Luther Page #3

Season #1 Episode #1

---

RIPLEY:

So, um, welcome back. And whatever.

LUTHER:

Thank you.

He glances at Teller. Who gives him a nod. Off you go.

RIPLEY:

Car’s this way, Boss. If you’re ready.

LUTHER:

I’m ready.

They head to Ripley’s car. Teller watching

29D INT/EXT. RIPLEY’S CAR, KTR MEDICO - DAY 3 - 08.52 29D

Luther and Ripley get in. Ripley hands him a BUFF ENVELOPE.

Luther takes it, doesn’t open it yet.

LUTHER:

So - do we need to have the chat?

RIPLEY:

What chat?

LUTHER:

I was ill. I got better. I’m back. Et

cetera.

LUTHER by NEIL CROSS Episode 1 Page 12.

RIPLEY:

Then no. We don’t need the chat.

Luther scrutinises him.

RIPLEY:

I lobbied to be stationed with you. I

put in the request nine months ago. I

chased it up three times a week, in

writing.

Ah.

A moment of mutual embarrassment. Luther hides it by rifling

through the file.

LUTHER:

So what’ve we got?

RIPLEY:

Home invasion, murder. Victims are

Douglas and Laura Morgan.

LUTHER:

Who called it in?

RIPLEY:

The daughter. Alice Morgan. She was

out when it happened.

LUTHER:

Doing what?

RIPLEY:

Buying milk and bread.

LUTHER:

She live there?

RIPLEY:

No. She’s a Research Fellow, some

Department of Physics. Lives in a flat

near campus.

LUTHER:

So why was she there?

RIPLEY:

Douglas Morgan’s birthday.

Luther raises an eyebrow at that. As Ripley pulls away.

29E EXT. MORGAN HOUSE - DAY 3 - 09.02 29E

Ripley's car pulls up. Luther gets out, Ripley a step behind.

SOCO. POLICE CARS, VANS. UNIFORMED OFFICERS guarding the scene.

LUTHER by NEIL CROSS Episode 1 Page 13.

HEADS TURN to FOLLOW LUTHER. He ignores them. Just takes a

private moment, considering the scene. Good to be back.

Then tucks his tie into his shirt, ducks under the yellow tape.

Holds it up for Ripley. Who follows.

29F INT. MORGAN HOUSE, KITCHEN - DAY 3 - 09.03 29F

Luther and Ripley enter through the kitchen door.

RIPLEY:

First responders have this down as

point of entry. The daughter left it

unlocked when she went out.

LUTHER:

So we need to look for any indication

the shooter’s been watching the house -

possible vantage points, a hiding

place with good line of sight.

Step over the blood-stained area from which Alice called 999.

LUTHER:

You might want to keep your hands in

your pockets - it reduces the

temptation to touch anything.

Ripley obliges. They step cautiously over the bloody corpse of

the dog. Climb the stairs.

29G INT. MORGAN HOUSE, LAURA’S BEDROOM - DAY 3 - 09.04 29G

Luther looks with tenderness at Laura Morgan. Notices PILLS at

the bedside.

LUTHER:

Sleeping pills and separate bedrooms.

What does that say to you?

RIPLEY:

The husband snored?

LUTHER:

Anything else?

RIPLEY:

Can’t say. Sometimes separate beds

make for a happy marriage.

LUTHER:

That’s a very generous thought.

He turns to Ripley. Really sees him

LUTHER:

That’s good.

LUTHER by NEIL CROSS Episode 1 Page 14.

Ripley basks in the light of Luther’s approval. As Luther turns

back to the body. Committing the scene to memory. Then exits.

29H INT. MORGAN HOUSE, STUDY - DAY 3 - 09.05 29H

Luther examines Douglas - with compassion but no

sentimentality. He circles the desk, hands in pockets. He

squats. Looking hard. Never still.

Using a pen, he teases an EARBUD from Douglas’s ear. We get a

TINNY BURST of AUSTERE CLASSICAL MUSIC - Stravinsky.

LUTHER:

He didn’t hear it coming.

Checks out the UNCORRECTED PROOFS.

RIPLEY:

He’s a published poet. Small press.

Luther straightens, takes it all in.

