Crossing Lines

Andrej?

Is anybody there?

Andrej? Andrej! Andrej?

- Oh, Andrej... - Nora?

Thank God you came.

What have those monsters done to you?

It pleased me greatly that I would be spending my supper...

discussing something other than the Universality...

and the Full Implementation of the Rome Statute.

I can't imagine why. It sounds gripping.

You have that look in your eyes, Miles.

You have something more down to earth to talk about, don't you?

Fact is, I need your help.

About three years ago, a priest walks into Scotland Yard,

says he thinks one of his parishioners had been murdered.

Now, this elderly gent, excellent health,

full possession of all his faculties and so forth, meets a girl,

they get on. He breaks his leg.

She takes up residence to aid his recovery.

He sickens, and dies.

And then the girl just... up and disappears.

- Evidence of foul play? - No.

That's when the priest finds out that they were married,

not even a proper wedding,

just some scribble in a book at some registry office.

And the priest is suspicious,

especially because the deceased was a religious man and a wealthy one.

Well, gold-digging is the world's second-oldest profession,

and there is no law against it.

But last year the same thing happens again.

A rich old cove meets a girl, an accident,

and his maker in quick succession.

Except this time, the victim, or rather alleged victim,

is a retired M.P.

Straight away I pop 'round to interview the widow,

but now it's the extended family that are blocking my progress.

But you know me, I'm not one to shy away from a challenge.

No one ever accused you of being shy, Miles...

But you know as well as I do that we do not take a case unless...

Unless...

I'm sitting, having my toast this morning and...

a human interest story comes on the telly.

A woman in the Czech Republic has gone to the press...

saying that her beloved landlord has been murdered,

and it's the same story, a rich old corpse, hungry young bride.

Identical circumstances?

Pretty damning. And it's a fresh case.

The widow is still in residence. So if we move fast...

- You mean, if my team moves fast. - Exactly.

I can't justify ignoring the pattern in these cases any longer.

Who knows how many men have been killed?

Or who could be next.

How much longer, my angel?

Not long now, darling.

Andrej Havran was a good man who fell victim to a heartless fraud,

a person who led him to believe...

that she cared for him more than his wealth.

Now Andrej is dead.

That has all the hallmarks of these two deaths...

that Miles has been investigating in London.

Yermak Trigorin, 92-year-old former Russian Cossack.

Emigrated to London in 1958. Made his fortune in manufacturing.

Regular churchgoer, no immediate family.

When he had the misfortune to meet Josie Miller in 2011...

he was a relatively healthy man.

She moved in, nine months later, he was dead.

Next, Jerome McEwan.

A widower and retired Member of Parliament for Enfield North.

He met Brittany Campion, 2012.

Dead before their first anniversary.

The widow disappeared before I was able to question her.

And now, this new case in Prague.

Same in every detail,

down to the debilitating accident...

not long after the flame of love was kindled, as it were.

And in each instance,

the young woman...

insisted that she be the one to nurse the invalid back to health.

They did a shite job of it.

And between injury and death is when the marriages happened?

Could it be a coincidence?

I have two enemies, criminals and coincidences.

- And Travellers. - I already mentioned criminals.

So this Nora Skalova, she's a... she's a real game changer,

publicly taking on this black widow.

Black widow?

Black widow spiders, the females mate, and then eat their husbands.

How are they doing it?

The same as spiders do, I suspect. Poison.

If this is epidemic, how has nobody noticed it yet?

Well, poison can be the most difficult thing to prove...

if you're not looking for it.

The effects can mirror natural deterioration.

Exactly, if a specific toxicology test isn't ordered,

cause of death can be easily misdiagnosed.

Tommy, Arabela, go to Prague,

find out about this recently deceased man.

How about Eva and I go to London and check out those cold cases?

Might not find anything. Sometimes old men just die.

Old men always die, but sometimes they're hastened into their grave.

I mean, come on, do you really think they've got anything in common?

