The Coroner Page #8

[JANE IS APPALLED BY THE INJUSTICE]

CUT TO:

EP2/SC46. INT. SARAH'S BUNGALOW. LIVING ROOM. DAY 2.

11.04

DAVEY, SARAH, KAREN

[DAVEY FOCUSED ON KAREN AND SARAH]

KAREN:

He could always spot your weakness. Using anything... anyone to get what

he wanted.

[DAVEY HAS A GUTTING REALISATION]

DAVEY:

Yeah. Poor old Ron Tate needed sedating after just hearing his name.

SARAH:

(TOUCHED) Lisa... was always the strong one. My big sis, looking out for

us.

KAREN:

And she... distracted him. Took the whole thing on herself.

[DAVEY IS GOBSMACKED]

CUT TO:

EP2/SC47. EXT. SARAH'S BUNGALOW. GARDEN. DAY 2. 11.05

JANE, DAVEY, LEE, SARAH, KAREN

[SHOCKED, JANE EYE LEE. HE SEES HER LOOKING]

LEE:

It wasn't my "real" body anyway. So I didn't care. (EMOTIONAL) Till I

realised I was pregnant.

[LEE SEES KAREN AND SARAH APPROACHING WITH

DAVEY]

LEE:

Being sick in the toilets... them holding my hair out of my eyes.

KAREN:

Nicking big sweaters to hide the bump.

[JANE CATCHES DAVEY'S EYE, BOTH TOUCHED]

SARAH:

We were going to run away to our secret cottage... like Whistle Down the

Wind. Be our own family, like we'd always wanted.

[SARAH CHOKES UP]

JANE:

And that's where the baby was born?

[SARAH JUST NODS (CAN'T SPEAK)]

LEE:

Tom. (BEAT) And he was... perfect. (BEAT, GUTTED) But, still.

Lifeless. Never made a sound.

[KAREN EYES LEE, STILL CRUSHED FOR HIM]

LEE:

We didn't know what to do...

CUT TO:

EP2/SC48. INT. COTTAGE (1976). AFTERNOON

LEE (V/O)

NSE ADOLESCENT GIRLS

[AS YOUNG LISA CRADLES THE LITTLE BUNDLE,

YOUNG SARAH, THEN YOUNG KAREN, THEN

YOUNG LISA EACH KISS THE (UNSEEN) BABY - ALL

THREE DISTRAUGHT, BONDED IN GRIEF]

LEE (V/O):

I couldn't bear to leave him...

[LATER:
THE SCISSORS (FROM SC1) WIPED CLEAN,

YOUNG KAREN GENTLY CUTTING A LOCK OF HAIR,

SHE AND YOUNG SARAH LOOKING ON

DISTRAUGHT AS YOUNG LISA HOLDS THE BUNDLE

CLOSE]

LEE (V/O):

Not in the cold ground.

[LATER:
TOGETHER, YOUNG HANDS CAREFULLY

PLACING BOARDS, HIDING THE BUNDLE AWAY]

CUT TO:

EP2/SC49. EXT. COTTAGE. DAY 0 (1976). DUSK

NSE ADOLESCENT GIRLS

[YOUNG HANDS PICK FLOWERS - DAISIES,

DANDELIONS, BUTTERCUPS.

LATER:
YOUNG SARAH AND YOUNG KAREN HAND

THEIR POSIES TO YOUNG LISA, WHO TIES THEM

WITH BLUE RIBBON. ON YOUNG LISA, CROUCHING

DOWN TO PLACE THEM]

CUT TO:

EP2/SC50. EXT. COTTAGE (PRESENT). DUSK

LEE, SARAH, KAREN (AS ADULTS)

[ON SARAH AND KAREN AS LEE STANDS, ALL

THREE LOOKING DOWN AT THEIR POSY,

REMEMBERING]

CUT TO:

EP2/SC51. EXT. SARAH'S BUNGALOW. GARDEN. DAY 2. 11.12

JANE, DAVEY, LEE, SARAH, KAREN

[JANE EYES DAVEY, BOTH AFFECTED AS LEE

CONTINUES, EMOTIONAL]

LEE:

Losing Tom... More than ever, I needed to make a new life... a new me.

The real me. (BEAT) Gender reassignment surgery was available abroad,

but expensive...

SARAH:

(FEARFUL) Lee...

[BUT LEE FACES DAVEY]

LEE:

So I told Gower I'd tell, unless he coughed up. (BITTER) He didn't believe

there ever was a baby, till I gave him proof. (BEAT) I blackmailed him.

KAREN:

(TO DAVEY) And made him resign. Saved Greyvale.

SARAH:

Saved all of us.

LEE:

(TO JANE AND DAVEY) I went to the Phillipines, had the hormones,

later the surgery. (BEAT) Lisa died, but Lee was born.

SARAH:

But we never forget Tom's birthday, and the family we made.

