27 February 2025

Tom has been doing some 'spadework' . . .

Tom returns to the site office in quite a panic, carrying his shovel;  he has obviously been working hard.   He looks at his filthy gloves and fleece, 

. . . and gets rid of his dirty clothes

then removes them, instead putting on a high vis jacket.

Arwen finds that Ffion is not at home

Arwen comes downstairs looking for her mother, but Ffion is nowhere to be s
een, which she finds very strange;  

She gets a drink of water . . .

she goes to the sink to get a glass of water

. . . and is concerned

and looks puzzled,

Eleri runs into the alley . . .

In the village, Eleri is coming into the alley as part of her run when her mobile buzzes and she answers it via her earbuds.  

. . . and has a call from her father

“Hi, Dad – no, it’s OK, carry on.   Yes, of course I’ve heard about the clause – 

"I don't need you to interfere"

“and I don’t need you or anyone else to interfere – I’ll sort it.”

"Fancy a cup of tea?"

Jinx is approaching and asks if she fancies a cup of tea;  “Not now – I’ve got things to sort out,” she rather abruptly replies, 

"Tom – is she all right?"

but then his phone sounds and he discovers that it is Tom.

“What’s wrong?   Is she all right?   Have you called an ambulance?   

"Don't leave her – I won't be long"

“OK, stay with her – don’t leave her – I won’t be long!”   He informs Eleri that Ffion has collapsed near the dam (or the site proposed for the dam).   “Tom is waiting for an ambulance – 

"Stay with Arwen until I get back"

“will you tell Arwen – and stay with her till I get back?”   

"Oh – all right"

Eleri look for quite confused.

Iolo comes into Y Felin, where Siôn is telling Greta, “You’d better hurry up – it will take us a while to get to Llanelli.”   

"This should keep her quiet"

Iolo has bought something from the shop which he says will keep Greta quiet in the theatre.

"I'm sure the show will be entertaining enough"

“I’m sure that the show will be entertaining enough, but thank you,” says his father, 

"Have you heard about Clause 97?"

“Have you heard the good news about Clause 97?”

Indeed Iolo has heard and intends to phone Ffion later to see whether she has had a response.   

When Greta comes downstairs . . .

Greta comes downstairs, 

. . . she is told to change that coat . . .

but is angrily told by her father, “No you can’t go out wearing that coat – go and change it, please.”

Siôn points out that she needs a coat, because it is cold outside, but Iolo is insistent, 

. . . but she is not happy about that

so Greta complies with his instruction.   Siôn cannot understand why Iolo is raising his voice, so is told to keep out of it.   

"I hope it's nothing to do with that DNA test"

“I hope it’s not anything to do with that DNA test,” Siôn grumbles, so Iolo tells him that the world does not revolve around him.

"It isn't Greta's coat – it's Seren's"

“That isn’t Greta’s coat – it’s Seren’s.   She left it here the last time she came over to play, but I haven’t found the right time to give it back to Dani.”   

"Sorry – I had no idea!"

Siôn apologises, as he had no idea.

She has found another coat

Then Greta reappears, wearing a different coat, but she does not look very pleased about it, even though her father maintains that everyone in the theatre will want that coat.   Siôn is anxious to leave, so they will not be late.   

"Don't let Grandad eat them all"

“Enjoy – and don’t let grandad eat all the sweets,” says Iolo.

Jinx has rushed to Ffion . . . 

Ffion lies motionless as Tom stands nearby and says on the phone, “No, there’s no sign of them yet.”   

. . . and is very concerned about her

Jinx runs up to them and is extremely concerned about Ffion, but cannot get any response from her.

"Don't try to move her!"

Tom warns him not to try to move her as the ambulance is on the way;  

There is no response

“Ffion, it’s me, Jinx!” he says, then asks, “Is this how she was when you found her?”

"I was doing my rounds"

Tom replies that he was doing his rounds, checking the fences and there she was.   He reports to the phone operator that her friend has arrived, 

"Could she have hit her head on that?"

while Jinx notices a nearby rock, wondering if it is possible that she hit her head on it.   The sound of a siren can be heard in the distance and Tom will direct them to the spot.   

