We Solve Murders

When Steve first suspected Max Highfield might be Joe Blow, he read an interview in which the actor cited The Rose of Sarasota as his best film. After watching the first few minutes of the movie, Steve discovers Max’s character is an explosives expert named Joe Blow.

Bonnie arrives at Heathrow airport and suddenly feels anxious about the contents of the locked leather holdall. She emails Felicity for reassurance.

Amy travels to London, hidden in the trunk of Gary Gough’s Land Rover. Gary drops Amy in Maximum Impact Solution’s underground parking lot and lends her one of the guns from the trunk of his car.

Steve is staying with Adam in Dubai. The father and son go to bed early after awkwardly attempting several conversation topics.

Bonnie is at the airport check-in desk about to hand over her luggage when Tony and Felicity rush over and intervene. Tony grabs the leather holdall from the scales while Felicity claims she booked Bonnie on the wrong flight.

In Dubai, Rosie is surprised by Vasiliy Karpin on the hotel’s terrace. Karpin apologizes to Rosie for threatening to kill her and asks her to sign a copy of Dead Men and Diamonds. Karpin explains that his sister-in-law is a huge fan and threatened to kill him if he had Rosie murdered. Consequently, he called off the assassin weeks ago. Rosie has glimpsed Eddie Flood at the hotel and wonders what his intentions are if he is not there to kill her.

In his hotel room, Eddie Flood nervously decides to proceed with his plan.

Max Highfield poses for a photo shoot in his underwear, covered in diamonds. He is delighted when his new bodyguard, Abby, reveals that she has hacked into the CCTV of The Hampstead Dog Hotel and shows him footage of his dogs. Meanwhile, Rosie and Steve pitch Max an idea for a movie. Rosie explains that her screenplay involves a crime syndicate that pays influencers to smuggle money and then kills them. Max will star as the villain behind the syndicate, and the movie will be shot in South Carolina, St. Lucia, Ireland, and Dubai. Max likes the idea but states he does not want to play the bad guy. He shows no sign of recognizing the scenario described. Rosie and Steve conclude that Max is not Joe Blow as his appearance of innocence would require acting skills he has never displayed in his films.

In London, Amy and Jeff sit with Susan Knox, who goes through files related to the case. Jeff suggests that Amy has been working for Loubet all along.

Steve decides to befriend Mickey Moody to gain an introduction to Rob Kenna. He joins Mickey in the golf club’s sauna but remains fully clothed. Mickey states that he is one of the few residents of Dubai who is not involved in crime. He claims that criminals often tried to involve him in illegal schemes when he had a scrap metal yard. However, he always declined, content with his modest house and business. Mickey adds that his grandmothers would have killed him if he became involved in criminal activity. Suddenly, Steve realizes who Loubet is when he spies Mickey’s tattoos of his grandmothers’ names, Lou and Bet. He takes off his shoes and socks to celebrate.

Jeff and Amy point their guns at one another. Amy asks Susan to check the files and see if Jeff authorized all the payments to Max Highfield. Shooting Jeff in the leg, she says they are going for a drive.

Rob Kenna is on the golf course with his caddie, the red-haired woman who greets influencers at the airport. As he prepares to take his swing, a bullet hits him in the chest, and the caddie runs away. When the gunman emerges from the bushes and shoots again, Kenna finally understands that Mickey is Loubet.

When Eddie Flood knocks at Rosie’s hotel room door, she invites him in, knowing she cannot escape. Eddie explains he is not there as a hitman. He is a would-be writer and has spent his travel time during the past few days finishing his novel. He asks Rosie to read it.

Steve enters a pub and feels Debbie’s presence as he sits beside Mickey/François Loubet.

Amy ties a tourniquet around Jeff’s leg and leads him to a room next to the boardroom. They watch Susan through a one-way mirror as she deletes computer files and calls François Loubet. Susan tells Loubet that Amy has shot Jeff and promises to resolve the situation on the proviso that this will be the final death. Amy explains to Jeff that she shot him to find out which one of them was Joe Blow. Jeff is astonished, pointing out Susan has worked for him for thirty years. However, he also recalls that Susan scored 96 on the psychopath test while Henk scored only 12. Susan calls Amy, claiming that Jeff authorized all the payments to Max Highfield. She suggests that Amy should kill Jeff.

Mickey Moody denies that he is François Loubet. He remains calm until Steve asks what his grandmothers, Elizabeth and Louisa, would have thought of his actions. Steve remarks that, in the sauna, he noticed Mickey had the names “Lou” and “Bet” tattooed on his shoulders. He also reveals that he has a video of Mickey returning to his villa with the shotgun that killed Rob Kenna. Max Highfield’s bodyguard, Abby, acquired the footage from Mickey’s doorbell.

In bed with Eddie Flood, Rosie reads his crime novel. She is gripped by the plot, which revolves around a mysterious “cool-cat killer” (418). Rosie suggests he could call the novel “A Cat Called Trouble” (419).

Tony opens the padlocked leather holdall with bolt cutters. The bag contains over one million pounds. Bonnie says they should hand the bag over to the police. However, Felicity persuades Bonnie to use the money to help her family and launch her influencing career. She offers to be Bonnie’s agent and launder some funds through her accounts. Her fee will go to the families of the murdered influencers.

Jeff, Henk, and Max Highfield have dinner at the Wilberforce. Max shows his calfskin shoes to the porter while Jeff and Henk argue over whether to order red or white wine. Jeff reveals that Henk often sends anonymous death threats to new clients to negotiate a higher fee. Oblivious to this hint, Max observes that the source of his own death threats remains a mystery. Henk and Jeff both approve when the waiter brings a bottle of rosé.

Mickey Moody writes from prison to Susan Knox, who is in a women’s jail. He commiserates with her situation and asks for her “story.” Susan replies, stating that she deserves her punishment and, like most criminals, was motivated by money. She began by taking money out of the business accounts, investing it, and then paying it back once she made a profit. Eventually, she made large losses and could not afford to repay the money she had taken. At that point, she contacted Loubet with her business proposition. Susan states she does not want to hear from Mickey again.

Steve, Amy, and Rosie sit on Debbie’s bench in Axley. Amy announces that she is leaving Maximum Impact Solutions and setting up her own detective agency to investigate unsolved murders. A friend has offered to invest £500,000 for a third of the company. Rosie counters that she is “a very close friend” and will invest a million dollars for fifteen percent of the business (432). The women shake hands, and Amy reveals that Rosie has just outbid the initial proposition that she made while drunk on tequila. Amy also announces that Steve will be her new business partner. When Steve protests, she tells him to ask Debbie’s advice via his Dictaphone. Steve lists all the familiar things he would miss if he accepted Amy’s offer. He listens to Debbie’s reply and reluctantly agrees to Amy’s proposition. Amy tells him she already has an interesting case: the cover-up of a news presenter’s murder in Turkmenistan. Amy has decided on a company name: Maverick Steel International Investigations. However, Steve argues that they should call themselves We Solve Murders. Rosie observes that this would make an excellent book title.