Sherlock & Co. - 8 - The Problem of Thor Bridge - Part Two

Episode Date: November 21, 2023

DEATH DO US PART took on a whole new meaning in The Problem of Thor Bridge as our investigations lead us to the recently widowed Naya Gibson. As the case became more and more complicated - it was my companion who searched for the simplest of answers. If you find my shoes, please let me know. Thanks. Follow me @DocJWatsonMD or get in touch via email [e-mail] Listener discretion is advised. This podcast is property of Goalhanger Podcasts. Copyright 2023. ------- SHERLOCK AND CO. Based on the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Paul Waggott as Dr. John Watson Harry Attwell as Sherlock Holmes Marta da Silva as Mariana Ametxazurra Tanika Jazmin - Naya Gibson Ike Ononye as Grace Dunbar Additional voices Nalan Burgess Natalie Green Joel Emery Adam Jarrell Written by Joel Emery Directed by Adam Jarrell Editing and Sound Design by Holy Smokes Audio Produced by Neil Fearn and Jon Gill Executive Producer Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Previously on Sherlock & Co. Deceased male by the name of Mateus Cardoso Gibson de Lima. Goes by Mateus Gibson. What are you doing? Fresh paint on the railings. The body was found on the bridge. But you just looked at some bloody paint! Bloody, yes, but also chipped.

There's the bullet hole in the right temple. Killer was his height. Rope burns from the palm of his hand. Our victim's wife, Mrs. Naya Gibson, is shagging Mr. Grace Dunbar. She won't be anymore. The police arrested him this morning. Mr. Grace Dunbar was arrested this morning after being caught in possession of a firearm with one round discharged. Dunbar claimed he had never seen the gun before, despite it being found in his backpack. Quite a build on that man.

He's six foot four. Watson, I kindly ask that you recall what we discussed about the bullet trajectory this morning. The killer was the same height as Mateus. But Mateus is short. Sherlock, where are you going? We're going to visit Mrs Nya Gibson and get some answers. Call an ambulance right now! Get her out of here, Watson!

Sherlock! Sherlock! It's gonna bloody explode! Oh, shit! Good. What time is it? Afternoon, everybody. Or whatever time it is for you. Isn't it dark now that the clocks have gone back? Madness. Anyway, to the matter at hand.

The problem of Thorbridge Part 2. Mateus Gibson found dead. Gunshot wound in the head. Rope burns on his hands. Pumped full of pills and booze. Grace Dunbar, his wife's lover, arrested for the murder after being found with, drumroll,

the same gun that killed Mateus. And yep, that's a wee recap for you. Don't know why I did that. I just fancied it, went with it, and yeah. So obviously, violence and swearing in this one listener discretion is advised get comfortable on your couch or commute or at the office yeah wherever you're listening and uh yeah enjoy call an ambulance someone call an ambulance right now!

Get her out of here, Watson! Sherlock! Sherlock! It's going to bloody explode! Oh, shit! Test. Test. Test. Test. Yes! Yes! It's working! Oh, get in! Right. Hello. Hello. Dr John Watson here. Um, we didn't blow up, I'm it's working. Oh, get in. Right, hello. Hello, Dr. John Watson here.

We didn't blow up, I'm pleased to say. Naya Gibson lives in a sixth-story flat and I had to get her outside and I ended up dropping the microphone about 50 feet onto the top of a bloke's car. And yet, incredibly, incredibly, it was a convertible. So a soft top to bounce off of, you know. Couldn't have hit it if I tried.

But yeah, here is Naya Gibson. Say hi, Naya. Hi. Hello. She is alive and well. We're currently in King George Hospital, just as a precaution. Because upon entering said flat, we caught a whiff of some gas, natural gas. Smashed the door in, dragged out Naya, who was

out for the count. Sherlock's in good shape, aren't you, mate? Ah. I get it. Get what? He tried to kill her. What? Sorry, what? Who? Grace Dunbar? No, Grace wouldn't do that. No. Matthias. What? Matthias is dead. You're right. And Grace didn't kill him, by the way, Grace wouldn't do that. No, Matthias.

What? Matthias is dead. You're right. And Grace didn't kill him, by the way, so don't even get me started, because I am telling you, he's been set up. Yes, you're right. You don't think Grace killed Matthias? Yeah, what? I don't.

What, you mean the guy who messaged Matthias saying he was going to meet him on Thor Bridge? The guy that was seen going to him? The guy that Matthias said was going to kill him. The guy sleeping with the dead bloke's wife. Sorry, Naya. It's alright. And the guy that was found to have a gun with a bullet missing. The exact bullet that they found in Mateus' head.

