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Tainted Fruit is the first episode of the fifth series of the popular ITV crime drama Midsomer Murders and originally aired on 23rd September 2001.
Synopsis[]
Barnaby and Troy go out to the village of Midsomer Malham to investigate death threats against Melissa Townsend, the beautiful daughter of the big house. They find that some Midsomer Malham villagers blame Melissa for causing the death of a tenant by failing to get the leaking roof of his cottage mended. Then barbiturates are stolen from Raif Canning's veterinary surgery and the district nurse is found in her crashed car in a confused state. Soon they have a murder to solve.
Plot, Part 1[]
Death 1: Neil Laxton is living in a home with a leaking roof and is very ill. Sally Rickworth, the district nurse, is caring for him. Hugo and Cherrie Balcombe are with Sally and Neil. Joan Farley shows up and holds Neil's hand. Sally tells her she's sorry, he's gone. Joan says bitterly, "we all know who killed him."
Gavin Troy and Tom Barnaby are on the way to investigate nasty notes addressed to Melissa Townsend, 22, who is the spoiled daughter of Archie Townsend, wealthy landowner. Her father gave her property to help her learn to manage ownership. Melissa didn't do much in the way of maintenance. Troy snickers and says, "She passed the first landlord's exam." Troy nearly runs into a red convertible driven by Frederick Bentine-Brown, which is on the wrong side of the road. The two swerve and miss each other. Bentine-Brown gets out of his car and rages at the detectives. "You might not mind writing off that heap of junk but mine's just out of the showroom," he says. Barnaby and Troy show show their badges. "I thought you chaps were supposed to know how to drive," says Bentine-Brown. He says he would like to know where to write his letter of complaint. Barnaby tells him he has every right to do so and he could charge him with reckless driving, however, Barnaby is busy and suggests that Bentine-Brown get back into his motorcar and drive with more care. "Wouldn't want to keep you from your crime-busting. Somebody stolen a lawn-mower, have they?" says Bentine-Brown. Barnaby says, "Troy, if you're going to run people off the road, please try not to pick on influential multi-millionaires."
Hugo Balcombe rides his bicycle down the road past the house where Neil died, where men are putting a tarpaulin on the roof.
At the Townsend home, Troy reads the letters that Melissa received. "If Neil dies before the roof is fixed you'll follow him close behind," "Good for nothing animals get put down." Melissa's father gently scolds her. "She drives me to distraction," says Archie Townsend. Melissa says, "The whole thing is absurd. The tiny peppercorn rent he was paying- how anyone expects me to spend thousands on a new roof is ridiculous. It's not as if I have any money." Townsend says, "My daughter's allowance is perfectly adequate. I believe the young should learn the value of money." Melissa retorts, "And that's bullshit-ese for "I'm a complete and utter tight-wad". Townsend says, "Refuses to take anything seriously. If her friend Sally hadn't told me about all of this, I would never have known." Melissa sneers, "Ah yes, the meddler." Townsend explains that Sally Rickworth was at the cottage when Neil Laxton died. Melissa says that the only reason her father has not made a pass at Sally is because he is besotted with a Tuscan girl who can't speak English. Sally is the district nurse- Her father is a vicar.
Hugo rides up to his house and tells his wife that they are putting a tarpaulin on Neil's roof. "I don't think that girl could be more offensive if she tried," says Hugo.
At the Townsend's someone watches the detectives and Townsends from behind a tree. On the way to their car, Troy remarks that it was a "bit frosty in there."
At the Barnaby home, Joyce picks up the phone and Barnaby tells her he is off to visit the Balcombes. Joyce wants him to pick up Cherrie's recipe for apple jelly that he liked so much from the WI stand. Barnaby explains to Troy that Cherrie Balcombe is a legendary jam maker and Hugo is a ex-botanist. He was a great explorer in his time. "They're both bats, of course, but she does do a very good tea."
At the Balcombe's Cherrie indeed serves up an extensive tea to the detectives. She tells them that Melissa knew about Neil's chest infection. They told her repeatedly. She knew that the damp conditions were making it worse. Cherrie says, "Joan would never send threatening notes. She's a member of the women's institute."
