A Touch of Frost (1992) s02e01 Episode Script
A Minority Of One
Mac dog.
No sign of an intrusion or forced entry at Wheeler's.
We are now attending Corderado and Cleg Street.
Perhaps it was an earthquake.
What? That set all the alarms off, you know, subliminal.
The earth has moved and we haven't noticed.
Yeah, I know the feeling.
Now look, there's another one.
Can I ask you what you're doing please? Trying to get some bloody sleep.
Where's Sergeant Wells? He'll be back in a moment, sir.
Hello Norman, what are you in for? The usual, sir.
Hey what happened to that hostel we put you in? The usual.
You haven't seen that flasher lately, have you, you know the one in the park? I don't go in the park, anymore Mr.
Frost, it's full of undesirables.
Yeah, very wise.
Oy, you, get off that desk, and you, Jack, out of it.
All right, all right.
Ain't you got no home to go to? What's the charge, criminal damage.
It is not criminal damage.
It's justifiable homicide.
That alarm deserves to die, goes up every time a pigeon brakes wind.
Corderado.
Right, I'd deal with the owner next.
I'll see you in the morning, Bill.
Six times in that last four nights, six times.
Thank you, sir.
Morning, Johnny.
Morning, Jack.
Oh, cheers.
Don't forget Mrs.
MacKendrick's dog will you? Right.
Paul Mullett is looking for you Governor.
Is he? Where are we going? Corderado.
Electrical storm.
They got down for thirty grand's worth last night.
Oh dear.
Well? Cry wolf, sir.
I beg your pardon? I cry wolf, the alarms.
The number of false alarms has been going through the roof lately.
We think maybe a gang is setting them off deliberately waiting for us to check and clear assessing which owners get blase and then picking a spot.
And I see they are happy with that, are they? The thought that burglars can plunder the town at will? What am I supposed to tell the Denton News? Sandy Longford is sitting and smirking in my office at this very moment.
If you could just leave it to us sir.
I intend to.
A superintendent has quite enough to do without worrying about crime.
The business community is losing confidence, Mr.
Mullett.
Progress with the commercial burglaries is being made.
Yeah, mostly by the burglars.
And you see Sandy, many people, and sadly I must include the Denton News in this criticism, fail to look beyond the reported crime figures as a yardstick for measuring police performance.
It is through our relationship with the local communities that progress towards an increase in trust and confidence and consequently a genuine decrease in crime can be achieved.
So an arrest isn't imminent? I'm referring, of course, to our relationship with the ethnic minorities who perform such a vital and vibrant part in our community.
Now Denton has a number of uniformed officers drawn from -- One black, one brown, one Welsh.
Drawn from all parts of the racial spectrum.
And it gives me great pleasure to announce the arrival of our very first non-white CID officer.
His name is Carl Tanner.
He joins us from the Bazingstoke Crime Squad and he starts tomorrow.
And you hope this appointment will defuse racial tension within the town.
What racial tension? Oh, you deny there is any? Of course I deny there's racial tension.
I've never heard of anything so absurd.
He's a little rascal, isn't he sir? Longford, it's inflammatory.
Well he's burned his bridges with me this time.
No more interviews ever.
That's right, sir.
You let him buy his own chocolate biscuits.
Hey what about that new detective constable? I'm assigning him to the commercial burglary initiatives to bring some order to your chaos.
I see.
It's definitely Al Baldwin.
I mean there are guys in a crime squad queuing up for CID and this shiner gets the job just cause he happens to be the right color.
How'd you get the job then, Cottam? Offer your body to the chief constable? Where is he? He's in your office, Guv.
All right.
Inspector Frost.
Yes.
I understand you met the others? Yeah.
They told me to wait here.
Quite right.
It's more salubrious in here isn't it? Right, well, let's have a quick run down of the filing system, shall we? In, out, LBW.
LBW? Let the buggers wait.
What's that say? Mac dog.
Yes, just what I thought.
You know why I'm here don't you, sir? You've come to solve our burglaries.
Sir, it's cause I'm black.
Yes, whites can't solve it.
Positive discrimination, right? See there's two other guys in the crime squad far better qualified for this attachment then me.
Oh, it's Mr.
Mullett, forward thinking, we all have to suffer for it.
Oh, no, no, I mean I can handle it, the backbiting and I wanted to work with you.
Oh, really? Most people think it's like getting the black spot.
Come on.
Arthur, what can I do for you? A non-accidental injury reported from St.
Mary's Hospital, Jack.
Is that your boy? Yeah, I'll catch up with you.
I just thought you'd want to know the family's name is Bell, Brunsick House, East Dean Estate.
Matthew Bell, not Natalie's kid? Yeah.
Well, here we are son.
Welcome to the East Dean Estate, crime academy of Denton.
Yeah, I've heard about it.
Yes.
We'll you'll hear a lot more.
I'll tell you if there (unintelligible) would end up here on the East Dean.
You slut! Now you listen you just get out of my flat.
Go, now.
You slut! I'm throwing you out.
I don't want you around here.
Just get out, get out, get out.
Miss Natalie Bell, Detective Inspector Frost, and this is Detective Constable Tanner.
Child protection team asked me to visit.
Thank you.
Oh hello, who's this? He's a friend.
He's just leaving.
Don't look at me man.
I don't hit kids.
It's a white man thing.
That's a rather racist remark, sir.
What did he want? He's a friend.
Oh, on home ground now, unlike you.
And what are you doing on home ground.
That's more to the point.
You're trying to blow me out or what? No, I'm not.
I got worried about you when I heard.
You know I worry about you.
So you come here? Child protection is CID's responsibility, Natalie.
It would look fishy if we didn't attend.
So where's Matthew? I left him at his nan's.
Is he okay? No bones broken.
Good, so who? Oh, who do you think? Your latest? Yeah, Phil Aspinall.
He come around last night, drunk as per.
Matthew wound him up cause Phil (unintelligible) and bang, bastard.
So where's darling Phil now? Oh, no idea.
He was too pissed to drive us to the hospital.
When I got back he had thrown up on the carpet and left.
All right, we'll nick him.
Yeah, you do that.
You find him and I'll nail him.
The rest is between you and me, right.
But this one I ain't grassing.
This one is personal.
I'll go in the box if I have to.
All right, now calm down here.
Listen, I may be a slag but nobody hits my kid and he knows that.
I want everyone to know it, right? All right, all right, now just calm down.
We'll get him.
Go and put the kettle on, will you son? Sit down there.
That's, um, what I owe you from our last piece of business.
Don't worry, we'll get Aspinall.
I don't suppose you got anything else for me at the moment, have you? It's all right.
Don't worry he's one of ours.
It's just that I need something on these commercial burglaries.
Come on, Natalie, come on, you must have something for me, hey, come on.
Davis Clark, halfway house, flat 1 6.
Clark, I didn't know he was into burglary? Yeah, drugs.
He started dealing again.
Oh, fine.
Well we'll get him.
Come on Natalie, about these burglaries? Sorry, no.
There must be something floating about.
You know an iffy camcorder, electric drill.
Just leave it.
She's a real diamond mine, Natalie.
She's been running it for the last couple of years.
And she's not common knowledge.
Sergeant Hanlon the DCI and you.
So let's just keep it that way, shall we? Shall we use a sledgehammer? Police, stay where you are.
Mr.
Clark, sorry sir, your front doorbell wasn't working.
Come on.
Now we have reason to believe that you've been contravening the misuse of drugs act on these premises, Mr.
Clark.
What do you mean, man? I'm clean.
Washing is not the habit I'm interested in, sir.
Well? Nothing here.
And you? Nothing yet.
Guv? Yes.
Mr.
Clark, tragic news I'm afraid.
Your goldfish is about to OD on cocaine.
Well I hope the incident was sensitively handled.
Don't worry, we'll give it a decent burial.
What? The goldfish, after the postmortem of course.
Goldfish are not my prime concern at the moment as you well know.
Nor mine, sir.
At least this one died happy.
Jack, I think you better step into my office.
Yes sir.
Here you are son, go and get yourself a cup of tea.
Steer clear of the turkey sandwiches, will you.
Close the door, will you? It's a great pity this Davis Clark isn't white.
I'll pop down to the store sir and get a calamine lotion.
You know what I'm talking about.
The East Dean Estate is becoming a racially sensitive area.
Why, just because Sandy Longford says so? No, but perhaps he's more in touch then you are, certainly sharper at his job.
While you were out breaking down black people's doors another commercial burglary took place, Thorogoods in the business part, in broad daylight this time.
I did have a non-accidental injury to attend to.
That was apart from the drugs.
I suppose that's of no consequence, a little kid getting bashed up.
Don't be facile, of course these things are of consequence.
But that's 200,000 pounds worth of stolen goods on this division in the past month.
So when the chamber of commerce phone up for their daily gripe can I put them on to you? Might as well have a game of Chinese checkers.
Those colored pins are not for any use for anything else, unless of course we make and effigy of Mr.
Mullett.
There has to be some pattern, Guv.
The only pattern was all those alarms being set off on purpose.
What about at Thorogoods? Could it be a different gang? Except the alarm was tampered with.
You know if you ask me, someone out there has expertise.
Well it certainly wasn't the bloke who cooked thischicken.
Go on, why don't you go off home to bed.
Oh no, I'm fine.
No, you're not.
You're trying to impress me.
It certainly isn't necessary son.
I get them all thrown at me, you know, Chief Constable's nephews, trigger-happy husbands, demoted inspectors.
As long as you're a pig first and black second you and me will get along fine.
Oh damn, Aspinall.
We haven't done anything about Aspinall, have we? Frost, cheers Arthur.
Witkems Cash and Carry on the Trading Estate, uniform (unintelligible) a burglary.
Hey, get out of here.
Come on.
There's one still here.
The suspect is leaving in a white van, one is still on the scene.
Hey! Looks like a bit of sweatshirt on the glass, emerald green, and blood, quite a bit of blood.
Suspect escaped over the roof.
We are not in pursuit.
Better get in touch with the hospitals.
We had a call.
Dr.
Shakir? Yes? You treated a glass wound, sir? A half-hour ago ten stitches in the bottom of the right thumb.
Lucky it missed his wrist.
Did he say how it happened? The usual, fight outside of pub.
Name of person treated is Mark Vivian Lansdale, date of birth 27th of December, '75, address 271 Rosetti House, East Dean Estate.
Yes.
Mrs.
Lansdale? Yes? Sorry to disturb you so early, love, Detective Inspector Frost, Denton Police.
Is Mark at home? Yes, in bed.
Well could you go an wake him up? We need to speak to him.
Mark! Mark! Do you mind if we come in, no, good? Some nice consumer (unintelligible) in the living room, Guv.
Oh, Mark Lansdale? Put some clothes on son.
I can't talk to a pair of white fronts.
Where were you at 1 1 :00 last night, Mark? Why? I think it's simpler if just one of us asks the questions.
Were you at home? No.
Oh, you weren't, where were you? My mate's house.
Your mate, what mate? I'm not dropping him in it as well.
Dropping him in what? In this, you think I've been out burglarizing.
It wouldn't be the first time if you had, would it Mark? Nothing for two years, chief.
Your computer should tell you that.
Have you got a green sweatshirt? What? A sweatshirt, emerald green? Emerald green, I don't think so.
Why is that, not cool enough? How do you manage to look so cool, Mark, right, and white fronts apart? How can you afford it? You're unemployed aren't you? I save me benefit and I don't do drugs.
What do you do then, stay at home every evening with dear old mom, wondering which one of your three videos you're going to plug in? Cut your hand? Yeah.
How'd you do that? I cut it last night.
What did you cut it with? Glass.
Glass? What sort of glass? Glass, glass, you know for beer.
