ANIKA ATTENDANT CORMACK EMDR_THERAPIST FERGUS FRANKIE GUARD_3 KEITH LIAM MORGANA RITCHIE STEVEN ZACH ZARA CORMACK Yeah. It's him. ATTENDANT I'm sorry for your loss. ATTENDANT If you could please sign here. ATTENDANT There's a box of his things. You can collect it at the front desk. Would you like to spend some time alone with your father? CORMACK Why start now. CORMACK Hi Mum. RITCHIE You smell like a brewery. What was the occasion? CORMACK Dad's dead. RITCHIE Shit. Did you do it? CORMACK Died in his sleep. Peaceful, apparently. RITCHIE That's not how I dreamed it. CORMACK Yeah. Croc attack woulda been my preference. RITCHIE That's a nice image. RITCHIE Did you see him? Are you OK? CORMACK I'm fine. That's a lie, I don't know how I am. What about you? RITCHIE He still scares the shit out of me. CORMACK He can't hurt you anymore. RITCHIE I'm not scared of him. I'm scared that I'm the same as him. CORMACK You're nothing like him. RITCHIE My current lodgings beg to differ. I've fought it my whole life, but it's always been there. The anger. CORMACK I reviewed every police interview from 99. Anika never mentioned the phone call from Liam on the night of the murder. ZARA It's only 2.3 k's from her house to the motel - the timeline works. CORMACK But she's not Muhammad Ali, and the killer worked Liam over pretty hard. ZARA I'm not saying she killed him. But she might be the reason he was killed. Check this out. ZARA The prosecution delivered another batch of evidence. ZARA This is the night of. CORMACK They look cosy. But I don't know... ZARA Juries eat up a love triangle. Brother V brother. The very first crime... CORMACK Who's that guy? ZARA I've got no idea. RITCHIE That's Zach. RITCHIE He was mates with Fergus. CORMACK What's his story? RITCHIE I don't know. We didn't hang out with him. Liam didn't like him. CORMACK Why? RITCHIE He said Zach got Fergus on the gear. CORMACK Do you know his surname? RITCHIE No, I don't remember. CORMACK What were the boys arguing about? RITCHIE I don't know. I was getting drinks. I only caught the end of it. CORMACK Did Fergus have a thing for Anika? RITCHIE Probably. We all did. CORMACK Could that be what the boys were fighting about? RITCHIE I don't know. CORMACK Do you know why Liam called Anika that night? RITCHIE Liam called her? CORMACK Late. From the motel reception. RITCHIE Right. I didn't know that. RITCHIE How come you don't know Zach's surname? Isn't it on his police statement? CORMACK He was never interviewed. RITCHIE Can I keep these? CORMACK Yeah. Are you OK, mate? RITCHIE I'm not feeling great. CORMACK Don't have a meltdown, but I want you to try EMDR therapy. It can help deal with trauma memories. RITCHIE No. CORMACK We need to unscramble your fucked- up brain. RITCHIE I'm not doing therapy. If you don't want a meltdown, stop bringing it up. CORMACK Ritch, we-- GUARD 3 Lockdown! Lockdown! RITCHIE Gotta go. CORMACK Captain Jack Sparrow. Good place to dock. KEITH You going through the security cam footage? It backs up my view about the brothers doesn't it? CORMACK It does. But your view's clouded by the grudge you had against your ex missus. KEITH It wasn't like that. CORMACK I heard you pined after Morgana for years. KEITH Doesn't mean I wasn't right. Morgana's always had this town fooled about who she really is. But I knew her before she was Mrs Knox. Back when she was Morgana Geddes. CORMACK What are you trying to say? KEITH Just look her up. You'll see for yourself. ANIKA We were down Q1, but bookings are up, so we're on track to match Q2 earnings from last year. CORMACK How's the serenity. The Castle. Bonnydoon? MORGANA Have I blanked on an appointment? CORMACK No, I was in the neighbourhood. Have you got a minute? ANIKA Sure. Go ahead. MORGANA We're family, there's no secrets here. CORMACK