07x06 - Meditated in m*rder

Episode transcripts for the TV show "Death in Paradise". Aired: 25 October 2011 –; present.*
Watch/Buy Amazon


A British detective joins the police force on the Caribbean island of Saint Marie to solve murders.
Post Reply

07x06 - Meditated in m*rder

Post by bunniefuu »

You can go ahead.

SHE BOOMS GONG Right, let's really open up about our feelings in this session.

Isn't our time up? I thought I heard the gong.

We'll happily sit here until you feel ready to open your heart to us.

- Won't we, Bryn? - Yeah, before I came here, life was a struggle.

But now I know you're never going to find self-acceptance unless you face your feelings.

Makes me feel like everything's broken.

And no matter how hard I try, I'll never be able to fix it.

Thank you for your courage, Gabe.

Come on, let's go eat.

I hope it tastes better than it looks.

I'm sure it's delicious, Eva.

Well, back home, it's usually takeaways followed by too many glasses of Pinot Grigio.

I don't suppose there's any alcohol in that green tea, is there? What could be more important than the food we put into our bodies? If your life is so hectic, there isn't time to cook a healthy meal, then you must change your life.

So, this afternoon, I want to focus on the healing power of the breath.

Enjoy your swim, my love.

Enjoy your meditation! So, let's begin in the usual way, by closing our eyes and taking a few deep breaths.

And you can slowly .

.

open your eyes.

Gabe, would you'd care to join me in making a small offering in the Contemplation Garden? So if we can achieve one thing for you during your time here, Gabe -- - what would it be? - Peace of mind, I suppose.

Same as everyone.

I don't know that it is the same for everyone.

People come here for all sorts of different - Daniel? - Wait here.

He's dead.

Tonight, we celebrate a man who quite literally needs no introduction.

However, I've got the job of giving him one.

What can you say about Commissioner Selwyn Patterson? That's not a rhetorical question, Harry.

I need some help here.

Selwyn Patterson is inscrutable.

A hard taskmaster.

- Doesn't suffer fools.

- HE GROANS I'm supposed to be bigging the man up here.

- Sir? - Oh, perfect timing, Florence.

Just the person I need.

This speech I've got to make for the commissioner's award.

- What about it? - Well, it's driving me mad.

In two days' time, I've got to stand up in front of the great and good of Saint Marie and say what a special man the Commissioner is.

I don't have a notion where to start.

I mean how, how am I supposed to make a speech - about someone I hardly know? - I don't know, sir.

I'm sorry.

I'm just going to have to clear the decks and spend every minute of the next two days working on it.

- Sir, someone's been found dead - Oh .

.

at a place called the Calming Breath Spiritual Retreat.

It's up on the north shore.

To the north shore we must go, then.

I heard it's been here for three years.

So, what exactly happens at a "spiritual retreat"? According to their website, it's a chance to reenergise your mind, body and spirit holistically.

Sounds exhausting, so how much will that set you back? 2,000 a week.

2,000? What, to have some hippy fella walking all over your back and sticking pins in your face? Really?! To be fair, getting rid of the gadgets, I can definitely see the appeal of that.

Our victim is a Daniel Friend.

35 years old, British.

He owns this place with his wife Cressida.

- Yeah, and she's the one who found the body - Poor woman.

Was she on her own when she came across him? Ah, no, she was with one of the other guests.

They were on their way to something called the Contemplation Garden.

- A Contemplation Garden? - I know.

I did ask, Chief.

But, if I'm honest, I didn't really understand the answer.

Ligature marks on the neck.

In a band about an inch and a half wide.

Cause of death, strangulation.

No defence wounds or any other signs of injury.

You would expect a fella this size to put up some sort of a fight.

Maybe the attacker surprised him from behind? Possibly.

His belt.

It's the exact same width as the marks on his neck.

But I assume he wasn't k*lled with his own belt, what with him wearing it and all.

HE SIGHS Dwayne, if you're done here, - we can release the body.

- Yes, Chief! - Did you find anything on his person? - Er, nothing, sir.

But .

.

I found this towel on the ground a few feet from where the victim was lying.

I assume he dropped it when he was being att*cked.

So, what? He was on his way for a swim? Maybe there's a pool somewhere in the Contemplation Garden? Chief! A key.

I found it under the body.

For a locker or a padlock or something.

We should dust it for prints.

If it was underneath the victim, then it either belongs to him Or to the k*ller.

Huh.

You would think.

Dwayne.

JP.

Why don't you finish processing the scene.

- We should have a quick word with the witnesses.

- Chief.

So, when was the last time you all saw Mr Friend alive? It was about half past two.

We'd just finished lunch.

Daniel headed off for his swim as usual.

"As usual"? It was a regular thing? Every day.

Same time.

Daniel said a dip in the sea was the best form of therapy he knew.

You have to go through the Contemplation Garden - to get to the beach? - No, no.

You literally have to go in another direction.

So, why was he heading for the garden then? I don't know.

It's not like him.

Daniel relished routine.

