Original subtitles

Come on, kids.

Daddy's ready.

John, she's never been to a football match before. She might be scared by all

the noise.

Well, she's going to love it.

Bobby, get a move on.

There, that's one of my best trisets.

Come on, you pair.

And remember, you only cheer when Denton scores, get it?

I'm not stupid.

Anyway, you always favour another score.

They will.

Come on.

Now you hold your daddy's hand.

Mum, stop fussing. You can get lost in a crowd.

And if it gets too cold, daddy will bring you home.

No, he won't. Will he, dad?

No, he won't.

Denton will lose this and he'll get relegated, so there's no time for baby

today, you. Right, come on.

Denton! Denton!

Denton! Denton! Denton! Denton!

Denton!

What were you doing in there?

Half time already.

I've got my handsy stuck in my shoe.

It's so stupid tight it won't make me wear it. You're alright now.

Jack, as you well know, the Police Promotions Board is meeting here this

Oh, yes, I know, sir. So I'll keep George Toon's bagpipe practice down to

acceptable level.

Sergeant Toon plays the bagpipe.

He does.

Humour aside, Jack...

Jack.

I feel I must urge you once again to apply to the promotions board for the

of chief inspector that is now available.

Oh, yes, we had a chat about that last week, didn't we, sir?

Yeah, and the week before that.

A decision is now needed.

I don't think I've got the puff for it.

What? I'd get constipated.

Across the chest.

It's the uniform, sir. It'd be too, you know, restrictive.

And then there's all that paperwork.

Oh, Jack, you wouldn't be a paper pusher.

You'd be chief inspector operations.

You've got the service and experience necessary.

You'd be running all the serious crime ops.

Oh, CID is where I belong.

Well, uh... After a year, you could take a sideways step and come back to CID as

Detective Chief Inspector, if that's what you want.

Yeah, well, there is.

It's always that, isn't there, sir?

You apply and you're in the door.

You'll have their decision in days. Less.

Well, yeah, I... Yes, I ought to give it more thought then, shouldn't I, sir?

And you'll give me your answer as soon as possible?

Yes, yes, exactly. Well, if not sooner, sir. Yeah.

Thank you.

Excellent!

All right, George.

Hello. What's all this?

Somebody's been thieving from the graveyard, haven't they? A secret

Really? Go on, you dark horse.

Not for me.

Not for you.

Me?

Oh.

Bomb squad search these, have they?

Who is it from?

From my lover, M .H.

Who's M .H.? How am I supposed to know?

Well, I don't.

Yeah, must be a mistake.

Unless, of course, it's my birthday, is it?

I saw Mullet bending your ear.

An in -house promotion would make him look a starter.

It wouldn't do your pension any harm, either.

Look, I've avoided promotion for a long time, and promotion has avoided me.

Report.

Yeah, all right, go on, then.

One of our DCs dealt with a missing boy, a ten -year -old, Bobby Farmer.

He's still missing.

Who handled it?

DC Slater.

I see.

What do you think?

Has the boy done a bunk, or is it more serious? Oh, we're not sure.

Slater thinks you should speak to the parents.

John and Emma Palmer.

All right. Make that our first port of call. Anything else?

There was also a hit and run last night.

Give that a traffic.

No, can't.

Pathologist thinks it's a suspicious death.

Anyway.

Terry Reid is dealing with it.

What? Read?

Well, the body was found on his patch.

Ah, wait a minute.

The deceased, Peter Johnson, who lived, or rather lived, on my patch. So this

one's mine. Where is he?

Down the mortuary.

Oh, George, come on, don't be funny. It doesn't become you. I meant read.

Down the mortuary.

Oh, right, OK.

Well, we'll go down there after we've had a chat to these parents.

Oh, sir.

Jack, I've just been advised about this missing boy.

Yes, yeah, we're on to it. I think it's a runaway.

Well, if it's not, let me know if you need any support units.

Yes, right, will do.

And, Jack, don't forget our previous conversation.

No, no, sir, don't worry.

Yeah, you know, filed under urgent.

Thousands of people in the stands and they don't see a ten -year -old boy

his seat?

Well, that's usually the case.

Is there anywhere that Bobby might be hiding for any reason? No, he's not in

trouble. I mean, we've never had to raise a hand to him. We barely have to

our voice. He plays sometimes on Denton Heath, but he would never stay away like

this. He'd tell the other officers everything.

We'd never let him out of our sight.

Well, you can't watch them every minute. Don't blame yourself.

Well, of course I blame myself.

He's my son and I'm responsible.

I'm afraid we'll have to take his computer away with us for investigation.

The kids are vulnerable when they go on the internet.

There are chat rooms.

Yes, there are adults that masquerade as kids.

They get information, form friendships.

It's just a precaution so that we can, you know, eliminate it.

It's my hit and run.

Oh, blimey, you could have me on the slab doing something like that. Nice to

you too, Reed.

Who's Dr Simpkins?

On holiday.

You're D .I. Frost, are you? Yes.

I'm a locum, Amanda Chase.

Oh, that's how you do.

This is a bloke, Johnson, who was knocked off his perch. Where's he?

there. Ah, right, OK.

I see you've got a few extra customers lined up by the looks of things.

Two more trees closed for repairs and various bodies are off sick.

Look a bit more than sick to me.

Inspector, I don't know how you usually interact with Dr Simpkins, but I'm

afraid I don't have time for bantering or inappropriate remarks like that.

No, no, no, of course not.

The time of death was late last night, about midnight.

Aye, midnight.

A post -mortem scar.

It's one of yours, is it? No, he was carrying a donor card. The hospital

his kidneys and his corneas. Oh, so he was alive when he was found?

Er, no.

But he was a rare blood type, which means there's less chance of organ

when they get a match.

I see.

OK. So, what's dodgy?

Well, the hospital missed this fracture.

Laceration wounds to the skull.

Ragged strands of skin and the tissue and blood vessels are deeply impacted.

Well, couldn't the vehicle have done that?

No, there are splinters of bone embedded in the brain.

I think he may have been bludgeoned.

And his blood alcohol was over the limit.

Well, any chance he might have been in a drunken brawl and got clobbered?

With something like a beer bottle?

Yeah, perhaps.

So he could have walked to where he was found and then...

Staggered in front of a car?

It is a possibility, but given the extent of his injuries, I'd say he was

probably dragged by the car.

I see.

Well, thank you very much for your help.

We've got his address, haven't we? Yeah, and his house keys, one of his personal

effects. Well, I was going to have a snoop round then.

Oh, Inspector, there was, um, an odd thing.

He was wearing an elastic band around his wrist.

Back row to nowhere, as far as I can see.

