Country Matters

Series Nine, Episode Six

Country Matters

Airdate

10 September 2006

Episode guide
Previous	Following
Four Funerals and a Wedding	Death in Chorus

Country Matters is the sixth episode of the ninth series of the popular ITV crime drama Midsomer Murders and originally aired on 10th September 2006.

Synopsis[]

There is friction among the villagers in Elverton-cum-Latterley where there is widespread disagreement over the construction of a large Goodfare supermarket. Those in favour see it as a convenient way of getting their shopping done without having to drive great distances while those opposed see it as the beginning of the end of village life. Emotions are running high, including a bout of fisticuffs at a village meeting. With all of this going on around them, DCI Barnaby and DC Jones investigate the murder of Frank Hopkirk, an environmental consultant who was in the village working on the supermarket project. He was found stabbed to death in an old timber mill.

Plot[]

In the opening scene two people are riding horses across the fields. Frank Hopkirk and Ginny LamingtonThey arrive back at the stables where the man is brushing the horses coat. Ginny says "Do you call that grooming?" She selects a whip. "I think I'm going to have to take you in hand," she says.

In the woods, Frank is shooting and hears a cry for help. He finds Celia Patchett whose foot is "trapped" in a metal trap. He proceeds to release her.

Next we see Frank seated at a table and Rose Southerly serving him apple pie. He hugs her and says "What a wonderful wife you are." "I'll cut you a piece and then it will be time for your nap," Rose says.

Next the scene is a grocery store. Barnaby is bent over his cart with his face in his hands. Rev. Suze comes up to pray with him. Joyce returns to the cart and they meet Rose Southerly. Joyce once took a cooking course from Rose. Rose says Rev. Suze has some weird arrangement with the grocery store. There is a disagreement between the villagers over the construction of the new supermarket. Rose's daughter, Dora Southerly comes up and is introduced.

Later Otis Piggott meets Dora at a vacant lot and brings lager from his dad's pub. They argue about whether their parents might date and get married. Dora's mum is a widow. They scamper off and hide when they see a man walking on the field with a briefcase. He is taking samples from the ground.

At Everton Village Stores, Rose and Celia Patchett are talking when Ginny Lamington drives by. Orlando Lamington wants to have a meeting that evening. Later, Frank walks to Rose's cottage. Rose is dressed in a cute blue dress with a flounced apron. "Have you had a horrible day?" she asks Frank. "Horrible," he responds. There is a meeting that night about the supermarket and Frank offers to be Rose's "White Knight." He wishes she really was his wife. She made him a sponge cake. They kiss.

Gary Talbot delivers vegetables to the Lamington stables. In the home, Orlando, Ginny , Rose , Celia and Jeremy Patchett are discussing the supermarket issue. The Deputy Prime Minister has given Goodfare permission to build the supermarket. Goodfare promised to put up affordable housing. Their only chance to defeat the supermarket is to go to the European Court of Human Rights. So Orlando plans to bring this up at the meeting tonight. Orlando goes on to say there is something else they need to discuss as regards to the "business." There are rumors of Rose dating Danny Piggott. Orlando says he doesn't care who Rose consorts with, but she can't carry on with anyone and stay in the "business." Rose says she only had a drink with him. She has no intention of consorting with him.

That evening the villagers gather for the meeting with Goodfare. Danny Piggott tries to get Rose to sit with him, but she has to sit with her partners in the "business." Dudley Painter and Miranda Harvey approach the hall. Miranda is leaving a message for Frank. They proceed to sit at the front of the hall. Rev. Suze presents the people on the platform- Orlando Lamington from the Stop the Supermarket committee, Miranda Harvey, the rep from Goodfare, and Dudley Painter from the council. He tells the group that Goodfare will build 6 houses on the site and also clean up the site.

Dora and Otis sneak off to the old timber mill at Jubb's Field.

At the meeting, Orlando says that they must consider the "potential erosion of the quality of life in this village if the supermarket is built." Villagers boo and cheer. Gary Talbot gets into a fight with Danny Piggott. Gary owns the village store, which will suffer if the supermarket is built. Danny owns the pub and is selling it to Goodfare. Orlando goes to break the fight up and Danny attacks Orlando. He says "Keep your hands off her," referring to Rose.

Dora tells Otis to "GET OFF. Move your Hand!" Otis lights his cigarette lighter and the hand on Dora's leg is a dead man's hand.