And when Daniel left, what were the rest of you doing? We were all together.

Cressida was running a meditation circle.

A meditation circle? Does that mean you all had your eyes closed? ALL: Yes.

How long did that last? About 30 minutes.

- And, afterwards, when you were done? - WINDCHIME TINKLES Gabe and I headed for a walk.

That's when we found him.

Daniel! Wait here.

He was just lying there.

I checked for vital signs.

First we heard about it is when they came back and told us.

And then Gabe went to get his phone, and then that's when we called your lot.

HE TAKES A DEEP BREATH Now, can any of you think of a reason why someone might want to m*rder Mr Friend? Well, I mean I only met the man yesterday.

So, I hardly knew him.

Same.

I got here a few days ago, but he didn't seem like the kind of person to have enemies.

And what about outside the retreat? Was there anyone on the island who he'd fallen out with? He didn't really know anyone on the island.

I see.

So, that means the only people on Saint Marie that Daniel actually knew -- were you four.

Yes, but, I mean, you don't think it was one of us because we were all out there on the lawn when it happened.

Forgive me, it's just, well The thing is, we think whoever strangled Daniel might have used one of those belts you're all wearing to do it.

And what with this being such an isolated spot and as you said, Cressida, Daniel keeping himself to himself.

Well, when you put all that together -- I can't help thinking that our k*ller is someone within the retreat.

This one! It's missing a belt.

It was there this morning.

Are you sure? I was doing the laundry.

They were all here.

I'm sure of it.

So you and your guests are the only ones who have access to this room? Florence, tell Dwayne and JP to search the retreat.

High up and low down.

Let's see if we can find our missing belt.

2.

20 this afternoon, Daniel Friend tucked his towel under his arm and set off for his daily swim.

But, instead, of going to the beach as he normally would .

.

and for reasons we don't yet know .

.

he decided to head to the retreat's Contemplation Garden.

Here.

However, his journey was cut short when he was accosted -- we think by one of the other residents -- and strangled to death.

Just here.

So, what do we have on our victim? I haven't been able to dig up that much so far.

The retreat only has a basic website and he seems to have no presence on social media.

Seems technology was an anathema to Mr Friend.

Now the only four people, as far as we're aware, who knew Daniel are the three paying guests and, of course, his wife.

Cressida Friend.

A qualified yoga teacher.

Their business accounts show they opened the retreat - using money from her trust fund.

- Trust fund? Apparently, her family are big landowners in Dorset.

Oh, well, in that case we should do a full financial check.

As an old mucker of mine at the Met used to say, - "Where there's money, there's motive.

" - What's a mucker? Oh, it's just a friend, Florence.

Like you and me.

We're a couple of muckers.

Hmm.

Muckers? OK! Gabriel Lee.

26.

Junior doctor, currently taking a year-long sabbatical from Bristol General.

- Do we know why? - Not yet.

But I've got details for his consultant.

I'll get in touch.

Right.

So, who's next? Erm, Eva Ingram.

Single.

A successful entrepreneur who runs her own business importing wine.

She owns a number of shops around the UK.

And she arrived on the island only yesterday? Claims she'd never met Daniel before.

We need to confirm that for ourselves.

And, finally, Bryn Williams.

51.

Lives in London, but originally from, um "Pwel" -- "Pwill" -- "Pywell", I'm sorry, how do you say that? I've no idea.

I'm Irish.

- Let's just say "Wales".

- SHE CHUCKLES So, what do we have on Bryn? Hmm, so far, not much.

His Facebook page states his profession as a Maths teacher.

But I'm struggling to find evidence of that.

There are two significant questions that lie at the heart of this case, Florence.

The first -- if our victim went to the beach for a swim at the same time every day Daniel headed off for his swim as usual.

.

.

then who or what made him change his mind today? And the second -- if our k*ller is one of these four people who were sitting in this meditation circle .

.

then how did one of them slip out unnoticed and commit m*rder? JP, you find anything yet? JP? JP? Ohhhh! Why don't you make yourself at home, JP? Put your feet up.

And why don't I make you a nice cold planters while I'm at it?! I'm sorry, Dwayne.

It's just I started flicking through this book - and I just couldn't put it down.

- Oh! - It's really fascinating! HE GRUNTS Believe by Daniel Friend.

Hey.

The victim wrote it? Yes, he's got a whole box of them.

I think it's for the guests to buy.

"Using the power of positive thinking "to access your life's goals"? Oh, come on! Er, Dwayne, basically, it says that if there's something you want in life, and you project it in your mind.

You can actually make it happen! - Oh, really? - Mmm.

Well, let's put it to the test.

I'm projecting, in my mind, that JP will get up off of his backside and start doing some work.

HE SIGHS Amazing.

It worked.

- Very funny, Dwayne.

- Never mind all that! How did you get on here? Any sign of the belt? Well, I found a whole load of Daniel's papers and journals, and I boxed them up, but no belt.

You? Diddly squat.

We'd better get back to the station and update the chief, you know? Uh! Positive thinking! I'm sorry, Chief.