I don't know.

My grandparents had 30 years between them,

and they were together their whole lives.

Ageist.

No, look, I mean, I get it from a man's perspective.

He's got a hot young bird, nurse's outfit,

pushing him around in his wheelchair. Of course he's in love.

But what about the girl?

Her friends are all at nightclubs and she's changing her husband's nappies?

Some women are comforted by having a father figure.

Not every woman wants an unreliable lad your age.

Aye, and the money doesn't hurt, either.

Along with wisdom and maturity, yes, often come wealth.

But if it helps smooth out the wrinkles, so what?

I could fall in love with an older man.

Could fall or have fallen?

You got a secret little sugar daddy there somewhere, Seeger,

you're not telling us about?

Says here that the men died of natural causes.

Cardiopulmonary arrest, acute gastroenteritis...

And no autopsy performed.

"Just what part of "Get it done" do you not understand, Charles?"

Did you order an exhumation?

The family of the Right Honourable M.P. McEwan forbade it.

As for the Trigorin, the Ministry insists on more than just my hunch.

Well, if we need proof of poison, the corpse is the best place to look.

No, no doubt, but I still think there's still a chance...

that we could find something at their homes.

No. The Trigorin house was sold almost immediately after his death.

The McEwan estate is still held in probate.

The extended family tried to challenge the will and failed.

Then, the grieving widow, Brittany,

signed over the property to a git called Tas,

claiming to be her cousin.

Think he's the pimp?

He certainly looks like one.

Let's go visit this Tas.

I have copies of banking and investment records.

These are from before the victims met their new brides,

and these are after.

I've highlighted the transactions of interest.

5,000 pounds here. 10,000 pounds there.

After the women enter their lives.

An identical pattern to Mr. Havran's statements from Czech National Bank.

Unfortunately, it is not probative.

You might be able to prove fraud, probably elder abuse, but not murder.

They were bleeding these men dry.

Any attorney worth their salt...

will be able to get them off with the most minor of penalties.

Well, if they steal enough money maybe they can run for public office.

We need solid evidence or this investigation will not proceed.

Keep searching.

Detectives McConnell and Seeger.

We called ahead to see the body of Andrej Havran.

I'm sorry, those remains are being cremated at this very minute.

Well, call them to stop it right now.

Where's the furnace room?

I spoke with the widow myself.

She specifically requested we rush the work.

- And you didn't find that odd? - It's not unusual.

She wanted the remains for a memorial service.

We made an official police request.

And there was an unfortunate mix-up.

You have just cost us very important evidence.

Well, she certainly doesn't waste any time.

Rushed to cremation, no autopsy?

A fine way to get rid of your victims.

We need to speak to the last person who saw him alive.

Nice car. Business must be good.

I see you upgraded your own ride.

Is that supposed to be funny? Is he a funny guy?

You said he was stupid, not suicidal.

I'm gonna sue your whole lot for harassment.

I noticed an outstanding warrant for Suspicion of Handling Stolen Goods.

December 11th, last year. We're here to search the house.

Bollocks. That's no grounds.

You're Anastas Cooper, right? And this is your house?

Then according to this here search warrant...

it is grounds.

Am I under arrest?

No. You're free to go.

Wanker.

Andrej Havran. Age 93. Admitted on the 20th of last month.

Oh, renal failure, heart arrhythmia, loss of appetite.

We kept him hydrated, made him comfortable.

He died four days later in his sleep.

Why no autopsy?

Nothing indicated a post-mortem exam would be necessary.

Would it have been necessary if it was your own father?

Detective, I don't care for your tone,

and I owe you no explanation of my decisions.

We gave Mr. Havran the best possible care here.

The symptoms...

The symptoms were those of a very old man letting go of his life.

Quite a haul.

God, I wish people could have more respect for the elderly.

If you want respect, you gotta die young.

You never hear about the tragic death of an old person.

My father died young.