22. INT. WINDWHISTLE FARM - BARN EVENING.

PETER DRINKWATER, a darkly handsome and obviously roguish man aged about twenty, rolls out of bed and starts to get dressed. Half-naked, he has a gold chain around his neck. He was in bed with CAROLINE DEVERE. He has a large, scruffy room in a barn. An isolated part of the farm.

PETER
I’ve got to go.

CAROLINE
Oh, Petey! Have you?

PETER
Yeah. And so have you.

CAROLINE
(Sulky) Why? Where are you going?

PETER
I’ve got business.

CAROLINE watches as PETER draws on a black polo. She pouts at him.

CAROLINE
You haven’t got business. There’s someone else, isn’t there.

PETER
(A lie) No.

CAROLINE
I couldn’t bear it if there was. I really couldn’t…

PETER is fully dressed. Outside there’s the hoot of a car. He leans over and kisses CAROLINE.

PETER
You’d better get home. Your mum and dad would kill you if they knew you were here.

CAROLINE
They’d kill you first.

PETER
I’ll see you.

PETER leaves.

23. EXT. WINDWHISTLE FARM EVENING. The barn stands in an old, derelict farm. Lots of outbuildings scattered around. JACK DORSET has drawn up in a battered white van. It’s his father’s van. Like PETER, he is dressed in black.

PETER
Greyfriars House.

JACK
Peter…are you sure about this?

PETER
You said he was going to be in London. Not back until late.

JACK
I mean… It’s too much too soon. We’re going to get caught.

PETER
(Menacing) You losing your bottle, Jack?

JACK
(Faltering) No…

PETER
I hope not.

PETER gets into the van and the two of them drive off.

CUT TO

24. EXT. GREYFRIARS HOUSE NIGHT. ESTABLISHING SHOT

A large, rather forbidding house on the outskirts of Midsomer Mallow. It is set in its own grounds with a gravel drive leading down to a gate. The white van is parked outside.

CUT TO

CLOSE ANGLE

Two shadowy figures run round the side of the house.

CUT TO

25. INT. GREYFRIARS HOUSE - CONSERVATORY NIGHT.

A gloved hand breaks through a window, then reaches round to unlock a door.

CUT TO

ANOTHER ANGLE

PETER DRINKWATER and JACK DORSET come into the conservatory. They are both wearing balaclava masks.

CUT TO

26. INT. GREYFRIARS HOUSE - HALL/LIVING ROOM NIGHT.

They begin to ransack the house and they’re messy and destructive with it. JACK deals with the small stuff: a silver lighter, silver knives and forks, a wallet, various ornaments. PETER unplugs a brand new computer with tower, printer etc…he’ll take that along with the TV, CD player etc. As they go, they are watched by a collection of stuffed toys. Prominent among the toys is a gollywog that might make us think of the opening scenes.

CUT TO

27. EXT. GREYFRIARS HOUSE NIGHT.

PETER comes out with the first load and bundles it into the back of the van.

CUT TO

28. INT. GREYFRIARS HOUSE - HALL/LIVING ROOM NIGHT.

JACK is on his own. Riffling through drawers. He doesn’t notice a door open a crack. He is being watched - but we don’t see by whom. A single eye stares at him through the crack in the door. Watching. There is something slightly horrific about the eye.

JACK stops, a porcelain bowl in his hand. He is suddenly aware that he is being watched. He turns towards the half-open door, begins to move towards it.

But before he can get there, PETER suddenly returns.

PETER
(A whisper) What is it?

JACK
(A whisper) I thought I heard something.

PETER notices the bowl.

PETER
Leave that!

He knocks the bowl out of JACK’S hand. It smashes on the floor.

PETER
There’s nothing here. Let’s go.

PETER notices a portrait above the fireplace. A lean, saturnine man…an actor. We’ll know him as EDWARD ALLARDICE. PETER takes a poker out of the fireplace and uses it to slash the canvas.

PETER
You old fart!

He hesitates for a moment. Suddenly he’s aware, like JACK, that he’s not alone.

CUT TO

ANOTHER ANGLE

The eye has been watching PETER from the door. The eye widens with fear and indignation at the sight of the torn canvas.

CUT TO

ANOTHER ANGLE

PETER turns and leaves the room.

CUT TO

29. INT/EXT. THE VAN/GREYFRIARS HOUSE NIGHT.

JACK starts up the van. PETER gets in.

PETER
Right. Let’s go.

PETER takes off his mask. JACK does the same.

PETER
Piece of cake.

The two of them speed down the path, swerve left at the bottom (cutting up the gravel) and disappear into the night.

...SNIP...

