Episode 4 Undercover

Rudy, I won't let them hurt you any more. I promise.

I'm granting you leave to come back before me on Wednesday morning

to argue about whether or not your client is competent to die.

20 years ago, a man died in police custody,

and we have been prevented from getting to the truth of how he died,

and this is his mother.

The only issue is why they were in that cell together.

That's down to me.

There's a new witness - scared and careful.

Jimmy, who the hell is this?

I know every man and woman that was in that police station

when Michael died.

I'd know if it was one of them.

Somebody who wasn't in the police station.

Undercover officers - they're invisible.

Welcome to Oxford.

Hello, Nick.

You're the witness.

I can give you the name of the witness in exchange

for you letting me go.

Abigail Strickland - she was there that night.

She saw it all.

-You killed her.

-No, I didn't...

You gave her up.

It's over. I'm telling her everything.

There's something I have to tell you.

-SHE CHOKES

-Maya? Maya?!

This programme contains some strong language

Breathe, Maya. Breathe, breathe, breathe.

Hey, hey, hey.

OK. Come on. Come on.

OK, OK, OK.

Breathe, breathe, Maya. Breathe, breathe.

Oh, my... Come on, Maya, breathe.

Hey, hey. All right, all right. OK. OK. OK. OK.

No, no, no, no, no. Maya.

Oh, God. Oh, come on. Come on, baby, please.

Breathe, breathe, breathe! Please, breathe.

Oh, God, come on.

-No!

-SHE EXHALES

-SHE GROANS

-All right.

OK, OK, OK, OK...

CHAIR SCRAPES

OK, sweetheart.

All right, babe. Easy. Easy, now. Easy.

Is it true?

What?

Is it true?

I'm sorry, babe, I don't understand.

This is our family.

This is our life.

Maya, you've had some kind of seizure and you...

Get off! Who is it?

-Maya. What are you doing?

-Who is she?

Who are you...? I can't even say it.

-I can't even say it...

-SHE SOBS

Oh...

Babes, where are you...? Where are you getting this from?

Oh, no, no.

No, YOU do not ask questions.

OK, look, it isn't true, then. Whatever you may have heard...

No, no, no, you're turning it around. You're making it about me

-and I will not have you make it...

-Listen, I haven't done anything.

Now, where the hell are you getting this from?

Oxford.

What, Clem?

No.

-Well, then, who told you...?

-Told me what?

Maya, I am not some lying copper in a witness box,

do not cross-examine me.

Told me what, Nick?

Is this Julia?

HE SIGHS

OK, OK, I understand it. I get what's happening here.

What, what, what, what, what, what, what?

All right, look, I...

I saw somebody in Oxford.

"Saw"? What do you mean "saw"?

Look, I wasn't going to tell you...

Why?

She's in real trouble.

She? Who is she?

She... She's from Wheen Hall.

The care home?

Yeah. She found me.

After 35 years, she tracked me down.

-Julia said she saw you kissing.

-MAYA SOBS

No, look, Maya, when...

When we were saying goodbye, I gave her a hug,

cos she really, really needed it,

and then she kissed me.

It felt better not to tell you.

-Why? Why?!

-Because, because my life begins with you.

I don't want to go back to my past.

DOOR OPENS

Can I come in, now?

What's wrong, Mummy?

-Erm, Mum... Mum's, erm...

-OK?

Mum had some kind of seizure, OK?

-SHE SOBS

-She doesn't really remember it.

It's just something that makes your brain go fizzy for a minute.

-Is she all right now?

-Yeah, yeah, yeah, she's all right now.

I thought you were dying.

It's OK.

What's happened?

Mum had a fit.

She's OK, but I'm going to take her to A&E.

Then who's going to drive me to the party?

She had a fit, Ella.

It's in Crouch End.

So get the bus.

-Then I'll miss the pre-drinks.

-Ella...

Then it won't be fun, obviously,

because everyone else will be drunk and I won't be.

This is a nightmare. It's an absolute nightmare.

Dad will take you.

You can't be alone.

Yes, I can.

DOOR SLAMS

Thanks.

MACHINE RUMBLES

MACHINE GROWS LOUDER

Confess.

-What? Why? Why would I...?

-Don't fight me.

