Thriller s01e06 - Murder In Mind

[michaellevenson]

Detective Tom Patterson and Sergeant Frost are idling the time away in their local countryside police station, nothing to do, when in runs a woman, distressed, scared, confused, she wants to report a murder.
Tom takes her into the interview room, she confesses to killing a girl called Jill.
Tom asks her name, but she can't remember, all she can remember is bits and pieces of the killing.

It had to happen at midnight, Tom asks why then, the lady answers it isn't the time that's important, it's the clock. At the stroke of 12 the grandfather clock goes haywire, it makes a loud racket, noise enough to cover the breaking of the lock. Tom asks," why must you break a lock?"

She replies, " to make it look like a burglary, there's lots of valuable glass in the house, some of it priceless".
Other bits of the plot to murder Jill are revealed, but the lady is confused and telling this plot in sporadic outbursts in between crying. Apparently there's a phone call, that gives her accomplice an alibi to leave the house, an alley is involved somewhere, the phone wires are cut, Jill will be alone and helpless, also hollow voices.
Tom writing all this down, " hollow voices? What do you mean?"
She cries out " hollow voices, why won't they stop, I don't want to hear them."
Bartok the classical composer is mentioned.
Tom intrigued, " what about Bartok?"
" it's the loudest , has to be Bartok, it will drown out her screams. "
Tom now asks the big question, " how did you kill her, this Jill?"
" the poker from the fireplace of course."

 

[michaellevenson]

Dr Summers arrives, the police doctor, and takes over from Tom. The Superintendent of the station turns up ,Terson, and hears all about this murder. He is skeptical, " I don't believe a word of it."
Tom says," well she believes in it."
Terson replies ," doesn't mean I have to."

Doctor Summers joins them after carrying out an examination and confirms she is suffering from amnesia, possibly a result of a bump on the head and genuinely does not remember her name. A uniformed officer enters and reports a car has been found abandoned in a country lane , the only thing in it was a hardback book. Terson takes the book and then laughs out loud. On the back is a picture of the author George Drew and wife Betty, the mysterious lady, the book is titled Murder Her At Midnight.
Terson hands it to Tom and says, " I've read it Patterson, you wouldn't like the plot, it involves murdering a girl at midnight and you've heard all the plot elements already, bad luck lad."
Tom takes the book into the interview room, "Mrs Drew, Betty Drew, we know who you are, your husband is a famous author, is this what this was , just a plot from a book?"
Terson can't help but chuckle, Betty has a car accident, probably bangs her head, a bit of concussion, and then babbles about a plot in one of her husband's books and poor Tom believes it all.

George Drew turns up and is very apologetic at the trouble caused. He blames himself really, as a professional murder author he is always discussing plots from his books at home, even at the breakfast table, no wonder his wife with concussion was a bit confused. Terson admits being a fan and says he's having trouble getting a copy of his latest novel. Drew says he'll get his secretary to send him a signed copy, her name is Jill.
Tom intrigued but says nothing....so Jill does exist?

 

[michaellevenson]

The next day Tom goes to the Drew house, a isolated country house, ostensibly to check on Betty's welfare. George Drew thanks him and offers him a drink. Tom has made sure he is there just prior to noon. He takes an interest in the glassware in the sideboard, which George explains is valuable and insured. Tom asks if he is worried about burglaries, George says no, and admits a lot of his wealth lies in companies abroad, or in his wife's name, all perfectly legal. Tom lies and says his boss Terson wants to contact the secretary about the book Drew promised but doesn't know her surname. Drew tells him, it's Pembury. Tom goes to leave as the grandfather clock strikes 12 , on the 12th chime it does go haywire.
Drew laughs, " sorry for the racket, we mean to get that fixed."


Terson is livid when Tom tells him he saw the Drews without his permission, he orders him to drop the case, there is no case, no one has been murdered.
Tom protests, " the glassware, the clock , they exist, I've seen them, they didn't come out of a book."

" How would you like to be back on the beat Patterson."
Tom says, " I'll risk it sir, and another thing , I checked on Jill Pembury, the girl that was murdered, she has a flat out of town, the caretaker says she hasn't been seen in two days. Also she had a hairdressers appointment that she didn't keep."
Terson despite his reticence can't help but be alarmed at this information.
" Are you sure?"
" I spoke with the caretaker myself Sir."
Terson turns to Sgt Frost," what do you think Frosty?"
" Well we have known stranger things Sir."

