"Well, let's examine the body shall we?" "No, no, I don't want you going in there, the less contamination the better." "Get moving setting up the incident room." "Never seen anything like it." "Beggars belief." "She's been sliced in two." "Her skin is like a white china doll." "My chest hurts." "Well, whoever killed her placed her body so she'd be found quickly." "I want details of all cars, vans, trucks parked in the area." "Search all skips and bins for handbags, clothes, shoes, anything." "I've never worked this side of the river before." "I had to catch two buses." " Do we know any details yet?" " No, not yet." "Morgan's giving uniform their orders." "My God, that does not look real." "This is the worst part." "Look at this." "Barbara, Barbara, look at the board." " It's a blow-up doll, isn't it?" " But it's in two parts." "Attention, everybody." "We have a female victim aged between 20 and 30." "Naked, but with nothing to identify her." "So that will be our priority." "Find out who the poor soul is." "Have we got anything in from Pathology?" "We're kind of working blind." "It's hard to see what she looked like because of that slash to her mouth." "DCI Morgan's been at the lab all afternoon." "He looked terrible." "He should be in bed." "As it is, he's spreading his germs." "I've walked miles. 100 door-to-doors and no-one's seen anything apparently." " Have we got anything from the post-mortem yet?" " No." "There's no-one fitting her description from this area reported missing." " Anyone tried to contact DCI Morgan?" " Not recently." " I'll do it." "Tea, anybody?" "Somebody must have really hated her to do that to her." "Cut her face like that." "Well, I don't think we're looking at some kind of domestic violence." "Oh, really, Barbara?" "Very incisive." "What do you think we're looking for, then?" "It would take some kind of a psychopath with a chainsaw in his bathroom." "Yeah." "What?" "OK, thank you." "DCI Morgan's been taken to hospital suffering from pneumonia." "I told you he was sick." "Right, listen up, everybody." "What, picnic time, is it?" "For those of you who don't know me," "I'm Detective Chief Inspector James Langton." "I will now be heading up this enquiry, due to the inability of DCI Morgan to continue running the show." "This is DI Mike Lewis." "Some of you have worked with him before." "So... do we have her identified yet?" "Oh, my..." "By now, Travis, you should be used to post-mortem procedure." "Yes, sir, I've worked three cases now." "Good, because we don't want you crashing out and vomiting." "No need to go on up, I'm ahead of you." "I'm going to need a bit more time for finer details." "Her injuries are extensive." " Are you taking over?" " Correct, Veronica." "Poor DCI Morgan was in a really bad way, I had him shipped off to hospital before " "Yeah, yeah." "Let's get cracking, enough time's been wasted already." "Not on my part." "Your victim was between 24 and 30 years old, 5'5" tall and 56 kilograms." "The mutilation was done very professionally, perhaps by someone with surgical experience." "Slicing through her body, cutting through muscle tissue and then carefully through the spinal cord, not only takes time but these incisions are very clean." "The body was drained of blood before being severed." "There are incisions to the femoral artery and the right jugular vein." "Again, no easy feat." "One would require a pump and tubes." "The cuts to her face were made with a scalpel." "They are deep, slicing through the cheek to give the impression " " That she's smiling." " Yeah." "There's extensive bruising to sections of the head, forehead and midline." "Some of the hair's been shaved off." "Her hair, dyed, by the way, she's a natural blonde, you can see a little bit of regrowth in the parting." "There's further bruising to her arms and thighs and restraint marks on her wrists and ankles." "Now all of this would have taken some considerable time." "Judging by the marks on her body, she would have had to have been tied down." "Badly bitten fingernails, by the way." "Did you get any fibres or anything that might help us?" "No, her body was scrubbed clean with a rough brush." "leaving nothing on her skin bar the abrasions." "And the time of death?" "Within the last 36 hours." "We're still working on her internal organs and Toxicology have samples, but without her blood we won't turn up anything satisfactory." "I've taken hair and tissue samples for her DNA profile." "DCI Morgan asked if we could help provide a photograph for identification of her face without the injuries." "Somebody somewhere must know who she is." "She was lovely." "I don't know." "Look how many girls we checked out, she don't match any one of them." "We're maintaining a complete press blackout on what has been done to the victim." "But an identical picture went out in this morning's papers appealing for information." "because until we know who she was, we'll get nowhere fast." "Good of you to join us, Travis." "This is a possible sir." "Sounds as if she recognises our victim." "Female?" "Yeah." "Travis, take it." "Hello, it's DC Travis." "Can I have your name, please?" "We're not giving out information at the moment, I'm afraid." "What's the problem, Mick?" " Some journo from the Telegraph, Richard Reynolds." " Tell him to piss off." " Yes, Joan?" " I've got another caller, says it could be his sister." "Cut through the dross and prioritize." "Ask about colouring, height, age," " and if it's a match we'll bring them in." " OK." " What is it, Travis?" " Hold the line, please." "It's a Sharon Bilkin says the missing girl is her flatmate." " When did she last see her?" " Three days ago." " Do we have a name?" " Louise Pennel." " Get her address, go and see her." " Sharon Bilkin?" " Hi." "I've not got very long." "I've got an audition this afternoon in the West End." "What kind of sick bastard would do all this?" "I'm still working but I think you should know that your victim is missing a number of lower internal organs." "What with this and the blood draining, it's more likely your killer has surgical experience." "This is Louise." "She's trying to break into modelling, like me." "She had these done a few months back." "It's her, isn't it, from the paper?" "I'm going to have to ask you some questions, OK?" " Can I take this?" " Yeah." "What's she done?" "Has she done something?" " When was the last time you saw her?" " Er, Friday, we went to a club." "I left her there and she didn't come back but that's not unusual, sometimes she stays out for days." " Does she work?" " Yeah, part-time dental nurse." "She's paid peanuts cos they're doing her teeth, putting on caps." " What has she done?" " I'm sorry to tell you this, but it's possible your friend may have been murdered." "Travis is bringing in the flatmate." "No immediate family, as yet." "Veronica, is there any way you could uh... clean her face up a bit?" "So, I need you to look at this girl and tell me if you recognise her." "But I did from the photograph, I said it was her." " I know, but we need to be sure and er... with no next of kin." " Right." " Are you ready?" " Yeah." "What's been done to her?" "Her face, what's the matter with her face?" " Is this Louise Pennel?" " Why's she look like that?" "What's happened to her?" "Now we go to work." "That's the landlady, she owns the house." "A lot of dirty laundry but not many new clothes." "Found some evening gear that looks expensive." "Ah, look at this, very nice." "Cashmere." "And some, uh, new, hardly worn, compared with uh " "Do you reckon she was on the game?" "You tell me." "You don't get this kind of gear working part-time as a dental nurse." "I'm going to go talk to the landlady." "When was the last time you saw Miss Pennel?" "They used to get back late." "Waking me up." "But it would be..." "Probably be last Friday." "I saw her leave with Sharon." "She had a flower in her hair, I remember that." "Did you ever see anyone with her, anyone come visit?" "No." "Well... one night there was a ring on my doorbell, and there was this man there, said he wanted her." "Then he walked across the road to wait in his car." "Now we know who she is, Mike, what else have we got?" "She worked for a dentist but got fired three weeks ago." " His alibi checks out, says she was always late." " Paul, anything?" "Not a lot, no letters or diary." "Missing is a red coat with velvet collar and matching buttons." " She was wearing it when " " No friends, no boyfriends?" "No boyfriends." "There was an older guy she was seeing." "The flatmate told Travis that Louise answered an advert somewhere." " The Times or could it have been Time Out?" " And?" "She thinks she got the job but she doesn't know what it was." "But she was asking about getting a passport, said she needed it for a new position." "Check it out!" "She used to go out and meet him and come back with a lot of clothes and stuff, and one time she looked really done in, she had a bruise on her face." " Said she'd fallen down the stairs." " Did you see him?" "Listen, sweetheart, we've got no time to waste." "Tell me about this man she was seeing." "He was tall, dark haired." "He wore a long black coat." "This is DCI Langton." "He was giving her presents, right?" "Money?" "Yeah, and perfume." "It was an old-fashioned one, it smelt of lilac and she started wearing odd makeup." "Very pale with lots of black eyeliner and red lipstick." "Like a Goth or something out of the Addams Family." "And when she went out, she started to pin a red rose in her hair." "You Go To My Head" "Travis, I want you to go back to the landlady, jog her memory, see if she can come up with anything about this older bloke that was seeing the victim, and question the neighbours again." "Have we got anything on this new job the victim was supposed to have?" "Only a possible time re the advert but I'm checking with Time Out " "Remember it's something that would require a passport." " Well, that's not much to go on." " Right now it's all we've bloody got!" " Keep at it!" " Sharon said that Louise used to go to local cafes to get free meals off the men she met there." " Have you been down there?" " Not yet." "Paul, check them out." "Guv, better read this." "'Roses are red, violets are blue" "Who cut Louise Pennel's mouth in two?" "'" "How the hell did they get hold of that information?" "This looks like the picture Sharon Bilkin had." "It's not a dahlia, it's a rose." "We are going to get a load of calls from now