"I know everything!" "What are you talking about?" "Paul confessed, Katie." "There's no need to cover for him." "'You need to get your stories straight." "According to her, 'there's been no affair - just, just some kind of sexual assault.'" "Jesus, Paul, what did you do to her?" "When I met Peter, I already had a boyfriend." "That boyfriend was Tom, who became my husband." "'And you never told him what happened?" "' 'No.'" "Who are you?" "Excuse me, ma'am." "The divers might have found something." "Where's Mummy sleeping?" "In there." "In his own mind, he believes he has the right to decide who lives and who dies." "Peter?" "Stella?" "Help me." "I don't want to die." "Oh!" "Stop shaking." "Start again, steady hand." "Mmm." "Is this your phone?" "Yeah." "The child locks are on." "I don't understand what's happening." "What are you doing?" "Stay still." "Where are you taking me?" "Are my babies all right?" "Yes." "And Tom?" "You mean the drunk sleeping on the sofa?" "He's dead to the world." "Why are you doing this to me?" "What is this?" "You went to the police, Rose." "I didn't." "You sat with a police officer, probably for hours, and put together that likeness of me." "This doesn't even look like you." "You've made my life very difficult." "But... you're not... him." "Are you?" "No." "I'm not him." "Well, then you have nothing to fear." "Please take me home." "Please!" "It wasn't me!" "Perhaps it was that other girl, the, the one who survived?" "The caption said it was nine years ago." "It was you." "No, it wasn't me." "The thought that you could be him, that you could be the man." "It never crossed my mind." "Have you forgotten what happened between us?" "No." "No, I hadn't forgotten." "But that doesn't mean..." "We were just trying things... doing things." "It was just something that happened." "Too much to drink." "It was a lifetime ago." "I'm married." "I'm a mother now." "Maybe it was some other girl, some other girl that you were seeing!" "There was no other girl." "You were the only girl." "And you've betrayed me." "Ah!" "No!" "No!" "Argh!" "No!" "No!" "Ah, no!" "Nancy!" "Time for breakfast." "I'm coming, Daddy." "Nancy!" "What are they doing?" "Looking for him, stupid." "What?" "!" "They must think he lives round here." "Oh, my God." "Seriously?" "That's the last time I'm sleeping over at yours." "Right-handed professional decorating shears." "29 centimetre overall length." "17.5 centimetre cutting blade - just under seven inches." "How long were they in the water?" "I'm assuming since the night of the 20th." "We can examine them for trace and contact evidence - blood, fingerprints, fibres - but it will be degraded after that amount of time underwater." "They were quite deep in the silt." "Start with the fingerprints and then see if anything else can be gleaned." "We need to fast-track them." "Where did you put Rose?" "Er, she's not here yet, ma'am." "I have her mobile number." "Will you call her place of work?" "Mm-hm." "'You have one new message.'" "'Rose, this is Detective Superintendent Gibson." "'We were due to meet today." "'Please ring and let me know when you'll be here." "'I do have further questions for you." "'It's essential that you come in today." "Please call me.'" "Her first appointment at work was at eight this morning." "She didn't turn up and no word from her either." "Several patients have not received their radiology treatments." "Her department at the hospital have been trying to reach her." "This has never happened before." "No reply from home." "See if the hospital human resources has a next-of-kin number for Rose." "'When was the last time that you saw her?" "'" "Erm, she left in the early hours of the morning." "'What time?" "'" "Um, I'm not sure." "I was sleeping." "So how do you know?" "'Um, she left me a note.'" "Do you still have that note?" "Yeah." "'Please keep it safe.'" "Why?" "What's this about?" "'Where are you, Tom?" "'" "I'm in the park." "'Go home." "Meet me there.' I'm on my way.'" "Are you aware that Rose was due to see me today?" "Yes." "I am." "And do you know why?" "I think so." "How does she normally get to work?" "She drives." "And her car is gone?" "Yes." "Anything strike you as unusual this