

The Black Tower, Part 2
5/1/2025 | 45m 13sVideo has Closed Captions
After a death at Toynton Grange, Dalgliesh races to identify the killer before they strike again.
After another suspicious death at Toynton Grange, a vote is held on its future. Convinced that the deaths are linked, Dalgliesh races to identify the murderer before they can escape or kill again. But could he be next?
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Dalgliesh is presented by your local public television station.

The Black Tower, Part 2
5/1/2025 | 45m 13sVideo has Closed Captions
After another suspicious death at Toynton Grange, a vote is held on its future. Convinced that the deaths are linked, Dalgliesh races to identify the murderer before they can escape or kill again. But could he be next?
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship[ Seagulls crying ] ♪♪ [Banging noises] -Adam.
[Banging intensifies] -Mr. Dalgliesh, wake up!
[ Banging continues ] Sorry.
There was no phone.
You need to come.
It's Grace.
[ Suspenseful music plays ] ♪♪ Victor, then Father Michael, now -- -Shut up, will you?
-Don't you speak to me like that.
-Maggie, go and wait in the dining room!
♪♪ -Who found her?
-I did.
-Did you touch anything?
-I checked for a pulse.
Is that alright with you?
-There's no need to complicate things.
We leave for Lourdes the day after tomorrow.
-That's not Eric's problem.
-It could make things a little easier.
-I'm not here to make things easier.
-Then what am I paying you for?
-There are rules, laws.
-If it's a matter of law, shouldn't we defer to the expert?
-Do you know the cause of death?
-Well, obviously, she had a serious, progressive condition.
But I don't know why it should have happened so suddenly.
There may be a secondary factor that I've missed.
-Then the law says you notify the coroner.
Arrange a postmortem.
-Well, if the law says...
I'd better go and tell the others.
-I'll, uh, make that call.
-Inspector.
♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Theme music plays ] ♪♪ -I'm sorry to report that Grace passed away last night.
Aside from the personal loss, I know we all feel this sad news also forces a moment of decision on us.
I've decided it's time to invite the Ridgewell Trust to take over the running of Toynton Grange.
The decision we have to make together now as a family is how we do this.
How much of what we have do we want to keep hold of?
What might we have to lose?
-What do you mean?
What would we lose?
-There have been difficult choices to make, but every decision, however painful, has been made out of love.
And if the discipline at times seems hard, remember we are a family.
And every loving family is built on small sacrifices.
-What do the Ridgewell Trust have to do with it?
-The trust have invited me to remain at the Grange as spiritual adviser.
If I stayed, I'd be in a position to protect what we have here, what we've built together.
-If you stay?
Does that mean that you might not?
-My role here has always been based on my faith -- my faith, my mission, and your faith in me.
This transition is a chance to renew that contract.
So there will be a vote this afternoon at 5:00 with an hour's reflection before.
Everyone in the family will have a voice.
If the majority reaffirm their belief in me, then I will stay and build on what we've achieved.
-And if they don't?
-Well, that would be a sign that I should... [ Suspenseful music plays ] ...continue my ministry elsewhere.
♪♪ And by family, of course, I mean staff and residents.
-And what am I?
-Neither.
-[ Scoffs ] But I live here, too.
[ Scoffs ] -You did the right thing.
-[ Sighs ] -All Wilfred cares about is this bloody pilgrimage.
-Forget him.
He'll be gone soon.
-[ Footsteps approaching ] -Yeah.
Uh... -Wilfred's called a vote on whether you should stay or not.
-What?
-But I'm excluded.
He says I'm not staff or resident.
-Yeah, well, that's -- that's true.
-I live here!
-Yeah, but it's up to him, really.
-Is that all you can say?!
-What do you want me to say?
-I'm your wife!
I want you to support me!
-What do you think he's been doing?
-I know exactly what he's been doing.
What you've both been doing.
Do you think I'm blind?
You think you win just because he's sleeping with you?
Or do you think he is ever gonna leave me for you?
-Why wouldn't he?
-Because he is a spineless coward.
-That is enough.
-I should know, because that's how he ended up marrying me.
-Maggie!
-You and that supercilious bitch!
You think you control me with your bullying and your sleeping pills, but I am not a child anymore!
I am not the silly schoolgirl you used to screw in your office!
God!
I kept quiet for you, but I could destroy you.
In fact, I could destroy this whole rotten place!
[ Dramatic music plays ] [ Screams ] [ Breathing deeply ] ♪♪ ♪♪ -My room's next to Grace.
The bed's just through the wall.
She used to keep me awake with her snoring.
