit shaken by that scene on the lawn, to be honest." "The mask on the body." "Had you ever seen anything like that before?" " No." " Mr Latimer?" "I didn't see it, obviously, but no." "Annabel's description didn't ring any bells." "You didn't go and look, after your wife came back here?" "Of course not." "Annabel needed me." "What's happening?" "The track to the temple's lined with police cars." "The Curate's dead - the one who came to the house last night." "Murdered?" "Your daughter-in-law found his body." "On the altar stone." "Oh, no!" "You poor girl!" "Tell me about the site." "You called it "the temple"?" "The pagan temple." "That's what the locals call it." "There are all sorts of stories about what used to go on there." "I saw Sir Hugo Melmoth's gravestone." "I take it Melmoth Hall once belonged to him?" "Yes, he was the last of the family, I believe." "Darling, this doesn't mean we're going to have to cancel tonight, does it?" " Why should it?" " Tonight?" "Another fundraiser for St Cyprian's." "No big stunts, I promise." "Just a few card tricks and a bit of mind-reading in the drawing room." "People have paid a fortune for the chance to meet Gideon." "We can't let them down." "As long as no one goes near the temple." "I'll send along a couple of Uniform officers to keep an eye on things here." "There's really no need." "It's for your own safety, Mr Latimer." "Thank you, Mr Barnaby." "It's good of you to do so much for the church, given that you're new to Midsomer Oaks." "I grew up not far from here" " Midsomer Mere." "My mother's keen for us to get involved in the community." "And Lorna Soane can be very persuasive." "I wonder, are there any books about the temple in the library here?" "There isn't a library." "The last owner sold off the books and converted the room into a home cinema." "Luckily, I'm not really interested in the past." "I've been looking for information on this place." "There's the usual stuff about architecture." "Any mention of a pagan temple?" "Not so far." "Andrew Maplin visited here last night, to warn Gideon Latimer to mend his evil ways." "He left around 8:30, allegedly." "He received a call at 9:23, made from an unidentified mobile." "We're trying to trace it, but I'm sure it'll turn out to be a prepaid job." "Anything else of interest?" "Andrew called the Bishop at two o'clock yesterday, to ask for a meeting." "He insisted it had to be today but he wouldn't say what it was about." "Get a couple of PCs up here tonight, will you?" "No one could accuse Andrew Maplin of living in luxury." "Andrew was no hypocrite... whatever his faults." "Did you know he was seeing the Bishop this morning?" "No, but he told me yesterday that he was going to demand a meeting as a matter of urgency." "What about?" "My many deficiencies, personal and professional." "Most of them alcohol-related." "You know where his body was found?" "Yes." "Everyone in the village knew by eight o'clock this morning." "No one at Melmoth Hall could tell me about the site, except that it was called "the pagan temple"." "It was built in the 18th century by Sir Hugo Melmoth, though Midsomer Oaks is believed to have been a centre for pre-Christian worship." "Sir Hugo was very interested in what he called "the old ways"." "Pagan rituals, you mean?" "Did they still exist in his day?" "If they didn't, he probably invented them." "Are there pagans active in Midsomer Oaks now?" "I understand they still mark the seasonal festivals in a purely symbolic way." " Do you participate?" " No, but I don't object." " Your curate did, though." " Yes." "And what about the Bishop?" "If it were brought to his attention, he'd feel obliged to take a dim view." "Would you mind telling me where you were last night, say, from 8:30 to 7:00 this morning?" "At home." "With my wife." "Thank you." "Slim pickings from the laptop." "Records of parish council meetings, a draft thesis on St Jerome." "Not much internet activity, except recently, on Gideon's site." "And no photographs or film, which is odd, because I found this." "It's quite new, but it looks like it's been in the wars." "I can't turn it on." "Can you salvage the memory card?" "Yeah, probably." "Kate wants us back." "Bring the camera with you." "Are you busy?" "Yes, of course I am." "Why?" "Nelson's done his best but I think I need a historian's input." "I'm interested in late-18th century paganism in Midsomer Oaks." "OK, I wasn't expecting that." "Am I allowed to know why?" "Are you OK?" "Kind of." "You were supposed to come with me this morning." "I overslept." "Gideon's not gonna carry on with this stupid pagan stuff now, is he?" "He's obsessed with it, thinks it's gonna help the act." "A little thing like murder's not