Vera

'Hi, I'm back, and as you can see,

I've tidied!

Rant of the week is going to be on a topic close to all of us.

Money.

And by money, I mean debt.

You know, the type we won't pay off in, what, 60 years maybe?

And that's just the fees.

I mean, that doesn't include the 100 quid a week for the hutch here...

.. which, full disclosure, is paid for by the Bank of Dad.

Anyway, there's the debt and that's bad enough.

But then there's the whole, like...

commodity side of it.

I mean,

this is supposed to be about learning, isn't it?

About bettering our prospects.

I mean, that's what university was set up for.

But now our education and our debt is their commodity.

We are how they make money.

We are their product and they know that.

And that's why these uni committees are stuffed full

with businessmen who are trying to work out ways to extract more cash from us.

And we go along with it because we've been told that we're making our lives better.

It's a total scam.

Anyway, I'm done with it.

And I know people won't listen and that I'll hack people off,

but you have to speak up sometimes.

Don't you?

And, Dad, if you are watching...

.. just don't worry.

You know I always land on my feet.

Excuse me, love.

The body's over there, ma'am.

- Kenny, here she is. - Ma'am?

There's at least three people over there videoing this.

Sorry, I'll have a word.

Our victim's called James Marshall.

His friends call him Jamie.

Final year, studying journalism. 21.

21, eh?

Now, there's no glass, so did he come through that gap?

What is that building anyway? Library?

Former science building.

The body was found about ten past seven by this fella just here.

Steve Devonshire, head of security.

No eyewitnesses saw him come down, but there was a reception just here.

Well, that's a definite line of sight.

Some of them have dispersed, but I've got a guest list.

- Bet that put a dampener on the party. - Yeah.

Right. Hicham, I want the crime scene extended all the way down to the gate,

and TIEs on everyone who visited this facility today.

And secure and search the student halls in town.

OK, Tony, what have we got?

Cause of death asphyxia, from the internal bleeding.

- Conscious or not? - It's impossible to say.

What's this?

- That's not blood, is it? - I'd use the word discharge.

It's due to the basilar skull fracture, which in layman's terms is --

- No, I'm all right with the proper terms. - Of course.

He's grabbed hold of this plastic,

so I'd say he came from the top.

Well, I'd better go up.

I'm guessing there's no lift. You've got your pumps, Kenny?

Ah, we have a problem, ma'am. Apparently the structure's unsafe.

He won't give us access. For our own safety.

Don't tell me this is a rag week prank gone wrong.

Shona Adams called, said someone was messing about up there.

And Shona Adams is...?

Executive in the Vice Chancellor's office.

You'll need a prints and DNA sample from me.

I checked for signs of life, then secured the scene as best I could.

- Are you ex-police? - Yeah.

- Ah. - 26 years. Avon and Somerset.

But you don't get used to that, do you?

No. No, you don't.

Poor lad, he must have been desperate.

You couldn't get us up there, could you?

I'm sorry, my hands are tied.

Most I can do is give you this, for your own risk assessment. Survey they had done.

Ah, come on. I've taken a risk on more ramshackle than that. I bet you have and all.

Surveyor's number's there. You'd need to clear access with him.

Aiden.

I'm looking for Shona Adams.

- The lady in the black there. - Right.

- See if anyone's taken photos. - From the party?

- The party, the building, the body. - Right.

Shona Adams?

Right?

Is there somewhere quiet we can talk, love?

As soon as I saw him up on the old science block,

I came through here to get my phone, called Mr Devonshire right away.

- Do you have a rough idea of what time? - Yes, I could see the clock.

I had to speak at seven and it was just before.

So you didn't see him fall?

No. I went back through to the reception while I was on my phone.

It's just such a waste.

- Did you know him personally? - No, but I've been through his records.

Good student. No trouble, no warnings.

As regards informing his family, is that something the university should...?

No, you'd best leave that to us, love.

The surveyor's here. Well, that was quick.

