A Touch of Frost (1992) s10e03 Episode Script
Held In Trust
Come on, kids! Daddy's ready John, she's never been to a football match.
She might be scared by all the noise.
She's going to love it.
Bobby, get a move on! There.
That's one of my best rosettes.
Come on! And remember, you only cheer when Denton scores.
Get it? I'm not stupid.
Anyway, you always say they never score.
They will.
Come on.
Now, you hold your daddy's hand.
- Mum, stop fussing.
- You can get lost in a crowd.
And if it gets too cold, Daddy'll bring you home.
He won't.
Will you, Dad? No, he won't! Denton lose this and they get relegated.
So there's no time for baby stuff.
OK.
Right, come on.
Denton! Denton! See you! Denton! Denton! Den-ton! Yeah! Oooh! What were you doing in there? It's half-time already.
I got my undies stuck in my shoe.
It's these stupid tights Mum makes me wear.
Are you all right now? Come on, Denton! Bobby.
Bobby! - Er Jack.
- Morning, sir.
Er this way.
Yes, sir? Jack, as you well know, the Police Promotions Board is meeting here this week.
Oh, yes, sir.
Don't worry, I'll keep Toolan's bagpipe practice down to an acceptable level.
Sergeant Toolan plays the bagpipes? Oh, yes.
Mmm.
Humour aside, Jack.
Jack I feel I must urge you once again to apply to the Promotions Board for the rank of Chief Inspector thatis now available.
Oh, yes.
We had a chat about that er last week, didn't we, sir? Yeah, and the week before that.
A decision is now needed.
I don't think I've got the pufffor it.
- What? - I'd get constipated.
Er across the chest.
It's the uniform, sir.
It would be too, you know, restrictive for me.
And then there's all that paperwork.
You wouldn't be a paper pusher! You'd be Chief Inspector Operations.
You've got the service and experience necessary.
You'd be running all the Serious Crime ops.
No.
CID is where I belong.
Well, er after a year you could take a sideways step and come back to CID as Detective Chief Inspector.
Yeah, well, there is always that, isn't there, sir? Mmm.
You apply and you're in the door.
You'll have their decision in days.
Less! Well, yeah, I er I ought to give it more thought, then, sir.
You'll give me your answer as soon as possible? Yes, yes, exactly.
Well, if not sooner, sir.
Yeah.
Thank you.
Excellent! All right, George? Hello? What's all this? Somebody been thieving from the graveyard? A secret admirer.
Really? Go on, you dark horse! They're notforme.
They're foryou.
For me? Oh! Bomb Squad searched these, have they? Who's it from? "All my love, MH.
" - Who's MH? - How am I supposed to know? Well, I don't.
It must be a mistake.
Unless, of course, it's my birthday.
Is it? I saw Mullett bending your ear.
An in-house promotion will make him look a star turn.
It wouldn't do your pension any harm either.
Look, I've avoided promotion for a long time and promotion has avoided me.
Reports.
Yeah, all right.
Go on, then.
One of our DCs dealt with a missing boy.
A ten-year-old, Bobby Palmer.
He's still missing.
- Who handled it? - DC Slater.
I see.
What does she think? Has the boy done a bunk, or is it more serious? We're not sure.
Slater thinks you should speak to the parents, John and Emma Palmer.
All right.
Make that our first port of call.
Anything else? There was also a hit-and-run last night.
Give that to Traffic.
No.
Can't.
Pathologist thinks it's a suspicious death.
Anyway .
.
Terry Reid is dealing with it.
You what? Reid? Well, the body was found on his patch.
Ah! Wait a minute.
"The deceased Peter Johnson who lives", or rather lived, on my patch.
So, this one's mine.
All right? Where is he? He's down the mortuary.
Oh, George, come on, don't be funny.
It doesn't become you.
I meant Reid.
Down the mortuary.
Oh, right.
OK.
Well, we'll go down there after we've had a chat to these parents.
Oh! Sir.
Jack, I've just been advised about this missing boy.
Er, yes.
We're on to it.
We think it's a runaway.
Well, if it's not, let me know if you need any support units.
Yes, all right, will do.
And, Jack, er don't forget our previous conversation.
Eh? No, no, sir.
It's all here filed under "Urgent".
JOHN PALMER: Thousands ofpeople in the stands and theydon'tsee a ten-year-oldboy leave his seat? It's usually the case.
Is there anywhere that Bobby might be hiding for any reason? No.
He's not in any trouble.
We've never raised a hand or even our voice.
- He plays sometimes on Denton Heath.
- We told the other officers everything.
We never let him out of our sight! You can't watch them every minute.
Don't blame yourselves.
Of course I blame myself! He's my son and I'm responsible.
I'm afraid we'll have to take his computer away with us for investigation.
GEORGE: Kids are vulnerable when they go on the Internet.
There are chat rooms.
Yes, there are adults that masquerade as kids.
They get information, form friendships.
It's just a precaution, so that we can eliminate it.
This my hit-and-run? Blimey! You could have me on the slab, doing something like that.
Nice to see you too, Reid.
Where's Dr Simpkins? On holiday.
- You're Dl Frost, are you? - Yes.
- I'm the locum, Amanda Chase.
- Oh, how how do you do? This bloke Johnson who was knocked off his perch.
Where's he? - Through there.
- Ah.
Right.
OK.
I see you've got a few extra customers lined up, by the looks ofthings.
Two mortuaries closed for repairs and various bodies are off sick.
They look a bit more than sick to me.
Inspector, I don't know how you usually interact with Dr Simpkins, but I'm afraid I don't have time for bantering or inappropriate remarks.
No, no.
Of course not.
Time of death was late last night, about midnight.
Ah, midnight.
This post mortem scar, it's one of yours, is it? No, he was carrying a donor card.
The hospital removed his kidneys and his corneas.
So he was alive when he was found? Er no.
But he was a rare blood type.
Which means there's less chance of organ rejection when they get a match.
I see.
OK.
So, what's dodgy? Well, the hospital missed this fracture.
Laceration wounds to the skull, ragged strands ofskin and the tissue and blood vessels are deeply impacted.
Couldn't a vehicle have done that? No.
There are splinters of bone embedded in the brain.
I think he may have been bludgeoned.
And his blood-alcohol was over the limit.
Any chance he might have been in a drunken brawl and got clobbered, with something like a beer bottle? Yeah, perhaps.
So he could have walked to where he was found and then staggered in front of a car? Yes, it's a possibility.
But given the extent of his injuries, I'd say he was dragged by the car.
I see.
Well, thank you very much for your help.
We've got his address, have we? Yeah, and his house keys were in his personal effects.
Let's have a snoop round.
Oh, Inspector, there was one odd thing.
He was wearing an elastic band around his wrist.
Back road to nowhere, as far as I can see.
JACK: Hm.
Is this where they found the body? REID: Yeah.
JACK: Did Traffic say anything about broken glass? REID: Nothing in the report.
There's no sign offragments anywhere.
An impact like that would have left some evidence.
JACK: You would have thought so, wouldn't you? I mean, what was he doing right out here, walking in the middle of nowhere? Blimey, nothing's ever straightforward, is it? I had an elastic band once.
Is that the best you could do? Most people have a cat or a dog.
No.
A therapist said I should wear it.
What was it, a fashion accessory, or what? No, I was trying to give up these.
Every time you felt like one, you snapped the elastic band.
It's a simple psychological reminder not to do something.
Oh, really? Well, it worked for you.
What sins do you think he was trying to give up? If it was drinking it didn't work.
Yeah, that's true.
The postmortem report reckoned he had more tar on his lungs than was on this road.
That only leaves gambling and sex.
Yeah, well, he was on social security.
It hardly gives you the playboy lifestyle, does it? Sex, then.
You wouldn't want to give that up, would you? - Well, no.
- Well, there you are.
The van's locked, and there's nothing in it.
Let's see what we've got in here, then, shall we? Blimey.
I wish my place was as tidy as this.
- Have a look upstairs, will you? - Yeah, all right.
This room obviously belongs to an old lady.
Probably his mother, looking at the pictures.
And this is his room.
Hospital corners.
Almost box bedding.
What do you reckon? An old soldier? Nurse? - Hm.
Or an ex-con.
- Yeah.
I'll tell you what, we'll get this computer down to Forensics.
I want you to go and have a word with the nosy neighbour.
I'll stay here and have a look round and then I'll go downstairs.
All right? All right.
Cor, dear.
This bloke is exact in everything he does.
He Have you got anything? Yeah.
He moved in with his mother last year.
She died six months ago.
The neighbour thinks he might have been in the Merchant Navy.
Oh, I see.
Look at this.
Big tins at the back, small tins at the front.
Peas on the left, beans on the right.
What's the matter with this bloke? Does he eat by numbers? Did they say what time he left last night? He drove offjust after six.
Butshe says when she woke up this morning his van wasparked the wrong wayround.
Apparently, he always parked it facing the street, not the way it's facing now.
He's pretty exact about everything else, that's for sure.
It looks like he got back late, left the van and then went out again.
But why park the van the wrong way round? - I don't know.
- Reid.
These obsessive creatures are supposed to make life easier for poor overworked coppers.
All right, cheers.
Guv.
Mmm? They've found a boy's body.
Oh, my God.
The stench of death is unmistakable, Inspector.
Even out here.
Well, what have we got? A boy, about ten years old.
The injury to the side of his face is from one ofthe machines.
I'd say he's been dead for about 24 hours.
Maybe less.
Can you give me a hand here, please? Just lift his arm for me.
Let's save what we can for the pathologist.
See ifthe lad's carrying anyclues.
W- When can we see him? Probably tomorrow.
There are still a few things that we've we've got to check.
DC Marsden is a FamilyLiaison Officer.
She'llbe available foryou 24 hours a day.
OK.
Their doctor is on the way over.
You just er be here for them.
What are you doing down there? It's not a school playground! Sorry, Jack.
I let 'em go by mistake.
Look, I'm trying to solve serious crimes.
I've got a Police Promotions Board coming in and you lot are playing silly buggers! Not quite, Jack.
Oh, look.
There's a card.
Hm.
Well? "To Jack, you lift me up where I belong.
With all my love, MH.
" I'll deliver somebody up where they belong! Who delivered it? - A messenger.
- A messenger? Your powers of deduction never cease to amaze me.
Well, use your deductive powers and find out who sent it! Go on! - All right, Jack.
- Right.
Oi! What am I supposed to do with these? Girlfriend, is it, guv? Mind your own business.
- What, she send you those flowers an' all? - It would appear so.
What, so you've got a girlfriend, then? - No, I have not.
- Well, someone's got the hots for you.
Look, was there something you wanted, - was there? - Oh, yeah.
There's something funny about that hit-and-run.
Someone ought to tell you about your sense of humour.
When we went through Johnson's stuff, we found a ticket for the Denton game.
What, was that the same game where the Palmer boy went missing? Yeah.
But the ticket wasn't used.
So he never turned up.
And his van keys weren'tin hispocket.
And there were no keys visible when we went into the house.
Where are they? Well, we know that he went somewhere.
He came back home, parked his van, went out again and got himself killed.
I don't like these magical mystery tours.
I'll check with local taxis, see if anyone picked him up.
Oh, and see if you can get that van opened.
- Yeah, right.
Inspector Carpenter? Yes, it's Superintendent Mullett here.
Ah, fine, thank you.
Yes.
I've been going through the list of candidates for the Promotions Board, the Cl Ops opening in particular, and I see that you haven't put your name forward.
Yeah, well, I'd be more than happy to lend you my support should you choose to do so.
Yes.
I'd like to thank you for pushing this lad to the front ofthe queue.
It's the least we could do.
Er these fractures are old injuries.
Systematic physical abuse over the last couple of years.
- They were beating him? - Someone was.
God, I don't believe it.
The little girl's a picture of health.
Well, the injuries could have been excused and hidden by blaming childhood accidents.
So what killed him? His body was weakened by violence and it finally gave out on him.
This last beating was just too much.
So he was beaten to death.
Probably.
But he also had tuberculosis.
TB? I'm still waiting for the results from the blood test.
But I'll tell you this, Inspector, he was alive when he was left on that landfill site.
What? Mrs Palmer.
Mr Palmer.
That's not our son.
MRS PALMER: That's notBobby.
That's not Bobby.
That's not our boy.
Oh, thank God! Thank God! JACK: Allright, quiet, everybody.
Come on.
Let's have yourattention! Don't start making any plans for your personal life for a while, because we have got a missing child.
We've also got a murdered child, and a suspicious hit-and-run death.
George.
This dead child hasn't been reported missing, but he was beaten to death.
The victim ofthe hit-and-run, 54-year-old Peter Johnson, was supposed to be at the same football match as Bobby Palmer, but he never made it.
Some ofthis might be connected.
DS Reid and I will be covering that angle.
Now time is against us, so get back to basics.
It's trace, interview, and eliminate, move on.
Well, come on, I'm not issuing invitations for this one.
Chop chop! Terry, listen, I want you to go and grub around the National Health Service psychologists, because ifthat elastic band that our hit-and-run bloke was wearing is anything to do with therapy, I'd like to know what it is.
All right.
Oh, I had the van taken down to Forensics.
Good.
- George.
- Yeah.
Here a minute.
Right.
OK.
Tell me, what's all this about? They use it for delivering stuff to the refreshment stalls.
Well, come on, it won't open itself, will it? Is this kept locked during the game, is it? No.
We leave it open as an additional escape route in case of emergencies.
- So, this whole place is unattended, yes? - That's right.
Right.
All right.
