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In remarkable condition

due to the fact that it was an airtight drum.

So, very little decomposition.

Female.

I'd say 2, possibly 3 years old.

She was fully dressed, but the clothes have gone to forensics.

How long do you think the body's been in the drum?

Oh, well, uh, hard to say.

Several years.

Five. Maybe six. But I-I can't be certain.

I'll be doing more tests.

It's possible she suffocated.

Dear God.

You mean she was put in that thing alive?

I-I really can't say for sure.

But, um, no sign of wounds. No broken limbs.

And then... you see, there's this.

Okay, we don't know yet how she died.

All we know is someone did this to her tiny body.

We don't know how long she was in the oil drum.

Possibly years.

We do know that Elliston Psychiatric Hospital

was closed down five years ago,

so she's possibly been in there since then.

Doug, can I have a chair, please?

Um, we expect a full postmortem report

within the next 24 hours.

In the meantime, we need to start the marathon task

of tracing any staff, patients,

anyone connected to the hospital.

Doug, do you want to take over?

Uh, right.

Um, part of Elliston was for day patients,

and they had four wings for inpatients and two wards for...

You all right, Janet?

Get an ambulance and get ahold of me husband.

All right. Listen up.

D.C.I. Chambers is gonna be...

Sorry... Janet... She's gonna be fine.

She has, uh... She has preeclampsia or something.

Anyway, the baby's okay, but she has to remain in hospital.

So we've sent some flowers, and we got a card.

So, yeah, there's a card here for everyone to sign, okay?

So until we know who's taking over, I will be acting D.C.I.

Yay!

All right. Okay. Yeah. All right. Yeah.

Right. Now, listen up.

Um, Elliston Psychiatric Hospital...

Part private, part NHS.

From what we can gather,

it was understaffed and in a poor state of repair

when it was forced to close,

so there's a hell of a lot of work to find out who went where.

Morning, ma'am.

Good morning, everyone. I'm Commander Clare Blake.

I'll need an update and an office

before I meet the entire team.

Right.

Um...

Oh, w-well, that'll be D.C.I. Chambers' office.

This way.

Sorry. I'm just... I'm just a bit confused.

I thought I was the, uh, senior investigating officer

on this inquiry.

Well, that makes two of us.

Until I know whether I'm taking over as commander of homicide,

I've been temporarily moved to the diversity directorate,

heading up a project

looking into mental-health-related murders.

Diversity what?

And as your victim was found in a psychiatric hospital...

Yeah, but who's running the investigation?

You are. But you could do with my experience.

Consider me as your, uh, mentor.

Now, we know the victim was perhaps 2 years old,

so we need to check out the local hospital.

Go back five years.

Births registers, et cetera, et cetera.

D.C.I. Chambers already instigated that...

And to contact local stations

and pull anything on anyone arrested for devil worship

or satanic criminal offenses.

She had a cross burnt in her chest.

Do we know where the Elliston files may have been moved to?

Being checked out.

The shoes are in good condition, but no maker's name.

Ditto the little socks.

Her underwear has urine stains.

The vest has been cut down and has jagged edges.

Sadly, no dry-cleaning tags.

Like doll's clothes.

- Yeah. Doug James. - Yes. Very much so.

In fact, the shoes look to me as if they were a doll's,

they're so tiny.

The dress is hand-stitched, hand-embroidered.

No name tag, but this is interesting.

Embroidered into the hem is a name... Belinda.

It's quite crude, as if done by an inexperienced person.

But the other embroidery is well done.

These were off the market years ago.

They contained cleaning fluid for the hospital floors.

The factory is closed.

The drum had been washed, and we have some detergent traces,

but it was very clean inside.

The lid had been hammered down,

as you can see by the indentations.

It was airtight, which is why her body is so well preserved.

There's a big argy-bargy going down

about releasing all the old medical records.

They were sent to Allanburt Psychiatric Hospital

when some patients were transferred there.

Get a court order. This is a murder inquiry.

Tell them one of their transferred patients

could be a killer.

We've had a lot of problems with administration.

Yeah, I can see that.

If you could just let me see the files

appertaining to the transferred patients

from Elliston Hospital, that's all we are interested in.

You were at Elliston as well, weren't you?

Yes, but you must understand

that a number of patients have been discharged.

A few have actually died.

- Yeah. - To find their details...

Well, do you have access to the files or not?

This is a murder inquiry.

Sorry. Excuse me.

This... is a bloody shambles.

You stay here. I'll see you back at the station.

Ma'am, these are the names we've come up with so far.

