Whitstable Pearl

[ Line ringing ] - Hi.

You've reached Vinnie Rowe at Vinnie's Oysters.

Please leave a message.

-Vinnie!

[ Cellphone rings ] [ Ringing ] [ Cranking ] Oh, God.

[ Gasps ] [ Breathing heavily, whimpers ] [ Sirens wailing ] There once was a place with my little lovely Whey, hey, ho And I seek and I search, and I know that I'll find it Whey, hey, ho I know the wind, she blows I know the tides are low But you'll find me at the Whitepost You'll find me at the Whitepost [ Cellphone ringing ] -McGuire.

- It's DS Nikki Martel.

We're holding a woman who pulled her friend out of the water, Pearl Nolan, found entangled in the anchor.

Where are you?

-Uh, I'm on my way.

Uh, the road was closed, I had to take a detour.

Oh, for Christ's sake.

- What?

-Move!

Knob.

[ Horn honks ] - Good morning to you, too.

-What's your problem?

-Move back.

[ Horn honks ] -Why don't you just go back, and then we can both get past?

There's a passing point right there.

-Move back.

-The sooner you move, the sooner you can use your government subsidies to milk your cows and shag your sheep.

[ Horn honks ] Okay, want to play it like that.

- Hello?

Are you there?

-Yeah.

- Spot of bother, guv?

-Nah, I'm good.

Always loved the countryside.

-I want to know everything about his financial situation.

I want to know...

I'm Stroud, he owes me money.

His contracts, what he owes, who he owes, and what he's got coming in.

-Pearl Nolan?

[ Door closes ] Sorry to keep you waiting.

I'm Chief Inspector Mike McGuire.

Can I get you a coffee or anything?

-No thanks.

I've had enough for tonight.

-Actually, it's morning already, you know.

You'll get your watch and phone back when you leave.

-Good.

Well, can I go or what?

-Soon.

Take a seat, please.

You knew him, um, Vinnie Rowe?

You went out to his boat.

Why?

-I called him several times, and he didn't answer.

I have explained this.

Don't you people communicate?

Alright, one more time then.

Your colleagues think it was an accident, and I don't.

-Okay.

-You do hear of fishermen who fall and get tangled up in their nets and anchor and drown, but he wouldn't.

I've known him my whole life.

-Is that your theory, because you know him, he can't drown?

What do you think happened?

-I don't know.

I don't know what I'm still doing here.

-Sure you don't want a lawyer?

-[ Scoffs ] Wow.

You're even thicker than the other one.

Vinnie delivers oysters to my restaurant.

He didn't answer his phone.

I needed a batch for the morning, so I went out to talk to him.

It really is quite straight forward.

I don't think I need a lawyer to explain that, do I?

Although, I can see you're struggling to understand it.

-[ Scoffs ] So you didn't speak with him?

-What, the dead man whose lungs were filled with water?

No, I didn't.

-And then you moved the body and drove the boat back to shore instead of informing the coast guard?

-Well, I tried to pull him up on to the boat.

I couldn't...

I couldn't drop him back into the sea, the boat was drifting.

He's got two small kids.

So, I drove the boat with his body wrapped round the anchor.

I didn't know what else to do.

-Okay.

Thank you for your time.

You can go.

[ Siren wailing in distance ] [ Door closes ] -Mum.

-[ Exhales deeply ] I am so sorry.

Are you okay?

-Yeah.

You?

-Let's get you home.

I'll open your restaurant.

-No.

-You need to get some sleep.

-No, no, I just want to have a shower and get changed.

I'll wake up Charlie.

I can work.

-He's awake.

He's the one who told me you were here.

It seems half the town knows.

Someone saw you in the police car coming back from the harbor.

Are you sure you're okay?

-Mm.

Yeah, I just... Mum, seeing his face come out the water.

Oh, I just kept remembering his face from when I was little.

-I know.

Come on.

I've been arrested loads of times.

-What was that then, pro-abortion or Falklands War?

-[ Chuckles ] There was many more than that.

I might as well have kept my toothbrush in that police station.

Protesting against nuclear weapons, against Vietnam, bra burning.

I threw eggs at Thatcher.

Twice.

The Bristol bus boycott.

[ Speaks indistinctly ] at a Catholic Church march.

I couldn't have protested more if I'd been a bloody French farmer.

-Mum?

Nan?

Is that you?

-Both of us.

Hey.

-Hey.

What happened?

Are you all right?

-Yeah.

-So, what did the police say?

-[ Sighs ] Nothing really.

They just -- they just wanted to know what happened.

-So, you saw him dead then?

-Mm.

-Jesus.