We searched inside, outside, upstairs and downstairs.

It has to be there.

If our k*ller is Well, then, how, when and where did they manage to dispose of the belt when none of them left the retreat after the m*rder? It doesn't make any sense.

OK, let's call it a day.

- cr*ck on anew in the morning.

- Chief.

Have you got something there, Florence? Sir, it's from the items JP found in Daniel's room.

It's a notebook.

Shorthand.

- We should see if we can get it deciphered.

- Will do.

Ah, sarge? We're going for a quick drink to Catherine's bar.

- Fancy joining us? - No, I might stay and make a couple of calls.

- Chief? - Oh, I'd love to, Dwayne.

But this speech is not going to write itself.

The commissioner's award is in two days.

OK, well, a small rum might be just what you need to get your creative juices flowing, ah? Hm? Maybe you're right, Dwayne.

Maybe that's exactly what I need, yeah! Just a small one, then.

Absolutely, Chief.

Just a small one.

Or two! Or three GROANING Morning, sir! You look terrible.

Have you slept? Yeah! I think I might've nodded off for about five minutes around four.

Four? You haven't been working on your speech all night? It got to the point where words ceased to have any meaning.

They were just dancing in front of my eyes.

But then, just before you arrived, a breakthrough! - Really? - I decided to seek professional help.

This guy! He's written biographies about everyone from Churchill to George Best.

He says the key to writing about someone is to know your subject inside out.

Get to know them intimately.

And how are you going to do that? I'm going to invite the commissioner to spend some quality time with me.

Anyway, we've got more pressing issues.

- How did you get on last night? - I paid my cousin a visit.

He's a clerk at Honore Town Court.

And did he manage to translate Daniel's scribblings? Well, first off, I don't think this was written by Daniel Friend.

It's mainly about him and it's written in the third person.

So, someone was keeping a journal ABOUT Daniel? It's all about their stay as a guest at the retreat and it's very critical of him.

Is there any way of working out who the author might be? All the guests are mentioned in it, except for one.

Bryn Williams.

Bryn Williams.

Yesterday, you said that Bryn's social media - maintained he was a maths teacher - DEODORANT SPRAYS .

.

but you didn't find any evidence of that? No, nothing.

I wonder Very few jobs left that call for shorthand.

But the one trade that still uses it is journalism.

Nothing.

"William Bryn" maybe? His pseudonym! Will you drive? I'm going to make a call to an old press officer friend of mine back in London.

See if I can't find a number for Mr Williams' editor.

- That's got nothing to do with what happened with Daniel.

- No? Because, from where I'm standing, this gives you a pretty strong motive for m*rder.

- Oh, you're joking, right? - Not in the slightest.

How about you start by explaining why your notebook - was in Daniel's possession.

- Was he on to you? I don't know how, but he sussed that I was onto something, yeah.

Like ourselves, he "sussed" that you weren't the common-or-garden maths teacher you claimed to be? - He worked out that I was writing an expose.

- And he confronted you? You know, for a man who spent his time banging on about inner peace, he didn't half get angry.

- And what did he say? - He told me to get on the next flight home ASAP.

- When did this happen? - Couple of days ago.

- So, how come you're still here? - We came to an arrangement.

I offered to write a complimentary article about the place.

Right, yes And why didn't you inform your editor about this? - I just spoke with him.

Half an hour ago.

- Really? - Yeah.

He had no idea Daniel was on to you.

But he did have some very interesting information to pass on about you.

Like how things aren't going too well in your personal life at the moment.

Halfway through a divorce.

About to lose custody of your children.

And your work was suffering as a result.

According to him -- this undercover gig here at the retreat, is pretty much last chance saloon.

So, Daniel Friend blowing your cover and sending you packing -- I imagine that's the last thing you need.

I can see how this might look.

It looks, Bryn -- despite your protestations -- that you benefit from Daniel Friend's death.

Big time.

The man's clearly desperate, Florence.

But is he desperate enough to commit m*rder? - Morning, Cressida.

- Morning.

Wow! They're really, really What are they exactly? We call them emotional expression sculptures.

They're from an art therapy class I ran with Bryn and Gabe yesterday.

"Emotional expression sculptures"? I thought I'd put them out in the sun so they can dry quicker.

Anything to keep busy.

Inspector? The day before yesterday, I happened to see Gabe with Daniel and it looked like Gabe was pretty livid at him.

Gabe was pointing and jabbing Daniel in the chest.

- What time was this? - Er, about 10.

30 in the morning.

- Did you hear any of what was said? - No, but The thing is, Gabe then walked out of the retreat and we didn't see him again until yesterday morning.

He just disappeared for 24 hours.

And did you ask Daniel about this? He said it was nothing to worry about.

But you think there was something to it? Some issue between them? All I know is he still had a lot of anger in him when he made this.

I'll chase the consultant at the hospital Gabe works at.

Yeah, let's see how Dwayne and JP are getting on with his phone records and financial checks.

