Jordan's radio spluttered. 'Charlie Baker calling. We've just spotted Kelly and the woman driving away from the twenty-four-hour chemist in Market Square. Do we follow?'

'Don't follow,' said Jordan. 'See if you can get to the house before them. Park round the back behind Taffy Morgan. I'll let you know if I want any more help.'

He drove as quickly as he could to Kelly's house, still trying to work out how to warn Frost, who hadn't got his radio or mobile. He braked sharply at a public telephone box with a couple of yellowing, tattered phone directories dangling from a chain. He dashed in. The kiosk stank of urine and the floor was littered with stale, damp papers and takeaway containers. Most of the pages had been torn out of the directory; but he hoped Kelly's number was there. It was! He rammed 20p in the slot and dialled Kelly's number. It rang and rang. 'Answer the flaming thing,' hissed Jordan. 'You've got to get your a.r.s.e out of there b.l.o.o.d.y quick.'

Frost froze. The shrill ringing of the phone sounded as if it could be heard halfway down the street. 'Stop, you sod, stop,' he muttered angrily. But the d.a.m.n thing went on and on and on . . .

'The b.l.o.o.d.y fool's not going to answer!' cursed Jordan, slamming down the phone. Charlie Baker wouldn't be there yet and the minutes were ticking away. There was nothing for it, desperate measures were called for. He'd have to involve accident-p.r.o.ne Taffy Morgan.

The ringing stopped. The subsequent silence screamed. Frost waited for a couple of seconds, then lifted the receiver. He shone his torch on the girl's number and dialled. A pause. He waited, holding his breath. A woman's voice announced, 'The person you are calling is unavailable. If you would like to leave a - ' d.a.m.n. Of course. He'd switched the d.a.m.n thing off to conserve the battery. He hung up, switched on the mobile and waited for it to register. He dialled again. ' ' d.a.m.n. Of course. He'd switched the d.a.m.n thing off to conserve the battery. He hung up, switched on the mobile and waited for it to register. He dialled again. 'The number you are calling has not been recognised . . .'

Double s.h.i.t. He flicked his torch at the sc.r.a.p of paper. d.a.m.n, he'd transposed the last two numbers. He drew a deep breath and, carefully checking each digit, slowly and deliberately he dialled again. One digit to go when . . .

Banging, crashing, then footsteps thudding up the stairs.

Bleeding h.e.l.l! Kelly was back and no one had warned him. He clicked off the torch and stood stock still, holding his breath, his heart going ballistic, in the dark.

The footsteps stopped outside the bedroom door.

'Guv . . . Where are you? It's me - Morgan!'

Frost sighed with relief. Taffy b.l.o.o.d.y Morgan! 'You frightened the s.h.i.t out of me, you Welsh sod. What are you doing here?'

'Get out quick, Guv. They left early. They'll be here any minute.'

'So why didn't you phone me?'

'Your phone is switched off. Come on, Guv.' He tugged at Frost's sleeve to hurry him up.

A car drew up outside.

Frost twitched back the curtains and took a quick peek at the street below. Flaming a.r.s.e holes! Kelly's car was reversing into the drive.

'The back way,' hissed Frost. 'It's our only chance.'

The sound of a key turning in the lock downstairs.

Frost froze. Too b.l.o.o.d.y late. There was no way they could get down the stairs and out with out being seen.

'Guv,' bleated Morgan.

Frost flapped a hand to silence him. 'Keep bleeding quiet and pray.' What excuse could he use . . . they'd heard a burglar so they broke into the house the back way? Sod it. Might as well be hung for a sheep as for a flaming lamb. He dialled the last digit. And nothing happened. He'd risked everything for sod all.

They stood in the dark, waiting to be caught red-handed. For a brief moment there was screaming silence. No - not silence!

Very faintly, powered by the dying breath of a failing battery, the mobile was ringing. He had dialled Debbie's number and it was ringing. It was Debbie's phone!

They had to get out unseen. Once out he would get a search warrant, turn the house over and 'find' the phone. If they were caught inside the house, Kelly's brief could claim the evidence was planted.