Melissa arrives at Sally's home and spies Frederick Bentine-Brown's car outside. Inside, Sally has just turned down a marriage proposal by Bentine-Brown. He says, "Of course any wife of mine would have to give up her job." Sally objects and Bentine-Brown says, "No, no, no. It's non-negotiable." Sally says, "I like my job. It's who I am." Bentine-Brown says, "Well, certainly keep the uniform. In fact, I insist upon it." At the door, Melissa strolls up and Bentine-Brown asks her to "talk some sense" into Sally. He smacks Melissa on the behind on his way out.
Sally says "He just won't listen." "It is multi-millions, you do know that," Melissa tells her. But I don't love him, says Sally. "Divorce him after a year or two. You'll clean up." Melissa reports that the police think she should take the threats seriously. Sally tells her it would help if she appeared a bit upset and Melissa says, "But I've got vacant possession.... It was a joke. God, you can be so provincial sometimes." Disgusted, Sally tells Melissa not to come to the Tennis "Do" that evening as Joan will be on the bar. "It's probably too Provincial for you anyway." Melissa says, "FINE!" and slams the door on her way out.
Raif Canning, the local vet, locks up the doors to his office. He gets in his car and drives off. Someone reaches in a car and grabs a hammer. They break the window of the door to the office and break into a cabinet with medicine.
Plot, Part 2[]
At the Tennis Do, people mingle and drink. an older man flirts with Georgina Canning. "It's the open air life, you see. Gives you an appetite. And I'm not just talking about bacon and eggs, if you get my drift." Georgina goes off to get another drink. Adam Keyne talks tennis business with Raif. Georgina comes up to Raif and he says they are not going yet. She says she can't take much more of the pig-farmer- the one with shoes like Cornish Pasties. Raif tells her that she needs to keep her voice down and reminds her that he is Club Secretary. Georgina whines, "Why do you have to be a member any way? You've got a tennis court of your own." Raif turns away from her.
Sally Rickworth finishes one drink and picks up another. Adam asks her if she is going to be OK for tennis tomorrow and Sally tells him she is not coming. Adam says, "Do I detect a slight falling out?" Sally walks away. Derek, the pig farmer comes up to Adam and tells him that every time he tries to talk to Georgina, she walks off. Adam tells Derek that she likes to be pursued. Liz Keyne comes up and wants to know what her husband is up to.
Elsewhere, Raif asks Sally if something is wrong and Sally tells Raif that "Nothing's wrong. Everything's just perfect." Sally rushes off as if to vomit. Derek, the pig-farmer sidles up to Georgina again and tells her, "I'd wondered where you'd gotten to. Can't have you standing here all alone." Georgina says, "Well, I wouldn't want to hog you." Derek snickers, "Very good. Hog. Pig farming. Doesn't want to hog me! I like a girl who can make me chuckle. Same again?" He takes away her drink to get another.
Melissa saunters into the Tennis Club "DO" wearing a white dress. She greets Adam and he kisses her. Adam tells her, "A bit of sport to be had. Our sweet little meddler's a touch under the weather." Melissa orders a red wine. Joan Farley, who is serving drinks, throws a glass of red wine at Melissa. Melissa gasps and takes off her wine soaked dress and throws it at Joan, telling her to get it laundered. She borrows Adam's jacket and then leaves the party. Sally emerges from the bathroom and Adam tells her she just missed the floor show. Sally goes outside and calls to Melissa, but she drives away.
At the Balcombe house, Hugo and Cherrie are napping while the radio plays. There is a sound of a car skidding and a thump, which wakes up Hugo. He falls back asleep.
Someone loads a syringe with medication.
The next day, Sally is lying sprawled across the front seats of her car, passed out. A postman finds her and pokes her and she wakes up. At the Balcombe home, Hugo shows a policeman the damage made to his car by someone last night around 11:30 pm. The postman overhears them and suggests they speak to Sally Rickworth.
Troy reports to Barnaby that there was a break-in at the vet's in Malham. Barbiturates and syringes were stolen. They pass by Sally Rickworth, who is viewing the damage to Balcombe's car. Cherrie tells Barnaby that it seems that Sally knocked their car last night. Hugo says she was a "bit sloshed." Sally is given a breathalizer test and it is positive. She is taken to the police station. Adam Keyne spies her being driven off to the station and Gwen, from the market, tells him she's "been done for drunk driving." She drove into the Balcombe's car last night. Adam gets on his phone and gossips about Sally's arrest.
