The Invisible Woman Doctors

I can confirm that life is extinct.

Time of death? Even a rough indication?

Well within the last hour -

the watch stopped at 1:52.

I can't believe it.

I've just got back.

My flight got in at two.

I came straight here.

We'll get a witness statement from you later, sir.

I didn't see what happened.

I found her like this.

Of course, I called for an ambulance straightaway,

but I didn't ask for the police.

It's standard practice in a case like this.

A suspicious death.

Suspicious? Why suspicious?

She could have just fallen from the staircase.

Well, we'll find out.

I need to go upstairs.

Stairs are out of bounds, sir.

This full area's a crime scene.

Is there any other access?

Yes, there's a rear access.

Is there anyone else here?

No. No-one else lives here.

GLASS SMASHES

Stay there.

Doc...

It's OK, I'm a doctor.

My name is Jimmi.

Can I take a look at your hand?

You call that a search?!

I told you to secure the property!

It's all right. It's just Malia.

She's the cleaner.

You said there was no-one else here.

I didn't think she'd be here today.

OK. Just put this on your hand, OK?

Squeeze it really hard, it'll stop the bleeding.

Yes, sir.

Did you break the window, Malia?

It's all right, it's just the window.

Do you understand English?

Yes, sir.

Well, simple question -

did you break the window?

Malia, there's been a terrible accident.

Habiba is dead.

Do you know anything about this?

Did you see anything?

Did you kill her?

You're going to have to start

answering some questions, young lady.

Oh!

I'm arresting you on suspicion of murder.

Is someone sleeping here?

It's a laundry room.

Malia, I'll get your coat.

'Right!'

Here you are.

Come in.

So, how was your journey, Adam?

Oh, a nightmare!

The taxi driver didn't know how to use a sat nav.

He claimed that Kingsvale didn't exist.

Oh, well, you're here now.

Yes, mind Katie the keyboard.

Oh, sorry. We haven't had a musical kid before, have we?

Oh! We put the decorations up.

We don't usually put them up this early, but we thought that...

Oh, yes.

Very retro.

Tinsel! I love it.

"Retro"?!

Well, let's get you settled in. I hope you like your room.

Oh, so do I, or you'll never hear the end of it!

-Lead on!

-All right. Okey dokey.

Mr Mansour, good afternoon.

I'm just going to ask you a few questions.

How long has Miss Ibrahim worked for you?

Malia?

I don't know exactly.

She's not important.

Why are you asking about her?

She was in the house when your wife died

in suspicious circumstances.

Don't you want to know?

Malia wouldn't kill my wife.

She wouldn't hurt anyone.

So, why was she trying to break out of the house?

She wasn't.

She was just cleaning some windows, she broke one.

She's careless sometimes.

So, let me get this straight -

she pops over to do the housework,

she finds her employer dead,

doesn't call 999

and just gets on with the window cleaning.

Like you do(!)

It's a large house.

Malia was working at the back,

my wife, she was at the front.

She might not have seen or heard anything.

She might not have realised.

That would explain why she didn't call 999.

You seem very certain that she's innocent.

I know her.

Malia was very devoted to my wife.

She's extremely upset.

I really think it would be much better if she went home

and we did this tomorrow.

Well, I want to question her,

so she'll stay here until I say she can leave.

I know this is a difficult time for you, sir,

but I'll also need a statement from you -

if you're up to it.

-Of course I am.

-Good.

So...

can you tell me where you were this morning?

I've already accounted for that.

Yeah, and you were very keen to make us aware

that you'd only just returned.

The thing is...

..your flight from Jeddah

arrived at eight this morning,

not two in the afternoon as you claimed.

Six hours unaccounted for,

during which time your wife died.

So, where were you?

I did not kill my wife.

Then you won't mind telling us where you were then, will you?

"Fae-zal" Mansour...

"Fie-zal" Mansour.

Faizal Mansour...

I'm arresting you on suspicion of murder.

Have you eaten today?

I'm not allowed to eat till the evening -

till I've finished my work.

No, we can sort you out a meal and a cup of tea here,

if that's OK?