Downstairs the front door opened. Footsteps pounded up the stairs. The toilet door opened and closed. The sound of someone being violently sick. One in the toilet, but where was the other one?

Kelly's voice called, 'Are you all right up there?' He began ascending the stairs.

This is it, thought Frost. We've b.l.o.o.d.y had it We've b.l.o.o.d.y had it.

Then there was a hammering at the front door. 'Police. Open up.'

Kelly paused on the stairs. 'Police?' he echoed. 'What the h.e.l.l do you want?'

Footsteps retreated down the stairs. The door unlatched and opened.

PC Simms's voice announced, 'Sorry to bother you, sir. Is that your car on the forecourt?'

'What if it b.l.o.o.d.y is? Is it an offence to park your own b.l.o.o.d.y car on your own b.l.o.o.d.y forecourt?'

'We'd like you to check it, sir. We just spotted someone trying to break into the boot.'

'The b.a.s.t.a.r.d. Did you get him?'

'I'm afraid not, sir.'

'Typical, b.l.o.o.d.y typical.'

Footsteps crunched on the gravel outside.Frost could hear m.u.f.fled voices Kelly was on the forecourt.

I owe you one, Simms, thought Frost.

He listened to more sounds of retching from the toilet. 'Come on, Taff. We're going!' They tiptoed down the stairs. Halfway across the living room, Frost stopped dead. 's.h.i.t.'

He was still holding Debbie's bleeding mobile!

Prat, prat, stupid flaming prat! If he couldn't get the d.a.m.n thing back before Kelly returned it would be curtains. There would be no way they could use the phone as evidence - a.s.suming he hadn't been booted out of the force long before then.

'What's up, Guv? Why have we stopped?'

'Don't ask flaming questions. Wait for me in the car.'

'But Guv - '

'For Pete's sake, Taffy - go! And if I'm not out in a couple of minutes, leave me, get the h.e.l.l out of here.'

'But Guv - '

'Don't argue, Taffy, just b.l.o.o.d.y do it!' He shoved Morgan out of the way and spun on his heel to charge back up the stairs. He knew he was making a noise, but hoped vomiting Vera in the karzy would be too preoccupied with throwing up to notice.

The m.u.f.fled voices from outside suddenly died. Flaming heck. Was Kelly coming back in? 'Please, Simms,' he prayed, 'keep him out there for another minute - fifty seconds, anything . . .'

He replaced the mobile in the airing cupboard with fumbling fingers. As he dashed back down the stairs, the voices outside started up again. Reprieved, but for how long?

Through the living room into the kitchen, out into the garden, running like h.e.l.l. Halfway up the garden he heard the car starting up. No Taffy - please, no! No Taffy - please, no!

Slamming the back gate behind him, he saw the rear lights of the car moving off.

Sod making a noise. 'Taffy!' he yelled.

Thank G.o.d! The Welsh git had heard him. The car stopped and backed at speed, then screamed to a stop. Frost hurled himself in and lay speechless, panting at Taffy's side, sucking in air and rubbing the st.i.tch in his side.

'Drive,' he gasped.

As they sped round the corner, they could see the area car with two uniformed men walking round Kelly's Citroen. The driver's window had been smashed. 'Good old Simms,' said Frost. He leaned over and punched the horn as they pa.s.sed. Behind Kelly's back, Simms fluttered a hand of acknowledgement.

'Can we go home now, Guv?' yawned Morgan. 'It's been a long day.'

'No we flaming can't,' said Frost. 'But to compensate, tomorrow's going to be a short day because I doubt you'll be in bed much before noon.'

Chapter 17.

Alison Miller wrapped her sensible brown tweedy dressing gown more tightly round her flannelette nightdress and glared angrily at the two detectives who had banged on her door at this unearthly hour. 'This had better be extremely important,' she said. 'Do you know what time it is?'

Frost glanced at his watch. 'It's three o'clock, mum,' he said cheerfully. 'Sorry to disturb your beauty sleep. I know how much you need it.'

