Original subtitles

Q

(SLIDE GUITAR MUSIC)

# You're alive

# as long as the streets are living.

# I single you out.

# I don't want to wanna go home.

# Sun will rise...

Jeez, Lester, what's the damn hurry, mate?

(CHUCKLES) Not again, Trev. It just encourages him.

# Ooh. # He ain't saying it'll be easy...

You wanna go there, do you, bro? Come on, boy.

(CHUCKLES, PANT S) Whoa!

# This broken bell keep on ringing.

# Boy, ifs true.

# Boy it's true. #

(SLIDE GUITAR MUSIC FADES)

(JAR CLINKS)

Oh, hello, Madison.

Jean. Still come to see your mum, then.

Yeah. She expects it.

Oh, so many these days - forgotten the moment they've gone.

Well, not Mum. She'd never stand for that sort of nonsense.

No, she wouldn't.

I think she'll be happy knowing I'm still right here, where I belong.

Datura.

WHISPERS: Really.

Come on, bro. Dig it in.

(CAR HORN HONKS) Hey!

Animal! Let's go! (PANTS)

Game on!

Come on, lads! Come on, Lester!

(GRUNTS)

Come on, Trevor. (CHUCKLES) I'm not even sweating.

Come on!

Come on, Trevor, you loser!

Whoo! (LAUGHS)

Lester! Lester?!

Lester?

Stay back!

Mike. Theoretically,

do you think ifs possible to train a bull to kill on command?

Oh, you're still banging on about that?

Well, you have to admit it's intriguing.

That Collins guy was an idiot - I thought that was the official verdict.

Not in those exact words. But yeah, essentially, yes.

So? (SIGHS) Maybe I'm being too optimistic about the human race,

but I find it hard to believe that someone can be that stupid.

Yeah, well, there are some spectacularly stupid people out there.

I know. But in theory, do you think it's possible to train a bull to kill on command?

Oh, look, Mike, I have to go. It might be your day off,

but it's not mine, and actually, I've got a death to deal with.

Should I be there? No, no. It's a middle-aged cyclist,

pushed it too hard - heart attack.

So why are CIB involved? The uniform branch is stretched, so I stepped in.

The good news is Breen lost rock-paper-scissors, so I sent him to inform next of kin.

Oh, so you've got time to talk about the bull thing?

(HISSES) We're breaking up, Mike.

(HISSES) I'll talk to you later.

(SLIDE GUITAR MUSIC)

(MUSIC FADES)

(CELL PHONE RINGS) Good Lord.

(CELL PHONE RINGS)

Another one? Yes, another one.

Who? Lester Nyman - heart attack yesterday.

Oh dear. Will you come in, or do I send this out?

STUTTERS: Uh, no, no - I'll come in.

Good. Everything will be ready this afternoon.

In theory, you can train any animal. I mean, they train orcas, right?

And that didn't turn out so well, for both man or beast.

Yeah, but I mean if you can train a big fish, you can train a bull, right?

Orcas are mammals, not fish.

But a bull is a mammal. Yes.

Here we go. Thank you.

I got you a trim. Look, Mike, I'd love to dwell on your bull-as-assassin theory,

but, um, I have a dead cyclist to process here.

Oh, on that note, when I told Mrs Nyman about the death of her husband, she was a little weird.

(BRAKES SQUEAK)

(KNOCK AT DOOR)

Yes? Mrs Tammie Nyman?

Yes. Detective Constable Breen. Urn, I have some bad news.

Can I come in?

Wait. Did you say Nyman? Yeah.

Wife of Lester Nyman - the dead guy on the bike.

The bull thing happened on the Nyman farm.

I thought bull guy was Collins. Yeah, but the witness was a Trevor Nyman, the farmer.

Trevor Nyman - Lester Nyman's brother - was the first man at the scene when Lester dropped dead.

So what are we thinking here?

A very good question indeed. (CELL PHONE RINGS)

(CELL PHONE BEEPS) Gina, what can I do for you?

Mike. (CHUCKLES) It always makes me laugh when you answer your phone, 'Gina, how can I do you?'

That's not actually what I say, Gina. It's more, 'What can I do for you?'

Same thing. No.

What's up? Or perhaps down.

This is a Mr Lester Nyman.

Ah. The cyclist.

OK. Yes. The face-first thing is unusual.

Yes. A heart attack, wasn't it? Yes.

I sourced his records, and given his medical history, a heart attack is most likely.

But if he had a heart condition, what was he doing riding to the top of Whakamoho Mountain?

Because cycling is awesome?

It is? Man, machine, fresh air,

gets the blood flowing, feel the tingle of life in your extremities - you don't like cycling, Mike?

Never been a fan, no. Pity. I think Lycra brings out the best in men.

OK. (CLEARS THROAT)

If it was a heart attack, what am I doing here?

This. You see this rash?

This reaction, it troubles rne. I hear you on that. Not what I would expect.

Chafing? No. No signs of friction,

and chafing would be lower, between legs.

This is a reaction to something. Poison? Call it instinct,

but something is not right about this. I'll notify the coroner.

I was hoping you would say that.

You know, instead of 'poison' and 'bull', you could have just written 'stupid' and 'death wish', right?

Or just not written anything at all, because there's no evidence of-

Yet. Yet,

to suggest that either of these are anything other than what they are.

Well, there's a rash. Maybe they changed their laundry detergent

and he had a reaction to that. Meanwhile...

Manu Collins - is there something to suggest there's anything out of the ordinary?

Apart from everything?

So where's the bull now? We put it in another paddock. Thought it was probably best.

You say Manu Collins just ran straight at the bull?

Like I said, we were out here talking, and...

You've heard of the festival of San Fermin, right? The running of the bulls?

The Spanish celebration of fleeing with soiled trousers? Yeah.

Well that's what I'm gonna do with my money.

Yeah, see, I wanna be one of those guys who gather where the bulls are released,

and then when they emerge out on to the street, run towards the bulls. (SIGHS-HS)

But then at the last minute, turn around, and then run with them.

Yeah. Yeah, that's what I'm gonna do.

What are you doing? Well, I'm so totally gonna be that guy.

Whoo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo! (LAUGHS)

Yeah, he stressed the bull out, running at it like that.

The bull just did what bulls do when they get stressed.

Yeah! Whoo-hoo! (MOOS)

And maybe he would've made it...

but he...

Oh, Oh shit!

But by the time I distracted it...

Oi! (WHISTLES)

...it was way too late.

(GROANS)

Was Mr Collins prone to doing things like that?

You mean being an idiot? Yeah, I guess.

I don't know. I only knew him a couple of days. (GUNSHOT)

That'll be Mrs McTavish. She works here.

She reckons once they've done something like this, you don't want 'em round.

I see a candidate for a Darwin Award maybe, but not for murder.

(SIGHS) Trevor Nyrnan has been a witness to or first on the scene of two deaths over,

what, the last two months?

Bad run of luck for Trev.

Yeah, and then some. It's not been a good year for the Nyman clan.

Six months ago Trevor's father, Karl Nyman, killed himself. Put a shotgun in his mouth out at the farm.

Guess who found the body?

And then two weeks ago, a Jethro Nyman drowned while jet skiing off the coast of Riverstone - way off.

Any mention of Trevor in relation to that?

Nope. Missing for a week before the body washed up.

Anything to suggest foul play?

Not as yet. You know, it could just be a run of really lousy luck for the Nymans.

No one has that much bad luck. Come on.

Oh.

Q

This really is a great spot, isn't it?

Yeah, it is. (SIGHS) Look, is there some kind of problem here?

Not at all. It's just a routine follow-up about your brother Lester's death.

There was nothing I could do. He was dead by the time I got there.

I'm sorry for your loss. Thank you.

Or losses, actually. There's been a bit of a bad run for your family lately.

Yeah, I s'pose. Your father died a while back?

He committed suicide, yeah.

