Midsomer Murders Ep. 'Judgement Day'
Page 2
39.
INT. LOTHLORIAN - LIVING ROOM DAY.
A
bright, tastless room with a curiously large number of photographs of the
same
person: CAROLINE DEVERE at various stages of her life. The actual
CAROLINE
now comes in. An angry BELLA and a worried MARCUS are
waiting
for her.
CAROLINE
Hi.
What’s for lunch? I’ve been out
walking
and I’m stivvy starving!
Slow as
she is, CAROLINE realises that something is wrong. MARCUS is
embarrassed.
BELLA is on the edge of fury.
CAROLINE
What is
it?
BELLA
(Cold)
Peter Drinkwater.
CAROLINE
(Faint)
What?
BELLA
You’re
seeing him again, aren’t you.
CAROLINE
No!
BELLA
Don’t lie
to me, Caroline!
BELLA
produces a handful of letters.
BELLA
I found
these in your room.
- 29 -
CAROLINE
Mummy!
BELLA
Letters.
Love letters. Disgusting
letters!
How could you…?
CAROLINE
You shouldn’t
be searching in my
room!
MARCUS
Now
listen, Caroline. Your mother
and I
are very worried about you.
CAROLINE
Why?
BELLA
You
know what sort of a boy he is!
He’s
worthless. Even his aunt
agrees.
MARCUS
It’s
true…
CAROLINE
(On the
edge of tears) But I love
him.
And he loves me.
BELLA
Don’t
talk nonsense.
CAROLINE
It’s
true! He wants to marry me.
And I
want to marry him. You don’t
understand.
MARCUS
You’re
not marrying him, Caro. Not
over my
dead body. Really…!
BELLA
That
boy is a snake-in-the-grass,
Caroline.
He’s nothing but trouble.
And you
will listen to me…
- 30 -
CAROLINE
I
won’t! I’m twenty years old now. I
can do
what I like.
MARCUS
Look…maybe
I should go and have
a talk
with him. Just the two of us.
Mano a
mano…
CAROLINE
No,
daddy. No! (Pause) I love Peter
more
than anyone in the whole
world.
We’re going to live together.
And
there’s nothing you can do!
CAROLINE
leaves the room. MARCUS and BELLA are left, helpless.
CUT TO
40.
EXT. LOTHLORIAN DAY.
Wiping
away the tears, CAROLINE leaves the house. She has more or less
composed
herself by the time she reaches the edge of the village and it’s now
that
her bad luck begins. LAURA BRIERLY, still smarting from her earlier
encounter,
is leaving her house. She falls into step with CAROLINE.
LAURA
Good
afternoon, Caroline. Is something
the
matter?
CAROLINE
No.
LAURA
You
know, I was talking about you
only
this morning. I was rather
hoping
I’d run into you.
CAROLINE
Mrs
Brierly…
LAURA
I was
talking to Peter Drinkwater.
He’s a
friend of yours, I know. But
there’s
something perhaps you
ought
to know about him…
- 31 -
CUT TO
HIGH
ANGLE
We
don’t hear LAURA spill the beans on PETER - but we can guess her intent
from
the spite in her eyes. CAROLINE stands agog as the dirt comes tumbling
out.
CUT TO
41.
INT. BARNABY’S OFFICE DAY.
BARNABY
is at work, looking something up on his computer. TROY comes in,
excited
about something.
TROY
Sir…
BARNABY
holds up a hand. He’s just checking something.
BARNABY
I
thought I knew that name. Peter
Drinkwater.
He has a record.
TROY
glances at the computer.
BARNABY
Nothing
very serious. Two police
cautions.
Taking and driving away.
Shoplifting.
A six month suspended
sentence
for assault.
TROY
And you
think he’s graduated to
burglary?
BARNABY
What
have you got?
TROY
The
registration number of the van.
I had
to go round in circles but I
finally
got there. M 392 LYF. It’s a
white
Ford Transit, registered to
Ray
Dorset at Midsomer Mallow.
- 32 -
BARNABY
Ray
Dorset? The butcher…
TROY
He has
a twenty-one year old son.
Jack
Dorset. I think it may have
been
him working in the shop.
BARNABY
And the
shop is the centre of gossip
in any
village. People tell Ray when
they’re
going to be away for the
weekend…
TROY
…and
Jack tells his mate Peter.
BARNABY
Yes, I
think so. So which one shall
we go
for first?
TROY
Peter.
He was an obnoxious little
sod.
Let’s start with him.
BARNABY
Right.
CUT TO
42.
INT. VILLAGE HALL DAY.
A clash
of cymbals and a cacophany of sound over the cut introduces us to the
Midsomer
Mallow schools orchestra…a motley collection of kids aged from
about
six to gangly teenagers. They are presided over by MARY DRINKWATER.