JANE:

And the proof you gave to Gower, was a lock of Tom's hair?

[ABSOLUTELY GUTTED, LEE NODS. DAVEY EYES

JANE - GOWER FRAMED PHIL!]

LEE:

The only part of him we'd have had left. (BEAT, EMOTIONAL) I only

went to the cottage to say goodbye... but he's not there anymore.

[JANE REALISES IT WAS LEE AT THE COTTAGE,

TOUCHED AS SARAH AND KAREN HUG LEE. A

BEAT. LEE SEPARATES FROM SARAH AND KAREN

TO FACE DAVEY, BUT SARAH INTERPOSES,

PROTECTIVE]

SARAH:

(TO DAVEY) So, now you're just going to cart him off? After everything

we've told you?

[DAVEY EYES JANE - A TACIT AGREEMENT]

DAVEY:

Well, I do have good reason to believe your sister Lisa may be guilty of

blackmailing Charles Gower. Only problem is, there's no Lisa here, is

there?

[SARAH, LEE AND KAREN ARE TAKEN ABACK,

RELIEVED]

CUT TO:

EP2/SC52. EXT. GOWER ESTATE. DAY 2. 12.08

JANE, DAVEY, CLINT, CHARLES

NSE PC'S, GUESTS

[CHARLES IS HASTILY PACKING SUITCASES INTO A

4X4.

FURTHER OFF, PARKED, JANE AND DAVEY ARE

LEANING AGAINST HER CAR, WATCHING,

RELAXED]

DAVEY:

Turned Phil Tate loose. Told him who really framed him... planted the hair.

JANE:

How did he take it?

DAVEY:

Yeah, not best pleased.

[THEY WATCH:
A SQUAD CAR PULLING UP NEARER

CHARLES]

DAVEY:

And Karen and Sarah have made official complaints of assault against

Gower. So... all in all, nice work. I still don't know how you found those

flowers when my CSI team didn't.

JANE:

(CHEEKY) You just have to learn to see things like a woman.

[DAVEY IS WRY]

JANE:

Anyway, I couldn't have done it without you.

DAVEY:

Yeah? Behind every great woman is a great man?

JANE:

Maybe.

[DAVEY IS QUIETLY PLEASED. REVEAL NEW

SNEAKERS PROPPED IN THE OPEN WINDOW: CLINT,

LOUNGING IN THE CAR, ON HIS MOBILE, WRITING

NOTES IN A FILE (ALSO WATCHING)]

CLINT:

You know she means me?

[DAVEY LOOKS TO JANE, BUT JANE JUST SMILES]

CLINT:

(TO MOBILE) Okay, cheers. (HANGING UP, TO JANE) We should get

going for court.

[DAVEY SPOTS:

CHARLES, PACKING THE LAST SUITCASE, BUT

SEEING APPROACHING PC'S HE TURNS TO RUN

AWAY INTO THE GROUNDS]

DAVEY:

Ooh no, that's not gonna end well.

[CHARLES DOESN'T GET FAR BEFORE HE IS

TACKLED (YELPING) TO THE GRASS BY SEVERAL

PC'S. JANE AND CLINT WINCE]

DAVEY:

Told you.

[PAINED AS HE IS CUFFED, CHARLES HANGS HIS

HEAD IN SHAME AS GUESTS WATCH HIM FROM THE

GROUNDS]

CUT TO:

EP2/SC53. EXT. BLACK DOG. TERRACE. DAY 2. 15.15

MICK, JUDITH, BETH, JANE

[NURSING A HANGOVER, FLANNEL ON HER

FOREHEAD, JUDITH IS SPRAWLED ON A BENCH

SEAT, BETH BESIDE HER DELIGHTEDLY SHOWING

HER PHOTOS ON HER MOBILE]

JUDITH:

(HORRIFIED) I never..?

BETH:

Yeah! Like a motorbike.

[BETH SCROLLS TO ANOTHER PHOTO]

BETH:

And here's you drooling...

JUDITH:

No more. Oh, your Mum’ll have my guts for garters.

BETH:

(STANDING) I won’t grass.

[JUDITH IS RELIEVED. MICK ARRIVES WITH A

TRAY]

BETH:

(HEADING OFF) Anyway, there’s the internet.

[JUDITH CHUCKS THE FLANNEL AFTER HER,

GROWLING – BUT IT HURTS. MICK PUTS THE TRAY

DOWN AND SITS WITH HER]

JUDITH:

Ugh, mouth feels like I gargled with an hamster.

[SHE GROANS, HEAD POUNDING. MICK TENDERLY

APPLIES AN ICE-PACK]

MICK:

Now who’s the lightweight? Here, hair of the dog.

[HE PROFFERS A SHOT GLASS. JUDITH KNOCKS IT

BACK, WINCING. MICK EYES HER FONDLY]

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