"Where are you going?" "I'll be at the mill." "It's 12, people will be here for lunch soon." "Look, here's the doctor." "He's early." "I won't be long." "Go, hurry." "Doctor." "Mr Seymour." "The storage barn needed a good clear-out." "Why don't you, er, come to lunch with us?" "I don't know, sir." "Miss Kim?" "Doctor?" "No, no." "No excuses." "12:30, prompt." "Why has he summoned everyone?" "He said he has an announcement to make." "We shouldn't arrive together." "It's 12:30 now." "I'll walk up, wait five minutes." "I don't know if I can do this." "It'll be fine." "Dear God, Louis, are you done with that clanging?" "!" "Yes, miss." "Sorry, miss." "Well, we can't wait for Nicole any longer." "Where is she, anyway?" "It's ten to one." "He's not picking up." "Paul, would you be a dear and go and get Roger?" "He'll be in the mill." "Of course." "Thank you." "At last!" "Mrs Seymour." "Oh!" "Nice of you to join us, Nicole." "And I see you're off the wagon again, how very you." "Drop dead, bitch." "Someone!" "Call an ambulance!" "It's Roger!" "Ambulance, please." "The Seymour Plantation." "It's tradition." "Mama, do we really need to do this?" "But we've never missed a year." "Yeah, then maybe it's a good time to start!" "But they weren't all bad." "No?" "Oh, I have to go." "Tomorrow night, seven o'clock." "Don't be late." "If I strangled my mother do you think you'd catch me?" "Almost certainly." "She thinks I'm still 16." "Mothers can be a real hazard." "Particularly yours." "What is it this time?" "Erzulie celebrations." "Oh, right." "Well, that explains it!" "Erzulie is the voodoo goddess of love." "And every year my mother uses it as an excuse to try and find me a man." "She's just told me I've got a blind date tomorrow evening." "Well, I hope it's not with a man called Roger Seymour." "Why?" "I think the conversation may be a little bit stilted." "Chief, Sarge." "Roger Seymour, 71 years old." "Found by his family doctor, around 1pm." "Doctor?" "Yes, he was at the house for lunch." "The rest of the family are there waiting for you now." "Well, there's no mystery about cause of death." "Yes, and it looks like the handle has been wiped clean of fingerprints." "Chief." "At least we know where it came from." "Opportunistic, do you think?" "Or did the killer know there was a weapon there?" "Someone who knows the plantation well?" "Sorry, Fidel?" "Sir?" "You seen this?" "What is that?" "Clean, freshly broken." "It's not watch glass, it's too big." "A torch, maybe?" "Could be." "Why would he be using a torch in here?" "And where is it?" "Is this a working mill?" "Hasn't been used since the '80s." "These days, all the sugar cane goes to a new mill on the other side of the island." "The Seymours have had a set-up here for 300 years." "You seem to know a lot about it." "I had family who used to work here." "My grandfather used to tell me stories." "Stories about what?" "Hard times, mostly." "They didn't treat their workers very well." "It was a hangover from when they used slaves." "Time moved on they didn't." "Some people thought that the Seymours were devils, you know?" "That they could appear out of thin air to catch you if you wasn't working hard enough." "Demonic time and motion?" "Interesting concept." "Wait!" "The Seymour Plantation?" "This is where the 50 slaves disappeared." "1820." "Disappeared?" "Yes, I've heard about this." "Every slave on the plantation." "They were locked up for the night and, the next morning, they'd all vanished." "Never to be seen again." "You know, even if they turned out the lights and closed the door, the killer still wouldn't have needed it." "Excuse me?" "The torch." "It's so bright in there." "Oh." "Still, as you say, means of death should be pretty straightforward." "A machete sticking straight out of his back should point them in the right direction." "The victim was very rich, by all accounts, so let's concentrate on who benefits most from his death." "It's quite a physical murder, though." "Go on." "Well, I imagine it's difficult to plunge a machete into someone's back." "It must take passion or anger." "So, perhaps this wasn't about money?" "Perhaps he wasn't too popular with his workers?" "Right!" "Well, time to talk to the family, I think." "Coming?" "Yes." "The main house is up there." "Very impressive." "Hello, I'm Dr Johnson." "It was me who called you." "Detective Inspector Richard Poole, Detective Sergeant Camille Bordey." "Hi." "I understand, you found Mr Seymour's body?" "Yes." "You were here to have lunch?" "Yes, we all were." "Roger said he had an announcement to make." "Do you know what about?" "No." "And he went to the mill before lunch?" "Yes." "The mill was something of a passion of his." "He was planning to restore it, wanted to open it to the public as a museum." "And Mr Seymour was with you here at the house, until what time?" "Around noon." "And when he left to go to the mill, you stayed here?" "Yes." "But everyone was already here, so Kim asked me to go and get him." "And that's when I found