Bad Terms by Alex Walters

Author:Alex Walters [Walters, Alex]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Canelo
Published: 2022-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Two

Annie had completed her initial interview with Diane Astor, and had then driven back round to the headmistress’s house for a catch-up with Tim Sturgeon and the CSIs before returning to HQ to complete her preparations for the inquiry. This was going to be a big one, and Stuart Jennings would want to have everything meticulously planned, ideally before anything hit the media.

Except that, as she saw when she turned onto the track leading to the house, it was already too late for that. A van with the insignia of the local TV news was parked on the external road just beyond the house. If the TV news crew were already there, word would have leaked to the local print media as well. Their staffing resources were much more limited these days, but a story like this would be a big deal and they’d want to steal a march on the nationals.

She pulled into the side of the track, still some distance from the house, and dialled Stuart Jennings’s number.

‘Annie? How’s it going?’

‘Okay. Except that the local TV are already camped on site.’

‘Shit. How did they get wind of it so quickly?’

‘It’s a boarding school, Stuart. The news would have spread round the place before I even got here. Anyone could have tipped off the media. One of the staff. One of the pupils.’

‘Suppose you’re right. I’ve just been talking to comms about it. We’re putting together a statement to be issued later this afternoon. If anyone stops you, just tell them to talk to the media office.’

‘Thanks for that, Stuart. I’d been planning to offer them a half-hour exclusive interview.’

To his credit, Jennings responded with a laugh. ‘Just try not to give them anything they can run with. Given half a chance, those bastards can turn “no comment” into a front-page admission of police failings.’

‘I’ll do my best. I just want to have a quick catch-up with Tim, and then I’ll head back to HQ to get everything up and running.’

‘In the meantime, I’ll warn comms that word’s already leaked out. Always fun to be the bearer of good news.’

She started the car and continued up the track towards the house, pulling in as close behind the rows of marked cars as she was able, hoping to reach the house before she was waylaid by the reporters.

For the moment, there seemed to be only a couple of them, including a TV reporter Annie recognised from previous investigations. She was crouched under a large golfing umbrella clutching a microphone, with a miserable-looking cameraman, similarly protected, standing just behind her. It was one way to make a living, Annie supposed.

She pulled up the hood of her waterproof in the hope of remaining incognito. Even before she’d taken half a dozen steps towards the house, the TV reporter was waving frantically in her direction. ‘Annie, Annie! Can you spare me a minute?’

It wouldn’t be so bad, Annie thought, if these people didn’t insist on behaving as if you were a personal friend, rather than someone they’d spoken to a few times during media conferences.

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