Jinx looks at . . . 

Jinx looks up 

. . . the ideally-placed camera

to see the TV camera trained upon the scene

"Mam?"

Arwen is sitting very anxiously at Deri Fawr when the door opens, and she assumes that it is her mother, but it is in fact Eleri.   

"What are you doing here?"

“What are you doing here?   Where’s Mam?” Arwen demands.

"Your mother's collapsed"

“Listen, your mother’s collapsed – Jinx asked me to come and tell you.”   

"Is she all right?"

Arwen naturally wants to know more details, particularly whether her mother is all right.   Eleri cannot tell her much, 

"I saw an ambulance go past"

but saw an ambulance go past on her way there, so assumes that Ffion must be on her way to hospital;  she is sure that Jinx will be with her.

"I want to go to the hospital"

Arwen immediately wants to go to the hospital;  “Have you got a car?”   Eleri stresses that there is not anything they can do now;  the best thing is to wait for Jinx to get in touch.   

"Is she going to be all right?"

“Is she going to be OK?” Arwen desperately asks, but Eleri is unable to answer that.

When Tom gets back to the site office . . .

Tom is back in the site office;  

 . . . he goes to the company's website . . .

the first thing he does is to sit down and look at the CCTV website on his laptop;  

. . . and accesses the CCTV footage . . .

he enters his password, looks at the list of recordings, 

. . . with its incriminating evidence . . .

one of which clearly shows him striding away from the site hut, carrying a shovel.   

. . . and deletes it

He quickly deletes all those files to remove the evidence, 

This does not make things much better

but it does not make him feel very much better

"I've been for a run"

At Deri Fawr, Arwen demands why Eleri is dressed like that and is told that she has been for a run.   

Arwen sees some evidence

Arwen notices dirt on the leg of her running gear and it is explained that Eleri fell, but suspicions are raised.

"The same route as Mam?"

“Near the dam?” Arwen enquires, “The same route as Mam?”   

"I didn't see or hear anything"

Eleri can see where this is heading and stresses that she did not see or hear anything while she was out running.

"This is your fault!"

Arwen continues, “This is your fault – you’re the reason Mam and Jinx have fallen out.   

"If it wasn't for you . . ."

“If it wasn’t for you, Mam would not have gone out to clear her head.”

Jinx is back

Eleri is saved from further interrogation by the arrival of Jinx and of course Arwen immediately demands whether her mother is OK.

"She's in a coma"

Jinx has to inform her, “She’s in a coma – nothing has changed – they’re still carrying out tests.”   He thanks Eleri for staying there and Arwen imagines that she fainted like she used to.

"Jinx, I need to go and see her!"

“Jinx, I need to go and see her.”   Jinx reveals that she did not faint, according to the doctors, but rather was hit on the back of the head – blunt force trauma.   It seems that someone attacked her deliberately.

"I can't understand how someone could do that"

“I can’t understand how anyone would do such a thing!” he sighs, while Eleri considers that she had better leave them now, assuring them of any help that she can give.

"The police have launched an investigation . . ."

Jinx assures Arwen, “The police have already launched an investigation, OK?   

". . . whoever did this won't get away with it"

“So, don’t worry, whoever did this to your mother won’t get away with it!”   

He gives her a reassuring hug

He gives her a hug.

`"You don't think they're connected, do you?"

As they sit in the Deri, Diane asks Iolo, “You don’t think they’re connected, do you?   The attack and the e-mail Ffion sent?”   Iolo maintains that is unlikely, but, on the other hand, he would not put it past them, the swines.

"Attack a woman in cold blood?"

“Do you think they would go as far as to attack a woman in cold blood?” wonders Diane.   Iolo replies that it is a business – so there is no telling what they would do to defend themselves.   

"We have to do something!"

Diane reaches the conclusion that they have to do something before Quantum Hydro Works target someone else.

"Thanks for the quiche"

In the site office, Tom is speaking to someone on the phone, presumably Gaynor;  “I’ll see you in the morning – and thanks for the quiche.”   

