CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO #3
‘Did Sadie know you were going to talk about the journals like that?’ Jodi asked, clearly surprised and impressed. ‘I mean, you didn’t say what the missing parts are, but you’d have to be an idiot not to work it out.’
Cristy shook her head, and felt a quick pang of unease as she tried to imagine how Sadie, Gabe and Lukas might respond when they heard the insinuations, never mind what she’d said about Lottie’s death.
She’d yet to hear what David thought of the episode, having sent him a copy just before the upload.
‘How do you think Sadie’s going to react?’ Iz asked, glancing up from her phone.
‘She’s lucky we didn’t go any further than we did,’ Connor retorted.
‘Everyone’s been asking, “Did she jump, or was she pushed?” since the last ep,’ Jacks put in. ‘All this will do is create more volume.’
‘Because you’re convinced she actually did push her aunt over?’ Iz grimaced as they all looked at her. ‘Sorry. Just needing to be clear.’
Connor eyed her warily. ‘We are, but if you’re thinking of putting our suspicions into some kind of press release, rein yourself in. We’ve got no evidence to support them and I guess there’s still an outside chance we could be wrong.’
‘What, you?’ Jodi teased. ‘Never let it be said.’
Connor crooked an eyebrow, and downed the rest of his drink. ‘Any more going?’ he asked, holding out his glass.
‘Coming right up.’ Iz headed for the fridge.
‘I’m so happy to be celebrating with you all,’ she declared in a burst of exuberance.
‘It’s been a brilliant series in so many ways, and with all the interviews we’ve got lined up over the next few weeks …
The advertisers are going to carry on fighting for space forever more.
That’s the great thing about pods, isn’t it, there’s no actual end to their lives.
Unlike poor Mia and Lottie. Which reminds me, how do you think Lottie died?
Was it really suspicious? Could Sadie actually have been behind it?
’ Her cheeks were so flushed with excitement and her tongue running on so loosely that Cristy had to wonder if she was actually connecting with what she was saying.
‘Just imagine, if it turns out she offed both the aunts!’ Iz gushed elatedly. ‘There won’t be any Florida for her then, that’s for sure. And we, on Hindsight, will have exposed it …’
‘Exactly what part of reining in did you not get?’ Connor interrupted. To Cristy he said, ‘Do you have to be somewhere? You keep checking the time.’
‘I’m meeting Robert Brinkley at seven-thirty,’ she replied. ‘He’s leaving at the weekend and asked if we could get together before he goes.’
‘The drop-dead gorgeous heart surgeon?’ Jodi teased.
‘Who was in love with Lottie,’ Clove added. ‘Do you know what he wants to see you about?’
‘I think just to say goodbye. I’ve put the journals on a memory stick so he can read what she wrote about him. Before you ask, no he doesn’t have the crucial entries, and no, we won’t be adding his starring role to the website. It’s not relevant for one thing, and they’re way too … personal.’
‘Amazing, isn’t it, the stories behind the stories,’ Iz commented thoughtfully.
‘There’s so much the public doesn’t get to see or hear about that they’d probably find every bit as fascinating as the main theme.
I remember thinking that when I listened to your last series, the one about David …
Actually, that reminds me,’ she said, looking suddenly worried as she turned to Cristy.
‘I’ve had a few calls about you guys, wanting to know if it’s true that you’re seeing one another.
Obviously, I’m denying all knowledge, but frankly all that’s really surprising here is that no one’s cottoned on to it sooner. ’
Dismayed, while knowing it had always been inevitable, Cristy said, ‘Let’s just feel thankful it’s not happening in the middle of a series.’
‘Wait till they find out he was in Florida with you,’ Connor grinned. ‘Anyway, the fact that Sadie and her aunts live in Guernsey should have flagged it up at the get-go. Just goes to show that not everyone’s paying attention.’
‘They will once they know you’re getting it on with the man you cleared of a triple murder,’ Harry commented dryly. ‘What?’ he demanded as Meena scowled at him darkly. ‘I’m right, aren’t I?’