on." "As long as we hold off on the atrocities that Louise suffered, then maybe we can distinguish between any nutters and any real tip-offs." "Get over there and close this down." "Hi, I'm sorry to keep you waiting." "I'm Richard Reynolds." " Anna Travis." " Nice to meet you." "Do you want to come through to the newsroom?" "Or if you prefer, we can bag someone's office." "More private." "Crime Desk's a little bit like Piccadilly Circus." "Take a seat, I'll get some coffee organised." " How can I help?" " It's about the article you wrote about the murder victim Louise Pennel." "We didn't have much." "There hadn't been a press release." " Yes." "But you wrote that her mouth had been slit in two." " That was in the letter that was sent in." "I got another anonymous letter that likened your victim to somebody called..." "Elizabeth." "Elizabeth Short?" "Have you heard of her?" " No." " Me, neither." "I haven't had a chance to look her up." "To be honest, I've been sidelined by this young boy that's missing." " Do you still have the letter?" " No, I don't." "You know, I did call the police about it," "I wasn't exactly taken seriously." "Then I got the second letter." "I don't have that, either, I'm afraid." "Can you recall exactly what it said?" "Thanks, Lex." "This second letter." "Like I said, we get a shed-load of crank letters every time we lead with a murder story." " Thanks." "But what did this one say?" " Something about how the case of the Black Dahlia was never " " Hang on, the Black what?" " Dahlia." "What does that mean?" "No idea." "It's just what the letter said." "How it was never solved and now there was another one, the Red Dahlia." " Was it handwritten?" " No, typed." "That was the 'Roses are red, violets are blue" "Who cut her mouth in two?" "'" "Was it, by the way, cut in two?" " Do you know a young woman called Sharon Bilkin?" " Should I?" "OK, look, could you please get in touch with me if you get any more contact from anyone?" "This is my direct line." " Thanks for your time." " My pleasure." "Have you had lunch?" " Pardon?" " There's a nice pub just around the corner." "Oh, no, I've got to get back." "Thanks." "How about dinner one evening?" "Apparently, it was a story cobbled together" " when they received the photograph." " But you got the note?" " Actually there's two of them." " Two?" "It said exactly what Richard Reynolds printed in the paper." "It had to have come from the killer." "We never disclosed any of the wounds to the press." "The only person outside our team who saw them is Sharon Bilkin." "I'm on my way to her now." "I said they could take everything cos I don't want her stuff." "Got to get someone else in to pay the rent." "They've left some things in an old suitcase." "I've just shoved everything in it." "You just sold her photograph, did you?" " I didn't sell it." " Sharon, this is very important." "You may not feel like you are withholding evidence, but you are." "Are you telling me everything?" "You had a folder of photographs." "Sharon!" "Yeah, all right." "I know this bloke, Kenneth, he's done some snaps of me." "I bumped into him and we got talking." "I told him about Louise." "He came back here for coffee and I showed him her pictures." "I didn't think it'd matter." " Did you tell him about the marks on Louise's mouth?" " No." "Will you stop cleaning for a minute, please!" "Did you give the journalist anything else?" "I never even met him." "Kenneth gave me 50 quid." "I just want her stuff removed." "She was always on the scrounge, pleading poverty." "She'd use my makeup, my perfume." "She'd even nick my tampons and then deny it." "Is there no one who would want her things?" "I don't know." "What is it?" "Anything you think of might help me." "When I first met her, she was really positive, you know?" "Really excited about the future but... .. after a couple of months she changed, she was different." "Always sneaking in and out, secretive." "It was always as if she was waiting for something." "Like every time the phone rang, she'd look towards it like she was hoping for something to happen." "I knew something was wrong, I just didn't know what." "I'll never know now, will I?" "Howard House Library 1964." "Etiquette:" "All You Need To Know About Home Entertaining?" "Dear sir, I have enclosed a photograph of myself." "I would like to apply for the position of personal assistant" "I am presently working for a dental practice but have always wanted to travel and as I have no dependants, this would not be a problem." "I am able type but do not have shorthand experience." "...Working." "Reliable and hardworking." "Please contact me on the number above." "I look forward to hearing from you." "Is he in yet?" "Oh, yes." "I think he spent the night here." "Barbara, you were trying to trace the advert in the paper, right?" "Well, this might help." "Found it in Louise Pennel's belongings." "This is part of her job application." "That's her suitcase." "Meant to bring it in last night." "Barbara, Guv wants a bacon roll." "What's this?" "It's Louise Pennel's suitcase." "She just brought it in." "It stinks of mothballs." "I'm not bagging and tagging all that lot." "Get lost!" "I couldn't believe it when I saw it." "Elizabeth Short." "She was 22 years old and was murdered in Los Angeles in 1947." "Her killer was never found." "It was called the Black Dahlia Case." "Sorry." "Just look at these mortuary shots." "Awful." "There are even more photographs, describing the exact way that she was found, and a detailed description of the man that they were hunting." "There's even a sketch somewhere." "Give me a minute." "This LA killer sent anonymous letters to a reporter." "Louise Pennel's body was placed in exactly the same way." "A few years ago there was a book out written by a detective who claimed that his own father was the killer." "He worked for the LA homicide team." " The suspect?" " No, no, his father, he was a surgeon " "HE was the police officer." "Look, it's here." "Give me some breathing space." "I'm still loathe to go to the press with more details." "It's just that there were two other murders." "If he is copying the Black Dahlia, he could go the whole way and kill again." "They never released details of exactly how they " "Yes!" "... the Yorkshire Ripper killed." " Bacon roll, sir, no tomato." " Thank you." "Well, maybe they should have done, he murdered 11 women." "If we give the press anything near the details of this case, it will create mayhem." "Right, settle down, everybody." "Settle down, this will just take a minute." "Anna, Howard House was a children's home." "It closed down about five years ago." "From the library book we were able to check out a Mrs F Pennel in Margate." " Relation?" " I couldn't speak to her personally." "She's elderly and bedridden." "But her housekeeper, a Joyce Hughes, says she thinks she's our victim's grandmother." "Sorry, sir, I was just giving the Margate update." "Travis, don't bother phoning, just get down there." "In the meantime, have we had any joy in tracing this bloody advert?" "Train timetable." "I don't know, you get all the perks, nice little trip to the seaside." " Barbara!" " No luck, sir, but I thinking of applying for a job on a cruise ship." "Yeah, very funny." "We find who placed this advert, I reckon it will lead us to the only suspect we have, so come on!" "Move your arses." "I hope this little trip to Margate proves worthwhile." "Is it all right if I go straight home afterwards, sir?" "Why?" "Have you got a date or something?" "I'll call you if I find anything." "Mrs Hughes?" "I'm Travis." "Follow me." "Mrs Pennel is expecting you." "She may be sleeping." " Have you worked for Mrs Pennel long?" " 12 years." "There used to be other staff but now it's just me." "Give me a minute." "Florence." "The lady's here to see you." "Florence!" "There's a bell by the door." "If you'll ring it when you're leaving," "I'll be downstairs in the kitchen." "Mrs Pennel." "Sit down, dear." " Have you been offered a drink?" " Er, no." "I'm fine, thank you." "Do you mind if I take my coat off?" "There's a gin and tonic on the dresser." "Are you from the social services?" "No, I'm here to ask you about a young woman called Louise Pennel." "Mrs Pennel, Louise was murdered." "Mrs Pennel." "This is a photograph of her." "Do you mind taking a look at it and telling me if you knew her?" "Is it Raymond's daughter?" "Who's Raymond?" "My son!" "That's him over there." " This is your son?" " He married a terrible woman." "A hairdresser." "He died of a burst appendix." "If she'd had a brain, she'd have called an ambulance!" "But she let him die." "Heather!" "Her name was Heather." "Mrs Pennel, I'm here because I'm investigating the murder of Louise." "I need to know if she was here." "Or if she was with anyone." "Yes!" " I'm sorry?" " I said yes." "Yes, yes." "My son, I would have helped." "But not that woman!" "With her bleached hair, common voice, cheap perfume." "She was to blame." "She killed him." "How does she live in that heat?" "I should have warned you not to bring up Raymond." "She's 94 and I think her venom is what keeps her alive." " Did you know her son?" " No, before my time." "Lot of gossip about him." "Caught with young boys up on the sand dunes." "Then apparently he met this hairdresser and wanted to marry her." "But Mrs Pennel wouldn't hear of it." "Cut him off." "I think she was pregnant." " Doubt if it was his." " That would be Louise, the child?" "I think that was her name." "I only met her once." " Is this Mrs Pennel's house?" " Yes." "I'm Louise, I'm her granddaughter." "I'm sorry?" "My name's Louise Pennel, I want to see my grandma." "If you're speaking about Mrs Pennel, I'm sorry, she can't see you." "'It was last September." "Nine months ago. '" "I don't know who you are, but I've come a really long way..." "'I think she was after money." "I'd say Florence is worth a few hundred thousand, probably more. '" "Well, I'm going to answer this advert in the paper for a personal assistant." "He's very wealthy." "He's a writer." "And he travels a lot, so I've got to get a passport." "If he says he wants to meet me, well, I haven't got the right clothes." "There's wardrobes full of good quality clothes that'll never be worn." "So I went upstairs and got them for her." "Anything else?" "I'd been sitting here polishing the silver when she turned up." "After she'd gone, I noticed a few things missing." "A candlestick holder." "OK, well, I'm