Teal's relationship with Templar varies throughout the long-running Saint series. In the earliest parts, "The Saint" was a mysterious criminal that Teal was hunting. In the later part, Teal already knows The Saint is Simon Templar, gets to know him very well - but finds it difficult to obtain proof of his law-breaking that would stand in court. Sometimes they are adversaries, with Teal striving to put Templar behind bars and stop his "law-bending" crimefighting ways. Templar, in return, baits Teal frequently and in "The Holy Terror" goes so far as to blackmail Teal (an action that earns Templar a rare rebuke from his girlfriend and partner, Patricia Holm, in the later book, "Once More the Saint").