At Georgina's stables, Lord and Lady Hislop speak to Georgina about their daughter's improved performance riding a horse. Geogina invites them to her drinks party on Thursday and notes that Freddie Bentine-Brown will be coming. Adam drives up and tells Georgina about Sally Rickworth being done for Drunk Driving. She'll lose her job.
At the vet's office, Raif tells the detectives that he locked up at 7 pm yesterday evening after surgery and discovered the break in this morning. If the drugs were given to humans, they would be fatal. Pentobarbitone is used for large livestock- cattle & horses. The drugs and syringes were taken in the robbery. Raif asks if there is any connection between the theft of the drugs and the threatening notes to Melissa. "Good for nothing animals get put down." Raif assumes that Melissa told Adam about the notes and he spread it around. Adam and Melissa are two of a kind, says Raif- "they both have a habit of sailing rather close to the wind."
In the front office of the vet's, Troy gets verbally abused by a dog. Troy shows Raif a footprint that he found out back, which looks like a Wellie print. The detectives tell Raif they will need to see boots. Raif also tells them about the incident at the Tennis Club Do last night. Raif explains that Joan is clearly distraught with grief and may be capable of doing something she'll regret.
Barnaby calls the Townsend home, where Archie Townsend is practicing his Italian. He calls out to Melissa, but gets no answer. Barnaby asks him to have Melissa call him back.
At Joan Farley's house, Joan admits to throwing wine at Melissa. "The bitch deserved it." She is caring for a man named Clive in a wheelchair. She gives him his insulin. Joan says she arrived at the tennis club at 7:30 last night. Tom Grover, the landlord at the Horse Shoes, picked Joan up and dropped off his daughter, Helen, who keeps an eye on Clive for the evening. Tom helped set up the bar for the evening. They drove straight back at the end, around 1:30 am, dropped off Joan and picked up Helen. Barnaby asks Joan if she ever uses Raif Canning's vet service and she says no. Barnaby warns Joan that if someone murders Melissa Townsend, they will be in jail for the rest of their lives. Sally Rickworth arrives for Clive's weekly visit.
As the detectives drive off, Troy notes that that is two people who know how to use a syringe and who know Melissa- Joan and Sally. (There is also Raif). Barnaby says why would they show such open aggression toward Melissa and so publicly? Troy offers that maybe they can't help themselves.
Plot, Part 3[]
MURDER 1: At the Townsend home, Archie is outside reciting Italian phrases while listening to a tape recording with earbuds in his ears. Someone approaches Melissa, who is sunning by the pool, eyes shut. They stab her in the stomach with a syringe and cover her mouth. They eject the drugs into her stomach and she yells, "Daddy." She collapses across her chair to the ground.
At the Women's Institute, Joan comes in with flowers. Several women are arranging flowers. Cherrie asks Joan if she is angry with her because she didn't go round to Neil's sooner. Joan replies that it wasn't her fault. There is only one person whose fault it was.
Adam Keyne, Liz Keyne and Raif Canning arrive at the Townsend tennis courts. Melissa is late for the tennis match. Adam mentions that he saw Georgina getting on well with Derek at the Tennis Do last night. Liz tells Raif not to listen to Adam. Raif says it was odd as Derek propositioned Georgina. Adam is baiting Raif and Liz hits a tennis ball angrily at him. Adam sees Melissa by her pool. They all rush over, find Melissa with the syringe still in her stomach. Raif feels her pulse and says she is dead.
A police siren is going off which awakens Archie, who is napping. Dr. George Bullard reports that the contents of the syringe were injected into Melissa's liver. Time of death is about an hour either side of 11. Archie arrives in the garden where the police are investigating the crime scene. Barnaby asks him whether Melissa had any enemies and Archie says, "There are a lot of people who'll say that she left the world a worse place than when she came into it." Sally Rickworth comes running up screaming "Melissa." She is caught by Raif and is led away from the crime scene. Adam remarks, "Quite a performance." Liz tells him to "Give it a Rest!" Raif takes Sally to his home. He explains to Georgina, "She's devastated. On top of everything else - the drink driving, losing her licence, her job. And now this. I just couldn't leave her in her house on her own. "
The detectives go to talk to Joan. She tells them she has been to Neil's cottage to pack things up. Then she went to the church hall to do flower arranging. They talk to Cherrie Bascombe and Gwen at the church hall. Cherrie tells them Joan blames Melissa for Neil's death. Melissa had a reputation for breaking up marriages. Gwen tells them there are one or two others who would have been tempted to murder Melissa. Liz Keyne- her husband spent an unhealthy amount of time with Melissa. Gwen says, "Wouldn't trust him as far as I could spit. My god, love is blind." Cherrie mentions Sally Rickworth- Melissa Melissa had an affair with Sally's husband, now ex-husband, Mark. He's a property developer, lives in Causton. Gwen adds that Melissa and Sally fell out recently and probably had to do with Sally's new millionaire boyfriend.
