Sherlock & Co. - The Copper Beeches - Part Two

Episode Date: August 11, 2026

SHADOW IN THE NIGHT - If Violet thought things were weird a few weeks ago... that didn't even come close to how things were unfolding at The Copper Beeches vineyard. Who was Alice? What had happened to Violet? Who was the man on the lawn?Part 2 of 3This episode contains swearing, dread, references to abduction, confinement, abuse, suicideListener discretion is advised.A new clothing store has opened: www.sherlockwear.comFor merchandise and transcripts go to: www.sherlockandco.co.ukFor ad-free, early access to adventures in full go to www.patreon.com/sherlockandcoTo get in touch via email: [e-mail] me @DocJWatsonMD on twitter and BlueSky, or sherlockandcopod on TikTok, instagram and YouTube.This podcast is property of Goalhanger Podcasts.Copyright 2026.SHERLOCK AND CO.Based on the works of Sir Arthur Conan DoylePaul Waggott as Dr. John WatsonHarry Attwell as Sherlock HolmesMarta da Silva as Mariana AmetxazurraEzra Saifie as Violet HunterLauren Ingram as Juniper RocastleHannah Melbourne as Janet TollerAdditional Voices:Darcey FergusonAdam JarrellWritten by Joel EmeryDirected by Adam JarrellEditing and Sound Design by Adam JarrellProduced by Neil Fearn and Jon GillExecutive Producer Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Audio books, every early access adventures, mailbag episodes, casefire episodes, AMAs, behind the scenes, microadventures, authored by Watson himself, a Discord channel with nearly 2,000 chatter little members, merchandise discounts, exclusive events, and, yes, done. Yeah, it's the most important bit, mate. Oh, patreon.com forward slash Sherlock and Co. Thanks. Previously on Sherlock and Co.

How's work then? What is it, Ken? It's detective consultancy. Of course. Yes it is. Oh my god, so amazing. Do you have something? Violet. It's a job offer. But I, the only good thing about it is the money.

Everything else is fine. Weird. Weird is good. We like weird. Juniper Roe Castle, that is your client. Yeah. Last week, she says, I want you to come and work for me. Not the vineyard, the farm or the shop or anything like that in the house. She has a big house on the property, as you can imagine. She says, I know you don't want to work in this field anymore.

So I want you to come and work around the house. But use the time to, you know, like study. Figure out what you want to do with your degree and stuff. No rent payments. Tell me what date you have and we can figure it out. Gosh, it is a real summary time for Sherlock and Co, isn't it? Look at Sherlock. Even he's just staring into the sparkles of the distant lake,

the vineyard beyond, the majesty of that blushing gold beech-tree forest. Come. No, that's not the path. Yes, I know. Then why are you going that way? Because I see something. Well, what do you see? A noose.

Did he say noose? He did say noose. Great, wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. The second, the second I point out how nice a place is, he ruins it. But, I mean, it doesn't actually mean that someone did that, does it? I hope that's the case. It could be teenagers, pissing about, could be anything. It doesn't actually mean that somebody hanged themselves.

A 24-year-old woman could have done a year ago. Oh, for... What? Look, cut into this tree. Read. Here lies Alice. 2001 to 2025. Hi everyone.

Welcome to part two of the Adventure of the Copper Beaches. This episode contains swearing and some kind of creepy stuff. unsettling things. Yeah, episode description, if you need that. Yeah, let's get back to Hampshire, to our log cabin. And a late night fire outside. Nice fire. Thank you.

Look what I brought. Hey, marshmallow. Shirley Pooh. Yep. Marshmallows here, mate. Grab three sticks. Hey, listen. What?

Listen to that owl. Hmm. That is cool. Really cool. You reckon it's going to fly down and invite you to Hogwarts? Oh, I wish. Whiskey away, go and be a nerdy witch somewhere. Yeah, well, I'm kind of too old for that. Good point. Good point. Be a teacher, maybe.