In the morning, Barnaby and Jones arrive at the murder scene. Dr. Bullard is also there. The victim has stab wounds to the chest. No wounds to the hands or arms so he didn't put up a fight. There are marks on the ground suggesting the body was dragged there. They also find vodka and cigarettes.

Barnaby goes to interview Dora. Her mom says she doesn't have to go to school but Dora wants to go- she wants to tell everyone what's happened. Dora tells Barnaby it was Otis' idea to go to Jubb's Field, the site of the old mill. So they went there and there was this dead man. They sat down and Dora felt this hand on her. Then Otis lit his cigarette lighter and they saw the dead man. "Is Otis your boyfriend?" asks Barnaby. "No Way!" says Dora. "Otis is a complete loser." Jones says "So who stole the vodka?" "Not me," says Dora. "Otis got it from the pub." Dora states she never saw the dead man before.

Barnaby and Jones go to interview Otis Piggott. "We were sitting there and we saw him, this bloke. We saw him in the dark," admits Otis. Jones says "When you lit your cigarette lighter." Otis denies having a lighter and his dad chimes in that Otis doesn't smoke- "he knows I'd kill him." Danny Piggott keeps interrupting the interview. Otis denies having seen the man before. "He was just a man in a suit with a briefcase," says Otis. "Only we didn't find any briefcase," says Barnaby. Barnaby tells Otis when his dad steps away for a bit to tell the truth and he won't tell his dad about the vodka and cigarettes that they found at the site. Otis admits that they saw the man earlier in the day. He was digging in the field.

Jones gets a call- they found something at the murder site. The bloody knife. Barnaby says it looks like one of the chef's knives that Joyce got. "Cost me a fortune." They also find the briefcase and the dead man's wallet. His name was Frank Hopkirk. In the briefcase is a report on the supermarket development. Also a business card for Rose's cooking school. Jones is assigned to notifying the next of kin.

Barnaby goes back to talk to Rose. He tells her that the dead man was carrying one of her business cards. Barnaby describes the man and Rose says it sounds like Mr. Johnson. She's been teaching him to cook as a surprise for his wife. Barnaby shows her a photo of the man and says his name is Frank Hopkirk. Barnaby asks if Rose is missing any knives. She is missing her vegetable knife. Barnaby shows her a photo of the murder weapon. She is surprised to see it. "You're not suggesting that I killed him?" Well it can't have been missing long, says Rose. Barnaby asks who else was here yesterday? A class from Midsomer Parva. Hopkirk paid cash for his "lesson." Dora arrives home as Barnaby is leaving. He asks about yesterday. He knows she was with Otis on Jubb's Field. Dora says the man they saw dug something up and put it in a container. Dora asks Barnaby if he is married. "Mum is a widow. So boring with all these men hanging around." "What men?" says Barnaby. She doesn't answer and goes inside.

At home, Joyce says you've got to hand it to Rose. "Her husband was killed in a car crash. He left her with a huge overdraft, huge mortgage, no life insurance. So she knuckled under and started the cookery business."

The next morning, Jones is interviewing Rev. Suze. Hopkirk's car has been by the church since yesterday. Hopkirk was an environmental health consultant. He was working for Goodfare, but Jones can't get anyone at Goodfare to confirm it.

Mrs. Hopkirk identifies her husband. Jones offers her tissues and she says "Don't be ridiculous." She starts smoking in the No Smoking Zone. She denies knowing about her husband's cooking lessons. "It was a woman giving these cookery lessons?" she says. "Where women were concerned, Frank couldn't help himself."

Dr. Bullard shows Barnaby bruising and marks on Hopkirk. He also has bruising on his buttocks. The kind which suggest "Mild Chastisement." The kind administered for recreational purposes. Someone not so gently beat him for pleasure.

Jones and Barnaby discuss the case. Jones says "What about this- Hopkirk forces himself on Rose. She grabs a knife." Barnaby says "what about Rose welcomes Hopkirk and falls in love with him. Jones says "no way." Rose is a looker. Hopkirk is in his 50's. Barnaby says "Human relationships are complex" and not based on whether one is a looker or not. Maybe the Lamingtons, the Padgett's and Rose all ganged up to kill the environmental health consultant. Jones says there is no sign of whatever Hopkirk had been digging up in his briefcase. They interview Piggott. He saw Hopkirk in the pub yesterday. Hopkirk was asking about someone who used to work in Jubb's Timber Mill. They ask about the fight at the village hall Piggott had with Orlando. And the fight he had with Talbot.

