Charlotte?
Charlotte, you're coming home right now.
No! You told me to handle things for myself, so I am.
Stop it, Charlotte!
- You're making a scene. - Exactly!
You're supposed to be behaving like a young lady, not a hooligan.
Now, I don't know what you're thinking of doing...
No, you don't. But you will.
- Don't you walk away from me! - Ow!
Look, I will not let you make a fool of yourself...
Hey! Let go of her.
This has nothing to do with you, Reddan.
We're not in class. You can't tell me what to do.
But I'm still your principal and she is my daughter.
Enjoy the presentation, Dad. Come on.
Charlotte, you come back here right now.
Inside, everyone!
Let's get started.
Nice dress, Charlotte.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Miss Fiona McGregor.
Next, I'd like to introduce the lovely Miss Christine Pryor.
She'll be accompanied on this momentous evening
by Mr James Young.
Christine is an excellent student of mathematics,
a member of the Junior Dramatic Society
and she's Ballarat's reigning under 18 girls tennis champion.
Ladies and gentlemen, Miss Christine Pryor.
Our final debutante for tonight
is none other than Principal Worthington's daughter.
She will be accompanied by Mr David Reddan.
Ladies and gentlemen,
let me introduce Miss Charlotte Worthington.
Er, Mr David Reddan and Charlotte Worthington.
- Charlotte? - She and Dave were here earlier.
Your job was to avoid this sort of embarrassment.
You're supposed to be on stage.
I can't find her.
- Did you check in there? - It's the girls dressing-room.
Idiot.
What are you doing, Charlotte? Get up.
Get up, girl.
Charlotte?
Dr Blake's residence.
Wendouree Grammar?
I tell you, Matthew.
Rest and relaxation --
I don't know how people do it.
Matthew, you're needed down at the station.
There's been a death at the debutantes' ball.
Give me two seconds. I'll be right with you.
- No, Lucien. - You're not fit enough, Lucien.
I'm still the Police Surgeon.
No, I'll get Dr Wallace.
Wal... Jack Wallace? He wouldn't know a carbuncle from a kidney.
Look, I could work from here. Alice can manage the autopsy.
All you need to do is bring me the reports.
Oh, come on, Matthew.
You know I'll do a better job than bloody Wallace.
He won't stop annoying you until he's working.
Why is she still lying there?
I'm sorry sir, but we need to keep her here for just a while longer.
Just this way, please.
How long does it take to clear a room?
We're still taking statements, sir.
Must have been a stroke.
Her mother, she died the same way.
I see. Well, even so, we need other witnesses' accounts.
Robert, we need to let the police do their job.
I wish they would.
Where's your superintendent? I want him to handle this.
I'll make sure I tell him, sir.
Um, can you let me know when you're finished with the students?
I need to make sure they all get home.
Make sure the hall's completely...
Sally. Are you alright?
Yeah, I'm fine, Mum.
Let's get you home.
Is the teacher a friend of yours?
Kim Fox. She organised the deb.
She found Charlotte, with her father and boyfriend.
Well, she seems to get along with the kids well.
She's a good teacher.
Don't suppose you've had a chance to chat to those girls?
No, but I overheard them. They're all saying the same thing.
Charlotte went into the dressing-room before the deb started
and never came out.
Right, Alice, I'm here.
Is Charlie with you?
He's assisting. There's no apparent damage to the vertebrae or skull.
However, there is a small amount of free intracranial gas
visible on the X-ray.
Which can occur post-mortem.
Doctor, I'm afraid I'm going to need a full autopsy
to establish cause of death.
There's no sign of a struggle, no damage to her clothing,
no skin or fibres under the fingernails.
Could it be a stroke, given the mother's history?
It's possible.
But there are other things to consider.
Such as?
She has minor blistering in the oral cavity and pharynx.
Any idea as to the cause, Alice?
Not without toxicology.
Also, she has healing contusions
on her upper arms.
And how old?
There's significant yellowing.
I'd say at least a few days, possibly more.
And finally...
.. there's scarring on the upper thighs.
They're burn marks, Lucien.
Describe them to me.
Small, about a square inch.
Triangular with an emphasis on two sides, pointing downwards.
Repetitive.
Very deliberate.
She was abused before she died.
Dr Harvey said the burns occurred over a period of time.
