The Bullet That Missed

After Elizabeth shoots the gun in the bathroom, she tells Joyce to destroy her SIM card. Then, Elizabeth reveals that she was being spied on through the phone and they are faking Viktor’s death. Bogdan comes with a large bag, Viktor tells the concierge—who works for him—that he is dead (and will be “a couple of weeks or so” [152]), takes some sleeping pills, and climbs in the bag. Once they have driven far enough away with the bag in the trunk, they let Viktor out. He ends up staying in Joyce’s spare bedroom. Joyce wonders what it means about Elizabeth, and about her, that she had completely believed Elizabeth had killed Viktor “just to save her skin” (153).

Ibrahim is annoyed that the Thursday Murder Club is meeting at a different time and location. Elizabeth tells Ibrahim what happened with Viktor, and Ibrahim accepts the change. Everyone comments on Ron smelling like cannabis, and he says he gets it from Pauline. As Viktor meets the members of the club, Elizabeth recalls meeting him and becoming close. They all discuss how “the Viking” (202), is into cryptocurrency. Ibrahim decides it’s best not to take minutes of this meeting since Viktor faked his death. They plan to take a picture of him in a shallow grave to send to the Viking.

Pauline convinces Ron to get a couple’s massage with her at the Elm Grove Spa. Ron has never had a massage and is anxious about it. He prefers investigating murders. However, he likes the watermelon juice and ends up liking the massage. His mind wanders to the whale song music, Jack, and something about Robert Brown. Pauline wakes him, saying he slept through most of the massage. He is pain-free after the massage and can’t recall what he was thinking about during it.

Mike meets with Andrew to discuss Heather’s murder. Andrew says there is missing CCTV footage around the time of her death, and they discuss who could have paid off security to erase it. They think Heather’s death is connected to Bethany’s. Andrew asks for advice about how to get Netflix to pick up his books.

The club stages Viktor in a grave for a photo. Bogdan dug the grave in a way that impressed Viktor. Pauline uses makeup to create a bullet hole and give the appearance of death. They discuss how to take and filter the photo. Viktor is happy to be with them and wants to stay in Coopers Chase. Elizabeth has to tell him to close his eyes and stop smiling for the photo.

Ibrahim tries to decipher a code in Heather’s poem. The others do not believe there is a hidden message. So, Ibrahim calls Ron’s eight-year-old grandson, Kendrick. They discuss the poem and consider potential clues, like Cath Hooper and Su Brooks. Ibrahim also shares the note found in Heather’s cell, and Kendrick notices that the handwriting is different. The poem and the note have been written by different people, Ibrahim and Kendrick believe. Ibrahim plans to tell the rest of the group right away.

Donna comes on South East Tonight to talk about knife crime with Mike. Before they go on air, he asks if she’s come up with anything about Bethany, and Donna says they have not despite having looked through vehicle registrations of cars at Juniper Court. Mike thinks Donna does an excellent job on their segment. Chris also compliments her, saying her mother sent him a screenshot of the segment. Bogdan sends her a text with star, heart, and thumbs-up emojis.

The Viking puts the picture of Viktor in the grave on his lock screen but doubts its authenticity. He thinks about how Brad Pitt refused to take a selfie with him and about firing his new rocket launcher at Brad. Also, he thinks about how Viktor is advising people against using cryptocurrency, which is how the Viking washes money. The Viking goes to Viktor’s apartment and thinks about launching a rocket from its windows. In the bathroom, the Viking finds a bullet hole in the ceiling, rather than the wall, and realizes that Viktor’s death was faked. This means the Viking has to kill Viktor and Joyce.

Joanna and her boyfriend, Scott, visit Joyce for lunch. She introduces them to Viktor and eventually admits to Joanna that there’s “something dodgy” about Viktor’s staying at her place (188). Scott and Viktor talk about football and cars. Joyce recalls going over to Ibrahim’s place and him sharing the information about Heather’s poem and note. Also, Joyce thinks about how she and Elizabeth are going to a filming of Stop the Clock to try to talk with Fiona. Reading Andrew’s book makes Joyce think about writing a book of her own.

Elizabeth gets a text from the Viking, saying he knows that Viktor is still alive because the bullet missed him and went into the ceiling. Elizabeth thinks about how to find him and tries to ask Stephen about his library. However, Stephen doesn’t remember anything about the kidnapping. Elizabeth goes into the bathroom to cry. She recalls her father’s abuse—how it caused her to stop crying and how she didn’t cry next to her father’s deathbed. She believes the end of Stephen’s life will be better, and she will cry then.