Back at the Drew residence George is pushing a large trunk across the hallway to a cupboard under the stairs, Betty on the landing looking down, " what's in there George?"

" Just some old books, storing them away."
Betty is troubled, not herself, " George I still can't remember anything of the last 24 hours"
" Well, that's amnesia darling, your memory will return I'm sure, but nothing exciting happened I can assure you."
Betty asks, " where's Jill?"
" I told you darling, she's out of town visiting her brother Ali, don't you remember me telling you?"
Betty, " er no, I don't remember anything of the last 24 hours."
George, " well nothing happened of note I assure you."
" How long will my amnesia last George?"
" I don't know darling, just rest , everything will be okay."

 

[michaellevenson]

Terson and Tom arrive at the Drew's wanting to see Jill, in fact demanding to see her. Drew is angered and confused, " what the hell is this all about."
Betty says, " it's no good George I've told them about Jill."
Betty goes to the cupboard under the stairs, the door is locked, " open it George."
George is enraged, " this has gone far enough, my wife hasn't been herself lately, you know that."
Terson says," are you saying that Jill Pembury is in there Mrs Drew?"
Betty nods, Terson insists the door is opened. George opens it and pulls out trunk.
Terson and Tom go through it, just layers of books, reference books. Terson says " I don't understand."
George perplexed, " what did you expect to find?"
At that point in walks Jill Pembury, "George, what's going on?"

Terson explains," we had reason to believe you were missing."
Jill puzzled, " missing? I stayed a few days with my brother in nearby Carlington that's all, and while I was there had my hair done."
Drew, " I told them but they didn't believe me."
Terson apologises, he is seething with Tom for putting him in this situation, " I'm sorry Mr Drew, if you wish to lodge a formal complaint."
Drew annoyed, " Just forget it."
Terson glares at Tom, " you may do Sir but I won't."

 

[michaellevenson]

Doc Summers enters the police station, he has left his stethoscope in the interview room. He can't go in and get it,Terson and Tom are in there, Terson is shouting at poor Tom. Frosty advices Summers not to go in unless he has fireproof ears.
"I don't think he'll use your stethoscope on him Doc, if he wants to hit him he'll use his fists."
Terson comes out with stethoscope, " here you are Doc. Right I'm off home, if I'm called back in make sure ( looking at Tom) it's for something with evidence behind it."

Tom is temporarily demoted back in uniform on the beat. After work Doctor Summers takes him into the pub to cheer him up. Tom still won't let it go " what did she mean, hollow voices."
Summers exasperated, " she didn't mean anything Tom, it was the concussion, you took her too literally."
" But why confess to a murder that didn't happen?"
" She's neurotic Tom, one of nature's born sufferers, always blaming themselves for everything, attention seeking."

Two weeks of pounding the beat for Tom before Terson confides to Frosty that he thinks Tom has learnt his lesson and he'll give him his promotion back.
Tom is spending another evening in the pub, this time alone. He is reading a George Drew book , on the back cover is a few quotations from Drew. "How I write my novels, easy write down all the unrelated elements, then piece them together like a jigsaw puzzle."
Tom closes book and says out loud to no one in particular, " hmm , well if it's good enough for George Drew it's good enough for me."
At the Drew's it's passed 9pm, Betty enters the living room, Jill is there listening to a tape recorder, on it is Drew dictating the latest chapter of his new book, Jill taking it all down.
"It's coming along great, I don't know how he does it Betty, he keeps churning them out. I heard you confessed to a murder after your accident. That's crazy, who did you think you murdered?"
Betty rather not say it was Jill, " don't know, I was a bit mixed up, I feel embarrassed now about it."
" Well no damage done the police obviously didn't take you seriously, I mean you're still at liberty."
George walks in and Betty says goodnight as George and Jill go into the study for more dictating.

