Ruth Murray died from slow sustained squeezing on the artery.
Minimal internal damage. A simple strangle.
Karal Turay, back of her skull shattered
as he beat her head repeatedly against the floor.
It's a coincidence. Methods are way different. Motives are different.
It's not a coincidence if there's a pattern.
- Tom's got a theory. - Yeah, I heard it. You said double-trouble.
Oh, Venables and Thompson. Brady and Hindley. Harris and Klebold.
Ant and Dec, Robson and Jerome. Donny and Marie.
Mike and Bernie fucking Winters! You got any evidence, Tom?
No, course not. You're Tom Thorne!
What are you doing here? I'm not paying overtime.
I'm going out to forget about Charlie and his mum tonight,
so I can come back tomorrow, and think about them again.
Listen, thanks for coming, Phil. You know, I appreciate it.
We were friends. You fucked it up.
Sorry for your loss.
Think the boy saw anything? Then why is he still alive? Did the killer get interrupted?
He would've torn through the floorboards if he had to.
I've been up and down every unsolved murder in the last ten years.
I've widened the premises - Luton, Chelmsford, Bromley, the suburbs.
Every pair of unsolved murders on the same day, and there's nothing!
Only unsolved murders you said?
Yeah. Why?
The police are capable of charging the wrong man.
Jana's death was a...horrible thing for us all here.
We're just trying to...put it behind us.
Martin, we may have a problem.
Two killers. Two pairs of victims.
Same method. Same day. That's the pattern.
- Serial killers don't work together. - These ones do.
- Fuck! - Come here!
What are you doing? I'm just getting my stuff!
Sean Bracher, I'm arresting you on suspicion of the murder
of Karal Turay and Fiona Hutchinson.
I'm the one...you're looking for. I did it.
I killed her. It was me.
Did he tell you to kill the others?
Martin! Tell 'em!
Fucking tell 'em!
It's not him. It's not him.
He's out there.
And you're never gonna get him.
You got something to tell me, son?
Shh.
His name is Charlie. He's a witness.
He's just staying here for a few days, all right?
Just till we find him somewhere safer.
His mum was murdered. Someone tried to get him last night.
Oh, Jesus.
Your mate's still out there, isn't he? Martin?
I'm your friend, Martin. I'm gonna take care of you.
That's what friends do.
So what will you do for me?
Martin? Hey?
DI Thorne has entered the room.
I killed Jana. I killed the prostitute.
You tried to kill the boy. Yes, we know that.
Last night, you tried to kill Charlie, OK?
So who is your mate going for, hm?
Was it another witness? Is that the way it works?
- Charlie saw him, so who saw you? - Martin, give us a name.
Oi! Look at me.
It's all right. Do you wanna go and get us some coffees, yeah?
Why did you come to us, Martin?
Why give yourself up like that?
I told you. I killed those two girls. And I tried to kill that boy.
Yeah, but it's not two girls, is it? It's four. Four dead women.
OK, two, four. Lock me away for four.
You'd do that?
Admit to murders you didn't commit? What's he got on you?
Please, just lock me away!
Why? Cos you think you'd be safe inside?
Safe in your cell?
Maybe until we catch him.
What if he's in the same nick as you, eh?
On the same wing?
He stabbed Fiona Hutchinson 23 times. He smashed Karal Turay's head in.
What's he gonna do to you, eh?
Do you think anyone's gonna come running when they hear you, Martin?
I told you what I did. You can't let him...
Help me get him, Martin, and I promise you you will never see him again.
Cos you didn't give yourself up to us to confess. You wanted protection.
And I can't protect you unless I know who I am protecting you from.
So will you give me his name, Martin?
What's his name?
I killed Jana Lovik, I killed that prostitute
and I tried to kill the boy.
OK.
It's good news. We had an e-fit in the paper yesterday
and a front-page photo of the charged killer today.
No, make that double-killer.
You know we didn't actually catch this guy, don't you?
- He gave himself up. - Don't split hairs, Tom!
He's only in here because being locked up doesn't scare him.
His mate does. And he fucked up last night, but his mate didn't.
- There's another body out there. - You don't know that.
Say we tell the press that he didn't fuck up,
that he killed Charlie Turay last night.
