(introspective music) (birds chirping) - [Narrator] It is said that if you tell the truth, it becomes part of your past.

If you tell a lie, it becomes part of your future.

But lying is not only done with words, but also with silence.

And on the subject of her mother's mysterious disappearance, those closest to Matilda have been the most silent of all.

(raven caws) Whatever the reasons behind their silence, Jane, Beth, and Cat Stone have always feared the events surrounding their sister's disappearance would one day come to light.

For even the smallest of lies requires a bodyguard of bigger lies to protect it.

And that there would come a time when, however hard they tried, even they would be unable to protect Matilda from the truth.

(tense music) (raven caws) (light music) (birds chirping) (tense music) (tense music continues) (introspective music) (introspective music continues) (windmill clicking) (engine revving) (door creaking) (machine whirring) (keys jingling) (typewriter clicking) (introspective music) (bell ringing) (windmill clicking) (raven caws) (light music) (birds chirping) - Kippers.

- Yum.

Thank you.

(cellphone buzzes, chimes) - From George?

- Maybe.

- You've been seeing a lot of him recently.

- Have I?

(camera shutter clicks) Yeah, I suppose I have.

- Morning.

- Thanks for running the shop today, Cat.

- Oh, well, how hard can it be?

- Ready?

- Stupid question, but why?

- Sound props.

- You can't record an audio book without sound effects.

- Mm.

The recording booth at Heritage House has great acoustics.

I cut my first demo there.

- And your last.

They banned her after that.

- I paid for the damage.

Eventually.

- I never liked the place.

They used to make us go there for school trips all the time.

I think it's creepy.

- Oh, I don't know, I always thought Heritage House was quite quaint.

(fastidious music) - [Narrator] In truth, Matilda and her aunt Jane were both correct.

(door creaking) For Wildemarsh Heritage House has a reputation for being both quaint and creepy.

Thanks in no small part to its world-famous collection of memorabilia, dedicated to the great American writer, Edgar Allan Poe.

"I knew that sound well, too.

It was the beating of the old man's heart.

It increased my fury as the beating of a drum stimulates the soldier into courage."

So wrote Edgar Allan Poe in his seminal work, "The Tell-Tale Heart", the original manuscript for which you can see on display behind me.

(pensive music) Don't touch that.

It's very sharp.

Now, where was I?

(engines revving) (tires squeal) - Hey!

That's my space.

- That's not very polite.

(restless music) (professor sighs) (watch ticking) - Ladies.

- Would you mind signing my petition?

I'm trying to force the council to reverse their decision to sell "The Tell-Tale Heart".

(door closes) - You're wasting your time with that dumb petition, Vicky.

The auctioneers are coming to collect "The Tell-Tale Heart" tomorrow whether you like it or not.

- Not if I have anything to do with it, they won't.

- It's time you faced reality.

Heritage House is struggling.

A slice of Poe memorabilia like that's got to be worth half a million dollars.

Without that money, this place will close within a year.

- Philistine.

- Oh, who?

(door closes) - Jane.

Professor Rhineheart, that's who.

- The Professor Rhineheart?

World-famous author of "Poe, the Man, the Enigma"?

- He's over here studying "The Tell-Tale Heart" for the sequel.

- Don't tell me.

"Poe, the Man, the Enigma 2".

- I wish I could say you were wrong.

The man's an idiot.

He's been flying around the world researching his new book for a decade.

How he's got to where he is is anyone's guess.

Victoria Durrell, librarian.

- Beth Stone.

- Sorry I'm late, Victoria.

My alarm didn't go off.

- This is Oliver, our new volunteer.

Oliver, I need you to show our guests to the recording booth.

- What?

Oh.

Yes, of course.

Uh...

Please, follow me.

- Other way.

- Is it?

Oh.

Sorry.

This way.

Sorry.

(Oliver chuckles) Here we are.

Do you want me to show you how to work the mixing desk?

- You know?

- I'm a retired civil servant, not a deejay.

But, uh, I think I can sort it out.

(feedback screeches) - Thanks.

We'll take it from here.

- Are you sure?

Oh, well, let me know if you need anything.

- Thanks.

- Thank you.

- Bye.

- Right, I'll ready the props, you cue up the recording.

(light music) - [Narrator] As Beth and Jane Stone began work on Jane's audio book, precisely two miles, 304 yards away, PC Foster began to realize that his chances of a romantic relationship with Matilda were diminishing by the day.