They found it on the bridge, actually. And it's the same bullet type, not necessarily the same bullet. So, he didn't kill him? Correct. And what? Now my dead husband, he's't kill him? Correct. And what? Now my dead husband, he's trying to kill me, is he? Not trying. Tried. He doesn't get another go at it,

seeing as he's dead. Who is this guy? Aha, well, have you heard of a little podcast sweeping the nation called Sherlock and Co? No. Oh. If you look under here... Yeah, let me see. So he rigged my oven to explode all the time, is that what you're saying? Not exactly.

Shine your light there, Watson. Yep, there you go. You see here, the plastic gas connection loop. Plastic? Shouldn't it be metal? Not if it comes into contact with the oven. Here, look. The plastic gas connection loop. Plastic? Shouldn't it be metal? Not if it comes into contact with the oven. Here, look.

It's got a hole in it? Yes. Punctured with a knife. Oh, my God, this is insane. Actually, it's quite calculated. I don't believe poor Matthias' final hours were, though. If the bullet didn't get him, he near drugged himself to death anyway. Up you get, Watson.

Oh, Christ. There are some things you should know about Mattias. He, uh... Depression, alcoholism, cheating wife, yes, I know. He had Covid, too, by the way. So do you. The main reason he opted to kill you with a gas leak. What are you on about? There's a...

Carbon monoxide detector. No, just a faceplate, I suspect. See? Empty. Jesus Christ. Now, I won't linger. I'd rather skip this particular strain of coronavirus. Matthias, your late husband, he worked in Barking, correct? Correct. He lived in North Barking here with you? Correct. What business does he have in Upney or anywhere for that matter on the southern side of Thor Bridge? Nothing. Yes, that's what I thought. What does he do? Signaller for Network Rail. You messaged him on WhatsApp at 11. He didn't read it, but he was last online at 11.46, approximately when he died.

Before you ask, I just know. And the last time you saw him? Um, before I went to work. We're sort of separated, but he came round here to get some stuff. Yes, your carbon monoxide detector, I suspect. And most of my alcohol's missing too. Ugh. We also had my alcohol's missing too. Ugh. We also had some dumb row as well. Why?

He had my bag. My bag for life. For my shop. He was being a dick about that and, um, I was like, it's a bag for life, right? Like, how is it a bag for life if he takes it from me? Now I have to get another one sort of thing. Well, I, uh, sorry, for our global listeners, uh, a bag for life if he takes it from me now i have to get another one sort of thing well i sorry for our global listeners uh a bag for life is a shopping bag that um yeah it's not not uh

not single use uh not not not a disposable bag it's uh because i always thought that it was like bag for life you know day-to-day life that's what he said yeah i mean it is though right no it's a bag for life because it's supposed to last? No. It's a bag for life. Because it's supposed to last you. It ain't disposable. Yeah, but a bag for life. I mean, there's no way those bags are going to last decades. But it's an alternative to single-use bags, right?

Yeah. So it's not supposed to be chucked away. It's not about the chucking away. Sherlock, back me up here. Was the argument something like this? Yeah. Right. Very boring.

Okay. the problem... The problem of Thor Bridge... Why? Why head to the south side? Why does it matter about the south side of the bridge? Both he and his supposed murderer live and work north of Thor Bridge. So maybe he just used that as a meeting place? You know, it's pretty quiet there.

Then why walk halfway across the bridge? His body was found directly above the railway lines. Why not just meet at the approach to the bridge? At the traffic lights? On the street before it? Why right in the middle, Watson? Why? Alright, calm down. I mean, does anyone else want to have a go at me today?

Whose phone is that? Mine. You can answer it. What about your podcast? Oh, it doesn't matter. I can cut out any private convos, you know, editing suite. So it's no biggie. Hello? This is a call from Dagenham Police Station on behalf of Grace Dunbar.

To initiate the call, press 1. Guys, what do I do? Answer it. Put him on speaker. Well, are you going to cut this bit? I don't want him to incriminate himself anymore. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Of course, yeah. Hey.

Hey. You okay? You know how it is. Yeah. I don't, actually. Oh, God. I'm't actually. I'm missing you. I'm missing you too.

Are you okay? Sorry about my tears. Yeah, I know. It's... I'm okay. It's a bit mental, actually. But, yeah. I'm alright. You... You didn't do it, did you?

