The Case of Charles Dexter Ward Episode 9

## Synopsis

The awful truth behind Lucy Hawthorne’s murder is revealed.

## Plot

The episode opens with the audio file sent by Dr. Mark Lyman to Matthew Heawood. The file was made on a phone and sent by Dr. Jonathan Willett to Lyman on the night of Lucy Hawthorne's death. In the file, Willett arrives at Lucy's flat and asks to speak to her about her cousin Charles Dexter Ward. When Lucy politely rebuffs him, he forces his way into her flat and pursues her inside. He chants an incantation while Lucy begs, and threatens him to leave. However, at a point in the incantation, she suddenly becomes calm and corrects Willett on his pronunciation. She reveals herself to be Ipqu-Aya and shows Willett 'where she goes in her dreams' which causes him to scream uncontrollably. He stabs Lucy multiple times, killing her, and exclaims that he has 'seen the face of God, and it is terrible.'

In the Courthouse Tavern, Kennedy Fisher sits opposite 'George Shepley'. She calls out his identity as Dr. Allen and Allen suggests they leave to discuss this in private. Kennedy refuses, and Barbara Sayers arrives, takes Kennedy's recorder and the audio cuts out.

Later, Ezra Weeden calls Matt from the diner asking if he's heard from Kennedy. He tells Matt that Kennedy has left with Shepley and an unidentified woman, and explains who Shepley really is. They work out that her phone is switched off, so they cannot track her, but that all her footage has been uploaded to their server. so there's no reason to hurt her to silence her. While Ezra tries to find Kennedy, Matt calls Melissa Talbot hoping she knows where Barbara might be. However, Melissa turns out to be Barbara herself disguising her voice. She explains that she needed to point the podcast in the right direction, but that they've done what she needed them to do, and hangs up. Matt, realising what she means, rushes to Barnett to see Amelia Fenner. He finds that she has died in her sleep, which he is immediately suspicious about, but is unable to learn anything from the staff. As he leaves he finds Sir Godfrey Tillinghast, and the man who attacked Matt in Episode Four, waiting for him.

A phone is recording a conversation between Kennedy, Allen, and Barbara. Allen tells Kennedy that they don't need Matt anymore and tells Kennedy that they provided the donation that has funded the series. Allen offers Kennedy the choice of joining them or being killed, pointing out that she saw the experiments at the trailer park. Kennedy refuses, calling them both crazy for thinking they're the solution to the world's problems, but Allen counters that the organisation he and Barbara are a part of is the reason for the world's problems. He decides to show Kennedy the world 'as it truly is', and the audio ends.

Godfrey takes Matt in his car and they travel from Barnett. During the drive, he denies all the allegations Matt points at him, and claims the whole thing had been made up by the Americans Matt has met. They arrive at Broadmoor Hospital and Godfrey introduces Matt to Willett, and Matt is horrified by what he sees.

## Cast, Characters, Crew

* Barnaby Kay as Matthew Heawood
* Jana Carpenter as Kennedy Fisher
* Alun Armstrong as Ezra Weeden
* Mark Bazeley as Dr. Jonathan Willett
* Adam Godley as Dr. Allen
* Penny Downie as Barbara Sayers
* Phoebe Fox as Lucy Hawthorne
* Richard Cordery as Sir Godfrey Tillinghast
* Cherrelle Skeete as Nurse
* Madeleine Potter as Maître d'
* Ben Crowe as Tillinghast's bodyguard

* Writer & Director: Julian Simpson
* Production Coordinator: Sarah Tombling
* Sound Engineer: David Thomas
* Composer: Tim Elsenburg
* Producer: Karen Rose