- This was just delivered to the front desk.

- [Narrator] For, although he had long harbored feelings for Matilda, it was clearer now... - It's a present from George.

- [Narrator] maybe more than ever, that he had long since missed the boat.

(light music) - Isn't it beautiful?

- Yes.

Beautiful.

- "The Attenborough Equivalency", by Jane Stone.

Chapter one.

The call came in at 2:00 a.m. (bag pops) Gunfire heard coming from the Ferguson residence.

Our Detective Inspector Lambert and his partner DS Keegan were first on the scene.

(gravel crunching) The sound of their feet on the gravel drive enough to scare away the starlings who had recently taken up residence on the lawn.

(birds chirping) "How do we know the caller's telling the truth?

This could be a setup," carped DS Keegan in his Highland drawl.

Setup or not, Lambert knew that even the gravest of lies hid an element of truth, and it was their job to uncover it.

Camera drones!

Quick!

(Beth imitates drone whirring) - Where's the umbrella for the drones?

- Oh, I thought you packed it.

- There's probably one in lost property.

I'll go and ask.

(light music) - [Carrier] Delivery.

- Oh, yeah, could you just put them down there?

- [Carrier] Yeah.

Sure.

(tense music) - [Cat] Thanks.

- Thanks.

(bell rings) (door closes) (couple whispering indistinctly) - Sorry.

- Uh, yeah, Karen was just, uh, helping me with the... - If you say so.

(Karen chuckles) - Uh, Robin Brunswick, Heritage Director.

Uh, and this is Karen Freedman, our hygiene maintenance coordinator.

- I'm the cleaner.

- Beth Stone.

- Oh, the author?

Yes.

I heard a rumor you and your sister would be in this week.

Beth is Wildemarsh's most famous resident author.

- Don't suppose you could direct me to lost property.

- Oh, there's one at the front desk.

- Thanks.

Nice to meet you both.

- We're having farewell drinks later for "The Tell-Tale Heart".

We'd be honored if you'd join us.

Poe room, five o'clock.

- Thanks.

I'll see you there.

- Yeah.

(bell rings) - I'm collecting names to stop the council from selling off the town's copy of "The Tell-Tale Heart".

- Oh, yeah.

Sign me up.

(light music) Here we go.

- Do you mind putting one of those in the window in support?

- Sure.

- [Narrator] As well as collecting names for her petition, librarian Victoria Durrell also collected books, books that she didn't always feel the need to pay for.

- There we go.

- Thank you.

Bye-bye.

- Okay, bye.

(telephone rings) (colleagues chattering indistinctly) (printer whirring) (uneasy music) - [Narrator] If the arrival of Daniel and Natasha's wedding invitation filled Matilda with a torrent of emotions, the upcoming departure of Heritage House's precious Poe manuscript was causing more than a trickle of regret among its staff.

(tense music) - I see your friend Victoria is boycotting the proceedings.

- Sally Capstan, archivist, tour guide, children's author.

Victoria tells me you own a bookshop.

- Murder Ink, on the high street.

- Then may I present you with a complimentary copy of my debut novel, "Poe, Poe, Poe Your Boat"?

It's a children's biography of Edgar Allan Poe.

I'm offering it to local retailers at a discount.

- What's going on?

- Rob's about to give a speech.

- Henry, night security guard.

- Can I have everyone's attention, please?

Well, it's a sad day for all of us, hm?

Not only are we saying adios to our dear friend, Professor Rhineheart, but also to our treasured Poe manuscript, "The Tell-Tale Heart".

It's a great loss for all of us, but a necessary one.

- And I'd like to add, it's been an enormous privilege working with such esteemed colleagues these past few weeks.

So, as a token of my appreciation, gifts for everyone.

Ladies.

- Thank you.

- Henry.

- Cheers.

- And, yes, I have personally signed every copy.

- Meaning you can't exchange it.

- Right.

As I was saying, before Professor Rhineheart's generous interruption, I have been reassured that the money from the sale of the manuscript will ensure our future for many years to come.

So, with that in mind, I'd like you all to raise your glasses, and I'd like to make a toast.

To "The Tell-Tale Heart".

- [Crowd] "The Tell-Tale Heart".

- But I told you before, Mum, fish paste sandwiches and sushi aren't the same thing.

(vehicle whooshing) (radar gun beeps) Well, yeah, it's made of fish.

And yeah, it's cold, but... - [Operator] All units, be on the lookout for a blue saloon.