So you were in the pub? I told you I was at my mate's house.
What were you doing there, you and your mate, having a fight? No.
The glass broke in my hand when I was washing up.
And did you seek medical attention after this domestic mishap? Yeah.
I went down to casualty at St.
Mary's.
They gave me 10 stitches.
I bet you told the doctor that you'd been in a fight? Yeah.
And now you're trying to tell me that you cut your hand during a washing up? Well, I was a bit drunk wasn't I, at the hospital.
And washing up is not a very cool thing to do, is it? Ah, you wanted to retain your street creed? Yeah.
In other words you tell lies? So if I were to ask you did you in fact cut your hand last night while doing a burglary at Witkems Cash and Carry and you said no, I wouldn't know whether to believe you or not would I? You and your little boy can believe what you like.
You can't prove nothing.
I've done my good citizen bit.
Now I'm going home.
But he's got form doesn't he.
He's on the dole and he's got a flat full of bent gear.
We don't know the gear's bent yet, Guv.
That is why I am being a good, upright copper and I'm not detaining him.
But if he goes out burglarizing why would he give the hospital his real name and address? Well I don't know, do I? Pain, shock, villains, they're not supermen are they? Guv.
Yes, all right.
I'll tell you one thing, putting the wind up pond life is much better than piddling about with colored pins anyway.
Thank you.
Frost, oh, hello love.
Yeah, I'm sorry.
I haven't forgotten it.
Has Aspinall come back? You're okay are you? Good.
It's just that I haven't had a chance.
I didn't expect otherwise.
I've got something for you.
Yeah, about the burglaries, but it will cost.
No, it's more than names.
All right.
How's Matthew? Fine.
Good, where is he now? Doreen's.
That's his nan's, right? I saw you this morning on the estate.
Oh yeah.
I had been planning to phone you anyway.
Then I saw you leaving with Mark Lansdale.
He was in the Wheat Sheaf last night with Ritchie Gibbs.
Who? Ritchie Gibbs, in my flat the other morning? Oh yes, him.
Errol Baker was with them.
Was he really? Ritchie's staying with him.
So? So did you know Errol bought a van a while back? No.
He don't keep it on the estate.
He's trying to start his own removals business apparently.
I thought Mark must be working for him.
Errol drops him off sometimes.
I went out last night I twigged what they're working at.
Where did you get that? In the pub last night.
Mark Lansdale sold it to me.
They were doing a good trade.
I always said that you were a diamond.
I've got to go.
Natalie, hey, Natalie, Natalie, you be careful, all right.
Check that out, will you? Stolen property, Corderado, serial numbers, they're on.
Now we can disturb Mr.
Lansdale's beauty sleep again in the morning.
You see Jack, a lot of people whinge about positive discrimination.
But if you don't have positive discrimination you're left with negative discrimination and that leads to inertia, perpetuating the status quo.
I used to quite like that.
You've got to get proportional representation.
What are you talking about now, politics? In all ranks.
Oh.
When you got a black superintendent that's when you don't need to push the Tanners of this world through the system anymore cause it will happen naturally.
How did Mullett get there then? He's not black, and he's certainly not natural.
3291, what, East Dean, burning cars? No, it's a flat apparently sir and there was no reason to suspect it's a public order situation but you did have to be informed.
What number? Sorry sir? What number? I don't know yet.
It's Brunsick House.
Oh my God.
Yeah, it's probably just a house fire.
Excuse me, excuse me, coming through, excuse me, coming through, thank you.
She wasn't burned.
The smoke got her.
The sup is here, Guv.
Good morning, sir.
Cause? Well, Socco and Labliase haven't arrived yet but the fire officer reckons it was petrol.
Arson.
Very.
Was she known to you, the deceased? Yes, sir, she was.
So, house-to-house inquiries? We'll be starting shortly, sir, but I don't expect very much.
None of the neighbors who evacuated last night saw or heard anything.
You mean there's a conspiracy of silence? I don't think so, sir.
Meat and drink to that rebel rouser Long ford of course.
I think I might call a press conference, take the heat out of the situation.
I think the firemen already did that, sir.
Carry on.
Yes, sir.
I'm calling Lansdale, Harold Baker and a guy called Gibbs, is that all right? What, for this? Well, we'll start out with burglary and we'll see what happens.
Burglary, Jack you've already had Lansdale in once.
I've got fresh evidence.
I had fresh evidence last night.
Do you know what this is, Mark? A camcorder in a plastic bag.
Correct.
Have you ever seen it before? No.
Quite sure? Yeah.
Were you in the Wheat Sheaf Public House on Ryedale Street the night before last? Yeah.
Oh, really? Only yesterday you told me you were at your mate's house? You asked me where I was at 1 1 :00.
We were at the pub before that.
I see.
I stand corrected.
So who's we then, Mark? Who's we? Me and Errol.
Errol Baker? Yeah.
And it was at his place you went to do the washing up? Yes.
Why didn't you tell me this before? Cause I know how you feel about Errol.
I think it's a case about how Errol Baker feels about us.
I hear you're working with him.
Yeah.
Well you hear a lot then, don't you? Does that give you a problem, me hearing things? Yeah.
You're in the removal game, you, Errol Baker and Ritchie Gibbs.
The serial number that's on this camcorder is the same one that's on this sheet of paper which contains a list of items that were removed, i.
e.
, stolen, from Corderado three nights ago.
So how come you were selling this in the pub? What did Lansdale say? Well, he denied any knowledge and went stumm.
So? So it's onto Baker and Gibbs.
There's no way that their stories will match under cross-examination and Lansdale's already told porkies.
Natalie gave me their names, Jim, and now she's dead.
Okay.
Thank you.
Yo, watch out.
Good morning, Errol.
Could you spare us a few minutes down at the nick? No.
You can't do this, man.
This is the 1990's.
Yeah, I got a calendar.
Thank you, Mr.
Baker.
Inspector Frost wants him booked in.
Oh, and him.
Look we don't know nothing about no burglaries, all right.
No one's saying you do.
What do you mean no one's saying, you're all saying it.
Don't give me that crap.
Waiting for me, son? Yes, Guv.
Errol sounds his usual happy self.
Let's go and grab a sandwich while he works out his aggression on Sergeant Wells.
What do you got there son, your Christmas present list? I've been doing a bit of digging, for background you know, with the PNC and the collator.
And this, these are all people who live on the East Dean Estate who have been arrested in the last two years.
Can you remember which of them Natalie fingered? That one, and that one, that one, him and him.
No, that one's marked with a red spot.
What's the red spot mean? It means a race code three.
Every single person Natalie gave you was black.
So? Well haven't you noticed? No I haven't noticed.
What difference does their color make if they're active? None whatsoever.
Come on son, come on, get it off your chest.
What is it you're trying to say? Are you trying to say that Natalie shouldn't have informed of them because they were black or that we shouldn't have done anything about it cause they were black? Is that what you say anyway, you, who hates positive discrimination so much.
I just think it's cause for concern, Guv.
My cause for concern is that Natalie has been murdered.
Yeah and three black guys are in the frame for that as well.
Yes, and if they bank to right I'll have them whether they're black, white, pink or purple.
Yeah, but Lansdale is not bank to rights Guv, nor Gibbs or Baker not for the burglaries, not for anything.
All right, all right, maybe everybody else that Natalie gave you were guilty.
But why no whites, uh, why? It just doesn't make any sense.
Jack, wanted in reception.
All right.
I'll go out and nick a few for you if you like.
Hey, what's up with you? Ear ache.
What are you doing hear anyway? I thought you've been banned? Mullett's changed his mind.
Give us a minute.
I'm here for an in-depth interview.
He's realized he needs the evening news, Jack.
You all do.
No, I don't.
It's too thick for bog paper and too thin for curtains.
Especially now things have turned really nasty on the East Dean.
Of course, it's obviously racial.
You know I've always said this about you, Sandy.
You're in the finest tradition of journalism.
You never let the truth get in the way of a good story.
Been like you at the moment by all accounts, Iifting people on the off chance.
It doesn't go down too well, Jack, not nowadays.
I don't lift people on the off chance.
I act on the information received.
So do I mate.
No.
Errol Baker's girlfriend phoned while I was leaving the office.
She claims Errol was dragged into a police car.
If Errol Baker won the pools he'd punch the postman.
But he hasn't won the pools, has he Jack? He's just an old favorite.
Jack? Yes.
Front desk.
Yes, I'm coming, I'm coming.
Oh, and Mrs.
MacKendrick phoned, about her dog.
Oh, Mr.
Purcell? Yeah.
Right, well, I understand you have some information for me.
Yeah.
It's about Mark Lansdale, you know.
Um-hum.
And the other two you got in here.
Right.
They're innocent, Innocent you understand? You understand? Now you do them, you get done.
Now I want you to tell me that they aint gonna get done.
Tell me! (alarm sounding) Tell me! Tell me! Stop him! Get him! Jack! You brat, I had him then.
Calm down.
Calm down will you.
It's all right, he's here.
Go on.
Just helping with our inquiry, sir.
From the East Dean Estate, your assailant.
Apparently.
His name is Ian Purcell.
He was drugged up to the eyeballs.
Have you ever been on the riot training course? No.
I have.
It's frightening.
And of course when the lid finally blows on the East Dean Estate, when the barricades go up and the petrol bombs and the lumps of concrete start flying, it won't be you out there Ieading the thin blue line will it? It'll be me.
With respect, sir, don't you think that we're just overreacting a little bit? Rioters enjoy overreacting, Jack.
It's all part of a riot.
Are you trying to tell me, that I shouldn't do my job? Tension is high.
A flat has been burned.
And yet you insist on hauling black residents off the estate.
I had good reason for pulling Lansdale.
Twice on the basis of a cut thumb? Cut thumb and None of the goods found in his flat were stolen, not one item.
The checks were completed while you were out putting on your floorshow for Sandy Longford.
Oh, and Jim Allen's downstairs with Lansdale's mother.
I have men friends, right? Regular men friends and one of them he works at general stores here in the electrical department.
The staff there, they're allowed to buy, what do they call it, discontinued lines, things that don't get sold in the sale.
They buy them cheap.
And he buys them and gives them to me time to time.
As presents? Half presents, half, you know.
In other words you're on the game, and this fellow pays you in electrical goods? I don't mind.
Them I don't want I sell easy enough.
But it has nothing to do with Mark, none at all.
Mark's a good boy.
He don't say nothing about his mother.
Yes.
Well, it might have saved a lot of trouble if he had, Mrs.
Lansdale, or if you had come forward sooner.
It don't make any difference what I say to you in here.
It's Mark, he wanted.
She'll have to give us the name of her man friend of course.
But if she does that and it checks out, then the gear came out of Jena's in the square.
Mullett told you about the blood as well, did he? Blood? At Witkems, it doesn't match Lansdale, wrong group.
But the camcorder, the one that Lansdale sold to Natalie, that was definitely nicked out of Corderado.
If he sold it to Natalie.
I can't see that we can even stick him on for handling.
All you've got is the word of a dead informer.
Look, Jack, I'm really sorry about Natalie.
But there it is.
Yes, there it is.
Is it all right for us to crash about now, is it? Yeah, sure, sir.
Seat of the fire was definitely here in the hallway.
There's some fragments of burnt rag and you can still smell petrol on one or two bits of door grass.
No way out.
All right, no need to paint a picture.
Do the living room, will you? Any idea what we're looking for? Not a clue, son.
Here's what was left of the fireplace.
There's nothing much else.
Her earnings.
You still think it was someone she grassed up? Twenty suspects and they're all black, Mr.
Mullett wont prove.
Yeah, but if nobody knew? Oh, come on.
We were in this flat two days ago.