him." "Kim?" "Kim Neville." "Roger's..." "young lady." "And the others?" "That's Alex, Roger's nephew." "That's Louis, he works here." "Roger took something of a shine to him, treated him like a son." "And that's Nicole, Roger's ex-wife." "Ex-wife?" "But, er..." "Yes, I can see how that might seem strange to other people, ex-wife and a new partner at the same lunch." "But it was all very amicable." "For heaven's sake, have you no shame?" "!" "Oh!" "You can talk!" "Yes." "So I see." "Can you tell me what time you discovered Mr Seymour's body?" "Yes." "It was 12:53." "I'm a doctor, it's a force of habit." "So between noon, when he left to go to the mill, and 12:53, when you discovered his body, everyone was still at the house?" "Oh, yes." "Absolutely." "Boy, this place gives me the creeps." "Yes, of course, there's a lot of history in here." "Yes, but the wrong kind of history." "Bad things happened here, Fidel, I'm telling you." "Yes, I know." "Come on, let's go." "I've got important phone calls to make before the chief gets back." "Who to?" "It's Erzulie week." "I've got to spread some loving around!" "OK, now you see, I thought you were actually talking about work." "It is work." "I have to devise a system for the week or they could all start bumping into each other." "You know something, Dwayne?" "What?" "You could just stick with one." "One?" "I'm a lot of things, Fidel, but I'm not selfish." "Hold on, hold on." "Wait a minute, wait." "Oh, what now?" "His index finger, look." "There's blood on it." "So?" "How you mean, "so"?" "Fidel, the man has a machete in his back." "There's blood everywhere." "Yes, yes, but not on his hands, Dwayne." "Look." "Just on the tip of the finger." "I'm sorry for your loss." "Thank you." "Of course." "Can I ask how long you and Mr Seymour have been together?" "Almost a year." "We became close when I helped him through his divorce." "Actually, Uncle Roger left Aunt Nicole for her." "Well, their marriage was on the rocks." "He confided in me." "I'm sure he did." "I know what you're thinking." "Do you?" "A woman dating a rich man twice her age." "But it wasn't like that." "I loved Roger." "He was the only man who saw the person inside." "He respected me." "Where were you between noon and 1pm?" "I was here, on the veranda." "Outside?" "I may have gone in the house for a moment, I'm not sure." "But, I was here with everyone else." "I hope you're not suggesting..." "It's just procedure." "Between the time that Roger left and when Dr Johnson discovered his body, you were all here together?" "Yes." "I wasn't at the house, sir." "I was cleaning the storage barn, there." "But I was outside and I could still see everybody." "Wait." "Alex wasn't here." "He was late." "He didn't arrive until 12:30 and Nicole was even later." "I was at the Harbour gym, got held up a bit." "I don't know about Nicole." "Yes, where is the ex-Mrs Seymour?" "I took her upstairs." "She was a little emotional." "Emotional as a newt." "Her husband has just been found dead!" "EX-husband." "Right, well, I think we had better leave you alone to grieve." "Actually, one last question." "We understand that Mr Seymour was going to make an announcement, does anyone know what that was?" "He was going to announce our engagement." "What?" "!" "We'd talked about it." "What else could it be?" "He'd never marry you." "We were together, Alex." "He loved me, whether you like it or not." "And I know, Roger, it's Erzulie week, he would have thought it perfect." "Erzulie is the voodoo goddess of love." "Yes, so I understand." "Sir?" "Ah, right." "Well, we may need to speak to you all again later." "Including Mrs Seymour, when she's, you know, fully rested." "Inspector?" "It's about Nicole." "Kim would like you to think badly of her, but she is a good person." "We're sure she is." "Yeah, you and your aunt are close, I take it?" "Yes, well, when I was 11 I lost my parents." "And Uncle Roger and Aunt Nicole took me in." "They brought me up, we were a family." "Well, until she came along." "And I can tell you that, Erzulie or not, there is no way that Uncle Roger would have married her." "Don't worry." "We'll talk to your aunt when she's feeling stronger and we'll make up our own minds." "All right?" "Sir, there's something you need to see." "What was so important that you had to tell them, Alex?" "Was it that you've been trying to get your grubby hands on his money?" "You think he tried to write something in his own blood?" "I can't think of another reason for there to be blood on just the tip of one finger like that." "And there's something else." "I could be wrong, but a line?" "Was any of the area cleaned?" "No, no, I secured the scene when I got here." "But the killer could have wiped it clean?" "Or he simply didn't have sufficient blood on his finger to make an impression." "His right arm was outstretched, away from the main area of blood." "Like this." "Got any Luminal?" "Yes, sir." "Fidel, what's Liminal?" "Luminal, it fixes on the iron cells in the blood, it makes them