Languages, do they care about other languages, the magic folk? Hey, here he is. Oh, good sticks. This one is yours. Is that because it's shorter? Yes. Great. Yeah, so what are you thinking, mate? What's the next steps? I think I will get it crispy on this side, then turn it.

Case, the case. Oh, well, your research on Alice and Copper Beach is yielded... No, no results. No results. So, our primary concern moves to Violet. We wait here a little longer for the night to get a little darker, and we get a vantage point of the house. The house, like

Juniper's house, where Violet is staying. Exactly that. Her first day has come to an end. I think it's only best. We check in. Oh, yes. And soon, like this marshmallow, we will have this curious little mystery right where we want it.

Crispy and oozy and delicious. Oh! Oh, that is hot. We are officially out of the Holiday Stay area and are in the trespassing area of the estate. As I have always said, doing our job is not trespassing. Or trespassing is actually our job. Yes, well, in that case, it is a grey area, so we best act first and apologise later. And by apologise later, you mean either me or Marianna apologising.

right. Shh, stop. Yes, yeah, I'm stopping. I'm stopping. We're on the front lawn. A hundred yards from the house of Juniper Road Castle. Over the top windows. Security lights. Exactly. I don't wish to get any closer. Hey, hey, hey, that's her.

She's not facing this way, but that is absolutely her. What? Come over my side. Look, look. Bedroom, right on the end. That's, I mean, I know it's only the back of her, But that is her. No, her hair... It's so short.

Yeah. The clothing... Is not her style. She looks like a Victorian doll. That's what Juniper wants. To dress her up in bright blue dresses and put her in some creepy bedroom? Is she watching a TV or something? No.

She's just facing the wall. Quite unusual. Mariana Hmm Call violet Phone is off So she's not Browsing her phone either

Oh, so she's just Staring at a wall And her dress In the middle of the night That's not weird at all Security lights Just came on for the patio And front lawn

Wait, wait, wait, wait Something's going on in the bedroom There's a shadow In her presence It's moving towards her Just to Fill you in Listeners

Violet is sat in a bedroom back against the window and I think someone is talking to her there's a shadow on the wall just kind of turned her head towards it Jesus

Is she flinching? I don't like this How very curious Holy shit What's she doing? Possible She's now Um, facing the window.

She's... She's waving us away, right? Well, we should... I think there's security dogs or something. Well, I think they're security dogs or something. Well, I don't do it. Oh. No.

The shadow did. I think we should just go back to the cabin. Yeah. Yeah, come on, Sherlock. But no questions have been answered. The question of, is this really weird, has been answered pretty emphatically, mate. What the hell?

Well, hey, um... The light is back on, at least. She wrote on the window? Leave me alone. Okay, first she waves us away, now that I think we... Yeah, we go. Now. Sherlock! Sherlock! Sherlock! Now!

Okay, can anyone actually sleep, or are we all just lying here in silence? Archie, not included in that question? Yeah, I can't sleep. It's not possible. Well, it's never possible for you, and if you'd packed your violin, it wouldn't be possible for me either. No, what happened tonight.

It's not possible. You saw it, mate. On the window, it said, leave me alone. Do you think that Juniper, like, worked her magic that quick? I'm turning my eye on. This is ridiculous. Sorry, Archie, a bit bright, mate. Your underwear is inside out.

Yes, that is the least of our problems. I just don't get it. She wants everybody out of her life already. After one day? What? She said, leave me alone. But, no, it... She can't be like...

Juniper said, a new life. New beginnings, right? That hair, that blue Victorian gown thing, she obviously, she's... Seeing the world from a new perspective. And she wants us out. No. I'm not saying it is definitely the case,

but it looked that way. way, right? No phone, no drink, no drugs, out in the country, and then she makes, like, toxic people go away, tells them to leave her alone. Uh, I'm not toxic. I'm an earthy, organic, wholesome person. Yes, and we can see you scratching your earthy, organic, wholesome ass, while we're talking about a serious thing. That's ass cheek, right? It's not like I'm, you know, probing. Just, do I have a point or not? Yeah, you do. Kind of. Kind of. Kind of of a little... It's not possible.