I wasn't exactly over discreet when I met her last night.
Oh, right.
So it's your fault she's dead.
Who else's? She was my snout, my responsibility.
I'm the copper with a common touch hey son? I'm the one that sits in the charge room every night getting to know life's unfortunates.
The trouble is I don't get to know anyone.
If I did I wouldn't have needed you to have soused out what Natalie was doing.
Oh, come on Guv.
I haven't soused out anything.
I mean I don't know why she did it.
You know it could all be a coincidence.
All I did was to use the poor little girl Iike I use everyone.
For the sake of the job.
The job is all I got.
You know all this could be a domestic, nothing to do with grassing.
So I reckon is we should go find Aspinall, the boyfriend who thumped her kid.
I mean he's not black, is he? I didn't even get that right for her, did I? So what are you gonna do, Guv, huh, what? Just sit there all day moping? No.
The bed's too wet.
Come on.
Come on, let's get on with it.
Two Yales? Have you found the lock? Sir? Front door.
It's down there.
Thank you.
If you could be careful sir, That is evidence.
Yeah, all right.
A little bag, please? Thank you.
Oh, there you are son.
Be a good little pig, see if you can find another Yale lock in the flat, will you? When you've done that get these checked for fingerprints? I'm off to see her mum.
Estate collection, she has a young kid.
All the other filth have put in.
Umm.
I'm her stepmother.
Well you know that, or was I mean.
I'm not her real mum, not that that ever made any difference to us.
You were pretty close then were you? Yeah.
She had a tough life, poor kid, real mom died.
I come on the scene.
And then her dad walked out on both of us.
Yeah, yeah.
Well hello there, is this him is it? Come on out, what have I told you.
I ain't going to be long, all right.
Does he know? No.
Would you like to tell him? No.
No.
He thinks his mom's gone away for a couple of weeks.
Oh, he'll be all right here.
You can tell that to social services if they ask.
Look, I know this is a difficult time.
Was it torched, the flat? Well you're CID.
You wouldn't be here if it was a gas leak.
It definitely wasn't a gas leak.
That much I can tell you.
Well, there's not a lot I can tell you either.
Did you know her boyfriend? Which one? She got through a lot.
This was her latest.
What was his name? There it is, Philip Aspinall.
Only that he turned up drunk, bashed Matthew.
Do you know where I can find him? No, no.
Me and Nat never discussed men, too much in common, always attracted to scrubs, always hoping they'd turn out different.
Oh, no chance.
Inspector Frost from control.
Yes, Arthur.
The DCI wants to see you now.
(knock on door) Come in.
Yes, Jim.
Natalie Bell, initial pathologist's report, no smoke in her lungs, Iarge dent at the base of her skull.
She was dead before the fire.
So the torching of the flat was either a coincidence or a botched attempt at a cover up.
The pathologist put the time of death one hour, maybe two before the start of the fire.
And the front door hadn't been forced.
How can you tell that? The place was a shambles.
Cause the firemen had to force the front door to get in, Which means? Which means Natalie opened the door to the murderer.
Yes, or the murderer had a key.
And it couldn't have been an accident, this bang on the head? No.
She was found in the middle of the living room floor.
There was nothing she could bang her head on.
I met her kid this morning, Natalie's, the first time ever after doing business with his mother for two years.
What are you looking at? I was just wondering what you were doing? Me? I'm catching up on my paperwork on a needs to know basis.
What goes in the bin no one needs to know.
Right, so, there you go.
I want you to take that down to the incinerator.
I'm going to go to the collector's office.
Oh, any joy with those keys? Only one person's prints found on them, confirmed from reports as Natalie's, and no other locks in that flat.
But that mystery Yale, it'll fit Mrs.
Gilbert's place surely.
Surely of course Oh, Jack.
Did you manage to determine the cause of the death.
Yes.
Trust a pathologist to muck up your theory.
So you will be looking elsewhere then Lansdale now? Well nobody's out of the frame yet.
Though I did discover that Natalie Bell's child is of mixed parentage, so things are looking a little less black and white.
Not in public order terms, unfortunately, Tonight will be the test, when darkness falls.
No going home for me, I'm afraid.
No, sir.
Still it'll give Mrs.
Mullett a chance to catch up on her reading.
What's Turner doing? Oh, he's doing a bit of personal filing for me, sir.
How's he shaping up? Very well.
He's turning out to be a right little black bombshell.
Black bombshell, sir.
Superior kind of pig, pig, oink, oink.
Aspin.
Aspinall, the trouble is people don't put things back in the right order.
Yes, I know what you mean, Ernie.
I have the same problem.
You know a tidy office is like a red rag to some people.
Aspinall, the name does ring a bell.
He's not on the computer you say? No, nothing officially known and I haven't got his address.
That is why I've come to the font of all knowledge.
Leave it with me.
All right, how long? Aspinall.
Thank you, Ernie.
Hey Turner, have you got those keys? Yes.
Thank you.
Now I've got to out and Doreen Gilbert anyway.
I need someone to identify the body.
Mr.
Mullett was asking about you.
I paid you a compliment.
I don't think he realizes it though.
When? Tomorrow morning 10:00.
I'm sorry but she does have to be formally identified and you were closer to her than anyone.
Yeah, right.
Thanks.
Oh, I'm sorry, but while we're here I hope you don't mind I found some keys in Natalie's flat and one of the Yales is a bit of a mystery.
I wonder whether it fits your door here? She never had a key to this place.
Well you can try if you like? No, no, it's all right, love.
If you say so that's good enough for me.
Philip Aspinall's perhaps? Oh, I have no idea.
I mean I told you before I don't know nothing about him.
Oh, yeah, thanks.
Matthew, don't have any more of them sweets.
Till tomorrow then? Yeah.
Thank you.
You didn't tell her what our pathologist said.
No, it's best not to tell her everything.
Wicked stepmothers are always in the frame.
You're on mortuary duty with her by the way.
Me? Yes.
It's called positive discrimination, son.
It means that you get all the best jobs.
By the way, I'm sorry if I got a bit mordeling this morning.
I sometimes get overwhelmed by self-knowledge, you know, sudden realization I'm bloody useless.
It's my only vice.
Well the only one that they can't sack me for.
I don't know.
I can't make out whether you really care or not, Guv.
Can't you? Good, drive on.
I thought Mark must be working for him.
Errol drops him off sometimes.
I went out last night I twigged what they're working at.
Where did you get that? In the pub last night.
Mark Lansdale sold it to me and.
They was doing a good trade.
I always said that you were a diamond.
I've got to go.
Natalie, hey.
Mrs.
Lansdale, I'm sorry to disturb you.
Do you think I might come in, please? Is Mark here? If he was, you wouldn't be.
What do you want? To apologize.
You could have done that in public not sneak up here after dark.
Yes.
Well I hope you'll accept it anyway.
Manners never were my strong point.
Perhaps brains weren't either.
My enthusiasm tends to get the better of me, sorry.
I noticed that Mark was making a collection this morning for Natalie's little boy, Matthew.
What are you going to tell me, that he nicked the money? No, no, no, no.
I just wondered if Mark knew Natalie personally? Personally? Well Matthew is of mixed parentage.
And I don't want to be offensive but I just thought that You don't know who Matthew's father is? No.
It's no secret, Ritchie Gibbs.
Ritchie Gibbs? I thought he was new to the area? He was here before, Ieft soon after Matthew was born.
Oh.
Not because he's black and that's what all black guys do.
Why then? Because Natalie was more of a (unintelligible) than I am.
And as your flat is directly opposite Natalie's, I wonder if you noticed anything last night? Not until the fire engine arrived, no.
What about other times, you know, people coming in and going out? I don't take notice.
It's just that I think that whoever torched Natalie's flat must have known her pretty well, must have known that little Matthew spent a couple of nights each week at his grandma's.
Either that or he was a complete bastard who couldn't care less.
Sounds like you're looking for a white man either way.
What happened? Morning has broken sir, and I brought a cup of tea.
The East Dean Estate? No events sir.
Sandy Longford said you'll only make page three, police chief overreacts, something like that.
Your mum won't be long, Matthew.
We'll wait in here.
Beep, beep, beep, beep, Hello Matthew.
Would you like to come and help me play with these cars? That's a good lad, come on then.
Come on, I'll tell you what we got to do.
Come on, I'll tell you what we've got to do.
We've got to get all these cars into the lift and park them on top of the garage.
Do you know how to work the lift? Um-hum.
Well go on, you can try and see if you can work that.
It's all right, Hazel.
Don't worry about us.
It will take us a good five minutes to park these cars, really.
You can have a cup of tea, go on.
Right, now you work the lift.
That's it, up he goes.
He's gonna go up just like that.
This is fun.
Your mom's boyfriend, has he got a car? Yes, a red one.
A red one? He's got a red car.
Well what sort of red is his car? That one.
Oh, it's that sort of red.
Yeah, that's a nice red, that one.
Here we go, up there.
Have you ever been for a ride in it? Yes.
Have you? Where did you go? To his house.
You went to his house, did you? Um-hum.
Can you remember, the address of his house? Thirty-three.
Thirty-three, yes.
King George Gardens.
King George Gardens, well very good.
You drive in that, oh, he crashed into the barrier.
Oh no.
I think we're going to have to have the ambulance now.
You get the rest of the cars down and I'll get the ambulance, all right.
Where's WPC Wallace? I come to do a bit of PR to check up on the bereaved and what do I find? You interviewing a three-year-old on his own in flagrant breach of PACE, the child protection guidelines and the rules of evidence.
I was only trying to keep the poor kid entertained.
You know Wallace.
She's useless with cars.
Do see the way she drives the Panda? You set it up.
So what.
So what? He's probably still in trauma after his assault.
He's not in trauma.
How do you know? Look, all I want is Aspinall and now I've got his address, right? All you've got is the uncorroborated word of a three-year-old.
Then I'll corroborate it.
Hardly scumbag country.
If I'm not back in 10 minutes, send in the cavalry.
Sorry.
The doorbell always rings when you're in the shower, doesn't it? Phillip Aspinall? No.
Oh, police.
You ought to get a mortise lock fitted to this door, sir.
That Yale won't keep burglar Bill out.
Thanks for the advice.
Sorry, I didn't catch your name.
Cowden, Dave Cowden.
Detective Inspector Frost.
Do you own a car, sir? Yes.
It's in for service, why? Color? Red.
Look what's the problem? Do you mind if I come in, sir? You don't share this place with anyone, do you, a Phillip Aspinall? No, why? And you don't know anyone called Aspinall? No, I don't.
I think you've got the wrong address.
You may have read in the local paper there was a fire in the East Dean Estate a couple of nights ago.
A young woman died.
Her name was Natalie Bell.
Yeah, yes, I read about it.
And she had a key to your front door.
A probation officer? Yes, sir.
Inspector Frost is just interviewing him now.
It doesn't fit in with the burglaries then I suppose? Un-un.
Well, you can't have everything.
And a quick conviction against a white will do wonders for community relations.
I first met Natalie when she was 16.
Professional contact was it Mr.
Cowden? Yes.
She was a young offender, just another client, another one to try and keep out of prison.
I like to think I did a good job in that respect.
You had a good rapport with her then? Yes, I did.
Then she got herself pregnant and well it was more important to be supportive.
I wasn't involved with her officially anymore but uh You still had a good rapport on a regular basis? I don't see why you have to be so offensive about it.
I'm not being offensive, Mr.
Cowden.
I'm just asking.
You had what is known as a relationship with Natalie Bell, yes? Yes.
Yes.
Which is a highly unprofessional thing to do, having over a female client.
There was a lot more to it then that.
You'd still be in deep khaki if you were found out though, no matter how meaningful the relationship was? She needed stability, someone she could rely on.
