5 September 2023 (2nd)

"No luck yet"

DS Delyth has gone to the school, and when she gets out of her car there is a call on her phone;  she reports, “No luck just yet – these early few hours are crucial.”   

She notices Cai's car

Then she catches sight of Cai’s car and says, “I’ll call you back, OK?”

Cai walks though the school . . .

Meanwhile Cai is walking through the school corridors 

. . . towards his classroom 

and up the staircase towards his classroom.

Delyth finds the one door that is open . . .

Delyth looks into his car, then tries one of the doors to the school, which is locked, but is able to enter by another one.   

. . . and looks anxiously around

She looks anxiously around her.

Cai passes the ranks of lockers

Cai’s walk past the lockers is accompanied by the amplified sound of his heartbeat.   Reaching his classroom, he takes off his jacket and sits down at his desk;  

He has a photograph . . .

he reaches into his rucksack and takes out a photograph.

. . . and the five envelopes with names on them

Then he begins to arrange the five white envelopes on the desk, and the heartbeat sound becomes more noticeable.   

Delyth follows in the same direction

Delyth is approaching the classroom.

He looks down at the desk

As he looks down at the desk, at first he does not hear that someone is speaking his name, 

He realises he has a visitor

but then suddenly realises that the DS is standing in front of him.   

"What are you doing here?"

“What are you doing here?” he demands.

“I thought you weren’t coming back here for a few weeks,” she says, 

"I still need to do a bit of paperwork"

but he maintains that he still needs to do a bit of paperwork – marking and that sort of thing.   He also wanted to pick up a couple of files.

"Before going to North Wales?"

“Before going to North Wales?” she asks, 

"I shall do some work up there"

and he replies that he intends to do some work while he is up there.   “Everyone was worried after you left the Deri so quickly.”

“I don’t know why – I’d done my job with the auction,” he says, and the DS understands that he has not been feeling too well recently.   

"Well, I'm better now"

“Well, I’m better now, and, as I said, I’ve come here to . . .”   

Here his voice tails off and Delyth completes his sentence, “To get a couple of files.”   Now, if she does not mind, he would like to get on with his work, as he has a long drive ahead of him.

She sees the photo on the desk

She looks at the photo on his desk 

"Your children, are they?"

and comments, “Your children, are they?   They’re lovely.”   Cai says they take after their mother, 

"I don't want to forget these . . ."

then gathers together his five envelopes, maintaining that he does not want to forget them.

". . . money is all they want these days"

“Presents – well, money – that’s all they want these days – and because I don’t see them that much, perhaps I’ve gone over the top.”   

"Nothing can make you feel more guilty than your children"

Delyth agrees that nothing can make you feel more guilty then your own children.

"I need to apologise to you"

“That reminds me,” she adds, “I need to apologise to you – I lied to you in the Deri when you asked if I had children.”   

"I don't mean to be rude, but . . ."

He insists that she does not have to tell him about her life and does not mean to be rude, but . . .

"Siôn told me that Lleucu and Twm are in France"

“Siôn told me that Lleucu and Twm are in France on holiday,” Delyth tells him, “If you don’t feel right, that’s OK – you can tell me.   How long have you felt like this?   It’s probably hard to live so far away from them.”

An urgent warning from Siôn 

A message alert sounds on her phone, Siôn is sending her a warning, ‘He’s got a gun.   Be careful.”

She says that Siôn has created a WhatsApp group, 

"Is there anyone else here?"

and Cai asks if anyone else is there.   

"No, just you and me"

“No, just you and me,” is the DS’s reply, “When did you last see them?”   He answers that it was about two months ago and was a waste of time;  they were not interested in seeing him.

"That's kids for you"

“That’s kids for you,” sighs Delyth 

"Now they hate me"

and he recalls that he used to have such a good relationship with them, but recently things have not been the same – they hate him.

"Have you ever felt this low before?"

“Have you ever felt this low before?” she asks and, after some thought, he says that he has sometimes.   Delyth asks how he coped.

"Work, rugby, women – getting drunk"

“Work, rugby, women – getting drunk.”   She presumes that these things do not work any more and wonders if he is still drinking.   “I managed to stop for a while, but I started again.”   

"That's a positive step"

The DS regards stopping for a while as a positive step, and one which takes a lot of strength.

"Not if you do something else instead"

“Not if you do something else instead,” he groans, 

"I can help you"

but she assures him that whatever is troubling him, whatever is weighing on his mind, she can help him.

“I don’t need help!” he snarls, “And I don’t need to talk!   

"I'd like a bit of time by myself"

“Look, if you don’t mind, I’d like a bit of time by myself now.”

"You know I can't do that"

“You know I can’t do that,” says Delyth, and he realises that he should have told Siôn where he was going, 

"I wanted space to think"

but he wanted space to think and knew that he would get some peace at school.   He assures her that he is OK.

"Tell me where the gun is, Cai"

“All right – if you tell me where the gun is,” she replies, “Tell me, Cai.”   

This shocks him

This takes him by surprise, 

"We'll sort this out between us"

as she continues, “We’ll sort this out between us – I’ve got the contacts to do that.”

“You’re not going to change my mind,” he sneers, “I know you’re trying to help, but you don’t understand – 

"No-one's going to miss me"

“no-one’s going to miss me.   Perhaps it will be a shock for people to start with, but give it a month or two, and  everyone’s lives will be a lot easier.   

"Let me do what's best for everyone"

“So, please, just let me do what’s best for everyone.”

"I can't do that, Cai"

He is informed that the DS cannot do that and he begs, “Please, just leave me alone – go – now!”

“Listen to me, Cai,” she responds, 

Then he points the gun at her

upon which he grabs the gun from his rucksack and points it at her.   “Go – or you’ll leave me with no choice!” he growls, but she does not make any attempt to move.