Thank you.
Goodbye.
So, what could have happened, someone could have come up to the kid and said,"Your sister is sick.
"Or whatever.
"And your dad has sent me to come and collect you.
" Yes.
Down the steps, through the open gate, then out.
What, two minutes? Yes.
Nice kid, friendly face, concerned for his sister Why wouldn't he go somewhere with someone? My bet is it's still someone he's met or known before.
And we can't dismiss the fact that he might have done a bunk.
I tell you what, see if you can find any closed-circuit TV tapes ofthat delivery area.
If Peter Johnson was an NHS patient, he'd have come through here.
We think he might have been treated for a compulsive disorder.
They've all got compulsive disorders.
Compulsive, obsessive, neurotic, downright dangerous Some ofthem literally bay at the moon.
The ones with hair on the back oftheir hands, we pump full of olanzapine and move along to a secure unit.
Beyond that, I can't help you.
Johnson was a victim of a vicious assault and a hit-and-run.
He was killed? Yeah.
But we think he might be linked to a missing child.
Whether he is or he isn't, dead or alive, he has patient confidentiality.
Oh, come on, Doctor, give us a break here.
I've got to check this bloke out.
I could always get a court order for your files.
Be my guest.
Someone should sort this mess out.
The tape shows the bonnet of a white van almost out of view, parked in the restricted area.
- A Transit.
Johnson's van, maybe? - No, no.
It's a small van.
It looks a bit like an Escort.
And we can't see the number.
Nobody thought anything of a van being parked there, I suppose? Nope.
And there's no record of any deliveries either.
By the time that second-halfwhistle was blown, it was gone.
This doesn't look good, Jack.
Any thoughts? I think if the worst has happened to that little boy, we ought to cast aside any pretence of civilisation and bring back the death penalty.
We've checked with the regular delivery company and they said that they didn't have any vehicles on the road that night as all their vans were under lock and key.
George.
So it's a bogus van, which means ifthe boy's been snatched, it's been planned.
DS Toolan is going to carry on with the search on Denton Heath.
The rest of you, I want searching warehouses, lockups, industrial estates, that sort of thing.
And let's not forget this unidentified dead child.
Wilson.
Forensic found elements of dried paint in the tread ofthe boy's trainers.
It's the kind used to paint lines on the road.
We're checking with the council to see where they've been working.
Slater.
The label on the boy's shirt's unusual.
It might have been bought on a market stall.
We're checking street traders.
All right, come on.
Let's get some legwork done.
- Jack.
- Sir.
George, take over, will you? Sort out the assignments.
Anyway, the magistrate's issued you a warrant for Johnson's medical records.
I'll take care ofthat.
I'll send Reid down to Forensics.
Let's hope one ofthem sheds some light.
Jack.
Um, one moment.
Close the door, would you, Jack? Jack, I thought you might like to know that Dl Alan Carpenter is going before the Promotions Board.
He's up for Chief Inspector Ops.
What, Carpenter? Of Edmund Street nick? Do me a favour! He couldn't organise a prayer meeting in the Vatican.
I mean, Ops is just not his thing.
Well, I was surprised myself, but he's putting forward an extremely strong case, Jack.
What, for organising the office lotto once a week? Now, now, he's not that bad.
The trouble is, there's no opposition.
Experienced senior officers in this division are thin on the ground.
So they're just going to hand it to him on a plate, then, are they? The timing of major decisions in our lives is not always of our own choosing.
An application by you would, well, I can almost guarantee it, be favourably reviewed.
Alan's late coming back from soccerpractice.
Liz, he'll be fine.
- Come on.
Don't start panicking.
- This boy's only a year younger than Alan.
Sheila? Hi, it's Liz.
Hi.
Is our Alan still there? No, it's OK.
I was just checking everything was all right.
No, that's OK.
You're still bringing him home later, then? Right.
Lovely.
See you later.
Bye.
Running late.
What we have here, Sergeant, is a very clean and tidy person.
REID: I know.
I saw how he stacked his toilet rolls.
The van was cleaned with a high-pressure spray and detergent.
There's barely any dust in there, never mind anything else.
But? There's blood.
- Whose blood? - Don,t know that yet.
It's at the lab.
There's still traces of a blood-splash pattern.
Droplets of blood travel through the air.
Perhaps when someone's punched.
- Or bludgeoned? - Maybe.
That'd fit.
Johnson's skull was caved in.
We need all the help we can get on this.
What about Johnson's computer? Bingo.
Johnson was a paedophile? From where? - Hampshire.
These are the files I inherited.
Peter Johnson, 54, suffering from a compulsive-obsessive disorder.
Everything in its place, predictable, reliable, helpless.
You think he was a victim? You don't have sympathy for people like that, do you? Paedophilia cannot be cured.
Johnson was a paedophile for 30 years, caught once.
Once? Isn't there a treatment centre for people like this? Is that your joke ofthe day, Inspector? Who would fund a treatment centre? The NHS? The Home Office? I don,t think so.
So what do they do? End up queuing outside your door, then, do they? There's a couple of hundred thousand men in Britain convicted of sex crimes against children and that'spossiblyless than 10 ofthe true crime rate.
We don't have a cure for any ofthem.
Oh, all right, Doctor.
All right.
Just tell me, do you think Johnson was capable of killing a child? Not unless he panicked.
People who kill children are psychopaths.
How am I supposed to identify these people? They don't have the brand ofthe Beast marked on their forehead, do they? Key words to identify your killer.
Depravity, degradation, control.
He's a hunter-predator.
Smart, violent, lethal.
This erm elastic band that he had round his wrist, that was to help him to deny any sexual urges that he had for children.
- Is that right? - Yes.
I don't know.
Johnson gets sent down for three years for sexual offences.
He's back on the streets within two! I don't write the rules.
You don't help, though, do you? I mean, there you are, he has a couple of sessions with a shrink, he skips the area of his registration and the only thing that stands between him and innocent kids is an elastic bloody band! The reality is, Inspector, he was still wearing it when he died.
That's a good indication he was keeping to the straight and narrow.
Well, I've got my own way of keeping them on the straight and narrow.
Johnson was on a sex offenders' register in Hampshire? And he's been in Denton for almost a year? We weren't even warned that he had a parent living here.
Yes, and what would we have done ifwe,d known? We can't make sex offenders' names known to the public.
Last time a force released a name on their patch, they were sued! These people shouldn't have rights! They molest children! The law says they've served their time and shouldn't be the subject of intimidation.
Oh, the law.
The law! At least it would have given us time to advise head teachers that there was a paedophile in the area.
They'd feel obliged to warn their staff.
Half an hour later, a parent hears about it.
Before you know it, the evening news has it on its front page! At least we'd know where he was! He'd be less of a threat.
Yeah, and he'd be hounded out again in no time.
- No wondertheygo to ground.
- Are you defending them? No! But the situation is a mess and it comes back to us.
Who do you tell? Who don't you tell? Sooner or later it comes back to our front door! The thing is it's just got complicated.
More than it is already? Johnson had a ticketforthe Denton game.
There's blood in the back of his van.
We don,t know whose yet.
And there is one other possibility.
Someone found out he was a paedophile and took the law into their own hands.
- Ifthe worst comes to the worst - Don't! He'llbe allright.
He'll he'll come home.
I'm not giving up hope.
It's just I have to understand why, why this has happened.
Why my child? Special delivery, Detective Inspector Frost.
Ooh, there's a card.
Hi, George.
"Dear Jack, don,t work too hard.
Save some energy for me.
- All my love " - Don,t tell me! "MH.
" Champagne, white wine, red wine Yeah, all right, all right.
Come on.
You're like pigs in a trough, you lot.
You, go on.
Sod off.
- Whoever she is, she,s got taste.
- Well, in food, that is.
Good taste is good taste in everything.
Thank you, George! Put this hamper somewhere safe.
Make sure that office door is always locked.
More sticky fingers round this nick than there are in a toffee factory.
And I know exactly what,s in there.
Right, now.
Reid, I tell you what.
You go and get the car ready.
I,ll be back in a tick.
MH? No, means nothing to me.
Moira? Myra? Maureen? Mandy? M Michelle! When have you ever known anyone called Michelle? Course I did! Michelle the stripper.
The one that had the boob job.
Oh, yeah.
No.
MH.
She was Michelle Cooper.
Oh, come on, Trigg, do a bit of sifting.
Brady can hardly find his way to the back door, never mind a mystery admirer! And I'll tell you what.
Look, there's a tin of very nice pate for your toast.
No, I don,t like this foreign stuff.
I,m a Marmite man myself.
And when are you going before the Promotions Board, eh? Hm? Oh, yeah.
You can imagine me, can you, being grilled by a couple of Assistant Chief Constables and a divisional superintendent? They,d have me sussed straight away.
This place'd be better with someone who knows what really matters.
And I,m not the only one who thinks that, you know.
All right, I,ll see what I can find.
TRIGG: You getyourselfin frontof thatPromotions Board andbe on yourbestbehaviour! Oh, come on, Johnson.
What were you about hm? REID: He even folded his shopping bags.
- Here we go.
- Hm? The last paper's on the night he was killed.
Yeah, but look at this.
He used the same route every single day.
He'd go from here down to Fresh Food Only for his groceries, OK? Then he,d go on from there to the newsagent's for his fags and his newspaper.
Then every third day he,d take the van, top it up with petrol, same amount, from this garage.
- Goes out one way, comes back another.
- That's right.
Goes round in a big circle, clockwise.
Habit.
Why these shops? Why this petrol station? Obsessive-compulsive.
Hm.
And what else? He chose this route to get his veggies and his petrol.
A journey he did every day.
I wonder why.
All right.
Let's carry on.
Let,s see what else interested him.
Right, anyone remember him? Him and his van.
Said he parked it on the street after he got his petrol.
Usually came back after an hour or so.
So where did he go? There are no shops around here, are there? No schools, no peep shows What was he up to? Is South Street around here somewhere? Er, yeah, it runs in the back ofthis block behind us.
All right.
All right.
Come on, then.
Let's go.
Ah! Been a while, Mr Frost.
None of my lads in trouble, I hope? Don,t know yet, Jimmy.
Don,t know.
Any weird and wonderful ones? What about him? Name,s Johnson.
No.
No, he's not one of mine.
Seen him around, though.
Yeah? Where? Seen him outside, waiting for one ofthe blokes who dosses here.
Really? Show me where he sleeps, then, will you? Right.
Who is he? Anton Caldwell.
He's a creepy sort of bloke.
I wouldn't turn your back on him.
That might well be me, mind.
This is it.
He's around, is he? No, I haven't seen him for a couple of nights.
Some of 'em go back and sleep rough when they have a mind.
I keep theirbeds fora few days.
JACK: Anything differentaboutthis bloke? Apart from making your skin crawl, nothing.
Mm-hm.
Child porn.
JIMMY: Oh, bloodyhell.
I don't want any ofthem in here.
Listen, if he comes back, I don't want you scaring him off.
Do you understand, Jimmy? I want to talk to him.
I don't want him doing a runner.
I understand, Mr Frost.
Tell you what, check with the other divisions and see ifthey've got anything on this Caldwell character.
Make sure Holborn makes a positive ID.
Yeah, all right.
I'll get a couple of people out here.
Did you notice something in there? What's that? Johnson and Caldwell both make their beds the same.
I bet they did time together.
Oh, George.
Any info on that dead lad? Er, no.
We're still waiting for the toxicology report.
What about the Palmer boy? We've checked with his friends.
None ofthem were at the match.
Only his father and sister.
Meanwhile, I've got a dead paedophile who had a ticket and a character called Caldwell who we know nothing about.
It'd have to be someone Bobby knew to get him offthose stands.
The only person we know of so far is his father.
Yes, but do we really think that he murdered his own boy, then used his daughter as a shield just to take our eye offthe ball? - Somehow I don't think so.
- No, nor me.
We ran the usual checks on the family, though.
Yeah? Go on.
Whathappened? Well, a few years ago, a schoolgirl reported that a man pulled his car up to her bus stop and offered her a lift to school.
It was all very innocent, but it was logged.
The driver was John Palmer.
Mmm.
What was his excuse? Well, his wife was a teacher at Denton Senior and he thought the girl would be safer with him than standing alone.
It was all above board.
Well, it might be worth a visit to the Palmers', though, eh? - Jack - Mm? Earlier You know what you said about bringing back the death penalty? You don'treallybelieve that, do you? I don't know.
I'll tell you what I do believe, though, George.
That life should mean life.
It's only fair.
Who's taking it worse? The husband or the wife? She's going through it.
He's holding everything in best he can.
But he's the one that's going to need help.
He's going to crack wide open any day now.
Do you suspect him? Strangers murder between six and ten children a year.
Families kill about 100.
Oh Mrs Palmer, you did very well tonight.
Those television cameras can be very daunting.
Myhusband's notcoping.
Fathers and sons, they do seem to have something special between them, don't they? Mrs Palmer, I'm going to do everything I can to find your son.
But I've got to ask you some questions and some are not very pleasant.
Two years ago, your husband gave a lift to a schoolgirl.
Yes.
I was a teacher at Denton Senior School.
He was concerned for the girl.
What kind of people are you? You think my husband has got something to do with Bobby's disappearance? You're supposed to help us.
Emma Is there anything, anything at all out ofthe ordinary that's happened? About six weeks ago a man from social services came to the house.
He said there'd been a report .
.
an anonymous report that my son was being abused at our house.
JACK: Abusedby? My husband.
It was a horrible thing to hear.
What was the name ofthis man from social services? I- I can't remember.