Of course not, girl. You know that, right? You know that. Listen to yourself. Listen to the words you're saying. I know, I know. Um, I... I got some guys here, and they're detectives, I think. Don't say a word to them No, no, they're not police We're Brazilian government representatives

Hola What? Grace, hi, I'm Dr John Watson My colleague and I believe for some reason that you didn't murder Mateus Gibson Yeah, that's because I didn't man I cannot solve

the means of death just yet, Mr Dunbar, but could you start by providing an alibi? We know that you went to the bridge last night. Because man told me to. I was being like, I'm trying to help him out because he's losing it. Like, proper losing it.

Yes, I appreciate that. I did not kill him. Fact. End of. Yes, I appreciate that. I did not kill him. Fact. End of. I know you didn't. What happened last night? Matthias messages me, right? Literally, we never even spoke words before. And he messages me.

It was like, meet me at Thorbridge tonight, 10pm. We can sort this sort of thing. Like proper amicable it seemed right then I go down there I meet him and we talk but he's drunk he's like swaying and slurring and after about 10 minutes I'm just like whatever he's being cool and everything but I just know tomorrow we're going back to him being a dick. Then I go home. The message he sent me, right? He's deleted it by this point.

So it's just your message on the threat? Yeah, that's true. Mateus deleted his own message. It was just Grace's. Right. Yeah, my message being like, see you on Thor Bridge or whatever. Did he have anything with him? Just a bag.

Like a shopping bag type thing. The bag for life. I know. I leave, I get home. The bag for life. I know. I leave, I get home and then I played FIFA. FIFA. Watson. Video game. I think it's called FC now. FC24. It's brand new. Is it any good? Yeah, it's decent, yeah.

Was anybody with you? Nah, man. Did you see anybody else that night? Nah. Did Matthias mention any cash? Specifically around four grand? Nope. Wait, did you play online?

When you got home, did you play online? I did, yeah. Who did you play? Anyone you know? A bunch of random players. Actually, one guy. Total prick man. Streamer. What's his name? I don't know. No, his user, total prick, man. Streamer. What's his name?

Uh, I don't know. No, his user. What does he play as? Uh, something like, uh, Rabona? I can't remember, man. Grace, you remembering could stop you being charged for murder. charged for murder? It was like... Robona. Robo... Robo... Robo... Robona. Robo... Robona. That's it. Robo... Robona. You just got played. You just got played by a player. Get your ass up. Oh, God, this guy really is a prick. Are you still watching that complete fool? I'm telling you, we can prove that Grace Dunbar didn't do it.

Still, two hours of that man could well send you insane. And I like you as you are, Watson. Well, thanks. Very kind. I've got one hour left from his recorded stream of last night, OK? Just come on. We can prove it. I know it. Yes, well, right now we have to prove something about Matthäus. Which is? How he did what he did.

And what did I do? I'll tell you when I know how he did what he did. But now, 11.46pm means something. More than just the time he died. At 11.44, a freight train passed through Barking Station. It would have been at Thorbridge by 11.46. The moment Mattias logged into WhatsApp for the final time. And put the gun to his head.

I feel like I'm almost there, Watson. What's Wiggins and the Irregulars saying? Did they speak to Mariana about invoicing for their work or becoming PAYE? What on earth are you talking about? Oh, just, you know, handing over cash. It's difficult, HMRC-wise. Speaking of handing over cash, Wiggins

says that £4,000 wouldn't buy you a Glock 42 on the street. Oh. It would buy you two Glock 42s on the street. Well, that doesn't help. Actually, Watson, it helps enormously. Twin guns.

Now they haven't been able to... Grace! What? You want to see how it's done, son? Yeah, of course. You able to touch... What? What? Good goal, to be fair. Great. Disgusting, man. You're a cheat, man. How is that not a foul?

What time is that? 7.44pm. The stream is in the US. It's 7.44pm Eastern time. And the clocks went back in the US a week or so ago. So it'll be 11.44pm UK time. So Dunbar has an alibi. You're a dick, man. You're the dick, bro.

You're a dick. You are the dick. You are. Ha ha ha ha! Soon! Is this absolutely necessary? I must return to the bridge, Watson. Yeah, two secs. What can I get you?

Hello there. I will have... The maple and caramel latte. Whoa! You have got a good memory. Yeah, I'll have that. I thought it was too sweet. It grew on me.

Anything else? Anything else? Yes, hurry up. I have a crime scene to attend and a man to free. We only have moments until he's charged. £5.50, please. Yep. It's heaving down there, by the way.

Where? The crime scene. All the world's media buzzing around there. Oh, OK. Oh, do you have a loyalty card, by the way? Can I get a stamp for each coffee? They were in here the day it happened. Who?

The Brazilian guy. Really? With who? His wife? No. He was with the guy that did it. What? What time? Like, I don't know, like four in the afternoon. Can you be certain it's them? I write people's names on cups all day. It was them.

