
Bride to Bee
Season 3 Episode 306 | 44m 4sVideo has Closed Captions
A bride dies from an allergic reaction to a bee sting and Alexa investigates.
When a bride dies from an allergic reaction to a bee sting on her wedding day, Alexa must discover whether this is just a tragic accident or a case where revenge is as sweet as honey.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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Bride to Bee
Season 3 Episode 306 | 44m 4sVideo has Closed Captions
When a bride dies from an allergic reaction to a bee sting on her wedding day, Alexa must discover whether this is just a tragic accident or a case where revenge is as sweet as honey.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship♪ ♪ [Camera clicking] I just find that so distasteful.
Summer brings out the worst in people.
Come on.
Love is in the air.
Summer is the most criminal season of all.
Did you know that?
Really?
Mm-hmm.
Then what's the safest time of year?
Spring, by a country mile.
Wow.
That makes my latest victim even more unlucky.
Aw, you mean you didn't invite me here for an ice cream date?
I didn't know you wanted me to.
Well, now you know.
[Chuckles] The victim's name is Leah Howell, a florist with a severe bee allergy.
She was stung when walking down the aisle at her own wedding.
We found the bee hiding inside the bridal bouquet.
Bummer.
Leah developed adult onset anaphylaxis around 23.
By then, she had already started the flower business, and business was blooming.
Ah.
I'm told she was extremely cautious about protecting herself.
Just not that day, huh?
Everything screams "tragic accident," right?
Mm-hmm.
Until I spoke to the groom, Thom Coney, a trust fund playboy with a net worth of 10 million.
Apparently, Leah and Thom met when she was delivering a floral display for his 30th birthday party.
Sparks flew.
Doves cried.
Two months later, they were engaged.
Two months after that comes the wedding day.
Well, that seems a tad speedy to me.
Hey, true love waits for no one.
But Thom reckons his father, Roland, hated Leah.
He wasn't happy about a mere mortal becoming part of the family empire.
What, are the Coneys rich?
Roland Coney can buy and sell both of us multiple times over.
Ooh.
So what, F=for marrying a commoner, the groom thinks his father did what?
Trained a bee to assassinate the bride?
There's no reports of anything strange before the ceremony.
Leah walks down the aisle with Roland.
Nothing out of the ordinary.
Then... ♪ The first person to try and assist Leah was her bridesmaid and business partner, Cat.
Then the wedding planner, Nerida Jones, steps in with an EpiPen, but it's too late.
So, why suspect the father?
Roland, didn't help Leah, just left her.
He disappeared minutes after Leah collapsed.
Well, it sounds a 100 times more interesting than any wedding I've attended.
But what does this have to do with me?
I'll send you the wedding video.
No, no, not the wedding video.
What, even one with the killer lurking in the footage that only Alex Crowe can find?
You smooth-talking devil.
♪ ♪ If you think it's an accident, how come you agreed to take a look?
Because it's very rare that a murder suspect throws a parent under the bus, especially one who stands to lose an enormous inheritance by doing it.
[Short whir] Okay, I put some extras in yours because you need to start taking your B6 level seriously.
Gosh, I thought I was.
Hmm.
Fine.
I'll drink it if you call up autopsy image 12, please.
Mm-hm.
There you go.
Oh, gosh.
See, they couldn't identify the sting site because of the swelling.
Plus, she's got tons of pre-existing scratches on her hands from her job as a florist.
All of which could be potential exposure points, right?
Right.
So, how does a bee-vigilant person fail to notice one in her bouquet?
You know that the kind of reaction that Leah suffered, it can come on in seconds, but it tends to peak around 3 to 30 minutes.
So you're a bee expert now too?
I just listened to a couple of podcasts this afternoon.
But the point is, that if she was stung before she walked up the aisle, how come she wasn't experiencing any symptoms?
I need you to get me a whole lot of EpiPens, alright?
The same brand as Leah's.
Oi, what about your smoothie?
♪ I knew Harry believed me.
So you're a cop?
Was.
Past tense.