MARY
All
right, everyone! Can you calm
down
please. Thank you!
Eventually
the musicians stop making a noise.
MARY
Now -
this is our last rehearsal
before
judgement day and you all
- 33 -
know
how important it is that we
make
the right impression.
A
“blurp” from a trombone.
MARY
Thank
you, Simon. I want lots of
energy,
lots of pazazz. Remember
that
we’re in the key of D major
which
means F sharp and C sharp.
Everyone
together then. One, two,
three
and…
The
band begins to play with MARY DRINKWATER vigorously conducting
and the
joke is that although they are absolutely awful, she isn’t aware of it,
smiling
and conducting as if this were the LSO at the Festival Hall.
MARY
Yes,
yes, yes! Crescendo…!
And as
the music takes over…
CUT TO
43.
EXT. LOTHLORIAN DAY.
The
beginning of a murder montage. CAROLINE DEVERE is sitting on a wall,
crying.
Still reeling from the news that LAURA told her.
CUT TO
ANOTHER
ANGLE
A
worried BELLA DEVERE watches her from a window, inside the house.
CUT TO
44.
EXT. RAY DORSET’S SHOP DAY.
RAY
DORSET gets into a van and drives off. It is the white van that was used
at the
burglary.
CUT TO
ANOTHER
ANGLE
- 34 -
A
worried JACK DORSET watches him from the open door. Does he know
what
RAY is going to do?
45.
INT. VET CLINIC DAY.
GORDON
BRIERLY finishes an operation on a cat. He is being helped by
LAURA
BRIERLY. The two of them in cold silence.
GORDON
Finish
it. I’m going out.
LAURA
Where
are you going?
GORDON
Just
out.
GORDON
throws down his equipment, takes off his gloves and walks out of
the
clinic. LAURA watches him, slightly worried.
46.
INT. GREYFRIARS HOUSE - LIVING ROOM
EDWARD
ALLARDICE is cleaning up the mess made by the burglars. He has
the
pieces of the broken bowl. He stops suddenly, a flash of anger and
determination
on his
face.
47.
EXT. LOTHLORIAN DAY.
CAROLINE
DEVERE has disappeared from the wall. There is also no sign of
BELLA
DEVERE. But suddenly the automatic garage clicks and begins to
whirr
open. A bright red Renault Megane with tinted windows drives out. We
cannot
see who is driving it.
48.
EXT. CAUSTON POLICE STATION DAY.
CUT TO
CUT TO
CUT TO
CUT TO
- 35 -
And
another car. BARNABY and TROY drive out of the police station. A
second
police car follows them.
CUT TO
49.
INT. VILLAGE HALL DAY.
The
horrible music continues. MARY conducts.
MARY
Piano!
Piano now! Building up to
the
climax…!
CUT TO
50.
INT. WINDWHISTLE FARM - BARN DAY.
The
music from the band might meld into our own murder score as PETER
DRINKWATER
hurriedly packs his bags, planning to leave the area.
CUT TO
51.
EXT. WINDWHISTLE FARM - BARN DAY.
A
murder committed in brilliant sunshine. We see only a shadow moving
across
the straw that’s strewn over the bottom of the barn…this is underneath
the
area where PETER lives. A FIGURE is moving towards the outdoor
staircase.
CUT TO
ANOTHER
ANGLE
There’s
a pitchfork stuck into a bale of hay. A hand reaches out and removes
the
pitchfork.
CUT TO
ANOTHER
ANGLE
The
FIGURE carrying the pitchfork starts climbing the staircase.
CUT TO
- 36 -
52.
INT. WINDWHISTLE FARM - BARN DAY.
As
before. PETER is still packing. We might notice some of the valuables
taken
from EDWARD ALLARDICE. Then he hears something. He stops.
PETER
Jack?
Is that you?
Nothing.
Worries, PETER goes over to the door and opens it. The sunlight
floods
in. He just has time to make out a figure standing outside, silhouetted
against
the light.
PETER
What…?
CUT TO
ANOTHER
ANGLE
The
pitchfork is shoved forward, crashing into PETER’S chest.
CUT TO
53.
INT/EXT. BARNABY’S CAR/ROAD DAY.
BARNABY
and TROY are very near Windwhistle Farm now. They see the
white
van approaching them on the main road, moving away from the farm in
the
direction of Midsomer Mallow. The white van is on the same side of the
road as
the entrance to the farm, heading east. It drives past them and
BARNABY
catches sight of RAY DORSET behind the wheel.
TROY
That’s
the van! M392 LYF!
BARNABY
Yes.
TROY
Do you
want me to go after it?
BARNABY
No,
Troy. That was the butcher -
Ray
Dorset - driving. We can catch
up with
it later.
- 37 -
54.
EXT. ENTRANCE TO THE FARM DAY.
