CORMACK FERGUS FRANKIE GUARD_1 JADE LEAH LIAM MANAGER MORGANA OLLIE RITCHIE STEVEN ZARA ZHANG ZHANG Richard Vogel, you're under arrest. RITCHIE You sold me out. RITCHIE It's your face that haunts me. ZHANG He killed a kid, James. CORMACK Fuck me, I need a drink. GUARD 1 Name? CORMACK James Cormack. GUARD 1 Visiting? CORMACK Richard Vogel. GUARD 1 And the hat. The inmate could take it off you and use it as a weapon. CORMACK That's pretty dumb. GUARD 1 I don't make the rules. CORMACK If I get sunburnt it's on you. GUARD 1 Wait here. FRANKIE Dad! FRANKIE Dad! You went outside the lines. RITCHIE Sorry chook. Yours looks great. I've never seen a pink elephant. FRANKIE They live in Africa (duh). RITCHIE So what did Zara say? JADE Still no trial date. But she's getting the brief of evidence this week, so she'll know more soon. RITCHIE What about the transfer request? JADE She said it'll never be granted. JADE It's fine babe, we've moved up here now. We've got a place, I've got a job interview tomorrow. RITCHIE You shouldn't have had to uproot your life. JADE It's our life. Okay? And we're not going anywhere until you get out. JADE Hey, I've got a present for you. JADE It's a boy. RITCHIE I love you. FRANKIE I love you too. RITCHIE What's he doing here? JADE You can't keep ignoring him. JADE He's paying the lawyer's fees, he paid for us to move up here. RITCHIE He's paying to ease his conscience. JADE I don't think that's true. He wants to help and he knows about this stuff. Please just hear him out. CORMACK I had no idea logging your DNA would lead to this. RITCHIE Why did you do it? CORMACK I put it in the system in case you died, so I could stop wondering. RITCHIE Why couldn't you just leave me alone? CORMACK Because you're my brother. RITCHIE No I'm not. That was a long time ago. I don't even know you. CORMACK Bullshit. Time doesn't undo what we went through together. RITCHIE We weren't a team Jimmy. You put me through half of that shit. CORMACK I was trying to protect you. I never meant to hurt you. RITCHIE Well you did. CORMACK Jesus Ritch, you aren't the only one who got hurt. He beat the shit out of me too. And you were no saint - you stuck a fucking knife in me and ran away. I had to stay behind and bury Mum on my own. CORMACK How is it you forgive dad, but you can't forgive me? RITCHIE I never forgave dad. I was just desperate when I went to him. CORMACK You could've come to me. RITCHIE I needed fast cash. The ex con seemed a better bet than the cop. CORMACK That was just a fucking job. I woulda helped you. I want to help you now. RITCHIE Your help landed me in here. CORMACK No, your DNA being on the body of a 19 year old kid who's throat was cut landed you in here. CORMACK You can't keep running Ritch, there's nowhere left to go. CORMACK You might not call me family anymore. But you got a missus and two kids that need you. RITCHIE What do you want to know? CORMACK Start with your relationship to the victim. RITCHIE Stop talking like a cop. His name was Liam, and he was my friend. CORMACK Be more specific. Good friend? Acquaintance? Lover? RITCHIE He was like a brother. CORMACK I see what you did there. RITCHIE We met in Sydney. After a while he had to go home to Queensland, to help with the family business. He said I could come and stay in the motel they owned if I worked there. CORMACK The motel he was murdered in? RITCHIE Yes. CORMACK Why was he in your room that night? RITCHIE I don't know. I wasn't there. CORMACK Where were you? Walk me through the whole night. RITCHIE Liam and I went to the pub with his girlfriend, Anika. We had a few drinks, then Liam left to go fishing with his brother, out in the boat. I had another drink, then went down to the beach for a while. CORMACK Can anyone confirm that? RITCHIE No, I was alone. I was at the beach for about an hour, then I went home to the motel. That's when I found him. There was blood everywhere. CORMACK What did you do next? RITCHIE That bit's not very clear. I have these, blank spots. CORMACK Blank spots? Jesus, Ritch. You gotta try and remember. RITCHIE I have tried. But everything after I found him is blurry. One minute I was looking at Liam's body, the next thing I remember is being in his car, driving away. CORMACK Have you got any idea who might've done it? RITCHIE I've thought about this a lot. There was this guy staying at the motel at the time. CORMACK What was his relationship to Liam? RITCHIE None, he was a stranger. But he was there that week and he was sketchy as hell. CORMACK Oh right - the sketchy bloke did it Your Honour. RITCHIE I'm serious! He was always