gonna stand in his way." "I just keep seeing the body lying there." "Oh, come on." "Come here." "It'll be OK." "It'll be OK." "He was already dead when he was wrapped up." "The knife entered the heart and penetrated the right ventricle." "So whoever shrouded him afterwards had to work around the knife?" "No, that's the interesting thing." "There are two wounds, almost certainly made by the same weapon - the first before he was swaddled, and the second, after." "It must have been obvious that he was dead, so the second one was for show." "Could we borrow your computer for a few minutes, Kate?" "Certainly." "Nelson worked his magic on a broken camcorder while we were driving here." "He prised it open with a penknife." "That's as close as Charlie gets to sleight of hand." " You can mock." " Oh, we will." "In the meantime..." "look at this." "He filmed his own murder?" "No, look at the date." "This footage was shot when Andrew Maplin was still very much alive." "Drive the spirits of evil out of this house of shadow and pain." "What the hell do you think you're doing?" "What the hell do you think you're doing?" "Luke Altman." "It wasn't an attack." "I didn't touch the man." "I grabbed his camera and threw it on the ground." "Why?" "He was spying on something... sacred." "Pagan rituals?" "We just celebrate the natural world... the sun and the seasons." "Yesterday morning, we were welcoming in the summer solstice." "That all sounds very innocent." "And not at all like what Andrew Maplin filmed - the knife, the fire, the body on the altar stone." "That wasn't a body, it was a straw man." "He symbolises winter and we kill him every year to mark the return of summer." "It's no sillier than what happens in church." "Who's the person wearing the crown, your leader?" "The High Priest of Sulis." "Sulis?" "A Celtic sun goddess, apparently." "And who is the High Priest?" "The inner circle holds a secret vote." "I am not part of the inner circle." "As far as I'm concerned, paganism's not about worshipping gods, and having priests and hierarchies." "A man known for his hard-line Christian beliefs was murdered at your pagan temple, in a way which mimics the very ceremony he filmed." "And you think one of us did it?" "That would be really clever but..." "You can buy these masks off the internet." "That's where I got mine." "Anybody could have killed Andrew and tried to put the blame on us." "No, no." "Not there." "Over there, please." "So, as the guests arrive, Annabel, Carole and I will circulate." "You make your entrance, you work this side of the room, a few one-on-one tricks, before you make your way to the centre..." "Theo, this is my show." "I'll take the creative decisions." "You just do the job I pay you for." "You don't pay me to lie to the police." "I pay for your loyalty, which is a word you don't..." "It's only me!" "The door was open." "Just came to see how poor Annabel was feeling after her dreadful shock." " I'm fine, thank you, Mrs Soane." " Oh, well..." "I see everything is in train for tonight." "Jolly good." "So, tell me what you have planned." "And give away our secrets?" " You can trust me, you know that." " Can we?" "Of course we trust you, Mrs Soane." "But we don't share the tricks of our trade with anyone." "Tricks?" "I'm disappointed, Gideon." "I thought your magic was real." "I'm not sure about tomorrow night, not after..." "We must." "Lorna, the place is crawling with police." " You're playing with fire." " That's the idea, isn't it?" "Mrs Soane?" "Please leave Gideon alone." "We'll go through with tonight, but don't ask him to do any more." "It's too dangerous." "He's not doing any of this for me." "He's doing it for St Cyprian's." "Gideon couldn't give a toss for St Cyprian's." "And I don't believe you do either!" "You had a nasty shock this morning." "Why don't you go and lie down, hm?" "Aren't you done yet?" "Nearly, Mrs Latimer." "I've sent the footage to the tech department and asked them to blow up shots of individuals." "The leaves on Luke's mask were made of leather." "The ones on Andrew's were real." "There was another difference too." "Did you notice?" "Andrew's mask didn't have an opening for the mouth." "And now he's been silenced." "OK." "I think Gideon knows about us." "Let's leave today." "Now?" "I can't leave now." "You've chosen him instead of me." "No!" "I still want to be with you." "But I don't want to hurt him." "He's hurt you often enough!" "That's not fair." "I can't leave Gideon while someone might be trying to kill him." " Look, I better go." " No, wait." "Early supper?" "It'll only be posh nibbles up at Melmoth Hall." "You're going to need something to soak up the booze." "I can't go to a party." "Why not?" "I