"I won't ask you again!"

“I won’t ask you again!” he threatens, 

"I'm not going anywhere . . "

but she advises him that she is not going anywhere.

". . . there's only one way you're going to get rid of me"

“There’s only one way you’re going to get rid of me,” and his resolve starts wavering;  

He gradually lowers the gun

he gradually lowers the gun, which comes as somewhat of a relief to Delyth.

“Don’t think that this means anything – I’m not leaving here with you,” he tells her 

She picks up another photo

and she reaches over to pick up another photo;  she asks where it was taken, 

"That was at Aberffraw beach"

and Cai answers, “Aberffraw beach.”  [on the coast of Anglesey]

"I've never been there"

Delyth has never been there and he adds that it was four years ago;  “Arwen came up to stay with us for a holiday and the photo was taken by Nesta – 

"They buried me in the sand"

“I was the reason they enjoyed it so much – they buried me in the sand.”

This brings back memories for Delyth

Delyth remembers doing that to Simon in Majorca;  “All he wanted to do on that holiday was to see an octopus and be buried in the sand.”   Cai asks where Simon is now, 

"He doesn't want anything to do with me"

and is told, “He lives in Carmarthen with Gareth, his father – he doesn’t want anything to do with me.”

"Do you have any glue?"

Cai is very puzzled by her next question, “Do you have any glue – so I can fix this photo frame?”

"I'll do it in front of you, you know"

“I’ll do it in front of you, you know,” he tells her, 

"Where's the glue?"

but again she asks where to find the glue.   “The cupboard over there,” he replies, so she goes to fetch it.

"Why isn't Simon talking to you?"

“Why isn’t Simon talking to you?” he wants to know, and is told that his mother was responsible for getting him arrested.   

He had not been expecting that

Cai had not been expecting that.

"It was little things to start with"

“He started getting into trouble when he was a teenager – little things to start with, but then he became part of this gang.   They used him to sell drugs.   I couldn’t bear to see him throwing his life away like that, 

"I couldn't see any other way of helping him"

“so I had to report him – I couldn’t see any other way of helping him.”

"I'm not sure I could do that"

Cai says that it took a lot of guts to do that and is not sure that he could do it.   

"He's doing very well now"

However Delyth does not regret it, and he is doing very well now;  “He’s an electrician, has his own business – he just can’t forgive me.”

"How can you stand not seeing him?"

“How can you stand not seeing him – not talking to him?” asks Cai, 

"It does break my heart"

and she confesses that it breaks her heart that she is not a part of his life.   

Cai knows all about that

Cai can identify with this and nods his head.

"I haven't given up"

“But it comforts me to know that he is safe and happy,” she goes on, “And I haven’t given up – I write to him, I send him presents every Christmas, every birthday.”   

"Do you get anything back?"

Cai wonders if she gets anything back, and she tells him, “Not yet – but, as I said, people change.   He may not need to know me now, 

"One day he might – and I'll be there for him"

“but one day he might – and I’ll be there for him – it’s taken me a long time to see that.

“Listen, I know of some amazing counsellors and therapists – please let me help you.   You might feel that you have no way out at the moment, but things do change, 

"You'll find happiness again"

“and you’ll find happiness again, like you did in this photo.”

This causes Cai to think

This has made Cai think seriously and she asks him, 

"Come outside for some fresh air"

“So – what do you think?   Come for a walk with me outside, come and get some fresh air and some natural light out there.

"How did you know I was here?"

He is still suspicious that there is someone outside and demands, “How did you know I was here?”   

"I saw your car in the car park"

She says that she saw his car in the car park.   

He agrees to go with her, but with a condition

He nods his head and agrees that he will go with her, but when she suggests that he should hand over the gun, he will not and tells her to go first.   He gets up from his chair and follows her out of the school.

Cai is nervous

When they reach the external door, he looks very nervous, 

"See – there's no-one here"

but Delyth points out that there is no one about.   

He will not give her the gun yet

He is determined not to relinquish the gun until they are outside, 

She leads the way through the door . . .

so she leads the way through the door.

. . . but Cai is spooked by a passing car

He looks anxiously around, but when a car drives past, he retreats back inside and locks the door behind him.   

He locks the door

“It’s just a car passing,” she shouts and begs him to open the door.

"Cai, please don't do this!"

“Cai, please don’t do this!   You’re risking not seeing things change – is that what you want?   You’ll never see Lleucu and Twm grow up!   

"You won't be there when they need you!"

“You won’t be there when they need you!”

He heads back towards his classroom 

She thinks that she has failed . . .

and Delyth believes that she has failed – 

. . . and makes a phone call

she makes an urgent phone call.

Cai is safely back in his room . . .

Back in his classroom, the muffled heartbeat sound is becoming louder again.   

. . . and arranges the envelopes again

He sits at the desk and as he replaces the white envelopes in their original positions, he can hear Delyth’s voice in his head;  “He may not need me now, but one day he might – and I will be there for him – people change – and I haven’t given up.”

He can hear Delyth's words

He picks up the gun, looks at the photograph, and hears the voice in his head;  “You’ll find happiness again.”

The sound of gunfire does not materialise

The scene shifts to the deserted corridor, and it is anticipated that a gunshot will ring out – but it does not happen.

"There's no other way of getting in"

“There’s no other way of getting in,” says Delyth on the phone, 

"I don't think he intends to hurt anyone else"

“I don’t think he intends to hurt anyone else.”   Then she notices some movement inside;  

She sees movement inside

“Hold on – I think he’s coming out!”

Cai unlocks the door and opens it;  

The gun is handed to Delyth . . .

he hands over the gun, 

. . . and Cai sits down

then sits down on the doorstep.   

Delyth reassures him

Delyth joins him, putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder.