Marcella

Marcella.

I know who that is.

We found Leo today.

Is he dead?

Yeah.

There's going to be stuff on the news about the day he disappeared

and I don't want you to read any of it.

I want, if you can, just to disengage for the next few days.

- Can you do that for me? - Mm.

- Do you want to come home with me? - No. It's fine.

- You can. - It's fine.

Well, all right. If you need anything, anything at all,

- or you want to talk or you want me to listen -- - OK.

OK.

Right, everyone, I want your full attention.

This here is Leo Priestley.

He left school on a Monday afternoon on 14th April 2014 and he never returned home.

He was reported missing that same evening by his parents.

You probably all should know that I knew him.

He went to school with my son.

Now he's a nine-year-old murder victim, so we need to solve this.

- Mark? - I've gone through the initial reports --

Good, afternoon, everyone. I don't want to interrupt but this is LeAnn. She's from my old team.

- She'll be replacing Alex while she's on sick leave. - Hold on.

- How come I didn't know about this? - Because I never told you.

Get her up to speed. Good luck.

Hi, everyone. I'm LeAnn Hunter.

- Cool name. - Thanks.

Leo Priestley was found dead buried behind a wall last night.

That's the file from his disappearance. The owners of the flat?

Thea and Gabriel Stanley. They moved in around a year ago

but obviously the body's been there much longer.

- So what about previous owners? Has it been rented out? - Here.

A registered sex offender was questioned in relation to Leo's disappearance -- Phil Dawkins.

He was seen a couple of streets away from the school ten minutes before he disappeared.

But there was no forensic evidence linking Leo to either Dawkins or his vehicle and he had an alibi.

A male colleague who could just as well have been an accomplice.

Fair enough. Let's check him out.

I don't know why, for want of a better word, all this shit's come up again.

- What were you doing near his school? - I wasn't near his school.

I'm not allowed to be near schools.

- Because you like young boys. - And young girls.

I usually lose interest in them when they get to puberty.

Look, sexual activity with minors is, quite rightly,

deemed to be unacceptable,

which is why I keep myself under control.

But I've learned to live with the fact that this is who I am.

Mm. Yeah, but you haven't always been able to keep yourself under control, have you?

When I younger I let my desires get the better of me.

I spent 15 years in prison because of that.

Do you know what happens to someone with my genetic predisposition in prison?

- I can imagine. - I really don't think you can.

So my fear of losing my freedom again is far greater

than the desire to experience my sexuality to the full.

- But you're still a paedophile. - But not a practising one. It's like a sober alcoholic.

OK. Are you seriously comparing having sex with children to drinking too much?

It's an illness, the same mechanism is at work, so, yeah.

Do you tell people about this illness?

Your neighbours? Friends, colleagues?

Well, in the judgemental society in which we live,

I really can't see the advantage of telling anyone, so no.

What if someone did?

I think that would be extremely unwise.

- Really? - Yeah.

Really, DS Backland.

Are we done here?

It's a voluntary interview. You can end it whenever you want.

- Behave yourself. - Why? He's a psychopath.

I get it -- I'm a father, too, but we're police officers.

- That's not -- - Build a case if there is one.

- I don't want you going all Henry Gibson on him. - There's no need for that.

Oi.

You are not getting any money.

Well, then, I'll tell. I'll tell your wife.

She already knows.

- No, she don't. - Simon. Go and get your mum.

Mum!

- How's your little sister? - Fuck you.

She's missing child support. That's how she's doing, you piece of shit.

Eric here has something he wants to tell you.

There you are.

I just can't believe his wife knew about you and the baby.

- Yes? - He's such an arsehole. - Let it go. We'll manage. - Will we?

Have you seen where we are?

- I'm gonna wait outside, all right? - OK.

Look! Look, Taylor! What have you got?

Have you got a new toy? Eh?

And this is where Leo's body was discovered.

You can see a two-foot cavity between the Stanleys' flat and the neighbouring property.

That's the wall we're looking at.

OK. But why put toys in there?

To provide a sense of comfort, so he wouldn't feel all alone.