going to need a description." "Oh." "Will I get into trouble?" "I know Raymond took my jewellery for that whore!" "And I never pressed charges." " Sad, isn't it?" " And I could have done..." "All this money and this huge house and she came begging and then gets killed." "I don't know how good the food is but I thought go local, then you can invite me in for coffee after." "Really?" "I've never been here before." "Always a good idea to check out your local eateries." "You can get legless and totter home." "OK, I'm going to have the chicken liver to start and the meatballs for main." " Are you having a starter?" " Yeah, I'm starving." "I'll have the avocado salad and the lamb tagine, please." " Did you get all that?" " Yep." " Thank you." "We got a breakthrough on the missing boy." "They found his body in Highgate Cemetery." " Stuffed into a half-dug grave." " Oh, God, I'm sorry." "It's really hard to keep your distance emotionally when there's children involved." "It's the peripheral things that take it out of you." "The poor mother couldn't speak, was in total shock." "My editor rings me and says, get her to talk about the way she feels." "Sorry, sorry, I didn't want to get into it." "But that was why I was late picking you up." "It's OK, I'd just got back from Margate, anyway." " Margate?" "What were you doing there?" " Making enquiries." "About what?" "No, I shouldn't really talk to you about it." "Anna, we're just having a nice, friendly dinner." "I'm not trying to pump you for information." "I don't suppose you've received any more anonymous letters." "No, but I've been away from my desk all afternoon." "Were the letters..." "Were they addressed to you personally?" "Only in the original Black Dahlia Case, their suspect specifically chose the journalist." "No, they were just in the mail bag." "So, what, you're linking the two cases now, are you?" " Are you married?" " Swift change of subject!" "No, I was." "We broke up a year ago." " You have kids?" " No." "We had a parrot." "But her mother's adopted it." "Ah, good man!" "Thanks." "Another bottle of the merlot." "Thanks." "Do you think your killer had medical training?" "I know you're not telling the press any of the grisly details but after you left I looked up Elizabeth Short's murder on the internet." "If this Louise Pennel's case is similar, it makes my hair stand up on end." "What's up?" "It's my boss." "Excuse me a minute." "Hi." "Surprise." "Or maybe not." "This has to be your local." " I come here a lot." " First time for me." " This is DCI Langton." "This is " " Richard Reynolds, nice to meet you." "Dick." "Enjoy your dinner." "Sh..." "And that's his boss." "Why don't we just get coffee back at your place?" "You ready?" "Anna, do you mind if I take a rain check on that coffee?" "It's just that I have to be up at the crack of dawn tomorrow and I'll need to do a follow-up on that poor kid." "Oh, that's fine." "Uh..." "Bill, please." " Wait, hang on, let me give " " No, no, no, this is on me." "Are you OK?" "Yeah, just wish I hadn't been clocked by my boss, that's all." "Can we do this again?" "And at a different restaurant?" "Yeah, I'd like that." "Er..." "That bloke you were with last night, the journalist." "Yeah." "I hope he wasn't pumping you for information." " No, he's just an old friend, sir." " Really?" "Keep your mouth shut around him, right?" "When we want the press involved, we rope them in." "Don't go spilling beans they're not privy to." "I wouldn't do that, sir." " How old a friend is he?" " I've known him for quite a while." "They're all the same as far as I'm concerned." "Just be careful what you say to him." "I will, but thank you for the advice." "Hey, don't get shirty with me." "All right, listen up, everybody." "If we have a copycat killer, we need to be one step ahead of him, and I want you to pay particular attention to this." "This is the LAPD sketch from 1947, the suspect." "Now, the only description we have of our suspect comes from Sharon Bilkin and the landlady Mrs Jenkins, so let's see how they match up." "Tall, about six feet, possibly more." "Wore a long dark coat, we can put this drawing out " "Sir, it's the crime desk at the Telegraph, they reckon they've had a phone call from the killer." "Who am I talking to?" "Mr Reynolds, I will be very grateful if you'd bring in a tape recording immediately." "Did he ask for you personally?" "Yes, but I didn't record that, as it came via the switchboard." " It's exactly the same " " Let's hear it." "Well, Mr Reynolds, I congratulate you on what your newspaper's done on the Red Dahlia Case." "You seem to have gone silent on it." "Have you run out of material?" "I wouldn't say that." "Maybe I can provide some assistance..." "A bit muffled here." "Ssh!" "I'll tell you what I'll do, I'll send you some of Louise Pennel's personal things that she had with her when she, shall we say, disappeared." "When will I get them?" "Oh, within the next day or so." "See how far you can get with them." "Now I have to say goodbye, you maybe trying to trace the call." "He cut me off." "Travis!" "Mr Reynolds, I do not want the contents of this call printed in your newspaper or any reference to it." "We'll send it over to the lab, it may be vital evidence." "Play it again." "Well, Mr Reynolds, I congratulate you on what your newspaper's done on the Red Dahlia Case." "You seem to have gone silent..." "Have you got anything?" "It's a middle-aged male." "It doesn't sound as if he's attempting to disguise his voice." "Educated, confident." "Slightly upper-crust intonation." "Is that it?" "It's muffled, indistinct, and little background noise to pinpoint location." "This type of phonetic analysis is very time consuming." "It requires painstaking preparations of speech samples and close observation of acoustics and characteristics." "So, what do we do?" "Shove our thumbs up our arses because it could take, what, days?" "Weeks?" "Mike, Mike." "I'm working on the adverts," "I've been scrolling through them and this one ticks the right boxes." "Novelist seeking a PA with shorthand and typing experience and willingness to travel worldwide at a moment's notice." "No previous experience required." "Applicants are to be between 20 to 30 years old, attractive and well dressed." "The dates fit." "Ad was withdrawn six months ago." "And?" "It was paid for in postal orders bought in different post offices, one in Slough one in Charing Cross." "He's covering his tracks." "Can you please look at this sketch and tell me if it resembles the man that came to call for Louise?" "Oh, similar." "After you left, I had a good think about it and I've remembered something." "It might be nothing." "But he held his left hand to his face." "Like this." "Maybe he didn't want me to see him clearly, but I remembered he was wearing a very distinctive ring, quite large with a carnelian stone, I think." "It's a bit like him, but I never really had a good look." "Whoever it was, Louise was scared of him." "Why do you say that?" "The way she acted when she was going to see him, and she told me that he didn't like her to dress sexy." "Demure, that was the word she used, he liked her to dress demure." "But on the night we last went out it was like she was expecting him cos she didn't want to come." "Did she get a phone call or something that made her change her mind?" "I don't know." "She might have done while I was in the bath." "But she didn't wear her own clothes, she was in mine." "Not demure, then?" "No." "But she put on that red coat that she had." "She was wearing this red strapless dress with sequins " "With the pink sequined bag, that was mine." "Do you think she was hoping to see him in the club?" "Don't know." "Well, maybe she wanted to dress sexy to put him off." "I'm having my nails done this morning." "There's no bank account, no post office savings." "She gets 150 quid a week from the dental surgery but she pays Sharon 120 quid in rent each week" "So that doesn't leave much to live on, though, does it?" "But there is the cash in the boot." "But there's no trace of the red coat, 40s style with a velvet collar." "Skirts, blouses." "The suitcase reeks of mothballs." "You heard we traced the adverts?" "Well, the bad news is that the postal box and the number listed for applicants to call... it's drawn a blank so far." "It's a pay-as-you-go mobile." "Right, I'm off home." "Joan's already gone." "Right." "Wait, but you can still trace the calls made to it." "We have done that, haven't we?" "I'll do it, I'll do it." "Is the boss in?" "These were delivered to reception." "Dahlia's killer cracking, wants terms." "The LA Examiner received an almost identical letter, sir." "He's a copycat." "That's bloody obvious, Paul." "DCI Langton, I will give up on the Dahlia killing if I get ten years." "Don't try to find me." "OK, take a break, recharge your batteries." "Go on, get out." "I'll deal with these." "DCI Langton." "Yes." "About time." "I'll send someone over to pick them up." "Yeah, and this is a murder enquiry that takes precedence over a few starlets getting drunk on champagne." "Thank you." "The club's releasing the CCTV footage." "Get over there." "You here about that murdered girl?" "Were you not questioned?" "Nah, I'm part-time nights." "Well, this shouldn't take too long." "Look at these photos." "She didn't leave me a tip." "I'm sorry?" "The coat didn't fit." "Old fashioned." "I remember it because my mum had one." "You took her coat." "Yeah." "I hung it on the rail at the back." "Our system." "The early birds are usually the ones that stay very late." "This is a sketch of the man we're trying to trace." "You ever seen him?" "Hm, I don't know if it was him." "Sort of similar." "In the club?" "No, outside in the alley." "We nip out there for a smoke." "Right, let's take a look out the back." "He was parked opposite." "Cars think they can park here at night and the wardens have a field day." "You saw him?" "I didn't get a close look." "He was sitting in his car." "Do you know what make it was?" "A big car." "A 4x4, maybe." "Very dark, but shiny, clean." "He got out when she came up to the passenger side." "He said something and then she got in." "And the man looked like the one in the sketch." "Sort of, yeah." "Older looking, thin faced, tall." "He had this long dark coat." "I'd better get back." "There'll be coats up the ying-yang!" "Is there anything else you remember?" "That other girl." "They came in together." "She's often