Original subtitles

There are some cases

that test the mettle of any investigator.

No matter how experienced,

they take you to your limits...

...forcing you to look into the face of evil itself.

But if we didn't go to the edges of darkness...

we wouldn't be able to find out

why terrible things happen, would we?

And if there is no answer as to why,

well, at least we can try and stop it...

...next time.

How can I even begin to sum up the incredible force of nature

that was Ada Blunt?

I can tell you that she helped people.

Because she had this dogged determination

to seek out the truth, no matter what the cost.

She was a razor-sharp, martini-loving,

incomparable powerhouse,

and I was so lucky to have her in my life.

But all good things...

and all good people...

must come to an end.

What are you doing?

This is silly.

But, erm, when I was little,

Ada used to hide secret messages in-- in--

like, shoe boxes and old magazines and stuff.

And I would...

Err, I would use 'em to find a prize,

which was usually a slightly sad boiled sweet.

Hmm.

Looking for a goodbye?

Her death was just so sudden.

You know? - Yeah.

Like, unexpected.

Shall we-- Shall we get you home?

The movers can pack all of this up,

and then at home, you can look through it properly.

Hm.

Mrs Lancaster: What are you doing in my room?

Oh, Mrs Lancaster.

Erm, this isn't your room.

Your room's across the hall.

Come on. Er, let me help you.

Here we are.

There it is.

That's how I know it's my room.

Follow the painting.

Good idea. It's lovely.

- It's special, isn't it? - Hm.

It's come with me everywhere I've lived.

It's very... Hansel and Gretel.

Oh, it has its secrets. That's for sure.

Wait. You're-- You're Tuppence, aren't you?

Yes. Yes, I am.

And you're Mrs Lancaster. Ada's friend.

Jane Lancaster. That's right.

You don't want to go back downstairs, Mrs Lancaster?

Oh, no. I prefer being up here...

surrounded by memories of better times.

Oh, my goodness!

Is that you?

My heyday on stage.

Waterlily. Wow!

Sorry. Would you sit with me a moment?

Of course I would.

Hm.

I see you're looking at the fireplace.

Was it your poor child in the chimney?

- No. Erm-- - I thought perhaps

you came for that reason.

Are you okay, Mrs Lancaster?

I told them what I knew.

But it was such a long time ago, you see.

But they wouldn't listen to me.

Ah! Mrs Lancaster. There you are.

I think it's time for a little bit of quiet.

Don't you? It's been a very busy day.

Thanks for checking in.

'Course. Sorry.

She does gets, er, very confused.

So I'll take it from here. Thank you.

Hm.

Wait. You're saying Ada was a spy?

Well, we could say that, but then we'd have to shoot you.

There was this one case, which was maybe MI6,

the one with the Italian diplomat.

Yeah, and the handler kept calling her Dame Shirley

the entire time.

What did she do with them?

Gathering intel.

Think she was shagging him, too.

She kept bringing back loads of nice wine.

Yeah! Oh, Ada. What a legend!

Oh. To Ada.

- To Ada. - Ada.

To Ada.

Right. Well...

speaking of contraband...

I think it's time to crack out the good stuff.

Come on, Tommy. Give me a hand.

Yeah.

- Hey. - It's getting late.

Let's go back to your sister's.

- Really? - Yeah. We-- Yeah.

No. Come on. Let's have another drink.

They're bringing out the "good stuff."

Listen.

You have been here a lot the last two weeks.

Which I-- Which I feel like

I have been unbelievably cool about and understanding.

But we go to LA in a few days,

which you still haven't told him about.

Yeah, I know.

It's just, like, not been great timing, with Ada.

Yeah, I-I get that, but I can't delay this film anymore.

I need to get back. And I want you to come with me.

It is still what you want, right?

Yeah. I just-- I--

Look. I'm gonna talk to Tommy.

Just-- Can I have one more drink?

Okay. Okay. Fine.

I'll-- I'll see you at Constance's, okay?

Hm. Hey. Hey!

I am excited.

- Yeah? - Yes.

I promise.

Okay. Bye then.

- Now, this is a bottle of wine. - Great.

