
A Case of Coincidence, Part 1
Season 3 Episode 7 | 50m 41sVideo has Closed Captions
A serial killer is on the loose. Is he responsible for the death of a mysterious woman?
A serial killer is on the loose. Is he responsible for the death of a mysterious woman?
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback

A Case of Coincidence, Part 1
Season 3 Episode 7 | 50m 41sVideo has Closed Captions
A serial killer is on the loose. Is he responsible for the death of a mysterious woman?
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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Bye.
Who's that?
Mmp!
♪ ♪ WAITER: Here you are, madam.
Thank you.
♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ I had to get her on the stretcher.
- Thank you, sir.
- All right.
That's it.
Sometime last night after I had arrested Francis Allen Preston.
Five.
They'll want our pips for this.
Are you certain she was killed after you picked up Preston?
He couldn't have done it earlier?
No, no, no.
He's got an alibi.
- Who?
- Us.
We've been watching him for 24 hours.
In her purse, sir.
How did she get from there to here?
Her name's Sarah Quin.
We've released Preston.
MASTERS: Yes.
So whoever we're after is still out there-- somewhere.
♪ MAN: Them don't know what them doing.
They're arresting you after that Preston, had to let you go.
And then pinch the bloke at Boston, and let him go.
Then at another end from uh-- where?
Where-- where was that?
What?
Why?
Make me boyfriend brains just have you.
Hey, don't overfill that.
I'm not paying for what goes on ground.
You know they'd bust my tail off.
Oh, well, you put up a fight, old son.
Them don't need much of an excuse.
♪ ♪ 5 o'clock.
Look at it.
Nearly dark.
I'll show you.
All right.
Does the hotel know her?
Quite well, apparently.
She and her husband stayed here several times.
First time, on their honeymoon.
All right.
He's a surgeon in London.
HOLT: Chief inspector.
Chief constable on the car wireless for you, sir.
Get a list of all the guests and, uh, set up an interview.
Excuse me, gentlemen.
Shocking, isn't it?
How'd she die?
She wasn't strangled, was she, like those other women?
She was in a bar at 9 o'clock last night.
9:00?
Yeah, she checked her watch and mine when I gave her some change for the callbox.
Who did she telephone?
Any idea?
No.
MASTERS: How much change did you give her?
Four bob.
Ah.
Long chat.
BARMAN: Why, she'd come back pretty quick.
She, uh-- she went out a couple of times.
She left her cigarette in the ashtray, and her drink.
I thought she was coming back.
So did she?
MAN: OK, we're finished here now.
I'll check downstairs.
Thank you.
She arrived yesterday afternoon.
She'd booked a double room for two nights, and we still haven't contacted her husband yet.
The governor's just informed me that the home office is threatening to bring the Yard in to take over the inquiry.
Oh.
Yes.
And I've got two ticking clocks against us.
When will he kill again?
When are we off the job?
I've been summoned to explain.
Phone me for-- Phone me anyway.
Yeah.
MICHAEL: Gradually working around to separate the tumor from the brain.
Dividing the blood vessels at the edge of the tumor.
A clear edge is characteristic of a benign tumor.
In a malignant tumor, such as a malignant glioma, you wouldn't see such a distinct border.
This tumor is arising from the falx.
Now you see it being eased, working steadily around the edge.
All investigations so far suggest that the sympathetic system is outside the control of the will, but within the influence of the emotions.
So damaged or not, someone could still feel that they wanted to act in a certain way.
Mm.
There would certainly be a-- ENGLISH: Michael-- this is Detective Sergeant Briars.
♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ MAN 1: Shut up!
There's nobody here.
MAN 2: Shut up!
- Do you hear me?
There's no one here.
You weren't trying to get anything.
You should be out there working now.
Tonight is our time, and you know it.
Yes, you bloody do.
MASTERS: At what time did you come to turn Mrs. Quin's bed?
8 o'clock.
MASTERS: And when you came here this morning?
She hadn't slept in it.
Did you touch anything?
I straightened the cover, then I'd done the bathroom.
Anything else?
I changed the towels and wiped round.
I didn't touch the jewelry.
So, apart from the towels, everything in this room is exactly as it was when Mrs. Quin left?
Yes.
Did you see Mrs. Quin anywhere in the hotel last night?
Well have a think, and anything you remember, just tell me.