Is this where they found the body?

Yeah.

Did traffic say anything about broken glass?

Nothing in the report.

It was most likely fragments, anyway.

An impact like that would have left some of them.

You would have thought so, wouldn't you?

I mean, what was he doing right out here, walking in the middle of nowhere?

I mean, nothing's ever straightforward, is it?

I had an elastic band once.

Is that the best you could do? Most people have a cat or a dog.

A therapist said I should wear it.

What was it, a fashion accessory or what?

I was trying to give up these.

Every time you felt like one, you snapped the elastic band.

It's a simple psychological reminder not to do something.

Oh, really?

Well, it certainly worked for you, didn't it?

And what sort of sins do you think he was trying to give up?

Well, if it was drinking, it didn't work.

That's true.

The post -mortem report reckoned he had more tar on his lungs than was on this

road. Only leaves gambling and sex.

Yeah, well, he was on Social Security.

Hardly gives you the playboy lifestyle, does it?

Sex, then?

Well, you wouldn't want to give that up, would you?

Well, no.

Well, no, you aren't.

The land is locked.

There's nothing in it.

Let's see what we've got in here, then, shall we?

Blimey. I wish my place was as tidy as this.

Have a look upstairs, will you?

Yeah.

This room obviously belongs to an old lady.

Probably his mother, looking at the pictures around the place.

And this is his room.

Hospital corners.

Almost boxed bedding.

What do you reckon? Old soldier? Nurse?

Hmm. Or an ex -con.

Yeah.

I'll tell you what, we'll get this computer down to forensics. Meanwhile, I

you to go and have a word with the nosy neighbour.

I'll stay here and have a look round, and then I'll go downstairs, all right?

All right.

This bloke is exact in everything he does.

Have you got anything?

Yeah, he moved in with his mother last year. She died about six months ago.

The neighbour thinks he might have been in the Merchant Navy before that.

Ah, I see.

Look at this.

Big tins at the back, small tins at the front.

Peas on the left, beans on the right.

What's the matter with this bloke?

Did he eat by numbers?

Did they say what time he left last night?

He drove off just after six.

But she says when she woke up this morning, his van was parked the wrong

round.

Apparently, he always parked it facing the street, not the way it's facing now.

He's pretty exact about everything else, that's for sure.

Well, it looks like he got back late, left the van, then went out again.

But why would he park the van the wrong way round?

I don't know.

These obsessive creatures are supposed to make life easier for poor, overworked

coppers. All right, cheers.

Guff. Hmm?

They found a boy's body.

Oh, my goodness.

The stench of death is unmistakable, Inspector.

Even out here.

Well, what have we got?

A boy about ten years old.

The injury is inside of his face. It's from one of the machines.

I'd say he's been dead for about 24 hours.

Maybe less.

Can you give me a hand here, please?

Just lift his arm for me.

Let's save what we can for the pathologist.

See if the lad's carrying any clues.

When can we see him?

Probably tomorrow.

There are still a few things that we've... we've got to check.

DC Marsden is a family liaison officer.

She'll be available for you 24 hours a day.

Their doctor is on the way over.

You just be a fool.

coming in and you lot are playing silly buggers. Not quite, Jack.

Oh, look.

There's a card.

Well,

to Jack, you lift me up where I belong with all my love, M .H.

I'll deliver somebody up where they belong.

Who delivered it? A messenger.

A messenger.

Your powers of deduction never cease to amaze me.

Well, use your deductive powers and find out who sent it.

Go on.

All right.

Oi!

What am I supposed to do with these?

Girlfriend, is it, Gav?

Mind your own business.

What, she sent you those flowers and all?

It would appear so.

What, so you've got a girlfriend, then? No, I have not.

Yeah, well, I mean, someone's got the odds for you, haven't they? Look, was

there something you wanted, was there?

Oh, yeah.

Look, there's something funny about that hit and run.

Someone ought to tell you about your sense of humour.

Yeah, well, when we went through Johnson's stuff, we found a ticket for

denting game.

Oh, is that the same game where the Palmer boy went missing?

Yeah.

But the ticket wasn't used.

So he never turned up.

And his van keys weren't in his pocket and there were no keys visible when we

went into the house.

I mean, where are they?

Well, we know that he went somewhere.

He came back home, parked his van, went out again and got himself killed.

I don't like these magical mystery tours.

No, I'll check with local taxes, see if anyone picked him up.

Yeah, right. Oh, and see if you can get that van opened, will you? Yeah, right.

Inspector Carpenter?

Yes, it's Superintendent Mullet here.

Yes, fine, thank you.

I've just been going through the list of candidates for the Promotions Board,

the CI Ops opening in particular, and I see that you haven't put your name

forward.

Well, I'd be more than happy to lend you my support, should you choose to do so.

Yes.

Well, I'd like to thank you for pushing this lad to the front of the queue.

The least we could do.

These fractures are old injuries.

Systematic physical abuse over the last couple of years.

They were beating it.

Someone was.

God, I don't believe it.

A little girl is a picture of hell.

Well, the injuries could have been excused and hidden by blaming childhood

accidents.

So what killed him?

His body was weakened by violence and it finally gave out on him.

This love beating was just too much.

So he was beaten to death?

Probably.

But he also had tuberculosis.

TB?

I'm still waiting for results from the blood test, but I'll tell you this,

Inspector.

He was alive when he was left on that landfill site.

That's not us.

That's not Bobby.

That's not Bobby.

That's another boy.

Oh, thank God.

Thank God.

All right, quiet, everybody. Come on, let's have your attention up here.

Don't start making any plans for your personal life for a while because we

got a missing child, also got a murdered child, and a suspicious hit -and -run

death. George.

This dead child hasn't been reported missing, but he was beaten to death.

The victim of the hit -and -run, 54 -year -old Peter Johnson, was supposed

at the same football match as Bobby Palmer, but he never made it.

Some of this might be connected.

D .S. Reid and I will be covering that angle.

Now, time is against us, so get back to basics, all right? It's trace, interview

and eliminate.

Move on.

Well, come on, I'm not issuing invitations for this one. Chop, chop.

Terry, listen, I want you to go and grub around the National Health Service

psychologist, because if that elastic band that our hit -and -run bloke was

wearing has anything to do with therapy, I'd like to know what it is. All right.

Oh, I've had the van taken down to forensics.

Good.

A minute.

Tell me, what's all this about?

They use it for delivering stuff to the refreshment stalls.

Well, come on, it won't open itself, will it?

Is this kept locked during the game, is it?

No.

We leave it open as an additional escape route in case of emergencies.

So this whole place is unattended, yes? That's right.

All right. Thank you. Good morning.

