Page 122 of Don't Believe A Word

‘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, toPapillon,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, myrealfamily. I just … Oh God, I can’t describe how it feels …’

Glad to have the DNA results announced like this – presuming Connor’s attempt to record the call on his phone was working – Cristy said, ‘Before Anna comes will you ask Mia what time she’d like us to be there? Or would you prefer me to call her myself?’

‘It’s OK, I’ll do it and text you the time. Actually, Jasper’s saying he’ll drive me over toPapillion, Anna, so you don’t need to come.’ There was a pause before she said, ‘Cristy, will you tell mydad that I’ve listened to the interview and I … I’m really looking forward to meeting him. And my uncle. Is Evie with them?’

‘Yes, she is,’ Cristy replied gently. ‘This is going to be a very special day for them, but most of all for you, so if you decide you’d rather see them privately, without us there …’

‘No, I want you to be there,’ Sadie told her. ‘I think it matters that you are, and then we’ll always have a record of just how special it was to see one another for the first time since I was two years old.’

CRISTY: ‘Connor and I have just arrived at the Villa des Roches.Sadie sent us a code for the gates, so we’re already through and winding down the hillside towards the main house. The sun is glorious, splashing all over the immaculate gardens, and the views out to sea are spectacular. It’s all so tranquil and perfect, it’s hard to imagine that some very dramatic scenes have recently played out at the heart of it all.’

CONNOR: ‘I guess we’re about to find out if another is waiting for us when we get to the villa. Apparently Mia’s lawyers know she’s meeting with us – we’re not sure if they’ll be there – but we keep asking ourselves, how is she going to convince us that it was Lottie who organized Janina’s death and the journals are all a lie? Presuming that’s what this is going to be about.’

To Cristy he said, ‘I hope we’ll be able to use that at some point.’

‘As do I,’ she replied, ‘and it’s good we have it in case something does shift to clear the way.’

CRISTY: ‘We’re here now, just pulling up outside the villa … No sign of any other vehicles …’

CONNOR: ‘God, this is a stunning place. I know Cristy’s already described it in an earlier episode, and there are photos on the website, but seeing it for real … It’s kind of blowing my mind.’

Ending the recording Cristy looked around the quiet courtyard with its sculpted bushes and neatly raked gravel, not sure what she was expecting to see, only knowing that a sense of unease was starting to come over her. ‘Are you feeling as creeped out as I am, all of a sudden?’ she quietly asked Connor.