I did check his identification.
He was from Denton social services.
What happened then? He interviewed me and then Bobby.
My husband was at work.
He said he was satisfied that it had been a hoax call.
We never told my husband.
I mean, it couldn't have been true.
It was a horrible accusation.
I'm sorry.
Sorry, excuse me.
Frost.
I'll be there right away.
That wasn't about Bobby.
I'm sorry.
Thank you for being so honest, Mrs Palmer.
I will do everything I can to find your son.
I promise.
TV: BobbyPalmeris a trusting This is terrible, this is.
What the parents must be going through, God only knows.
Come on, Alan.
Bed, yeah? - I'm just finishing off this stufff or tomorrow.
TV:.
.
leaving the stadium with anyone.
We are conducting a search It's unbearable.
I swear, I'm not letting our kids go anywhere without one of us with them.
Right, if you've not finished now, it's too late.
- Need some help? - Yeah, it's maths.
- We'll give it half an hour, OK? - All right.
No moans when I try and get you up in the morning, then.
.
.
to letthem know thathe's allright.
- He's in the interview room.
- Are you sure it's Caldwell? Yeah, Surveillance picked him up.
The bloke at the hostel confirmed it was him.
He came in, no fuss.
Mr Mullett's still here.
I think you should see him first, guv.
And, er - it doesn't sound like good news.
- All right.
The Met had Caldwell in custody.
To all intents and purposes, he's a child molester.
Was he on the sex offenders' register? No, he was overheard in a pub, talking about the fantasies he had about children.
- He was reported and picked up.
- And? Released four days ago.
That's in our time frame.
Yes, but it gets worse.
The Met had him interviewed by a psychiatrist who considered him extremely dangerous and advised against his release.
Are you telling me that they released a man who they considered dangerous to children back on the streets? You know as well as I do that we can only get a conviction on what can be proved.
Not on how dangerous we think someone is.
All right.
Well, we'll blame this little boy's vicious murder on some arsehole of a politician who thinks that a child's life is less important than some malignant creature's ruddy rights! Oh, there you are.
- Has Caldwell asked for a brief? - No.
Says he'll only talk to us ifthere's no brief and no recording.
- He's done this before.
- Yeah.
So ifwe do charge him, anything he says can be denied.
- Is there any evidence on him? - No.
And the prints on that child porn mag were too smudged.
Sergeant Toolan, apologies for it being so late, but I,ve got the toxicology report back on that unidentified child.
I was arrested in London for thoughts I expressed, not for anything I've done.
- You hurt children.
- No.
I don't.
I love children.
Inspector, I have done nothing wrong.
You've got form for violence.
Self-defence.
Where were you on Wednesday night? Drinking with friends.
Rough friends, I admit.
Itinerants.
You question them, some might remember, most won't.
Either way, it would create sufficient reasonable doubt in the minds of a jury.
You're a paedophile.
I like children.
I want you offthe streets.
I can have you sectioned.
The thing is, Inspector, you can't section someone for being a paedophile.
Just because my object of desire is different from yours.
You may as well section homosexuals.
Shoe fetishists.
Might even be train spotters next.
Paedophilia is not a mental illness.
An expression of violent intent will do me, then.
I've said nothing to you.
Section 136 ofthe Mental Health Act Oh, don't quote chapter and bloody verse at me! .
.
stipulates that I be seen as soon as possible by a social worker and a psychiatrist, no later than 48 hours after detention.
They must then reach agreement whether I am to be detained or not.
Don't hide behind all that crap! I'm not hiding.
I'm here.
- Oh, you know your way around the statutes.
- Yes, I do.
I have to.
I didn't always look like this.
Years ago I used to run a successful business.
Before I was persecuted.
I shall make sure that you get a psychiatrist and a social worker here on time.
In Denton? I don't think so.
And if I were not interviewed within the stipulated time, I would sue the police and social services as others are doing on an almost daily basis.
I have rights, Inspector.
Do you know Peter Johnson? - No.
- What, you never met him? Not that I'm aware.
The hostel warden says he's seen you together.
He's mistaken.
We found child pornography in your bedside locker at the halfway house.
I have no knowledge ofthat.
It was probably planted by someone at the hostel.
You don't have absolute proof it is mine.
You have children.
Girls or boys? Hm.
Both.
- It's all right.
- Leave it.
Ifthere was someone like me, who was not as loving towards children as I am, do you know what they might do to your children? We're going to put you away, Caldwell.
Who would someone like that prefer? Your son your daughter? No! Don't! If he gets hurt, we get done! That's what he wants! He stays the night until we can check his alibi.
I'll stay for breakfast, if I must.
But no longer, Inspector.
If I find that you're implicated in any harm to any child .
.
I will hunt you down personally.
And I don't care how long it takes.
I'd say we're looking for an impoverished family, and TB often surfaces when there's drug or alcohol abuse.
That child was infected and my guess is that other members of his family were too.
So just how do I pinpoint them? That child was treated with isoniazid, which is a course oftreatment lasting several months for adults.
It's not given to children.
But someone gave it to this boy instead of having him treated.
Why? Well, perhaps because then it would be officially recorded on a medical file.
Any maybe somebody didn't want that.
So let's say there's an adult involved and was sick.
There'd be a record ofthat somewhere.
The hospital, probably.
Denton's pharmacology department runs a 24-hour shift.
Mm.
Well, that's where I'll be for the rest ofthe night.
Thank you, Doctor.
Ah Anything? No.
Nothing.
What's the worst scenario? Paedophiles are predatory.
They often work together.
- Johnson and this Caldwell character? - Yeah.
We can't find Johnson's van keys anywhere.
What would happen if, erm .
.
they used a smaller van to snatch the kid? One that was easier to disguise.
And then they transferred the kid to Johnson's van.
Johnson gets cold feet, gets violent.
The other man cracks his skull and dumps him.
Then takes the van back to Johnson's place and parks it.
- The wrong way round.
- Yeah.
But he can't get into the house to put the keys back.
- So he chucks them.
- Yes.
Yes.
Who's going to look for them after a road accident victim's been found? Yeah.
How badly injured was Johnson? Bad enough to look as though he'd been dragged.
Someone drove the van.
Someone else clobbered Johnson and pushed him into the road.
That means that there was a third man involved.
And he could have been the one that sweet-talked Bobby Palmer away from the football match.
Well, how do we find him? Well, there was an unfounded allegation against Bobby Palmer's father.
Social services thought that he might be abusing his son.
We'd better check it out.
I know, it makes your stomach churn, doesn't it? Well, I'll see you tomorrow.
Erm Don't be late, Jack, will you? No, sir.
Better tell George Toolan he's doing the briefing tomorrow morning.
I won't be there.
- We had Caldwell in here last night.
- Did we hold him? No, he walked after his greasy egg.
- His knife and fork went to Forensics.
- You what? The governor wants you to give the briefing this morning.
Where is he? So, we've examined your career in detail, but we want to find out about the real man.
Sir? Who's lurking inside there? Well, me.
I'm lurking.
I mean, I always have done.
Yes.
But what about the other you? I haven't got a split personality, ifthat's what you mean.
No, no, no.
I meant hobbies, interests, pastimes? Well, I do get a certain satisfaction from nicking villains.
But there's more, is there not? No man is an island, Inspector.
Well There must be something.
Your colleague, Dl Carpenter, he's a steam train enthusiast.
Frost, you must do something other than work.
Of course.
Train spotting.
You're a train spotter? Hm? It's the trains.
You see, that's that's whatl missed.
It's the trains.
Of course.
Sorry.
Excuse me, sir.
And erm sir.
It's And er of course, ma'am.
Excuse me, I've just realised something.
Mary Wave.
Wave to Daddy.
She's a bit nervous, isn't she? Going to wave? Come on, get her to wave, Liz.
I'm late.
Bye-bye, Daddy.
Bye-bye! Right, I'd better get going.
Are you home early tonight? - Martin? - What? Oh, no.
No, I shouldn't be too late.
Have fun.
Come on, then.
40-odd years ago, we used to have a railway line running through here somewhere.
Come on.
Steam train enthusiasts tried to revive the track about ten years ago, but they couldn't raise the money.
Johnson had steam train sites on his computer.
And Caldwell threw it back in our face, didn't he? "They'll be arresting train spotters soon.
" He knew what he was doing.
There it is, Terry.
Call in the search team.
Over here! Reid! Over here! Bring some bolt cutters! Cutters! Over here! All right.
Reid bag this up, will you? Might be able to get some prints off it.
Got a torch there? Oh All right, call it in.
Tell them we've found Bobby Palmer.
This is what they did to this child.
Right, thank you.
Ifwe'd have found him earlier, could we have saved him? No.
He had no chance of survival.
Forensic found fibres under his fingernails.
So he struggled with his attacker, then? Yes.
And there were paint flecks mixed on the fibres, identified as paint used for spraying cars.
Old engine oil, as well.
Well, that's good.
It narrows it down a bit.
I want to match Johnson's DNA - with anything that you find on the boy.
- Erm What? There's been an administrative problem.
The mortuary has released Johnson's body by mistake.
How? The Coroner wouldn't have allowed that.
It's a suspicious death.
Yes, I know that.
But apparently there's been some sort of log jam up at the mortuary for days, and a relative of a man named Johnston ordered the funeral parlour to take his body away.
They got the names confused? Yes.
Exactly.
So, not only do we not have any physical evidence, but some poor sod's cremated a paedophile instead of his own loving relative.
Crema Well, that's that, then.
Yeah.
All the evidence has gone up in smoke.
However, I'm hoping that the blood we found in the back of Johnson's van is his.
That means that we will get the DNA that we need.
Yeah, well, let's hope.
What about this first dead child? Yes, well, George Toolan has tracked down a family that needed medication for TB.
He's keeping them under surveillance.
He reckons they're a bit iffy, but Anyway.
That's where I'm offto now.
Oh, erm - Jack.
- Sir? About the er Promotions Board.
Oh Oh, my God, yes.
Sorry.
I ran out on that one, didn't I? But I think I've got a valid excuse - under the circumstances, haven't I? - Yes.
Well, the thing is they're going to give it to you.
They're going to what? They'll make an official announcement at the end ofthe month, but they've suggested we get the usual write-ups and photos for the Force magazine.
Photographs? I can't afford to have photographs taken, I've three murders to solve! No arguments, it's part and parcel ofthe promotion.
And I suggest you get yourself smartened up.
Hm? I've told Supply you'll be down there for a uniform fitting.
So, may I be the first to congratulate you .
.
Chief Inspector Frost.
Yes, sir.
Thank you.
Thank you, sir.
Now, speed up on those investigations.
Looks as though they'll be your last.
Thank you, sir.
Anything? The Stevens family.
She's in the house with two young kids.
Phil Stevens, the husband, he left an hour ago on his own.
They've only lived here a few weeks.
SLATER: And there's been no sign of anymore than two kids.
But they're claiming benefit for four kids? - That's right, sir.
Hang on.
Hang on.
There's somebody now.
There.
GEORGE: That's Stevens.
JACK: Look atthat.
That older boy.
Doesn'tlook like he knows where he is.
I wouldn't mind betting that that boy's never been inside that house before.
All right, come on.
Let's do a house call.
George, you and Wilson cover the back.
Any of your children been treated for TB? - No.
Just me and Cheryl.
- We took the pills like they said.
Who is this boy? Hm? Don't know.
What? You read the papers, you watch the telly.
He was the young lad who was found dead on a waste fill site.
You didn't even look.
We don't know nothing about him.
He was never here.
Why would he be here? What? I never asked you if he'd been here.
- What's the names of your children? - Don't be stupid.
I want you to tell me the names of your children plus their birthdays.
Cos I've got them all here, from the Child Benefit Office.
- What's his name? Eh? The eldest.
STEVENS: You what? What's his name? The one that you brought in just now.
Michael.
When's his birthday? He never remembers.
It's the 17th of May, 1992.
Look, you can't just come in here and mess us about! We've done nothing wrong.
- Is that your name, is it? Michael? - Tell him, then.
Hm? - Michael.
Tell him your - All right, that's enough.
Quiet.
- Tell me when your birthday - Go on, son.
Will you tell me when your birthday is? We've already told you! Shut up! All right.
Come on, you come with me.
You haven't done anything wrong.
You're not in trouble.
I want you to go with that nice lady over there.
You don't say nothing.
Nothing! All right, leave him alone.
It wasn't me what took the lad away.
- It wasn't me.
- You silly bitch! I'm not going down for that! Caution her.
Get Child Protection here, will you? Come on! How'd you get him, sir? Well, when in doubt take out your shopping list.
Now, these injuries were sustained over a two-year period.
Now, he was with you during this time.
I never laid a hand on him.
You beat him and killed him.
Not me.
Not you? But someone was continually beating him.
I wonder why he didn't run away.
I dunno.
Maybe he loved me.
Mm.
Why didn't he run away? We kept him in.
He never went out.
Never.
Unless one of us was with him.
But you dumped his body.
Your Phil is next door blaming you for everything.
He says you're the brains behind it all.
And looking at him, that's not difficult to believe.
But you were the one hurting those kids, weren't you? Did you? Did you hurt them? Did you hit them until they were terrified of you? Maybe you hit this little kid .
.
and he became sick.
And you panicked.
And he died.
Mm? When we all got sick, we tried to fix him.
Look.
I thought he was dead.
Phil shook him and slapped him a bit.
But he didn't come round.
I didn't know what else to do.
Phil dumped him.
He was the one always hitting the kids.
Used to go offhis head.