Jones and Barnaby interview the Talbots. Tracy Talbot saw Hopkirk yesterday. He was asking about someone who used to work at the Timber Mill. Gary Talbot was out making deliveries. Two hours to make two deliveries, says his wife. They see Ginny Lamington riding by on a horse with a man. Miranda Harvey drives by and asks to talk to Barnaby about Frank Hopkirk. She tells Barnaby that Hopkirk was a respected colleague. He didn't work for Goodfare. He was an independent consultant. They were consulting him about the Jubb's Field site which is polluted. He had a good relationship with the council and Dudley Painter. "It's important we are all singing from the same hymn sheet," says Miranda. "There are concerns about how this unfortunate incident is depicted in the media." Barnaby says he can't help her with that and Miranda glares on him.

Jones tells Barnaby that they lifted a couple of prints off the knife that match Rose's. Talbot told Jones that he got the Midsomer Market order wrong and had to go back there in the evening. His wife didn't say much but obviously thinks he is up to something.

Dora and Otis are outside smoking and see Orlando go to visit her mum. Rose likes Orlando but only as a friend. Dora says her "mum won't marry anyone. She's still in love with my dad." Orlando tells Rose how much he cares for her. Rose tells him not to start that again. He tells her he will leave Ginny and go with Rose anywhere. He just wants to be with her. Barnaby and Jones knock on Rose's door. They tell her that her fingerprints were found on the knife. Barnaby notices the plastic garlic hanging in a corner. He finds a videocamera behind it. Rose admits to recording some of her classes.

In the stables, Mr. Hundsecker is resting on a bench. Ginny walks in and asks him if he is sitting down on the job. "I don't think you've been properly broken in," she says. "Get on your feet and go to the bench and turn around." She moves a flag and reveals a videocamera and starts whipping him.

Rose tells Barnaby and Jones that she started the catering business after her husband died. She got deeper into debt. Then one of her students made her an offer. He offered her "a ridiculous sum of money to spend the night with him. Enough to pay Dora's school fees for a whole term." An offer she couldn't refuse. He started to see her regularly. Then he introduced her to a friend. "Friends with similar tastes. Needing comforting." She would bake them something comforting, listen to their problems and tell them how wonderful they were. "I see myself as a sort of fantasy wife." She made recordings as a precaution. There was a journalist once who threatened to make trouble. Rose has a recording of Hopkirk's last visit.

In the woods a man with a shotgun visits Celia Patchett in her wooden Arbor. He is not supposed to be in that part of the woods. He says he was looking for poachers. "Do I look like a poacher?" she says and lifts her skirt.

At Rose's, the police watch the video of Hopkirk and Rose making out. Rose looks on in embarrassment. Rose asks if they are going to arrest her. Barnaby says that is not his department. But he will need the recording showing Hopkirk's last visit. She didn't murder him. He left at 12:30 and the knife was still on the table. Someone went to a great deal of trouble to incriminate Rose.

Barnaby goes to see Dudley Painter. Miranda Harvey is there with him. Painter wants to know how the investigation is going. Barnaby says he would like to speak to Dudley in private. Dudley doesn't seem to want Miranda to leave. "You were both consulting him about pollution at Jubb's timber yard?" says Barnaby. Painter explains that Jubb's used arsenic to treat their timber. There was an industrial accident, spillage. So the site is contaminated. Unless the topsoil is removed and treated. So Goodfare gets the land cheap. But they clean up the site at their own expense. Barnaby says "So what was Hopkirk doing at Jubb's field on the day he died?"

Later, Dr. Bullard tells Barnaby that Hopkirk had a massive stroke. The stabbing killed him. He had the stroke around the same time that he sustained the bruises to his chest and back. If he was involved in a fight, that would have caused an increase in blood pressure and perhaps caused the stroke. It was some hour later that he was stabbed. All the stab wounds are symmetrical. All from the same angle, which suggests he remained motionless during the stabbing. He had saddle soap under his nails. He also had gunshot residue on his hands.

Barnaby asks Jones where he thinks Hopkirk got the saddle soap? The stables. Then he goes shooting at the Padgett's. Jones goes to the pub to meet with someone who used to work at Jubb's timber yard. After buying him whiskey, the man tells him about Johnny Crouch.