So, what could have happened?

Someone could have come up to the kid and said, your sister is sick, or

whatever, and your dad has sent me to come and collect you.

Yes.

Down the steps, through the open gate, then out. What?

Two minutes?

Yes. Nice kid, friendly face, concerned for his sister.

Why wouldn't he go somewhere with someone?

My bet is it's still someone he's met or known before.

Yeah, we can't dismiss the fact that he might have done a bunk.

I'll tell you what. See if you can find any closed -circuit television tapes of

that delivery area.

If Peter Johnson was an NHS patient, he'd have come through here.

We think he might have been treated for a compulsive disorder.

They've all got compulsive disorders.

Compulsive, obsessive, neurotic, downright dangerous.

Some of them literally bay at the moon.

The ones with hair on the back of their hands and a wet nose who can't pull over

and move along to a secure unit.

Beyond that, I can't help you.

Yeah, well, Johnson was a victim of a vicious assault and a hit -and -run.

He was killed?

Yeah. But we think he might be linked to a missing child.

Whether he is or isn't dead or alive, he has patient confidentiality.

Oh, come on, Doctor, give us a break here.

I've got to check this bloke out.

I could always get a court order for your files.

Be my guest.

Someone should have thought this matter.

Tape shows the bonnet of a white van, almost out of view, parked in the

restricted area.

A transit.

Johnson's van, maybe. No, no, it's a small van.

Looks a bit like an escort.

And we can't see the number.

Nobody saw anything of a van being parked there, I suppose.

No.

And there's no record of any deliveries, either.

At the time that second half -whistle was blown, it was gone.

This doesn't look good, Jack.

Any thoughts?

I think if the worst has happened to that little boy, we ought to cast aside

pretense of civilization and bring back the death penalty.

Now, we've checked with the regular delivery company and they said that they

didn't have any vehicles on the road that night as all their vans were under

lock and key, George.

So, it's a bogus van, which means if the boy's been snatched, it's been planned.

DS Toulon is going to carry on with the search on Denton Heath. The rest of you

are on searching for warehouses, lock -ups, industrial estates, that sort of

thing. And let's not forget this unidentified dead child.

Wilson.

Forensic found elements of dried paint in the tread of the boys' trainers.

It's the kind used for painting lines on the road, so we're checking with the

council to see where they've been working.

Slater. The label on the boys' shirt's unusual.

It might have been bought on a market stall.

We're checking street traders.

All right, come on, then.

Let's get some legwork done.

Jack.

George, take over, will you? Sort out the assignments.

Anyway, the magistrates issued you a warrant for Duncan's medical records.

I'll take care of that.

I sent Reid down to forensics. Let's hope one of them sheds some light.

Jack! Um... A moment.

Close the door, would you, Jack?

Jack, I thought you might like to know that D .I. Alan Carpenter is going

the Promotions Board.

He's up for Chief Inspector Ops.

What, Carpenter of Edmund Street, Nick?

Oh, do me a favour.

He couldn't organise a prayer meeting in the Vatican.

I mean, Ops is just not his thing.

Well, I was rather surprised myself, but he's putting forward an extremely

strong case, Jack.

What, for organising the office lotto once a week?

No, no, Jack, he's not that bad.

No, the trouble is, there's no opposition.

Experienced senior officers in this division are, well, they're thin on the

ground.

So they're just going to hand it to him on a plate, then, are they?

The timing of major decisions in our lives is not always of our own choosing.

An application by you would, well, I can almost guarantee it, be favourably

reviewed.

Alan's late coming back from soccer practice.

It is. He'll be fine.

Come on.

Don't start panicking.

This boy's only a year younger than our Alan.

Sheila, hi, it's Liz.

Hi. Is our Alan still there?

No, it's OK. I was just checking everything was all right.

No, that's OK.

You still bring him home later, then?

Right. Lovely.

See you later.

Bye.

Running late.

What we have here, Sergeant, is a very clean and tidy person.

Yeah, I know.

I saw how he stacked his toilet rolls.

The back of the van has been cleaned with a high -pressure spray and

There's barely any dust in there, never mind anything else.

But? There's blood.

Whose blood?

Don't know that yet.

It's at the lab.

There's still traces of a blood splash pattern.

Droplets of blood travel through the air.

Perhaps when someone was punched.

Or bludgeoned. Maybe.

Yeah, that's it.

Johnson's skull was caved in.

Yeah, we need all the help we can get on this.

What about Johnson's computer?

Bingo.

Johnson was a paedophile?

From where?

Hampshire. These are the files I inherited.

Peter Johnson, 54.

suffering from a compulsive obsessive disorder.

Everything in its place, predictable, reliable, helpless.

You think it was a victim?

You don't have sympathy for people like that, do you?

Paedophilia cannot be cured.

Jonathan was a paedophile for 30 years, caught once.

Once?

Isn't there a treatment centre for people like this?

Is that your joke of the day, Inspector?

Who would fund a treatment centre?

The NHS? The Home Office?

I don't think so.

So what do they do?

End up queuing outside your door, then, do they?

There's a couple of hundred thousand men in this country who have been convicted

of sex crimes against children, and that's possibly less than 10 % of the

crime rate.

We don't have a cure for any of them.

Oh, right, Doctor, right.

Just tell me this. Do you think that Johnson was capable of killing a child?

Not unless he panicked people who killed children of psychopaths.

How am I supposed to identify these people? They don't have the brand of the

beast marked on their forehead, do they?

Key words to identify your killer.

Depravity.

Degradation.

Control.

He's a hunter -predator.

Smart, violent, lethal.

This elastic band that he had round his wrist, that was to help him to

deny any sexual urges that he had for children, is that right?

Yes.

Johnson gets sent down.

for three years for sexual offences.

He's back on the streets within two.

I don't write the rules.

But you don't help, though, do you?

I mean, there you are. There's a couple of sessions with a shrink.

He skips the area of his registration.

And the only thing that stands between him and innocent kids is an elastic

bloody band.

The reality is, Inspector, he was still wearing it when he died.

That's a good indication he was keeping to the straight and narrow.

Well, I've got my own way of keeping them on the straight and narrow.

Johnson was on a sex offender's register in Hampshire, and he's been in Denton

for almost a year.

We weren't even warned that he had a parent living here.

Yes, and what would we have done if we'd known?

We can't make sex offender's names known to the public.

Last time a force released a name on their own patch, they were sued.

These people shouldn't have rights. They molest children.

The law says they serve their time and they shouldn't be the subject of

intimidation. Oh, the law, the law.

