First Frost by Henry James Read Free Book Online Page A

tested and quarantined.’
    ‘Oh,’ was all Liz Fraser could say.
    ‘I’m sure everything will be fine, but better to be safe than sorry,’ said Frost. ‘Come along, James Hunt here’ – Frost nodded in Hanlon’s direction – ‘will drive us.’

Sunday (6)
    Above the dreadful squeaking sound their shoes made as they all walked down the hospital corridor, Hanlon said in Frost’s ear, ‘I know what you’re thinking, Jack, I got the measure of that woman too, but I’m not convinced an animal didn’t do something. There were some strange marks on that fence.’
    ‘We can’t put the whole of Denton on alert for a rampaging black panther, with or without rabies, just because a mother’s having a few personal problems,’ said Frost loudly, not bothering who else heard. ‘There’d be panic on the streets. Besides, it would play havoc with Mullett’s golf. They’d have to shut the course. Come to think of it …’
    ‘But even a hint of a rabies scare … what if that gets out to the public?’ said Hanlon.
    ‘Let’s leave it in the hands of our good friend Doctor Philips here, for now.’
    The consultant paediatrician, a white coat over his shirt and tie, had followed them to the end of the corridor. ‘To be sure we’ll need to isolate her for forty-eight hours,’ Dr Philips said, smiling. ‘We’ll, of course, be able to accommodate the mother for that time as well.’
    ‘As long as you keep a good eye on them both,’ said Frost, ‘and make sure those bruises are thoroughly looked at.’
    ‘I think I know where we stand,’ said Dr Philips. ‘For the good of the child.’
    ‘Good man,’ said Frost, as he and Hanlon left Dr Philips, pushed through double swing-doors, out of the children’s ward and into another corridor.
    It took Frost and Hanlon less than three minutes to find the Lister Ward, where a young, fresh-faced WPC was keeping Wendy Hudson company. But it was a one-way street. Wendy Hudson, smothered in tubes and bandages, and surrounded by a phalanx of drips and monitors, had yet to regain consciousness.
    According to the duty nurse, Mrs Hudson’s condition, though very serious, was improving and she was able to breathe unaided. She had a fractured skull, a broken jaw and three cracked ribs.
    ‘Been doing your nails?’ said Frost to the freckled WPC; he couldn’t remember her name. She had a pen in one hand and a notepad open and ready in the other.
    The WPC flushed. ‘No, sir, of course not.’ She paused, then added, ‘She hasn’t moved an inch.’
    ‘Well, don’t you move, in case she does stir and decides to say something,’ said Frost.
    ‘I’m not going anywhere.’
    ‘Good girl. If you need a tinkle, ask the nurse for one of those bedpans, and squat behind that curtain.’
    The WPC flushed again, then stammered, ‘Yes, sir.’
    ‘Come on, Hanlon, let’s hit the safari park,’ Frost said. ‘We’ve got a couple more calls to make before we get back to the safety of the station.’
    ‘What about lunch, Jack?’ said Hanlon anxiously. ‘It’s nearly three and I haven’t had anything to eat since … well, I can’t remember when. It might suit you to keep running around on empty, but it’s not good for me to miss a meal.’
    ‘We don’t want that.’ Frost playfully elbowed Hanlon in the stomach. ‘Must take some filling.’
    ‘I’ve got a healthy appetite, is all.’
    ‘Some might say unhealthy,’ mused Frost, thinking back to a couple of nights earlier and Mary having a go at him about his own diet. How he never had time for proper meals.
    ‘Better than chain-smoking,’ said Hanlon. ‘I’m surprised you can still breathe.’
    ‘That reminds me, there’s another call we’ll have to make. I’m out of fags. For some stupid reason they don’t sell them here.’

Sunday (7)
    Superintendent Stanley Mullett was sipping tea in his warm, cosy study, looking out over the sodden garden, when the phone went. He let it ring four times before picking it