Frost’s eyes glinted. He was getting excited now. ‘A woman, Taff, not a man. That tom said she saw a woman at the Fortress cashpoint. I had an idea it was an inside job and someone who hated Beazley, and that’s her to a flaming T. He’s always yelling at the poor cow. And come to think of it, she was there when I told Beazley we wouldn’t be doing a stake-out last night… that’s why she took a chance.’
‘You need more than a car to prove it’s her, Guv,’ said Morgan. ‘She could have had all sorts of reasons for driving at night.’
Frost bowed his head in thought, then took out his mobile phone. ‘If I’d taken that amount of money out, Taff, I wouldn’t want to be caught with it on me. You know what I’d do?’
Morgan blinked, thought for a second, then shrugged. ‘No idea, Guv.’
‘Then I’ll tell you, my little Welsh sexpot. You can pay money into those cashpoints as well as taking it out. I’d withdraw Beazley’s five hundred quid and I’d immediately pay it into my own Fortress account. Then if I was stopped by a little Welsh prat, I’d have nothing on me.’ He dialled his contact at the building society A quick conversation was followed by a thumbs up. ‘She paid a thousand quid into her account just after midnight, last night, Taffy. So who’s a clever boy then?’
Morgan frowned, blinked and shrugged. ‘I’ve no idea, Guv.’
Miss Fowler looked up from her typing and smiled a greeting. ‘Mr Beazley is most anxious to see you, Inspector Frost.’
‘Not half as anxious as I am not to see him,’ said Frost. ‘But actually, Miss Fowler, it’s you we’ve come to see, and I think you know what it’s about.’
‘Oh?’ Her tight little smile did nothing to hide her concern. ‘I can’t think what you mean, I’m afraid, Inspector.’
Frost switched on his deceptively friendly smile. ‘It’s about Mr Beazley’s money, love. You were seen at the Fortress Building Society cashpoint just after midnight last night, and the night before.’
The smile flickered weakly. She found her keyboard of great interest. Then she straightened up and shook her head sadly, managing a brave smile. ‘I knew. I just knew.’
‘Knew what, love?’ asked Frost.
I knew you’d be the one to find me out. The minute you walked through that door, I knew it would be you.’
Frost looked around the typing pool. The other secretaries were straining their ears to pick up what was going on. ‘Is there somewhere we could go? Somewhere more private?’
‘Of course.’ She took her handbag from the desk drawer and snapped it shut, but not before Frost spotted the Fortress Building Society pass book. She nodded towards a frosted-glass door. ‘That office is empty. We won’t be disturbed.’ She stood up and beckoned one of the typists. ‘If Mr Beazley buzzes, Lynn, would you see what he wants? I’ll be with these gentlemen.’
‘How long will you be?’ asked Lynn.
Five to ten years at least, thought Frost.
He sat at the empty desk in the office. Miss Fowler sat facing him, while Morgan stood by the window.
For a while she was silent, shoulders sunk, head bowed, staring at the top of the desk. Frost said nothing, waiting for her to speak.
At last she looked up. ‘It was to pay that bastard back for all the years of humiliation I’ve suffered from him. I was loyal to him, but he didn’t give a damn about how he hurt people. He’s a sadistic swine. I didn’t even want the money. I gave it all away. I’ve given him years of loyal service. You’ve seen how he treats me…’
Frost sighed deeply. ‘If there was any justice in this world, love, the court would award you thousands of quid from the poor box for what you did, but there ain’t no justice.’
‘What will happen to me? Will I go to prison?’
‘I don’t see how it can be avoided, love,’ said Frost. ‘The courts don’t take kindly to black mailers. They hate them almost as much as they hate people who smack armed burglars.’
She stared at him, then leant back in her chair and blinked in bewilderment. ‘Blackmail? What blackmail?’
‘Please don’t play silly buggers,’ pleaded Frost. ‘You know bloody well what blackmail.’
She stared again. Then the light dawned. ‘You don’t think it’s me who’s been poisoning the food? You surely don’t think it’s me?’
It was Frost’s turn to look puzzled. ‘What money are we talking about, then? You paid a thousand pounds into the cashpoint last night
…’ His eyes widened. ‘Don’t tell me you’ve been fiddling the books?’
She bowed her head.
‘How much?’
She didn’t answer. Her body shook as she broke down and sobbed.
Frost took his handkerchief from his pocket, saw the state of it and hurriedly put it back. ‘How much?’ he repeated.
She just shook her head.
Frost turned to Taffy Morgan. ‘Wait outside for a minute.’
Morgan frowned. ‘Outside?’
‘Yes,’ snapped Frost, pointing. ‘The other side of the flaming door. Out!’
He waited until a puzzled Morgan left, then turned back to the woman. His voice softened. ‘All right, love. How much did you pinch?’
She wiped a hand over her face to dry the tears. ‘I don’t know. It’s been over years. Something like ten… fifteen thousand pounds.’
‘Can you get it back without anyone knowing?’
She blinked at him, not comprehending. ‘Put it back?’
He leant across the desk and lowered his voice. ‘Listen, love, there’s only you and me here. If you can get the money back without any one knowing, I’m prepared to forget all about it.’
She sniffed back the tears and shook her head. ‘I’ve given it all away… animal charities, Help the Aged Cancer Research…’
‘You got any savings, love, or is there anyone who would lend you the dosh?’
‘My savings!’ She gave a bitter laugh. ‘They would nowhere cover that, and there’s no one who would lend me that sort of money. I couldn’t repay it anyway.’
‘Could you borrow it from a bank?’
‘With what security? I don’t own my own house. Mr Beazley does not believe in paying lavish salaries.’
Frost slumped back in the chair and shook his head sadly. ‘That, love, as we say in the trade, is a sod. I can’t help you. I’ve got to make it official.’
She rummaged in the depths of her handbag and found a ridiculously small handkerchief, which became quickly sodden as she dried her eyes. ‘What will happen to me?’
‘You’ll be charged, then, more than likely, released on bail until the trial.’
‘And will I have to go to prison?’
‘I’d be lying if I didn’t say it was a distinct possibility.’
She let the handkerchief fall into the waste paper basket. ‘I couldn’t face prison. I’d rather die – I’d rather kill myself than go to prison.’
Frost kept quiet. What could he say? That it wasn’t as bad as people made out? Because it bloody well was, especially for a woman like her.
‘There’s always a chance Mr Beazley won’t press charges,’ he said. But even as he said it, he knew it was a forlorn hope. Beazley would delight in putting the poor cow through the hoop. ‘Come what may, he’s got to know, love.’
He pushed himself up from the chair, pausing on his way to the door to look out of the window at the cars, like toys, in the car park down below. The VW screamed out at him. A less unusual colour and she might have got away with it, at least for a while. Looking down at the Beetle, it once again churned up memories of early days with his young wife. If he had acted differently, or if they had had a kid… He shook away the thought, opened the door and called Morgan in. ‘Keep the lady company, Taff. I’m off to see Beazley.’
Beazley’s lower lip dropped in amazement. ‘Pinching my bloody money? Over ten thousand bleeding quid? The bitch! You try and be a good employer…’ He took an enormous cigar from his desk drawer, bit off the end which he spat in his waste bin, then lit up. ‘Well, that’s her bloody lot. The mealy-mouthed bleeding cow. Always so high and flaming mighty, and all the time she’s been sticking her grubby hands in my till.’
‘I take it you are going to press charges?’