watching us. CORMACK What was his name? RITCHIE I don't know. He was staying in room 9. GUARD 1 Time's up. RITCHIE There was something off about the guy. Can you just look for him? CORMACK If you didn't kill Liam, why did you run? RITCHIE I don't know. CORMACK Another blank spot? LIAM Ritchie, you ready? RITCHIE Yep. 3, 2, 1 - go! RITCHIE That was sick! LIAM Go for it. RITCHIE This place is amazing. LIAM Yeah, it goes alright. RITCHIE Are you kidding? Three days ago we were freezing our tits off. RITCHIE You want to go one more? LIAM Nah. Tide's almost right. RITCHIE Sick scar. How'd you get it? LIAM Stacked my bike when I was 10. LIAM Let's go get some fish. RITCHIE Aye-aye, Captain. MORGANA He looks barely legal. MORGANA Have you put a measure on it? LIAM It's way over. Your eyes must be going Ma. MORGANA They're sharp enough to see this is a shite haul. You lost your touch while you were down in the city? LIAM Yeah right. MORGANA That's more like it. How'd you go Ritchie, you enjoy it out there? RITCHIE I loved it. Thank you so much Mrs Knox. MORGANA Mrs Knox was my mother-in-law, and she was a right cow. LIAM Mum! MORGANA You disagree? LIAM No. But, she's dead. MORGANA So is Hitler, but we don't gild the lily there. Call me Morgana. Or there'll be trouble. MORGANA I'm glad you've had a fun few days, but real life starts tomorrow. We've got a heap of bookings this week, so you'll be crewing for your brother. MORGANA And Ritchie, you're welcome to stay with us for as long as you like, but you've got to pay your own way. RITCHIE I'll do anything. MORGANA You can start at the motel, cleaning. Let's get a move on. I've got to pick up more painkillers for your dad before the chemist shuts. RITCHIE Thanks for the lift Mrs-- Morgana. And thanks so much for letting me stay here. MORGANA You're welcome. 8am sharp. MORGANA He seems a good lad. LIAM Yeah, he's cool. MORGANA Where's he from? What do his folks do? LIAM He doesn't talk about his family. I think he's had a pretty rough time of it. But he's cool, he had my back in Sydney. MORGANA Thank you again Liam, for coming home. We really need you. LIAM Yeah, no worries. See you later. MORGANA I know you're set on staying here, instead of moving back into the house. And I get it, you need your own space. But you have to come and see your father. LIAM He's been so weird since the accident. MORGANA He's just embarrassed. LIAM It is kind of funny, he's the toughest bloke on the earth, but he slips in the shower. MORGANA The funnier bit was me having to help him up while his tackle was flapping about. MORGANA Dinner at the house, tomorrow night. LIAM Finally! I got the animation working. Check it out. RITCHIE Cool. LIAM It is! It's fucking way-cool. This took me ages to build. RITCHIE Sorry mate, I don't get computers. How does it work? LIAM So this is my page. It's just random shit that I'm into, games and music and stuff. RITCHIE Like a scrapbook? LIAM Kind of, but people all over the world can see it, and I can see their pages. Check this out, this is my mate Ari's site, he's in New York. RITCHIE You're right, it is pretty cool. Where'd you learn how to do this? LIAM I did com-sci in school. And then just reading forums. I'd love to learn properly but; go work for Sega one day. LIAM What's your dream job? RITCHIE Um. I don't know. I've always just been happy with whatever pays. I didn't finish school, so I'm not really good for much. RITCHIE Speaking of work, I should get to bed. First day tomorrow. Goodnight. LIAM See you tomorrow. ZARA Hi James. Sorry for the wait. CORMACK No worries. Thank you for this, Zara. I know it's unconventional. ZARA Ritchie was clear that he wants me to loop you in. And I think your experience could be an asset. But you need to play by my rules. CORMACK Yes, Mum. ZARA The first batch of disclosure evidence has arrived - autopsy, police statements, crime scene. ZARA I made you copies. How was Ritchie yesterday? CORMACK He's holding it together. Which is more than I can say about his memory. He does not come across as a very credible witness. ZARA Trauma victims rarely have perfect recall. Doesn't mean they're lying. CORMACK What's your verdict on his chances? ZARA The circumstantial evidence paints a pretty bad picture. But there's no motive and no eye witnesses. If we can find an alternative suspect we have a shot at reasonable doubt. CORMACK Has he told you about the bloke in room 9? ZARA Yes. But that's a tough one to sell to a jury. He wasn't interviewed by police, or mentioned in any witness statements. There's no proof he even exists. ZARA I'd rather focus