- You called him earlier, right? - Yes.

I needed to establish the university's position vis-a-vis liability and insurance.

I can't overemphasise how unstable the structure is.

That lad walked through it without it collapsing.

Look, I'm sorry,

but I think your superior would be reluctant to place you or your colleagues in danger.

Well, let's get a second opinion. Get onto the surveyors.

Mr Greenhill, can you compromise at all?

We will get access to that building.

Maybe there's a bit of wiggle room.

If you have one of our engineers with you...

Problem solved.

What's happening?

Someone fell from the roof of the old science block.

I heard it was that guy Jamie Marshall.

How many rooms are there, Kenny?

45. A lot of people are out at the moment,

but we've found a girl who says she's his best friend.

Her name is Lucy Curran.

- She's just over there, ma'am. - Right. Thanks, Ken.

Lucy?

We're police. I'm Vera, this is Aiden.

We're sorry about your friend, love.

Is there someone who can come and sit with you?

Did he jump?

We don't know.

It's what everyone's saying.

Ah, there'll be a lot of rumours. My advice would be to turn that thing off.

Why, do you think he might have jumped?

The last couple of weeks he's been off with me.

In what way?

Distant. Not the Jamie I know.

And that's what people call him, is it?

Jamie?

I mean, it's important we get that right.

When did you last see Jamie?

Go on. What?

This afternoon.

There was a guy banging on his door.

Banging? What, aggressively?

Yeah, aggressively.

I could hear them shouting at each other.

- What time was that? - Three.

- Can you describe this fella to us? - 50, maybe.

I asked Jamie, but he said he had the wrong room.

So do you think he was lying about that?

Mm?

OK, love. First thing tomorrow,

I'm going to need you to come down to the station and give us a statement.

Right. Good girl.

Kenny, don't lean on the door.

- Ma'am? - I need you to shout up a prints team.

Get this door dusted down. And the corridor. See what they can salvage.

- And see if there's any CCTV in the area. - Will do.

Visitors' logs, swipe cards, the lot.

Anyone entering or leaving around 3pm today.

OK, no worries.

What did she say?

- Old fella, 50s. - Yeah, well, 50 isn't old.

Ah. It doesn't narrow it down intelligence-wise, does it?

I'll get Mark to check with Organised Crime, see what Jamie's name flags up.

- Looks like he had a party. - Or a fight.

The computer.

Somebody's made a mess of that.

Yeah, and why would they do that?

See if Mark can recover the hard drive, asap.

There are cheques here from a newspaper.

Was he selling stories about the place?

Hm.

Political scandals...

.. organised crime, corruption... you get on.

What do you make of this?

I don't know. Looks like one of those Pinterest things people do on the internet.

Yeah, but that's out in cyberspace, isn't it?

This is the back of his wardrobe.

It's a positive on alcohol in the bloodstream.

- So it's just booze? Nothing else? - Just booze.

But enough to impair judgement, lose motor stability.

Maybe he just fell, then?

Well, if he was pushed, I can't give you anything to support that. I'm sorry.

Right, OK. Thanks, Tony.

Oh, Vera?

There are, however, signs of another attack, but... not that killed him.

See that, and there? Now, these are recent.

- What, from today? - No, at least a couple of days old.

It looks as though somebody's grabbed him, like that, and then...

So he was beaten up, just a couple of days before he died.

- Dr Carmichael, this just got sent on a bike. - Thanks.

- Is that his? - Mm-hm.

Oh. Right. OK.

- What? - It's not quite what I thought.

The discharge from his nose, that wasn't from a basilar skull fracture.

Right.

- I've made a misjudgement. I'm sorry. - Ah, shut up. We've all done that.

You see this? Displaced septum.

He was punched?

Yep. Single blow to the nose, considerable force.

And you missed it, because there's no bruising...

.. because the blow was struck just before his heart stopped,

- which means he was punched and then he fell. - Correct.