How do I know that? He hates kids.
Even our own.
He scares the hell out of me, never mind the kids.
That's not enough! Look.
You talk to our own kids.
You tell 'em they're safe from him.
They'll tell you who did the beating.
All right.
What was this kid's name? His real name.
I dunno.
JACK: Allright, bang him up.
It's a child benefit fraud.
People are passing off runaway kids as their own, then they're passing the kids from one family to another.
Of course, the thing is that ifthey'd taken the kid to hospital when he got TB, then their fraud might have been discovered.
My God.
These people are heartless.
Yeah.
Don't worry, they'll roll over.
We'll get some ofthem that are involved.
Not enough, unfortunately.
What about the Palmers, Jack? What about their boy? Yeah, well They've got to go through the torture ofthe mortuary again.
But there's no mistake this time.
All right.
You can put that out.
You've got me to calm your nerves.
Have you been on to social services about Palmer? Yeah.
Got people there now.
Where are we going? We're offto find Johnson's DNA, so we can link him to the murder.
- I don't see how without a body.
- Well, there are bits of him around.
They whipped out his kidneys.
Someone must have 'em somewhere.
She won't give her consent.
The doctor says there's a risk of infection.
Ah, right.
I could have done with your help in there.
I'm trying to pin down a child's murderer.
I'm sorry.
She's been through too much as it is.
A kidney transplant is a painful procedure.
Yes.
Yes, I'm sure.
- Anyway, thank you for your help.
- Thank you.
Well I thought the donor's corneas were used.
I can get DNA from his corneas.
Taking a swab from a cornea transplant is going to hurt.
- All right.
Let's ask.
- Thank you.
- Hold on to that, will you? - Yeah.
Hello, Alice.
It's Dr Stewart.
This is Alice Thompson.
She's 18 years old.
Alice, this is Detective Inspector Frost.
He's the one who needs your help.
- Hello, Alice.
- Hi.
Er I'm not allowed to tell you anything about your donor.
But someone hurt a little boy and I'm trying to find out who it is.
- So this is about getting their DNA? - That's right.
Did the person who helped me Did they do something to the little boy? I don't know.
That's why I need your help.
I don't think I could look through the eyes of someone who'd hurt somebody else.
You mustn't think like that.
Your eyes reflect what you see.
Reflect what you feel.
There's no other way of doing this, and I know that you've been through an awful lot.
And I'll understand perfectly if you say no.
I think I need to know as well.
Thank you.
- Have you two seen Jack? GEORGE: No, I haven't seen him.
No, I mean have you seen him? Out here! He's only gone and done it.
And there's a photographer waiting with Mullett in the conference room.
I neverthoughtl'd live to see the day.
Yes, yes, all right, George.
It isn't signed and sealed yet.
Now I'm going to have these mug shots done.
And that doesn't mean to say that you lot can't find something sensible to do! Thank you.
Thank you.
- Congratulations, Jack.
- Sir.
You're one of us now.
Hello, everybody! Here he is.
All right, all right.
Thank you.
If you thought I was difficult, you just wait.
Thank you, George.
Just what I need.
Thank you.
- Um, have you got a moment, sir? - Oh, leave it out, Trigg.
I haven't been elevated to the aristocracy just yet.
Jack, er, this unknown personage who's been spoiling you.
We've made some headway.
Yeah? Good man.
Who is it? This individual has been described as tall, blond, wears tight leather trousers, and likes a lot offlashy jewellery.
Really? Come on, who is she? It's a he.
You what? He's the one that's sentyou the gifts! My honey.
MH.
Phyliss Morgan always used to call her son Barry "my honey".
I remember.
You arrested him for soliciting and assault a couple of years ago.
That's right.
He's probably done his time and he's out by now.
- Where are you going? - Hm? I'm going to find My Honey.
Phyliss, I didn't know.
You're the one who put him away.
All right, darling? See you next week.
Ta-ta.
He deserved prison, and that's the truth.
He didn't deserve to die in there.
No.
What happened? Got himself into a knife fight.
Well, who did you use, eh? To send the stuffto me? One of Barry's friends.
Huh.
Mm.
We knew your lot wouldn't take long to work out a bloke was doing the buying.
Sooner or later, I wanted you to squirm.
Well, you wasted your money, then, didn't you? "Play to the bastard's ego.
" That's what he told me before he died.
"He'll cringe if he thinks one of us fancies him.
" I don't care what people are.
It's how they behave.
He always said you were a queer-hater.
Your son was a rent boy, who slashed a man with a knife.
It's not my feelings you've got to worry about, it's yours.
It's about time you admitted it.
I did what he told me to do.
He was my son.
He was a violent little swine .
.
but he was my boy.
Are you going to charge me? For what? Wasting your own money? For having a laugh at me? You ain't the first.
You won't be the last.
All right.
I'm not in my Noddy suit yet.
Right.
Come on, then.
Where are we in the Bobby Palmer case? The DNA from Johnson's cornea transplant's back.
And so's the DNA from Caldwell's knife and fork.
Right.
And? Johnson did not take part in the assault on the Palmer boy.
However, Caldwell did.
Right.
We've got the bastard.
Yeah, and so did another man.
Maybe Johnson was trying to protect the boy, after all.
We've got to find Caldwell.
Yeah.
He's not been at the hostel since we lifted him.
That's no surprise, is it? This third man.
It could be the father.
Oh, I don't see it.
Just doesn't feel right.
And I was wrong about him before.
Well, he was interviewed for attempting to talk a schoolgirl into his car.
Social services accused him ofabuse.
Yes, but he was genuine when he saw his son's body.
He didn't fake that.
I know it.
Jack, we've already had one case of kids sold for profit.
Yeah.
Maybe Palmer's been selling his son to the perverted.
He was the only one we know about at that football match who the boy might have trusted.
Palmer could have just handed him over.
We've got to bring him in for questioning, Jack.
It'll finish him.
All right, George.
I tell you what.
Double-check the allegations.
Ifthey're kosher, we'll bring him in.
You can't think I'm involved! My baby's dead.
Emma, for God's sake! I don't know! I don't know! They said that you'd been abusing him.
They came here to the house and said you'd been hurting him! No.
Emma.
Please, no.
That's not true.
Theycan'tsaythat! That's notright! - You've got to believe me! - I can't! I don't know how to.
My son was taken from me.
They took him from me, and they killed him when I was supposed to be looking after him.
My son.
My boy.
You think I killed my own son? All right, Emma.
All right.
Come on.
Through here.
I told the officers that were here earlier.
There is no record of anyone named Palmer being questioned by anyone from this office.
Mrs Palmer is a very sensible woman.
She checked the man's identity.
Well, there is nothing, I'm afraid.
And there were no allegations of abuse against anyone in the Palmer family.
Then we've got someone out there posing as a child welfare officer.
They get to the kids by frightening the parents.
Yeah.
He threatens them with a court order ifthe parent doesn't let him see the child.
Once he's seen the child, he's halfway to building a relationship.
All right.
If it wasn't someone that worked here, maybe someone he knew.
What about someone who's left the social services in the last few years? If you saw our workload, you'd be surprised anyone stayed.
Think! I've already got one child-killer out there! Three years ago, we were taken to an industrial tribunal by a caseworker claiming unfair dismissal.
Oh, yeah? What was his name? Martin Drew.
He moved.
I don't know where he lives now.
So, go on.
What happened? He became too involved in a paedophile case.
Drew claimed he was attempting to understand the psychological profile ofthe offender.
Yeah, look, we need the address of a Martin Drew.
You say involved.
What do you mean? Obsessed? Yes.
If you like.
He resigned before it went to tribunal.
Didn't anyone become suspicious? Social services have enough bad press.
We didn't want any adverse publicity.
Well, you're not doing yourself any favours now.
All right.
What was this sex offender's name? Peter Johnson.
There's only one Martin Drew in the Denton area.
George is on his way.
Right.
Right.
So let's think about this.
Drew meets Johnson when he's in prison.
And then he spots Johnson when he comes back to hide in Denton.
But meanwhile, Drew has made another dangerous friend.
Caldwell.
Does your husband work in the garage business? What? No.
No, he's a sales representative.
But he is he is restoring an old car.
Where? He has a lockup on the industrial estate.
All right, George? Mrs Drew, this is Detective Inspector Frost.
- How do you do? - He's in charge ofthe investigation.
- What investigation? - A murdered boy, Bobby Palmer.
Has something happened to my son? We don't believe that either of your children are in any danger.
Is your husband at work? Yes.
He's away today and tonight.
Sir.
I found this.
There's about a dozen tapes in here as well.
Oh, all right.
Well, let's connect it up.
- Please tell me what's going on.
- Drew has a lockup.
Apparently he's spray-painting a car.
I don't understand any ofthis.
- We have reason to believe - Guv.
- Mm? - There's a video of a school here.
Bye-bye, Daddy! No, that's my daughter.
Martin filmed us.
Hang on.
Bye-bye, Daddy.
Bye-bye.
All right.
Go on.
Run it on.
- Bye-bye! - Right.
I'dbettergetgoing.
JACK: He's filmed overanotherschool.
He's been out videotaping kids.
Hang on.
Just a minute.
Who's that? - Do you know who that is? - No.
GEORGE: Looks like StAgnes's School to me.
No, it's not.
It's Kenyon Road Primary School.
I can tell by the chimney in the background.
That's less than ten minutes from here.
The tapes are dated a couple of days ago, sir.
That kid could be the next target.
Come on.
All right.
You stay here.
George, tell everybody.
Make quite sure they know what they're looking for.
Stay here.
- Are you all right? Can I help? - My little boy.
I don't see him.
He usually waits by the playground.
His his rucksack was over there.
All right.
All right.
Stay here.
Slater! Look after this lady! It'll be all right.
George! I think they've got the boy! Right.
They've got to be stuck in this traffic.
All right, George.
Let's go this way.
- Check the vehicles, George.
- Right.
The van! Reid! It's the van! The van! JACK: That van! Right! Get out ofthe car! Hands on the car.
Spread your legs.
Spread your legs! It's all right, son.
All right.
Come on.
I'm a policeman.
It's all right.
You come with me.
Good boy.
- Take him, will you, George? - Right.
Come on, you.
Come on! Out, you! Come on.
Ah, such a shame.
What? What? He's a very tender child.
I was very close to teaching him about real love.
Haven't you ever thought how it must feel You bastard! Ow! All right.
Come on.
Leave him! Jack! Stop it! All right.
All right.
We found everything in the lockup.
They spray-painted the Escort van as they needed it.
Martin Drew confessed.
REID: Theytried to pull Johnson into things.
Then theykilled him.
Well, Caldwell did, atleast, when Johnson tried to save the boy from being hurt.
Johnson wasn't exactly a strong bloke, but he thumped Drew, which gave him a bloodynose.
It was Drew's blood we found in the van.
How did you know it was that van? - What? - The Playground Maintenance van.
Well, it wasn't a council van.
Denton Council look after playgrounds.
Have we told the Palmers yet? Yeah.
But Drew's bogus investigation set the rot in.
The Palmers are splitting up.
Well, when fear and doubt like that creep into a marriage, it doesn't stand much of a chance, does it? God, what a misery.
I'm going out for a while.
They're freesias, aren't they? I can smell them.
They're so fragrant.
They're beautiful.
Thank you.
And your doctor tells me that you'll be able to see them soon.
Yeah, not long now.
The dressings are coming off in a couple of days.
I thought that you might like to know that the person who donated their corneas for your transplant .
.
at the end ofthe day, they tried to save a little boy's life.
Thank you.
Yeah, I was worried about that.
Well, you shouldn't be.
You just concentrate on getting better soon.
And the truth is .
.
without your help .
.
another little boy might have got hurt.
So, thank you verymuch.
Willyou visitme again? Later.
I'd like to see you.
Of course I will.
It appears that no-one saw anything.
All the officers involved seemed to think that Caldwell was either resisting arrest or fell when he was pulled from the van.
You seem to have their total support.
Yes.
Thank you.
Caldwell's pressing charges, of course.
There'llbe an inquiry.
You'll be suspended till a conclusion is reached, and you'll have to give evidence.
Yes, I know that, sir.
Jack.
I'm sure this, this whole matter, you know, can be swept under the carpet.
Caldwell wants to make a deal.
He'll drop these trumped-up charges of assault against you for erm well, for certain considerations.
No, I don't think so.
You're you're admitting the assault? Yes.
I've never lied on the witness stand, and I have no intention of starting now.
Not for scum like Caldwell.
But, Jack! You're throwing it all away! Your whole damn careeris injeopardyhere! Yourpromotion! It's right there, after all these years! For God's sake.
Jack.
I know.
I didn't think that my career as a copper was going to end like this either.
All right.
From now, you're on indefinite suspension.
Clear your desk.
Sir.
Jack? I'm sorry, Jack.
No, there's no need to be.
Truth is, he deserved a thumping.
I just happened to be the bloke lucky enough to do it.
Fickle finger offate, and all that.
Right, well, that's it, then.
I'm off.
I want you to thank the team for me.
They did a cracking good job.
I'm very proud ofthem.
Thank everyone for what they said to Mr Mullett.
Well, now you can smoke to your heart's content.
Make sure you irritate the hell out of Mr Mullett before you go back to Edmund St.
Yeah, I'll do that, guv.
Good man.
Goodbye, George.
Er, Jack No, no, George, no.
I can't afford to let the troops see me pretending I've got something in my eye, can I, when I leave? You look after yourself.
You were wrong.
You know that.
I know.
All right, you can stop that and all! Go on, get back to work.
