01x03 - The Cuckoo's Calling: Part 3

Episode transcripts for the TV show "C.B. Strike". Aired: 27 August 2017 – present.*
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British crime series based on the book series Cormoran Strike (by J. K. Rowling) follows w*r veteran turned private detective Cormoran Strike who solves brutal murders.
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01x03 - The Cuckoo's Calling: Part 3

Post by bunniefuu »

About my sister. Lula Landry.
I think she was m*rder*d.

- She was frightened of him.
- Who?

- Tony's a little...
- Family is a complex thing.

- Lula?
- They sometimes clashed.

Is anybody in the Deeby
Macc flat right now?

Any deliveries here that day?

Flowers, hoodie, leather
gloves, some fashion designer.

Guy Some.

So, first off, we went to Vashti.

It's a clothes shop on Conduit Street.

She met a mate in there. Rochelle.

Lula's best mate Ciara Porter,

her rock star boyfriend Evan Duffield.

Has anybody told you you
are absolutely gorgeous?

It was just so... bland and corporate.

Like where I work, you mean?

I don't really get hangovers.

Well, that is lucky.

Bastard leg's bloody k*lling me.

It was you.

You k*lled Lula.

Road clear ahead.
Maintain speed. Over.

Roger that.

The unfortunate Mrs Anstis, right?

Bollocks.

I'm a catch, mate.

Can't wait to get home and
hold him for the first time.

Stand by. Obstruction to the front.

One Afghan male changing tyre. Over.

Oi!

Move the van. Move!

Get in the van and move it.

Oi!

Holding, holding.

Oi! Get in the van!

Two Afghan children on the road.

Get in the van. Move the bloody van!
Move!

Beware, Afghan male moving
to the front of the vehicle now.

Roger that.

- Push on, push on.
- Roger.

No, brake, brake!

Brake! Brake!

Sergeant Strike?

Strike, can you hear me?

Sergeant Strike, can you hear me?

Thank you.

Can I help you?

Um...

Yes.

I'd like to try on some dresses.

Wow. It looks great on you.

I'm just waiting on my
brother to check it out.

It's for his wife, actually.

Try the green one. I think it'll
really suit your colouring.

Is she...?

- Dark. Stunning, actually.
- All right.

Was that somebody famous
I just saw leaving?

Not sure.

Wasn't Ciara Porter, was it?

No, I didn't see her.

Although she does come
in here sometimes.

Lula Landry came in
here a lot, didn't she?

Vashti was, like,
always in her lists of,

like, the top ten
things to do in London.

Day she d*ed?

This changing room.

No way!

That's, like, totally
giving me goose bumps.

You know, they say she was
going to meet Deeby Macc

the night she d*ed, but...

I don't think Lula would
ever cheat on Evan.

What?

She was so going to meet Deeby.
Trust me.

But she loved Evan!

Did you see the pictures of
their commitment ceremony?

Yeah.

Well, how about, we heard them talking?

Who, Lula and Evan?

No. No, the skanky, rude cow
she brought in with her.

But Mel taped them talking on her phone.

- No way!
- Yeah.

A bit naughty. We were all, like,
not sure that's right, really.

But, well, she swore it
wasn't for the press,

just, you know, play to her mates.

- Wait, who's Mel?
- She's not in today. Day off.

But trust me, Lula Landry was
doing the dirty on Evan,

and who else was it going
to be but Deeby Macc?

Come and have a look out there.

What do you think?

Yeah.

"Yeah"?

She looks amazing!

But fair play, I guess my brother
would never say that to me, either.

Very good.

I'll go back for Mel later.

- Bit of a sore head this morning.
- Ooh.

- Was I...?
- You were fine.

- You were funny, actually.
- Good.

- Is it really bad?
- I've had worse.

But not recently.

Come and look at this.

This is the figure Bristow
is so desperate to find.

He's walking towards then
away from the flats.

Little bit agitated but, you
know, could be a Deeby Macc fan

waiting for a glimpse of his hero.

