Bill Spoilers 5th and 6th September 2007
September 5th
Sergeant Stone (Sam Callis) is shocked when he responds to a call about a body found at a derelict building and discovers it is missing teenager, Chloe Parks (Laura Huckle). Crime Scene Examiner, Lorna Hart (Siobhan Redmond) explains to CID that although she suspects Chloe’s death was the result of a fall, she can’t say for certain.
PC Will Fletcher (Gary Lucy) reluctantly agrees to work as the Family Liaison Officer and informs Chloe’s distraught parents, Martin (Chris Walker) and Karen (Caroline Faber) about the death of their daughter. They tell Will the last time they saw Chloe was the night before when she said she was staying at her best friend Polly Dewar’s (Sapphire Elia) house.
Sergeant Smithy (Alex Walkinshaw) visits Chloe’s school and talks to her teacher Kathleen Tanner (Cathy Sara) who tells him that Chloe has a reputation of being promiscuous with the boys at school. One boy in particular, Ben Jackson (William Varley) is mentioned but when questioned by Smithy he denies any rumours and says he just occasionally helped Chloe out with homework.
DI Samantha Nixon (Lisa Maxwell) is updated about Chloe’s recent change in behaviour and she examines a CCTV tape showing Chloe getting into a car when she was supposed to be at Polly’s. When the driver is identified as Ben, he is brought in for further questioning. He admits he had arranged to pick her up and that they only went for a quick drink. He wanted to drop Chloe home afterwards but when she started an argument, she demanded to be let out of the car immediately. With tests proving that Chloe had sex in the car, Samantha puts it to Ben that he raped her and killed her to stop her telling anyone, but an emotional Ben insists it’s not true.
Later, Will watches a home video, given to him by Polly, showing the friends innocently having a laugh together. He is alerted when the footage suddenly changes and Will is horrified at the sinister turn the case takes…
September 6th
CID begin the morning watching the video clip of a distressed Chloe Parks (Laura Huckle) which suggests she was abused by her father, Martin (Chris Walker). DI Samantha Nixon (Lisa Maxwell) questions Ben Jackson (William Varley) further and he eventually admits that he and Chloe had sex in the car, initiated by her. When he told her that he loved her, Chloe demanded to be let out of the car telling Ben “You’re just like him”.
Back at the Parks’ house, PC Will Fletcher (Gary Lucy) attempts to talk to Chloe’s mother Karen (Caroline Faber) and gently tells her about the video clip. He tries to find out if Martin ever acted inappropriately towards Chloe but a horrified Karen storms out. However, when she later arrives at Sun Hill asking to see the tape, she breaks down and tells Samantha and Will that she should have known something was wrong. She reveals that Chloe began to act clingy when she was twelve, but she thought nothing of it. Armed with the mounting evidence and the discovery that Martin lied about not leaving the house the night Chloe disappeared, a shocked Martin is arrested on suspicion of murder.
In the tense interview room, Martin finally cracks under the pressure. He admits that when Karen was at work, Chloe returned home briefly where they had an argument when he discovered she had been out with Ben. He says that he searched for Chloe after she ran out of the house but unable to find her, bought some alcohol and went straight home. When CCTV from the off licence confirms that Martin was there at the time of Chloe’s death, they decide that although he may have abused her, he didn’t kill her. When Ben’s alibi also checks out, the team release him along with Martin.
Furious that Martin cannot be charged with abuse, Will visits Karen at home and finds her bruised and shaken. After telling Martin their marriage was over, he hit her and stormed out. Sergeant Stone (Sam Callis) responds to Will’s request to search for Martin and they find him standing on the top of the same building that Chloe jumped from. Will and Stone carefully approach him but when Will tries to persuade him to come down, Stone takes over and his tactics take a sinister turn and Will is horrified by the outcome…