Thank you.

Now, there's just one more thing that I need to ask

before I do anything else.

We need to take your clothes.

Don't worry, we'll give you something else to wear,

but the police need your clothes for evidence, so...

I'll... I'll wait outside, OK?

Doctor...

My solicitor has advised me

to account for my movements this morning,

so I've made a statement.

My plane arrived, on schedule, at eight.

I picked up my car and went to see a friend...

Does she have a name?

His name is Jack Perry.

He's a student at Birmingham University.

His address is Flat 7, Albion Court, Malvern Avenue.

Luxury flats.

Are you sure he's just a student?

I was there from about 9.30 till about 2.30.

I drove home, which took 15 minutes.

I found my wife dead

and dialled 999.

That's all I have to say.

Interview paused at 17.05.

BEEP

She's been beaten repeatedly.

She's got scars all over her back.

She's been beaten recently, last few days.

She's covered in bruises.

Who did it?

She said she couldn't tell me.

And she's malnourished.

She claims to be 22, she even got the date of birth right.

She looks about 16.

There's something odd about her. Not the full shilling.

Well, she is terrified.

She's under arrest on suspicion of murder. Hardly surprising.

I don't think it's us she's terrified of.

So, who?

The husband?

The wife?

See, I don't get why Mr Mansour's protecting her.

He insists that she didn't do anything to his wife,

which makes me think, "What's that girl got on him?"

Whatever happened in that house, I think she's a victim.

How about this -

maybe...

the husband likes to beat girls.

That sort of thing turns him on.

He's beating Malia,

she's blackmailing him.

So, how come the wife ended up dead?

And if she's a blackmailer, how come she doesn't have any money?

Huh.

-Is she all right to interview?

-Yeah.

All right, let's ask her.

We're ready to interview.

You said you don't want a lawyer. Is that still the case?

Yes, sir. No lawyer.

I think she's a vulnerable person.

She should have an appropriate adult.

Is there anyone we can call for you?

-Family?

-No, sir.

-We'll get a social worker, then.

-I want him!

Dr Jimmi, please.

-ADDISON SIGHS

-All right. Let's go.

What do you think?

I couldn't live without my musicals.

And Glee.

-Glee?!

-TV show.

-I know.

They look fantastic, Rob.

It's...lovely.

Shall we have a tune?

Erm...

Well, we're not really singers.

Not you, me!

You've taken me in, the least I can do is serenade you.

Lovely!

Malia, you can sit down.

Sit there.

Yes, sir. Sorry.

Simple question to start.

Why did you break the window?

Were you trying to break out of the house?

Is that a "no comment"?

I can't tell you what to say.

No-one's going to hurt you.

Just answer the questions honestly.

-I can't.

-Why not?

My family will be killed.

Who told you that?

Mr and Mrs Mansour.

Where's your family?

The Sudan, sir.

Well, right now Mr Mansour's in custody.

And Mrs Mansour's dead.

So how's he going to kill your family

when they're thousands of miles away?

I don't know, sir.

I don't know. I...

Listen, he's right. You're safe. Nothing bad's going to happen.

If you tell us, maybe we can help you.

# When the snowman brings the snow

# Well, he just might like to know

# He's put a great big smile

# On somebody's face... #

How long have you worked there?

Ten years and two months.

Since 2006.

How old were you when you started?

12.

What do you do?

All the housework.

What do they pay you?

They don't.

Where do you live?

In the house.

That room you saw,

he said it was the laundry room, but...

that's my place.

You've been in that house for ten years?

Do you go out?

In summer,

sometimes they let me work in the garden.

I meant outside the property.

No, I'm not allowed.

Not even down the street?

The shops?

No, sir. I have never been.

People must come to the house -

workmen, visitors.

I'm not allowed to speak to them.

They said, if I ever tried to run away,

or contact the authorities,

or use the phone,

or talk to people...

Malia...

Doc says you've been beaten.

I saw the marks on your back.

Yes.

Who did that to you?

She did.

He was away most of the time,

she was always there.

Why did she beat you?