She was so tough in some ways, so vulnerable in others, na.
ive almost.
You didn't know her.
Well, she certainly has stability now, Mr.
Cowden, terminal stability.
Where were you in the early hours of yesterday? At home in bed.
Can anyone confirm this apart from your teddy bear? My partner.
Your partner.
Is that your business partner, your dancing partner? My girlfriend.
Oh, your girlfriend.
You like to put it about a bit now don't you Mr.
Cowden? My relationship with Natalie wasn't exclusive for either of us.
She was your bit of rough? I did what I could for her, and for Matthew.
Where can we find this partner of yours? Her name is Sarah Burrows.
She's a post-graduate student at Redding University, sociology.
Don't go away.
Yes, yes, yeah, if you could get the next train up, Ms.
Burrows, I'm sure that Dave would appreciate it.
Yes, thank you, good-bye.
Damn.
I would have liked it to have been him.
But I don't know.
What was our Natalie playing at? I mean if she was cute enough to be using me instead of vice versa as you say, why wasn't she using that toe rag Cowden? She could have stitched him up anytime she liked.
For blackmail.
Why not? Why is it only black guys she had the down on? Maybe it's good old-fashioned prejudice.
The kid is half black.
No, no, no, it has to be something more personal than that.
Did you speak to dad? Pardon? Ritchie Gibbs, the alleged father of Matthew.
Well, when have I had time to do that, Guv? Well, now.
Come on, off you go, and take Cottam with you so you two can get to know each other better.
Go on, chop, chop.
Jack! Yes, Ernie.
Aspinall, he's got an uncle.
Has he? Well that clinches it.
We'll nail him to the floor.
Have you got a minute? Decades.
Bear with me, I've started a special file, unofficial of course, relatives of recidivists cause you know you find that quite often that though people haven't got a club number, there's a link.
Here, you go, look, Phillip Aspinall's mother is Ilene Aspinall, married to Raymond Tampling.
And Raymond Tampling's brother is Peter Tampling.
Peter Tampling, first conviction burglary 1962, intermittently active ever since, though he's moved around the country a fair bit.
Bazingstoke thought they had him last year, but some old broad gave him an alibi.
Here, yeah, Tampling, Bundit Warehouse, ambush defense, alibi witness his common-law wife, Doreen Gilbert.
Further convictions.
The lying cow.
Police, love.
Errol's not in.
I know.
We're not looking for Errol today, Ritchie Gibbs please.
Ritchie.
So it's my turn today.
Yeah.
Yeah I knew Peter Tampling, knew him quite well as a matter of fact.
We're just good friends now though.
What about his nephew? You know Phillip Aspinall, don't you? Yeah.
Then why you been feeding me all that horse manure? Natalie's dead for God's sake.
I'm not pointing my finger at no one.
One person in the family playing that game is enough.
Natalie told you about her little part-time job then? Oh, yeah.
She got quite proud of it, especially putting all them blacks away.
Why did you do it, Doreen, the blacks? If you had seen what Gibbs did to her when he walked out you wouldn't ask.
Oh, he was Mr.
Wonderful, the best ever, the real thing, and he punched her in the face and left.
Well, she hated him for that and that girl could really, really hate when she like it.
She hated him and she hated the rest of them.
She was obsessed with it, Iived for it.
Oh, then you came on the scene.
An answer to her prayers you were.
They have the last laugh though, don't they? So what you're saying is that someone she informed on found out? No, I'm not.
I'm saying that she was a stupid, stupid cow.
Look, get out of here with that thing, will you? Get right outside, but stay away from the stairs.
Does Aspinall know that she was a grass? No.
You sure? Yes.
But he'll think I am if you don't set off.
And if I go the same way of Natalie that little beggar out there has got no one.
Yes, he has.
He's got his dad.
Keep it.
I was proud of it.
I still am.
It's just something we had to clarify.
Obviously with the death of Matthew's mother -- He's my son, right? If that's all you wanted to know you know it.
A birth certificate is only a bit of paper, Mr.
Gibbs.
I mean fatherhood does go a bit deeper, you know.
Don't you tell me that, man.
I love that boy.
Okay, okay.
Let's just take it easy, hey? Well, you've had a tough time of it and we understand that.
Why don't you sit down? We need your help, Mr.
Gibbs, to find the person who killed your son's mother.
Now obviously you don't have to help us and I dare say you've seen enough of the police in the last day or two.
But is there anything you can tell us, anything would be really useful, for elimination purposes if nothing else, and then we'll leave you in peace.
Where can I find Aspinall, Doreen? I don't know.
You're lying.
You lied in court for Tampling and you're lying for his scumbag nephew now.
You don't even know him.
You're trying to protect the guy that thumped your grandson.
Who's to say he didn't come back and thump Natalie? Oh, you're living in coo-coo land.
Of course he came back.
They kissed and made up.
Oh, don't give me that, not the way that she felt about him.
He brung her a present.
Oh, you could always get around Natalie with a present.
She could always be bought.
You should know that.
What do you mean present? What present? What? the camcorder from Corderado? What's the matter with you? What have you seen there? Come here? That's him isn't it? Sit down there, sit down.
Damn, where's the phone? It's over there, but it ain't working.
Matthew ripped the wire.
I had to get away from that bitch.
She was bad news.
In what way, Ritchie? Every way, spiteful, sleeping around.
She didn't look after Matthew right.
Are you saying she neglected him? If she had something better to do.
So you walked out? She was bad news.
But you left Matthew with her? He was a baby.
You ever hear of a black man allowed to take his baby? So where did you go? To Jamaica.
I've got an uncle there but there's no work.
And when did you get back? Last month.
Nice long holiday then.
Would you quit doing that sir, It's not polite.
He asked me to help.
So I'm helping, right? So you can shut your mouth.
And when you got back here, back here to Denton? I thought she'd be long gone.
Natalie? Shack up somewhere else and Matthew fostered out or adopted or something.
But I see them in the park and he looked so grown up, you know, such a fine young boy.
Like looking at myself when me was young.
And so I think about it a couple of days.
When I go up to her, nothing heavy, I ask her just easy, just to speak to my son, and she spit at me in the street in front of my son, she spit at me.
And then I hear she's still living there on the East Dean and I hear about this boyfriend Aspinall, and I hear what kind of money he has and my son in bed with the two of them.
And that's why you were around Natalie's flat? I meant the other morning.
You know when we called around I saw you there, yeah? Aspinall hit my son and she let him.
She's not fit to have that boy.
I went and tell her that.
Next thing I'm in the police station fingered for burglary along with Errol and Mark.
Yeah, well that wasn't quite the next thing was it? Before you were in the police station Natalie Bell was dead.
Huh? Ritchie Gibbs, I've got to caution you that you don't have to say anything further, but that anything, anything you do say will be taken down and may be used in evidence.
Do you understand? Is there anything else you want to tell me? Did you see Natalie after the row about Aspinall? Ritchie, did you go around to her flat the following night? Maybe you were still angry about what had happened to Matthew Huh? I think we best carry on this discussion down at the Nick.
Come on dad, on your feet.
Drop it.
Don't be a brat.
You got the cuffs? No, somebody's nicked mine, Well then call for some uniforms.
Well we can ad lib.
It's ten minutes down the road.
You can drive.
I'll cuddle in the back.
He'll kill me, kill me.
What's he coming up here for anyway? Pete left some addresses, middlemen will take the gear.
Well, you just sit there.
I'll let him in.
Phillip Aspinall? Who the hell are you? Detective Inspector Frost.
You slag.
Hey.
Phil! Phil! He's taken Matthew.
Frost to control, urgent assistance required.
What's up Jack, got a puncher? I (unintelligible) up an arrest The kid's been taken hostage.
All units, suspect's vehicle is a white rental van, index Bravo, 326, November, Lima, Sierra.
Approach with caution, potential child hostage on board.
Reported leaving the Melrose Estate.
Melrose? Driver believed to be Phillip Aspinall, wanted for questioning.
The child with him is believed to be Matthew Bell.
He's got Matthew.
Oh, shut it.
Just stay back.
You have to stop him, man.
Heading north along Hemlock Road.
Okay, Hemlock, where is it? It's a crossroad where Avenue -- Behave yourself.
Leave it, we've got a body I've caught him again.
He's turning into Leeson Road heading west.
Shit! Broken gates into deserted factory in Horsefield Road.
I'm investigating.
The van is here.
But not Phil Aspinall.
Where's Matthew? Sit still.
What's Gibbs doing here, join the specials has he? No, but he's more or less confessed to the murder, Guv.
Has he? Matthew! Matthew! You all right are you Cottam? Pitty.
Matthew, Matthew, Matthew.
Come on, come on cuff him.
We haven't got time to play tag.
Do it.
Matthew, Matthew, Matthew.
Where's the man Matthew? Where is he? He's up there.
Come on.
Quick jump, that's a good boy.
That's it, well done, good boy.
That's two out of three.
Go on, you go get Aspinall.
Phil! Phil! Well, there's no way you're getting out of here.
Why don't you just pack it in before the ugly mob gets here? You're only making it worse, Phil.
Come on mate, Phil! Oh, come on.
Got him yet? I think he's up there somewhere.
Look out! All right.
That's it.
Phil, do yourself a favor.
It's not worth the hassle really.
You're only wanted for burglary.
Phil! Phil! Are you all right, Guv? No, I'm not.
I'm getting too old for this sort of thing.
Given the situation, it seemed like a good idea didn't it, grabbing a hostage, dropping iron bars on filth? I mean you're all bad.
Who stitched you up? What? Your hand.
a health center at Bazingstoke that's where most of the gear is.
Pete Tamplin's got a couple of lock-ups over there.
He's your man really.
Good old Uncle Pete.
(unintelligible) -- before he led me astray.
I can tell you where to find him if it would do me a bit of good.
It's a choker aint it sambo, when you think about it.
The only reason I'm sitting here now is I slapped that snotty little off cast.
So you did go around Natalie's flat the following night? I couldn't leave it, man.
I have to tell her what I think.
You were still wound up about Matthew getting hurt? (unintelligible) please, Ritchie.
Your son get beaten are you wound up? Did Natalie let you in? She not afraid of me, just treat me like dirt.
All right.
So she let you in, then what happened? Did you quarrel? She slapped me off.
She laughed at me.
She told me I got no right.
I am the father and I got no right? She tell me that and she turned around.
I pick up a thing and hit her and she fell on the floor.
What did you hit her with, Ritchie? Something I have in my hand, a wooden thing.
She had like a boat, you know.
I hit her once.
What did you do with it? I burn it.
You mean you burnt the flat? I hit her once and she die on me.
I stand looking at her, nothing I could do.
I think to myself do I run (unintelligible) if I burn the place and no one can say.
Think tough it out man, then you still see your boy.
Only she don't burn.
Will I see my boy now? It's a good result in the end, Guv.
Yes, wrong color for Mr.
Mullett though.
Still the chamber of commerce will be pleased I suppose.
Come on, come on, let's go out.
Where to? To see Mrs.
McKendrick's dog.
I just remembered it's a witness, indecent exposure.
It bit a flasher where it counts.
Even Mrs.
McKendrick can give me a description.
Oh, can't stop sir, I'm going to see a dog about a man.
I was gonna call you both.
Oh, if there's a commendation going I think my little Black Bart here should get it.
Would you wait in my office please, Carl? Now sir? Yes, please.
I'm moving DC Turner elsewhere.
Well why sir? I haven't had a chance to teach him any of my bad habits yet? The placement was misguided.
To be frank, I now realize officers such as DC Turner need to be nurtured and protected not exposed to the prejudiced, insensitive and downright offensive attitude, which is what you seemed to be engrained.