This is ten minutes before Lula falls.

And then the next camera.

- That's after Lula fell?
- Yeah.

Same guy, walking quickly away,
less agitated, more purposeful.

- It's not the same guy.
- Why do you say that?

Because his hoodie's got
a thingy, a logo on it.

Exactly. Yeah.

These are two different people.

We can't see this guy's face,
but look at his hands.

Leather gloves.

Guy Some dropped a hoodie and
gloves off to the Deeby Macc flat.

So he could have used the
clothes as a disguise.

Yeah.

I need to speak to Guy Some.

See if this second guy really
is wearing his clobber.

Well, good luck with that.

You're coming with me.

I feel like a woolly mammoth that's
wandered into the gazelle enclosure.

Yeah.

I was quite happy with this
handbag five minutes ago.

Let's go.

No, it's here now.

- Excuse me...
- We're going with the feathers.

We're doing the Milan sh**t.

Sorry.

You don't have an appointment.

So the mountain thought,
f*ck it, and came to Kevin.

That's your real name, right?

All I need you to do is identify
some items of clothing.

Get out of my studio.

I believe they may be yours,

and it might have a
bearing on Lula's death.

Surely you're interested in that?

Come on.

Think he likes you.

That is your stuff, right?

How did he get that?

Those haven't been released yet.

These are definitely yours?

Are you sure that's your nose?

The doorman at Lula's flat

said he took some stuff
from you for Deeby Macc.

What did you send him?

Tricia!

Yes, Guy?

Bring me a Deeby Macc hoodie
and a pair of the new gloves.

What did Lula make of Deeby Macc?

Nowhere near excited enough.

I kept saying to her, "Babes, if
he'd written three tracks about me",

"I'd be waiting behind that front
door naked when he got in."

What I don't get is why
she chose Duffield,

with all his white boy tortured poet act

when she was meant to be
looking for a lost black soul.

How far did she get with that?

She was looking for her
dad cos he was African.

The mum was just some
redneck from Canning Town.

Mrs Mephedrone, we called her.

For a while, Cuckoo was
always in the library.

Got all excited cos apparently,

the old man was some kind
of big sh*t academic.

Which library?

I don't know. On Russell
Square somewhere?

I wasn't really paying attention,
everyone switched off.

- Apart from Rochelle.
- Yeah, well, she knew how to play Lula.

I think they might be a bit
tight on your big, hairy mitts.

Though Ciara certainly wasn't
complaining about them.

No, you got quite the
fivestar review, darling.

And she's had plenty
to compare you with.

And they're in.

So the argument starts, voices rise.

How did they get out onto the balcony?

She might have had the
door open already.

Yeah, but it's snowing.

Well, Lula often felt trapped,
she liked having them open.

Or, as the argument escalates, she
turns around to get away from him,

which is what I might do if I
wanted someone to just leave.

Without realising Tansy Bestigui
was shivering underneath.

I think it was very sudden and brutal.

Tansy heard no cries for help.

Well, I hope so. That
it was quick, at least.

Now, I've very little time,
so I make one big mistake.

I leave the flowers here.

So they appear in a police sh*t
immediately after the fall.

Well, I'm not leaving them here to die.

Walk down this road...

head bowed.

And off I go, hoodied
up and hands gloved,

having completely got away with it.

I found this, by the way.

It's a library card for...

Russell Square.

We could go there tomorrow, find
out what she was looking up.

Yeah. I've got to meet
Bristow in the morning.

I could go on my own.

OK.

Good work today.

Thanks.

What are they?

Skateboards.

I mean...

We used them in a crime
reenactment today.

Look, I'm sorry I was late last night.

- To be fair, I should have called.
- That's all I was saying.

I'm not a control freak.
I'm just worried.

I know.

It's not like you.

Friends?

- Spoke to the mortgage advisor today.
- Yeah?

We do need to get a joint income
if we want to get a proper

place near a Tube station
and some decent schools.

Have you told them you're
taking the job yet?