A bit of a shock, I imagine. No, not really. He was dying anyway; he just chose when and where.

So it wasn't a surprise? Well, it wasn't pleasant walking into that barn,

but no,...

It wasn't a surprise.

And, um, now your brother.

Well, Lester knew he had a dodgy ticker. He took it as a challenge.

In what way?

He thought he could laugh in the face of death. Death won.

Jethro Nyman - is he a relation? He was - a cousin.

And Manu Collins - also a cousin, you said.

Sort of. Sort of?

At my father's will-reading, we learnt that he had a whole other family over in Riverstone.

Oh. So less of a cousin and more of a half-brother.

Yeah. You learnt this upon the reading of the will?

Yeah. Look, what the hell has this got to do with my brother Lester having a heart attack?

(SCOFFS) Just tell him. He'll find out anyway.

(SIGHS) This is Mrs McTavish. She kind of runs the house.

No 'kind of' about it. It's a will, it's a public document-

if the police wanna find out, all they have to do is look.

My father's will and the reading was somewhat of a revelation.

Why all the chairs? For all the people asked to attend the will-reading.

What, as witnesses? No.

Bloody typical - I have to bring in my own bloody chair.

Take a seat, Trevor.

(COUNTRY MUSIC)

Madison.

BARRY SAUNDERS: # Been so long since we've spoken, don't even know what we would say.

# Still I made some promises,

# and I keep 'em anyway.

# Cos somewhere there's a place where the light keeps shining through.

Come in.

# I've been talking with myself tonight. Still no word from you, still no word from you. #

There should be one more person, Magnus Nyman?

You spoken to Dad lately? Haven't spoken to the old bastard in, I dunno, two years.

He didn't come to Dad's funeral either. His own brother, and he didn't show.

OK, well, let's proceed without him.

For those who don't know rne, I'm Madison Mathers, a lawyer with the firm of Emerson, Bogart & Nash.

Karl Nyman has appointed me to be the executor of his last will and testament.

As part of this will, he stipulated that I assemble you all here for the reading of said will.

Thank you all for coming.

READ: I, Karl Harold Nyman, being of sound mind and body do hereby declare...

You don't need to bore them with all the details, boy. Just get to the bit about Tonto.

The tontine. Yeah, that thing.

My father, in his will, left this farm, the bank accounts -

everything - to 10 people, in the form of what is called a tontine.

Sorry, a what?

I think we all better have a nice cup of tea. Hmm?

(SIGHS)

(DRAMATIC GUITAR MUSIC)

So, a tontine is named after a bloke by the name of Lorenzo di Tonti in the 1600s,

as a kind of insurance investment thingy. But the guts of it - a group of people share something of value.

When one of them dies- The surviving members divvy up the share between them.

Something like that, yeah. So where once 1 O people owned the Nyrnan farm,

now there are...

Seven. Mm.

Or six, depending on the whereabouts of Magnus Nyman.

OK, so let's say there are seven. What was once a 10% share is now a...

14.28%.

I'm quite good at doing maths in my head.

OK, Mr Maths Genius - what does the remaining person get? 100%?

You are good. But does that include spouses?

No. The share in a tontine is a 'right of survivorship' to only those within the original group.

How apt! But who are all these people?

So...

OK, so we've got the sons, Lester and Trevor - OK.

And then there's the brother Magnus and the nephews,

Jethro and Oscar - got that.

But then there's this other family?

We learnt he had kids to this other woman, over in Riverstone, when he was dying.

Wasted on pills, he decided to tell us.

First time I ever laid eyes on them was at the funeral. That added to the fun.

The mother of this second family - is she still around?

Dead - years ago, like most of the women in Dad's life.

OK, other family - I got that, but then there's this half-brother?

From yet another mother, up north.

Did you meet Dion Waters at your father's funeral too?

Nah, he didn't crawl out of the woodwork until the will reading.

And he's definitely your father's son?

Yeah, I got the DNA tests and everything to prove it.

And Dion's mother? Going back to that thing about

my Dad and the women he shacked up with...

She's passed away?

And then...

Trusted family retainer.

And one gets the sense that she wears the pants around the farm.

Not unusual to reward someone like that in a will, I'd say.

But then, what the hell did Reverend Green do to earn it?

That is a good question.

OK, I get that there's motive - millions of dollars worth of motive if you wind up owning the farm.

And yes, there are some dead bodies and some missing people.

But we still don't have any actual murders, do we?

(PHONE RINGS)

Or maybe we do. (PHONE BEEPS)

Gina.

So with Lester Nyman, it wasn't a heart attack?

Yes, it was a heart attack - a big one. It basically exploded. But why his heart exploded is interesting.

Which is? Caffeine -

Lester Nyman had extreme levels of caffeine in his blood.

So the guy drank too much coffee? No, we are talking off the scale.

Also elevated levels of salbutamol. Asthma medication.

Lester was also asthmatic?

Yes. And he had no sense of taste.

Is that a medical thing? Taste as in taste,

smell, not bad fashion sense.

Well you could argue that with the Lycra.

There is nothing wrong with Lycra on men.

He gets hit on the head as a boy - loses the sense of smell and taste. It happens.

How is this important?

He drank some kind of energy drink from this bottle.

So much caffeine, anyone with the sense of taste - it would be way too bitter.

Because Lester couldn't taste anything.

He drinks, and the asthma medicine - salbutamol - opens up the blood vessels,

which allow the caffeine an easy run straight to his heart.

So he did drink too much caffeine. Way too much caffeine - well above anything you would expect.

Second point - he not only drank it. Remember the rash on his bottom?

Well, hard not to. An allergic reaction, most likely to caffeine, in his shorts.

Sorry?

His padding in his shorts was soaked in a caffeine solution,

so he's also absorbing through the skin and up through his bottom.

So much caffeine invading system - tick, tick, tick, boom! Heart explodes.

So this wasn't an accident?

A caffeine solution must be made and then put in the shorts - how can that be accident?

I think now we have a homicide.

Q

(COUNTRY MUSIC)

(MUSIC FADES)

Yeah, but how can we prove number one?

Especially since the murder weapon has been roasted and eaten with Yorkshire pudding.

Good point.

Sorry. That was a bad joke. No, I know, but it may not be number one.

We need to look into that. Another possibility. Yes?

Tammie Nyman, wife of Lester. As I mentioned, she was odd when I told her of Lester's death.

Are you sure you don't want me to come in? I'm happy to stay.

No. Um, no, I need to call people. Thank you.

Right. Again, our condolences. Mm. Thanks.

(DOOR THUDS)

Talk to her again, and we will start talking to the rest.

Um, along what lines, exactly?

Let's just call it loose ends for now.

What loose ends? Just routine - that's all.

In the case of any unexpected death, there are always questions, I'm afraid.

Lester's death was unexpected? Wasn't it?

I've been telling him for bloody years to ease up. But no, always had to keep on pushing it.

You mean with his medical history.

Yes, with his medical history.

Well, some people deal with mortality by pretending it doesn't exist.

No, it was more than that with him. He always had to meet it head on, challenge it.

Survival of the fittest is what his ruthless father drilled into him.

His father, who committed suicide. Yeah. Is that irony?

Yeah, I guess it is. So, what are your routine questions? Or are you already asking them?

The gear Lester was wearing. His MAMIL outfit? Sorry?

Middle-Aged Man In Lycra.

Right, well, there was a rash, might have been a reaction to something in his shorts.

A loose end, as I say, in determining the cause of death. And nothing to do with rne.

I wasn't saying that it was- No, I mean it was literally nothing to do with me.

All of his cycling gear, from his stinky clothes to his bloody bike, I never touched any of it.

That was his department. Right. OK.

Is that all your loose ends? Not quite.

There were quite high levels of caffeine in Lester's bloodstream.

That'll be his foul-tasting drink. You'll need to talk to his cousin about that.

Which cousin? Oscar. Owns High Health in town. That's where he bought it from.

