Vera

Matt! Wake up.

What time is it?

Daytime.

Where's everybody else?

They bailed on us. Come on.

My old man used to bring us up here.

Said a mean old troll lived in the caves.

Gave me nightmares for weeks.

Summat in there, in the corner.

Looks like a person.

What, with the beady eyes of a cave troll?

Do you see it?

Yeah. It's just some bin bags.

Good morning, ma'am.

Uh, is it?

Do you know this place?

Lovers' Corner.

Local uniform says it's a hangout for bored teenagers.

They come up here to party.

Well, they've gotta go somewhere, I suppose.

These the two lads who found him?

Yeah, that's Richard Whenby and Matthew Lansard.

And were they up here partying?

Yeah.

Look at the state of this.

More DNA here than Friday night up Bigg Market.

IC1 male, late teens, early twenties, ma'am, no ID.

No phone?

No phone, no wallet.

Hmm, and he was dumped?

Wrapped up in bin bags?

Sealed tight, just like a mummy.

The cold in the cave slowed decomposition,

but judging from the discoluration

around the head and the neck here,

estimated time of death some time Tuesday morning.

Huh, So two days?

He looks about the same age as those lads who found him.

Is he one of their mates?

They say they don't know him.

What have you got cause of death?

Blunt force trauma to the cranium.

Two fractures, one on the crown, not so deep.

Another, deeper, at the back of the skull.

So hit twice over the head.

From behind, also, there's a minor fracture

on the bridge of the nose.

Is that from being punched or falling face first?

I mean, there's dirt around the nose and mouth,

so probably the latter.

Unless there's any other signs of a struggle?

There's some older cuts and scratches on his hands, but...

Why hasn't any wildlife been at him?

He was wrapped up airtight until the lads came

and opened him up.

But, whoever left him here stuck him right over there

in the corner where nothing picked up his scent.

Yeah, well, that's something, I suppose, hmm.

Now, there's dirt on the back of his calves,

so probably dragged up here.

Have we checked the area?

First officers on the scene walked it.

There are no obvious drag marks or footprints.

Ah, the poor lad.

Marcus, what's that?

Maybe he was wearing it, broke off when he was killed?

Or, maybe the killer was wearing it.

Or, maybe the killer left it on him.

Ma'am, can I show you something?

Uh ma'am, just wanted to say that,

thought you did really well yesterday at Bethany's inquest.

I imagine, I imagine it was difficult.

Mm, oh well, we did our homework. It was fine.

Thanks, Marcus.

So, not dumped here, killed here.

Let's get it sealed off.

Ma'am?

Well, there's some loose topsoil.

Digging?

Don't know.

Maybe they got disturbed.

Yeah, maybe.

Marcus said last Tuesday.

Now, last Tuesday was cold, wasn't it?

Frost. The ground would have been too hard to dig

and if you needed to hide a body,

that cave is as good a place as any.

Premeditated, then?

- Oh. - Well, if the killer

had bin bags and duct tape with them.

Well, could've left the body there, went back to the car

or nipped to B&Q.

Hello lads,

DCI Vera Stanhope.

Now, you told my officer you stayed up here last night?

Yeah.

On your own?

On our own.

Mm, where do you live?

Corlington.

Corlington, well, that's a fair few miles.

How'd you get up here?

- We walked. - In a mate's car.

They're taking photos of the tyre tracks, Rich.

They'll find out.

So, what, you up here partying, were you?

- Partying? - Mm.

No, no, just a few mates, few drinks.

Mm, now, that lad in the cave.

I know you took a peek.

Are you sure you don't know him?

No, don't know him.

Right, well, I'm gonna need the names

of your drinking buddies, okay?

Can we get a lift back to town after? What?

Do you reckon they're involved?

Well, if they are, they'd be pretty stupid to call it in.

We have a white male, late teens to early twenties.

He suffered a blunt force trauma to the back of the head.

He was found wrapped in bin bags in a cave

up at Lovers' Corner.

Now, maybe they planned to bury him,

but the ground was too hard, don't know.

And he was found with a crucifix on him.

Where are we with ID?

Uh, he's not in the system.

Missing Persons came back empty.

Right, well, check schools and colleges, too.

Any absentees in the last two days.

- Will do. - And what about

the list of teens up at Lovers' Corner?

We're having trouble tracking them all down.

It's a long list and the ones we've spoken to,

well, they're not volunteering much.

- Why not? - Well, word's out

there's a killer on the loose.

Don't tell me, bloody social media?

Yep, #caveman.

Now, which one of the little toe-rags put that up?

- Yeah, Matt. - Matt.

Do you want me to get onto cyber and get it deleted?

Nah, it'll be like fighting a bushfire.

Just keep your eye on it.

So, can we place anyone at the scene?

Any call-outs in the last week? Disturbances?

Complaints from the locals? Anything!

There's nobody about to complain.

It's in the middle of nowhere.

What, we've got no CCTV to look at? Great!

Well, the nearest camera's a quarter mile down the road

- at the garage. - And, ma'am,

Marcus just sent these over.

He said he found them in the front pocket

of the victim's jeans.

Looks like confetti.

Get onto the disgruntled brides, Kenny, your area.

I've actually got a lot on.

Oh, right, Ken. What time you called?

Oh, well, they're saying three o'clock,

but the clerk thinks that it might run on.

Can we get in some cover?

No, I'd rather wait until Bethany's inquest is over.

- Why? - Because the time it takes

to get a new person up to speed, we'll have solved it.

So we carry on a man down? Just as normal?

Exactly, Kenny. Exactly.

This isn't confetti.

I think it's ticket stubs or cinema ticket stubs.

Right, all e-tickets now.

We got ens, ens, eve.

Eve, evening?

Enseve?

Pev, Pevens, Pevens, Pevensey, Pevensey!

What's that?

Pevensey.

The fair's in town.

Evening service tonight at St. Christopher's.

It's not the Pevensey Fair I remember.

Never had you down as a thrill-seeker.

Of course, it was the Pevensey Steam Fair

- back then. - Oh yeah?

Was that before we had electricity?

Go and check those caravans.

See if they recognise our lad.

I'll see if I can find the manager.

- All right, love? - Yes, thanks.

Bit tall for this ride, aren't ya?

Is there a manager, pet, or someone in charge?

Hello?

You all right? Jodie Pevensey.

Oh.

My, my parents own the fair.

Right.

What seems to be the problem?

Er, do you recognise this lad at all?

Maybe he works for you?

Why, um, why's it a drawing?

Is he wanted for summat?

You do know him, then?

Is he in trouble?