morning, Tom?" "Er, maybe, one thing." "I'm sure it's nothing." "Go on." "Her bite guard was over there, on the side." "Her?" "Bite guard." "She wears it at night to stop her from grinding her teeth." "Normally, when she wakes, she puts it in its wee box at the side of bed and... at night, she rinses it and puts it back in." "And this is her handwriting?" "Yes." "Her normal hand?" "Yes." "Should I be worried?" "Why are YOU here?" "Just to look after you while your daddy answers some questions." "Look what I found." "It's sad, isn't it?" "It's very sad." "You weren't aware of her getting out of bed?" "I wasn't in bed with her." "Where were you?" "I slept on the sofa." "Why?" "We'd argued." "What about?" "She told me she was coming in to see you, that she had already spoken to you once before, and she told me why." "And what she told me explained something that has always..." "That I'd never understood before." "What was that?" "A period at university when, suddenly, she wouldn't talk to me, see me at all, for three months." "Then, one day, she called." "We started seeing each other again." "And we got married soon after." "How did you feel... ..when she told you why she'd withdrawn?" "Upset." "Angry." "Violently angry?" "No." "No, never." "Angry enough to make her leave you?" "No." "I don't, I don't think so." "Can I help you?" "I'm Paul Spector." "Oh, yes, I've been expecting you." "Take a seat." "This is the case file you need." "We're going to need a number of recent photographs of Rose." "There's quite a lot to choose from." "When was that taken?" "That was last year." "That was just last week." "Come in." "Assistant Chief Constable Burns is here, ma'am." "Right." "Stay here, Tom." "I'll be back." "Contact Control by radio." "This is Rose Stagg's car." "Circulate the details." "We need to get the family out of there, Jim." "Conduct an initial visual search." "Open all doors, access all rooms, cupboards, voids." "She might still be in there somewhere." "Stella, you shouldn't be here." "This isn't a voluntary missing person." "How do you know?" "It's an abduction." "The house is a crime scene." "If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, where's the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?" "That's the best so far." "Did you learn that at school?" "No, from Peter Piper." "Really?" "Mummy's friend." "Your mummy has a friend called Peter Piper?" "Yes." "He was here last night." "We made a decision to say that the likeness was from nine years ago, and I think we have led him straight to Rose." "How?" "Oh... ..and I called him Peter, too." "A common enough name." "Why would we be interested in a likeness from nine years ago?" "Because of a precursor crime." "Something that happened in the past that seems to presage the current crimes." "Like a woman being strangled into unconsciousness by her boyfriend." "I mean, maybe he did that with every woman that he met." "But what if he only did it once?" "How difficult would that be for him to work out?" "Rose never reported it." "The boyfriend was never interviewed, charged." "As far as he knows, it's always remained a private matter." "Until now." "WE have made it public." "We should've age-enhanced the picture and used that instead." "There's been a development, ma'am." "Get in." "It's from the daughter, from Nancy." "Go on." "It seems there was someone in the house last night." "Someone who said he was a friend of her mother's." "Nancy watched them going off, crossing the street together." "Someone who said he was called Peter." "Can I help you?" "I'm here to see a patient, Annie Brawley." "Why is he here?" "I'm giving the case to Eastwood." "When did you decide that?" "If the Task Force investigates this, the media will be all over it." "We don't need that extra pressure." "I'm sorry, that's ridiculous." "She's been missing for less than 12 hours." "It's important we appear not to be overreacting." "Jim!" "You can't see past the killer." "I want all lines of inquiry looked at - marital, extra-marital, depression, suicide." "The child said that there was a stranger in the house last night, a stranger who called himself Peter." "Rose's life is at risk and it's my fault!" "I will ask Eastwood to keep you