Fair enough. CORMACK You said the boys were arguing about Keith Finch that night. ANIKA That's right. CORMACK To a jury, it'll look like they were arguing over you. Were they? ANIKA Fergus was just being a dick. Sorry. MORGANA If the shoe fits. CORMACK So there was nothing going on between you and Fergus? ANIKA No! He was just winding Liam up. MORGANA It was just boys being boys. CORMACK You and Liam don't part on very good terms. ANIKA He was jealous. And I was annoyed that he was being so possessive. CORMACK Was that the last time you spoke to him. That argument? What about the phone call? CORMACK He called you. From the motel. After midnight. MORGANA Liam called you? ANIKA I'm sorry. I should've told you. He rang to apologise about the fight. But I couldn't talk. ANIKA Mum was having chemo. It was brutal. ANIKA (CONT'D) We'd just found out it wasn't working. I was a mess. But I should never have hung up on him. MORGANA Why didn't you tell me? ANIKA I'm so sorry. That call's haunted me my whole life. He wanted to make up. He wanted to come over. But I hung up on him. MORGANA That should be enough for the next fortnight. I'll send Ritchie in with the last of it. ANIKA Thank you Morgana. For everything. MORGANA Do the weeding first. Don't start the mower til Grace wakes up. RITCHIE No worries. This is so kind of you Morgana, what you're doing for Anika and her mum. MORGANA We take care of our own up here. Which reminds me - Liam said Zach's been giving you a hard time? RITCHIE Nuh, it's all good. MORGANA He can be a menace. If he gives you grief again, you come to me, OK? MORGANA Good man. STEVEN Try it now. LIAM That's some mad-scientist shit Dad. STEVEN I'm not just a pretty face. STEVEN How's Grace? STEVEN Melbourne called. They're not happy. MORGANA I've explained it to them. STEVEN They don't want to wait. MORGANA They seem to have trouble understanding a woman. STEVEN Ferg can go out at first light. MORGANA No! Go make us a cuppa, luv. LIAM Yep. In a sec. MORGANA Liam. Now, please. STEVEN You're too soft on that boy. You can't hide it from him forever. MORGANA We are not collecting that drop while Keith is sniffing around. I saw him at the wharf again today. MORGANA We go nowhere near Bishops Island until I say so. ANIKA Thanks for all this. RITCHIE I'm just doing what I'm told. ANIKA Morgana's amazing. She's done so much for us. RITCHIE Yeah, she's pretty great. Liam's lucky. ANIKA He really is. He takes it all for granted. How did your mum die? RITCHIE Car accident. Drunk driver. ANIKA Fuck. I'm so sorry. RITCHIE Everyone's sorry. It doesn't change anything though, does it. ANIKA No. It really doesn't. LIAM Hello? FERGUS Hey. I'm on my way out. LIAM Oh. I should've called. FERGUS Is Ritchie okay? LIAM It was a dog act. FERGUS Yeah. I wasn't thinking straight. LIAM I heard the olds talking earlier. Who's in Melbourne? FERGUS No one. Don't worry about it. LIAM They mentioned Bishops. LIAM Ferg, what was in the bag? FERGUS Seriously bro. Leave it. FERGUS How do I look? LIAM Like a sex pest. FERGUS Nice. FERGUS Gotta run. Lock up when you leave. FERGUS It's good you're home. FERGUS Just a sneaky travla. FERGUS This is Fergus. Leave a message. ANIKA Hi, it's me. Pick up. ANIKA Are you there? Come around tomorrow night. But I swear, this is the last time. FRANKIE Who's she? CORMACK That's Anika. FRANKIE She's pretty. FRANKIE This is boring. Can we play a game? CORMACK Maybe later. Do you want to make some pocket money? FRANKIE Yeah! CORMACK I'll give you five buckeroos if you can run 50 laps of the backyard. FRANKIE OK! FRANKIE One! FRANKIE Two! ZARA Morgana Knox is part of an organised crime family? CORMACK They call them Clann's in Ireland, which sounds way more fun. ZARA This is huge. CORMACK We don't know much yet. She's third cousins