TAINTED FRUIT
First Broadcast: September 23, 2001
| An
old man dies from pneumonia in his rundown cottage. The landlady
apparently didn't want to help improve the state of Neil Lexton's
cottage. Joan Farley is particularly unhappy about the death, seeing as
Neil was a good friend and member of her family. Ever since then,
Melissa Townsend, the landlady, has been receiving death threats. Barnaby and Troy are surprised at how calm Melissa remains, and learn that it wasn't her who reported them. There are plenty in the village who disliked Melissa - even her father was given a hard time. Her only two friends, however, are Adam Keyne, who is deeply in debt, and her nurse friend, Sally Rickworth. |
| Adam
is captain of the tennis club, and Melissa is a member. Joan Farley, who
blames Melissa for the death of Neil, throws wine all over her dress
causing a stir. That same night, a load of barbiturates and syringes and
stolen from the vet surgery when it's broken in to. This could very well
fit in with some of the notes Melissa has been sent. That morning, Sally Rickworth is found lying in her car, which has been crashed, drunk and confused. Cherrie and Hugo Balcombe have found their car damaged and presume that Sally was driving unsuitably. Sally is now faced with the prospect of losing her license. |
| Barnaby
and Troy visit the vet's surgery, owned by Raif Canning, and they find a
promising Wellington boot print, maybe belonging to the thief. They race
back to Malham Manor to warn Melissa of her insecurity. Back at the manor, Melissa is sunbathing on her chair but then approached by an intruder. Her father is going over some Italian words to charm his latest girl-friend. Then a syringe is raised. a gloved hand put over Melissa's mouth. and the syringe stabs her right in the liver. Her father cannot hear her cry for help and Melissa eventually falls dead on the sun-bed by the pool.
|
|
DCI
Tom Barnaby |
John
Nettles |
|
DS
Gavin Troy |
Daniel
Casey |
|
Joyce
Barnaby |
Jane
Wymark |
|
Dr.
George Bullard |
Barry
Jackson |
|
Cherrie
Balcombe |
Ann
Bell |
|
Hugo
Balcombe |
Benjamin
Whitrow |
|
Melissa
Townsend |
Lucy
Punch |
|
Archie
Townsend |
Terence
Harvey |
|
Adam
Keyne |
Adrian
Rawlins |
|
Liz
Keyne |
Sarah
Mair-Thomas |
|
Sally
Rickworth |
Claire
Price |
|
Raif
Canning |
John
McGlynn |
|
Georgina
Canning |
Eleanor
David |
|
Joan
Farley |
Ellie
Haddington |
|
Lord
Hislop |
Charles
Collingwood |
|
Lady
Hislop |
Pamela
Miles |
|
Frederick
Bentine-Brown |
Miles
Richardson |
|
Postman |
Richard
Clothier |
|
Dog
Owner |
Terry
O’Brien |
|
Derek |
Brian
Poyser |
|
Gwen |
Amanda
Walker |
|
--- |
--- |
|
Screenplay |
David
Hoskins |
|
Director |
Peter
Smith |
|
Producer |
Brian
True-May |