" Finally sacked you?" " Thanks, sis." "Tom, you had it coming." " Dad, it's me." "Your son, Tom." " Tom." "The man has got Alzheimer's." "Wendy, please, I need to know why my dad became the person he became." "The only thing I remember is a name." "Metzler." "It's something to do with a mental hospital." "Greenlake." " Metzler used to be a doctor there." " Screwing my wife is one thing." "Try screwing my boss, I'm gonna screw you right back." " You remember Donald Metzler." " We knew each other many moons ago." "My best years in this place looking after him." "The only men I ever meet are NHS employees." "Shit." "It was yourmother." "He couldn't buy me and he knew it, so he boughtyourmother." "J Cleaver." "Who's my real father?" "Why did you beat me?" "Who were you protecting?" "Don't!" " No, no, no, no, no." " lt's alright, Dad." " No, no, no, no, no." " Do you want some water?" " No, no, no, no, no." " Are you thirsty?" "What is it you want?" "Finally" "The weight is offourshoulders" "Play forkeeps" "Until the night is over" "No, no, no, no..." " lt's OK, go to sleep." " No, no, no, no..." "You're not Edith." "You're back, then." "I need a drink." " l fancy a Bloody Mary." " The old Tom back, is he?" "The destructive prick who doesn't give a shit about anyone but himself." " Bet you haven't got Worcester sauce." " You turn our lives upside down..." " Soy sauce." " ..and then just walk away." " He's like a child, Tom." " Mango chutney." "It's like having a vicious adolescent." "Tom." "Tom." " Tom!" " What?" "Why are you being like this?" "What's happened?" "Why won't you talk to him?" " Who?" " Dad." "Dad?" "Dad?" "I'm going to show you something." "I'm going to show you something." "They lied to me." "My whole life." "They fucking lied!" " l don't understand." " Then you're thicker than you look." "He's not my father." "You're not my sister." "It's all a lie." " Where did these come from?" " The secretary, I'm guessing." "Wendy." "She was his eyes and ears." "She wanted to tell me when I went to visit her." "She must have bottled it and sent that instead." " So I might be..." " Fuck knows." "And do you want to know the best part?" "J Cleaver, my father, is the same person" "Dad's mysterious payments were coming from." "Except it isn't, cos he's a nutcase." "He was in Greenlake, the place that Metzler worked as a doctor." "The same Metzler Dad was investigating, the one I found a file of in his study the day he beat the shit out of me." "Was Mum in there, in Greenlake?" "I don't know." "If he was the father, is she the mother?" " The mother." "My fucking mother." " l'm doing my best." " lt doesn't make sense." "Why would they?" " l don't know!" "And that demented prick is the only one with all the answers." "I once found Dad crying in his study." "And not just a few little tears." "Sobbing." "And he was holding a picture of us, you and me, as babies." " When was this?" " About a year after you left." "When I asked him what was wrong, he just clammed up and he said he missed us being kids." "Sounded plausible, but... lt's stayed with me, that look on his face." "What we going to do, Tom?" "I'm going to see Metzler." "is that a good idea after the break-in?" "To be honest, I don't give a shit any more." "Thanks." "What about me and Dad?" "I haven't got a dad." "Tom Ronstadt." "I've got a meeting with the leader." "I'll let him know you're here." "Sorry to interrupt." "There's a Mr Ronstadt to see you." "No, no, not now." "Send him away." "I'm terribly sorry, Mr Ronstadt." "Mr Metzler has an urgent matter to..." "Hey, no, you can't go in there!" " Did you have me arrested?" " This is a private meeting." "A week ago I was arrested for no reason." "Was that down to you?" "How would I do that?" "My father was investigating you in the 1 970s, when you were a doctor at Greenlake." "I'm going to have to ask you to leave now, Tom." " He found malpractice." " Call security." "We'll reconvene in ten minutes." "Your whole reputation is built on integrity." "But he knew better, didn't he?" "Sam knew better." "Yeah, walk away." "That's right, walk away." " I'm asking forloyalty." " Think ofyourfamily." "I