Accept what I say -

tell your wife you've been having an affair.

No, I need to know why I would do such a thing.

The journalist, what's her name?

What do you want to know for?

The name.

Julia Redhead. Why?

A confession is a controlled explosion.

The bomb goes off, but on our terms.

The journalist won't dig deeper - nobody will -

because private pain is private.

The story stops -

nobody looks for the bigger story beneath the surface.

Oh, God. God, the children...

Do they have to know?

Maya is the most honest person I've ever met.

Asking her not to tell the children would be like...

A little courage, now, is all I'm asking.

No, no, no. You're asking me to put this - us - before my family.

I'm trying to protect your family.

Do you want them to know who you really are?

HE EXHALES

Socrates was wrong -

the unexamined life is the only way.

It's why we do what we do - this job -

so men can throw sticks into ponds for their dogs

and never think about what's beneath the surface.

Good boy. Good boy.

DOG BARKS

The pursuit of truth isn't always the best idea.

OK. OK.

What kind of affair?

You're the writer.

You've been writing this character for 20 years.

Who would Nick Johnson betray his wife for?

We really need the scan to work out what's going on in your brain.

We can give you headphones for music. You could wear a blindfold.

It isn't claustrophobia.

Can you tell me what it is?

They...

They put you on a...

It is just like that.

I'm a lawyer and I have a client they're trying to kill,

who's strapped to a gurney in a prison in Louisiana.

I'd be very reluctant to prescribe drugs without knowing more about...

Do they slow you down?

A little. They can make you a bit fuzzy.

-Fuzzy?

-Tired, low energy.

What if I don't take the medication?

If this is epilepsy, there's a risk of cluster seizures -

three or four in a row and...

I'm going to Louisiana on Monday and I have to be really focused.

You could die. That can happen.

I have to take that risk.

I have to stay sharp.

Is your partner here?

No.

You shouldn't be alone.

Well, I am.

BELL CHIMES

ENGINE PURRS

ENGINE STOPS

SIREN WAILS

Are you in love with her?

No. No, of course not.

Of course not?

No, I mean, you know, she's great and all that, but...

That's what I'm saying.

But that's all.

-Your feelings are under control?

-Yeah.

Nick...

..there's a tipping point.

Don't tip.

He took so much care,

our new witness,

and then he didn't show.

Maybe he's a crank?

No.

20 years at the Criminal Bar,

looking people in the eye across a courtroom, you get a...

A feel for who is genuine and who isn't.

So, if he's not a crank,

and he took all those precautions

and he didn't show up...

It's because he's scared.

How would he know to be scared?

What are you thinking?

I'm thinking we were close.

I'm thinking we were about to blow it open.

So?

So they got to him.

You'd better be careful, Neame.

I am a dangerous woman to be around.

Where's Rose?

He left the police force.

Yes, yes, where is he?

I'll find him.

Good.

Why Rose?

Well, he's left the police force -

maybe he's learned to think for himself.

DOOR OPENS

DOOR CLOSES

SHE SIGHS

Dad? Is it Dan?

I thought you should hear it face-to-face.

Oh, you're really scaring me...

It's about Mum.

Epilepsy?

Yeah, and she's just carrying on as if nothing's happened.

You know Mum.

So, what do we do?

I need time with her.

One night - just the two of us.

Dan and Ella can sleep on my floor.

-Yeah, I know it's a lot to ask...

-It's fine.

It's... It's what families are for.

We'll get through this, Dad.

-HE MUTTERS:

-Julia Redhead.

Julia Redhead.

PHONE RINGS

'Julia Redhead.'

Isn't life a bit short for local papers?

There was a Newfoundland dog in Newquay who was, like,

a lifeguard dog or something,

and The Cornishman had pictures of him on a surfboard.

Anyway, we missed it.

It ran for weeks and we didn't pick it up.

Our editor has a Newfoundland.

Right. Whatever happened to finding stories by being there, huh?

Maya, it's Julia.

Can you call me as soon as you get this?

-I found Rose...

-Oh, great.

..in Kent.

So, when am I seeing him?

Tomorrow at 11.

Oh, and the Minister for Justice wants to see you.

Tell him I'm busy.

He's here.