And I wish I had something more original to say than "I'm sorry for your loss."
Hm.
Yeah.
I've been hearing that a lot lately.
Drink?
No, thanks.
So Harry tells me, Thom, that what you have to say is pretty controversial.
That my father killed my bride.
He just, uh... He's got this way of getting what he wants.
He said Leah wasn't good enough, and look what happened.
Was there any specific reason why Roland would want Leah gone?
Let's just say a florist with a messed-up family, his words, "wasn't exactly his dream daughter-in-law."
But he walked her down the aisle.
Leah's dad's been in and out of prison since she was a kid.
Roland was just keeping up appearances.
How long had you known Leah, Thom?
Oh, not quite six months.
We met the day of my 30th.
Her company makes these crazy blue rose sculptures.
I'll show you.
Here.
All I wanted was to get married to the woman I love in front of the people I care about most.
What's so wrong with that?
We probably never should have met.
Maybe she'd still be here.
Is there any part of you that thinks this could have been a horrible accident?
No.
No, Leah left nothing to chance.
That EpiPen was like the third wheel in our relationship.
So why didn't it work?
Well, nothing that you're saying is pointing specifically to your father.
Then keep looking.
♪ ♪ [Cheering] ♪ What the H-E-double hockey sticks, Ruben?
Well, I take it you didn't do a long hen's lunch before your wedding?
This interest in the bridal market better be a fad, 'cause that crowd looks very anti-carb.
Trust me, these will be gone by midday.
These hens are like wolves once the champagne starts.
Wait.
Where are you going?
Aren't you going to stay for coffee or breakfast?
[Women chanting "Reuben"] I think you've got enough on your plate, don't you?
Ha!
Okay.
♪ Hey.
Want to watch a wedding video?
Oh, God, no.
Unless you found something new.
Pretty sure I have.
Cat: Help!
There's Nerida Jones, the wedding planner, who insisted that all the guests sign a contract.
No phones, no recording devices.
Ugh.
That makes our lives a lot harder.
Mm-hmm.
Except... there on the right, a hand with a phone.
So who does it belong to?
If we could get a guest list and maybe I could put it back-- Harry asked the wedding planner for a guest list, and she said she wasn't legally obliged to hand one up.
I think someone needs to take a closer look at Nerida's, bank accounts, e-mail, et cetera.
Sure.
Actually, there's something else you should know about the wedding.
Roland Coney made all the guests and the staff sign non-disclosure agreements.
It's almost like he knew something bad was going to happen.
Oh, Chowder.
She's a terrible cynic.
♪ Who is it?
Oh.
Hi, I'm, um -- I'm Alexa Crowe.
I'm with the police.
I was, um... I need to come in and have a quick word about Thom.
[Gate creaking] ♪ You're lucky it's too late to question you, little fella.
♪ ♪ Ms.
Crowe, was it?
Roland Coney.
Whatever he's done, I can handle all the expenses involved.
Thom's not himself right now.
No, Thom's fine, Mr.
Coney.
Oh, thank heavens for small miracles.
But that is what I wanted to talk to you about -- his fiancee, Leah Howell's death.
Oh.
Utterly tragic.
Terrible luck.
Still so hard to believe.
That's why we're looking into it.
Oh, I see.
Do you mind if I ask you a personal question?
Um, sure.
How do you feel about wildflowers?
It's gorgeous.
Thank you.
I planted all this for my wife, June, just before she died.
We thought we had more time.
How long has she been gone?
20 years now.
It still seems like yesterday.
They say "time heals."
Total ........, if you don't mind me saying so.
I do not mind you saying so, Mr.
Coney.
Roland, please.
Roland.
[Chuckles] You're not what I expected.
You've been speaking to Thom.
He's made me into some sort of monster to cope with Leah's passing.
Did you know about her allergy?
We all did.
He had the EpiPen right there.
It just didn't work.
But that's not what Thom believes.
No, he thinks that you hated her.
[Scoffs] An exaggeration.
So you just didn't approve of her?
I thought he was rushing into things for no reason.