here." "Naughty one, she is." "But she didn't stay more than an hour." "They were having a row." "I'm not your bloody babysitter, I'm leaving!" "I haven't got any money, Sharon!" "You never have, do you?" "Here, and this time you can pay me back." "Why haven't you come forward with this before?" "I didn't think it meant anything, really." "Doesn't, does it?" "Doreen, you've been very helpful." "Thank you." "Is there a reward?" "LP deserved to die, another victim will pay the same price." "The body of a white female's been discovered in a field off the A4." "The body's covered in a red coat." "Are we going to bed?" "You're investigating a brutal murder, you know the rules and you've broken them." "Third time this woman's called." "Sounds scared but says she knows who the killer is." "Did your father ever entertain young girls like these, Emily?" "Is this footage from the nightclub?" "Anything useful?" "Not as yet." "We've checked the exterior, we're onto the interior." "Guv, I forgot." "The landlady gave me a description of a ring worn by the man that Louise was seeing." "It was a Carnelian stone worn on his little finger." "Well, we keep that to ourselves." "If we release it, he just takes it off." "That's her there, isn't it?" "Yes, she's looking for someone." "Hello." "Joan Faukland." "Sharon says that the man Louise was seeing didn't like her to dress tarty." "She's dressed like a tart there." "Yeah, that's just it." "Sharon reckons that maybe she was trying to piss him off." "Maybe it worked." "Thank you." "Just had it confirmed that there were two calls to the mobile from the advert." "But..." "What?" "They're still tracing the callers." "Terrific" "Sir, this came in." "It's for you." "Gloves." "Ahead of you." "Sharon, this is DC Travis." "Can you call me, please?" "I'd like to talk to you." "Thank you." "Wait, look." "That's her again." "Hold it there, Mike." ""LP deserved to die." "Another victim will pay the same price. "" "The LA Examiner received an almost identical letter." "Sir, I'm worried about Sharon." "I'm calling her, but she's not calling me back." "Line two, guv." "It's that journalist." "Get it over to the lab, Mike." "Not that we'll get any prints or DNA from it." "Langton." "Barbara, can you keep trying Sharon, please?" "Yeah." "Thanks." "This is a murder inquiry, Mr Reynolds, not some reality TV show." "You agreed on a press embargo - you break it, I'll have you arrested." "Travis, with me." "Your boyfriend's taken delivery of the victim's handbag." "And before you say it, I know, it's just like the Black Dahlia case." "We'll let you know, Mr Reynolds." "No way!" "I'm keeping my end of the bargain." "It was sent to me, it's my property." "Just trying to keep you from making an arse of yourself." "Wait here, Travis." "Pleasant sod, isn't he?" "He's under a lot of pressure." "Are you OK?" "You seem a bit distant." "Working." "Free for dinner this week?" "I don't know." "I'll have to check my schedule." "I could be working late." "Well... .. you call me." "I could cook us dinner one night, maybe." "You know DC Travis." "This is the journalist, Richard Reynolds." "Commander Jane Leigh." "Hi." "We're not finished by any means, but you can come and see what we've got." "I don't have long - I'm due to give a lecture." "Here, we have the contents of the handbag." "A... powder compact." "Two lipsticks." "A small mirror." "A used tissue with lipstick marks." "And a green leather address book." "I'd say everything here's been carefully chosen by your suspect." "If there was anything of use to the investigation, he would have discarded it." "I agree." "May I?" "Mm." "This is good quality, but it's old." "Perhaps something bought in a charity shop." "Er..." "Excuse me." "Ssh!" "Sorry." "Go on." "There's a residue of powder." "Smells of old-fashioned perfume." "Chypre." "Yes." "My grandmother used to wear it." "It's no longer in production." "The lipsticks?" "Well... this red colour's a bit unusual for a young girl." "And again, old-fashioned." "Vintage." "Her flatmate said that she was going for a look that was..." "The pink lipstick has been worn down." "But er... as you can see, the head of it has been scraped." "And lastly, we have the brown paper wrapping." "There's a smudged finger mark across one stamp." "That could be mine." "Right, well, we need to get your prints taken right away." "Excuse me, could you take him for an elimination set?" "This way." "Travis, stay here." "I've been studying the case history of the Elizabeth Short murder." "Anyone want a coffee?" "No, thank you." "Obviously, you've been doing the same - comparing the notes of that case alongside your so-called Red Dahlia, but if someone's making a sickening mirror of the Los Angeles case, we should take seriously the threat to kill again." "There was another victim after Elizabeth Short." "Her name was Jeanne Axford French." "Can we walk to my car, please?" "He used the victim's own lipstick to write obscenities on her naked body four weeks after the Elizabeth Short murder, and the killer was never caught." "We've all read the book, Jane." "We've not got the T-shirt, but we're aware of the case history." "Nevertheless, James, I have concerns." "You've got a dangerous killer on the loose, and those letters aren't just a ploy to get into the press." "I have taken every contact seriously so far." "What I am trying to make clear to you is that right now you have a killer at large goading you." "You, personally." "Someone who knew Louise must hold a clue." "I'll keep that in mind." "You do that." "Thanks for coming, Jane." "Get in the car." "Do you know what that prat from Tech Support added into the mix?" "After intensive inspection of the anonymous letters, and judging by the different sizes of the lettering, apparently, it's possible that the suspect could be a musician." "Concert pianist." "The handbag - it came from the grandmother." "It was one of the items the housekeeper listed." "Then why the hell didn't you say so?" "Yeah, I tried." "Did she do a profile course?" "Don't be cheeky." "I left messages for Sharon Bilkin..." "Then go and see her!" "We've traced another girl who answered the advert." "Lisa Halstead." "Lives in Hampstead." "Forget it, Travis." "Get over to Hampstead." "Paul, you go check on Sharon Bilkin." "If this bastard is going by the book, we could get another victim." "In the Black Dahlia case, it was a month after Elizabeth Short's murder." "The killer isn't in 1940s Los Angeles, Paul!" "He's very much alive, here in London!" "Get over there!" "He recognised me from my photo." "He introduced himself?" "Yes." "Mr Edwards." "He asked whether I was Lisa Halstead," "I said I was, and we went and sat down." "Didn't even offer me a drink." "And I showed him my CV." "Go on." "Well, he asked whether I had a passport, and where I lived, and how soon I'd be available to begin." "The thing was that Mummy had just booked a skiing holiday, so I said I couldn't for a couple of weeks." "I mean, I only started here last Monday." "And it was odd." "From being very nice, he sort of... well... .. he just got up, and said he was meeting other girls, and that he'd be in touch." "Did you see any of the other girls?" "The only other girl I saw was..." "You see, there are two entrances." "And when I left, I went out the back." "It's nearer Oxford Street." "And there WAS another girl." "In fact, she spoke to me." "She was looking for a bar and said she was meeting someone." "And I said if she went up the escalator, there were two cocktail bars, and in the main one, she..." "She could have been meeting him, couldn't she?" "Did she say anything else?" "Something about..." "coming in the wrong entrance?" "I remember she was very shy." "Nervous." "Could this be the girl?" "Hm..." "No." "No, she wasn't dark-haired." "It was sort of blonde-ish." "Oh, another thing I remember." "She really smelled of mothballs." "The labia majora are intact, but within the vagina we found a large piece of skin, which was from her upper torso." "Some of the right breast has been cut away, and the nipple forced into her anal passage, which is dilated with multiple abrasions." "This must never be released." "Not only did we find faecal matter in her stomach, it had been introduced into her mouth." "She ingested it before death." "Guv." "Let's take you out." "Come on." "Her body was scrubbed clean, and the internal organs are bleach damaged." "Here you go." "I'm fine." "It's..." "It's OK." "I just felt like I knew her." "You didn't know her." "I think you should go home." "Do you have a handkerchief?" "Your nose is running." "Sorry." "Here." "Sorry." "Er..." "Keep it." "Get off home when you feel like it." "It's all right." "I would say she was subject to a vicious sexual attack." "Both her rectum and vagina are covered in cuts and abrasions..." "I think we've heard enough, Veronica." "Mike." "Yeah." "Thanks, Veronica." "OK." "We've got to keep a lid on this." "But if someone's shielding the killer..." "It'll be between us and him when we find him, and we will." "Sir." "I thought I told you to go home." "A body of a white female's been discovered dumped in a field off the A4." "Body's covered in a red coat." "I'm having my nails done this morning." "It's Sharon Bilkin." "She only had a couple of hundred in her bank account." "I did try and contact her, you know." "I'm gonna bring this answerphone in." "Anna, you tried to call her." "Barolli tried." "So don't be consumed by guilt." "If there's anyone who should feel shit over this, it's me, not you." "Well, then you're in the wrong department." "You're in the wrong department." "Sharon's answer machine." "Will you check the messages?" "There'll be a few on there from me." "I will do, but I'm working my way through the address book." "I've not had a night off." "Neither has Joan." "Both of us are pinned to the computer screens." "God, I can't think straight." "She's got a migraine." "I went to Sharon Bilkin's, but there was no answer." "Maybe I should have gone back." "It wouldn't have done any good - she's been dead at least 24 hours." "Post-mortem report." "Just like the second victim in the Black Dahlia case." "The mutilation was not as horrific, but Sharon had been tortured and suffered significant pain before she died." "It's similar, but it's not the same." "For a start, Sharon didn't have her mouth slit." "She knew something." "She knew him." "I said the girl was holding out on you." "Something that made him