briefed on any developments." "Gibson." "'Ma'am, it's Larkin." "We've found a receipt for the shears 'amongst Annie's papers." "I've obtained a duplicate set.'" "I'll meet you at the mortuary." "I've read the case notes and I know the background." "And, in truth, a female therapist would've been a better option." "I don't believe one was available and, honestly, there's no-one better qualified than me." "Now, it's possible that your daughter may react unfavourably to my presence." "A male of a certain age..." "It could trigger an emotional reaction." "So if you would stay close by, at first at least." "Annie?" "Yes?" "I'm Paul Spector." "Can I come in?" "Course." "I'll be a minute." "I feel so guilty." "Tell me why." "It's not just guilt." "It's shame." "What have you got to be ashamed of?" "I subscribed to a website." "I created a profile." "What sort of website?" "An adult website." "I just keep thinking, you know... ..what if he saw me on there?" "What if..." "And what if he chose me because of that site?" "Did you post pictures of yourself?" "A couple." "But nothing very revealing." "OK." "But also, erm... ..a video." "What kind of video?" "Suggesting... ..suggesting that I might be up for bondage." "Domination, that type of thing." "I said I had a high... high threshold for pain." "I actually said that, but..." "I didn't know." "It was just..." "It was just... a fantasy, a-a game." "There's a world of difference, Annie, between what consenting adults choose to do in their bedroom and the violent sexual assault that you suffered." "Nothing you did, frankly, nothing you could ever do, would ever make you responsible for the events of that night." "That's down to him... ..and him alone." "When did you last see Rose?" "I bumped into her at the market on Sunday." "We had coffee." "Is it out of character... ..for her to take off?" "You think that's what happened?" "She just took off?" "Mm." "Possible." "It's also possible that this could all be our fault." "Why do you say that?" "Hasn't it occurred to you that she might have been taken, by him?" "Why would he do that?" "I don't know - to silence her?" "What if we've exposed her to danger from that man by getting her to talk to you about the past?" "'Are you keeping a journal?" "'" "It's my diary from before." "The idea is it's supposed to help me remember more about what happened to me." "And has it helped?" "I've not read it yet." "Well, maybe it will help." "Or maybe it won't." "We all know people who live too much in the past." "Too much history, too much remembering, can ultimately destroy the present..." "..and the future." "Thanks." "It's been really useful." "Good." "It's getting too long." "It's annoying me." "Use that hairband to put it back." "This is for something else." "A friend gave it to me." "A friend?" "Yeah." "I can arrange for a hairdresser to visit if you like?" "Really?" "Of course." "Uh..." "Well, then... ..yes, please." "I'll see you the day after tomorrow." "'You have one new message.'" "'I'm at the school gates to pick up Liam and Olivia, 'but Olivia isn't here." "'Why is your phone always...'" "'Hello?" "' Sally, it's me." "What's going on?" "'I'm calling the police.'" "Why?" "'Olivia's been taken.'" "What do you mean "taken"?" "'Your fucking little tramp of a girlfriend.'" "What?" "'Katie." "'She told Miss Selmer that I asked her to pick up Livvy." "'Pick up Livvy and leave Liam to wait for me?" "!" "'I'm calling the police.' Don't do that." "I'll deal with it." "'How the hell can you do that?" "You're in Scotland.'" "Actually I'm not." "I'm here, I'm in Belfast." "'What?" "When did that happen?" "'" "Now." "Today." "I'm back." "I've got her number." "'I bet you have.' I'll call her." "Just wait." "These are the same size, make and brand as the pair that we pulled from the water." "The direction of force is more or less at a perpendicular angle to the skin." "And here... we have abrasions that look like they've been caused by the handle of the weapon - a kind of hilt-mark injury." "You said that the maximal depth of the wounds was nine inches, but these scissors have blades that are under seven inches." "Yeah, because of the compression of the body with force, the depth measurement can