fluorescent under black light." "Thanks." "So, if he did write something with that finger..." "We should be able to see exactly what it was." "What is that?" "J-O-H?" "Yes, it looks like it." "Dr Johnson?" "Let's see if Roger Seymour had a will." "And do a background check on the girlfriend." "Yes, check on the girlfriend." "Let's do a check on the business as well, see what sort of shape it was in." "You know, whether there were any disgruntled employees, that sort of thing." "Chief!" "The doctor's not up at the house." "Miss Neville said he left just after you did." "Better go keep track on him." "All right." "And let's talk to the workers." "Bonjour." "Bonjour." "Je suis Detective Camille Bordey." "You OK?" "The police have gone." "What did you tell them?" "Nothing." "I messed up!" "I'm so sorry!" "Everything will work out all right." "I promise." "Are you OK?" "It's Louis, isn't it?" "That's right." "Dr Johnson told us that Mr Seymour and you were very close." "He was a good man." "He wasn't like most people I work for." "He did take the time to get to know me, said he saw something in me." "Have you been here long?" "About 18 months." "I was doing some travelling, ran out of money, came to ask for work." "Some of the workers have been saying that Mr Seymour was very strict." "He was tough, yeah." "You have to be, to run a plantation." "But he was fair." "This morning he said everyone can take time off at the weekend for the Erzulie celebrations." "So you can't think of anyone who might want to hurt him?" "No." "No-one." "When it happened, you were here, clearing out the storeroom?" "Yes, in fact he passed me on the way to the mill." "Did he say anything?" "He invited me for lunch." "And all that time, before they found him, you didn't see anyone leave the main house?" "No." "Well, Alex came later, then Mrs Seymour." "But after that everybody was on the veranda the whole time." "OK." "Thank you." "Oh there was a little girl here earlier, about ten?" "Very pretty." "Had red ribbons in her hair." "Do you know her?" "No, I don't think so." "Must be one of the workers' children." "Anything?" "Same as before, he was a rotten boss and everyone hated him." "Not everyone." "Ah?" "Well, you have to take these things with a pinch of salt, don't you?" "People are always complaining about their boss." "Usually without good cause." "Is that so?" "Yeah, I bet you even complain about me when I'm not here." "Never!" "So, if Roger Seymour doesn't have any children, who inherits the plantation, I wonder?" "His nephew?" "And, as he can't account for his whereabouts between 12 and 12.30pm, when he arrived at the house, he has to be a suspect." "He said he was at the harbour gym." "Let's check it." "I also want to speak to the ex-wife, as soon as she sobers up." "Chief?" "Dr Johnson is back at his surgery, you want me to go and pick him up?" "No, call and tell him we're on our way and not to move till we get there." "Anything on the girlfriend?" "Her immigration files say she came to Sainte-Marie from Antigua just over a year ago, nothing showing since then." "Yes, Dr Johnson please." "And the plantation?" "Last year's accounts on your desk, but they look pretty healthy." "All right, thank you." "What about the murder weapon?" "Ah, yes, I was right." "The weapon had been wiped clean, no prints." "Right, come on, let's start placing people." "Not many of the workers at the plantation had a good word to say about Roger Seymour, so let's start cross checking their statements, ascertaining their exact whereabouts between noon and 1pm." "See if we can place any of them near the sugar mill." "Yes, sir." "Thank you." "Chief, Dr Johnson will see you at his surgery." "It's not far, we can walk." "This voodoo goddess of love seems very popular?" "Yes, she is." "Particularly with your mother, trying to marry you off?" "Yeah, she thinks my biological clock is ticking." "That if I don't find a husband soon, she'll never be a grandmother." "Yes, in England we call it, being left on the shelf." "Really?" "Yeah, you know, the last one in the shop no-one wanted." "A doll with a broken arm perhaps or a wonky eye, something about it not quite right." "Yeah, OK!" "I get the picture." "Thank you." "So, these blind dates she arranges for you?" "They're always a disaster." "Why?" "Have you ever been on a blind date?" "Strangely enough, no." "I've never really understood the concept." "A bit like blindly ordering the house red rather than consulting the wine list." "It's a recipe for disappointment." "Er, are you saying I'm a house red?" "Certainly not, no you're more of a mature Rioja." "So I'm old?" "I didn't say that." "You said I was mature!" "That I was left on the shelf." "Yes, but..." "With a broken leg and a wonky eye!" "Why do women always do that?" "Do what?" "Twist things, to make you sound bad?" "I'm not twisting." "I'm just repeating what you said." "But out of context." "Which, quite frankly, Camille, is something you do rather a lot." "So you insult me and I'm the bad