need you to help me." "Wendy!" "Exposing me means exposing yourself." "I can live with that." "J Cleaver." "The payments aren't from him." "Greenlake." "They float." "Your sorrows." "Come on." " What the bloody hell's that?" " My old bike." "Valerie?" "Since when?" "You've been gone 1 8 years, Tom." "You've missed the odd thing." "So where are we going?" " Hebden, to see Wendy." " No chance." "Fine, I'll go on me own." "Tell me the address." "We need answers." "Nice to see you an' all." "Wendy, we just want to talk to you." "Wendy, open the door." "Think they've legged it out the back?" " They're in the kitchen. I can see 'em." " We can see you." "Come out." " This is ridiculous." " Was it you who sent the certificate?" "What do you know about Tom's real father?" "She's not speaking to you." "Just go away." "What is it with these?" "Why do people want pot men in their garden?" "Open up or the gnome gets it!" "Yes, I sent it." "But I've nothing more to tell you." " Who's my mother?" " l don't know." "is it Edith?" "Was Edith our mother?" "She was yours." "I shouldn't be the one saying this." "She thought she couldn't have children." "That's why they adopted." "I'm sorry, Tom." " Who was?" " l don't know." "And the row l heard you having with Dad, the reason you left?" "He was killing himself with drink." "He was being selfish and stupid." "I wouldn't help him destroy everything." "Meaning what?" "Just leave me to live my life." "Your family." "Your children." "Tom." "Nancy." "Your little boy and girl." "Nancy was the special one." "She came to you naturally." "But Tom was different." "Tom came from somewhere unusual." "How did you come to get Tom?" "Your wife, Edith, she wanted a baby." "You both wanted a baby." "And then Tom came into your life." " Edith." " Your wife." "Edith." "Your beautiful wife Edith." " Our mother." " He gave him to Edith." "Who gave him to her?" "He came to her." "Sam?" "Sam." "Sam." "Who gave Tom to Edith?" "Metzler." "Metzler gave you a baby?" "From Greenlake?" "It's all she wanted." "It's all she ever wanted." "Can we talk?" "Come back to mine." "I'll be finished in a couple of hours." "Now." "I'm totally lost." "I should have just left well alone." "I don't know who I am any more." "Feeling better?" "Wow." "Breakfast in bed." "Get that down you." "I'm calling me mum." "Actually, Mum, Tom wanted to ask you something about Greenlake." "I told him you used to work there." "Do you remember a resident called Jonathan Cleaver?" "This was all about 30 years ago." "One nutcase blurs into another, don't they, Tinker Bell, eh?" "Mum, you know what he's asking." "Did you think anything odd was going on with the doctors, with Metzler?" "Not really." "The person we always suspected was Ricky Tulse." "Ricky Tulse?" "He was an orderly, worked with Metzler." "Bit of a sicko." "A..." "What do you call it?" "Masochist." "Liked to hurt people." "Sadist." "Right." "He left under a cloud, same time as Metzler." "There was something fishy going on, but nobody knew what." "I still see his sister, Audrey." "She's nice, but him..." "What did you think was going on?" "What were the rumours?" " Nothing was ever proven." " Yeah, but what were the suspicions?" "There were young people there." "They all had problems, you know?" "They were vulnerable." "Tulse had access to them." "He liked to watch them." "And, this is what people said, he liked to film them, got a kick out of it, weird stuff... rough stuff." "You can imagine." "He forced them to have sex." "For..." "For porn." "Rumour was, and I'm not saying it happened, there were pregnancies." "So you're saying these pregnancies were because of Tulse?" "I'm not saying anything." "I'm saying people talked." "I'm saying Tulse was a strange character." "Look, you asked what the rumours were." "Well, there you are, them were the rumours." " Tom, it doesn't mean..." " l need to find him." " Can I have a minute?" " Yeah, sure." "With him." "He's calm, right?" "No drowning this time." "No, no." "No, no, no, no, no, no." "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no." "No, no, no, no." "We used to have baths together all the time when I was