Line of Duty Page #7

DOT:

I did.

STEVE:

And as part of that search you

found an envelope addressed to me.

DOT:

Yes.

STEVE:

And the forensics that you failed

to carry out on the inside of that

envelope detected traces of ink and

blood suggesting it contained a

note written by Danny Waldron and

presumably intended for me.

DOT:

No note was ever found. Danny

Waldron saved his list online.

STEVE:

Which we only discovered weeks

later, ‘cause you failed to pursue

this lead!

Kate makes a note.

DOT (O.S)

I did not.

STEVE:

The note had been in that envelope!

DOT:

That’s not what was in the

envelope.

Steve is shell-shocked by Dot’s admission. He’s

lost for words.

DOT (CONT’D)

Item Reference MRC-1.

From a case/box, Dot removes an evidence bag

containing the envelope found at Danny’s flat,

addressed to Steve.

DOT (CONT’D)

Item reference MRC-1 is the

envelope recovered from Danny

Waldron’s flat. And for the tape,

Mr Arnott is quite correct --it

does bear his name.

Music

10:
33:12

DUR:
1’26”.

Specially

composed by

Carly

Paradis.

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From the box/case, Dot produces a second

evidence bag --which he conceals in his hand.

DOT (CONT’D)

Item reference MRC-2 is the

contents of the envelope. Now this

item was entered into evidence

separately for reasons of internal

security. You will see in your

folders, Document Appendix 1 refers

to Sequestered Evidence.

Steve and his solicitor scrabble through the

document to find this.

DOT (CONT’D)

Sequestration of Evidence was

authorised by Gill Biggeloe,

Leading Legal Counsel to

Anticorruption Unit 12.

Dot opens his hand, revealing the evidence bag

containing a golf tee.

DOT (CONT’D)

This is what was in the envelope.

Steve looks confused.

DOT (CONT’D)

Now for the tape I’m showing Mr

Arnott the sequestered evidence, a

white golf tee. Steve Arnott. Golf

tee. I think Danny Waldron was

trying to tell us something.

Steve is utterly shell-shocked. Speechless.

Horrible silent beats of Dot’s smugness.

Hastings is a little angry, as is Kate, but

they’re forced to contain it as it’s all on

tape.

Awkward beats.

HASTINGS:

Have you got anything further to

add, DS Arnott

Steve shakes his head.

KATE:

(Anguished.)

For the tape, the interviewee is

shaking his head.

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X:

Music Ends

10:
34:38

Music

10:
34:34

DUR:
1’58”.

Specially

composed by

Carly

Paradis.

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HASTINGS |

(With deep regret.)|

Steven Arnott, you will remain |

under arrest for the murder of |

Lindsay Denton. I will now seek |

guidance from the Crown Prosecutor |

as to how to charge you for said|

offence. You will be taken to a |

place of custody. If you are not|

charged within 24 hours of the|

original arrest, you may be |

released however I will seek the |

authority for a 12 hours extension. |

Is all this understood? |

|

STEVE |

Yes, sir. |

|

HASTINGS |

Interview discontinued. |

|

Kate hits the stop button. Hastings beckons the |

armed officers. They open the door. Resignedly, |

Steve stands and turns round with his hands |

behind his back. The officers cuff him and lead |

him out with his Solicitor. |

|

Hastings watches Steve go, only now letting his |

professional mask slip and showing the deepest |

levels of regret and distaste for his task. |

|

HASTINGS (CONT’D)|

God help me if I ever get a good |

night’s sleep again.|

(Snaps out of it.)|

DI Cottan, my office, five minutes. |

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DOT |

Yes, sir. |

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Exit Hastings, can’t leave this scene fast |

enough. |

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Dot turns to Kate. |

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DOT (CONT’D) |

(To Kate.)|

You okay? That can’t have been |

easy. Well done. |

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Exit Dot. |

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Kate remains, Dot cross the office towards |

Hastings office. |

|

Kate looks back over her notes: |

10:
36:27

Firearms log

Stolen vehicle

Phone + money in (stolen?) vehicle

Kennedy PM

Empty envelope

She appears thoughtful and troubled.

CUT TO:

INT. AC-12. HASTINGS’ OFFICE. MOMENTS LATER.

Dot stands to attention, facing Hastings in

tense silence. Enter Gill, apologising for

keeping him waiting.

GILL:

Sorry...

Hastings shuts the door and lays into them.

HASTINGS:

Just when exactly did you get the

idea of sequestering evidence from

me? In 35 years’ this has been my

worst day in the service. And now

this little incident just about

caps the whole lot.

(To Gill.)

Was it your idea to go behind my

back?

(To Dot.)

Or was it yours?

GILL:

To be fair to DI Cottan, he sought

me out for guidance. It was my

decision to sequester the evidence

from Danny Waldron’s flat because

of its sensitive nature in regard

to a fellow officer.

DOT:

It seemed a bizarre and possibly

meaningless find, sir, but I just

had this feeling

HASTINGS:

(Mocking.)

“Feeling?”

DOT:

That it might alert Steve --and if

it had have done, then we wouldn’t

have had all this other evidence.

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X:

Music Ends

10:
36:32

HASTINGS:

(Interrupting, angry.)

Oh, yeah, you’re on very thin ice

with me, DI Cottan. Are there any

other surprises in store?

DOT:

I hope not, sir.

HASTINGS:

I hope not too. Dismissed.

DOT:

Sir.

Exit Dot. Hastings watches him go bitterly. Gill

tries to make peace.

GILL:

At the time neither DI Cottan nor I

knew if the golf tee was relevant.

Clearly recent events have created

a more significant context.

HASTINGS:

Clearly!

GILL:

Yes, I can see you’re angry, Ted.

But the fact that you personally

recruited Steve Arnott did weigh on

my decision.

HASTINGS:

(Furious.)

What? You decided that I was going

to be biased?

GILL:

I’m sorry, but at the time it felt

like the right decision. Now can we

just calm down.

HASTINGS:

I am calm. I’m totally bloody calm.

She gives him space for a couple of beats.

GILL:

Look. I know this is abysmal

timing, but former Chief

Superintendent Patrick Fairbank’s

legal team are applying for the

child sex abuse charges to be

dropped.

10:
38:58

HASTINGS:

What?

GILL:

They’re saying that he repeatedly

stated in his interviews that,

quote, “I’m not as sharp as I used

to be.”

HASTINGS:

Yeah. I know he said that.

GILL:

They’re saying that an independent

physician should have examined his

intellectual fitness for interview.

They’re having his GP attest he’s

got senile dementia. He isn’t fit

to stand trial.

HASTINGS:

(Devastated.)

Mother of God.

GILL:

(Beats.)

DS Arnott has to be charged or

released today. Don’t delay your

call to the Crown Prosecutor.

HASTINGS:

(Sharply.)

Fine.

GILL:

(Sharply.)

Thank you.

A couple of beats of animosity between Hastings

and Gill. Exit Gill.

Hastings slumps behind his desk, devastated by

the accusations against Steve.

Hastings stares at his desk phone, not wanting

to make the call.

CUT TO:

INT. AC-12. TOILETS. CONTINUOUS.

Locked in a cubicle, Dot writes a text:

Job done.

He’s about to send and then he hesitates. He

Music

10:
38:10

DUR:
0’53”.

Specially

composed by

Carly

Paradis.

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X:

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