Moonflower Murders episode 3 sees Susan Ryeland (Lesley Manville) despair over ever cracking the case, while Atticus Pünd (Timothy McMullan) makes some breakthroughs.
The episode opens with Aiden MacNeil making a BBC News appeal about Cecily. Susan, Lawrence, Pauline, Lisa, Gwyneth, Derek and Liam all watch. Liam, who looks dodgy, is in the gym whacking a punch bag. Aiden pleads for Cecily's return. "We need to know that she's safe," says Aiden. The camera pans out and we see Locke who continues the appeal saying when Cecily was last seen.
We return to the book and Pünd is enjoying his breakfast. His assistant Madeline Cane joins him. She says Lance has requested a meeting with him and that she doesn't trust him. Pünd and Madeline go to see Lance and Maureen. Maureen lets slip that Melissa planned to have the accounts audited. Lance says they were happy to show the accounts to the financial advisor. But then Madeline says great, she knows accounts, she will take a look. Lance looks worried!
Lance reveals a draft letter he claims Melissa wrote to a mystery person saying it's time they let everyone know they're in love. The letter is dated last February. Lance and Pauline suggest the letter shows Melissa was planning to leave her husband John, thus giving him a motive for murder.
In the present, Susan goes to visit Mr Khan the solicitor. Mr Khan recalls meeting Frank Parris and says it's a meeting he's unlikely to forget. We go back to the meeting with Frank angrily saying the house was left to him and his sister equally and he needs his half of the money. Frank's business had gone bust and he needed the money. Mr Khan explains where the house is and that the sister's name is Joanne Webster. Mr Khan says she's no longer his client, which he's pleased about as she is rude like Frank. Mr Khan says that there was no way out of the will and they would have to have sold had Frank not died. Khan then lets slip that Susan's sister Katie had consulted him over something.
Susan goes to see Katie at work at a garden centre and they head for a coffee. Susan says that Crete isn't going to plan. Katie is clearly hiding something. She reveals that her son has dropped out of uni and has a job at the garden centre, while her partner is away again in New York. Susan knows something is wrong, but Katie won't be honest with her.
Susan heads to Joanne Webster's house and meets her husband, Martin. We saw Martin earlier in the episode watching Aiden's news appeal and commenting Cecily was obviously dead. Susan says it's about Frank's murder and Martin invites her in. Inside the house, Susan has tea with Martin and Joanne. Martin explains Frank came to visit them. We go back to Frank's visit, with Joanne angrily telling Frank he can't make them sell. She's furious but Frank makes it clear she has no choice but to give him his share. They trade insults and Frank leaves.
Martin seems pleased Frank was murdered but tries to backtrack and says Joanne was very upset by her brother’s death, although that seems doubtful. Martin then shows a photo of Frank and Joanne, which he believes might be the final one ever taken of Frank. He claims it shows them as best of friends.
Back in the book, Pünd visits film producer Oscar Berlin. Oscar explains he argued with Melissa after she refused to be in his film. He explains how much he sacrificed for the movie. He claims to have gone for a beach walk at the time of Melissa's death. But Madeline, who reveals she grew up in the area (could she then have some connection to the case?), says that's impossible at that time of day as the tide would have been in.
Oscar then admits to going to Melissa's house at 6.05 pm, as Madeline points out, 23 minutes before she called Dr Collins. He says he wanted to change her mind but when he went to the door he heard a terrible argument. Oscar says he left and decided to wait until the next day. Oscar says he heard Melissa arguing with the housekeeper over the running of the hotel. Pünd finds this odd as she wasn’t involved in the hotel's running. Oscar says Melissa described the hotel as "crooked". They leave Oscar and Pünd says Madeline had never told him she was from this part of the world. She replies she made the beach story up to flush out Oscar’s lie.
In the present, Joanne confronts Susan and tells her to get lost. She drives off and Pünd "joins" her as a passenger. She stops to have a cigarette and she discusses the case with Pünd. He says to take it one step at a time. He says it comes down to four simple questions: Who? Why? What? Where?
Lisa and Liam are at the gym. She asks Liam what he's told Susan and he says nothing. He says maybe he should talk about how much Lisa and her parents were paying Stefan. He suggests they should give him a pay rise. She tells him to keep his mouth shut or she will share his secrets.
Susan talks to Lawrence and Pauline. Pauline recalls Cecily had trouble sleeping on the night before her wedding. She was worried things would go wrong. Lawrence says he recalls his expensive fountain pen had gone missing, which they presumed was Stefan because of something Aiden said.
Susan sees Aiden, he recalls the pen being there and then Stefan coming into the room and the pen vanishing. He claims he didn't accuse Stefan of stealing it, though. Aiden confronts Susan. He says Lisa says she's being paid £10,000 to read a book and he doesn't think she's doing much. She says she's trying to arrange a prison visit to see Stefan and is also trying to get hold of Alan Conway's notes about writing the book.
In the book, Pünd, Madeline and Chubb visit Algernon Marsh, Melissa’s financial advisor. Pünd asks it is true he advised her to invest £55,000 in Day’s End Holdings. Interestingly, Days End was the name of Frank's failed business back in the present. Algernon says that's true. He says it's a villa building business in France, but when pressed admits nothing has been built. Turns out Algernon is the owner of the business! Chubb accuses him of fraud. Algernon says he was very close to Melissa. He says after seeing her that day he went to the pub.
Afterward, Pünd wonders if Algernon could be the man Melissa was writing to. Were they lovers? Pünd, Madeline and Chubb visit the housekeeper Phyllis and Eric. Phyllis says Melissa accused them of theft but denies taking anything. Pünd says Melissa believed she was being watched and he goes upstairs. Pünd says when Melissa said the hotel was "crooked" she was referring to a painting of the hotel. He moves the painting to reveal an eyehole. Pünd says Eric was spying on Melissa getting dressed using the eyehole. Phyllis, who is horrible, admits knowing what Eric was doing and then says she never wanted him as a son! Eric admits to stealing items from Melissa. Eric says he'd never hurt Melissa.
Susan wonders what night manager Derek did to make Alan turn him into such a pathetic character. She's talking to Andreas via the computer.
In reception the next day Susan runs into Locke. He wants a word. Locke is angry Susan is poking her nose again in police business and says there's nothing in the book that connects to the case. But she gleefully points out for a start Chubb is based on him. He angrily threatens to arrest Susan if she gets in his way and tells her to get out of the area and not to come back. She drives off...