Anything that might tell us where Gabe went during that missing 24 hours.

Commissioner! What an unexpected pleasure! I wondered if you might have five minutes for a chat, Inspector? For you, sir, I've got the whole day.

Excuse me, gentlemen.

As I'm sure you can imagine, receiving the island's Special Award tomorrow night - is a great honour for me.

- Course.

- I'm not, by nature, a sentimental man.

- No.

And yet I must admit I am deeply moved by this acknowledgement.

I can only imagine.

So, you can see why I would hate to see the evening marred in any way.

Well, it goes without saying, sir.

Mayor Bordey tells me you are giving the speech before the award is presented so That's right.

Yes.

And don't you worry.

It's coming along a treat.

I've got some lovely material already.

Although Why is there an "although"? Well, I just have the tiniest concern that parts of it are a bit, well, general.

And I couldn't help feeling that if you and I could sit down, have a drink, at Catherine's bar, say? It's on.

Me and the commissioner.

7pm.

Catherine's bar.

- Really? - Yeah! Couple of rums, some gentle encouragement and he'll be regaling me with anecdotes.

I'll have him singing like a bird.

QUIETLY: He asked the commissioner for a drink?! PHONE RINGS Excuse me.

So, what's the story? - JP, is that a postmortem I see before me? - Yes, it is.

And it confirms Daniel Friend d*ed due to asphyxiation.

Also, the fibres found around the victim's neck are the same kind of fabric used to make the robe belts at the retreat.

Except we still have no idea how the m*rder*r managed to get rid of the belt, - when not one of them left the retreat.

- Oh! - Also, I dusted the key as requested.

- And? There's only one set of prints on them and they're Daniel's.

If we could only figure out what exactly it unlocks.

There's a locksmith in town, isn't there? Er, yes, Dread Locks.

Why don't you pop down as soon as you get a chance - and see if he can give us a steer.

- OK.

- Sir? - Yes, Florence? - I've had an e-mail back from Bristol General.

Gabe took his sabbatical after his twin sister, Ruth, d*ed six months ago.

Apparently, he was finding it hard to get over her death.

- She took her own life.

- Whoo! What a terrible thing.

And here's a link to a website Gabe set up in her memory.

Poor girl.

And so young.

Makes sense of what he was doing at the retreat.

Trying to deal with his grief, I suppose.

.

.

Yes, see you, then.

Chief, I've got something for you.

So, I checked Gabe's phone records like you suggested and the only phone call he made on the morning he went off the radar was to one of the local taxi firms.

Apparently, he wanted to be dropped off at the nearest bar.

- Which is? - The Blue Parrot.

You want us to go over there and see if we can find out anything, Chief? It's like you can read my mind! Impossible! JP! Let's go! Oh, yes, of course! Little Michael who runs the place just got three months for theft.

Oy, oy, oy, oy, oy, oy, oy! His brother Tino must be running it.

And nothing keeps Tino away from his cricket.

OK, so let's go and find him, then.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! He could be anywhere on the island.

His sister's place.

His brother's.

Either of his girlfriends'.

OK, Well, I guess we just wait here until Tino turns up.

You know, I was reading a little bit more of this book last night, Dwayne.

Positive thinking.

And it says if things aren't exactly working out the way you want, there are these visualisation exercises you can use.

And how the hell is that going to be of any use to us now? Well, what we want is for Tino to turn up - so we can ask him some questions.

- Uh-huh.

So, if I close my eyes and I picture the path ahead and I visualise Tino walking around the bend.

OK.

Yes.

Yeah, OK.

so now I've visualised it, what I've willed to happen should actually happen.

Oh! OK! Maybe you should try another book.

Yeah, I probably need to do, you know, a bit more practice on it.

That's an understatement.

No way.

Is that Tino? - That's him! The Rasta! - Oh, my! It actually worked! - JP LAUGHS - You just have to believe! Sir, have you ever heard of a thing called "confrontation therapy"? Yeah, a colleague of mine tried it after a tough case.

Why? Well, I've been looking at the retreat's schedule and at 9am the morning Gabe disappeared, he was booked in for a one-to-one therapy session with Daniel.

Which would've been just before Cressida saw them arguing? So, what does confrontation therapy involve? Well, as far as I can tell, it's about taking responsibility for your problems.

It's pretty extreme.

A lot of shrinks reckon it's dangerous.

Especially if the subject is trying to deal with a significant trauma.

Like the death of a sister? Like the death of a twin sister, yeah.

OK, Chief, we just spoke to the barman who was there on the day Gabe Lee turned up.

- A guy called Tino.

- And what did Tino have to say? That Gabe was clearly very angry when he arrived at the bar.

And the more he drank, the angrier he got.

Apparently, he spent the whole time telling Tino exactly how much he hated Daniel Friend.

And get this! Gabe's very last words before he left the bar was "Daniel Friend's got it coming.

" What are you planting? Celery or peas? Sorry to hear about your sister.

Why? You didn't know her.

Well, I know how complicated grief can be.

It's not just the pain.