guy now?" "I didn't insult you." "It sounded like it!" "Only in your head." "Now, where's this surgery?" "There!" "L'amour!" "I was worried about you." "I doubt that." "I thought perhaps you might feel happier at home." "This was my home... for 27 years." "And now it's mine." "Don't worry about making the bed, I'll have one of the staff do it." "I know what you've been up to." "Really?" "We have proof." "What kind of proof?" "Wouldn't you like to know?" "You're just a sad old drunk, Nicole." "Do you really think anyone wants to listen to anything you've got to say?" "I'm not sure I understand what you're saying." "Well, it's not difficult, Doctor." "Just before Mr Seymour died, it looks like he wrote the letters J-O-H on the floor, in his own blood." "The first three letters of your name." "And you think I killed him?" "Well, I think the victim scrawling your name in his own blood makes you a suspect at the very least." "But why would I want to kill him?" "Hmm, I thought you might tell us that." "No, I mean why would I kill him, when he was already dying?" "Sorry, what?" "He'd been blacking out, suffering from headaches and so we ran some tests, they only came back yesterday morning." "He had a brain tumour." "Inoperable." "He had months left to live, six at the most." "Who else knew this?" "No-one." "You have to admit that knowing someone is dying anyway makes it less likely you'd murder them." "You think that's what this mysterious announcement was?" ""Welcome to lunch, oh, by the way I'm dying"?" "Could be." "Sir, I've done a quick cross-reference of the plantation workers' statements." "Now, they were all together at lunch the time of the murder, so I can't see how any of them could have gotten into the mill without being seen." "One of them did say Mr Seymour was arguing with his nephew yesterday." "Oh?" "What did he say?" "Uncle Roger, let me explain!" "I know exactly what you and Nicole are up to." "And you're sure that's exactly what he said?" ""I know what you and Nicole are up to."" "That's what the statement says, sir." "And the nephew was very keen to defend Mrs Seymour today." "Hmm." "So, where are we?" "Kim Neville has an alibi for the entire time, from when Roger Seymour left the house to when he was murdered." "And you don't kill the goose with the golden eggs." "So, as good a suspect as she would normally be, we have to say she did not murder Roger Seymour." "Then we've got Louis Nelson." "He was working outside, so if he'd left and come back, someone would've seen him." "Yeah, and he has no motive." "The man worshipped Roger Seymour and he didn't stand to gain anything from his death." "And this Dr Johnson." "He was at the main house, too." "But he could have killed him and just pretended to find the body." "But why would he if he knew the victim was dying already?" "What?" "He had a brain tumour." "But the victim wrote his name, sir." "The truth is, it's only three letters, isn't it?" "We can't even be sure it's a name, let alone Johnson." "And then why was the victim carrying a torch?" "OK, as far as I can see, the only people who could have gone to the mill unseen are Nicole Seymour and..." "Alex Seymour." "He said he was late because he was held up at the gym." "I checked, he signed out at 12:05." "Well, it's very tight but just about possible for him to get from the harbour to the sugar mill, murder his uncle, and get back to the house for 12:30." "Yes." "Yet Nicole Seymour had plenty of time, didn't she?" "She didn't arrive at the main house until ten to one." "And she's the only one we haven't interviewed yet." "Nicole Seymour?" "Detective Inspector Richard Poole." "It's the, er..." "Police, yes." "Sorry, would you like me to leave?" "I just thought Aunt Nicole could use some support." "No, not at all." "In fact it may save some time to have you both here together." "Come this way." "I understand you and your uncle had a disagreement yesterday." "During which he was heard to say, "I know what you and Nicole are up to."" "Ring any bells?" "I was trying to persuade Uncle Roger not to marry Kim." "She's a bloody gold digger." "I know her type, and Uncle Roger..." "Well, he was getting old and easily manipulated." "We're his family." "We were just looking out for him." "I tried to warn him, but he just thought I was after his inheritance, that I was afraid that he was going to leave the plantation to Kim." "Of course, you didn't care about the money!" "No, I didn't." "I don't!" "I just wanted him and Aunt Nicole to get back together." "I just wanted..." "I just wanted things to go back to how they were." "Mrs Seymour, you're the only person we can't account for at the time of your ex-husband's murder." "It's important you tell us the truth." "She was with me." "But you arrived separately at the main house." "I met Alex at the Harbour gym, at around 12 o'clock." "We had an appointment, you see, to meet someone." "Go on." "Alex had hired a private investigator, to follow Kim, to dig up some dirt on her." "Anything to stop my