Original subtitles

Brenda Palmer.

Brenda.

What happened?

I need your help, Father.

I didn't do it.

I swear.

Didn't do what?

Let's begin at the beginning.

When did you first leave the Boston?

A few weeks back. They lined up a job for me.

A proper one, this time.

Where was this?

The Granford Club, in Burywick.

I've heard of it.

Most prestigious.

The staff are nice, too.

I've got my own room.

So, what happened?

The boss said I nicked a fibre from the till.

But I never.

I gave them the slip out the back window and I ran.

I know I made it worse, Father, but... I was scared.

They'd send me down again.

To a real prison this time.

No, they won't.

I won't let that happen.

But what if they don't believe me?

They will.

When I find the real culprit.

It's good of you to take her in, but can you be positively sure she's telling

the truth?

Yeah.

He positively can.

Cos I am.

I'm glad to hear it, young lady.

Who's this?

I'm Mrs Devine. You must be Brenda.

Father Brown told me all about you.

Ah.

Funny. He never mentioned you.

Good. Pleasantries exchanged.

Now... You! Father Brown! I thought it was high time that...

Hello.

I don't think we've met.

This is Mrs. Devine, our new parish secretary.

Oh.

And this is Miss Brenda Palmer, a young friend in need of help. In fact, we were

just... I'm sorry, you're not quite what I was... Why did you say that you'd

worked previously?

I didn't.

It's just that your predecessor, Mrs. McCarthy, is a dear friend of mine.

Forgive my curiosity in her replacement.

Lady Felicia.

You will have to excuse us.

Miss Palmer and I have a pressing engagement in Berrywick. Oh, we'll let

super drive you. I was going to drive them. In that tiny little car outside.

I think we can do better than that.

How are we in the car, Father?

Have courage, Brenda. You've done nothing wrong.

This place looks familiar.

You know, all right.

Didn't it used to be a jazz club?

The Twitter, of course.

Great cocktails, wonderful music.

What a pity it's become a duffy private members club.

Even so, I'd be meaning to have a nosy.

They weren't like you, eh?

My husband Monty is a member, and he says it's all rather splendid.

No ladies allowed?

What on earth?

Told you.

This could be awkward.

We'll wait in the car, shall we? We shall do nothing of the sort.

Well, what a magnificent collection of male specimens.

Excuse me, ladies.

It's Mr. Grandfather.

This club is for gentlemen only. I'm afraid I must ask you to leave.

Oh, so you're very happy to employ women, just not to serve them.

Talking of employees, we are here to vouch for the good name of Miss Brenda

Palmer.

She's anxious to clear the air after yesterday's misunderstanding.

Well, I've no interest in clearing the air. The girl stole from us. I never

stole that money, Mr Granford.

I'm telling the truth.

All right, telephone the police, Charlotte.

But surely it's a priest's.

Thank you for bringing back the thief. Father, you're welcome to stay for a

drink, should you wish, but your two companions will have to go elsewhere.

Then I have no desire to drink here either, and we will stay here until the

police arrive.

As you wish.

I did suggest we stay in the car, fidget sticks.

We shall not be moved.

That's John, the manager.

And that's Bertie, the son.

He just got kicked out of Oxford.

That's why his dad won't give him any money.

Was he in the bar yesterday?

Yeah.

Describe his movements to me, precisely.

OK.

He's in and out the most of the day.

Then he went upstairs about four o 'clock.

Came back down with a face like thunder and carried on drinking.

How long was he upstairs for?

Um, 20 minutes.

Why?

Colonel, may I borrow your newspaper momentarily?

My pleasure.

You're a racing man, Mr. Granford.

And that is the favorite.

Durley Dean lost spectacularly yesterday.

At 4 .15.

Sorry, I don't bet on horses.

No.

But I do.

Occasionally. Thank you.

And more to the point, so does your son.

I've seen him at the racecourse.

Bertie had his allowance taken away.

He was sent down from Oxford. Am I right?