Bogdan drives Ron and Viktor to see Jack Mason. During the ride, Bogdan wonders if he is in love with Donna. Ron asks for dirt on Elizabeth, and Viktor says she was an amazing lover. They let Viktor out of the bag and trunk only during the ride. Viktor has to be carried into Jack’s place in a bag. Bogdan says he will come back later to pick them up, and Ron asks for a ride to Pauline’s place, which is in Juniper Court.

Joyce and Elizabeth take a train to Elstree Studio to watch Stop the Clock being filmed. They discuss Ibrahim’s discovery about the handwriting, the game they are about to watch, and Fiona’s career. Elizabeth is uninterested in the show and only wants to speak with Fiona. Joyce sneaks in food and takes pictures even though they have warned against doing these things.

Bogdan and Stephen play chess. Stephen asks, “Am I alright, do you suppose?” Bogdan tells him he’s OK, and Stephen replies, “But something is muddled somewhere” (201). Stephen recalls how his father’s memory deteriorated before his death. To reassure Stephen, Bogdan describes minute details about falling in love when he was nine and admits doesn’t remember the girl’s name. Stephen still doesn’t remember the Viking and is alarmed that Elizabeth asked him about it, but remembers being in the library of Bill Chivers, a book dealer in Staffordshire (which is where the Viking is). Furthermore, Stephen remembers the book titles and editions in the library. He then asks Bogdan to take him to an antique shop to ask about the books.

About 20 minutes into the show, Elizabeth pretends to faint, and she and Joyce are to go to the dressing room at the studios. After a paramedic evaluates Elizabeth and leaves, Joyce complains that she wasn’t warned and that she wanted to see more of the show. Elizabeth assures Joyce that Fiona will come to check on her. Elizabeth is correct—Fiona comes to the dressing room. Elizabeth admits she only pretended to faint and that they are investigating Bethany’s murder, with Mike’s help. Fiona refuses to help. Elizabeth tells her that Joyce used to be a spy and to look in her bag for proof. Fiona sees the gun that Elizabeth slipped into Joyce’s purse and agrees to meet them for drinks after the show.

Bogdan, Stephen, and Donna visit the antique shop of Kuldesh Sharma. Donna admires a statue of the goddess Anahita. Stephen shows Kuldesh the list of books he saw. Bogdan suggests that Bill Chivers is just holding the books for someone else, and Kuldesh agrees to look into it. Kuldesh tells Donna that the police didn’t help him when people were throwing bricks through the window. Bogdan asks to speak with Kuldesh alone, and Stephen asks Kuldesh to say hello to his wife before stepping outside with Donna. When they are alone, Kuldesh admits that his wife has been dead 15 years and asks about Stephen’s mental state. Bogdan clarifies that the books belong to someone who wants to kill Elizabeth. He also asks the cost of the statue Donna liked.

Joyce journals about her positive experiences with Viktor, who is out talking to Jack Mason when she returns home. Viktor is able to persuade her and her dog to behave in ways he would like, such as watching the TV program he prefers and not tearing up paperwork from the case. They have a special knock, so when Joyce returns from going out, Viktor knows it is Joyce at the door. Joyce also journals about the conversation between her, Elizabeth, and Fiona at the bar. Elizabeth asked about the rivalry between Fiona and Bethany. Joyce asked about being a television star. Fiona says she got threatening notes like Bethany and suggests they talk to Carwyn and Pauline.

Ron, Jack, and Viktor drink whiskey on Jack’s veranda after eating barbecue and playing snooker and cards. Viktor gently asks Jack about Bethany’s murder. Jack says her death was unnecessary and that she was not in the car when it went over the cliff. Jack also admits that he had a partner who panicked about Bethany uncovering their scheme and killed her. When Jack’s partner buried her, he included a phone with Heather’s prints and got her fingerprints on the gun he used. His partner blackmailed Heather with this. She didn’t reveal the partner’s identity, so she was not charged with murder. Jack’s partner wants his money, but legal changes in 2015 made it harder to launder the money and get it to him. Last, Jack admits that he tried to dig up Bethany’s body but couldn’t find it.