15th February 2008
I called on Angus Read this morning. He gave me advice about following Dan and his lover, and about collecting evidence. He suggested that photographic evidence would be my best bet and advised me to buy a quality camera with a telephoto lens and a decent shutter speed. He said tailing Dan might be a problem because he’d recognize me, so I should do something to hide my hair, maybe style it differently or wear a hat. Also, wear dark glasses and buy a reversible coat – whenever the opportunity presented itself I should reverse my coat, don or remove my hat, and make full use of a range of sunglasses. It all sounds very ‘I Spy’ but he’s an experienced investigator and he must know what he’s doing. Another tip he gave me was to use windows and reflections – don’t look directly at your subject. If I follow his advice, Angus reckons that I should gather enough evidence to satisfy a solicitor. I must say, I’m feeling both nervous and excited about the prospect of ‘playing detective’, but I also have in mind that this is a serious matter and I have to get it right. From Angus’ office I went straight to the shops, where I bought a camera, a reversible coat and some headwear.
Meanwhile, I’ve been getting some strange phone calls. Whenever I pick up the phone the line goes dead. I’m wondering if it’s Dan’s lover trying to contact him. If it is, it’s brazen of Dan to give her our home number. But Dan can be like that – very sure of himself when in the company of women. Though, that said, he usually needs a few drinks to reach that level of confidence. I wonder what she thinks of me. Do I care? Not really. I have to think of myself in this situation and, for the first time in my life, put myself first.
Hannah Howe 