The Field of Blood

This car's falling apart.

I know.

Did we get the "machete on the night bus" story in?

-No, I couldn't see it. -Oh!

It's bloody freezing in here.

Going to get that heater fixed?

I don't think I can stay in the call car for much longer.

Of course, you'll be the editor this time next month.

I completely forgot.

What's wrong with working in the call car, anyhow?

Where else would the paper get

its surreal vignettes of Glasgow life?

-Come in, Alpha Four. -Shh.

We have reports of a disturbance at 45...

A disturbance. Bearsden.

Well, it's posh. It may be worth a look.

Need a car over there immediately.

Repeat, reports of a disturbance at...

* Looking like a born-again

* Living like a heretic

* Listening to Arthur Lee records *

* Making all your friends feel so guilty about their cynicism *

* And the rest of their generation *

* Not even the government

* Are going to stop you now

* But are you ready to be

* Heartbroken?

* Are you ready to be

* Heartbroken?

* Well, you better get ready now *

* Baby

* Ready to bleed

* Ready to bleed

* Ready to bleed

Can I help you? You live here?

Daily News.

What's the story?

Well, a gang of unruly surgeons have been wreaking havoc

in a fracas over a bottle of Beaujolais nouveau.

Very funny, Burns.

McVie. Meehan.

Nothing for yous here. Noise complaint.

Shouting, slamming doors.

-Bearsden? Heaven forbid. -I know.

The carpets 'round here are so thick,

you feel that your feet have been cut off.

Hey, what's the difference between a porcupine

and a house in Bearsden?

On a porcupine, the pricks are on the outside.

Oh, I thought that was a cop shop.

Ignore him. He thinks he's a comedian.

That woman has blood on her face.

She wants us to leave it.

She's a lawyer.

Vhari Burnett. There's not much I can do.

If she calls us out again...

-Alpha Four, do you receive? -...take some action, OK.

Come on. Let's go.

And you two, away and rake some muck someplace else.

Right, let's get out of here. This is not going in the paper.

Vhari Burnett? Have you seriously never heard of her?

-No. -Top lawyer for Amnesty?

She gets beaten up, that's news.

She gets beaten up by Arthur Scargill, that's news.

She gets slapped across the kisser by her boyfriend,

that's not.

Then what's CID doing here?

McVIE:

Hello. Paddy Meehan. Daily News.

George McVie. If we could have a word.

It won't take two seconds.

We just wanted to know if you've been beating up your wife.

Can I apologize for my colleague?

Or are her injuries in relation

to a case that she's been working on?

Shut up, you.

Or are her injuries related

to a case that she's been working on?

Look, I'm a -- a colleague of Miss Burnett,

and I'm sorry to say

she's had a wee bit too much to drink.

But thank you for your concern.

Now, I needn't stress how important it is

that none of this reaches the paper.

Vhari's a very successful lawyer.

And if word got around that she couldn't handle the sauce,

well, it would, uh -- it would damage her reputation.

But, uh, thank you very much.

Good night.

50 quid.

-You dancer. -What are you doing?

-Keys. -We can't take his money.

Keys.

Listen, take the 50 quid.

You need it. Your family need it.

What difference does it make?

Devlin's not going to publish this.

"Lawyer gets pished"?

She looked scared.

Phone it in. Be my guest.

Ah.

Right. It's past the dead hour.

Some bastard must be killing somebody somewhere.

I think you've been overcharged.

Going to have to check with that man.

I cannae see how it's that much.

Been a mistake. It couldn't be that much.

You been out already?

Thought there might be some lead

down by the old factory at Eastfield,

but somebody beat me to it.

Just so you know, the phone's not working.

-Cut off? -Did I say that?

It's just temporarily out of use.

Eviction notice?

Give us that.

I thought we paid the back rent. How much do we owe?

Don't worry about it, I'll get work soon.

How much, Dad?

About 145.

Put your money away. You're paying enough already.

I can look after my own family.

Where exactly are you going to get that type of cash?

So how was last night?

Did you hear about that woman being killed?

-It was just on the radio. -No, I missed that.

Oh. Better luck next time.

I just report the news, Mum. I don't make it happen.

What else? See any sights?

Give us your chat.

First, we went to a car crash. Nobody was hurt.

Oh, you must have been disappointed.

And then we went to the police station in Anderston.

Then a disturbance at Bearsden

and just drove about Easterhouse for a few hours.

Bearsden.

That's where that woman was killed, wasn't it?

In the First Division, Meadowbank Thistle...

Will you turn that off? This isn't just your room.

Shut up. I need to hear this.

The name of the victim in the Bearsden killing

has been announced as Vhari Burnett,

a well-known lawyer in the city.

She was found dead at her home by police officers

at 6:30 this morning.

McVIE:

-Can I speak to you? -Aye, sure.

In private.

This is bad.

That guy killed her, McVie, and we took money from him.

Ah, when you put it like that, it does sound sort of bad.

You don't know he killed her.

He could have been long gone by then.

We need to tell Devlin.

You keep your gas at a peep.

Tell him, by all means,

but miss out the bit about the 50 quid.

Do you want your jotters?

'Cause he'll have us out of here so fast

your face will look as if it's been in a wind tunnel.

No.

Now, if this government

spent as much money on modernising the pits

as they do in trying to destroy the trade union movement,

we would have a sustainable industry and a future.

So when did you get the call?

Well, is it -- is it definite? Is it signed, sealed, delivered?

Yeah, sure.

We'll make another statement later on --

Hey, I got a call from Partick Marine Police Station.

Apparently, you were at this house in Bearsden last night?

They want to talk to you.

No problem.

Yeah, well, is there anything for us in it?

Anything you can write up? Any hook?

-We weren't there very long. -Just got a glimpse of her.

Well, that makes you

the last person to see her alive, doesn't it?

There's your hook.

Jesus, Paddy, do I have to do your job for you?

Yeah, I'm still here.

I want a hundred-word description, all right?

Scene at the house, atmosphere. Book-end it with facts.

And I want it in before you go out on the call car, all right?

Anything else I should know?

No.

All right, then. Piss off.

Support the miners! Support the miners!

Support the miners!

It's Meehan, right?

Your reputation goes before you.

I heard what you did on the Baby Brian case.

So, what can you tell me about the Bearsden call?

I spoke to the man at the door.

Did you see the Burnett woman?

Yeah. She, um -- She had blood on her face.

I think she'd cut her lip.

Cut her lip.

She had her teeth pulled out

and her skull caved in with a hammer.