on the family first. CORMACK I'm heading to Swanport tomorrow, to talk to them. ZARA There's no way the Knox family is going to speak to you. CORMACK Don't worry, I know someone who can make the perfect introduction. OLLIE What the fuck? CORMACK You've been a naughty little boy, Ollie. CORMACK Ooh, it's the good stuff. I'll be confiscating this. OLLIE Detective Cormack. What's going on? CORMACK Former detective. How rude of me - I'm James, I used to work with Ollie at the Department of Public Prosecution. LEAH You're a lawyer? CORMACK He's a paralegal actually. LEAH He said he was a crypto mogul. CORMACK Ouch. I bet he didn't tell you he's married with two kids either? LEAH You prick. CORMACK Say: 'divorce'. OLLIE What do you want? CORMACK Your working the Liam Knox case. OLLIE Yeah. FRANKIE Uncle Jimmy? CORMACK You're a little ninja. FRANKIE What's a ninja? CORMACK A silent assassin. They're cool. FRANKIE Mum asked if you want some dinner? CORMACK Tell her thanks, but I've already eaten. CORMACK You want a bite? CORMACK Don't tell your Mum. FRANKIE Uncle Jimmy, why did you stop being a policeman? CORMACK Too much paperwork. FRANKIE What are you going to do now? CORMACK I'm not sure yet. Maybe I'll open an ice-cream shop. CORMACK What do you want to be when you grow up? FRANKIE A lawyer. CORMACK Jeez, you got too many friends or something? CORMACK Why do you want to be a lawyer? FRANKIE Mum said Zara is a lawyer, and she's helping dad come home. CORMACK The killer beat the shit out of Liam's face, but he's got scars on his ribs from before the murder. Do you know what happened? RITCHIE He stacked his pushy when he was a kid. Why? CORMACK What was his old man like? RITCHIE Steven was a good bloke. He was nothing like Dad. Liam loved him. CORMACK We loved Dad too, remember. RITCHIE Have you found out who was staying in room 9 yet? CORMACK It's on the list. But I'm more interested in Liam's family - most victims know their killer. RITCHIE I just don't want to think anyone in that family could've hurt Liam like that. CORMACK Why not? RITCHIE They were good people... Ritchie's V/O carries over-- RITCHIE That time in Swanport, they were the happiest days of my life... We see the car from above as it continues along the coast road. It's flanked by mountains on one side and the sea on the other. Islands dot the horizon - beacons to passing sailors that warn of the danger in these waters. RITCHIE Get off him! LIAM Ritchie it's cool, I'm OK. LIAM This dickhead is my brother. FERGUS Respect, for charging in like that. But would you have had the balls to swing if I'd been a real threat? LIAM Shut up Fergus. FERGUS Never pick up a weapon you're not willing to use, or it'll get used on you. LIAM What are you doing here? FERGUS It's time to go to work. LIAM It's 5am, our first client's at 9. FERGUS I need to do a run out to Bishop's Island first. LIAM Why? FERGUS Just scoping a place to take a chick camping. Seal the deal. LIAM Why the fuck do I have to come? FERGUS My ship, my rules. Chop chop! RITCHIE Are you alright? LIAM I'll see you this arvo. LIAM How was your first day? RITCHIE Getting the hang of it. How was the charter? LIAM Pretty chill. The clients were more into sinking piss than fishing. RITCHIE Who's that? LIAM That is cyclone Anika. You almost finished? RITCHIE This is my last one. LIAM Good, then let's get going. Mum's making dinner at the house. LIAM Hi Mum. MORGANA We're eating in 20 minutes. LIAM I'm starving. MORGANA You've never been starving in your life. Make yourself useful and get Ritchie a drink. MORGANA Do you like Mojitos? RITCHIE I've never had one. MORGANA They're wicked good. But dangerous, so pace yourself. RITCHIE You have a beautiful home Morgana. MORGANA It's a bit of a madhouse, but Céad Mile Fálte - our home is yours. MORGANA Take this to your dad, outside. STEVEN I can't drink it from back there. LIAM Hey Dad. STEVEN How was the big smoke? LIAM Alright. Glad to be home though. STEVEN How'd you go today? LIAM Fine. The sonar is playing up though. I think we need a new one. STEVEN We'll fix it, we're not made of money. Were the clients satisfied? LIAM Yep. I hooked a big Mackerel and let them reel it in. They were stoked. How are you going? LIAM I'm sorry Dad. You don't deserve this. STEVEN I don't need your pity. I just need you to crew for a few weeks, until I'm back. Understood? STEVEN I've got it. LIAM I'm sorry. STEVEN Just give me a minute. Go give your mother a hand. MORGANA Plates are in the far cupboard luv. MORGANA How did you go? LIAM Yep. Good. LIAM What's this doing out? MORGANA That's for