CHAPTER TWENTY #2
‘I’m not sure I ever received a straight answer to that,’ Felicity Green responded, ‘but since you got me thinking about it I remembered an email she sent me a year or so before she died. I hadn’t heard from her in so long, it was quite a surprise and I was thrilled to see her name in my inbox.
I’ve managed to track it down, so I can read it out to you if you like. ’
‘Please,’ Cristy encouraged.
‘I can’t imagine,’ Felicity said, ‘how it managed to slip my mind, although it arrived during a very difficult time in my personal life and I suppose, when Lottie never followed it up … Anyway, here’s what she said: “Flissy, I’ve been mulling the idea of writing a kind of memoir, part fact, part fiction.
It would be about two middle-aged sisters and a little girl they find on the beach near their home.
I’ve already made a start, mainly notes and the odd chapter or two, and for the time being I’m using our names – Mia, Sadie and me.
Why? I hear you ask. Because, say I, this way I won’t have to conjure any up until I’m ready to.
I think you’ll like the way it progresses to include some very colourful characters, many of the sort you might not expect from me.
Lottie, of course, will have the most tremendous love story …
I believe you might be smiling at that. Oh, how I miss him still.
I wonder if he ever thinks of me. I am planning a truly shocking denouement to my story.
Hard to write, but I feel it has to be done for the sake of … well, everything. More soon, Lottie.”’
Cristy was looking at Connor in expectation and bafflement. ‘Did she ever send you anything?’ she asked, watching Connor start to scribble a note.
‘I’m afraid not, but I know I replied encouraging her to continue.’
‘What about the love story? She refers to it as though you knew who she was talking about.’
‘I did, and I didn’t,’ Felicity replied.
‘She never mentioned him by name, but there was someone who, let’s say, stood out from the others.
We’re going back a while, mid-Nineties, I’d say, perhaps into the Noughties.
She took to sending me postcards from exotic places telling me she was with him and having a marvellous time and felt she might die from sheer happiness. ’
‘Was he involved in the charities she supported?’
‘She never said, but she met so many people from so many walks of life.’
Some very colourful characters, many of the sort you might not expect from me.
‘Do you know what happened to the man she mentions?’ Cristy asked.
‘I don’t, I’m afraid,’ Felicity responded. ‘I’m not even sure how long the relationship went on for, but I do remember wondering at times how much of it was actually real. It wasn’t always easy to tell with Lottie.’
Cristy glanced at the note Connor put in front of her and nodded. He was right, they needed to record this, which meant her six o’clock rendezvous would have to wait. Unless Felicity was willing to do it tomorrow.
Quickly reminding herself that was unprofessional, she said, ‘Felicity, would you be willing for me to interview you on Zoom, going over everything you’ve just told me? We can send you a link …’
‘That will be fine.’
Jacks raised a thumb.
‘It should be on its way now. So I’ll speak to you again in a few minutes.’
After ringing off she sent a quick text to Robert saying, Sorry, running late. Should be there by 6.30, and said to Connor, ‘What do you think about slotting this into tomorrow’s episode?’ If he agreed she was going to be a lot later than 6.30.
‘It’s not immediately obvious to me where it would go,’ he said, ‘although with the right links …’
‘Hello, hello, look who we have here,’ Jacks interrupted, as if a person of great import had entered the building, though he was actually peering at his screen.
‘Natalie Irwin has just emailed,’ he explained, ‘and she’s saying that yes, she remembers Lukas and Janina.
No idea where they are now, but apparently Lukas went back to Vilnius after he left Butlin’s … ’ He looked up. ‘So Lithuanian.’
Not sure why she was surprised by that Cristy said, ‘What else does she say?’
‘That she’s been worried about Lukas ever since he was last in touch with her …’
‘Which was when?’ Connor interrupted.
‘She doesn’t say, but apparently she’s happy to talk and share what she knows, will Wednesday work for us?’