The ones listed in red we have contact numbers for.

The others, we're trying to trace.

In yellow, that's doctors, nurses, clerical staff.

We've also have made inquiries

at the local hospital and police station.

But due to the time gap,

it's getting difficult to trace the staff,

let alone the other people who worked there...

Canteen staff, gardeners, cleaners.

Well, keep going, and get the office manager

to start allocating, checking every single one.

Divide up the board.

- It's Alison, isn't it? - Yes, ma'am.

It's also worth checking out, um, junkies,

homeless who may have broken into the building.

We found a lot of graffiti and paraphernalia in there.

Well, I'm sorry, but I don't have much for you.

I can find no real cause.

Unless it was suffocation.

But she has none of the signs you'd expect to find.

Um, nostrils are clean, throat, et cetera.

We have determined the branding was done postmortem.

Any sign of sexual abuse?

No. No.

Mm.

Yeah, she probably had blue eyes.

Long lashes.

Heartbreaking.

I'd say she'd been dead at least five years.

I can have more details,

but it'll need a neuropathologist

to test the brain tissue,

and that's gonna take at least six weeks.

Do it.

Long-stay patients, short-stay patients, day patients.

Dead, alive, lost-to-follow-up patients.

Moved away, disappeared, untraceable patients.

- Oh, just unbelievable. - That may be so.

Did you find anything about missing 2-year-olds

from that time?

Nope. Nothing.

And we're just starting the massive trace.

Some of these case files are beyond belief.

There's a woman here who said

she would benefit from a nose job

due to the fact that she found it difficult

to deal with the size of her nose.

So she gets her nose job done on the National Health,

and then she comes back and has an eye job.

Has this anything to do with our case?

No, no. It's just one of the patients.

Anyway, she had this eye job done...

These files are private and confidential...

Quite apart from the fact that you're wasting our time

on cases that have no connection whatsoever.

There's a nurse. Male. Colin Bailey.

I didn't say why we needed to speak to him,

but he came right out with it.

- Out with what? - A name.

He asked if it was about Eric Thornton.

All I said was we were making inquiries

into patients resident at the hospital five years ago.

And what's this connection?

It's a Mrs. Williams. She now works at Allanburt.

She said the only patients she recalls from Elliston

were Eric Thornton and a John Littlewood.

Two hits on Eric Thornton in one day.

Let's make him a priority inquiry.

And I'd like to speak to this Colin Bailey.

This is a photograph of the little girl.

Do you remember ever seeing her there?

No.

Never.

I worked at the daycare center.

But even at visiting times,

I don't recall ever seeing a child.

It wasn't the sort of place you brought a kid.

You mentioned a patient... Eric Thornton.

Yeah. Eric was there.

I looked this out for you.

It was taken at the birthday of one of the patients.

A young man called John Littlewood.

We used to make cakes and candles.

Anything to relieve the monotony, really.

Tell me about John Littlewood.

That's him.

But I tried to have very little to do with him.

He was very disturbed and on a lot of medication.

I remember he cried when we brought the cake out.

I don't think he ever had one before.

That's Eric with some of the catering staff, other patients.

Me.

I've written the names on the back for you.

It was May 2001.

You'd have known if any of the patients had been pregnant?

When I was there, I don't recall any patient getting pregnant.

But there was a nurse.

Irish girl.

Very young. Only just qualified.

Can you remember the young nurse's name?

She's probably back in Ireland by now.

What was her name? Angela.

Angela something.

Angela Gregory.

Missed breakfast.

Sorry. Had a time digging these out.

Eric Thornton. Patient for only a short time.

June 1999. Elliston Ward C.

Tragic, really. Wonderful pianist.

Diagnosis... Schizophreniform psychosis.

That is a condition that encompasses

elements of schizophrenia

but does not involve the same obvious or severe symptoms.

Is it a condition that would make him violent?

Possibly, if his symptoms advanced,

and even more so if he took drugs.

But when I knew him, as far as I can recall,

he benefited from the medication prescribed.

Contrary to Littlewood.

He was a very disturbed paranoid schizophrenic

with an antisocial personality disorder.

Again, can't give any great detail.

Littlewood was transferred to Allanburt also.

Do you recall a nurse?

Angela Gregory, Irish.

Would have been at Elliston when you were...

No. No. Doesn't ring any bells.

There are so many, and they keep changing.

Possibly pregnant.

Possibly?

Rather like saying she was a little bit pregnant.

I recall there was a young nurse.

Her name escapes me, but I think she was a bit unprofessional.

Like a bit pregnant.

I'm not certain what you want me to say.