Now, I will wager that the £5 note taken from the till...

was used to place a bet.

What utter rot!

Well, a quick check of your pockets for a betting slip would settle it.

I'm sure you won't mind.

If you've nothing to hide.

I can't be serious.

Right, get up.

to take over here. Well, you can forget about that. Now, get out of my sight!

Get!

John, call the police. Tell them there has been a false alarm.

Quickly! Yes, sir.

Right. The job is still yours if you want it.

I do, sir.

Thank you.

And, ladies, I reserve the right to refuse entrance to whomever...

I choose. So I will ask you again.

Please leave.

And you call yourselves gentlemen?

Quite.

Thank you, Father, for saving me skin again.

You're very welcome, Miss Palmer.

Goodbye.

I'm sure you will do yourself proud.

Oh, dear me.

This place is a thorough clear -up. It's becoming something of a mould museum.

And what, may I ask, would you know about housekeeping, Lady Felicia? I know

to hire wisely, which is more than I can say for some people.

And what kind of name is divine?

She seems to care more about her...

appearance he does about looking after you.

Mrs. Devine's role is parish secretary, not housekeeper.

And besides, I am more than capable of looking after myself.

From now on, you can lock up after the dental done and Myra's done the

You're giving them to me?

Yeah. But don't lose them now. This is our only fear set.

I am so tired.

See you tomorrow.

Well,

I am glad you're back, my love, because I would have really missed having a

laugh with you.

I know.

I would have missed you too.

It's OK.

Clean that up.

He's a spoilt brat.

I bet you he's never worked a day in his life.

Hey, no.

You cheer up.

Watch this.

Look at this. Okay.

What?

You start with two.

How do you do that? Okay. Start with two.

And then you add a third.

Go on.

Sorry, Sarah.

I hope rehiring you wasn't a mistake, girl.

Good morning, gentlemen.

I'll have a martini, please.

We don't serve women at the Graniteford Club.

Oh. So you can end your pure -eye little stunt right now. Get up!

Well, if it's all the same to you, I think I'll stay.

I love nothing more than to sit at a bar and whitter on about kittens and

knitting patterns. Feel free to ignore me, gentlemen.

I think you'll find that nobody here is the least bit impressed or interested in

your protest.

Jasper, why don't you allow ladies here?

I've always wondered.

I will not discuss this.

Anyone fancy a game of charades?

No?

Are you

all

right? Would you please stop this?

You're never going to change his mind. Oh, my dear, I know that.

I'm simply here to make a point, and I haven't finished making it.

Well, then I'll have to telephone the police.

I'm sorry.

but I'm doing this for women everywhere.

You think it's just women who are banned from this place?

Look around.

You're quite right.

How jolly and sensitive of me.

Wait a minute.

I knew I'd met you before. The Twister Club.

It was yours, wasn't it?

It was.

What on earth happened?

Better get back to work.

Chief Inspector Sullivan, you see the lengths I go through for us to meet.

I'm told you're making quite the spectacle of yourself, Lady Felicia. Not

all. I simply popped in for a martini, which I'm still waiting for, by the way.

Won't you join me?

Would you please unlock those?

Gosh, I'd love to.

But I seem to have misplaced the key.

Are you going to frisk me?

I warn you, I'm ticklish.

Then there's only one thing for it.

Single stab wound to the heart.

Somewhat operatic.

No sign of a struggle.

Seems to have been taken by surprise.

Yes, thank you, Father. I can see that for myself.

So the safe was open and the contents emptied. Can anyone say when they last

Mr. Granford alive?

I'd say about two hours ago.

Right, sir.

Everyone's been detained downstairs.

We've taken all their names.

Thank you.

Oh. Anyone could have slipped upstairs and done this.

You can count me out. I was handcuffed at the bar at the time.

Chief Inspector had to cut me loose.

Did he?

Chief Inspector?

I know you would have noticed this, but look.

Looks as if it's been discarded in haste.