deviate from his copycat routine." "If we can work that out, it might lead us somewhere." "Right, we tracked down Louise's previous employer - a hotel in Paddington." "The Pembrook." "What?" "Everybody's been working around the clock on this." "Any chance of getting the weekend off?" "OK." "Split it." "Good night." "Hi, it's Anna." "Are you still free for dinner tonight?" "Spag bol OK?" "Um..." "Well, I'll see you at eight." "I'll look forward to it." "It was a cash deal, basically." "We have a lot of salesmen." "We're near the station - it's very convenient." "Was she on the game?" "What she did in her own time is up to her." "Let's cut all the bollocks." "Attractive 24-year-old working for cash in hand washing dishes." "No, no, no." "She was skinny." "Bitten nails, greasy hair." "Always in need of a bath." "A right minger." "That's why we got rid of her." "She had this attitude like she was gonna be somebody." "None of the men here would screw her." "Show her room to me." "When was the last time you saw Louise?" "She was supposed to work, but she took off for the day." "I told her about coming and going as she pleased." "She had to go and see her grandmother." "She came back very late." "Sorry, I'll go and get ready now." "Sorry?" "!" "Get off me!" "I'm gonna throw you out because I've got a hotel full of clients and you owe me!" "Take this!" "You can have it!" "It's silver!" "Don't touch me!" "I don't care!" "I'm gonna get a job with a dentist!" "Then you're gonna need one!" "She left without getting paid." "Could you give her this if you see her?" "Tell her no hard feelings." "She's dead." "I got here as soon as I could." "Well, I'll serve up straight away." "Great, I'm starving." "The pasta's probably a bit overcooked." "Do you want me to open this?" "There's one open on the table." ""Maybe I can be of some assistance." "I'll tell you what I'll do." "I'll send you some of Miss Pennel's personal things she had with her when she..." "shall we say... disappeared. "" "Is it me you're trying to screw, you bastard?" ""... see how far you can get." "Now, I have to say goodbye." "They may be trying to trace me. "" "Shall I open the bottle I brought?" "It's a slightly better vintage than this one." "I've been reading about the Black Dahlia again." "I keep going back to it." "It's sickening to think that some maniac is trying to emulate a murder that happened in 1947." "Why?" "Draining the body of blood before slicing her in two." "They reckon he killed another couple of women." "Do you think that it's a possible copycat thing?" "The letter sent to me, the package sent to me." "Do you think he's gonna kill again?" "Do you get to sleep OK?" "It depends." "Sometimes, these images creep into your head and then they stay." "You know the image I can't get rid of?" "The look in her eyes." "I never knew dead eyes held an expression." "I thought they just... blanked out after the heart stopped." "But there's so much pain in her eyes." "Did Louise's eyes have the same expression?" "Yeah." "Why would one human being inflict so much agony on another?" "What makes them that way?" "Madness." "Do you have a lot of friends?" "No." "Work colleagues mostly." "What about parents?" "They're both dead." "Why are you asking me all these questions?" "To try and get to know you." "Well, there's not much to know about." "Well, you've got a nice little flat, a good CD collection." "Not a bad cook." "And you... are very pretty." "This is rubbish." "Gorgeous hair." "Perfect skin." "Lovely hands." "Shouldn't you be careful?" "Aren't you driving?" "Are you trying to tell me I should be leaving?" "Do you miss your parrot?" "You said you had one." "Can we go to bed?" ""Sharon, this is DC Anna Travis." "Can you call me, please?"" ""Miss Bilkin, this is Hair Design." "I'll need at least four hours for hair extensions... "" ""Sharon, about your leg wax at 11." "Can you ring me back to confirm?" "Thanks. "" ""Sharon, this is DC Travis again." "Will you please call me when you get this?"" "Why are you looking at me like that?" "Talk to your bloody boyfriend!" "He's run it front page!" "It's all over the TV." "Now everyone else is picking it up!" "No detail left out!" "Even down to the fact Louise Pennel was forced to eat her own shit!" "And if that wasn't enough, full details of Sharon Bilkin's murder!" "But I didn't discuss it with him!" "Talk about sleeping with the enemy!" "I bloody warned you!" "It's beyond belief." "How could you be so stupid?" "You're investigating a brutal murder." "You're a detective." "You know the rules and you've broken them." "You've passed highly confidential information to a journalist!" "Have a few too many drinks?" "Do you want me off the case?" "Too bloody right I do." "But I don't know if I can spare the manpower." "Every paper will be onto this in the morning!" "I'm so sorry." "This is gonna be a nightmare." "The phones will be hopping with nutters, there'll be pink, blue and yellow dahlias..." "I'm sorry!" "Let this be a lesson to you to keep your mouth shut and your legs crossed!" "I don't like the way you're talking to me." "What?" "I said I don't like the tone you're using." "It's the same tone I use with everybody else." "Oh, what?" "You think I should treat you differently?" "No, but I think you should treat me with respect and not jump to the conclusion I would have given him..." "What?" "I did not discuss the case file with Richard Reynolds!" "Even his name sounds like some cartoon character." "You stay away from the station until I decide what action I'm gonna take!" ".. the look on his face!" "I gotta go." "I gotta go." "Dick." "Well, this is a surprise." "Not as surprised as I was when I read that!" "Waited till I was tipsy, did you?" "I didn't have to wait." "You were half-cut when I arrived." "I've been kicked off the case." "I probably don't have a career left, but that wouldn't interest you!" "You got your story, to hell with the consequences!" "I just followed what happened on the Black Dahlia murder." "Let's get you a coffee, talk in private." "Here is your coffee!" "Argh!" "Fucker!" "I've left about three messages." "Look who's here." "Surprised you've got the nerve." "You've got a lot of bottle, Travis." "No, not really, but I need to say something to everyone." "Floor's yours." "I really fouled up, and I'm here to say sorry to everyone." "I have no excuse, bar the fact that I became very disturbed after the post-mortem, and I can only apologise." "If my stupidity has made problems for this inquiry, then I am deeply ashamed and I am sorry." "Travis." "I meant what I said." "Yeah, I'm sure you did." "But it doesn't alter the facts!" "What do you think your father would have said?" "He would have been ashamed." "But I want you to know that I didn't discuss this case far with Reynolds." "He must have read my notebook whilst I was sleeping." "And that makes it OK?" "Yes!" "Third time this woman's called in." "She keeps hanging up." "Sounds scared, but said she knows who the killer is." "It's all right." "No, it's all right." "I just..." "Can you please stop crying, and then I'll be able to hear you." "I..." "I just can't hear you." "She's crying." "I'm not sure how to handle this." "What line, Joan?" "Two." "Hello, this is DC Travis." "Look, we really appreciate anyone calling with any information." "Is it being traced?" "Would you like to give me your name, please?" "If you tell me what it is, you will feel calmer once it's over with, I promise." "Right, I can't hear what you're saying." "Who are you talking about, please?" "OK, listen." "If you are afraid..." "of this person," "I promise we can protect you." "She's called in three times." "Sounds absolutely terrified." "Ssh!" "If you don't want me to know who you are, that is absolutely fine." "But if you do have any information that can help us..." "Shit, I can't tell if she is drunk or stoned." "Hello?" "Hello?" "Are you there?" "Hello?" "Charles Henry Wickenham." "Colonel Charles Henry Wickenham." "Hello?" "We've got a name." "All right, let's not get our hopes up just yet." "It could be a wife or a mistress with a grievance." "We don't make a move until we've got him checked out." "Travis." "Stay put." "The phone call came from a phone box in Guildford, but this Wickenham guy's listed as living in a small village" "10 miles from Petworth." "Huge pile." "Mayerling Hall." "Grade II listed, quite a history, actually." "Apparently, Henry viii used to stay there." "Used it as a hunting lodge." "Wickenham has no police records, but guess what?" "He's a retired army surgeon." "Well-respected member of the community." "Have you got any details, Barbara?" "Yes, sir." "He's been married twice, he's been widowed, paid a vast settlement in his divorce." "He's got children from both wives - two daughters and a son and heir." "30-year-old Edward Wickenham." "OK, good." "Good work, everybody!" "Take a few hours rest." "We'll go over there in the morning." "Er..." "Travis." "We're going to start with the daughters." "You spoke to the caller - you might recognise the voice." "Hello?" "DS Paul Barolli, here to see Miss Emily Wickenham." "Oh, all right." "Top floor." "Her daddy's not shelling out much here." "Is this about the break-in?" "It's the second time in six months." "This time, they took all my CDs." "It's a real pain." "No." "This is Detective Travis." "Have you er... ever seen this girl?" "Louise Pennel." "No." "What about this girl?" "Her name's Sharon Bilkin." "No." "Where were you on the 15th of June?" "Gosh, um... here, probably." "What's this about?" "Both these girls were murdered." "Miss Wickenham, will you have a look at these photographs, please?" "I don't know them." "They look the type." "Daddy likes them young and tarty." "OK." "Well, this girl's body was found near here." "God, I heard about that." "It was in the papers." "I ride past there almost every morning." "I almost had heart failure." "Well, I wasn't here at the time." "I was in Milan with my mother." "Do you live close by?" "Just there." "Rent a flat." "Who owns it?" "Your father?" "He pays for it." "Never been inside." "I don't see him." "What about your brother?" "Half brother." "Haven't seen him for months." "Do you get on?" "Not into all that stuff." "What stuff?" "Edward got kicked out of school for smoking dope." "He gets a lot of stick from my father because he's not very bright." "His late wife committed suicide." "Did she know?" "What do you want to know about Edward?" "Asking