Ludwig

I've always enjoyed looking for needles in haystacks.

14 whole days wading through Sinclair's files.

You've found nothing out at all.

Why hasn't the station called?

Need you back in there. That's where we need you.

Digging about, finding some facts, for God's sake.

John Taylor, crime scene consultant,

DC Ethan Cole and DC Caitlin Sullivan.

Hello. All I really need

is a little lanyard with your publication's name on it,

and someone who's willing to say I was on assignment.

Your mate was in here this week, sat right there.

Russell Carter has been to visit Adam Newsum.

How do you know that?

Because I've just visited Adam Newsum in prison.

I was engaged, she died.

Her name was Mandy Ziegler.

All of Holly Pinder's computers have been brought to the station.

The basement is now out of bounds to all of us.

They're going to find whatever it is we're looking for.

Our new consultant, John Taylor.

DCI Taylor's brother. Identical twin brother.

Joanne Kemper, member of Parliament for Cambridge St Michael's.

- Nice to meet you. - She definitely knew James.

And she called Ziegler Ronan.

Did James mention a Joanne Kemper?

She's in the Sinclair files.

But this is absolutely ridiculous.

You may kiss the bride.

- - Aww!

CHEERING

CHEERING

A little help, please!

In your circles, let's go.

LIVELY STRING MUSIC

MUSIC BECOMES OMINOUS

SHE SCREAMS

Hold on a minute!

When did you slip these in?

I put them in quite openly in front of you.

Look at this. Page six.

I gave him an actual photo of an actual suspect

being arrested for an actual murder.

That's me in the background. Look.

With an actual consultant in the actual background.

Look what makes the front page.

Right.

That is quite a saving.

- Is it possible? - Is what possible?

What it said in the Sinclair file about Joanne Kemper, her family?

Well, no.

Are you sure?

"The ritual of human sacrifice,

"carried out by each member of the Kemper bloodline,

"if performed once a decade,

"guarantees the promise of eternal life."

Pretty sure.

All right, I was only asking.

It's no more bonkers than anything else that's been going on.

It's a lot more bonkers

than everything else that's been going on. It involves magic.

OK, but she is in the file.

Ziegler is directly connected to her.

And according to you, she knew James.

Oh, she definitely knew James.

OK, so that's one, two, three coincidences.

That's... that's a thing.

That thing, that's... that you...

What is it? What do you call that?

A statistically significant number?

It is, yes.

PHONE RINGS

Hello?

John, where are you? Are you at home?

No, I'm in the car. Lucy's here.

- Hello, Russell. - Hi, Lucy.

- He says hello. - Yes, I know. I can hear him.

Has there been a murder?

Well, as a matter of fact, there has. Yes.

In public, with a knife,

with over 30 witnesses standing around in a circle.

And you need help with that?

Well, why don't you come down here

and you let me know whether or not I do?

I'll text you the address.

What's that?

It's that thingy you lot wear at weddings.

It's a cummerbund, sir. It looks like he pulled it off

and tried to hold it to the wound to stop the bleeding.

Which it did pretty effectively. There's more in there than in him.

And the rest of it is spilled at the feet of...

...30 witnesses,

all of whom somehow managed to avoid seeing the actual crime

happening right next to them.

Lost in the music.

That's very poetic, Constable.

John, we might have to put a limit

- on how far I'm willing to drive you for a murder. - Mm.

Ooh! Fancy crime scene.

Lucy! Wait... Don't.... Ugh!

Stop... stop it!

Stop it! DCI Carter's coming.

What's he going to do? Confiscate my camera? I know my rights.

Do you? What are they?

He's very photogenic, isn't he?

Now, we need an answer on this little prison visit of his.

Can we not talk about this while he's walking towards us?

He visited Adam Newsum in prison, Holly's killer.

He's not supposed to go anywhere near that case.

- I know that. - So you're going to have to drop his name in subtly

- and see how he reacts. - I can't drop names in subtly.

- You know I can't drop names in subtly. - Anyone can drop a name in subtly

if they really put their mind to it.

- Afternoon, DCI Carter! - Mrs Betts-Taylor,

were you just taking pictures of my crime scene?

Not exclusively.

Right, I'll be off!

Have fun.

Don't worry. I'm sure I won't.

DC Cole, I do hope that's not the murder weapon you're handling there.

It's a steak knife from the buffet, sir.

There were dozens of them, they were on every table,

and if the killer didn't bring their own knife,

I'm betting they used one of these.

How do you know it's not the murder weapon, then?

Sorry?

You don't, do you?

Well...

Just pop it in... there.

The odds are in your favour, DC Cole.

I'm sure it'll be fine.

Unless you did it.

Victim's name was Owen Doyle.

Ex-partner of the bride. Not on the guest list?

Yes. That much we have managed to gather from them.

He just turned up during the ceremony.

Yeah, and then this big

choreographed dance number took place.

- What? - Seriously.

All we did at my auntie's was a bad Macarena.

This lot put on a whole Highland fling right here.

Victim finds himself in the middle of it somehow,

and by the time it's over, it's murder on the dance floor.

- Nice. - Thank you.

- Did you want to see the body? - Not really, no.

Where are the suspects?

Having the worst reception in history.

CROWD HUBBUB

Oh. Is anyone going to give us any idea what's happening?

- Are you eating? - Yes.

Didn't you just witness a murder?

Didn't everyone here just witness a murder?

Look, that one over there is drinking champagne!

Seems apt. Where did they get it?

Mum!

Well, which ones are the suspects?

You what? Who is this?

This is John Taylor, crime scene consultant. Excuse me.

We don't have suspects, John. We have witnesses.

Well, this is no good. This is no good at all.

I can't work with this. We need to whittle it down!

If he was killed in the direct centre

of a choreographed dance number,

then the killer must have been in the choreographed dance number.

So who here was in the choreographed dance number?

Everyone.

- What?! - Everyone.

Even the bride and the groom. I told you, it was a whole thing.

- Everyone? - Mm-hm.

But that's too many variables.

You can't have that many variables.

VOICES ECHO

Is it hot in here?

LOUD CRUNCH

John. John. John!

Sorry...

- Is he all right? - Yeah, yeah.

It's just, uh, too many variables.

What an odd little man.

I take it you're not wondering why we called you in any more.

- It is very much in my wheelhouse, isn't it? - Yeah.

Oh.

- Wow. - OK.

I am going to have to look at the body.

Oh, no! It's a really horrible one.

I knew it would be.

Can I see the actual...?

Ugh.

That's definitely steak knife sized.

What? No. I'm sorry.

There's just no way you can know that.

How tall was he? 5'11"?

And he was standing up, of course,

turning one way and the other...

...I would have thought, trying to work out

why he's suddenly in the middle of Brigadoon.

And then it must have come from...

Yes, I think so.

And it would have been... upwards?

Downwards?