Brian Clemens' Thriller 3.6 The Next Scream You Hear

[michaellevenson]

Jennifer Peel , a top female barrister is away from home at her mother's place , when she receives an anonymous phone call, at first thinking it's her husband Bernard, but the anonymous whisperer tells her to return home where she'll find Bernard cheating on her with another woman. She does quickly leave at about 4pm and should be home by 7pm.

That evening at 9pm Bernard Peel enters the office party at the headquarters of his employers Maycrofts. The party is to celebrate the merging of Maycrofts and Tulliver, two rival businesses now merging for the good of both. Maycroft himself is there as is George Tulliver, they greet Bernard and Tulliver is impressed to meet the so called American Whizkid who saved the company millions recently unearthing a fraud against the company. Tulliver asks Bernard what he thinks of this merger. Bernard replies he'd rather not say until he's seen the report Maycrofts people are compiling on his company. Also greeting Bernard is Mathew Earp, a detective who takes care of security during this merger period. Earp knows Jennifer Peel, they've faced each other across the courtrooms many a time. Another Maycrofts employee is there, a German, Karl Vorster, head of Maycrofts German business. Maycroft is surprised Karl is here, to which Karl replies that he was invited.
Bernard investigating the fraud irks Karl.
Karl, " I only resent that the investigation includes me."
Maycroft assures Karl, " it's in your own interests Karl that we clear you."
Bernard, " and I'm sure we will."
Karl clearly dislikes Bernard intensely. Bernard leaves after 15 minutes but as he goes a pretty blonde lady appears and throws her arms around him and kisses him and leaves.
Girl, "see you later darling."
Bernard smiling, " I don't even know her."

Bernard puzzled but thinks it a sort of joke by someone and leaves the party. Maycroft Tulliver and Earp all see this and laugh at Bernard's good fortune. Vorster chips in with , " perhaps the faithful Mr Peel isn't so faithful after all."

 

[michaellevenson]

On arriving home Bernard sits on the bed, drinks a glass of Scotch Whisky and falls asleep. The next thing he knows it's morning and the front door is being banged. It's the police demanding to see his wife. Bernard tells them she's at her mother's, but the police barge in , open the door to the drawing room and see a mess, shattered glass on the floor, evidence that a fight may have happened. Inspector Gifford and Sgt Hendry tells him that they received an anonymous call saying he has murdered his wife. Hendry phones Jennifer's mother and learns of the call Jennifer got prompting her to leave early.


Gifford looks at the mess " I'd say a man was entertaining a lady here, ( picking up blonde strand of hair) blonde and your wife is a brunette isn't she sir. Then they were interrupted and it all got rather ugly."

Bernard protests his innocence telling them of the party he was at, but unfortunately no one can corroborate what happened after he left . But yes.....someone can, the guy he swapped cars with. He tells of a tree across the country lane about a mile from the house, result of last night's storm. He didn't fancy the 20 mile detour , and noticed another car on the other side of the fallen tree. The car was exactly the same model as his , even the same colour. The other guy made the suggestion of swapping cars, Bernard tries to describe the man , early thirties with a large red jewelled ring on his hand. Gifford is non plussed by this seemingly ludicrous story. They go out to the car in the driveway, Gifford opens the boot, inside is the dead body of Jennifer Peel. Bernard protests, "BUT IT ISN'T MY CAR."
He tells Gifford his car number, and when the mud is removed from the car plates, it is his car.

 

[michaellevenson]

Peel is arrested and asks for Mathew Earp to help him. Gifford is unimpressed with Earp or any private eye. Earp starts by going to the location of the fallen tree to corroborate this, and sees the tree has been lifted off the road and dumped in a field. He also sees a small bore hole in the grass by the road where a signpost was. He tells Gifford and drives him to the location, explaining on the way that the reason Gifford didn't see anything when the police went there before him, is because a signpost had been moved. Bernard said the tree was near a signpost, but someone had removed the signpost to further down the road throwing the police off the scent. Bernard is being framed. But on arrival at the scene the tree in the field is gone and the hole in the grass is now filled up. Earp is perplexed by this, someone very quickly has removed the evidence. Gifford accuses Earp of saying any rubbish to get Peel off so he can collect his fee, and Peel is guilty and should have got himself a proper lawyer. At Maycrofts no one can believe Bernard killed Jennifer, but Karl Vorster keen to stick the boot in reckons, " why not if he was cheating on her."

On visiting Peel in detention Earp learns of Bernard's unexpected experience of having one glass of whisky that evening and then crashing out. Earp agrees to take a closer look at the whisky decanter. He breaks into the house and sniffs at the decanter, but before doing anything else an assailant whacks him from behind, across the neck, a karate chop.
Back with Gifford at the police station Earp chides Gifford for overlooking the whisky which Earp says smelt very odd. Bernard was drugged, and the frame was put in place. Back in the cell Bernard reminds Earp of the girl at the party who kissed him and she must surely be part of this plot to frame him. Earp agrees it is possible and Bernard remembers she had a canvas bag slung over her shoulder with the word Uncles stencilled on it. Uncles is the name of a boutique and Earp heads off to investigate.

 

[michaellevenson]

The blonde haired lady does indeed work at Uncles and tells Earp she was paid £50 by a man to hide at the party and then spring out and kiss Bernard, but when Earp tells her Bernard is now under arrest for murder she wants no involvement in this affair. She describes the man, thirties wearing a red stoned ring.