At least it would have given us time to advise headteachers that there was a

paedophile in the area. Yeah, and they'd feel obliged to warn their staff. Half

an hour later, a parent hears about it. Before you know what's happened, the

evening news has it on its front page.

Well, at least we'd know where the bastard was. He'd be less of a threat.

and he'd be hounded out again in no time. No wonder these people go to

You're not defending these people, are you? No, but the situation is a mess and

it comes back to us. Who do you tell? Who don't you tell?

Sooner or later, it comes back to our front door.

The thing is, it's just got complicated.

More than it is already.

Johnson had a ticket for the Denton game.

There's blood in the back of his van. We don't know whose yet.

And there is one other possibility.

Someone found out he was a paedophile and took the law into their own hands.

Don't. He'll be all right.

He'll come home.

I'm not giving up hope.

It's just I have to understand why.

Why this has happened.

Why my child?

Special delivery.

Detective Inspector Frost.

Where's the card?

Hi, George.

Dear Jack, don't work too hard. Save some energy for me.

Oh, my love. Don't tell me.

M -H.

Champagne, white wine, red wine.

Yeah, all right, all right. Come on. You're like pigs in a trough. You're

you. Go on, sort.

Yeah, well, whoever she is, she's got good taste. Well improved, that is.

Good taste is good taste in everything. Thank you, George.

Just put this hamper somewhere safe. Make sure that office door is always

locked. More sticky fingers around this nick than there are in a toffee factory.

And I know exactly what's in there.

Right, now, read. I tell you what, you go and get the car ready.

I'll be back in a tick.

M -H?

No, it means nothing to me.

Moira.

Moira Moine.

Andy Mo... Michelle.

When have you ever known anyone called Michelle? Of course I did.

Michelle the stripper, the one that had the boob job.

Oh, yeah.

No, M -H, she was Michelle Cooper.

Oh, come on, Trigg.

Do a bit of sifting.

Brady can hardly find his way to the back door, never mind a mystery admirer.

And I'll tell you what.

Look, there's a tin of very nice pate for your toast.

I don't like this foreign stuff.

I'm a Marmite man myself.

And when are you going before the promotions board, eh?

Oh, yeah.

You can imagine me, can you, being grilled by a couple of assistant chief

constables and a divisional superintendent.

They'd have me sussed straight away, wouldn't they?

Well, this place would be a lot better with someone who knows what really

matters. And I'm not the only one who thinks that, you know.

Yeah.

All right.

I'll see what I can find.

You get yourself in front of that promotions board and be on your best

behaviour.

Oh blimey, he even folded his shop in there.

Here we go.

The last papers on the night he was killed.

But look at this.

He used the same route.

He'd go from here down to fresh food only for his groceries.

Then he'd go on from there.

He's a newsagent. He bags these newspapers.

And then every third day, you take the van, top it up with petrol, same amount,

from this garage.

What goes out one way comes back another.

Goes round in a big circle, clockwise, habit.

Why these shops?

Why this petrol station?

Obsessive -compulsive.

Hmm.

And what else?

He chose this route to get his veggies and his petrol.

A journey he did every day.

I wonder why.

All right.

Let's carry on.

See what else interested him.

Right, anyone remember him?

Him and his van.

Said he parked it on the street after he got his petrol.

Usually came back after an hour or so.

Where did he go?

I mean, there are no shops around here, are there? No schools, no pizza.

What was he up to?

Is South Street around here somewhere?

Uh, yeah, it runs at the back of this block behind us.

All right.

All right. Come on, then.

Let's go.

Ah, been a while, Mr. Frost.

Hmm.

Now am I, uh, glad in trouble, I hope.

Don't know yet, Jimmy.

Don't know.

Any weird and wonderful ones?

What about him?

Name's Johnson.

No. No, he's not one of mine.

Sit him around, though.

Yeah, well... Sit him outside a couple of times, waiting for one of the blokes

to toss his ear.

Really? Show me where he sleeps, then, will you? Right.

Who is he?

Hands on Caldwell.

He's a creepy sort of bloke. He won't turn your back on him.

But that might well be me, mate.

This is it.

Well, he's around, is he?

No, I've seen him for a couple of nights.

I always tell them they go back and they sleep rough when they've a mind.

I keep their beds for a few days.

Anything different about this bloke?

Apart from making your skin crawl, nothing.

Charcoal.

Go bloody hell.

I don't want any of them in here.

Right, listen, if he comes back, I don't want you scaring him off. Do you

understand what I'm saying, Jimmy? I want to talk to him. I don't want him

a runner.

I understand, Mr Frost.

Tell you what, check with the other divisions and see if they've got

this Caldwell character.

And make sure Holburn makes a positive ID.

Yeah, I'll get a couple of people out there.

Did you notice something in there?

What's that?

Johnson and Caldwell.

Both make their beds the same.

I bet they did time together.

Oh, George, any info on that dead lad?

No, we're still waiting for the toxicology report.

What about the Palmer boy?

Well, we checked with his friend. None of them were at the match.

Only his father and sister.

Meanwhile, I've got a dead pedophile who had a ticket, and a character called

Caldwell that we know nothing about.

Now, there'd have to be someone bobbing you to get him off those stands.

And the only person we know of so far is his father.

Yes, but do we really think that he murdered his own boy, then used his

as a shield, just to take our eye off the ball?

No, somehow I don't think so.

No, nor me.

We ran the usual checks on the family, though. Yeah, go on. What happened?

Well, a few years ago, the schoolgirl reported that the man pulled his car up

her bus stop and offered her a lift to school.

Now, it was all very innocent, but it was logged.

The driver was John Palmer.

Oh. What was his excuse?

Well, his wife was a teacher at Denton Senior, and he thought the girl would be

safer with him than standing alone.

It's all above board.

Hmm. Well, it might be worth a visit to the Palmer's though, eh?

Jack.

Hmm?

Earlier.

You know what you said about bringing back the death penalty? Well, you don't

really believe that, do you?

I'll tell you what I do believe, though, George, that life should mean life.

It's only fair.

Who's taking it worse, husband or wife?

She's going through it.

He's holding everything in best he can.

But he's the one that's going to need help.

He's going to crack wide open any day now.

You suspect him?

Strangers murder between six and ten children a year.

Families kill about 100.

Mrs Palmer, you did very well tonight. Those television cameras can be very

daunting.

My husband's not coping.

Fathers and sons, they do seem to have something special between them, don't

they?

Mrs Palmer...

I'm going to do everything I can to find your son.

But I've got to ask you some questions, and some of them are not very pleasant.

Two years ago, your husband gave a lift to a schoolgirl.

Yes, I was a teacher at Denton Senior School. He was concerned for the girl.

What kind of people are you?