BARNABY
and TROY arrive at the entrance to Windwhistle Farm. They are
heading
west and so have to turn right, crossing the road, to enter the farm.
55.
EXT. WINDWHISTLE FARM DAY.
BARNABY,
TROY and the other POLICEMEN arrive at the farm.
BARNABY
(To the
POLICE) Spread out and
look
for him. I don’t want him
getting
away.
He and
TROY move towards the nearest out-building.
56.
INT. WINDWHISTLE FARM DAY.
BARNABY
and TROY search through the shadowy interior of one of the
outbuildings.
TROY comes upon a shape, hidden underneath an old piece of
tarpaulin.
He pulls the tarpaulin off to reveal the computer and tower taken
from
the ALLARDICE home.
TROY
Sir…
BARNABY
comes over.
TROY
There
was a computer on the
inventory
taken from the Allardice
house.
BARNABY
I wish
they were all as easy as this.
Now we
just need to find Drinkwater.
CUT TO
CUT TO
CUT TO
- 38 -
The
alarm is sounded from somewhere outside.
POLICEMAN
(Voice
only)
Sir!
CUT TO
57.
INT. WINDWHISTLE FARM - BARN DAY.
BARNABY
and TROY enter PETER’S room. PETER is lying on the floor with
the
pitchfork protruding from his chest.
BARNABY
Oh…for
Heaven’s sake!
TROY
It
looks like somebody found him
first.
END OF
ACT ONE
- 39 -
58.
EXT. WINDWHISTLE FARM DAY.
A short
while later. More police cars and an ambulance stand outside the farm.
CUT TO
59.
INT. WINDWHISTLE FARM - BARN DAY.
DAN
PETERSON has arrived and is overseeing the removal of the - now
covered
- body. TROY and BARNABY are in attendance.
PETERSON
(Cheerful)
Nasty way to go.
BARNABY
Yes.
PETERSON
Quick
though. One of the prongs
cracked
a rib and went straight into
the
heart. It must have taken quite
a lot
of strength.
BARNABY
Are you
saying it was a man?
PETERSON
Or a
very strong woman. Skewered
him
like a spud on Guy Fawkes
night.
I wouldn’t be surprised to find
the
spleen and the kidney shattered
too.
The two lower prongs.
TROY
(Sickened)
Right.
PETERSON
It’s
certainly another one for the
books.
Death by pitchfork!
Personally,
I’ve never seen anything
like
it.
BARNABY
How
long ago did it happen?
- 40 -
PETERSON
The
body’s still warm to the touch
and
there’s no sign of rigor mortis.
Half an
hour to an hour tops. Shame
you didn’t
get here a bit sooner.
BARNABY
Yes…
PETERSON
It was
you who found him, wasn’t
it?
What did you want him for?
TROY
Burglary.
PETERSON
Well, I
suppose that’s rough justice
then.
Breaking and entering. That’s
what
someone did to him. You mind
if I
take him?
BARNABY
No. Go
ahead.
PETERSON
Right.
Cyril…!
Two
PARAMEDICS move forward and lift the body. BARNABY notices
something
underneath it.
BARNABY
Wait a
minute! Troy…
TROY
picks up the object, being careful not to leave fingerprints. The object is
a Visa
Card.
TROY
It’s a
credit card.
BARNABY
(Obvious)
So it is.
TROY
Name of
Gordon Brierly. I suppose
it must
have been stolen.
- 41 -
BARNABY
Yes.
Although it’s a little strange
that it
should have been lying there
on its
own. Not in a wallet or anything.
All
right…
A nod
from BARNABY and the body continues on its way.
TROY
You
think this has got anything to
do with
the break-ins, sir?
BARNABY
It’s
hard to say. We need to know a
little
more about the late Peter
Drinkwater.
TROY
He had
an aunt living in the village.
BARNABY
He also
had an accomplice…
CUT TO
60.
INT. JACK DORSET’S SHOP DAY.
RAY
DORSET looks on in anguish as BARNABY and TROY confront a
worried
JACK DORSET. There is also a uniformed POLICEMAN present.
BARNABY
(To
JACK) We have an eye-witness
who
places your father’s van at the
scene
of at least one of the houses
broken
into. We’ve also recovered
several
of the missing items from
Windwhistle
Farm and I should
warn
you that we’ll be checking
them
for fingerprints.
RAY
They
were using my van?
JACK
I’ll
tell you what you want to know.
But on
my own.
- 42 -
BARNABY
glances at TROY who know what to do. TROY leads RAY out.
TROY
If you
don’t mind, sir…
RAY
Jack…?
JACK
It’s
all right, dad.
TROY
leads RAY out of the shop. BARNABY and the POLICEMAN are left
with
JACK.
JACK
We were
at school together. Pete
and me.
The break-ins was his idea.