What do you think this is, the last night ofthe Denton Proms?
She might be scared by all the noise.
She's going to love it.
Bobby, get a move on! There.
That's one of my best rosettes.
Come on! And remember, you only cheer when Denton scores.
Get it? I'm not stupid.
Anyway, you always say they never score.
They will.
Come on.
Now, you hold your daddy's hand.
- Mum, stop fussing.
- You can get lost in a crowd.
And if it gets too cold, Daddy'll bring you home.
He won't.
Will you, Dad? No, he won't! Denton lose this and they get relegated.
So there's no time for baby stuff.
OK.
Right, come on.
Denton! Denton! See you! Denton! Denton! Den-ton! Yeah! Oooh! What were you doing in there? It's half-time already.
I got my undies stuck in my shoe.
It's these stupid tights Mum makes me wear.
Are you all right now? Come on, Denton! Bobby.
Bobby! - Er Jack.
- Morning, sir.
Er this way.
Yes, sir? Jack, as you well know, the Police Promotions Board is meeting here this week.
Oh, yes, sir.
Don't worry, I'll keep Toolan's bagpipe practice down to an acceptable level.
Sergeant Toolan plays the bagpipes? Oh, yes.
Mmm.
Humour aside, Jack.
Jack I feel I must urge you once again to apply to the Promotions Board for the rank of Chief Inspector thatis now available.
Oh, yes.
We had a chat about that er last week, didn't we, sir? Yeah, and the week before that.
A decision is now needed.
I don't think I've got the pufffor it.
- What? - I'd get constipated.
Er across the chest.
It's the uniform, sir.
It would be too, you know, restrictive for me.
And then there's all that paperwork.
You wouldn't be a paper pusher! You'd be Chief Inspector Operations.
You've got the service and experience necessary.
You'd be running all the Serious Crime ops.
No.
CID is where I belong.
Well, er after a year you could take a sideways step and come back to CID as Detective Chief Inspector.
Yeah, well, there is always that, isn't there, sir? Mmm.
You apply and you're in the door.
You'll have their decision in days.
Less! Well, yeah, I er I ought to give it more thought, then, sir.
You'll give me your answer as soon as possible? Yes, yes, exactly.
Well, if not sooner, sir.
Yeah.
Thank you.
Excellent! All right, George? Hello? What's all this? Somebody been thieving from the graveyard? A secret admirer.
Really? Go on, you dark horse! They're notforme.
They're foryou.
For me? Oh! Bomb Squad searched these, have they? Who's it from? "All my love, MH.
" - Who's MH? - How am I supposed to know? Well, I don't.
It must be a mistake.
Unless, of course, it's my birthday.
Is it? I saw Mullett bending your ear.
An in-house promotion will make him look a star turn.
It wouldn't do your pension any harm either.
Look, I've avoided promotion for a long time and promotion has avoided me.
Reports.
Yeah, all right.
Go on, then.
One of our DCs dealt with a missing boy.
A ten-year-old, Bobby Palmer.
He's still missing.
- Who handled it? - DC Slater.
I see.
What does she think? Has the boy done a bunk, or is it more serious? We're not sure.
Slater thinks you should speak to the parents, John and Emma Palmer.
All right.
Make that our first port of call.
Anything else? There was also a hit-and-run last night.
Give that to Traffic.
No.
Can't.
Pathologist thinks it's a suspicious death.
Anyway .
.
Terry Reid is dealing with it.
You what? Reid? Well, the body was found on his patch.
Ah! Wait a minute.
"The deceased Peter Johnson who lives", or rather lived, on my patch.
So, this one's mine.
All right? Where is he? He's down the mortuary.
Oh, George, come on, don't be funny.
It doesn't become you.
I meant Reid.
Down the mortuary.
Oh, right.
OK.
Well, we'll go down there after we've had a chat to these parents.
Oh! Sir.
Jack, I've just been advised about this missing boy.
Er, yes.
We're on to it.
We think it's a runaway.
Well, if it's not, let me know if you need any support units.
Yes, all right, will do.
And, Jack, er don't forget our previous conversation.
Eh? No, no, sir.
It's all here filed under "Urgent".
JOHN PALMER: Thousands ofpeople in the stands and theydon'tsee a ten-year-oldboy leave his seat? It's usually the case.
Is there anywhere that Bobby might be hiding for any reason? No.
He's not in any trouble.
We've never raised a hand or even our voice.
- He plays sometimes on Denton Heath.
- We told the other officers everything.
We never let him out of our sight! You can't watch them every minute.
Don't blame yourselves.
Of course I blame myself! He's my son and I'm responsible.
I'm afraid we'll have to take his computer away with us for investigation.
GEORGE: Kids are vulnerable when they go on the Internet.
There are chat rooms.
Yes, there are adults that masquerade as kids.
They get information, form friendships.
It's just a precaution, so that we can eliminate it.
This my hit-and-run? Blimey! You could have me on the slab, doing something like that.
Nice to see you too, Reid.
Where's Dr Simpkins? On holiday.
- You're Dl Frost, are you? - Yes.
- I'm the locum, Amanda Chase.
- Oh, how how do you do? This bloke Johnson who was knocked off his perch.
Where's he? - Through there.
- Ah.
Right.
OK.
I see you've got a few extra customers lined up, by the looks ofthings.
Two mortuaries closed for repairs and various bodies are off sick.
They look a bit more than sick to me.
Inspector, I don't know how you usually interact with Dr Simpkins, but I'm afraid I don't have time for bantering or inappropriate remarks.
No, no.
Of course not.
Time of death was late last night, about midnight.
Ah, midnight.
This post mortem scar, it's one of yours, is it? No, he was carrying a donor card.
The hospital removed his kidneys and his corneas.
So he was alive when he was found? Er no.
But he was a rare blood type.
Which means there's less chance of organ rejection when they get a match.
I see.
OK.
So, what's dodgy? Well, the hospital missed this fracture.
Laceration wounds to the skull, ragged strands ofskin and the tissue and blood vessels are deeply impacted.
Couldn't a vehicle have done that? No.
There are splinters of bone embedded in the brain.
I think he may have been bludgeoned.
And his blood-alcohol was over the limit.
Any chance he might have been in a drunken brawl and got clobbered, with something like a beer bottle? Yeah, perhaps.
So he could have walked to where he was found and then staggered in front of a car? Yes, it's a possibility.
But given the extent of his injuries, I'd say he was dragged by the car.
I see.
Well, thank you very much for your help.
We've got his address, have we? Yeah, and his house keys were in his personal effects.
Let's have a snoop round.
Oh, Inspector, there was one odd thing.
He was wearing an elastic band around his wrist.
Back road to nowhere, as far as I can see.
JACK: Hm.
Is this where they found the body? REID: Yeah.
JACK: Did Traffic say anything about broken glass? REID: Nothing in the report.
There's no sign offragments anywhere.
An impact like that would have left some evidence.
JACK: You would have thought so, wouldn't you? I mean, what was he doing right out here, walking in the middle of nowhere? Blimey, nothing's ever straightforward, is it? I had an elastic band once.
Is that the best you could do? Most people have a cat or a dog.
No.
A therapist said I should wear it.
What was it, a fashion accessory, or what? No, I was trying to give up these.
Every time you felt like one, you snapped the elastic band.
It's a simple psychological reminder not to do something.
Oh, really? Well, it worked for you.
What sins do you think he was trying to give up? If it was drinking it didn't work.
Yeah, that's true.
The postmortem report reckoned he had more tar on his lungs than was on this road.
That only leaves gambling and sex.
Yeah, well, he was on social security.
It hardly gives you the playboy lifestyle, does it? Sex, then.
You wouldn't want to give that up, would you? - Well, no.
- Well, there you are.
The van's locked, and there's nothing in it.
Let's see what we've got in here, then, shall we? Blimey.
I wish my place was as tidy as this.
- Have a look upstairs, will you? - Yeah, all right.
This room obviously belongs to an old lady.
Probably his mother, looking at the pictures.
And this is his room.
Hospital corners.
Almost box bedding.
What do you reckon? An old soldier? Nurse? - Hm.
Or an ex-con.
- Yeah.
I'll tell you what, we'll get this computer down to Forensics.
I want you to go and have a word with the nosy neighbour.
I'll stay here and have a look round and then I'll go downstairs.
All right? All right.
Cor, dear.
This bloke is exact in everything he does.
He Have you got anything? Yeah.
He moved in with his mother last year.
She died six months ago.
The neighbour thinks he might have been in the Merchant Navy.
Oh, I see.
Look at this.
Big tins at the back, small tins at the front.
Peas on the left, beans on the right.
What's the matter with this bloke? Does he eat by numbers? Did they say what time he left last night? He drove offjust after six.
Butshe says when she woke up this morning his van wasparked the wrong wayround.
Apparently, he always parked it facing the street, not the way it's facing now.
He's pretty exact about everything else, that's for sure.
It looks like he got back late, left the van and then went out again.
But why park the van the wrong way round? - I don't know.
- Reid.
These obsessive creatures are supposed to make life easier for poor overworked coppers.
All right, cheers.
Guv.
Mmm? They've found a boy's body.
Oh, my God.
The stench of death is unmistakable, Inspector.
Even out here.
Well, what have we got? A boy, about ten years old.
The injury to the side of his face is from one ofthe machines.
I'd say he's been dead for about 24 hours.
Maybe less.
Can you give me a hand here, please? Just lift his arm for me.
Let's save what we can for the pathologist.
See ifthe lad's carrying anyclues.
W- When can we see him? Probably tomorrow.
There are still a few things that we've we've got to check.
DC Marsden is a FamilyLiaison Officer.
She'llbe available foryou 24 hours a day.
OK.
Their doctor is on the way over.
You just er be here for them.
What are you doing down there? It's not a school playground! Sorry, Jack.
I let 'em go by mistake.
Look, I'm trying to solve serious crimes.
I've got a Police Promotions Board coming in and you lot are playing silly buggers! Not quite, Jack.
Oh, look.
There's a card.
Hm.
Well? "To Jack, you lift me up where I belong.
With all my love, MH.
" I'll deliver somebody up where they belong! Who delivered it? - A messenger.
- A messenger? Your powers of deduction never cease to amaze me.
Well, use your deductive powers and find out who sent it! Go on! - All right, Jack.
- Right.
Oi! What am I supposed to do with these? Girlfriend, is it, guv? Mind your own business.
- What, she send you those flowers an' all? - It would appear so.
What, so you've got a girlfriend, then? - No, I have not.
- Well, someone's got the hots for you.
Look, was there something you wanted, - was there? - Oh, yeah.
There's something funny about that hit-and-run.
Someone ought to tell you about your sense of humour.
When we went through Johnson's stuff, we found a ticket for the Denton game.
What, was that the same game where the Palmer boy went missing? Yeah.
But the ticket wasn't used.
So he never turned up.
And his van keys weren'tin hispocket.
And there were no keys visible when we went into the house.
Where are they? Well, we know that he went somewhere.
He came back home, parked his van, went out again and got himself killed.
I don't like these magical mystery tours.
I'll check with local taxis, see if anyone picked him up.
Oh, and see if you can get that van opened.
- Yeah, right.
Inspector Carpenter? Yes, it's Superintendent Mullett here.
Ah, fine, thank you.
Yes.
I've been going through the list of candidates for the Promotions Board, the Cl Ops opening in particular, and I see that you haven't put your name forward.
Yeah, well, I'd be more than happy to lend you my support should you choose to do so.
Yes.
I'd like to thank you for pushing this lad to the front ofthe queue.
It's the least we could do.
Er these fractures are old injuries.
Systematic physical abuse over the last couple of years.
- They were beating him? - Someone was.
God, I don't believe it.
The little girl's a picture of health.
Well, the injuries could have been excused and hidden by blaming childhood accidents.
So what killed him? His body was weakened by violence and it finally gave out on him.
This last beating was just too much.
So he was beaten to death.
Probably.
But he also had tuberculosis.
TB? I'm still waiting for the results from the blood test.
But I'll tell you this, Inspector, he was alive when he was left on that landfill site.
What? Mrs Palmer.
Mr Palmer.
That's not our son.
MRS PALMER: That's notBobby.
That's not Bobby.
That's not our boy.
Oh, thank God! Thank God! JACK: Allright, quiet, everybody.
Come on.
Let's have yourattention! Don't start making any plans for your personal life for a while, because we have got a missing child.
We've also got a murdered child, and a suspicious hit-and-run death.
George.
This dead child hasn't been reported missing, but he was beaten to death.
The victim ofthe hit-and-run, 54-year-old Peter Johnson, was supposed to be at the same football match as Bobby Palmer, but he never made it.
Some ofthis might be connected.
DS Reid and I will be covering that angle.
Now time is against us, so get back to basics.
It's trace, interview, and eliminate, move on.
Well, come on, I'm not issuing invitations for this one.
Chop chop! Terry, listen, I want you to go and grub around the National Health Service psychologists, because ifthat elastic band that our hit-and-run bloke was wearing is anything to do with therapy, I'd like to know what it is.
All right.
Oh, I had the van taken down to Forensics.
Good.
- George.
- Yeah.
Here a minute.
Right.
OK.
Tell me, what's all this about? They use it for delivering stuff to the refreshment stalls.
Well, come on, it won't open itself, will it? Is this kept locked during the game, is it? No.
We leave it open as an additional escape route in case of emergencies.
- So, this whole place is unattended, yes? - That's right.
Right.
All right.
Thank you.
Goodbye.
So, what could have happened, someone could have come up to the kid and said,"Your sister is sick.