LUTHER:

So there’s no burglary, no attempt to

stage the scene. No sexual assault.

RIPLEY:

Contract killing, maybe?

LUTHER:

That’s workable. I mean, the shooter’s

definitely done his homework. He knows

the layout of the house, he’s quick to

eliminate physical threats - the dog

first, Douglas next. What was the

weapon?

RIPLEY:

Some kind of mid calibre pistol 9mm or

.38.

LUTHER:

“Some kind”. No gun?

RIPLEY:

They’re still searching. House,

grounds, drains. Nothing so far.

LUTHER:

Someone this efficient, you’d expect

him to ditch the gun here - at the

scene. Am I missing something? Does

this seem right to you?

RIPLEY:

None of it seems right to me.

LUTHER:

Good. It’s not, is it. It’s not right.

LUTHER by NEIL CROSS Episode 1 Page 15.

29I EXT. MORGAN HOUSE - DAY 3 - 09.07 29I

Luther and Ripley duck under the tape, head back to the car. In

the background, an ambulance arrives.

29J EXT. HOBB LANE - DAY 3 - 10.02 29J

Luther and Ripley walk to the station. Luther produces his

phone - nods for Ripley to go in ahead of him. Then paces as he

dials.

SCENE 30 - 33 INCLUSIVE OMITTED

34 EXT. FORD AND VARGAS - DAY 3 - 10.02 34

Establishing a hyper-modern office building. On a plaque by the

door:
FORD AND VARGAS LAW CHAMBERS. Through the glass we see a

small figure, ZOE LUTHER, cross the lobby and enter the lift.

The lift goes up.

35 INT. FORD AND VARGAS, LIFT/ CORRIDOR TO ZOE’S OFFICE - DAY 3 -35

10.02

In the lift, Zoe’s phone rings. Embarrassed, she snatches it

from her handbag.

ZOE:

(low)

Zoe Luther.

Intercut Zoe walking from the lift to her office and Luther on

the street.

LUTHER:

Babe, it’s me.

ZOE:

John...hi!

LUTHER:

So guess what?

ZOE:

What?

LUTHER:

The Board of Inquiry came down on my

side.

ZOE:

Oh, John. That’s such - that’s really

good news. That’s great news. I mean,

I knew they would, obviously. But -

wow. That’s great. That’s really,

really great.

LUTHER:

I’m back at work.

LUTHER by NEIL CROSS Episode 1 Page 16.

ZOE:

Already!?

LUTHER:

Yeah, well. They missed me.

ZOE:

Oh, that’s great. That’s such good

news.

LUTHER:

What’s wrong?

ZOE:

Nothing’s wrong - I’m just on my way

to a meeting. Can we talk a bit later?

LUTHER:

Absolutely. That’s why I’m calling. We

need to have that talk.

ZOE:

We do. We really do. Absolutely.

LUTHER:

Are you okay?

ZOE:

I’m fine. Just hassled.

LUTHER:

So we need the talk. Tonight?

ZOE:

Tonight - I’ve got a dinner.

LUTHER:

After dinner, then. I’ll come round.

ZOE:

Okay. Tonight. Look, I’m sorry. I

really do have to go.

LUTHER:

Yeah. You’ve got a meeting.

(beat)

Zoe?

ZOE:

What?

LUTHER:

I’ve got myself together. I’m back.

I’m good.

ZOE:

I know.

She hesitates. Doesn’t know what else to say. Hangs up.

LUTHER by NEIL CROSS Episode 1 Page 17.

BACK TO LUTHER as he pockets his phone. Takes a nervous breath.

Here we go.

He enters the building.

35A INT. SCU, BULLPEN - DAY 3 - 10.12 (FORMERLY SC 31) 35A

Luther steps onto the BUSY BULLPEN - to see A WELCOME HOME!

banner has been pinned up.

He laughs as - one by one - the ENTIRE SERIOUS CRIME UNIT STAND

TO APPLAUD HIS RETURN. Cornish stands to one side, looking

sceptical.

Then Teller grins - and hands Luther a NEW MUG. Luther takes

it. Reads aloud the legend they had printed.

LUTHER:

“You don’t have to be mad to work

Rate this script:3.0 / 2 votes