Into the Woods New Tricks

This programme contains some strong language

# It's all right, I say, it's OK

# Listen to what I say

# It's all right, doing fine

# Doesn't really matter if the sun don't shine

# It's all right, I say, it's OK

# We're gettin' to the end of the day. #

-RADIO:

-'..Ricky Ponting's call. Andrew Strauss has won the toss...'

Who won the toss?

We did. We're batting.

Nice one. The Aussies are going down!

I bloody hope so!

Nine million people in London and one forest.

Where the hell is everybody?

Indoors.

Edible or fatal, what do you reckon?

Cantharellus cibarius, chanterelle.

Be my guest.

-No, thank you.

-I used to forage for fungi in here.

Fungi foraging, is that right?

Mm. The one you've really got to watch out for is the death cap.

Ah, there he is. Gerry?

Gerry?

What's he doing?

I have no idea. Gerry?

Oh. He's scared of trees.

-What?

-I'm not scared of trees. I'm scared of woods.

-Woods?

-Forests!

-Oh, come on, Gerry! Behave yourself!

-SARCASTICALLY:

-Come on, come on. That's it. Just through here.

There we go.

So this Simon bloke used to jog through Epping Forest every day?

Yeah, three miles, from his house in Woodford to his office in Loughton.

And then on July 9th, 2009, he set off on his regular route,

but never made it into work.

Nothing's been seen or heard from him since.

Nothing missing? Passport, cash?

No, and the bank cards that were in his wallet were never used.

The only trace of him SOCA found was his DNA in a water bottle,

discovered over there somewhere. And that could have been left any time.

And he ran every day?

What was his job?

Marketing for a construction company owned by his father-in-law.

That could be bad for your health.

What, running every day or working for your father-in-law?

Perhaps he was involved in something he shouldn't have been.

MIT tried to find trouble,

but he was happily married, had a good job, first kid on the way,

no brushes with the law, no apparent problems.

In other words, they didn't get anywhere.

The father-in-law looked dodgy.

But without any evidence of a murder,

he soon became a straight missing person.

Well, what changed things?

A few days ago, a park ranger found his work ID

pass in the forest near Epping Town, about three miles away.

He handed it in and forensics have found traces of Simon's blood on it.

Any sign of the rest of him?

No, they're still looking, but they don't fancy their chances.

And also, forensics showed that the pass had been moved by a fox.

So the body could be anywhere.

I hate foxes and all.

Yeah, that's him. Ran past here every morning, just gone nine.

Place is dead on a weekday. You know the regulars.

Mr Foley, you're the only person who says

that they saw Simon in the forest that morning.

I know he was here because he stopped to talk.

First time ever. Normally he just waved as he ran past.

What did he ask you?

Who won the toss. First day of the Ashes.

England against Australia. Cricket.

-How did he seem?

-Happy.

Did anyone else come past that morning?

Sorry. The old grey cells.

I'm a lot older than you lot.

Maybe not you.

So apart from blind-as-a-bat Bob Foley,

the last person to see Simon that morning was his wife?

-Yeah.

-Right.

-She was eight-and-a-half months pregnant at the time, though.

-Oh.

More promisingly, her father, Frank Miles, has got GBH on his CV.

Yeah, but I assume they checked the computers the first time round.

All clean.

But a handful of files was deleted from Frank's computer the day

-after Simon disappeared.

-Yeah?

And his company books stank.

-Why?

-They were immaculate.

Look, I'm sorry, Becky,

but did you notice anything different about Simon that morning?

No. We were getting the new bedroom sorted out, talking about cots.

He said that he would call me later that morning at work,

kissed me goodbye and ran off down the street.

DOOR OPENS

Chicken?

Frank Miles?

Yeah?

Detective Superintendent Pullman, Unsolved Crimes.

Gerry Standing.

They found Simon's work ID pass in Epping Forest

with his blood on it.

So that's that, then.

Broke her heart, not knowing.

Look, do either of you know if Simon was in any trouble at all?

That lad's trouble was not having any trouble. Eh, Becks?

When she met him, he didn't even have a bank account.

Mr Miles, Simon told a close friend that two days

before he disappeared, you and he had an argument.

Here we go! Look, it was nothing.

He mishandled a meeting with a client. That was all.

Pressure of the baby coming, he said.

I told him to pull his socks up.

So you didn't rate him, then?

I didn't say that.

Well, how would you describe your relationship with your son-in-law?

If she was happy, I was happy.

The day before he disappeared,

he tried to take £2,000 out of his account.

Yeah, that's for Josie's bedroom. One of my builders done it up.