with some dodgy blokes, but everyone in Ireland's related. ZARA Firstly, that's offensive. CORMACK No it's not. They have loads of sex, so what if there's a little bit of inbreeding. ZARA And secondly, even a tenuous link will help us with a jury. They eat this sort of stuff up. CORMACK The Geddes do have a rep for extreme violence. ZARA Even better. Given the extent of Liam's injuries. CORMACK Some actual evidence would be nice though, before we accuse a grieving mother of being part of her own son's murder. ZARA You need to get it through your head. It's not your job anymore, to protect the victim. CORMACK Hi. Sorry to spring this on you. MORGANA It's fine. But can we can make it quick. The whole family's here. CORMACK Family's what I wanted to talk to you about actually. The Geddes. They're your kin, right? CORMACK What can you tell me about them? MORGANA I can tell you to fuck off. CORMACK You can. But I won't. MORGANA Ten thousand miles from Ireland, but there's no getting away, is there. CORMACK Are you still connected to them? MORGANA Only by that name. Everyone's got some family they'd love to disown. CORMACK Yeah, bit different in your case though. Your great uncles were some seriously bad hombres. MORGANA You think the defence will really dig up all the old bones? CORMACK I would. MORGANA Why are we the ones under the microscope? It was our boy that was taken. Our family that was torn apart. CORMACK You asked me to fight for Liam. It was always going to be an ugly one. MORGANA Maybe you should take the fight up to Vogel. Try destroying his reputation, instead of ours. CORMACK He's in jail, his reputation's already destroyed. Black Snow S3 | MORGANA I think we're done for today. FERGUS James! FERGUS Mum's steaming. Is there bad news? CORMACK No. She just took exception to a curly question. I can't blame her. FERGUS Don't take it personally. She always struggles today. It's Liam's birthday. FERGUS The whole family gathers to celebrate him, but Mum finds it hard. CORMACK Fuck. My bad. I'm sorry. FERGUS You're alright. CORMACK I'll let you get back in. But I do need to talk to you, at a more convenient time. FERGUS I wasn't shagging Anika. CORMACK OK, good to know. I'm actually curious about your mate, Zach. CORMACK Can you put me in touch with him? FERGUS I haven't spoken to Zach for years. What's he got to do with anything? CORMACK He was never interviewed. The defence will speak to him. We need to know what he's going to say. FERGUS I'll try to dig up his details. CORMACK I can look him up. What's his surname? FERGUS Um. I actually don't know. We weren't that close. CORMACK Right. Well if it comes back to you, let me know. But don't sweat it, I'll find him either way. CORMACK Sorry for crashing the party. MORGANA What was that about? FERGUS He wants to talk to Zach. MORGANA Did he say why? FERGUS I think he's just being thorough. MORGANA I don't like it. FERGUS We'll be okay. He's just a dog with a bone. Ex copper. MORGANA It's more than that. There's something not right about him... EMDR THERAPIST I want you to bring up an image that represents the worst part of the incident. EMDR THERAPIST OK, now that you have the image... EMDR THERAPIST What emotion is linked to it? EMDR THERAPIST On a scale of one to ten... EMDR THERAPIST How distressing is the incident for you, in this moment? Black Snow S3 | CORMACK Are you okay? RITCHIE They put me in an Esky. A fucking fish Esky. I was in there for hours. The boat was hammering along. It was baking hot. CORMACK Who are we talking about? RITCHIE Zach! I was cooked. Who does that? Why would someone do that? CORMACK I don't know. RITCHIE Yeah you do. You did it too. You locked me in that fucking cupboard. CORMACK Ritch. You need to breathe. Come on. In for three. Out for five. CORMACK In for