Not yet.

Large whisky.

And a pint.

This is Charley before he d*ed.

- Playing cricket, he was very good.
- I remember.

Alec said he'd bowl for England one day.

And this is Lula, the
day she came to us.

She loved those red mittens.

I still have them.

John says you collected
some items from her flat.

Keepsakes.

- Like what?
- Some bits and pieces.

Do you want me to put the
film on for you, Lady B?

- Can you read me the password?
- Sure. Leopard.

Leopard, dear old baby.

Underscore, 1942.

1942, the year I was born.

Good morning.

Macaroons?

You are lucky.

- Mr Bone bought them for me.
- Really?

Thank you. That's... that's very kind.

Just a few quick things to ask.

Did you know Lula was looking
for her biological family?

Yes, I knew something about it.

I tried to steer clear of the topic.

For obvious reasons.

You don't know who the father is?

Well, I still like to think

it was the man who
actually brought her up but...

- I'm sorry, no.
- He was an African student.

Nigerian, I think.

Alec told me.

He had to get another lawyer
to deal with the papers

- because Tony refused.
- How come?

- Didn't want us to have her.
- Why?

Because of Charley.

Tony said something to Alec that
made my husband very angry,

and there was a fearful row,

and Alec said Tony shouldn't
come to the house any more.

But he was my brother, so...
Hush, this is a good bit.

Well, they're in for a big surprise.

Last time we met, you told me Tony
was here the evening Lulu d*ed.

You have a good memory. Sorry. Yes.

I was in the flat upstairs
while he was down with Mum.

But I passed him on
the stairs certainly.

- He didn't watch the film with you?
- No, he left just before that.

- For Oxford.
- Yeah.

I will see what I can find out
regarding the adoption papers.

That would be very helpful.

She loved those mittens.

Hi! Back for the dress?

No. Is Mel about?

Down in the changing rooms.

You Mel?

My name is Cormoran Strike, I
work for Lula Landry's family.

I'm here to explain to you the
legal hazards of recording

private conversations and
sharing them with third parties

without obtaining consent.

But first of all,
you're going to give me

the audio file you've
got on your mobile.

- Just sign it there.
- Are you sure about this?

Never been surer, babe. They
don't need it, do they?

I can't believe it, I'm going
to see him tonight, Roch,

after all this time.

And that was the point she leaned out
to see if anybody was listening.

So paranoid, these celebrities.

"I'm going to see him tonight."

- What, Deeby Macc?
- Well, that's the obvious conclusion.

- How did you get on at SOAS?
- OK...

so, Lula's search record

shows that she was looking up
books on Ghanaian history.

More specifically, though, she
several times took out a PhD

thesis by a guy called Josiah Agyeman,

who was a student there.

Agyeman.

- Not Nigerian?
- No, it's Ghanaian.

The dedication to his PhD
looks interesting, though.

"For my beloved wife,
Ami, and our baby, Jonah,"

"with grateful thanks to
pastor Jorge Duran of"

"the Church of Holy Light,"

"for teaching humility and faith
to one who had so often strayed."

"One who had so often strayed."

My guess would be that he might
be Lula's biological father.

Yeah..

Right, I've got to go and
meet a Professor Enright,

his PhD supervisor.

He's still at SOAS, but he was
teaching this morning. See you.

Ghanaian political economy.

Especially around the time of Nkrumah.

Um, actually, I was keen
to talk to Josiah Agyeman.

I'm afraid Dr Agyeman's
no longer with us.

Well, could you, um, tell me

where I might be able to
get in touch with him?

He d*ed, just over a year ago.

You're not the first young lady
who's come asking about him.

So Lula must have found out
exactly the same thing as you.

Professor Enright said
she was very upset.

He didn't know who she was?

He's a specialist in postcolonial
administrative divisions

in subSaharan Africa.

I think the world of celebrity
fashion might have passed him by.

So Agyeman's a complete deadend.

No. Because then I tracked
down Pastor Duran,

the Pentecostalist he mentions
in his PhD dedication.