Minister, hello.

Thank you.

Can we sit down somewhere?

I'm running really late.

I'm the Minister.

Fantastic. Can you walk and talk at the same time?

Anything you do has to weigh very carefully

whether it's in the national interest.

No, it doesn't. It has to weigh very carefully

whether it's in the public interest. Quite different.

Now you've finished clearing your throat,

-can you tell me why you're here?

-I'm here to help you.

What with?

The press have got hold of you not being here -

taxpayers' money, public office,

buggers off to America to represent a vicious killer

when she should be looking after the victims of crime here.

What press?

John Corrigan.

-Who told him?

-We can have a word.

Who told him?

Right, you put it in there so now you can take it out

and I am supposed to be grateful? What do you want?

The end of the road is nigh for Rudy Jones.

Sorry, that sounds a little biblical,

but it's a question of clemency -

an appeal to the State Governor, maybe the President.

Now we'd do what we can.

What, in exchange for me staying at home and shutting up?

Diplomacy is usually more effective when there's less noise.

What are you frightened of?

I'm just doing my job.

But here you are making all this noise,

and that is hypocrisy, and out of character.

-So I have to wonder...

-What is your answer?

Do you know your way out?

Minister.

-I hope you know what you're doing...

-Of course.

..because I'm seriously starting to doubt it.

Hold your nerve and we'll be fine. Trust me.

But it's not your job to tell the State Department in Washington

we've appointed a Chief Prosecutor

who doesn't listen to anything we say.

Relax, she's not joining up any of the dots.

ELEVATOR CHIMES AND DOORS OPEN

How did you get on with the Minister?

Oh, fine.

I'm sorry to have missed him.

Do you know each other?

No.

Oh, next time I'll introduce you, cos I think you'd get along.

Oh, great.

What are you doing?

The House of Windsor wants a sacrificial lamb -

or a pound of flesh.

Why?

The thing we all know and can't say -

I've got pretty close to finding a way of saying it.

Their people felt it,

-so they spoke to our people.

-PHONE RINGS

Hello.

Yep.

He wants to see me.

-KNOCK AT DOOR

-Come in.

Sit down.

Congratulations,

as of today you're the Daily Metro's new royal correspondent.

What?

I'm not interested in the royal family.

That's why you've got the job. Your hands are clean.

Well, can I finish what I'm doing?

What is it?

Nothing.

The royals won't leave you time for anything else. Believe me.

SHE SIGHS

DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES

Did you help her?

You said you helped her.

Every night since she was seven, she's been...

-What does she look like?

-Look, I don't want to get into..

-I'd like to know what she...

-Listen to me!

Sorry, I'm sorry, listen to me, please.

Here it is, all right. This is... This is it.

She was seven.

They used to wake her up at night

because they liked her all bleary and sleepy.

For years afterwards,

she was never quite sure whether she was awake or asleep.

She was abused every night for four years

and there have been times when she wasn't sure whether she'd dreamt it.

Wheen Hall?

We went to the police.

We went up to this beat copper on a day out in Bournemouth.

We were in twos and holding hands, and she just...

She just told him.

They needn't have worried - nothing ever came of it -

but they punished us anyway.

They wanted to make us understand

that asking for help would make life unliveable.

What did they do?

They...

They locked us in a cellar for nine nights.

Just the two of us and my Action Man.

We found a jar of, erm...

..Marmite, a box of these jars of Marmite down there,

and three bottles of apple brandy.

After two nights,

we had to start eating the Marmite,

which made us incredibly thirsty - you know, the salt -

so we drank the brandy.

So not only were we frightened and guilty -

we felt incredibly guilty -

we were drunk.

Eight years old, dark cellar,

drunk...

You've never said.

I wanted to keep that out of our lives.

Just...

I thought it might be too much.

That wasn't the first time I'd seen her, in Oxford.

When was the first?

A few months ago.

How often?

I couldn't say no.

I couldn't.

She said those nights in the cellar were the only time she felt safe -

nine nights when nobody came to get her.

We... We had to hug each other to stay warm,

and I suppose she wanted more warmth from me.

It would have killed her to say no.

How many times?

Just a few times.

In our house?

Maya...

Did you sleep with her in our house?

Oh...