It's horrendous stuff. But, of course, Lester had no sense of taste.

(SIGHS) I hope that's the last of your loose ends, Detective, cos I've got other things I need to do.

(DRAMATIC MUSIC)

Yeah, it hasn't been a stellar few months for our family.

Starting with your uncle's suicide? I guess.

But Karl always preached controlling your own destiny. And then Manu Collins.

I only met him a couple of times. Bit of an idiot, was my take. And then your brother.

Yeah, well, that was his own bloody fault.

Jethro liked two things in life - getting pissed and hooning round on his jet ski;

Not two things that should go together, in my book.

And now your cousin Lester.

(SIGHS) Lester knew the risks. Every time he came in here I'd lecture him and he'd just laugh it off -

not one to listen.

So when he and Trev took off that day, it was typical - he never could back down from a challenge.

You were on the ride that day? Well, yeah, like even] other Sunday.

You were not one of the riders spoken to at the top of the hill.

Oh, I don't normally do that climb. Yeah, too much like hard work.

No, I rode back to my car, packed up and headed home,

like usual.

Am I one of these loose ends you're asking about?

No. So, was there anything unusual about the ride that day'?

You mean apart from Lester dying? Yeah, apart from that.

Actually, there was. Yeah, before we left, Lester and that meathead Dion?

They were going at it big time, and eventually that lawyer woman,

she must have told them to pull their heads in.

And what? What are you gonna do? Sort him out! Piss off, mate!

That bloody clown is gonna ruin everything if we don't get together and stop him.

(CAR ENGINE REVS)

What exactly was it that was gonna be ruined? Lester's plans for the family farm.

Which were? Parcel it up, sell it off.

And what did this Dion guy want? No idea.

He shot past us on the road that day.

(CAR HORN HONKS)

(CAR ENGINE REVS) Animal! Jesus.

But I haven't seen him round since. No great loss. Is he one of these loose ends?

Maybe he is.

Thanks very much.

(FOOTSTEPS RETREAT)

(CONTEMPLATIVE GUITAR MUSIC)

(SNORES)

Reverend. Hmm? Yes. What?

Detective.

Morning. Communing with a higher power, were we?

In a manner of speaking, I suppose. I had a terrible night's sleep last night.

Well, it's good to see you back.

I never really left.

But I thought, with our dealings last time...

No, the church is very accepting these days - one might go so far as to say progressive.

And also short-staffed. (SIGHS) How can I help?

Lester Nyman. He died over the weekend.

Yes, I'm aware of that. Madison Mathers, the lawyer acting for the estate, contacted rne yesterday.

About the tontine.

It's, um...

It's happening, isn't it? What is'?

Someone's killing off the other members.

What makes you think that? Now, every time Ms Mathers

calls me to sign the new distribution document...

Three times now.

...I can't help but wonder if I'll be next.

Hence the sleepless night? Nights. To die for something you didn't want in the first place -

it plays on the mind.

How did you become a part of the tontine?

In the last few months of his life, Karl Nyman started attending services.

He would sit at the back, making notes.

Then afterwards, he would - I don't think 'interrogate rne' is too strong a term - about my sermon.

Everything you say is propaganda for a God that doesn't exist.

I'd like to think I gave people some semblance of hope.

That when they die they'll go to some magical kingdom in the sky? Hogwash!

The life you make for yourself here on Earth is the only one you'll ever have.

I must say, there were some days when he almost convinced me.

So why did he then leave you 10% of everything he owned?

I wondered that myself, until I read his letter.

What letter is this?

At the will reading, everyone received a letter from Karl Nyman.

And what did this letter say? It repeated things Karl had said to my face -

that I was a snake-oil salesman for a false God

and he hoped that through the inheritance, I would come to understand the error of my ways.

How exactly would it do that?

At first I thought it meant that I would be tormented by guilt

at receiving such an undeserved bequest.

Then people started dying, and I realised it was a death threat.

It was Karl Nyman saying I would one day learn there is no heaven, there is no God.

Oh! Not that Karl Nyman was ever going to get to meet him.

There's another place for people like that.

Not a big fan, Mrs Marlowe? Oh, the whole lot of them - they were never any good.

And the things that went on on that farm! Such as?

Oh, I couldn't possibly say.

These four walls? No, I'd rather not say,

but what I will say is that they both have a very dark streak.

Karl and Magnus. Two peas in a rotten pod, in my book.

I'd keep as far away from that mob as possible if I were you.

Thank you for the moral suppose,Jean. Mm.

(CONTEMPLATIVE GUITAR MUSIC)

(MUSIC FADES)

According to Reverend Greene, Karl Nyrnan didn't believe in God. I'm not sure that helps anything.

Any luck with Jethro Nyman's wife?

In a manner of speaking.

What?

Kristin?

What is Jools Fahey doing in there? Well, you may ask.

(BIRDS CHIRP)

(BIRDS CHIRP)

Oh. Detective Sims.

Jools. (SOBS)

She's not...? She is. Or was, briefly.

Here you go. Thank you. I'm sorry about that.

Sometimes I get overwhelmed by it all. It's been a difficult time.

So, what are these loose ends? Just a few questions about Jethro.

Seems a bit late - we buried what was left of him weeks ago.

Your marrying Jethro is obviously...

a recent thing.

Three months. After Mitch died, I swore I wouldn't get involved with anyone.

I thought, 'That's it. I mean, that is it - no more sadness, no more heartbreak.'

But there he was in this bar,

young, handsome, passionate -

or so I thought.

In terms of that day, do you remember anything out of the ordinary?

I wasn't here for most of it - I was out of town.

Most of it? I left that morning for some time out.

Time out from?

Him.

And where did you go?

(SIGHS)

I was in Hamilton, visiting my mother.

When her last husband died... She was in Hamilton, visiting her mother.

Time for a chat indeed.

Q

I didn't kill him, if that's what you're thinking.

Not at all.

I didn't need to - he was doing a good job of that himself, with the drinking.

God, worst mistake of my life.

I admit Jethro was something of a rebound from Mitch, a bit of a whirlwind romance.

But it turned out he only had two passions in his life, not three.

'They' being?

His wretched jet ski, surpassed only by booze - oh, the endless drinking.

And the third should have been...

YD“)?

Yes, but two's company; three's a crowd.

When was the last time you saw Jethro?

Breakfast that day.

He was drinking in anticipation of his lunch meeting in Riverstone.

Meeting about what? Some hush-hush thing about the farm he inherited.

Not that it was hush-hush when he had a few in him.

Uh, and this thing was?

They were planning on turning the farm into this lodge and golf course.

And when you say 'they'?

Jethro and his cousin Lester, the one who died this weekend.

But Jethro only inherited a tenth of the farm, not the whole thing.

He and Lester were working on the others to bring them round and to stick it to Karl Nyman.

That's what the meeting was about. So this lunch in Riverstone was with Lester?

No idea. He didn't say.

Any idea how the meeting went?

We spoke on the phone in the afternoon, but he didn't mention it. He was moaning about feeling ill.

I told him to go to the doctor, but the fool took his stupid jet ski out instead.

The police said he must have run out of petrol when he was way out at sea, that he had the choice of

waiting there and probably dying of hypothermia or trying to swim back and probably drowning.

When you say Jethro and Lester wanted to stick it to Karl Nyman?

Because of the letters telling them how pathetic they were. Sadly, as you know, I've been here before.

I thought you'd probably want to see it. You are very thorough, Detective.

(SLIDE GUITAR MUSIC)

Did Jethro explain how his inheritance involving the farm worked?

The tontine? Oh yes. I knew I wasn't part of it. I didn't want his money.

As I said, I wanted a fresh start, but c'est la vie.

You don't want to buy a jet ski, do you? The coastguard brought it back, and I don't want it.

(SLIDE GUITAR MUSIC)

Yeah. OK.

Thank you.

