‘During those months I spent with her, Sam trimmed my hair on a couple of occasions, you know, like whenfriendsgive each other a makeover? She must’ve kept some of it – kept hold of some of my hair! And she’s planted it at a crime scene that I was never at, that I had nothing to do with.Oh. My. God.’ She lets out a succession of short breaths. ‘Whyis she doing this to me, Dan? What did I ever do to her? What does shewantfrom me?’
The anguish in her voice is uncomfortable to listen to. She sounds so tormented. She needs help.
‘That bitch planted my hair on him aftershekilled him.’
‘Did something happen between you? Did you have a sexual encounter with Milo? Did he ghost you afterwards and you felt used and worthless? Were you upset by his callous treatment of you? Is that why you killed him, Erin?’
She pauses.
‘I didn’t kill him.’ Her voice is level and calm.Why does it sound as if she’s telling the truth?What does the truth even sound like? I don’t know, but I know when I hear it because Ifeelit – we all do.
‘Shekilled him. I don’t know why she killed him. But who knows, maybe you’re right, maybe she was stalking him…’
‘Who said anything about stalking him?’
She snorts.
‘Don’t try and trip me up, Dan. It doesn’t become you and you’re better than that. Besides, we both know that’s exactly what she was probably doing. Though I’d say shetargetedpeople more thanstalkedthem. Stalkers tend to want to be close to their object of obsession. I think Samantha just wanted to destroy hers – like some kind of sick power game. She’s more like an assassin in that respect.’
‘Well, I guess you know her best.’ I pause. ‘Why don’t I come to you, Erin? Just me, alone, no one else. Please? We can talk, face-to-face. Just two people, meeting up for a coffee and a chat.’
‘What, so that you can lure me in and then lock me back up in the booby hatch again?’ She scoffs. ‘I think I’ll have to politely decline your invitation on this occasion, Dan – much as I’d like to meet you in the flesh. Tell me, was there any other DNA found at the crime scene? Was it just mine and Tilly’s and the victim’s, or was there someone else’s, because?—’
‘We paid the Bull and Barrow a visit,’ I interject. ‘You did a good clean-up job, Erin. Why don’t we save ourselves some time here and meet up? It’ll make it so much easier for both of us. No bells and whistles, no drama – just me. I promise I’ll do my best by you, Erin, you have my word on that.’
‘Your best!’ Her laugh is derisive. ‘D’you know, I actually really did trust you, Dan. I thought that maybe you believed me, that you were the one who had the ability to see past the lies and prejudices and would conduct a proper investigation, do what should’ve been done from the beginning, only it seems you’re just the same underneath as the rest of them. Worse perhaps, because I’d been willing to put that trust in you. Oh, whatever,’ – she lets out a protracted sigh – ‘I really should be used to being let down by now, shouldn’t I? But at least it shows one thing.’
‘What’s that, Erin?’
‘That even after everything that’s happened to me, I’m still capable of putting my trust in someone.’ She laughs. ‘Good God, I really am doomed!’
‘Malcolm is concerned about you, Erin.’ I pull out my ace card. I need her to stay on the line – we need that trace. ‘He’s genuinely concerned about your well-being. Actually, he asked me to give you a message.’
My work phone flashes.
Attempting trace now, gov.
‘Would you like to hear it, Erin?’
She pauses long enough to have me worried that she may have hung up again.
‘Go on then,’ she says, quietly. ‘For what it’s worth.’
‘He said to tell you, “There’s no need to be.” I think it was in response to your message, which I duly relayed to him, by theway. I am a man of my word, Erin. I know you think that you can’t trust me, but you can.’
She blows air through her lips.
‘Now you see, this is where you let yourself down, Dan. Surely you must know by now that you shouldn’t really trustanyone, not a hundred per cent, not even yourself, in fact, sometimesespeciallynot yourself! Trust is a precious, fragile gift that takes a lifetime to build, and yet only the most ephemeral moment – a brief second – to shatter and destroy.’
‘There’s a whole task force out there searching for you, Erin. Your face is all over the news and social media.’
‘Thanks to you!’
‘Let’s put an end to this now, eh? Call it a day?’
‘Yes, Dan,let’s,’ she says before she hiccups loudly. ‘Whoops, please excuse me,’ she apologises. ‘Where are my manners? I’m afraid I’m suffering from a touch of indigestion after eating a rather large supper tonight. Funny,’ she says, ‘but while I was eating, I thought of that picture in Dr Wainwright’s office.’
‘The painting of himself, the portrait, you mean?’