just think it would be better if we both stayed at home tonight." "Magnus, you can't give up on this." "Two people, one of them my curate, have died in the most horrible of circumstances." "And I'm very sorry." "But somebody has to try and save St Cyprian's." "It's what Andrew would have wanted." "If we lose this church, you'll be sent to a different parish." "And I won't be going with you." "I'm not ready to leave Midsomer Oaks." "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen." "May I have you attention, please?" "No, over here." "Not there." "Here." "Welcome to Melmoth Hall!" "Tonight, I'm going to make all your money disappear and re-appear in the Save St Cyprian's fund!" "Thank you." "Thank you." "How does he do that?" "OK, thanks." "Luke and Hannah's personal finances check out." "They weren't siphoning any money from the business, and there's no sign of any other source of income." "Tech have just sent over a file, but they say the quality's not great." "Zoom in on that, Nelson." "I've seen that ring before." "Rhodri Probert wears one." "Good evening, Mr Probert." "Why didn't you tell us about this before?" "You didn't ask." "I'm sure you heard about the circumstances in which Andrew Maplin's body was found." "Why didn't you come forward then?" "Mr Probert... you were present when your former lover was killed, and now a man caught filming your solstice ceremony has also been murdered." "I suggest you start talking, either here or at the station." "You can begin by telling us about the High Priest of Sulis." "Hannah wanted it, see... the High Priesthood." "So did I." " If you'd like to shuffle the deck." " Oh, erm..." "Not something I'm terribly accomplished at." "It's fine, I understand." " There we are." " Thank you." "Now, what were the two cards you were thinking of?" "Oh, the um..." "The Jack of Spades and the four of Diamonds." "The Jack of Spades and the four of diamonds." "How do you do that?" "It's simple, I deal in thoughts." "You could think of anything." "Now, a few moments ago, I asked you to think of something you like to wear." "Think of it now." "I'm sensing something beginning with..." "J... no..." "G." "Something green something that goes on your head." "A hat?" "A green hat?" "His old green fishing hat." "It's quite revolting." "Now, I asked you to think of something that you fear." "Think of it now." "I'm not getting anything." "There was something you feared, wasn't there until very recently but you don't any more?" "Don't worry, Mrs Soane, I'm not going to try to read your mind." "Believe me, I wouldn't dare!" "Luke and some of the others didn't approve." "Hannah was excited by the idea and so was I, to be honest." "But I..." "I changed my mind, a few days before." "Why was that?" "Hannah said if I didn't stand down and vote for her, she'd tell Ailsa what happened between us." "She was blackmailing you, in effect?" "How did you react?" "Well, I wasn't thrilled, obviously." "Did you think she'd carry out her threat?" "You could never tell with Hannah." "I wasn't about to lose everything over a stupid title." "12 magicians have lost their lives performing this next feat." "Put a mark on the top of the bullet, please." "Your initials, if you like, but any mark will do, as long as it's distinctive." "Are you a good shot, Lorna?" "Better than average." "That's a relief." "Now..." "Forget about the glass." "Aim at my mouth." "I'm going to catch the bullet between my teeth." "All of you are witnesses." "If any harm comes to me Lorna Soane is not to be held responsible." "Ready." "Aim." "Fire!" "So who was left in contention, after you withdrew and Hannah was killed?" "Who is the High Priest of Sulis?" "The obvious candidate, I suppose, Sir Hugo Melmoth's descendant." "And who is that?" "Lorna Soane." "If you'd like to confirm that's the mark you made." "Yes, it is." "Thanks." "Gunshot straight to the heart." "Looks like an antique." "It was on the lawn under the drawing room window." "It's been wiped clean." "Surprise, surprise." "Time of death?" "With the usual caveats, of course." "Up to 30 minutes before she was found, though it might have been less." "You delivered the flowers for the party this afternoon." "Why did you come back to the house?" "I owed it to Andrew." "To carry on his fight against Gideon?" "Against sorcery." "I was watching while they were getting the room ready, and I realised how the mirror worked." "I wanted everyone to know how easily they were being fooled." " How did you get in?" " Through the kitchen." "The room behind the mirror was completely dark." "I felt my way to the switch, and flipped it." "I didn't know there'd be a body." "OK, you can go and help with the witness statements." "Thank