So what are we drinking? It looks nice.

It's the best plonk around.

There you go.

I thought it was nice!

Nice sausage rolls and a couple of those sandwiches.

I thought you did well!

Well, I was eyeing up the smoked salmon.

Yeah. Did you not have any?

No, because that woman ate about 20...

Oh, my God! I was gonna ask you about her!

That woman... for the rest of us.

She ate them all!

Those are nice flowers.

Yeah, Draper got them for me actually.

Sweet of her.

Right.

"Silence of the Lambs"...

...or "The Wicker Man."

No! Not again!

You can't keep putting me through this, Tommy.

Tommy, I was just joking. Come on. I was joking.

I can handle it. Come on.

We should talk.

Okay.

Listen. You've been amazing these past couple of weeks.

Something tells me...

...things are about to change.

Are you an amateur sleuth or something?

When are you going back to LA?

I was gonna tell you. I just-- Everything...

In a few days.

I'm s-- I'm sor-- I'm really sorry.

No, no. It's okay.

It's okay.

We've had fun. - We have had fun.

And we...

We reconnected.

I am sorry about the kiss.

No, it's okay.

We had to get it out of our systems.

Had to answer the question. Yeah?

Which, erm...

...you did.

We'll still be friends, though, right?

Always.

Okay. Come on.

For tonight, shall we just celebrate?

- Yeah. - Erm...

To Ada.

And life. - Hm.

To finally finding each other again.

To solving crimes.

To...

Saying goodbye.

Saying goodbye. Hm.

Hm!

I fell asleep.

What time is it?

- Early. - Oh, fuck.

Oh, no.

it's time to go home. Julius is not happy.

What are you doing?

Sorry. I was just, erm...

Still looking for that message in Ada's stuff?

Yeah. I can't sleep. Something just feels wrong.

Come on.

I've searched all of these twice.

Right. Okay.

Tommy.

What or who is "MCMV"?

Like initials? - "MCMV"?

Hmm. Or Roman numerals.

MCMV. Err...

It's 1905.

Alright, geek. Okay.

1905. 1905.

1905. 1905!

Oh, my God.

Okay.

Hmm. It's empty.

Hang on.

There's a catch.

- Okay. - What's it say?

What's it-- What's it say?!

Erm...

Just random notes.

It's scribbles. Hang on.

No. This one's recent.

"Mrs Lancaster witnessed a crime many years ago.

A confused older woman or the dreadful truth?

I can't be sure."

And then it goes...

"Increasingly worried about Mrs Lancaster.

She's not safe.

I must ask Tommy and Tuppence...

"Tommy and Tuppence."

...to find out more about the painting.

They can help me."

Mrs Lancaster said something to me yesterday.

It was really odd.

I didn't mention it because I thought she was just confused.

Something about Ada?

No.

She said, "Was it your poor child in the chimney?"

And then something about how no one believed her.

It was-- Tommy, it was weird.

And it was really creepy.

- Your poor child? - Yeah.

We-- We have to talk to Lancaster.

We have to find out if Ada was right to be worried.

Yeah, maybe Blunt's isn't over just yet.

Oh, hello. Did you forget something?

Err, no, we're here to speak with Mrs Lancaster.

Ah. Err, well, I'm afraid she's gone.

- What? She's dead!? - No, she, err...

was collected by a relative late last night.

It was all very sudden.

But they want her closer to home, so...

Who was it that picked her up?

I-I couldn't tell you. I wasn't on duty.

Did they leave an address? Do you have their number?

There's just something we'd really love to speak to her about.

Look, I'm very sorry, but I'm afraid

I can't tell you anything else, for confidentiality reasons.

Sorry. Nurse Packford, do you have a moment?

Ah. Now, if you'll excuse me, I am rather busy.

Hm.

- Come on. - Oh, shit. Okay. Go.

Quickly.

They packed in a hurry.

Yeah.

Why did she leave the painting?

She said this went with her everywhere that she lived.

She said, "Follow the painting."

I know what really happened to Mrs Lancaster.

Really? What was that?

They woke me up. All that moving around.

