CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
After a heart-stoppingly bumpy flight from Dublin to Guernsey, Cristy and David walked into the vaulted kitchen of his incredible home in the wooded heights of the island to be greeted by his mother, Cynthia, and the heavenly aroma of freshly baked cookies.
To Cristy it felt like coming home, and simply seeing Cynthia’s dear, crinkled face before being hauled in for a hug made her once again think of her own late mother and how alike the two were.
Sweet-natured, mischievous, sharp-eyed behind the scattiness, and somehow managing to exude warmth without even trying.
‘Where is everyone?’ David asked, going to fill two mugs with coffee and helping himself to a biscuit on the way.
‘Rosie’s at rehearsals for a new play,’ Cynthia replied, ‘and Anna’s … Ah, here they are,’ she said, as the back door opened and Henry the golden retriever burst joyously through and made a beeline for David.
Connor and Anna followed, Connor unravelling his scarf as he said, ‘Good flight? Great! We have news, only we’re not entirely sure what it is yet.’
Amused, Cristy sank down on a sofa saying, ‘OK, that sounds promising. Just tell me, has anyone locked up anyone else in the past few hours?’
‘Not that we know of,’ Connor replied, grunting as Henry jumped at his groin.
Dragging the dog away, Anna said, ‘Bad boy! Go say hi to Cristy.’
Immediately Henry bounded onto the sofa and launched into a hearty lick of Cristy’s travel-weary face.
‘Basket!’ Cynthia commanded.
Henry apparently enjoyed the taste of Cristy.
‘Basket,’ David commanded.
Henry cocked his head as though puzzled by the word, before promptly doing as he was told.
‘So what’s the news you’re not sure about?
’ Cristy asked, sipping her coffee as Connor brought his to the opposite sofa.
‘Well, before we get to the big stuff, the landlady in St Peter Port was no help. She was too hazy on everything and who can blame her, considering how long ago it was, and how many people must have rented from her since.’
Clearly unable to wait any longer, Anna dived straight into the main news.
‘Sadie’s found something in Lottie’s journals,’ she declared.
‘She won’t tell us what it is until after she’s shown it to Mia and as far as we know that’s where she is now.
I offered to go with her – Jasper flew to London this morning – but she told me she could handle it and she’ll call as soon as she’s done. ’
Concerned, Cristy said to Connor, ‘Did you speak to her before she went off on this mission?’
‘I did and frankly she sounded kind of manic. I told her to wait, that we could be there in twenty, but she was determined to go alone. Obviously we went anyway, but we can’t get past the gates without a code.’
‘I’ll call the security company,’ David said, opening up his phone. ‘If I say it’s an emergency they’ll do an override and let us in.’
‘We’re waiting for Jasper to call back,’ Anna ran on, ‘but he’s in a meeting and can’t be interrupted. Obvs he has the code.’
Only half aware of David talking in the background, Cristy was envisaging all sorts of scenarios unfolding at the villa, none of them good. Nor was the thought of Gabe, Lukas and Evie waiting patiently, trustingly, to hear when they could meet their precious Sasha.
‘OK, thanks, Jeff,’ David said into his phone. ‘We’ll head over there now.’
Cristy and Connor were on their feet, and already half out the door when Anna suddenly cried, ‘It’s Sadie!’ and quickly clicked to take the call. ‘Hey! Are you OK? We’ve been worried.’ She paused, glanced up at Cristy and said to Sadie, ‘Where are you now?’
‘Put her on speaker,’ Cristy instructed.
‘… still at the villa,’ Sadie was saying. ‘She’s a mess, but she deserved it.’
‘What do you mean, a mess?’ Anna cried, turning frightened eyes to her father.
‘I recorded it all,’ Sadie answered, her voice sounding shredded by exhaustion.
‘Jesus, we need to get over there,’ Connor muttered.
Snatching Anna’s phone, David said, ‘Sadie, we’re on our way. You need to open the gates.’
When Sadie didn’t answer, Anna cried, ‘What did you find in the journals, babe?’
‘You need to come,’ Sadie said weakly. ‘Please come. I’ll go up to the lodge and see you there.’
*
Less than half an hour later Cristy and Connor were in the lodge’s small sitting room, all pale oak beams and cosy furniture, with Sadie hunched into a capacious armchair looking both dazed and beaten, as though she’d just fought her way through some sort of storm.
Anna was on the floor next to her, while David was outside dealing with the security guard who’d just turned up.