all these questions about my father." "God, it's Emily, isn't it?" "She's been saying things." "Look, you can't take seriously anything she says." "She's... got a lot of problems." "She's bulimic." "Nearly died a few years ago." "I haven't talked to your sister." "Well, I don't think I'm going to talk to you any more." "Do you have a good relationship with your father?" "Why do you want to know about my father?" "What about your brother?" "Do you have a good relationship with him?" "Edward?" "Um..." "Not especially." "He's my half brother." "Do you know if your father has girls up at the house?" "Maybe like the ones we've shown you." "I wouldn't know." "Er..." "Daddy is always having weekend parties, but I don't go." "We don't particularly like each other." "I hardly lived at home when I was at boarding school, and when they divorced, I lived with my mother." "Look at these girls again, Emily." "Both of them were brutally murdered, and this girl - read the papers?" " she's been dubbed The Red Dahlia." "Did your father ever entertain young girls like these, Emily?" "Perhaps with your brother?" "I don't know!" "You're frightening me!" "I think you should go!" "I'm not going to talk to you any more!" "This is very upsetting!" "And I'm not going to talk to you, because this is my house!" "And you can't be in my house!" "I don't know who you are!" "And I'm not going to answer any of your questions!" "Ah, Commander." "Right, pay attention, everyone!" "Charles Wickenham is now your prime suspect." "It's important to know what he was like as a husband, so interview his ex-wife as soon as possible." "I believe your killer has a hatred of women." "Very likely, he has sociopath tendencies with a compulsion to create terrible pain." "I would also think he's addicted to drugs." "Amphetamines to get high, even out his hyperactive side." "He might even use morphine." "His ego is such that he will believe he is above suspicion." "His tools of torture will, I think, be close to him." "He'll enjoy cleaning and inspecting them." "Just as he'll enjoy the fact that he's under suspicion, because he absolutely certain that he can outwit the police." "Guv, Barolli's already over at the car park." "Very informative, Commander." "Thank you." "I haven't finished." "Sorry." "Go on." "The more rope you give this man, the more he will move to putting the noose around his neck." "It is imperative that you have enough evidence to arrest him." "He has some very influential friends." "Do we know how much he's worth?" "Millions." "Also got a villa in France, and he was left his estate by his old man." "Three generations live there, apparently, sir." "His father bought up the land just after the war for peanuts." "Made millions from it." "It's all right for some." "My old man left me a load of unpaid bills and a council house." "Got sent the eviction order two weeks after we'd buried him." "So this is where Daddy lives." "Yes?" "This way." "Would you just wait in there, please?" "Thank you." "Guv, the housekeeper wasn't the woman that phoned in." "Her voice was lighter, softer, more well-spoken." "I'm Edward Wickenham." "I believe you wanted to see me." "Actually, it was your father we wanted to see." "Is he home?" "Yes, somewhere." "It's not about these bloody congestion charges, is it?" "I can't believe you've actually had to come here." "I've told you I'll pay them." "Every week, I get a letter saying it's double." "Living in the country, it's hard to know where the charge starts." "The Kings Road?" "!" "For God's sake!" "It's not about the congestion charges, Mr Wickenham." "I'm Detective Chief Inspector James Langton." "These are Detectives Travis, Lewis and Barolli." "Why do you want to see my father?" "Personal matter, sir." "If you could just get him to come and see us, please?" "To be honest, I'm not actually sure where he is." "He might be over at the stables." "But he might be out on one of the horses." "Well, maybe you could walk us over to the stables." "I'm not even sure he's over there." "Why don't we go and see?" "Paul, you stay here." "It's a bit of a maze, but this is the quickest route." "We'll go through the kitchen, out to the back door." "Are there any other female staff in the house?" "No." "But Mr Wickenham's girlfriend's staying here." "Which Mr Wickenham?" "She's referring to my fiancee." "What's her name?" "Gail." "Gail Harrington." "But she's away at a health spa at the moment." "We could have gone round the house, but this way's quicker." "It's muddy - we've had such bad weather lately." "Thank you." "I'll just check if he's in here first." "We could try the stables." "Morning." "Is my father about?" "No, sir." "Is he out on Belmarsh?" "He could be at the paddock, sir." "I have to go out, actually, so I suggest we return to the house." "Let's just try the paddock, shall we?" "Wait here a moment, will you?" "My son says you want to speak to me!" "Get Walter to check him out - he's a bit short in front." "It might be just a shoe." "He's a bit flat this morning." "So, what's all this about?" "Can we speak back at the house?" "Of course." "I'll just take a shower first, if you don't mind." "Get this over with." "Only take a moment." "Well, I don't know about anyone else, but I could do with a drink." "Can I get you all something?" "No, thank you." "No?" "What's all this about?" "Do sit down." "I'm conducting an inquiry into the murder of a young woman." "Louise Pennel." "The newspapers have given her the nickname "The Red Dahlia. "" "We're also investigating the murder of another girl" " Sharon Bilkin." "Possibly killed by the same person." "One moment." "Hilda!" "A light lunch for me." "I'm sorry, but if I don't warn her, it'll be meat and potatoes." "Follow her out." "He's wearing the ring described by the landlady." "You were saying?" "Do you know this girl?" "No." "Do you know THIS girl?" "Sorry, no, I don't." "A witness - in fact, two witnesses, without conferring, produced this profile." "Would you say this is a good likeness?" "Of me?" "Yes." "Why are you showing me these photographs and this... drawing, is it?" "We made many requests, via the press, for this man to come forward." "Tall, dark, grey-haired." "Now, I think this is an exceptional likeness." "So perhaps the best solution would be if you agreed to come to an identity parade." "Me?" "Yes, you, Dr Wickenham." "It's Colonel Wickenham!" "Colonel!" "Colonel." "That will either eliminate you or conversely prove that you did, on several occasions, visit the victim, Louise Pennel." "When am I supposed to have visited this woman?" "Firstly, on April the 19th." "This year?" "Yes." "One moment." "I'll get my diary - it's in the study." "Well?" "Cool customer." "Here we are." "April the 19th." "Yes, I had lunch at my club." "The St James's." "Followed by a lengthy meeting with my ex-wife, squabbling over money." "And my solicitor." "Can these meetings be verified?" "Of course." "If you wish, I can contact them and they'll get in touch with you." "Thank you." "You were a surgeon in the army." "Is that correct?" "Yes, I was." "Almost in a past life." "I retired 10 years ago." "Obviously, I didn't need the money... .. and I wanted to spend more time with my children." "Do you play the piano?" "Yes, I do." "My mother... had high hopes of my becoming a concert pianist - hopes as high as she, unfortunately, usually was." "So, I opted for surgery." "Thank you." "You've been most helpful." "Sorry for taking up your time." "We'll arrange an identity parade for tomorrow." "We'll send a car for you." "I don't think it'll be necessary, once you've verified my diary." "He's a piece of work." "He's our killer." "I smell it." "This is a bit unethical." "Yeah, well... we can work round it." "I meant giving you this." "If she sees me give you anything, she will kill me." "Jesus Christ!" "Did Charles hire you?" "I know he has a predilection for prostitutes." "And I also suspect he couldn't keep his hands off his own daughter!" "Edward, tell Emily I love her." "You're not allowed into my flat!" "I'm afraid you have no option." "Now get out of my way!" "Oh!" "I can't take any more of this." "Then stop it." "Don't protect him." "I knew this identity parade would be a waste of time." "I apologise for not getting back to you sooner with the addresses for you to check out." "The perils of no longer having a secretary." "Would later today be acceptable?" "As soon as possible, please." "And we'll need to have your fingerprints taken." "We'll also need your ex-wife's details." "What on earth for?" "Just procedure." "If you'd care to accompany me back to the incident room, we can make it as fast as possible." "I'll do it now." "Don't have time to waste here." "Is DCI Langton in?" "Yes, ma'am." "He's in his office." "Coffee, please." "Have these two." "I'll get a refill." "Thanks." "Pushy, isn't she?" "Mm-hm." "He's got an alibi for Louise Pennel's murder." "Not one of your eyewitnesses could identify him." "I know he's the killer, Jane." "And we'll get him." "You need evidence." "Barbara, there's the Commander and Langton." "You know?" "You'd be surprised what he'd do for a phone tap, never mind round-the-clock surveillance and six extra officers." "Look, this is a bit unethical." "Yeah, well, we can work round it." "I meant... giving you this." "It's Wickenham's ex-wife and her early career." "I love you." "Of course you do." "Put the coffee on." "There's been a development." "Emily rang Justine late last night." "First they talked about contacting their mother, maybe worried she'd arrive suddenly from Milan." "And Justine asked Emily if she told us anything, and Emily got hysterical." "I'll have some toast." "You want anything on your toast?" "No." "So Emily was getting more and more distressed." "Oh, Marmite" " I'll have some of that." "And then she goes on to say that she wished she'd gone through with it and made him pay for what he did to her." "And Justine, she's still trying to calm her sister down, says that's why she protected her because he constantly tried to do the same to her." "Do what to her?" "Best bit." "Emily starts yelling, saying it was her he did the abortion to." "What?" "He operated on his own daughter?" "Wait - unless it was the brother." "The father's the surgeon, Travis." "The Black Dahlia suspect was taken to court by his own daughter..." ".. accusing him of rape." "Yes." "That's why I want you privy to all of this." "His ex-wife stood by him and all charges