Jinx comes in

There is a knock at the door and Jinx comes in.   

"Todays's been a terrible shock"

“Today’s been a terrible shock, hasn’t it?” says Tom and Jinx replies that it still has not sunk in.   He wants to thank Tom for everything he has done, but he dismisses it, “I’m glad I could help.”

"There's no change in her condition"

He is told that there is no change in Ffion’s condition 

"Is it likely she will wake up?"

and enquires whether it is likely that she will wake up – whether she has suffered any brain damage.

Jinx can only advise that it is too early to tell;  “The doctors say that the next few days will be crucial,” 

"Is there any footage of the site?"

then he raises the matter of the CCTV camera he saw at the location of the attack.   Do you think there’s any footage of the site – anything that could help police with the investigation?”

"The system isn't operational at the moment"

“Do you know what?   The system isn’t operational at the moment,” Tom tells him, “All the technology is there, but the circuit isn’t online.”   Jinx is disgusted that the camera was not working at all.

"We didn't see the point"

“Well, work on the dam hasn’t started, so we didn’t see the point – it changes things now, after what happened to Ffion this afternoon – but, no, it wasn’t working at the time, unfortunately.   If only I could have got there more quickly, perhaps I could have saved her.”

"It's not your fault"

Jinx is quick to assure him that it is not his fault, 

"Someone attacked me in the same way"

“But the thing is – someone attacked me in a very similar way – I was hit on the head with no warning.”   He suspects that it may be the same person;  “What if this person still wants revenge – through Ffion?”

"That makes sense"  (and takes the focus away from him)

Tom considers that this might make sense – and has the added benefit of removing suspicion from him.   

"I'll tell the police about it"

Jinx will tell the police about it.

"You'll be doing me a favour . . ."

“You probably haven’t had a chance to eat – take this – it’s quiche and you’ll be doing me a favour, as I’m not keen, 

". . . but don't tell Gaynor"

“but don’t tell Gaynor!” says Tom.   He will put the kettle on for a cup of tea.

Another new barman?

Iolo is served with a pint in the Deri, by yet another barman, just as Eleri comes in;  

"What are you doing here?"

“What are you doing here?” he asks, which she does not regard as much of a welcome.   

"I need a drink after being with Jinx and Arwen"

eShe just wants a drink after being up with Jinx and Arwen, who are as well as can be expected under the circumstances.

"I'm worried there's a connection"

“I’m worried there’s a connection between Ffion’s opposition to the development and the attack,” Iolo goes on;  

"You're not serious?"

she cannot believe that he is serious.   In fact, she assures him that no one from the company is responsible for the attack on Ffion and will give him her word on that.

"Your 'word' doesn't mean much"

“Well, ‘your word’ doesn’t mean very much!” he sneers, “Neither does anyone else’s in the company.

"I've been working very hard on this"

“Do you know what?   I’ve been working very hard to get them to give the contracts back to local companies – 

"It's only a matter of time until it's official"

“it’s only a matter of time until it’s official,” she tells him, but he is not so easily taken in, 

"When I see it in black and white"

insisting that he will only believe it when he sees it in black and white.

Eleri leaves very smartly

He returns to Diane, while Eleri walks out without having had anything to drink.

"She was hit on the back of the head"

“She was hit on the back of the head,” Jinx informs Tom, 

"Do they know what the weapon was?"

who wonders if they know with what weapon.   “Forensics are on the case, but it was a serious blow.”

Tom suggests that perhaps he was trying to do a better job on Ffion than he did on Jinx;  “I say ‘he’, but it could easily be a ‘her’.”   

"We can't take anything for granted"

Jinx agrees that they cannot take anything for granted and asks whether he saw anyone else around the place.

"I think I saw Eleri"

“Well, you know some people run in this area – I think I saw Eleri, but I can’t think of anyone else.”

No-one comes to the meeting

As they sit in the Deri, Iolo remarks that people are not in a hurry to come to their urgent meeting, 

"No – they walked straight past"

but then someone walks in, but goes straight past them.   