He insisted on paying his way, I'll give him that.

Mr Miles, in your previous statement, you said that you spent

the morning with Becky at her house.

Give it a rest, will you?

Just routine, Frank.

I was giving her a hand. Wasn't I, Becks?

Out to here she was, bless her.

Yeah, well, I'm sure she'd have preferred her late mum,

-but there we are.

-Sorry. Excuse me.

Well done(!)

Becks?

Helping her, my arse!

Wherever he was that morning, he wasn't with her.

She's 35 years old and still saying "how high?"

when her father says "jump". It's bloody pathetic!

Can you imagine my girls being on that kind of leash?

They'd have laughed in me face.

Your brother came to see you the night before he disappeared, yeah?

Si came over for dinner.

-It was my 70th.

-Did Simon give you this?

Si's dad made that. He loved his whittling.

He was a tree trimmer.

Is this him and Simon, then?

Yes, they were very close.

Bill passed away not long after Simon's business went bust.

-Simon was very down, poor boy.

-Depressed?

He went to Africa to sort his head out.

And that's where he met his Becky.

How was he when he came back?

Well... I've never seen him happier.

Simon had an argument with Frank Miles the day before

-he came to see you.

-They told us before.

Si never mentioned it, but he did seem worried about something.

Yes, we just thought he was nervous about the baby.

I teased him enough about how his life was about to change.

Did he talk much about his relationship with Frank Miles?

Or any other problems he was having?

After the wedding, we hardly ever saw him, did we, Tim?

His life was one long honeymoon, I think.

I... I still keep thinking

he's going to come back through that door, you know.

Sorry.

Yeah, but this guy's landed on his feet.

He's solvent again, he's straight, he's happy.

Could be a mugging that's gone wrong, you know.

We assume he's happy. I'm not sure I'm buying the package.

Yeah. Imagine being cooped up in an office with Frank Miles every day!

With his previous and wobbly alibi, Frank's the key man.

So let's find out what he was trying to scrub over at work and see

if there's a motive in there.

Here, Guv'nor, this Simon bloke may not be as straight as we think.

He was in regular contact with an unknown Pay As You Go.

It hasn't been used since he disappeared,

but it gets switched on every couple of months or so.

Somebody thinks he's still alive, then.

Checking for messages, aren't they?

Get the techies to pinpoint exactly where it's being turned on.

Now, how come the banks blocked this two grand Simon's tried to take out?

Well, that's probably because he was a non-discharged bankrupt.

Poor sods get treated like criminals these days.

So what was his failed business?

It was called Tree Walkers.

Apparently, Simon wanted people in built-up areas to use woods

and forests more.

So he set up a park in Epping Forest where people could climb up

trees and then swing and slide off them.

Guess it's not quite as much fun as it sounds. Eh, Gerry?

I can't believe I missed it.

Danny and Steve, I want you to go and visit Dom Akers.

He's the one who told us about the argument.

See if Simon shared anything else with him about Frank.

Right you are. Oh, Gerry...

Who's Janice McLaren?

She's a very nice girl. And you need to meet her.

Yeah, well, I reckon he was dead right away, to be honest.

Why?

Well, you know, I mean, we were always like that,

and then suddenly, not a word.

You were buddies at school?

Yeah, yeah. He was my best man. I was his.

You know, we were always in each other's pockets.

Well, I don't mean Brokeback Mountain or anything.

I mean, you know, we were close.

When did you last see Simon?

When he babysat my kids about two days before he disappeared.

I mean, my wife had left.

I was trying to get this place up and running.

You ever seen Kramer vs. Kramer?

You know, Dustin Hoffman trying to make French toast?

That was me. All over the shop.

Have you got the hang of it now?

-What?

-Making French toast?

So, when Simon came to see you, that's

when he told you about his argument with Frank, yeah?

Yeah.

Did he say what it was about?

He said Frank wanted a "bigger work commitment".

He said everything was "coming to a head".

I mean, all I wanted to do was to get some sleep, so I didn't push it.

I mean, I regret that.

He seemed worried, though?

Yeah, well, Si always joked that there were three people in his

marriage bed. One of them would break his nose just for snoring.

Yeah, it was the first time I'd seen him really worried.

Did Simon think Frank was on the make?

Oh, yeah.

That bother him?

Look, if Si found a pound on the pavement, he'd want to hand it in.

He was straight.

Thanks.

Aled Jones locked in a room with Vinnie Jones.

-What?

-Simon and Frank.

Look, I've got a dental appointment. I'll see you back at the ranch, OK?

