White House Farm

_

_

_

_

_

_

_

My sister Sheila, she ought to be in a bloody nuthouse

for what she's done here.

Jeremy. Your sister, your parents, the boys.

They're all gone. Dead.

You said everything would be all right.

You're saying it's murder suicide, then?

I'm not just saying it, that's what happened.

Daughter killed them all then she shot herself.

You're looking after the family, all right?

What's this, then?

Looks to me like a second bullet wound.

What, so she's been shot twice? You ever seen that happen?

Not that I can recall.

I don't know where to start.

Perhaps you can tell me about Sheila.

When you met.

It would've been ten years back, I suppose.

She was doing a secretarial course in London.

We moved in pretty quick

and we got married a couple of years later.

Her parents, they bought us a place.

Like a reward, I guess, for doing the right thing.

The right thing in their eyes anyway.

Bambs was pregnant.

That was with the twins?

No, we lost that pregnancy.

The boys, they came after.

But by that time, the marriage was breaking up.

We'd just argue. We'd argue. The most terrible arguments.

Was Sheila violent when you argued?

Well, she put her hand through a window once.

And she would... She'd throw things.

And smash things. Things that I loved.

Later, she had a nervous breakdown.

They put her in a hospital. Her parents did, I mean.

When she was ill like that...

...did you ever think she was a danger to the boys?

Do you think I'd've left them with her if I believed that?

She was their mother.

Well, since her last breakdown, I had the boys full-time.

But she drove them up to the farm on Monday?

No, I did.

No, I took them.

And I left them there.

It's hard, but we need to go and make a formal identification

of the family and the boys.

I couldn't do that.

Some people find it helps, gives them closure...

No, I can't. I can't do that.

You're telling me my boys are dead, OK?

And I accept that...

...but I don't wanna see them like that.

I wanna remember them as they were.

Right. I think that's enough for the time being.

I will need someone to identify them.

Someone who knew the whole family.

No, I can't face it.

Fine. I'll do it.

Nevill and June were like my second parents,

it's the least I can do for them.

I'll go with you.

Are you sure?

Ann's doing it, Jules. I don't think they need you...

No, I want to. I want to help.

Things had been going well recently, for you and Jem?

Getting serious?

I don't mean to pry, it's just...

I am family, but for you it can't be easy,

being dragged into this.

Something so shocking and completely out of the blue.

It wasn't completely out of the blue.

Sheila'd been acting crazy all week.

Did you see her, then? At the farm.

Jem said so.

Sorry for the wait, ladies.

The way this'll work is

I'll show you them one at a time, just the face,

and you confirm it's who we think it is.

I only need one of you to give me the yes,

so if the other disagrees or has anything to add,

you just speak up, all right?

Mrs Eaton?

I just erm...

I don't know how I'm gonna go. Seeing the boys again.

I'll do it. I said I would. You didn't even need to come.

One is enough.

I keep thinking everything looks so normal.

Like, I had breakfast, made tea.

So this can't have happened because this isn't normal.

I have to tell you something, Col.

It was getting late yesterday evening

and we were bringing the last bales in...

...and I saw some rabbits.

The first thing I thought

was to grab the Anschutz, you know, and sort 'em out.

But by the time I got back, they'd gone,

so I went back inside and I put the gun down.

And then I heard some voices... in the kitchen.

Mum, Dad and Sheila.

Upset. You know, like they were arguing.

What did they say to her?

Jem.

Mum said that the kids needed a proper home.

Somewhere stable.

She said...

Col, she said that they'd find a foster family through the church.

They couldn't do that.

I've got shared custody of those boys.

I know, I know.

I should've said something.

But I didn't.

The whole thing, it rattled me and so...

...I forgot about the gun.

I just left it out there, on the bench, you know?

The gun that she used.

It was just a mistake.

They're all gone.

My whole family are gone because I left that gun out.

Hey, hey. You've got...

- You've got family, Jem. - Yeah.

You've got me and we've got each other.

You always will. We always will.

DMC reckon the press have already got the names of the victims,

so you can go ahead and confirm them.

And the perpetrator?

Tomorrow she'll be on every front page in the country,

but for now they want us to avoid a confirmation that she's done it.

Until the coroner's report's in. After that, well...

Bloody hell.

Detective Chief Inspector? We're ready when you are.

Evening, all.

I am Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Jones.

As you're aware, a major incident has occurred

at a farm just outside the town of Tolleshunt D'Arcy in Essex.

After an unavoidable delay,

due to the concerns about firearms in the house,

officers entered the premises

and found all five occupants deceased.

Obviously, I won't pre-empt the coroner's findings,

except to say that we are currently treating this

as a case of murder suicide.

Can you confirm that your ex-wife was the killer?

So, our shooter, Sheila Jean Caffell, 28.

Ex fashion model, currently unemployed.

Recently discharged from St Andrew's,

a posh little psych hospital up in Northamptonshire.

We spoken to anyone up there?

They'd been treating her following a major psychotic episode,

but she has a long history of schizophrenia, so...

- Violent? - Well, the doctor said no,

but she'd been getting regular injections of an anti-psychotic

and they'd just dropped the dose by 50%.

- That's what's set her off, then. - Doctor didn't think so, but...

But he didn't rule it out either, am I right?

Sheila's mum was seeing the same guy.

What, the same headshrinker?

Yeah, June Bamber, also hospitalised at St Andrews,

for psychotic depression, May '82.

Press are gonna wet themselves.

Things like that do run in families.

But these two aren't related. Not by blood anyway.

Hey?

Sheila's ex, Colin Caffell, told me that she was adopted.

Her and the brother both, from different birth parents.

It's like an episode of Dallas.

Anything from you, Ron?

Post-mortems are scheduled for 9:00am tomorrow,

so we'll know more when they're done.

Nothing we don't already know, then.

Well, I think that's us done.

Says here one of the uniforms at the scene

may have seen movement from inside the house.

- Upstairs window. - And your point, Stan?

As we discussed, Guv, it looks like Sheila was shot twice,

which doesn't sit so well with suicide,

so I'm thinking, could someone else have been present

and exited the house before the firearms squad set up a cordon?

There was a full security inspection carried out

as soon as the premises were secured.

The place was locked from the inside,

no sign of forced entry, no means of exit.

So, no-one went in, no-one went out. As we discussed.

Well, gentlemen, if Stanley's done playing Sherlock Holmes,

I think we'll wind this up.

As we discussed. I told him...

Ann? Your brother's here.

- So, they asleep? - More or less.

How do you talk to a child about something like that?

How do you explain it to anyone?

We all need time. To process it.

- Accept that it actually happened. - If it did happen.

- Sorry? - I don't know. I just...

Do you really believe Sheila was capable