You're Palmer's mate. You read that your accomplice was arrested. What do you do?
- Go to ground. - Yeah, and we lose him.
Until he decides that it's safe, and he starts this all over again.
But if you read that he did the job, that he's still out there...
then the pattern continues.
He'll know we've got Palmer as soon as he starts looking for him.
- Not if we release him. - For fuck's sake, Tom!
Come on. We release him, and we stay on him.
We let him go to work, go home. Just as normal.
That's how we get his mate. When he thinks it's safe and that the pattern stays the same.
- He'll do a runner. - Where to? Not to his mate's!
He's more scared of him than he is of us.
And if he does do a runner, he'll run back here. Like he did last time.
Ruth, it's your call.
Come on. We've done it before.
- What time does Palmer start work? - 9:30.
Come on, Ruth! Make a decision, huh? Or let the clock do it for you!
- Sir? - Yeah?
We may have another one.
Victor Perks. Fifty-eight.
Vic, apparently, lived alone. Edale Road, just up there.
Didn't mix much with the neighbours. Seems he was a bit of a drinker.
Last seen alive 4pm yesterday.
That's an hour before Palmer tried to kill Charlie.
OK, bag it up.
Christ!
Close range. Powder marks in the wounds.
He fell over there. Shot in the knee. Crawled over to here.
Then our man entered a magazine into him.
So that's one victim each. Yeah? Same day within an hour.
The pattern, both male, both shot.
One nice, one nasty. One couldn't do it and one could.
Yeah, but a five-year-old boy and a 58-year-old man?
The rest of the victims were of similar profiles, similar ages.
What's the connection?
Palmer tried to kill Charlie because he was a witness, yeah?
Yeah, so what did he see?
Sir, Vic Perks was a copper.
Victor Perks was a former detective CID.
32 years' service in an East London borough.
Oh, put...
"In 1992, he received the Queen's medal for distinguishing service."
Gotta get Ruth with us on this. Cause of death was?
Multiple gunshot wounds penetrating the heart, lungs, spleen, trabecular artery.
Preliminary examination at the scene suggests 17 entry wounds.
OK. Print it. Take it.
Wait, Sarah, not you. Dave, you take it.
She's known you longer.
And, hey, hey, nice and calm, yeah?
Are you sure you really want this, yeah?
Palmer released?
I'm gonna get this fucker.
He killed one of us.
Come on, it's bollocks. He's just another dead body to you.
Don't give me that police solidarity thing. You didn't know Vic Perks.
Do we need a reason?
I know you when you get like this. And you better be sure you're right.
If you're lucky, they'll say no.
Charge Palmer.
Then bail him. He's out.
You got what you wanted.
You said Palmer would be at work by 9:30.
Well?
Are you sure you can trust Palmer?
No, I'm not, but he's not going anywhere.
For all he knows, his mate's watching him right now, just like we are.
So this is the safest place he can be.
You know how much this'll cost?
I could do all this with a pair of binoculars and a thermal vest.
- Your shoes, sir. - Marvellous.
They look good.
This had better fucking work.
Palmer's here.
At least he won't have to pay his phone bill.
So he calls Manchester. That'll be his sister, right?
Mm.
Oh, God! We've got ourselves a hoarder!
Christ! Some poor bastard's gonna have to log this lot.
So he calls the same number six times in the last week.
Five seconds, one second, two seconds, three seconds.
- Sarah? - Mm?
Vic Perks was calling Martin Palmer.
Palmer didn't just know about Vic. He set him up!
The psycho might have pulled the trigger but Palmer told him where to find him.
- Where is he now? - Still at the hotel.
- What was he doing calling Palmer? - We pulled a voicemail.
If Vic did leave any messages, Palmer deleted them.
- Why don't we just go ask Palmer? - Cos I'm asking you!
We have a timeline.
'96 to '98, Perks was working CID Lewisham for two years,
while Martin Palmer was doing his GCSEs at Lovelock Road School.
That's good work. Well done.
Palmer was 14. Do we really think that psycho killed Perks,
because of something that happened at school?
- Well, he could have picked him up. - He didn't have a record.
He was 14. If he didn't have anything to charge him with,
it would have been wiped off the database by now.