MAYA SOBS

SHE GROANS

SHE EXHALES

NICK SCREAMS

FOOTSTEPS THUD

-Hi, can I get a brandy, please?

-Yeah.

-Thanks.

-MAN SNIFFS

-Brandy.

SHE GASPS Oh, Jesus Christ, Brady.

What are you doing here?

-Looking for a job.

-Thanks.

-Make that two, please. Thank you.

-Sure.

Her name is Abigail Strickland.

How do you know?

Two phone calls.

Who did you call?

No, don't worry. Like I said, I'm good.

The dark arts, eh?

I am the independent journalism the liberal establishment

wants to regulate to death.

Who did you call?

You really need me, don't you?

SHE SIGHS

HE BREATHES HEAVILY

DOG BARKS FROM OUTSIDE

Maya?

Maya?

Maya?

DOG BARKS

-Maya?

-DOG BARKS

DOG BARKS

Hey, Rocco, shh-shh-shh.

DOG BARKS

DOG BARKS AGAIN

HE PANTS

Maya!

Maya!

MAYA!

Hey.

Oh, God. Hey.

Hey, hey, come on.

Remember the children.

Oh, don't flatter yourself.

You didn't bring a towel.

You went to sleep.

Look, I've done a terrible thing.

Hit me all you like - I deserve it -

but don't destroy the lives of our children.

It's you that's done that.

No, it's your choice now.

You bastard.

Come on, we should get you home.

I want to be on my own.

I am not leaving you on your own.

I love you.

Oh, really?

What was the equation?

"I feel so sorry for this woman, I...

"I think I'll sleep with her,

"and I'll just put my wife and my children aside for a few months."

I watched you sleep last night -

a good, deep sleep.

And I thought,

"Wow, after all these years,

"I'm really not sure I know who you are."

Tell me you were just going for a swim.

HE SIGHS

Mummy.

Erm, is there a trigger?

Is epilepsy brought on by something?

Like what?

Erm, like, Rudy, maybe.

Is it Rudy, Mum?

No.

-Because he's going to live, isn't he?

-I hope so.

But, then, why are you sad?

I missed you.

You smell like pond.

Did you go swimming?

Mum?

Yes. I went swimming.

Did Dad go with you?

No. No, he didn't.

Dad, she could have drowned.

You just need to start looking after her better.

Dad.

Daddy, come on.

Properly.

I want to show you something...

You should go with her to Louisiana.

She wouldn't want that.

Well, why not?

She doesn't want it defining who she is.

She is a brilliant woman at the top of her game,

who happens to have epilepsy.

It's not her whole life.

Are you all right, Dad?

I'm fine.

-Nick.

-Mm-hmm.

There's something I need to talk to you about.

Oh, well, actually, me too.

What?

Well, mine's a really big thing, so...

You go ahead.

OK, erm, right, well...

I've thought really carefully about this, right?

Erm, it's that, I just... I don't think she feels safe.

-Sorry?

-Mrs Antwi.

-Oh.

-And I think that's something that we could maybe help with.

What do you mean?

I mean, I was thinking maybe she should come and live here, with us,

because then she would feel safer

and, more importantly,

then she could start to grieve for her dead son.

I just...

I'm sorry, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?

DOORBELL RINGS

Ah, that's... I told her to come over.

-Because, because, I said that we had to talk about it, right?

-OK.

But, then I also said that we wouldn't take that long.

I'll just go and...

I can't leave the room without giving you one of these

because you're too cute.

All right, I'm going. Excuse me.

Hello, Mrs A. Yeah, come on up. I'll buzz you in.

That smells so delicious.

It better had -

chicken and dumpling soup has been in my family for 27,000 years.

Was it one of Michael's favourites?

No. Best thing about him dying?

No more vegetarian foods.

Where did I go wrong?

Know this, children -

I will teach the new arrival how to eat meat and love it.

I will baby-sit your baby into everything

that is fine and good in the world.

What? Maya, are you...?

Are you...?

Oh, my God.

Oh, my God, babe, babe, babe. That's amazing!

-Oh, baby!

-MAYA SHRIEKS WITH JOY

To new life.

And to absent friends.

Did I tell you about when we first came to England?