There's blood on the sleeve.

And a faint odor of... What is it? Candle wax?

That's the colonel's.

Colonel's? Partridge.

Sir, he always wears it. He was in the bar earlier.

Sergeant, is the Colonel on that list?

No, sir.

He's clearly left the building. Sergeant, get the men and search the

Rightio, sir.

He can't have done anything to Mr Granford.

He can't even get out of his chair without help.

In which case, someone must have seen him leave the bar.

Alas, all eyes were on Lady Felicia's stunt.

Sorry.

So an ancient colonel clambers up the stairs, kills Mr. Granford, robs him,

then dumps the jacket because there's blood on it.

Or did he merely discover the body?

He gets blood on him, panics he'll be blamed, so sheds it and flees?

Yes, possibly.

Quite possibly.

Either way, he couldn't have fled through the bar unnoticed.

Is there another exit?

It couldn't have been the Colonel.

Well, I found the keys to the office and the combination to the safe in his

jacket pocket.

But I appreciate that must be very difficult for you. Someone must have

to the Colonel.

Jasper would never divulge the combination to me.

I was barely allowed to set foot in his office.

And you?

You're the manager here?

You wouldn't risk me knowing it.

I had to hand in the takings at the door.

You? Master Granford?

Me?

But he never trusted me either.

Can't think why.

But I overheard your father saying he was priming you to run the business.

Surely he would have entrusted the safe combination to you for practical

purposes. Look.

I said he didn't all write.

Forgive me.

I know this has been a shock.

But the combination to the safe was handwritten, you see.

So a simple writing specimen would settle it.

It was all a kind of idea.

He was going to empty the safe tonight after my father had retired to bed.

He was always asleep by about 10.

I'd be seen propping up the bar all evening.

And no one would suspect the colonel of such a thing.

The plan was to split the takings.

You just admitted to a difficult relationship with your father.

Only yesterday the two of you had a confrontation, rather publicly, with him

dead. You're in line to inherit a full... I wouldn't have him killed.

I hated him sometimes, but I swear on my life, I didn't want the...

I didn't want the money in the safe.

I could have just been yards from the killer.

I still don't think it was the colonel there.

So, I'm afraid the club is going to have to close until further notice.

Close?

Why? I just assumed you'd need a bit of time, Mrs. Granford.

It's Charlotte.

And I've wasted enough time. Tomorrow the doors will open as usual. I don't

anyone losing their jobs over this.

Actually, a couple of the waitresses have already quit.

It's going to take a little time to train you staff.

I could step in until you find someone more permanent.

And I could do with the extra pay.

Yesterday you worked out I was the thief in a matter of minutes.

You seem to see things that others don't.

So I'm asking you to help me, Father.

If you are innocent of this crime, I will do all I can.

But first, you have to answer everything I ask.

Why are you so in need of money?

You stole to Campbell.

There was a girl in Oxford.

She worked in a pub.

I got her into trouble, behaved despicably, and hoped for other sort to

that I got sent down.

The money was for the baby, you see.

Least I could do.

I'm not proud of who I am.

Someone killed my father and wants me to take the blame.

I don't deserve that.

You're

not

going to handcuff yourself to the bar again, are you, Lady Felicia?

I never repeat a party trick.

Father, this is the vine.

Any news on the colonel, Chief Inspector?

Seems to have vanished into thin air, Father. I will find him. In the

we have his accomplice.

I'm sorry, Mrs. Grenford. I've had to charge him.

I'm here, Father. Can I get you a drink?

No, thank you.

You seem pleased that Bertie's been arrested. May I ask why?

I just don't like him, that's all.

Do you think he's guilty?

I've only been working here for a few weeks, so I couldn't possibly say.

But I know a nasty piece of work when I see one.

I know he's your friend, but could the timing of Moira's employment be

significant?

You what?

You mean, did she kill Mr. Granford?

Well, no.

She can't have done. She was a cleaner. She was only in at night.