Sorry, Mum.

I've got enough on my plate at work without needing to get morbid

over Dad for an evening.

Why should that bother me? It's just a date.

No, actually, I've just checked

and I've already got plans for Thursday.

No, it's a work thing.

No, I can't cancel.

Look, somebody's just come in. I've got to go. OK. Bye.

-All right?

-How long have you been here?

About ten minutes.

Did you know that cuckoos emigrate to the

Congo Basin from Epping Forest?

I was about to put the kettle on. Do you want me to do you one, too?

Yeah. Thanks.

Have you said something to her?

-What about?

-Well, I don't know. Doesn't take much.

Touchy, is she?

Complicated.

Her dad used to be in the Met, right?

Don't even go there.

-I'm off to see Frank Miles again.

-I'll come with you, if you like.

Fine.

You and Simon didn't see eye-to-eye,

yet you drew up a contract offering him a full partnership in your firm.

Why's that?

I wanted to give him and Becks some security.

Baby on the way and everything.

I knew she didn't want to run the company, so...

-OK. Now tell us what Simon had on you, Frank.

-Eh?

The only reason you'd offer him a full partnership is to shut him up.

So admit it. This was a sweetener.

I'm clean, sweetheart. You lot checked, remember?

Pristine. Just that two-year stretch for maiming your rival.

I was a child. I learnt my lesson.

Richard Marston.

Richard Marston? No, don't ring a bell.

Sorry.

Your old bank manager,

who, as you know, is in the middle of a stretch himself for fraud.

We've just paid him a visit.

He was Simon's bank manager, too, wasn't he?

And a few days before he disappeared, out of the blue, you

paid him a grand to block all large withdrawals from Simon's account.

Which was why Simon couldn't take out £2,000 for Josie's bedroom.

One minute you want to make him a partner,

the next, you don't trust him with his own money. What happened?

Simon turned down your offer of partnership

because he didn't like the way you ran your business. Isn't that right?

-Give me strength!

-And that got you scared, someone with scruples.

Like having a bomb in your office.

Get some proper evidence or I'll sue you for harassment.

We could hold him for bribing a banking official.

I want to break Becky first. It's time that girl grew up.

Simon and I both volunteered for the same charities in the Congo.

-It was meant to be.

-Thank you.

Meant to be what?

You know, destiny.

What were you two doing out there exactly?

Protecting communities in the rainforest.

Sounds idealistic.

It was. All I'd ever known was this corner of London.

And then meeting him in that place,

it was the most intense, amazing thing that ever happened to me.

Five months later, we were engaged.

Lovely story.

Where was your father the morning Simon disappeared, Becky?

Here.

He wanted to give me a hand.

Then why not just give Simon the morning off?

You see, we know that you're lying.

We also know that your father controlled Simon's bank accounts.

Dad came over to ask me

if I knew why Simon had tried to take so much money out.

The £2,000 wasn't for Josie's bedroom?

-Dad was paying.

-So what did Simon want it for?

I didn't know.

I still don't.

So what did your dad do then?

Did he go and try and find Simon in the forest?

You're protecting your father, I understand that,

but if you think he's involved, you need to tell us.

Withholding evidence.

Trust me, you don't want her visiting you in prison.

Dad left in his van. I don't know where he was going.

We think Simon had dirt on your dad.

Becky?

Daddy's been pulling your strings long enough now, don't you think?

The day after Simon disappeared,

I downloaded everything on his hard drive at work.

I wanted some clue where he was.

And did you find anything?

No.

But you will.

You deleted those files about half an hour too late, Frank.

£1 million worth of projects off the books.

You were taking cash in hand to a whole new level.

What did you do to her?

Your 35-year-old daughter thinking for herself!

Whatever next? The '60s?

There was a bloody famine going on in my industry.

Still is.

You do what it takes to feed your family and survive.

I was keeping my tax bill down. So what?

Look at what those MPs did.

Yeah, and the multinationals paying 2%?

I'm sure you lot always pay the VAT on your conservatories

-and click in and out with your bleeding Oyster Cards.

-Well, I do.

What with the famine and everything, being done for tax

evasion on a million quid would have finished you off.

And Simon knew that.

Was he blackmailing you, Frank? Is that why you did him?

Cos he threatened to call the tax man?

All right, Simon isn't signing. That's what the argument's about.

But his problem isn't bloody tax!

Keeps coming up with all these excuses.

I tell him to stop treating me like a tool and then he blurts it out -

taking a partnership with me would be

like signing his own death sentence.

Yeah, and then it gets worse.

