This Protection episode 5 recap contains spoilers... DI Liz Nyles (Siobhan Finneran) finally admits the truth about her affair with DS Paul Brandice (Barry Ward), yet is clearly determined not to go down without a fight and starts laying accusations at DCI Amanda Kelman's door.
Meanwhile, we find out the conspiracy surrounding the McLennans could be even bigger than Eddie Crowther (Alec Newman), as Liz looks into the mysterious John Gibson. Yet with Amy McLennan (Tilly Kaye) still missing, she knows she has no time to waste in her hunt for the truth.
Where is Amy McLennan?
The police are desperately searching for Amy McLennan (Tilly Kaye) and Liz is sent to visit her aunt and uncle, hoping they might have some clues about where she’s gone. They don't.
Yet when Liz arrives home, the smoke alarm going off and during the ensuing row with her daughter Jasmine (Jodie Price), she discovers Amy has been using the teenager’s iPad, which is now in Sue’s static caravan. “I don’t think you’re going to like what’s on it?” says Sue when Liz arrives.
Liz tells DI Bewley (Andrew Knott) of how Amy has been chatting to Arlo Crowley and asks him to authorise a raid on Crowley’s house without the knowledge of DCI Wheatley and DCI Kelman, whom she has grave suspicions about.
“Everyone who was at the McLennans is now dead,” says Liz. “There’s only Amy left.” But we’re not sure that’s true, after all weren’t there two hitmen?
The raid is carried out, but Amy’s not there. However Liz does find a gun hidden in the shed, which is the same calibre weapon used to kill Jock Ferguson. But why would Crowther keep such a damning piece of evidence?
Is DCI Amanda Kelman setting Liz up?
Liz speaks to Arlo, who tells her he met Amy last night, but she wouldn’t come home with him. CCTV suggests she spent the night sleeping on the street, however Liz can’t go looking for her because DCI Wheatley takes her in for questioning about her relationship with DS Brandice (Barry Ward).
DCI Wheatley then confronts Liz with Brandice’s third phone, which she kept secret for so long. Liz says she hid the device because she knew what the consequences of handing it in would be and wanted to remain free to protect Amy and continue her investigation into the shooting of the McLennans. “I didn’t trust the investigating officers,” she tells DCI Wheatley pointedly.
The phone was found at Eddie Crowther’s house after being stolen from Liz’s house, which means it was being tracked by those who set up Raj (Chaneil Kular) and doctored the hospital CCTV. She then points the finger at DCI Kelman, saying John Gibson is the link between her, Crowther and Brandice. However DI Tommy Jardine says Gibson's number is now untraceable.
DCI Wheatley ploughs on, alleging that Liz worked with Brandice and conspired with him to arrange the murder of the McLennans on behalf of Crowther.
Who is John Gibson?
DCI Kelman advises Liz she will be charged with perverting the course of justice and could be charged with conspiracy to murder, which is quite a blow, especially for Raj, who’s furious to hear how she kept her affair with Brandice from him.
Kelman advises Liz to stop digging, but she doesn’t and goes looking for Amy at her grandmother’s house. After finding her, Liz begs Amy’s aunt and uncle to look after the 12 year-old and go into witness protection, to which they reluctantly agree. DCI Amos Wilson (Anthony Flanagan), puts it all through on Liz’s behalf.
Liz then sets off to visit DS Brandice’s widow to share the truth about their affair. It seems she knew he was up to something, however she does inadvertently reveal that John Gibson is actually Nigel Frankton, who went on to work for the Security Services after leaving the army.
Taking that vital piece of info on board, Liz then goes to see Eddie Crowther in custody. She shows Crowther a photo of Frankton and says she thought he’d corrupted him, but now believes they worked together. She theorises that Jimmy McLennan knew about their arrangement and when he turned on Crowther, Frankton decided to shut him up and frame Crowther for his murder by planting the gun at his house.
She goes on to suggest Frankton met her in a car registered to Crowther’s wife, so she’d think he worked for him and planted Brandice’s phone in another of the drug lord’s properties, so the police would connect them. “But what did you offer Frankton in the first place?” she asks, before saying she’ll go public. “You won’t get one word out before they shut you down,” he replies.
She wonders if McLennan had hard evidence against them, which is what Frankton was after when he hit the safe house, but Crowther won’t say more.
The next day Liz says goodbye to Amy and asks her about the day of her parent’s murder one last time. She says her dad gave the ‘insurance’ away to DS Brandice, which made her mother really angry. Later on she gets a call from Crowther’s wife, who tells him her husband is ready to talk again and is willing to make a deal, but that night he’s murdered in prison!