"Ffion in a coma, Siôn in the theatre"

recalls, “Well, Ffion is in a coma and Siôn is at the theatre.”   

"I had hoped Mark could be here"

Iolo had at least been hoping that Mark would be there – or a handful of residents from Maes-y-Deri.   She comes to the conclusion, “It looks like just you and me – and I’m not supposed to take sides.”   Iolo cannot see any point in having a meeting with just the two of them.

Eleri presents them with a letter

Eleri returns, carrying a sheet of paper;  “All the facts are here in black-and-white – here you go.   An official letter from Quantum Hydro Works, declaring their commitment to employing local people.”

"Well, it looks official"

Diane appears sceptical about this and Iolo says that it looks official, with the signature of the chief executive on it.   “I told you, didn’t I?” says Eleri, “Who wants a drink to celebrate?”

"I was about to order"

Diane insists that she was about to order, 

"I'll have a Sauvignon Blanc, thanks"

so Eleri says she would like a Sauvignon Blanc, in that case.   

"This changes everything"

Diane looks more closely at the letter, while Iolo maintains that this changes everything;  “Clause 97 is irrelevant if the company does what it said it would do.”

"That madam is not going to get away with it"

Diane, however, is quite sure that something fishy is going on;  “And that madam is not going to get away with it!”   

"We could leave now"

Iolo suggests that they could leave before Eleri gets back from the toilet, so they make a hasty getaway.   

"She can buy her own Sauvignon Plonk!"

“Come on – she can buy her own Sauvignon Plonk!” snarls Diane.

They are back from the theatre

Greta and Siôn are home from the theatre and she thanks him;  he tells her that it must be straight to sleep tonight, “Or Dad won’t let us go out on a school night again.”   Iolo has just returned and asks how it went.

"Greta wants to read every book in the library now'

“Very good – Greta wants to read every book in the library now, just like Matilda!” replies Siôn.   

"Brush your teeth, then bed"

She is sent up to brush her teeth and then bed.

"What's this about a meeting?"

“What’s this about a meeting – and why didn’t you tell me?” Siôn asks, “I had a right to be there!”   

"It was a last-minute thing"

Iolo points out that it was a last-minute thing and he was at the theatre, probably with his phone switched off.

“I would have jumped in the car and come home immediately,” Siôn protests, 

"We got the company to change their mind"

but is told that they got the company to change their mind, so  the jobs will go to local people.

“Now do you want to congratulate us?”   

"Family always comes first"

Siôn grumbles that family always comes first;  Iolo, of all people, should know that.

Iolo looks at his phone where he has composed a message, 

Iolo has composed a message . . . 

‘Hey, Alex, do you want to meet next week?   Let me know,   Iolo,’ 

. . . but hesitates to send it

but he continues debating whether he should send it.

Arwen waits for some more news

Jinx returns to Deri Fawr, where Arwen is waiting for further news;  “Do you want the rest of this quiche?” he asks.   

"Can you take me to the hospital int the morning?"

Arwen wants to know if he can take her to the hospital in the morning, as she wants to sit with her mother.   

"Of course I can"

He immediately agrees.   When she enquires whether there was anything on the CCTV and he replies that the cameras were not even on, she cannot believe it.   

"Are you going to stay here?"

“So what happens next?   Are you going to stay here until Mam gets better?”   

"I can't imagine being anywhere else"

He cannot imagine being anywhere else at the moment.

"I got angry with Mam"

She is becoming overwhelmed with emotion;  “Before Mam went out, I got angry with her about what she said to you.”   Jinx replies that Ffion knew that she did not mean it – 

"Both of us love her"

because both of them love her – and her mother knows that deep down.

"I don't trust Eleri"

“I know you’re seeing each other, but I don’t trust Eleri,” she says;  

Jinx springs to her defence

Jinx immediately springs to her defence.   

Arwen lists the evidence

“She would have known that the CCTV was not on.   She had mud on her leggings and she ran the same route as Mam today – you know they hate each other.”

"Eleri would never do that"

Jinx protests that they are all under strain, but Eleri would never do that;  

"Are you sure?"

Arwen demands, “Are you sure?”