Well, the rest home in Hamilton confirms that Jools Fahey was where she said she was.

She really needs to stop visiting her mother.

Yes. Uh, the coroner's report for Jethro Nyman.

Cause of death - drowning, although hypothermia may have been a close second.

Much of this is pretty inconclusive.

Which is what you get when you've been in the ocean for the best part of a week.

But he was not a well man at the time of his death, if that makes sense -

he had bleeding in the stomach, and his liver was completely shot.

Consistent with his reputation for being an alcoholic stress merchant.

Mm. Karl Nyman - definitely suicide?

Confirmed. He had advanced melanoma.

Several operations later, and it was a losing battle.

He called his doctor on the morning and told him he was going to,

'Do what the bloody quacks couldn't manage and fix this bastard thing once and for all.'

He wrote a note cursing everything and everyone on this wretched earth and went out to the barn and...

And he did love a good note. This was given to Jethro Nyman at the will-reading.

Mm. According to Reverend Greene, everyone got one.

Well, this one says that Jethro...

lived a valueless life as a vain...

arrogant wastrel. Uncle Karl hoped

that this inheritance would teach Jethro once and for all the value of hard work and discipline.

Does this mean I have to go back and see Tammie Nyman? She really doesn't likes me.

Afraid so. Any more sightings of the missing Dion Waters and his missing Beamer?

So, I called his mobile number - no reply, left a message.

I called his home number in the city - no reply, left a message.

Half an hour later, I get a call from the drug squad asking why I'm interested in one Dion Waters.

Turns out he's been on their radar for a while

and they're very interested in where he's been disappearing for the last few weeks.

Because? Well, he has a degree in chemistry,

but he has chosen to use his education to manufacture and distribute meth.

Oh.

Current score - three dead.

But one definite homicide.

Mm. and two missing in action.

What about Awhina Collins?

Um, yeah, I'm heading over to Riverstone tomorrow to talk to her.

Good. And I want to read as many of those letters that we can get our hands on.

Do you think Karl Nyman is doing this from beyond the grave?

Now, there's a thought.

WHISPERS: Maybe his vengeful spirit inhabited the bull.

I heard that.

(COUNTRY MUSIC)

(MUSIC FADES)

For God's sakes, what is it now? Just one thing, and then I'll be out of your hair. For now.

What? Karl Nyman's will reading - was Lester, by any chance,

given a letter from his uncle? Yes. Why?

Would you happen to have this letter? Yes. Going back to the why.

I've left the rescue remedy on the table.

Oh. Detective.

Oscar. Glad to see you're doing so well, considering.

Thank you. You're very kind.

As I was saying, the letter would be helpful to our investigation.

Investigation into what, precisely?

All we get when we ask your senior is that there are 'suspicious circumstances'.

I can't go into details as yet. Will this bloody letter help get my husband's body released,

so we can have a funeral? Hopefully, yes. Fine.

Did you also receive a letter at the will-reading?

Everyone did. I read mine and chucked it away. Because?

He was a sad old man spewing his vitriol about what a disappointing waste of space I am

and hoping the inheritance would finally make a man out of me.

And has it? Are you seriously asking me that question?

Well, I mean, the farm is quite a valuable asset to inherit -

it must have changed your life in some respects.

I don't want anything to do with that cursed place. You think it's cursed?

My mother died there, and then my father was cheated out of his share by Karl -

that place has done nothing good for me. Here. Happy?

(FOOTSTEPS RETREAT)

(SLIDE GUITAR MUSIC)

(MUSIC CONTINUES)

It's the only one I have of my father.

It was the last time I saw him alive - a necessary technique in keeping us a secret, I guess. Here.

Thanks. Um, I see you have a science degree.

Yeah. So? Well, you said you worked in change management.

The degree was all about getting the old man off my back. Science was very much his thing.

I thought that farming was his thing.

Who says the two can't be one and the same'?

That's how he met my mother - at a symposium on organic pesticides.

She's a scientist too? She was. Now she's dead.

Now it's just rne. Now, if you have a point, please get to it. I have a flight to catch.

I won't hold you up for much longer. No, you won't,

because there's nothing more I can tell you about some people I met, for the most part, only once.

For the most part?

Yeah, the jet-ski one.

Jethro Nyman. Yeah.

He called rne. He told rne he had a scheme about the farm, something I'd be a fool to miss out on.

He hasn't gotten back to me.

Because he's dead. Along with Lester and Manu and Dad.

Now, if you don't mind, I really have to go.

Thanks.

Q

(TAMI NEILSON'S 'SMOKING GUN')

# Skeletons rattle inside...

# dark and dirty closets 'neath the Hollywood sign,

# paid up their ransom in flesh

# to the piper with the power to destroy or bless.

#Ooh. #

(SULTRY MUSIC FADES)

Can I help you, Detective? There was no one at the house.

Oh. That's the thing about farming - there are always things to do.

Any chance of a cup of tea?

I'm sure I can manage that.

It really is a beautiful piece of land, isn't it?

Who says prisons have to be ugly (?)

Is that what it is to you?

On a bad day.

And today's a bad day? Been better.

Look, mostly what I mean is this place has been my whole life, apart from going to uni.

What did you study? BSc in bioscience. I loved it.

But then it was straight back here to help out the old man. So much for education, eh?

Why didn't you contest the will?

Surely, you and your brother had rights to this place that the others didn't.

For starters, Lester walked away from this farm years ago, broke Dad's so-called heart -

the golden boy turning his back on destiny.

I think that's what started this whole tontine nonsense in the first place.

Lester didn't wanna contest it? He did, but I said no.

Why? I was advised not to.

By Who?

Someone who knows about that stuff.

Here's some food for you while you're having your chat.

Thank you. While I have you both,

the letters that were distributed at the reading of the will - any chance I could have a read of them?

What Karl wrote to me as he was dying is both private and personal.

You will need a court order and the Armed Offenders Squad before I let anyone else read it. Right?

Right.

I didn't think it was quite that important. Trevor?

I didn't get a letter. I thought everyone did. Yep, everyone but me.

Does that seem odd to you?

No, it speaks volumes about what my father thought of me. How so?

After all these years of working the farm every day, running the place single-bloody-handedly,

do you know what he put down as my occupation in his will?

Unemployed. That is precisely how much my father rated me. So no, I didn't get a letter.

Thank you for seeing me. That's quite all right, Detective.

Karl Nyman's will. Yes. How can I help?

Why didn't the Nyrnan brothers contest it? It seems to me they would have had a good case.

You should ask them that. One of them's dead.

Forgive me. You should ask Trevor that. I'm asking you, as the executor.

And as executor, I worked on behalf of Karl Nyman -

it would be improper for me to give any legal advice to any of the beneficiaries.

Well, actually, Trevor said he took advice. Interesting. Did he say who from?

No. Well, then I guess the idea was rejected.

On what grounds, do you think? Like I said, I wouldn't know.

I see. Hypothetically, if he had asked you, would you have thought there were grounds to challenge?

Off the record? From what I know, I would say yes, but he didn't approach me.

I see. I'm sorry, but it seems I can't help you after all.

No, it all helps.

When Karl Nyman asked you to be executor, was the tontine his idea?

More or less. I mean, he came to rne with a concept of how he wanted to share his estate,

and I recognised it in legal terms as something resembling the notion of a tontine.

I helped him structure it that way. He seemed satisfied.

Something a bit different from your usual will.

Lets just say it was more interesting than your typical

sale-and-purchase agreement on a three-bedroom brick and tile.

I bet. (BOTH CHUCKLE)

When he set up the tontine, it's like he knew that the inevitable outcome

was that they would start knocking each other off to get to the prize.

That is so dark. These letters, each one of them, is a challenge -

if you want the farm, earn it. Do whatever it takes.

Well, that means, logically, there could be more than one killer.

It could. OK. Potential poisoners -

Oscar Nyman; again, we know that he was on the bike ride,

and he's the one that sold Lester the energy drink stuff.

