Happy Valley Page #6

Season #1 Episode #3

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And in truth, CATHERINE is. But she’s the most senior person

here, she has to take control.

TWIGGY:

What is there?

CATHERINE heads over to KIRSTEN, horrified, mesmerised by the

sight. She’s horrified not least because she knows KIRSTEN

could still be alive. CATHERINE gets down on the ground right

next to KIRSTEN’s face. She’s barely recognisable, blood

coming from her mouth, nose and ears.

CATHERINE:

(gently)

Kirsten?

KIRSTEN’s so utterly, obviously dead. CATHERINE feels her

neck for a pulse.

SHAFIQ:

(he’s nearly in tears, and

daren’t come closer)

Sarg! What’s happening?

TWIGGY moves closer: he’s older, wiser. But doesn’t move any

closer than he needs to; he knows there’s nothing he can do

that CATHERINE can’t. CATHERINE continues to feel for a

pulse. Painful seconds pass. CATHERINE realises there isn’t a

pulse, and there was never likely to be one, the state

KIRSTEN’s in. CATHERINE touches KIRSTEN’s face tenderly. She

wants to cry, she wants to kiss her. She wants to wrap her up

and keep her warm, but she knows it’s pointless (and harmful

to what is essentially now a murder scene). Moments pass then

she stands up; she’s on auto-pilot. She goes over to SHAFIQ

and TWIGGY.

CATHERINE:

We need to close the road.

SHAFIQ:

Is she...?

The word ‘dead’ won’t come out. CATHERINE resists the urge to

snap:
“What am I? A doctor?”: she doesn’t want to give in to

any emotions, she needs to stay in police mode. She gets on

her radio.

CATHERINE:

Bravo November Four-five to

control, she’s dead - I think she’s

[dead]

(her voice fails, she has

to try again)

She’s been run over, she’s - we

need the on-call D.I., we need CSI,

we need the CIU, we need H-MIT, we

need the whole circus here.

(MORE)

HAPPY VALLEY. EPISODE THREE. BY SALLY WAINWRIGHT 14.

CATHERINE (CONT'D)

(she goes and opens the

back of the Discovery and

takes out the tape she

needs to make an inner

cordon around the body)

Shaf, take the Landy down as far as

Wheatcroft Lane and park broadside.

Nobody comes through. Twiggy, same

up at the top.

(she speaks to the radio)

Control. Did you get me that

helicopter?

RADIO:

Helicopter’s airborne and on route.

TWIGGY and SHAFIQ haven’t moved.

CATHERINE:

Move it, come on, close this road.

We’re preserving evidence now.

TWIGGY has to give poor stunned SHAFIQ a nudge. They set off

in their respective vehicles, we see the distant blue lights

of the ambulance approaching. For a few moments, CATHERINE’s

alone with dead KIRSTEN. She goes and shines her torch in the

road around KIRSTEN. She sees red glass from broken rear

lights. She goes and crouches down beside KIRSTEN again,

stares at her, mesmerised and horrified. We hear the

helicopter. It gets louder and louder.

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