Magpie Murders

'Chapter one. Sorrow.

'There were many who considered Atticus Pünd

'to be the world's greatest detective,

'but as he walked down Harley street on that awful...

'No, fateful... yes...

'Day in the summer of 1955...

'Chapter one. Sorrow.

'There were many who considered Atticus Pünd

'to be the world's greatest...

'A single magpie watched him from a tree as he returned.

'What was it telling him?

'He was about to find out.

'The church of St. Bartles had a long and varied history.

'Boring.

'As Pünd walked home,

'he was already putting it all into context.

'Brent, the gardener at Pye Hall...

'Chapter five. Silver.

'Come on, come on, come on, come on.'

'Yes!

'Clarissa Pye was...

'Robert Blakiston had never...

'No.'

uh-huh!

'Detective inspector chubb

'very much liked grabbing a suspect by the throat.

'That was his method, and it might've worked for him,

'but Pünd wasn't so sure.

'Chapter seven.

'A secret never to be told.

'What else can I tell you about Atticus Pünd?

'He had solved his last case,

'the death of Mary Blakiston,

'soon followed by another death at Pye Hall.

'And of course the tragedy

'that had taken place twelve years before.

'Three deaths that seemed to have no connection

'until Atticus Pünd brought them together and made sense of them.

'He was more than a friend.

'He was the kindest and wisest man I ever knew.

'The end.'

- Halt, halt, halt. Stop, stop. - What?

- Your phone. - Oh.

Ah!

Oh!

Uh... Charles. No. I'm...

I'm at the book fair.

- Yesterday was... - Please!

Wall-to-wall, so, and I've got Klaus at nine,

so can I call you back later?

Yeah. OK, bye. Bye. Bye.

Entschuldigung, ich... Ich habe vergessen,

dass es in der tasche war.

Oh, hi, Susan!

Oh, hi!

So...

- Morning, Klaus! - Atticus Pünd.

- You have considered my offer? - Yes.

- And? - It's not enough.

I don't agree.

- Well, you wouldn't, would you? - Come on, Susan.

We're old friends. We don't need to haggle.

Oh, I thought that was what I was here for.

Eighteen million copies sold worldwide,

two and a half million in this territory,

thirty-five languages, and a TV series on the way.

Worterhaus are no longer interested.

Oh, we left worterhaus.

- Alan Conway didn't like them. - He reads his translations?

He reads his royalty statements. They were getting lazy.

- Vielen dank, Theo. - Bitte.

We can go to 75,000 Euros.

- No, we won't go below 100. - That's too high.

Well, he has a new book.

"Magpie murders" - have you read it?

He hasn't delivered it yet, but it'll be number one

like the last one, and the one before.

OK.

I can give you an answer this evening.

Not here. How about a drink at your hotel?

You're not the only interested party, Klaus.

Nice doing business.

- Miss Ryeland. - Yes?

Your champagne.

I didn't order any champagne.

Are you sure?

Yes.

Then I must have the wrong room.

No, um...

I think you should leave it.

Actually...

Why don't you share it with me?

I'm sorry, madam. Hotel policy...

Oh.

I was told it was a full-service hotel.

It can be.

How did you know where to find me?

I rang your office. Alice told me.

Remind me to talk to her.

You don't know who you might have found me with.

- Klaus eckerman? - Oh, pft!

God, no.

Credit me with some taste.

Aren't you supposed to be teaching?

I took the day off.

- You came all this way. - Mm.

God, you're lovely.

Where did you get the waistcoat?

I bribed a waiter.

Aw.

Glad to see you. I've had a horrible time here.

We can go home together.

- Same flight? - 17f.

Ah...!

Alice is promoted.

We have the weekend.

- Great. - Mm.

Can't wait.

Yamas.

Chin-chin.

'The train now arriving on platform four...

'...express.

'Stansted airport,

'calling at stansted airport only.'

I'm going to take a taxi. Do you want to share?

No. I'll take the tube.

What time am I gonna see you tomorrow?

I'll come at lunchtime, but I'm out in the evening.

Oh! Where?

We're rehearsing the school play.

OK. Well, see you when I see you.

And thanks for surprising me.

Thank you.

So, how was Frankfurt?

Oh, the usual madness.

This is for you.

Oh.

- You shouldn't have. - I didn't. It's from Andreas.

- And no smutty jokes. - Oh. He found you, then?

Yes, I'll talk to you about that another time.

Just tell me it's arrived.

- Charles wants to see you. - Meaning?

He looked happy when he came in.

Hmm?

- Ah! - So?

I had dinner with him last night.

And?

He was his usual charming self.

But he's finished it.

- "Magpie murders". - One for sorrow, two for joy,

three for a girl, and four for a boy.

Five for silver, six for gold,

seven for a secret never to be told.

It's very Agatha christie. Have you read it yet?

- I've started it. - And?

Number one in time for Christmas.

Yay! That's my weekend taken care of.

Oh, one moment, Susan. We have the meeting next week.

- Oh, cityworld media. - Oh, don't say it like that.

You make them sound like the enemy.

They don't understand publishing.

Which is why they want you in charge after the buyout,

but they are gonna need an answer.

I don't know, Charles. It's all right for you.

Grandchildren. Retirement. Cruises.

I will still be here for you. I've told you.

I'm just not sure that I'm cut out to run a company.

Finances. Targets.

It's not what I'm used to. I'm an editor.

And you're the best in the business,

but, look, this is a huge opportunity for you.

A proper salary more than I could ever afford to pay.

Plus a five per cent share.

- After five years. - You'll be rich.

Not as rich as you.

Think of the company! Think of what you could make it.

Let's talk on Monday.

- Enjoy the read. - Yes.

Thank you, Aziz. Thank you. Sit down.

Omirou odysseia.

Homer's odyssey.

One of the greatest epic poems ever written.

Who can tell me what any of those words meant? Aziz?

George?

Six of them. Just six.

Last year it was eight.

Do you know why they even have it as an option?

Well, you got to have somewhere to put the nerds.

Because it's tradition. It makes the school look good.

'Chapter one. Sorrow.

'There were many who considered Atticus Pünd

'to be the world's greatest detective,

'but, as he walked down Harley street

'on that fateful day in the summer of 1955,

'he knew that he was facing the greatest mystery of all -

'his own mortality.'

You can get dressed now, Mr. Pünd.

So, Dr. Benson, tell me the worst.

Well, there's no sign of any further deterioration,

but I'm afraid it's still not good news.