Then, last night, I realized it had stopped and I remember feeling grateful.
-It seems she died quietly in her sleep.
-[ Engine starts ] -Like Father Michael.
-Yes, just like Father Michael.
[ Birds chirping ] [ Foot stamping nervously ] -You seriously want me to commit resources on the basis of a crushed flower?
-If the book fell to the floor, then someone else had to have put it back on the bedside table.
-Well, what about the people who found her?
-They didn't touch anything.
-Look, if the postmortem suggests anything other than natural causes, we'll look into it, but -- -Anstey's still planning to go to Lourdes on Wednesday.
Can't you find some way to stop him?
-Well, not without some real evidence, no.
-Then we need to get the postmortem results tomorrow.
-We?
-Do your job, Inspector.
-Yes, sir.
Of course, sir.
He's getting right on my wick.
[ Door closes ] [ Dramatic music plays ] ♪♪ ♪♪ -Shall we begin?
I think we can keep this very simple.
I want to ask you all, honestly... do you continue to place your trust in me?
♪♪ [ Seagulls crying ] [ Dramatic music plays ] ♪♪ -Yes.
Of course.
-Thank you.
♪♪ -Jennie?
♪♪ -Sure.
Why not?
♪♪ -I'm grateful.
♪♪ ♪♪ I had hoped you'd come to feel differently, Henry.
♪♪ -There are some things I'll never feel differently about.
♪♪ -Ursula.
♪♪ Trust me... ♪♪ ...and I promise I will never abandon you.
♪♪ -Okay.
-[ Breathes deeply ] ♪♪ -Eric?
It seems right that you should have the chance to cast the key vote.
I placed my trust in you when others doubted.
Will you do me the same honor?
♪♪ [ Seagulls crying ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Rope creaking ] -[ Sighs ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -Chief Inspector, you missed the big vote.
-Go back and call the police.
-What's happened?
-Maggie.
She's dead.
Hanged at the Black Tower.
-But she was at my place.
I left her there.
-Go and make the call.
And you better tell Houston.
I'm -- I'm going back to the tower.
[ Dramatic music plays ] ♪♪ -Eric, wait!
♪♪ Eric!
Eric!
♪♪ [ Footsteps approaching ] ♪♪ -[ Gasps ] ♪♪ [ Sobs softly ] ♪♪ [ Crying ] Oh, my God!
[ Crying ] ♪♪ -Maggie's bag.
She left it at Marsh's.
-Best dress, painted nails, lipstick.
It's like she was going away for the weekend, not planning to kill herself.
-She did leave a note.
-"Can't do this any more.
You can go on without me."
-Enough to suggest intent.
-That's my pen.
-Are you sure?
-It was a gift from my wife.
Maggie must have taken it.
-Maybe she wanted a keepsake.
-She just turned up at my door, very upset, raging about Eric and Helen.
You heard the shouting this morning.
-What did you do?
-Told her everything was going to be... [ Dramatic music plays ] ♪♪ Sorry.
She was such a spark of light and life here, so... ...out of place.
A little girl, really.
♪♪ -Any death is a tragedy.
And I can't say I'm surprised.
Maggie was always volatile.
-So how did you think she'd react when you blocked her from voting?
-I knew she'd be angry.
She really had no right to be.
-This was her home.
-Maggie had a choice.
She chose not to be part of our project here.
Why should she expect to have a say in its future?
-Nothing to do with the fact that she'd vote against you.
-It was five to one in my favor.
It wouldn't have made any difference.
-You didn't know that this morning.
-Like I didn't know she was going to go and hang herself.
-Where were you before the vote?
-I was in my room between 4:00 and 5:00, meditating.
-Did anyone see you?
-No.
I was alone.
That's the point of meditating.
♪♪ -She seemed calm when I left.
I wanted to come up to the Grange before the vote.
I-I wouldn't have left her if I... -What time was this?
-About a quarter to 4:00, I think.
-Did anyone else from the Grange know she was at yours?
-Everyone, probably.
I told Wilfred, um, Dennis, and Henry when I saw them.
And I had to tell Eric.
-Eric was with me.
We were together all afternoon.
-From when?
-From lunchtime, until the vote.
-You were late for the vote.
-We went for a walk Eric was still upset from the scene this morning.
I thought some fresh air might clear his head.
We lost track of time.
-Were you near Julius' cottage?
-No, I don't think so.
Why?
-You might have been the last to see Maggie before she died... ...like you were the last to see Grace.
And should have been the last to see Father Michael.
-What are you suggesting?
-Just noting your proximity to a number of sudden deaths.
-I'm a nurse.