- Why don't we just ask the fucker? - I will ask him, Dave!
But right now, we leave him where he is. Do you understand?
I've got 60 coppers on this.
And I don't want you or anybody else screwing it up.
We need both these guys. Not just Palmer.
Yeah, well, just call me if there's any movement. Do you understand?
Yeah, I'm at the school now. All right.
Martin Palmer, left us in '98.
Am I allowed to ask what this is about?
No. Sorry.
Thanks.
What does "TS" mean?
Oh, TS?
This letter here. It says TS. What does that mean?
It seems that our young Master Palmer got himself temporarily suspended.
Here it is. Just a week.
No reason given. It can't have been that awful.
What sort of things would get you suspended for a week, then?
Fighting. Maybe truancy. Smoking, of course.
What about this boy? He was suspended on the same day for two weeks.
Do you know him?
Leonard Bardsley. Len.
- Are you Bardsley? - Yeah.
DI Thorne. Miss Evans said I'd find you here.
I'm looking into a former pupil from here.
Martin Palmer. '93 to '98. You were in his year, yeah?
Year above. What, did he top himself like his mum?
- And would you care? - Not really.
There was an incident in '94. You were both suspended. What was that about?
We had a scrap, that's all.
It must have been a hell of a fight. Both suspended.
And one expelled.
Who was expelled?
There he is. Stuart fucking Nicklin.
Did Nicklin do that to you?
I knocked Palmer's teeth out.
Nicklin bit my fucking nose off.
- Why did he hit you? - He always hits me.
Not after today he won't. So what will you do for me?
Stuart Nicklin. Look away, Martin. You never know who's watching.
Have you got him?
You can't find him, can you?
So where is he? How do I get him?
I don't know. He can't be found.
Other people have looked for him.
Other policemen.
Vic Perks, he was looking for Nicklin, was he?
He called me. Said he wanted to talk about Stuart.
He was waiting outside my house.
He asked me if I'd seen him.
And what did you say?
- Stuart was inside watching me. - Don't look at me!
- Then what? - I told him I'd meet him.
Somewhere we could talk. He said Greenwich.
But you didn't go, did you?
You told Stuart about him.
He saw me with him.
Why was Vic Perks looking for Nicklin? He hasn't got a criminal record.
You don't understand. I hadn't seen Stuart since we were kids.
So why did he come back?
It's Polish book. It's really creepy.
It's Polish porn!
It's not porn, it's poetry. It's Polish poetry.
Oi, Martin! Where are you going?
Jana loves her Polish porn, don't you, Jana?
He's such a weirdo! Look at how he walks.
Hello, Mart.
- Stuart. - It's been a while.
Where had he been?
It's not... He doesn't talk like that.
He says... He tells me what I have to do.
- What did he want? - You know what he wanted!
Come on, Martin. You don't do all this cos he beat up Bardsley for you.
Has he got something on you?
Do you know what it's like to be really scared of someone?
Just help me.
I want it to end.
I will help you, if you just keep doing what you're doing, all right?
Or you're on your own.
- Who are you? - I'm Karen.
So we've nothing on Stuart Nicklin between 1997 and now?
Nothing. He just disappeared.
No driving licence, no bank details.
He must have changed his name, but Palmer can't help us with that.
- So he's been hiding somewhere? - Or planning something.
- Maybe he's been abroad. - We circulated his name.
Dental records from school via Interpol. Nothing back yet.
All right, darling, that's what we don't know. What do we know?
He's got a hold over Palmer and he's extremely violent.
So he may have been doing this for the past 13 years.
Well, Vic Perks retired 13 years ago, just after Nicklin did his disappearing act.
- Been through all his files? - That could take a month.
I want every scribbled bit of paper, every note he made,
every newspaper clipping, you go through his phone records.
Do you understand me?
- Dave, you go with her. - Sir?
Is this him?
Good as we'll get. It's a digital age-up of the primary school photo.
Good. I want this circulated, eh?
Get this out on the street.
Gotta bring him in.
Come on, then, Charlie! That's it! Come on!
He beats one man...
Hey, hey! What's going on?
He's... He's got the makings of a grand little player.
About as good as you were when you were his age.
I don't remember you playing football with me at eight o'clock at night.
