‘Thanks, I seem to have bloomed in the past few weeks. I feel like a whale.’ She rubbed her stomach. Why do women always do that, constantly rubbing their stomachs when pregnant? She followed me into the kitchen and I wanted to smoke but refrained. I didn’t offer her a drink. We weren’t friends and I wanted her gone as soon as possible. ‘I wanted to stop by on my way home. There was an attempted attack on a Saturday back in October, but the victim has only just come forward to report it. It happened closer to town, the girl was walking home the morning after staying over at her friends. Around the same time of day you were attacked.’ The image of the petite blonde crouched by the fence flashed into my mind.

‘Is she okay?’

‘She said an alarm spooked her attacker and he ran off. She didn’t get a good look at him, but he was wearing a balaclava and carrying a knife.’

Thank God, she didn’t get hurt. What would have happened if I hadn’t been there? I knew the answer to that already.

Emmerson eyed me as though trying to read my thoughts.

‘It’s going to be in the local press this week, I believe, with an e-fit. I wanted to speak to you before you saw it.’

Why wasn’t I offered an e-fit? Was I not a credible witness?

‘The victim saw he had dark hair. So even with the balaclava covering his face, we now have skin, eye and hair colour, as well as height and build. We’re officially connecting this attack with yours, and potentially others, too.’

‘It sounds like he’s not going to stop.’ I couldn’t keep the tremble from my voice.

‘I think you’re right, Eve. Not until we stop him.’ The ‘we’ made me start. She couldn’t know what I was planning, surely?

Sunday 28 January 2018

I am left alone for a few minutes, apart from my guard, while my solicitor speaks to the detectives. I nurse my tea and allow a second to wallow. What if I never get out of here? What if I’ve made a terrible mistake?

Hold your nerve, Eve, just for a bit longer.

It’s so frustrating not knowing what is going on outside this room. I have an idea of what lab results they’ve received, other than what they’ve declared. I’d tried to think of everything, but now I’ve been charged, there is no turning back. There was always a possibility I would be. A likelihood even. My solicitor wants me to ‘no comment’, but there is enough evidence to put me away, it’s intent they’ll struggle to prove. Thoughts whirl around my brain and I itch for nicotine.

‘Could you please take me out to the yard for a cigarette?’ I ask the officer.