Driver reported to have threatened a member of the public with a baseball bat.

Registration: B700 VGS.

Over.

(earnest music) - Mum, I've got to go.

And thanks for the jelly pot.

This is happening.

(light music) Oi!

(chain clicking) Sir.

Stop!

Pull over!

(engine idling) - I hope you have probable cause to stop me, officer.

I was well within the legal speed limit.

- Well, a man driving a car matching this description was accused of threatening a member of public with a baseball bat.

- I don't even own a baseball bat.

What?

- I'm going to need you to accompany me to the station.

- No, you can't do this.

- Step out of the car, please, sir.

- I have to be somewhere.

- PC Foster to base.

Suspect apprehended.

Backup requested.

- Alright, alright.

No need for that.

I'll come quietly.

- [Narrator] As Oliver McGorrie prepared to face hours of scrutiny over his apparent interest in baseball, Jane Stone was settling down for some late night reading about an American obsession of a more literary kind.

(light music) (clock ticking) (fastidious music) (keys jingling) - Oh!

You're in early.

- Oh, I didn't get a chance to clear up after last night's drinks.

Do you want a hand with your bag?

- No, no!

No, I'm fine.

Thank you.

Odd.

The alarm should come on when I open the door.

I have to type in a key code to make it stop.

- Look.

(footfalls stomping) I've got a bad feeling about this.

- [Narrator] A turn-up for the book is an oft used phrase to denote surprise.

(Henry grunts) - Henry?

- [Narrator] But in this instance, it can also be taken literally.

- The manuscript.

- [Narrator] The item turning up for the book, being... - A solitary black feather.

(tense music) - Thanks, Terry.

I'll meet you there.

- Breakfast?

- I can't stay.

There's been a break in at Heritage House.

Someone's stolen "The Tell-Tale Heart".

What?

- The manuscript was due to be collected today by the auctioneers.

- Coincidence?

- Maybe.

But I'm more interested in what the thief left behind.

- Which was what?

- A solitary black feather.

Just like the one in mum's safe deposit box.

See you later.

- [Narrator] Although Matilda was yet to appreciate the true significance of the solitary black feather, her aunts couldn't help but fear the truth was now closer to the surface than at any time since her mother's disappearance.

- We've got to get down there.

(uneasy music) - I can't believe they're back.

- Who?

- The Raven.

It was a cat burglar who terrorized Wildemarsh for years.

- What makes you think it's the same person?

- Well, there's a power cut to the building, rope used to gain entry, plus they used a solitary black feather as a calling card.

- Were they ever caught?

- Not that I remember.

Burglaries stopped.

They weren't heard from again.

- When was this?

- Twenty-five years ago.

- [Narrator] The same time, thought Matilda, that her beloved mother, Eleanor, went missing.

- Excuse me one moment.

What are you doing here?

- Recording Jane's audio book.

- Then why isn't Cat at the shop?

- Well, I was, um... giving Jane a hand.

Wasn't I, Jane?

(clocks ticking) - Hm?

Yes, whatever you say.

- In which case, I won't keep you.

(clocks ticking) (clock dings) - Oh.

Can anyone else hear an odd ticking?

(clock ticking) - What if the Raven is back?

- Impossible.

- I agree.

The rope, the feather, anyone could have staged that.

- Well, how do we tell Matilda that?

- There's only one way.

We have to find out who really stole that manuscript.

- The security office will have a plan of the building.

I want to see how else the thief could have got in.

Come on.

- [Paramedic] Alright, mate.

Can you remember your name?

- [Henry] Uh, Henry.

- [Paramedic] Do you remember what happened?

- I was standing and all of a sudden, he bumped me right behind the head.

- Okay.

Let's have a look at it, buddy.

- What's going on?

- Oh.

Someone beat Henry up last night and stole the manuscript.

- Damn police!

(introspective music) - [PC Foster] Anything?

- Clean.

Same as the display case.

Power supply to the building?

- As you suspected, cut to disable the alarm.

It's all very professional.

Sarge, see that man down there?

I arrested him yesterday evening.

A member of public rang in to say that he threatened them with a baseball bat.

- Did you charge him?

- I found a bat in his car, but we couldn't trace the caller.

We had to release him in the end.

- What time was this?

- I took him down the station around 7:00.

Custody sergeant was forced to release him around 1:00 a.m. - Oh, it has to be here somewhere.

- He's got a camp bed in here.

Looks like someone enjoys sleeping on the job.