‘Set it up,’ Connor replied, ‘and send her copies of the first two pods just in case she hasn’t already heard them.’ To Cristy, he said, ‘Why do you keep checking the time? Do you need to be somewhere?’
‘It’s OK,’ she assured him. ‘I’m just …’ She broke off as Robert texted back.
Taking part in an online seminar at eight, so let’s reschedule. Same time, same place on Wednesday?
Hoping it wasn’t going to clash with the Natalie Irwin interview she texted back, See you then, and was about to put the phone away when Matthew’s name came up on the screen. Ordinarily she’d have hit reject; however, they’d asked a favour of him and it might be about that.
‘Before you ask, no word yet from my Interpol guy,’ he told her when she answered.
‘Then why are you calling?’
‘Nice to hear you too. I was hoping we might get together …’
‘It’s not a good time, Matthew. I’m about to do an interview …’
‘So will you let me know when is?’
She didn’t answer.
‘No, of course you won’t. By the way, everyone was asking about you on Saturday night.’
Unable to imagine why, when everyone knew she was no longer his wife, she said, ‘I really do have to go …’
‘You know, I thought I recognized the main speaker, and then it came to me. He was your Tinder date …’
‘I’m not on Tinder,’ she said, through her teeth.
‘But it was him, wasn’t it? Nice guy. Hayley was smitten at first sight.’
‘She told me.’ Cristy also knew, from Robert, that he thought she had a very beautiful daughter and he’d been charmed to meet her ex-husband (no irony there). ‘I’m ringing off now,’ she told Matthew, ‘but thanks for trying to help with this Symmonds-Browne character.’
‘You know he’s distantly related to the Duke of …?’
‘Yes, I do. Is that a problem?’
‘No idea yet, I guess we’ll find out. OK, off you go, but thanks for FaceTiming with Marley at the weekend. It meant the world to her.’
Having no idea how to respond to that, Cristy simply ended the call and turned to her screen where Felicity Green was ready and waiting.
*
‘Sorry. It’s late. Did I wake you?’ Sadie asked.
Keeping her eyes closed as she spoke into her mobile, Cristy took a moment to register that she was at home and said, ‘It’s fine. I was just dozing. Is everything OK?’
‘I’m not sure,’ Sadie replied. ‘I mean, yes is the short answer, but I’ve found a portable safe at the back of one of Lottie’s closets.
I’ve tried opening it, but I don’t know if I’m even close to guessing the combination, and I don’t want to ask Mia in case she just spirits it away, or throws another scene. ’
Swinging her feet to the floor, Cristy said, ‘Why not take it to David? He might know someone who can help.’
‘That’s what I thought. There’s probably nothing important inside, just cash or some jewellery, that sort of thing, but it’ll be interesting to know, because I haven’t found anything else that’s as securely locked.’
‘Where is it now?’
‘Jasper helped me bring it up to the lodge, so it’s right in front of me.’
Seizing the moment, and hoping she wasn’t going to be too clumsy about it, Cristy said, ‘Maybe there’s a copy of her will in there. I know it’s been read and presumably everything’s sorted …’
‘Yes, that happened not long after she died. She left everything to Mia.’
Cristy blinked. ‘Everything? What about her charities? What about you?’
With a soft sigh, Sadie said, ‘Mia will take care of the charities when she goes, I’m sure, and Lottie gave me so much when she was alive, but I have to admit I was a bit disappointed.
I thought maybe she’d set something aside for me, a special ring or necklace, a memento of a time we’d shared, a letter even, admitting I wasn’t her actual niece and explaining where I really came from.
I can’t help thinking that something like it might be in this safe, that’s why I don’t want to show it to Mia in case she tries to take whatever it is. ’
Understanding that, Cristy said, ‘Well, I’m sure we’ll get it open one way or another.’ She was staring down at a message from Clover now that had apparently come in about an hour ago. You need to take a look at this.
She clicked the attachment and when she saw the image that filled the screen her heart contracted so hard with shock that it took a moment for a surge of adrenalin to kick through.