Most have already completely scarred,
but there are a few in the final stages of healing.
They're a couple of months old.
How long's she been with the boyfriend?
Only since the school started preparing for the deb,
so no more than six weeks.
What was your take on the father?
He's strange. Very controlling.
You think he's capable of abusing his own daughter?
People are capable of anything, Charlie.
Yes, alright! Oh! Coming!
Lucien, go back to bed.
- Morning! - Is it?
I have the autopsy results.
Cause of death was basal subarachnoid haemorrhage,
usually associated with aneurysms at the base of the brain.
Stroke?
At first glance, yes.
Any damage to the cerebral arteries, the circle of Willis?
I discovered a small amount of blood in the external auditory canal.
Opening the middle ear confirmed my suspicions.
She was stabbed through the ear, piercing the eardrum
and the internal carotid artery.
Resulting in a haemorrhage and, of course, death.
It would explain the free gas on the X-ray.
Weapon?
Oh, anything long and thin.
I'll call the station.
- Ooh. - Oh, Jean.
- Alice. - Thank you.
Thank you.
Alice, it's a very clinical way to kill someone, isn't it?
Cold, dispassionate.
I used the dark room at the Courier.
Oh.
No, I'm sorry. This...
This isn't going to work for me.
I... I have to go to the morgue.
But I followed your instructions to the letter.
Yes, you did, brilliantly,
and I'm ever so grateful.
But, Alice, you understand, it's... it's...
It's just not the same.
Jean, I'm... I'm no good to her here.
I can't help her like this.
Well, then, I'm coming with you.
Jean, would you mind...
Thank you.
Ah, wonderful.
Hello, Charlotte.
I'm so sorry we're meeting like this.
I think the bruising on her arms is too old to be from time of death.
Which suggests she knew her killer, probably quite well.
Clearly they were able to get in close without any resistance.
That's adhesive residue.
I think it's from industrial tape.
She was restrained?
Yes, but not at the time of her death.
No, the residue's been partially scrubbed away.
Her intestines are blistered in a manner
similar to the throat,
probably caused by the large amount of raw chilli
I found in her digestive tract.
Right. As you know, generally speaking,
the body takes around 72 hours to process most foods.
Which means that chilli was consumed around the same time
those bruises were received.
Add to that, the adhesive tape around her wrists...
Yes.
Who tortured you, Charlotte?
And then there are the burns.
What on earth would leave these kinds of marks?
Sorry, I'll wait outside.
Well, you should have some breakfast.
Do you want eggs and toast or... No, you should have eggs.
Jean.
Jean...
I am sorry. I shouldn't have let you come with me.
She was so young,
and someone made her suffer over and over before she was...
I understand why you had to go there.
It's the least I can do for her.
Did you and Alice work out what those marks were?
No, not yet.
Because I think I know what caused them.
I didn't want to be right.
The impression's different.
Charlotte's burns, those triangular shapes,
they seem deeper at the tips whereas this is...
More even.
But whoever did it must have held it differently.
Oh, hang on a moment, Jean.
Thank you.
May I, um...
Lucien? Lucien, be careful.
It's alright.
Someone was already torturing her. Why would she burn herself?
Self-loathing.
Finding an escape through pain,
believing hurt and damage is all she deserves.
She's a teenage girl from a well-to-do family.
Uh, this abuse, it was only physical?
No evidence of sexual assault.
Well, at least that's something.
What about a murder weapon?
Well, nothing in evidence matches the description.
Right, well let's find out who did this to her.
Yes, what is it? I have people relying on me.
- Mr Worthington. - Professor.
Professor Worthington, Chief Superintendent Lawson.
Well, thank you for coming.
I'm afraid it's our duty to inform you
that your daughter Charlotte
suffered a severe injury to her brain,
which resulted in her death.
It wasn't a stroke.
She was murdered?
How?
We can't divulge that information at this time.
I'm sorry for your loss.
Could we have a look at Charlotte's bedroom?
Why? She didn't die here.
It'll help us get a better understanding of who she was.
Well, go back to the crime scene. You're police, not psychiatrists.
I'm sorry, but it's necessary sir.
And I'd prefer not to have to go and get a warrant.
I'm afraid we're going to have to reschedule.
The doctor isn't seeing patients today.
Oh, but Dr Blake called me
and asked me to come.