At the Canning's home, Georgina tells Raif she has invited Lord and Lady Hislop over for drinks on Thursday along with Freddie Bentine-Brown. Georgina wonders if Sally will still be at there house by then. Raif says if she is, she can join them. Georgina says she's not sure Sally would enjoy such a party. Raif tells her she's a snob. Freddie has proposed to Sally, but Raif thinks she's far too good for him. Sally overhears all of this conversation from the hallway.
Liz finds Adam in their back yard with his head in his hands. She asks what's wrong. She thinks he knows something about Melissa's death. The doorbell rings and someone knocks on the door. It is the collection agency. Adam doesn't answer the door and they threaten to bring the bailiffs with them the next time.
The detectives go to the Cannings to speak to Sally, but she has gone. Raif assumes Sally overheard himself and his wife talking. "My wife didn't want Sally to be here when Lord and Lady Hislop came for drinks. Georgina is so desperate to get onto the committee of the Midsomer Horse Society, has been for years, she's worried the honourables might think she wasn't quite the right type.
Adam goes through bills with Liz. He has spent all of Liz's money. He tells her there is a way out.
At the Barnaby home, Joyce is working on making medlar jelly. You have to let the fruit go rotten before you eat it.
Elsewhere, someone saws through boards in a barn.
Barnaby tells Joyce that someone described their friend as the meddler. Then he reads about the jelly in a cookbook. "Medlars spread on straw "ripen by their own corruption."
At Sally's house, Sally tells the detectives that she left the Cannings home because she didn't want to cramp Georgina's style. Troy asks if Sally has any romantic interests, such as Freddie. Sally laughs and says it is not serious. "It has been suggested that I accept just so I can divorce him later and take him to the cleaners. I was tempted- Somebody ought to teach him a lesson. He's the most arrogant man I've ever met." Sally also tells them about her argument with Melissa. She felt that Melissa was being flippant about Neil's death. But it wasn't her fault- Neil wouldn't let anyone in the house to fix it. He'd turn nurses away. Troy mentions Sally's ex-husband Mark and Sally says, "Mark seduced her. Melissa didn't know he was married. She was just as upset when she found out about me as I was about her." Sally asks if it was Cherrie Balcombe who told the detectives this gossip.
Adam leaves Liz to go pick up the blackmail money. Liz doesn't want him to go, but Adam asks if she wants to lose their home and all. Liz says she doesn't want to lose him.
At Cherrie's house, Sally yells at her. "Don't you close that door. Don't you! She's dead. (Sally throws a potted plant at the door) How can you say such things? (Throws another plant) You come out here." Raif and Georgina drive by and Raif stops Sally from throwing another plant. Sally runs away and Raif runs after her.
At the police station, Barnaby receives a report that the drug that killed Melissa was the same as that taken from the vet's surgery. The footprint doesn't match the gardener's.
Adam drives up to a barn in the middle of nowhere. He goes in the barn and looks around for the money.
Liz breaks the lock on a desk at her home and looks through papers in the desk.
Plot, Part 4[]
MURDER 2: In the barn, Adam climbs a ladder to the second floor. . . . .
Sally returns home where the police are waiting for her. The Balcombe's won't press charges. The detectives ask to look at Sally's Wellington boots. Liz pounds on Sally's door and asks where Adam is.
At the Canning Stables, Freddie looks over a horse. He asks if Sally is coming to the drinks party. Georgina says she didn't think Sally was Freddie's type. Freddie says, "She's not but I'm getting rather tired of the perfect vowels and the saddle-spread buttocks. Ms Rickworth has an excellent figure, good bones. She's not too stupid and not too bright. Ideal breeding stock, I'd say. So, if you could invite her over, put in a good word about what a sensitive soul I am deep down, I'll have a word with the Hislops about who they should vote onto their committee."