It's the anger and regret .

.

and the guilt.

She'd split up with her boyfriend.

They'd been together a couple of years and he really messed her around.

She kept telling me she was fine.

But she wasn't.

And I should've seen that.

That's what I regret.

Coming here -- has it helped? I understand you were having therapy sessions with Daniel.

Confrontation therapy.

Daniel kept talking about taking responsibility -- how we can't move on unless we do.

It felt like he was telling me it was my fault my sister k*lled herself.

And this is what prompted your argument with Daniel.

It's not my fault.

It's yours! Just before you left the retreat and headed for the Blue Parrot? I knew if I'd stayed that I'd - What? Hit him? - Yes.

- Or worse? No! No! I left so I could get him out of my sight.

So, I could calm down.

Yeah, but you didn't calm down, did you, Gabe? Tino at the Blue Parrot told us that hours after the argument, you were still ranting and raving angry towards Daniel.

But I didn't k*ll him.

Even if I wanted to, I couldn't have.

I was sitting in that meditation circle with everyone else, wasn't I? Gabe's right, Florence.

We've got four suspects.

Each of them has an alibi -- the same alibi for the time the m*rder was committed.

They were all sat together in a meditation circle - inside the retreat.

- Exactly.

So, just how did one of them do it? Sir, I just come back from the locksmith and he said this type of key would fit some sort of cash-box.

- A cash-box? - Hmm.

Well, you searched the retreat.

- Did you spot anything like that? - I'm afraid not, sir.

- Great.

So as well as the belt that was used to k*ll the victim, we now have a cashbox -- two items that have gone missing.

Chief, I've finished going through all the phone records and the e-mail correspondence from the retreat.

- Anything of interest? - Just one thing.

Two months ago, someone from the retreat called the emergency services.

Now, it wasn't for us, so that means it was either for the fire brigade or an ambulance.

- Do we know which? - I'm waiting for a return call.

- OK.

Well, let's see what turns up there.

- Yes, Chief.

So, how're we getting on sorting through Daniel's paperwork? Ah, we've gone through the first box which has all his papers since he moved here.

Nothing before that.

Haven't started on the second box yet.

Well, I guess that's my homework for tonight, then.

Oh, sir, don't forget your drink with the commissioner.

Sort the speech out first.

And then I'll get stuck into that lot.

I'm just trying to get a sense of you as a civilian, as well as a commissioner.

What you look like when you take off your uniform.

Excuse me? Could've put that better.

Erm, no, I just want to get a feel for the real Selwyn Patterson.

- I mean, I don't even know if you're married? - Why would you? Well, why don't you take me back to where it all began? - Were you born here on the island? - Yes.

- And do you have any family nearby or - No.

So, what are some of your earliest memories? I'm not sure that's relevant.

You're hardly going to use that in your speech, are you? Ah, Catherine! Here we are, gentlemen.

Thank you, Mayor Bordey.

So, what's the occasion? I've been helping the inspector put the final touches to his speech for tomorrow night.

But it's getting late.

Ah! I hope I've been of use.

Yes! Very helpful.

JACK CHUCKLES Marvellous! I've got nothing.

I'll be honest, Catherine.

I am way out of my comfort zone here -- miles! HE SIGHS When I became mayor, I was terrified of speaking in public.

But I've realised there are only two things to remember.

And what are they? - Number one, keep it short.

- And number two? - Keep it short.

- I can do short.

How about I just say, "Fair play to you, Commissioner.

- "You're a great fella, here's your award.

" - Mm-hm.

HE SIGHS - Ah, that's brilliant, thank you.

- No problem.

Ah, Florence! Good morning.

- Morning, sir.

JP told me you were here.

- I am.

Was that Archie Martindale you were talking to? - It was indeed.

Do you know him? - Everyone knows Archie.

He's a legend on the island.

He must be, what, 83 now? 84, and he's still driving the ambulance.

It's amazing! So, what were you talking to him about? Ah, yes, sit down.

I'll explain.

Sorry, monsieur, two more coffees, please.

Right, so last night, I came across these.

Letters to Cressida, all unopened.

Daniel must've been keeping them from her.

They're from her parents.

From what I can glean, Daniel insisted that Cressida cut off all communication between friends and family after they got married and moved out here.

- Really? - For his all Zen-like calm, Daniel Friend, it seems, was a very controlling man.

I've come across people like that before.

I know how they operate.

And then I remembered Dwayne saying that the emergency services had been called to the retreat just a couple of months ago.

You think Daniel might've hurt Cressida? - There you go.

- It's just a hunch.

That's all.

But I chased the call and yes, the ambulance was called to tend to injuries that Cressida had received.

Thank you.

- Which is why you were talking to Archie? - Exactly.

He says that Cressida had treatment for a broken rib.

Daniel was with her.

- Did either of them say what had happened? - Yeah.

They said she fell off a ladder fixing something or other.

But Archie had doubts? He was suspicious.

Said that Cressida was tearful, on edge, but they both stuck to the ladder story.

