The Murder Mystery Podcast The Story unfolds each week.
Will you guess the killer? Hi, this is MF Kelleher.
This episode starts season three of the Murder Mystery Podcast.
Olivia Street is in London for Christmas.
The body is found on the tracks of Clapham Junction railway
station and the widow asks Olivia to find out what
happened. She unearths A hornet's nest of
crimes from 15 years before. There's snow, there's Christmas
and there's London. Welcome to season three on the
Murder Mystery Podcast. It's.
The London Connection Episode one, The South Bank of the River
Thames is bursting with shoppers as Olivia St. walks back to her
flat near Tower Bridge. There, she reaches the front
door of her block of flats. She can feel her phone vibrating
in her. Pocket she pulls.
It out and sits on one of the chairs in the reception area.
There are two messages on the phone.
The 1st is from Poppy, her daughter, who's left a voice
message saying that she's dumped her boyfriend and asking about
what's happening at Christmas because Poppy's father has
invited her to go there. The second message is from an
agency that she uses for work, telling her that there's an
urgent need for a corporate lawyer in a government office in
Whitehall, starting immediately. Olivia hasn't worked for a
month, so replies saying she's interested and then goes to the
lifts and up to her flat. By the time she wakes up the
next morning, there's a message back from the agency with
details of who to meet about the job.
She dresses in a black suit and pulls her hair back into a low
ponytail. The address is on the other side
of Whitehall to Downing St. She gets there 10 minutes early
and is shown into a dark wood panelled room to one side of a
cavernous entrance hall. A short, dark woman walks around
the corner, her hair in a chignon and her blouse buttoned
up to the neck. This street.
She says. Follow me, will you?
The woman leads Olivia through glazed double doors next to the
security guard, and the two women disappear into the bowels
of the building. They turn sharp left and ascend
A staircase to the first floor, then turn sharp left again into
a corridor that is 50 yards long.
The woman doesn't talk to Olivia as they walk.
When they reach the far end, the woman opens the door and lets
Olivia go in first. The meeting room is equally as
Victorian as the reception waiting area.
The One leaves without further words and shuts the door behind
her. The sound of the traffic is
muted behind the glass, and Olivia walks to the window and
looks out of the cars, taxis and buses crawling past along
Whitehall. After 10 minutes, a man in his
40s enters and walks over to her.
He has brown eyes and dark hair cut short.
You must be Olivia Stroot. He says she.
Extends her hands and they shake.
He puts his laptop on the table next to him, but doesn't open
it. I'm Stephen Boyd, the Deputy
Director here. At the beis.
What's that? Business, energy and industrial
strategy. Department.
She raises an eyebrow, but he doesn't notice.
You were recommended to us. Good to know I have friends in
the right places. She smiles and he echoes it
after a second, wondering if he should.
What's the work Mr. Boyd? We have some particularly
sensitive challenges concerning negotiations that the minister
is doing. With large electronics
companies, which companies has anyone?
Got you to sign the official secrets.
Act declaration yet. He says she.
Shakes her head. I'll wait to tell you any names.
Safe to say we need someone who is going to operate quickly and
discreetly in support of the minister.
That's Heather Wells. Says Olivia.
He briefly closes his eyes in acknowledgement.
Can you tell me an outline what the legal work is?
She says. Sorry, I can't yet.
I'll ask Jeanette. To get the.
Paperwork it may. Be an hour or two.
Do you want to wait or come? Back.
I'll go for a walk in that case. She smiles politely and he shows
her back down the corridor to the entrance hall.
Could you? Give me your.
Telephone number. He says that they reach the main
doors. I'll message you when she sorted
it. They exchange numbers and Olivia
walks out to Whitehall. She turns left towards
Parliament Square and finds a coffee shop while she waits.
The message from Boyd comes an hour later and he suggests that
they have lunch so that he can brief her.
He has booked carriages on Northumberland Ave.
Olivia arrives 2 minutes before he does and is shown to a table
in the corner. The waitress says that this is
Mr. Boyd's usual table. When he arrives, he is more
confident than before, but hurried.