What isn't? That she knew we were here. On the grounds of the copper beaches at all, let alone out the front of the house and the dead of night. It... Oh, yeah. You're right. She wasn't even facing us.

The Shadow told her. Well, the Shadow can go and get a life and mind their own business. Oh, I might go and do one of Sherlock's puzzles out there. He's done them all. Sherlock, they're for all the cabin guests to enjoy. Ah! What? I've got it.

Do you? I do. Where are you going? Out the door. Yes, but what are you doing once you're out the door? I'm going into the forest. It's 2.45 a.m. Thank you.

For what? For letting me know the time. See you for breakfast. Do we go after him? I'm in my boxes. And I'm in bed. Then, I guess we see him for breakfast. Morning all. Oh, sorry, got a bit grass on you.

That's lovely. Look at you, good as new. A bit of a late one last night, as you know. I'm currently outside Nutmeg Lodge. That's the name of our cabin. I've got a lovely cup of coffee from the posh coffee maker. Archie is doing some textbook frolicing at the bottom of the kind of garden of the log cabin. sniffing and wean like nobody's business.

And yeah, we're all sharing the same room so I can tell you with total confidence that Sherlock did not come back last night, but you can kind of tell when he wants to work alone. So, yeah, yeah. Can't stop thinking about Violet's appearance last night. I mean, I never saw her face, but just that that whole get up really,

you know, staring at the wall, wore, the dress, just unsettling, to say the least. So we've been unsettled and the question turns to how do we resettle ourselves, listeners. We do stupid stuff and there is nothing more stupid than shoutouts. So let's get the shout out machine up, which is just a spreadsheet on my phone, yeah, here we go. A shout out to Wrenz in Australia. What a top bloke from his English baked bean. We've got a birthday that I've missed, actually.

29th to July, bugger. What, Bailey Nichols in Ohio, you're 16 now. Very well done to you. That's from Lily Adams. Well, from me and Lily Adams. Oh, might have actually timed a birthday shout out correctly here. Happy birthday to Piper Willerton. Congratulations to Sabin on his graduation. That's all the way from Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, courtesy of Jack Martine and Iggy.

Happy 18th to Leila, plus a shout out to Munkala, both of you in South Africa. Penny Rose, you're getting a shout out, you can thank Canaan for that. Vincent in Dubai. Shout out to Alden in California from Ryan. To Ewan in Alder. shot home of the British army. That's from Jen. Uh, shout out to Mai from Argentina. What was that? Hold on, there's someone... Terribly sorry. Jeez! Harder to locate than I suspected. What was? What I was looking for?

And what were you looking for? The solution to the case. Right, and you found it? Yes. Oh, that's good? Yes. Can we still stay in the cabot? We paid for three nights. Mm-hmm. Right. Look at you.

I can't look at me. You think you're the dog's bollocks right now, don't you? Firstly, I don't understand that expression, and secondly, I thought we weren't going to say that in front of Archie. It means you're the best. The best at something, yeah? The dog's bollocks. Oh, I appreciate the explanation.

You are welcome. Breakfast? Uh, yeah. So you're just going to sit there and not tell us? Not true. I may stand when I have finished eating. He is stewing. But can we have a clue? Um, yes.

Ooh, yay, what is it? The clue is what started this whole case. That doesn't feel like a clue. But I assure you it is. Now, plan of action for today, we find Violet and get as much information out of her as possible. She told us to go away. Like I said, that's impossible. Ah, brown serviette, that will do.

Input... Sherlock, we were all there, we all saw it. We did see it, and now I wish to understand it. Any more questions? Yes. What? Are you going to eat that sausage? No.

Lovely. Ooh, they do a rosé. English Roma, clever. A few half beers, too. Can I interest you in a taster of our limited release, Pino White? Yeah, let's have a bit of that. Never too early. Of course not.

Hmm, that is good. Just in time as I've got to go and do a tour. Great, no, yeah, it's really good. If you like it, you're more than welcome to ask behind the counter for more information. How much is that? Well, it's a limited release, so it's currently at £57. Oh, wow. Yeah.

