Original subtitles

Walter�

Walter?

Why are you crying? Are you hurt?

It's my hands! They're all warty!

Show me

Show me your hands, Walter

They're all mucky

Put your hands in the water

Don't be afraid

The water will wash them clean...

.. if you believe

I'd be grateful if you could send the manuscript to me here

Yours faithfully, Emily FitzAllen Pride

Now, a letter to Dundas & Critchley

Solicitors and Commissioners for Oaths

Dear Mr Dundas,

I agree that what is taking place at Portacarrick,

the report of which you sent to me,

constitutes unwarranted commercial exploitation,

for which permission has neither been sought nor given

I'll go, Miss Pride

It's from Portacarrick

Shall I open it for you?

Yes, please, Miss Godwin

This way, sir

Good. Thank you, Chief Inspector

For all your help

Perhaps I shouldn�t tell you this, but Cairo

pronounced themselves more than satisfied

All part of the service, sir

Oh, by the way, I managed to intercept these

before they were forwarded

to the Canal Zone. Personal stuff

Oh, thank you, sir

Officially you're with us till the end of the month

Shall I tell Scotland Yard that you're back?

Er, no. Damn fool idea, I agree

I have the report to write, sir, and...

Well, I have promised someone I'd write it in congenial surroundings

Wise man

- Care for a drink? - Thank you

- Whisky? - Please

My dear Roderick,

I am writing to you on a matter of some gravity

The fact is, my life has been threatened

Last year, when my sister died,

I inherited some property in Argyll,

part of Portacarrick town,

as well as the island lying off it in Carrick Loch

As an English landlord I expected to inherit a certain Celtic resentment

However, of late, resentment has turned into threat

I do believe someone in this idyllic backwater

means to do me harm

Cissie?

- Hello, Angus - Hi, Cissie

- Always something, Angus - Aye

- Always something - Aye, it's a lump of a building

I'll be going over on the afternoon boat, then, Major. I'll be back about five

She's coming here

Another damn ultimatum from London

She's coming here

She shouldn�t come here. She's not welcome here

It won't change our plans. We'll still catch the train

I'll just pick you up at Gerard's in an hour or so

The train leaves at five

Who is this woman, anyway?

Emily Pride. She was my instructor

Oh, yes?

I owe her a great deal. She... helped me during the war

I'm sure she did

She taught me colloquial French

And how many other women do you have tucked away in your past?

Oh, lost count

Mind you, not many of 65

Well, why the urgency?

Her life's been threatened

Miss Emily

There you are, Roderick

Where have you been?

Three years ago, on Portacarrick island,

some poor child had his warts cured by washing them in a pool there

Such cures are a known phenomenon

He also claims to have had a vision

of a lady in green

Unfortunately some press reporter got hold of it

The newspapers went to town, as you can imagine

Now the place is being commercialized, vulgarized beyond belief

And I won't have it

- Can you stop it? - My solicitor tells me I can

I've no objection to people visiting the place

in the superstition they can be cured

What I object to is its being sold to people

as some sort of quasi-religious rite

Look at this

The Poems of Elspeth Cost

An Ode To The Pixie Falls

Ye plashing Falls, their secret own

Iron and water, earth and stone

Pixie Falls. Ye gods

My sister tolerated such nonsense because

she claimed the water cured her headaches

No doubt she believed it

She died six months after her cure,

so she can hardly be claimed as one of its enduring triumphs, can she?

Miss Emily

Miss Emily, please. How has your life been threatened?

This is the latest one

Come and have a cup of tea. There's something I want to show you

- Angus? - Ah. Good day, Miss Cost

I see the Major's had another letter

Aye

From London

Aye

- The woman's coming here. - Really? When?

The day after tomorrow. That's what she says, anyway

I see

Then we�d better be reedy for her, hadn�t we?

What is it?

A mystery

And that's the point

We can guess, that's all

Just as we can only guess at any of the riddles

surrounding the Celtic religion. We don't know

Why did you want me to see it?

Because I take the past seriously

I value it

The cult being cooked up at Portacarrick is a pernicious fake

I won't have money being made out of people's gullibility

- I won't - I can appreciate that but...

You don't actually have to go to Portacarrick, do you?

Oh, yes I do

Suppose this person really means to do you harm

I'm quite aware I should take steps to protect myself

What would be adequate protection?

There's no such thing

I think a gun is the answer

What?!

You could obtain a permit for me and give me some instruction

I'm not going to fiddle a firearms licence for you

I'm certainly not going to teach you to be quick on the draw

Why not?