be greater than the length of the blade." "There's nothing to indicate that these aren't the murder weapon." "'Have you found them?" "'" "Not yet." "'Paul...'" "Wait just a little longer." "I'll call you as soon as I do." "You have a funny name." "Katrina?" "No." "Like my name is Spector." "Oh, Benedetto." "It's Italian." "Did you get teased at school?" "A bit." "Is this it?" "Is this really your favourite place?" "Yeah." "Do you remember that necklace you had?" "The one with the beetle on it?" "Daddy gave it to me." "Where did he get it?" "I don't know." "It was a present for trying hard at school." "Do you still have it?" "I lost it." "How?" "It disappeared." "When?" "I don't know." "Daddy!" "Hey." "When did you get back?" "Today." "It's getting late." "We need to get you home." "Wait for me there." "Say goodbye to Katie." "Bye, Katie." "Hello." "Straight upstairs, please." "I want to be with Daddy." "It's late." "Upstairs and into your pyjamas now." "I'm hungry." "Upstairs." "Where were they?" "In the park." "When did you get back?" "Just this afternoon." "What is wrong with that girl?" "Why does she want to hurt me?" "It's not you she wants to hurt, it's me." "Daddy!" "Are you coming?" "The things she said to you, they're... they're teenage fantasies." "There was no attack, no near-rape or whatever." "Olivia saw you." "She got out of bed and she saw you." "What did she see?" "You and Katie on the floor." "That was probably one of her dreams." "Oh, Jesus!" "We can ask her about it together, now or in the morning." "Talk to her about it." "ASK her?" "You have no idea, do you?" "Ask her?" "Sally..." "Anyway, you won't be here in the morning." "I want you gone and out of this house now." "And what will I say to Olivia?" "You'll think of something." "Did you have fun with Katie?" "It was OK." "What did you talk about?" "School and stuff." "She likes to ask a lot of questions doesn't she?" "Quite a lot." "What did she ask you?" "About Scotland." "What else?" "My necklace, the one that got lost." "I have to go, darling." "Why?" "I have things to do." "When will I see you again?" "Sally." "I don't think I can have this baby." "What?" "How can I?" "Don't sit down." "What do you mean you can't have the baby?" "What do you think I mean?" "Sally, you can't do that." "Why not?" "You're a neo-natal nurse." "We're not Catholic." "My mother was Catholic." "What, the woman that killed herself?" "Abandoned you?" "The police were here earlier." "What do you mean?" "Knocking on all the doors, talking to all the men in the neighbourhood." "What did you say?" "I told them you were in Scotland." "Is that all?" "I wanted to tell them that I'd lied for you." "But you didn't?" "I tried." "I tried really hard in Scotland." "I know." "You were cold, distant." "I was ill." "I had food poisoning or something." "You made no effort, Paul." "You held me down on the floor." ""If you were mine"." ""This morning, a spokesperson from the City Hospital said" ""Mr Monroe, who is in intensive care, remains in critical condition." ""The hunt for the Belfast Strangler," ""one of whose victims was the daughter-in-law of Morgan Monroe" ""continues."" ""Mi ritrovai per una selva oscura," ""Che la diritta via era smarrita." ""Ahi quanto a dir qual era e cosa dura" ""Esta selva selvaggia e aspra e forte" ""Che nel pensier rinova la paura!"" "Do you read this in Italian or the translation?" ""Midway upon the journey of our life," ""I found myself within a forest dark," ""For the straightforward pathway had been lost and..."" "I warned you once before about fucking up my family." "This is your last warning." "Why?" "What are you going to do to me?" "Good." "Do it!" "Good." "Kill me." "This is all bullshit." "You don't think I'm a killer at all or you wouldn't be here." "Fuck!" "You hurt me!" "That's nothing compared to what I'll do to you if you don't stop playing your games." "I'm not playing games." "Dancing in front of me, writing songs about me, stripping on the stairs." "You're playing games." "Stupid, childish games." "Don't call me a child again." "You're 15 years old." "I'm 16 now." "Still a child." "I'm not a child!" "Don't shout." "You're a liar!" "You told me you couldn't trust yourself around