Mrs Reddan, nice to see you. Won't you come through.
- There we are. - Is it bad news, Doctor?
It's a tumour, isn't it?
No, Mrs Reddan, no tumour.
But severe headaches can be exacerbated
by stressful events.
I tell that to my husband.
- He thinks I have the vapours. - Right.
Well, your blood pressure is a little high.
Not surprising, given what happened last night.
- I assume you were there. - Terrible business.
Yes, indeed.
Now, there are some stretches we could try.
They might bring you some relief.
Mrs Reddan, I understand your son, Dave,
was accompanying the Worthington girl.
Yes. He's very upset.
Oh, I wish he'd stayed with his last girlfriend
instead of deciding to take Charlotte.
He was meant to accompany someone else?
Sally Murphy. Such a clever girl.
I could tell he'd lost interest in her
but, honestly, I was surprised when he picked Charlotte Worthington.
Really? Why?
Oh, well, she was just so aloof and superior.
No sense of humour.
Dave could have any girl he wants, you know. He's very popular.
She was very bright. Academic.
A little prone to melodrama,
but that's what teenage girls are like.
I'm afraid I wouldn't know.
I don't know what you're hoping to find.
Do you think I did it?
Why would I kill my own daughter?
We have to consider all the possibilities.
What are you doing?
Hey, you've got no right to touch her stuff.
That was my wife's.
Martha. She died many years ago.
What are you... How is that evidence?
Is this really necessary?
Anything that can help us piece together Charlotte's life is...
Get out. Out! You can come back with your bloody warrant.
I'll be engaging a lawyer.
Expect to hear from him, you bloody incompetents.
Do you know someone was abusing your daughter?
We'll need you to come with us to the station, Professor Worthington.
I never laid a finger on her.
Witnesses saw you arguing before the deb.
They say you forcibly tried to restrain her.
I was holding her back. That's not abuse.
So what was the argument about?
I don't see how that's relevant.
Why don't you let us be the judge of that?
She said she was going to make a statement.
- What sort of statement? - I don't know.
She was histrionic.
I assumed that it had something to do with...
Well, to be honest, I don't know what I assumed.
Something that might embarrass you, Professor?
Can you describe your relationship with Charlotte?
Relationship?
She missed her mother. I did what I could.
Did she need disciplining?
Not of the sort you're thinking.
And if you want to actually do your job instead of persecuting me,
why don't you talk to those wretched girls?
We heard you all used to give Charlotte a hard time.
Us? Of course not.
You never hit her, or hurt her?
No. We were her friends.
At least we tried to be.
Her dad was strict. We felt sorry for her.
Even when Dave Reddan chose her over you?
I dumped Dave ages ago.
All these questions mean Charlotte was murdered, wasn't she?
I thought she died of a stroke.
Well, was she?
- Inside, girls, thank you. - Really? Charlotte was murdered?
Off to class. It'll be alright.
What do you know about those two and Charlotte?
Is now really the time?
Things have been terrible for everyone, Charlie.
I'm sorry, I feel like I know you.
Rose has told me all about you.
Yes. She said.
So, um, Sally and Christine?
Well, they're in shock. The whole school is.
You looked surprised
when Sally said she wanted to be friends with Charlotte.
Teenage girls swing pretty wildly from love to hate and back again.
It's hard to keep up.
So were you aware of any problems between the girls and Charlotte?
Only the usual teenage stuff.
Things seemed to be better the last few weeks
so I thought they'd worked it out.
What can you tell me about Dave Reddan?
He seems like a decent young man.
I need to get back to work.
It was really nice to be able to put a face to the name.
Lily Dew.
- What's that? - The perfume.
Very popular with the younger ladies.
Why don't you wear something more comfortable?
Or are you expecting more patients?
No, um... I think we're done for the day.
Oh.
You know, I've never understood the obsession with the debutante ball.
Most girls want their moment in the spotlight, chance to dress up.
And you?
I spent weeks making my dress. I had a wonderful night.
I was really looking forward to making a dress
for Helen Murphy's daughter
until she told me not to bother.
I think she found a better price.
- Helen Murphy? - Mm
Her daughter wouldn't be Sally, by any chance?
Yes, that's right.
Jean, Helen Murphy didn't find a better price.
Sally's boyfriend found another girl...
.. Charlotte Worthington.
Dr Blake's residence.