He barely knew her.
Well, what does that matter if they're in love?
[Scoffs] Thom has a habit of diving into situations headfirst.
I was just trying to protect him.
And how far would you go to protect him, Roland?
Not sure what it is you're asking, Ms Crowe.
Well, why would you ask Leah to stay the night here, the night before her wedding, if you didn't approve of the marriage?
Thom's apartment is a sty.
It seemed like a nice thing to do.
You weren't trying to keep a close eye on her?
Control proceedings?
Control your son?
Perhaps some people need a short leash.
Leah must have been exhibiting symptoms before you walked her up the aisle.
What are you not telling me?
Goodbye, Ms Crowe.
It's alright.
I can, uh... I can see myself out.
Thanks, Roland.
Where did you come from?
♪ So how did things work, Cat?
We used to joke we were total opposites.
Leah was the optimist.
I was the pessimist.
She was the artist.
I was the accountant.
So Leah came up with most of your designs?
Genius at flower arrangement, but paying rent and budgeting, just beyond hopeless, which is why she was lucky to have me.
How's the business doing now that she's gone?
Busy.
Yeah, I'd love to stop and cry for a month, but that's the last thing she'd want me to do.
Hey, you, um... you were at Roland's the night before the wedding, right?
Yeah, we all were.
Despite the fact that Roland disapproved of his son marrying Leah?
Who told you that?
Little birds.
Leah still thought there was a chance she could win him over.
I guess I see the world as much more black and white than Leah did.
Was Roland around much before the wedding?
Yeah, he put on this amazing rehearsal dinner, and then the morning of, he was back to bossing everyone around.
He seemed super paranoid the whole time about Leah's EpiPen.
He insisted on holding on to it until we got to the church.
Did Leah ever say that Roland threatened her in any way?
Jada, how were those roses coming along?
Jada?
Yeah, almost done.
I'm so hopelessly behind today.
Jada, see Alexa out and track down the Parker order for me.
Cat... are you scared of Roland Coney?
I'm sorry.
I've got to... Follow me.
Hey, Jada, you are at the wedding too, weren't you?
I don't think I'm supposed to talk about it.
It's just the police statement said that a lot of safety measures were taken by the Bloem team in particular.
We smoked the church beforehand, and Cat must have spent a small fortune on vanilla sprays.
Was that it?
We both checked every arrangement twice, once here, once at the church, and we made sure there were no windows open for 48 hours pre-ceremony.
Sounds comprehensive.
It was.
Even Leah's dress was allergy inclusive.
Cat: Jada, in here please.
[Quietly] Sorry.
♪ Everyone is afraid of Roland Coney.
Nobody wants to talk.
When you're done murdering that EpiPen, I did a device sweep.
Nerida Jones, she does a lot of work for Roland.
We're talking multiple events every year.
And this is interesting, why?
Because there's no email exchanges between them ever.
No texts, just calls to and from a landline at Bletchley House.
So, either he's a Luddite or he has something to hide.
She also had a bunch of calls and texts from Leah during the days leading up to the wedding that she never bothered to answer.
What about our grieving groom?
Well, Thom has been texting up a storm with an ex-fiancee for the last few months.
Another one?
Mm-hmm.
Tallulah Wells.
They were engaged a year ago.
Fiancee number three.
Oh, shall we say he has a type?
Lots of PDA online and then, boom, his relationship status changes overnight and she deletes all of her socials.
So what?
Now they're back in touch.
They were still texting an hour before his ceremony with Leah.
Alright, you need to find this Tallulah while I keep leaning on Roland.
Why on earth would Nerida ghost Leah when it's her wedding that she's planning?
Maybe Roland told her to ignore Leah, focus on a more important job.
Like accessory to murder?
[Knock on door] ♪ Here's me thinking this was going to be a candlelit dinner.
Did you bring the thing I asked for?
What's a slight bending of the department rules between friends?
Yesss.
Okay, great.
You know, most people just keep knives on those things, right?
I think we both know that I'm not most people.