little." "I know because I've seen the pictures." "No, no, no, no." "You brought me up." "Bathed me, fed me, wiped my arse." "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no." " And yet I'm not yours, am I?" " No, no, no, no, no, no, no." "I come from somewhere... despicable." "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no." "No, no, no, no, no, no, no." "No, no, no, no, no." "I want you to be my dad." "You, the bastard that I've hated for 1 8 years." "Why isn't it you?" "No, no, no." "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no." "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no." " Hiya." " Tom, Mike's in trouble." "He's been suspended from work." "The police say it was his car that hityou." "He wasn't driving." "I saw the driver." "So why did he admit to it?" "..shallow waters." "They dive to the rocks on the sea bed and take small fish and seaweed, sometimes molluscs..." "He suspended you." "Pending investigation." "After everything I've done for him." "The wanker." "Why did you admit to it?" "It was suggested that it was the right thing to do." "Suggested?" "By who?" "By the gorilla who had my bollocks in his hand." "You want to be careful, Tom, with Metzler." "He can be a ruthless bastard." "I've seen him operate." " Mike, I need your help." "I need your help, mate." "Keep dog eye." "Bollocks." " lt's his PA. lt's Metzler's PA." " What's she doing here?" " Let's get under the desk." " What?" "We've got no option." "Shit." "I'm coming." "Alright, don't get impatient." "I forgot my purse." "That's a shame." "We'd have seen right up her skirt from here." "Bingo." "It's ironic that he should live here." " How come?" " They call it Madhouse Mansions." "A lot of the care in the community mob ended up here." "Give me 1 5 minutes." "If I don't call, come up." " What?" " Lift repair." "Yeah?" " Ricky Tulse?" " Yeah." "Who's asking?" "My name's Tom Ronstadt." "I'm the son of Samuel Ronstadt." " Who?" " Donald Metzler sent me." "I'd like to talk to you about Greenlake." "You were an orderly there, yeah?" "Well, I'd like to ask you a few questions." "You'd better come in, then." "Sorry about the mess." "The..." "The cleaners are on holidays." "Have a seat." "Do you want a drink?" " l'm fine, thank you." "In case you're wondering, I've..." "I've got cancer." " l'm sorry." " Something has to get you eventually." "It comes with its little perks." "So, Metzler sent you, did he?" " ln a manner of speaking, yeah." " What manner is that, then?" "He said you'd be a good person to talk to... about Greenlake." "He would never do that." "Don Metzler would never discuss Greenlake and he certainly would never send you to see me." "So why don't you cut the crap and tell me why you're really here, hmm?" "I recently discovered that my father is a man named Jonathan Cleaver." "He was a long-term patient at Greenlake." "It seems I may have been born there." "And I just want to find out the truth... ..why I was given away by Dr Donald Metzler." "Do you know who your mother is?" "So..." "So what is it you're actually asking me?" "I'm asking you what you know about babies being born in Greenlake." "My father, my adopted father,... ..was a journalist." "He was investigating Metzler, and I'll not rest until I find out why." "And you think I'm somehow involved in this?" "Well, you worked there, didn't you?" "You were close to Metzler, so I'm told." " Told by whom?" " l'd rather not say." "I see." "I'll tell you about Greenlake." "I'll tell you everything you want to know." "But not now." "Another day." "I'm..." "I'm tired. I'm..." "I'm tired." "OK." "Would you write your number on a piece of paper and I'll..." "I'll call you?" "OK." " How was it?" " Strange." " l need a drink." " Sounds good to me." " So you would?" " Well, I did." " Nothing to do with this?" " No." "Nothing to do with her." "I wasn't even there." "Erm... I was wondering, are you going home tonight?" "No, he isn't." "He's staying here with you." "OK. I'll..." "I'll wait up." "Just one more drink, yeah?" "Yeah." "You've never needed a woman before, have you?" "You've never let a woman be part of your life." "Why not?" "Bad