All I can remember is that she was overfamiliar.

With the patients or staff?

Patients.

Specifically with the young Littlewood.

Was John Littlewood violent?

Without his medication, he could become overaggressive,

particularly when he used drugs... illicit drugs...

Which he did often, even when he was an inpatient.

Violent enough to do this?

- Mrs. Thornton? - Yes? Is something wrong?

Sit. Sit! Good boy.

I'm Commander Clare Blake.

This is Detective Inspector Doug James.

Oh, God. What has he done now?

Do sit down.

I suppose I need to.

What has he done?

Does your son live with you?

No.

Well, he comes and goes.

But I haven't seen him for months.

He spent some time at Elliston Psychiatric Hospital?

Yes. Amongst others.

- Do you have an address for him? - No, I don't.

I really have no idea where he is.

The two girls?

No, he won't be staying with either of them.

It's something serious this time, isn't it?

Well, we really only wish to make contact with him,

as we're making inquiries

into something connected to Elliston Hospital.

It closed down years ago.

Yes. We know that.

Mrs. Thornton, did your son ever have a child?

A child? Eric?

No.

No.

Mrs. Thornton, it really is

just a case of us talking to Eric.

But I've told you I don't know where he is!

He's attacked me.

His sisters...

They refuse to have him anywhere near them.

We have tried.

God knows we have tried.

This little girl's body was found

in the cellar of Elliston Hospital.

When he attacked you, did you press charges?

Good heavens, no. He's my son.

And he doesn't know what he's doing.

This is his. It's a loft conversion.

I never go in there. My cleaner won't.

And then, as you can see, he tried to make sure we wouldn't.

May we go in?

Well, you'll need some tools.

Can you... Can you call Sasha...

She had them locked up in a cupboard.

In fact, everything looked as if it was locked up.

She said it was for protection.

Didn't want anyone up here, did he?

Let's take a look inside.

Don't touch anything.

Let's get forensic up here.

Smells like weed to me.

Got a pen?

How can she let this go on up here?

Fear.

She's scared of him.

Well, if he's using other drugs... possibly crack...

With his medical background, he's a walking time bomb.

Mrs. Thornton, would you agree to a DNA test?

What for? It wouldn't prove anything.

I'm not Eric's natural mother.

Eric was my husband's son from his previous marriage.

His sisters?

They're my daughters from my first marriage.

They're not blood-related.

Well, we better find him, then, hadn't we?

According to the unhelpful Mr. Sidgewick,

Eric was never violent at Elliston.

But it seems to me his illness may have got worse.

See what you can get out of Mrs. Thornton about him.

Yeah, fine. Whatever you say.

What's the matter?

Well, we could get the locals in until forensic...

No, I don't want that woman going into the loft.

So do as I ask.

Oh, my God.

Got your boiled egg.

And we'll make some more soldiers.

Oui? Yeah.

Mm. Stay there, sweetheart.

Hello, Jody pody poo.

How's my little sweet face?

It's your Uncle Eric. Hello.

♪ Down came the rain and washed the spider out ♪

♪ Out came the sun and dried up all the rain ♪

Eric!

Get out! Do you hear me? Just get out!

Well, that's nice. "Hello, Eric. How are you?"

I mean it. I'll call the police.

Don't be so irrational, Sasha.

That's my department.

Can I have something to eat? I'm starving.

No. No. Just leave.

Please, Eric. I mean it. I'll call the police.

For heaven's sake, Sasha.

I've just come to wish you a happy birthday.

I-I even have a card.

And I've bought some goodies for Jody.

I've got a job. I'm doing really well.

I don't believe a word you say, Eric.

And my birthday was months ago. Please just go away.

I am keeping to doctor's orders, Sasha.

I swear.

Like I said, I-I've got a job.

It's only four days a week, but they really like me,

and it's... it's doing what I've always wanted to do...

Designing gardens.

It's just a small company.

And look... This is for you, a-and this is for Jody.

Look, Jody. Look at the bear.

Mummy? Mummy? I-It's Sasha.

Eric's just walked in. I don't know what to do.

I can hear you, Sasha.

Just come back downstairs. I need to talk to you.

Or I'll come up there.

Ma'am, there's a Mrs. Vivienne Littlewood

in reception.

She says it's about her son, John Littlewood.

She just walked in?

Well, thank God for the press, because you couldn't find him.

I just had Mrs. Thornton on the phone.

Eric's turned up at his sister's house.

Then I suggest you get over there.

Eric, I've called the police.

Why have you done that? Are you joking?

Don't you know? They want to see you.