hu..." "Roger from making a horrendous mistake." "I knew it wasn't a real relationship, she was just stringing him along." "And the only person who couldn't see it was Uncle Roger." "So you thought you'd show him exactly what kind of woman you thought she was?" "Yes, and we were right." "The detective we hired brought these, just before we went to the house." "She met that man in secret." "But it was in an alley behind one of the bars." "The detective was moving to get a clear shot of his face, but he disappeared before he could get it." "On its own, it proves nothing." "Why would she meet a man in secret if she had nothing to hide?" "I have no idea, but maybe she has a reasonable explanation." "Oh!" "She'll lie, just like she always does." "So you took these pictures with you to the house?" "To show your uncle?" "Yes." "We didn't want Kim to suspect anything." "We shouldn't arrive together." "I'll walk up." "I don't know if I can do this." "It'll be fine." "So, after collecting these photographs, you arrived at 12.30." "But you didn't appear on the veranda until sometime later." "Where did you go?" "I, um..." "I have a drinking problem." "I'm afraid I hit rock bottom after Roger left me for Kim." "But Alex pushed me to get sober." "And I did." "Mostly." "But today, when I got to the plantation," "I was shaking..." "I knew I'd have to face her and..." "I stupidly brought a bottle with me for courage." "And then I..." "I lost track of time." "Did anyone see you?" "In your car?" "No." "I don't think so." "So, without anyone to corroborate her story, the fact remains," "Nicole Seymour was alone long enough to go to the mill, kill her ex-husband and join the others on the veranda." "She didn't do it." "No?" "And you know that how?" "She was still in love with him, it's obvious." "Is it?" "We need to find out who that man in the photograph is." "Yes." "We'll go and have another chat with Kim Neville first thing." "What do you think?" "Er, yeah, very nice." "Do you have plans for Erzulie week, Richard?" "Yes." "I intend to ignore it completely." "But it's the Love festival." "Really?" "Oh, that's a shame." "I'm afraid it clashes with a very similar English festival." "Oh?" "Stay Indoors And Read A Good Book Week." "Oh." "It sounds a very boring festival." "No, not at all, in fact I have a blind date this evening." "With history of the slave trade on Saint Marie." "Good night." "How was your date?" "Date?" "With the book?" "Oh, right." "Yes." "Great." "At it all night, then again before breakfast." "Impressive!" "To the plantation house?" "Yes, if you would, but first I want to visit the crime scene again, see if we've missed anything." "Hello!" "Wait!" "Camille?" "Camille?" "Camille?" "What is it?" "I could have sworn she came in here." "Who?" "The little girl, I saw her yesterday too." "I don't know." "She must be one of the plantation workers' children." "'It's not a watch glass." "'It's too big." "'A torch maybe." "What is that, J-O-H?" "'Why would he be using a torch in here?" "'And where is it?" "'" "Hi, Fidel." "'Yes, I think I have something." "'We contacted Roger Seymour's solicitor to see if he had a will." "'He did and it was changed only four days ago.'" "But he said now he's contacted the sole beneficiary, he's happy to discuss its contents." "Who is the sole beneficiary?" "'Kim Neville.'" "She gets the plantation." "The house." "Everything." "I see what you are!" "You took advantage of him." "He would never have let the plantation leave the family!" "You're sick because he left you nothing." "I loved him, not his money!" "All right!" "That's enough!" "And he loved me!" "We'll take you to court!" "Do your worst!" "You have destroyed this family!" "I'm sorry, but I must insist..." "He told you what he wanted in his will!" "I will never believe that!" "Thank you!" "We'd like to speak to Miss Neville in private." "We knew they were up to something." "But this?" "Frankly, it's pathetic." "You know who the man in the picture is?" "I have no idea." "Do you know how many men come up to me in the street every day?" "If I were sleeping with all of them, I'd have a full schedule." "So..." "So you have no idea who this man is?" "That's exactly what I'm saying." "Well, that went well!" "She's lying." "Body language." "Look at the picture." "She knows this man." "You really don't like her, do you?" "No, I don't." "But that's not clouding my judgment." "I never said it was." "My father left home for a woman just like that." "My mother watched ten years disappear as he turned from a husband and father into a babbling schoolboy." "Sorry." "Don't be." "That was his loss." "But I know how manipulative a woman like that can be." "It's the little girl again!" "Where?" "Dwayne, talk to Kim Neville's bank, see if she's got money of her own or if there are any transfers from Roger Seymour's account." "I'm on it." "If she's a gold digger, let's see if we can prove it." "OK, Roger Seymour's will has to be our motive." "Either the killer stood to benefit from it being