choices." "I've never met one that made me want to stick around." "We all need someone, you know." "It's OK to admit it." "Tom, it's Ricky Tulse." "Come round tomorrow." "I'll tellyou everything you want to know." "Think my car will still be here when we get back?" "What, a blue Cinquecento?" "Give them some credit." "Hold the door." "Thanks." "Forget gym membership." "I should live in a tower block." "Hey." "Thanks for coming." " This is it." " You OK?" "Listen, if he won't talk when I'm there, I'll wait out here." "OK." "Ricky?" "Ricky?" "It's Tom. lt's Tom Ronstadt." "Hello?" "Hello?" "Shit." "Shit, shit, shit." "There's me mum." " Mum!" " lt's not your mum." "It is." "Mum, wait. I'm here." "Dad, stop." "You're getting muddled." "It's not your mother." " Mum." "Mum!" " lt's not her. I'm sorry about this." " lt's a lady, a different lady, Dad." " l want me mum." " That's not your mum." " l want me mum." " She's not here." " l want me mum!" "I want me mum!" " l want me mum." "Where is she?" " Your mum's not here." " Dad, she's not here." " Where is she?" "Where is she?" " Where is she?" "Where is she?" " Calm down." "He's got Alzheimer's. I'm alright." "Where is she?" "Where is she?" "He wasn't murdered." "You don't know what's on that memory card." "What if it's another threat?" "God, I'm scared." "I'm scared for my kids." "I'm scared for my mother." " Go home." " l don't want to leave you." "Go home." "Nancy?" "Nance?" "Dad?" "Tom..." "I always knew you'd turn up one day." "You... orone ofthe others." "Truth be told, ifyou'd turned up five years ago," "I would have toldyou to piss off, but now, months to live..." "..and here you are." "You've a right to know the truth." "It's the least thatyou deserve." "Andyou're nevergonna get it from that bastard Metzler." "Tom..." "I'm yourfather." "Yourmother was a patient called Eileen Hughes." "I raped her." "She was a beautifulyoung woman." "And I wanted her... so I had her." "She wasn't the only one." "I did it to lots ofthem." "And then I got caught." "A doctorfound out what was going on." "And that should have been it." "Except the doctor's name was Donald Metzler." "Hejoined me, encouraged me." "I don't know whatyourfatherknew." "But Metzler was rattled." "He dug around, found out thatyourfather's wife was depressed," "a woman brought up to be a homemaker who couldn't have kids." "So you became the prize." "Tom,... ..son,..." "..life has punished me for what I did." "But not him." "Not that bastard." "He got away scot-free." "The life offucking Riley." "So ifyou get the chance, finish whatyourdad started." "Get that bastard." "Get Metzler." "Let's turn this fucking thing off." "Nancy, where's Dad?" " He's not here." " What?" "He's not here." "What's happened?" "He's gone. I can't do it any more." "Gone?" "Gone where?" " Gone to respite care." " What, just like that?" "No, not just like that." "Nothing's just like that." "But I made it happen." "Because I need a break, some bloody respite, because I can't do it any more." "I've done it for years and years and years, putting him first and putting up with him." "And I've had enough." "You were supposed to help." "You were never bloody here." "I'm sorry." "And I'm pregnant." "I'm pregnant and I thought I'd lost it." "Thanks." " Who's the father?" " Kevin." "Kevin the dentist." "The most boring man on the planet." "I don't want a baby with Kevin the dentist." "Could be worse." "There's something you need to see." "I did it to lots ofthem." "I know the truth." "I know where l came from." "Tom, he loves you." "One question." "Were there others?" "And he knew?" "Dad knew?" "He investigated again, years later, after your mum died." " When the payments started?" " Metzler tried to buy him off." "J Cleaver was a cover." " What happened to them?" " Please keep me out of this." "The other children." "What happened to them?" "We're calling the police." " No." " This is firm evidence." "It's the testimony of a dead man." "It proves nothing." "It says he was involved." "Plus you've got Wendy." "She won't stand up in court." "I want it from his own mouth." "Besides, I've spent my whole career screwing people who