Who does?

The police!

They were 'round at Mummy's.

- It's about... - What has Mother told them?

They came to see her. She hasn't told them anything.

Because I haven't done anything!

That stupid old cow. Is this about my allowance?

It's my money, and I can do what I want.

I know she's got a right to be upset

about a few things I've done in the past.

A right?

You have stolen from her.

You've threatened her, attacked her.

- You've made her life a misery! - That was years ago.

You know, my life has been pretty miserable, too, sis.

A lot of the things I've done, I can't even remember.

Well, that doesn't mean that we don't.

You lied, didn't you?

About calling the police.

I will call them. I mean it.

Look, I need £1,000.

I have to have it. I hocked my laptop.

I have to get it out of the pawnshop.

Well, I don't have it!

Unlike you, I don't have an allowance!

And don't tell me it was worth that much.

What about that poncey husband of yours?

Can't he lend it to me?

You wouldn't pay it back. And I wouldn't even ask him.

And if he knew you were here,

he'd punch the daylights out of you

after what you did to Mother.

She's not his mother, for God's sake.

She's not yours either!

Look, can I have a bath here?

Eric.

You just frighten me so much. I'm sorry.

I've met a girl.

We really like each other.

I know, Eric. It's all right.

I just wanted you to know how sorry...

Eric, it's me.

I've called the police.

Wait! Just stay here... Eric!

Let go!

What has he done to you?!

It was my fault. I was trying to make him stay.

Oh!

He went out the back way. Across the gardens.

Mrs. Littlewood.

Thank you for coming in to see us.

You wanted to see John.

He's dead, my son.

They found him in a squat in Brixton.

He died of a drug overdose.

Heroin.

When was this?

Five years ago.

Did your son ever have a child?

Oh, I don't know.

I had no contact with him.

When he was ill, I had to get the police to take him away.

Oh!

John, he was a good altar boy.

A good Catholic.

Mrs. Littlewood, would you agree to taking a DNA test?

We're investigating the death of a little girl.

Ah.

I always knew something bad would happen to him.

I was wondering...

You see, I've no recent pictures of him.

Just these, when he was a little boy.

The photograph in the papers... Do you think I could have one?

Dressed up. He's smiling.

It was his birthday.

Hardly ever saw him smile.

I'll make sure you get a copy.

With Littlewood dead, I want to go to press on Eric Thornton.

Hang on. Littlewood could still be involved.

You saw the loft. You saw what's up there.

Warn the public not to approach him.

He's driving his mother's stolen Mercedes.

Get the plate out there. The full works.

I held on to his bag. I tried to keep him here.

Yeah, we'll need to take that with us.

Oh, my God. What's happened?

What's he done this time? Where's Mother?

- Upstairs with Jody. - Is Jody okay? Did he hurt her?

This is my sister, Judy. Commander Blake.

And I'm sorry... I don't remember your name.

Has Eric been in contact with you?

No. I-I haven't seen him for months.

What's all this about?

The little girl they found at Elliston.

Did you read about it in the papers?

You don't think Eric had something to do with it?

Do either of you know if Eric ever had a child

or was in a relationship with someone?

I don't think he's ever had a girlfriend.

But another thing we had to contend with

were these awful hangers-on he used to befriend.

So you've no idea where he might be?

I wouldn't know.

He said he had a job. Something to do with gardening.

But he's hardly ever worked. He can't hold a job down.

For all the trouble he's caused, he wouldn't really harm anyone.

Especially a child.

He attacked your mother.

We've all been frightened of him at some time or another.

He wasn't diagnosed for many years,

so we just had to live with it.

His violence.

It was never directed at me personally,

but he could be very destructive.

He damaged so many of my little ones.

Uh, dolls.

My sister collects Victorian dolls.

They're at Mummy's.

I've collected them since I was a child,

and they're very valuable.

They're made of porcelain. Life-size.

These are a couple of pictures

of the dress the dead child was wearing.

That's one of your doll's dresses.

It happened a long time ago.

I was still living at home.

It was before I married.

Mummy lets me keep them here.

We really need you to give us a time frame

for when the shoes and dress you identified went missing.

Well, I didn't really know they were missing.

I've got so many stored up here.

Eric could have taken the clothes at any time.

This is one of the dolls Eric broke.

Aah!

Elizabeth.

I give them all names.

That one is Anna.

But the one you're holding,

I embroidered her name onto the hem of the dress you showed me.

Belinda.

Forensics have just come through on Eric Thornton's room.

A load of marijuana, crack cocaine, amphetamine tabs,

but so far no human remains.