changed..." "Kim Neville?" "Or he was killed by someone to try and stop him changing it." "Alex Seymour." "Either way we can't place either of them at the scene." "Nicole Seymour could have had time in theory." "But it's a bit of a stretch to see how she could have run to the mill, murdered her ex-husband and then got drunk, all in the space of 25 minutes." "Virtually everyone else on the plantation has been ruled out too." "Only the doctor seems to have had the opportunity." "He's also the only one who knew he was dying." "Yet why did the victim write part of his name in his own blood?" "Ach!" "And then there's the torch glass." "Ohhh..." "Doesn't makes any sense!" "Does anyone have anything?" "OK, so I found an insurance claim from 1982." "A worker was killed using a new machine purchased by Roger Seymour." "So?" "Well, two things really." "The claim was dropped for no reason I can see." "And the second thing?" "Well, I know it's a long shot, but the name of the victim was Johan Peters." "Johan." "J-O-H!" "That's what I thought." "There must be other records." "See what you can find." "Yes, sir." "OK, that's a weird one." "What?" "The bank." "There was a standing order of 2,000 a month from Roger Seymour's account to Kim Neville." "That's quite an allowance!" "Yeah, but get this." "Every month she sent virtually the same amount over to Antigua until last month when it stopped." "Didn't she come from Antigua?" "Who was she sending the money to?" "It's a business account, I'm trying to track it down now." "A hit man!" "That's how she did it." "She paid someone to do her dirty work." "See?" "That's the mystery man in the picture!" "Of course!" "What, you agree?" "That it was a hit man?" "No, no, no, no." "Not that, the torch!" "Please, not the torch again." "It's the only thing that makes any sense." "Come on!" "Come on!" "Where are we going?" "What are we looking for?" "Where did you find the ribbon exactly?" "Um, here!" "We can't place any of our main suspects here at the time of the murder, because... well, they could all see each other." "Yes..." "Maybe not all the time..." "But they certainly would have seen someone walking down the track to the mill." "But what if they didn't walk here in plain sight?" "Whoever plunged that machete into Roger Seymour's back... managed to get in here unseen." "And then it struck me." "What if it was the killer who was carrying the torch, not the victim?" "But why would you need a torch in broad daylight?" "A secret entrance?" "Or a tunnel back to the house." "Exactly." "It might also explain how your little girl was able to appear and disappear at will." "Hm?" "Children are like rats." "They find every nook and cranny." "Yeah." "So any one of them could have got here and back to the house unseen?" "Mm." "Call Fidel." "I want this trap door dusted for finger prints." "OK." "Right." "Let's see where this tunnel leads." "Are you sure you want to do this?" "No." "Er, are you OK, sir?" "Yep, fine, fine." "Yep." "The existence of a tunnel alone doesn't conclusively prove who used it, regardless of where it runs from or to." "Thank you." "We still need hard evidence." "Dwayne, where are Roger Seymour's possessions?" "The things found on him." "Box on the evidence table, Chief." "And we found the original files on the Johan Peters case, on your desk, Chief." "Thank you." "Oh, and, Sarge, I think I found your hit man." "What?" "The person Kim Neville was paying." "Meet Annie Neville." "She worked as a housekeeper in Antigua, until she was placed in a first rate medical facility, after she suffered a stroke." "A facility paid for by her daughter, Kim Neville." "That's what Kim was using her allowance for?" "To pay for her mother's medical expenses?" "It looks like it, yes." "Why did the payments stop?" "Because her mother died last month." "OK, that's sad." "Hm." "Wait!" "What was the mother's name again?" "Anne Margaret Neville." "'He would never have let the plantation leave the family!" "'You're just sick because he left you nothing!" "'Why would I kill him when he was already dying?" "'Some people thought that the Seymours were devils." "'Uncle Roger, let me explain!" "'I know exactly what you and Nicole are up to." "'They were all locked up for the night and the next morning they'd all vanished.'" "Call an ambulance!" "It's Roger!" "'The name of the victim was Johan Peters.'" "Did you find any prints?" "Yes, and good quality too." "How long to get a match?" "From the exclusion prints taken at the plantation, about an hour." "If they don't match the people at the house, I'll have to send them away." "They'll match." "Do it in 30 minutes!" "Yeah!" "That's it." "Of course." "What?" "I'd say that was hard evidence, wouldn't you?" "And look at this." "Dwayne, I want everyone gathered at the mill straight away, please." "Yes, Chief." "What about me, sir?" "I need those prints, Fidel, and when you've done that," "I've got one last job for you." "You're going to need this." "Thank you for all for getting here so promptly." "I'm