three. Out for five. RITCHIE Shit! Someone's coming. LIAM Ferg? LIAM Fucking waster. LIAM She was as dirty as a Catholic girl, but she's gleaming now. I've also done the safety checks and re- rigged all the rods. LIAM I can't tackle the engine yet, cos Fergus is late. Again. FERGUS This is Fergus. Leave a message. FERGUS Mum? I can't, I'm crook today. Fergus is completely out of it. Black Snow S3 | ZACH Hey mate, what's up? LIAM Checking on Ferg. He missed work. ZACH Yeah, he's not feeling great. Dodgy kebab. ZACH Are we good? You're not a narc, are you. LIAM Yeah, we're good. ANIKA Have you done room 5 yet? RITCHIE The guests are still in there. They're... Busy. ANIKA That cheeky bastard. Do the dirty on your own time. ANIKA That's my old maths teacher, Mr Fitz. And it's not his wife. RITCHIE Oh, right. He's got some stamina, for an old bloke. ANIKA Ewww. RITCHIE I feel sorry for his wife though. ANIKA Don't. She's no angel. ANIKA Did Liam have fun in Sydney, without me? ANIKA Did he even tell you he had a girlfriend? ANIKA He didn't, did he? RITCHIE He's completely into you. And why wouldn't he be. You're so special. LIAM Hey. RITCHIE Hi. ANIKA What's up your arse? LIAM Fergus didn't show for work. Drug- fucked loser. ANIKA That's a bit harsh. LIAM Why are you taking his side? ANIKA I didn't know there were sides. I just don't see the problem with him having a bit of fun. LIAM Are you having a bit of fun with him? ANIKA I don't have time for this. LIAM Where are you going? ANIKA Let go of me! ANIKA Stop being such an asshole. LIAM What's your older brother like? RITCHIE I haven't seen him for years. LIAM Do you miss him? RITCHIE Sometimes. It's complicated. LIAM I'm worried Ferg's going off the rails. He's always been loose, but this is different. One minute he's fine, next he's a maniac. RITCHIE Jekyll and Hyde. RITCHIE It's a book. About a doctor. Everyone trusts him. But at night he loses his shit and turns into a killer. The two sides of us, fighting it out. No one's what they look like on the outside. LIAM That's for real. Zach brings out Ferg's other side something chronic. RITCHIE What's his deal? LIAM Zach? Army reject, thug, waster. I'm pretty sure he's ripping mum and dad off somehow. RITCHIE How? LIAM I dunno. I just don't trust him. I've got to bounce. RITCHIE Where to? You want company? LIAM Nah. I got something I need to sort out. Catch you tomorrow. FERGUS See you next week. ANIKA I told you, this is the last time. FERGUS You said that last time. ANIKA I mean it this time. CORMACK Thought these pics of Mum might cheer you up. RITCHIE That was on her birthday. RITCHIE The hair dye? That she got from her hairdresser friend? The one you had a crush on? CORMACK Bouncy Barb? RITCHIE You nicked the hair dye and used it all. You had maroon hair. CORMACK Oh yeah, I remember now. I looked like David Bowie. RITCHIE Yeah, sure you did. You were such a lunatic. Mum always said 'your brother has enough energy to power the whole street.' CORMACK That's Mum-speak for 'annoying little shit-head'. RITCHIE She always saw the best in us. RITCHIE Sorry about last night. CORMACK You feeling better? RITCHIE Yeah, all good. CORMACK This Zach bloke, you ever see him threaten Liam? RITCHIE No. Liam didn't trust him though. Thought he might've been ripping off his family. CORMACK In what way? RITCHIE I don't know. CORMACK We have to fill in the gaps. RITCHIE You mean I do? CORMACK Yes. I've got an EMDR specialist lined up. They'll give us a private room. RITCHIE I said no therapists. They've stitched me up before. Every time I saw one in foster care my life got worse. CORMACK Look around mate, you're life can't get any worse than it is right now. RITCHIE He'd be a witness. If I remember the wrong thing. CORMACK That won't happen. RITCHIE You don't know