Well, as long as it was nothing personal, sir.
No sign of an intrusion or forced entry at Wheeler's.
We are now attending Corderado and Cleg Street.
Perhaps it was an earthquake.
What? That set all the alarms off, you know, subliminal.
The earth has moved and we haven't noticed.
Yeah, I know the feeling.
Now look, there's another one.
Can I ask you what you're doing please? Trying to get some bloody sleep.
Where's Sergeant Wells? He'll be back in a moment, sir.
Hello Norman, what are you in for? The usual, sir.
Hey what happened to that hostel we put you in? The usual.
You haven't seen that flasher lately, have you, you know the one in the park? I don't go in the park, anymore Mr.
Frost, it's full of undesirables.
Yeah, very wise.
Oy, you, get off that desk, and you, Jack, out of it.
All right, all right.
Ain't you got no home to go to? What's the charge, criminal damage.
It is not criminal damage.
It's justifiable homicide.
That alarm deserves to die, goes up every time a pigeon brakes wind.
Corderado.
Right, I'd deal with the owner next.
I'll see you in the morning, Bill.
Six times in that last four nights, six times.
Thank you, sir.
Morning, Johnny.
Morning, Jack.
Oh, cheers.
Don't forget Mrs.
MacKendrick's dog will you? Right.
Paul Mullett is looking for you Governor.
Is he? Where are we going? Corderado.
Electrical storm.
They got down for thirty grand's worth last night.
Oh dear.
Well? Cry wolf, sir.
I beg your pardon? I cry wolf, the alarms.
The number of false alarms has been going through the roof lately.
We think maybe a gang is setting them off deliberately waiting for us to check and clear assessing which owners get blase and then picking a spot.
And I see they are happy with that, are they? The thought that burglars can plunder the town at will? What am I supposed to tell the Denton News? Sandy Longford is sitting and smirking in my office at this very moment.
If you could just leave it to us sir.
I intend to.
A superintendent has quite enough to do without worrying about crime.
The business community is losing confidence, Mr.
Mullett.
Progress with the commercial burglaries is being made.
Yeah, mostly by the burglars.
And you see Sandy, many people, and sadly I must include the Denton News in this criticism, fail to look beyond the reported crime figures as a yardstick for measuring police performance.
It is through our relationship with the local communities that progress towards an increase in trust and confidence and consequently a genuine decrease in crime can be achieved.
So an arrest isn't imminent? I'm referring, of course, to our relationship with the ethnic minorities who perform such a vital and vibrant part in our community.
Now Denton has a number of uniformed officers drawn from -- One black, one brown, one Welsh.
Drawn from all parts of the racial spectrum.
And it gives me great pleasure to announce the arrival of our very first non-white CID officer.
His name is Carl Tanner.
He joins us from the Bazingstoke Crime Squad and he starts tomorrow.
And you hope this appointment will defuse racial tension within the town.
What racial tension? Oh, you deny there is any? Of course I deny there's racial tension.
I've never heard of anything so absurd.
He's a little rascal, isn't he sir? Longford, it's inflammatory.
Well he's burned his bridges with me this time.
No more interviews ever.
That's right, sir.
You let him buy his own chocolate biscuits.
Hey what about that new detective constable? I'm assigning him to the commercial burglary initiatives to bring some order to your chaos.
I see.
It's definitely Al Baldwin.
I mean there are guys in a crime squad queuing up for CID and this shiner gets the job just cause he happens to be the right color.
How'd you get the job then, Cottam? Offer your body to the chief constable? Where is he? He's in your office, Guv.
All right.
Inspector Frost.
Yes.
I understand you met the others? Yeah.
They told me to wait here.
Quite right.
It's more salubrious in here isn't it? Right, well, let's have a quick run down of the filing system, shall we? In, out, LBW.
LBW? Let the buggers wait.
What's that say? Mac dog.
Yes, just what I thought.
You know why I'm here don't you, sir? You've come to solve our burglaries.
Sir, it's cause I'm black.
Yes, whites can't solve it.
Positive discrimination, right? See there's two other guys in the crime squad far better qualified for this attachment then me.
Oh, it's Mr.
Mullett, forward thinking, we all have to suffer for it.
Oh, no, no, I mean I can handle it, the backbiting and I wanted to work with you.
Oh, really? Most people think it's like getting the black spot.
Come on.
Arthur, what can I do for you? A non-accidental injury reported from St.
Mary's Hospital, Jack.
Is that your boy? Yeah, I'll catch up with you.
I just thought you'd want to know the family's name is Bell, Brunsick House, East Dean Estate.
Matthew Bell, not Natalie's kid? Yeah.
Well, here we are son.
Welcome to the East Dean Estate, crime academy of Denton.
Yeah, I've heard about it.
Yes.
We'll you'll hear a lot more.
I'll tell you if there (unintelligible) would end up here on the East Dean.
You slut! Now you listen you just get out of my flat.
Go, now.
You slut! I'm throwing you out.
I don't want you around here.
Just get out, get out, get out.
Miss Natalie Bell, Detective Inspector Frost, and this is Detective Constable Tanner.
Child protection team asked me to visit.
Thank you.
Oh hello, who's this? He's a friend.
He's just leaving.
Don't look at me man.
I don't hit kids.
It's a white man thing.
That's a rather racist remark, sir.
What did he want? He's a friend.
Oh, on home ground now, unlike you.
And what are you doing on home ground.
That's more to the point.
You're trying to blow me out or what? No, I'm not.
I got worried about you when I heard.
You know I worry about you.
So you come here? Child protection is CID's responsibility, Natalie.
It would look fishy if we didn't attend.
So where's Matthew? I left him at his nan's.
Is he okay? No bones broken.
Good, so who? Oh, who do you think? Your latest? Yeah, Phil Aspinall.
He come around last night, drunk as per.
Matthew wound him up cause Phil (unintelligible) and bang, bastard.
So where's darling Phil now? Oh, no idea.
He was too pissed to drive us to the hospital.
When I got back he had thrown up on the carpet and left.
All right, we'll nick him.
Yeah, you do that.
You find him and I'll nail him.
The rest is between you and me, right.
But this one I ain't grassing.
This one is personal.
I'll go in the box if I have to.
All right, now calm down here.
Listen, I may be a slag but nobody hits my kid and he knows that.
I want everyone to know it, right? All right, all right, now just calm down.
We'll get him.
Go and put the kettle on, will you son? Sit down there.
That's, um, what I owe you from our last piece of business.
Don't worry, we'll get Aspinall.
I don't suppose you got anything else for me at the moment, have you? It's all right.
Don't worry he's one of ours.
It's just that I need something on these commercial burglaries.
Come on, Natalie, come on, you must have something for me, hey, come on.
Davis Clark, halfway house, flat 1 6.
Clark, I didn't know he was into burglary? Yeah, drugs.
He started dealing again.
Oh, fine.
Well we'll get him.
Come on Natalie, about these burglaries? Sorry, no.
There must be something floating about.
You know an iffy camcorder, electric drill.
Just leave it.
She's a real diamond mine, Natalie.
She's been running it for the last couple of years.
And she's not common knowledge.
Sergeant Hanlon the DCI and you.
So let's just keep it that way, shall we? Shall we use a sledgehammer? Police, stay where you are.
Mr.
Clark, sorry sir, your front doorbell wasn't working.
Come on.
Now we have reason to believe that you've been contravening the misuse of drugs act on these premises, Mr.
Clark.
What do you mean, man? I'm clean.
Washing is not the habit I'm interested in, sir.
Well? Nothing here.
And you? Nothing yet.
Guv? Yes.
Mr.
Clark, tragic news I'm afraid.
Your goldfish is about to OD on cocaine.
Well I hope the incident was sensitively handled.
Don't worry, we'll give it a decent burial.
What? The goldfish, after the postmortem of course.
Goldfish are not my prime concern at the moment as you well know.
Nor mine, sir.
At least this one died happy.
Jack, I think you better step into my office.
Yes sir.
Here you are son, go and get yourself a cup of tea.
Steer clear of the turkey sandwiches, will you.
Close the door, will you? It's a great pity this Davis Clark isn't white.
I'll pop down to the store sir and get a calamine lotion.
You know what I'm talking about.
The East Dean Estate is becoming a racially sensitive area.
Why, just because Sandy Longford says so? No, but perhaps he's more in touch then you are, certainly sharper at his job.
While you were out breaking down black people's doors another commercial burglary took place, Thorogoods in the business part, in broad daylight this time.
I did have a non-accidental injury to attend to.
That was apart from the drugs.
I suppose that's of no consequence, a little kid getting bashed up.
Don't be facile, of course these things are of consequence.
But that's 200,000 pounds worth of stolen goods on this division in the past month.
So when the chamber of commerce phone up for their daily gripe can I put them on to you? Might as well have a game of Chinese checkers.
Those colored pins are not for any use for anything else, unless of course we make and effigy of Mr.
Mullett.
There has to be some pattern, Guv.
The only pattern was all those alarms being set off on purpose.
What about at Thorogoods? Could it be a different gang? Except the alarm was tampered with.
You know if you ask me, someone out there has expertise.
Well it certainly wasn't the bloke who cooked thischicken.
Go on, why don't you go off home to bed.
Oh no, I'm fine.
No, you're not.
You're trying to impress me.
It certainly isn't necessary son.
I get them all thrown at me, you know, Chief Constable's nephews, trigger-happy husbands, demoted inspectors.
As long as you're a pig first and black second you and me will get along fine.
Oh damn, Aspinall.
We haven't done anything about Aspinall, have we? Frost, cheers Arthur.
Witkems Cash and Carry on the Trading Estate, uniform (unintelligible) a burglary.
Hey, get out of here.
Come on.
There's one still here.
The suspect is leaving in a white van, one is still on the scene.
Hey! Looks like a bit of sweatshirt on the glass, emerald green, and blood, quite a bit of blood.
Suspect escaped over the roof.
We are not in pursuit.
Better get in touch with the hospitals.
We had a call.
Dr.
Shakir? Yes? You treated a glass wound, sir? A half-hour ago ten stitches in the bottom of the right thumb.
Lucky it missed his wrist.
Did he say how it happened? The usual, fight outside of pub.
Name of person treated is Mark Vivian Lansdale, date of birth 27th of December, '75, address 271 Rosetti House, East Dean Estate.
Yes.
Mrs.
Lansdale? Yes? Sorry to disturb you so early, love, Detective Inspector Frost, Denton Police.
Is Mark at home? Yes, in bed.
Well could you go an wake him up? We need to speak to him.
Mark! Mark! Do you mind if we come in, no, good? Some nice consumer (unintelligible) in the living room, Guv.
Oh, Mark Lansdale? Put some clothes on son.
I can't talk to a pair of white fronts.
Where were you at 1 1 :00 last night, Mark? Why? I think it's simpler if just one of us asks the questions.
Were you at home? No.
Oh, you weren't, where were you? My mate's house.
Your mate, what mate? I'm not dropping him in it as well.
Dropping him in what? In this, you think I've been out burglarizing.
It wouldn't be the first time if you had, would it Mark? Nothing for two years, chief.
Your computer should tell you that.
Have you got a green sweatshirt? What? A sweatshirt, emerald green? Emerald green, I don't think so.
Why is that, not cool enough? How do you manage to look so cool, Mark, right, and white fronts apart? How can you afford it? You're unemployed aren't you? I save me benefit and I don't do drugs.
What do you do then, stay at home every evening with dear old mom, wondering which one of your three videos you're going to plug in? Cut your hand? Yeah.
How'd you do that? I cut it last night.
What did you cut it with? Glass.
Glass? What sort of glass? Glass, glass, you know for beer.
So you were in the pub? I told you I was at my mate's house.