"Or whatever.
"And your dad has sent me to come and collect you.
" Yes.
Down the steps, through the open gate, then out.
What, two minutes? Yes.
Nice kid, friendly face, concerned for his sister Why wouldn't he go somewhere with someone? My bet is it's still someone he's met or known before.
And we can't dismiss the fact that he might have done a bunk.
I tell you what, see if you can find any closed-circuit TV tapes ofthat delivery area.
If Peter Johnson was an NHS patient, he'd have come through here.
We think he might have been treated for a compulsive disorder.
They've all got compulsive disorders.
Compulsive, obsessive, neurotic, downright dangerous Some ofthem literally bay at the moon.
The ones with hair on the back oftheir hands, we pump full of olanzapine and move along to a secure unit.
Beyond that, I can't help you.
Johnson was a victim of a vicious assault and a hit-and-run.
He was killed? Yeah.
But we think he might be linked to a missing child.
Whether he is or he isn't, dead or alive, he has patient confidentiality.
Oh, come on, Doctor, give us a break here.
I've got to check this bloke out.
I could always get a court order for your files.
Be my guest.
Someone should sort this mess out.
The tape shows the bonnet of a white van almost out of view, parked in the restricted area.
- A Transit.
Johnson's van, maybe? - No, no.
It's a small van.
It looks a bit like an Escort.
And we can't see the number.
Nobody thought anything of a van being parked there, I suppose? Nope.
And there's no record of any deliveries either.
By the time that second-halfwhistle was blown, it was gone.
This doesn't look good, Jack.
Any thoughts? I think if the worst has happened to that little boy, we ought to cast aside any pretence of civilisation and bring back the death penalty.
We've checked with the regular delivery company and they said that they didn't have any vehicles on the road that night as all their vans were under lock and key.
George.
So it's a bogus van, which means ifthe boy's been snatched, it's been planned.
DS Toolan is going to carry on with the search on Denton Heath.
The rest of you, I want searching warehouses, lockups, industrial estates, that sort of thing.
And let's not forget this unidentified dead child.
Wilson.
Forensic found elements of dried paint in the tread ofthe boy's trainers.
It's the kind used to paint lines on the road.
We're checking with the council to see where they've been working.
Slater.
The label on the boy's shirt's unusual.
It might have been bought on a market stall.
We're checking street traders.
All right, come on.
Let's get some legwork done.
- Jack.
- Sir.
George, take over, will you? Sort out the assignments.
Anyway, the magistrate's issued you a warrant for Johnson's medical records.
I'll take care ofthat.
I'll send Reid down to Forensics.
Let's hope one ofthem sheds some light.
Jack.
Um, one moment.
Close the door, would you, Jack? Jack, I thought you might like to know that Dl Alan Carpenter is going before the Promotions Board.
He's up for Chief Inspector Ops.
What, Carpenter? Of Edmund Street nick? Do me a favour! He couldn't organise a prayer meeting in the Vatican.
I mean, Ops is just not his thing.
Well, I was surprised myself, but he's putting forward an extremely strong case, Jack.
What, for organising the office lotto once a week? Now, now, he's not that bad.
The trouble is, there's no opposition.
Experienced senior officers in this division are thin on the ground.
So they're just going to hand it to him on a plate, then, are they? The timing of major decisions in our lives is not always of our own choosing.
An application by you would, well, I can almost guarantee it, be favourably reviewed.
Alan's late coming back from soccerpractice.
Liz, he'll be fine.
- Come on.
Don't start panicking.
- This boy's only a year younger than Alan.
Sheila? Hi, it's Liz.
Hi.
Is our Alan still there? No, it's OK.
I was just checking everything was all right.
No, that's OK.
You're still bringing him home later, then? Right.
Lovely.
See you later.
Bye.
Running late.
What we have here, Sergeant, is a very clean and tidy person.
REID: I know.
I saw how he stacked his toilet rolls.
The van was cleaned with a high-pressure spray and detergent.
There's barely any dust in there, never mind anything else.
But? There's blood.
- Whose blood? - Don,t know that yet.
It's at the lab.
There's still traces of a blood-splash pattern.
Droplets of blood travel through the air.
Perhaps when someone's punched.
- Or bludgeoned? - Maybe.
That'd fit.
Johnson's skull was caved in.
We need all the help we can get on this.
What about Johnson's computer? Bingo.
Johnson was a paedophile? From where? - Hampshire.
These are the files I inherited.
Peter Johnson, 54, suffering from a compulsive-obsessive disorder.
Everything in its place, predictable, reliable, helpless.
You think he was a victim? You don't have sympathy for people like that, do you? Paedophilia cannot be cured.
Johnson was a paedophile for 30 years, caught once.
Once? Isn't there a treatment centre for people like this? Is that your joke ofthe day, Inspector? Who would fund a treatment centre? The NHS? The Home Office? I don,t think so.
So what do they do? End up queuing outside your door, then, do they? There's a couple of hundred thousand men in Britain convicted of sex crimes against children and that'spossiblyless than 10 ofthe true crime rate.
We don't have a cure for any ofthem.
Oh, all right, Doctor.
All right.
Just tell me, do you think Johnson was capable of killing a child? Not unless he panicked.
People who kill children are psychopaths.
How am I supposed to identify these people? They don't have the brand ofthe Beast marked on their forehead, do they? Key words to identify your killer.
Depravity, degradation, control.
He's a hunter-predator.
Smart, violent, lethal.
This erm elastic band that he had round his wrist, that was to help him to deny any sexual urges that he had for children.
- Is that right? - Yes.
I don't know.
Johnson gets sent down for three years for sexual offences.
He's back on the streets within two! I don't write the rules.
You don't help, though, do you? I mean, there you are, he has a couple of sessions with a shrink, he skips the area of his registration and the only thing that stands between him and innocent kids is an elastic bloody band! The reality is, Inspector, he was still wearing it when he died.
That's a good indication he was keeping to the straight and narrow.
Well, I've got my own way of keeping them on the straight and narrow.
Johnson was on a sex offenders' register in Hampshire? And he's been in Denton for almost a year? We weren't even warned that he had a parent living here.
Yes, and what would we have done ifwe,d known? We can't make sex offenders' names known to the public.
Last time a force released a name on their patch, they were sued! These people shouldn't have rights! They molest children! The law says they've served their time and shouldn't be the subject of intimidation.
Oh, the law.
The law! At least it would have given us time to advise head teachers that there was a paedophile in the area.
They'd feel obliged to warn their staff.
Half an hour later, a parent hears about it.
Before you know it, the evening news has it on its front page! At least we'd know where he was! He'd be less of a threat.
Yeah, and he'd be hounded out again in no time.
- No wondertheygo to ground.
- Are you defending them? No! But the situation is a mess and it comes back to us.
Who do you tell? Who don't you tell? Sooner or later it comes back to our front door! The thing is it's just got complicated.
More than it is already? Johnson had a ticketforthe Denton game.
There's blood in the back of his van.
We don,t know whose yet.
And there is one other possibility.
Someone found out he was a paedophile and took the law into their own hands.
- Ifthe worst comes to the worst - Don't! He'llbe allright.
He'll he'll come home.
I'm not giving up hope.
It's just I have to understand why, why this has happened.
Why my child? Special delivery, Detective Inspector Frost.
Ooh, there's a card.
Hi, George.
"Dear Jack, don,t work too hard.
Save some energy for me.
- All my love " - Don,t tell me! "MH.
" Champagne, white wine, red wine Yeah, all right, all right.
Come on.
You're like pigs in a trough, you lot.
You, go on.
Sod off.
- Whoever she is, she,s got taste.
- Well, in food, that is.
Good taste is good taste in everything.
Thank you, George! Put this hamper somewhere safe.
Make sure that office door is always locked.
More sticky fingers round this nick than there are in a toffee factory.
And I know exactly what,s in there.
Right, now.
Reid, I tell you what.
You go and get the car ready.
I,ll be back in a tick.
MH? No, means nothing to me.
Moira? Myra? Maureen? Mandy? M Michelle! When have you ever known anyone called Michelle? Course I did! Michelle the stripper.
The one that had the boob job.
Oh, yeah.
No.
MH.
She was Michelle Cooper.
Oh, come on, Trigg, do a bit of sifting.
Brady can hardly find his way to the back door, never mind a mystery admirer! And I'll tell you what.
Look, there's a tin of very nice pate for your toast.
No, I don,t like this foreign stuff.
I,m a Marmite man myself.
And when are you going before the Promotions Board, eh? Hm? Oh, yeah.
You can imagine me, can you, being grilled by a couple of Assistant Chief Constables and a divisional superintendent? They,d have me sussed straight away.
This place'd be better with someone who knows what really matters.
And I,m not the only one who thinks that, you know.
All right, I,ll see what I can find.
TRIGG: You getyourselfin frontof thatPromotions Board andbe on yourbestbehaviour! Oh, come on, Johnson.
What were you about hm? REID: He even folded his shopping bags.
- Here we go.
- Hm? The last paper's on the night he was killed.
Yeah, but look at this.
He used the same route every single day.
He'd go from here down to Fresh Food Only for his groceries, OK? Then he,d go on from there to the newsagent's for his fags and his newspaper.
Then every third day he,d take the van, top it up with petrol, same amount, from this garage.
- Goes out one way, comes back another.
- That's right.
Goes round in a big circle, clockwise.
Habit.
Why these shops? Why this petrol station? Obsessive-compulsive.
Hm.
And what else? He chose this route to get his veggies and his petrol.
A journey he did every day.
I wonder why.
All right.
Let's carry on.
Let,s see what else interested him.
Right, anyone remember him? Him and his van.
Said he parked it on the street after he got his petrol.
Usually came back after an hour or so.
So where did he go? There are no shops around here, are there? No schools, no peep shows What was he up to? Is South Street around here somewhere? Er, yeah, it runs in the back ofthis block behind us.
All right.
All right.
Come on, then.
Let's go.
Ah! Been a while, Mr Frost.
None of my lads in trouble, I hope? Don,t know yet, Jimmy.
Don,t know.
Any weird and wonderful ones? What about him? Name,s Johnson.
No.
No, he's not one of mine.
Seen him around, though.
Yeah? Where? Seen him outside, waiting for one ofthe blokes who dosses here.
Really? Show me where he sleeps, then, will you? Right.
Who is he? Anton Caldwell.
He's a creepy sort of bloke.
I wouldn't turn your back on him.
That might well be me, mind.
This is it.
He's around, is he? No, I haven't seen him for a couple of nights.
Some of 'em go back and sleep rough when they have a mind.
I keep theirbeds fora few days.
JACK: Anything differentaboutthis bloke? Apart from making your skin crawl, nothing.
Mm-hm.
Child porn.
JIMMY: Oh, bloodyhell.
I don't want any ofthem in here.
Listen, if he comes back, I don't want you scaring him off.
Do you understand, Jimmy? I want to talk to him.
I don't want him doing a runner.
I understand, Mr Frost.
Tell you what, check with the other divisions and see ifthey've got anything on this Caldwell character.
Make sure Holborn makes a positive ID.
Yeah, all right.
I'll get a couple of people out here.
Did you notice something in there? What's that? Johnson and Caldwell both make their beds the same.
I bet they did time together.
Oh, George.
Any info on that dead lad? Er, no.
We're still waiting for the toxicology report.
What about the Palmer boy? We've checked with his friends.
None ofthem were at the match.
Only his father and sister.
Meanwhile, I've got a dead paedophile who had a ticket and a character called Caldwell who we know nothing about.
It'd have to be someone Bobby knew to get him offthose stands.
The only person we know of so far is his father.
Yes, but do we really think that he murdered his own boy, then used his daughter as a shield just to take our eye offthe ball? - Somehow I don't think so.
- No, nor me.
We ran the usual checks on the family, though.
Yeah? Go on.
Whathappened? Well, a few years ago, a schoolgirl reported that a man pulled his car up to her bus stop and offered her a lift to school.
It was all very innocent, but it was logged.
The driver was John Palmer.
Mmm.
What was his excuse? Well, his wife was a teacher at Denton Senior and he thought the girl would be safer with him than standing alone.
It was all above board.
Well, it might be worth a visit to the Palmers', though, eh? - Jack - Mm? Earlier You know what you said about bringing back the death penalty? You don'treallybelieve that, do you? I don't know.
I'll tell you what I do believe, though, George.
That life should mean life.
It's only fair.
Who's taking it worse? The husband or the wife? She's going through it.
He's holding everything in best he can.
But he's the one that's going to need help.
He's going to crack wide open any day now.
Do you suspect him? Strangers murder between six and ten children a year.
Families kill about 100.
Oh Mrs Palmer, you did very well tonight.
Those television cameras can be very daunting.
Myhusband's notcoping.
Fathers and sons, they do seem to have something special between them, don't they? Mrs Palmer, I'm going to do everything I can to find your son.
But I've got to ask you some questions and some are not very pleasant.
Two years ago, your husband gave a lift to a schoolgirl.
Yes.
I was a teacher at Denton Senior School.
He was concerned for the girl.
What kind of people are you? You think my husband has got something to do with Bobby's disappearance? You're supposed to help us.
Emma Is there anything, anything at all out ofthe ordinary that's happened? About six weeks ago a man from social services came to the house.
He said there'd been a report .
.
an anonymous report that my son was being abused at our house.
JACK: Abusedby? My husband.
It was a horrible thing to hear.
What was the name ofthis man from social services? I- I can't remember.
I did check his identification.
He was from Denton social services.