Well, here's a little something that I prepared earlier.
I've been trying to replicate the warp in the text on Leah's EpiPen.
I saw it here in the evidence photos.
Only boiling creates the same blurring pattern.
See here?
Leah didn't metabolize the adrenaline properly because her EpiPen was tampered with.
Right.
Which means... The bee that stung Leah didn't act alone.
He had an accomplice.
♪ Nerida.
Gosh, thank you so much for meeting with me at short notice.
Miss Crowe, I thought you said Roland would be joining us.
Oh, well, he's probably running late.
You know how he is.
So is it your first time back since, um... Since Leah?
Yes.
Gosh, that must be really hard for you, considering she was a friend and all.
Oh, we were friendly.
I wouldn't say that we were friend-friends.
Oh, yeah.
Because she did try to call you right before the wedding, remember?
How do you know that?
Oh, yeah.
She texted and she emailed, but you never replied to any of those, so yeah, not very friendly.
Because at the end of the day, I answered to Roland for this wedding, not Leah.
He was paying my fee.
Yeah, you make a lot of money from the Coney family.
What has that got to do with anything?
My focus on Thom and Leah's wedding day was to look after the logistics, which I did to the best of my ability.
Right, but a bee in the bouquet, that's kind of a fail, right?
Roland didn't send you to speak to me, did he?
Nah, not really.
So he doesn't even know you're here?
No.
I'm leaving.
Did Roland give you the EpiPen before the wedding?
The one that you used on Leah.
Yes.
Okay?
He gave it to me in the sacristy just after they arrived.
I'm the one who injected Leah, and she's dead.
How do you think that makes me feel?
♪ ♪ Nerida, hey.
Just one more thing.
Do you know anyone called Tallulah Wells?
She and Thom have been texting up a storm recently.
Good to see Thom is moving on at his usual speed.
At least I'll still have our seating and food preferences ready.
Tallulah was fiancee number three.
Roland: Hello?
Hello?
Say hi to Roland.
Roland paid 200k to Nerida after the wedding, which is high, but it's not a million miles away from her usual rate.
I still think they're up to something.
You know, she called him the minute she got out of the church.
Did you find anything else in her emails?
Like maybe a guest list?
No.
I'm thinking I'm going to need to physically access her hard drive.
Beth said she'd help.
[Phone chimes] Did you have a planner on your big day?
Okay, I'm off to meet our fiancee number three, Tallulah Wells, but you and Beth have a ball.
Wait, was your one a ball?
Was it a disco?
♪ Alexa: Tallulah, tell me, were there harder drugs involved?
No, Thom had been drinking a lot which was causing mega issues with him and Leah.
But he heard through friends that I got sober after the breakup, and so that's why he called me, because he knew he needed help.
And you're still helping him, aren't you?
You were there the other day when I visited.
[Scoffs] How did you know?
Because this matches the exact lip shade you're wearing now.
Thom's always medicated his feelings, and he's doing that now.
So that's why I went over because, you know, he needs time.
Hm.
Okay, so that first time that he called you about getting sober, what was he stressed about?
I mean, he was in love.
He was getting married.
He was worried Leah was going to get cold feet just like the rest of us did.
Well, if you were number three, then... Leah was fiancee number four?
Five?
Yeah.
Thom's a hopeless romantic.
I guess.
Hopeless, anyway.
But all his relationships ended?
Yeah.
So four young women decided not to marry this... this really handsome, eligible, soon-to-be-incredibly-wealthy guy right before they're due to walk down the aisle with no outside pressure from anyone?
I can't tell you.
Like, even if I wanted to, I literally can't.
Right.
Let me just make a few wild guesses, okay?
And you tell me if I'm hot or cold.
Okay, boy meets girl and everything's hearts and flowers, and suddenly, he pops the question.
And then Dad enters the story, and it doesn't look like love, not true love, not to him.
So he tells the girl it's in her best interest to leave, and he offers her a hefty sum if she'll just break the whole thing off and sign an NDA.
How am I doing?
