CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Over the next twenty-four or so hours Cristy and Connor waited for something, anything to break.
It felt almost surreal, as if they’d all entered a peculiar sort of holding state with no idea when they might land, or what would happen when they did.
Had Mia been injured during the scene with Sadie?
Why wouldn’t she answer that question? Why wouldn’t Mia show herself at the door?
Sadie stayed shut up in the lodge with Anna until Jasper returned on Friday morning, while Mia wouldn’t see anyone unless Sadie was with them. Sadie refused to go near her.
Needing to honour the promise to drop an episode of Hindsight before the weekend, they set up a small studio in David’s portside office and connected with Clove and Jacks who were now back in Bristol.
The recordings with Lukas’s old friend, Natalie Irwin, and Lottie’s publisher, Felicity Green, were already edited, so ready to drop into the start of the interview with Lukas and Gabe.
This they decided to run in its entirety and end with the cliff-hanger of Cristy being told by Connor that it was all kicking off in Guernsey so she needed to return pdq.
Mia’s lawyers had already slapped down an injunction – no surprise there, although very fast work. Sadie, as it turned out, was supportive of the ban, having now decided that she didn’t want her aunt to be named and shamed, and a whole lot worse, at least not yet.
‘It’s all happening so fast,’ she’d said during her last conversation with Cristy. ‘I know it’s terrible what she did, unforgivable, but maybe Lottie did twist things around to make Mia the guilty party when really, it was all her.’
Unable to argue with that, Cristy had simply listened as Sadie continued. ‘I feel so awful about things now, the way I … I shouldn’t have forced her … I didn’t mean to frighten her … I was just so angry and … Well, I think we need to take a breath before making any more big decisions.’
On Friday evening, after the Gabe and Lukas pod had been uploaded, Cristy, Connor and David took themselves off to Le Nautique, overlooking the port, for dinner.
‘What we’re no closer to knowing for certain,’ Cristy remarked, wondering if she’d ever had such good oysters before, ‘is which one of the sisters was actually responsible for Janina’s death.
Mia has only denied that it was her who forced the car off the road, not that it didn’t happen, and obviously Lottie isn’t around to speak for herself. ’
‘Does it actually matter which of them was responsible?’ Connor asked. ‘If we can’t air it anyway …’
Cristy grimaced. ‘I’m sure it matters to Sadie, and it will to the police if we ever do get it out there.
’ For no particular reason she felt a clench of unease as her mind flashed on the anonymous text she’d received earlier: You’re back, but you keep failing to notice me. I hope you know how hurtful that is.
Connor said, ‘I guess we could have a great debate-pod on our hands at some point in the future. Did Lottie twist the tale to make her sister the villain? Or is Mia putting on a good show of being framed for something she didn’t do?
The amateur sleuths and armchair psychs will lap it up.
’ He seemed to slump. ‘You know, we have to get the crucial parts of the journal past the lawyers or the final episode is going to be all about Sadie reuniting with her father and uncle – and heart-warming as that is, everyone will want to know what really happened to her mother.’
Cristy checked her phone as a new text arrived. Relieved to see it was Lukas she clicked to open it.
We’re in London staying at the Savoy. No pressure, we just wanted to be nearby – or at least in the same time zone – in case Sadie needs us.
You don’t even have to tell her we’re here if you think it won’t be helpful.
How is she? Can you tell us what’s been happening since you got to Guernsey? Lukas
Sighing, she looked at the others. ‘How do I answer that?’ she asked, after they’d read the message.
‘Do I tell them to give up all hope of Janina being alive? That one of the sisters – we don’t know which – murdered the big love of Gabe’s life in order to hold onto his daughter?
That Sadie has very probably beaten her aunt up and is now seriously conflicted over what she wants to do next?
I’m just wondering how to spin this so they don’t come jetting over here with their own lawyers in tow. ’
David said, tentatively, ‘Would it be such a bad thing for Sadie to see her father right now? Maybe he’s who she really needs even if she doesn’t quite realize it.’
Cristy glanced at Connor as he said, ‘You two have met the guy, so would you say he’s up to it? I mean, this is pretty traumatic stuff that’s going on here and he’s not … Well, you know what I’m saying.’
Cristy was trying to think it through, to figure out how it might work if Gabe and Lukas did come over, but her instincts didn’t seem to be directing her one way or the other.
‘We need to sleep on it,’ she said in the end, ‘and maybe I’ll talk to Evie in the morning so she can help with the decision.