He could've switched the drink bottles -

Oscar Nyman, who, I'm pretty sure, is getting it on with Lester's wife.

Which is why he left the bike ride.

Yeah, for a little afternoon delight.

Double motive.

Also, Awhina Collins has a BSc.

As does Trevor Nyman.

As does the missing Dion Waters. And where the hell is Magnus?

Indeed.

We could just let it all play out, arrest the last one standing?

OK, I meant... That's one of those things I meant to say in my head and didn't mean to say out loud.

Keep up the good work, Breen (!)

Ah. Here for a singalong, Detective? Ah, perhaps later. I need you to tell rne about the Nyman brothers.

What makes you think I know anything about those two reprobates?

Well, you know that rnuch about them for starters; and I suspect, as always, you know a good deal more.

Well, in the day, there was talk about all manner of parties at the farm.

Not that Rufus and I ever went, you understand. Of course.

The men would drink and play cards, and the women would dance and drink, and then later, they would pair up.

Pair up? Well, it was the '70s -

Car keys in the fruit bowl, that sort of carry on. And then there were the drugs.

Really? Karl would grow all sorts of things around the house,

and then experiment with them.

Marijuana? CHUCKLES: Oh! Child's play.

He gave my friend Tilly Mathers datura cigarettes to cure her asthma,

which it did, but she went blind for three days.

Tilly Mathers, related to Madison Mathers? Mother.

Oh, she was never the same after that - lost her sense of humour.

Sounds like Karl was a bit of a hippy in his day.

Oh, Karl changed when Mary died.

And Maw was his wife?

Yeah, she died in childbirth - complications with young Trevor.

What happened between him and his brother Magnus? They used to run the farm together, right?

Oh, that all fell apart with Anna. Anna?

Yeah, Magnus's wife. She was drowned in a pond on the farm during one of the parties,

leaving behind the two little ones - Oscar and Jethro.

And Karl took over the farm. Which was odd, because Magnus was the actual farmer.

Any idea where Magnus is now?

I heard he was killing for a living.

Reverend Greene. I should specify - killing as in hunting.

I see. The brothers, knowing they couldn't bear to be in each other's presence,

settled the matter of the farm over a game of cards.

And presumably, Karl won'? By cheating - so I've heard.

And Magnus vowed that one day, the farm would be his again.

Wherever he is. Well, he won't have to go through rne to claim it -

I've just signed the paperwork relinquishing my share of the property.

That's quite a fortune you're bravely running away from.

I'm relatively happy with my lot as it is, thank you.

A bunch of reprobates - as I said. (PLAYS HYMN)

(CLEARS THROAT) I'll take my leave.

Well, I hope for Reverend Greene's sake that the offender is checking his messages.

Or, sensing the noose closing, the reverend's trying to throw us off the scent?

The noose is closing, is it'?

Slowly, maybe.

Lester's funeral was set for tomorrow - with Reverend Greene presiding, by the way.

That could be interesting - everyone in the same room again.

Some idiot's just taken out the town sign. (CHUCKLES)

COMMS: Any units available? Repeating, black BMW versus road sign on Riverstone Rd.

Black BMW?

CIB to Comms. Do you have a rego on the Beamer'?

COMMS: Affirmative. Hotel, Echo, Yankee, 498.

Copy that. I've got this.

(BRAKES SQUEAK)

Detective. Hey, Chris.

Lights out, I'm afraid.

Thanks.

Boss. Yeah, it was Dion Waters. Another one down, I'm afraid.

(SLIDE GUITAR MUSIC)

I did what I do with anyone renting the place - I met Mr Waters,

gave him the usual spiel about what to do and what not to do, gave him the key and left them to it.

Them? Him and the lawyer from town who arranged everything.

Madison Mathers? Yes, that's it. And when was this?

The middle of last week - Wednesday, I think.

How long did Mr Waters pay for? He pre-paid for a month.

That's a bit unusual isn't it, for a place like this?

Said he had work here and didn't know how long it would take.

It's the off season, so any bookings a good one.

I'm sure it is. It's a home-and-income setup, all above board.

Of course. I pay tax.

We're not interested in your tax status, Diane.

Not that I want to. I mean- Thanks for your help.

(SLIDE GUITAR MUSIC)

Well, it's not your usual holiday getaway, is it?

Q

Look, I greet the guests; I tidy up after them -

what they do while they're here is nothing to do with rne. I want that on the record.

Of course. Is it on the record?

Very much. Thanks, Diane. You've been a big help.

It really needs to be on the record. We'll be in touch if we need anything else.

There's enough meth in there to speed up time.

He is so full of toxins, he has to be decontaminated before I can get stuck in.

Right. That explains this.

A little trick I've learned working as an intern on the outskirts of Chernobyl.

The toxins being meth? And much more. Exactly what, toxicology will confirm.

And this was strapped to his abdomen.

I'm thinking taking it out of the bag is a bad idea.

Mm. There are so many things in there that could kill you - so many.

I'll take that as a yes. Can you read this?

Something about wasting your talent,

living in a void of your own making, getting out of the void or live there forever.

Same theme as the others - take what you want, earn it, before someone else does.

Kill or be killed. Or kill yourself in the process.

How can I help you, detective? The bach that you rented for Dion Waters.

The one he turned into some kind of drug lab. You know about this already?

I've had the owner on the phone. She wasn't happy.

I bet. But you arranged it, according to their records.

Well, I didn't know he was gonna start cooking meth there, did I? I'll take your word for it.

I was doing Trevor Nyman a favour. I felt sorry for him. That's very nice of you.

After the will-reading, Manu Collins and Dion Waters decided that, seeing they were equal owners of the farm,

that gave them the right to stay.

Manu, as we know, didn't stay long, but Dion was showing no signs of leaving.

He was also showing the signs you'd expect from someone with a serious drug problem.

So you stepped in.

Trevor was grateful, and Dion was happy enough - for obvious reasons.

It gave him a place to set up his operation. Clearly.

Which you paid for.

Don't mistake me for a saint, detective.

As executor of the estate, I am entitled to draw reasonable expenses.

I solved a problem - I will be reimbursed.

Of course. So middle of last week,

you solved the Dion problem, but he doesn't go quietly into the night, does he?

Dion had some interesting ideas about what to do with the Nyman farm.

So Lester Nyman asked for a meeting before his bike ride.

Come on! Let's go!

There's no way that you or your P-junkie buddies are gonna sort out a rave up here!

And what? What are you gonna do?! Sort him out! Piss off!

It was not received well by Mr Waters, then everyone went their own way - end of story.

Well, for Lester and Dion, it was.

Sorry - are we about done here? I do have other things to attend to. Of course.

Witnesses say Dion Waters hit the Brokenwood sign at an estimated 20 km/h.

Swerved off the road, died at the wheel.

Initial autopsy reports suggest he suffered multiple organ failure including liver, kidney, spleen.

Consistent with a number of poisons. Including ricin, which was found in both its natural form...

...the humble castor bean... ...and in a more processed form... ...basically by grinding it up...

...amongst the many other poisonous items in Dion Waters' lab.

Death cap mushroom, datura, deadly nightshade, hemlock.

Basically, if it's poisonous and it grows in New Zealand, it was in that room.

As well as a container of caffeine powder.

Don't you two have a funeral to attend?

Aren't you coming too?

You take this one.

Sure. Yeah, we'll...

(PLAYS HYMN)

(HYMN CONTINUES)

(TAMI NEILSON'S 'DEVIL IN A DRESS')

# White smoke curling from her lips,

# ruby red cherry on her fingertips,

# tight-skirt wiggle when she walks,

# curses like a sailor every time she talks -

# she's a devil or an angel sweet,

# heart of innocence or villainy

# one-dimensional fantasy

# here to curse or bless;

# a damsel in distress

# or just a devil in a dress. #

Are you lost, detective?