He says he can't live with my family any more.

It wouldn't be fair on us or the baby.

He needs to get away.

And he just ups and leaves the room.

Yeah, I blocked his account.

And then I went round to Becky's to ask her about it,

but only because I wanted it all sorted.

I spent the rest of that morning driving around on my own,

trying to work out what the hell to do about him.

I knew that story would never wash with you lot.

But if you think I ever hurt the lad, you're miles off.

He was family.

You're in luck tonight, Gerry. Janice can squeeze you in.

Are you sure it's all right?

What's she going to do? Turn you into a werewolf?

Trust me, I've tried her myself. Satisfaction guaranteed!

-Thanks, mate.

-No problem.

-How's it going your end?

-What?

-The search for your son?

-Oh, yeah.

-Night-night, Guv'nor!

-Night, Guv!

-Night.

We could put it through the system, you know.

-There are ways and means.

-No, it's OK, Gerry.

I get on pretty well with the blokes down there.

-No, it's all right. Honestly, it's fine.

-Look, Steve,

it's the whole reason you came to London in the first place.

25 Radford Road, NW10.

What's that?

That's where he is.

-What, your son?

-Yeah.

-Well, how d'you find him?

-Looked him up in the phone book.

THEY LAUGH

I was so wrapped up in my own work, I wasn't exactly blameless, you know.

What, you were shagging around, you mean?

No, no. But she... You know, she had an affair with one of my colleagues. I punched him out, remember now.

Then I went home and we'd this big set-to in the kitchen

and I... I threw this radio at her.

Radio? You trying to hit her with it?

Oh, I don't know. I just didn't know what I was doing.

Anyway, she showed me the door.

Only time I ever lost it with a woman and it cost me my son.

What, and this was nine years ago?

Eight-and-a-half.

Well, hang on. I mean, she's not even ex-directory.

-She's not exactly hiding, is she?

-No, no.

So what's stopping you getting in touch?

Well, guilt. I missed her head by this much, Gerry.

Anyway, Stewie's a good footballer, you know. Well, he was, anyway.

-Yeah?

-Yeah, like a little Archie Gemmill.

Little? Archie Gemmill was only that high!

-So what's he now, 17?

-16.

Listen, mate, obviously, I love my girls to bits, right?

But I would have loved a son.

So don't you waste it.

Hello, I'm Gerry.

-Come in.

-Thank you.

-Who's it?

-You're it, Gerry!

-I don't want to be.

-Do it!

-No!

-Just do it!

-No!

-Do it!

-OK!

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven...

Hello? Hello?

Don't leave me! Come back!

Please! Please! Come back!

Come back!

'Come back! Come back!'

No!

'Come back!'

Come back!

Oh.

-Are you all right?

-Oh.

The little bastards!

CAR HORN BEEPS

Rugby? What?

PHONE RINGS

Stu's no Archie Gemmill any more, that's for sure.

-So he's an egg chaser?

-Yeah!

When you going to see him?

Tonight, before I lose my bottle.

So anyway, it was all your cousins' fault, yeah?

Yeah. Apparently, they abandoned me in the woods when I was about eight.

-Oh, and get this. They lived in Chigwell, right?

-Yeah, yeah.

So it was probably Epping bleeding Forest!

So what's the cure?

Exposure therapy. Spend as much time as possible in wooded areas.

Maybe our Danny can take you fungi foraging, eh?

OK, so who's the owner of the Pay As You Go, then?

Her over there.

Lois Akers.

What, as in best mate Dom's wife?

Yeah. Wonder if our Simon's been playing away from home.

Looks like a local derby.

Simon wasn't my lover. He was my spy.

Your spy?

My eyes and ears in my own home.

Checking my children were all right.

Dom and I weren't exactly on speaking terms.

Why would Simon have gone behind Dom's back like that?

Because he understood my situation.

Which was?

I had no-one.

My friends were confused about why I'd left my kids.

Mum and Dad thought I'd lost the plot and Dom

and I weren't even talking.

Simon didn't judge me. He just got it.

Come on, Lois. This is bullshit!

Did you leave Dom and your kids for Simon?

I left my family because I'd been pleasing everyone

but myself for ten years and it was making me miserable.

Did Dom ever find out that Simon was "talking" to you behind his back?

If he knew, he never said anything to me about it.

When d'you last speak to him?

A week before he disappeared?

And how did he seem?

Something was bothering him. He didn't say what it was.

What do you think happened to him?

I was worried that he'd done something very stupid.

Suicide?

Do you know what I think?

I think you thought he was alive.