were dropped." "And as we're about to meet the ex-Mrs Wickenham, it could be useful." "So... um... go and get dressed." "We leave in ten minutes." "It's not even eight." "Did you not get home last night?" "Do you know how much it is for ten ruddy minutes?" "Travis." "Mrs Wickenham will be with you shortly." "She was not expecting you until later on this morning." "May I offer you coffee?" "No, thanks." "Hey!" "You're not allowed into my flat." "I'm afraid you have no option, Miss Wickenham." "Get out of my way!" "Good morning." "I hope this is important." "It is." "Yes." "Travis..." "Would you please take a look at these photographs?" "Do you recognise either of these girls?" "No." "This is a sketch of a man who's suspected in the murder of those girls." "But that is my husband." "Yes, there's a remarkably close resemblance." "It was compiled by witnesses who saw the man with both victims." "Your husband was a surgeon." "Is that right?" "Ex-husband." "We're divorced." "Can you confirm that Justine was in Milan on June 15th?" "Yes, she was." "They come and stay with me as often as possible." "They don't stay at the Hall with their father?" "No." "No, they don't get along." "He can be very... strict." "And you know, girls will be girls." "What about your step-son?" "Edward?" "He's a very sweet boy." "Very much under his father's thumb." "Can you tell me about his wife?" "She committed suicide." "Yes." "It was very sad." "She suffered from depression." "Were you ever questioned during a police enquiry regarding your youngest daughter?" "I'm sorry?" "Emily made an allegation against her father, your ex-husband, for alleged rape." "No." "No, that was very wretched and not true." "There were never any charges." "Emily is highly strung and she has a very vivid imagination." "So the operation?" "What operation?" "The abortion." "She's making up stories." "Is it possible that your ex-husband could have terminated Emily's pregnancy without your knowledge?" "There was no pregnancy." "We received a phone call that named your ex-husband as the killer of those two women, and it's possible that the call came from your daughter Emily." "I think that perhaps you should speak to me through a solicitor." "Excuse me." "May I use your bathroom?" "Yes, on the left down the hall." "Excuse me." "I know you were listening." "I know why you are here." "Is Emily ill again?" "Poor child." "What's that?" "If she sees me give you anything, she will kill me." "Don't let her see it." "Please." "Wait until you go." "I promise." "Thank you." "So your ex-husband, how much is he paying you?" "My divorce settlement is my business." "Now I insist you leave." "Both of you!" "You expect to be paid a lot for being such an admirable and caring ex-wife." "That's enough." "One more thing." "Before you were married, what did you do for a living?" "What does that have to do with anything?" "It's just that you lie so beautifully I wanted to hear what you'd say." "First insinuations about my family and then you call me a liar." "You were an exotic dancer!" "Not only that, but you have a police record in Marseilles." "Did Charles hire you?" "I know he has a predilection for prostitutes." "I also suspect he couldn't keep his hands off his own daughter!" "Get out!" "Get out!" "Exotic dancer?" "Whose your source?" "Oh, you'd be surprised what Commander Leigh can do." "What are you doing?" "You'd be surprised at what I can do." "It's from the maid." "Jesus Christ!" "Pull over." "Edward and Dominique." "Happy families" "Justine..." ".. and Daddy too." "I said there was something wrong last time I had him out!" "Why can't you do a simple thing like get the vet to him?" "He's lame now, much worse than he was, and that's down to your stupidity." "Why can't you just do as I tell you?" "I have to go and collect Gail." "Why can't she get a car to get herself home?" "She's a bloody liability." "What she needs is therapy, not a few weeks in a health spa." "You keep her in line, Edward." "You give her too much rope." "Mind you, if you gave her any more, she'd probably hang herself." "Stupid bitch!" "She wants me to marry her." "She's very nervous and I'm... '.." "I'm worried." "I think perhaps I should go ahead with it. '" "'You do whatever you have to do. '" "She has to be controlled." "We've been listening in to Wickenham's calls, but I think he's on to us." "This just came in." "'I need to talk to you, Charles." "The police were asking me a lot of questions. '" "'Give me a minute." "I'll call you back." "Not on the landline. '" "'Why not?" "' 'I can't talk to you at the house. '" "That's it." "Didn't take her long, did it?" "Barbara, can you get me a chicken-and-cheese toastie?" "No tomatoes, and some coffee." "Right." "I want you to go back to Emily Wickenham." "Listen to this." "It's pretty obvious she's flying close to the edge." "So... see what you can get out of her." "All right, well, I'll listen to it on the way." "What happened to you?" "I got in the way of Justine's riding crop." "'Refuse to speak to them from now on." "Otherwise terrible things will happen. '" "'After what he did to me, there's nothing anyone can do that would be worse." "Hey, you are not seeing my sister, do you hear?" "Stop there!" "Argh!" "Emily!" "Emily!" "Emily!" "Oh, God, no, no!" "Oh, no!" "Help me!" "What do I do?" "What do I do?" "It's Emily." "I've had Justine on the phone." "What's the silly cow done now?" "Tried to kill herself." "Get her back in the clinic." "Stupid bitch, making up stories about me!" "Dad, I don't know how much more of this I can take." "Justine said they were searching the stables." "So what?" "Look, they have nothing." "Do you hear, nothing!" "But..." "Don't make me angry, son." "Please don't." "Edward." "Tell Emily I love her." "What happened to you?" "It's fine." "It's Justine." "She didn't want me to see her." "She's in with Emily." "I hope you're satisfied." "You know what he'll do to her now?" "He'll have her sectioned again." "Who?" "Your father?" "Who do you think?" "And I forbid allowing anyone in to see her." "Especially you." "It is a difficult situation." "I'll get it on the spreadsheet." "This call's just come in from Edward to his girlfriend Gail Harrington." "'Darling, there's a change of plan." "I've something to do for my father. '" "'You knew what time I was leaving." "I'm all packed and waiting. '" "Wait." "That's..." "That's the woman that called the station." "'.. your father to do whatever he needs doing. ' Joan, isn't that her?" "You should have taped that first bloody call, Joan." "'I have to go." "The car's on its way. '" "What can I do for you?" "We want a few words with you and your girlfriend." "She's upstairs resting." "I'd prefer it if you came back, actually." "Gail's not been well." "She's very frail." "DC Travis will go and talk to her and save her the trouble of coming down." "But you were here before." "My father talked to you." "And now I want to talk to you." "You have a close relationship with your step-mother." "I would say it was a lot closer than could be considered normal." "Gail?" "Hello." "I'm DC Travis." "Why do you want to see me?" "I think you know." "No." "I don't." "Are you a model?" "Mm." "Yes." "Just sorting out the best pictures for my portfolio." "May I?" "Please." "Can I have a look?" "Of course." "They're very beautiful." "Thank you." "That was the cover of a magazine." "You see, I... um..." "I recognise your voice." "I'm the officer you spoke to when you called the incident room." "You must be mistaken." "I've never spoken to you." "Gail, what's happened to your face?" "Nothing." "It's not what you think." "I fell over." "Do you recognise either of these girls?" "No." "I mix things up." "My doctor will tell you." "Look at the photograph of this young woman." "Her name is Sharon Bilkin." "She was a model too." "She was murdered, Gail." "I don't know her." "I don't know anything." "This is Sharon in the photograph with you, Gail." "This is Sharon Bilkin, the girl that was murdered." "This is her." "You're lying to me." "You know her." "OK." "You can't force me to implicate myself." "Don't protect him." "If he killed these two girls..." "You want to see how we found them?" "I think someone should be with me." "In case you implicate yourself?" "No." "In case you implicate your father?" "No." "We know about your step-sister." "About Emily's termination." "Was it your child or your father's that was aborted?" "I can't take any more of this." "Then stop it." "Tell us what you know." "Please." "Please." "You don't know what he's capable of." "But you do?" "Don't you?" "Capable of slicing a girl's body in two?" "Draining her blood." "Subjecting her to hours of torture." "Look at the photograph." "Please." "Let's go." "Travis!" "Detective Travis would like to talk to your housekeeper, if that's all right." "Why?" "Just to corroborate a few things." "No, thank you." "I remember the way." "Mind if we sit down?" "Do you mind if I stand?" "Mrs Hedges?" "Mrs Hedges!" "So sorry, dear." "I didn't hear you." "I'm a bit deaf in this ear." "Oh." "Would you like a cup of tea?" "Oh, no." "Thank you." "May I?" "Don't usually wear gloves, but newsprint..." "Comes off on my hands." "Hard to wash off." "Tricks of the trade." "Just water, a drop of vinegar." "Amazing the shine you get." "It looks lovely." "Does Mr Wickenham entertain a lot?" "Well, he used to." "When Mrs W was around." "The second one." "She was a right party creature." "Did you meet a lot of the guests?" "Used to stay in my room." "I've been here a long while." "Ever since Edward was a toddler." "The girls..." "Well..." "I miss them when they're not here." "They keep in touch." "Emily just attempted suicide." "She has done so before, apparently." "When I knew what was going on!" "Do you recognise anyone in these photographs?" "I believe they were taken here." "Yes, we do have fun here sometimes." "But what happens in the privacy of one's own home is exactly that." "Private." "Your son and your ex-wife also enjoyed some fun." "Why not?" "They're consenting adults." "Your daughter, Justine?" "She's over 18." "No-one ever forced her into anything." "We have a witness who says Louise Pennel was here the weekend before her murder." "And Sharon Bilkin knew your son's fiancee." "Her body was found in a field nearby." "Not one of mine, I hope." "Excuse me." "Yes?" "One minute." "A private matter needs my urgent attention." "So if there's nothing else..." "Have you ever