Cristy didn’t know yet whether they were going to head down to the villa to check on Mia, or wait until Sadie had explained what had happened during the past hour.
‘You can listen to it all,’ Sadie said quietly, half-throwing her mobile onto the coffee table between them. ‘I told her I was recording, but I’m not sure it went in. She’s … I don’t know what she is … Crazy, cruel …’ Her breath caught on a dry sob and Anna reached up to take her hand.
‘I’m OK,’ Sadie assured her. ‘Just a bit …’ Her eyes went to Cristy, and for a fleeting moment Cristy thought she sensed something horribly dark inside her.
‘Did they come back with you?’ Sadie asked, suddenly seeming so much more vulnerable than she had a moment ago.
Knowing who she was referring to, and understanding how bewildered and conflicted she must be feeling, Cristy said, ‘They were very keen to, but you said you wanted to sort things out with your aunt first so they’re waiting …’
‘I’m glad they’re not here,’ Sadie interrupted, seeming to mean it, then her voice faltered as she said, ‘but I really … I really want to see my dad.’
Feeling her heart swelling with empathy, Cristy said, ‘What would you like me to do?’
Sadie shook her head. ‘I don’t know. I … It’s all so messed up …’ She looked at her phone and said, ‘You’ll find it in voice notes. I want to listen to it too just in case …’ She gulped as she swallowed another sob, and pressed her hands to her face.
Still amazed that she’d recorded everything, Cristy found the file and after hitting play she placed the mobile back on the table and kept her eyes on it as it began to reveal why Sadie was in such an emotional state.
SADIE: ‘I’ve read the truth, Mia. I know everything …’
MIA: ‘What are you talking about? I don’t understand you.’
SADIE: ‘I’ve got it all here, in this journal …’
MIA: ‘All what, for heaven’s sake?’
SADIE: ‘Everything you did to my mother.’
There was a lengthy silence, broken only by the sound of muted voices, too indistinct to decipher.
‘This is where I’m telling her I’m recording,’ Sadie explained.
‘Did she object?’ Cristy asked.
‘She accused me of being in thrall to you “people” and that I’d end up regretting it.’
‘Is she saying anything,’ Connor asked, ‘about what had been done to your mother?’
Sadie shook her head. ‘Not really, only that I was a fool to believe everything I read, especially if it was written by Lottie.’ She stopped as her voice became clearer on the recording.
SADIE: ‘So here it is, are you listening? I said, are you listening?’
MIA: ‘I don’t feel I have a choice. If I don’t you’ll lock me in a cupboard again.’
SADIE: ‘You’re right, I will, until the police get here.’
MIA: ‘What are you doing?’
SADIE: ‘I’ve decided you should go into the cupboard anyway. I don’t want you running away before I’ve finished.’
MIA: ‘There’s no need of that … Let me go, please. I promise I’ll sit here and listen.’
SADIE: ‘If you move from that chair you know I’ll catch you and this time I’ll put you in there without a light on.’
Mia’s next words were indistinguishable as she muttered angrily, or helplessly, probably both.
SADIE: ‘This entry in Lottie’s journal is dated Tuesday eighth of March, 2005. 2005. Do you remember that year?’
MIA: ‘You don’t have to shout. I can hear you perfectly well.’
SADIE: (reading) ‘“We received a note today from someone claiming to be Sadie’s mother. It was a terrible shock, coming out of the blue like that. Maybe we should have been better prepared, but how do you prepare for something so earth-shattering? She wants to see her child, she says, and we have to believe she’s who she’s claiming to be because she goes on to describe how she left ‘Sasha’ on the beach five years ago.
‘“We can’t let it happen, of course, for any number of reasons, although most of all it will be far too disruptive for dear Sadie when she’s so settled with us now and such a happy little child.
She’s about to have her seventh birthday and she’s doing well at school, at sports, at just about everything she sets her mind to.
We are tremendously proud of her, I guess you could say we’re like satellites revolving around her sweet little world.
It would be very hard for me to give her up, but it would devastate Mia and I can’t have that.
Mia needs Sadie in a way I don’t, although I defy her to love her any more than I do.
I have a life elsewhere with my darling Robert who I plan to go to soon, when the time is right for us both.
Mia’s whole existence revolves around Sadie – insofar as it revolves around anyone apart from herself.
Such a needy and selfish woman, I actively detest her at times, but of course I love her too.