Yeah, that is. Yes, sir. That's a lot. It's something we're trialling. But doesn't copper beaches sell millions of bottles of your normal one? It does. I know. If it ain't broke. That's certainly not broke. I've seen that big house. Yeah. I'm going to kidding. 57 quid, I know.

This is part of a strategy by the owner to establish a... More sophisticated brand? Exactly. Hey, look, as long as you don't upset my mum, she's your biggest customer by all accounts. Well, between you and me and your mum, I hope the owner doesn't get what she wants in this instance. Have a good day. Yeah, you too. We're in the log cabin, so you might see us again. Lovely. Well, enjoy your stay.

Sorry, on the owner, Juniper Rowcastle, what's she like? What's juniper like? What's juniper like? Um, yeah. Very successful, driven. Hmm. Are we likely to see her around the grounds as such? Or?

I hope not. Ah, well, she's a... A tough cookie. A tough cookie. Right, well. Sorry, what was your name? Janet Toller. My husband and I run the shop and the cellar.

And the toes, oh, blimey. Oh, blimey. I've really got to head to. Yeah, great, cool, cool. Sorry, just quickly, you don't have to know a new girl that's started, do you? Violet. Who? Violet? No.

Working at the main house, Violet Hunter? No, sorry? Maybe not working, but living on site, a bit of cleaning and stuff. Never heard of mentions. Sorry, I really got to go. No, yeah, of course. I'm back in here around three, so... Great, we can chat then.

Of course. The girl, Violet, she's in the bedroom on the end of the house, left-hand side when looking at it from the lawn? No, no, no, no. That's Alice. That's... Sorry, uh... So the Toller's are senior employees on the ground, according to the website.

And yet, they had not heard that a new member would be joining them. Correct. And then when I said about the bedroom, she said, no, that's not Violet. That's Alice. Alice, like, the dead girl? Dead girl, with no trace at all online, but literally just had it confirmed by Janet. If you don't have confirmation of her death, then why do you assume she's dead? Ah, it was probably, oh gosh, what was it?

Ah, you know what, it was the noose, hanging from a beech tree, with here lies Alice 2001-2015 carved into the trunk. What? Look. Yeah, juniper's house. Yes, but the window. The message, it's been cleaned. I'm not surprised about the cleaning.

I'm surprised about the message in the first place. Come to the house. And we have a plan, do we, but if Juniper answers? We're big boys and girls. I'm sure we can work it out. Okay, but what do we say? Ah, Mariana, trust in your master detective. This case is all but solved, I assure you.

The simple matter of speaking with Juniper Roe Castle and attaining the dots and crosses to adorn our eyes and tease is but a formality. No one has answered the door, master detective. Yes. Do we have a plan for that? No. Great. Perhaps we knock again.

Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! That certainly seems a rather fearsome beast! Right, so no one answering. And now none of your usual break in entering, seeing as there seems to be a velociraptor at the other side of the door. Yes, that is a bit of a pickle, isn't it? Plan B.

I'm called it Plan G, because this is clear. Plan F. Plan Fing terrifying. Mariana, we must be Violet Hunter and a little housewoman gift. It would be courteous, but also advantageous for her cause. Okay. What? Little monk. Oh, he's, um...

Right here. Tremendous. Now, fortunately for us, if we come over here, Violet's window is open. Violet, you there? Let down your hair, Rapunzel! You don't think I offended her, do you? Because I forgot about her haircut until halfway through the Rapunzel joke. I don't think anyone is there, John.

Hey, whew. I'll write a note on my breakfast serviet here. Tie it to the mic. I have a hair tie. Here. Excellent. What are you writing? Violet.

Record your findings. Return Mike at dawn. Regards Sherlock. And co. Now, you're going to try and throw it through her window. Precisely that, yes. Then maybe you give it to the Baker Street binball champion? Yes, good point, Mariana.