We must access your security camera footage immediately. Get your manager. Right, so we are currently in the staff room of this coffee place, reviewing some CCTV footage. A bit of a crappy staff room, to be honest. Just a microwave and a table. Sherlock is looking at a laptop. I mean, they don't even have a kettle in here. Oh.

Yeah, well, actually, they get all their hot drinks from downstairs, don't they? Duh. Obvious. Come on, where are you? Yeah, Sherlock, mate, she seems very nice, but she could be wrong. Look, she wrote junk on my cup. I mean, who is called junk? It's a boy. Oh, congratulations.

What are you going to call him? Junk. Yeah, we're going to call him junk. There. Oh, my God. Aha. Mateusz with the bag. The bag for life.

And there is Grace Dunbar. We're currently watching Mateusz order a coffee on the day of his murder, just, what, six hours before? He orders, goes to the air... No, wait. He's going to sit near Grace. He's reaching into the bag. Wait, what's he doing? What did he just do? He planted something in the backpack of Grace Dunbar, and I would venture, Doctor, that it was a Glock 42 with one discharged round.

One of our twin guns. Why are we running? Because I'm excited. Why are you excited? I spilled coffee on myself. I'm excited because I have the answer. Which is what?

He shot himself.? He shot himself. Matthäus shot himself. There's no gun at the scene, mate. Where's the bloody gun? Rotterdam. What? Rotterdam, Dr Watson. The gun is in Rotterdam.

He's lost it. He's completely lost it. The podcast is over. It was nice knowing you all. Excuse me. Thank you. Pardon me. Out the way.

Sorry, Sherlock, what are you doing? This is a window for media only, okay, gents? If you'd just like to make your way down there. Will you please get out of the way of my crime scene? Yeah, we're media. We're media. Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Have you heard of the podcast Sherlock and Co.? No. Ladies and gentlemen,

it would seem you are all gathered here for answers. Well, allow me to provide some. Jesus Christ. At 10pm last night, Grace Dunbar and Matthias Cardosa Gibson de Lima had a very brief but amicable conversation on this very bridge. Upon its conclusion, Mr Dunbar returned home, with Senor Gibson very much alive.

And he would stay alive for another one hour and 46 minutes exactly. Excuse me. I'm just here to act a handjob, OK? Hey, hey, just wait. Yeah, he's with the Brazilian authorities. Mateus Gibson, heartbroken and furious at his wife's affair, along with complex and unfortunate mental health issues, decided to take his own life.

But he not only wanted to hurt himself, he wanted to take down those that hurt him. But how? How could he do such a thing? How does a gun, after he fires it into the side of his own head, somehow end up in a man's backpack over a mile away? The answer is, it doesn't. There are two guns. Matthias did not purchase one Glock 42, he purchased two of them.

He placed one with five bullets into the backpack of Mr Dunbar. He put the other to his head and pulled the trigger when he last appeared on WhatsApp to load up the message from Grace Dunbar. Exactly 11.46pm. Um, well, where is it then? The gun? Yeah. Rotterdam. Rotterdam. Mateusz had rope burns on his hands.

He worked for Network Rail, so had familiarity with train lines. And most importantly, he picked this exact spot to do it. Why this spot? Well, if my timing is correct and the trains are running without delay, I can demonstrate. Does anyone have a bag? A shopping bag? Yeah, like this. Perfect. Right. Something heavy.

Ah, my shoes. Let's just... Sherlock is taking his shoes off. There we go. And Watson, I'll need yours too. Oh, great. There you go, mate. That should do it. Bugger it.

I don't have any rope. Watson, give me the charging cable for your microphone. Sherlock. Give it. Chop, chop. Sake. Now, I tie the weighted bag to the cable and the other end of the cable to this. This is my gun, by the way.

You stay still and do not move. Put the gun down. Yes, I will. I'm just waiting for the Cross London Freight. Ah, here she comes. This train and many freight trains on this route head to Felixstowe in Suffolk. From there, the goods are shipped all around the world. The freight train that passed through here last night at 11.46pm, a Freightliner Class 90, I believe, was carrying, among other things, limestone.

Limestone is, of course course stored in open-top carriages. Matthias knew all this. Despite the dread and panic, the cocktail of antidepressants and alcohol, he knew what he was doing, what he was waiting for. What was it you said this morning, Dr. Watson? Couldn't hit that convertible with your microphone if you tried. Well, let's try, shall we? Oi, mate, what's he talking about? I don't know.