The church is out in Tooting,

and he had a lot of pictures of
the Agyeman family, including...

Not that one.

Wow.

That's Agyeman with his son, Jonah.

No doubting where she
got her looks from.

Blue, red, blue.

It's TRF, it's...

Coldstream Guards.

Lula said, "I can't believe I'm
going to see him tonight."

And in the changing room at Vashti,

"I'm going to see him
after all this time."

She was expecting him.

Not Deeby Macc.

She thought she was going to see
her brother for the first time.

- You don't think that...
- I'll make some calls.

Sad.

I was so excited about
finding him and...

There's usually something quite
sad, at the back of it all.

Where are you going?

To tell John about Lula's brother.

A brother?

You know, that makes me
feel really strange.

Of course it does.

I hate the term... "real brother".

Or "real parent".

My real parents were the
ones who raised me.

- Definitely go along with that.
- YourYourYour... Your own father?

As far as Jonny Rokeby was concerned,

I was just a shudder in the loins.

So, this brother,

this soldier is the one
in the CCTV footage?

Keeping an open mind for now.

So, do you think we should
tell the police about Agyeman?

Sorry, John, I've got to go and
meet somebody pretty urgently.

No, don't worry.

Morning, sir. If you'd
like to follow me, please.

They told me you were once a suit.

Helmand, right?

It's my fault she k*lled herself.

All of this? It's my fault.

How's that?

She wanted to see me the night she d*ed.

In the end, I couldn't.

That's you, right?

Tell me what happened.

Dad told me about it when he was dying,

said he didn't know if she had the baby.

The woman he lodged with in London?

He was a student at the
time, and mum was in Accra.

Then Lula calls you out of the blue.

- She didn't want the press to find out.
- She used her mate's phone.

Yes, some Rochelle bird, yeah.

So, suddenly, you find out
you've got a halfsister who's

a world famous supermodel.

It was all too much for me,
you know, doing my head in.

Lula, all them posh cars and flats.

- And Mum.
- I understand.

Do you?

Would have broken my mum's heart.

Her health's not so good.

I said no to Lula at first
but then sheshe kept on,

you know, kept on...

- Did you know her?
- No.

She was... you know, she
was fullon, you know?

At one point, she was going on,
"You can have all my money."

And II said, "I don't
care about your money."

But she was even going on about
leaving everything to me

in her will, just to piss her uncle off.

Afterwards, I felt so guilty.

If I'd gone in, she'd still be alive.

Wanting to protect your
mum was a good instinct.

She said she understood about Mum.

She didn't want to hurt anyone.

That's it.

I mean, she was looking
for something, you know?

She sounded all right.

I think she was.

- I'll call.
- OK.

I think I'll add stalking to harassment.

Your nephew said you were at
your sister's house in Chelsea

the night of Lula's death.
Is that correct?

It's your alibi.

What on earth would I need an alibi for?

You tell me.

Can you prove that I wasn't there?

You used your credit card to pay
a bar bill in your favourite

hotel around about the same
time you were supposed to be

with your sick sister.

Why didn't you want the
Bristows to adopt Lula?

That's not...

It wasn't...

Yvette told me you didn't want
Lula around in the first place.

Didn't stop you becoming very
interested in protecting her wealth.

I always had Lula's best
interests at heart, always.

From day one.

Chelsea.

Bunsen.

How's it going, Shanker?

I put some flowers on your
ma's grave the other day.

I appreciate it.

Something you want?

This is a car registration
and its normal location.

- Right, want us to nick it?
- No.

Well, come on.

Leave the car where it
is, don't nick anything.

If you were to get inside and
check something for me...

- Checking what?
- The sat nav.

I want you to enter this address,

see if it comes up in
previous destinations.

Hi, it's Robin Ellacott, I came in...

Yes, Human Resources.

Well, I was just calling to say
that my circumstances have changed,

so I won't be able to
accept the position,

but if you could pass
on my appreciation.