Please. Don't go

Tea

There's a simple solution to all this, of course

What's that?

You could come with me

I'm sorry, I can't

Why not?

I have a report to write

For someone who's not exactly disgraced himself in the Intelligence service

you're very transparent sometimes, Roderick

Am I?

It's understandable, I suppose, that you prefer

the youth and, no doubt, the beauty

of this so-called report,

to the concerns of your old teacher, however serious they are

That's emotional blackmail, Miss Emily

On a former comrade in arms

Perhaps one is cruder where one's own concerns are at stake

The solution, as you say, is simple

Don't go. Let your lawyers deal with it

Then, when I get back, we'll go through their reports together

and hammer out a plan

It's a long time now since you and I formulated plans

That would be nice

We'll do that, then, shall we?

I'd forgotten how persuasive you can be, Roderick

I must go

By the way, my report...

she's called Agatha Troy and she's an artist, and...

I'm impressed. You must, of course, not let her down

I do have a report to write

You've got a most fetching tan

You don�t look so bad yourself

Behold

Oh, very lovely

For walking the wolds in the footsteps of Girtin and Turner

Not working for you, watercolouring for me

- When do we leave? - 20 minutes ago

If you've managed to sort out your friend

I think I've done extremely well,

considering she's the most stubborn woman in the whole universe

Apart from you, of course

Damn. Not this time in the morning

Patrick?

I thought you were going to meet Jenny

Yeah, right, Mother. I'm getting up

Margaret?

He's not addressing his ruddy troops

Please. He's got so many responsibilities running this place

For God�s sake, it's not my fault. He's not my father

- Are you still in bed? - Yes

Don't be so damn cheeky

What's the matter, Keith?

- It's that Cost female - What about her?

She's downstairs

- Could you... - Yes. Of course

Bloody woman

So, you're agreed, then, Mrs Ballantyne?

Council of War for the interested parties here this evening

Yes, about five o'clock. I'll tell Keith. You know how involved he likes to feel

Yes, quite

Well, if you tell Major Ballantyne, I'll tell Dr Nairn

Oh, have you seen the Doctor?

Yes. Just a check-up

My asthma's gone

Pixie Falls saw to that

Oh, good

Well, if you're sure

It's no bother

I make it my business to tell Dr Nairn

Your business. What isn't your business?

- Good morning - Good morning, Miss Cost

Mrs McBride

Put one of those in MacPherson's window

Thank you

Alistair?

It's that wretched Cost female

A vulgariser and a pernicious gossip

- There's to be a meeting - Good

Well, I'll get on with my sermon

On what?

Worshipping false idols

Aye. Well, good

And no compromise, Alistair

Jenny!

Jenny!

A lot's changed

- So have you, Jenny - I should hope I have

I'd be disappointed if two years in Paris hadn�t rubbed off on me one way or another

Come on

The boat leaves for the island in 20 minutes and it'll bring you back in the afternoon

I shall pray for you

Perhaps today will bring us another miracle

Perhaps. We don�t expect, we only hope, Mr MacPherson

That is the voice of wisdom

Bless you

I shall pray for you all

You make sure those kitchens are fit for a surgeon to operate in, if you don't mind

More pilgrims?

Will that be the last of them?

Aye, that's the question

She's coming here, Provost, from London

Every one of my guesthouses depends on this damnable Englishwoman

She could close Portacarrick down

It won't do, will it, Mr MacPherson?

It won't

Meeting tonight at five

- Yes, in the back room - Thank you very much

- Hello, Jenny - Hello, Dulcie

- Minister - Good evening

- Dr Nairn - Jenny

- What's all that about? - Council of War

Because Miss Pride�s coming?

Not everybody�s against her, surely?

- Nearly everyone - What about you?

Good afternoon

You mustn't give an inch, MacPherson

- Who's he? - The Provost of Portacarrick

Come to defend commerce?

That's it

I do hate it, you know, all this

- Sherry, Mr MacPherson? - Oh, yes, please

Bloody rabbits

So, Miss Pride

She'll be staying here at my invitation

The question is, what we say to her,

what we present her with as a body. Yes?

Absolutely, yes

Good. So, as the whole thing began with a miracle,

perhaps we should start with you, Minister

- With me? - Yes

I think we�d all like to hear the fact that you don't deny the truth of these cures

You don�t deny them, do you?

No, I don't

I thank God for them

- Good - Thank you, Minister

For them. For them in themselves

But it's... Well...