Midnight, of all times.

Midnight?

That's a strange time to pick up an elderly relative.

And then I saw it.

She was taken...

...by a phantom.

Thank you so much.

Bloody hell.

That was weird.

The very night that she said something creepy to me,

we find a note from Ada saying that she's in trouble...

and then a mystery relative comes and picks her up.

Like, we have to find her

We have to make sure she's alright.

I don't know, Tuppence Maybe this is nothing.

Tommy, Ada asked for our help. Remember?

Like she wanted us to look into the painting.

Maybe... Maybe it's this one.

Wait! You can't just steal that!

It doesn't belong to them, does it?

It was, like, special to Lancaster.

Maybe there's a clue in here as to where she's from.

It might not even be a real place.

Just hold it for a second.

Okay. Reverse Google Image.

The Red House.

Based on a house by the same name in Birnham Hollow.

Sutton Chancellor.

By a guy called Boscowan. It exists.

This is our lead.

Tommy.

Please. Please?

Then we need a car. A fast one.

I know just the person to ask.

Come on.

No. No way.

Constance, you don't even use it!

Please! This is an emergency.

Possibly an emergency.

Our only lead in a really important case

has been disappeared... - Or not.

...but left this behind.

What? A very ugly painting?

We think it's connected to her.

We think she could maybe even be there.

It's two hours from London...

but only one if we drive really fast.

But responsibly.

Please!

I'll babysit. - Well, it's no good to me

if you're gonna be in America, is it?

Well, okay. They can come and stay for a week when you're,

you know, catching bad guys or whatever it is you do.

Two weeks.

Deal.

Go on, then.

Thank you. Thank you. Thanks so much.

Now, that is an excellent witch's costume, Verity.

Witches were persecuted women

who defied the patriarchal narrative.

High five to that! Come on!

And, Libs, what are you?

The Autumn Budget.

Wow. Did your mum help with that?

Yeah.

And I myself am a wizard!

- Tuppence. - Yeah?

Is this really a case or are you just hoping that it is?

What do you mean?

Well, that you're finding excuses to not say goodbye.

To him.

You're frozen.

Oh! Oh! Aah!

Just give me the keys, please.

Thank you.

Ooh! He's been defeated! I'm a wizard!

Wizard! Boo!

Please tell me we haven't taken yet another wrong turn.

The road's closed.

Look! Birnham Hollow!

- Oh, yeah. - Right place. Great.

We'll have to go on foot.

Right.

Okay. Well...

This is telling me it's sort of in that direction.

So glad we watched all those horror films last night.

Don't worry. You're in safe hands.

I was a Girl Guide.

You were a Girl Guide?

Excuse me. Yes, I was.

Well, I only got my Entertainment Badge,

but I'll protect you.

Wow. The Red House. It's real.

It's completely boarded up.

Doesn't look like anyone's lived here for a while.

No. Well...

We ought to go check it out.

Really?

Come on!

Aah! - You okay?

Yeah. Just got caught on one of those roses.

It's definitely empty.

Hello?!

Definitely haunted.

Tommy.

Breaking and entering again?

Really, Cowley?

God.

What is this place?

I don't know.

Tuppence.

Get out.

Go, go, go, go! Go, go, go, go!

- Wait, wait, wait! - Whoa! Whoa!

Just stop!

I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you.

But you really shouldn't be in there.

It's not safe!

I'm sorry about my roses.

They bite.

Tell me about it.

So what are you? Property hunters or what?

Erm, we are looking for a Mrs Jane Lancaster.

Never heard of her. Is that why you broke in?

We have, erm...

this painting of the house, and we wondered--

Well, lots of people have paintings of this house.

Hideous chintzy numbers that they put in their B&B's.

No offence.

Look. The house is empty. It has been for years.

Who owns it?

Oh, a Sir Philip Starke, technically, but, err...

he has no use for it, so it's, err...

- Just sitting there? - Yeah.

Making it a squatter's paradise.

Which is why he pays me to keep idiots like you out of it.

Why keep up the garden?

Yeah. The roses. They're award-winning.

Look.

Right before you go. Take one of these.

