Strike

The girl I saw killed...

She's in the dell behind my dad's cottage.

There should still be people here.

For a buried child, you'd dig up half the wood.

Chiswell couldn't have just sent them away, though.

Jimmy, we want the same thing. Aamir's taking care of it.

This programme contains strong language.

What are you doing in here?

How was lovely Henry Drummond? Oh, shut up, Izzy, for God's sake!

I'm not really in the mood.

Ooh!

Murderer! What did that girl just say?

Why don't you shut up, you stupid bitch?

You've been taking money out of your own charity, Geraint.

That'll ruin you, if it gets out. You and Della both.

Come and see me at Ebury Street tomorrow, 10am.

I think I might have another job for you.

If Chiswell finds me, he'll kill me.

Billy!

I need an ambulance.

I Walk Beside You by Beth Rowley

# You and me

# Me and you

# Somehow we made it through

# I may be gone

# I may be far away

# But I walk beside you

# Every step of the way

# When you're used

# Bruised

# Black and blue

# Don't think about it

# Never doubt it

# I'll walk beside you. #

DOORBELL RINGS It's open.

Are you OK? Er...yeah.

Where's Chiswell? He's, um...

How'd you get in?

The door wasn't shut properly.

Have you called the police? Not yet.

He doesn't have a pulse, though, I checked.

Got a spare pair of gloves? Uh, yeah.

I'm going to have a quick look around

in case anyone is still here.

Police, please.

My name's Cormoran Strike.

I've come to meet a government minister and I've found him dead.

Can I give you the address? 231 Ebury Street, SW1...

"You've been stressed and unpleasant for a long time,

"and I've tried to help you, but tonight was the final straw.

"How stupid do you think I am,

"putting that girl from your office right under my nose?

"I've had enough. I've gone back to Oxfordshire.

"Once I've made arrangements for the horses, I'll clear out for good."

The place is empty.

I think he's drunk something. There's residue in the glass.

There's some crushed pills in the kitchen.

Do you think he left the door open so we'd find him?

He seemed happy last night.

We'd solved his biggest problem.

SIRENS APPROACH

I feel bad that Izzy's paying our bill out of her own pocket.

It won't be for nothing.

She'll want to know what the police are thinking.

Did you ask Wardle?

DCI McMurran called him. He's not allowed to talk to me.

She's done the same with every Met detective I've worked with.

I suppose a dead government minister isn't a case you want to mess up.

PHONE DINGS

Billy's been moved out of critical care.

Oh, good. Can we see him? We can try.

We'll head there when we're finished here.

Thanks.

That's Papa's last invoice, paid in full.

It's appreciated. Thanks, Izzy.

The police still think it might be suicide.

It's not true.

You see, Papa would never have killed himself.

He always said it was the coward's way out.

Kinvara murdered him.

Have you any evidence for that? I just know she did!

I want to hire you to prove it. We can't take a case on those terms.

Either you want the truth, however it turns out,

or you look for a different agency.

SHE SCOFFS I'm just trying to save you time,

seeing as I'll be paying for your time. But...

Let me ask you a question, then.

OK. We heard the police were digging on your family's estate.

Oh, my God, that.

That was so bizarre.

Yeah, they just swooped in and dug up one of our old pets.

What kind of pet?

Oh, it was, like, erm...

..a miniature pony we had.

It was buried behind the handyman's cottage.

The police wrote to Papa and apologised.

How did the pony die? Do you know?

Erm, it was an accident.

What kind of accident?

SHE SIGHS

Freddie was doing target practice with his rifle and...

Well...

Papa wasn't very happy, even if he didn't mean to hit her.

You don't do that to an animal, do you?

Look, will you help me?

Please?

Horse bones!

I suppose you might bury a pet in the middle of the night

if you're in a hurry to get rid of it.

Yeah, because you've used it as target practice

when you've run out of women to humiliate.

And his father protected him. We don't know that.

Yeah, well, you didn't hear the way

that Chiswell talked to Izzy and Kinvara.

They're not men, so they just didn't matter to him.

Billy still saw a girl strangled, though, didn't he?

I mean, if he was close enough to see her wet herself,

he can't have been wrong about that. Yeah, I still believe him.

So Billy's attacked, Chiswell is dead,

and our new client pins it all on the wicked stepmother.

I suppose this whole estate belongs to Kinvara now.

Everyone, um, this is Cormoran Strike.

I'm pleased to say that he's agreed to look into Papa's death.

Erm, this is my sister Fizzy and her husband Torquil.

Please. Hi, Raff.

Robin, is it? Do I have that right?

Izzy said you used to see Charlotte Campbell, is that right?

Lucky man.

If we could start with a few general questions...

I have to say, with apologies to the girls,

but it's completely bloody obvious

the old man felt he just couldn't go on.

Blackmailed by this Jimmy Knight chap.

All got too much for him.

Oh, well you didn't help in that regard.

Jasper took investment advice from Torquil.

Almost ruined us.

Kinvara, we've been through that!

He wanted high returns and that always comes with a risk.

And now it's your child who'll inherit what's left!

Well, not until I'm dead.

I have the right to stay.

Jasper promised me.

Beyond Papa's personal effects, you have no claim whatsoever.

The estate goes to the next male in line.

No bastards allowed.

You'd need an income for the upkeep. How would you even pay the bills?

Everyone, please...

Yes, let's focus on the real issues while we have guests,

namely what a shit our dad could be.

You are only here by invitation. Go on, get your notebook out.

We'll start listing the shittiest things that Dad did...

That's enough, boy. Don't call me boy.

Oh, little Raffy's upset cos he got written out of the will.

I already knew that you'd taken care of that.

Oh, Jasper needed no persuasion from me. Trust me.

Please, can everyone...? Welcome to the family.

SHE LAUGHS This isn't a family... Keys!

How many keys are there to the house on Ebury Street?

There were three.

Mine, Jasper's, and the cleaner had one.

Jasper let her go when we were tightening our belts.

She forgot to give it back.

When was that? Oh, I don't know.

A few weeks before he died.

What was her name? I don't know.

I never met her. She was Polish, I know that.

Jasper wrote her a note and she had one of those surnames

where there are Cs and Zs all over the place.

You don't know her first name?

Town was Jasper's concern. I was hardly ever there.

Any copies of the keys? Nope.

And you can't copy them. They're restricted.

On some kind of central register.

When was the last time you spoke to your husband?

Uh, I went back to Ebury Street

after that thingy with the disabled athletes.

And I....

Well, I... I left a note for him and then I came back here.

Got the train from Paddington.

Look, he treated me horribly.

I am not to blame for his...doing that.

It's all right, Kinvara.

I don't believe for a second Papa would have killed himself

over you leaving him.

Can't you just borrow the police's notes? We've done this.

Just answer his questions.

You treat me like a guest in my own home!

Well, no! You're the guests.

I'm going for a ride and when I get back, I want all of you gone.

You're no longer welcome here.

I'm sure our charming hostess means to offer you tea at some point.

We're going to have to sue to get her out of here, if it comes to it.

Please... Thank you for your time, everyone.

We'll follow up with each of you individually.

Sorry for your loss.

So long, Venetia. Bye, Raff.

Lovely bunch, aren't they?

I'm thinking it might have been suicide after all.

He couldn't face another family gathering.