If I did something wrong

or if she wasn't happy.

That's assault.

A crime.

Do you understand?

They can do what they like,

that's what she said,

because they own me.

Own you? How?

They bought me -

27th of September 2006 -

so I belong to them.

POP MUSIC PLAYS

Why can't you be quiet?

I told you I had a headache.

Do you think I want to listen to your noise?!

SHE SCREAMS

POP MUSIC PLAYS

Malia!

'Oh, Mum, it's horrible.'

I don't know what I'm going to do.

They've put me in this attic.

It's cold and damp.

I saw a rat, I swear to God.

There's no TV, no Wi-Fi.

They don't celebrate Christmas.

They think it's ungodly.

Basically...

they're really easy to wind up.

All right, yeah, take care.

I'll see you as soon as I can.

I love you. Bye-bye. Bye, Mum.

Your face!

Are you always this much of a wind-up merchant?

I get it from my mum.

Is that so?

You don't really think she's having a hip operation?

Oh, no - she's on some cheap deal in Torremolinos

with her scaggy boyfriend.

I can see I'm going to have to keep my eye on you.

That's all I ask, Karen.

Keep me in your spotlight!

Tell me what happened today.

I didn't kill her.

-You were in the house.

-Yes, sir, but I didn't see...

Just say exactly what you remember.

I was ironing...

..and then I heard her scream.

A crash.

So, I went to look and she was...

I felt for a heartbeat, there was nothing.

You didn't call 999.

I'm not allowed to use the phone.

And what could I do?

She was already dead.

And he was coming back,

so...

I went and hid.

And I heard the police come in...

but...

then I thought...

"Now she's dead, maybe I can try and get out,"

so I broke the window.

Why do you think she fell down the stairs?

She was drinking.

She would drink all day, sometimes.

She was drunk today?

Yes.

We'll find out.

We can do tests to see how much alcohol was in her system.

-So, if you're lying...

-I'm not lying.

That's what she did.

She would drink and she would beat me...

..and she will never beat me again.

SHE SCREAMS

Please don't think of this as "am-dram".

We are working to the highest possible level.

Every line will be learnt...

DOOR SLAMS

..and everyone will be punctual.

Good of you to join us.

Sorry, the traffic was bad.

Now, I hope you've all had a chance to read my adaptation.

-Do you have...?

-TABLE SCRAPES LOUDLY ON FLOOR

Say it again. I missed that bit.

You've all had a chance to read my adaptation.

Do you have any questions?

Oh, yes, I have.

I was just wondering why there are so many narrators,

cos there's Zara and there's Ruhma, and they're also playing parts as well,

so won't that just be confusing?

It's a recognised style.

We all narrate,

we move the scenery,

we play music.

It's a homage to David Edgar's 1980s adaptation

of Nicholas Nickleby for the RSC.

It's called "Rough Theatre".

It will be rough with us doing it.

Now, a few people can't make it -

Jimmi, Karen and Daniel -

but I would like to introduce Lena,

who's very kindly agreed to be our stage manager.

Hello.

I'm really looking forward to working with Heston, and all of you.

You say that now.

Jack Perry's vouched for you.

He says you arrived at 9.30

and left just after 2.30.

Obviously, we've checked the CCTV

and your vehicle was parked outside Mr Perry's flat all that time.

There's only one entrance, and neither of you left.

You were there when your wife died.

Of course.

I'm telling the truth.

We also found out that Mr Perry's a male escort.

Really?

I had no idea.

So, what were you doing at his flat?

We're friends.

We drink coffee,

talk about books.

That's not what Mr Perry says.

He told us that you go there for sex.

It's a regular arrangement.

You pay generously, so do his other clients.

That's how he's funding his degree.

I'm not a homosexual.

Of course not, sir.

You just like having sex with men.

I'm a married man.

I have sons.

I provide for my family.

That's what a proper man does.

Did your wife know?

Maybe it was convenient for you that she died.

"Convenient"?

Do you think I want to be gay?

To come out?

In my community?

Actually...

I believe you.

It worked nicely for you, didn't it?