Earp is at Maycrofts and assures Maycroft he is doing everything to help Bernard and he is sure he is being framed.
Earp, " the girl was bought for £50, but if I tell Gifford he'll say I bought her for £100, they don't trust me."
Maycroft, " poor Bernard locked up for something he didn't do, you're sure of that?"
Earp, " oh yes, however I can find no reason to put Bernard in this situation, if he is the problem for someone why not kill him, why kill Jennifer ? The only answer is Jennifer was the real target , the frame was incidental to confuse matters."
A man named Garfield enters, he works as assistant to Tulliver, Earp notices he has a large gaudy red stone ring on his hand, hands Tulliver some papers and leaves.
Earp, " who's that?"
Tulliver, " Garfield, I brought him over with me, not the brightest but useful."
Earp, " takes care of the chores that you don't want to do?"
Tulliver, " something like that."
Earp, " where does he live, servant quarters?"
Tulliver, " actually in a flat opposite me."
Earp trails Garfield to his apartment, waits a moment after Garfield enters block, and follows. As Earp enters he stands aside for a little old lady leaving.
At the top of the stairs is Garfield, slumped on the ground dead, killed by an expert karate chop.


Earp thinks ...the old lady, he runs out to see the " old lady" running into a car and speeding off.
At Maycrofts Karl Vorster is writing a cheque and handing it to his secretary telling her that " I like to see a job completed "
At Uncles Earp shows the blonde a picture of the dead Garfield, she confirms he was the man who paid her £50.

Back with Bernard in the cell Earp tells him he believes Jennifer's lawyer work is why she was murdered, she must have made enemies being a criminal prosecuting lawyer. Bernard tells Earp Jennifer was compiling a dossier of businessmen who warranted close attention, against whom nothing could be proved but might be a bit dodgy, and this dossier was going to be sent to the Investment Bureau that had commissioned it.
Earp, " that, Mr Peel is quite magnificent."
Gifford and Earp go to the safe deposit box that the dossier is in, and Gifford opens it.
Earp, " it was her hunch file, people suspected of corruption but against whom nothing could be proved."
Inside is the names of these dodgy businessmen, one name is Tulliver!
Earp, " the timing is right, time of the merger, any whiff of scandal and...."
Gifford, " let's get him!"

 

[michaellevenson]

Tulliver is arrested, Bernard set free.
Gifford, " what about the body in Peel's car?"
Earp, " oh I had that worked out ages ago, the swap was done at the car park at Maycrofts, Bernard drove it to the tree and was given his own car back, the body inside."
Gifford, " but the number plates?"
Earp, " identical on both cars, Bernard's carplates were splattered with mud, and it was dark, a million to one chance he'd notice."
Earp reports back to Maycrofts that Bernard is free, Maycroft is happy for Bernard of course but the merger is now off, Tulliver must be crooked to be in Jennifer's dossier.

On the desk is the now useless report on Tulliver's company that Maycrofts did to examine and assess Tulliver's firm. Earp looks through it briefly, a sudden realisation hits him and he hurries out.
Maycroft takes the report to Karl in his office and asks if he sees anything significant because Earp saw it then ran off in a hurry. Vorster notices a list of signatures and dates by the names, he snidely comments, " only that you and Bernard saw it before me, that sums up the hierarchy around here"
At the police station an apologetic Gifford says sorry for doubting Earp, but Earp wants to see Tulliver in the cell. After they talk Earp promises Tulliver that within 24 hours he'll be free.


Earp makes a quick trip to Uncles, sees what he wants a poster behind the counter advertising karate lessons, he takes it and hurries out. At a gymnasium karate mats are placed on the floor, two people are fencing with rapiers. Karate and Fencing lessons are offered here. After the two people finish their fencing bout, Earp approaches the winner and asks if he can fence with them. Earp wins and removes the face guard of his opponent, it's the blonde from Uncles.

Earp," you're good but karate is more your sport, the way you bopped me in the house and killed Garfield as he stood aside to let an old lady pass."
Behind him someone has entered.
Blonde, " he knows, lock the door."
Earp suddenly hits out, the blonde is lying unconscious on the floor.
"Terrible business hitting a woman, better than killing one though, better than killing your wife."
It is Bernard ready to kill , he moves slowly forward.
Earp, " it always bothered me how you kept leading me from clue to clue. But the real clincher was your own careless mouth, and my flawless memory. Remember at the office party you said you would rather not comment on the merger until you've seen the report, but the report was signed over to you weeks before. You knew all about Tulliver and that he was in Jennifer's dossier and he was the man to put suspicions on. You even used a description of Garfield with his red ring to be the guy you pretended to swap cars with, the motive , to get her money and be with the new love of your life ,I imagine you met here, wrestled on the mat and found a mutual liking of greed and malice.
So frame yourself, not enough though to make it stick, then throw Tulliver into the arena. No one would suspect you now , after all you're the poor guy who was framed. I always thought the whole scheme was too tricky, and it only takes someone more trickier to come along for it to unravel. I liked Jennifer Peel."
Earp and Peel fight, judo style, Earp wins, ending with Peel in a headlock. Peel and the blonde are arrested and led away. Gifford at the police station respecting Earp's detective prowess again, does mischievously say as Earp has scuppered the Maycroft/ Tulliver merger by revealing Tulliver in Jennifer's dossier, unnecessarily for solving the case, Maycrofts won't pay his fee, so he'll buy him dinner to drown his sorrows.


Cast:
Bernard Peel....Christopher George
Earp...Dinsdale Landen
Tulliver....Richard Todd
Maycroft ...Derek Bond
Gifford...Edward Hardwicke
Karl Vorster...Hans Meyer
Jennifer...Marion Diamond
Blonde...Suzanne Neve
Garfield...Andrew Mann

 

[michaellevenson]

Thriller (1973)