DR HATTINGH: Police are looking. They need someone like you.
MICKI: For what? The police don't use psychologists.
They need a forensic profiler.
We don't have profilers in this country.
You'll be the first.
COLONEL: We're moving you wherever you're needed.
And you will be needed everywhere.
MAN: Your work's impressive, Micki.
The detectives don't seem to like it.
Think I'm interfering.
Well, that's because we chase ghosts.
This is what you do, isn't it? You extract information.
My job requires that I look at what he's done,
and I have to imagine committing those crimes.
If I don't give myself over to it completely, it doesn't work.
MAN: Alright, alright.
Hold onto yourself when you go in there.
You're trying to get under his skin,
but just make sure to climb back up again.
Since I took this job, it gets pretty noisy in my head.
It's only going to get worse. (LAUGHS)
I know you're under a lot of pressure.
There is a cost.
(RETCHES)
DOCTOR: What you've described seems to be a mild panic attack.
Your mind is trying to tell you something.
That it might not be able to process everything
that's being thrown at it.
(LAUGHS)
Why did it take you so long to catch me?
I was tired of killing.
But I could never have stopped until you stopped me.
He was never going to stop by himself.
It's down to us.
To me.
It's not your fault. It is my fault. (CRIES)
There's just so many dead women, I...
..I have to go deeper.
(BARKING, INDISTINCT CHATTER)
(MELLOW MUSIC PLAYS)
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
(OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYS)
Excuse me, darling.
Baby!
OK! Ha!
Musa. How's it going?
Hey.
(OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYS)
(GUNFIRE)
(SCREAMING, GUNFIRE)
Tobias! (GUNFIRE)
(SCREAMING, GUNFIRE)
Tobias.
(GUN CLICKS, EMPTY SHELLS CLATTER)
Oh!
(GUN CLICKS)
(BREATHES HEAVILY)
(GUNFIRE)
(GRUNTS)
GIRL: Mama?
Mama!
Mama? Mama?
Mama?
Mama? (SOBS)
Mama? Mama?
(HORN HONKS)
(MELLOW MUSIC PLAYS)
Hi.
Hello, how are you doing?
Who died?
Our dreams.
Our pride.
Yeah.
Can I get a brandy and coke, please?
Hey. Oh, hello.
How are you? Good. How are you?
Better than I was. How's Mark?
Oh, he's good.
Well, he's busy, but aren't we all?
Yeah, no.
No, we're in a really good place, I think.
Good, I'm glad. It's good, Micki.
Yeah, you want to smoke? Mmm.
Please.
Thanks.
COLONEL: You look like shit.
Oh...thank you.
Are you getting enough sleep?
Sleep?
Yeah, I've heard of that, I think.
Well, I have some good news for you,
but it's nothing that's going to guarantee you bed rest
in the foreseeable future.
Mm-hm?
Your course has been approved, you can start.
Really? Yeah.
Funding for 20 officers to be trained by you,
in profiling at the Academy in Paarl.
The course starts in three weeks.
Well, if you've changed your mind...
No, no, no, no, no, no.
Oh, Brigadier.
I've never seen anybody so happy to be served with a ton of new work.
Anyway, since you're in the mood for more work,
here's a new shitstorm.
My favourite kind.
OK, um...I will get right on this.
Thank you.
News.
I got the funding for my course.
Wow, Micki, that's great, well done. Thank you.
I'm really hoping you'll get involved.
I'd like that. And we've got a new case.
Need to travel. I'm so done with travelling.
I honestly don't know how you keep up with where you are.
Must make your head spin.
Car numberplates.
So, I know where I am.
Good system. (CHUCKLES)
So, what's the case?
Yeah, well...
PATHOLOGIST: Sharon Jabavu, cause of death,
as you can see, gunshot wound to the head.
It was a good shot, it's accurate.
I read the dockets.
Five of the earlier victims were shot above the left eyebrow.
Five people shot in the left side of the chest.
Two in the right. Exactly.
Yeah, and he comes out of nowhere every time.
It's like trying to catch a fucking wisp of smoke.
No mutilation or other injuries?
No, not in the main, but in this victim,
there was evidence that she was raped.
Most likely post-mortem.
I've sent samples to the lab for DNA analysis.
And the rapist, same person as the killer?
We don't know. Interesting.
Well, what could it mean?
I don't know, but any change in an established pattern
is important to note.
If the killer did rape her, it could mean
he's taking more risks.
That could mean more mistakes.
Well, it's possible, yeah.
Let's hope so because we have a town full of people
who are too petrified to go to sleep because of this bastard.
Yep, this is Phoswa Village.
One of the shootings happened here.
Everybody's just terrified.