Poor Vinnie.

So, what, he fell and got caught in the anchor chain?

-Perhaps.

-What about that bloke that hired you to investigate Vinnie?

-I didn't tell them about that.

-What?

How comes?

-Not sure yet.

They're a bunch of idiots.

-Yeah, well... -What's this?

Manchester?

-Yep!

-Oh, that looks really big.

-What?

-I mean, it looks nice but really big.

-Nah, not really.

Only about 40,000 students.

[ Cellphone rings ] -McGuire.

- Something wrong?

-I'm bleaching my teeth, makes me sound like a...child.

What is it?

- Right.

We've received the preliminary forensics report.

[ Seagulls crying ] -Hi, Ruby.

-Hello, Pearl.

-Max was just helping.

-Yeah, we just picked these up from the market.

I'm really sorry for your loss.

-Well, he was a dear friend.

Thanks.

Is everything all right with you and Max?

Ruby, you might only work for me, but I do worry about you, you know.

-Sorry.

Uh... -You all right?

Look, I know it's been a crappy day, you know we can talk about it if you want to ask me what happened.

Have you had a falling out?

-I'm all right.

Everything's fine, it's...

I'm fine.

-What's up with her?

-Oh, I don't know.

I think she's had a falling out with Max.

-She's been a bit distant lately, hasn't she?

-I thought you were off today.

-And you shouldn't be here, so pass me the chives, will you?

Charlie showed me the prospectus for his university.

Ignoring it won't make it go away.

He's gonna move out sooner or later.

-Yeah, well, not today.

-Have you considered that this might be the perfect opportunity for you to live a little?

To fill the inevitable void with something new.

Someone, even.

When was the last time you went on a date?

-Well, I'm a bit more quality conscious than you.

-Oh.

Quantity's more my thing.

Do you even remember what a penis looks like?

-[ Scoffs ] -You know what happens to a wooden boat when it's been out of the water too long.

-Which part of me are you comparing to a wooden boat?

[ Both laugh ] -Sorry, I'm all right now.

Oh, hi, Dolly.

I thought you had the day off.

Do you want me to make you some coffee?

-No, I'm all right, thanks.

-What shall I do, Pearl?

Shall I start with the oysters?

-What happened to you?

You left here like a zombie.

-Uh, yeah, sorry, I just needed to splash some water on me face and have a Red Bull.

Must have worked.

-Mm, must have.

[ Knock on door ] -[ Sighs ] All the hours I've sat here and waited through storms, terrified, for what?

All the times he promised me, this time, this time I'd turn things around.

[ Sighs ] So stupid.

-Turn what around?

-Vinnie was a dreamer, Pearl.

You heard his speech.

Working The Free Water, laying new seeds.

It was Vinnie's big dream.

Not mine.

Three years living hand to mouth.

When Vinnie worked for Matheson, he worked seven hours a day, he earned great money, but he had to do it by himself.

He had to have his own boats.

His own oyster beds.

And I let him because I could see how much it meant to him.

But now it means nothing.

Nothing but debt.

-How much debt?

-I don't know.

He went to the bank, but he couldn't manage the repayments, so he borrowed money from this shady bloke to cover the debt and do the boat up.

Vinnie closed the door, but I could still hear them fighting outside.

Vinnie kept saying, "Soon, soon, soon."

What sort of a mantra's that when you've got kids?

Family?

-Who -- who was he fighting with, Connie?

-The guy who lent him the money.

Stroud.

Afterwards, Vinnie acted like nothing had happened.

Like he always did.

And now he's gone.

[ Sighs ] Um... [ Children shouting ] Thanks for coming.

I've got...

I've got to check on the kids.

-Oh, of course.

If you need anything.

-Yeah.

[ Door opens, closes ] - I'm not available right now.

Leave a message, and I'll get back to you.

-Hi, Mr. Stroud.

It's Pearl Nolan.

Can you call me back?

-[ Speaking Russian ] Hi there.

Hi, Max.

Are you ready to order?

-I'm off now, Mum, yeah.

-See you later.

-See ya.

-Your son?

-Yeah, it's Charlie.

-Have you decided what you want, Max?

-Uh, uh, yeah, some oysters.

Definitely.

Um, you should try them, Mum.

-Okay, rock or native?

-Native, and I think I just want like a... -Uh, give us a second with the menu.

-Okay.

-Max told me about your friend.

My condolences.

Poor man.

If there is anything we can do.

-Let me know when you're ready.

-Life, such a fragile gift.

It doesn't do to dwell on things and... -I think she's okay, Dad.

-Sorry to interrupt.

I'll look after you.