Thank you very much.
I've contacted her husband, sir.
He didn't know she was here.
So what happened about the phone calls?
Blank.
There were five made by the operator between 8:30 and 9:00.
We checked them all.
Nobody's ever heard of Sarah Quin.
So, either she didn't make a phone call, or somebody's lying.
MASTERS: She's got a dress in the wardrobe that would stopped traffic, a pair of what my mother would call sensible shoes, some brown slacks, and she's removed her wedding ring.
So what does that tell us about her?
A dowdy housewife during the day-- HOLT: Will the Yard come in, sir?
MASTERS: Who told you that?
Not a word.
We're depressed enough as it is.
I really thought Preston was our bloke.
Mm, so did I.
Shows you how desperate we're all getting-- I'm getting.
Mesmerized by the killings.
Can't see the killer.
Mesmerized?
I suppose.
And, you know, they say in the old days, the jack-o'-lanterns used to shine the lights to lure people from the paths into the marshlands.
You'd only got to see the lights, you were good as dead.
He didn't just kill women, I bet.
No.
No.
Our jack-o'-lantern is doing that for pleasure.
Mr. Quin, I'm Inspector Masters.
I'm terribly sorry we have to meet under such circumstances.
Please sit down.
I'm afraid we have to ask you to identify-- Yes, I realize.
I mean, I know.
I-- I know that.
Now, do you want to talk first or to do that first?
It's entirely up to you.
Thank you, I appreciate-- perhaps I could just sit and talk to you first.
We've had a long drive from London.
Of course, I understand.
Please.
It is quite a hike.
How long did it take you?
Uh, five hours.
MASTERS: I need to ask you one or two questions, I'm afraid.
I understand you didn't know your wife was staying at the Murrey Gryphon Hotel.
Or have I got that wrong?
No.
I mean, it isn't a case that you were just delayed at the-- the last minute?
No.
She quite often went away.
Get away from the smog of the city.
Sorry.
I'm sorry, I have to ask.
And she didn't telephone you at all?
No.
You don't have children telephoning just to make sure that all is well?
Ah.
No, we don't have children.
Would you know why your wife decided to visit this part of the world?
Well, she used to live here.
We'd visited the hotel together in the past.
She still owns it.
She owned a house up here.
It's been rented through an agency for the past few years, nothing to do with me.
We used to come up here time to time, but not for a long time.
Four years ago, New Year's Eve, there was a party.
Welcome, 1950.
Thrice welcome.
Got a little something for you, lovely.
Come on, darling.
All right.
Will?
Hello, you.
MASTERS: He had no idea she was up here.
Didn't say she was meeting someone?
Came with someone?
Double room.
Well, I mentioned that to him.
He said she, uh, just liked to be comfortable.
He wasn't up to saying very much at all.
I thought he looked quite ill, actually.
- Understandable.
- Yeah.
The chap who ran him up here said he had a very heavy workload.
The day she was killed, he'd been operating all day.
Brain, isn't he?
Yeah.
There's been nothing helpful for me so far.
She was last seen about 9:00 PM, chap coming up to the hotel, caught her in his headlights.
She stopped, and he just ran past her.
Why the hell was she out walking alone?
Four women have been murdered, for crying-- doesn't this place say anything about what's been happening?
Oh, no, no, no.
They're playing it down.
Bad publicity.
♪ SARAH (VOICEOVER): Michael, darling.
♪ Come on.
♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ REPORTER (ON RADIO): Southampton to Mombasa on the morning time.
The body of Sarah Quin-- Not the news.
REPORTER (ON RADIO): Michael Quin was found beaten-- SARAH: MICHAEL: No, please.
No.
No, no, no.
SARAH: No, please.
Please?
Ah!
Ooh-- god.
MICHAEL: You don't seem to mind them.
Well, I had the experience.
Smoked eels in that chimney over there.
And hashish on the wall.
True.
Navy chum of daddy's had some.
I was 14.
He fancied me.
Didn't like it much.
The hash, I mean.
I hate to think of someone else, well-- Desiring me?
He was an old pervert.
What about me smoking reefers?
You're the only person I know who can make doing something like that sound perfectly natural.
I wanted to experience everything.
And now?
Now, I want the best one.
You, baby.
He comes at me cussing and says that, you know, I bugged his line set, and that's why he'd gotten out.