It's all the rest. All the um... fiddle-faddle

The publicity and the subsequent commercialisation

That's what Alistair objects to, quite frankly

And so do I

May I ask a question, Mr Cruickshank?

Please

Our Lord performed miracles, did he not?

Yes

Did he perform them out of the sight of other men?

Was he ashamed of them? No

On one celebrated occasion more than 5,000 people were present

The gospel writers wrote about them

- Publicity, you see - What?!

I have been plagued with asthma most of my life

And now I'm cured

Why should others not benefit?

Why should we not spread the word?

I'm sorry, but it won't wash, Mr MacPherson

Oh, won't it?

Our Lord did not set up turnstiles

He didn�t sell 5,000 brass tokens to people

to go and collect their bread and fish

Besides which...

Yes?

Och, it doesn�t matter

What were you going to say?

Never mind, never mind

I'm sorry, Mr MacPherson, but there it is

I don�t think you can take that line

Oh, can't I?

This is the livelihood of the people of Portacarrick

Exactly! And very laudable, I'm sure

Just don�t bring God into it, if you don�t mind

All right. All right

Now, where have we got to so far?

Dr Nairn, what does a man of science say?

I'm keeping out of this

Oh, that's very helpful. Come off the fence!

Are they cures or are they not cures?

Major, if you want answers, ask the patients

If they feel better, fine. A remission of symptoms, fine

Cures are more difficult, I'm afraid

My God

I am cured

For 30 years I've suffered

You examined me yourself this afternoon, Dr Nairn

Clear as a bell

Come along, Doctor. You said so

There has been a significant remission certainly

In other words, a miracle!

Bloody jargon

Witchy woman

Witchy woman

You see? You can do it

What?

Do you realise I've never seen you relax before

Mr Alleyn, excuse me. There's a telephone call for you

Here we are, sir

Hello?

Oh, Mr Alleyn, I've found you at last

Miss Godwin? Is anything wrong?

Miss Emily's gone to Scotland

To Portacarrick. By herself

From what she told me, I felt sure that you thought

she wouldn't

Wouldn�t you care for someone to accompany you? Surely...

Certainly not. I shall, however,

require admission to the enclosure

Of course

Tokens

No, no, no, no. That's not necessary. Please take as many as you like

I should like seven, please. There's seven shillings

No, it's not necessary

I would be obliged if you would take the money

Thank you

I hope you walk over a bloody cliff

All gone. All gone

I'm sure it'll help

Hello. Miss Cost's just slipped out for a minute

Oh, there she is now

This is surely hell itself

Oh, Cissie, I've just finished the costumes for...

You have my letter, Miss Cost?

Yes...

Miss Pride

- You understand it? - Of course

Your lease is due for renewal when?

In three months

Well, you may have it again, and on the same terms,

provided all this... goes

That is to say, anything which advertises

the supposed properties of the water in the pool

My work has been praised in discriminating quarters, you know,

as a worthy continuance of the folk art tradition

That is not the point

- It gives a lot of pleasure - I dare say

Especially to the ailing

None of this is at issue

My work has been conceived in a spirit of reverence

And you sell it

You do, don't you?

Yes, but...

Then you are advertising the waters and profiting from it

And that is the point

But I myself am a living witness

Perhaps

And when the island is restored to its natural condition,

nobody will be prevented from visiting the little glen

I am, however, concerned with

the commercial exploitation of people's belief

I won't have it. Is that understood?

Yes

This festival of yours...

You can't stop us

Pixie Falls ground is sacred ground

You be careful

You can't prevent people celebrating. You can't prevent them

Besides, we have permission

The Provost

We have hundreds of people...

Hundreds of people coming

You...

This is your doing

Cissie

You wicked woman

Can I do anything for you?

Can I do anything?

No, I think it's best that you leave her now

You may have your festival. It'll be the last

But you may have it

This is the first time we've managed a few days together

without something else in the background

Since that phone call it's been the same as ever

You've been like Jeremiah with the toothache

I'm sorry. I just can't get out of my head

that she might be in some sort of danger

It sounds as if she's been in danger all her life

She probably enjoys it

She's never asked for help before

She asked for advice. You gave it, she ignored it

Good night

She's badly shaken up

There's bruising, concussion is a possibility,

strongly denied by Miss Pride, I may say

These things can be dangerous at her age

You're never quite sure what might initiate

But she is an appalling patient, so she'll probably be fine

She has been quite awkward, actually

It takes vitality to be that difficult

And practice

Indeed. I'll call again this afternoon

Thank you for looking after her

It's been an education

Old lady better, is she?