Um, you've got a visitor.

It's the policeman from before.

-Oh, okay.

Are you enjoying Whitstable so far, Mr. McGuire?

-No.

I'm not a big fan of small towns.

-Oh, why's that?

-Because you have to talk to people.

-Well, I'm sorry you have to be here.

-Oh, well, life, eh?

The gift that keeps on disappointing.

Nice beer though.

The, um, preliminary investigation shows that Vinnie Rowe's death was most likely an accident.

-Well, they're wrong.

-I'm aware you think that, so now you need to tell me why.

I'm a bit thick, remember?

-[ Sighs ] Can we go outside?

A man came to see me yesterday, said his name was Stroud.

He said that Vinnie owed him money, and he asked me to do a check on Vinnie's finances.

And now I can't get hold of him.

And I saw Connie today, Vinnie's partner, and she said that she heard them fighting outside the house.

And she'd been searching through everything.

I mean, mortgage papers and bank statements, medical checks.

The whole place was upside down.

-Well, maybe she wondered how much they owed.

-What, the first thing she did after Vinnie's death?

-Why would he do that?

Come to you to ask for a background check.

-Because I run a small business that does that kind of thing.

-A detective agency?

-Yeah.

-Alright, let me see if I've got this right.

A man came here to get his money back, desperate enough to hire a detective.

Later that evening, the man who owed him money, your friend, turns up dead chained to an anchor, and you didn't think it relevant to tell the police?

-Well, why would I, seeing as you think it's an accident?

-So you went out to his boat to warn him?

-Yeah, I did.

-Okay.

Well, how about this.

We've spoken to everyone who may've been in the vicinity last night, and right now, you're the only person we can place on that boat, Ms. Nolan.

-Vinnie!

- McGuire.

-Look, I'm sorry that I didn't tell you about Stroud, but listen.

Vinnie had finished for the day.

He'd sorted his catch and boxed up the oysters.

He couldn't have done that if he hadn't already been at anchor, or the boat would have gone adrift.

- Don't understand.

-The anchor was down.

Vinnie couldn't have sorted his oysters unless he'd already dropped it.

He couldn't have got tangled up in the anchor chain and dragged overboard.

This isn't an accident.

And there's -- there is something more, something missing.

Something I'm not getting.

- Thank you, Ms Nolan.

[ Cellphone ringing ] - Where the hell are you?

I'm not clearing up on me own.

-Sorry.

I'm coming back now.

[ Motor whirring, waves splashing ] -I've been waiting for you.

-[ Sighs ] Hello, Tina.

-Don't keep spare keys in the flower pot, Pearl.

I borrowed some wine.

[ Pearl sighs ] -What you doing here?

-Well, my husband's dead.

-Your ex-husband.

-Our divorce was never finalized.

I don't know who was supposed to send the papers in.

They say he got caught in the anchor chain.

-Well, there's different opinions about that.

-What did the police say?

What did Stroud want with you?

-Do you know Stroud?

-He used to be nice.

Then he changed.

-[ Sighs ] What you really doing here, Tina?

-It's my fault.

Vinnie.

I convinced Stroud to invest in Vinnie's project, and then he found out we were still married.

Kept screaming at me that I used him.

Now I can't find him anywhere.

I saw your name scribbled on a notepad, so I came here.

And now Vinnie's dead.

-Why you telling me all this?

-Because I'm not a big fan of the police.

-Well, do you think Stroud's capable of murder?

-Yeah.

-Right.

[ Keys rattle ] Then go and see him now.

-How's Connie?

-Well, she's got two young kids and her partner just died.

So how do you think she is?

-Well, at least she won't struggle financially.

Vinnie always paid his life insurance, even when he was broke.

Never made a mistake in your life, have you, Pearl?

[ Seagulls crying ] -Okay, no problem, thanks.

Bye.

[ Line ringing ] - Hello?

-Oh, hi.

It's Pearl Nolan from the Whitstable Pearl.

- Hi, Pearl.

-Oh, hey, Jo, I don't know if you could help me.

Um, I'm looking for a bloke.

He ordered some food, but he didn't give me his room number.

His name's Stroud.

- Uh, he's in room 221.

-Lovely.

Thank you.

Delivery.

[ Knocks on door ] Hello?

Mr. Stroud?

Hello?

Mr. Stroud?

Hello?

[ Loud thud ] [ Screams ] [ Door slams ] [ Police radio chatter ] -Two bodies in three days.

In a town this size.

And you found them both.

-Huh.

You don't think that was an accident, do you?

'Cause he doesn't strike me as a Michael Hutchence sort of bloke.

No?