you." "What's the story?" "The two PCs left their post in the drawing room because Mr Bainbridge told them there was a prowler in the back garden." " I'm sorry!" " Are you saying you were lying?" "Gideon insisted on doing the bullet catch." "He was adamant." "Go on." "It's perfectly safe." "The gun is specially modified, and it's all done by sleight of hand." "We didn't think your officers would see it like that, so he got me to get rid of them for a bit." "By sending them on a wild goose chase." " I didn't know this would happen." " Didn't you?" "Of course not." "Annabel and I were friends." "A little more than that!" "I've suspected for some time now." "But I didn't think Annabel would be so stupid and ungrateful." "She's lying!" "Of course Annabel and I were close." "We spent a lot of time together on tour, but we never..." "I heard you today in your bedroom... quarrelling." "Because she'd changed her mind about leaving Gideon for you." "You were listening at the door?" "She's probably got the room bugged." "I look out for my son's interests." "That's all." "Thank you, Mrs Latimer." "Can we take it you're no longer denying that you and Annabel had an affair?" "Why did she change her mind?" "She was worried about Gideon." "He was convinced he was the one meant to die at the church, and Annabel half-believed him." "You didn't?" "Gideon always has to be the centre of attention." "Annabel was rattled by Andrew Maplin's threats, too, and she thought the pagan stuff was dangerous." "Is Gideon involved in that?" "He thinks the act needs a new angle." "He went to the solstice celebration at the temple." "There's something else tomorrow, an escapology stunt, I think, but he's being cagey about the details." "I thought you were privy to everything?" "Not since we came to Midsomer Oaks." "After you entered through the mirror, you circulated, talking to the guests and doing tricks, is that right?" "Yes." "Why did you choose Magnus and Lorna Soane as subjects?" "They're well known in the community." "People like to see authority figures put at a disadvantage." "You went straight from one to the other, in full sight of everyone in the room?" "Yes." "Everyone who was here will confirm that." "How does the mirror illusion work?" "It's quite technical." "Lights and hidden panels." "Theo will show you." "But someone, or more than one person, can be behind the mirror for any length of time, without being seen on the other side, if the lights are off?" "Naturally." "That's its function." "Before embarking on your routine with Mrs Soane, did you notice if your wife was in the room?" "It was Annabel's job to be aware of me, not mine to look out for her." "Sorry if that sounds arrogant, it's just the way it was." "I'm not sure." "Why does it matter?" "Because there's a possibility Annabel was dead before Mr Latimer made his entrance." "What are you implying?" "He's saying that anyone could have killed Annabel." "Including you, or me or Gideon." " Don't you dare..." " Mrs Latimer, please!" "Do any of you recognise this gun?" " It's the one Gideon used for the bullet-catch." " No, it isn't." "The wood on the handle's much darker, look." " The stunt gun's in my study." " May we see it, please?" "Mother's wrong." "Annabel was very happy being married to me." "I'm afraid Mrs Latimer was right." "Mr Bainbridge has confirmed it." "And you believed him?" "Theo's not happy working behind the scenes any more." "He wants to be me." "So of course he's going to pretend Annabel was his lover, now she's not here to deny it." "This gun has been modified so that it doesn't shoot real bullets, right?" "Yes." "If it is the one used in the stunt, Mrs Soane's prints will be on it." ""The Great Enrico"." "That's my father." "I didn't know he was a magician too." "Did he teach you all his tricks?" "He died when I was a child." "He didn't exactly have a glittering career." " Sir Hugo?" " Yes." "It came with the house." "It's the anniversary of his death tomorrow." "You obviously know a lot more about the old chap than I do." "The date is on his grave." "Mr Bainbridge says that you're very interested in paganism." "He thinks you have big plans of your own to mark the day." "I did." "Not any more." "The paganism was just a new gimmick to help sell the act, that's all." "I did love Annabel, Mr Barnaby." "I don't know what I'm going to do without her." "I didn't hear you get up." "Yeah, Betty woke at five." "Once I'd settled her back down, I thought I might as well stay up and tell you what I've found out about Midsomer Oaks and your friend Sir Hugo." "Somehow, I don't think we'd have been chums, even if I'd lived 200 years ago." "There's not much, not even in the local Historical Society