- [Cat] What's his name again?

I'm sure I've seen him before.

- [Beth] Henry Wade.

- [Cat] Henry Wade?

- Jane, are you okay?

You don't seem yourself.

- Ever since we got here this morning, I've felt really odd.

- I'm saying nothing.

- Oh, no, not my usual odd.

This is like an itch I can't scratch.

- [Cat] Right, found it.

- Oh.

(odd ticking sound) - This doesn't make sense.

If the power to the alarm was disconnected, why come in the skylight?

I mean, breaking in through the rear doors would have been much easier.

- Plus, the real Raven only used the skylight when there was no alternative.

What do you think, Jane?

Jane?

- [PC Foster] Look out below.

- I was monitoring the cameras in the office when the power went out.

- What time was that?

- Around 9:30.

Did the rounds.

Everything looked fine.

Then I heard a noise, and before I knew what happened someone hit me over the head.

- Did you get a look at who did it?

- No.

It all happened so fast.

(Henry yawns) By the time I came round, it was the morning and I was bound and gagged.

(cellphone rings) Sorry.

I really need to get this.

- Yeah.

- Jess?

No, I'm stuck at work.

No, I'm fine.

Take your sister to school for me.

There's some money in the kitchen jar for lunch.

No.

Nothing to worry about.

Love you.

- Everything okay?

- Yeah.

It's my eldest.

Since Alison left, it's just been me and the kids.

- You keep yawning.

- I'm on it.

I'm taking him to hospital for a scan.

Can never be too careful with concussion.

In you pop.

- Really?

I'm fine.

- It's not a request.

(fastidious music) Let me help.

Hands and feet.

I'll see you around, Sergeant.

Don't worry, we'll have you home by lunchtime.

(door creaking) - It's all so upsetting.

- I'm going to need you to do a stock-take to make sure no more books or other items have been taken.

- But that could take weeks.

We haven't done an audit in years.

- I'm sorry, Sergeant.

I thought you ought to know that the professor didn't turn up this morning.

- Who?

- Professor Rhineheart.

Horrible, Ivy League know it all.

- I rang the hotel.

They said he went out last night, but he never returned.

- Sarge?

There's something wrong with your Aunt Jane.

- Will you please keep still and listen?

I can hear something, so everyone be quiet.

(clocks ticking) Listen.

(odd ticking sound) Something is not right.

Why can't any of you hear it?

- What's she talking about?

- Oh, don't ask.

She's been like this all morning.

- Shouldn't we do something?

- We've always found it best to let her work these things out for herself.

(clocks ticking) (watch ticking) (tense music) - I knew something wasn't right.

- [Narrator] Despite her Aunt Jane's relief at discovering the source of her audible anomaly, it was the health and welfare of the pocket watch's owner that was uppermost in Matilda's thoughts.

- Oh.

- Professor Rhineheart?

(clocks ticking) (machine whirring) (raven caws) (clocks ticking) (clocks continue ticking) - [Thorne] What have we got?

- Professor Titus Rhineheart, visiting American academic.

He was here researching the stolen manuscript for his latest book.

- Cause of death?

- Appears to be a form of blunt force trauma to the head.

("Here Comes the Bride" ringtone plays) (cellphone beeps) Natasha?

Wedding list?

What color?

Uh, the red ones?

No?

Okay, you choose.

I am trying to be helpful.

- What did Oliver McGorrie say he did before he volunteered here?

- [Jane] Civil servant.

Why?

- Either of you notice how he and Inspector Thorne share the same body language?

- Why are your aunts here, Stone?

- Recording an audio book, sir.

Aunt Jane's the one who found the body.

- Oh.

Course she did.

- I love you, too.

(end-of-call beep) - Sorry.

- Sorry about that.

- Putting the body inside the clock prevented the pendulum from swinging.

I take it that is the time of death?

- Yes, I'd say death occurred somewhere between 9:00 p.m. and midnight.

- Same time as the break-in?

What was the victim doing here that time of night?

- Robin Brunswick, Heritage Director gave him special permission to stay late.

- So, thief breaks in, discovers Rhineheart's still here, fight breaks out, thief kills Rhineheart, and makes off with the manuscript.

- That's the working hypothesis, sir.

- I want all the staff re-interviewed, and timelines established for everyone's whereabouts last night.

- [Matilda] Sir.

("Here Comes the Bride" ringtone plays) (cellphone beeps) - Natasha?

Table decorations?