- What's with the specs, eh? - We went to the cinema today.
Dad, I said not to take him out.
There's no harm done.
It's time for bed, all right? You can choose a story, yeah?
Charlie, come here. Come here.
I've got something for you.
It's a midnight feast.
Come on. Let me show you. Now, don't say anything to your uncle Tom.
Because...he'll want one for himself.
Now, where is it? Yes, here it is.
Now, then, that is for you.
What happened? Charlie! Hey! What's up, lad?
- What happened? - It were only a chocolate bar.
- Really? All right. Thanks. - Yeah, well?
They tested the chocolate bar from Karal's house. No prints. No DNA.
How does that make any sense?
He butchers Karal,
then he charges through the place looking for the boy.
Why didn't he kill him? I don't know.
He wiped it and then gave it to Charlie?
You didn't see him freak out when he saw it.
No chocolate wrapper at the Fiona Hutchinson killing.
Have you been down there? The wind off the river, it could be anywhere.
- What about Vic Perks? - Er...nothing yet.
What time's your detail of Palmer's flat?
2am. Graveyard shift.
Why don't you take a break, eh? Get some fresh air.
Thank you, sir.
Down at the tunnel where Vic Perks was discovered. See what you can find.
You all right with that? Want me to give Dave a call?
No... No problem.
What are you calling me out this time of night for?
How can somebody kill like this and leave no trace, huh?
I mean, no DNA, no prints, nothing.
You just shave your body, cover your hair, wear gloves.
Basic food hygiene stuff, you know.
We found all this at Vic Perks' house.
What is that? Every case he ever worked?
No, it's just one case.
Jesus.
Karen McMahon. Some girl that went missing.
- Who are you? - I'm Karen.
Hello? Oh, fuck, Dave!
Sorry!
Why are you here?
We didn't feel comfortable with you being out here by yourself.
- I don't need protection. - All right. How about some company?
I'm telling you, this is a waste of time.
Fucking Tom Thorne!
I'm not. Are you?
Teacher's pet!
Scared of a little competition, are you, Sarah?
You're not competition!
Oh, yeah?
That's funny,
cos I've just found his precious chocolate bar wrapper.
So Karen McMahon, this 14-year-old girl goes missing in 1997.
What's that got to do with this?
I don't know.
But it meant something to Vic.
Nicklin killed Vic Perks for a reason.
Something that Vic knew or saw.
Or Vic was another sad old copper with an obsession for killing.
Sounds like you're writing my obituary there, Phil.
Well, I need to get this back to Forensics.
And I've got half an hour to kill before I'm on at Palmer's.
Wanna get a quick drink?
Hm...
Maybe this isn't a good idea.
What's not?
Second interview with Martin Palmer.
August 28th, 1997. Present, DC Perks and DS Davis.
Tell us what you saw one more time, Martin.
I saw Karen get into a blue Vauxhall Cavalier.
Were you alone, or was Stuart Nicklin with you?
- I was on my own. - Really, Martin?
- Why are you covering for him? - I am not.
It's a bit of a coincidence, don't you think him not being around?
You know what he's capable of. Tell me what Stuart did to Karen.
I don't know!
Just stop covering for him, and tell me what he did to Karen!
I told you! How many more times?
Karen got into a blue Vauxhall Cavalier.
- And they never found her body? - No.
It's what Perks has been looking for all these years.
You think Nicklin killed her?
It's not too late to go and ask Palmer, is it?
Shit! It's gone two!
Sarah...
Don't you ever fucking knock?
DS Chen approaching Palmer's HA. Don't shoot.
You're late!
Piss off, Dev! I said I was running ten minutes late.
Hey, Mitch. Is he in there?
Thanks.
Taxpayer pizza, is it?
No. It's my money. I paid for it.
You can't smoke in here.
Smoke alarm.
Why are you looking at me?
Eat your pizza.
So is this what you do?
Sit around, stare at the wall waiting for the phone to ring?
It sounds as if you know what that's like.
We found your tears on Ruth Murray's face.
Do you cry on all of them?
I don't have to talk about it.
Oh.
Why not?
You must like doing it.
Too personal?
Why are you doing this?
I have no idea.
I'd like to go to bed now, please.
Mm.