That is a fair point.

But I'm still not convinced that Bertie is responsible for the murder.

And the incriminating note left at the crime scene...

Smacks of someone trying to implicate him.

Perhaps it's a case of Occam's razor.

There's hard evidence placing the Colonel at the scene.

And it's gone on the run.

I did see him staring daggers at him. More than once.

The Colonel was certainly embroiled in events.

But a bloody jacket is not significant evidence.

Let us consider the murder itself.

Whoever drove the knife in did it face to face.

But the Jets, it is personal.

John, he ran the Twister Jazz Club, and when I asked him what happened, he was

rather coy about it. What about Mrs. Granford?

I notice she's had quite the fashion transformation.

She stood up to him publicly about the man -only policy, and I suspect he

her for it.

So?

the pertinent question is, who was Jasper Granford?

You saw my husband's contempt for women, Father.

Did it surprise you he extended it to me?

Sadly, no.

Which is why I need to ask you, did you have a hand in his death?

Do you really think that I would allow my own son to take the blame if I had?

Bertie... Bertie grew up with Jasper's example, but he is not bad to the core.

Please believe that.

I do already.

And I will prove his innocence.

And to that end, I need to know more about your husband.

He was a wealthy man.

How did he come by his fortune?

It wasn't inherited.

That I'm certain of.

I never met his family.

He was very secretive about them. He was very secretive about everything.

And his business dealings?

Never discussed them with me.

I know he had several places apart from this club, all in entertainment and

hospitality.

This building was previously a jazz club.

Belonging to your manager, John?

Yes. Poor John. He got into debt.

That is how Jasper came to own the club.

He did one good thing, at least. He kept on all the staff, and I... I don't know

how I would have managed without them.

Especially John.

Was it like in Boston?

Hard.

But... I made some good friends.

It's not that different from growing up in care, really.

Come here.

You are a very, very special girl.

And don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Are you all right?

Mm -hmm.

I have a son, Max. He's ten.

And he's in a care home, too.

Why'd they take him off you?

My husband, he was a really good man, but he drank.

So I had to support all of us.

I was...

Out nights.

Sometimes.

And they've reported me as being unfit. And we know how it is.

Women don't get a second chance.

I'm sorry.

They wouldn't even tell me where he was until somebody took pity on me.

But now, I get to visit him at least.

He's down the road in Glendale.

And that is why I took this job.

Hey, watch this.

Bravo,

Miss Palmer.

Moira taught me.

All I'm saying is, Mrs. MacArthur used to see to it that he was eating

etc. I already had a husband I had to care for, but he was an invalid.

It's not my job to be Father Brown's housekeeper.

Well, what is your job, pray tell?

Certainly isn't bookkeeping. I saw a pile of unopened posts that could cause

avalanche.

It seems that Mr. Granford kept much from his wife, but she was able to give

a list of his other businesses.

Now, if the murderer is someone that he wronged, the answer may be contained in

this.

Gosh. He owned a restaurant, a nightclub, a theatre.

Oh, the Purple Cravat.

That's a cabaret club in Soho.

A friend was in the chorus there.

I'll give her a call.

In fact, let me do a bit of sleuthing.

That would be most helpful, Mrs Devine.

Well, this should help him with something.

You did a good job today, Myra.

If you'd like to stay on as a permanent waitress, we'd be glad to have you.

Please say yeah.

Um, I... I would really like that, thank you.

These flowers need throwing out.

The florist is going to bring some more in the morning.

Can I take them?

Feel free.

Max will love these.

You're giving flowers to a boy.

When he was little, he would ask me to name all of the different flowers in the

garden.

To brighten up your room.

So, I spoke to my chorus line friend, and apparently Jasper Granford bought

purple cravat from the previous owners, who'd suddenly gone bankrupt after a

lavish renovation they couldn't afford.

How fortuitous.

Of course, that got me wondering.

Was there a pattern to this?

So I called all the other businesses on the list.

