‘Did he touch you – interfere with you?’
‘No. I made sure I wasn’t alone when he was about.’
‘He’s a dirty bastard,’ said her mother.
‘What did Debbie say about this?’ Frost asked.
‘She seemed embarrassed… wouldn’t talk about it. She started to tell me something about him once, then clammed up.’
‘If you ask me, he’s been abusing his own daughter,’ offered Mrs Glisson, flipping ash on the floor. ‘If Debbie’s gone missing, Audrey reckons she’s either run away from her father or the sod’s done her in.’
‘Oh, Mum!’ protested Audrey. ‘I told you not to tell anyone.’
‘Debbie’s gone missing,’ insisted her mother. ‘You shouldn’t hide these things. It could be serious
‘It may not be that bad,’ Frost told them. ‘She could have run off with her boyfriend.’
‘What, Tom Harris?’ asked Audrey. ‘She might have done. She said they were going to get up to larks round his house this week while his mum and dad were away.’
‘They’re not round the parents’ house,’ Frost told her. ‘We’ve checked.’ Then he remembered. ‘Debbie took her new bikini with her. Any idea why?’
‘I know she and Tom used to go skinny dipping in that lake in the woods. She might have gone there.’
Skinny dipping? thought Frost. Bloody hell. What a lucky bastard that Tom is. In my day, if you caught sight of a girl’s bare knee you had to have a cold shower. But you wouldn’t take a bikini if you were going skinny dipping.
He stubbed out his cigarette and stood up. ‘Anything else you can tell me?’
The girl and her mother both shook their heads.
‘Well, thanks for the information. If you think of anything else that might help, let me know.’ He scribbled his name and phone number on a piece of paper and handed it to the mother. ‘We’ll see ourselves out.’
‘What do you reckon, Inspector?’ Simms asked when they were outside
Frost frowned thoughtfully. ‘The father definitely sounds like a dirty bastard. He might be interfering with his daughter, but we’ve got no proof. His wife knows something, but I don’t think she’d tell. When Debbie turns up we can see if she wants to make a complaint, but we’ve got to find her first.’ He stuck his hands in his pockets and stared across to the dark shape of Denton Woods. ‘Skinny bloody dipping? A bit too flaming cold for that, surely. Just to be on the safe side, after you drop me off, go and have a look round the lake. It’s deep enough to drown in and you could easily get cramp swimming when it’s cold. See if their bikes are there.’ In his pocket, his hand found a piece of paper. The building-society account number given by the blackmailer. Shit, he’d forgotten about it… and he still had the cheque to pay in and he also hadn’t checked to see if the account details were genuine.
His mobile played its little tune. It was Bill Wells.
‘Jack, Mr Mullett’s going spare. He wants to see you right now.’
‘I think he fancies me,’ said Frost. ‘Tell him I’m on my way. And Bill, would you contact the Fortress Building Society and see who, if any one, has an account number FDZ32432.’
Mullett slid the heavy glass ashtray across just too late to stop Frost’s cigarette dropping a cylinder of ash on his desk. ‘His daughter,’ he said, ‘missing since last night and you tell him you have no intention of organising a search?’
‘Not at this stage,’ said Frost. ‘I’m more or less convinced she’s done a runner with her boyfriend…’ His voice tailed off. Doing his usual trick of reading upside-down memos in Mullett’s in-tray, he spotted one from Head Office with his name at the top. He carefully moved his chair forward so he could read what it was about, but Mullett forestalled him, quickly pulling the in-tray away and dropping some other papers on top. Frost’s eyes narrowed. Hello, what’s the slimy bastard up to?
‘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.’