-And how does sleeping with Dr. Hewson square with your professional ethics?
Was your wife suffering from depression?
-No.
-Was she taking any kind of medication?
-No.
-What about sleeping pills?
♪♪ -She sometimes had trouble switching off at night.
-Why?
Was she worrying about something?
-My relationship with Eric is none of your business.
-I think someone who's been hiding an affair might have other things to hide.
-What other things?
-Their connections to the Ridgewell Trust, maybe.
What was the plan?
Drive Anstey out, then you and Hewson run the place?
-Maggie felt threatened by Helen.
She misinterpreted things.
-So you weren't sleeping with her?
-The -- The thing with Helen -- It was -- It was a mistake.
-Julius Marsh told you that Maggie was at his cottage.
-Yeah.
He came in looking for Wilfred.
-But you never left the workshop.
-Not until 5:00, for the vote.
♪♪ -Did you vote for Wilfred to stay?
-Of course.
-Why?
-Don't want to lose my job, do I?
-You could find another.
Maybe that position they offered you at Meadowlands.
Meadowlands pays better, and your mum's a resident there.
You must really like this place.
-So?
Not a crime, is it?
-That depends.
-On what?
-On how you can afford to keep your mum in a place like that.
-She gets her pension, and we have some savings.
-Still, must be hard to make ends meet.
♪♪ -I manage.
-Maggie must have felt so lost after Victor.
They seemed to -- to sustain each other somehow.
-How close were they?
-Thick as thieves.
Shut everyone else out.
She even went up to town with him when he had a hospital appointment.
-I think Maggie's mistake was just falling in love with the wrong man.
But you never know, do you?
Not until it comes to the crunch and they let you down.
But by then, it's too late.
-Did she ever talk about it?
The affair seemed common knowledge.
-We never talk about anything here.
-We all saw what she's going through.
But no one ever steps in to help.
♪♪ -I loved her.
I did.
♪♪ In my own way.
[ Crying ] -Imagine having it off while your wife's hanging herself.
Eric Hewson's gonna burn in hell for sure.
♪♪ -Do you know anything about a spate of poison-pen letters at the Grange?
-I don't know what you're talking about.
-I think you do.
-I just said -- -I think you wrote those letters.
-You think?
-I can prove it.
-How?
-I can do a saliva test where you lick the flaps on the envelopes.
-There were no envelopes.
-No, but how do you know that?
-What now?
Are you going to arrest me?
-What would be the point?
-You don't know what it's like -- -I'm not interested in your justifications.
You hurt people for your own amusement.
You need to apologize to them face-to-face.
-How did you know about Jennie?
-I didn't.
But she said Hewson would burn in hell.
The same phrase was in both the letters I've seen.
I thought I'd test her, see if she'd anything slip.
I'm tired, Sergeant.
I've no time for neurotic narcissists.
See you tomorrow, Grace's postmortem.
-Good night, sir.
[ Vehicle door opens, closes ] -This is ridiculous.
Grace Willison was 83 years old.
I don't appreciate being hurried.
They expedited the P.M., and now you can't even wait for my report.
-It's important.
-You think she was murdered?
-Was she?
-There's no evidence of it here.
-Well... there you go.
-So what killed her?
-Take your pick -- the advanced disseminated sclerosis, the heart condition, or the undiagnosed neoplasm in the upper stomach.
-Neoplasm?
-Tumor, cancer.
Her doctor missed it.
Easily done when the patient's already as ill as she was.
-Nothing else?
-What more do you want?
The mystery isn't how she died, but how she managed to live as long as she did.
-Still want me to stop their Lourdes trip?
Lock the place down?
[ Laughing ] -So where does that leave us?
-It leaves us with four people dead and nowhere to go.
I don't believe that Victor Holroyd pushed himself off that cliff, or that Maggie Hewson was suicidal.
I think Michael had a second visitor the night he died and that someone tied it up around Grace after she was dead.
But it seems there's not a damn thing I can do about it.
-I'm sorry.
-Miskin!
Let's go!
-[ Sighs ] -Thank you for your efforts, Sergeant.
-Back to London?
-Tomorrow.
There's something I need to do first.
[ Dramatic music plays ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -As we remember those who've gone... ...remember, too, that God's love... ♪♪ ...burns in us.
And so when our flame fades in this world, we will shine brightly in the beyond.
♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Flames crackling ] ♪♪ [ Television plays indistinctly ] -I'm going to miss Maggie.
-She had a bit a life about her.
-Do you ever think about doing what she did?
-Suicide?
-Mm.
-No.
I refuse to.
-I was the same.