Liz looks through an album of wedding photos at her house. The detectives come by and ask to see Adam. Troy notices a pair of Wellington boots by the door and checks them. Liz asks them if they can come back later as she has a headache.
The detectives see Sally at the Tennis Club and she is carrying a pair of boots. They stop to check the boots. Sally found them at the back by the dustbins. The detectives check the boots at the Canning home.
Hugo is out riding his bike and spies Joan burying something in her yard. He knocks on Joan's door carrying a basket full of jars. Joan eventually answers and tells Hugo she didn't hear him knock as she was Hoovering. He gives her the basket of jars. Hugo comes home and tells Cherrie that the police should be told about Joan. "I've spent a lifetime trying to fathom the complexities of jungle eco-systems but they are as nothing compared to the bizarre machinations of this village."
The detectives go back to the Keyne home. Adam isn't back yet. Liz says, "I wanted children. But he said we still had some fun years left. And then it was "we had to build up the car business first". Now we're bankrupt and there won't be any children." Troy asks, "Why are you talking about your husband in the past tense?" Liz replies, "Because he's dead. I can feel it."
Plot, Part 5[]
Hugo is drawing plants in a notebook when he spies Adam's car over by an old barn. He goes into the barn, where there are flies buzzing around and spies Adam Keyne's dead body impaled by a plough .
At the Keyne home, Troy gets a call and Liz looks up slowly.
The detectives go over to the barn and meet Hugo, who is sitting on a hay bale outside the barn. Inside is Adam's body, his skull sliced in half by the plough . Bullard points to the hayloft above. "The joists have been sawn through. They left just enough to keep the floor in place. But it would've given way as soon as he stepped on to it," says Bullard.
Troy and Barnaby discuss the case. What was Adam doing at the barn. Barnaby says, "Wouldn't be a bad spot, though, would it? For a secret tryst. All that straw." Troy says, "Personally, I think straw's a bit over-rated, sir. It's prickly." Troy wonders if Melissa and Adam were having an affair and Liz found out and decided she'd had enough of them. They go to talk to Liz and she says Adam and Melissa weren't having an affair lately. Their relationship had developed into something much closer.
Cherrie drives up and tells the detectives that Hugo has something to tell them. Hugo says, "Well, I just had Raif round here in his tennis togs. He wanted to know what had happened about Adam so I told him how I found the body and suddenly he became most peculiar.. and he just ran off. I told him how I found the body, sort of, laid out on the plough and how the flies were tucking in and how he must have fallen through the loft floor because the way the beam was sawn through." Hugo also describes what he saw at Joan's house.
MURDER 3: Barnaby calls Raif and leaves him a message and then drives over to Raif's house. Raif is on the court picking up balls and then sees something and freezes. When Barnaby arrives he hears the ball machine shooting tennis balls across the net. Raif is laying on the ground, dead, with a syringe placed in his hand. Barnaby runs in the house searching for Georgina, who is asleep on her bed. Georgina is not really overwhelmed by grief. "Well that's one less suspect. They're getting a bit thin on the ground," quips Troy.
At Joan's house, the police find boots buried in the back yard along with a box of Pentobarbitone and syringes. Joan admits that she wrote the threatening letters, but claims she is innocent. She buried the drugs and the boots because she heard the detectives were interested in bootprints. Joan says someone used the notes that she sent as an opportunity to kill Melissa. Back at the Police Station, Cherrie reports she saw Joan at Neil's house and so she couldn't possibly have been at the Cannings when Raif was murdered. "There is no way she could be protecting Joan," says Troy. "What like some kind of Women's Institute Mafia?" replies Barnaby.
The detectives go over to interview Liz Keyne again. "Was, Mr Keyne - was Adam trying to blackmail someone?" Adam was involved in a "little" blackmail with Melissa. He told Liz that he would have $20 grand for starters. "It could save us," Adam told Liz. "This person will pay good money to suppress what we've got." Liz suggests that Sally had money from her divorce and may be worth blackmailing.