Yeah, rich bullies, they're not very original.
Did you know Leah Howell?
Um.
Yeah.
I met her through Cat.
We had some mutual friends, but I stopped seeing them once I quit drinking.
And you weren't jealous or anything?
You weren't trying to get him back?
I still really care about Thom as a friend, but nothing could ever make me want to go back to Bletchley House.
[Sighs] Roland was right, you know.
What me and Thom had, it wasn't real love.
Why do you say that?
I took the money, didn't I?
♪ I have an exclusive arrangement with Bloem.
They could be your floral stylist.
The flowers are divine.
Hm.
Except I'm in the Navy.
So what about an "under the sea" thing?
Uh, because I'm the bride, you're the bridesmaid, and I don't want a themed wedding.
Madison's right.
"Under the Sea" is a bit more school dance than glamour wedding.
Never went.
Wouldn't know.
So, here's what I'm thinking.
I'm seeing lots of blues and greens.
You know, bridesmaids dressed as mermaids, right?
Maybe some seashells up here, you know?
Um -- You should know, I very rarely take on events under a certain scale.
Why?
What kind of price tag would we be looking at for you to pull together Madison's dream wedding?
Prices start at $120,000.
[Coughs] Are you okay?
[Coughs] Thank you.
Oh -- I'll get you a napkin.
Hold on.
Um, I'm... I'm so sorry.
Did you... Sorry, did you say $120,000?
Afraid so.
Um, dollars?
Yes.
Okay, starting price?
So it goes upwards?
Yes, upwards.
Right, and this is just for you, not for anything else?
That covers a variation of things.
So if we became friends, would you do, like, a mates' rate?
♪ You know, your requests are getting weirder and weirder now.
Did you bring it?
Be careful.
I know how you feel about Roland, but that bee is still my prime suspect.
Mm-hmm.
What are you doing?
Creating the world's smallest line-up.
Now, this little chap, I found already deceased at Roland's gate.
You know about the hives on Roland's property, right?
I do.
I've got the number of a bee expert at the uni, if you want.
Yeah, sure, and what about the fact that Roland's been bribing the women in Thom's life to leave, providing they sign an NDA?
That, I didn't know.
Uh-huh.
And Leah's the only one who refused to sign it.
Huh.
Well, they look pretty identical to me.
You know, a dead bee on the outskirts of the property doesn't prove anything, right?
But you should give the bee guy a call, see if your hunch checks out.
Yeah, I will.
Roland: You cannot get cold feet.
Do you understand that?
Nerida: I've told you I won't.
Relax.
All of this will be over in 24 hours.
If he'd just listen to me for once in his life.
None of this is Thom's fault.
Do you think I don't know that?
I made a promise to his mother.
He'll understand one day, God help me.
When it comes to Roland, apparently Nerida records everything.
Which is lucky, because we came up empty on a guest list again.
No, this is better.
There's just one more thing I need to check.
If it's in Nerida's office, I don't think I can go back there.
No, no.
Somewhere else.
But I think we might be underdressed.
This isn't what I thought you meant by underdressed.
Okay, now get ready, and if anyone sees us, try to act inconspicuous.
I don't like this.
Just relax, would you?
They smell fear.
They'll go for you.
Ugh!
What are we... Whoa!
What?
What are we looking for again?
Ooh, this.
[Bees buzzing] You see, at the beginning of an extraction, they use a low voltage electrical plate to attract the bees.
It's something to do with pheromones.
Uh-huh.
And then when the bee lands... on the plate with a low current, its natural inclination is to deposit bee venom.
[Whistling] Hi, Nerida.
Hi, Roland.
Nice day for it.
♪ Clearly.
Ms.
Crowe, you're not an active listener.
Nerida: Madison?
What are you doing here?
Long story.
Yeah, but a good one.
It's about a nasty man buying off his son's fiancees, threatening them with NDAs.
We know that you couldn't stand Leah, and Thom will testify to that.
We also know that the EpiPen, the one that you insisted on holding before the wedding, was tampered with.
This is ridiculous.