They're called Apothecary roses.

They're on their last bloom.

It might just remind you...

to watch your step, hm?

Okay. Thank you. Should we...?

Yeah.

Thanks.

Ohh. Let's just get back.

Yeah.

Oh, no.

- What. - Oh, the battery's flat.

- What? - Oh, bollocks.

- No! - Bollocks.

Tommy, it's about to get dark!

No. It's fine. It's absolutely fine.

It's okay. Just hold on. It's all good.

- Really? - Just give me one second.

One second.

We just have to erm, err...

Yeah. I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing.

Oh, God. I can't call the AA cos Constance will actually kill me.

Fair enough. Okay.

Right. Okay. There was a pub.

We passed a pub a while back. We could--

Let's try and get help there?

Yeah. Okay.

And a pint?

Silver linings.

Give me the keys, cos you're not to be trusted.

Come on.

Tommy!

Last one there buys the drinks!

Coming!

Can I help you two?

Oh I'm a-- I'm a friendly witch. I promise.

Err, yeah.

Our car broke down by the woods.

Right. Well, I know just the person.

Err, but he is currently six pints deep,

so might have to be tomorrow.

I can take the keys for you, though, make sure he gets them.

Uh...

Yeah.

Err, luckily, I have a spare room that I rent out.

Perfect for couples.

- Oh, we're not, err... - But we'll take it.

So what can I get for you two?

Erm, something very large and strong, please.

We were nearly just extras

in a "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" remake.

You met Amos, then.

What, you mean the massive guy with the axe?

Oh, he's harmless, most of the time.

He just likes to show off every now and again.

Oh. That bloody fuse box.

Err, sorry, everyone! One sec!

- Boo! - Ohh!

Jesus Christ, Hetty! You nearly gave us all a hernia!

Who are you?

I'm Tuppence.

And this is... - Tommy.

And we are detectives.

Detectives?

Yeah, actually we are looking for someone.

A Mrs Jane Lancaster.

We think she might have lived round here.

Mum, can we go and work on my costume?

Err, later, we can, yeah.

Up to bed now, though. Come on.

Err, sorry. Er, no.

I-I don't know anyone by that name,

and I've lived here my whole life.

Are you sure you got the right place?

Maybe not.

What about this painting by, err, Boscowan?

That-- That's a Boscowan, alright.

Sorry. I-I need to go and change a barrel. Um...

No. But come on. There was a flicker, wasn't there?

When she saw the painting.

It-- It means something to her.

Or maybe the artist does.

Okay. Tomorrow...

lets track down Boscowan,

see if he knows anything about Lancaster.

Maybe he's connected to the crime.

Right. Come on. Closing time, folks.

Cutting-off time.

Thinking about your Susan tonight, dear.

All those years.

I suppose it never gets any easier.

Okay. Go on. Get home safe.

I'll see you soon, yeah?

I've-- I've gotta shut up shop,

but, erm, here's your room key.

Thanks.

Sorry for your loss.

You're not podcasters, are you?

No, but we are...

we're private detectives, like we said.

And, what, you-- you think you can just--

just solve it after over 35 years?

I saw the memorial tree.

Susan. Was she your...?

She was my sister.

I-- Actually I don't want to talk about it, so...

M-My aunt passed away recently.

Erm, and before she died, she...

she was really worried about a friend of hers,

Jane Lancaster.

She thought that this friend knew something, right,

about a terrible crime that happened many years ago.

And it was her painting that's led us here.

And perhaps it's this crime.

Susan went missing.

Halloween 1989.

She was on her way home from a party on her bike.

She was only seven. Seven and a half.

Just a bit older than Hetty.

She never made it home.

And they-- they never found her body.

Only her bike abandoned at the edge of the woods.

And then it happened again.

But-- But this time there were two of them. Friends.

Nicholas and Helen.

And they-- they never charged anyone?

No. No.

But, erm, every man within a 20-mile radius

was questioned, harassed, whispered about.

Boscowan?

Yeah, he was a suspect back then.

But, no. No charges. No evidence.

Mum and...