I was hoping to have a word with Trevor.

He's at his brother's funeral, as I'm sure you know.

Right. Is that today?

You're not there yourself? The next funeral I attend will be my own,

and I'm not planning on that happening for some time to come. I bet.

So, uh, what happened here?

There was a building, and it burnt down.

When was this? The other night.

Do you have any papers that says you're allowed to be standing on my land?

You think of it as your land?

I've lived here most of my life - yeah, my land.

And you're a member of the tontine. 20%, I believe, as of now.

You know someone is killing off the beneficiaries of the will, right'?

Let them tn].

Fair enough. Can I escort you back to your vehicle, detective?

(TENSE MUSIC)

Oh, I was just checking to see there wasn't a round up the spout.

I'd hate to accidentally shoot you in the back, detective.

Not as much as I would hate to be shot. What was that building that burnt down?

Oh, been there for years and years - son of a work room.

What sort of work?

Ifs a farm - farm work.

Look, I've never been what you might call a big fan of the police, so I am not doing your work for you.

What if it stops more people dying'?

Given the quality of the deceased, are you sure whoever it is isn't doing the planet a favour?

I just don't want you to be next, Mrs McTavish.

I take it from that you don't think I'm the killer.

ALL: # Nor shall my sword

# sleep in my hand

# till we have built

# Jerusalem

# in England's green

# and pleasant land. #

(FINAL ORGAN CHORD PLAYS)

I would like to invite Lester's brother Trevor to say a few words.

(FOOTSTEPS APPROACH)

(SIGHS) Sorry, brother.

You were wrong. (SNIFFLES) When we were kids, Lester said to me that he was gonna live forever,

that he thought if he believed it enough, he could make it true. And that was kind of how he lived his...

(DRAMATIC GUITAR MUSIC)

(ROCK MUSIC CONTINUES)

Q

(SNIFFS) Good of you to turn up, Dad (!)

I've been busy.

Jethro - he died too.

Were you too busy for his funeral?

Did you miss me ('2) Your own son,

and you didn't even show. Stop whining.

Called it. You old bastard!

(CHUCKLES) (GROWLS, GRUNTS) (THUD!)

Please! (GRUNTS) This is a house of God!

(BOTH GRUNT)

(GRUNTS)

There's one thing I don't understand.

Just the one?

Why would Karl send letters from beyond the grave to everyone except his son Trevor?

Who said he didn't get a letter'?

He did.

Maybe his father didn't need to send him one.

Maybe he didn't. Or maybe I was mistaken when I saw the lawyer

hand Trevor a letter in the house there after the reading.

(SLIDE GUITAR MUSIC)

Why would he tell me he didn't get one?

Pity he isn't here to answer that.

(MUSIC CONTINUES)

(swans)

(DOOR SHUTS)

Good funeral? Any more bodies to add to the tally?

No, but we do have Magnus Nyman in custody.

For what?

Yeah, piss off, you old bastard!

Oi! Prick!

It's not gonna happen, Mr Nyman.

Is he sober enough for me to talk to him?

You should probably take a look at his ute first.

(LID RATTLES)

I think the Nyman family motto is - if it moves, kill it.

Magnus says the last time he saw anyone was Karl's funeral,

Claims he went bush after that and he's been there ever since.

Can anyone vouch for this? 'Drunk bastards in the occasional pubs' were his exact words.

(DOOR CREAKS, SHUTS)

You all right there, Mr Nyman? I'm resting my eyes.

Good for you. I'm Detective Shepherd. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?

I can't guarantee the answers.

Fair enough. You say you went bush after your brother's funeral.

I felt the need.

You were out there a fair old time.

If you know how, the land will provide.

I'm sure. You were a bit of a hippy back in the day, I believe.

You confuse me with my brother.

Do I? Common mistake. He was the one that was into all that stuff -

I just kept my head down and got on with things.

Farming. He was the idealist, and I was the realist.

I've never heard Karl described as an idealist.

The thing about ideals, detective, is the longer you hold them, the more they become twisted.

At the will reading, there were some letters from Karl. Did you get one?

He did like to inflict his world view on others.

Apparently, the lawyer's got some stuff for rne to sign, so it's probably on her desk.

Are you familiar with the nature of a tontine?

Yes. And now you're thinking I'm the one knocking off everyone else.

Is that what's happening?

I am a drunk, detective - I am not stupid.

Karl killed to get the farm, so whoever wants it after him should do the same - makes sense to rne.

Sorry - he killed to get the farm?

He drove my wife to her death - kept feeding her drugs to mess up her head, pushed her over the edge.

It may not have been murder, but it was near as damn it.

That's why you walked off.

You heard he won it in a card game?

I did. He was a cheating bastard.

Are we done here, detective? I've got a bender to get back to.

OK, but I think we'll keep hold of your ute for now.

Whatever you like - the pub's within walking distance.

And once you're finished your bender?

There's a few people I want to catch up with - for old time's sake.

(DOOR CLICKS)

As requested, the phone records for everyone in the tontine since the will-reading. Treat yourself.

Ta.

# Things went and got tricky then.

# You couldn't seem to let me in... #

Just me. Jared.

Yeah, I got this cracker little Central Otago Pinot Noir.

Boutique winery, they're doing crazy things with oak barrels and kawa-kawa.

I'd be mad to say no. Well I'll do the honours, then, eh? You do that.

(GLASSES CLINK)

You doing one of those sudoku things?

In a manner of speaking, I guess I am. Part of an investigation, eh?

Yes.

Yeah, that makes sense. I always thought you were a cryptic-crossword kind of guy. (CHUCKLES)

Ooh.

Mmm.

Do you know the Nyman farm? Did someone off crazy Karl? No, he offed himself.

But it just looked like suicide, when actually it was the son who he fell out with, the intense one?

Yeah, what's his name? Lester. I always thought Lester was on the dodgy side of Dodgeville.

No, it was actual suicide, and Lester's dead.

Oh. OK, have you talked to his loser of a cousin Jethro?

He'd definitely fit in your murder profile.

Jethro is also dead.

Man. I can see why you're burning the midnights. Mm.

You seem to know a lot about the Nymans.

Me?

Nah. Or maybe there was a time when I was young, some people I knew - not me; just some people I know -

they would go up there and pick magic mushrooms. Is that crazy lady with the gun still up there?

Mrs McTavish? Uh, yes, Jared, she is.

Not that I ever met her.

Mm. (CHUCKLES)

(SIGHS) Jared, can I ask you a question?

Yeah, fire away, Mike.

Where the hell have you been for the last year?

That's a bit of a long stow, that one.

(TYPES)

Don't bother. The bull acted alone. Death by misadventure - it's the only explanation that fits.

Did you get that stuff I asked for'? Yes. Hey, had you had a few last night when you called?

Only a couple - of a fine Pinot courtesy of Jared Morehu.

Jared? Oh yeah. What's he been up to?

Walking... a lot.

Yeah. You remember I was in the coma, right?

I do. And then I came out and went to live with my whanau to recover?

Last time I saw you. Yeah. Well,

they were doing my head in, so I decided to walk the Te Araroa Trail.

The one that runs the entire length of the country? Yeah, yeah - that one.

OK. That is a lot of walking. So does this mean that we're investigating another homicide now?

No, it means we're investigating another motive.

Well, I thought we had plenty of motive. You can never have too much motive.

OK. So ifs like a Pinot, then, is it?

And? Yes, I drove to Riverstone last night,

and yes, I found the right restaurant, and yes,

there was a staff member there who lD'd both the photos.

Both photos? Both photos.

Though they primarily remember him, because he was, in their words, 'a colossal arse'.

Brilliant. Time for a wee drive, I think.

(CAR ENGINE REVS)

Sorry it was a bit late when I called last night.

Were you a bit squiffy? Squiffy?

Three sheets to the wind. You sounded very jolly.

When things fall into place, it puts me in a good mood - that's all.