Mrs Parker.
Oh, I'm sorry, I'm afraid he's still not seeing patients,
not for another week.
- Not at school today? - Can we do this later?
One of Johnson's horses colicked again and Dad was out all night.
- He's still sleeping. - Well, we can talk out here, Dave.
Unless you'd rather come to the station.
Were you aware of any injuries that Charlotte may have had?
Why are you asking me this?
I would've thought you would've seen something
that other people might not have.
We weren't like that. Charlotte was always covering herself up.
Well, how long were you together?
Not that long.
Did she tell you that someone was hurting her?
I have to go.
Dave, someone murdered Charlotte in cold blood.
If you know anything...
Look, all I know is that if someone hurt her, it wasn't me, alright?
Will I live?
Well, it's nasty. But yes.
Did you see the spider?
No. I was backstage when I felt something bite me.
And it was itchy for a while and then it was worse today.
Right. Well, we'll keep an eye on it.
In the meantime I can give you some calamine lotion for the itch.
You could give me a tip about the murder.
Who told you it was murder?
It was obvious, as soon as you called asking for these.
You know that photograph of yours...
.. the one in the newspaper.
There was something hanging from the ceiling, and I...
Yes, look.
There.
Above the stage. What is that?
I don't know.
The police... the police checked the area, obviously.
But I wonder, did it occur to them to look up?
Should we have told Jean you were leaving?
We won't be long.
Ahh.
Are you sure you should be doing that?
I'm perfectly fine, Rose.
- Yes, I can see that. - Ha!
Now...
There, you see?
This is where the girls were standing when they were introduced.
Right.
And you see the string? The, er... the cord?
What has this got to do with Charlotte Worthington's murder?
Possibly nothing.
But it's better than sitting at home.
Let's give that a good old yank, eh?
Who'd go to all this effort to rig this up
and then forget to put something in it?
Well, perhaps... perhaps they ran out of time.
Or maybe they were caught out?
Or they changed their mind, or they moved it, though I have no idea how.
Yes.
Perhaps...
Lucien!
What are you doing?
Perhaps it moved itself.
Now, shouldn't you be at home?
Charlotte Worthington was supposed to be
the last debutante out on stage.
So it was a practical joke.
A particularly unpleasant one.
This little chap
was only one of several I found on the stage, and I think...
.. I think it's fair to say even the most sturdy of us
might have difficulty dealing with a barrage of these hairy fellows
falling from above.
Now the string was taped to a wall in the wings.
Only one person other than Miss Fox was back there last night.
Sally Murphy.
Kim felt sorry that she didn't get to do the Deb,
so she let her watch from the wings.
You do realise that she'll be wanting something for this.
Just an exclusive, and by the way, that is garden twine,
not string.
You should call Jean, ask her where she buys hers.
You probably should have gone home.
Oh, in for a penny, in for a pound, Charlie.
- Don't come near me! - Alright!
- Whoa, whoa, whoa! - You stay away!
Sally, what's going on?
Sorry.
Mrs Murphy.
What can I help you with, Officer?
Do you mind if we go inside?
Shouldn't you be in school, Sally?
Oh, forgive me.
I'm not letting her too far out of my sight
until you find out whoever killed poor Charlotte.
Did you know Charlotte Worthington well?
Not well. I mean, I knew her mother.
But I don't need to know someone to be saddened by what happened, do I?
Why were you and Dave Reddan arguing?
No reason.
Sally had nothing to do with what happened.
I'm afraid you can't know that for certain.
Well, I can. I'm her mother.
So you were with her last night?
I... I was at the pictures.
Can anyone verify that?
Since Sally was at the deb, I went by myself.
Psycho. I love Janet Leigh.
Anything else?
You couldn't have brought her in without the mother?
She insisted on coming.
She's overprotective and, frankly, not too keen on Dave Reddan.
It'd be worth checking her story too.
Fair enough. Let's leave them in there while we look into it.
Thanks for this.
I needed to get out for a few minutes.
Me too.
Plus, I can't imagine meeting a reporter on school grounds
would go down well with Worthington.
I'm just surprised he didn't close the school, at least for the day.
He insisted on business as usual.
Even when his daughter dies, he thinks kids need more discipline.
You get more from them if you treat them as equals.
Have you suggested that?
Do you want to get me fired?