Mum and Dad, erm, died

not knowing what had happened.

And it-- it broke them.

Anyway. Sorry.

Thank you for telling us.

I'm so sorry for your loss.

I'm sorry for yours.

Are you asleep?

No. I just-- I can't.

I can't sleep. It's just all too...

I agree.

Bloody uncomfortable, though.

Can I just clarify?

We're thinking that the thing that Lancaster said

about "your poor child."

Like, that is connected

to what happened to these children, right?

Surely. I mean, it has to be.

Okay. Yeah. That's what I thought.

Okay. So I was thinking.

Maybe...

Maybe she saw something back then,

but then she moved away,

which is why no one seems to remember her.

- Mm-hmm. - Then she gets older.

She gets put into a care home.

And she starts to, you know, lose it slightly.

And you know what people are like.

People don't listen to little old women.

Yeah. I mean, more fool them.

But Ada did.

Tommy, if we find Mrs Lancaster,

we might find who killed those kids.

Wow. Yeah.

They deserve justice.

We're gonna get it for them.

Can you please maybe just get into the bed for a little bit?

Why?

Are you scared?

But I thought you were a Girl Guide?

Please.

Thank you.

I'm gonna miss this.

Us... solving crimes.

Blunt's.

You're really good at it, you know.

I'll miss it, too.

I lied to you before.

I'm not sorry about the kiss.

Ohh.

No, no. Wait, wait. Sorry. Tommy...

You gotta stop doing this.

- No, no, no. Sorry. - Tuppence, this...

sort of indecision game is not cute, you know?

It's actually just really cruel. - That's not what I'm trying--

You chose Julius.

You chose America. You chose him. Okay?

- Yeah. - And I am being really good about that.

I know. I'm really grateful. This is not what I'm doing.

Do you know, this is just like before.

It's just like at uni. - Tommy. Please.

You have this ability to just mess me around.

What?

I told you how I felt about you back then.

I told you I loved you. And you just left, ignored me.

No, that's just-- That's not what I--

I couldn't say it. - You couldn't say it back.

Yeah, I got that bit. I got that...

I definitely got that bit.

And now you come crashing back into my life.

You make me think that something might happen.

And now you're waltzing straight back out of it

like it's a fucking joke. - No! That is just not fair!

That's not what happened!

Tommy, I was gonna say it back to you back then.

I was in love with you. I was gonna tell you that.

And then--

Yeah, and then you're forgetting, like, one

really, really important detail.

Because you don't like to be the bad guy.

- Stop. - And that's that you

replaced me really fucking quickly.

So please don't tell me that you were heartbroken.

You know, I don't think we actually know each other

as well as we think we do.

- Maybe you're right. - And maybe it's a good thing

you're going back to America with Julius.

Night, Tuppence.

How did you get Boscowan's address?

A friend.

Who are you texting?

Draper. Seeing if she can get us anything on the cold case.

This is it.

Oh, my God.

Lovely, that.

Yeah, I think it's one of my early ones.

Yeah. You see? January 1989.

That's when I-- I moved here found my muse.

Sorry. How'd you get this?

It was given to us by a Jane Lancaster.

Do you know anyone by that name?

No. I, err...

Do you want wine?

- No, thank you. - Err, yeah.

Erm, actually, I'd love some, please.

Thank you.

Do you mind me asking, err, why that house?

Is there something special about it?

Did you used to live there?

No. No. It was, err...

It was always Julia's.

Fucking hell.

Oh, it's criminal the way they've let it...

...just sit there unloved.

Apart from Amos' roses.

They're not his.

They were Julia's, her pride and joy.

I get the feeling that maybe the house

wasn't so much the muse, as Julia was?

Well, you know how it is.

Course of true love never did run smooth.

What happened?

Her husband, Sir Philip, sad little tortoise of a man,

found out we were having an affair

and took her away from me.

They moved abroad.

Something tells me you're more than just art fans.

Erm, yeah, we're-- we're private detectives.

We're looking into the missing children's cases.

I answered every question about that case

all those years ago!

Not again!

I will not let that man keep ruining my life!

- "That man"? - Sir Philip.