heard of the case of the Black Dahlia?" "The Black Dahlia?" "No, I don't think I've heard of her." "Should I have?" "What's he doing?" "It's pretty obvious, isn't it?" "Where the hell's Barolli?" "Don't know." "Probably taking a slash in the bushes." "You make any headway?" "She was being very protective over the family until I pushed the right button" " Emily Wickenham." "I've been over at the stables." "What for?" "To see the bloody horses?" "No." "A stable boy, who wasn't here when we interviewed the other lads, he reckons he did see Louise Pennel here on June 13th." "The day after she disappeared." "Missing for three days." "Found on the Monday." "I could kiss you, Paul." "That's all I need!" "Check out the barn, the cottage, the stables, the paddock and the chapel and also check the surrounding gardens and the outhouses." "Get moving." "Charles Henry Wickenham... .. I'm arresting you on suspicion of the murders of Louise Pennel and Sharon Bilkin." "I'm sorry." "Edward, Edward!" "Get a uniform to sit in here with him, Mike." "We're going to start in the bedrooms." "I've had a look at the plans for this place." "So part 16th century, extended in the late 19th century." "There are four priest holes - one in the fireplace." "There's another one by the window in my study." "Thanks for your cooperation." "This is all rather costly, isn't it?" "In more ways than one." "When you eventually realise that I have nothing to do with these pitiful murders, you will face a serious situation with regard to your career." "I have some very influential contacts." "And we have verification that Louise Pennel was here." "You're a sick bastard." "I'll enjoy watching you being put away for the rest of your life." "Really?" "Will you pass me that pencil so I can get on with my crossword?" "The one with the eraser on the end." "I should also like to speak to my son." "He's being held at the station, helping with our enquiry." "Tell Mrs Hedges to prepare my lunch on your way out!" "Keep an eye on him." "Hello, dear." "How's Emily?" "She's in a private hospital." "Justine is with her." "Mrs Hedges, I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to search your room." "Oh!" "Oh, that's all right, dear." "He had her locked up again, didn't he?" "We've come up empty handed at the cottage." "It's not looking good, and that bastard knows it, asking about lunch!" "We've organised lunch at the pub for everyone." "Just keep going, Paul!" "Or some sandwiches." "Forensics have just confirmed they found fibres in the back of the Land Rover." "They're matching them with Louise's coat." "Sir, better come and have a look round the back of the chapel." "They're opening up a manhole there." "Guv!" "Think we've got something." "Better come and look at this." "It's dark." "It's very dark." "Can we get some torches here?" "Maybe we just got lucky." "Take this, will you?" "He's gone." "Wickenham's gone." "Well, he can't have got far." "We've got the bloody place surrounded." "How the hell did he get to do this to you?" "They found blood, hair, skin clogging the drains." "A lot of blood traces down there." "We've still got no trace of Wickenham." "How could he just disappear with all those officers out there?" "We've checked by the gates, the stables, the paddock." "Nobody's seen him." "Unless, he was wearing one of these." "How could he get it on, Paul?" "He was bloody handcuffed?" "Still front page and in every paper." "I was having my hair done." "I honestly didn't recognise her." "She came up to me as I was paying." "She asked who I was." "I told her I was engaged." "She looked at my ring and we walked out together." "Charles was waiting for me." "She seemed to know him." "Did Sharon return to the Hall with you?" "But I never saw her again." "So you never saw her again, but what?" "You drove all the way back to Mayerling Hall with him and...?" "She sat in the front seat beside him." "Such a coincidence, me meeting up with Gail and then Louise." "I remember you." "You used to call for her, didn't you?" "I'm right, aren't I?" "It was you." "I met her when I was looking for a secretary." "I needed someone willing to travel abroad." "I have a house in the south of France, an apartment in Milan." "At first, I thought she would be suitable." "Obviously, there was all the social side." "I can type." "Can you?" "She wasn't really sophisticated enough." "It was very disappointing." "I hope she wasn't too upset." "She's dead." "She was murdered." "Oh, God." "The police were asking me about the man she was seeing, which was you, but I'd never really met you, so..." "But now you have, you can see why poor Louise didn't get the post." "Tell me about her murder." "My client will answer your questions." "However, he wishes to make it clear that he played no part in the murder of these two young women." "And we know he's lying through his teeth." "We found fibres from Louise Pennel's coat in your car, Mr Wickenham." "The same coat that was found covering Sharon Bilkin's body." "Edward?" "My father asked if I would help." "He said he'd been having sex with her and she'd suffocated." "He said it was an accident." "He wanted me to move the body, leave it somewhere." "I wouldn't look at her." "She was wrapped in the coat." "So you just agreed?" "Agreed to move the body?" "You denied ever seeing Sharon Bilkin." "I never saw her face." "He said if I didn't do what he wanted, he'd force me and Gail to leave the estate." "You have no idea how powerful he is." "We drove up to the field." "He wanted to move further away from the Hall, but we got bogged down in the mud." "I was backing the car, turning it around." "Get this car valeted tomorrow, Edward." "Do you hear me?" "What did you do to her?" "She won't be missed." "Now, get back to the Hall." "Forget everything you've seen, Edward." "Do you hear me?" "Dear God!" "Yes, 'Dear God'." "As much Dear God as I felt when they cut your wife down from the rafters." "You were both so into that little sex game, she ended up hanging herself." "You know, he screwed with my wife until she was so crazed." "Fed her drugs." "She was so terrified of him, and he made me part of it all too." "Since I was 12, he's tormented me and fucked with my mind!" "Sit down, Mr Wickenham!" "Sit down." "My father... .. is a sick man hell-bent on hurting anyone close to him." "He destroyed his own daughters." "And I know if I hadn't done what he wanted... .. he would have destroyed me too." "Can you tell us anything about your father's obsession with the Black Dahlia?" "It was the fact the killer was never caught." "That was his obsession." "Proving he would never be caught." "And he hasn't been, has he?" "You will be charged with murder, Mr Wickenham." "And if" " IF - you have any idea where or who is hiding your father," "I would give it up if I were you." "The mystery of the Red Dahlia investigation continues." "A spokesperson today admitted no progress in establishing the whereabouts of the murder suspect, Colonel Charles Wickenham, who slipped through the fingers of police whilst being held in custody on his estate." "Wickenham was facing charges of brutally murdering Louise Pennel and Sharon Bilkin." "How long has it been - a week?" "Mm." "If we haven't found him by now, perhaps we never will." "It's just so hard to believe." "It's like bloody Houdini." "When it comes to trial, we're going to look like complete arseholes." "Maybe he never left." "Where is he?" "He can't have got outside." "We had every inch of this place covered." "We'd have picked him up." "Nobody saw him." "When did the girls return to live here, Mrs Hedges?" "When I heard he'd been arrested, I got in touch with Justine." "But you must also have heard that he'd disappeared." "I think 'escaped' is the word you're looking for." "What are you trying to do?" "Cover your tracks because you can't find him?" "No, it just seems odd that you came back here and brought your sister." "Because the less time she spent in that mental institution the better." "Then why didn't you take her to your flat?" "I have to look after the horses." "What if your father were to return?" "He's not bloody likely to, is he?" "You've had the place swarming with police." "He's not coming back." "He's an intelligent man." "Right." "So you know where he is?" "No." "I don't." "Mrs Hedges... you were in your bedroom throughout the search." "Is that correct?" "Yes." "Apart for when I went to make a cup of tea." "What do you think she did - hide him under her skirt?" "Would you take Detective Travis up to your room, please, Mrs Hedges?" "Excuse me." "This is the oldest part of the house." "Is that right?" "Mm." "You said you had savings." "You keep your money in here?" "No." "No, it's in a savings account." "It's a lot. 70,000." "You ever give any money to Mr Wickenham?" "No." "I wouldn't give anything to him." "Leave them alone!" "They're blameless." "I'll be here to look after them." "And he won't come back!" "How can you be so sure?" "Because I'll be here to protect them." "How do you mean?" "Like I tried to when they were children." "But you failed!" "You knew what he did to these two girls." "You know what he did to Emily." "Yes." "Yes!" "He took away her insides!" "Travis?" "Oh, shit!" "Oh, a splinter." "Was is it?" "There's an air vent." "There's something." "Give me a hand." "Down here." "Maybe some kind of tunnel." "It's quite heavy, isn't it?" "It stinks." "There we are." "Oh, shepherd's pie." "Can you all please stay here in the kitchen?" "Oh, no, no, no." "That's enough!" "Excuse me, gentlemen." "I think the mechanism must have accidentally locked and that's why he couldn't get out." "Accidentally?" "Is this your father, Charles Henry Wickenham?" "Why is his mouth open like that?" "Is this Charles Henry Wickenham?" "Yes." "Yes, that's him, the bastard!" "He must have known about the cellar." "Maybe not the priest hole." "You don't understand, do you?" "Hear... see... speak... nothing." "From the size..." ".. we knew there was a cellar in the chapel." "A house this old, it's obvious." "That was where he took me." "Enough, enough." "Oh, my dear." "You're safe." "You're safe." "I'm with you." "I'm here." "Mrs Hedges had to have closed up the air vents." "Yeah, I know." "She must have heard him scrabbling around in there." "The sound will probably haunt her for the rest of her life." "They need her, the girls." "I can live with it." "What?" "We keep it... just between us." "Better get back." "Help me."