It's all about timing and positioning, ladies and gentlemen. And if I do it right, like Senor Gibson, my gun will chip the paint on this railing like his did right here. Now, I drop the weighted bag over the side of the bridge dangles away like so and then i put the gun to my head like this sherlock i wait for the Lovely. And on the count of three. One. Sherlock! Two. Three. Bang!

Bullseye! Weight of the bag carries the gun off the bridge and into the carriage. If anyone would like to use our services, here's a business card for Sherlock and the Coats. Honestly, they could have given us a lift from the station. I've got no shoes for God's sake. And I, no gun. Yeah, not really the same, is it?

Oh, hi guys. How... where are your shoes? Where are my shoes? What time is it? 7.30. Um, probably in the North Sea. The North Sea. Oh, okay. Um, Sherlock, the Dutch Port Authority company emailed back. What did they find? A gun, a rope, a bag with some bottles and a fire alarm. Ah, yes, of course. Lovely.

Mrs. Hudson, could you get me the company card? I need to buy a new gun. No, I cannot do that, Sherlock. Bugger. Right, well, I'm off to do... Oh, don't say any of the Class A drugs you were about to say when I'm recording, please. Understood. Well, I'm off to do that. Cheerio. You okay? Yeah, long day.

Long day. Um, look, I think we don't charge anybody for this one. The guy took his own life. I'm so sorry. Hey, no, don't be sorry for me. Be sorry for him, yeah? I'm going to head upstairs and do a bit of work, a bit of editing or something.

Are you heading out? Yeah, I've got to get a full report over to the Brazilian embassy on, well, everything. Oh, well, I can help with that. Yeah, no, I can, yeah, yeah. I'll just run upstairs and change my socks first. Great, cool. Yeah, so I was going to charge myself up with coffee first. You want anything? No, I don't think I can really stomach anything right now.

I understand. God, of course. Okay, I'll see you in a sec. Actually, could I get a maple and... She's gone. She's... Yep, yep. I'll put that in the WhatsApp group.

Well, listeners, there you have it. That was the problem of Thor Bridge. Yeah, yet more feedback and messages from you guys. Lydia Ross. That's a great picture with a bear. Tim Bendix. Anne-Hélène Youfay-Wu. Lydia Ross. That's a great picture with a bear. Tim Bendix. Anne-Helene Youfei Wu. Jill Wilson.

Lucia Lazaro. Muchas gracias, Lucia. Emma Byrne. Zoldy in Dublin. Svarek slash David. Thank you to Thomas Tucker. Erica Phipps correcting my grammar in the intro read. Thank you for that.

Vivi. Ava. Eliane. Chloe. Mella. Sherlock 8. Sherlock 8 in Poland. Bo in California. Aloise Wood. Probably butchered that pronunciation. Rory Arnett. Thanks for the blue sky codes. I will get off my arse and sort that. Oh, someone told me to get on Tumblr too. That's

going on the to-do list. Sorry if I've missed any. Oh, speaking of to-dos. Transcripts. Lots of requests um yeah i am i'm sorting it with the help of my new pals orpheus and elissa and we'll provide links in the show notes when they're ready um i should go inside now because this is a bit weird isn't it stood outside the door of my flat waffling we have no dragon god no yeah uh no dragon fruit yep that sounds about right that is a shame sure, good work today, mate, by the way, well done Ah, you too, Watson I mean, you know, it looked like a murder to just about everybody

Hmm, Matthias was trying a little too hard for my liking How so? The WhatsApp message opened on his phone. Yeah, yeah, I see what you mean, but Christ, it's crazy stuff. The affair, the twin set of guns, the rope burns, the bullet, the bloody bag for life. Or, in the problem of Thor Bridge, Watson, a bag for death. Oh, that's a great line. I don't think the mic picked it up. Can you say it again? Watson.

Say it again, just in case. I'm not bloody saying it again. Come here, into the mic. Get away from me, you fool. Sherlock! That was the problem of Thorbridge. Get in touch if you want any questions answered on the show, or just a shout-out sort of thing.

DocJWatsonMD on Twitter. X. Give us an email if you fancy. DocJWatsonMD at gmail.com. If you've enjoyed the show, give it five stars on... Yeah, on whatever you can give it five stars on. And Jesus Christ, what the hell are you doing? I'm knocking on your bedroom window. What are you doing out there? You're going to fall.

It's a big drop, mate. Yes. Do you want to go to the pub? Do I? Well, I mean, yeah, but... Okie dokie. See you downstairs. Shut up. I'll finish this later. Well, I mean, yeah, but... Okie dokie. See you downstairs. Shall...

I'll finish this later.