Nothing he could do about it.

So, what? You think maybe Cressida had had enough and fought back? She's the one who k*lled Daniel? Well, only she can answer that.

- This is where he used to swim every day.

- Lovely.

We found these in Daniel's personal effects.

They're all addressed to you and most of them unopened.

Daniel was always threatened by Mum and Dad.

- They were suspicious of him.

- Why was that? Because of the family trust, - they assumed that everyone was on the make.

- But Daniel wasn't? - No.

Daniel wasn't interested in money.

He rejected any kind of materialism.

The retreat, whose idea was it? Daniel's.

Initially.

But I didn't need much convincing.

- Did he always get what he wanted? - Two months ago you were taken to hospital.

A broken rib.

What happened? It was an accident, that's all.

I fell off a step ladder.

Are you absolutely sure about that, Cressida? He's not here now.

He can't hurt you any more.

It was a row that got out of hand, that's all.

I wanted to go home to England for my brother's wedding.

- Daniel didn't want me to go.

- So, he hurt you? Not on purpose.

If you'd seen him afterwards, he was always so contrite and loving.

"Always"? So this happened more than once? You must have been desperate to get away, to escape.

I imagine you were prepared to do anything? I could've walked away if I wanted to.

I didn't need to k*ll him to escape our marriage, - if that's what you're insinuating.

- Mmm.

- Ah! Chief! You're back just in time.

- What've you got? You see, we couldn't find anything on Daniel Friend that dated back farther than three years.

His tax affairs.

Bank records.

E-mail accounts.

- Even his current passport were issued three years ago.

- Go on Now, me and JP are starting to think that Daniel Friend isn't actually Daniel Friend.

So, who was Daniel Friend before he was Daniel Friend? That's what we don't yet know.

If he did change his name, it wasn't done officially.

So, our victim had a previous identity.

I was on a fraud case once, back when I first started.

Months, we were after this fella.

He was so slippery, we used to call him "The Eel.

" He kept reinventing himself, new identities, the lot.

But, finally, he tripped himself up.

You see, he'd stashed mementoes of his previous life under the floorboards.

Couldn't quite let go, I suppose.

But we haven't found anything like that in Daniel's possessions.

Mmm, not a whiff.

Yeah, but when we found Daniel, there was a key Chief! .

.

for a cashbox which we haven't yet found.

Now, what if this box contains the remnants of his previous life? I think the answer lies somewhere in the ground here.

Dwayne, do your thing.

Ah, Chief, there's quite a lot to cover, here, you know? Any specific place you want me to start? Your guess is as good as mine.

Maybe we try visualising finding it, just like you saw me do earlier.

But what if I'm not like you? What if I haven't got the gift? It's worth a try.

HE SIGHS It was never going to happen, was it? METAL-DETECTOR BUZZES It worked! - Sorry, what just happened there? - No idea! You were right, sir.

Yes, well, let's see if this tells us just who Daniel Friend really is.

Hello, Michael Bennett.

Yes, uh-huh.

Unlike Daniel Friend, Michael Bennett has a past.

And a pretty colourful one, too, by the looks of things.

A string of failed businesses, investigated for embezzlement.

Thank you very much.

That was the airport.

Now there was a Michael Bennett booked on a flight to South Africa the day Daniel d*ed.

So, that's what he was up to.

Why he was going to dig up the box.

He was making a break for it! So, this cash must have been his running-away fund.

But what was he running away from? Sir, take a look at this.

Four years ago, Michael Bennett was the co-owner of a h*m* business in Hertfordshire which went bust, leaving his partner 100,000 in debt.

Why is that significant? - Look who co-owned it.

- CLACKS KEY Eva Ingram! - HE KNOCKS ON DOOR - Eva? Eva? She's not there.

Oh, she said she'd cleared it with you, Inspector.

Did she now? So where did she go? Oh, she took a taxi to the harbour.

The harbour! She's here somewhere! There she is.

Just a one way ticket, please.

Going somewhere nice, Miss Ingram? Michael Bennett ripped you off, left you £100,000 in debt, and then vanished off the face of the Earth.

I'd say that gives you a pretty good reason to want revenge.

- Well, I didn't come here to k*ll him.

- No? So, why did you come here? What, you just fancied a bit of spiritual rejuvenation? - And then by sheer coincidence.

- No.

- I mean, there was one coincidence involved.

- Which was? One day, a friend of mine called me and said she'd happened upon this review of the retreat online.

And there was a photo of Michael? Right, so you booked yourself a place, what then? - What was the plan? - Well, I mean to confront him.

And demand an apology.

And what he owed me.

He looked so shocked.

He couldn't believe that I'd found him.

Welcome.

- And what did he say? - That he'd have the money by the end of the week but, um, - he begged me not to mention it to Cressida.

- And you believed him? Even though you'd been here before, left high and dry? Well, I'm not sure if I believed him, but I knew I wasn't going to leave here without my money.

Well, I'm sure you weren't.

But Daniel was.

He had a flight booked and a big load of cash.