archives." "It seems Sir Hugo was a little eccentric and held some rather unusual views on religion, but other than that, he was a model landlord and landowner." "That sounds like the official version." "Yeah, listen to this, though." ""The exact circumstances of Sir Hugo's death remain unexplained, but it was widely believed he jumped into a fire, in the belief that he would be reincarnated like the phoenix"." "Did you say "a little eccentric"?" "So what's going on?" "Has Sir Hugo finally mastered the art of reincarnation?" " Do you think he's your killer?" " Not quite." "But his pagan practices seem to be flourishing again, and not everyone is happy about it, as you can imagine." "Is that what these murders have been about?" "I'm not sure yet." "Maybe." "Or maybe that's what someone wants us to think." "I'd like to know the truth about Sir Hugo." "If anyone can tell you that, it'll be Dr Grenville, the lady who gave the talk the other night." "I'll give her a call." "Would you?" "Bye." "Do you think Gideon didn't know about the affair?" "No." "The question is, is he lying because he's guilty or because he's afraid we'll think he's guilty?" "Theo thinks he did it." "And Carole would love it to be Theo." "Gideon had motive, means, probably opportunity and a motive to kill Andrew." "But not Hannah." "We still don't have a real link between the victims, or a shred of physical evidence." "Luke Altman wasn't on the guest list at Melmoth Hall last night." " Not that that puts him beyond suspicion." " You're right." "Just because Theo lied about seeing an intruder, doesn't mean there wasn't one." "Gideon, my dear." "Did you sleep?" "Have you eaten this morning?" "Yes, thank you." "Really, I'm fine." "Good." "Magnus will be up a little later, but I wanted to see you first." "Because this tragedy must make no difference." "Excuse me?" "It has to be tonight." "Earth magic and fire magic combined at midsummer." "The power of the wizard harnessed to the service of the goddess!" " I know how much this means to you, but..." " No, no." "It isn't about me, it's about the village." "Midsomer Oaks has never really prospered since Sir Hugo died." "It's up to you and me to revive his spirit and carry on his work!" "How well did you know Annabel Latimer?" "We'd spoken a few times." "A charming young woman." "And how long have you known about your wife's involvement with the pagans?" "Well, she's never made a secret of it at home." "In public, of course, she's discreet, for my sake." "Was Andrew Maplin threatening to expose her?" "He told me he planned to discuss it with the Bishop, yes." "Could you have lost your job?" "It's not that easy to get rid of a beneficed clergyman of the Church of England." "But it wouldn't have helped the campaign to save St Cyprian's." "In any case, I fear that's a lost cause now." "The Bishop called this morning to say he's shutting us down." "There's no such thing as a lost cause, Magnus." "Mrs Soane, I should tell you that I talked to Rhodri Probert yesterday." "He was very forthcoming." "No reason he shouldn't be." "Nothing we do is illegal." "But it is highly unorthodox, for a vicar's wife to lead a pagan cult." "Even one founded by her ancestor." "Paganism isn't fundamentally at odds with Christianity, Inspector." "Both traditions have existed side by side in Midsomer Oaks for centuries." "And the village flourished in Sir Hugo's time, as never before or since." "You were both present at the scene of two murders." "And Reverend Soane has admitted that his relationship with his curate was strained, to say the least." "If every "strained relationship" between vicar and curate resulted in murder, half the clergy in England would be in prison or dead." "Lorna!" "I'm not concerned with every strained relationship, Mrs Soane." "I'd like an account of your movements last night, from the moment you arrived at Melmoth Hall." "As precise as possible, please." "It's very kind of you to see me at such short notice, Dr Grenville." "Not at all, my dear." " Tea?" " No, thank you." "I don't want to take up too much of your time." "I've been working on this book since last century." "Another half hour won't make much difference." "What about the baby?" "Would he like a biscuit?" "No." "She's fine, thank you." "You mentioned that your research had taken you into the archives of most of the big pre-Victorian houses in the county." "I wondered if Melmoth Hall might have been one of them." "Why do you wonder that?" "My husband's investigating a series of murders in Midsomer Oaks." "Recent murders?" "Fine." "Thanks." "If you can send the report through as soon as you can?" "OK." "Lorna Soane's prints are on the stunt gun." "So are Gideon's and Theo's, but