You know, I met your senior sergeant at the school earlier.
He seems nice.
Oh, I'm sorry. Argh! Rotten timing.
Um, I forgot to tell you.
I found the contact for your problem,
and if you need someone to go with you...
Thank you, but it's alright. Um, it was just a false alarm.
You must be so relieved.
You have no idea.
No, I... I do.
I remember Helen Murphy? She got pregnant and married young.
I gather from what Jean was saying, there's no longer a husband.
He died in the war. Her family were dirt poor.
Cleaners, I think.
You don't mind if I have a look through these?
As long as I get them back.
The theatre's confirmed
that Psycho was playing at the same time as the deb.
I can send someone down with a photo,
but the guy down there said it's been a full house since it opened.
He might have remembered her if she arrived late.
I asked. No latecomers admitted, apparently.
Something to do with the director.
So let's focus on what we know.
Sally's responsible for this business with the spiders.
Yes.
Alice.
Test on the items from the Worthington house
were either negative or inconclusive.
You were right about the Chinese market.
One of them sold some of these to a young woman a week ago.
They look very similar
to the pieces I found in Charlotte's digestive tract.
Right, so we talk to Christine and then Sally.
Righto.
We know about the restraints, Christine.
The chilli, the beating and the spiders.
You and Sally weren't Charlotte's friends.
You tortured her.
Perhaps ultimately, simply torturing her wasn't enough.
I didn't kill her.
Charlotte was stabbed through the ear into her brain.
It's a very specific injury.
I'd say her killer would have a pretty good understanding
of the human body.
You finished top of your class in biology.
You were also the last girl seen backstage at the deb.
It wasn't me.
Well, then, you must have seen something or know something.
We're not trying to find out who was passing notes
or smoking in the toilets, Christine.
A girl is dead.
To be honest with you,
we're worried Charlotte won't be the only victim.
You don't have to help us. It's your choice.
You have no right to keep us here so long.
You're free to leave any time you like, Mrs Murphy.
Sally's 17. She doesn't need a parent present.
No more lies, Sally.
You systematically hurt and humiliated Charlotte
with the help of other schoolgirls.
Do you have any proof?
Interrupt this interview once more and you'll be removed.
Christine told us everything.
How you thought Charlotte was too big for her boots,
how you wanted to remind her she was no better than anyone else,
how you liked hurting her, humiliating her.
Christine even supplied the spiders from the biology lab
for the prank.
That was your idea.
And then Dave left you.
Goodness, be enough to tip anyone over the edge.
I wasn't jealous.
Angry, then.
I didn't kill Charlotte.
You had to watch the boy you loved do the debutante ball
with a girl you hated.
No, look, Dave only pretended to break up with me.
It was all a set-up to get her to the deb so that we could... you know.
Why would I kill her?
I wanted to see her squirm in front of everybody.
Oh!
Sally!
You let your own boyfriend go out with Charlotte,
just to be cruel to her?
Then why aren't you and Dave back together?
Because he's gone weird.
Weird how?
Before the deb, it was like he was avoiding me.
We'd be supposed to meet and he wouldn't show.
Then today he ended it for real.
That's why we were fighting.
You were found near Charlotte's body
when you should have been on stage for the deb.
I felt guilty. I went to warn her about the spiders.
Why?
Why change your mind all of a sudden?
Dave, your father's a vet.
A human brain's not that much different to any other animal's.
I didn't kill anyone.
I only went along with her plan
because Professor Worthington's always on my case.
If I piss him off by being with his daughter, good.
Well, why didn't you tell us this before?
I knew how it would look.
So you broke up with Sally to distance yourself, is that right?
I realised she was mean.
I should have done it ages ago, but I was stupid.
Have you ever noticed how girls are only nice to you
when they want something?
Even Charlotte?
She still used me like the rest of them.
Ah. Ruptured stitches.
Lucien, I'm not your mother. I'm not going to say no.
But sneaking away so I don't scold you?
Is that how you expect this marriage to work?
Jean, sometimes there are things I have to do,
things I simply can't do from here.
Just don't lie to me, that's all I ask.
You are who you are.
I know that, I accept it, whatever the consequences.
- I'm sorry. - Don't be sorry.
Just remember, I'm going to be your wife.
Let's get you a clean shirt and some painkillers.
Lucien, can I get you anything?