Fine, but this is a far more challenging task. There are elemental factors. The throw is high through a narrow opening in the window. Ha ha ha ha, yes. Bug up. Right, that is lunch, my friend. That is lunch. We've just eaten.

Yeah, but I think you could do with a delicious. delicious slice of humble pie, my friend. One order of humble pie for this man right here, please. Ouch. The dog's bollocks, mate, right here. Alice! Sitting up straight, I hope. What do you want?

Juniper. I can see you. I can see everything you do. I'm facing the wall. You're fidgeting. Alice does not fit it. Silly girl. The dress is uncomfortable.

The dress has more value in its bodice than you possess in your entire person. Stop fidgeting. He's coming. Don't you dare face the window. Face the wall. Who is he? Vail yourself. Should we need the window message once more?

Carlo. Our late night wanderer is back then, Carlo. Dare at his testable. What's going on? Hi, guys. She's... Eatly. Oh, well, you heard all that, so...

Yeah. She's obsessed with some... Person out there in the darkness. I'm not allowed to see him, so... But he... Golly. Fuck it. I'm gonna look. I'm gonna look.

I'm gonna look. I'm looking. I'm looking. Oh, she's got me wearing this veiled. It's like tied to my neck. It's like whoever it is, I can't. I can't work out who. Wait, wait, wait. I can see him.

I see him. It's a figure. I'm a hand out on the lawn. He's stood there staring at me. Tell him to go away. Tell him. I, oh, Carlos, the dog. She's trying to set the dog on him, I think.

Oh, my God. The dog's going over to him. He's choking the dog. Let's tell him to leave. Tell him to go away. My name is not Alice. My name is Violet Hunter. This is for your own good.

He's a bad, bad man, a truly monstrous sordid hill. You must, you must, for both our sake, you must. I am trying to protect you from him. I think that's when she stopped the recording. Or it was stopped for her. No. No? Juniper seems reluctant to enter the room.

these bizarre conversations are conducted from the doorway. That's why we saw her as a shadow, I guess. Yes. So she probably went to the window to tell him to leave. Then she dropped the mic into the bushes. And we picked it up this morning, and now we're hearing this madness, but what do we actually do about it? I'm... I feel responsible for this.

I really... Oh, Mary, come on. No, I'm serious. I really, really want to go and just drag her out of there. We'll sort it, yeah? But it's getting worse. Juniper has basically got her prisoner. There's an attack dog.

There's some creepy guy on the lawn. I told you it was impossible they knew we were here. They knew of another person out on the lawn, which means he visits frequently, at the same time, each night. The man on the lawn. And the man on the lawn pertains to Alice. Can you please just tell me who Alice is? That, unfortunately, I can't.

I'd only be guessing. I thought you had it wrapped up. The thing I have is this. A hair? A very, very long blonde hair? Okay, what are we doing with a blonde woman's very, very long hair? This is a hair, as you say. Exceptionally lengthy. Long shedded from its root, I'd say.

But I found it in the fibres of the noose. Are we saying that Alice was blonde, and that she hanged herself? Probably not. Why? Because I hanged myself from the same noose last night. God's sake, you did what? I say noose, more of a bowline, really, a fix knot, done by an amateur or in a hurry, or with little light. Probably all three come to think of it.

Whoever Alice may be, she attempted that a while ago. How do we know it was a while ago? Firstly, it said 2025, but also I would bet our entire business, including Archie here, that Alice no longer has hair this length. Why? Because Violet is here to impersonate Alice. Yeah, exactly, Sherlock, because she's dead. Alice is dead and Violet is going to be next. The noose never would have worked. I see no other signs on the forest floor or the beech tree of disturbance. I did not smell the rot of a corpse on the grounds or at the house.

There is no record of any missing Alice's, certainly none in this area, relating to the copper beaches. I hate married deep breaths. I need more. So do I, which is why I'm not ruling it out. Well, I am. I'm going to that house, and I am taking her out of it. Oh, Marianna, God's sake. Archie, don't follow her, mate. No, no, no, no, no. No!

Archie!