Too soon?

-All right, let me hear it.

-Well, Vinnie owed Stroud money, Stroud's desperate to get it back, so he threatens Connie, which explains why she's got all that paperwork out 'cause she's looking for Vinnie's loan, and then she finds Vinnie's life insurance, and then she realizes Stroud's gonna come back for that.

-So you're saying a small town housewife suddenly hires a killer?

Or are you saying that a 5'5" woman killed and then lifted that man up on to the door and hanged him?

-Okay.

Okay, well, Stroud's only in this town because of Vinnie, and now they're both dead, so that isn't a coincidence, is it?

I mean, I don't know, maybe Stroud threatened her kids or something.

Connie thinks Stroud killed Vinnie, so she's desperate, okay, and she's unbalanced, and she can't see a way out.

So she finds someone to help her solve the problem.

-Why would Connie tell you about Vinnie's fight with Stroud if she was already planning to have him killed?

-I don't know.

I mean, Tina... Tina, she's Vinnie's ex, right?

She's the one that told me about the life insurance.

She came to see me last night.

She thinks it's her fault that Stroud killed Vinnie.

She was seeing him.

She dumped him before he turned up here.

I said to her, "Do you reckon he's capable of murder?"

And she said yes.

-That's Tina Rowe, right?

-Yeah.

-Where is she now?

-I don't know.

I -- I gave her your card.

-Why didn't you tell me that you used to be police?

-Because it was a long time ago.

It was another life.

-What happened?

-I was too young.

I -- I got pregnant, and the bloke I got pregnant with turned out to be a bit of a prick.

Can I go?

Did you see the binoculars?

You should check that he asked for that room because from the window, you can see right to where Vinnie died.

How do you do this?

How do you see... like that day in, day out?

-I don't know that guy up there.

To me, he's just one less person in the world.

[ Police radio chatter ] [ Laughing ] - Guv.

-Have you found Tina Rowe?

- No.

No, we haven't yet.

-Right, keep looking.

- Yeah, will do.

[ Lock clicks ] -Alright?

Taught my son to swim here.

You got kids?

-No.

-You married?

-Did you, um, want something?

Or... -I just saw Connie with Frank Matheson, Vinnie's old boss, coming out of a lawyer's office.

They're having an affair.

-Go on.

-Well, she didn't need to hire a killer.

I mean, Matheson was angry with Vinnie for leaving his company, so Vinnie was worth more to both of them dead.

-Maybe.

-Or maybe they got Stroud to do it?

Said they'd pay him what's owed out of the life insurance, and then maybe he wanted more and Matheson killed him.

Either way, it's not an accident.

-Connie and Matheson have been seeing each other for a little over a year, and Matheson has a conviction for GBH.

When he was in his late 20s, he had a fight with a fellow fisherman over a lobster contract, beat him into a coma with a crowbar and left him in a ditch with a foot-long live lobster down his crutch.

You can bet that guy doesn't have kids either.

And Tina Rowe's gone missing.

[ Bottles clatter ] -Ruby, are you okay?

Well?

-Yeah, I'm, uh...

I didn't...

I'm fine.

[ Glasses clink ] [ Pouring ] [ Indistinct chatter ] -[ Chuckles ] [ Tapping wine glass ] -Thank you.

Thank you everyone for being here.

It's lovely to see you again.

So, our conceptual basis for the redesign of Red Sands is to create a hotel unlike any other in the world.

For those of you who don't know him, this is my son Max.

And who better to inform you about the future than the man who is this company's future?

[ Applause ] -Thank you.

Um, uh, we're building for everything, uh, seminars, music events, and water sports.

And there's a -- there's a panoramic, uh, uh, glass wall that looks out beyond the sea to, uh, Europe and -- and beyond to the town.

The tourism industry in Whitstable needs some, uh... [ continues indistinctly ] -I didn't know it was you who found both of them.

The bodies.

Are you sure you should be here?

You shouldn't have to work after going through something so traumatic.

-Yeah, it's better to be busy actually.

-Poor Vinnie.

-Yeah, poor Vinnie.

Is that what you were thinking while you were shagging his wife?

-Thank you very much.

[ Applause ] [ Indistinct chatter ] -Thank you so much.

The food was brilliant.

Everybody loved it.

-Well, I'm glad.

Is there anything else I can help you with?

-Uh, no, no.

Max!

Max!

[ Arguing in Russian ] [ Arguing in Russian ] -[ Arguing in Russian ] -[ Shouting in Russian ] [ Typing ] [ Arzeni and Max speaking Russian ] [ Shouting in Russian ] [ Cellphone rings ] -Hi.