I'm sure everyone will be very relieved to hear that

She's not a popular woman,

but I'm sure no-one wishes her bodily harm

Naturally I'm glad you're here, Roderick,

and I am delighted to meet the celebrated Miss Troy at last. Of course I am

I still don�t see why this trolley business

should be considered sinister

It was probably an accident

How can you possibly know that? You were warned it might happen

Nothing much has happened and everyone's making such a fuss

I dare say it was a bit fussy of me coming all this way

Perhaps I'll go back, shall I?

I've made him angry

Yes, I think you have

He's not tremendously fond of overnight sleepers

Nor, indeed, am I

I didn�t mean he was making a fuss

Or you!

It's just everyone else

Well, I'm not going back to bed

Will he insist I go back to bed?

I think he just wants you to take his advice, that's all

Men always do

But I've got to a reasonably advanced age by ignoring most of it

And you haven't got to be doing what you do

by taking men's advice, have you?

All I said was I think he looks too nice to be a policeman

What on earth's the matter with you?

Nothing. Absolutely nothing

I've got Roman law to learn

Was it something I said?

- Everyone's a bit on edge, I think - You're telling me

Oh, I telephoned the Doctor and he's very happy

to let Miss Troy have the cottage

Thank you

- Hello, Dulcie - Jenny

You'll be Mr Alleyn

How do you do? I'm Dulcie Cruickshank. The minister is my husband

- Pleased to meet you - How's the patient?

- Impossible - Good for her. That's the spirit

Festival of the Waters

- Do I take it you disapprove? - Disapprove?

The wretched Miss Cost is having a rehearsal

this afternoon for this heretical rubbish

- Will you be going? - Certainly

So will Alistair. We want to know what tune the Devil is playing

- Morning - Morning

I think I've persuaded her she shouldn�t leave her room

That's impressive

Miss Williams thinks she's found a cottage for you

How nice

This is an experiment for us. We've not let the old cottage before

Don't be shy telling us of any inadequacies, will you?

- I'll try to be bold - Excellent

You found Miss Pride in good spirits?

Very defiant

I welcome her visit on aesthetic grounds

I think what they've done to the island is a disaster

Let alone the dubious morality of selling hope to the afflicted

Let's hope it was wise of her to come

So, you're convinced it was an accident

Now, look. It is an absolute rule

the trolley is chocked up when not in use

I can institute safety procedures

It takes one pea-brained idiot to balls things up

It doesn't look like an accident to me, Major

You're a bit posh for a copper, aren't you?

I've met your type before

Swanky armored regiments, thinking they're cavalry with horses still

I'm still a copper

Yes

I really don't think this is a good idea

Please, Miss Troy, I am perfectly capable

Ah! Mrs Ballantyne?

I would appreciate it if you could find me an old cushion

Oh, yes, of course, Miss Pride

One doesn't know how long this rehearsal of Miss Cost's might last

- Superintendent. Alistair - Hello

- Young Mrs McDonald, is it? - Aye, she's due any hour now

You'll have a new member of your church by tomorrow morning

There's your man from Scotland Yard

Superintendent Campbell? Roderick Alleyn

I got your message, Chief Inspector

You understand, I'm only here as an old friend of Miss Emily

Very tactful, Chief Inspector. Thank you

Needed to be said, I expect. Now you've said it

Yes

And Miss Pride�s accident?

No accident, you think?

I tried the trolley. Somebody must have aimed it at her

Any idea who might have done it?

Alistair, if the wretched woman is going to be practising sacrilege,

of course you've got to be here

You have to see what she's intending to do

It's her going on about illicit sex

in the heather I can't bear

What am I supposed to do about that?

Come on

Thank you

- Cissie, this is for you - Right

Mind what you do with that sword, James

Right, Walter, you know what to do with that. That's right

Cushion

Thank you

Cissie, we're ready to start now

- Tell him - Wally

- Walter - Wally

You can do the music now

Come along, now

Cissie?

In the sorrow of his disfigurement...

In the sorrow of my disfigurement

To the Falls his steps he bent

To the Falls...

my steps are bent

There to cool his sorrow's fever

as he knelt beside the river

There to cool my sorrow's fever

as I knelt beside the river

Kneel, Walter

"Be not afeared," sayeth the lady

"Be not afeared," sayeth the lady

Bright she was, and pure

Leave your hands in yonder water

it will effect a cure

So, in the sparkling waters blessed

I washed my poor, warty skin

When I awoke from night's sweet rest,

gone was my disfiguring

Miss Cost! Wally! Come on!