36. INT. LAURA’S BEDROOM DAY.

An almost exact replay of Scene 30. PETER DRINKWATER, half-naked, with the gold chain in place, rolls onto his back. But this time the image is a even seedier. He’s in bed with LAURA BRIERLY - with an age gap of about twenty years she’s very much the older woman. Worse, this is her bedroom (Habitat with country chintz) and her marital bed.

LAURA
What time is it?

PETER
Twelve.

LAURA
Gordon will be back soon. It’s his afternoon surgery. You have to go.

PETER
All right.

PETER gets out of bed and quickly gets dressed.

LAURA
You don’t care, do you.

PETER
What.

LAURA
Stay or go. You don’t care. (A smile) But maybe that’s what I like about you, Peter. You’re so bloody heartless. You’re like an animal.

PETER
Watch it…

LAURA
I’m complimenting you. (Pause) If Gordon ever found out about us, he’d neuter you, do you know that? He’s good at that.

PETER
If you don’t like Gordon, why do you talk about him so much?

LAURA
Good question.

She reaches out and kisses him.

LAURA
Don’t you ever change. I like you just the way you are.

PETER catches her wrist.

PETER
And you know what I like about you?

LAURA
What?

PETER
Your generosity.

LAURA
I hadn’t forgotten.

He releases her. She gets out of bed, finds her handbag and takes out fifty pounds. She’s hurt and decides to bite back…

LAURA
Are you still seeing that girl? The Devere girl? Caroline…?

A slight reaction from PETER. LAURA presses on, knowing she’s scored a point.

LAURA
Yes. You’ve got plans there, haven’t you. Well, a word from me and that would be all over. I wonder what she’d say if she knew about me?

PETER
(Angry) Get lost, Laura. Just piss off, all right? You start threatening me, you can look for your fifty quid thrills elsewhere. Right…?

LAURA
(Dismayed) Peter…

PETER
(Ignoring her) Maybe you should try Jack. He’ll do it for thirty and he might even enjoy it.

LAURA
God! You little bastard…!

LAURA slaps PETER across the face. PETER freezes for a moment, then he snatches the money and walks out. LAURA is left alone with her rage.

CUT TO

37. EXT. GORDON BRIERLY’S HOUSE DAY.

PETER strolls nonchalantly out of the house. We might see the plaque: GORDON BRIERLY - VETINERARY SURGEON. The nearest house is MARCUS DEVERE’S and PETER glances in that direction to make sure he isn’t being seen.

CUT TO

ANOTHER ANGLE

PETER doesn’t notice pull in on the other side of the road. GORDON BRIERLY has got home early. He sees PETER come out of the house and - from his manner, his cocky walk, guesses what has been happening. GORDON stares with growing disgust and fury.

CUT TO

GORDON’S P.O.V.

PETER gets into his car, a beaten-up Morris. He drives off.

CUT TO

38. EXT. WINDWHISTLE FARM DAY.

BARNABY and TROY have arrived at the farm and get out of their car. They are in a yard with out-buildings dotted around. Windwhistle Farm is empty, already quite derelict.

BARNABY
Windwhistle Farm. If you were going to hide stolen loot, this would be the place to do it.

TROY
All these out-buildings. It’s got to be him.

BARNABY
Here he is now…

PETER DRINKWATER has arrived, driving home in his Morris. He stops the car but doesn’t get out. BARNABY and TROY walk over to him.

PETER
Yes?

TROY
You’re Peter Drinkwater?

PETER
And you’re police, aren’t you.

TROY takes out his ID.

TROY
Detective Sergeant Troy. Causton CID. This is Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby.

PETER
It’s the same smell. You can always tell.

TROY
Would you mind stepping out of the car? We’d like to talk to you in connection with a break-in at Greyfriars House last night.

PETER
Would you? And what if I don’t want to talk to you?

BARNABY
Do you realise we could be back here in six hours with a warrant to search this entire place?

PETER
Search it. I don’t give a damn.

PETER throws his car into reverse, then spins forward, driving between TROY and BARNABY who have to get out of the way hurriedly. Then he’s off, back down the drive.

TROY
Charming.

BARNABY
Yes.

TROY
Do you want me to take a look around?

BARNABY
No. Let’s do this by the book, Troy. We’d better get that warrant first.

BARNABY and TROY move back towards their car.

CUT TO

39. INT. LOTHLORIAN - LIVING ROOM DAY.

Lothlorian (from the Lord of the Rings) is a large, modern house…glass sliding doors, flowers in tubs & barrows, perhaps even a swimming pool.

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.

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…

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…

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.

...SNIP...

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

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.