It turns out there were sudden bankruptcies before all of Jasper

business acquisitions.

That must have been what happened to the Twisted Jazz Club.

Indeed.

Did Jasper Granford deliberately force those businesses to fail so that he

buy them up cheaply?

There's only one way to find out.

The Twister was special.

We had world -class musicians.

World -class service.

But it needed renovation.

So I applied for a bank loan.

Several, in fact.

But they turned me down.

When you're black in this country, father, people do make assumptions.

Mr. Granford offered to pay for the renovations in exchange for a small

the club.

I agreed.

But when the work was done, he denied ever promising the money.

When I couldn't pay, I had to declare bankruptcy.

And guess who snapped up the club's cheap?

That must have been very, very hard to bear. I think he enjoyed watching us

serve those rich white men who see us as nothing, including the bank managers

I went to for help.

That amount of resentment can boil over, Mr. Harrow.

I didn't kill him.

But I'm not sorry he's dead.

He was a parasite.

and it was only a matter of time before someone made him pay.

So, to sum up, Mr. Granford was loathed by almost everyone he was

close to.

Was it A, his long -suffering wife, who he struck for speaking out against him?

B, his spoiled son, who he bullied and controlled with money?

See, he's club manager, who he swindled and forced into servitude.

That's very thorough, Mrs Devine. Well, not really.

You missed out the colonel.

No, I didn't.

I was getting to him.

Very illuminating. The question being, how does a man vanish without trace

with half of the police force looking for him?

Father, remember you detected a faint odor on the colonel's jacket?

Candle wax.

He said it smelt like candle wax.

Did he also happen to have a hint of turpentine about it?

Yes. Yes, he did, faintly.

Then it might be grease paint used for stage make -up.

Could the Colonel, in fact, be a younger man dressed up to look old?

Do you know, that's actually rather good.

So someone who was clearly not present the day of the murder.

And it's not as far -fetched as you'd think. I mean, I played Bob Cratchit in

Christmas Panto one year.

No,

seriously,

though. Let's think.

Who could the younger man be?

Bertie. No, can't be.

Him and the Colonel were in the same room together.

Right, good point.

Moira and the Colonel.

What about them?

They're the same person.

The perfect guy.

An old man who is practically invisible to everyone around him.

A false tracheostomy hiding the female voice.

She conjured a phantom to take the blame for the murder.

And he didn't plain sight.

I'm going to the bog.

The Colonel only recently made an appearance at the club, and Moira

just started working there as a cleaner. So he'd be in the bar at opening

hours, and she at closing time. Of course, she'd have to be immensely

hair and make -up.

A background in entertainment?

She taught Miss Palmer to juggle.

Aha!

I think that it's time I had a word with Moira.

Perhaps you two would stay here with... Where did she go?

She went to the bog, apparently.

Amanda, what are you doing?

I wanted to ask you myself.

Okay.

Did you kill Mr. Grunford?

What is it?

I've had a lot of people lie to me.

And I know it when I see it.

How could you?

I found the body. I was scared to death.

I didn't know it would be you.

Why did you do it?

Because he deserved it.

Because he took everything from me.

I don't understand.

Not from this.

I won't let myself up, I promise. But please, you have to let me say goodbye

Max.

Please, please, Brenda. Otherwise he's going to think I've abandoned him again.

Brenda.

What's going on?

I'll set the clock, sir.

Where is she?

Tell us.

Moira Barnes, on suspicion of murdering your husband.

Moira?

Why are you protecting her?

Where has she gone?

You'd better start talking.

Chief Inspector, please.

I know you helped her for a reason.

But you need to tell us what you know.

She needed to say goodbye.

Goodbye to who?

No -one's heard of a children's home in Glendale. You'd better not be lying.

I'm not.

Right, Sergeant, take the next road. Keep asking. Go door to door if you have

to. Right -o, sir.

I'll continue down here.

Did Moira tell you anything else about the boy?