What happened then? He interviewed me and then Bobby.
My husband was at work.
He said he was satisfied that it had been a hoax call.
We never told my husband.
I mean, it couldn't have been true.
It was a horrible accusation.
I'm sorry.
Sorry, excuse me.
Frost.
I'll be there right away.
That wasn't about Bobby.
I'm sorry.
Thank you for being so honest, Mrs Palmer.
I will do everything I can to find your son.
I promise.
TV: BobbyPalmeris a trusting This is terrible, this is.
What the parents must be going through, God only knows.
Come on, Alan.
Bed, yeah? - I'm just finishing off this stufff or tomorrow.
TV:.
.
leaving the stadium with anyone.
We are conducting a search It's unbearable.
I swear, I'm not letting our kids go anywhere without one of us with them.
Right, if you've not finished now, it's too late.
- Need some help? - Yeah, it's maths.
- We'll give it half an hour, OK? - All right.
No moans when I try and get you up in the morning, then.
.
.
to letthem know thathe's allright.
- He's in the interview room.
- Are you sure it's Caldwell? Yeah, Surveillance picked him up.
The bloke at the hostel confirmed it was him.
He came in, no fuss.
Mr Mullett's still here.
I think you should see him first, guv.
And, er - it doesn't sound like good news.
- All right.
The Met had Caldwell in custody.
To all intents and purposes, he's a child molester.
Was he on the sex offenders' register? No, he was overheard in a pub, talking about the fantasies he had about children.
- He was reported and picked up.
- And? Released four days ago.
That's in our time frame.
Yes, but it gets worse.
The Met had him interviewed by a psychiatrist who considered him extremely dangerous and advised against his release.
Are you telling me that they released a man who they considered dangerous to children back on the streets? You know as well as I do that we can only get a conviction on what can be proved.
Not on how dangerous we think someone is.
All right.
Well, we'll blame this little boy's vicious murder on some arsehole of a politician who thinks that a child's life is less important than some malignant creature's ruddy rights! Oh, there you are.
- Has Caldwell asked for a brief? - No.
Says he'll only talk to us ifthere's no brief and no recording.
- He's done this before.
- Yeah.
So ifwe do charge him, anything he says can be denied.
- Is there any evidence on him? - No.
And the prints on that child porn mag were too smudged.
Sergeant Toolan, apologies for it being so late, but I,ve got the toxicology report back on that unidentified child.
I was arrested in London for thoughts I expressed, not for anything I've done.
- You hurt children.
- No.
I don't.
I love children.
Inspector, I have done nothing wrong.
You've got form for violence.
Self-defence.
Where were you on Wednesday night? Drinking with friends.
Rough friends, I admit.
Itinerants.
You question them, some might remember, most won't.
Either way, it would create sufficient reasonable doubt in the minds of a jury.
You're a paedophile.
I like children.
I want you offthe streets.
I can have you sectioned.
The thing is, Inspector, you can't section someone for being a paedophile.
Just because my object of desire is different from yours.
You may as well section homosexuals.
Shoe fetishists.
Might even be train spotters next.
Paedophilia is not a mental illness.
An expression of violent intent will do me, then.
I've said nothing to you.
Section 136 ofthe Mental Health Act Oh, don't quote chapter and bloody verse at me! .
.
stipulates that I be seen as soon as possible by a social worker and a psychiatrist, no later than 48 hours after detention.
They must then reach agreement whether I am to be detained or not.
Don't hide behind all that crap! I'm not hiding.
I'm here.
- Oh, you know your way around the statutes.
- Yes, I do.
I have to.
I didn't always look like this.
Years ago I used to run a successful business.
Before I was persecuted.
I shall make sure that you get a psychiatrist and a social worker here on time.
In Denton? I don't think so.
And if I were not interviewed within the stipulated time, I would sue the police and social services as others are doing on an almost daily basis.
I have rights, Inspector.
Do you know Peter Johnson? - No.
- What, you never met him? Not that I'm aware.
The hostel warden says he's seen you together.
He's mistaken.
We found child pornography in your bedside locker at the halfway house.
I have no knowledge ofthat.
It was probably planted by someone at the hostel.
You don't have absolute proof it is mine.
You have children.
Girls or boys? Hm.
Both.
- It's all right.
- Leave it.
Ifthere was someone like me, who was not as loving towards children as I am, do you know what they might do to your children? We're going to put you away, Caldwell.
Who would someone like that prefer? Your son your daughter? No! Don't! If he gets hurt, we get done! That's what he wants! He stays the night until we can check his alibi.
I'll stay for breakfast, if I must.
But no longer, Inspector.
If I find that you're implicated in any harm to any child .
.
I will hunt you down personally.
And I don't care how long it takes.
I'd say we're looking for an impoverished family, and TB often surfaces when there's drug or alcohol abuse.
That child was infected and my guess is that other members of his family were too.
So just how do I pinpoint them? That child was treated with isoniazid, which is a course oftreatment lasting several months for adults.
It's not given to children.
But someone gave it to this boy instead of having him treated.
Why? Well, perhaps because then it would be officially recorded on a medical file.
Any maybe somebody didn't want that.
So let's say there's an adult involved and was sick.
There'd be a record ofthat somewhere.
The hospital, probably.
Denton's pharmacology department runs a 24-hour shift.
Mm.
Well, that's where I'll be for the rest ofthe night.
Thank you, Doctor.
Ah Anything? No.
Nothing.
What's the worst scenario? Paedophiles are predatory.
They often work together.
- Johnson and this Caldwell character? - Yeah.
We can't find Johnson's van keys anywhere.
What would happen if, erm .
.
they used a smaller van to snatch the kid? One that was easier to disguise.
And then they transferred the kid to Johnson's van.
Johnson gets cold feet, gets violent.
The other man cracks his skull and dumps him.
Then takes the van back to Johnson's place and parks it.
- The wrong way round.
- Yeah.
But he can't get into the house to put the keys back.
- So he chucks them.
- Yes.
Yes.
Who's going to look for them after a road accident victim's been found? Yeah.
How badly injured was Johnson? Bad enough to look as though he'd been dragged.
Someone drove the van.
Someone else clobbered Johnson and pushed him into the road.
That means that there was a third man involved.
And he could have been the one that sweet-talked Bobby Palmer away from the football match.
Well, how do we find him? Well, there was an unfounded allegation against Bobby Palmer's father.
Social services thought that he might be abusing his son.
We'd better check it out.
I know, it makes your stomach churn, doesn't it? Well, I'll see you tomorrow.
Erm Don't be late, Jack, will you? No, sir.
Better tell George Toolan he's doing the briefing tomorrow morning.
I won't be there.
- We had Caldwell in here last night.
- Did we hold him? No, he walked after his greasy egg.
- His knife and fork went to Forensics.
- You what? The governor wants you to give the briefing this morning.
Where is he? So, we've examined your career in detail, but we want to find out about the real man.
Sir? Who's lurking inside there? Well, me.
I'm lurking.
I mean, I always have done.
Yes.
But what about the other you? I haven't got a split personality, ifthat's what you mean.
No, no, no.
I meant hobbies, interests, pastimes? Well, I do get a certain satisfaction from nicking villains.
But there's more, is there not? No man is an island, Inspector.
Well There must be something.
Your colleague, Dl Carpenter, he's a steam train enthusiast.
Frost, you must do something other than work.
Of course.
Train spotting.
You're a train spotter? Hm? It's the trains.
You see, that's that's whatl missed.
It's the trains.
Of course.
Sorry.
Excuse me, sir.
And erm sir.
It's And er of course, ma'am.
Excuse me, I've just realised something.
Mary Wave.
Wave to Daddy.
She's a bit nervous, isn't she? Going to wave? Come on, get her to wave, Liz.
I'm late.
Bye-bye, Daddy.
Bye-bye! Right, I'd better get going.
Are you home early tonight? - Martin? - What? Oh, no.
No, I shouldn't be too late.
Have fun.
Come on, then.
40-odd years ago, we used to have a railway line running through here somewhere.
Come on.
Steam train enthusiasts tried to revive the track about ten years ago, but they couldn't raise the money.
Johnson had steam train sites on his computer.
And Caldwell threw it back in our face, didn't he? "They'll be arresting train spotters soon.
" He knew what he was doing.
There it is, Terry.
Call in the search team.
Over here! Reid! Over here! Bring some bolt cutters! Cutters! Over here! All right.
Reid bag this up, will you? Might be able to get some prints off it.
Got a torch there? Oh All right, call it in.
Tell them we've found Bobby Palmer.
This is what they did to this child.
Right, thank you.
Ifwe'd have found him earlier, could we have saved him? No.
He had no chance of survival.
Forensic found fibres under his fingernails.
So he struggled with his attacker, then? Yes.
And there were paint flecks mixed on the fibres, identified as paint used for spraying cars.
Old engine oil, as well.
Well, that's good.
It narrows it down a bit.
I want to match Johnson's DNA - with anything that you find on the boy.
- Erm What? There's been an administrative problem.
The mortuary has released Johnson's body by mistake.
How? The Coroner wouldn't have allowed that.
It's a suspicious death.
Yes, I know that.
But apparently there's been some sort of log jam up at the mortuary for days, and a relative of a man named Johnston ordered the funeral parlour to take his body away.
They got the names confused? Yes.
Exactly.
So, not only do we not have any physical evidence, but some poor sod's cremated a paedophile instead of his own loving relative.
Crema Well, that's that, then.
Yeah.
All the evidence has gone up in smoke.
However, I'm hoping that the blood we found in the back of Johnson's van is his.
That means that we will get the DNA that we need.
Yeah, well, let's hope.
What about this first dead child? Yes, well, George Toolan has tracked down a family that needed medication for TB.
He's keeping them under surveillance.
He reckons they're a bit iffy, but Anyway.
That's where I'm offto now.
Oh, erm - Jack.
- Sir? About the er Promotions Board.
Oh Oh, my God, yes.
Sorry.
I ran out on that one, didn't I? But I think I've got a valid excuse - under the circumstances, haven't I? - Yes.
Well, the thing is they're going to give it to you.
They're going to what? They'll make an official announcement at the end ofthe month, but they've suggested we get the usual write-ups and photos for the Force magazine.
Photographs? I can't afford to have photographs taken, I've three murders to solve! No arguments, it's part and parcel ofthe promotion.
And I suggest you get yourself smartened up.
Hm? I've told Supply you'll be down there for a uniform fitting.
So, may I be the first to congratulate you .
.
Chief Inspector Frost.
Yes, sir.
Thank you.
Thank you, sir.
Now, speed up on those investigations.
Looks as though they'll be your last.
Thank you, sir.
Anything? The Stevens family.
She's in the house with two young kids.
Phil Stevens, the husband, he left an hour ago on his own.
They've only lived here a few weeks.
SLATER: And there's been no sign of anymore than two kids.
But they're claiming benefit for four kids? - That's right, sir.
Hang on.
Hang on.
There's somebody now.
There.
GEORGE: That's Stevens.
JACK: Look atthat.
That older boy.
Doesn'tlook like he knows where he is.
I wouldn't mind betting that that boy's never been inside that house before.
All right, come on.
Let's do a house call.
George, you and Wilson cover the back.
Any of your children been treated for TB? - No.
Just me and Cheryl.
- We took the pills like they said.
Who is this boy? Hm? Don't know.
What? You read the papers, you watch the telly.
He was the young lad who was found dead on a waste fill site.
You didn't even look.
We don't know nothing about him.
He was never here.
Why would he be here? What? I never asked you if he'd been here.
- What's the names of your children? - Don't be stupid.
I want you to tell me the names of your children plus their birthdays.
Cos I've got them all here, from the Child Benefit Office.
- What's his name? Eh? The eldest.
STEVENS: You what? What's his name? The one that you brought in just now.
Michael.
When's his birthday? He never remembers.
It's the 17th of May, 1992.
Look, you can't just come in here and mess us about! We've done nothing wrong.
- Is that your name, is it? Michael? - Tell him, then.
Hm? - Michael.
Tell him your - All right, that's enough.
Quiet.
- Tell me when your birthday - Go on, son.
Will you tell me when your birthday is? We've already told you! Shut up! All right.
Come on, you come with me.
You haven't done anything wrong.
You're not in trouble.
I want you to go with that nice lady over there.
You don't say nothing.
Nothing! All right, leave him alone.
It wasn't me what took the lad away.
- It wasn't me.
- You silly bitch! I'm not going down for that! Caution her.
Get Child Protection here, will you? Come on! How'd you get him, sir? Well, when in doubt take out your shopping list.
Now, these injuries were sustained over a two-year period.
Now, he was with you during this time.
I never laid a hand on him.
You beat him and killed him.
Not me.
Not you? But someone was continually beating him.
I wonder why he didn't run away.
I dunno.
Maybe he loved me.
Mm.
Why didn't he run away? We kept him in.
He never went out.
Never.
Unless one of us was with him.
But you dumped his body.
Your Phil is next door blaming you for everything.
He says you're the brains behind it all.
And looking at him, that's not difficult to believe.
But you were the one hurting those kids, weren't you? Did you? Did you hurt them? Did you hit them until they were terrified of you? Maybe you hit this little kid .
.
and he became sick.
And you panicked.
And he died.
Mm? When we all got sick, we tried to fix him.
Look.
I thought he was dead.
Phil shook him and slapped him a bit.
But he didn't come round.
I didn't know what else to do.
Phil dumped him.
He was the one always hitting the kids.
Used to go offhis head.
How do I know that? He hates kids.
Even our own.
He scares the hell out of me, never mind the kids.