Barnaby deduces that the method for killing Adam was different than the other murders. "And the difference is that the murder didn't have to be at the barn at the time...Adam went there to pick something up. And what if that something, whatever it was, was placed on the weakened area above the plough? (Flashback to Adam climbing the ladder and walking across the loft floor to where money has been placed on the floor. Then the floor breaks, Adam falls through the floor, dangles above the plough and then falls onto the plough.) A blackmail payment perhaps? The killer came back and took it away and if Adam Keyne were trying to blackmail someone, and his wife knew about it, that would explain her evasive behaviour when we asked about her husband's disappearance, wouldn't it?"
The detectives go back to see Liz Keyne. The Bailiffs are removing furniture and also have Adam's car. Barnaby asks the Bailiffs to come back another time as her husband was killed yesterday. Liz says the chairs were her grandmother's. Barnaby asks if Adam was trying to blackmail someone. Liz shows them a photo of Sally and Melissa hugging on a bed. (Flashback: Adam tells Liz, "There is a way out. You know Melissa had some rather extensive debts as well, the credit cards. Well, she and I were involved in a little blackmail. The person in question..." Liz says, "I don't want to know." Adam says, "20 grand by tomorrow. And that's just for starters. It could save us. This person will pay good money to suppress what we've got. Melissa's death had nothing to do with the blackmail. She was killed by the nutter who sent the threatening letters. It's got nothing to do with this...When I pick up the money, I'll phone, make sure the person is at home, nowhere near the pick-up point. They'll never even know it's me.") Adam didn't tell Liz who he was blackmailing. Liz thinks it was Sally. She was obsessive about keeping her affair with Melissa secret. And her husband actually made money- Sally did rather well out of the divorce.
Plot, Part 6[]
Sally goes to Georgina's house for the drinks party. Georgina tells Sally that she is going to have a memorial drinks party for Raif since it was too late to cancel the drinks party.
The detectives go to Sally's house, but she doesn't answer the door. Troy says, "Of course, if we're looking for blackmail targets, someone like Bentine-Brown's got to be pretty high up on the list, with all his millions. He's bound to have his share of secrets. A bit of insider trading, girlfriend-battering - the list is probably endless." Barnaby says, "I think we'll go with something a little more concrete at the moment." Troy says, "You think Melissa and Adam knew Sally had the money?" Barnaby says, "Liz did. And Melissa and Sally were close at one time." Troy quips, "That's one way of putting it, as the actress said to the bishop."
Georgina tells Sally that Freddie will be coming to the party. Georgina tells Sally that Freddie is a total softie and is mad about her. Sally says she needs air, so they go front door. Georgina continues, "Of course, he's absolutely loaded. They own most of Devon and great swathes of Chelsea. Not that money's everything, of course, but he's such a sweetie."
The detectives drive up and request to speak to Sally. They go into a room in the house. Troy asks about Sally's relationship with Melissa. Sally says they were friends, good friends. Troy shows her the photo of herself and Melissa in bed. Troy presses Sally as to whether her relationship with Melissa was sexual. Sally admits that it was. Troy asks if it is true to say that Sally wanted to keep this lesbian relationship a secret? Sally says, "My relationship with Melissa and how I felt about it is none of your business." Barnaby says, "Sally, we're trying to establish if anyone had grounds to blackmail you." Sally replies, "That's ridiculous." Troy says, "Is it? You certainly have enough money to make it worthwhile. 127,000 pounds." Sally becomes upset that the police have checked her bank account. Troy says, "It seems you did quite well out of the divorce." Sally says, "Are you suggesting I didn't deserve every last penny of that settlement? (In the hallway, Georgina is listening to the conversation) The humiliation he put me through. The affairs. And even when he wasn't actually doing it, he was thinking about it. Every day of our married life, with his sick eyes, wandering over every woman's body. You're all animals. The lot of you." Troy says, "Including Adam Keyne and Raif Canning?"
Barnaby says, "Sally, when you drove back on the night of the tennis club dinner..." Sally interupts, "..Oh please! I've already admitted I was over the limit. I'm going to lose my job. Can't we just leave it?" Barnaby continues, "Were you alone?" Sally doesn't remember anything about the journey back. Georgina sees people arriving for her party. She tells the staff to let the guests know that she will join them in a minute and make sure everyone has a drink. Georgina opens the door and goes into the room where Sally is being interviewed. She goes over to Sally, kisses her on the cheek and knocks over Sally's purse. Georgina puts things back in Sally's purse while Barnaby watches her. He then notices a photo of Georgina and Raif and a red car. Troy tells Georgina to leave. (Flashback: Sally found her Wellies at the Tennis club and says "I remembered that I'd thought about putting them on to walk home across the fields instead of driving." Raif saying, "Why is it everytime we go to a party you spend the entire evening asking me when we're going to leave?") Barnaby says Georgina can stay.