As long as you had her...

nobody wondered about you.

But, see, that's the trouble with suspicious deaths -

all sorts of secrets come out of the woodwork.

But I'm innocent.

No-one needs to know about this conversation.

Maybe.

Maybe not.

I can't give you any guarantees.

Look on the bright side, though -

you've got a solid alibi.

So...

am I free to go?

HE SCOFFS

Not yet.

We've dealt with your private life,

now I want to talk to you about Malia.

Why? She's not important.

I believe that you and your wife kept Malia as a slave...

"Slave"?

..which is illegal under the Slavery Act.

Valerie.

Ooh!

Oh, good. Everyone!

What?

Everyone!

THEY LAUGH

And bow.

Fantastic!

Zara.

Erm...

OK.

I'm most awfully pleased to meet you.

"I'm most awfully pleased to meet you."

ALL: "I'm most awfully pleased to meet you."

Al, are you going to join us?

No. Bah, humbug.

ALL: "No. Bah, humbug."

THEY LAUGH

As Peter Brook once said, "A play is play."

And as John Gielgud once said to Peter Brook,

"We open a week on Wednesday."

Who's that? Mr Grumpy-pants?

No, it's just Al.

Don't worry, though, he's going to make a fantastic Mr Scrooge.

I can see that!

I was away on business most of the time.

Habiba dealt with the domestic arrangements.

I assumed Malia was being paid.

-How long has she worked for you?

-I don't know.

I don't take an interest in these matters.

Did she live in the house?

No, she has a flat somewhere.

I'm showing the suspect Exhibit SJC1 -

photos of an area in your house

which you described as the laundry room.

Malia says it's her room,

and you and your wife imprisoned her for years.

"Imprisoned"? I don't know why she's telling such lies!

-Surely you don't...

-She's not lying about the beatings, is she?

Our doctor examined her.

She's been beaten repeatedly.

-That's terrible.

-Yeah.

-Do you know who did it?

-No!

I would never strike a woman, nor would my wife.

Who did, then?

I don't know!

I don't know anything about this wretched girl!

Malia claims that she's been working for you, unpaid, for ten years.

But that's ridiculous.

That would mean we employed her since she was 12.

So you DO know how old she is, then.

He's a nice kid, isn't he?

He's as camp as Christmas.

Well, that's appropriate, then.

He doesn't seem too worried about his mum.

Oh, Rob, it's all front.

He's got more front than Blackpool.

Right, I'm going to sort out my garage.

You all right?

Want another mince pie?

No. I'm watching my figure.

So...

..it must be really weird

being away from home at Christmas.

What did you and your mum do?

I want to try and make it the same.

Well...

as soon as it's past midnight,

-I get to open all of my presents...

-OK.

..and then I can have as much chocolate and crisps as I want.

I get to choose what we watch on TV.

Really?

No!

No, Mum's well strict.

We can't afford loads of presents,

and she's dead set on me eating my greens.

She makes me eat all of my sprouts before I can have any pudding,

and she gives me loads.

She's heartless, honestly.

She sounds it(!)

Don't worry about doing anything special.

Do what you normally do.

Right, wrap the presents at three o'clock on Christmas morning

and panic about the turkey!

That sounds like a proper family Christmas.

Do you know, I think I'm going to like it here.

You say that Malia wasn't a slave, that your wife employed her and paid her.

Yes.

Did your wife have her own money?

Her own bank account?

No. She had credit cards.

She could buy whatever she wanted,

I pay the bills.

There was no need for a bank account.

So you controlled the money?

Yes.

So you'll be able to tell us exactly when and how Malia was paid.

-No.

-We're going to go through your finances -

every bill, every bank statement.

-Go ahead.

-We've already looked at some...

-Good.

..and there's no sign of you paying her anything.

Not even cash-in-hand.

She's got no credit card, no phone, no keys.

In fact, Malia doesn't officially exist.

She's worked for you for years,

and she doesn't even have a national insurance number.

How do you explain that?

Maybe my wife wasn't employing her legally.

Yeah, you can blame your wife for everything, now that she's dead.