Yeah, a few wines does that to rne too. But I have to sleep with one eye open these days.

No surprise. Make the call. Mm-hm.

Detective. Morning, Trevor. Has something happened?

Maybe. I need your help.

How? Do you mind if we walk and talk?

I always think better when I walk and talk. Yep.

See, the thing is, Trevor, sometimes I'm a bit slow. I mean, the answer can be staring me in the face,

and I just can't see it. That's why it took me ages to figure this one out.

OK. It's only when I realised that the answer was in the question that,

well, things started to make sense. That's when I started doing this. (CLEARS THROAT)

Uh, the numbers one to 10 round the edge - that's you lot, the members of the tontine.

And the numbers in the squares are who could possibly have killed who.

Like a sudoku kind of thing?

Apparently, though not my thing. Anyway, I started with the first murder - Manu Collins.

Oh, that wasn't murder. I told you - he ran at that bull.

Yeah. Oh, don't worry - I know that now. That's why I drew a wee bull's head in the square. See?

It's my first emoji. But I still think the bull's important; I just haven't figured out how yet.

I OK, so what's with the red line? I?

That's those of you still left, in nothing but numerical order. For instance, you could be next.

Well, I'm not saying you will be - just for argument's sake, let's say you are. So could Lester kill you?

Well, no, he's already dead. Ah. As is Jethro, Manu and Dion.

Whereas Oscar here could kill you.

What, you think it might be Oscar?

Well, I'm not saying he would - just that he could, according to my graph.

OK. Yeah, I get it. This is quite clever.

Thanks.

But it turns out that my little sudoku thing here wasn't as easy as I thought, you know,

because with everyone being poisoned, the time of death and the actual murder -

when the poison was administered - are two different events.

But Jethro drowned. Well, yes, he did, which was a stroke of luck for the offenders -

his plight washed away the evidence literally. But he was most definitely poisoned, as was Lester.

Jesus. It was Dion, then? I mean, you found his lab, right?

We certainly did find his lab.

We did indeed find everything we could possibly need to pin the murders on Dion Waters

in the pop-up lab. But you know what we didn't find?

No. Yeah, fingerprints...

on the equipment. They were wiped clean - every beaker, every piece of glassware.

His fingerprints were everywhere else - just not on the lab gear.

Yeah, well, if he was making poisons, he would have been wearing gloves.

That would be the logical explanation.

Dion was staying here, right?

Until I asked Ms Mathers to find him someplace else, yes.

And he was here all the time up until then? He'd come and go.

Do you know where he went when he was gone?

No. He was up in the city, under surveillance by the drug squad.

According to their records, he was there the day Jethro was poisoned.

What, you know when that was? Yes.

I thought you said it was hard to figure that stuff out - you know, when someone was poisoned.

Trevor, even though it appears that all roads lead to Dion, they don't. When did this happen?

Uh, three or so nights ago.

And what was this place? Just a storage shed.

So, what caused the fire? An electrical fault, I'd say.

Did you call the fire service? By the time I discovered it,

the time it would have taken them to get here, there was no point.

A fact of farming life.

Look, detective, if all these roads and your little graph there - if they don't lead to Dion,

then who do they lead to?

Well, mainly, they lead to Magnus.

Yeah, yeah, I can see that.

But I think if Magnus Nyman was killing people, it would be a bit more brutal.

So you are next on my list.

Whoa. I don't know what to say to that.

How about, 'l didn't do it'? Well, yeah, of course.

Or, 'I did do it'. Either way, Trevor, I don't think at heart you're a murderer.

I don't think you've got the strength it takes to take another human life - well, not face to face.

That's when I realised that this was, well, not exactly a waste of time,

but it was leading me up the wrong path.

If you're not hereto arrest me, why are you here, detective?

I want you to come down to the station, answer a couple of questions, get your story on record.

You don't have to do that. You don't have to go with him.

All I want is a statement on the record. You can sit in. In fact, you should, as his lawyer.

I'm not his lawyer. Well, that's not entirely true, is it?

Trevor doesn't have to say a word to you.

But I think he wants to. Don't you, Trevor?

A statement, that's all?

Just for the record. I strongly advise against this.

Just for the record.

(DRAMATIC MUSIC)

Q

Did you see Jethro much after the will reading?

Not at all.

Didn't he have plans to sell the farm?

Lester and him concocted that - I only ever talked to Lester about it.

So you were against these plans?

Yeah. It must have been quite a shock -

you get to the top of the hill and see your dead brother.

Yeah, it was. But you were aware he had a heart condition?

Of course - everyone was. Everyone told him to take it easy, but he never did.

There was a meeting before the ride in the cafe car park. You were both there, right?

I was. Yeah.

And that was to sort the Dion problem?

Yeah. Who called the meeting?

Well, I think it was Lester.

He called you? I guess - I can't remember.

The night before, phone records show you called Lester, not the other way round.

Tammie Nyman also confirmed you called to set up the meeting.

OK, it was me.

I called Lester, and Dion came up, and I said we should have a meeting about it ASAP.

Hmm.

Seems fair enough. So...

who called you, Madison?

Again, phone records show no communication between yourself and Trevor or Lester,

but you did call Dion on his mobile phone.

You accessed my phone records? Yes.

You didn't need to call Trevor, because you were with Trevor that night.

Yes, I was. So you two are in a relationship?

Yes, we are. And how long's that been going on? Relatively recently.

Since after the will-reading? Yes. So? What the hell's this got to do with anything?

Well, seeing as we have witnesses identifying you as the woman Jethro Nyman was dining with

the day he started feeling ill, I would say quite a lot.

What the hell is wrong with my hillbilly family,

they can't see a great deal when it slaps them in the face, you know?

Get me another drink while you're at it.

I need a slash.

(DRAMATIC MUSIC)

OK, that is a completely preposterous suggestion.

But you did meet with him? Yes, I did meet with Jethro Nyman.

And yes, I arranged the meeting, because there was tontine paperwork to be signed.

And you were with Dion Waters the night before he died, right?

You certainly called him that day.

I'm the executor of the estate - of course I phone the people involved.

We have a witness that saw you leaving the farm that evening.

Don't muck around. OK. OK, don't. Just do it.

Consider it done. Right. Good.

So? So we have a witness who,

later that night, saw Trevor load lab equipment into a ute.

A witness who claims they saw him. Oh, I think you'll find our witness is very reliable.

This, just to be clear,

is the night the shed burnt down and the night before the lab was discovered in Dion's digs.

(DRAMATIC MUSIC)

If Helen McTavish is your witness, then she is certainly not reliable - she stands to gain from the tontine.

This interview is over. Come on, Trevor.

No, I think Trevor's got a few things he wants to get off his chest

Get up and walk out of here.

Trevor, they have nothing.

Nah. (SIGHS)

It's over.

Don't you dare. It's done, Madison. Can't you see that?

WHISPERS: For God's sake, grow a spine. He's trying to get in your head, and you're letting him?

Well, why not? Everyone else is in there - you, him. I just wanna do the right thing by me for once.

Detective Sims,

please escort Ms Mathers from the room and take her statement if she has anything further to add.

Come with me, please.

WHISPERS: I thought you were stronger than this.

(SLIDE GUITAR MUSIC)

Would you like to consult a lawyer before we start?

Don't be ridiculous.

Trevor, if you wish to consult with a new lawyer, we can wait.

I just wanna get it over with.

You do understand everything you say is admissible as evidence?

I understand.

What did your letter say?

I know you got one. What did your father say to you, Trevor? (SIGHS-HS)

I need you to tell me.

There's maggots in the meat.

Where the hell did all these people come from?

Your father has a very peculiar sense of humour.

This is his idea of a joke?

I Read this. Then you'll understand. I.

Have you read it'? I have.

I've read them all.

Between you and me, you've been cheated.

Read. And then we'll talk.