Mm? Oh, no, thank you, Jean.
I'm getting a slight headache from high school algebra.
I was forced to learn it and I've never used it again in my life.
Have you?
Oh, sorry, of course you have.
I hated algebra.
Believe it or not, there's a fun algebraic equation
a teacher of mine taught me many, many years ago.
I'll show you. It might change your minds.
Jean, your pencil if I may?
No, no, no, it's really rather fun.
I'll show you.
Oh, that's interesting.
Oh, look at that.
"Tell everyone what I know." What could that mean?
Charlotte was blackmailing someone?
Perhaps. But it does seem like someone's promised to do something.
Dave Reddan?
He said Charlotte used him like the others.
Maybe she just wanted him around to stop the girls from victimising her.
Maybe.
Charlotte was obviously writing something.
And using this exercise book to lean on.
- Charlie. - What is it?
"Kill children."
What, does she mean someone is killing children?
She wants to kill children?
Lucien, no.
Well, hang on, let's think about this rationally. Charlie.
There are no other young people, or children, listed as dead or missing.
No. No-one we know about.
Her father did say she was melodramatic.
Perhaps it's an exaggeration.
He also said she was planning something for the ball.
That's why they argued, yes?
Yes.
I had no idea what she was up to.
She was angry with me.
She was constantly angry.
And on the night of the ball, she made some comment
that she was going to make everybody sit up and take notice.
What did you think she meant?
Honestly, I have no idea. She could be... very...
Melodramatic.
Did you know Charlotte was blackmailing someone?
Don't be ridiculous. Why would I know something like that?
You don't have any idea who?
I would assume from what you've told me, it was those girls.
We don't think Sally or Christine
are responsible for Charlotte's murder.
Well, what about her injuries?
Yes, they admitted to...
.. assaulting her.
What did they do to her, exactly?
Honestly, Professor, I don't think that's going to help...
What did they do?
They taped her to a chair.
They physically forced her to eat raw chilli,
and they beat her.
But the burns she did to herself.
Hmph.
I should have done something.
I... I should have realised that it was more
than just looking for attention.
You knew.
Charlotte said in her note
that someone had promised to make it stop.
The abuse, we assume.
When she came to you and told you about the bullying...
.. did you agree to do anything?
Can you think of anyone else who had close contact with Charlotte?
The Reddan boy. Just him.
Do you think that he...?
Thank you for your time, Professor.
Yes, thank you.
Professor, Charlotte's perfume.
Would you mind getting it for us?
- I can't seem to find it in evidence. - What?
Charlotte's perfume. Her... her Lily Dew.
She didn't use perfume.
But then it appears I didn't really know my daughter at all.
That's as good as it gets, Doc.
Right you are, Charlie.
Do you know, these things, pens and pencils,
too wide, too thick.
I'm not sure we'll find what we're looking for here.
- Don't you lie to me, boy! - Let me go!
I know you did it!
You liar! You killed my daughter!
Don't you lie to me, boy!
Argh! Let go of me!
- Don't you lie to me! - You're crazy!
- Oi! - You killed her!
You killed her! You...
Drop it. Drop it.
You killed my daughter!
Move.
- He killed my little girl. - Move.
You alright, son?
Yeah.
Now, it'll hurt for a few weeks
but I'm guessing you're right-handed.
So I can do every class except woodwork.
Woodwork, you say? Is that your favourite?
Ahh. And what sort of things do you make it woodwork?
Trays?
Letter holders?
Jewellery boxes?
Thanks for my hand.
You can't go around caning students till they bleed.
Reddan's family could have you up on assault charges.
Let 'em. It couldn't get any worse.
So you're not going to care about anything else ever again, is that it?
Losing your family, Robert,
it's enough to make any man shut himself off from the world.
But it makes for a very... very lonely life, believe me.
I hope you find peace, Robert. I really do.
Blaming everyone else won't stop the guilt.
You were her father.
He's out of control.
Well, why not file a report with the Education Department?
I don't want to be seen as someone who can't work within the system.
I mean, you know what it's like, Rose.
We're stuck in the same boat.
If Worthington could be shamed into resigning,
we might get a more progressive principal.
I just... the man lost his daughter.
Come on! You're developing a conscience?
I'd like to think I already had one.
You know it's a great story.
It is. You're right.
I'm guessing you don't want to be named.