That's why you kept turning your phone on.

It's called hope.

Actually, you had a 30-second conversation with Simon

the day before he disappeared.

Sorry, I don't remember that.

Well, maybe he did top himself.

So why try and take all that money out?

Well, that knockback could have been just what tipped the scales.

I know that banks make me feel suicidal every now and again.

If he'd killed himself,

I'm sure we'd have found more than a work pass by now.

Look, we all reckon that they were at it.

Yeah, they must have been.

And I reckon that's why she left her husband.

Then surely that gives her a possible motive.

What if Simon promised Lois that he'd leave Becky,

and then in that phone conversation that she's conveniently forgotten,

he told her he wasn't going to keep his side of the bargain?

Tells her he can't make the break cos of the baby.

She wouldn't be too thrilled about that, would she?

But she claims she was on the market all morning

on the day that Simon disappeared.

That call to Lois was made two minutes after Simon had his bank

withdrawal turned down.

Well, what about Dom Akers?

I mean, he would have wanted to grind more than just a few

coffee beans once he knew that Simon was in his old woman's knickers.

We should check out his alibi, too, then.

I reckon we need to find out more about what made Simon tick.

We're getting different pictures at the moment. Boss?

Yeah. Fine.

-What's the date today?

-12th.

Thought so.

You've let him go?

The SFO are all over your dad for tax evasion.

-We don't have enough to hold him yet.

-He'll come straight back here.

Becky, why was Simon so unhappy?

-He wasn't.

-That's not what your dad told us.

-Or Lois Akers.

Was he sleeping with her?

You suspected that, didn't you?

That's the real reason you looked at his computer.

Choosing cots, discussing the baby's wallpaper.

-It's all bollocks, isn't it?

-But we were OK.

Why are you denying the truth, Becky?

Do you blame yourself?

Put it on the tab.

Leave me alone.

Becky?

I knew he was seeing someone, the hushed phone conversations,

but I never thought he'd dare go for her.

Becky, we only have the word of one old man that Simon ever left

-this house that morning.

-What?

I could barely stand up!

I love Si.

I didn't kill him, but you're right,

if he's dead, it's my fault.

We made a pact in the Congo,

that us being together, living in a rain forest

and helping people, that was all we wanted in life,

all we needed. It sounds silly, doesn't it? We were in love.

Then Si proposed.

And suddenly, we had a wedding in London to organise

and Dad wanted to put on a show.

I can imagine.

I promised Si we'd give it a year here,

and then we'd go back to our life in the rainforest.

Then I got pregnant with Josie,

and suddenly, my body was screaming at me to nest.

And by now, Si was desperate to get away.

He could tell that I was being pulled back by my dad, my old,

conventional life.

He was so upset.

One day, I thought I'd miscarried cos of the stress.

And that's when I decided that Josie was the bigger priority than Si.

So I stopped listening to him.

And when I broke my word, it broke his heart.

He said that to me.

FRONT DOOR OPENS

Going to see if Mummy's in here. There you go.

Look, we've both got kids and we both lost partners.

You both lost Simon.

It's a good thing that you knew each other from before, though.

-You had that foundation.

-Nothing was going on then.

It's nothing to do with them, Dom.

Si once said to me, case anything ever happened...

..he'd rather a friend loved Becky than a stranger.

And is that how you felt when you found out about him and Lois?

We were on the way over to see you, actually,

so you've saved us a trip.

I had no idea.

There was a lot in Simon's life you had no idea about, wasn't there?

-Get out!

-Where were you the morning Simon disappeared?

I was at home with my kids.

-What, on a Wednesday in term time?

-They were off sick.

Now!

Outrageous!

Bloody suspicious!

Now the question is, did Simon get killed because Dom was

shagging his wife or because he was shagging Dom's wife?

Could be either or now, couldn't it?

Yeah. That's exactly why I never tried swinging.

No. That's what Simon cared about.

Forests?

"Epping Forest fed kings, Mum, so it can feed us."

-That's what he used to say.

-Epping?

Used to be a royal hunting forest.

So did Simon spend a lot of time in Epping Forest as a kid?

We lived in Chingford, dear. It was the boys' backyard.

Are these trophies all Simon's?

Oh, no, no, no! Tim's the real runner. Simon was a climber.

Right little chimpanzee!

He was good, then, Tim?

Very good. He was talent-spotted.

Some American university thought he could be the next Seb Coe.

I had to tell Tim we couldn't afford it, though.

Sorry, I just, err... I just noticed, err...

Your husband had about £50,000 in his account around that time.