don't deserve it." "Now I'm going to get one who does." "What are you doing here?" "Ricky Tulse is dead." "This is trespass." "I'm calling the police." "I wouldn't bother." "Or should that be my real father is dead?" "He made a full confession." "Absolved himself and then took his own life." "I've no idea what you're talking about." "You're going nowhere." "Mike, I strongly advise you to let me past right now." "I'll have you both removed from the building." "We are talking about institutional rape!" "I am talking, Councillor Metzler, about crimes with a mandatory life sentence." "Whatever that prick Tulse may have told you, I'll deny it." " You'll deny it." " l've no connection to the man." "Why were you paying money to my father?" "I never paid him a penny." "Monthly payments under the name of J Cleaver." "He was going to expose you." " Bullshit." " He knew you were corrupt." " So you bought him off." " Complete fantasy." "He knew you were corrupt, that you were unfit to practise, to watch over vulnerable people." "Your father knew nothing." "He was a joke." "It's no wonder his brain's turned to mush." "You were selling babies!" "Tulse got them pregnant..." "and he was shitting himself, but you, you knew that there were people out there that would do anything for a baby, pay anything." "You had what they wanted." "Deny it." "Deny it." "Shall I tell you about your father, the dirty little secret he kept all these years?" "The truth he tried to keep from you?" "He was fucking those girls with him." "Him and Tulse were in it together." "You're lying." "Then when it all started to go wrong, he tried to put the blame on me." " You're lying." " Am I?" "Lying." "You paid him!" "I paid him because he was blackmailing me." "He never used a penny of that money." "He was going to use it against you." "He was going to expose you." "Then why didn't he?" "Answer me that." "Why didn't he?" "Because he was protecting me." "He beat me half to death... ..because he didn't want me to know the truth." "The only thing he took from you was me." "And he couldn't live with it." "He hated himself for it." "He wanted it all out in the open, but he couldn't because... ..that would mean me knowing..." "..and he just couldn't take that." "He sacrificed himself to protect me." "Your word against mine." "I've got evidence." " l can blow you out the water, Metzler." " You think?" " l know." " Really?" "Expose me and I'll take him down with me." "I'll ruin him, your precious father." "How does that sit, you useless little bastard?" "You can't." "He's our father. lt's his name." "It's all he's got left, his name, his reputation." "That's what he is." " Whatyou writing?" " I'm shaming the devil." "What do you mean?" ""There can be no higher law in journalism than to tell the truth and shame the devil."" "Walter Lippmann." "A great man." "Trust me." " Well?" " lt's good." "This could restart my career." "Tabloids'd love it." "Sex, violence, corruption." " Not interested." " What you going to do?" "Stay here, be normal." "That old life was killing me." "You can't be normal." "You don't know how to be." "I'll work something out." "Besides, I want to see my nephew grow up." "Take it to them." "I wantyou to know I was always happy as a kid." "I always felt safe, cared for, loved." "I neverfelt different." "To me, Mum was the greatest mum in the world." "Andyou..." "Well, you were my dad, weren't you?" "I idolised you,... ..wanted to be you." "Everything I did, copying,..." "..pretending we were just the same." "You were this man." "You were this man." "You were this man." "But you're not him any more." "You're already gone." "So it doesn't matter now what comes out, what he says." "They can't hurt you any more." "No matter what lies he tells." "And I know what you did, you did for Mum." "And I know it ate away at you." "But I just want to say,... ..Dad,..." "..thank you." "Because if it hadn't have been you, who would it have been?" "What sort of life would I have had?" "My only regret is that we've spent half my life not speaking." "Having committed into the hands of God our brother departed, we now commit his body to the grave,"