But now... sometimes I catch myself.
Maybe it's just this place.
-You won't be here forever, once your husband finds the flat.
-It doesn't take this long.
Not if he was really looking.
I know he's not coming for me.
-Things will change.
-Wilfred said they're thinking of building a sun lounger out on the cliff.
-There you go.
A reason to go on living.
-The Trust will bring more residents in, I suppose.
-But we three should stick together.
-It'll be good to have some new faces.
-But we're three of the originals.
We're the survivors.
We're family.
[ Birds chirping ] [ Down-tempo music plays ] ♪♪ -"I wanted to say goodbye.
I've had enough of this place.
I'm leaving for good.
You know, it was me who set the fire in the Black Tower, but it was only meant to scare Wilfred.
He's a bully and a fraud.
The doctor at St. Saviour's told Victor that he'd examined Wilfred and found nothing wrong with him.
It was all in his head.
But he needed people to believe in his miracle.
I love Eric.
But he's weak and under the spell of Helen Rainer.
If I stay, I think they'll destroy me."
♪♪ So this is my escape.
I'll see you around.
Maggie."
-It must be here somewhere.
Grace was so organized.
-She kept it in the drawer, but it's not there.
-We're supposed to do a mail out in two weeks.
How can we do that if we've lost the names and addresses?
Someone must know where it is.
-Chief Inspector.
I thought we'd seen the last of you.
Excuse me.
I have a lot to do.
-Come to finally say goodbye?
-I actually wanted a word with you.
-About what?
-Your illness.
The doctors at St. Saviour's couldn't find anything wrong with you.
-I could barely walk.
-They decided it was psychological.
-They don't know what they're talking about.
-So any cure that happened was... ...what -- a delusion or just a lie?
-Miracles are a matter of faith, not medicine.
You can believe it or not.
-What would happen if the truth came out?
Do you think the Ridgewell Trust would want you as their spiritual adviser?
-Are you threatening me?
-No.
But maybe someone else did.
-What are you talking about?
-Victor found out at his last hospital appointment.
He told Maggie.
It must have been why he was so excited -- because he had something to use against you.
-Use against me?
You mean blackmail?
It never happened.
And even if it did, shouldn't you be accusing Victor?
-But he's dead.
-You think I killed Victor?
-What persuaded Dennis to do it for you?
-That's ridiculous.
-If you did it, there will be evidence.
And they'll find it.
I promise.
-If you had any evidence, you'd be arresting me.
What you have is gossip.
You got all this from Maggie, didn't you?
Is that your source -- a spiteful girl with a grudge who was so unstable, she finally took her own life?
-If it was suicide.
-[ Scoffs, laughs ] What?
You think I murdered her, too?
[ Chuckles ] What about Michael and Grace?
You were suspicious of them.
You think they were blackmailing me?
I mean, Grace -- Seriously?
Why would anyone kill Grace?
[ Suspenseful music plays ] ♪♪ I pity you, Chief Inspector.
You see evil where there is none.
That's a cold world to live in.
Maybe you need your own miracle.
I'll pray for you when we get to Lourdes.
[ Door opens, closes ] [ Telephone rings ] -Miskin!
-Sir?
-Message here for you... from the Foreign Office.
This got something to do with Dalgliesh?
-Yes, sir.
-Tell them we're done with him wasting our time.
Then get on with some real work.
-[ Sighs ] [ Birds chirping ] [ Engine starts ] [ Dramatic music plays ] ♪♪ ♪♪ -Yes.
-P.S.
Miskin?
Thank you so much for getting back to me.
-Sorry it took so long.
-So, were you able to find anything interesting?
-[ Speaks indistinctly ] -A known associate of who exactly?
And what are they involved in?
♪♪ ♪♪ [ Telephone rings ] [ Ringing continues ] Come on.
[ Ringing continues ] -Hello.
-Hello?
-Who's this?
-This is P.S.
Miskin.
I'm trying to get ahold of DCI Dalgliesh.
Is he there?
-Afraid not.
The place is empty.
They've all left for Lourdes.
It's only me here to lock up.
-Who's speaking, please?
-Julius Marsh.
Any message?
I could pass it on if I see him.
-No.
No message.
Just tell him I called.
-I will.
Bye.
♪♪ -Miskin?
Miskin!
♪♪ ♪♪ -Chief Inspector, I saw the car and wondered where you got to.
-I heard a phone ring.
-I expect it will ring back if it's important.
-What are you doing here?
-Locking up.
I keep an eye on the place while they're away.
You?
-Saying my farewells, I suppose.
And trying to make sense of some things.