He's killed 16 people in under a year?
Yep, injured another 10.
You OK?
Ah, it's just my kid.
Waiting for the wife to ring, give me an update.
Little guy is not doing well.
Can we get the survivors in?
Anyone who was either shot by him or saw him shoot.
See if there's any kind of pattern.
Well, we have the witness statements.
Yeah, but I need to hear it for myself.
I need to get a proper sense of him.
OK, I'll fix it up.
(PHONE KEYPAD BEEPS)
This is Rob, hey?
Can you round up the witnesses for Dr Pistorius to re-interview?
Yep. Yep, that's what I said.
Thanks, cheers.
This is one of our recent scenes that happened a few weeks ago.
One of three shootings in one night.
You can go in. No...no-one else lives here.
The victim lived alone?
Yes. Oupa Luvuno.
He was shot in the chest, sometime during the night.
Eye witness saw the shooter eating porridge outside
after the shots were heard.
Took his life...
..then took his dinner.
(GUNSHOT)
He was wearing a balaclava again.
Other witnesses confirmed it.
Where next?
Uh, this way.
So, he's stealing from his victims.
But those thefts feel opportunistic, kind of hit-and-run.
Killing is the focus.
What he takes is by the by.
It's been months.
We've made arrests, done ID parades, but still, just...
..we're nowhere.
Kingsley Nyase was the night watchman here.
He was shot dead after...
..a break-in during the night, in the right side of the chest.
Two more a few nights later, in Phoswa Village.
Isaac Bekwa, shot on the left side of the chest.
Anonymous caller rang it in.
Rebecca Mbili. (LOUD HEARTBEAT)
(VOICE DISTORTS) Fezeka Ngalonde.
Bhekani Thomoyi.
Winston Rhabani, I mean...
Sorry, sorry.
(COUGHS, BREATHES DEEPLY)
(GRUNTS)
(GRUNTS, PANTS)
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
Hey!
This is where Sharon Jabavu was killed.
She ran a shebeen out of her house.
That's Khanyiso, her daughter.
I tried talking to her before, but...
(CHUCKLES)
..poor girl is very shy and she's very scared.
That's one of the survivors, Mlungisi Gwala.
I can talk to him while you're with Khanyiso.
I think a one-on-one with her would be better, yeah?
Yeah. Alright?
Yeah.
In the back.
Hi, Khanyiso.
I'm Micki.
I try and understand how and why people behave as they do.
I'm going to use what I know to try and find out who shot your mother.
Will you talk to me?
See if you can help me do that?
Yes. OK.
OK, let's come through here.
He didn't walk, but marched.
Confident.
Like...like he owned the place.
Angry.
Very angry.
He didn't speak.
He shot.
Doesn't matter.
You having nightmares?
Every night.
When I do...
Nothing could touch him, Mlungisi. Mmm.
Nothing.
Not anymore, hey?
No.
That Mlungisi is gone now.
He's gone.
Are you going to catch the guy who did all this?
And this?
For months now!
Do more than trying!
I'm scared he's going to come back for me.
I know.
I want to catch him,
to make sure he can't come back
and he can't keep doing this.
We need to stop him.
Do you think you could do something to help me do that?
What?
Can you show me exactly what you saw?
Your aunty will be there.
It can help you remember.
Can help you remember things that help us catch him.
I'll do it.
You are so brave.
I'm scared.
You can be both.
I'd say anyone who's brave without being scared is a liar.
(PHONE RINGS)
OK, so, we're calling him the Saloon Killer.
This isn't like any case I've worked before.
Yeah, well, it's not like anyone we've seen either.
He's in and out fast, appears out of nowhere.
There doesn't seem to be any pattern.
Yeah. My bloody nerves are shot.
I mean, I keep thinking about when we're going to get
the next phone call.
How many more bodies are we going to find on the roadside
before we catch this killer?
Well, killers reveal who they are through the choices they make -
how they kill, what they do to the bodies,
the victims they choose.
But this case?
No, he's not giving anything away.
Now you know why we haven't gotten anywhere in nine months.
This is where you've been running the investigation from?
Yeah.
OK, that is not going to work at all.
Sorry, Rob, I've got those dockets you asked for.
Oh, thanks, man. Uh, just put it on my desk.
Tell me about the arrests you've already made.
First one is Musa Zungu.
Multiple witnesses put him at the scene of the shooting
in the shebeen.
He's one of the first, but while he was in custody...
..that happened, another shooting.
OK, so he can't be the shebeen shooter?
No, but he could be connected somehow.
Philani Ludgonga, did you get anything from that one?
Couple of bits of things here and there,
but it didn't really lead anywhere.
Yeah, what was your working theory on the shooter?