You think my husband has got something to do with Bobby's disappearance?

He was supposed to help us.

Emma.

Is there anything, anything at all out of the ordinary that's happened?

A man from social services came to the house.

He said there'd been a report, an anonymous report, that my son was

being abused at our house.

Abused by?

What was the name of this man from social services?

I can't remember.

I did check his identification. He was from Denton Social Services.

And what happened then?

He interviewed me and then Bobby.

My husband was at work.

He said he was satisfied that it had been a hoax call.

We never told my husband.

been true.

It was a horrible accusation.

I'm sorry.

Sorry, excuse me.

Frost.

I'll be there right away.

That wasn't about Bobby. I'm sorry.

Thank you for being so honest, Mrs. Palmer.

I'll do everything I can to find your son.

I promise.

Bobby Palmer is a trusting... He's a terrible little... He's a terrible for

going through, God only knows.

Come on, Alan. Bad, yeah?

I'm just finishing up this stuff for tomorrow.

We are conducting a search of... You're terrible.

I swear I'm not letting our kids go anywhere without one of us with them.

Right, come on, you. You've not finished your homework now. It's too late.

Need some help?

Yeah, ma 'am.

We'll give it half an hour, OK?

No moans and groans when I try and get you up in the morning, then.

He's in the interview room.

You sure it's Caldwell? Yeah, surveillance team picked him up. The

hostel confirmed it was him. He came in no fuss.

All right.

Mr Mullet's still here.

I think you should see him first, Gough.

And, um, it doesn't sound like good news.

The Met had Caldwell in custody.

To all intents and purposes, he's a child molester.

Was he on the sex offenders register?

No. No, he was overheard in a pub talking about the fantasies he had about

children. He was reported and picked up. And?

Released four days ago.

Now, that's in our time frame.

Yes, but it gets worse.

The Met had him interviewed by a psychiatrist who considered him

dangerous and advised against his release.

Are you telling me that they released a man who they considered dangerous to

children back on the streets?

You know as well as I do that we can only get a conviction on what can be

proved, not on how dangerous we think someone is.

All right.

Well, we'll blame this little boy's vicious murder on some arsehole of a

politician who thinks that a child's life is less important than some

creature's ruddy rights.

Perhaps there you are.

Has Caldwell asked for a brief? No.

He says he'll only talk to us if there's no brief and no recording.

He's done this before.

Yeah, so if we do charge him, anything he says can be denied. Is there any

evidence on him? No, and the prints on that child porn mag were too smudged.

right.

Sergeant Toulon, apologies for it being so late, but I've got the toxicology

report back on that unidentified child.

I was arrested in London for thoughts I expressed, not for anything I've done.

You hurt children.

No, I don't.

I love children.

It's because I have done nothing wrong.

You've got form for violence.

So it depends.

Where were you on Wednesday night?

Drinking with friends.

Rough friends, I admit.

Itinerants. You question them, some might remember, most won't.

Either way, it would create sufficient reasonable doubt in the minds of a jury.

You're a paedophile.

I want you off the streets. I can have you sectioned.

The thing is, Inspector, you can't section someone for being a paedophile.

Just because my object of desire is different from yours.

You may as well section homosexuals, shoe fetishes.

Might even be train spotters, no?

Paedophilia is not a mental illness.

An expression of violent intent will do me, then. I've said nothing to you.

Section 136 of the Mental Health Act stipulates that I... Oh, don't quote

chapter 21st at me! ...stipulates that I be seen as soon as possible by a social

worker and a psychiatrist no later than 48 hours after detention. They must then

reach agreement whether I am to be detained or not.

Don't hide behind all that crap!

I'm not hiding. I'm here.

Oh, you know your way around the statutes, don't you? Yes, I do.

I have to.

Didn't always look like this.

Years ago, I used to run a successful business.

Before I was persecuted.

I shall make sure that you get a psychiatrist and a social worker here on

In Denton?

I don't think so.

And if I were not interviewed within the stipulated time, I would sue the police

and social services, as others are doing, on an almost daily basis.

I have rights, Inspector.

Do you know Peter Johnson?

No. What, you never met him?

Not that I'm aware.

The hostel warden says he's seen you together.

He's mistaken.

We found child pornography in your bedside locker at the halfway house.

I have no knowledge of that.

It was probably planted by someone at the hostel.

You don't have absolute proof.

It is mine.

You have children.

Girls or boys?

Both.

Leave it.

Now, if there was someone like me who was not as loving towards children as I

am, do you know what they might do to your children?

We're going to put you away, Caldwell.

Who would someone like that prefer?

Your son?

Your daughter?

No, don't!

He gets hurt, we get done. That's what he wants.

He stays the night until we can check his alibi.

I'll stay for breakfast, if I might.

But no longer, Inspector.

If I find that you're implicated in any harm to any child,

I will hunt you down personally.

And I don't care how long it takes.

I'd say we're looking for an impoverished family.

And TB often surfaces when there's drug or alcohol abuse.

That child was definitely infected, and my guess is that other members of his

family would be too.

So just how do I pinpoint them?

That child was treated with isoniazid, which is a course of treatment lasting

several months for adults.

It's not given to children.

But someone gave it to this boy instead of having him treated.

Why?

Well, perhaps because then it would be officially recorded on a medical file.

And maybe somebody didn't want that.

So let's say there's an adult involved and we're sick.

There'd be a record of that somewhere.

A little, probably.

Denton's pharmacology department runs a 24 -hour shift.

Well, that's where I'll be for the rest of the night.

Thank you, Doctor.

Anything? No, nothing.

What's the worst scenario?

Paedophiles are predatory. They often work together.

Johnson and this Caldwell character.

Yeah.

We can't find Johnson's van keys anywhere.

What would happen if, um...

They used a smaller van to snatch the kid that was easier to disguise.

And then they transferred the kid to Johnson's van.

Johnson gets cold feet, gets violent.

The other man cracks his skull and dumps him.

Then takes the van back to Johnson's place and parks it. The wrong way round.

Yes. But he can't get into the house to put the keys back.

So he chucks them.

Yes, yes.

I mean, who's going to start looking for him after a road accident victim's been

found? How badly injured was Johnson?

Bad enough to look as though he'd been dragged.

Someone drove the van.

Someone else clobbered Johnson and pushed him into the road.

So that means that there was a third man involved.

And he could have been the one that sweet -talked Robbie Palmer away from

football match.

Well, how did we find him?

Well, there was an unsounded allegation against Bobby Palmer's father.

Social services thought that he might be abusing his son.

We'd better check it out.

I know it makes your stomach churn, doesn't it?

Well, I'll see you tomorrow.

Don't be late, Jack.