Barnaby says, "When you drove back to your cottage the night of the tennis club party was there anyone there at your house?" Sally says, "Melissa. I'd fallen asleep when I got back. She woke me." (Flashback: Melissa trying to wake up Sally in her car. Sally tells Melissa to go away. Melissa says, "Sally, this is important." Sally says, "Away, go on." Melissa says, "Alright" and leaves. Sally passed out.) Sally doesn't remember anything about the drive back. Georgina interupts and says she has to attend to her guests. Barnaby tells Georgina to stay. Troy looks at Barnaby and then at Georgina. "If Sally's a suspect, why don't you just arrest her and take her to the station?" Barnaby says, "Sally is not a suspect."
In the other room at the drinks party, guests are laughing and drinking. One of the waiters tells Lord Hislop about Raif's death. Lord Hislop asks for more wine. Lady Hislop goes to talk to another guest.
Barnaby says, "When we asked you about your boots, you replied that you'd thought of wearing them to walk back from the tennis club. Now if you could've used them to walk back across the wet fields to your cottage, then you could also haveused them to walk from your cottage back to the tennis club. Or someone could have." Sally asks, "Who would want to do that?" Barnaby says, "The person who drove you back that night. Someone who lived just around the corner from you.
Plot Denouement[]
Barnaby then turns to Georgina. "How did it happen? Perhaps you were outside having a breath of fresh air, escaping from the party when you came across Sally asleep in her car. And, well, you were so annoyed with your husband for not taking you home, you thought, I'll do it myself. And driving a 2CV would be fun. And driving back would've been fun.... What was it? A cat run out in front of you? You knew you were over the limit, not as much as Sally, but still enough to lose your licence. And the shame of being done for drunk driving, well, that was too much. So you didn't stop. And when you got to Sally's cottage, you had a brain wave. You dragged Sally back in front of the steering wheel. You guessed, correctly as it turned out, that Sally would assume she was the one who had driven back, but what you didn't realize was there was someone watching you. Someone who'd been waiting for Sally's return- Melissa. And Melissa watched you take the boots from the back of Sally's car and set off across the fields, back to the tennis club wearing them, carrying your own shoes. And it worked like a dream. No one even noticed you'd been gone. The problem arose the next day when Melissa and Adam discovered that you were quite prepared to let Sally, an innocent district nurse, carry the can for the accident, the failing to stop, the drunk driving, and let her lose her job in the process. So Melissa and Adam decided to blackmail you. They knew that if word of your behavior got out you'd certainly be ostracized socially and they knew that was something you'd pay an awful lot of money to stop happening."
Sally says, "No. No, Melissa wouldn't do that. Let me suffer like that just so she could make some money. She would have told me." Georgina asks if Barnaby has any evidence at all. Barnaby says that before Georgina came in, they asked Sally to empty her handbag and didn't find anything incriminating. But they will now. Barnaby looks in Sally's purse and finds a syringe.
Georgina smirks and says, "Nothing personal." Sally says, "You murdered three people." Georgina says, "It all just sort of snow-balled." (Flashback to Georgina killing Raif). Sally says, "Your own husband." Georgina says, "I didn't want to. He noticed me taking the saw out of the tool shed. And when Hugo told him what had happened in the barn it was either him or me." Sally says, "But Melissa, Adam." Georgina says, "They were blackmailing me."
(Flashback: Melissa calling Adam, "It wasn't Sally who was driving. It was Georgina. I saw her dragging a comatose Sally back in front of the wheel." Adam says, "Are you sure?" Melissa says, "Absolutely. And if she lets poor dear Sally take the wrap, I think she might just pay handsomely for our silence." Adam says, "Well, now that is interesting.")
Georgina continues, "They were scumbags." Sally says, "No. Adam maybe. But not Melissa. I can't believe..." Georgina says, "My dear girl, Melissa took pleasure from other people's misery. It entertained her. Yours included." Sally says, "You mean she never cared for me at all? Ever?" Georgina says, "No. She had the affair with your husband so you'd divorce him and she'd get you on the rebound. You were quite a challenge. Vicar's daughter, first lesbian affair. Quite a trophy." Georgina asks that the police take her out the back way.