You're the best.
I owe you dinner.
I was going to ask you, about Charlotte and the other girls,
some of them were...
Well, they were hurting her.
I'm sure it wasn't as bad as she made out.
So you knew about it?
Oh, Charlotte told everyone she was being picked on.
But to be honest I didn't think it was that bad.
I spoke to some of the other girls. They said it was nothing.
A little harmless fun.
According to the police report, her bruises are very real.
I... I didn't realise.
So you brushed her off?
Charlotte was going to be a target no matter what I did.
She wasn't very easy to like.
I mean, you know -- there's always that one girl who doesn't fit in,
and tries too hard.
Just rubs people up the wrong way. Right?
Yeah. In my class, that was me.
Charlotte's dead, her father's a broken mess
and those girls are getting away with what they did.
We forget how cruel children can be.
The police are no closer to an arrest?
No. We're failing that poor girl, just like everyone else has.
I just needed to talk to someone. I'm so angry.
I should get back to work.
- I am glad you're on the mend. - Ah, thank you, Rose.
Oh, that perfume. Lily Dew.
I don't recall you ever wearing that.
I've never worn it before in my life.
Miss Fox.
Charlie.
This is Dr Blake.
Lucien, please, since we're being informal.
How can I help you both?
Is there anything you'd like to tell me
about your relationship with Dave Reddan?
He's one of my students.
I believe he's much more than that.
Am I right?
His mother told me he'd lost interest in Sally Murphy.
But it wasn't because of Charlotte Worthington, was it?
It was because of you.
Come on, Miss Fox. He's going to tell us.
Dave's turned 18. He's mature.
He knows how he feels, what he wants.
Yes. Yes, very mature.
Pretending to be Charlotte's boyfriend
so she could be humiliated at the ball.
If it makes a difference, I ended it.
Yes, I suspected you had.
Dave seemed angry at all the girls
he felt wanted something from him.
Symptom of a broken heart, perhaps.
Are you going to tell the Education Department?
Oh, goodness me!
The least of your worries right now.
Your perfume, Lily Dew.
We found it on Charlotte's dress.
What... what's that got to do with anything?
Dave was the one good thing Charlotte had in her life.
She didn't know it was all a lie.
Maybe she found out about you, threatened to go to her father.
Charlotte had no idea about me and Dave.
She was upset about arguing with her father, so I hugged her.
- That's all. - Right.
Well, we can continue this down at the station.
Dave Reddan's waiting there for you.
You can both expect charges of assault.
But Charlotte's dead.
Doesn't change what you did to her.
This way.
She's admitted to the affair but is adamant she didn't kill her.
Let's hope she gives us a confession or a murder weapon.
Yes.
Boss, we have a situation.
We got a call about a bloke acting strangely on the suspension bridge.
Description matches Worthington.
I was pretty hard on him, Doc.
Stay here.
Mind if I join you?
I'm only here until I finish this bottle.
We know you didn't kill Charlotte.
That's my daughter.
I was supposed to protect her.
I failed.
Can you make sure they use this at the funeral?
You could make sure of it yourself.
You know, I opted for a slightly different approach
when I thought I'd lost my wife and daughter.
It was wartime.
I volunteered for every dangerous assignment going.
I survived, so I tried drinking myself to death.
Turns out I was a hell of a drinker.
It didn't kill me but, by God, I gave it my best shot.
It took a long, long time to be...
.. to be glad I didn't do what I wanted to do back then.
But I am glad, Robert.
I'm so very glad.
It is possible to find a life again.
I know.
But you have to want it.
You might want to hang onto...
Robert, when was this taken?
It was at the ball.
But when exactly, and where?
There was a photographer at the front door.
He took the girls' photos before they went backstage.
I saw Psycho the other day too. Tremendous fun.
Flowers for Mrs Beazley?
Oh, please. Yes, that would be wonderful.
You know, I was convinced the mother would kill Norman,
in the film.
I knew he'd escape.
You know, the old hospital registrar remembers you.
Following your father around at work.
In fact, he said you could have had a career in medicine.
Perhaps... perhaps even surgery.
If you hadn't been the cleaner's daughter -- his words, not mine.
Well, we can't all hang on to finish school.
Some of us have to work.
This isn't a bad life.
No. Oh, I suppose. And you're very good at what you do.