Right.
Go and get me a coffee, would you, Mitch? A decent one.
- Get yourself one, too. - Oh, thanks.
He's asleep. I'll be fine.
She's nothing special!
We're the special ones! You and me. Why don't we just get rid of her?
You and me.
You let me down, Mart.
I tried.
You didn't tell me he was so little.
My hand was sweating. They caught me.
No, they didn't. I saw you.
I always knew you were chicken-shit, Mart, but...
I didn't think you'd sell me out.
No.
I thought blood was thicker.
I didn't... I didn't tell 'em anything.
This is their idea.
You told them about Vic Perks. That copper.
You told them my name.
Now they're all over me.
I knew told anyone your secrets, Mart.
I never told a soul.
But you...
You told them all about me.
Please!
Please what?
Please don't kill you?
Is that what you think?
Don't! Please, Stu.
Christ, Mart!
You really think I'd kill you?
After everything we've been through?
I am so sorry.
This isn't for you.
It's for her.
Let's fuck her up.
Control, this is Sarah Chen.
He's in the flat, armed. Repeat, in the flat.
Shit!
It's OK.
Sarah, Sarah, Sarah! Sarah, Sarah, Sarah!
He's gone, he's gone.
Sarah! What happened?
I- I-I went to the bathroom.
And he was pretending to be asleep. He was... He... He opened the door.
That's not true! She left it open!
Were you here on your own? Where the hell were you?
Come on. Sit down.
Did you see him? Sarah, did you get a look at him?
The fucker tried to kill me! He tried to kill me! That one!
- Shh. All right, all right. - No! I didn't! I didn't! Please!
All right! Shut up! I want this place locked down, all right?
You bring him out! He's coming with me!
Sarah, you're coming with us!
Get him out of here!
Tell me about Karen, Martin.
Karen McMahon. You told me about her.
I want answers, Martin! Do you understand me?
Karen's dead. She got into a car, and nobody ever saw her again.
Bollocks!
- Stop this, please! - Answer him!
Karen got into a blue Vauxhall Cavalier.
Don't fuck with me, Martin. Stuart Nicklin killed her, didn't he?
- Was she his first? - No. We met at the pond. The three of us.
What pond? Where?!
- Was she Stuart's girlfriend? - No.
Yours? Is that why he killed her? Cos he doesn't like sharing you?
Karen got into a blue Vauxhall Cavalier.
He killed her, didn't he? He killed them and you covered up for him. Why?
No, that's not true. She got in a car. Into a blue Vauxhall Cavalier.
You want him out there, cos he thinks he'll get you off the hook.
No! I'm not... That's not...
How did Nicklin get into that flat tonight?
- She let him in! - Don't fucking lie!
You knew he was coming, didn't you, eh?
You left that door open for him, because you'd planned it. Tell me!
Why are you letting him do this?
Don't fucking hurt me! Don't you fucking..!
Sarah, stop it!
- Sarah! - I hate you!
There's been no sightings of either subject.
Central 5,000 have been cleared, and are providing us with full incident support.
Every dead body that comes in from now on, it's my fault.
You took a gamble. It didn't come off.
He was the bait. Without him, we've got nothing.
When Tom Thorne shows up, tell him to give me a call.
How do I get Nicklin without Palmer?
I don't want her on the job. Sarah Chen.
- She's all right. - Trust me, she's not up to it.
And he said you killed Karen.
What do you think? You know the truth.
We need to talk. Is this about you and me?
Grow up, Dave!
All I've ever asked of you is that you play straight with me, Tom.
- With respect, it's none of your business. - Really?
- Sarah knows where they are. - What the fuck is she doing?
You should go home, because you're no use to me. You don't belong here.
Are you ready to find out what it's like?
They can only kill when they're together. Find out what that kid saw.
When you were hiding, did you hear two men talking at all?
Are you sure? There could have been two voices...
Tom, I think he's given you the best answer he can.
No lies any more. You killed him.
- Karen got into a blue... - Stop this!
Do you wanna see her?
Somewhere a young lad could dig a grave and not be seen.
It's not somewhere where you're gonna walk your dog.
It's got to be undeveloped land.
He doesn't want me there.
No, I'll be all right.
Phil! Phil!