For now I’ll just say that Sadie’s still working through a few things, but it’s good that they’re nearby and I’ll let Sadie know they’re ready to come as soon as the time is right. ’
*
As it turned out Cristy didn’t get the chance to speak to Evie the next morning. She, David and Connor were in the kitchen with Cynthia and Lawrence and only partway through breakfast when a message arrived from Sadie.
Mia wants to see you. Please call when you get this.
‘Wow,’ Cristy murmured, showing the text to the others.
‘Can’t say I saw that coming,’ and she quickly connected to Sadie’s number.
Finding herself pushed to voicemail, she said, ‘Hey, it’s me, Cristy, calling back.
What’s happening over there? Are you OK?
Tell Mia we’re happy to see her whenever suits. ’
‘At least you’ll find out if she’s been injured,’ Cynthia observed, tapping Laurent’s fingers away from the butter.
‘I don’t know where my knife is,’ he complained.
Handing him one, David said, ‘Where’s Rosie?’
‘Putting her make-up on,’ Anna replied. ‘She’s got a new boyfriend, apparently, and he’s going to be at rehearsals today.’
‘What’s happened to change Mia’s mind about seeing us?’ Connor said to Cristy.
‘Maybe the fact that we know either she or her sister committed a murder?’ she suggested ironically.
‘Sure, but why does she want to talk when she obviously knows her lawyers are shutting us down?’
Cristy shrugged as Laurent said, ‘Who’s been murdered?’
‘No one you know,’ David told him, ‘and it was a long time ago. Now, you need to go and clean your teeth … Are you taking him to sailing club?’ he asked his mother, ‘or am I?’
‘I will,’ Cynthia replied. ‘I have errands to run in town and I can drop Rosie off at the rehearsal rooms on my way through.’ To Cristy and Connor, she said, ‘Will you be staying over the weekend? You’re very welcome, of course, I just need to know how many to shop for.’
‘We’re both booked onto a flight later today,’ Connor replied, ‘but now this has come up …’ He stopped as Cristy’s phone rang, waiting to see if it was Sadie.
‘Matthew, I’ll have to call you back,’ Cristy told her ex as soon as she answered the phone, gesturing helplessly at the others.
‘OK,’ Matthew replied, ‘but make sure you do. I have some important news you’ll want to hear.’
‘I spoke to the children first thing,’ she said. ‘Tell me nothing’s happened since.’
‘Nothing’s happened since,’ he echoed obediently, and satisfied with that she rang off as Sadie’s call came in.
‘Hi, Cristy. Sorry, I was in the shower.’
‘Do you know why Mia’s suddenly willing to see us?’ Cristy asked.
‘She says she wants to tell you her side of the story.’
Cristy’s eyes widened as she looked at Connor. ‘Will her lawyers be there?’ she asked, sensing something off about this, but there again, wasn’t everything off where Mia was concerned?
‘She didn’t mention them,’ Sadie replied.
‘Do you know if she’s listened to the latest podcast yet? The one that dropped last night featuring the interview with Lukas …’
‘Oh yes, she has, and she says you’re using actors to tell the story you want to hear, rather than bothering to find out the truth.’ Then after a pause, ‘They’re not actors, are they?’
‘No, of course not,’ Cristy assured her. ‘You can’t really believe we’d do that to you. In fact your father and uncle are in London ready to fly here the minute you give the word. It’ll mean the world to them if you do.’
Stifling a sob, Sadie said, ‘I want to see them, I really do.’
‘So shall I tell them to get on a plane?’
‘Yes, no. I don’t know. They can’t come here, it’s crazyville … Maybe I should go to them? I’m just not sure about leaving Mia.’
‘Have you actually seen her since you read her the journals?’
‘I went down there earlier, but she wouldn’t let me in. She shouted at me from behind the door, calling me treacherous, spiteful, a liar, a viper in her nest … So I think we can safely say that she’s still mad at me for forcing her to listen to them.’
Looking at the others, Cristy said, ‘Are you going to tell us now what all the noise was about at the end of the recording?’
Sadie’s voice was wretched as she said, ‘It’s hard to explain. Something just came over me … Well, you’ll see for yourself when you get there.’
Cristy looked at David as he said, ‘I can have your father and uncle picked up at the airport and brought here, to Papillon, if you like …’
‘I’ll come and get you,’ Anna offered. ‘And then I can wait with you.’
Sobbing, Sadie said, ‘OK, if you don’t mind. Oh my God, I can’t believe I’m going to see them, that they really exist, that we share actual genes and DNA and blood and everything else. They’re my family, Anna. I mean, my real family. I just … Oh God, I can’t describe how it feels …’