Barbarians

Filthy barbarians

This is sacred ground

You defile it with your presence

Your filthy practices will be punished, believe me

I...

.. will... punish... you

I will...

punish...

I will...

I'll be just down the corridor

That is quite unnecessary

Nevertheless, that's where I'll be

You still think I shouldn't have come, don't you?

You think this is some whim, don't you?

How little you know me

It is much, much more

Good night, Miss Emily

Good night

Oh, dear

And you've still got a report to write

- That reminds me - What?

Oh, nothing much

For you. From Egypt

Thank you

One can't go to Egypt and come back without a dung beetle

No?

The dung beetle gets a small piece of dung,

rolls it up a slope, lets it roll down again till it's a perfect sphere

Ancient Egyptians thought a great dung beetle in the sky

did the same thing to the sun every day

How entirely reasonable

A scarab, you mean

Oh, Rory, it's beautiful

With the sun in its claws

It's perfect. Thank you

I... think I'd better catch my boat

I think perhaps you�d better

Emily?

Superintendent, I found her out there

All I've done is dragged her out of the water

I never thought anybody'd be mad enough

to take it this far

What's happened? Miss Pride?

No

My God!

Miss Cost

But why are you so angry?

I ask you not to come up here in the first place,

I ask you to take the most basic precautions, you ignore me

But here I am

I slipped out to put up a notice, that's all

Then I went for a walk. All is well

All is not well. Someone's been killed!

What?

Who?

Miss Cost

And she was almost certainly killed because she was mistaken for you

A direct result of your most incredible obstinacy

Yes, I see, well...

You've made that very clear

- Rory, what's happened? - Miss Cost...

Patrick?

What's all this about?

The Inspector was only asking me to look after Miss Pride

I made no promises

I know that

- It's not that - So what is it?

Elspeth Cost is dead

That's what he told me

They think she was murdered, you know

- How do you know? - God, everything's such a mess

What is?

- It scares me rigid to think what... - What?

I don�t know

I don�t know!

That's the trouble. All guesswork

Here I am. Rules of evidence

- Teaching myself to respect evidence - Evidence for what?

There's no evidence

Forget it. It's nothing

Overactive adolescent mind, probably

Sorry

Sir?

Any footprints up there?

We�d better not confuse the ground any further

Sorry

- We shouldn�t be tramping about up here - No, I suppose not

Sir!

Possible murder weapon

Witchy woman

Witchy woman!

You're very good at that, Wally

Did you throw a stone at Miss Pride?

It's a secret

Notice is given that the owner of this property

wishes to disassociate herself

from any claim that may have been made

for curative properties of the spring

She also gives notice that the property will be

restored to its natural state

She's not scared of sticking her neck out, is she?

She could teach a giraffe, believe me

Mind you, it just confirms what we've both been thinking, doesn't it?

That somebody might have thought that Miss Pride was standing under that umbrella,

not Miss Cost at all

Oh, yes

When did she put this up, do you think?

This morning

Somebody tore it down

The beads!

She...

She must have come up here to get her glass beads

What's the matter, lass?

She lent them to me to represent the waters

If I hadn�t have dropped them yesterday, well...

.. none of this would have happened, would it?

I'll drop by, see her later on. OK?

Doctor?

Any thoughts on time of death?

8... 8.15

Look, I saw Miss Cost earlier

She was headed up this way from the shop

- When was this? - It would be about 7 o'clock

I was on my way over to young Mrs McDonald

She was having a baby. It was a nice easy home delivery

I was hardly needed

Did you see Miss Cost again?

No, I finished at 7.30, went back to Portacarrick

Did you see anybody else?

There was the McNabb boy, Wally

He was running around pretending to be an aeroplane, as far as I remember

Do you have any idea, Doctor, professionally, on Wally?

Well, I'm not qualified, but...

No, sorry, I'm not qualified

What would happen to him, do you think, if...

I doubt he�d be held responsible for his actions

That's not a professional opinion either, by the way

Ladies and gentlemen

Please! Ladies and gentlemen, please

I do understand your frustration

The police are investigating something very serious

A leading member of the community has been killed

Until the police have finished their inspection of the site,

I'm afraid it's...

- What's happened? Do you know? - No. Only that she's been killed

- Patrick said you�d spoken to the police - Not really

Is he all right?

What a horrible business. What a wretched, horrible business

I hope you will bear with us. Thank you very much

I heard nothing in the night. Nothing

I've always slept well

Nothing has ever disturbed my sleep or spoilt my appetite

You haven't forgiven me, have you, Roderick?