I could have strangled that boy, I tell you.

Weed.

-Drugs?

-Hidden in his shoe.

Oh, my God.

Only, he didn't tell me, because he knew I'd go crazy with him.

So we landed at Heathrow and customs pulled us over.

I threw one big hissy fit.

"Why us?

"Do I look like a drug dealer?"

There was a big white family coming through behind us,

all clean with combed hair, and I was yelling,

"Look at them - they look like fancy-dress drug dealers to me.

"Why don't you stop and search the Von Trapp family?"

So what... What happened?

The young man searching my suitcase stopped dead.

For about ten seconds, he remained frozen,

with his hands inside my suitcase.

Everybody stopped.

They all looked at him.

A grenade?

A bomb?

Well, what was it?

-My dildo!

-MAYA SHRIEKS

Oh. Oh.

I can never unhear that now.

Nah. No, no...

And they... They all cracked up -

all the customs people -

when he pulled it out.

It was one big joke

and suddenly they forgot about the rest of the search.

They never got around to searching Michael.

Then he told me what was in his shoe -

I nearly took him right back to customs.

It wasn't much.

It was just enough for a smoke with some friends.

Erm, the word is that Peter Mackie is going to plead to manslaughter.

It's not enough.

Nowhere near enough, I know.

I promise I will get full justice for Michael.

Then you will have to change the world, child.

SHE EXHALES

SIREN WAILS

Hello.

Julia, what are you doing?

You haven't been answering my calls.

What's this?

That's the woman I saw with Nick.

Oh, my God.

Sorry.

Her life and...now this?

What life?

Erm, she and Nick, they...

They shared a... A mutual past.

He doesn't know she's dead?

I don't think so.

What past?

Erm, he didn't want me to tell anyone.

They were in a children's home together. It wasn't a good place.

I don't know her name.

I couldn't...

I couldn't bear for him to say it out.

Abigail Strickland.

Why do you know that?

Why are you doing this?

For you.

-Yeah, we're dealing with it, Julia.

-Are you?

Look, this is the hardest thing I have ever done,

and I could do with your support and not your...

Whatever the fuck it is you're doing.

-Are you trying to hurt us? Huh?

-Oh, come on.

Is this some kind of weird guilt over Michael?

Listen, I know her name but nothing else about her,

because everywhere I look - blanks.

PNC, DVLA, banks, phone companies,

Inland Revenue - nothing.

She didn't exist, this woman. Why not?

She was trying to escape her past.

What are you scared of finding?

Wheen Hall? Yes.

Oh, no, no, I wanted to find out about someone who was a resident...

Her name is Abigail Strickland.

Erm, she would have been with you in the, erm... The mid-1980s.

My name? Sorry. Yeah, it's PC Daniels.

No, no, they don't say WPC any more.

She wasn't there?

Definitely not?

Thank you.

Where have you been?

Working on something.

Yeah, what?

Kate's bad hair day - there's a great photograph.

So what's to do?

The history of her hair -

I want to make it more than just a one-off hair story.

I don't like it.

Why is that?

We love her.

Don't fuck with the story of our love by fucking with her hair.

Well, it's an affectionate piece.

I feel that, in her role as a modern princess,

she represents all of us women.

If Kate can get through a bad hair day, we all can.

She's an inspiration.

They all are,

and they deserve all of your attention - all of the time.

DOOR CLOSES

You left the Met in 1997.

Yeah.

That was... That was right after Michael Antwi died.

LAUGHTER

ANIMALS BLEAT

They love it here.

We bus them in from Lambeth.

They get three days of country life.

I mean, they really love it.

You've come a long way.

Why do you assume police officers can't be decent people?

I'm sorry. You're right. I blame Stephen Lawrence.

Why are you here now?

I think you know why.

You've found her, haven't you?

Does that mean it's all starting up again?

Did you find her or did she come to you?

I can't tell you that.

What did she say?

You know what she said.

It was an accident.

It doesn't fit your world view, but it was.

No crime scene created.

No... No clothing taken for forensics,

disappearing CCTV tapes,

no witness statements taken from any police officer

because you were all too upset to write...

Really? Whose world view is that?

I was really, really upset.

Yes.

And the others?

It's taken a lot of work to get this going.

