The Ghoul

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I thought I'd been stood up.

It wouldn't be the first time.

Traffic jam. Someone drove

their car off the M1.

On purpose? F***ing selfish

pricks holding up the commute.

What's wrong with a bottle

of aspirin, eh?

Mr Coulson?

Repainted last week. No

one wants to touch the place.

Agency can't shift it.

Oh, I'll check the fuse box.

Righty-tighty. I'll give you

the greatest hit, shall I?

The neighbor said she heard a shot,

then the dog starts barking

and then six more shots.

Most likely, he's woken up when

he's heard the window smash,

he's come down the stairs,

he's gone to have a look out here,

and then he's gone to have

another look out the back here.

That's when he's discovered the shooter,

who ends up there, where you are.

Her arrival makes him panic

and that's when the gun goes off.

But here's the head-scratcher

and it's a f***ing doozy.

When he gets shot

he don't fall down.

He just keeps walking.

He doesn't drop where he should.

He just keeps coming.

Even though he's been shot.

The second shot

hits her in the chest,

but she doesn't drop, either.

She comes down a step or two. Third

shot hits her in the stomach.

She keeps coming.

Fourth shot hits her in the chest,

she still keeps coming.

Shots five and six hit him

in the abdomen and the shoulder.

And then the last shot

goes through his head

up into the ceiling, by which time

he's practically on top of him.

And then he drops the gun

and he legs it out of the door

with the car keys.

- Conversion?

- Er, yeah. A starter pistol.

And they said the Olympics

wouldn't leave a legacy, eh?

- They run at him?

- No, no.

It was more of a leisurely stroll.

Soco said they came

at him at an even pace,

even had him in shot.

They only finally lay down and died

when he left the house.

Now, how's it possible

for two people to keep walking

when they've been shot three times,

one of them in the face?

I told you it was a head-scratcher.

"We need to go

after the property manager."

- "F***'s sake. What?"

- "Who showed us in. What's his name?"

"F***, er Coulson. I think.

Jesus Christ, it's"

- "Did you get an address?"

- "F***'s sake!'

"The landlord says he hasn't

seen him for a week.

"Estate agency doesn't know where he is.

It's hard enough finding this address.

"No family. Mother dead. Father estranged.

Lives abroad.

"Employment records

practically non-existent.

"Trust-fund kid, which explains

this place. Almost.

"Coulson wasn't managing the building

at the times of the murders.

"He only got the job three days

after the shooting."

Turns out Michael Coulson's quite

the colorful character.

Been quizzed several times,

especially with violent stuff.

But nothing's ever stuck. Seems

he genuinely never gets involved.

Just hangs around criminals

and crime scenes.

I think he talks other people into doing

stuff just cos he gets a kick out of it.

Then from July last year,

he's been seeing a psychiatrist.

Dr Helen Fisher.

Private sessions

about two miles from here.

Think he knows we're onto him?

Well, I don't think he's popped

out for 20 fags and a wank mag.

Yeah, I'll admit this

doesn't look brilliant.

- Hey, Kath.

- Jesus Christ!

Chris

- Anyone else know you're here?

- Just Jim.

Where have you been?

Up north.

Man of f***ing mystery, aren't you?

What makes you think he's the one?

Been linked to similar things before.

Obsessed with crime scenes.

Means he's a ghoul.

Doesn't mean he's got

anything to do with this.

He was seeing a psychotherapist

called Helen Fisher.

Might be something in Fisher's notes

that'll tell us where he is.

Go back up north, Chris.

"OK, there's a type

of depression, dysthymia.

"It's long-term, mild symptoms,

but it persists over years."

So you can pretty much mumble one-word

answers for the first session.

"Any day, really."

Erm, I

Yeah, no. Er, let me just check.

Erm, yeah, that's fine.

"Er, I don't know. Mid-morning?"

"Yeah, what's the address, please?"

How are you today?

Fine.

What do you do for a living, Chris?

Could be living off benefits. Maybe

your parents are paying for your therapy.

Don't have a job.

How was this week for you?

Have you done anything fun?

Just sh*t.

Are you on any medication?

They were giving out venlafaxine

like smarties a while back,

but that might've changed. I can check.

VenLaflaxFlaxine. Ven

- Venlafaxine?

- Yeah.

- I came off it, though.

- OK.

- You take notes?

- Yes.

Sometimes I'll review

them before a session.

Where are they kept?

- "Probably not under lock and key."

- I'm sorry?

But they might be in a different room.

- Your notes?

- Oh. Over there.

But they're very safe. Nothing

about you leaves this practice.

Can you tell me what you'd like to get

out of these sessions?

I just wanna get better.

"There's often no one else there.

"Course if someone were

to ring the office,

"it might get her out of the room

for long enough."

You should've stayed up north, Chris.

People who suffer from depression often

feel they've always felt this way.

Like they're trapped in a cycle.

So, what I'd like to do is

Excuse me. I'm gonna get

that if no one else will.

Sorry. They hung up.

Why do people do that?

"Mr Coulson presents

a vivid convincing case

"that he is aManic depressive,

"but symptoms may be

co-morbid with other"

Can't read that. "Disorders"?

"As such, I'm not convinced

that he is fully bipolar.

"I'm treating him as such while keeping

open to real pathology."

Why would someone pretend

to have an illness?

Pots and kettles.

"He has expressed interest

in other patients.

"Questions about range of conditions

patients are said to have.

"I feel interest borders on morbidity,

especially in light of his history."

Then there's this.

"Coulson for M. Suitable subject."

- M?

- Morland?

I tracked him down. He's retired but still

sees patients now and again in his home.

Maybe Coulson's one of them.

Strange word. "Subject."

"for you today.

"people who suffer from depression often

feel they've always felt this way.

"Like they're trapped in a cycle."

so, let's go through a typical

Chris day, shall we?

I don't do anything.

"You must do something.

It's impossible to do nothing."

F***!

F***!

You've been coming here

for over a month now, Chris, but

you can't progress unless you start

to share a bit more about yourself.

Is there anyone in your life

you have feelings for?

There's a girl.

And I, erm

kind of like her I suppose.

How did you meet her?

We met at a university up north.

I was older Well, I am older than her.

And she was in her first year.

And I didn't finish. I-I-I dropped out.

And I was just hanging

round university, going to the bar.

- Did you go out?

- No.

No, she

She went out with a friend of mine, Jim.

So that's, that's how I met her.

Have you kept in touch with her?

"No, not, not really."

I mean, I sometimes go

over to sort of that part of town

because it's it's, it's near where

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