The working theory?
Well, to be honest, we just kind of chased the evidence as it came in.
You can tell. (SIGHS)
Oh, come on, man, that's not fair.
Sorry, but you said it yourself.
You're nowhere.
There's no thinking, no system...
Oh, listen to me.
We're not just a bunch of small-town idiots.
We're underfunded.
Nobody gives a shit.
And these shootings just keep coming.
What the fuck do you want us to do?
(TV BLARES IN THE BACKGROUND)
(TENSE MUSIC PLAYS)
(MUSIC BLARES)
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
(GRILL SIZZLES)
(LAUGHTER)
(GUNSHOT)
(SCREAMING, CLAMOURING)
(GUNSHOT, SCREAMING)
(GUNSHOT)
(GUNSHOT) (WOMAN SCREAMS)
(HIGH PITCHED BEEPING)
(CRIES)
(PHONE BEEPS)
(SIREN WAILS)
(INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER)
Shit, it's like a massacre.
(SIGHS)
Rob?
Rob, he's still alive. Rob?
Hey, get a medic, get a medic. No, no, no.
Quick, go! His pulse is fading a bit.
It's there.
(GROANS)
Did you see him? (RASPS INDISTINCTLY)
Dammit!
(HORNS HONKING, SIRENS WAILING)
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
He could be anywhere.
We need all the additional information we can get.
Agreed. I'm on it.
(PHONE RINGS)
Don't tell me you've got another one.
I always call with the good news, right?
Oh, man. How many?
Six women, one child. In Empangeni.
Suspects?
Right now, they just want to know if we think it's the same killer.
Sorry, Micki.
No.
No, it's fine.
You go, keep me posted, and let me know if you need help.
(INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER)
It's OK. Come through.
Your mother was shot.
She was on the ground.
She was...
..dead.
What else could you see?
Was the room empty?
No.
Was there a man inside?
Yes. OK.
OK, come sit here.
Then what happened, Khanyiso?
This other man came back in.
And did you recognise this other man?
I think so.
He came here to drink sometimes.
The tall man told him they'd found someone else he wanted to kill.
I thought he meant me.
Did he shoot anyone?
No, he took me outside.
Told me to get away.
And what did you do?
I stayed outside.
I was scared.
There was a sound coming from inside.
I didn't know what it was.
They were in there with my mama.
I thought they might be burying her.
I wanted to see her.
He was grunting on top of her like a pig.
Oh, my darling.
(GRUNTING)
It is not your fault.
None of it.
Look at me, sweetheart.
You did nothing wrong.
You understand that?
Well...
..seems Musa was telling the truth.
But he was the one who had sex with Sharon's body.
So, not a serial killer, a necrophiliac.
Is there any connection between him and the shooter?
No, not yet.
The shooter let him go, and then he hung around and...
..he raped a dead woman.
How do you even function, this shit every day?
How do you?
Hmm.
I need to get back, start work on the profile.
Well, if you need anything...
Yeah. Give me a shout.
(MUSIC PLAYS ON CAR RADIO)
Oh, such a tune, huh?
Mmm.
Look, when we get back, can you just get in the rest of the witnesses
and just organise a room for the interviews?
Yeah.
(PHONE RINGS)
(CIGARETTE LIGHTER CLICKS)
MARK: (OVER PHONE) Hi. Oh.
Hi. Are you working late?
Oh, as usual.
I'm staring at the abyss.
Hoping the darkness will give me some kind of answer.
OK.
Sorry.
Is that too much?
No. No, no, no. You can talk to me.
Have you not figured out the profile yet or...?
No. I can't seem to get a handle on this one.
It's like a...
..a shadow flitting between trees.
Like a shadow? Mmm.
Always moving.
Nothing to catch hold of.
How are you going to move it forward?
Same as usual.
Get under his skin. Just...
..just, this time, it just feels harder.
Maybe that's your mind telling you
to stop thinking like a serial killer.
Hmm. Unfortunately, that is literally my job.
Well, I wish I could be more useful,
but my skills don't exactly extend to this, so...
That's a good thing.
No, I'll figure it out.
I always seem to.
See you in Cape Town.
Night, Mark. Night.
So, you don't know this guy, hey?
Never met him before?
Hmm?
That's what you reckon. It's just a coincidence?
Oh, what, so you just go around
raping a lot of dead women then, hey?
No.
Shit, you know, it's funny that you say
you don't know the man who shot everyone.
For some reason, he spared you.
And then, he let you have a go at her instead.
Look here, Detective...
Well, the evidence says different.
The evidence says you raped Sharon Jabavu.
So, why did he let you live?
How would I know?
Listen, man, we know you know her.