- Pearl, there's a situation here.

I need you to come to the hospital.

It's about Ruby Williams.

-Okay.

Hi.

Can I see Ruby Williams?

-Ruby Williams?

-Yeah.

-Pearl.

-Where is she?

-Listen, was she at work with you today?

-Yeah.

She was all over the place.

She was with me at the Azarov's.

She was arguing with Max.

What's happened to her?

-Well, she had a high concentration of amphetamines in her blood for one.

What caused her to collapse was the opiates.

-Can we come in?

How is she?

-She's stable.

We'll keep her in overnight, but she's gonna be fine.

-Oh, thank God.

Thank you.

Ruby.

[ Door closes ] [ Sighs ] [ Door opens, closes ] [ Siren wailing ] Mike?

She wouldn't do that to herself.

I took her for a tetanus once, she passed out.

-Is this another one of your, "I know her so she couldn't have done it"?

We don't know people as well as we think we do, Pearl.

I'm gonna go and find Tina Rowe.

You stay here.

[ Motor revs ] -Vinnie!

[ Line ringing ] Hi.

Can I speak to Ruby Williams, please?

- She discharged herself this morning.

[ Line ringing ] - Hello?

-Ruby, why would you discharge yourself?

-Pearl.

-I'm at your house.

[ Doorbell rings ] Ruby, where are you?

- Down by The Neptune.

-Okay, stay there.

I'm coming down.

-Why?

-No, listen, Ruby.

-Look, I've got to go.

-Ruby!

[ Beeping ] - This is DCI McGuire.

Please leave a message.

-It's Max.

Max Azarov.

I remembered what it was that I couldn't piece together.

Its Vinnie's boat.

There was a scratch in the paint at the stern as I climbed on board.

Ruby didn't take those drugs.

He forced her.

She's at The Old Neptune.

I'm on my way there now.

Ruby.

I know Max killed Vinnie.

Was you there?

Did you see it?

Is that why he gave you the drugs, to scare you?

-Max called me from the pier.

He was crying.

When he came to my place, he had blood all on his clothes, and there was...

He couldn't go home, and I couldn't...

I just -- I just let him stay so he could shower and then get new clothes.

-Why did he kill Vinnie?

-Red Sands Fort.

He picks the drugs up at Red Sands.

Someone leaves the packages there, and he -- he takes it ashore, and he sells.

-Why?

Why -- why would a rich kid like that need to do that?

-Max has nothing!

His father has everything.

You'll never understand.

He doesn't want anything from his father.

He -- he hates him.

Max went out on the jet ski, but he just misjudged the tide.

Vinnie came to rescue Max.

He was threatening to call the coast guard if he didn't come aboard the boat, and Max, he had the bags in his hands.

He didn't mean it.

He was just scared.

[ Sobs ] I don't know how to make it go away.

-I know, I know.

I know, darling.

I know.

It's not your fault.

-Max, get off.

-Told you not to say anything.

-Max.

Max!

-Max, get off!

[ Screams ] [ Indistinct shouting ] -Get off!

No, Max, stop!

[ Indistinct shouting ] -[ Coughs ] [ Gasping ] [ Panting ] -I'm so sorry, Pearl.

[ Siren wailing ] I'm so sorry.

-You all right?

You all right?

Right, Max Azarov, you're under arrest for the murder of Vinnie Rowe.

-No, no, no, no, no.

It's me you want.

He's just a child.

It's me!

-Stroud.

Did you kill Stroud?

-Azarov, Stroud?

-He saw Max on the boat.

He tried to blackmail us.

Hang my son out as a murderer.

Wanted us to pay what the fisherman owed him.

So what else could I do?

What Max did was an accident.

He slipped and fell -- it... -Azarov, let go of your son.

-It was an accident.

He's a good boy.

-Let go of him!

-Please!

-How you doing, all right?

-Suppose you'll be going back to London now, won't you, Mr. Big Shot Detective?

-I wish.

Nah, I figured I'd stay around a bit longer.

-Why?

-I don't know where to find oyster stout in London.

-[ Laughs ] What have you done to your teeth?

Have you bleached them?

-What?

-Are you going for the Jurgen Klopp look?

Is it just me, or have you softened a little bit since you've been here?

-It's just you.

-Still not a fan of small towns then?

-Whenever someone says hi when they pass me in the street, I feel like punching them in the face.

-[ Chuckles ] Well, I'll take that as a no.

-Mum?

-I better go, but I'll see you around then, will I?

I suppose.

If you're not leaving, I mean.

I know a seafood place up the road that does a good oyster stout.

-I'll check it out some time.

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