Will you?

No, sir.

Better tell George Tulan he's doing the briefing tomorrow morning.

I won't be there.

We had Corbyn in here last night.

Did we hold him? No, he walked after his greasy egg. No. His plate went to the

kitchen and his knife and fork went to forensics.

Do what? The governor wants you to give the briefing this morning.

Where is he?

So... We've examined your career in detail, but we want to find out about

real man.

Sir?

Who's lurking inside there?

Well, me.

I'm lurking.

I mean, I always have done. Yes, but what about the other you?

Well, I haven't got a split personality, if that's what you mean.

No, no, no, of course not. I meant hobbies, interests, pastimes.

Well, I do get a certain satisfaction from nicking villains.

But there's more, is there not?

And no man is an island, Inspector?

Well... There must be something. Your colleague from Edmund Street, the eye

carpenter. He's a steam train enthusiast.

Frost, you must do something other than work.

Of course.

Train spotting.

You're a train spotter?

Hmm?

It's the trains.

You see, that's what I missed.

It's the trains.

Of course, sorry. Sorry, excuse me, sir.

And, um, sir, it's... And, of course, ma 'am. Excuse me, I've just realised

something.

Mary, wave. Wave to Daddy.

Come on, get her to wave, Liz. I'm late.

Bye -bye, Daddy.

Bye -bye.

Right, I'd better get going.

Are you home early tonight?

Martin? What?

Oh, no, I shouldn't be too late.

Have fun.

Bye, Mum.

Forty -odd years ago.

You should have a railway line running through here somewhere.

Come on.

Steam train enthusiasts tried to revive the track about ten years ago, but they

couldn't raise the money. Johnson had steam train sites on his computer.

And Caldwell threw it back in our face, didn't he? There'll be a resting train

spotted soon.

He knew what he was doing.

There it is, Terry. Call in the search team.

Cut us over here!

Right.

Green.

Bag this up, will ya? I'm gonna get some prints up there.

Gonna talk now.

All right, call him in.

Tell him we found Bobby Palmer.

This is what they did to this child.

Thank you.

If we had found him earlier, could we have saved him? No.

He had no chance of survival.

Forensics found fibres under his fingernails.

So he struggled with his attacker, then? Yes.

And there were paint flecks mixed on the fibres. Forensic identified them as

paint used for spraying cars.

Old engine oil as well.

That's good.

It narrows it down a bit.

I want to match Johnson's DNA with anything that you find on the boy.

Um... What?

There's been an administrative problem.

The mortuary has released Johnson's body by mistake.

The coroner wouldn't have allowed that. It's a suspicious death. Yes, I know

that. But apparently there's been some sort of log jam up at the mortuary for

days, and a relative of a man named John Stunn ordered the funeral

parlour to take his body away.

They got the names confused?

Yes, exactly.

So not only do we not have any physical evidence, but some poor sod's cremated a

paedophile instead of his own loving relative.

Crumpet?

Well, that's that, then.

All the evidence has gone up in smoke.

However, I'm hoping that the blood that we found in the back of Johnson's van is

his. That means that we will get the DNA that we need.

Yeah, well, let's hope.

What about this first dead child?

Yes, well, George Toulon has tracked down a family that needed medication for

TB.

He's keeping them under surveillance.

He reckons they're a bit iffy, but... Anyway, that's where I'm off to now.

Oh, um... Jack.

Huh?

About the, uh, promotions board.

Oh.

Oh, my God, yeah.

Sorry. I ran out on that one, didn't I?

But I think I've got a valid excuse under the circumstances, haven't I?

Yeah.

Well, the thing is, they're going to give it to you.

Kind of what?

They'll make an official announcement at the end of the month, but they've

suggested that we get hold of the usual write -ups and photographs for the false

magazine. Photographs? I can't afford to have photographs taken. I've got three

murders to solve. Now, no arguments, Jack. It's part and parcel of the

promotion. And I suggest you get yourself smartened up.

I've told the ply you'll be down there for a uniform fitting.

So, may I be the first to congratulate you?

Chief Inspector Frost.

Yes.

Thank you. Thank you, sir.

Now, speed up on those investigations, will you?

Looks as though they'll be your last.

Anything?

The Stephens family. She's in the house with two young kids.

Phil Stephens, the husband. He left an hour ago on his own.

They've only lived here a few weeks. And there's been no sign of any more than

two kids since we've been tracking them.

Hmm. But they're claiming benefit for four kids, hmm? That's right, sir.

Hang on, hang on. Let somebody know.

There.

That's Stephens.

Look at that.

That older boy.

Doesn't look like he knows where he is.

I wouldn't mind betting that that boy's never been inside that house before.

All right, come on, let's do a house call.

George, you and Wilson, cover the back.

Any of your children been treated for TB?

No, just me and Cheryl.

We took the pills that day, you said we should.

Who is this boy?

Hmm? Don't know.

We don't know. Read the papers, you watch the telly, don't you?

He was the young lad who was found dead on a waste -filled site.

You didn't even look.

We don't know nothing about him.

He was never here.

Why would he be here?

What? I never asked you if he'd been here.

What's the names of your children? Don't be stupid.

I want you to tell me the names of your children plus their birthdays.

Because I've got them all here.

From the Child Benefit Office. What's his name? The oldest.

What?

What's his name, the one that you brought in just now?

Michael.

When's his birthday?

He never remembers.

It's the 17th of May, 1997. Look, you can't just come in here and mess us

We've done nothing wrong.

Is that your name, is it, Michael?

Tell him, then. Hmm?

Michael. Is your name... All right, that's enough. Quiet.

Tell me when your birthday is.

Will you tell me when your birthday is? Can you do that? We've already told you!

Shut up!

All right.

Come on, you come with me.

All right, you haven't done anything wrong. You're not in trouble.

I want you to go with that nice lady over there.

You don't say nothing.

Nothing. All right, leave him alone.

It wasn't me what took the lad away.

It wasn't me.

Silly bitch.

I'm not going down for that.

Caution her.

Get child protection here, will you?

Come on.

How did you get him, sir?

Well, when in doubt, take out your shopping list.

Now, these injuries were sustained over a two -year period, and now he was with

you during this time.

I never laid a hand on him.

You beat him and killed him.

Not me.

Not you.

But someone was continually beating him.

I wonder why he didn't run away.

I don't know.

Maybe he loved me.

Hmm.

Why didn't he run away?

I kept him in.

He never went out.

Never. Unless one of us was with him.

But you dumped his body.

Your Phil is next door blaming you for everything.

He says you're the brains behind it all.

And looking at him, that's not difficult to believe.

But you were the one hurting those kids, weren't you?