Oh, that was Bill's rainy day fund. We used it to pay off the mortgage.

-Oh, right.

-He was very careful with his money.

To tell you the truth, he didn't want Tim to be a runner.

He wanted him to get a profession, something "respectable".

How did your husband feel about Simon?

Well, Simon wasn't, you know, academic.

But Bill was proud of him, in his own way.

Must have been a bit upset when Simon's business failed.

Well...

Why did it fail, Mrs Belgrade?

I never really asked, dear.

What are these?

Oh, that's when all the boys used to go into the forest on Sundays.

-There you are.

-Oh, thanks a lot.

-Thank you.

Are you the one filming this?

I wasn't allowed to go, dear. Just the men.

Bill's friend had the camera.

Who's the other boy?

That's Dom, Dom Akers.

Simon used to go back there...

..just to feel close to his dad, you know.

A pair of chimpanzees!

Nice to see some kids out in this weather.

The Olympic effect.

They all want to be the next Jessica Ennis or Mo Farah.

They're why I volunteered.

Relax the shoulders, Paul!

Your mum said you were talent-spotted once.

That seems a long time ago now.

What do you do now?

I sell high-end computer printers.

Ask me anything you like about toner cartridges.

So what did go wrong with your brother's business?

Mum wouldn't say, eh?

Tree Walkers had only been going three months

when a rope snapped and a punter broke her neck.

She won massive damages,

but my brother hadn't sorted out the right insurance.

So Simon had to foot the bill?

Which he couldn't. Mum still finds it hard to accept.

It WAS his fault.

Have you ever imagined,

even for a minute, your brother still being alive?

Simon would never have gone anywhere without saying goodbye.

Deep down, even Mum knew that.

HE CLEARS THROAT

Cor, blimey! This is worse than watching The Shining!

We need to speak to Lois.

This is a copy of her bank statement

for the day before Simon disappeared.

Bit of a shopping spree.

Now, why did she suddenly need so much camping equipment?

It was for Simon.

Never trust a woman who makes jewellery out of knives and forks.

Is that a Glaswegian proverb?

No, but it should be.

-What's happened here?

-Lois.

..Hit me twice...

..No idea. You know, I've...

Got a bit of a streak in you, then.

It's the first time I've laid a finger on her.

Couldn't stop yourself, eh? Shock of the news, feelings running high?

Not buying it, sorry.

Thing is, I'd understand it if you lost it with Simon.

In fact, I'd probably sympathise.

In France, you'd get the freedom of the city!

How could I have known about him and Lois?

What typically happens is the wrong person picks up the wrong phone.

Have you spoken to my kids' school?

Babysitters! They're not that hard to find!

My babysitter was Simon!

He was always there for me.

But when he needed my help, I wasn't there for him.

And then today, I find out that Lois was.

What's this, Lois?

You don't know?

It's a wire core flipline.

This?

I don't know.

Then I'm confused because items just like this were

bought on your Visa card the day before Simon disappeared.

Along with...

a hammock, a small cooker, a harness, water purification

tablets, clothes, rucksack... Well, the list goes on, as you can see.

This is a screwgate carabiner, by the way.

Lying in your witness statement is a criminal offence, Lois.

Everyone just assumed Simon was happy.

His life was so much better now. He had a wife, a job.

He was in the rat race. He was normal.

The truth is, he was being crushed.

Stuck in a 9 to 5 with that nightmare man,

choosing the right baby mobile. He wasn't cut out for it.

It was driving him crazy.

He once told me that running in Epping Forest every day was

the only thing keeping him sane.

The day before he disappeared, he told me he decided to go.

To leave Becky?

Walking away before the baby was born was the kindest

thing for everyone. That's what he said.

He needed to buy this stuff to take with him,

but he couldn't get his own money so I lent him my card.

Where was he going?

He wouldn't say exactly,

but somewhere he knew he'd be a lot happier.

The forest?

The rainforest.

But he didn't just want to leave. He wanted to vanish.

Vanish?

Like Lord Lucan, Reggie Perrin?

Why?

Because he was terrified of Frank tracking him down

and because he didn't want the world to judge him.

For walking out on a baby?

He was panicking, basically.

Then why did he wait till the next day to leave?

He wanted to see his mum and brother one last time.

And he bought all this kit

because he didn't want Becky to find his own stuff missing?

You also gave him £500 in cash.

It was all I had left in my account after that.

You weren't exactly trying to stop him, were you?

I did keep asking him if he was sure it was the right thing to do.

The thing is, Lois,

you and I both know there aren't any rainforests in the UK.