Yes, thank you. Thank you.

- We didn't even discuss it.
- We DID discuss it.

OK, but we didn't decide anything.

- This affects us both.
- Yeah, but primarily me.

Look, I...

I've...

I just, I like the work I'm doing now.

I've always dreamt about
a career like this.

Like this?

As I recall, it was psychology,

not doing the filing for a
onelegged investigator in Soho.

I like the way you've made it
all sound equally sleazy there!

You know, he lost his
leg fighting a w*r.

And what a bloody waste of
time and effort that was.

What an awful thing to say.

Well...

Maybe if you met him.

- Met him.
- Yeah.

We could... go for a drink
or something after work.

And would I walk home on my own
while you took him up in bed?

- Forget it, then.
- I'm joking.

I'm joking!

You think she was k*lled
because she made a will?

No.

I don't, but Rochelle definitely was.

I'm not with you.

I think Rochelle was
blackmailing the k*ller

because she was the only other
person who knew about the will.

- And where is it?
- I don't know.

He'll k*ll again if he has to.

- Cormoran Strike's office.
- Did you make that call?

Disputed estate to Richmond.

- That's it.
- All booked in.

Great.

There's... actually something I
wanted to talk to you about.

I'd never sign up to be castaway
on a desert island with that one.

Do you remember Tony being
here the night Lula d*ed?

It's all so blurry now.

My longterm memory's good enough,

but the dr*gs make
everything so muddled.

I understand.

I remember you and Charlie, though.

Thick as thieves.

Your mother was a model... or something.

That's right.

Such a glamourpuss.

You don't look anything like her.

Johnny's not much to look at, either.

My husband, Alec, had a lot
of h*m* friends...

House of Lords...

and he used to say he didn't
in the least mind them

being around young Johnny.

"Just because they're q*eer, Yvette,"

"doesn't mean to say
they have poor taste."

Lunchtime, Lady B!

Mind if I use the bathroom?

There you go.

He's upstairs.

I wouldn't go in there for a bit.

The SatNav remembered the address.

- Right.
- And we found this.

I told you not to...

Now, that's free...

but my boy was heartbroken
once he got in the car

and he couldn't take it.

Hopefully this will soothe the pain.

I've got him, Wardle.

Have you heard anything?
Has there been an arrest?

Go home.

Honestly, I'm not expecting
anybody now. Go on.

Nothing's going to happen tonight.

I, um...

I didn't take the job in HR.

I'm not going to be able to afford
you much longer, once this job...

I know.

Night.

I'm going to be a bit late tonight.

The chap they picked up on the CCTV.
They never traced him.

That's you, right?

She said she was frightened of him.

Get the f*ck away from me!

Hello?

Hello?

It's only you, John.

Were you expecting someone else?

Maybe, yeah. But I'm glad.

You want some pizza?
There's a slice left,

although I picked off the pepperoni.

No, thank you!

Take a seat.

Just for all the hard work.

Tracking down Jonah Agyeman
was quite a result.

That's really generous.

Um...

Marsha told me you visited today.

I was a little surprised, to be honest.

- More?
- No, thank you.

Yeah, II got called out to visit
a potential client in Richmond...

but it turned out they didn't exist.

Yeah.

I got my secretary to do that.

I'm sorry, John, I needed you
out of the way for a bit.

I have some distressing
news regarding Tony Landry.

He knows you k*lled Lula.

- I'm sorry?
- He knows you k*lled Lula.

He might not admit it to himself, but...

deep down, he knows.

It's impossible to know
something that isn't true.

On the day Lula d*ed...

you visited her flat.

You were furious she'd found Jonah.

You left.

You went downstairs...

but you didn't leave the building.

They were preparing the flat
for Deeby Macc's arrival.

That helped you with a few props...

the flowers and the
clothes for your getaway.

I don't know when you
decided to k*ll you sister.

Just as I'll never know the
exact moment you decided

to push your brother over the edge of
a quarry all those years before...

but you did decide...

and then you went back.