(Thorne groans) No, I haven't rung the florist yet.

Uh, you choose.

I am trying to be helpful.

(Thorne sighs) - Nightmare.

(clocks chiming) (tense music) - I'll meet you back at the recording booth.

- Why, where are you going?

- [Cat] To do some digging on Henry Wade.

- Sir, have you ever heard of the Raven?

- The poem by Edgar Allan Poe?

- The house thief who operated around Wildemarsh 25 years ago.

Part of their MO was to leave behind a solitary black feather at the scene of a crime.

- 25 years is a lifetime ago, Sergeant.

- I was going to ask PC Foster to dig out the old police files.

- I can, uh...

I can do that if you like.

- Thank you, sir.

(stretcher lift whirring) (clock chimes) - We better at least make it look like we're working.

I'll set up the deck, you make the coffee.

- Mm-hmm.

- Hm.

- [Jane] What have you got there?

- The cleaner, Karen.

She's left this card behind.

- Oh, we're out of coffee.

But I saw some in the security office.

Back in a sec.

- [Narrator] As Beth Stone reflected on Karen's carelessness in leaving such a secret letter of affection unguarded, Cat Stone was about to uncover Henry Wade's most carefully guarded secret.

- I'm looking for Henry Wade.

- Are you from the social?

- [Britney] Kylie, give me my dolly back!

- Kylie, give Britney her dolly back.

I won't tell you again.

Who is it you're looking for again?

- Henry Wade.

- Never heard of him.

(bell rings) (introspective music) (on-screen keyboard clicking) - Hi, I'd like to organize a return on an order.

- Got it!

(introspective music) - [Narrator] And while Jane Stone was considering the unusual aroma of the coffee she had borrowed from Henry Wade's office, two miles, 427 yards away, Inspector Thorne was praying that Matilda didn't smell a rat.

- A burst water pipe?

- Borough HQ said it happened a few years ago.

Destroyed hundreds of old files, including everything on your so-called Raven.

- Oh.

- Yes.

Very unfortunate, but nothing we can do about it.

Best let it lie.

- There's a Karen Freedman in reception.

Says it's urgent.

(tense music) - Karen, how can I help?

- I should have said something earlier.

I didn't want to say anything in front of the others.

- Go on.

- I'm out on license.

I was recently released from prison after serving 10 years for killing my husband.

- Oh, well, thank you for letting me know.

- No, you don't understand.

I didn't just kill my husband.

I killed Professor Rhineheart.

- She's lying.

I know because I killed Professor Rhineheart.

(tense music) - You haven't seen Karen about, have you?

I've been looking everywhere.

What?

- Robin and Karen have both confessed to being Rhineheart's killer.

- Together?

- Separately.

They each rang to say they were going to the police station to confess.

- [Matilda] Tell me what happened last night.

- It was around half 9:00.

I was just finishing up when the lights went out.

(switch clicks off) I thought I heard Henry, the security guard, in the Poe room, so I went to find him.

That's when I saw the first of two masked men.

- Two masked men?

- Well, I grabbed one, but the other escaped up the rope with the manuscript.

- Then what happened?

- He was stronger than I thought.

I guess I must have panicked.

I grabbed a metal candlestick, and I hit him over the head, hard.

(blow thudding) - I picked up a bronze bust of Edgar Allan Poe, and I cracked it over his head.

(Karen grunts) I knew straightaway I'd killed him.

- Did you know it was Professor Rhineheart?

- [Karen] Not until I took off his mask.

- When I saw who it was, I panicked.

I hid him in the grandfather clock, and I went home.

- So, why confess now?

- I thought I could live with what I'd done, but I can't.

- So, why confess now?

- With my record, I knew you'd figure it was me sooner or later.

(introspective music) - So, which one of them do you believe?

- Neither confession seemed very convincing to me, sir.

- One thing's for sure, they can't both be telling the truth.

- What if neither of them are?

- What are you doing back here?

- Sorry, sir.

She sort of slipped past when I wasn't looking.

- This had better be important.

- I found a card to Karen Freedman from Robin Brunswick.

- "To my darling Karen, you once said you'd do anything for me.

Believe me when I say I would do the same.

Love you always, Rob."

- You're suggesting they both mistakenly think the other murdered Professor Rhineheart and they're trying to take the rap for each other?

- It's a possibility.

(telephone rings) - [Matilda] Dr. Lynch?

- Matilda?

I was hoping you'd ring.

- Professor Rhineheart's post-mortem, have you completed it yet?

