The temperature was starting to drop quite noticeably now that the sun was going down, but in contradiction to the abysmal conditions of yesterday it had been a pleasant autumnal day; cold, crisp and sunny. English weather was so temperamental, he reflected, just like his wife.
Terri Miller appeared beside him. “I’ve put some coffee on,” she said.
“We don’t want to cause you any bother.”
“It’s no bother.”
“Well, in that case, I take mine white with two sugars,” Evans said, gratefully.
On her way back in, Terri lingered at the doorway, giving him the impression that she had something on her mind. Evans raised an enquiring eyebrow, inviting her to speak if she wanted to.
“Look, I’m really sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused,” Terri told him, and he thought he detected a trace of embarrassment, perhaps even a hint of remorse, in her voice. “For what it’s worth, Julie was against it from the start. I guess I just got carried away with the idea of getting an exclusive story and acted irresponsibly.” Terri was only just beginning to understand how rashly she had behaved; how selfish and insensitive she must appear.
Evans studied her intently. Was this genuine repentance? She certainly seemed sincere, but experience had taught him to be wary. Still, on the off chance that Terri’s reparations were real, he would cut her some slack. “It’s alright, love,” he said, “we all mess up from time to time.”
“Thank you, Paul. I don’t think your Mr Tyler would be so forgiving, though. And as for that brutish Dillon character, I think he would have happily strung me up to be tarred and feathered!” She winced at the recollection of her interview with Dillon.
“They’re good men, Terri. Admittedly, Mr Dillon is a little rough around the edges, but not everyone can be as silky smooth as me.”
Miller grinned. “And you’re so modest with it.”
Evans chuckled, pleased that the ice between them had melted a little. The Welshman had a gift for making people around him relax. It was one of the first things Kelly had noticed when she joined the team.
Miller looked down at her feet. “So, what happens now? If Jack … if the killer calls again?”
“We’ve got some technical people coming over soon,” Evans explained. “They’re going to rig up a recording device to your phone. Hopefully, we’ll be able to trace any new calls that the killer makes. Kelly and I will wait here with you until the electrical wizards are finished.”
“That’s all very well in principle, but what if he calls from a phone box? Bugging my phone won’t help you unless you can trace him to an address and arrest him.” Terri didn’t warm to the idea of having her calls monitored; it was a civil liberties infringement.
Evans smiled sympathetically. He understood her reluctance; he wouldn’t want his private calls being recorded either. “Ah, Terri, love, we’re not bugging the phone. We won’t be able to listen in ‘live time’ to any calls. All we’re doing is recording them for evidential purposes. It’ll help us massively when the case comes to court.”
“You’ve got to catch him first,” she pointed out.
“We’ll get him in the end, we always do, and the recordings will be played at trial. That sort of thing is dynamite in court.”
Terri dry washed her face. “I’m not sure I can do it, Paul,” she confided in a brittle voice that made her sound vulnerable. “I’ve seen what he can do, and I’ve never been so terrified in all my life. To think that he knows where I live, that he’s been right outside my bloody door…” She shuddered and instinctively hugged herself. “The truth is I just want to run away and hide. The last thing I want to do is talk to him again.”
“Terri, love, we need you to stay and help,” Evans said. “You’re the best chance that we’ve got to snare him.”
“Would it be cowardly of me to say no?” Terri asked. All of a sudden, she seemed as naïve and defenceless as Paul’s six-year-old daughter. “Jules has said I can move in with her for a while. You know, until this all blows over.” Terri felt wretched for saying this, but her nerves were shot.
“No, not cowardly…”
“But not helpful either?” Terry was aware that she must seem very weak in Evans' eyes, and she hated herself for it.
“No,” he admitted. “Not helpful.”
Terri’s ethos was that she had a solemn duty to discover the truth, no matter how deeply buried it was or how big a personal risk was involved, and to make sure that it was published for all to see. She dearly wanted to be the people’s champion; noble, courageous and fearless in the face of adversity. She knew she had just been presented with a golden opportunity to prove she possessed the courage of her convictions – except that, when it came down to it, she wasn’t really sure that she did. As much as it shamed her to admit it, she felt like a frightened little girl who was way out of her depth.
Under the circumstances, Terri just didn’t know what to do for the best. If only she could seek her parent’s counsel, but that was impossible. Her overly sensitive mother would be completely freaked out by something like this, and her father was a pretentious snob. The patronising multi-millionaire would just say something disparaging. He wouldn’t understand that helping the police was the right thing – the decent thing – to do. Terri had long since rejected his exclusive circle of privilege and wealth, preferring to make her own path through life, even if it was an uphill struggle; and to make her own mistakes, even if the outcome was sometimes painful.
Evans sensed the inner turmoil the dilemma was causing, and he decided to give her some space. He leaned over the railings and checked on the