She gave him a hard stare, never knowing whether he was being deliberately rude or not. Frost's innocent expression made her decide, reluctantly, to give him the benefit of the doubt. She glanced at the warrant, then at him. 'What are you playing at? This is the same address as before.'

'You've got a marvellous memory, mum,' said Frost. She winced each time the wretched man called her 'mum'.

'Ma'am,' she snapped icily.

'Sorry, mum,' said Frost. 'Yes, the same address, but this time I've cast-iron information from a very reliable source that items belonging to the dead girl, Debbie Clark, are in the house.'

'And might I know the name of this reliable source?'

'I had to give him an a.s.surance that his name wouldn't be revealed and I know you wouldn't want me to break my word. As soon as you sign this warrant, we're going straight to the house and I am 200 percent certain that, thanks to your cooperation, we will find the evidence we are looking for to convict the poor girl's killer.'

She looked at the warrant again and shook her head. 'I don't like this, Inspector, I don't like it one little bit.'

'It does you credit, mum,' said Frost, 'that even though you don't like it, you realise that catching the murderers of two schoolkids overrides any doubts you may have.'

She pursed her lips, still reluctant to do anything to help someone who dragged her out of bed at three in the morning. But it was cold standing at the front door in her dressing gown and her warm bed was beckoning and she was too tired to argue. She took Frost's offered Bic and scrawled her signature.

She blinked and realised she was standing alone, empty-handed, without a word of thanks, hearing the sound of a car roaring off at speed. 'Not even a thank-you,' she sniffed as she made her way upstairs to bed.

The lights were still on in Kelly's house. Frostsent Jordan and Simms round the back to block that escape route, then nodded for Morgan to hammer at the knocker and jam his finger on the doorbell. 'Open up. Police,' he bawled.

Footsteps rang down the hall, a chain slipped on and the door opened a fraction. 'What the h.e.l.l is it this time?'

Frost waved the warrant at the partially open door. 'Open up, Kelly. I've got a warrant to search these premises.'

'A warrant?' The warrant was s.n.a.t.c.hed through. 'Wait a minute . . .' The footsteps retreated up the hall.

'He's going to flush his drugs down the karzy,' said Frost. 'Smash the door in.' He stepped back as Lambert swung the ram at the door. At the second blow the door crashed open and they charged in. Kelly was at the top of the stairs with an armful of polythene packets, hammering frantically at the bathroom door. 'Open up, you silly cow. The cops are here!'

From inside came the sound of retching.

Frost strode up the stairs, his hand out stretched.

'Are those packets for me, Patsy?' he smirked, then nodded at the bathroom door as the sound of vomiting continued. 'Morning sickness? Congratulations. Call him Jack after your favourite cop.'

'You think you're so b.l.o.o.d.y funny,' snarled Kelly, peering down the stairs as the sound of crashing and banging came from below. 'What are they looking for?'

'Other illicit substances you might have overlooked, Patsy.' Frost ripped open one of the packets. 'And what have we here?' He dabbed a finger into the powder and licked it. 'I don't think it's sherbet. I do believe it's c.o.ke.' He turned to PC Lambert. 'That's against the law, isn't it, Constable, or am I thinking of parking on a yellow line?'

'I've never seen these packets before in my life,' said Kelly, moving slightly to one side to block the airing-cupboard door.

'I spy with my little eye an airing cupboard,' said Frost, pushing him out of the way. 'What have you got in there that you don't want me to see?' He shoved Kelly to one side and flung open the door. Then he did a double take and his heart sank. The box containing the phone - it wasn't there! He knew where he had left it and it wasn't there. There were two other boxes that hadn't been there before. He pulled them out and lifted the lids. More packets of c.o.ke - Kelly's visits to the Blue Parrot were clearly made to collect fresh supplies. Sod the drugs - what had Kelly done with the b.l.o.o.d.y phone? Had the b.a.s.t.a.r.d forestalled him? Had he moved it?

A stack of folded tea towels had toppled over. Had it fallen on the box containing the phone when he hurriedly rammed it back earlier? It had to be that. It just had to be.