And we know about the call you made to Nerida the day before the wedding.
Something about a promise you made to your wife and Nerida saying it'll all be over in 24 hours.
Alexa, please stop.
And the bee?
Yes, the bee that was in Leah's bouquet looks identical to the ones you keep at Bletchley House.
Ah.
Are you finished?
Yeah, yeah.
Ah, yes.
I paid off those women for their own good as much as anything else.
My son's life is a train wreck, and I didn't want him dragging some poor girl down.
So I offered them each a fortune, which they all took, except for Leah.
So, how to get rid of her, eh?
I had no idea the EpiPen had been tampered with.
And my phone call with Nerida... I was telling Roland the wedding would be over in 24 hours.
He mentioned you having cold feet.
Because this is the fifth Thom Coney wedding I've been booked for.
Word was getting around that I was a jinx.
And as for my bees, they're Meliponina, a native, stingless species.
♪ I was acting on a hunch, a hunch that ruled out Roland Coney.
It's okay to make mistakes sometimes.
It wasn't a mistake.
[Phone chimes] Oh.
Hey!
It's a message from your bee guy.
You have a bee guy?
He's not my bee guy.
Okay, Roland was correct.
The bee that I found and the bee in Leah's bouquet were indeed a stingless variety.
But wait, there's more.
"The venom is most likely from a species like Apis Mellifera.
The average lethal dose of the venom to a human is about 2.8 milligrams per kilo of body weight.
But Leah's reading was 8 milligrams, more than double that."
Whoa.
How does he explain that?
He can't.
[Quietly] She's coming.
Oh, look, the bridal party.
Look, before you kick us out, we just wanted to apologize for lying to you and for wasting your time.
And now what?
You don't believe I'm capable of being an accessory to murder?
Thank you very much.
You're so welcome.
What do you want?
A guest list and the seating chart for the Coney wedding ceremony.
Not happening.
Look, we know that you had nothing to do with Leah's death, but I've watched the wedding video, and one of the guests was filming the ceremony on a mobile.
If we know who, we might be able to work out what really happened.
Please, for Thom.
He doesn't deserve any of this.
You know that.
♪ We did it!
The alternate wedding footage, we finally got it.
Alexa: How'd you do that?
Nerida was feeling helpful.
And our mystery hand belongs to... Thom's 13-year-old cousin, Elton.
Who was perving on some fitness influencer he recognized in the third row, and accidentally filmed the whole thing.
And he just gave it to you?
She offered him 50 bucks.
Oh.
Yeah.
How does that work, by the way?
Do I just invoice Harry or...?
Oh, wait, do I need a receipt?
I don't know.
Nice camera work, Elton.
There she is.
There's Leah.
[Gasps] Look.
Is Cat wiping her sweat?
Leah does not look well.
I thought Cat's statement said that Leah was fine, that she had zero symptoms.
Yeah, it did.
Dang, I wish we could hear what she was saying to Leah.
Oh, she said, "It's just nerves.
You're going to be fine.
Take a deep breath and lean on Roland if you're shaking."
Oh, my cousin Steve, he taught me how to lip read when we were little.
Oh.
Cat: Oh, my God!
Help!
Help!
Who are you, really, Cat?
[Meows] Oh, not you.
The other one.
♪ Who rang the doorbell?
Delivery for you.
Oh.
Sorry, Thom.
Ow.
♪ Hello.
Oh, this is a terrible time.
Oh, I know, I just came to thank you so much for the beautiful flowers.
Oh, they were from Thom, not us, but you're welcome.
Blue roses.
Where does that idea even come from?
I can get Jada to send you our PR kit.
It's all in there.
No, no, just the elevator pitch, please.
Then I'll leave you alone.
Fine.
Um, Leah and I were working for this florist, total nightmare.
We dreamed of starting our own fusion floral brand, one hundred percent female owned and operated.
That sounds cool.
One weekend, we're working on an installation for a friend's wedding when Leah mixes in a Persian palette by accident.
Oh!
Well, that is where the blue came from.