So I said to him, I said, if them's not running, them's not, and that's the finish.
Aren't you done yet?
Oh, yeah.
We're done.
We've been done ages.
Hi, Dr. Lucas, how was your break?
Oh, five punctures in nine days.
The Yorkshire Dales are littered with nails.
Apart from that-- wonderful.
Thank you, madam.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
It's all right.
It's all right, I'm here.
I'm here.
Oh, my poor, dear friend.
Come on, let's go through.
Come on.
WOMAN: Dr. English, telephone call.
Catherine, how is he?
He's sleeping.
I gave him a cup of Tuinal.
No, he wanted to come in.
That's insane.
Oh, there's no way on Earth he is coming in.
I've called his consulting rooms and told them to cancel all his appointments.
Are you staying there for a while?
Well, um, I'm on duty in half an hour.
Um, I've spoken to his mother, and she's coming up on the train.
No, I don't.
I got the number from his address book.
Well, she'd heard something on the wireless, but they hadn't released Sarah's name.
No, no, I told her.
Well, she sounded more put out than shocked.
I know.
It is unbelievable.
Tragic.
Poor Michael.
Bye-bye.
♪ ♪ MOORE: The chief constable doesn't wanna see one single officer sitting in a police station behind a typewriter until this man is caught.
So we go back to the house-to-house interviews.
Or instead, we let Scotland Yard send in a genius to solve it for us.
Now, concentrate on night workers, pub barman, hotel staff-- Garage proprietors.
This time, instead of five miles, I want statements from everybody in a 10-mile radius.
MASTERS: But sir, we've done that.
They're in here.
House-to-house again.
The depressing thing about local house-to-house is, you know, the killer could have a house in Birmingham and be driving in and out.
Where should we start?
You can start where you like.
Did you see anyone at all that night?
No, no.
Anything that was out of-- MAN: And what about in these other places?
How are you bearing up, Mrs. Cutforth?
Doctor give me some pills to help me sleep.
I shut my eyes, all I see is my Wendy.
I don't want to sleep.
I want to be out looking for him.
Anything?
No.
I don't know but you're doing your best.
I don't know about the rest of them you got down there, but I do know you wanna get the bastard as much as us do.
Maybe more so now he got someone well-to-do.
Uh, no more than before, Liz.
Look, I know we've been through this before.
But there isn't anything else to tell.
She didn't know what was coming by the back door, did she?
I don't think I haven't thought it might not be somebody local, somebody we know.
I watch every one of them.
Every house.
I keep coming out here, just standing.
I think I've gone.
Maybe I have.
Never wanted to kill anybody before, but I do now.
25th of April, raining.
She come home for a dinner, usual time.
She was going out to the pictures that night with Diana next door.
Just them, no boyfriends.
She had her dinner and then went to catch the 25 past bus back from work.
Borrowed your umbrella?
Borrowed the umbrella because it was pouring.
Shouted to her mom.
Shut the back door.
That was the last thing I ever heard her say.
Then at 7 o'clock?
I heard the bus bringing her back from work.
It was late.
She'd have to rush if she was getting to the pictures.
Still raining.
♪ Ah!
I must have missed him by a second.
And she was lying there.
Her face were all purple, and blood was seeping from where he'd had the rope around her neck, all chafed, and they were washing away in the rain.
Shh, OK. OK.
I'd left the kettle on.
Yes?
Oh, I'm terribly sorry.
Mrs. Quin, I'm, uh, Catherine.
I telephoned you.
I'm a friend.
Well, colleague.
- Oh, darling.
I pop in-- Oh, my dear, dear boy.
Ah.
Mommy, are you all right?
Uh, some more tea?
No, it's too strong.
Oh.
Someone called Tony telephoned.
You should have let Catherine answer it.
Darling, in your house.
Now, what you must do is-- actually, Darling, could you, er, ask Caroline-- Catherine.
MRS. QUIN: The-- this really does need more hot water.
Yes, of course.
Catherine?
I'm sorry, I'm still drowsy from the Tuinal.
Could my mother have some hot water?
Her tea is rather strong.
Michael, you really should stay in bed.
8:30, we should fill these in ourselves and go home.
Ah.
The bloody mine, too.
What's that?
Who's there?
Eddie?
Eddie Brannel?
You've done him already?
What have you been up to?
Oh.