Now he puts his briefcase on the floor and rummages around in it,
then produces A stapled 4 page document and hands it to her.
Olivia reads the document as he orders water and bread with the
table and a bottle of Chateau Grand Puis.
Lacoste Bordeaux. Do you have a pen?
She says after a couple of minutes, and he produces a pen
from his jacket pocket. Olivia signs the document and
hands it to him. I'll need a copy, he nods, then
says. I'm having the lamb, hence the
Bordeaux, I hope. You don't mind?
Olivia picks up her menu and the waiter brings the wine.
She orders Sea bass and flicks her eyes at him as she does so.
Tell me about. You, he says.
I'm a corporate lawyer. I've done a lot of buyouts and
mergers work and some criminal defence.
I'm licensed in the US and the UK.
You went to Cambridge, didn't you?
He says, indicating. He probably knows the answers to
whatever he's going to ask her Girton College.
Didn't want to go to Chambers. I don't like the stuffiness of
all that barrister work. She says.
I'll make sure I'm not too. Stuffy then she.
Ignores the comment. Tell me about the job.
The minister has been talking to three.
Suppliers. For a year.
She. Wants to move all government
communications to be managed externally to improve the
environmental footprint. Let me tell you what we need
from you. He says.
You will. Attend the talks.
With the suppliers and you'll be the minister's eyes and ears in
the room, then oversee all the contractual paperwork.
Don't you have staff lawyers to do this normally?
She would rather have. Someone from outside.
He says. Doesn't trust the staff.
I didn't say that. Of course she trusts the staff.
Fine. Says Olivia.
I can do that. Is it you who decides if I get
the job? Oh, you've got the job.
Mysteries. He says.
You had? The job before you arrived this.
Morning. The Jubilee line carriage is
full the next morning and Olivia has to push between people to
get on board. The five minute journey seems to
take longer than that before she emerges into daylight At
Westminster tube station. The same woman who met her
yesterday is waiting in reception, trying to not look
flustered but failing. They complete numerous forms to
officially issue her with a laptop and door pass.
Then Olivia is shown to a desk in a large office on the same
long corridor from yesterday. There are two other desks in the
office, both unoccupied. The windows here look out over
Whitehall Court, a back street with white stuccoed buildings
Down both sides. On Olivia's desk is 1 thin blue
folder. Inside are two pieces of paper,
the first giving her instructions to get into the
laptop, and the 2nd is a list of appointments for today that
someone has typed up. The first appointment on the
list is for 10:00 AM, and according to the silent clock
above the door, that's in 5 minutes time.
The door opens with a rush, and a man enters.
He is in his early 30s, with a mop of blonde hair, and his
green eyes betray an intelligent mind beneath A reticent
demeanour. She checks her list.
Are you Tom Adams? She says, standing up behind her
desk. And you must be Olivia.
They shake hands. I'm here to brief you on the
green link work. She goes to her bag and fishes
out a notebook and pen, and he leads them to a table under the
window with four chairs around it.
And they sit. The minister has been talking to
three suppliers for. Six months.
He says we're. Creating a new contract to cover
the whole of the civil service I was reading.
Last night there's been some accusations of unfair treatment
from the companies who didn't get on the shortlist.
Are those justified? She says.
Of course not. He says quietly.
Can I ask Tom, why did you call it the green link work earlier?
Green link and bidding. But others are too, of course
so. They're seen as the front.
Runner. He says.
The chief executive of Green. Link is Jeremy Alpen.
Are you familiar? Only in the news.
She says, then changes the subject.
Who's doing the negotiation from our side?
Surely not Heather Wells herself.
No, I've been covering the planning and Ellen Hill is
leading on the. Detail, you can meet Green Link
this afternoon. We've got a meeting I saw.
She says. Who organised all these
meetings? That's Gia.
They talk. More than another man turns up
to see Olivia. He is short, with a shaved head
and large glasses. He introduces himself as William
from finance. He takes her through the
costings for the work. Olivia's afternoon is equally
packed with people telling her things.