What were you doing there, you and your mate, having a fight? No.
The glass broke in my hand when I was washing up.
And did you seek medical attention after this domestic mishap? Yeah.
I went down to casualty at St.
Mary's.
They gave me 10 stitches.
I bet you told the doctor that you'd been in a fight? Yeah.
And now you're trying to tell me that you cut your hand during a washing up? Well, I was a bit drunk wasn't I, at the hospital.
And washing up is not a very cool thing to do, is it? Ah, you wanted to retain your street creed? Yeah.
In other words you tell lies? So if I were to ask you did you in fact cut your hand last night while doing a burglary at Witkems Cash and Carry and you said no, I wouldn't know whether to believe you or not would I? You and your little boy can believe what you like.
You can't prove nothing.
I've done my good citizen bit.
Now I'm going home.
But he's got form doesn't he.
He's on the dole and he's got a flat full of bent gear.
We don't know the gear's bent yet, Guv.
That is why I am being a good, upright copper and I'm not detaining him.
But if he goes out burglarizing why would he give the hospital his real name and address? Well I don't know, do I? Pain, shock, villains, they're not supermen are they? Guv.
Yes, all right.
I'll tell you one thing, putting the wind up pond life is much better than piddling about with colored pins anyway.
Thank you.
Frost, oh, hello love.
Yeah, I'm sorry.
I haven't forgotten it.
Has Aspinall come back? You're okay are you? Good.
It's just that I haven't had a chance.
I didn't expect otherwise.
I've got something for you.
Yeah, about the burglaries, but it will cost.
No, it's more than names.
All right.
How's Matthew? Fine.
Good, where is he now? Doreen's.
That's his nan's, right? I saw you this morning on the estate.
Oh yeah.
I had been planning to phone you anyway.
Then I saw you leaving with Mark Lansdale.
He was in the Wheat Sheaf last night with Ritchie Gibbs.
Who? Ritchie Gibbs, in my flat the other morning? Oh yes, him.
Errol Baker was with them.
Was he really? Ritchie's staying with him.
So? So did you know Errol bought a van a while back? No.
He don't keep it on the estate.
He's trying to start his own removals business apparently.
I thought Mark must be working for him.
Errol drops him off sometimes.
I went out last night I twigged what they're working at.
Where did you get that? In the pub last night.
Mark Lansdale sold it to me.
They were doing a good trade.
I always said that you were a diamond.
I've got to go.
Natalie, hey, Natalie, Natalie, you be careful, all right.
Check that out, will you? Stolen property, Corderado, serial numbers, they're on.
Now we can disturb Mr.
Lansdale's beauty sleep again in the morning.
You see Jack, a lot of people whinge about positive discrimination.
But if you don't have positive discrimination you're left with negative discrimination and that leads to inertia, perpetuating the status quo.
I used to quite like that.
You've got to get proportional representation.
What are you talking about now, politics? In all ranks.
Oh.
When you got a black superintendent that's when you don't need to push the Tanners of this world through the system anymore cause it will happen naturally.
How did Mullett get there then? He's not black, and he's certainly not natural.
3291, what, East Dean, burning cars? No, it's a flat apparently sir and there was no reason to suspect it's a public order situation but you did have to be informed.
What number? Sorry sir? What number? I don't know yet.
It's Brunsick House.
Oh my God.
Yeah, it's probably just a house fire.
Excuse me, excuse me, coming through, excuse me, coming through, thank you.
She wasn't burned.
The smoke got her.
The sup is here, Guv.
Good morning, sir.
Cause? Well, Socco and Labliase haven't arrived yet but the fire officer reckons it was petrol.
Arson.
Very.
Was she known to you, the deceased? Yes, sir, she was.
So, house-to-house inquiries? We'll be starting shortly, sir, but I don't expect very much.
None of the neighbors who evacuated last night saw or heard anything.
You mean there's a conspiracy of silence? I don't think so, sir.
Meat and drink to that rebel rouser Long ford of course.
I think I might call a press conference, take the heat out of the situation.
I think the firemen already did that, sir.
Carry on.
Yes, sir.
I'm calling Lansdale, Harold Baker and a guy called Gibbs, is that all right? What, for this? Well, we'll start out with burglary and we'll see what happens.
Burglary, Jack you've already had Lansdale in once.
I've got fresh evidence.
I had fresh evidence last night.
Do you know what this is, Mark? A camcorder in a plastic bag.
Correct.
Have you ever seen it before? No.
Quite sure? Yeah.
Were you in the Wheat Sheaf Public House on Ryedale Street the night before last? Yeah.
Oh, really? Only yesterday you told me you were at your mate's house? You asked me where I was at 1 1 :00.
We were at the pub before that.
I see.
I stand corrected.
So who's we then, Mark? Who's we? Me and Errol.
Errol Baker? Yeah.
And it was at his place you went to do the washing up? Yes.
Why didn't you tell me this before? Cause I know how you feel about Errol.
I think it's a case about how Errol Baker feels about us.
I hear you're working with him.
Yeah.
Well you hear a lot then, don't you? Does that give you a problem, me hearing things? Yeah.
You're in the removal game, you, Errol Baker and Ritchie Gibbs.
The serial number that's on this camcorder is the same one that's on this sheet of paper which contains a list of items that were removed, i.
e.
, stolen, from Corderado three nights ago.
So how come you were selling this in the pub? What did Lansdale say? Well, he denied any knowledge and went stumm.
So? So it's onto Baker and Gibbs.
There's no way that their stories will match under cross-examination and Lansdale's already told porkies.
Natalie gave me their names, Jim, and now she's dead.
Okay.
Thank you.
Yo, watch out.
Good morning, Errol.
Could you spare us a few minutes down at the nick? No.
You can't do this, man.
This is the 1990's.
Yeah, I got a calendar.
Thank you, Mr.
Baker.
Inspector Frost wants him booked in.
Oh, and him.
Look we don't know nothing about no burglaries, all right.
No one's saying you do.
What do you mean no one's saying, you're all saying it.
Don't give me that crap.
Waiting for me, son? Yes, Guv.
Errol sounds his usual happy self.
Let's go and grab a sandwich while he works out his aggression on Sergeant Wells.
What do you got there son, your Christmas present list? I've been doing a bit of digging, for background you know, with the PNC and the collator.
And this, these are all people who live on the East Dean Estate who have been arrested in the last two years.
Can you remember which of them Natalie fingered? That one, and that one, that one, him and him.
No, that one's marked with a red spot.
What's the red spot mean? It means a race code three.
Every single person Natalie gave you was black.
So? Well haven't you noticed? No I haven't noticed.
What difference does their color make if they're active? None whatsoever.
Come on son, come on, get it off your chest.
What is it you're trying to say? Are you trying to say that Natalie shouldn't have informed of them because they were black or that we shouldn't have done anything about it cause they were black? Is that what you say anyway, you, who hates positive discrimination so much.
I just think it's cause for concern, Guv.
My cause for concern is that Natalie has been murdered.
Yeah and three black guys are in the frame for that as well.
Yes, and if they bank to right I'll have them whether they're black, white, pink or purple.
Yeah, but Lansdale is not bank to rights Guv, nor Gibbs or Baker not for the burglaries, not for anything.
All right, all right, maybe everybody else that Natalie gave you were guilty.
But why no whites, uh, why? It just doesn't make any sense.
Jack, wanted in reception.
All right.
I'll go out and nick a few for you if you like.
Hey, what's up with you? Ear ache.
What are you doing hear anyway? I thought you've been banned? Mullett's changed his mind.
Give us a minute.
I'm here for an in-depth interview.
He's realized he needs the evening news, Jack.
You all do.
No, I don't.
It's too thick for bog paper and too thin for curtains.
Especially now things have turned really nasty on the East Dean.
Of course, it's obviously racial.
You know I've always said this about you, Sandy.
You're in the finest tradition of journalism.
You never let the truth get in the way of a good story.
Been like you at the moment by all accounts, Iifting people on the off chance.
It doesn't go down too well, Jack, not nowadays.
I don't lift people on the off chance.
I act on the information received.
So do I mate.
No.
Errol Baker's girlfriend phoned while I was leaving the office.
She claims Errol was dragged into a police car.
If Errol Baker won the pools he'd punch the postman.
But he hasn't won the pools, has he Jack? He's just an old favorite.
Jack? Yes.
Front desk.
Yes, I'm coming, I'm coming.
Oh, and Mrs.
MacKendrick phoned, about her dog.
Oh, Mr.
Purcell? Yeah.
Right, well, I understand you have some information for me.
Yeah.
It's about Mark Lansdale, you know.
Um-hum.
And the other two you got in here.
Right.
They're innocent, Innocent you understand? You understand? Now you do them, you get done.
Now I want you to tell me that they aint gonna get done.
Tell me! (alarm sounding) Tell me! Tell me! Stop him! Get him! Jack! You brat, I had him then.
Calm down.
Calm down will you.
It's all right, he's here.
Go on.
Just helping with our inquiry, sir.
From the East Dean Estate, your assailant.
Apparently.
His name is Ian Purcell.
He was drugged up to the eyeballs.
Have you ever been on the riot training course? No.
I have.
It's frightening.
And of course when the lid finally blows on the East Dean Estate, when the barricades go up and the petrol bombs and the lumps of concrete start flying, it won't be you out there Ieading the thin blue line will it? It'll be me.
With respect, sir, don't you think that we're just overreacting a little bit? Rioters enjoy overreacting, Jack.
It's all part of a riot.
Are you trying to tell me, that I shouldn't do my job? Tension is high.
A flat has been burned.
And yet you insist on hauling black residents off the estate.
I had good reason for pulling Lansdale.
Twice on the basis of a cut thumb? Cut thumb and None of the goods found in his flat were stolen, not one item.
The checks were completed while you were out putting on your floorshow for Sandy Longford.
Oh, and Jim Allen's downstairs with Lansdale's mother.
I have men friends, right? Regular men friends and one of them he works at general stores here in the electrical department.
The staff there, they're allowed to buy, what do they call it, discontinued lines, things that don't get sold in the sale.
They buy them cheap.
And he buys them and gives them to me time to time.
As presents? Half presents, half, you know.
In other words you're on the game, and this fellow pays you in electrical goods? I don't mind.
Them I don't want I sell easy enough.
But it has nothing to do with Mark, none at all.
Mark's a good boy.
He don't say nothing about his mother.
Yes.
Well, it might have saved a lot of trouble if he had, Mrs.
Lansdale, or if you had come forward sooner.
It don't make any difference what I say to you in here.
It's Mark, he wanted.
She'll have to give us the name of her man friend of course.
But if she does that and it checks out, then the gear came out of Jena's in the square.
Mullett told you about the blood as well, did he? Blood? At Witkems, it doesn't match Lansdale, wrong group.
But the camcorder, the one that Lansdale sold to Natalie, that was definitely nicked out of Corderado.
If he sold it to Natalie.
I can't see that we can even stick him on for handling.
All you've got is the word of a dead informer.
Look, Jack, I'm really sorry about Natalie.
But there it is.
Yes, there it is.
Is it all right for us to crash about now, is it? Yeah, sure, sir.
Seat of the fire was definitely here in the hallway.
There's some fragments of burnt rag and you can still smell petrol on one or two bits of door grass.
No way out.
All right, no need to paint a picture.
Do the living room, will you? Any idea what we're looking for? Not a clue, son.
Here's what was left of the fireplace.
There's nothing much else.
Her earnings.
You still think it was someone she grassed up? Twenty suspects and they're all black, Mr.
Mullett wont prove.
Yeah, but if nobody knew? Oh, come on.
We were in this flat two days ago.
I wasn't exactly over discreet when I met her last night.