no one else's." "Ballistics say the real gun was fired once, with a silencer." "All the victims had some kind of dispute with Lorna Soane." "But I think we're missing something, another link between them." "I wasn't having any luck finding Luke's birth certificate, so I ran a check on his fingerprints." "Luke Altman's real name is Seth Farringdale." "And?" "He was convicted of manslaughter when he was 13 years old." "Hello, Seth." "I've been expecting you." "Young Seth was messing around with fireworks on an abandoned smallholding outside Midsomer Mere when an outbuilding caught fire." "A homeless man called William Holt was asleep inside." "Seth's school bag was found at the scene, and he admitted everything." "He'd been in trouble before and he served four years on a secure unit." "He wasn't given a new identity on release, but he seems to have called himself Luke Altman ever since." "Hannah would have found out Luke's real name when they married, if not before, and she's bound to have asked why he changed it." "Or perhaps it's more complicated than that." "This is Rhodri, please leave a message." "Rhodri, where are you?" "I'm frightened." "You promised me nothing was gonna happen tonight." "It's wonderful." "Mr Altman?" "Shall I start a search for him?" "Yes, put out a call to Uniform." "I want to look at the scene of the crime." "Which one?" "We've got three." "Four, in fact." "At the moment, I'm interested in the first one - the one that I think all this has been about." "Luke built a circular metal frame out of chicken wire, eight feet in circumference and six feet high." "Six feet?" "Yeah." "The fireworks were just cheap things, but he'd constructed two mortars." "One did what it was supposed to and set off the bangers in the frame." "The other went through a hole in the roof and set the place on fire." "Oh, it gets worse." "They think Holt woke up, attempted to run out of the building." "He was probably drunk and went straight into the frame." "It's a pretty horrible story, isn't it?" "And not very plausible." "What, you think Luke knew someone was in the building?" "That it was murder, not manslaughter?" "No, but I don't think he was alone." "One 13-year-old transported all that stuff up here, and built a frame that big?" "You're right." "It would be no fun on your own, either, would it?" "Think of all the stupid things you did when you were a kid." "You did them because you were with your mates, egging you on." "Speak for yourself." "But, yes, you're right." "And Luke was a loyal friend, back then, at least." "Do you think he's out for revenge now?" "Or profit?" "That £20,000..." "Hannah was the only victim without an obvious link to Gideon Latimer." " Gideon and Luke are the same age." " And they both grew up in Midsomer Mere." "We need to find Luke, now." "It wasn't just whisky that made me sleep through those nights when you went creeping out to your temple, was it?" "A harmless sleeping draught." "I thought you'd be happier in ignorance." "I pretended to Inspector Barnaby that I knew all along, but I didn't suspect anything until Andrew told me, the day he was murdered." "What really hurt..." "is that he seemed almost sorry for me." "I don't know you any more, Lorna!" "All this High Priestess nonsense..." "Have you told Gregory it's "nonsense" for him to call himself Bishop?" "Believe me, I've been tempted." "I can make a joke out of most things, Lorna, but not this." "I'm warning you... don't go out tonight!" "This has to stop now!" "Or what?" "Don't push me, Lorna." "John?" "I've just got back from Dr Grenville's." "Sir Hugo Melmoth didn't set fire to himself." "The villagers trapped him and threw him into the flames." "And I don't blame them!" "He wasn't the harmless eccentric we've been hearing about." "Thanks for that." "Kiss Betty for me." "Midsomer Oak's pagans honour Sir Hugo Melmoth on Midsummer's Eve every year, but they don't know the truth." "His death wasn't a self sacrifice that went wrong, it was murder." "Yeah, it's DCI Barnaby." "I need urgent back-up at Melmoth Hall, fire service and ambulance as well as police." "What's happening?" "Sir Hugo was a ruthless tyrant who invented his own religion as a cover for his rapacity and greed, and made human sacrifices of those who stood in his way." "And now someone is following in his footsteps." "Why are you still here?" "Haven't you done enough damage?" "I've still got things to do." " What things?" " Tonight, for a start." "Gideon doesn't need you for that." "I can do everything that's necessary." "I intend to finish what I've started." "This is Midsummer Eve the time of year when Sir Hugo Melmoth, who did so much to revive the old ways of Midsomer Oaks, threw himself