The Coroner

Don't. Just stay.

Please stay.

I have to.

Just don't go up. Please.

You can't do this every time. It's my job, Jess.

I just... I don't want you to go.

I can't let the team down.

You mean you can't let Lori down?

No, Jess. I can't.

Morning. Hi.

They're good to go.

I checked them.

Yeah, and I'm double-checking 'em.

Don't trust me?

What's he doing here?

Rafe!

Come on, man. One slip-up!

Yeah, one slip-up that could've killed someone.

It won't happen again.

You stink of booze.

From last night. I haven't touched a drop today.

I wouldn't. I'm not stupid!

Get Out. Out now.

Hey, why're you being such a ball-breaker?

He needs our support!

What? Is he in trouble?

Not him.

I've made a big mistake, Lori.

Yeah? About what?

I'll deal with it myself.

Stix!

Give me one more week.

I can't give you a week!

OK, forget it!

Ready?

Ready!

Ready?

I said yes.

All right, let's do this.

I've been trying to call you.

No hands. Nowhere to park. Parked miles away.

Grockle season. It's like an invasion.

They'll be gone September.

The sooner the better.

Davey's called. He's with a fatality down at the Drop Zone.

Lori, the woman who runs it,

has specifically asked for you to go down, too.

There's the address.

Thanks.

Morning.

Good morning.

OK, so it's a skydiving school -

teaching displays, charity events, competitions.

In fact, they were training for a competition when it happened.

Who died? Rafe Phelps, chief instructor and co-owner.

What do you expect jumping out of an airplane?

Actually, the risk's pretty low, I believe.

I think the road you just drove in on's more dangerous.

It's cos you're scared of heights, that's all.

Anyway, Lori, she's done everything by the book,

just wanted to have you here.

Jumping thousands of feet with nothing but

a bit of material to save you is... It's just madness.

Anyway, I'm not scared of heights. Just sensible.

Well, I wouldn't go that far.

Right, this is Jane Kennedy, the coroner.

Thanks for coming. I'm so sorry.

This is Lori, she was jumping with Rafe when it happened,

and this is Anthony King - he's the other jumper.

Call me Stix.

Sorry, I keep seeing him.

I can't get him out of my mind.

You should go home.

Ah. Not possible, I'm afraid - we're going to need to take a statement.

Where is he? Where's Rafe?

Jess, I'm so sorry.

I want to see him. Right, sorry, who's this?

Oh, this is Rafe's wife. This is Jess Phelps.

Ah, right, Mrs Phelps, I'm DS Higgins, South Dart Police.

I want to see my husband.

Yeah, I don't think that's a good idea. Not right now.

Believe me, you don't.

Could you take Mrs Phelps outside for me, please?

Come this way please, madam.

Hey, can you just give us a minute?

Yeah.

Um... There's something I think you need to see.

We use two parachutes - a main and a reserve.

If there's a problem with the main parachute,

you pull your cut away and pull the reserve.

Standard procedure. Extra precaution.

I examined the parachute straight after it happened.

The British Parachute Association, they'll confirm what I found.

Which is?

This wasn't an accident.

How do you know?

Both chutes were sabotaged.

The connector links on the main parachute had been cut.

And the reserve cable was cut and he didn't have

an automatic activation device fitted, so nothing deployed.

Rafe was a dead man the moment he climbed on to that plane.

Excuse me.

Excuse me.

It's worse than the returns queue at IKEA.

It's the offer. Pasty and a pint for a fiver. It's doing well.

Yeah, well, it's giving me a headache.

Thought people came here for peace and quiet? And the views.

And this is the best view in the world. Wall-to-wall profit.

Table three needs clearing, Beth.

Careful!

Sorry.

Sorry, she's always getting in the way.

It's funny how someone so small is always getting under your feet.

Pasty and a pint?

No. Treble vodka, please. Neat.

Excuse me.

Maybe you should take it easy. No chance. I'm getting wasted.

I just killed my best friend.

So we're looking for someone who knows about parachutes.

Well, I don't know. Couldn't anyone have cut the straps?

Well, no, not anyone.

I mean, you'd have to be able to hide what you did.

You know, repack it.

Any idea who could have done that?

No. I mean, none of us would have.

Then why didn't you say anything in front of Stix?

Listen, I'm going to need to take statements from anyone

who had access to the parachutes,

so can you get the ball rolling, please? Sarge.

Mum, I'm at work. What is it?

What?!

No, no, no - just keep taking those statements, will you?

I'll be back soon as I can.

All right. Bye-bye.

What are you doing? Just leave me to it, will you?

I've got this. No, Mum called me! Anyway, I want to see Beth.

You don't. You're just being nosy.

Oh!

Davey, I'm so sorry.

Oh, brilliant. Thanks a lot(!)

That is just brilliant(!)

Put it in a bag of rice in the airing cupboard.

It should be fine. I can do it if you want me to.

No, no. Leave it! Leave it.

Excuse me.

We gave him vodka, to stop him leaving.

Thought it best.

Right, OK. Hey. Hey, come on.

I believe you were involved in the incident at the Drop Zone?

Who're you?

I'm DS Higgins, South Dart Police.

You better arrest me, then.

Why? What did you do?

Hey, come on. Hey, hey.

What did you do?

He was my best mate...

I can't...

All right, just tell me what you told Judith?

I can't interview him like this. He needs to sober up.

What did he say?

He said he may as well have pushed him out of the plane himself.

All right, can you do me a favour?

Can you keep him here till we can get him picked up? No more vodka!

Judith, have you got a phone I can use?

Where're you going?

Back to the Drop Zone.

I can take you if you like.

No, you're all right. Don't think I could risk it.

Anyway, I thought you wanted to see Beth?

Oh, nice work, Beth(!)

There's a couple you didn't break there!

Stop it. I'm not in the mood.

Must be like looking in a mirror.

Got that phone, Judith? Oh - you got a bag of rice?

Look, can you just move back already? Please!

How's it going?

It's totally doing my head in. Been rammed all day.

Still, I'm off in ten minutes.

I am going to rent a boat

and go out sea as far as humanly possible.

Oh, I don't think that's a very good idea.

It was a joke. Oh.

Although I think it's the best idea I've had all morning.

Hang on, I'm going to get a dust pan and brush.

OK.

Eddie never went anywhere near Rafe's rig.

Rafe brought it in from home.

Did anyone double-check the parachute?

No, Rafe said he'd done it.

Did he leave it unattended?

Well, only for a few minutes.

Did anyone else have access to the parachute?

Um... Me, Stix.

And Eddie.

Right. So Eddie could have done?

No, I don't think so. We're like a family.

Me and Rafe started this place nearly 16 years ago now.

Well, families fall out, don't they? Why wasn't Eddie skydiving?

He packed a rig wrong and Rafe chucked him off the team.

Was he happy about that?