sorry about the short notice, but I was sure you were all anxious to hear the truth about the death of Roger Seymour." "Particularly as his killer is in this mill." "Two things bothered me after I, er, saw the body of Roger Seymour here." "Firstly, that it would have been quite a feat for the killer to enter from the door here unseen." "And secondly, we found broken glass here, very near the body." "Glass came from a torch." "But there was no torch." "Just the glass." "Why?" "First, I thought Mr Seymour must have been using the torch, but then I realised, what if it was the killer?" "Who then took the broken torch with him." "Or her." "But why would the killer be using a torch in broad daylight?" "And then I remembered something that I read last night." "Very much like in prisoner of war camps during the war, plantation slaves were known to dig tunnels in order to escape." "Indeed this plantation was famous for such an escape when, in 1820, 50 slaves mysteriously disappeared in the night." "So in solving the murder of Roger Seymour, we have also solved a nearly 200-year-old mystery." "We've also solved a nearly 200-year-old mystery." "The slaves escaped through a tunnel that they'd dug whilst working right here in the mill." "A tunnel discovered by the Seymours and kept secret down through the generations." "The existence of a tunnel now makes the killer having a torch, make perfect sense." "It also explains how the killer was able to enter unseen." "The Seymours must have discovered this tunnel." "I believe they then used it to spy on their workers, earning them a reputation as demons who could appear out of nowhere." "But returning to the story of the missing slaves." "Legend has it, the slaves were locked into their sleeping quarters that night, disappeared by morning." "The storage barn used to be the old slave quarters." "Exactly." "And you used the tunnel to murder Roger Seymour, didn't you, Louis?" "We assumed the tunnel would lead to the house." "When in fact it led us to the old storage barn." "And we can prove you used it." "Louis Nelson's fingerprints were found on the secret door." "This is ridiculous." "I loved him!" "Why would I do that?" "Yes, I know about the tunnel, him did tell me about it, said it was used by his father to spy on the workers." "But I did not kill him." "Why would I?" "Can I ask what year you were born?" "1982." "What's that got to do with it?" "1982." "The year a 19 year-old boy died tragically whilst using one of Roger Seymour's machines." "A boy called Johan Peters." "Johan." "That was what Roger Seymour was trying to write when he died, wasn't it?" "The people said the machine was defective, that the Seymours covered it up so they didn't have to pay compensation to the boy's family." "Well, that's what people said, but Roger swore to me that wasn't true." "Yes." "In a statement to the magistrate," "Roger Seymour claimed that Johan had fallen asleep." "Almost certainly a lie, but no other witnesses came forward and the machine was removed shortly afterwards, to remove the evidence." "What does that have to do with me?" "Johan had a fiance." "After he died, she found out she was pregnant and, broken-hearted, she left Saint Marie." "Her life was a difficult one." "She never married." "She simply struggled on alone as a single parent." "That woman was your mother, wasn't she?" "Because your last name isn't really Nelson, is it, Louis?" "It's Louis Peters." "I'd say that was hard evidence, wouldn't you?" "Johan Peters, the boy killed in the so-called accident, was your father." "As his only son and in remembrance of your father, your mother gave you his surname." "But there is one final piece of the jigsaw, isn't there?" "I understand, revenge is a dish best served cold, but why on earth would you work here, befriend this man, and then wait nearly a year to kill him?" "Because you had to wait for your sister to play her part, didn't you?" "All those years ago, when Anne Neville left this island, she was pregnant with twins, wasn't she?" "As a girl, you took your mother's name" " Neville." "When she became ill, old before her time and she knew she was dying," "I believe she told you about your father, told you about the injustice." "This isn't a photograph of Kim Neville and her secret lover." "It's a photograph of a brother and sister conspiring to murder the man they held to be responsible for the death of their father and for destroying their mother's life." "So you tracked down Roger Seymour, you seduced him and destroyed his marriage." "You turned him against his family, convinced him they were simply after his money, that they would sell the plantation." "That only you understood the legacy of the Seymour name." "Little did he know when he signed his will over to you in preparation for your marriage, he was actually signing his own death warrant." "All you needed to do now, was to kill Roger Seymour and make sure that neither you nor your brother Louis could possibly be suspected of his murder." "And