That's not enough! Look.
You talk to our own kids.
You tell 'em they're safe from him.
They'll tell you who did the beating.
All right.
What was this kid's name? His real name.
I dunno.
JACK: Allright, bang him up.
It's a child benefit fraud.
People are passing off runaway kids as their own, then they're passing the kids from one family to another.
Of course, the thing is that ifthey'd taken the kid to hospital when he got TB, then their fraud might have been discovered.
My God.
These people are heartless.
Yeah.
Don't worry, they'll roll over.
We'll get some ofthem that are involved.
Not enough, unfortunately.
What about the Palmers, Jack? What about their boy? Yeah, well They've got to go through the torture ofthe mortuary again.
But there's no mistake this time.
All right.
You can put that out.
You've got me to calm your nerves.
Have you been on to social services about Palmer? Yeah.
Got people there now.
Where are we going? We're offto find Johnson's DNA, so we can link him to the murder.
- I don't see how without a body.
- Well, there are bits of him around.
They whipped out his kidneys.
Someone must have 'em somewhere.
She won't give her consent.
The doctor says there's a risk of infection.
Ah, right.
I could have done with your help in there.
I'm trying to pin down a child's murderer.
I'm sorry.
She's been through too much as it is.
A kidney transplant is a painful procedure.
Yes.
Yes, I'm sure.
- Anyway, thank you for your help.
- Thank you.
Well I thought the donor's corneas were used.
I can get DNA from his corneas.
Taking a swab from a cornea transplant is going to hurt.
- All right.
Let's ask.
- Thank you.
- Hold on to that, will you? - Yeah.
Hello, Alice.
It's Dr Stewart.
This is Alice Thompson.
She's 18 years old.
Alice, this is Detective Inspector Frost.
He's the one who needs your help.
- Hello, Alice.
- Hi.
Er I'm not allowed to tell you anything about your donor.
But someone hurt a little boy and I'm trying to find out who it is.
- So this is about getting their DNA? - That's right.
Did the person who helped me Did they do something to the little boy? I don't know.
That's why I need your help.
I don't think I could look through the eyes of someone who'd hurt somebody else.
You mustn't think like that.
Your eyes reflect what you see.
Reflect what you feel.
There's no other way of doing this, and I know that you've been through an awful lot.
And I'll understand perfectly if you say no.
I think I need to know as well.
Thank you.
- Have you two seen Jack? GEORGE: No, I haven't seen him.
No, I mean have you seen him? Out here! He's only gone and done it.
And there's a photographer waiting with Mullett in the conference room.
I neverthoughtl'd live to see the day.
Yes, yes, all right, George.
It isn't signed and sealed yet.
Now I'm going to have these mug shots done.
And that doesn't mean to say that you lot can't find something sensible to do! Thank you.
Thank you.
- Congratulations, Jack.
- Sir.
You're one of us now.
Hello, everybody! Here he is.
All right, all right.
Thank you.
If you thought I was difficult, you just wait.
Thank you, George.
Just what I need.
Thank you.
- Um, have you got a moment, sir? - Oh, leave it out, Trigg.
I haven't been elevated to the aristocracy just yet.
Jack, er, this unknown personage who's been spoiling you.
We've made some headway.
Yeah? Good man.
Who is it? This individual has been described as tall, blond, wears tight leather trousers, and likes a lot offlashy jewellery.
Really? Come on, who is she? It's a he.
You what? He's the one that's sentyou the gifts! My honey.
MH.
Phyliss Morgan always used to call her son Barry "my honey".
I remember.
You arrested him for soliciting and assault a couple of years ago.
That's right.
He's probably done his time and he's out by now.
- Where are you going? - Hm? I'm going to find My Honey.
Phyliss, I didn't know.
You're the one who put him away.
All right, darling? See you next week.
Ta-ta.
He deserved prison, and that's the truth.
He didn't deserve to die in there.
No.
What happened? Got himself into a knife fight.
Well, who did you use, eh? To send the stuffto me? One of Barry's friends.
Huh.
Mm.
We knew your lot wouldn't take long to work out a bloke was doing the buying.
Sooner or later, I wanted you to squirm.
Well, you wasted your money, then, didn't you? "Play to the bastard's ego.
" That's what he told me before he died.
"He'll cringe if he thinks one of us fancies him.
" I don't care what people are.
It's how they behave.
He always said you were a queer-hater.
Your son was a rent boy, who slashed a man with a knife.
It's not my feelings you've got to worry about, it's yours.
It's about time you admitted it.
I did what he told me to do.
He was my son.
He was a violent little swine .
.
but he was my boy.
Are you going to charge me? For what? Wasting your own money? For having a laugh at me? You ain't the first.
You won't be the last.
All right.
I'm not in my Noddy suit yet.
Right.
Come on, then.
Where are we in the Bobby Palmer case? The DNA from Johnson's cornea transplant's back.
And so's the DNA from Caldwell's knife and fork.
Right.
And? Johnson did not take part in the assault on the Palmer boy.
However, Caldwell did.
Right.
We've got the bastard.
Yeah, and so did another man.
Maybe Johnson was trying to protect the boy, after all.
We've got to find Caldwell.
Yeah.
He's not been at the hostel since we lifted him.
That's no surprise, is it? This third man.
It could be the father.
Oh, I don't see it.
Just doesn't feel right.
And I was wrong about him before.
Well, he was interviewed for attempting to talk a schoolgirl into his car.
Social services accused him ofabuse.
Yes, but he was genuine when he saw his son's body.
He didn't fake that.
I know it.
Jack, we've already had one case of kids sold for profit.
Yeah.
Maybe Palmer's been selling his son to the perverted.
He was the only one we know about at that football match who the boy might have trusted.
Palmer could have just handed him over.
We've got to bring him in for questioning, Jack.
It'll finish him.
All right, George.
I tell you what.
Double-check the allegations.
Ifthey're kosher, we'll bring him in.
You can't think I'm involved! My baby's dead.
Emma, for God's sake! I don't know! I don't know! They said that you'd been abusing him.
They came here to the house and said you'd been hurting him! No.
Emma.
Please, no.
That's not true.
Theycan'tsaythat! That's notright! - You've got to believe me! - I can't! I don't know how to.
My son was taken from me.
They took him from me, and they killed him when I was supposed to be looking after him.
My son.
My boy.
You think I killed my own son? All right, Emma.
All right.
Come on.
Through here.
I told the officers that were here earlier.
There is no record of anyone named Palmer being questioned by anyone from this office.
Mrs Palmer is a very sensible woman.
She checked the man's identity.
Well, there is nothing, I'm afraid.
And there were no allegations of abuse against anyone in the Palmer family.
Then we've got someone out there posing as a child welfare officer.
They get to the kids by frightening the parents.
Yeah.
He threatens them with a court order ifthe parent doesn't let him see the child.
Once he's seen the child, he's halfway to building a relationship.
All right.
If it wasn't someone that worked here, maybe someone he knew.
What about someone who's left the social services in the last few years? If you saw our workload, you'd be surprised anyone stayed.
Think! I've already got one child-killer out there! Three years ago, we were taken to an industrial tribunal by a caseworker claiming unfair dismissal.
Oh, yeah? What was his name? Martin Drew.
He moved.
I don't know where he lives now.
So, go on.
What happened? He became too involved in a paedophile case.
Drew claimed he was attempting to understand the psychological profile ofthe offender.
Yeah, look, we need the address of a Martin Drew.
You say involved.
What do you mean? Obsessed? Yes.
If you like.
He resigned before it went to tribunal.
Didn't anyone become suspicious? Social services have enough bad press.
We didn't want any adverse publicity.
Well, you're not doing yourself any favours now.
All right.
What was this sex offender's name? Peter Johnson.
There's only one Martin Drew in the Denton area.
George is on his way.
Right.
Right.
So let's think about this.
Drew meets Johnson when he's in prison.
And then he spots Johnson when he comes back to hide in Denton.
But meanwhile, Drew has made another dangerous friend.
Caldwell.
Does your husband work in the garage business? What? No.
No, he's a sales representative.
But he is he is restoring an old car.
Where? He has a lockup on the industrial estate.
All right, George? Mrs Drew, this is Detective Inspector Frost.
- How do you do? - He's in charge ofthe investigation.
- What investigation? - A murdered boy, Bobby Palmer.
Has something happened to my son? We don't believe that either of your children are in any danger.
Is your husband at work? Yes.
He's away today and tonight.
Sir.
I found this.
There's about a dozen tapes in here as well.
Oh, all right.
Well, let's connect it up.
- Please tell me what's going on.
- Drew has a lockup.
Apparently he's spray-painting a car.
I don't understand any ofthis.
- We have reason to believe - Guv.
- Mm? - There's a video of a school here.
Bye-bye, Daddy! No, that's my daughter.
Martin filmed us.
Hang on.
Bye-bye, Daddy.
Bye-bye.
All right.
Go on.
Run it on.
- Bye-bye! - Right.
I'dbettergetgoing.
JACK: He's filmed overanotherschool.
He's been out videotaping kids.
Hang on.
Just a minute.
Who's that? - Do you know who that is? - No.
GEORGE: Looks like StAgnes's School to me.
No, it's not.
It's Kenyon Road Primary School.
I can tell by the chimney in the background.
That's less than ten minutes from here.
The tapes are dated a couple of days ago, sir.
That kid could be the next target.
Come on.
All right.
You stay here.
George, tell everybody.
Make quite sure they know what they're looking for.
Stay here.
- Are you all right? Can I help? - My little boy.
I don't see him.
He usually waits by the playground.
His his rucksack was over there.
All right.
All right.
Stay here.
Slater! Look after this lady! It'll be all right.
George! I think they've got the boy! Right.
They've got to be stuck in this traffic.
All right, George.
Let's go this way.
- Check the vehicles, George.
- Right.
The van! Reid! It's the van! The van! JACK: That van! Right! Get out ofthe car! Hands on the car.
Spread your legs.
Spread your legs! It's all right, son.
All right.
Come on.
I'm a policeman.
It's all right.
You come with me.
Good boy.
- Take him, will you, George? - Right.
Come on, you.
Come on! Out, you! Come on.
Ah, such a shame.
What? What? He's a very tender child.
I was very close to teaching him about real love.
Haven't you ever thought how it must feel You bastard! Ow! All right.
Come on.
Leave him! Jack! Stop it! All right.
All right.
We found everything in the lockup.
They spray-painted the Escort van as they needed it.
Martin Drew confessed.
REID: Theytried to pull Johnson into things.
Then theykilled him.
Well, Caldwell did, atleast, when Johnson tried to save the boy from being hurt.
Johnson wasn't exactly a strong bloke, but he thumped Drew, which gave him a bloodynose.
It was Drew's blood we found in the van.
How did you know it was that van? - What? - The Playground Maintenance van.
Well, it wasn't a council van.
Denton Council look after playgrounds.
Have we told the Palmers yet? Yeah.
But Drew's bogus investigation set the rot in.
The Palmers are splitting up.
Well, when fear and doubt like that creep into a marriage, it doesn't stand much of a chance, does it? God, what a misery.
I'm going out for a while.
They're freesias, aren't they? I can smell them.
They're so fragrant.
They're beautiful.
Thank you.
And your doctor tells me that you'll be able to see them soon.
Yeah, not long now.
The dressings are coming off in a couple of days.
I thought that you might like to know that the person who donated their corneas for your transplant .
.
at the end ofthe day, they tried to save a little boy's life.
Thank you.
Yeah, I was worried about that.
Well, you shouldn't be.
You just concentrate on getting better soon.
And the truth is .
.
without your help .
.
another little boy might have got hurt.
So, thank you verymuch.
Willyou visitme again? Later.
I'd like to see you.
Of course I will.
It appears that no-one saw anything.
All the officers involved seemed to think that Caldwell was either resisting arrest or fell when he was pulled from the van.
You seem to have their total support.
Yes.
Thank you.
Caldwell's pressing charges, of course.
There'llbe an inquiry.
You'll be suspended till a conclusion is reached, and you'll have to give evidence.
Yes, I know that, sir.
Jack.
I'm sure this, this whole matter, you know, can be swept under the carpet.
Caldwell wants to make a deal.
He'll drop these trumped-up charges of assault against you for erm well, for certain considerations.
No, I don't think so.
You're you're admitting the assault? Yes.
I've never lied on the witness stand, and I have no intention of starting now.
Not for scum like Caldwell.
But, Jack! You're throwing it all away! Your whole damn careeris injeopardyhere! Yourpromotion! It's right there, after all these years! For God's sake.
Jack.
I know.
I didn't think that my career as a copper was going to end like this either.
All right.
From now, you're on indefinite suspension.
Clear your desk.
Sir.
Jack? I'm sorry, Jack.
No, there's no need to be.
Truth is, he deserved a thumping.
I just happened to be the bloke lucky enough to do it.
Fickle finger offate, and all that.
Right, well, that's it, then.
I'm off.
I want you to thank the team for me.
They did a cracking good job.
I'm very proud ofthem.
Thank everyone for what they said to Mr Mullett.
Well, now you can smoke to your heart's content.
Make sure you irritate the hell out of Mr Mullett before you go back to Edmund St.
Yeah, I'll do that, guv.
Good man.
Goodbye, George.
Er, Jack No, no, George, no.
I can't afford to let the troops see me pretending I've got something in my eye, can I, when I leave? You look after yourself.
You were wrong.
You know that.
I know.
All right, you can stop that and all! Go on, get back to work.
What do you think this is, the last night ofthe Denton Proms?