Sir, you needed the help of Dr Pistorius because your team had no leads.
My work takes me to many different departments.
We need to look at the victims in a different way.
Not in the order of when they were found, but in the order of when they were killed.
The methods of bondage looked random and confusing.
That's why the team wasn't sure it was the same guy.
That's the instinct the Brigadier told me about.
Stop!
A weaker man would have doubted his ability now you had to come in.
If we don't doubt ourselves, we're not doing our best work.
Congratulations, Micki.
Robert, thank you so much for your help.
You really don't need to thank me.
Just remember, there are other things to chase in life, not just murderers.
Yeah.
You should meet Mark.
Are you sneaking out back?
It's not sneaking away when no one notices because they're drunk.
I'd notice.
(SINGING)
(SINGING CONTINUES)
(LAUGHTER)
(WOMAN SINGS SOFTLY)
(SINGING CONTINUES)
(KNOCKING AT DOOR) (STOPS SINGING)
(TREMBLING BREATH)
(GUNSHOT)
(SPEAKS SOFTLY TO HERSELF)
Thank you.
Dr Pistorius? Detective Nick Wilson.
Good morning. Thanks for making the trip.
Come on through.
I'll give you the grand tour.
So, this is the centre of operations.
And this is Solomon, who captains the ship.
Thanks for having me. Good to meet you.
Welcome to Donnybrook.
We mostly scrape by on provincial budgets.
Uh-huh. When was this place last upgraded?
When it was first built. (CHUCKLES)
I don't mean to rush you but...
..time is very much not on our side and we need to crack Zikode.
Don't worry. I've been doing my homework.
Christopher Zikode.
He's got quite the CV, hasn't he?
Eight murders, five attempted, five rapes,
one indecent assault and eight attempted rapes.
He must have been working overtime.
Yeah, for the last 17 months.
He likes to mutilate the corpses.
One woman had her face and breasts removed
and tinder inserted into her vagina.
Sometimes when his victims were couples,
he shoots the man first to get him out of the way.
Oh. Mutilation usually means curiosity.
Childish exploration.
Often a killer who's psychologically immature.
I need him cracked open by Monday, 8am.
He's set to appear in court and hasn't said a damn word yet
in the 24 hours we've had him in custody.
I need that thing off the streets.
By 8am Monday?
No pressure, then.
Mm. Nice, relaxed schedule for you.
Yeah.
Can we get you sorted in the interview room?
Then I'll bring Zikode in.
Mm-hm. How's your Zulu?
Uh, pretty basic.
But I should be just about able to follow.
Oh. OK.
Do you need me to translate for you or you want to be alone with it?
No, actually the translation will buy me time to figure him out.
OK.
(CLEARS THROAT)
Are you OK to talk to me?
I'd like to know more about your childhood.
(TRANSLATES)
What it was like, where you grew up.
(TRANSLATES)
I heard you were quite the activist in your high school days.
(TRANSLATES)
(EXHALES)
And I read in one of your statements
that you never knew your father.
Is that right? Your Baba?
(TRANSLATES)
Not a fan of his father.
I gathered. Um...
Tell me about your mother.
(TRANSLATES)
She?
No idea.
Did you kill those men and women to get back at someone
in your family?
Um... To punish someone?
(TRANSLATES)
It's their fault, isn't it?
It's their fault you killed these women.
I just need to step outside for a cigarette. Is that OK?
Yeah. You can take over.
Argh!
He's like a little boy.
Still pointing fingers and blaming his parents.
"They made me do it."
It's always someone else's fault.
No, but I think it's how he sees everything he did.
Mm. It's not just to evade punishment.
He believes it.
No-one made him kill all those people.
Those women. What he did to their bodies.
If I'm going to get the confession...
..I need to get under his skin.
So, where does that leave us?
How do we get a confession if he thinks he's blameless?
I need him to trust me.
He needs to feel like I see him.
Can you take me to the place the last victim was found?
Christine Ntanzi.
It's all the way in...Marutswa Forest.
It's 20 minutes from here. We don't have enough time.