Don't worry, I can manage.
I'm hopeless at housework.
When Guy, Michael's father was alive, we had a treasure of a woman from Camden Town.
Oh, by the way, where is Michael's daily?
I gave her a few days off.
MRS. QUIN: Did Michael ask you to?
I just thought that he probably wouldn't want people around.
MRS. QUIN: No.
Quite.
Well, if you're going to be popping in and out, perhaps you wouldn't mind giving a flick round.
I still can't believe this has happened.
My dear, dear Sarah.
They were devoted to one another.
Sir, routine house-to-house, cottage the other side of Rexler, two PCs are holding a man.
No-- go on.
Eddie Brannel.
And when they searched his place this time, they found something.
Come on, move it.
Let him through.
MASTERS: You're all right, Edward.
We're going to go to your home together.
I'm going home.
HOLT: Held him in the cells overnight for safety, sir.
I don't know how they found out, but Wendy Cutforth's family have been threatening to kill him.
Isn't it marvelous?
I-- can you believe it?
After seven months, walked straight into the arms of two bobbies.
Ah!
Here.
Holt-- Sir.
Here's a fiver.
Go get two bottles of champagne and 20 players for me.
Oh, and tell Masters I wanna see him.
I'll get you!
Excuse me.
Now, this man has not been charged with any crime, so please just go home.
This is your room, Edward?
Everything in here is yours?
Nothing belongs to anybody else?
Now my office has searched here last night.
Mine.
Do you remember?
Everything was just-- just as their families.
♪ Are these yours?
♪ ♪ Hey, you told Masters, didn't you?
Sir, he said he was busy.
He's-- we've caught the bloke, he can't be bothered to turn up.
Here, have a drink.
MASTERS: These items, Edward, how did you come to have them?
Well, hah, that means trouble.
MASTERS: Now, were they taken from these women?
I never stole that.
That's mine.
MASTERS: It's a woman's necklace, Edward.
Now, where all these things taken from these women?
The pen from Blackpool belonged to Maureen Hunter.
Mother and father gave it to her.
The hair slide was Mary Trenthyde's.
The compact was Ann Daly's.
And the shell bracelet belonged to Wendy.
Wendy Cutforth, Edward.
It was bought in Great Yarmouth.
Yarmouth?
Did the compact, or the watch, or the pendant come from this woman?
I don't know her.
Do you know any of the others, Eddie?
Didn't steal that.
I am the owner.
MAN: It makes sense, for crying out loud!
It may make sense to you, but personally, I don't wish to be part of some collective.
Now, if that's the new thinking, then I could not guarantee my position at this hospital.
I'm sorry, but you asked for a frank exchange of views, and I am telling you how I feel.
WOMAN: --for Mr. Quin.
I'll deal with it.
Catherine, how's he doing?
We're winning.
He slipped in the word "collective" to let the Nye Bevan of the medical profession know that we're aware of the game he's playing.
No, I mean, how is he holding up?
Oh.
Um-- I wrapped up the meeting.
Damn nonsense.
They've arrested a man.
♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Darling, is that woman there every day?
Um, how are you?
MRS. QUIN (ON PHONE): I do not like the way she is trying to take over.
Mommy, that is not the situation.
Darling, she is trying to step into Sarah's shoes before the poor girl is even-- Mommy, she's not.
Anyway, that's the last thing I-- Oh.
I've just made a pot of tea.
Oh, thank you very much.
Uh, why don't you come back here?
I know.
I know, but this will always be your home.
Look, why don't we speak this evening?
I have someone with me.
No, other than Catherine.
She's just leaving anyway.
All right.
Bye-bye.
I'm sorry, I had to take that call.
Sarah, as she really looked.
Taken recently?
Uh, a couple of years ago.
MASTERS: I had to come and see you to ask you whether either of these items belonged to your wife.
MICHAEL: Well, the pendant.
Where did you find it?
The man.
We arrested him.
Michael.
Michael?
Sarah, wait.
CATHERINE: Michael?
I've dream.
It was a dream.
You passed out.
Oh.
The policeman helped me get you into bed.
You've had another cup of Tuinal.
You're all right.
You're all right.
You're all right.
You're all right.
You're all right.
Sarah's auntie lived in that house 30 years or more.
And her mother before that.
When Eleanor died, it passed to Sarah.