As they leave the house, Barnaby tells Sally that the drink driving, and all the other charges will be dropped and Sally will be able to keep her job. Sally asks Barnaby about saying he looked in her bag, which was a lie. Barnaby says Georgina was trying to frame Sally. "It's anything goes, isn't it? Life suddenly seems very much clearer," says Sally as she sees Freddie drive up. Troy offers to give Sally a lift but Sally says, "I have a drinks party to attend. And an ego to bring down to size." Sally goes to meet Freddie and he walks her into the drinks party. She gives him a kiss on the way there.
Troy tells Barnaby he liked the bit with the bag. "Very unscrupulous."
Sometime later, at the Barnaby home, Joyce and Barnaby view a photo in the paper of Sally and Frederick Bentine-Brown married. Barnaby says, "Multimillionaire git. Ripened by their own corruption. "The happy couple will be living in the 700 acre Bentine-Brown estate "in Midsomer Worthy." Have a feeling it won't be an entirely strife-free union for dear old Freddie."
Joyce serves up some Medlar jelly, which Barnaby tastes. He suggests that they save it for special occasions. But Joyce has two dozen jars.
Cast[]
- John Nettles as DCI Tom Barnaby
- Daniel Casey as Sgt. Gavin Troy
- Jane Wymark as Joyce Barnaby
- Ann Bell as Cherrie Balcombe
- Richard Clothier as Postman
- Charles Collingwood as Lord Hislop
- Eleanor David as Georgina Canning
- Ellie Haddington as Joan Farley
- Terence Harvey as Archie Townsend
- Barry Jackson as Dr. George Bullard
- Sara Mair-Thomas as Liz Keyne
- John McGlynn as Raif Canning
- Pamela Miles as Lady Hislop
- Terry O'Brien as Dog Owner
- Brian Poyser as Derek
- Claire Price as Sally Rickworth
- Lucy Punch as Melissa Townsend
- Adrian Rawlins as Adam Keyne
- Miles Richardson as Frederick Bentine-Brown
- Amanda Walker as Gwen
- Benjamin Whitrow as Hugo Balcombe
- (uncredited actor) as Neil Laxton
Galleries[]
Body Count[]
Died of pneumonia which was amplified from the cold as a result of his roof being leaky.
Injected with a lethal dose of Pentobarbitone directly into her liver while sunbathing.
Lured to a barn to collect some blackmail money that were left on the barn ceiling floor. As he bent down to claim them, he fell to his death through the ceiling onto a plow, stabbing himself, after the boards had been partially sawn through prior. The leaked blood resulted in the body being attacked by flies.
Injected with a lethal dose of Pentobarbitone while collecting his tennis balls from the ground.
Supporting Cast[]
Episode Images[]
Arrests[]
Georgina Canning for the murders of
Notes[]
The following actors and actresses who appeared in this episode have also appeared in the following episodes
- Amanda Walker - Dead Man's Eleven
- Richard Clothier - Vixen's Run
- Ellie Haddington - Death of the Small Coppers
- Adrian Rawlins - Echoes of the Dead
- Miles Richardson - Country Matters and Fit For Murder
- Benjamin Whitrow - Secrets and Spies
Trivia[]
- The mention of the fruit "medlars" and the process of letting them rot before creating the jelly is accurate. Medlars in their "fresh" state are basically inedible, the fruit being hard and acidic. The rotting process, known as "bletting", renders them edible and allows them to be used in jellies and cooking. The same characteristics and processing are found in quince and persimmon.
- The silver convertible sports car owned by Adam is an Aston Martin DB6 Volante from the 1960s.
- Actor Adrian Rawlins, who plays Adam Kayne in this episode, would later garner tremendous international fame as James Potter, the father of Harry Potter, in the epic, 8 film series, that chronicles the adventures of Harry in the wizarding world, based on J.K. Rowling series of novels. Ironically, the first film begins with the death of his character, as well as of Harry's mother, Lilly, setting off a course of events that would become legend within the world of the books/movies, and in the real world as well.
The Trials and Tribulations of DS Gavin Troy:
- Almost runs into Frederick Bentine-Brown who is driving recklessly.
Quotes[]
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