Did you?

Did you hurt them?

Did you hit them until they were terrified of you?

Maybe you hit this little kid and he became sick

and you panicked and he died.

When we all got

sick...

We tried to fix him.

Look, I thought we were dead.

Phil shook him and slapped him a bit, but he didn't come round.

I didn't know what else to do.

Phil dumped him.

He was the one who weighed it in the kids.

He used to go off his head.

How do I know that?

He hates kids.

Even our own.

He scares the hell out of me, never mind the kids.

That's not enough.

Look, you talk to our own kids.

You tell them they're safe from him.

They'll tell you who did the beating.

All right.

What was this kid's name?

His real name?

I don't know.

All right, bang him up.

Oh, benefit fraud.

People are passing off runaway kids as their own.

Then they're passing the kids from one family to another.

Of course, the thing is that if they'd taken the kid to hospital when he got

then their fraud might have been discovered.

Oh, my God.

These people are heartless.

Don't worry, they'll roll over.

We'll get some of them that are involved.

Not enough, unfortunately.

What about the Palmers, Jack?

What about their boy?

Well, they've got to go through the torture of the mortuary again.

But there's no mistake this time.

Put that out.

You've got me to calm your nerves.

Have you been on to social services about checking out Palmer?

Yeah, got people there now.

Where are we going?

We're off to find Johnson's DNA so we can link him to the murder.

I don't see how without a body.

Well, there are bits of him around.

I mean, they whipped out his kidneys.

Someone must have them somewhere.

You won't give her consent?

The doctor says there's a risk of infection.

All right.

I could have done with your help in there. I'm trying to pin down a child's

murderer. I'm sorry.

She's been through too much as it is.

A kidney transplant is a painful procedure.

Yes, yes, I'm sure.

Anyway, thank you for your help.

I thought the donor's corneas were used.

I can get DNA from his corneas.

Taking a swab from a cornea transplant is going to hurt.

All right, let's ask.

Hello,

Alice. It's Dr. Stewart.

This is Alice Thompson.

She's 18 years old.

Alice, this is Detective Inspector Frost.

He's the one who needs your help. Hello, Alice.

Hi.

I'm not allowed to tell you anything about your donor.

But someone hurt a little boy, and I'm trying to find out who it is.

So this is about getting the DNA.

That's right.

Did... The person who helped me, did they do something to the little boy?

I don't know.

That's why I need your help.

I don't think I could bear to look through the eyes of someone who'd hurt

somebody else.

You mustn't think like that.

Your eyes reflect what you see, reflect what you feel.

There's no other way of doing this, and I know that you've been through an awful

lot.

And I'll understand perfectly if you say no.

I think I need to know as well.

Thank you.

Have you two seen Jack?

No, I haven't seen him, no. No, I mean, have you seen him? Out here. He's only

gone and done it. And there's a photographer waiting with Molly in the

conference room.

Wonderful. Yes.

I never thought I'd live to see the day.

Yes, yes. All right, George. It isn't silent and sealed yet.

Then I'm going to have these mug shots done.

And that doesn't mean to say that you lot can't find something sensible to do.

Thank you.

Congratulations, Jack.

Sir.

You're one of us now.

I was difficult. You just wait. Thank you, George.

That's what I need. Thank you.

Have you got a moment, sir?

Oh, leave it out, Trigg. I haven't been elevated to the aristocracy just yet.

Jack, this unknown personage who's been spoiling you, I think they've made some

headway. Yeah, good man. Who is it?

This individual has been described as tall, blonde, wears tight leather

trousers, and likes a lot of flashy jewellery.

Oh, come on, who is she?

It's a he.

You what?

He's the one that's been sending you all the gifts.

My honey, M .H.

Phyllis Morgan always used to call her son Barry, my honey.

I remember.

You arrested him for soliciting an assault a couple of years ago. That's

He's probably done his time and he's out by now.

Where are you going?

I'm going to find my honey.

Dennis, I didn't know.

You're the one who put him away.

All right, darling.

See you next week.

Ta -da.

He deserved prison, and that's the truth.

He didn't deserve to die in there.

Well, what happened?

Got himself into a knife fight.

Well, who did you use, eh, to send the stuff to me?

One of Barry's friends.

We knew your lot wouldn't take long to work out a bloke was doing the buying.

Sooner or later, I wanted you to squirm.

Well, you wasted your money then, didn't you?

Play to the birth of ego.

That's what he told me before he died.

He'll cringe if he thinks one of us fancies him.

I don't care what people are.

It's how they behave.

He always said you were a queer, Aether.

Your son was a rent boy who slashed a man with a knife.

It's not my feelings you've got to worry about. It's yours.

It's about time you admitted it. I did what he told me to do.

He was my son.

He was a violent little swine.

But he was my boy.

You're going to charge me?

For what?

Wasting your own money?

For having a laugh at me?

You ain't the first.

You won't be the last.

Not in my noddy suit yet.

Right. Come on, then.

Where are we in the Bobby Palmer case?

The DNA from Johnson's cornea transplants back, and so is the DNA from

Caldwell's knife and fork.

Right. And?

Johnson did not take part in the assault on the Palmer boy. However, Caldwell

did.

Right. We got the bastard.

Yeah, and so did another man.

Well, maybe Johnson was trying to protect the boy after all.

We've got to find Caldwell.

Yeah, well, he's not been at the hostel since we lifted him.

Well, that's no surprise, is it?

This third man.

It could be the father.

Oh, I don't see it.

It just doesn't feel right. And I was wrong about him before.

Well, he was interviewed for attempting to talk a schoolgirl into his car.

And social services accused him of abuse.

Yes, but he was genuine when he saw his son's body. He didn't fake that. I know

it.

Jack, we've already had one case of kids being sold for profit.

Yeah, maybe Palmer's been selling his son to the perverted.

He was the only one we know about at that football match that a boy might

trusted. I mean, Palmer could have just handed him over.

We've got to bring him in for questioning, Jack.

I'll finish him.

All right, George, I tell you what.

Double -check the allegations, and if they're kosher, we'll bring him in.

You can't think I'm involved.

My baby is dead.

Emma, for God's sake. I don't know. I don't know.

They said that you've been abusing him.

They came here to the house and said that you've been hurting him. No, Emma,

please, no. That's not true.

You can't say that. That's not right. You've got to believe me. I can't.

My son was taken from me.

They took him from me and they killed him when I was supposed to be looking

after him.

My son.

My boy.

You think I killed my own son?

I've already told the officers that were here earlier. There is no record of

anyone named Palmer being questioned by anyone from this office.

Mrs Palmer is a very sensible woman.

She checked the man's identity.