Well, I think maybe we don't have enough time not to go.
Micki, you know I need my confession.
I know.
And if you're going to get that, I need to see what he saw.
Follow his logic on the crime scene.
See how he staged the murder.
See what he left behind.
I need to walk in his shoes.
Do whatever you have to. Just be quick.
And Micki...
..hold on to yourself when you go in there.
He's gotten away with a lot for a long time.
I hear you.
You're trying to get under his skin
but just make sure to climb back up again.
(SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY)
(SIGHS)
This is where we found her.
The dogs led us here.
There's nothing left.
We made sure we took all the evidence.
Combed over everything twice, three times.
The storm would have washed everything away.
What's wrong?
This place gives me a strange feeling.
Can we bring Zikode here?
To the forest?
Do you know how much kak I'll get into for that?
Can we try it?
Don't suggest any road trips with this one.
No small talk.
Come on. Let's go.
You like it here, don't you?
(TRANSLATES)
Makes you feel safe.
(TRANSLATES)
Hidden.
(TRANSLATES)
Where did you know Christine Ntanzi from?
(TRANSLATES)
You brought her here because it's where you felt safe.
(TRANSLATES)
You wanted to hide. (TRANSLATES)
To take your time. (TRANSLATES)
You had a difficult life, didn't you?
(TRANSLATES)
Your family moved around from place to place.
(TRANSLATES)
You never fit in anywhere. (TRANSLATES)
You were always isolated.
Always alone. (TRANSLATES)
I think the other kids bullied you.
(TRANSLATES)
You ran from them.
(TRANSLATES)
Always looking for places to hide.
(TRANSLATES)
This is your safe place.
(TRANSLATES)
Your shelter. (TRANSLATES)
Your parents didn't give you that.
(TRANSLATES)
It was their fault that your brothers bullied you.
(TRANSLATES)
Your father abandoned you. (TRANSLATES)
Your mother never stood up for you. (TRANSLATES)
The forest gave you what they didn't.
(TRANSLATES)
Is that Christine? (TRANSLATES)
But she didn't love you back. (TRANSLATES)
She pushed you away. (TRANSLATES)
Did all the other women do that too?
(TRANSLATES)
Yes, it does. (TRANSLATES)
It matters to you. (TRANSLATES)
You kill women who reject you. (TRANSLATES)
And then you kill the men they choose instead of you. (TRANSLATES)
How did it feel when you did this to her?
(TRANSLATES)
She was spread-eagled.
(TRANSLATES)
You push sticks and grass into her vagina.
(TRANSLATES)
You raped her. (TRANSLATES)
You cut off her face. (TRANSLATES)
Her breast. (TRANSLATES)
Do You remember this? (TRANSLATES)
You felt she deserved it. (TRANSLATES)
You couldn't help yourself. (TRANSLATES)
You were worried when you did this, weren't you?
(TRANSLATES)
You cut off her face because she knew you.
(TRANSLATES)
You were scared she'd recognise you.
(TRANSLATES)
But you were too curious to stop yourself.
(TRANSLATES)
You had to know.
(TRANSLATES)
To explore her. (TRANSLATES)
Tell me why you did it, Christopher.
(TRANSLATES)
In your own words. (TRANSLATES)
Tell me how.
(TRANSLATES)
Uh, Captain, we're out of time for today. We need to head back.
I just... Uh, 20 more minutes.
Yeah. I have to keep a log.
And if the defence finds we held him for too long...
I know. I'm sorry.
(PHONE RINGS)
Hello.
Hi. I was just reading about how amazing you are
and I thought I should call you and tell you myself.
I am pretty amazing. It's true.
But in what specific context?
Your Sithole case.
So, when is Dr Amazing Pistorius back
from the middle of nowhere?
Soon.
I'll be done by tomorrow.
Have to be.
You want to talk about it?
Mm-mm.
No, I don't want to give you nightmares too.
Problem shared...
Is a problem two people don't have to deal with,
which in the case of a brutal serial killer
is not something you need.
Fair enough.
So, do you have any plans for when you're back?
That depends. On?
On where you're inviting me.
Sorry.
I'm heading off to the States tomorrow evening.
Duty calls.
Right.
I'd love to see you when I'm back.
You pick the place, I'll pick the time.
I'd like that.
OK. Bye. Bye.
There she is.
What's your poison, Captain?
I'd love a hot chocolate.
OK. What about a drink?
I don't drink on the job.
OK. A compromise.
With a good old-fashioned liqueur.
Oh, we're just serving ourselves?
Yeah. Yeah. OK.
That should loosen you up.
I don't need loosening up.
No, I do. You're right.
So, tell me, what were you busy with before you...
..gave up your life and came to Natal with two hours' notice?
20 minutes notice, actually.
And I was busy...
..I don't know.
I'm the only profiler in this country so...
..I get called up quite a lot.
What does your family think of that?
Is this an interrogation?
No. (LAUGHS)
No, I just want to know what I'm dealing with.
OK. Um...
My parents don't have strong feelings about my job.
My sister has strong feelings about everything I do.
Oh. Mm. What about yours?
Um, well, my family are all abroad.
There's not much time for anything else, so...
..just me. Mm-hm.
Not a lot of places to meet guys in this town?
My mother worries about me.
She says we're all going to end up with heart problems
and nervous conditions.
Yeah, well, she's right.
I don't know.
Since I took this job, it gets pretty fucking noisy in my head.
Mm-hm.
It's only going to get worse.
It's only going to get worse. (LAUGHS)
To the voices in our heads. (SIGHS)
To the voices in our heads.
(BREATHES DEEPLY)
(KNOCKING)
(GASPS)
(PANTS)
(CHOKES)
(GRUNTS)
(PANTS)
(EXHALES)
Oh.
I'm fine, thank you.
Christopher... Mhlengwa.
Mhlengwa? That's what you call him?
(TRANSLATES)
I see. Um...
And Mhlengwa, he's lived here a long time?
(TRANSLATES)
What's his sister's name?
(TRANSLATES)
Nomsa.
And...what's Nomsa like?
(TRANSLATES)
And she's still alive?
(TRANSLATES)
So, if you moved around a lot, where did he go to school?
(TRANSLATES)
He was bullied.
(TRANSLATES)
His brothers hurt him. (TRANSLATES)
Did that hurt you too?
(TRANSLATES)
Um... Very soon. Very soon.
(TRANSLATES)
Mama...
Could I see Mhlengwa's room?
(TRANSLATES)
Oh, come.
Thank you.
Would you mind if I took these with me?
(TRANSLATES)
Magazines that he bought?
(TRANSLATES) Uh-uh.
And you didn't mind having pictures like this in your house?
(TRANSLATES)
That's good.
Oh...
Ready? Yeah.
You've got this.
We made a stop at your mother's compound.
(TRANSLATES)
It was good to talk to her. (TRANSLATES)
She told me about you as a boy.
(TRANSLATES)
As a son.
(TRANSLATES)
Mhlengwa. Mhlengwa.
Do you like being called Mhlengwa?
(TRANSLATES)
Right.
Do you recognise any of these ladies?
(TRANSLATES)
You spent a lot of time with them.
(TRANSLATES)
No, no, no, no. They're real women in the photographs.
You must know that.
(TRANSLATES)
You must feel close to them.
(TRANSLATES)
You spent all that time in your mother's house
looking at these women.
(TRANSLATES)
Dreaming about what you'd do to them.
(TRANSLATES)
Tell me what kind of fantasies you had about her.
(TRANSLATES)
These...my pictures?
Yes.
No, they are your pictures. You can do with them what you like.
(TRANSLATES)
I'm not judging you, Mhlengwa. I'm just curious.
(TRANSLATES)
Did you imagine tying her up?
(TRANSLATES)
That she'd be defenceless? (TRANSLATES)
Maybe struggle a bit. (TRANSLATES)
Did you think you'd have to hold her down in order
to have sex with her?