Ritchie. MORGANA I saw you didn't have much with you at the motel. I thought you could use some of Liam's old things. RITCHIE I don't want to be any trouble. MORGANA It's no trouble, they're just gathering dust. RITCHIE Thank you. It's very generous. LIAM Fuck, what was I thinking? LIAM You won't catch many chicks with this fashion crime, but you will jag some fish with this rig. RITCHIE What's this for? LIAM You've never used a gaff? LIAM It's for game fishing. You get the hook up under the gills to lift the big beasts into the boat. RITCHIE I've never caught anything that big before. LIAM You will. We'll pop your cherry soon, get you your first big kill. CORMACK Narcotics Anonymous, Betty Ford speaking. OLLIE I just spoke to Morgana Knox. They're expecting you today. I'll text you the details. CORMACK Good man. There's hope for you yet. OLLIE I want those photos back now. OLLIE I did what you asked. CORMACK You're a coke fiend who cheats on his missus. I have trust issues. OLLIE I'm not going to say anything, I'd lose my job for this. CORMACK You'll get the photos when I'm done. CORMACK Morgana, Steven, I'm James Cormack. Thanks for taking the time. STEVEN Can we get you anything? CORMACK No thanks. CORMACK Swish place. You guys own the whole joint? STEVEN With some investors. And the bank. MORGANA So how does this work? Ollie said you're consulting on the case, but he didn't give us much detail. CORMACK I'm a cold case specialist. I've retired from the force, but I still consult for the DPP when they feel a case needs extra attention. MORGANA Richard Vogel killed my son. CORMACK That's what the Crown Prosecutor believes. I'm just here to see if I can find any holes the defence might try and exploit in court. I will be asking some tough questions, but I'm on your side. STEVEN What do you want to know? CORMACK How well did you know Richard Vogel? MORGANA Not very. We didn't even know his surname. CORMACK But he and Liam were close? MORGANA Yes. Liam trusted him, which is why we welcomed him into our home. CORMACK Do you have any idea why Vogel would want to hurt Liam? Do you recall them ever fighting over anything - girls? Money? MORGANA No. Not that we knew of. CORMACK The defence is going to argue Vogel didn't have a motive to kill Liam. MORGANA I don't think he did. Something in that boy was just broken. CORMACK What do you mean? MORGANA Ritchie obviously had a traumatic life. If you kick a dog long enough, eventually it'll bite. He looked like a sweet kid, but he had darkness inside him. CORMACK Can you think of anyone else Liam had issues with? Anyone the defence could try to position as a suspect? MORGANA Everyone loved Liam. CORMACK What about other guests at the motel? Any strange characters staying there at the time? MORGANA Not that I remember. It was usually just grey nomads and backpackers. STEVEN The police took the sign in book as evidence. They still have it. CORMACK This next one's unpleasant and I'm sorry to have to ask. Was there ever any violence in your home? MORGANA How dare you. CORMACK The defence will ask these type of questions. STEVEN It's ok, Morgs. He's just doing his job. All kids need tough love sometimes. And Liam needed more than his brother. But I never beat him. STEVEN I thought I was protecting him, hardening him up. But I just ended up pushing him out the door to Sydney. Where he met Ritchie. CORMACK I'll be in town for a while, talking to people who knew Liam. I'll need to chat to your son, Fergus. STEVEN He's in Rockhampton, visiting his wife's folks. I'll get him to contact you when he's back. CORMACK Thank you. And thanks for your time today, I know this isn't easy. STEVEN No, it's not. It's torture. MANAGER No music after 11 and no glass by the pool. Other than that we're pretty relaxed. Here we go... MANAGER Room 3. And 4. CORMACK Thanks. MANAGER Just you is it? CORMACK Yep. MANAGER Why the two rooms? CORMACK I like my space. MANAGER Right. You know filming adult content in a hotel is illegal without the consent of the owner? CORMACK What kind of porno's are you watching mate? I'm on my own. MANAGER I'm not saying you can't film, just that you need my consent. MANAGER Maybe if I got to meet the stars we could work something out? CORMACK Yeah, I can swing that. You want to see some pics of the girls first? MANAGER You don't look like a cop. CORMACK You don't look like a perv. CORMACK Hello. ZARA James, it's Zara. CORMACK How's it going? ZARA Not great. ZARA The DPP just delivered another tranche of disclosure, and it is not looking good... ZARA Ritchie's fingerprints are on the murder weapon.