A couple of years later
she returned to work by which time Paul had started drinking.
Despite everything, Rose says she loves her son and is glad
she had him. Paul was
weak but she stuck with him and tried to save her marriage but
eventually he disappeared for which she was grateful and didn’t
make any attempt to find him.
Eventually she tells Gerald it is time for him to leave as
she wants to avoid gossip. Although
there on his employers’ business, Gerald is kind to Rose and
doesn’t appear indifferent to her.
A stranger arrives in the
village and attends a service at the church where Mrs Davis sees
him. Meanwhile Rose
sits in the garden reading a newspaper.
Something in it attracts her attention and she goes to her
son’s bedroom. She
knocks on the door and has to wait until he lets her enter,
clearly Johnnie values his privacy.
Rose asks him for an object she gave him to keep, wanting
to look at it before giving it back ….. it is a copy of her
report on Formula F!
Sir and Dunlop are aware
Gerald has slept with Rose. They
tell him a study has been published in a Sunday paper about
increased instances of cancer in certain areas of Britain - those
where Formula F was sold. Rose
is the only person who could link this information to her own
findings and it is now even more crucial that if she has the
report, it is found and destroyed.
After receiving Sir’s assurance that the product will be
completely phased out, Gerald agrees to complete the search.
Back at the house Gerald
enters Johnnie’s room and finds the report in the locked box but
he is observed. He
takes the document but is interrupted by a visitor.
It is the stranger from the church who asks for Mrs
Datchett, saying he is her husband.
Gerald tells him she’s not at home and the man leaves,
after which the report is hidden in the cellar.
Late that night Gerald returns to the house and goes down
to the cellar to retrieve Rose’s report …… noises are heard
coming from the cellar, then Gerald’s boat is driven away.
The next day Rose goes to
the cellar and finds all her pre-prepared food has been removed
from the freezer and left piled up around the room.
She exclaims and Mrs Davis follows to see what’s wrong.
The food has thawed but Mrs Davis says to put it back in
the freezer. She opens
the door and the reason for the food’s removal is revealed …..
Gerald’s cut, bloody body has been forced into the freezer where
it has become frozen. Rose
sees the mutilated body of her lover and faints ……
Trouble ahead: Anne Stallybrass and Paul Herzberg
© Photo: Daily Express, 17 January 1981
Episode 2
The second episode starts similarly to
the first, with a rabbit pounced on by another animal and Boy looking on.
The last couple of minutes from the previous episode are repeated.
Mrs Davis calls Boy, cuts the phone line
and then gets her brother to move Rose to the kitchen. Neither seem very
surprised that there’s a dead body in the freezer. When her employer
regains consciousness and remembers, Mrs Davis makes her drink some herbal tea,
to which she has quietly added a few drops of a green liquid. Rose wants
to phone the police but Mrs Davis insists on calling, saying it’s engaged.
When Rose tries to rise a few minutes later, she finds she cannot move other
than her head. She realises Mrs Davis and Boy are not what they seem.
Mrs Davis reveals she is not from the village and has the old skills and
knowledge but is also a state registered nurse.
Boy shows Rose the report which he knew
Gerald had been after. Rose realises Gerald betrayed her. She
guesses her former employers sent him to locate the document and that he only
had sex with her to this end. Evidently after Rose saw the newspaper item,
she wrote to those responsible for the study saying she has some information and
they try to contact her - in vain given the cut phone line. Mrs Davis and
Boy question Rose about the report as neither knows what it is and Mrs Davis
decides it should be burnt. Rose asks what is going to happen to her.
When she is brought back to the kitchen
after visiting the toilet, Rose is dismayed to see Johnnie but when the boy
turns she realises it isn’t him - the boy, otherwise the image of her son, has a
stain disfiguring one half of his face. Mrs Davis introduces Rose to the
boy and Mark to his mother.
Gradually the truth is revealed by Mrs
Davis. She was the midwife who delivered Johnnie. Rose had indeed
been carrying twins and after Mrs Davis showed the babies to Mr Datchett, she
hold him she would dispose of the disfigured child. He assumed she would
kill it and assented but his Catholic conscience later led him to drink.
