Midsomer Murders

Yeah!

Tom. Get you another one? Hm.

Same again? So your eldest still at uni, then?

Yeah and costing me a packet.

Sorry, Mitch, but, er... it's two minutes past time.

My customers are still drinking.

Rules are rules.

Sorry, Tom.

Time to drink up now, folks!

Calling all units. Calling all units.

This is a Code Red. Code Red at Colton's Butchers.

Calling all units. This is a Code Red.

I repeat. This is a Code Red.

Did you hear that? I did indeed.

Everybody, follow me.

Code Red at Colton's Butchers.

I repeat, Code Red.

What's the emergency, Azeem? Angus's shop is unlocked.

Hardly cause for a Code Red.

More like a Code Yellow.

It might be the burglar. It might just be Angus.

Did you actually check inside?

Angus? Angus?

Angus?

What's that?

Freezer.

Angus is dead.

Unit 3 to HQ. Unit 3 calling HQ.

HQ receiving. Over.

Angus Colton. 44 years old.

Found dead in his butcher's shop in the village of Bleakridge.

We're heading for bandit country.

Sir?

Bleakridge. The most remote village in Midsomer,

surrounded by moorland. Sounds like a horror movie.

It was a scary place for a while.

Crime rate was unusually high for a small village.

It had a reputation for being lawless until two years ago.

Problem was location.

The village was so far out,

it took our lot too long to respond to calls.

By the time we turned up, the damage was done.

I'm assuming word got out?

Oh, they flocked here - burglars, car thieves,

joy riders, fly tippers.

Gangster's paradise, sir.

Mm...

Stand back, please.

That's it, if you can keep back, please, ladies and gentlemen.

Thank you very much.

So what changed?

You said the village was lawless until two years ago.

What changed?

They formed a Watch.

What can you tell us? I can tell you I'm freezing.

We're looking at blunt-force trauma to the back of the skull.

One blow, with considerable force.

His attacker came from behind?

We found blood splatter on the floor behind you.

Looks likely that he was attacked out there

and dragged in here.

Murder weapon? We're still looking.

Time of death?

That's usually determined by measuring body temperature.

So, him being in a freezer... Doesn't help, no.

No forced access?

The door was closed, but unlocked.

Any other employees? This is a one-man operation.

Who found the body?

I was on patrol, checking business premises,

and then I saw the door was unlocked.

Did you go inside? No. I just put out the Code Red.

Code Red? It's standard Watch protocol.

All serious incidents are assigned a colour

depending on their severity.

Code Red being the most severe.

It means there's a serious crime in progress

and urgent assistance is required.

Did you know Angus Colton?

He was a stout fellow.

And a more than adequate butcher.

And our deputy co-ordinator.

Wait. You're saying Angus Colton was a member of the Watch?

He was a founding member, no less.

Does Mr Colton have any family?

A sister, Maxine and a niece, Tara.

And where would we find them?

At Angus's house, across the green.

They've been living with him for the past two years.

Ever since the husband Frank died.

Who would want to kill Angus?

He never hurt anyone.

When did you last see him?

Yesterday morning? We had breakfast around nine,

then Uncle Angus went over to the shop.

And how was he before he left?

Same old Angus. He's like a bear with a sore head.

Can either of you think of anyone who might want to harm him?

No. No. He was well liked.

Was he anxious about anything in the past few weeks? Worried?

Was he anxious about anything No. He was too focused on the case.

The case?

What is all this? Uncle Angus's big project.

He's investigating the burglaries.

What burglaries? The village has been targeted.

There's been five break-ins in the last month.

Aunt Ingrid's very worried about it.

Aunt Ingrid? My sister-in-law.

Ingrid Lockston. She's the co-ordinator of the Watch.

She asked Uncle Angus to find out

who was behind the burglaries.

He was becoming obsessed by them.

He wasn't obsessed!

He just didn't want to let her down.

Aunt Ingrid's pretty cool.

And did your brother find out who was behind the burglaries?

Well, if he did, he didn't tell us.

I want everything in that study logged for the record.

You think Angus found his burglar?

Or maybe the burglar found him.

What are we doing here?

I said: What are we doing here? Just curious, that's all.

Well, can we be curious somewhere else?

Something I can help you with?

We're looking for Ingrid Lockston.

Come in.

Police are here.

DCI Barnaby and DS Winter, correct?

Indeed. Ingrid Lockston.

I'm the co-ordinator of the Bleakridge Watch.

We've heard the news about Angus.

We're all simply stunned. Are you sure he was murdered?

I'm afraid so. How well did you know Mr Colton?

Well, we were related.

His sister was married to my late brother, Frank.

In fact, Angus helped me set up the Watch

in the aftermath of Frank's murder.

Your brother was murdered?

He was the victim of a hit-and-run, two years ago.

Left to die on the roadside.

The driver was never caught.

Back in the day, the village was a haven for joy riders,

so it was assumed that one of those was responsible.

Scumbags, the lot of 'em.

Quite.

Frank's death was the final straw.

We decided to clean up our village

and so we formed the Watch.

When did you last speak to Angus?

Yesterday morning.

He called to update me on a special case

I'd asked him to look into. The er... burglaries?

An unfortunate development. And what was his update?

No closer to catching the culprit,

but he did believe they were local.

You should speak to Mitch McAllister.

Had it in for Angus for months.

Who's Mitch McAllister? He's the owner of The Gallows.

He assaulted Angus, kicked him out of his pub.

Adrian, it's time for your patrol.

You'll have to excuse him. He can be hot-headed sometimes.

Tell me about Mitch McAllister.

Well, unfortunately, there are some people in the village

who don't appreciate what the Watch does.

Some of them, including Mitch,

think we... interfere too much.

Now, Iwouldn't normally condone drinking this early in the morning,

but my darling wife has finally been recognised for her good deeds.

So, I'm happy to make an exception.

That's very big of you, Duncan.

Would you like to say a few words, Barbara?

Oh, er... yes.

Er... Well, erm... a pat on the back from the council

is hardly a success.

But it's nice they recognise the importance of the cafe.

Even though they have refused to fund us all these years!

So we won't rest on our laurels.

Erm, there's still work to be done.

Cafe opens in an hour. So... that's your last!

Can I take a couple more photos, please?

We're looking for Mitch McAllister.

Er, yeah. That's me.

DCI Barnaby. DS Winter.

We need to speak with you about Angus Colton.

What's he been saying now?

Not much. He's dead.

OK, I barred Colton. So what?

It sounds like things got physical.

He refused to leave, so I got hold of him and threw him out.

It was a scuffle, nothing more. Why did you bar him?

Colton and that Watch lot, they're a pain in our neck.

Every time we do something to make money,

they object to it. Late licence. Beer garden.

Live music. Comedy night. You name it.

They want to prevent crime,

but really they want to run this village the way they see fit.

If you try to complain, they start targeting you.

Targeting you in what way?

Well, it starts with parking tickets and speeding fines.

Then they report you to the council