Free Evan Blessed by Rhys Bowen Page B

said.
    â€œVery lucky. The clouds just parted at the right moment.”
    Glynis looked from one to the other. “This rather changes everything, doesn’t it? It looks as if the two cases aren’t linked after all. She had an unlucky accident and maybe that bunker is just some poor twisted bloke’s fantasy hideout. He never really intends to kidnap anybody, just fantasizes about it.”
    â€œWhat did your computer searches turn up?” Watkins asked. “Anything useful?”
    â€œNot really. No patients recently released from psychiatric institutions who might behave in this way, but then, as the man at the NCIS told me, this kind of crime is almost impossible to spot in advance. Most serial killers are model citizens, quiet, well behaved, and smart enough not to do anything that might draw attention to themselves.”
    â€œDo we have any other missing girls on our files at the moment?” Evan asked.
    Watkins nodded. “That’s a good line to pursue. Not just on our files. He could have kidnapped girls from anywhere and brought them here, or he might have similar bunkers in other parts of the UK. Unless we’re lucky enough to have caught him at the very start of his career, he’s done exactly the same thing before somewhere.” He glanced at his watch. “Five past two. Well, Evans, there goes our sandwich.”
    Evan sighed.

Chapter 7

    It was five o’clock when Evan finally drove back up the pass with Paul Upwood in tow. He felt hollow with tiredness and it was all he could do to force his eyes to stay open. He was conscious of the long drop to the lake on his left and the tour coaches, belching diesel smoke, not to mention holiday drivers, who had little concept of the size of Welsh roads, plus the occasional stray sheep by the roadside, but sleep even fought against these hazards. Only ten minutes more, he told himself. He would drop Paul off at the hostel and then he could fall asleep.
    Paul had been very quiet, sitting with shoulders hunched, staring straight ahead of him. Evan guessed that it had finally occurred to him that Shannon might not still be alive. He was probably going over and over that last argument in his mind and was slowly drowning in guilt.
    â€œIt wasn’t your fault, you know,” Evan said gently. “Every couple has ups and downs. My fiancée and I have some good old shouting matches at times, but we always make up afterwards and they’re all over and forgotten. Couples fight about the silliest things. If something has happened to Shannon, you didn’t make it happen.”
    â€œThat’s just not true,” Paul said, still staring straight ahead. “I was supposed to be looking after her. You should have seen her on the
mountain paths. She was scared silly, especially when there was a big drop on one side. I kept telling her she was perfectly safe, but she wouldn’t listen to me. If she really fell into that lake and drowned, and I didn’t even hear her calling for help, I’ll never forgive myself. Never.”
    Evan couldn’t come up with an answer to that one. He thought that he’d probably never forgive himself if anything happened to Bronwen.
    â€œHow long do you think I have to stay here?” Paul asked as they approached the hostel. “I mean, I want to know what’s happened to her. I’ll do anything I can to help find her, but it’s really getting me down, staying alone at the hostel, having the other hikers looking at me and whispering about me.”
    â€œYou’re free to go when you want to, of course,” Evan said. “It doesn’t appear that we’re dealing with a crime scene. But we might still need your help, so I’d stick around for a few more days, if you can bear it. Get out and do some walking if you can. It will be good for you.”
    â€œIn this bloody fog?” Paul asked.
    â€œIt will probably be better tomorrow. In fact,