Page 140 of Don't Believe A Word

‘We’ll take advice before using anything,’ Cristy assured her. ‘If it turns out we can’t run her actual words, we’ll do as we did after Connor and I paid a visit and found her sitting under a noose. We’ll describe it the best we can and try not to sound in any way judgemental or unsympathetic to someone who’s …’

‘Completely fucking nuts?’ Clove suggested.

With a wry smile, Cristy said, ‘Yes, but obviously not in those words.’ She glanced at her phone, tensing as a text arrived, but it was only Aiden letting her know that he’d be staying with her again tonight.

Happy for that, she sent a quick message to Matthew asking if he’d managed to make contact with Pearl or her parents yet.

You mean the other grandparents?he replied.

Deciding not to grace that with a response, she reminded Connor that they had some final promos to record for Iz and followed him through to the studio.

*

‘Wow!’ Connor declared in amazement, when he walked into the office later and Cristy practically leapt out of her skin. ‘Nervy or what?’

‘Sorry,’ she gasped, pressing a hand to her thudding heart, knowing it was an overreaction, but there it was anyway. ‘I didn’t hear you … I thought you’d gone home.’

‘Just about to. What’s going on?’ he asked, clearly noticing the way she’d quickly shut her phone down.

‘Nothing,’ she insisted, aware of Clove and Jacks regarding her as if she’d just grown another head. ‘Or I guess everything,’ she admitted in a rush, ‘from not knowing if my son is going to become a father at sixteen, to worrying about what my ex is planning to do with Boo Boo Bear while he has custody, to missing David, to feeling distinctly edgy about what is happening over there in Guernsey.’

Sinking into his chair, Connor said, ‘I’ve got to admit, theSadie/Mia thing is getting to me a bit too and I can’t really put my finger on why.’

‘It’s got a strange sort of undertow to it,’ Clove observed. ‘I can’t stop thinking about it.’

‘Nothing to do with the fact that we’re totally focused on shaping a last episode,’ Jacks commented dryly.

‘Do you think we should be over there?’ Connor asked Cristy.

She was distracted by another text arriving and had checked it before she could stop herself. ‘For God’s sake,’she muttered under her breath when she saw it was fromhim.A gushing thanks for the ‘hot tit-pics’ that she hadn’t even sent. How could she, when she didn’t even have his number?

Connor said, ‘Are you still getting those anonymous texts? Is that what’s going on here?’

Knowing her cheeks were burning, she said, ‘They’re vile. At least some of them are. I know I shouldn’t read them …’

‘Give me the phone,’ he demanded.

‘I actually don’t want you to see them.’

‘Too bad. Hand it over.’

Realizing how ludicrous she’d seem if she outright refused, she opened up the thread and half threw the phone at Connor, already feeling the shame of things shehadn’t actually done.

‘Shit,’ he muttered as he read the messages. ‘What a fucking psycho. Jacks, you need to get onto this, find out who it is so we can shut him down.’

‘But I need the phone,’ Cristy protested as Jacks reached for it.

‘Who are you expecting to hear from tonight?’ Connor asked.

‘David. Matthew. Aiden. Possibly Hayley. There’s also a chance Sadie will call.’

‘Then text them one of the burner numbers,’ he told her. ‘You only have to say yours is going through some sort of routine check, and will be back on air … When?’ he asked Jacks.

Jacks shrugged. ‘No knowing how deep we might have to dive, but I’ll get right on it.’

‘I just want you to know,’ Cristy said, looking from Connor to Jacks and back again, ‘that nothing – I mean,absolutely nothing– he’s saying is true. OK?’

‘Got it,’ Jacks assured her.