The blood is not human or animal.

It's synthetic stuff you get from a joke shop.

And all the skulls are plastic.

So, all a bit childish, really.

And as for his sister's dolls... How freaky is that?

Anything on this garden company he works for?

Nope.

I just spoke to the guy who runs it.

A guy called Tony Lattice.

They admit to employing him on a cash basis,

but they haven't seen him for days.

Well, don't just take his word for it.

- Get yourself over there. - On my way, ma'am.

Oh, and any of the roach stubs found in the loft...

Can you get those over to the lab for DNA t...

Already done.

Good.

Yeah, he just, um...

Well, he walked in about six months ago.

Asked if there was any work, part- or full-time.

Did he give you a home address?

No. Just his mobile number.

And I-I paid him in cash, four days a week.

Could I have the number?

Yeah. Yeah, sure. It'll be on my desk.

In fact, Louise, could you get me Eric Thornton's phone number?

Louise?

Who was that?

Uh, it's Louise Parker. She... She works here.

She work with Eric?

Yeah, we all did.

In fact, it was Louise who recommended him.

Right. Thornton.

Numbers.

Here we go. Eric Thornton.

Yeah. Never had to use it.

He was always on time. Hard worker.

Liked to be outside, and he was strong.

And he took a genuine interest in my work.

Which is what, exactly?

Uh, gardening, landscaping.

And, oh, you know, grow some fruit.

Did he ever appear to you to be, uh, depressed or angry,

emotionally distraught?

Eric?

No. No, quite to the contrary. He was... He was very laid-back.

Thanks for your help, Mr. Lattice.

Sure.

Louise? Hi.

I'm Detective Inspector Douglas James.

Eric Thornton.

You recommended him to Tony Lattice.

Yeah. Yeah, I did.

Do you have an address for him?

No, I don't.

Don't really know him that well.

Actually, we haven't seen him for a few days.

How did you meet him in the first place?

At the clinic.

We were being treated at the same time.

For what?

Depression.

If Mr. Thornton contacts you, Louise,

it's imperative you tell us.

We have to speak to him.

Anything from the all-ports?

This nurse... the Irish girl, Angela Gregory...

We've got her listed at two agencies seven years ago.

But not recently, and no trace of her yet.

There's no record of her returning or having a child.

Well, maybe she left England when she was pregnant.

What about Eric Thornton's father?

Yeah. He lives in Cornwall now. Separated 15 years ago.

I spoke to him yesterday. He said he's coming up today.

Not sure what good it'll do, though,

as he maintains he's had little or no contact

with his son for years now.

The money, by the way, comes from his mother.

And this...

is tonight's headline.

All we bloody need, Louise!

You better get to Eric

and tell him to keep his fucking mouth shut!

- Louise?! - I don't know where he is.

You don't know where he is?!

Find him! You brought him in.

Why didn't you tell me he was a fucking mental case?!

Jesus Christ!

Now we've got the bloody cops breathing down our necks.

I don't need this!

I don't fucking need this, Louise!

- He's not answering his mobile. - Listen to me.

This has taken me years to set up.

You find him, and you sort him out.

I mean it!

He was trying to raise the money.

He was going to see his mother. She's very rich.

I don't give a shit! He's out!

Good boy.

Come on.

Good boy. Bed. Lie down.

That's a good boy.

Hello, Mother.

Ma'am, that was Mrs. Thornton's husband on the phone.

He's at the house now, but there's no answer.

The dog's barking the place down, and he can't get in.

John Thornton.

I wasn't expecting the cavalry.

I haven't got a key.

Due to problems of the past,

Ellen has had a security alarm installed.

I'm Commander Clare Blake. This is D.I. Doug James.

Thanks for calling us.

Doesn't look like she's home.

I'll take a look 'round the back.

Break the glass in.

Ellen?!

Ellen?!

Oh, it's all right. He won't hurt you.

Hello, brother.

- Can you stay there? - Yeah. Good boy.

Check out the kitchen.

Ellen?!

Mr. Thornton, can you take the dog outside, please?

Uh, yeah. I think he needs some exercise.

Come on, boy. Come on, Harold.

Oh, Jesus Christ.

Harold! Come on!

Come on! Come on, boy!

Come on! Oh, there's a good boy.

There's a good boy. Good boy!

Your officers have stepped into an undercover operation.

I had no idea there was any other ongoing investigation.

There might not be now.

Eric, if... if you're out there listening,

get in touch.

This child...

She's haunted us all, ma'am.

You have blood on your hands, Commander Blake.

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