Oh, right.
So it's your fault she's dead.
Who else's? She was my snout, my responsibility.
I'm the copper with a common touch hey son? I'm the one that sits in the charge room every night getting to know life's unfortunates.
The trouble is I don't get to know anyone.
If I did I wouldn't have needed you to have soused out what Natalie was doing.
Oh, come on Guv.
I haven't soused out anything.
I mean I don't know why she did it.
You know it could all be a coincidence.
All I did was to use the poor little girl Iike I use everyone.
For the sake of the job.
The job is all I got.
You know all this could be a domestic, nothing to do with grassing.
So I reckon is we should go find Aspinall, the boyfriend who thumped her kid.
I mean he's not black, is he? I didn't even get that right for her, did I? So what are you gonna do, Guv, huh, what? Just sit there all day moping? No.
The bed's too wet.
Come on.
Come on, let's get on with it.
Two Yales? Have you found the lock? Sir? Front door.
It's down there.
Thank you.
If you could be careful sir, That is evidence.
Yeah, all right.
A little bag, please? Thank you.
Oh, there you are son.
Be a good little pig, see if you can find another Yale lock in the flat, will you? When you've done that get these checked for fingerprints? I'm off to see her mum.
Estate collection, she has a young kid.
All the other filth have put in.
Umm.
I'm her stepmother.
Well you know that, or was I mean.
I'm not her real mum, not that that ever made any difference to us.
You were pretty close then were you? Yeah.
She had a tough life, poor kid, real mom died.
I come on the scene.
And then her dad walked out on both of us.
Yeah, yeah.
Well hello there, is this him is it? Come on out, what have I told you.
I ain't going to be long, all right.
Does he know? No.
Would you like to tell him? No.
No.
He thinks his mom's gone away for a couple of weeks.
Oh, he'll be all right here.
You can tell that to social services if they ask.
Look, I know this is a difficult time.
Was it torched, the flat? Well you're CID.
You wouldn't be here if it was a gas leak.
It definitely wasn't a gas leak.
That much I can tell you.
Well, there's not a lot I can tell you either.
Did you know her boyfriend? Which one? She got through a lot.
This was her latest.
What was his name? There it is, Philip Aspinall.
Only that he turned up drunk, bashed Matthew.
Do you know where I can find him? No, no.
Me and Nat never discussed men, too much in common, always attracted to scrubs, always hoping they'd turn out different.
Oh, no chance.
Inspector Frost from control.
Yes, Arthur.
The DCI wants to see you now.
(knock on door) Come in.
Yes, Jim.
Natalie Bell, initial pathologist's report, no smoke in her lungs, Iarge dent at the base of her skull.
She was dead before the fire.
So the torching of the flat was either a coincidence or a botched attempt at a cover up.
The pathologist put the time of death one hour, maybe two before the start of the fire.
And the front door hadn't been forced.
How can you tell that? The place was a shambles.
Cause the firemen had to force the front door to get in, Which means? Which means Natalie opened the door to the murderer.
Yes, or the murderer had a key.
And it couldn't have been an accident, this bang on the head? No.
She was found in the middle of the living room floor.
There was nothing she could bang her head on.
I met her kid this morning, Natalie's, the first time ever after doing business with his mother for two years.
What are you looking at? I was just wondering what you were doing? Me? I'm catching up on my paperwork on a needs to know basis.
What goes in the bin no one needs to know.
Right, so, there you go.
I want you to take that down to the incinerator.
I'm going to go to the collector's office.
Oh, any joy with those keys? Only one person's prints found on them, confirmed from reports as Natalie's, and no other locks in that flat.
But that mystery Yale, it'll fit Mrs.
Gilbert's place surely.
Surely of course Oh, Jack.
Did you manage to determine the cause of the death.
Yes.
Trust a pathologist to muck up your theory.
So you will be looking elsewhere then Lansdale now? Well nobody's out of the frame yet.
Though I did discover that Natalie Bell's child is of mixed parentage, so things are looking a little less black and white.
Not in public order terms, unfortunately, Tonight will be the test, when darkness falls.
No going home for me, I'm afraid.
No, sir.
Still it'll give Mrs.
Mullett a chance to catch up on her reading.
What's Turner doing? Oh, he's doing a bit of personal filing for me, sir.
How's he shaping up? Very well.
He's turning out to be a right little black bombshell.
Black bombshell, sir.
Superior kind of pig, pig, oink, oink.
Aspin.
Aspinall, the trouble is people don't put things back in the right order.
Yes, I know what you mean, Ernie.
I have the same problem.
You know a tidy office is like a red rag to some people.
Aspinall, the name does ring a bell.
He's not on the computer you say? No, nothing officially known and I haven't got his address.
That is why I've come to the font of all knowledge.
Leave it with me.
All right, how long? Aspinall.
Thank you, Ernie.
Hey Turner, have you got those keys? Yes.
Thank you.
Now I've got to out and Doreen Gilbert anyway.
I need someone to identify the body.
Mr.
Mullett was asking about you.
I paid you a compliment.
I don't think he realizes it though.
When? Tomorrow morning 10:00.
I'm sorry but she does have to be formally identified and you were closer to her than anyone.
Yeah, right.
Thanks.
Oh, I'm sorry, but while we're here I hope you don't mind I found some keys in Natalie's flat and one of the Yales is a bit of a mystery.
I wonder whether it fits your door here? She never had a key to this place.
Well you can try if you like? No, no, it's all right, love.
If you say so that's good enough for me.
Philip Aspinall's perhaps? Oh, I have no idea.
I mean I told you before I don't know nothing about him.
Oh, yeah, thanks.
Matthew, don't have any more of them sweets.
Till tomorrow then? Yeah.
Thank you.
You didn't tell her what our pathologist said.
No, it's best not to tell her everything.
Wicked stepmothers are always in the frame.
You're on mortuary duty with her by the way.
Me? Yes.
It's called positive discrimination, son.
It means that you get all the best jobs.
By the way, I'm sorry if I got a bit mordeling this morning.
I sometimes get overwhelmed by self-knowledge, you know, sudden realization I'm bloody useless.
It's my only vice.
Well the only one that they can't sack me for.
I don't know.
I can't make out whether you really care or not, Guv.
Can't you? Good, drive on.
I thought Mark must be working for him.
Errol drops him off sometimes.
I went out last night I twigged what they're working at.
Where did you get that? In the pub last night.
Mark Lansdale sold it to me and.
They was doing a good trade.
I always said that you were a diamond.
I've got to go.
Natalie, hey.
Mrs.
Lansdale, I'm sorry to disturb you.
Do you think I might come in, please? Is Mark here? If he was, you wouldn't be.
What do you want? To apologize.
You could have done that in public not sneak up here after dark.
Yes.
Well I hope you'll accept it anyway.
Manners never were my strong point.
Perhaps brains weren't either.
My enthusiasm tends to get the better of me, sorry.
I noticed that Mark was making a collection this morning for Natalie's little boy, Matthew.
What are you going to tell me, that he nicked the money? No, no, no, no.
I just wondered if Mark knew Natalie personally? Personally? Well Matthew is of mixed parentage.
And I don't want to be offensive but I just thought that You don't know who Matthew's father is? No.
It's no secret, Ritchie Gibbs.
Ritchie Gibbs? I thought he was new to the area? He was here before, Ieft soon after Matthew was born.
Oh.
Not because he's black and that's what all black guys do.
Why then? Because Natalie was more of a (unintelligible) than I am.
And as your flat is directly opposite Natalie's, I wonder if you noticed anything last night? Not until the fire engine arrived, no.
What about other times, you know, people coming in and going out? I don't take notice.
It's just that I think that whoever torched Natalie's flat must have known her pretty well, must have known that little Matthew spent a couple of nights each week at his grandma's.
Either that or he was a complete bastard who couldn't care less.
Sounds like you're looking for a white man either way.
What happened? Morning has broken sir, and I brought a cup of tea.
The East Dean Estate? No events sir.
Sandy Longford said you'll only make page three, police chief overreacts, something like that.
Your mum won't be long, Matthew.
We'll wait in here.
Beep, beep, beep, beep, Hello Matthew.
Would you like to come and help me play with these cars? That's a good lad, come on then.
Come on, I'll tell you what we got to do.
Come on, I'll tell you what we've got to do.
We've got to get all these cars into the lift and park them on top of the garage.
Do you know how to work the lift? Um-hum.
Well go on, you can try and see if you can work that.
It's all right, Hazel.
Don't worry about us.
It will take us a good five minutes to park these cars, really.
You can have a cup of tea, go on.
Right, now you work the lift.
That's it, up he goes.
He's gonna go up just like that.
This is fun.
Your mom's boyfriend, has he got a car? Yes, a red one.
A red one? He's got a red car.
Well what sort of red is his car? That one.
Oh, it's that sort of red.
Yeah, that's a nice red, that one.
Here we go, up there.
Have you ever been for a ride in it? Yes.
Have you? Where did you go? To his house.
You went to his house, did you? Um-hum.
Can you remember, the address of his house? Thirty-three.
Thirty-three, yes.
King George Gardens.
King George Gardens, well very good.
You drive in that, oh, he crashed into the barrier.
Oh no.
I think we're going to have to have the ambulance now.
You get the rest of the cars down and I'll get the ambulance, all right.
Where's WPC Wallace? I come to do a bit of PR to check up on the bereaved and what do I find? You interviewing a three-year-old on his own in flagrant breach of PACE, the child protection guidelines and the rules of evidence.
I was only trying to keep the poor kid entertained.
You know Wallace.
She's useless with cars.
Do see the way she drives the Panda? You set it up.
So what.
So what? He's probably still in trauma after his assault.
He's not in trauma.
How do you know? Look, all I want is Aspinall and now I've got his address, right? All you've got is the uncorroborated word of a three-year-old.
Then I'll corroborate it.
Hardly scumbag country.
If I'm not back in 10 minutes, send in the cavalry.
Sorry.
The doorbell always rings when you're in the shower, doesn't it? Phillip Aspinall? No.
Oh, police.
You ought to get a mortise lock fitted to this door, sir.
That Yale won't keep burglar Bill out.
Thanks for the advice.
Sorry, I didn't catch your name.
Cowden, Dave Cowden.
Detective Inspector Frost.
Do you own a car, sir? Yes.
It's in for service, why? Color? Red.
Look what's the problem? Do you mind if I come in, sir? You don't share this place with anyone, do you, a Phillip Aspinall? No, why? And you don't know anyone called Aspinall? No, I don't.
I think you've got the wrong address.
You may have read in the local paper there was a fire in the East Dean Estate a couple of nights ago.
A young woman died.
Her name was Natalie Bell.
Yeah, yes, I read about it.
And she had a key to your front door.
A probation officer? Yes, sir.
Inspector Frost is just interviewing him now.
It doesn't fit in with the burglaries then I suppose? Un-un.
Well, you can't have everything.
And a quick conviction against a white will do wonders for community relations.
I first met Natalie when she was 16.
Professional contact was it Mr.
Cowden? Yes.
She was a young offender, just another client, another one to try and keep out of prison.
I like to think I did a good job in that respect.
You had a good rapport with her then? Yes, I did.
Then she got herself pregnant and well it was more important to be supportive.
I wasn't involved with her officially anymore but uh You still had a good rapport on a regular basis? I don't see why you have to be so offensive about it.
I'm not being offensive, Mr.
Cowden.
I'm just asking.
You had what is known as a relationship with Natalie Bell, yes? Yes.
Yes.
Which is a highly unprofessional thing to do, having over a female client.
There was a lot more to it then that.
You'd still be in deep khaki if you were found out though, no matter how meaningful the relationship was? She needed stability, someone she could rely on.