(TRANSLATES)
When did the fantasies begin to feel like they weren't enough?
(TRANSLATES)
What about your sister?
(TRANSLATES)
I didn't know you had a sister.
(TRANSLATES)
You didn't feel like telling me?
(TRANSLATES)
I don't know. About growing up maybe.
(TRANSLATES)
You two were close. (TRANSLATES)
She looked after you. (TRANSLATES)
And Then She left you. (TRANSLATES)
You think she's a bitch? Nomsa?
(TRANSLATES)
Why are you so angry at her? (TRANSLATES)
And she let You down?
(TRANSLATES)
Which woman did you want her to set you up with?
(TRANSLATES)
Was it Christine? Christine?
Or Nomathemba? Nomathemba?
Maybe Florence? Florence?
And that got to you, didn't it? (TRANSLATES)
Yeah, she should have been yours. (TRANSLATES)
Yours to do what you wanted with.
(TRANSLATES)
But she was someone else's. (TRANSLATES)
And it was Nomsa's fault that you lost her.
(TRANSLATES)
So, you had to take out your frustration on the women you killed.
(TRANSLATES)
Nomsa disappointed you.
(TRANSLATES)
You had to punish her for abandoning you.
(TRANSLATES)
Did Nomsa need to be punished, Mhlengwa?
(TRANSLATES)
You will cut her open?
(TRANSLATES)
Like you did to Christine Ntanzi? (TRANSLATES)
Like You Did to Nomathemba? And Gugu? (TRANSLATES)
And Florence. Yes? Florence?
Uh... What do you mean yours?
(TRANSLATES)
You killed them?
(TRANSLATES)
(LAUGHS)
(LAUGHS AND SPEAKS IN ZULU)
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
At least let's have some meat then, you know.
No, you mustn't run so much. You're getting too old.
(LAUGHTER)
ALL: Cheers!
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
OFFICER: Yeah, we caught the guy. (INDISTINCT CHATTER)
I'm just gonna go check on Micki.
Any answers up there?
None that I can find. Yeah.
Astrology is not my strong suit either.
I don't know what I'm looking at half the time.
Helps clear the head. Mm.
Yeah, it's a different world up there. Mm.
Yeah. We're just...
..spinning on a rock.
So, are you relieved? It's over.
Always. Mm-hm.
And always unsatisfied.
Why? You nailed him.
Tomorrow there's one less Christopher Zikode.
Uh...
Took a lot to get it.
You know, Micki, I've never seen anyone...
..do what you did in that room today.
I'm just saying.
Thank you.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
(LAUGHTER) Stop it!
Well, my theory is that men are like pets.
You need to feed them, exercise them.
Keep them stimulated.
(LAUGHTER)
I'm sure she means intellectually stimulated.
No, I'm sure I don't.
So, what? Love is like a meeting of the minds?
No, it is. It is.
You need to have someone you can talk to.
Someone who challenges you.
OK, I'm not saying there's no value in that.
I'm just saying you're not going to bother getting to know someone
if you don't want to get naked with them from the start.
She makes a strong point.
OK, so...is there a new contender?
Maybe. (GASPS)
Tell us everything. Please. Please.
Name. Vital statistics. Foot size.
Foot size? Stop it! Well, go on. Who is he?
He's just a guy. Just a guy?
I am supposed to be your sister and that is all I'm getting?
Well, for now. I'll tell you...
(BANGING ON DOOR)
I'll get it.
Micki?
Hey. Are you OK? Yeah.
Yeah. No, I'm fine. I'm fine. I just...
It just gave me a shock and I'm tired, that's all.
Are you sure?
Delivery.
Do you want me to read the card for you?
Yes, please.
"A problem shared is a problem halved."
What's that, like a private joke or something?
Yeah, something like that. (LAUGHS NERVOUSLY)
Micki... I'm fine.
I'm fine. Honestly, I just...
I need to catch up on sleep, that's all.
OK.
I promise. Look. See?
I'm fine!
Captions by Red Bee Media (c) SBS Australia 2024