BARNABY
You had
a good job, working for
your
father. Why did you get
involved
with him?
JACK
I hate
the bloody job. I hate the
whole
bloody village. Bowing and
scraping
behind the bloody meat
counter.
That’s no life.
BARNABY
So how
many were there?
JACK
What?
BARNABY
Burglaries.
JACK
About a
dozen. Two or three in the
village.
Fletcher’s Cross. Badger’s
Drift.
I don’t know. Too many. I told
him
that. But he wouldn’t listen.
BARNABY
You
argued.
- 43 -
JACK
No. You
couldn’t argue with him. He
wouldn’t
listen.
BARNABY
How
well did you know him?
JACK
Better
than most, I suppose.
BARNABY
Would
you say he had any enemies?
JACK
You’d
like that, wouldn’t you. You
want to
know who’d want to kill
him.
Who’d have a motive!
BARNABY
And…?
JACK
Who
hated Peter Drinkwater? It’d
be
easier to ask who didn’t!
CUT TO
61.
EXT. OUTSIDE THE SHOP DAY.
TROY is
waiting with RAY who is smoking.
RAY
My wife
died four years ago. Jack’s
mother.
I promised her I’d look after
him
but…I let her down. I let them
both
down.
TROY
You had
no idea what he was up to.
RAY
Of
course I had no idea. If I’d
known…
TROY
What?
- 44 -
RAY
I’d
have stopped him.
BARNABY
comes across the road to them. In the background, JACK is being
led
away by the POLICEMAN.
BARNABY
I’m
sorry, sir, but I’m afraid we’ll be
charging
your son with various
offences
relating to the break-ins.
RAY
It
wasn’t his fault. He didn’t know
what he
was doing. It was that
other
one…
TROY
Peter
Drinkwater.
A nod
from RAY.
BARNABY
You
think it was Drinkwater who
led
your son astray?
RAY
Led him
by the nose. Like a bull to
the
slaughter.
BARNABY
Was
that why you went to see him
this
afternoon?
RAY
What?
TROY
We saw
just before three. We were
driving
to Windwhistle Farm. You
passed
us on the main road.
RAY
I
hadn’t been up the farm.
A
pause.
- 45 -
RAY
I was
doing my deliveries. I was on
my way
over to Causton. I had a
saddle
of lamb for a Mrs Margaret
Green.
She’d ordered it over the
phone.
You can ask her if you don’t
believe
me.
BARNABY
So you
drove past the entrance to
Windwhistle
Farm.
RAY
Yes.
But I didn’t stop. I went
straight
on to Causton. I must have
got
there about ten, fifteen minutes
later.
TROY
So you
didn’t see anything?
RAY
(Sly) I
might have.
A
pause.
RAY
There
was a car coming out of the
drive
as I went past. It was a
Renault.
Bright red. One of them
new
models.
TROY
You
didn’t see the number?
RAY
No. And
I didn’t see who was
driving
it neither. It had tinted
windows.
But I’ll tell you something
else
which I shouldn’t and wouldn’t,
except
it’s my son Jack who’s
involved.
(Pause) Marcus Devere
has a
Renault. It’s bright red. And
it’s
got them tinted windows. So
maybe
you should be talking to him!
CUT TO
- 46 -
62.
EXT. LOTHLORIAN DAY.
CAROLINE
DEVERE hurries up the drive and into the house. It’s about four
o’clock.
CUT TO
63.
INT. LOTHLORIAN - LIVING ROOM DAY.
MARCUS
DEVERE and BELLA DEVERE are playing Scrabble together.
BELLA
has just lain down the word: screamy also pluralising plant.
BELLA
Screamy.
That’s one…four…five…
six…seven…ten…fourteen…
Plus
fifteen…sixteen…seventeen…eighteen…
twenty-one
and fifty for using
all my
letters. Seventy-one.
MARCUS
That’s
jolly good. But it’s not a word
though,
is it? Screamy?
BELLA
What?
MARCUS
You
could have creamy…
BELLA
It’s a
word. Some films are screamy.
It’s in
the dictionary.
MARCUS
Well,
if you say so…
Then
CAROLINE bursts in.
CAROLINE
Have
you heard?
MARCUS
What?
- 47 -
CAROLINE
He’s
been killed. Peter. Everyone’s
talking
about it in the village. The
police
are up at the farm. They say
he was
stabbed.
MARCUS
(Alarmed)
What?
BELLA
Caroline…
CAROLINE
I
thought I loved him. But I didn’t.
And now
he’s dead. And I don’t care.
But you
got what you wanted. Both
of you.
So I hope you’re glad.
And
with this rather garbled summary, CAROLINE storms out of the room.
MARCUS
stares at BELLA. He looks worried and guilty. BELLA stares at
MARCUS.
She is puzzled, slightly suspicious…
CUT TO
Page 3