No

Why not?

Why don�t you tell me the real reason why you came up here?

My sister

It was my sister

She was cruelly exploited

She was an innocent. She was a good person, I was simply clever

How was she exploited?

She had a malignancy,

which was operable

She came here

That ridiculous Cost woman persuaded her to stay

Stuffed her head with nonsense about the pool

By the time she returned to London her condition was no longer operable

Miss Cost filled her with false hope

She killed my sister

I'm not sorry she's dead

You�d better not express that opinion anywhere else

I'm prepared to shout it from the rooftops

No, please don�t

They hate me

Yes, I'm afraid they do

I'm still determined to stop it

No-one is going to profit from another tragedy

such as my sister's

You're a very brave woman

That's why some of us love you

I want you to do something for me

I don't want you to leave this room

Promise?

Please, don�t let anyone into her room. Anyone

- Unless it's me, of course - Of course

- Troy will relieve you later - OK, that's fine

Thank you

God

- Inspector Fox? - That's right

Welcome to bonnie Scotland

Let me out!

I'm locked in!

Chief Inspector, I've done something dreadful, I'm afraid

I've locked her in

She appears to be trying to smash her way out

I could murder her

The very man

Mr Alleyn is putting you in protective custody, ma'am

He says - begging your pardon, ma'am -

that you were the best teacher he ever had

and he doesn't want your death on his conscience

And what's more, I don't want him to have

your death on his conscience

This is Constable Menzies

He has strict instructions from Mr Alleyn

as to what you may or may not do

Good evening, ma'am

There you are. Lovers' Hollow

You could say it has connections with the victim

- Really? You surprise me - I could show you the station log book

Miss Cost was always complaining about disgusting behaviour

The lads at the station called her Old Mother-Never-Had-It

Sir!

Sir!

Excuse me

Excellent. I wonder what he was doing here

- Who's that? - The tippling major from the hotel

He smokes those like a chimney

Perhaps that hoof print will confirm it

- I'll take a cast of that - Good man

I'll leave you to it

There you go, Major

What do you think, Miss Williams?

I think Wally'll have told Miss Troy the truth

He's a very literal boy. Not devious

Something's troubling him, though

God

What, Miss?

If Wally were involved, I'm just thinking what

a pointless mess it would be

His life's blighted enough as it is

He can't be ruled out on those grounds, I'm afraid

Thank you

Now...

Let's assume, just for the moment,

that Miss Pride was the intended victim, not Miss Cost

Where does that lead us?

Miss Pride threatens to close the pool

Whose livelihood is affected?

First of all, I suppose the Ballantynes - the Major, wife, stepson

They appear to have put their life savings into this... pile

Who else?

Dr Nairn

He runs a private nursing home

He must benefit from these boatloads of invalids

Nearly all the tradesmen were doing well from these visitors

Aye. MacPherson's coining it in

He's got three guesthouses and a chippy

What about the McNabbs? Wally and his father

I'd say they have a very great deal to lose

Miss Troy was able to befriend young Wally this afternoon

Wally admitted he was on the hillside early this morning,

and that was confirmed by Dr Nairn's sighting of him

Wally says that he didn�t see Miss Cost, but says that he did see Miss Pride

He also admitted to throwing a stone at Miss Pride

He says, however, it was the "ither" day

and it was a "wee yin", which didn�t hit her

Whatever that means

Anything else?

Yes

This word was cut out of the front page of last week's Sporting Chronicle

What it said was: Death of favourite at Ayr

Good

Called to the bar already?

Excuse me. Mrs Ballantyne, I wonder,

could you spare me a moment?

Yes, of course

What were your relations with Miss Cost?

She was an interfering busybody

Lonely people often are

Lonely?

You didn�t know Miss Cost

Mrs Ballantyne, I think there are a lot of lonely people on this island

I was just thinking that perhaps Miss Cost

invented the story of the green lady,

embroidered it, if you like, because she was lonely,

to give her life some meaning

I always thought it was a lot of old damn nonsense

Oh, the cult was nonsense, of course, but...

.. the green lady was real

Wally's a simple lad. He tells the truth

"She wore a green dress and she was beautiful"

It was you, wasn't it?

Patrick thinks it's me that's changed,

but it's not

It's everything

Look at him now

He and Margaret used to be so thoroughly sane and nice

They really did

I think they took on too much...

For God�s sake, Mother, anything would have been better than this

I know what's going on. I'm not blind

Oh, Patrick. Do you think I'm the first woman

to get tired of being pushed around by a drunk?

