The Bletchley Circle

Not the Alice from the newspapers? Er...yes.

I'm afraid our agency will be unable to find a suitable position.

I was found innocent. Yes, but you WERE in prison.

How is Lizzie's training going? She's found a place.

You'll never guess where? Bletchley. No!

There's a teacher training college there now. Next to the old huts.

Now then, these nylons. Don't worry, Jasper.

I'm tell them silk is saucy. Men prefer it.

That's why you're front of house.

Aarrgghh!

Come here, Ellie. Where is this place? What street is this?

Are we north or south?

One of you is stealing from me? Which one?

Those files that you showed me about all those arrests.

Some cases had this funny foreign name. It was...erm... Mag or...

Magros.

I feel you can do well. I'm sure I can do rather better.

Very well. If I should need to see you again, do I come here?

Where are we, by the way. Not here, sweetheart.

There is a Greek restaurant on Stovington Road.

It isn't just ciggies and perfume and nylons. There are people.

What people? Girls.

Jasper! It's me!

Oh, Jasper. (SOBS)

He was bluffing.

He always thought he could bluff his way out of anything.

I met him playing cards in the war... and he was bluffing then.

And he lost. It's all right.

It's not all right. It's really not.

What did you tell the police?

Where the body is. What was done to him.

Did you tell them who did it? Yes.

They can take it from here.

All the black market stuff in the lockup -

they can tie that back to the Magros easily enough.

Did you tell them about Marta's restaurant? I told them everything.

You don't have to worry any more. They will go to jail for this.

I...I don't want to go home. You can stay with me.

Er... Dancing again?

What is it? Millie's going to be staying with us for a bit.

Right.

We can make space on the floor. Use my mattress.

You don't have to. Don't argue.

What's wrong?

Nothing.

Just a long night, that's all.

How's erm... How's teacher training going?

All right.

I'm gonna make some tea.

They're the same age. Elishka. Lizzie.

What?

They could be sisters.

You look tired. Yeah, not much of a night.

What happened? Oh, a tip-off about a murder.

You'd be interested. It was supposed to be that lot you were asking about, the Magros.

"Supposed to be"? Yeah, it was all boll...er...rubbish.

Nothing there.

I don't understand. What wasn't there?

Anything. Supposed to be a body, lots of contraband,

I don't know, the lost treasures of King Solomon's mines.

Turns out there was nothing. A wild-goose chase.

It smells like hospitals.

Bleach.

Someone's washed this place down.

Disinfected it.

How did they know?

Were they following us?

They didn't need to be following us.

What happened, exactly?

We found a crime scene. We called the police. The crime scene got erased.

It's either coincidence or it's cause and effect.

I don't know what that's supposed to mean.

This is Scotland Yard we're talking about.

All those files. What about them?

Why didn't I see it?

They've been arrested dozens of times.

We read the files.

They've been arrested here, there.

But never charged, never imprisoned.

Every single time, they've got off scott free. Well...

We're trying to catch criminals all over London, all over England.

Some are bound to get lucky. No-one's that lucky. Not all the time.

Lucy, you've got to face it. Someone is helping them.

And that someone is a police officer.

Nice work on the Grant case. Thanks, guv.

Oh. And that other thing you asked me to handle? It's all dealt with.

I hope you were discreet. Of course, guv.

Can you dig me out the case files on the Grant robbery?

I've got to do my homework for the court appearance.

Of course.

Something up? No.

What is it? Are you all right? Yeah. I'm fine.

Good. Cos I was thinking...this weekend there's a dance on at the Vic.

Do you fancy going with me?

Sorry. I'm busy this weekend. I'll get you those files.

All right. I'm off back to Bletchley.

See you at the end of the week. Sorry we haven't had time together.

With Millie staying. It's all right.

Here.

No, don't be daft. You can't afford it.

You need some money. I'm fine. Really. Put it away.

Any job interviews this week? Yes, definitely.

Fingers crossed.

Fingers crossed.

If we can't trust the police, where does that leave us?

Marta can do what she pleases.

Trading cigarettes, alcohol. Selling girls. Even murder.

Poor Jasper.

It's too late for him, but it is not too late for us to help those women.

Even if we find the hotel they're in it's no good,

because we can't call the police.

She must have started small. Before the girls, before all of this.

It was just cigarettes and booze.

It's gonna be the first time she gets into a scrape with the police, smuggling goods.

It comes under the jurisdiction of the Vice Squad.

That's where her friends are.

The Vice Squad know everything that's happening in Scotland Yard...

They're not the only ones that are interested. What do you mean?

It's Customs and Excise. Like Al Capone.

No-one could catch him for gun-running or whisky smuggling.

So they arrested him for tax evasion.

So we tip off Customs. They go looking for black-market cigarettes.

When they find them, they find the women as well.

We need to tell them there's a shipment

of illegal goods coming in tonight.

Time, date, place. How do we do that?

The only address we have is the restaurant.

You could search it all week and not find anything.

Marta is too careful.

But she took you to the hotel.

I was a problem and she wanted privacy.

You were a problem and then you were an opportunity.

Why don't we give her another opportunity? An even bigger one.

What else can you tell me about her?

Not much.

They're all Maltese.

Family probably.

Lazzru's a nasty piece of work.

He seems fairly close to her.

I don't think she lets outsiders in to positions of trust,

unless she wants to do business with them. Mm.

When Malta was put to siege in the war, a lot of families were decimated.

The Luftwaffe flew over three thousand raids against that island.

They tried to bomb them out, then they tried to starve them out.

With no luck.

They're a hard lot, believe me.

We're gonna have to be damned convincing.

This should help.

Are you sure? It's blood money.

I'm never gonna spend it. Might as well put it to good use.

Jean, are you sure you're up to this?

I wasn't always a librarian, you know.

She thinks she's in business with you.

We've got money.

If we're confident, this should work.

And the moment she takes us to that hotel to do the deal, we've got her.

Dutch courage? Just a nip, then.

Cheers.

Ooh!

Ah.

Will I do?

What is this?

This is my friend Jean, and Lucy, who works for her.

Jean's based up north, but she's often down

in London and is always a good customer of mine.

She wants to place a rather large order.

I thought you might like to talk to her about it directly.

This lady's whist drive wishes to club together. (SCOFFS)

This is none of my concern. Well, perhaps it should be.

Do you mind?

I like what Millie is able to provide.

But I'd like more of it. Considerably more.

And it seems to me that...a large order

should qualify for some degree of a discount, wouldn't you agree?

I have no idea who you are or what you are talking about. Speak plainly.

Six cases of Disque Bleu Gauloises

and four of the du Maurier in the red box.

Ten cases? That's 5,000 packets.

I know, dear. I've done the sums.

And what are you going to do with 5,000 packs of cigarettes?

My whist drive are enthusiastic smokers.

Don't play games with me. What are they for?

My late husband was a ship's purser.

The Navy needs cigarettes, and I still have a lot of friends.

I'd prefer Senior Service if you can get them but Millie led me to understand

that you deal more with the continental brands.

Ten cases, eh?

Would be worth, let's say...

..20% discount. Oh, no. Let's not say.

Well, I'll go and look elsewhere. You'll find nothing, not in London.

Ten per cent. And the money down.

Ten per cent. And half the money down.

Half on delivery.

Do we have an agreement?

What happened to your leg?

I was shot. You got shot.

You're a liar. Why would I trust a liar?

So...shall we go somewhere more private, and make this deal?

There is no need to go anywhere. We can make your deal right here.

The matter is dealt with.