One of the guests flipped out, said she'd hire us for her wedding, and it took off from there.
We went out on our own, and I used my life savings to get us through the first month.
No idea how we survived, but we did and now... Here you are.
Hey, uh, did Thom entering the equation change anything?
Uh, not at all.
Leah didn't want the Coneys involved in our work.
Cat, the courier needs you.
And there's an issue with the Riley order.
Thanks.
Gosh, pretty soon you're going to need an assistant all of your own.
So Cat says everything's going great.
I have suppliers threatening us on social media, and I haven't been paid in two months.
No.
I'm only telling you this because... I'm quitting.
She keeps promising that everything's going to be okay, but she's been saying that since even before Leah.
[Crying] I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
Please don't tell Cat.
No, no, no.
I won't say a word.
Uh, it's just that -- that bouquet, um... Was that Leah's own wedding bouquet?
The very one?
Cat had it preserved in silica gel for memory's sake.
I hate it being there.
Makes me feel even guiltier about leaving.
Jada, some help loading the van would be good.
Hey, Mads.
Get me a list of all the organic chemists and labs operating commercially in the city, especially ones who could make injectables for flowers.
♪ Hello.
Jada from Bloem.
So nice to finally meet you in person.
Yeah, you too, Jada.
So we're having some major computer issues down at Bloem, and Cat wanted me to grab a hard copy of our account.
Like, um, orders, outstanding invoices, that sort of thing.
Yeah, of course.
Thank you.
Good news, the money came through.
Excuse me?
Your outstanding invoices... paid in full this morning.
Wonderful.
Oh, that is smashing.
♪ Oh, another one?
Suddenly, we're a hen's party destination.
Are you taking off your shirt, Reuben?
Eh?
No.
They come for the excellent coffee and the nice view.
Oh, you mean the harbour.
Right.
[Chuckling] So, your hunch was right?
Of course it was.
Cat Van Cooten is actually Katharine Jones, high school dropout with a surprisingly colourful petty crime record.
When did she change her name?
Around the same time she met Leah.
I guess she wanted a fresh start.
I found a bunch of social pages with her, Leah, and a bunch with Tallulah Wells.
Hm.
And Bloem... Bloem's been having a rocky few months, paying IP lawyers for patents, supplies from Extragenics, they're in the red over 200k.
Not anymore.
These invoices were paid in full this morning.
How?
Cat's also in massive personal debt.
Ouch.
Yeah.
I can't see where she could have found a spare 200k.
I think I might have an idea.
Thom?
Alexa.
Can we talk?
[Chuckles] Roland.
Is everything alright?
Roland: The ambulance officer said he was unresponsive when they found him.
30 more minutes... I'm so sorry, Roland.
That must have been horrible.
You have nothing to apologize for.
[Chuckles] None of that matters now.
See you tomorrow.
Thank you.
Thanks, Stephanie.
Tallulah.
Stephanie was number four.
Oh, sorry.
Thanks... Tallulah.
Tallulah.
Number three.
So many fiancees, it's hard to keep up.
The promise I made my wife... was to make sure that Thom found someone who wasn't just there for his money.
So I overreacted, like I always do.
Every woman he brought home, I saw as an enemy.
What kind of father... Why was it so hard for me to believe that someone could love him just for him?
You're not the only overprotective parent to make a bad call.
I love my son, Alexa.
Of course, you do.
All I ever wanted was for him to have what I had, for him to meet someone as special as my June.
I think he finally had.
Thom: I'm going to rehab.
It's about time.
Tallulah said she'd help.
That's good, Thom.
I just... I miss Leah so much.
[Scoffs] Be honest with me.
Have you ever met a guy in his 30s so desperate to make it down the aisle?
It's pathetic.
There were four people at my wedding.
There was my husband and me, of course, and two friends from police college.
They were the witnesses.
And my dress was purple, because I didn't own white and I couldn't afford one, and our reception was takeaway Chinese, and the first dance was in the car park while a Datsun car stereo played "Crowded House."
That was still one of the best days of my life.
