R Wingfield - A Killing Frost

‘Don’t you realise who you are dealing with, Frost? Clark is a very important man. He has the Chief Constable’s ear.’

‘I don’t care if he has the Chief Constable’s dick,’ replied Frost. ‘There’s no way I’m organising a full-scale search yet.’

Mullett reddened as he shot a glance at his office door to make sure the Chief Constable wasn’t suddenly within earshot. ‘Less of that sort of talk, Inspector. You may not know how to handle these matters, but I do. I have told Mr Clark I am authorising a full-scale search immediately for his daughter.’

‘I admire you, Super,’ beamed Frost approvingly. ‘Even though you know it will be expensive and a complete waste of time, will put us way over budget and we haven’t got the men to do it, you are still prepared to stick your neck out and risk all that for a friend of the Chief Constable. I’ll get on to outlying divisions right away and tell them you have agreed to stand the cost of the search on Denton’s budget.’

‘Other divisions?’ spluttered Mullett, realising he should have made some checks before committing himself to Clark. ‘Why do we need to involve other divisions?’

‘Because we haven’t the faintest idea where they went,’ explained Frost. ‘They both went out on bikes. They could be twenty, thirty forty miles away for all we know. They could even be in London by now. The girl didn’t take any money, but the boy might well have done. Still, if you’ve committed yourself, Super, I’ll put it in hand right away.’ He made to stand up.

‘Wait!’ Mullett weakly waggled a restraining hand. ‘What did you intend to do?’

‘Put out an All Divisions Missing Persons, make a few local inquiries and wait for them to come slinking back, the girl with her knickers in her handbag and a satisfied smile on her face. If they haven’t turned up by tonight, then I’ll think about a more thorough search.’

‘A token search now,’ pleaded Mullett. ‘Just a token search, so I can assure Mr Clark we have it well in hand?’

‘Don’t worry Super, I’ll fiddle it for you,’ beamed Frost. ‘I might need you to do me a favour one day.’

DC Morgan was waiting for him in his office. ‘I’ve got a DNA sample from that bloke, Guv,’ he announced proudly.

‘Great,’ said Frost. ‘Any problems?’

‘It wasn’t easy. First. he denied being anywhere near the car park last night. Flatly denied it. When I told him we had CCTV footage he changed his story and said yes, now he came to think of it he might have been there.’

‘He’d forgotten where he was the night before?’ asked Frost. ‘What is he – a doddery old sod or a Welshman?’

‘No, Guv… in his early forties, I’d say. Anyway, I asked for a DNA sample. I told him he had every right to refuse, but if he did refuse I’d arrest him on suspicion of assault and rape. In the end he agreed. He’s the rapist, Guv, I’m positive. It’s him.’

‘I wish you weren’t so bloody sure, Taff,’ muttered Frost. ‘You’re always flaming wrong.’ He thoughtfully fingered the scar that lined his cheek. ‘Do you think he might do a bunk?’

‘Nice house, nice wife, two kids and a dog, Guv. I can’t see him doing a runner.’

‘Play safe. Make an excuse to keep going back, Taff, and make sure he’s still there. And tell Forensic I want that DNA sample tested right away. We’re short staffed and the flaming cases keep piling up. Be great if we could get this one tied up sharpish.’

The door crashed open, banging against the wall, and an angry-looking Chief Inspector Skinner burst in. He glared at Frost. ‘You’ve let that Sadie tart go?’

Frost started to explain about the blackmailer and the baby milk powder, but Skinner cut him short.

‘Whatever the reason, in future you tell me first, not let me find out by walking into an empty cell.’

‘Good point,’ nodded Frost approvingly, as if praising Skinner for raising it.

‘Another thing. I’ve called a meeting for all station staff, four o’clock this afternoon in the main Incident Room. I’m briefing everyone on the way I’m going to run things here in future. Make sure you are there.’

‘Wouldn’t miss it for the world,’ cooed Frost.

Skinner stared at him. Like Mullett, he was never sure when Frost was being sincere or was taking the pee. He turned his attention to Morgan. ‘What are you doing here?’

Morgan told him about the DNA sample.

Skinner grunted and turned his attention back to Frost. ‘Right. For the moment, this is your case, Frost, but if the DNA is positive and it looks like we’re going to get a result, then I take over… comprende?’

You bastard, thought Frost. We do the hard work, you take the credit. But he nodded. ‘Comprende, signora.’

Again Skinner glowered at Frost. Was the man being insolent or didn’t he know what signora meant? No way of knowing for sure, but the fool’s days in Denton were numbered, so there was no point making a scene now. He spun on his heel and barged out of the office, leaving the door wide open.

Morgan closed it carefully. ‘I’ve heard about Skinner from my old division, Guv. He makes everyone else do the hard graft, then he steps in and takes the credit.’

‘I know,’ nodded Frost. ‘It’s like sweating away on the foreplay, then some other sod gets his leg over.’ His internal phone rang. Lambert from Control.

‘PC Jordan wants you to get over to Denton Lake right away, Inspector. They’ve found something.’

Frost’s heart skipped a beat. ‘The girl?’ whispered. God, not the girl.

‘No, Inspector. Another piece of chopped-off leg.’

‘Shit!’ said Frost.

Frost, DC Taffy Morgan at his side, gazed down gloomily at the muddy, evil-smelling piece of flesh, half-hidden in long, straggling, rain-beaten grass. Jordan and Simms looked on like two puppies wagging their tails at finding the ball for their master. Pity you didn’t chuck the flaming thing in the lake and say nothing, thought Frost. More flaming paperwork to no avail.

‘It’s a bit of leg,’ said Jordan.

‘I know,’ sniffed Frost. ‘I’m a leg man, but it doesn’t turn me on. There’s probably more choice bits lurking about for some silly sod to find, but we haven’t the time or the resources to look for them. Bag it up. See what Forensic make of it.’ He was still hoping this was some medical student’s idea of a joke, but had the growing suspicion that it was going to turn out to be something a lot more sinister.

He took a deep drag on his cigarette and looked around. They were on the outskirts of the lake which had been a magnet for dead bodies so many times in the past. He mooched over to the water’s edge and stared down into the green, slimy water which was being rippled by the cutting wind. At the far end a duck squawked and flapped its wings as it skimmed across the surface. He shivered. It was flaming cold standing here. No way Debbie would risk her brand-new bikini in this slimy muck.

Another possibility kick-started – something he hadn’t considered before. Supposing the boy had done away with Debbie, then roared off in panic. She could have told him she was pregnant and would name him as the father. Possible but the unsubstantiated thought wasn’t getting him anywhere. Where the hell was she and where the hell was the boy? She would have come back for her birthday if she could. He kept trying to kid himself she wouldn’t, but… He stared again over the lake and shivered, this time not from the cold. He had one of his doom-laden premonitions.

He nodded at the lake. ‘I think she’s in there,’ he said flatly. He knew he would never get Mullett’s permission to call the underwater search team out just on the strength of one of his nasty feelings, when their past record had such a low success rate. But he felt strongly this time.