It's been let for a year or so now to a chap, uh, Dangerfield from London.
Hmm, little Sarah.
I used to give her rides on this here tractor when she was a little-- All right.
Good make, then.
All right.
It's a good one.
She come to her aunties every summer holiday before the war.
I used to tell her stories of Jack O'Lanterns you know, will-o'-the-wisps.
Oh, the sort of boy like Eddie Brannel could have done so much so.
They're always so happy as young'uns.
Sarah's mother died when she was six.
That's when she started visiting.
It was Edward, Joseph, his brother, Sarah, and some of the other kids.
But even when she was young-- Nice day.
FARMER: --men watching her.
Older, some of them.
That many lads hanging about, you'd have thought there was a fair on.
You knew she'd walk somebody up into a real passion one day.
Joseph carried a real torch for her.
MASTERS: But not Eddie?
FARMER: No, he was just a simple lad.
Well, he wouldn't have harmed a fly.
But, Joseph, the only way that lad got through the winter was thinking about her coming down during the summer.
Did she like him?
Oh, she liked both the lads, but she weren't about to get hitched up at 16-year-old.
Is Joseph still around?
Went away.
Made a bit of a fool of himself over Sarah.
Got ragged about it, couldn't take it.
Well, it weren't Sarah's fault.
What he couldn't understand was that her coming here was just one thing that happened in her life, but she was the only thing that happened in his.
Ah.
Proper little gang once, but they grew up.
Get away!
Ooh!
Get away with them!
No, why should I?
My client has an alibi.
The night Sarah Quin was murdered, he was with his father all night at an eel set.
Do you think that's an alibi?
I'd stick to conveyancing if I were you.
Look, I have a statement from Edward Brannel's father which says that not only was his son with him on the night of Sarah Quin's murder, but also the items found in his room were stolen property, given to him to fence by a professional thief.
Bracelet, slide, pen from Blackpool, Hopalong Cassidy, what?
Professional thief?
Give me strength.
I'll show you where Edward Brannel was on the night of those murders.
He was there, there, there, there, and there.
He's guilty as hell, and he'll hang.
Did you go after the eels most nights, Eddie?
When they are running.
They go March or April time.
Gray.
Yeah.
And the river's high.
You catch eel?
No, no, no.
I bought a book.
You used to go with your brother Joseph, didn't you?
You know my brother?
I knew he went away, Eddie.
Were you very upset when he did that?
And you knew Sarah.
Was it her fault that he went away?
Did you blame her for that, Eddie?
I didn't steal that medal.
I am the owner.
People tell me that you used to spend a lot of time on your own on the river.
You know, the way you always had done since you were a little lad.
Did you see those women when you were out there on your own, Eddie?
When it was quiet?
Eddie, when it was really quiet?
When you're out there?
Is that what you saw?
I'm sorry for any trouble.
Policeman hit me.
The bloke done for.
The bloke?
Five, Eddie.
Five.
There was Sarah.
You killed Sarah and took the pendant.
That's Sarah!
No.
No.
No!
I didn't.
I didn't, mister.
Sarah.
My office.
"Pat on the back" time.
He says he didn't do it.
What?
He thinks he's killed four women, not five.
Well, he's a half wit.
Can't count.
And that cameo pendant that puts him at the scene of the crime, he says he didn't steal it.
He calls it his medal.
He says he's the owner.
And he knew Sarah Quin when they were children.
Well, he's just trying-- MASTERS: It's the only thing he's absolutely denied.
I've been thinking about this dress in Sarah Quin's hotel room.
I mean, she was obviously planning to get herself dolled up for somebody.
She booked a table for two, 9:45, in the middle of the room.
So why hasn't her date come forward?
Probably doesn't want his wife to know.
MASTERS: A table for two, a plunging white dress in a hotel where she's known?
It's hardly clandestine.
She was waiting for somebody she didn't mind being seen with.
So why does that person mind and not come forward?
"To lose the earth you know for greater knowing.
To lose the life you have for greater life."
SARAH: "To lose the earth you know for greater knowing.
To lose the life you have for greater life.
To leave the friends you loved for greater loving.
To find a land more kind than home, more large than earth.
Whereon the pillars of the earth are founded, towards which the conscience of the world is tending-- a wind is rising, and the rivers flow."
You've done for my Eddie now, haven't you now, bitch?
Bitch!
♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪
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