Vera Drake Page #5

just like Pamela's.

Mrs. Barnes,

these people must be stopped.

You're going to have

to inform the police.

I ain't talking to them.

Sister Coombes.

Righty-oh. They're ready for you

in theater, Mr. Walsh.

Thank you,

Sister.

Mrs. Barnes, if you don't inform

the police, I'm going to have to.

Unfortunately, it's my

legal obligation to do so.

Excuse me.

- Excuse me, nurse.

- Yes, sir?

We're police officers.

We're looking for Sister Coombes.

Oh yes, sir,

just follow me.

Sister,

it's police.

Good evening, sister.

I'm Detective Inspector Webster,

- this is D.S. Vickers...

- Good evening.

Oh,

good evening.

We was sitting by

the side of the road,

there was bodies everywhere...

stink, petrol...

I'd had enough.

I couldn't do nothing.

Couldn't run away,

couldn't cry,

couldn't feel nothing...

I just sat there.

And all of a sudden,

there was this old girl...

staggering past us,

muttering in French.

Guess what she was

carrying under her arm?

- What?

- A pair of old mirrors.

You ain't told me

that before.

We've got a lot

to be thankful for.

- Yes, we have.

- I have.

For one thing, you ain't turned out

nothing like your mother.

She can't help it.

Did you ever ask her who

your dad was in the end?

No.

If I'd have been 11

and not 12 when Mom died,

I'd have had to go

in an orphanage, like Frank.

I know. You went

straight out to work.

I had to fend

for meself, didn't I?

- Still. It did you no harm.

- Ah, well.

- Look at everything you got now.

- Yes.

I'm a lucky man.

You telephoned

for an ambulance this afternoon,

- is that right?

- Yes.

Now, why did

you do that?

She was having

a miscarriage, weren't she?

- A miscarriage.

- Yes.

Mr. Walsh has told us that somebody

came round to your house

to perform an operation

on your daughter.

Well, there you are,

Mr. Walsh just told you.

Doctors know everything.

Why don't you ask him?

I want to hear it

from you, Mrs. Barnes.

He's the one what phoned you.

I never phoned you.

It ain't got nothing

to do with me.

Keep your voice down,

Mrs. Barnes.

Who was it that performed

this operation?

A woman.

- Do you know her name?

- No.

How did you get in touch

with this woman?

I don't know.

You just ask about.

- Who did you ask?

- People at work.

Where do you work,

Mrs. Barnes?

Allied Laundries...

Clerkenwell Road.

- Who did you talk to at work?

- What does it matter now?

Your daughter's

just nearly died, Mrs. Barnes.

It would be

in your best interests.

You do realize

this is a criminal matter.

All right.

- Vera.

- Vera?

- Vera Drake.

- That's who you talked to at work?

No, sir, she's the one what come

round. She's the one what done it.

Vera Drake is the person

that performed the operation

on your daughter?

- Yes.

- So you do know her name.

Yes.

Had you met her

before?

We both worked

in a laundry in 1931.

- Have you seen her since then?

- No.

- Do you know where she lives?

- No.

What does she look like,

Mrs. Barnes?

Um, small... small hands.

I ain't going to get

- in to trouble for this, am I?

- It's a bit of a coincidence, isn't it?

Somebody you haven't

seen for years

just suddenly turns up

on your doorstep.

Well, I ain't lying!

You're twisting my words.

That's not fair!

- It's all right, dear.

I'm not suggesting

you are lying, Mrs. Barnes.

I'm just trying to get

to the bottom of things.

- There you are, Sid. Grab here.

- Coming in.

That's better.

Where we always have it.

- Gives us more room, don't it?

- Oh, yes.

Got the Christmas cloth.

We want it to look nice,

don't we, Mom?

- Yes?

- Good afternoon.

Are you Mrs. Lillian Clark?

- Why, who wants to know?

- D.I. Webster, metropolitan police.

There we are!

- Hello! Hello, Joyce!

- All right, Stan?

- Just catching my breath.

- Hello, Joyce!

Oh, doesn't she look lovely?

- All right, my darling.

- Hello, dear.

- Hello, Auntie Joyce. How are you?

- Hello, Sidney.

- Look at the inside of this!

- How are you doing, Uncle Frank?

- All right, Sid.

- Ain't seen you for ages.

You look like a film star.

Congratulations, Ethel,

it's lovely news.

- Do you like it?

- Yes, I do!

- I sewed the lining in myself.

- Did you?

- It's leopard print.

- Leopard print.

Come on, you make

yourself comfortable...

Blimey, look at that, eh?

Here, I hope you left

your rifle at home, Auntie Joyce!

Do you know

Mrs. Edna McKenzie?

What if I do?

Just give us a straight

answer, please.

I might.

Are you familiar with

the standard tearooms

- on the Holloway Road, Mrs. Clark?

- Yes.

- Were you there last Wednesday?

- I can't remember.

You're really not helping

yourself, Mrs. Clark.

What's this

all about, anyway?

Do you know

Vera Drake?

Quite a grocery shop

you've got here, love.

It's for the old people...

for Christmas.

How much you charging

for a bag of tea?

Did you take two guineas off

Jessica Barnes last Wednesday?

I don't know what

you're talking about.

I think you do, Mrs. Clark.

Nice living you're making

for yourself.

Have you got a little bit

of lipstick on, Ethel?

Don't she look lovely

in that top and all?

Did you knit that yourself?

No, we got that from the market,

didn't we?

How's the house coming along,

Uncle Frank?

I've been keeping

Frank busy, ain't I, Frank?

Been up a ladder

the best part of six months.

- The neighbors have just got a tv.

- Have they?

- In the front room.

- Have you seen it?

- Only through the window.

- You'll have to get one now, Frank.

- That's next on my list.

- Dear though, ain't they?

- Only 36.00.

- 36.00.

- A bit steep, that.

- They must have a few bob.

Oh yes. Got lovely color

and all, ain't they, Frank?

- V-8 pilot.

- He's doing rather shifty at the job.

I was hoping for a little spin

round the block.

You can see it out

the window.

Oh, that ain't

the same thing, is it?

Will it be all right

out there, Frank?

- I've already told you.

- It'll be fine.

Of course it will.

Well, you can't

be sure, can you?

There he is!

Let him in, Ethel.

Talk of the devil... the man himself.

- Hello. Come on in.

- That you, Reg?

Yeah, Reg,

in you come.

- Here he is.

- Afternoon.

Hi, hi. How's your

luck, pal?

Reg, this is

my brother Frank.

- Pleased to meet you, Reg.

- How do you do?

- Congratulations.

- And his wife Joyce.

- Hello, Reg.

- How do you do?

Here, take your coat off.

We can eat now. I'm starving.

Didn't hold everybody up,

did I?

Oh, don't be so silly.

Go on, sit yourselves down.

- Where do you want me to sit?

- Looks smart, don't he?

- Yeah, he does.

- You sit there, Reg.

- Here, Uncle Frank. You're next to me.

- Well, don't make trouble.

- Now come on, everyone. Tuck in.

- Fill your boats.

Ethel, thank you.

- This is nice.

- Aw.

Ayup. Ayup.

Here's to

Ethel and Reg.

Welcome to

the family, Reg.

And all the very best

to the both of you. Cheers.

- Cheers.

- To the happy couple.

- Here's to you.

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