Simon didn't take his passport.

He didn't need it.

Yeah, but how does a bloke like him get hold of a fake passport?

He bought it that lunchtime with the 500 quid

through a counterfeiter Lois knew on the market.

Who's about to be paid a visit by our colleagues from Hackney.

It's why Lois didn't say anything before.

She was worried about being an accessory.

But she's given us Simon's new name David Tiffany.

I've ordered a full trace, so this time tomorrow morning,

we should know where he's been all this time.

What about that security pass?

Well, maybe he left it with the water bottle to confuse us

and a fox moved it.

Drink?

Too right!

-Steve?

-No, I'll catch up later on, OK?

Boss?

Err... No, I'm going to hang around for a bit.

I've got a few things I need to look at.

Oh, come on, Guv'nor! We've done all we can here.

Yeah. I think you deserve it.

All right. Why not?

WHISTLE BLOWS

Right, drop your heads. Ruck! Ruck, ruck, ruck!

-There you go.

-Ta.

Great work, Stu!

-Murder, isn't it? Watching your own.

-Oh, yeah.

Grandson is it?

-Sorry?

-Out there?

Oh, no, no. I was just passing, you know.

-Not a scout, are you?

-No.

Oh, well done, Stu!

So that's your son, is it?

-Stepson.

-Oh, right.

So, what's...

He's a good lad?

Top bloke. No trouble at all.

Oh, that's great. Yeah.

Oh! So what, does that run in the family, the rugby?

No. He was a footballer before.

-His dad brainwashed him.

-Oh! HE LAUGHS

Right. So how does his dad feel about the conversion?

No idea. He's dead, hopefully.

-Nasty piece of work.

-Ah.

FINAL WHISTLE BLOWS

OK, guys. That's it. Well done.

Stu, brilliant! See you next week, all right?

Well done. Well done, mate. In you step, guys.

-That's great stuff!

-Cheers.

Come on, let's have a cup of tea.

Hello, mate.

Evening, all.

-Wasn't sure we'd see you.

-Wouldn't have missed it.

Nah, you're right, though. It was hilarious, wasn't it?

-Do you ever watch it, Steve?

-What's that?

Reggie Perrin.

Oh, Reggie Perrin? Yeah, I absolutely love that show!

-Yeah, it's great.

-Classic!

-Yeah, yeah. Fantastic.

INAUDIBLE CHAT

INAUDIBLE

Here, I tell you what.

Fancy popping down to the Feathers? They're open till one.

Couple of cheeky ones there, quick kebab and the night bus home.

-What do you say?

-Umm... No, thank you.

-Danny?

-I'm heading home myself in a sec, so...

All right. See you in the morning.

I really needed this. Night, both.

BOTH: Good night.

Right.

Another?

No, thank you.

OK.

But we can talk.

You...you overheard me on the phone yesterday, didn't you?

So you're probably wondering what it was all about.

Well, my dad died 38 years ago today.

At 9.43pm.

I always dread today. But especially this year.

Can I ask why?

Cos I'm now older than he was when it happened.

So I'm in unchartered waters.

Complicated, eh?

Not really.

I just wanted to check that you were...all right.

Thank you.

I'm glad I didn't spend it on my own.

-Shall we?

-Yeah.

So much for exposure therapy. Now I feel like I'm being watched.

She's made it bleeding worse.

HE GROANS

OK. You're Simon. You've got to hide a load of gear overnight,

but you've got a paranoid wife stuck indoors,

a suspicious father-in-law waiting for you at work,

so where do you put it?

-Somewhere in here, I suppose.

-Right. This was Simon's privacy.

Now roughly here is where Simon's water bottle was found.

-Right.

-Which has intrigued me from the start

because Simon's not the sort of bloke to drop litter.

-No. No.

-Maybe he was distracted.

Which is why I think he stored the gear nearby.

Yeah, but where?

Where?

RUSTLING

-What was that?

-What?!

For God's sake, you're supposed to be calming me down.

This is a waste of time.

The first lot would have found something.

They didn't know Simon had a rucksack to hide.

And there's something else I doubt they took into account.

What?

Simon was a chimpanzee.

HE GROANS

God.

Look, I'm sorry, mate, but all I can see is branches.

There.

It's a bit of rope, isn't it?

I'll bet you a fiver that's a wire-core flip-line.

Nice work, Danny.

Cost me a fiver.

So now we know why Simon spoke to Bob Foley that morning.

To vanish, he needed a witness to put him in those trees.

So he made a point of speaking to someone he knew would remember.

