Heartbeat 18th July 2010
Sunday, 18 July 2010, 8:00PM – 9:00PM
PC Mason’s personal feelings compromise his professional judgement when a local woman is murdered. Dawn bites off more than she can chew with her new hot dog business.
The locals of Aidensfield are surprised when newcomer Viv Mackay announces in the pub that she is to marry businessman Dominic Bellingham. However, nobody is more surprised than Dominic; he is a married man and doesn’t appreciate Viv putting him under pressure to separate from his wife.
Later that evening Viv’s son, Scott Mackay bangs on PC Joe Mason’s door saying Viv has been murdered. Joe goes to investigate and finds Viv has been battered to death in her own kitchen. The boot prints found next to the body place simpleton George Aston top on the list of suspects. He is known to have an obsessive crush on Viv and has been following her around the village for days.
Meanwhile, Vince asks Dawn to look after his new Hot Dog van whilst he is away. Dawn recognises a good opportunity to make some money and persuades David to be her business partner in selling Hot Dogs to the fans flocking to the Ashfordly cup tie football match. Peggy is not happy about David’s decision to help Dawn; she needs him to help her shift baked potatoes at the match. Peggy uses emotional blackmail in the hope David will see sense. Dawn is angry that Peggy would stoop so low and is infuriated further when several mishaps look like a deliberate attempt to sabotage her business. Dawn plots her revenge and ruins Peggy’s chances of selling any baked potatoes. But Dawn is later forced to eat humble pie when Peggy’s innocence is proven. Peggy wants more than an apology in compensation so Dawn reluctantly watches on as Peggy and David drive off to the match in the Hog Dog van.
Scott Mackay is distraught at his mother’s death and finds comfort in talking to Joe, whose own mother was murdered years before. Joe takes him to stay with Nurse Carol Cassidy whilst they continue their investigations. DS Rachel Dawson goes to talk to Scott about the murder and Scott says he remembers Viv returning to the house with Dominic Bellingham, his mother’s lover.
Dominic is brought into the station and when questioned, his story doesn’t add up with Scott’s. Dominic remains adamant Scott saw him leave Viv’s house and shouldn’t be trusted if he says otherwise – Scott has always had a grudge against him because of his affair with Viv.
As Peggy and David set up at the football cup tie, PC Don Wetherby pays Dawn a visit. It turns out Vince stole the Hot Dog van. When a police car arrives at the football ground, Peggy and David assume they are in trouble because they don’t have a license to sell Hot Dogs. They decide to make a quick getaway, but are closely followed by Don in his Panda car. Dawn and Bernie join in the chase, as does Vince who arrives home just in time to see what is going on. Peggy and David eventually give up the chase on a rural hillside road. Vince has a lot of explaining to do but is interrupted when David’s bad judgment causes the van to crash…
George Aston is eventually tracked down by the police to a farm on the moors. He is brought in for questioning and implicated by a ring belonging to Viv found on his person. He claims he found it and took it to her but it was too late, she was already dead. The evidence against George gives DS Rachel Dawson no choice but to arrest him for the murder. However, Scott helps clear George’s name by telling Joe that he definitely didn’t see Dominic Bellingham leave the house, consequently placing him at the murder scene.
Dominic becomes the new prime suspect in the murder case, and he doesn’t have a strong alibi. A conviction against Dominic looks certain when Scott leads Joe to a possible murder weapon, a golf club belonging to Dominic found in the river next to Viv’s house.
Despite the evidence against Bellingham, Carol is concerned that Joe’s judgment is being clouded by his emotional attachment to Scott. Scott is constantly agitated and he makes her feel uneasy. Back at her house, Carol makes an important discovery linking Scott to the murder. Carol finds herself trapped in the house alone with him, her life in grave danger. Will Joe arrive in time to prevent another murder?