- Who made him into a drunk? - Well, not me

I didn�t want it to happen

It was that stupid woman

That poor, stupid woman

Miss Cost?

Do you want to know what made him a drunk?

His conscience

His own guilty conscience

Sir?

Yesterday morning?

The morning Miss Cost was killed

Oh, in bed. Awful night

Much consumed

Rabbits

Do you have a licence for that?

- What? - You need a firearms licence

Oh, it's my pistol. Service issue

I know that, but the war's over, Major. You�d better get one

Yes. Yes, of course

You smoke a great deal, don't you?

Care for one?

Thank you

I tell you something, I thought of joining the police

when I left my regiment

Took up this damn poodle-faking instead

Well, there you are

Listen, old boy, I feel I ought to warn you what they're saying

- They? - In the cottages down in Portacarrick

Not that I agree, necessarily

- What are they saying? - The two women hated each other

Old Cost and Miss Pride

Miss Pride was there

Probably blames Cost for her sister's death

That's what they say

Can't get away from it. She was there on the spot

Hanging up her damn notice

Well, you should know. You were there too

You went to the Falls

- No - I put it to you that you did

Absolutely not

Are you calling me a liar?

What were your relations with Miss Cost?

Who the hell do you think you are?

Sticking your nose in like some bum-sniffing dog

Well, that certainly gives me some sort of answer

Oh, does it, just?

Are you a sporting man, Major?

Yes

And I see you take The Sporting Chronicle

This was my wife's idea, Chief Inspector

Don't be so wet, Alistair

Tell him

It's about Miss Cost

But I'm sure you've found out for yourself, Inspector

She was a...

You see...

She set her cap at every man of her age and class in the district

- Including Alistair - I don't know about that

I do. I saw her off

Then Dr Nairn gave her short shrift

After that she tried an accountant on holiday from Dunfermline

I believe our local librarian even was honoured with some attention

Did she succeed with anyone?

- We think she may have - Oh, Dulcie

Alistair! She's been killed. It's important

We think she had an understanding with the Major

- An understanding? - But that's not the point

The point is, the way she was obsessed with sex

She was always complaining to me about

people making love up there in the heather

She'd quote time, date, place

She quoted times?

Oh, yes. She went looking for them

She was a voyeuse

She collected them

Sir?

Well, well

Inspector Alleyn

- I have that postmortem report for you - Thank you

- Any surprises? - No, no. Not really

- Time of death? - 8, 8.15

Pretty much as you thought

By the way, would you say Miss Cost was... sexually obsessed?

Well, that was certainly her reputation

I know this is difficult, because he's probably a patient of yours,

but exactly what time did you see Wally playing aeroplanes?

7.45. I was back on the mainland by 8 o'clock. It would have been about quarter to

Asphyxiation following cranial injury

Sir, can I have a word with you for half a minute?

Excuse me

I found the key to it hanging from one of the bedsprings

The first two and a half are proper diaries

But in the third...

Just look

Very cryptic

Times, dates, initials

Looks like a game book at a hunting lodge

And in this instant, the game was courting couples

She didn�t just write about them, she took their pictures as well

Crikey

Lovers' Hollow

Any distinguishing features?

Well, you�d have to be a foot fetishist to recognise this one

Bailey, that last diary...

When does it end?

- Last month - Last month

Was there a later one? Is that what they were after?

Could anybody have found that?

I can't see how, sir

No sign of any forcing, or even trying

- Anyway, why not take the lot? - Exactly

So, if the intruder hasn't got it, where the hell is it?

7.20. Miss Emily leaves the hotel followed by Major Ballantyne

7.25. Miss Emily hangs up her notice at the enclosure

Major Ballantyne hides behind rock

Excuse me

- Morning - Morning

- Troy! - Rory

7.30...

Go on

7.30- Miss Emily leaves. Major removes notice,

chucking it in the mud

Still 7.30, Mrs Dulcie Cruickshank arrives

at McDonald's cottage to assist at birth

7.35- Major Ballantyne returns to hotel

So he says

In brackets "own account"

Close brackets

Still 7.35: Dr Nairn comes out of McDonald�s cottage

He sees Wally McNabb

7.45- Dr Nairn heads back to the mainland

Arrives 8 o'clock

Still 8 o'clock. Mrs Cruickshank leaves McDonald's cottage

and heads for hotel

All right if I start here, sir?

The diary... it's in the post

The damn thing's in the post!

Bailey!

Rory, those timings...