It's not blame.

We did find this.

I've shown the suspect Exhibit SJC2 -

a child's passport in the name of Malia Ibrahim,

issued June 2006.

It's expired.

You had her passport.

You bought her, you owned her.

You kept her as a slave for ten years, you and your wife.

She can't be tried for that...

but you can.

Heston, the Cratchits -

they're working-class, right?

I think I might call them lower-middle.

Right.

OBJECT CLATTERS Whoo!

A ghost!

No, actually, they're Cockneys, aren't they?

So, shouldn't we be doing accents?

Oh, yeah, OK.

Try one. See if it works.

OK.

BAD COCKNEY ACCENT: How did little Tim beha-a-ave?

-HE LAUGHS

-I'm sorry.

Look, I haven't even practised. I'm giving it...

Let's forget the accent for now

and concentrate on the emotional truth of the character.

Heston, would you like me to read in Tiny Tim's lines?

That would be very useful.

Who's playing him, anyway? Do we have a child?

Actually, my little boy is.

He's very talented and super-keen.

Aw, that's great.

Hope you can put up with my rendition for now.

Cool.

Zara, could you go back to the narration?

"And then came Mrs Cratchit,

"dressed up, but poorly,

"in a twice-turned gown

"but brave in ribbons, and laid the cloth."

And then I come in with Tiny Tim on my shoulders?

Mm-hm.

-That's not going to happen.

-No!

-I'll just say it from here.

-OK.

-IN HIGH VOICE:

-"God bless us, every one!"

Sid!

Sid, are you going to ever actually say a line?!

Sorry. It's like hiccups, you can't stop.

Sorry, that was my fault.

OK, let's take five, everyone.

Do you understand what DI Addison said, yeah?

You're free to go. There's no charge.

-"Free"?

-You're not going to be on your own.

There'll be someone there to look after you, to help you adjust.

It's going to take some time but...

there are people, there are organisations there to support you.

What will it be like?

Better than where you were.

Malia, what Mr Mansour did to you...

..was a crime.

He's been charged and he'll be tried.

Hopefully, you'll be able to stay in the country at least until then,

and then maybe you'll have permanent leave to remain.

Why would I want to stay?

Dr Jimmi, people came to the house all the time.

I served them food and drinks.

They saw me...

..but they didn't see me...

and they didn't care...

so I just want to go home and...

find my family, if they're still alive.

There is nothing here, but...

thank you, Dr Jimmi.

You've been kind.

Good luck with everything.

-Take care.

-Thank you.

Malia!

When I call, you come immediately!

You're useless.

A lazy, stupid girl.

Don't you dare look at me that way.

I will kill you!

SHE SCREAMS

SHE WHIMPERS

APPLAUSE

Fantastic effort, everyone. Well done.

Or, to translate, that was dreadful and he's in despair.

It was a nightmare.

I knew I couldn't act, and if I keep getting the giggles...

I really enjoyed it.

Yeah, you can. You're not in it.

It's great.

You're going to be great, Sid.

-Don't worry about clearing up. I'll do it.

-Really? Thank you.

Thank you so much, Lena.

What do you think of my actors?

-They're great.

-They are, aren't they?

-Yes, they are.

Really committed.

It's brilliantly cast.

-Thank you.

-Everyone's right for the part they play.

-Heston, quick word.

-Oh, I thought you'd gone.

It's just a few extra notes, actually -

but, firstly, I want to talk to you about Joe.

He is so good. I think his part should be expanded.

So I've just got, in here, a few tweaks...

and I'm considering, also, the opening and finale.

I think probably he could do a little bit of a solo.

At the very end, we're all standing around -

he could hold a little candle that would light his face, he'd look adorable...

I'm just making sure she feels loved.

You're treating her like a child.

Well, mentally, she is a child.

She's been having a series of injections at St Phil's

into the flexor muscles of her right hand.

I am ze Ghost of Noel Passe.

Lose the French.

I am the Ghost of Christmas Present.

Now, Leatherbridge will pay top dollar to see that.

Gawd bless us, every one!