 

[michaellevenson]

It is after 11pm and Tom is at the police station and asks Frosty for the Betty Drew file. Sgt Frost urges him to forget all about it, but Tom insists he is only doing a bit of research nothing more.
Tom sits in the interview room and tears out some pages from a notepad and on each page writes an element of the case that Betty Drew mentioned in her rambling interview. " Bartok " " clock" " glassware " "fire poker" phone call for alibi" " phone wires cut" and the mysterious " hollow voices"
Tom stares at the elements of this possible plot or make believe fantasy of Betty Drew, he slowly falls asleep. Frosty comes in about to wake him then changes his mind,
" no you sleep Tom , you've had a hard couple of weeks."
At the Drew's, Betty and George are in bed asleep when the phone rings George answers it. Apparently it is from his American publisher who is flying out to the States at 2am and needs to see George about signing the serialisation contract for his new book. He apologises for waking Betty but he has to leave. After kissing her goodnight, he leaves. Betty hears the front door shut and footsteps over the gravel drive, the car door closing and driving off.
But George hasn't gone anywhere, he is still in the hallway. The front door opens, Jill walks in, she drove the car off and returned, with shoes off.
They kiss , and then go into the living room and whisper earnestly.
Jill worried, " we can't go through with it, can't you get a divorce George?"
George is adamant, " it wouldn't solve anything, even if she agreed. Betty and I are financially intertwined, totally, this is the only way. It will work, remember I've been dealing with murder plots for a long time."
" Hold me George, say you love me."
" I love you."
Behind George and Jill is the fireplace, a metal flue takes smoke upwards to the chimney on the roof. In the bedroom upstairs Betty awakes , in the room is another fireplace, a metal flue goes into the wall, and connects to the flue from downstairs. George and Jill's voices drift up the pipe, echoing hollow, Betty hears the plot, as she has done previously and tried to block it out, forget it. But now she is wide awake listening.

 

[michaellevenson]

Tom wakes up, it's 15 minutes to midnight, he looks at pages on the desk , still not getting inspiration, then tears them all up. Suddenly a thought strikes him , he picks up the phone to call Doctor Summers.
" Doc, Tom Patterson here, sorry to call you so late, about the Drew case."
Summers in bed isn't happy, " Tom it's almost midnight."
" I know that's why it could be important. You said Betty Drew was a natural born sufferer , what would happen if a person like that overheard a murder being planned, a murder of someone close to her, what would she do?.....panic...well that fits.....then suppose she was in a car accident, it'll all get mixed up, only perhaps half remembering, she might even take the blame herself, assume the guilt.....thanks Doc."
George and Jill are still discussing the plot to kill Betty , George asks Jill, " what about Ali? Is he ready?"
" Yes, he'll say I was with him at his place tonight, he'll do it, I've got too much on brother Alan for him to back out."
George checks his watch, it's almost midnight, he holds a crowbar in his hand and goes to the back door. As the clock strikes 12 and goes haywire George forces open the lock. He then goes over to the sideboard and opens the glass door, Jill holding open a bag, George placing valuable pieces in the bag to simulate robbery. Upstairs Betty desperately picks up phone, the phone is dead, wires cut as she mentioned at the police station.

 

[michaellevenson]

Everything was true except the victim, not Jill, but her.

Suddenly loud music is heard throughout the house, Betty backs away as the door opens George enters and moves to the fireplace and picks up the poker. Betty screams ,Bartok drowns out the screams, George raises his arm ready to strike. Suddenly his arm is gripped, It's Tom, he wrestles the poker off him, the two fight. The fight moves onto the landing, punches exchanged, George falls backwards and over the bannister, crashing to the hallway below.....dead. Tom comforts the crying Betty as they look down into hall, Jill kneeling by George's body crying. Betty buries her head into Tom's chest in tears.

Cast;
George......Richard Johnson
Betty....Zena Walker
Tom.....Donald Gee
Jill......Christina Greatrex
Terson......Ronald Radd
Sgt Frost.....Anthony Boden
Summers.....Robert Dorning

On to next episode

Thriller s01e07 - A Place To Die

Bruce and Tessa Nelson, newly weds arrive in a charming village to start their new life. He is a doctor and is taking over the General Practice of the now deceased Dr Henry Sharpe who sadly died falling down stairs and broke his neck. The surgery is in an annexe of the house itself, and Tessa...

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[michaellevenson]