So he leaves Bob...

..runs to the tree, climbs up and takes his rucksack down.

But he's in a hurry.

All he's thinking is he can't be spotted.

But no-one saw a jogger fitting Simon's description lugging

a bleeding great rucksack come out the forest.

No. But he's got new clothes now, hasn't he.

Simon Belgrade disappeared. David Tiffany emerged.

He probably walked right past Bob Foley.

So where's he going?

We don't know.

There's no record that that passport was ever used.

No record of him being on a plane.

No record that David Tiffany ever existed.

What, Lois made it up?

Or someone got to him before he got on a plane.

Hang on, hang on, hasn't Simon blown all Lois' cash on his passport?

Then how did he pay for a plane ticket?

-He needs to borrow more money.

-From somebody he can trust.

But someone who might have a motive to kill him.

Dom Akers.

He found out that Simon and Lois were lovers.

Simon phoned him and asked to meet.

Dom arranged for a baby-sitter and went...where?

Somewhere quiet, well away from CCTV, somewhere they both know.

The Sunday lake.

I'll go and ask Eliza.

I reckon Simon traced this lake from a map, you know.

Look how precise it is.

So all we've got to do is check every lake

and pond in Epping Forest and match it to that.

Good idea, Gerry.

There's over 100 of them!

Tim, Steve McAndrew here.

We need to know the lake in Epping Forest

you all used to go to on Sundays.

Could you give me a call back please. Thanks. Bye.

Boys, this is pointless.

Hang on. Hang on.

Bingo!

HE MOANS

GROANING

N-no. I'm sorry, boys, I can't...do this.

You can, Gerry. Come one.

I can't, I can't, I'm sorry. I'll see you in the car park.

OK.

Come on.

I've lost the signal.

Steve! Danny!

HE WHISTLES

PHONE BEEPS

Bleeding phone!

THE LEAVES RUSTLE

Oi! Oi!

TEXT ALERT

WATER SPLASHES

I'm Gerry Standing. From the Metropolitan Police.

You met my two colleagues.

Now listen, son, you've got a choice here.

You kill me too or you bolt for it.

The thing is, I don't think you're really a killer.

I think what happened with Simon was just in the heat of the moment.

And I bet you've been hating yourself ever since.

But I don't see you as a bolter either.

So you've got another choice.

The thing is, I was sure I could stop him from going.

We arranged to meet so I could give him money for his flight.

But how could he leave Becky and the baby?

I was going to have it out with him.

-She broke her promise!

-So? Be a man about it, you prick!

Dad would be so disappointed.

-He wouldn't.

-You know he would.

I knew that would do it.

Dad said he would always trust my judgment.

-Course he did.

-He said those exact words.

Right. Was that before or after you screwed up Tree Walkers?

Dad gave me all his savings to set that up.

That's how much he trusted me.

That's not true.

He wouldn't have done that.

I knew when Si was lying.

He wasn't lying.

Everything started spinning.

With a fraction of Dad's savings, I could have followed my passion.

My whole life would have been different, but Dad told

me to abandon my dream then gave the money to Si to chase his.

Dad would have been better off burning it!

I think you're right. The way your father treated you was unfair.

He made me live the life he wished he'd had.

University, the sensible, well-paid job.

That's not fair! That is just not fair!

CRUNCHING NOISE

Sometimes, in my mind, I pretend I gave Si that money and let him go.

And when I do, I always see him in a forest somewhere.

Alone.

And content.

They fuck you up, your mum and dad

They may not mean to, but they do

They fill you with the faults they had

Then add some extra just for you.

You said all that to Tim by the lake?

No, just the first line. I looked the rest up later.

-Nice one, Gerry.

-I tell you what, your Janice is a genius.

Yeah, but she wasn't the one in the woods, was she.

Is that you cured now?

I can't see me joining the Friends of Epping Forest any time soon,

-but who knows. Who's for a drink?!

-That will be me.

No, Holly's cooking a mushroom stroganoff.

Urgh! Not death caps, I hope.

Guv'nor, you ready for another big night?

Already planned one.

I'm going to go home, microwave a curry and watch some rubbish telly.

Normal service is resumed.

-Night, Guv. Night, Danny.

-Night. Good night.

-Night.

-Good night.

-Danny?

-Yeah?

Good to have you with us.

# It's all right It's OK

# Doesn't really matter if you're old and grey

# It's all right I say it's OK

# Listen to what I say

# It's all right, doing fine

# Doesn't really matter if the sun don't shine

# It's all right I say it's OK

# We're gettin' to the end of the day. #

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd