Free Faraday 02 Network Virus by Michael Hillier Page B

you.”
    “ Sorry, Super.”
    “ The question is, why’s he here in Torquay? The bugger ought to be rotting in some chink jail.”
    “ Yeah, well he was sent back here to serve most of his sentence because he confessed and helped them catch some big criminal guy who was arranging it all. Then they let him out early for good behaviour. Personally, I think they should have cut off his balls before they released him.”
    “ So he gets dumped on us.”
    “ My thoughts exactly.”
    “ Well,” said Lasham, “you’d better keep a close eye on him. You don’t know what these perverted characters are up to. The best thing is to run the bugger off our patch as soon as we find something that suggests he’s causing trouble - any little thing that might connect him with some crime or other.”
    “ OK. I’ll do my best.”
    “ And as far as the rape and the Cynthia Adams case are concerned, just keep your ears open. Pick up what you can from uniform in the canteen. Chat to the sergeant on the front desk, but don’t get involved. Is that clear?”
    “ Clear as a bell.”
    “ As soon as you have anything - any little thing - that I might be interested in, give me a ring. You’ve got my home number. But if you need to ring me during the day, tell reception you’re Mr Gregory. Have you got that?”
    “ OK, Super.”
    “ And always make sure you ring from a call box.” Lasham’s features softened sufficiently to give the sergeant a wink. “I’m pleased with the help you’re giving me, Mallinson. Don’t forget I’ll be moving on and up in a year or two. There’ll be plenty of chances for a bright sergeant I can trust to step into inspectors’ shoes - or even chief inspectors’.”
    “ Well, thank you, sir.”
    “ OK. Be on your way then.” The window wound up and the key was turned in the ignition. Chief Superintendent Lasham looked straight ahead as he pulled away from the parking place. After a decent interval Mallinson followed him.
    - 10 -
    Charlotte Faraday was just leaving the station when the sergeant on the front desk stopped her.
    “ Phone call for you, ma’am.”
    She checked her watch. It was five past seven. “Who is it?”
    The sergeant asked the person on the other end of the line. “It’s a Mrs Bostock, ma’am.”
    She sighed. “I’d better take it in my office.”
    Charlotte returned to the operations room, chucked her briefcase on her chair in the little side office and picked up the phone.
    “ Can I help you, Marion?”
    “ Oh, Chief Inspector, I hope so.”
    “ What’s the problem?”
    “ It’s Tracey - my little girl. She hasn’t come home from school.”
    “ What time does she normally get back?”
    “ Oh, usually she’s here soon after five. Even if she goes out with friends and forgets to tell me, she’s never got home after seven.” There was a gulp. “That’s why I rang you.”
    Charlotte considered. “There have been no reports of any incidents. I don’t think you should get too worried yet. Have you rung the school?”
    “ I tried them half an hour ago. There’s nobody there.”
    “ What about her friends?”
    “ I don’t have any phone numbers for them. And none of them live near, so I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to lock up and go off looking for her and not be here if she turns up.”
    “ What about your husband?”
    “ He’s not here at the moment. He -.” There was a pause. “After we left you this morning we went home and had a dreadful row. He accused me of asking this - the James man - to have sex with me. He said he couldn’t trust me when he was away so he might as well not be here.” She sniffed. “Then he said I had to stop working at the Red Garter immediately. He wouldn’t even let me give them a week’s notice, even when I told him Mr Martin’s been ever so nice and insists on picking me up and bringing me home in his Mercedes every night now, so there’s no risk. Then he made nasty insinuations about Mr Martin’s