.. they don't make sense

Four days now and still no asthma

Blessed, blessed waters

I saw him at the hotel tonight

He kept looking at me

He stared at my ankles

I was sitting above the Falls

I was feeling the magic of the water

and then she came out from behind a boulder

in a green dress

I could hear a man laughing. I couldn't see him, but I knew

I knew all the wicked desecration of it!

I am shocked, horrified and sickened by what I've seen this evening

My hand shakes

But I must write it down

At last I shall speak

I shall tell her... he could have loved me

I'll make them suffer. I shall drag their names through the mire

I shall send this to the proper authorities

Now. Tonight

I am determined

This isn't the end

People are so stupid

Do you know what they're saying now?

The latest money is that Miss Pride took a lump of rock to Miss Cost

I think the latest money's in for something of a surprise

- Hello, Dulcie - Oh, hello

I promised Miss Emily a return match

Two sessions in one day? You're a glutton for punishment

Oh, I enjoy a good opponent

Do you need fortifying?

Maybe I do. She's terrific

Rory?

Enter

Yes, Roderick?

Miss Emily, I owe you an apology

You do? Why?

Miss Cost wasn't killed because she was mistaken for you

She was killed because...

Because she was Miss Cost

- You bitch! - For God�s sake!

These are private premises

Get out!

Not just yet, Major

Patrick, you're a lawyer

Hardly

Would you say that this fight is connected in any way

with the death of Miss Cost?

Patrick. How can it be?

Perhaps that's a question that I should properly put to the Major

What the hell do you mean?

Are you saying I did away with Elspeth Cost?

First things first, Major

I'm saying it was you who threatened Miss Emily Pride

You who caused her grievous bodily harm

And you who followed her to the Falls that morning. Didn't you?

I was in the bar

Tell him

You smoke too much, Major

Cheroots at breakfast time

You were at the Falls, no question

But did you go to kill Miss Emily?

Or did you go to kill Miss Cost?

You're better than I thought

There doesn�t seem to be any way out, does there?

I thought this was all about plain, straightforward greed

A stubborn old lady who nearly got killed because she dared stand up to greed

and grasping vulgarity

There was greed, of course, but there was also good old-fashioned lust

And Miss Cost, I'm afraid, was... consumed by it

Wasn't she, Major?

I didn�t touch her

But you met her that morning, didn't you?

She'd gone to collect her beads from the Falls,

and she confronted you

A lonely, bitter woman who you had cast aside

Perhaps she provoked you

Told you things about your wife you'd rather not have known

Walked away. She was ranting

I didn't touch her

No, you didn�t

No, the man who killed her

was the man she was in love with

Obsessed with

The man she followed

Spied on

A man she grew to hate

because she watched him commit adultery with another woman

You think this has some bearing on the death of Miss Cost

Mrs Ballantyne, Miss Cost was killed

because she threatened to expose the lover of the green lady

Rejected, she turned on the man she loved

She would ruin him, professionally

She had times, dates, photographs

She put them in the post to the General Medical Council

She told you what she meant to do,

so you followed her to the Falls

and you killed her

It's hardly possible

She died between 8 and 8.15. I left the island at 7.45

Back on the mainland by 8 o'clock

Troy, could you tell us, please, exactly when you

saw the Doctor on the morning of the murder?

I was doing a watercolour

I'd set up by the quayside

I'd just laid a wash on and I knew

I had ten minutes before it dried

I heard the clock, checked my watch

It was 8.30

That's when I saw you return

She can't have seen me at all

She had her back to me

Oh, yes, I did

I saw you reflected in the windscreen of a parked van

It was 8.30 exactly

8.30, Doctor

That's half an hour on the island

unadmitted, unaccounted for

He was with me. He was with me!

I'm sorry

Come along, now, Doctor

Don't make it worse than it already is

Don't come any closer

Come along, now, Doctor

I mean it, Alleyn!

Rory!

Rob?

I'm sorry

You know, Roderick, I'm not convinced I should have come here at all

I think perhaps I should have done it all through my solicitors

What do you think?

Well, of course, I did get one thing right

Who would want to kill me?

Goodbye, Miss Troy. And thank you so much

Roderick, are you sure you won't accompany me back to London?

I can't, Miss Emily

I still have that report to write,

and Superintendent Campbell has asked me to stay

Did the Superintendent really ask you to stay?

Did I say Superintendent?

Can't think what came over me

Must have been someone else I meant

Well, I'd like to stay on

But I don't expect you to

I don't expect you to do anything

I know you don't

I think that's one of the many reasons why...

Will you marry me?