me." "You said I was beautiful." "I was fucking with your head!" "You pig." "I fucking hate you." "Then stay out of my life." "How can I with all that I know about you?" "You know nothing about me." "You're a suburban schoolgirl with a load of sensational fantasies running around her head." "I'm much more than that." "No." "You're a little virgin dreaming of her first fuck." "OK." "If that's what you want." "What are you doing?" "Paul?" "Ah!" "Get off!" "What are you doing?" "Consider it a test." "What?" "Your bonds aren't tight and your wrists are small." "You should be able to get out easily enough." "While you struggle... ..why don't you have a think about what you want to do next." "As Camus says, "Life is the sum of all your choices."" "Choose your next move carefully, Katie." "Gibson." "'It's Larkin, ma'am.' Yes?" "'We've heard from the Recording Officer at the labs." "'They've managed to lift a partial print from the scissors." "'We've run it through the system and found a match.'" "Hang on." "Go ahead." "'Paul Spector.'" "How are you spelling that surname?" "'S-P-E-C-T-O-R.'" "Spector." "Paul Spector." "Apparently, we talked to him in connection with the Sarah Kay murder." "Yeah." "Identified himself in the CCTV footage in the Botanic Gardens." "Came in voluntarily." "I want every detail on that interview." "Was it taped?" "Yes, ma'am." "Find the audio tapes." "I want to hear them." "'Where were you last night, Mr Spector?" "'" "'Last night?" "Why?" "What happened last night?" "'" "'Just answer the question.'" "'My wife was working at the Neo-natal Unit.'" "'And you?" "'" "'I was with the children.'" "'All evening and all night?" "'" "'Fed them, bathed them, put them to bed.'" "'I had an early night myself.'" "I know this face." "I've seen him." "Here." "I was waiting... for the Kays." "We were going to a press conference and... ..he was walking down the corridor on his own, straight towards me." "How can that be?" "Spector was asked to account for his whereabouts on the nights that the attacks took place but not on any other nights to see whether his recall was as good." "He came in voluntarily." "Why would he do that if he's the killer?" "For the thrill?" "To parade himself under our noses?" "To make us look stupid?" "To demonstrate his superiority and utter contempt for us?" "Do I have to go on?" "Did you interview his wife?" "Did you check those alibis face-to-face?" "No, ma'am." "On the phone." "He seemed like a good guy - bright, likeable, helpful." "He let us take his prints, his DNA." "It didn't seem as though he had anything to hide." "A married man, a father of two, a bereavement counsellor..." "Jesus, Glen." "What have I been saying about such individuals since day one?" "They frequently appear to be charming, intelligent, charismatic." "The key word is "appear"." "They have to be probed, wrong-footed, challenged." "And why has nobody followed up with the list of children's homes that he gave?" "!" "I need a word." "In private." "As SIO, you have to sign off every action." "You know that." "Now, if you weren't happy, you should have raised another action to have further inquiries made." "Call Morning Prayers for 7am." "I will need to brief the Chief at nine." "Ma'am." "Excuse me." "There's been a call on your old private number." "It rang twice, then rang off." "The call was made from Rose Stagg's mobile phone." "Well?" "It was amazing." "Tell me everything." "It's Rose Stagg's number, ma'am." "Gibson." "'Stella?" "'" "Yes." "'How nice to hear your voice again.'" "Is that you, Peter?" "Yes." "'Why are you calling me?" "'" "Because I'm looking up at the sky." "Stella, shining star." "It's a beautiful night - made me think of you." "'What have you done with Rose?" "'" "Who?" "Rose Stagg." "Rose McGill." "You must want me to know that you have her, or why would you be using her phone?" "You wrote that you feel protective towards children." "Rose has two." "'A boy of 15 months and a girl of six.'" "'Her daughter particularly is missing her.'" "'What are you going to do?" "'" "Stella, I don't know what's going to happen to me, to you, to anyone else in this world." "All I know is, 'no-one can outwit death.'" "Peter?" "Peter?" "Mmm!" "Mmm!" "MMM!"