By 6:00 she walks out of the building and into the already
dark streets of London. She turns away from the river
towards the centre of the city. Her brain is tired and she needs
to unwind. She keeps walking and ends up
going through the St. James's district, then up onto
Piccadilly. She passes the Royal Academy
that has closed for the night and she hears her name being
called from behind her and she turns.
Is it you, Miss St. Hello Mr. Boyd.
Are we going the same way? I'm heading for Browns Hotel
and. Barber I wasn't.
Would you like to join me in that case?
We can catch up on how your first.
Day has been I'm meeting Ellen Hill.
Did you meet her? No, she's probably the only
person I haven't met today. She smiles, and he does too. 10
minutes later they arrive at the Donovan bar within the hotel.
A tall, dark haired woman in her early 30s is sitting on one of
the tall chairs at the bar. She has blue eyes and slow and
deliberate movements. When Stephen arrives with
company, Olivia senses no disappointment in Ellen's
manner, so dismisses the idea they may have any personal
relationship outside work. Either that or Ellen is an
excellent actress. They order gin and tonics and
talk about work for a while, then move on to their personal
lives. Olivia talks about Poppy Stephen
was married two years ago, but they have no children.
Olivia notices that Ellen's face is unemotional during this part
of the conversation. Talking about her reminds him to
go and call his wife from a payphone as he left his mobile
at home this morning. He says.
Ellen talks about herself after Stephen has gone.
She's single and has been for four years.
She had a boyfriend, but he became controlling and she left
before the whole thing deteriorated further, which she
had sensed it might and there's been no one.
Since says Olivia. No one serious.
I dated a couple of guys, but they didn't want to commit to
anything. What about you?
I split for my boyfriend a few months ago, she says.
The women talk on until Stephen returns.
They all have another drink and the group splits up at about
9:00. Olivia goes home, orders a food
delivery on the way, then eats her udon noodles with beef and
red onions while watching a movie online.
The night sits over London. It's completely dark as Olivia
is pushed out of sleep by her phone ringing.
Before waking, her subconscious tried to switch off the noise,
but her brain thought it was her morning alarm, and through the
blur, her mind finally engages and she sits up suddenly and
grapples with the mobile. Yes, hello.
Is this Olivia? Street, yes, that's me.
This is Sergeant Collins from the British Transport.
Blues We're. Outside your flat, we rang the
doorbell. We didn't get an answer.
It's the middle of the night, Sergeant.
She tries to keep her frustration out of her voice
tone. I was asleep.
What's this about? Could you let us in, miss?
He says. And we'll go through it with
you, She walks. To the door.
She can see two police officers on the video security screen and
buzzes them in. 2 minutes later, after throwing on leggings and
AT shirt, she answers a knock on her door.
She ushers in Collins and a female officer and they all sit
on her. Sofas we believe you with
Stephen. Boyd earlier this evening, Miss.
Says Collins. He has kind, pale eyes.
Yes, that's correct. Can you take us through your
movements this evening, Miss? Says Collins.
The female officer pulled a notebook from her top pocket.
Olivia explains what she did and where she was from the time she
left the office in Whitehall to when she arrived home.
What's this about, Sergeant? A couple of other questions if
you will miss. Says Collins.
Did Mr. Boyd seem himself? Did he seem?
Happy. He appeared.
Happy enough. I've only known him for 24
hours, so I can't tell if he was himself.
Ellen Hill, who's with us, would be able to answer that.
She's known him for much longer. Yes.
We asked her. So you didn't see him after he
left? Brown's hotel.
Says Collins. That's right, Sergeant.
Are there witnesses we can confirm that with Miss?
The food delivery guy can confirm I was here, if that
helps. She gives them the receipt for
the food and they say they'll follow up.
Collins is appreciative, but the police woman doesn't show any
humanity and gruffly tells Olivia to come into the station
and make her formal statement within the next 24 hours.
So what's happened? Says Olivia Mr. Boyd was found
dead earlier. This evening, Miss.
Says Collins. The police leave and she makes
tea. Llandavir stands looking out
over the waters of the Thames and her mind starts
automatically thinking about how Stephen Boyd could have met his
death.