Barnaby goes to the outdoor recreation center in the woods. He hears a cry for help and finds Celia with her leg in the trap. Then Sir Charles arrives to "rescue Celia." Jeremy Patchett stands up from where he'd been hiding in the bushes with a camera. The Patchett's admit to entertaining men with the "fake man trap." A little harmless role play. Barnaby goes over to the Lamington Riding School and Stables. He finds Mr. Hundsecker polishing a saddle. Hundsecker drops his trousers and tells Barnaby he can check his work. Barnaby asks to speak to Ginny, who then comes out. She recognizes the photo of Hopkirk. She claims he was alive when he left the stables.

At Johnny Crouch's cottage a hooded man breaks in and starts beating up the occupant. Jones arrives and goes in to break it up and gets clobbered on the head with a pan.

Barnaby finds Dora and Otis smoking on a bench. He asks Dora about the men hanging around her house. Orlando and Danny Piggott. Otis and Dora tell him they have seen Rev Suze who goes jogging on Monday afternoon- she goes to meet Talbot who is making his deliveries.

Jones says he spoke to Johnny Crouch. The arsenic in the topsoil at Jubb's field is supposed to come from the pesticide treating the timber. But Crouch said they never treated the timber there and there was never a big spillage.

Barnaby tells Jones about the Rev. Suze. They go to interview her. Barnaby asks why she didn't tell them about going for a run Monday afternoon. She said she had to meet someone. Gary Talbot. "The flesh is weak." She also didn't tell them for Ginny Lamington's sake. She met Gary in his van. They saw Ginny Lamington's horse box in the lane with someone else. As they are leaving the church, Barnaby sees Rose at her husband's grave. He tells her that someone went to a great deal of trouble to incriminate her by stealing her knife. Who could have done that? Rose remembers that Ginny Lamington came around to borrow a cookery book. Rose left her alone in the kitchen while she went to get the book. Rose asks why would she do such a thing? Barnaby says Ginny's husband, Orlando, was paying Rose alot of attention.

Barnaby and Jones go to the stables. Jones finds the hidden camera. Ginny claims the camera is for security reasons. Barnaby accuses Ginny of taking one of Rose's knives to stab Hopkirk. Orlando comes out and asks why? Ginny says "She stole you." Ginny says it's all on tape. But the tape is missing. The police go to the pub and chase Danny Piggott. They find the tape in his coat pocket. Danny says that what happened on the tape is not what it looks like. He didn't kill Hopkirk. The police watch the tape. Hopkirk makes a call to Dudley and says he can't sign off on the report. There was no spillage on Jubb's Field. He wrote a new report and is going to make a public announcement at the meeting. Then Danny Piggott walks out and confronts him. Danny wants the deal with Goodfare to go through so he can sell them his pub and get out of the town. They fight. Then Frank has a stroke and falls to the ground. Ginny stops the camera from recording.

At the police station, Danny says Ginny said she would call emergency services. So Danny went back to the pub. Barnaby says it looks like Danny attacked Hopkirk and he died. Danny admits to being on Jubb's Field where he and Ginny dumped Hopkirk's body. But he wasn't dead. They split up then. Ginny said "Not a word to anyone." Danny was waiting for Ginny to go, but she went back in to the barn. Hopkirk woke up and said "I can't move. Help me." She stabbed him. Then Danny ransacked Hopkirk's bag and wallet.

In Ginny's interview, she said it was all Rose's fault. Orlando became infatuated with her. He was always on hand to give her advice. Then Rose introduced Ginny and Celia to some of her clients. So the "business" took off and she saw less of Orlando. So she started an affair with Danny. The final insult was when Danny started to pursue Rose. "I really loathe dear little Rose," Ginny said. So she implicated Rose in Hopkirk's murder. What really annoyed Ginny is that Rose wouldn't sleep with either Orlando or Danny.

Jones complains that Goodfare gets the land cheap and don't have to clean it up cause it's not contaminated. Great scam. The police then find Hopkirk's phone. There will be a record of the call to Dudley Painter. Barnaby can't wait to talk to Painter.

Later in bed, Joyce says to Tom that she wouldn't want to act out that perfect wife (like Rose) act or the damsel in distress (Celia) act. "But Ginny Lamington's routine. Dishing out a bit of discipline. That I could handle."