But Mrs Davis actually wanted the baby for herself, though she tells Rose a girl
would have been better as the old traditions are handed down mother to daughter
in her family …. she follows some kind of witchcraft.
Mrs Davis reveals that Gerald was put in
the freezer so it will appear his time of death is that when he thaws out.
Rose says she doesn’t care what happens to her, her only concern is Johnnie.
Mrs Davis forces her to drink a second cup of “tea” after which Rose asks to be
taken to her bedroom. She is regaining some movement and before the second
cup can take effect, puts her fingers in her mouth and retches, bringing up the
contents of her stomach. Despite still feeling shaky, she manages to get
to Johnnie’s room where she takes his sword and then goes back to her room to
await her son’s return from school.
As Johnnie gets off the bus, his father
is waiting for him and introduces himself. They walk to the house together
where Mr Datchett instantly recognises Mrs Davis, or Miss Vigo as he knew her.
Datchett explains his drinking history to Johnnie, saying he was saved by some
nuns and no longer drinks alcohol or any stimulants, and so refuses to drink the
tea Mrs Davis offers. Father and son go upstairs to visit Rose.
She saw her husband arrive at the house
and fears Paul is somehow involved in recent events so holds the sword against
him as protection. Johnnie listens quietly as his mother and father talk,
taking in what they say. Datchett convinces Rose he is not in league with
Mrs Davis but has come to see his son having received a letter telling him where
they now lived. He gives this to Rose who puts down the sword to look at
the letter; in surprise she recognises Johnnie’s handwriting and turns to her
son …..
Johnnie is holding the sword pointing at
his mother. He tells off his mother for taking things that don’t belong to
her and entering his room without permission. In a completely calm voice,
Johnnie reveals Mrs Davis and Boy had nothing to do with killing Gerald, it was
he and Mark. Gerald had entered his room and opened his private locked
box. Holding the sword, Johnnie instructs his father to follow him to his
bedroom, en route telling Mrs Davis that his mother has sicked up the tea and to
give her more. He looks on unmoved as Boy strangles his father, telling
the dead body that he should have contacted him earlier.
Mrs Davis forces Rose to drink more tea,
this drug making her speechless as well as motionless. Rose is left
upstairs whilst Johnnie, Boy, Mark and Mrs Davis make preparations to leave.
Mrs Davis removes Gerald’s body from the freezer so it will start to thaw out.
The four have tea in the kitchen and Johnnie asks if they are going to kill his
mother. The twins are clearly close, Mark having taught the knowledge to
his brother. Mrs Davis is angry with them and Boy for murdering Gerald and
Datchett, leaving her to clear up the mess, but tells Johnnie she will deal with
his mother.
She then tells Rose she had no part in
events other than sending her the clipping as Mark wanted his brother. She
explains that Mark taught Johnnie some knowledge too quick too soon; and that
Mark was also behind Boy killing her husband. Rose is faced with the
realisation that Johnnie is a cold blooded little monster and his brother just
as bad.
Mrs Davis describes to Rose what is to
happen. Johnnie will go with her and they will dispose of Paul’s body,
leaving Rose to take the blame for Gerald’s murder. It will appear that
Johnnie ran off after finding his mother with Gerald’s dead body. It’s up
to her exactly what story she concocts. The police will look for the boy
but he will be declared missing, presumed drowned. But should Rose reveal
the truth, the police will hunt Johnnie down and put him in a mental home.
It’s Rose’s choice what she does. Mrs Davis almost seems fond of Rose as
she takes her leave.
Rose is sat at a table in the restaurant
facing the thawing body of Gerald, one of her hands covering his. Tears
run down Rose’s face as Johnnie says goodbye to her and then she is left alone.
Some diners knock at the door, they can see people through the window. The
drug is wearing off and Rose, tears still streaking her face, is finally able to
move her hand away and then she screams ……
DR, April 2004
Copyright DiMar