‘You are,’ Cristy told him.
‘It’s your phraseology that needs some work,’ Meena chided. ‘Anyway, aren’t we going for an end-of-term dinner at The Ivy? If we are, we ought to be on our way.’
‘I’ll just be a few minutes late,’ Cristy told her. ‘And I suggest we turn our phones off for the evening unless we want to deal with Sadie and her family tonight.’
‘Talking of phones,’ Jacks said, ‘I’m picking up your old one tomorrow. I’m not sure what they found yet, but apparently there was something and the advice I’m getting at the moment is that you should abandon the handset and the number altogether.’
‘Really?’ she said, not sure whether to be alarmed by that or not. ‘Did they trace the stalker?’
‘I’ll know more when I go there, but the good news is, you’re already up and running with a new phone, so nothing more to worry about.’
*
‘Well, that was a very close sail to the wind,’ David commented dryly when Cristy called after saying goodbye to Robert at the White Lion in Clifton.
It had been an unexpectedly emotional parting, with him glad to receive the memory stick and her still sympathizing with his loss of a woman he’d so clearly loved.
She hadn’t told him about Mia’s claims regarding Lottie’s death, there was no point when it was doubtful anyone would ever be able to prove it.
‘I know you warned me it might ruffle a few feathers,’ David continued, ‘but I confess I wasn’t expecting anything like that. Have you heard from Sadie since it aired?’
‘Not a word.’ She stepped off the kerb to cross into Princess Victoria Street. ‘Have you?’ she asked.
‘No, but Anna’s had quite a lot to say about it.’
Cristy winced. ‘Do I want to know?’
‘Probably not, but I expect she’ll tell you herself once she’s managed to get hold of Sadie.’
‘So she hasn’t spoken to her either?’
‘She keeps trying. I guess you know what you’re doing, so you have to be aware that you could be facing a whole lot of trouble over this. OK, you didn’t outright accuse her of anything, but the implications are clear and I’d be amazed if Lukas isn’t already talking to a lawyer.’
‘You could be right, but think about it. If they start kicking up a fuss they’ll only draw more attention to it and I’m not sure they’ll want to do that. Dealing with flak from social media is one thing, getting lawyers involved could take it to a whole other level.’
‘OK, but tell me, do you seriously think Sadie was behind both her aunts’ deaths? Because I have to say, it’s a hard one for me.’
‘I understand that, but once you’ve had time to think about it you might find it’s not so far-fetched. The trouble is, we’ll never be able to prove it.’
‘OK, well I guess we have to wait and see what happens over the next few days. As you say, giving it more oxygen probably isn’t the way to go so you might not hear anything from them. Where are you now? I can hear traffic.’
‘On my way to meet the others at The Ivy. Wish you were here.’
‘Well, I can’t make it happen tonight, but it turns out I need to be in London on Friday, so I thought, when my meeting’s over, I could take a train to Bristol and fly back to Guernsey on Sunday or Monday. Will that work for you?’
Loving the thought of seeing him again so soon, Cristy said, ‘Even if it didn’t I’d make sure it did. Oh, and by the way, I should probably warn you that there’s been some press interest in our relationship. Cristy Ward falls for man she helped clear of murder, that sort of thing.’
‘OK, I like the falling-for bit, and I guess we were always going to be outed at some point. Pretty amazing, in fact, that it hasn’t happened before now. It’s not as if we’ve put much effort into hiding things.’
‘We haven’t,’ she agreed. ‘Maybe we need to talk to Iz about how best to play it, whether we want to brazen it out and give someone an exclusive, or beg for privacy, or something in between.’
‘I’ll be guided by you, or Iz. Why not set something up for when I’m there, if she’s going to be around?’
‘I’ll talk to her tonight and let you know. I should go now, I’m at the restaurant. We’re going to turn our phones off, by the way, so if there is any blowback from Sadie and family tonight, we won’t have to deal with it until tomorrow.’