- Uh, yes.

I'm typing up my notes now.

- What can you tell me about the head wound?

- [Daniel] The fatal blow was to the base of the victim's skull, caused by an upward impact with a sharp-angled three-sided object.

- So, not by someone hitting them over the head?

- [Daniel] No, I'd say the victim almost certainly fell backwards on to the corner of the display case.

- So they are both lying.

Thanks.

(dial tone) (raven caws) - [Narrator] As she waited for her sister's return, Jane Stone couldn't help but compare the dense prose of Professor Rhineheart's famous Poe biography with the rhyming couplets of Sally Capstan's lesser known work.

Never, she thought, had two authors taken such different approaches to the same subject.

Although, reading Sally Capstan's biog, she noted how the pair had at least one thing in common.

One very important thing that neither had sought to mention.

- Curious.

(bell chimes) Why didn't you tell anyone that you and Professor Rhineheart knew each other?

- We didn't.

Not before this week.

- You interned at Hargreaves Auction House in New York at the same time as the professor worked there consulting on rare books.

- It's complicated.

I shouldn't be telling you this.

- Because it'll incriminate you?

- Because I signed a non-disclosure agreement.

Before I went to uni, I interned at Hargreaves for the summer.

- I'm so sorry.

Do go on.

- I was assigned to assist Professor Rhineheart.

I was archiving records of a private sale of a rare 1840 reprint of Poe's first work, "Tamerlane and Other Poems".

The book was verified as being authentic by the professor, but I knew for a fact "Tamerlane and Other Poems" had never been republished during Poe's lifetime.

The auction house sold a fake.

- Did you report it?

- Straight away.

But Rhineheart and the auction house wanted it all kept quiet.

They made me sign an NDA.

Said if I uttered a word, they'd sue.

I didn't like the professor, but I swear, I had nothing to do with his death.

(unsettling music) (birds chirping) - [Robin] Karen!

- Rob?

- I went to the restaurant and you weren't there, and then I heard about the murder and- - The restaurant?

I went to the pub.

And when you didn't turn up and I learned about the murder, I thought that- - [Robin] It's all right.

- [Karen] I'm worried.

- [Robin] It's over now.

- You're lucky I don't book you both for wasting police time.

- We're sorry, Inspector.

- [Narrator] What Inspector Thorne wanted to say next was... - How I envy you both, the bravery to embrace true love, to take that first leap into the unknown, to say to another, "I love you."

To say those words out loud and mean them, without care of rejection or ridicule.

I fear my heart's not that strong.

I fear those words of love once spoken, if not returned in kind, would be my last.

- [Narrator] But what he chose to say was... - Clear off, the pair of you, before I change my mind.

- [Narrator] While Karen Freedman and Robin Brunswick's confessions had failed to shine a light on who really did kill Professor Rhineheart, tour guide Sally Capstan had lit upon evidence she hoped would be of a more financially beneficial kind.

- Yes, I've got the proof.

It's going to cost you.

Meet me in the Embittered Hack in half an hour.

(suspenseful music) - [Matilda] Evening, Aunt Jane.

- Hm?

Oh!

Evening, Matty.

- You ever heard stories of a local cat burglar known as the Raven?

- Well, I can't say that I have.

(Jane yawns) You need to speak to Sally Capstan.

- She worked at Hargreaves, New York?

- She interned for Professor Rhineheart.

- It's odd that she never mentioned it.

(Jane yawns) Are you okay?

You keep yawning.

- I am really tired for some reason.

I'm going to get an early night.

Night.

- Night, Aunt Jane.

- [Narrator] Despite Matilda having spent many happy hours curled up in a corner of her Aunt Jane's bookshop, devouring the myriad of crime fiction novels that lined the shop's aging shelves... (tense music) a real-life murder had never darkened the shop's door... until now.

- Yes, I've got the proof.

It's going to cost you.

- [Distorted Voice] It's going to cost you.

(distorted voices talking indistinctly) (clock chiming) (dissonant music) - [Distorted Voice] It's going to cost you.

- [Sally] I swear I had nothing to do with his death.

(distorted voice talking indistinctly) (raven caws) - Professor Rhineheart?

(perturbing music) (door knocking) - Hello?

(door knocking) (perturbing music) Sally?

(bell rings) - Rhineheart... Rhineheart... (perturbing music) - What's all the noise?

(introspective music) (introspective music continues) (introspective music continues) (introspective music continues)