There's nothing wrong with you, Thom.
You're going to be alright.
♪ Dad said you had some questions.
Oh, yes, just one.
Why did you give Cat Van Wooten $200,000?
♪ What are you doing in my -- Is that Leah's bouquet?
Do you have any idea how disrespectful that is?
Now, should you really be lecturing anyone about disrespecting Leah's memory when you're the one who killed her?
[Scoffs] I'm sorry?
This business has really been struggling, hasn't it?
I mean, I've seen your accounts.
Must have been so frustrating for you to watch it slowly failing, unable to get a loan because of that pesky criminal record.
[Stammers] All small businesses struggle... at least initially.
Yes, but you were drowning.
And then one day, as luck would have it, you ran into your old friend Tallulah Wells before she got sober, and she was blabbing about how Roland liked to pay off Thom's girlfriends as soon as things got serious.
You know, there's quite a resemblance between Tallulah and Leah, isn't there?
You knew he had a type, so you set up that little meet-cute for them.
You know, Tom and Leah would have a bit of fun, and then Roland would pay enough money to keep the doors at Bloem open and no one would get hurt.
Oh, come on.
But then that sweet little Leah, she fell in love.
Yeah.
And then not only does she not want Roland's pay off, she doesn't want any money from the Coneys at all.
She wants to prove that what she and Thom had was real.
So your partnership, this business, she'd give it all away for him.
Have you met Thom?
You seriously think he's worth all that?
No.
But Leah did.
And so you waited until the night before the wedding, and you tampered with her EpiPen.
And after you and Jada had checked the bouquets, you used a little bit of dextrin to hide a bee from Roland's estate in her bouquet -- this bouquet.
Alright, Thom said the police aren't sure anymore if Leah was even stung by a bee, so I don't know what you're talking about.
She wasn't.
That was you too, wasn't it?
Yeah.
You were very careful not to prune all of the thorns in your famous blue roses, because those things can cut you up, can't they?
And then you painted the stems with apitoxin.
That's bee venom, to the layperson.
And you could tell that Leah had been scratched by a poison thorn before the ceremony began, but you encouraged her to carry on, and then you just waited for the bee venom to do its work.
You're insane.
How would I know anything about apitoxin or dex-whatever?
Well, according to these, you ordered both of those products from Extragenics in the last three months.
So, now Leah's dead, and you go to Thom with your sob story about how Bloem was Leah's dream.
And if he would only invest a little money, say, $200,000, he could keep a piece of his fiancee alive... the fiancee that you murdered.
Am I supposed to feel bad for the Coneys?
Thom is heartbroken, Cat.
[Scoffs] So?
He'll just move on to the next girl by the weekend.
I told her, at least let me ask Thom for a loan or to invest.
She said it would make her seem like a gold digger.
So much for taking down the patriarchy, women working together.
She chose him over our business, our friendship.
So, you killed her... for money.
Let's not pretend this has anything to do with female empowerment.
Nice catch.
♪ ♪ Reuben: Man, no more hen's parties, ever.
You were right.
They weren't coming here for the sourdough.
Well, those women don't know what they're missing.
I'd like to propose a toast to a much needed break from any more wedding talk.
Hear, hear.
Cheers!
Oh, actually, until Madison has her "under the sea" themed wedding.
Ooh.
Eh, are you..." No, but if I ever do have a wedding, it'll involve 200 cousins coming, so maybe I'll just elope.
You only got 200 cousins?
Go on, how many have you got?
Maybe, uh, on one side... [Indistinct chatter] ["Distant Sun" playing] ♪ I don't pretend to know what you want ♪ ♪ When you come around and spin my top ♪ ♪ Time and again ♪ Time and again ♪ No fire where I lit my spark ♪ I am not afraid of the dark ♪ Where your words devour my heart ♪ ♪ And put me to shame ♪ Put me to shame ♪ When your seven worlds collide ♪ ♪ Whenever I'm by your side ♪ And dust from a distant sun ♪ Will shower over everyone [Music fades] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪
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