-Such as?
-Why would anyone kill Grace?
The only thing she knew about was the newsletter and the mailing list, which she knew by heart.
-Does that matter?
-I suppose it depends who's on the list.
[ Suspenseful music plays ] ♪♪ ♪♪ -Who does all the packing?
-Mostly Dennis, I think.
-And they mail out twice a year?
A week after the Lourdes trips, both times.
Why not space them out?
-Wilfred isn't great at logistics.
♪♪ -The Lourdes trips and the mail-outs.
Two things he wants to protect.
-They're part of his legacy, I suppose.
-And without him here, the Trust would probably discontinue both.
-Probably.
-So if Victor was killed, maybe it wasn't about protecting Wilfred.
Maybe it was about protecting this.
-Holy water and mail-order face cream?
Sounds ridiculous.
♪♪ -Which makes it the perfect front.
-For what?
-Sailors, gangsters, and drug dealers.
-Pardon?
-Marseille, a major center for drug-smuggling, as you know.
-What has Marseille got to do with it?
-What better way to smuggle drugs out of France than in a busload of disabled pilgrims?
-What?
-Probably inside the wheelchairs.
Dennis takes such good care of them.
And then post supplies out to customers in pots of face cream.
-[ Chuckles ] You think Dennis is smuggling drugs?
-Not on his own -Who else?
-Someone with contacts in Marseilles.
Someone with money, but no job.
Someone who'd buy a new bus just to make sure the trips could continue.
♪♪ -I'm so sorry.
No, don't.
-Put the phone down.
I hoped it wouldn't come to this.
When I saw your car headed up the drive, I hoped you were just gonna say goodbye.
Here we are.
-It was a clever scheme.
-Wasn't it?
Worked like clockwork.
Until that doctor told Victor that Wilfred was a fake.
-How did you find out?
-Maggie told me.
I worried if it came out that Wilfred might just sell up or hand over to the Trust and leave.
-No more Lourdes trips.
-Exactly.
-So you killed Victor?
-No.
Dennis.
Victor started yelling about exposing the Grange's dirty secret, and Dennis thought he meant our little import operation.
He panicked and pushed him over.
-But not Maggie.
-I convinced her if it came out that Eric would be out of a job.
God, she was stupidly loyal to that clown... until she snapped about the vote.
-And came straight to you.
-She turned up, all fired up.
Planned to drop her big bombshell as people gathered to vote and then flounce out and head back to London.
-That's what she was dressed for.
-I got her drunk, persuaded her to write a note, walk up to the tower with me, and I took a rope.
It broke my heart.
You saw that.
But what else could I do?
[ Engine revving ] -Oh [bleep] -[ Horn honking ] [ Honking continues ] [ Birds chirping ] -Keys, slowly.
[ Keys rattling ] -What about Michael?
How could he have been a threat to you?
-Dennis felt guilty about Victor, started asking Father Michael about confession.
Michael began to suspect something.
He argued with Dennis, told him to go to the police.
I couldn't take the risk.
I went to see him when he got back from hospital, told him I wanted to make a confession.
He couldn't refuse, could he?
Unlock it.
[ Suspenseful music plays ] [ Keys rattle, lock clicks ] Smothered him with a sheet of plastic.
It was quick and no traces.
Same as Grace.
Get in.
We're going for a drive.
♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -[ Sighs ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -Was it really necessary to kill Grace?
-That one's entirely on you, Chief Inspector.
-Me?
How?
-You just wouldn't go away, so I had to get rid of the list.
That meant getting rid of Grace, too.
If you hadn't been so stubborn, she'd still be alive.
♪♪ [ Tires screech ] [ Tires screech ] [ Sirens wailing ] ♪♪ ♪♪ Right.
That's far enough.
Body off the cliff up here might not wash up for days.
Weeks, even.
Buys me enough time to open a few bank accounts and disappear.
♪♪ I'm going to give you a chance.
♪♪ I'll let you jump.
-Who's going to believe that?
-Come on.
Nobody would be surprised if they found you on the rocks.
Your wife and baby died.
♪♪ You stink of grief.
♪♪ ♪♪ [ Both grunting ] -Oh!
[ Dramatic note plays ] [ Seagulls crying ] [ Breathing heavily ] -Marsh, stop!
[ Dramatic music plays ] -It's over.
-But it's not, is it?
There'll be questions, trials, prison.
-Move away from the edge!
-That's not the ending I choose, chief inspector.
-Julius, no.
-Marsh, stop!
♪♪ -Now it's over.
♪♪ -[ Breathing heavily ] I've got you.
♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪
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