Is this penance?

I'm not religious.

Conscience, then?

Have you seen the others?

No.

And Mackie...

How is he?

Why do you care about Peter Mackie?

They've done all right, haven't they?

The others.

I think you want it to start again.

Deep down.

I prefer conscience to guilt.

Guilt corrodes, conscience...

Corrects.

Civilizes.

I'll tell you one thing.

Whatever any of them try and say now,

Abigail Strickland was a good police officer.

DOOR SLAMS

Yeah.

Yes, I understand, yeah.

No, no.

I know, I know.

Look, because I love her and I love my family.

I've been trying to help you, but...

Look, Wheen Hall was a very long time ago, OK?

We... We were just kids. We can't use that as an excuse.

Yes, yes, this is goodbye.

I'm sorry.

SHE EXHALES

Can I help?

Are you looking for a family member?

Yes.

Is it a lost family member?

Erm, yeah. Yeah, that's right.

You should probably check the register of deaths, just in case.

It can save a lot of time and effort.

It takes a couple of days.

Erm, what's the name?

Nicholas...

Johnson.

And the date of birth?

The third of the 11th, '71.

And your number?

07700900692.

-Erm, so... So what happens?

-I'll give you a call on Tuesday.

-I should have an answer for you.

-Thank you.

-Nick.

-Huh?

-Dad.

-Yeah.

What happens on mile five of your run?

-Er, what do you mean?

-Your watch says you stop.

-Yeah.

-Every time?

Yeah, erm, press-ups.

You know, something I saw the BMF guys do,

and I thought, you know, looks like a good idea.

But it says you stop for seven or eight minutes sometimes.

Yeah.

That's amazing.

-Can you show me, please?

-Erm, not right now, Dan.

-Oh, please, Dad.

-Show him.

-Daddy, please!

-Not right now!

I've can't find my charger!

I'll bring mine, it's the same.

What you talking about?

I'm coming with you -

to Louisiana.

-You don't have to do that.

-Yes, I do.

See the curl?

Boing!

Oh, we don't mind if you cry.

We don't mind, do we?

We don't mind.

Hmm?

Clemency.

-What do you think? Clemency, Clem?

-Yeah, yeah.

Hello, Clem.

I can't carry on.

We'll get you out.

-Australia.

-What are you talking about?

A disappearance brought on by the relived trauma of your childhood.

It's all got too much for you, hasn't it?

-I love her.

-Sure, and that can't be.

We have a baby.

Her name is Clem.

She has a name.

Australia? What, are you mad, mate?

I love Maya and I will not carry on betraying her.

Sorry, what was that thing you said? There's a tipping point?

Well, with all my heart and my soul, I have tipped.

GATE ALARM BLARES

GATE ALARM BLARES

GATE ALARM BLARES

-Hi, Mark.

-Hi.

-How's he doing?

-Better.

-That's good.

They're nursing him back to health so that they can kill him.

Oh, this is Mark Ambrose, Clem.

-Nice to meet you.

-Hi.

So they won't give him the meds he needs for the seizures

because that'd lower his competence and make our chances better.

That's why they've got him back here from the real hospital.

The prison controls his competence level, they get to execute him.

-GATE ALARM BLARES

-You ready?

GROANING

Jack McDonald - doctor from the Louisiana Competence Commission.

Hippocrates is spinning in his grave.

Has he been drinking?

He keeps a bottle in his car.

-Well, shouldn't we tell someone about that?

-Leave him be.

-But, Mum, he's...

-It's OK.

-No.

Morning.

Come on.

Clemency Johnson,

this is Rudy Jones.

Hello.

It's so good to finally meet you.

MOBILE RINGS

Hello?

Yes, thanks for calling me back.

So, erm...

Nick. Nicholas...

Nicholas Johnson. OK.

Oh.

No, no, no. I mean, no, no, no.

That's... That's OK. So when would he...?

So...

He'd... He'd have...?

He... He would have been...?

He would have been eight when he died?

You haven't...? Have you ever...?

Do you ever get this wrong?

Oh, no.

No, yes. Thank you.

Thank you. Bye.

Are you all right, Mum?

This isn't easy, is it?

-I love you.

-I love you too.

I love you too.