You made this, didn't you?
It's very lovely.
And very deadly, if you have the know-how.
I don't know what you mean.
I think you do, Helen.
You knew Martha Worthington, Charlotte's mother.
You knew about her stroke.
Devilishly clever plan,
to make it look like Charlotte died the same way her mother had.
Offered to place this on her.
It allows you to angle her head perfectly.
And you simply take this wire...
.. and force it into her ear.
And then remove it, place it back
and simply fasten this to her hair.
After she's dead, of course.
So you think I killed this girl because...
.. because she went out with my daughter's ex-boyfriend?
Is... is this a joke?
We found this rubbing of a note that Charlotte wrote.
"Tell... everyone what..."
Was this note addressed to me?
Well, no.
No.
I may not be educated but I know you can't go around
accusing people of murder with no proof.
It's time for me to close up.
I hope Mrs Beazley enjoys her flowers.
- Well, that went well. - Didn't it just?
I'm sorry, Charlie, I'm making a right hash of things today.
Perhaps I should have stayed in bed.
Sorry to make you wait so long.
A few loose ends we had to tie up.
When did Charlotte find out, Helen?
- Find out what? - That you weren't just a florist.
That you had another business on the side.
One with a clientele
with exclusively young women.
Yes.
You were helping them with their unfortunate situations.
Charlotte knew, because Dave Reddan told her.
I just spoke with him. He's confirmed it.
You always wanted to be a doctor
or a surgeon.
Oh, please.
We know Charlotte had a torturous relationship with your daughter
and her friend, Christine Prior.
Charlotte couldn't go to her father for help.
My guess is she came to you,
hoping you could make it all stop.
And if it didn't, well,
she knew what you were doing in that backstreet surgery of yours.
Kim Fox said the girls
had stopped being quite so cruel to Charlotte recently.
Kim Fox? I don't believe a word that tramp has to say.
Charlotte's autopsy revealed that the
torture had in act resumed...
.. fairly recently.
She wrote you a note.
"You promised to get them to stop.
"Now I'm going to tell everyone what I know."
Everyone.
And what better way to tell everyone
than in a public forum like a debutante ball.
She was already composing what she was going to say,
how she was going to tell everyone about what you do.
If people found out the truth
about what you'd been doing,
then you'd go to prison.
Perhaps even worse than that,
Sally's reputation could be ruined forever.
I... I... I told you, I... I went to the...
You went to the cinema, yes. Yes, you did.
Strange that you got the ending of the film wrong
when we spoke about it.
You were at the ball.
You...
.. brought the floral headpiece with you,
telling Charlotte it was a gift, a peace offering, if you will.
I've seen the photograph taken when she arrived.
She didn't have this in her hair, not yet.
It was the perfect way to get her to sit still for a moment,
allowing you to get nice and close.
You didn't know for certain whether she'd reveal your secret or not,
but you couldn't risk it, so you carried out your plan
thinking no-one would be the wiser.
And if Charlotte hadn't been bruised and beaten,
if she hadn't been scarred from all the bullying she'd received,
you may well have been right.
Perhaps it wouldn't have been investigated any further.
You don't have a shred of proof. Check the headpiece.
I'm betting you'll find nothing.
Yeah, you're... you're quite right.
We didn't find a damn thing, did we, Charlie? No blood.
No fluid from the ear canal.
No partial fingerprints.
Because you wiped it clean, Helen.
On one of your aprons.
She was 17 years old.
Yes, and so is my daughter.
I know why I do what I do. To help people.
To help young women who have nowhere else to turn,
who have their whole lives ahead of them.
Like Charlotte Worthington?
One life for many, Dr Blake. Tell me that's wrong.
But this wasn't about many lives, Helen.
It was about two --
yours and Sally's.
Do you think it helps Worthington, to know why it happened?
Oh, I'd like to think so.
I know only too well the dark place he's gone to.
Here's hoping he finds his way back, eh?
Yes, indeed.
Jean...
.. I've made things ever so difficult for you.
But I want you to know...
I want you to know I'm trying to make things better.
Lucien, you do make things better.
We'll find our way through.
We'll find a way to finalise your divorce
and we'll start living our lives together properly.
Whatever decision we end up making,
at least we will have made it together.
Agreed?
Agreed.
Right.
- Ready? - Ready.
Here we are.
Thank you.