into the flames and was born again in spirit if not in body." "Every year, we mark his sacrifice." "But tonight, we are going to recreate it, with a new phoenix, who will be consumed by the fire and then rise again from the ashes!" "Put that fire out!" "There's someone inside the box!" "Of course there is!" "It's Gideon!" "It's perfectly safe." "He's not really in there." "You're exceeding your authority here!" "We are commemorating the death of a noble man!" "Opinions differ on that, Mrs Soane." "Call your men off." "Everything's fine, I'm safe." "Who is that?" "It's Luke Altman, sir." "He's still alive." "I didn't see him." "I was only in there for a few seconds." "This is your fault!" "The fire and the sacrifice were your idea." "No one was supposed to get hurt!" "Annabel begged me not to have anything to do with you and your pathetic cult." "Luke could have died." " Why are you not arresting her?" " Because she's not guilty." "All the victims had a link to Mrs Soane and paganism." "But that was just a classic piece of misdirection." "They all had something much more important in common." "They all posed a threat... to Gideon." "I barely knew Hannah, or Andrew Maplin!" "But Hannah knew all about you from her husband." "Luke took full responsibility for the death of William Holt, but he didn't act alone." "You were with him on that day." "We were just children." "We didn't mean to hurt anyone." " Gideon, don't say any more." " But Luke never said a word." "Until he married Hannah and told her the whole story." "Even then, nothing might have happened, if Gideon hadn't come to live at Melmoth Hall." "You're completely wrong." "Gideon wouldn't kill anyone." "Of course you believe that, Mrs Latimer, you're his mother." "But I have to consider the evidence against him." "The killer knew a great deal about magic in general and about Gideon's tricks in particular." "My son is not a murderer." "No." "He doesn't need to be." "You take care of his enemies for him." "This is absurd." "What is he talking about?" "Everything was going so well, wasn't it?" "Gideon was rich and successful, living with you at Melmoth Hall." "But then Hannah Altman appeared... blackmailing you threatening to ruin everything by exposing Gideon's nasty little secret." "The sabotage at the church." "That was you?" "Andrew Maplin knew nothing about the death of William Holt, he just had a gift for choosing the right words at the wrong time." "So when he started talking about exposing liars and murderers murderers, fornicators..." "...you thought he must've found out the truth." "He was going to destroy us." "I was only protecting you, my darling, like I always have done." "You killed Annabel?" "Fire!" "She betrayed you." "You know, she always said you couldn't bear the thought of sharing me with anybody else." "Nelson?" "All my life, you have been there controlling my every move." "And it brought you the money and fame your father and I never had." "You?" "You were just his assistant." "That's all I was allowed to be." "But I was better than him." "Don't forget, I taught you everything you know." "And you've surpassed both of us, my darling." "Well, that means nothing now because you destroyed everything that matters to me." "It's all finished." "It's done." "Gideon?" "Gideon?" "Agh!" "Carole Latimer, I'm arresting you for the murders of Hannah Altman," "Andrew Maplin and Annabel Latimer and for the attempted murder of Luke Altman." "You do not have to say anything, but whatever you do say will be given in evidence." "Inspector Barnaby?" "Somebody said you'd arrested a woman." "Carole Latimer." "Magnus." "Take me home." "Mrs Soane?" "I believe this is yours." "Before you celebrate Sir Hugo's sacrifice again next year, might I suggest you get in touch with Dr Dorothea Grenville?" "Lorna and I will be leaving Midsomer Oaks long before then, Mr Barnaby." "We both need to make a fresh start." "All the pagan and Christian stuff was just more smoke and mirrors, wasn't it?" "This wasn't about religion at all." "This was about mother-Iove." "That can be as powerful as any religion." "On the whole, Nelson," "I'm glad your parents didn't encourage you to pursue a career in magic." "It's never to late for a change of direction, sir." "Al last!" "I thought you'd vanished into a puff of smoke." "Right, I've got a really good trick for you." "No, please!" "I'm gonna make a bottle of beer disappear." "That's easy." "Go on, Charlie." "OK?" " No, that's brilliant!" " That's actually really good." " That's brilliant." " It's magic!" "Oh, Sykesie, what are you doing?" "Sykes?" "Sykes!" "The art of misdirection, canine-style!" "Sykesie!" "Come back with those sausages!" "Sykesie!" "Ripped By mstoll"