Page 92 of Twisted Lies

‘Okay, come on – we’re going for a short ride.’

Eighty

‘Happy now?’ Kim asked, parking a few metres away from Frost’s house.

It was almost ten and it had taken only minutes to reach the home of the reporter, who was leaning against a squad car with a jacket draped around her shoulders.

Frost eyed her questioningly. ‘Bloody hell, Stone. What you doing here? I ain’t dead.’

‘Just passing, saw the commotion and wondered who you’d pissed off today.’

‘Same folks as yesterday by the looks of it,’ she said, trying to control a shudder that ran through her body.

‘May I?’ Kim asked, approaching the front door.

‘Yeah, carry on. There’s a couple of officers in there, but Forensics won’t be out until tomorrow.’

Kim glanced inside before entering, her eyes trying to form a clear path she could take without disturbing anything further.

She tiptoed in and took a quick look. The place had been decimated. Possessions had been thrown from every drawer, and what could be smashed had been.

Smashed but not taken, she thought, glancing at the fifty-inch TV lying face down in a pool of its own glass. The cushions on the sofa had been slashed and thrown around the room.

Kim didn’t need to go any further.

She turned to Frost. ‘Rest of the house?’

‘Same.’

‘Anything taken?’

Frost shook her head. ‘Not that I can see.’

No, Kim expected not. This had nothing to do with personal possessions; contrary to popular belief, burglars left barely any mess. They got in, took what they wanted and got out as quickly as possible. As a PC she’d attended burglaries where the victim had remained unaware for hours.

There was no question this was a hate attack, intended to induce fear. And when the officers had finished, what was Frost supposed to do then? Sit amongst the debris of her home as though nothing had happened?

She glanced back at the car where Barney awaited her return. How was she supposed to explain to him that she’d left Frost trembling out on the pavement?

Before she even realised what she was doing, the words were out of her mouth.

‘Go pack a bag, Frost. Right now, because you’re coming with me.’

Eighty-One

‘Bloody hell, Stone, didn’t realise you had a dog,’ Frost said, looking through the window of her Golf. ‘Who the heck would give you control of a living, breathing thing?’

Kim unlocked the doors. ‘He’s not keen on strangers, so don’t frighten—’

‘Hello, boy,’ Frost said as Barney lurched towards her, wagging his tail. His seat belt prevented him reaching her.

She sat in the front passenger seat and turned. ‘Hello there, lovely boy. Who’s a little cutie pie?’ she asked in a googly voice.

Kim raised one eyebrow as she put the key in the ignition. ‘Frost, stop that, it’s freaking me out.’

‘But he’s so gorgeous,’ Frost said as Barney licked her hand. ‘Look, he likes me. He knows I’m a nice person.’

‘He chases his own tail for hours every day thinking it’s a toy, so forgive me if I don’t trust his judgement,’ she said, pulling away from the kerb.