Hard Frost Read Online Free PDF Page A

"Let's go inside, love," said Frost, lighting up the cigarette he needed to bolster up his courage.
       "We only went out for a quick drink. We hardly ever go out.".
       Frost nodded sympathetically. A man in his mid-twenties was at the door. He wore a black, imitation leather zip-up jacket. "Have you found the little sod? I'll wring his bleeding neck . . ."
       "Are you Mr. Kirby? asked Frost.
       "No, I'm damn well not. I'm her boyfriend. That kid's ruined our bloody evening."
       The boyfriend! Shit, thought Frost. He was hoping it was the father so he would only have to break the bad news once. "Let's go inside."
       They were taken into the lounge where the mother dropped into an armchair and grabbed at a table lighter. She had difficulty lighting her cigarette. Frost leant over and lit it for her. Burton stood by the door, watching, feeling superfluous.
       "It's bad news, isn't it?" said the mother. "I know it's bad news."
       "You're always bloody negative," said the boyfriend. "Always looking on the black side. Be bloody positive for a change."
       That's right, thought Frost. Raise the poor cow's hopes so I can smash them down again. He took a deep drag, then slowly exhaled. He couldn't put it off any longer. "Mrs. Kirby . . ." he began.
       The woman had taken a framed picture from the side table and was holding it to her chest, rocking slowly from side to side. Frost paused. "Is that Bobby?"
       She nodded.
       He held out his hand. "Could I see it?"
       She handed it to him. A school photograph. A freckle-faced boy with light brown hair grinning shyly at the camera. "Taken last week," she said.
       Frost studied it, then handed it to Burton.
       Burton raised his eyebrows in surprise.
       It wasn't the dead boy.

Chapter 2
     
    "We haven't found your son yet, Mrs. Kirby," said Frost, 'but we might have found his guy."
       "Oh - bloody marvelous," said the boyfriend. "Bring the guy home, put it to bed and that's the end of it."
       "Why don't you shut your mouth?" said Mrs. Kirby. "It was your bloody idea we should go to the pub."
       "You didn't try to talk me out of it, did you? I hadn't finished suggesting it before you had your hat and your bloody coat on and were half-way up the street."
       Frost stretched out his arms like a referee parting two boxers. "Can you save the squabbling till later? We're very concerned about your son, Mrs. Kirby, and we want to find him as quickly as possible. Now, his guy - white and green plastic zip-up jacket?"
        She nodded. "Bobby's old one - he'd grown out of it."
       "And the mask - Guy Fawkes with a green face?"
       "Yes."
       "We found it in a shop doorway in Patriot Street. Would Bobby have gone there with his guy?"
       "I wouldn't have thought so. No-one goes through there at night. He was after money. He usually hangs about around pubs and bus stops."
       "Tell me exactly what happened tonight."
       "We've already told it once," said the boyfriend.
       "And now you are going to tell it again," snapped Frost, 'and if I want you to tell it twenty bloody times, you'll tell it twenty bloody times. What's your name, by the way?"
       "Green - Terry Green."
       Frost waited while Burton noted this down, then turned to the mother. "What happened tonight, Mrs. Kirby?"
       "Bobby had his tea at five and then he wanted to go out with his guy. I said no. It was too dark and there's been this weirdo out at night stabbing kids."
       Frost nodded vaguely. This must be the case Liz Maud was rabbiting on about. "And how did Bobby take it?"
       "He swore at me."
       "Don't know where the little bastard gets it from," said the man. "Anyway, I gave him a clout, so he swears at me - said I wasn't his bloody father and I said I was bloody glad I wasn't otherwise I'd have strangled him at birth '
       "OK," said Frost, cutting him short, 'spare us the happy families stuff." Back to the woman. "What happened then?"