III'm very sorry,

I'm not awfully good at the
kind of scornful denial

which I assume is my job here.
II'm just...

I... III'm really disappointed.

Open it.

That's what you've been
looking for, isn't it?

It was in the Some handbag that
your mother took from Lula's flat.

You didn't know about the detachable
linings, though, did you?

Been under your nose all this time.

Rochelle knew of its
existence, obviously.

- That's why you k*lled her.
- I've never met her!

Then why did your SatNav prompt
her address when we entered it?

Rochelle wasn't such a
good friend to Lula.

She decided to blackmail
you over the will.

Of course, she had no idea
what you were capable of.

What you'd already done.

Lula told you all about the
will in your second argument...

and that sealed her fate.

It all went to Mum.

Lula d*ed intestate.
I inherited nothing!

Yeah, but you will when your mother
dies, which won't be long...

but I think money was
always a secondary motive.

To envy.

This is the bell from
Charlie's bike, isn't it?

The one he was riding when
he fell into the quarry.

First your brother, Charlie,

then Lula...

and you hired me to
help you frame Jonah.

I have some sympathy for you here,

with your mother's...
endless categorising.

The handsome one, the
clever one, the funny one.

You were always just the second one.

Please!

Anything but the cod psychology.

No, fine, sure. I'm not a big
one for motive, actually.

Although juries are suckers for it.

Let's stick with what we actually know.

Tony always suspected you of
involvement in Charlie's death,

and tried to stop your
parents adopting again

- because he was frightened for Lula.
- And he told you that, did he?

He was nowhere near
your house that night.

First, that made me suspicious,

but then I realised that
you giving him an alibi

meant that he was effectively
giving one to you.

Tony Landry is a weakwilled coward...

but he's not a m*rder*r.

You are.

We're done here.

Your mother's a dead junkie.

Your father doesn't even
want to know you exist.

You're in debt up to your eyeballs.

And you live in your
office eating junk food.

- Good luck taking that to the police.
- I already have.

You should know, by the way,
that leather is porous.

It doesn't prevent the transmission
of forensic evidence...

it's a common mistake...

but it actually just
causes criminals to sweat.

Especially when they're as hyped
up as you were that night.

You're going to prison
for two murders, John.

Should be three, of course.

John. You know it's over.

Cormoran?

- Cormoran?
- Get out!

Cormoran?

Cormoran, stop! Stop, stop it! Stop...

f*ck.

You're really bleeding.
I'll call an ambulance.

And a taxi.

I'm not travelling with that bastard.

I was sorry to hear about Lady Bristow.

It was time.

It was very peaceful.

So, why did you want to see me?

Before she d*ed, my sister and
I agreed that we would respect.

Lula's wishes with regard
to Jonah Agyeman...

OK.

And we'll also pay any outstanding
fees or expenses due to you.

Thank you.

I fear you have a low
opinion of me, Mr Strike.

I never knew for certain what
happened with John and Charlie...

when they were at the quarry that day.

You were anxious enough to try
and stop them adopting Lula.

So, imagine what would have
happened if I'd told Yvette

that he might also have k*lled Lula.

Imagine what that would
have done to her.

She never really got over
Charlie's death, and...

she was dying herself.

Families.

- Yeah.
- Yeah.

Yes, of course, I'll make
sure I pass that on.

Thank you very much. Bye.

Phone hasn't stopped ringing.

Thank you.

I know what it cost, remember?

Think of it as a bonus.

I never did tell you.

Tell me what?

What it was that I wanted to say.

The night that John
Bristow att*cked you.

I'm tired of pointless interviews.

I like it here.

Well, Tony Landry kept
his promise and paid up.

I've cleared my debts.

So...

- Can we make this permanent?
- Yeah.

You might be waiting a
while for a pay rise.

That's fine!

All right, then.

Ooh.

Cormoran Strike's office.

Well, we're pretty busy, at the moment,

but if you give me your
contact details, then I'll...

OK, thank you very much.
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