for that, you both needed iron-clad alibis." "You made sure everyone noticed your presence." "When Roger Seymour headed off to the mill, you knew this was your chance." "The chance for you to exact your revenge." "Making sure you weren't seen, you headed into the hidden escape tunnel... emerging in the mill shortly afterwards." "You selected your weapon and then revealed your true intentions to Mr Seymour." "You told him you were Johan's son, taking revenge for the years of hurt caused to your family." "You wiped the machete clean, grabbed the torch... then made your way back to the old storage barn and carried on with your work as if nothing had happened." "Louis, are you done with that clanging?" "!" "Yes, miss." "Sorry, miss." "That was your signal, wasn't it?" "You weren't talking about noise." "You were asking Louis if he had killed Roger Seymour." "Once you knew it was done, you could play your part." "Well, we can't wait for Nicole any longer." "He's not picking up." "Paul, would you be a dear and go and get Roger?" "Of course." "Well, you couldn't go yourself, could you?" "You knew if you discovered his body, you could be suspected of his murder." "So you sent good old Dr Johnson instead." "But you made a very simple and very damning mistake." "Because you knew there was no way he could answer the call, you didn't even bother making it." "'Look at that." "There was no missed call from you on his phone.'" "Please." "You seduced him and ruined our marriage, just so you could kill him?" "I never slept with him, it was enough to make him want me." "Seymour deserved what he got!" "He killed our father and he sent our mother to an early grave." "So yes, we were going to take all this away from him, just like him did take everything from us." "Easy, son!" "And you know what we were going to do with it?" "Burn it to the ground!" "He had it coming, you all did!" "Roger Seymour would have died, with or without you." "He was sick." "What?" "Doctor?" "He had a malignant brain tumour." "He had months left to live." "The announcement I believe he was due to make that lunchtime." "If you'd only waited until after that lunch, you would have seen him die anyway." "The new will isn't worth the paper it's written on and you'll both go to jail for the rest of your lives." "Oh, Louis..." "No!" "Most days, I like my job..." "But today is not one of those days." "No." "So how are we getting back?" "We have the bike." "Actually, do you know what?" "I..." "I think I might walk." "Are you sure?" "Yeah, yeah, why not?" "You know, it's a lovely day." "Well, it's seven miles." "I'll, er, I'll be brisk." "In the sun?" "Um, yeah, well, it's, er, it's 96 in the shade, it's practically a cold snap." "I know they are killers, but... it's sad." "I agree with you, Camille." "Yes, it's sad, but unfortunately murder is murder." "Quite right, Fidel." "There may be mitigating circumstances, but that's not our concern." "It's up to the courts now." "Well, I need a drink." "I need three." "You coming with us, Chief?" "Well, er..." "What?" "You have another book to read?" "Or your lizard needs a bath?" "Actually, I was going to say, I thought you had a date." "Oh, my god!" "I forgot!" "My mother's going to kill me." "OK, um, goodbye." "A date?" "Something her mother set up." "Bordering on the medieval if you ask me, but, er, who am I to argue with the voodoo goddess of love?" "Oh, Michael, sorry." "You're late." "Five minutes." "It still creates a bad impression." "But you look beautiful, I'm sure he'll forgive you." "OK, is he here?" "On the patio." "Go and say hello." "Maman, do I really have to?" "Yes!" "Camille?" "Oh!" "Good lord, you look stunning." "Thank you." "Um... this is a bit of a surprise." "I, er, I wasn't expecting..." "No." "Quite." "It was your mother's idea." "I don't know if you've noticed, but she's quite difficult to say no to." "Yes, I have." "Um, I think I'll have a cocktail." "Oh, right!" "Have you got time?" "Excuse me?" "Only I thought you had a date." "Yes, but, er..." "Are you ready, sir?" "What's going on?" "Your mother arranged for me to babysit baby Rosie for Fidel and Juliet, so they could go for a romantic meal together and..." "I agreed, subject to certain conditions, such as they were home by ten and she sleeps the whole time that I'm there." "So basically less babysitting, more reading a book in someone's house." "Haven't you had enough work for one day?" "It's rude to keep your date waiting." "Well, er, we'd better be going." "I, um, hope you... you know, have a nice time." "Yes..." "See you tomorrow?" "See you." "I've said a prayer to Erzulie for you." "Therese?" "Therese!" "Who would want to murder a nun?" "Anyone who'd seen The Sound Of Music more than once?" "I know you're going to say they're brides of Christ." "But some of them are bad through and through." "They are evil!" "Sir!" "A teenage girl who knew too much?" "We have a witness who says she was scared when she saw you." "Then your witness is mistaken." "Women don't make me nervous."