Things could be used in the afterlife.

- Hang on. Watch. - What is it?

Forensics have marked an area where the mortar on the neighbouring wall has a different chemical make-up.

- So are we saying the wall's been fixed? - We're saying that it's big enough to put a body through.

- OK, Mark? - Yeah, I'm on it.

Right, the owner on the flat on the other side is a Reginal Reynolds.

- Oh, wow, it's him. - Who?

Reg Reynolds, the drummer from Swiss Coast.

Huge band in the '70s. Lower You, Stranded, Stranger Things...

- How long has he lived there? - Registered owner since 1979.

I'll get Forensics over there. You two bring him in.

Do you recognise him?

No.

That's the boy we found behind your wall. Have another look.

Erm...

No. Sorry.

Where were you mid April 2014?

Er...

Erm, my memory, my, erm... it isn't used to be.

Er...

That's a few years ago. Erm...

Have you spoken to... to... Alan?

- He may know. - We're trying to get hold of him.

Leo Priestley was put inside the wall from your flat.

And you were living there in 2014, weren't you?

- Yeah, yeah. - How do you explain that?

Er... I can't.

But surely can't you think I've anything to do with that?

Your flat, your wall, so yes we can.

- I was surprised to see Adam in detention. - Believe me, I'll talk to him about it.

Go and get your things together, please, Adam.

Just so you know, the boy he was fighting with is here quite a lot.

- I am so sorry about all of this. - Really, don't worry -- Adam's a good kid.

Thank you.

- Got everything? - Yeah.

Goodbye, Mr Yusef. - Bye. - Bye.

Bye, Adam.

Are you going to tell Dad?

No, not this time.

Speaking of your Dad, I'm working away next week, so you'll be staying with him,

so we've got to remember to take everything with us this weekend, Adam. All right?

OK.

What do you fancy for your dinner? We'll go to the shops on the way home. We can get whatever you want.

- Marcella? - Yeah? - Do you know if Leo played drums?

- No. Why? - Reg Reynolds was giving drumming lessons up until a few years ago --

private lessons, at home.

- Why is my son on your screen? - His witness statement is connected to Leo's disappearance.

- If you need to know anything about my son, come to me. - I just want to know about Leo's disappearance.

- Well, I was there at the interview. - OK. Good to know.

Next time, you come to me.

- Sure. - Good.

DS Backland.

There's one thing from our last conversation I can't quite let go of.

Only one?

It seemed that the idea of telling people who I am is the one that appealed to you most.

- And? - I've paid my debt to society.

Now I follow all the rules. I keep my urges under control.

We can choose what we do but not who are.

I didn't choose this. I'm a victim here too.

Joshua Anderson was 11 when you turned up at his school and told him his mum was in hospital.

You took him prisoner for 16 hours, tied him up and raped him repeatedly.

He killed himself in 2003. He was 22 years old.

And you're the victim?

Before you leave, I am so sorry to have to do this --

They were supposed to walk home together. That was what we agreed.

Wasn't it?

Only, Edward left him.

- He was nine. - Do you really think this would have happened if they'd been together?

Edward left him alone!

And my son is dead.

Hi. What a nice surprise.

Come in.

Jason, Marcella's here.

Come in.

I heard about Edward's friend. I'm so sorry.

We talked to him about it over dinner.

- Hey. - So Edward told you about Leo? - Yeah, he did.

I knew about it, anyway. It was on the news.

That's exactly why I'm here. The press might find out that Edward left him.

- OK. - You need to keep an eye on him. It could get really tough. - Of course.

We'll both keep an eye on him.

Can I have a word with you outside, please?

Sure.

Right. Are you getting married?

- Yes. - When we're not even fucking divorced?

But we will be. They're more of a save-the-date, anyway.

- You've known her for four months. - You know when you've met the right one.

Jason, she's your fucking rehab nurse.

I'm not going to apologise for being happy.

- Do the kids know? - Yeah.

And they're fine with it. They like Becky.

Of course they do. She's the same bloody age.

Edward should be your priority now.

My children always are.