Page 93 of Murder in the Family

Yes, but he didn’t activelychooseto do that, did he? He acquired that passport by a freak accident. That said, he saw no problem in becoming that much younger person when fate thrust it upon him.

So I think the key question here is whether Luke wasforcedto play the role of a much younger man, simply because that was the only passport available to him, or whether that passport merelyallowedhim to live in a way that he was already naturally drawn to.

I’m not sure we’ll ever know the real answer to that.

CUT TO: Studio.

JJ NORTON

I guess it does at least explain all that stuff Caroline’s friends told us about her saying Luke was an ‘old soul’—

ALAN CANNING

Hang on a minute – we’re getting way ahead of ourselves. How come the Met never discovered all this back in 2003?

BILL SERAFINI

(shrugs)

Maybe they just didn’t look. To be fair, on the face of it there was no reason to. As far as they were concerned a man called Luke Ryder had entered the UK on a valid Australian passport. It wouldn’t have raised any red flags.

ALAN CANNING

Oh, I get why they didn’t find it. What I don’t get is howyoudid.

BILL SERAFINI

What does that mean?

ALAN CANNING

You said yourself, there was no reason for anyone to doubt ‘Luke Ryder’ wasn’t exactly who he said he was.

But you did.

I just want to know why.

BILL SERAFINI

Easy.

He gives a wry smile when he realizes what he’s said.

But you wanted to know how I worked it out?

He turns to the array of pictures on the pinboard and taps the one with the group of surfers on the beach in Australia.

It was this.

LAILA FURNESS

I’m still not with you.

BILL SERAFINI

Take a closer look.

She hesitates, then gets up and goes over to the board. Bill turns to the rest of the team.

---