Well, there is nothing, I'm afraid.

And there were certainly no allegations of abuse against anyone in the Palmer

family.

Then we've got someone out there posing as a child welfare officer.

They get to the kids by frightening the parents.

Yeah, he threatens them with a court order if the parent doesn't let him see

child there and then.

Once he's seen the child, he's halfway to building a relationship.

All right, if it wasn't someone that worked here, maybe someone he knew.

What about someone who's left the social services in the last couple of years?

If you saw our workload, you'd be surprised anyone stayed.

Think! I've already got one child killer out there.

Three years ago, we were taken to an industrial tribunal by one of our

caseworkers. He was claiming unfair dismissal. Oh, yeah? What was his name?

Martin Drew.

He moved. I don't know where he lives now.

So, go on. What happened?

Well, he became too involved in a paedophile case.

Drew claimed that he was attempting to understand the psychological profile of

the offender.

Yeah, look, we need the address of a Martin Drew.

You say involved?

What do you mean?

Obsessed?

Yes. If you like.

He resigned before it went to tribunal.

Didn't anyone become suspicious?

Social services have enough bad press.

We didn't want any adverse publicity.

Well, you're not doing yourself any favours now, are you?

All right.

What was this sex offender's name?

Peter Johnson.

There's only one Martin Drew in the Denton area. George is on his way there

Right.

Right. So let's think about it.

Drew meets Johnson when he's in prison.

And then he spots Johnson when he comes back to hide in Denton. But meanwhile,

Drew has made another dangerous friend.

Caldwell.

Does your husband work in the garage business?

What? No, no, no, he's a sales representative.

He is restoring an old car.

Where? He has a lock -up on the industrial estate.

All right, George.

Mrs Drew, this is Detective Inspector Frost.

How do you do? He's in charge of the investigation.

What investigation?

The murdered boy, Bobby Palmer.

Something happened to my son.

I don't believe that either of your children are in any danger.

Is your husband at work?

Yes, he's away today and tonight.

I found this, and there's about a dozen tapes in here as well.

All right, well, let's connect it up.

Please tell me what's going on. Drew had a lock -up, apparently. He's spray

-painting an old car. I don't understand any of this.

We have reason to believe... There's a video of the school here.

I know that's my daughter. Martin filmed us.

Hang on.

All right, go on, run it on.

Hey, Daddy.

Bye -bye.

Right, I'd better get going.

He's filmed over another school.

He's been out videotaping kids.

Hang on.

Who's that?

Do you know who that is?

No.

That looks like St Agnes' school to me.

No, it's not. It's Canyon Road Primary School.

I can tell. Look, it's got the chimney in the background.

That's less than ten minutes from here.

It took to date a couple of days ago, sir.

That kid could be the next target.

Come on.

All right.

I need to stay here, George. I want you to have a... Tell everybody, make sure

they know what they're looking for.

Come on,

stay here.

Are you all right? Can I help?

My little boy, I don't see him.

He usually waits by the playground.

His rucksack was over there.

All right, all right.

All right, stay here. Slater!

Can you hear me, classmate lady?

Stay here, if you're on.

John! I think they've got the poor way. Right.

They've got to be stuck in this traffic.

Right.

All right.

All right, George, let's turn this way. Right.

Check the vehicle, George.

Right.

All right, all right, son.

All right. Come on. I'm a policeman. It's all right. It's all right. You've

to me. Good boy. Good boy. Take him with you. All right, got it. Come on, you.

Come on out, you.

Come on.

Ah, such a shame.

What? What?

You're a very tender child.

I was very close to teaching you about real love.

Haven't you ever thought how it must feel?

We found everything in the lock -up.

They spray -painted the escort van as they needed it.

Martin Drew confessed.

They tried to pull Johnson into things, and they killed him.

Well, Caldwell did, at least.

When Johnson tried to save the boy from being hurt.

Johnson wasn't exactly a strong bloke, but he thumped Drew, which gave him a

bloody nose.

It was Drew's blood we found in the van.

How did you know it was that van?

What? A playground maintenance van.

Well, it wasn't a council van.

Denton Council look after playgrounds.

Have we told the Palmers here?

Yeah.

The Drewsburgers' investigation set the rot in. The Palmers were splitting up.

Well, fear and doubt like that creep into a marriage. It doesn't stand much

chance, does it?

I'm going out for a while.

They're precious, aren't they? I can smell them, they're so fragrant.

They're beautiful, thank you.

And your doctor told me that you'll be able to see them soon.

Yeah, yeah, not long now. Dressing's coming off in a couple of days.

I thought that you might like to know that the person who donated their

for your transplant...

Well, at the end of the day, they tried to save a little boy's life.

Thank you.

Yeah, I was worried about that.

You shouldn't be. You just concentrate on getting better soon.

And the truth is, without your help, another little boy

might have got hurt.

So, thank you very much.

Will you visit me again?

Later. I'd like to see you.

Of course I will.

It appears that no one saw anything.

All the officers involved seemed to think that Caldwell was either resisting

arrest or fell when he was pulled from the van. You seem to have their total

support, Jack.

Yes, thank you.

Caldwell's pressing charges, of course.

There'll be an inquiry.

You'll be suspended until a conclusion is reached, and you'll have to give

evidence. Yes, I know that.

Right.

I'm sure this whole matter, you know, can be swept under the carpet.

Caldwell wants to make a deal.

He'll drop these...

trumped -up charges of assault against you for, um... well, for certain

considerations.

No, I don't think so.

You're... you're admitting the assault?

Yes.

I've never lied on the witness stand, and I have no intention of starting now,

not for scum like Caldwell.

Jack! You're throwing it all away!

Your whole damn career is in jeopardy here. Your promotion?

It's right there after all these years.

For God's sake.

Jack.

I know.

I didn't think that my career as a copper was going to end like this

All right.

From now, you're on indefinite suspension.

Clear your desk.

Sure.

Jack?

I'm sorry, Jack.

No, there's no need to be.

Truth is, he deserved a thumping.

I just happen to be the bloke lucky enough to do it.

Fickle finger of fate.

Right, well, that's it then. I'm off.

I want you to thank the team for me. They did a cracking good job. I'm very

proud of them.

Thank everyone for what they said to Mr Mullet.

Well, now you can smoke to your heart's content.

Make sure you irritate the hell out of Mr Mullet before you go back to Edmund

Street.

Yeah, I'll do that, Gaff.

Goodbye, George.

Jack, I... Oh, no, George, no.

I can't afford to let the troops see me pretending I've got something in my eye.

Now, can I, will I leave?

You look after yourself.

You think this is Last Night at Denton Prompt?

I'll be back.