You're going to trial for rape, and you're going to be convicted.
So, the best shot you've got is to tell us
who the fucking shooter is.
And then, maybe, they're going to take it easy on you, OK?
Her daughter says you let her go.
What, you didn't want to rape her mother in front of her?
You've got some sort of ethics now?
I didn't want him to kill her.
Right.
You saved her life.
You did one good thing.
Now do another.
I don't know that guy, and I've never met him.
Most of the victims...
(YAWNS)
..were shot above the left or the right eye.
But some of them suffered chest wounds.
Thanks.
I see.
Jeez, man, are you alright?
Is your kid keeping you up. Yep.
The kid. This case. It's rough.
Yeah, I get it, man.
Listen, man, I think this guy is, like, a pretty good shot.
I mean, some of these victims he was really close to but...
..some were pretty far away, man.
I think he must be sniping.
Well, Micki thinks he's had military training.
I've got witness statements that put him in army clothing.
Balaclava, blue.
There's some informer interviews.
Ta.
Anything good? Yeah, a couple of brothers.
Said they've got a load of guns in their shack.
I can't see this guy keeping his gun at home.
It's like an extension of himself.
He's going to keep it somewhere safe.
It's precious.
Micki, these okes live in Phoswa Village, OK?
Near the tavern and near the shebeen.
And we...I mean, we've got a photograph.
It's of their shack.
It's a pretty rough area. I mean, it'd be a great place to hide out.
Yeah, but where he stole, it's practical items.
Batteries, tinned food -
the kind of thing you'd need to survive off-grid.
I'm sure he's got somewhere out of town,
somewhere in the forest.
Can we get a team on it, please?
Sure, yeah, we'll...we'll...
..we'll take a look.
But...
..keep your eyes on the brothers, OK?
I'm on it.
OK, so...
OK.
OK, um...
Well, I think our killer has been trained as a sniper.
Yeah, he was rejected by his parents when young, causing distrust.
He suffers from a paranoid personality disorder.
When he was young, he'd had hiding places in the forest.
Somewhere where he could have been the hero of his own dreams.
And then, the army is the perfect setting for his fantasy.
Yeah.
But, no...but he is discharged and develops a grudge,
and civilians become the enemy force.
(GUNSHOT ECHOES)
Yeah.
Yeah, so the only way he can restore his power is by killing.
That's it, yeah.
This is a man who wants and needs to command respect.
When he doesn't get it, or when something triggers his anger,
that's when he goes out looking for victims.
Maybe there's been a problem at work,
or maybe he's been disrespected by a girl.
He's likely to be impotent.
The rifle is a substitution for his penis,
a phallic extension which could cause conflict, anger.
Hey. Wait, wait, wait. How does this help us?
It will.
We need to understand how he thinks.
So far, your investigation has been all over the fucking shop.
There is no clear victimology.
He's killed both men and women, some he's shot at a distance.
Oh, and note the common factor is his use of a Saloon .22 rifle.
Some he's stolen from, some he's killed at home,
some in the street.
This all fits with his attacks being anger-motivated.
Something happens - he reacts.
He lives somewhere in Phoswa Village.
He's killing on home ground.
Again, he's reacting to anger.
He's not travelling long distances to find his victims.
I mean, this...I mean, this sounds totally random.
I mean, how are we supposed to build a case with this?
Well, it's not entirely random.
He's killing black adult civilians who he sees as the enemy
and who represent the parents who rejected him.
We are already looking in Phoswa.
What more can we do?
I think the forest is an important place for him in some way.
I'm not sure how.
Maybe he keeps his weapon buried there,
or maybe he has some sort of hide-out in the trees,
but I think it's where he feels safe.
You say we go around and ask people where do they feel safe?
We need something concrete we can act on.
He's a good shot. Trained, most likely.
That's great. I mean, that's something we can work with, right?
Thank you.
The balaclava, the uniforms he wears,
he's either in the army now or has been.
Defence force, SWAPO, uMkhonto we Sizwe even.
We should be looking at all members and former members
living in the area,
especially anyone who's been discharged.
And search the forest, please.
Alright.
You've heard the doctor. Let's get to it.
I'll be praying you find him while I'm gone.
Well, I'll do my best.
I hope your course goes well, Micki.
Oh. (CHUCKLES)
Thank you.
Cheers, Micki. Yeah, cheers.
(SIGHS)
Let's go. (GUNSHOT)
Just as soon as we get this case wrapped up, it will, I promise.
There's always another case, Micki. I can't live like this.
(SCREAMS)
(SOBS)
(BARKING)
(RIFLE CLICKS)
Captions by Red Bee Media (c) SBS Australia 2024