She was so tough in some ways, so vulnerable in others, na.
ive almost.
You didn't know her.
Well, she certainly has stability now, Mr.
Cowden, terminal stability.
Where were you in the early hours of yesterday? At home in bed.
Can anyone confirm this apart from your teddy bear? My partner.
Your partner.
Is that your business partner, your dancing partner? My girlfriend.
Oh, your girlfriend.
You like to put it about a bit now don't you Mr.
Cowden? My relationship with Natalie wasn't exclusive for either of us.
She was your bit of rough? I did what I could for her, and for Matthew.
Where can we find this partner of yours? Her name is Sarah Burrows.
She's a post-graduate student at Redding University, sociology.
Don't go away.
Yes, yes, yeah, if you could get the next train up, Ms.
Burrows, I'm sure that Dave would appreciate it.
Yes, thank you, good-bye.
Damn.
I would have liked it to have been him.
But I don't know.
What was our Natalie playing at? I mean if she was cute enough to be using me instead of vice versa as you say, why wasn't she using that toe rag Cowden? She could have stitched him up anytime she liked.
For blackmail.
Why not? Why is it only black guys she had the down on? Maybe it's good old-fashioned prejudice.
The kid is half black.
No, no, no, it has to be something more personal than that.
Did you speak to dad? Pardon? Ritchie Gibbs, the alleged father of Matthew.
Well, when have I had time to do that, Guv? Well, now.
Come on, off you go, and take Cottam with you so you two can get to know each other better.
Go on, chop, chop.
Jack! Yes, Ernie.
Aspinall, he's got an uncle.
Has he? Well that clinches it.
We'll nail him to the floor.
Have you got a minute? Decades.
Bear with me, I've started a special file, unofficial of course, relatives of recidivists cause you know you find that quite often that though people haven't got a club number, there's a link.
Here, you go, look, Phillip Aspinall's mother is Ilene Aspinall, married to Raymond Tampling.
And Raymond Tampling's brother is Peter Tampling.
Peter Tampling, first conviction burglary 1962, intermittently active ever since, though he's moved around the country a fair bit.
Bazingstoke thought they had him last year, but some old broad gave him an alibi.
Here, yeah, Tampling, Bundit Warehouse, ambush defense, alibi witness his common-law wife, Doreen Gilbert.
Further convictions.
The lying cow.
Police, love.
Errol's not in.
I know.
We're not looking for Errol today, Ritchie Gibbs please.
Ritchie.
So it's my turn today.
Yeah.
Yeah I knew Peter Tampling, knew him quite well as a matter of fact.
We're just good friends now though.
What about his nephew? You know Phillip Aspinall, don't you? Yeah.
Then why you been feeding me all that horse manure? Natalie's dead for God's sake.
I'm not pointing my finger at no one.
One person in the family playing that game is enough.
Natalie told you about her little part-time job then? Oh, yeah.
She got quite proud of it, especially putting all them blacks away.
Why did you do it, Doreen, the blacks? If you had seen what Gibbs did to her when he walked out you wouldn't ask.
Oh, he was Mr.
Wonderful, the best ever, the real thing, and he punched her in the face and left.
Well, she hated him for that and that girl could really, really hate when she like it.
She hated him and she hated the rest of them.
She was obsessed with it, Iived for it.
Oh, then you came on the scene.
An answer to her prayers you were.
They have the last laugh though, don't they? So what you're saying is that someone she informed on found out? No, I'm not.
I'm saying that she was a stupid, stupid cow.
Look, get out of here with that thing, will you? Get right outside, but stay away from the stairs.
Does Aspinall know that she was a grass? No.
You sure? Yes.
But he'll think I am if you don't set off.
And if I go the same way of Natalie that little beggar out there has got no one.
Yes, he has.
He's got his dad.
Keep it.
I was proud of it.
I still am.
It's just something we had to clarify.
Obviously with the death of Matthew's mother -- He's my son, right? If that's all you wanted to know you know it.
A birth certificate is only a bit of paper, Mr.
Gibbs.
I mean fatherhood does go a bit deeper, you know.
Don't you tell me that, man.
I love that boy.
Okay, okay.
Let's just take it easy, hey? Well, you've had a tough time of it and we understand that.
Why don't you sit down? We need your help, Mr.
Gibbs, to find the person who killed your son's mother.
Now obviously you don't have to help us and I dare say you've seen enough of the police in the last day or two.
But is there anything you can tell us, anything would be really useful, for elimination purposes if nothing else, and then we'll leave you in peace.
Where can I find Aspinall, Doreen? I don't know.
You're lying.
You lied in court for Tampling and you're lying for his scumbag nephew now.
You don't even know him.
You're trying to protect the guy that thumped your grandson.
Who's to say he didn't come back and thump Natalie? Oh, you're living in coo-coo land.
Of course he came back.
They kissed and made up.
Oh, don't give me that, not the way that she felt about him.
He brung her a present.
Oh, you could always get around Natalie with a present.
She could always be bought.
You should know that.
What do you mean present? What present? What? the camcorder from Corderado? What's the matter with you? What have you seen there? Come here? That's him isn't it? Sit down there, sit down.
Damn, where's the phone? It's over there, but it ain't working.
Matthew ripped the wire.
I had to get away from that bitch.
She was bad news.
In what way, Ritchie? Every way, spiteful, sleeping around.
She didn't look after Matthew right.
Are you saying she neglected him? If she had something better to do.
So you walked out? She was bad news.
But you left Matthew with her? He was a baby.
You ever hear of a black man allowed to take his baby? So where did you go? To Jamaica.
I've got an uncle there but there's no work.
And when did you get back? Last month.
Nice long holiday then.
Would you quit doing that sir, It's not polite.
He asked me to help.
So I'm helping, right? So you can shut your mouth.
And when you got back here, back here to Denton? I thought she'd be long gone.
Natalie? Shack up somewhere else and Matthew fostered out or adopted or something.
But I see them in the park and he looked so grown up, you know, such a fine young boy.
Like looking at myself when me was young.
And so I think about it a couple of days.
When I go up to her, nothing heavy, I ask her just easy, just to speak to my son, and she spit at me in the street in front of my son, she spit at me.
And then I hear she's still living there on the East Dean and I hear about this boyfriend Aspinall, and I hear what kind of money he has and my son in bed with the two of them.
And that's why you were around Natalie's flat? I meant the other morning.
You know when we called around I saw you there, yeah? Aspinall hit my son and she let him.
She's not fit to have that boy.
I went and tell her that.
Next thing I'm in the police station fingered for burglary along with Errol and Mark.
Yeah, well that wasn't quite the next thing was it? Before you were in the police station Natalie Bell was dead.
Huh? Ritchie Gibbs, I've got to caution you that you don't have to say anything further, but that anything, anything you do say will be taken down and may be used in evidence.
Do you understand? Is there anything else you want to tell me? Did you see Natalie after the row about Aspinall? Ritchie, did you go around to her flat the following night? Maybe you were still angry about what had happened to Matthew Huh? I think we best carry on this discussion down at the Nick.
Come on dad, on your feet.
Drop it.
Don't be a brat.
You got the cuffs? No, somebody's nicked mine, Well then call for some uniforms.
Well we can ad lib.
It's ten minutes down the road.
You can drive.
I'll cuddle in the back.
He'll kill me, kill me.
What's he coming up here for anyway? Pete left some addresses, middlemen will take the gear.
Well, you just sit there.
I'll let him in.
Phillip Aspinall? Who the hell are you? Detective Inspector Frost.
You slag.
Hey.
Phil! Phil! He's taken Matthew.
Frost to control, urgent assistance required.
What's up Jack, got a puncher? I (unintelligible) up an arrest The kid's been taken hostage.
All units, suspect's vehicle is a white rental van, index Bravo, 326, November, Lima, Sierra.
Approach with caution, potential child hostage on board.
Reported leaving the Melrose Estate.
Melrose? Driver believed to be Phillip Aspinall, wanted for questioning.
The child with him is believed to be Matthew Bell.
He's got Matthew.
Oh, shut it.
Just stay back.
You have to stop him, man.
Heading north along Hemlock Road.
Okay, Hemlock, where is it? It's a crossroad where Avenue -- Behave yourself.
Leave it, we've got a body I've caught him again.
He's turning into Leeson Road heading west.
Shit! Broken gates into deserted factory in Horsefield Road.
I'm investigating.
The van is here.
But not Phil Aspinall.
Where's Matthew? Sit still.
What's Gibbs doing here, join the specials has he? No, but he's more or less confessed to the murder, Guv.
Has he? Matthew! Matthew! You all right are you Cottam? Pitty.
Matthew, Matthew, Matthew.
Come on, come on cuff him.
We haven't got time to play tag.
Do it.
Matthew, Matthew, Matthew.
Where's the man Matthew? Where is he? He's up there.
Come on.
Quick jump, that's a good boy.
That's it, well done, good boy.
That's two out of three.
Go on, you go get Aspinall.
Phil! Phil! Well, there's no way you're getting out of here.
Why don't you just pack it in before the ugly mob gets here? You're only making it worse, Phil.
Come on mate, Phil! Oh, come on.
Got him yet? I think he's up there somewhere.
Look out! All right.
That's it.
Phil, do yourself a favor.
It's not worth the hassle really.
You're only wanted for burglary.
Phil! Phil! Are you all right, Guv? No, I'm not.
I'm getting too old for this sort of thing.
Given the situation, it seemed like a good idea didn't it, grabbing a hostage, dropping iron bars on filth? I mean you're all bad.
Who stitched you up? What? Your hand.
a health center at Bazingstoke that's where most of the gear is.
Pete Tamplin's got a couple of lock-ups over there.
He's your man really.
Good old Uncle Pete.
(unintelligible) -- before he led me astray.
I can tell you where to find him if it would do me a bit of good.
It's a choker aint it sambo, when you think about it.
The only reason I'm sitting here now is I slapped that snotty little off cast.
So you did go around Natalie's flat the following night? I couldn't leave it, man.
I have to tell her what I think.
You were still wound up about Matthew getting hurt? (unintelligible) please, Ritchie.
Your son get beaten are you wound up? Did Natalie let you in? She not afraid of me, just treat me like dirt.
All right.
So she let you in, then what happened? Did you quarrel? She slapped me off.
She laughed at me.
She told me I got no right.
I am the father and I got no right? She tell me that and she turned around.
I pick up a thing and hit her and she fell on the floor.
What did you hit her with, Ritchie? Something I have in my hand, a wooden thing.
She had like a boat, you know.
I hit her once.
What did you do with it? I burn it.
You mean you burnt the flat? I hit her once and she die on me.
I stand looking at her, nothing I could do.
I think to myself do I run (unintelligible) if I burn the place and no one can say.
Think tough it out man, then you still see your boy.
Only she don't burn.
Will I see my boy now? It's a good result in the end, Guv.
Yes, wrong color for Mr.
Mullett though.
Still the chamber of commerce will be pleased I suppose.
Come on, come on, let's go out.
Where to? To see Mrs.
McKendrick's dog.
I just remembered it's a witness, indecent exposure.
It bit a flasher where it counts.
Even Mrs.
McKendrick can give me a description.
Oh, can't stop sir, I'm going to see a dog about a man.
I was gonna call you both.
Oh, if there's a commendation going I think my little Black Bart here should get it.
Would you wait in my office please, Carl? Now sir? Yes, please.
I'm moving DC Turner elsewhere.
Well why sir? I haven't had a chance to teach him any of my bad habits yet? The placement was misguided.
To be frank, I now realize officers such as DC Turner need to be nurtured and protected not exposed to the prejudiced, insensitive and downright offensive attitude, which is what you seemed to be engrained.
Well, as long as it was nothing personal, sir.