The first episode of "Down Cemetery Road" commences in the serene town of South Oxford, introducing us to Sarah Tucker, an art conservationist with a keen intellect and a nurturing heart for her husband, Mark. As the evening's festivities are about to commence, with the bank's esteemed client, Gerard Inchon, and his wife, Paula, in attendance, Mark's anxiety is palpable. The atmosphere takes a comedic turn when Wigwam and Rufus make an unexpected appearance, and Sarah's culinary efforts are inadvertently sabotaged.
However, the evening takes a darker turn when Sarah and Gerard clash over the topic of children, just as an explosion rocks the town. A building across the street explodes, sending shockwaves through this peaceful community. The firefighters believe it to be a gas main burst, and while details are sketchy, it appears that the sole survivor is a little girl who miraculously survived thanks to a wardrobe that landed on her with its doors ajar.
This little girl, who happens to be the same one Sarah had encountered on her way home from work earlier in the episode, is rushed to the hospital. Sarah, driven by concern, heads there to deliver a note written by Wigwam's children for Dinah. But the hospital staff are not forthcoming with information, displaying an uncharacteristic hostility that only fuels Sarah's growing suspicions.
As if to add intrigue to the already-turbulent night, we are introduced to Hamza Malik, a government agent working in Intelligence and Threats. He arrives at work with a cheerful demeanor that is quickly dampened by his superiors' disapproval.
The gas explosion cover story is merely a smokescreen—a facade for the true events that unfolded during a clandestine operation gone awry, orchestrated by Hamza and his team. Forced by his superior, C, Hamza is tasked with cleaning up the mess for their collective sake. Meanwhile, Sarah's inquiries have caught the attention of the government, who decide to keep a close eye on her. The cover-up has already commenced, and Sarah realizes she's stumbled into the heart of it all without even trying.
As she delves deeper, Sarah discovers a doctored image of the police outside the exploded house; an official picture sans the child, yet Sarah holds the same image with Dinah. With her restoration expertise, she can see the residual traces of tampering. Presenting this at the police station, she learns that Dinah's file is "flagged," off-limits territory.
Next, Sarah stumbles upon the private investigative office of Zoe Broehm and Joe Silverman, a married duo with the imaginative business name "Oxford Investigations." They scrape a living on small cases, eking out enough to pay the bills but nothing particularly tasty until Sarah's arrival. Zoe is clearly resentful towards her husband, while Joe is just trying to get by. That is, until Sarah brings the Dinah case to Joe.
Learning that her involvement stems from Dinah reminding her of her inquisitive child self in the past, this could be the breakthrough they've been waiting for. Joe intends to head down to the pub to scout out nurses, but he's chastised by Zoe who doesn't think it's a good use of resources. Seeing her husband's disappointment, she relents a bit, telling him to check the crime scene instead.
Hamza catches wind of what's happening with the PIs in Oxford and scrambles to try and get Dinah moved so he can lock down the situation. Meanwhile, Gerard helps Sarah a little by using his hospital contacts to check on Dinah. Apparently, she'll be in ICU for a few more days before being moved. However, he also warns that things are not going well for Mark at work; he's out of his depth in shark-infested waters. As we find out later in the episode, Gerard's reason for being in the hospital has nothing to do with Dinah; it centers on his wife losing their baby.
After an impulsive round of drinks at the bar that did nothing to alleviate his financial woes, Joe picked up the phone to inform Sarah of his discovery: someone had signed Dinah's discharge summary and instructed the nurse to prepare her for a sudden transfer. The only catch? Nobody knew her destination except that it would happen that very night. Sarah, sensing an opportunity, decides to take matters into her own hands and sets off to scout South Oxford Hospital, watching and waiting for the right moment.
As she arrives, she spots the familiar figure from earlier in the episode and gives chase through the hospital, ultimately leading them to the ICU. Sarah sets off the fire alarm, creating chaos and a distraction, as she frantically searches for Dinah. When she sees Dinah being loaded into a car, Sarah jumps on her bike and gives chase, only to be swerved off by a white van driven by the same enigmatic figure from before.
Realizing she was onto something big, Sarah returns to the PI office to confront Joe. But he's not there. Instead, she finds him slumped over his desk, his wrists slashed, the scene painstakingly constructed to mimic a suicide.