He tried to pin it on me as revenge for the affair.

I was never charged.

And yet...

And yet people-- people don't forget.

Yeah. They still look at me funny.

I think you should go now.

Thanks for your time.

Sorry. So you mind if I ask just one more question?

Tuppence, I think we should--

What ever happened to Julia?

Well, that's a dead end.

- Hmm. - Literally.

But for a moment, I really thought that...

Julia Starke was Jane Lancaster?

- Yeah. - Yeah, me too.

Ahh.

But here she is...

very much in the ground, so...

- Now are-- - Hello.

Oh. Hello.

Are you here for the Halloween party?

I'm afraid it doesn't start for a while.

- Hi. - Err, hi. No.

Halloween party in a church?

Isn't that a bit sacrilegious?

Nonsense.

I put on an All Hallow's Eve party every year.

I plan and organise the whole thing myself,

of course.

Get the community together. Very important.

Err, may I ask what we are doing then in my quiet little parish?

Yeah, we are looking for a Mrs Lancaster.

Lancaster? Erm, no.

Not-- Not a Lancaster here.

Sorry. You must be mistaken.

Oh, we're hoping to find her because we're--

we're looking into the disappearances of the children.

After all these years?

Their families deserve to know the truth.

I assure you, I know that more than most.

I am from Sutton Chancellor. I remember it well.

Those of us of a certain age all do.

But giving fragile people false hope,

it's a terrible thing to do!

Err, yeah, we, erm...

I just suppose we just wanna help.

Yeah.

But my advice would be to leave and don't cause any more harm.

Now, I've got a lot to do.

- Whoa. - Blimey.

Thanks.

That vicar was fun.

Yeah. She has a point.

We're wading into something deep.

- You need a costume. - Oh!

Thank you, Hetty.

The witch's legs for you.

Thank you!

Hee-hee.

Yeah, I mean, Tommy, look.

We're wading in because we're trying to help.

And, I mean, her trying put us off

is honestly a bit... suspicious.

I mean, maybe she should go on the suspect list.

Suspect for what, though?

The missing children or-- or taking Lancaster?

I just...

Where are we even at with this investigation?

I don't think I wanna keep going.

What, because we argued?

No, Tommy. Come on. We...

We have to finish this properly.

Together.

I mean, remember what you said last night.

We have to get them justice.

Okay. Our leads, right?

We have the painting. - Hm.

We have a drunken artist...

an affair, a dead woman...

a very passive-aggressive vicar,

and a big, beefy gardener.

We have three missing children...

and a missing Mrs Lancaster who was taken by a phantom...

who no-one seems to know around here.

I mean, unless they're all lying

and covering up for a child murderer.

Which, to be honest, I'm not really gonna rule out.

Look at them.

What? - "Look at them"?

Look at you.

Stop it. You've got them on, as well.

Yeah, but yours look ridiculous.

Oh, this is such a tricky one.

Could really, really use...

Ada. I know.

Tommy, she believed in us. We can do this.

For her.

We just need to start connecting the dots.

There's a link here somewhere.

We just need to find out what that is.

Oh, my God. Tommy. This is our link.

Sir Philip Starke.

Julia Starke's husband?

Yeah. And Boscowan's rival.

And Amos' boss.

A-A-And he would have been here at the time.

What if him pointing the finger at Boscowan

is not about revenge?

No, but about diverting from his own guilt.

Okay. Let's go.

Yep.

Wow.

And you thought the other house was haunted.

Come on.

Oh, my gosh, Tuppence.

- What? - That's...

What?

...a Rolls-Royce Phantom!

- What? - A Phantom, as in...

As in the Phantom that took Mrs Lancaster!

That old woman at Sunny Ridge, she wasn't talking nonsense.

She meant the car!

Right. So that means it was him. Philip. He took Lancaster.

Which means that she could be in there.

So how do we get her out?

There are some cases that test

the mettle of any investigator...

...forcing you further into the darkness...

searching for answers that have been buried for decades.

The thing is, the guardians of those secrets

will do anything to keep them that way.

After all, evil very rarely works alone.

They're here.