I think he was about to do exactly what he'd done to you before -- his disappearing act, leaving you with only one option.

If you couldn't get your money, then you'd have to settle for revenge.

One man, two names.

Daniel Friend and Michael Bennett.

Four suspects, each of them with a motive.

And yet not one of them had the opportunity to follow Daniel down that path and then strangle him because they were all sitting together in a circle in the half hour between Daniel being seen alive and being found dead.

So, just how on earth did our k*ller manage to do it? Anyone? It's impossible.

- Except it can't be.

Because it did happen.

- Sir - The time.

Don't we need to get ready for the award ceremony? - Oh! It starts in less than an hour and I've still got no speech.

What am I going to do? If we put together everything we know about the commissioner, I'm sure we can come up with something.

So What have we got? OK, so, erm, - Yes, we know that the commissioner was born on the island.

- Mm-hmm.

So, erm, yes, anyone else? Well, he - He's, um - He is, erm .

.

the commissioner, let's think ALL MURMUR Chief, the man is an enigma! HE SIGHS It is my great pleasure It is my great pleasure It is my great pleasure It is my great pleasure, this evening, to say a few words in honour APPLAUSE And, finally, we come to the last, and most important, of our civic awards this evening.

The Lifetime Award for Services to the Island.

And here, to present the award, is Detective Inspector Jack Mooney.

- QUIETLY: God help me - APPLAUSE You'll be great, sir.

What can you say about Commissioner Selwyn Patterson? FEEDBACK SQUEAKS, HE TAPS HE CLEARS HIS THROA Selwyn Patterson was born here in Saint Marie.

And, as you all know, he's been our Commissioner for quite a while now.

And even if some of you aren't certain of what a commissioner actually does, well I'm sure you'll all agree that he seems to know exactly what he's doing.

SCATTERED COUGHS Hand on heart, I don't really know the commissioner that well.

I mean, I've only been on the island for less than a year.

But I'd like to think, even in that short time, I've got to know something about the people of Saint Marie.

People like the team I work with, who'll come around to keep you company when your daughter flies off to the other side of the world.

Or bring dinner to the office when you've been working too hard.

In short, the people of this island are among the most friendly, decent, good-hearted people I've ever had the pleasure to meet.

And if you've decided that Selwyn Patterson deserves this award, well, then he must be a very fine man indeed.

Congratulations, Commissioner.

APPLAUSE APPROVING MURMURS Well said, sir.

It's typical, isn't it? I mean, you can spend days trying to plan something or you can make something up on the spot, and the result is exactly the same.

Thank you, DI Mooney, for those kind and well-chosen words.

Make something up on the spot.

Sir? What if that's what the k*ller did? Because Daniel wasn't where he was supposed to be.

Closing our eyes And then Gabe went to get his phone and then that's when we called your lot.

It's not my fault! We call them emotional expression sculptures.

She'd split up with her boyfriend.

Hello, Michael Bennett.

I've got it! CONCERNED MURMURS I believe that sound you've just heard is DI Mooney solving a case.

Sounds like you have urgent matters to attend to.

That's it.

That's exactly it! All this time, I've had it the wrong way around.

Dwayne, call the undertaker.

We need to get Daniel's body back.

And wake up the pathologist.

We need him to run one more test.

Everything's all set, sir.

A camera-phone.

Ubiquitous these days.

We all have one.

Our every moment is recorded.

No-one, it seems, can eat a sandwich without wanting to take a selfie with it.

Yet, these little fellas are strictly verboten here at the Calming Breath.

Why? Well, Daniel claims it was for holistic reasons.

But that wasn't the case.

His obsession with privacy wasn't for his guests' benefit.

It was for his own benefit, because the truth is Daniel was terrified - of being exposed for who he really was.

Michael Bennett.

- Who? But Daniel wasn't the only liar here at the retreat.

You've all got your secrets, but only one of you has been lying to cover up the fact that you're a m*rder*r.

Now, all of you sitting there are confident that you've got the perfect alibi.

But truth be told, the question that's been eating away at me for the last few days is how on earth did our k*ller manage to strangle Daniel while sitting in a meditation circle? You don't still think it was one of us, do you? Oh, more than ever.

As a matter of fact, I know for certain it was.

I mean, I know the real reason why Daniel didn't go for his swim that day was because he was on his way to retrieve this from where he'd buried it.

It contained the few remnants of Daniel's former life.

Michael Bennett's passport.

His birth certificate.

And a significant amount of cash.

An escape fund, if you will.

Now that his cover had been blown, by the woman he used to own a business with, he knew it was high time to scarper.

He had his flights to South Africa booked and ready.

But Daniel would never make it as far as Johannesburg.

He wouldn't even make it as far as the cash box.

Because while he was on his way to get that he collapsed and fell down in the dirt.

Unconscious.

Unconscious? Why? Because he'd been drugged.

Drugged? You said he'd been strangled.

Oh, Daniel was strangled all right, that's for sure.

But that wasn't the way he was meant to die.

No.

