Page 52 of The Truth Will Out
“I can’t say I’m relishing it. That’s why I’ve put it off for so long.”
After the otherteam members arrived, Sam checked with them. Although they had discovered further details about Pendle, none of them had spotted anything else regarding Rhys, which came as a relief to Sam. However, it didn’t alter the fact that she needed to see him and delve a little deeper. She left Bob to deal with the request for the warrant while she went through to her office to make the call in private. She paused to look at the view of the hills on the way to her desk. It usually helped to alleviate any anger within her, but not this time. Once she’d settled into her chair and she had the phone in her hand, beads of sweat broke out above her upper lip.
Bugger, how do I word this? I’ve barely spoken to him in the last twenty-four hours, and now here I am, about to summon him to the station. No, I can’t do it. It’s going to have to be somewhere else.
After drawing in a couple of deep breaths and letting them out slowly to calm her nerves, she made the call. Rhys’s secretary answered the phone promptly, much quicker than she’d anticipated.
“Oh, hi, Brenda. It’s Sam. I don’t suppose Rhys is free at the moment, is he?”
“As it happens, he is. His next appointment isn’t for a few hours. He told me he was intending to catch up on some paperwork.”
“Ah, okay. Would you mind putting me through so I can have a brief chat with him?”
“Of course, Sam. Hold the line.”
There was a pause, during which Sam struggled to prevent her heart from racing. She opened the drawer and removed a fresh bottle of water. She held the phone between her ear and shoulder to open it.
“I’m back. I’ll pass you through now, Sam.”
“Thanks, Brenda. I shouldn’t keep him too long.”
“No worries. I bet you’re getting excited about the wedding now. You must be, what with it only being a few weeks away.”
“We are. Did he give you your invite?”
“He did. I’m looking forward to it. I’ve even splashed out and bought myself a new dress and fascinator for the occasion.”
“Wow, you really shouldn’t have spent out like that.”
“Don’t be silly. It’s not every day your boss gets married.”
Sam laughed. “I hope that’s the case.”
“See you soon, Sam. I’m connecting you now.”
The phone rang a couple of times before Rhys answered, making Sam even more jittery than she was already. She had a dreaded fear that he wouldn’t want to speak to her.
If that were the case, he would have told Brenda to tell me he was busy. He didn’t, so there’s no reason for him not to take my call.
“Hi, this is a nice surprise. What’s up, Sam?”
“Umm… hi. Thanks for accepting my call. Are you free to meet me for a quick coffee?”
“What? Wow, I don’t think you’ve ever asked me to meet you during the day before. Hang on, is there something wrong?” he asked, a note of apprehension surfacing in his tone.
“No, not really. Can you meet me or not?” she asked, sharper than she’d intended.
“Is it going to be one of those kinds of meetings where you shoutat me all the time? If so, I’d rather give it a miss, if it’s all the same to you.”
“Sorry. No, I promise, it’s not. Although, I do have something important I need to discuss with you.”
“Something important? Shit, you’re not going to call the wedding off, are you?”
“Rhys, don’t be so ridiculous. Where do you want to meet? The sooner, the better for me. Brenda said your diary is clear for the next few hours.”
“She’s a traitor. There’s no way I can back out of a meeting now, is there? What about the café around the corner from my office? Or is that too far for you to come?”
“No, that will be ideal. I’ll see you there in ten to fifteen minutes, depending on the traffic.”
