The DC leant back in the chair, mouth sagging, eyes wide open. 'Bloody hell!'
'And now the Gestapo are here from County to carry out an official inquiry. They'll be questioning you,' He pulled his desk drawer open and took out a tube of extra strong mints. 'Start sucking these… if they smell liquor on your breath…'
Morgan put one in his mouth. 'Look, guv. I searched that shed. The kid wasn't there, but if it would help you, I'll say that I bungled it and ticked off the wrong shed on the form.'
'You're positive you searched it?'
'Positive, guv.'
'Is there any way you could have missed her?'
'You saw the place, guv. No-one could have missed her.'
'Human dung!' moaned Frost. He mashed out his cigarette in his ashtray. 'This makes things a bit complicated.' His internal phone buzzed. He waved a hand for Morgan to answer it. The summons to Mullett's office.
Frost stood up and tugged a couple of the worst creases out of his jacket. 'Do you think it would look as if I were playing on their sympathy if I wore my George Medal?'
'Yes,' said Wells.
'Then I'll be subtle. I'll say, 'I'm sorry my coat sleeve is wet, but I dropped my George Medal down the karzy and had to fish it out.' '
'That should win the sympathy vote,' said Wells. He paused. 'Best of luck, Jack.'
'Thanks,' Frost replied. 'If I have to drop you in it to keep my job, you will understand, won't you?'
Wells tried to keep the smile on his face. He was never certain if Frost was joking or not.
The grim-faced trio sat in a row behind Mullett's mahogany desk like officers at a court martial. Frost almost expected to see a sword with the blade pointing towards him. He pulled a chair over and sat down.
'Please sit down,' said Mullett. He introduced the other two officers and let the chief superintendent take over the questioning.
Bailey, a big, hard-faced man, gave Frost his long, cold, intimidating Medusa stare, a stare which had reduced many a hardened suspect to a quivering wreck, all too ready to cough the lot. Frost, who could outstare anyone, flashed back his friendly smile. 'Morning.'
Bailey nodded to Chief Inspector Hopley, who took out a notebook and began to scribble notes. 'We could have done without this, Frost. We've had four deaths in custody already this year and now a fifth… And as it is someone who might well be innocent…'
'He was guilty,' cut in Frost.
Bailey stared again, then continued where he left off as if Frost hadn't spoken. '… this is the last thing the Chief Constable wants.' He pulled a pipe from his pocket, then a tobacco pouch. Slowly and deliberately he filled the pipe and lit up. Frost took the opportunity to have a cigarette himself.
Bailey waved the pipe at Mullett. 'You don't mind, I hope?'
'Of course not,' said Mullett, forcing a grin, his eyes watering from the pungent smoke that wafted across.
Bailey took the pipe from his mouth. 'It was put to us that you should be immediately suspended from duty.'
'Oh?' said Frost, looking at Mullett who quickly turned his head away and stared through the window.'
'This damn George Medal of yours makes the* whole thing high profile. The press would have a field day: 'George Medal Hero Suspended', that sort of media rubbish.' He jabbed the pipe stem at Frost. 'And that is something the Chief Constable definitely does not want.'
Mullett firmly shook his head from side to side. 'Neither do I.'
'We want to use your medal to our advantage, not our disadvantage,' added Bailey, shooting a glance at Mullett who had abruptly to change gear and go into a vigorous nod. 'This is not an official inquiry — that will follow. This is simply a damage limitation exercise.' He held out a hand to Hopley who pushed the case files over. 'I've been looking at the files. This man Weaver admitted the girl had been to his house and admitted he took photographs of her?'
'After we'd found where he'd hidden them, yes.'
Bailey spread the photographs over the desk and pushed them around with his pipe stem. 'Nude photographs but nothing really pornographic.' He slipped them back in the folder. 'Weaver also tried to dispose of a quantity of hard porn photographs?'
'That's right,' nodded Frost.
'And that, really, is the sum total of your evidence against him — there was no forensic evidence on the body to link the girl's death to Weaver?'
'No, but what we had made him a prime suspect.'
Bailey gave a non-committal grunt. 'I've been listening to the tapes of your interviews. You bullied him harassed him, reduced him to tears.'
Mullett put on his pained expression and slowly shook his head to signify his disapproval at Frost's inexcusable behaviour.
'I would have done the same,' continued Bailey. 'A kid murdered and raped — I'd have smashed the bastard's head against the wall.'
Mullett blinked. He changed the headshake to a nod of approval, but wasn't too happy.
'But I'd have made sure the bastard didn't top himself,' Bailey went on. 'And if he left a note protesting his innocence, I'd have made damn sure it disappeared bloody quickly.'
Mullett's nod of approval was getting weaker. Bailey was known for his unorthodox methods and it was common knowledge that many of his convictions had been secured on fitted-up evidence.
Frost remained silent. He could see things were swinging his way.
'Then we come to you leaving Weaver alone at the hospital, giving him the opportunity to get enough rope to hang himself.'
'Inexcusable,' said Mullett.
Bailey's head slowly swivelled to Mullett. 'Very excusable, Superintendent. Weaver's mother was dying. We use Frost's compassion to counteract the charge of harassment.' He swung back to Frost. 'No chance she's died yet? It would help our case.'
'She's not co-operating,' said Frost. 'She's still alive.'
Bailey shrugged. 'Never mind, we must build our case on the materials we've got. So, out of compassion you let him see his dying mother for a few minutes on his own, but instead of gratitude, he took advantage of your kindness. You knew you were breaking the rules but you realized how he felt, having suffered a similar loss yourself.' With a grunt of satisfaction he jabbed a finger at Hopley. 'Note that down, Chief Inspector, that's a terrific angle.' He beamed at Mullett, whose responding beam was matching.
'There's the question of the finding of the girl's body,' Hopley reminded him.
'Yes,' nodded Bailey. 'That's a bastard. As I understand it, the girl's body was found in a place that had already been searched while Weaver was still in custody?'
'Yes,' agreed Frost, grimly.
'You've spoken to the officer involved?'
'Yes. He is adamant the girl wasn't there when he searched.'
'As far as this initial inquiry is concerned, we are going to be unaware of that fact. We expect the officer concerned to change his story. We leave that to you.'
Frost said nothing. If they thought his silence was acquiescence, that was their look-out.
Bailey slammed the file shut. 'Right. We can keep the lid on this for a while. We won't release the suicide note until the coroner's inquest. By then, I'm hoping you will have made an arrest.' He shook the dottle from his pipe into Mullett's clean, cut-glass ashtray. Frost added his cigarette end to the pile. 'The Chief Constable, apparently, doesn't want to lose you, Frost. You've done very well for the Division in the past… a history of excellent solved cases.'
'Thanks to teamwork,' put in Mullett.
'Of course; under the devoted leadership and guidance of your Divisional Commander.'
'I must have been away that day,' murmured Frost. He went to stand. 'If there's nothing else…?'