(DRAMATIC MUSIC)

ECHOES: How angry are you, son? Deep down, where it matters, how angry are you?

(SIGHS) Stuff about the dream being buggered and waiting until he died, and all this was mine.

Or at least that was the plan, but now that was over, because there's maggots in the meat.

ECHOES: There's maggots in the meat and blowflies buzzing. Look at them, the fruit of the family loins -

stupid, vain, arrogant, unworthy. If they were wiped off the face of the planet,

it'd be like skimming pond scum off the gene pool.

ECHOES: You waited for death to do me in; now make death your friend and work for it -

work for what's rightfully yours.

My father had a dim view on just about everything, so it wasn't exactly out of character.

When did Madison get involved?

A few days later. She came over.

You know that the other letters were variations on a theme, right?

Sorry? Well not all of them, but most of them boiled down to the same thing -

if you want the whole shooting match, you know what you have to do.

Well, should we go to the police about this?

(CHUCKLES) And say what? I mean, it's not like anyone's died yet, have they?

(CONTEMPLATIVE MUSIC)

But it was after the kid died that the idea started to take hold.

Manu Collins. She thought I'd somehow engineered it.

And had you? Kill someone with a bull? Don't be an idiot.

But that didn't matter to Madison. To her, it just proved it could be done.

And then there were nine.

This had nothing to do with me.

Does it matter? No one's exactly mourning his death.

Well, his sister probably is. Not in the slightest.

You know who I actually feel sorry for in this whole situation'? You.

This place should rightfully be yours. Your brother walked away, so screw him.

You stayed true - you should be rewarded.

Do you disagree with me?

Exactly.

You got anything to drink?

One thing led to another.

How did you decide on Jethro as your first?

He was the loudest, the most annoying, the most dangerous.

This is going to happen, Trev! OK, one way or another, I will get the others onside,

so get your head out of the sand and get on board! What are you waiting for?

So you decided to poison him.

She made it sound so easy.

Jethro's death is waiting to happen. If he dropped dead one day,

no one would suspect anything other than he drank himself into an early grave.

And I know there are things in your lab that won't be traced, and I know you know what to do.

(SMOOCHES)

And if it's actually slipping him the stuff that's the problem, you can leave that to me.

So you manufactured the poison? Yeah.

In your lab on the property, which you later torched.

And what did you concoct for Jethro?

A powder derived from the death cap mushroom.

It was meant to take longer for him to die, so we could distance ourselves from the event,

but the state of his liver accelerated things.

And it was Madison who administered the poison? Yeah.

I need a slash.

It was like you said, when she had lunch with him.

Madison Mathers doesn't stand to benefit financially from the tontine, it being a joint tenancy.

So?

So why was she doing all of this?

Q

You still have absolutely nothing to say?

You know in the other room, Trevor is telling my colleagues the whole story, don't you?

Trevor can tell whatever stow he likes.

You dined with Jethro Nyman the day he was poisoned.

Circumstantial. Well, that's not how Trevor describes it.

Well, if he's guilty of something, perhaps he's too weak to own it.

Was it love, you're in love with Trevor and he made you do it?

What? I don't believe in love. And I don't do the bidding of others.

And then there was Lester. Why him?

Because he wouldn't leave the idea of selling the farm alone. He had people lined up.

He was getting the others on board. And you didn't wanna get on?

That place is my life. Why should the one who walked away decide what happens to it?

Of course, this time, she couldn't do the deed, could she?

Not once we'd decided on the caffeine solution.

I was the only one that could spike his drink, while we were getting ready.

That clown is a bloody menace.

Mm-hm. You agree? Yep.

Putting it in his shorts was a bit of overkill, though, wasn't it? Excuse the pun.

Yeah, well, that wasn't quite meant to go like that. Turns out I'm not very good at this poisoning lark.

You're the one with him on your bloody couch - you need to tell him- Shit!

...tell him to take his stupid ideas and his drugs and go back to where he came from. You got that, mate?

Mm-hm.

I said, have you got that, mate?

What?

Sorry, mate - I was trying to refill my drink bottle, and I dropped it in your bag.

It went all through your stuff.

Jeez, Trevor.

Ya egg- Sorry-

Come on.

The wet undercarriage isn't actually too bad. We might be on to something here. Come on.

While we were riding, there was part of me that was hoping that it wouldn't work.

Is that all you got, mate? (BOTH CHUCKLE)

That he'd just push on through like he always did.

But that didn't happen, did it?

No. You watched your own brother die in front of you.

(TENSE MUSIC)

Lester!

Mike?

And then we come to Dion. After Lester, I wanted to stop.

But Dion was proving impossible to control.

Was it her idea to both kill and frame Dion'?

No, that was me.

I wanted it to be over.

So, what, while Madison was wining and dining and poisoning Dion at her place,

you were shifting the lab equipment to the nice, secluded place she'd found for him?

We needed to keep him out of the bach for the whole night so the ricin would kick in.

Ricin. isn't that some kind of nerve gas'?

Maybe in fiction. In life, all you need to do is grind up some castor oil beans.

It is remarkably easy to manufacture.

You say he needed to be kept out all night.

So I could set up the lab and he didn't have time to find it and destroy it.

How did Ms Mathers keep him out all night?

She didn't say.

So was it an intellectual thing, to see if you could get away with it? Get away with what?

Or was it because you enjoyed the thrill of getting away with it last time?

What last time?

Your mother.

My mother died of a rare bone disease.

(TENSE MUSIC)

She was ill for a very long time.

I am aware of that - I did look after her every bloody day.

Every bloody day, for all of those years, until the one day she decided to top herself.

As I told the police at the time, I was unaware that she'd been hoarding pills.

Mrn. There was no evidence to suggest otherwise. Karl Nyman once poisoned your mother with datura.

Was it revenge for that?

She was never the same after that.

But she once told me - amidst all her suffering - it was the best time of her life.

Going blind for three days'? Enlightening, she said.

Am I gonna be charged with my mother's murder now?

Well, it's more a question of how much value you place on a human life.

Spare me your moral judgement, please. Did you end your mother's life?

No. But I wish I had.

I wish I had the strength to end her suffering. And your own?

Perhaps. So you acted out that frustration with Trevor instead.

Nice try. I mean, after all, you talked about marriage.

Trevor told you that? And although a tontine is a joint tenancy,

if only one member is left - and let's say that that's Trevor-

if you were married to him and he should accidentally die, then the farm has nowhere to go but to you.

Do you see where I'm going with this?

And like I said...

nice try.

Trevor, you will be charged in relation to the deaths of Jethro Nyman, Lester Nyman and Dion Waters.

I just want it to be over.

It's only a piece of land, Trevor. You took three lives over a piece of land.

It's my home.

Not for much longer.

Trevor, you must have realised that Mrs McTavish sees and hears everything,

and yet you carried on as if she didn't exist.

Madison wanted to kill her, but I said it'd be too suspicious.

Helen.

With everything that's going on with the farm and the will and everything, I just... well,

I wanted you to know that you'll be OK.

I'm not next, then?

Whatever happens, there'll always be a place for you here for as long as you want it.

I know.

I'll be just fine.

You got played, Trevor, by your old man.

At the end of the day, you did exactly what he told you to do.

(DOOR SHUTS)

Well, Madison Mathers is still denying everything.

She's a lawyer - she'll be figuring a way to leave Trevor holding the smoking gun.

You were right about the bull - taking out Manu Collins lit the fuse.

Happy families, eh (?)

What do you reckon will happen to the farm?

It'll find a way to survive -

land always does.

# It's been a whirlwind, that I'll admit.

# We fell into each other,

# fell fast in the rip,

# dragging each other deeper before we'd learn to swim.

# There was no relent, my dear, as we pulled each other in.

(COUNTRY MUSIC)

# So don't you leave me at the first sign of trouble.

Welcome home, my love.

# Don't you let me drown. #

(CHUCKLES)

(DRAMATIC MUSIC)

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