Gerry was in the canteen. He rose when he saw Carla, enveloping her in a bear hug, before sitting down across from her.

‘Sorry I didn’t say goodbye last night,’ he said when they’d taken their seats.

‘No worries. I did look for you, but you’d gone.’

‘Yeah, it was only a quick catch-up …’

‘With your old mate,’ Carla finished for him.

He smiled and they let the lie sit there for a moment before he said, ‘Can I get you a coffee?’

‘No thanks.’

He looked questioningly at her. ‘What’s on your mind? Is it the letter?’

Carla picked a grain of sugar from the table with her finger. ‘Eve said you told her to bring it to us?’

He sighed, leaned back in his chair and folded his arms over his stomach. ‘I did. She didn’t want to, being Eve, but the reference to the case she was working on worried me. I mean, how would the letter writer know?’ His brow creased in thought. ‘It just struck me as more sinister than the rest, like someone was watching her closely, stalking her almost.’

‘But Eve doesn’t feel threatened?’

‘Eve just thinks it’s part of the job. She’s convinced it’s just some nutjob letting off a bit of steam.’

‘But you don’t think that?’

Gerry rubbed the back of his neck. ‘I did, until this last letter. Now I’m not so sure.’

It suddenly occurred to Carla that Gerry was referring to letters, plural. ‘So Eve has had others?’

Gerry’s hand stopped moving. He studied her for a moment before leaning forward, hands together on the table, pointing towards Carla. ‘There have been five before this.’

‘Five. Jesus, Gerry, why didn’t you tell me?’

He held up his hands. ‘It wasn’t my business to. They were sent to Eve; it was for her to decide if they warranted police action. I have them all in my office for when she feels able to show them to you all, but until then they are staying there.’ His voice told Carla this wasn’t up for discussion, but she pushed him anyway.

‘Why keep them in your office then, if you don’t want them seen?’

‘Because Eve wanted them out of the house, but I didn’t want to throw them away, so it seemed the obvious place.’

‘So there was something in them that made you worried? For you to keep them, I mean?’

Gerry smiled. ‘You’ll make a detective yet, Brown.’ He sighed before continuing. ‘They contain personal information, stuff we both don’t really want gossiped about. They weren’t threatening, but I considered it would be best to keep them in case they became so.’

‘Which they have.’

‘Yes.’

‘I need to see the letters, Gerry.’

He shook his head. ‘No way. Not until Eve’s ready.’