that. CORMACK What if we do it without a witness? RITCHIE What do you mean? CORMACK We try the technique, but ditch the shrink. I'll guide you through it. RITCHIE What, like, bootleg therapy? CORMACK Why not. RITCHIE Same reason I wouldn't get a plumber to do a heart transplant. CORMACK We're running out of time. It's me or the therapist? CORMACK You'll be safe with me. No matter what comes out. CORMACK Do you trust me? CORMACK You need to put a pool fence around that. KEITH Make yourself at home. CORMACK The Geddes tip was useful. CORMACK But I need to know you're not just trying to fuck with your ex? KEITH This isn't about Morgana. It's about Liam. Always has been. I wanted to be a big shot and break a huge story. But I lost sight of my duty - to protect my sources. KEITH Liam wouldn't be dead if I hadn't pushed him to talk. I owe it to him to make sure the right person pays for what they did. CORMACK I need to know more about this Zach bloke. KEITH He was a bit of a loose unit. What do you want to know? CORMACK His surname would be a nice start. KEITH I don't know that. But I can ask around. CORMACK Thanks. CORMACK You were there that night. Any idea what the boys were arguing about? KEITH Liam thought Fergus was screwing his missus. I think that's why he was willing to talk to me. CORMACK Was there any truth in it? KEITH I never saw them in the act - peeping in windows isn't my thing - but I was tailing Fergus a bit back then. And I saw him visit her Anika's a few times. Alone. ZARA So if Anika and Fergus were sleeping together, maybe Liam finds out, stews on it for a few days. Then the brothers argue at the pub. Zach drags Fergus away, but the fight reignites back at the motel and Fergus kills Liam? CORMACK It's a good yarn. But Keith's testimony is speculative. ZARA We don't need proof. We just need one jury member to have been cheated on. CORMACK Liam's phone call to Anika doesn't really fit your timeline though. ZARA We don't have to bring that up in court if it doesn't suit our story. CORMACK There's something there though. She kept the call secret 25 years. And she lied to me about it yesterday. ZARA I still can't believe they're talking to you. Is everything on the level there? CORMACK People just naturally warm to me. Like you did. CORMACK Saved by the bell. See you later! CORMACK Hi. Thanks for meeting me. ANIKA We could've done this at work. I'd have comped you lunch. CORMACK I thought it might be more relaxed here, without Morgana about. ANIKA OK. And why's that? CORMACK A witness has come forward saying Fergus visited your house, alone, a few days before the murder. ANIKA What witness? CORMACK Is it true? ANIKA Yes. But it's not what you think. Fergus had been binging, he was a mess. I was selling him Mum's pain meds to ease his come-downs. He didn't want Liam knowing. I hated lying, but I needed the money. CORMACK Are you trying to protect Fergus? ANIKA No. CORMACK You're lying to protect someone. ANIKA That's the truth, I swear. CORMACK You lied about the phone call. You didn't hang up on Liam. You talked for over six minutes. ANIKA I've been lying to protect Morgana. Or, protect myself from losing her. The Knox's are the only family I have. ANIKA But Ritchie's probably told his lawyer already. It wasn't Liam that called that night. It was Ritchie. CORMACK Why? ANIKA We were sleeping together. CORMACK How serious was it? ANIKA We were young. And it was brief. But I loved him. ANIKA But I loved Liam too. And my life was a mess. Mum was dying. I ended it with Ritchie, at the pub that night. He called me later, drunk and babbling. One minute he was saying he'd die if he lost me, the next that he had to confess to Liam. I told him to go to bed. That we could work it out the next day. ANIKA I had no idea how dangerous he was.