He was supposed to drown.

Wasn't he .

.

Gabe? - Me? You can't be serious? - Yeah! We went back to the pathologist and we asked him to run an additional test on Daniel's body.

And that showed that around 65 milligram of a strong, fast-acting sedative was in his system.

I remember Cressida saying It was about 2.

30.

We had just finished lunch.

I'm guessing that's how you got the sedative into Daniel's system.

In his green tea.

You knew what time Daniel went for his swim every day, 2.

30.

Enjoy your swim, my love.

It was only a few minutes' walk from here to the beach.

And you knew what time lunch was served, so it wasn't very difficult to work out what kind of a dose to give him.

Especially, as you're a trained doctor.

Just enough to kick in as he was swimming out into the ocean.

Causing him to fall into a deep sleep and drown.

Best case scenario -- his body would be lost to the ocean.

- Never to return.

- Worst case, cause of death would be dismissed as a tragic accident.

Meaning no-one would bother to ask for a blood analysis of the victim.

Not any more than they would if the cause of death was strangulation.

Unlucky for you, Daniel decided not to go for a swim that day.

Instead he headed for the Contemplation Garden.

No wonder finding him lying on the path knocked you sideways.

That was the last thing you were expecting.

And worst of all, he was still alive.

He was still alive?! In that moment, you realised you needed to improvise.

So thinking on your feet you made a bold decision.

You told Cressida He's dead.

While Eva was comforting you, Gabe offered to go and get his phone so as he could call the police, knowing that this would give him enough time to get back to Daniel and finish the job.

So, Gabe ran and grabbed his phone.

And then, he headed back to Daniel's body.

And then so as he wouldn't leave any fingerprints, he used the only w*apon that he had on him .

.

the belt from around his robe .

.

and he strangled Daniel.

There was no struggle.

How could there be? The man was unconscious and utterly defenceless.

And that left only one more thing for you to do before returning to the others.

Dispose of the belt.

So, where did you hide it? No? Dwayne, JP, if you would? On the morning of Daniel's death, Cressida, here held an art therapy session with Bryn and Gabe.

It was only a few hours later that Daniel was k*lled.

The clay would have still been wet.

SMASHING THEY GASP Once you'd hidden the incriminating belt with Daniel's DNA on it, you then took a clean belt from the storeroom, and tied it round your own robe.

Why? What did Daniel ever do to you? It wasn't about what Daniel did to Gabe.

Was it? It was what he did to Gabe's sister.

He really messed her around.

She kept telling me she was fine.

But she wasn't.

The man you married, Cressida, was once in a relationship with Ruth Lee.

But she knew him as Michael Bennett.

Now as far as I can tell, Michael Bennett, he only ever achieved real success at one thing.

Screwing over women.

BOTH SIGH Ruth was totally in love with Michael.

And then, he just vanished.

Took her savings, her car and broke her heart so badly.

She she never came back from it.

Daniel Friend spent a lifetime running away.

From his debt.

From responsibility.

From himself.

But like I say, in an age where our every move is recorded, no-one can outrun their past.

Of course, the irony here is that if Daniel hadn't been trying to run away on this occasion, there's every chance that his k*ller would have got away with m*rder.

You know, when he saw me, he didn't even recognise me.

That's how little my sister meant to him.

I don't regret what I did.

He deserved it! At least, now Ruth can rest in peace.

JP.

OK, up you get.

Well, I can't deny what my eyes saw, JP.

This book really does have magic in it.

For instance right now, Catherine is going to bring us both over a free beer.

And how did you come to that? Well, how do you think, man? I visualised it! Remember? Here you are, gentlemen.

Two beers.

You see? Cheers! Oh! And your bill, Dwayne! HE CHUCKLES But, Catherine, how come this says, "ten beers"? The last time you were in, you forgot to pay.

But you don't mind settling up now, do you? Oh, come on, no.

Later.

HE CHUCKLES Like I said, it's all a big con.

You sure you're all right to finish off here, sir? Yeah, you go on ahead.

- See you in the morning.

- Night, sir.

DS Cassell.

Commissioner.

It might not have been quite the speech I was hoping for, but in its own peculiar way, I appreciated the sentiment.

Well, it was from the heart.

I gathered.

I was pleased to note how well you're settling into island life.

Saint Marie's clearly got under your skin.

Has indeed, sir.

Cricket.

Sorry? Watching my father play cricket.

You wanted to know what was my earliest memory.

- Just for the record.

- Right.

- It's too bad I couldn't put that in my speech.

- Who knows? Maybe in time, we might get to know each other a little better.

I'd like that.

Perhaps we could go for another drink.

Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Inspector.

Police, please! GRUNTING Cordell Thomas Now why would our victim be clutching a peanut? I.

Didn't.

Do it.

Inspector.

You have hot-footed it up here to stuff your face, while the rest of your poor colleagues - are working through the night.

- But it's my birthday! First girl I ever kissed had the same initials.

Leony Brennan.

Terrifying, she was.

God, I hope it's not her
Post Reply