Anything at all?

Um... He said he liked flowers.

She used to give him some sometimes.

I thought it was a bit weird with him being a boy.

I think I know where to look.

They didn't even tell me that he was dead.

Can you imagine that?

I hear he didn't suffer, at least, a sudden illness, and then he was gone.

But I should have been there.

What did Mr. Granford do to you?

He took our theatre.

Our beautiful theatre.

Drove us all into penury.

And then bit by bit I lost the rest.

So my husband, my home, and my boy.

So you see, I had to put it right.

A crime of passion.

can be understood, if not easily forgiven.

But this was calculated.

Calmed.

Don't you think I've been punished enough, Father?

Perhaps you have.

But I don't think avoiding punishment matters to you.

Or why not flee?

Or did you want that time to enjoy your handiwork?

It was revenge.

Evil. In the name of love.

Colonel Partridge, this is a private.

Do you remember all of those lives that you ruined?

Mine. My husband's.

My son's.

Myra. Oh, you do remember me. Good.

Because my face is going to be the last. This thing you see, as I send you to

hell.

Can either of you tell me that he didn't deserve it?

And what about Bertie?

You set a trap for him to take the blame.

And yet he's entirely innocent of his father's crime. If Max had lived, he

be everything that Bertie isn't.

And that's a reason to ruin a life.

He would have ruined Brenda's.

He would have sent her to jail without a thought.

People like us mean nothing to him.

And yet the money he tried to steal from his father, he wanted to use for a

child that he wished to take responsibility for.

The police are nearby, Moira, and this is over now.

You need to do the right thing.

When I found out where Max was buried, I realised that it was

near to the town where Jack the Grand had moved to.

And that's when I knew.

I knew.

I knew that God wanted me to do it.

An eye for an eye.

No.

Vengeance is the Lord's alone.

For then wasn't... wasn't I the tool of his vengeance?

You acted of your own free will, which is a gift to all of us.

You suffered.

And losing your liberty will test you again.

But repentance and penance are the way to be.

And I hope you find it.

It's a gift.

Brenda.

You must let me know next time you're on a show.

Monty and I will come and we'll make a night of it. I look forward to that.

Miss Palmer.

They fired me for the stunt with the keys.

Oh, dear.

I didn't know where else to go.

Oh, Inspector Sullivan.

Mrs Vine, apologies. I'm here on official business.

Brenda Palmer.

I'm arresting you for being an accessory after the fact by assisting Moira

Barnes to escape.

What? You can't be serious.

That is not necessary, Chief Inspector. She has a history of criminality and, as

of today, no fixed abode.

So you're persecuting a girl for being homeless?

Shame on you.

Quite. And you'll have to get past us first. Excuse me. Sorry.

I think the ladies have spoken, Chief Inspector.

Yes. I rather think they have.

And I have a suggestion.

Miss Palmer's looking for a place to stay, and I clearly need a housekeeper.

Would you consider working for me?

Do you really mean it?

Good. That's settled, then.

And I give you my word that I will keep her out of trouble.

Fine.

I don't know why you trust her, but on your head be it.

Good day.

I won't let you down, Father. I promise.

It is only to start tidying straight away.

Actually, there is.

And I've processed your post. Father, bills have been paid and your

correspondence is in the study.

Oh, and, uh, Lady Felicia, this came for you.

Oh.

Oh, the Twisted Jack covers reopening.

And Charles and John quarterly invite you and your friends to have a martini

the house. What a splendid idea. What say you?

Oh, well, I'm game if you are, Father.

I wouldn't mind a bit of jazz.

I won't say no to a martini.

Just the one.

Oh, hurrah.

And we'll get our glad rags on, Mrs. D, and we'll find something divine for

Brenda to wear. Oh, divine.

Oh, it's good.

You'd better unpack.

Father Brown, back next Friday at 1 .45.

Or watch all episodes now on BBC iPlayer. Just press red.

Here next, tasty farm produce on the menu.