Page 63 of Don't Believe A Word

‘And how’s Rosie now?’

‘Much calmer and apparently she isn’t going to marry him if he behaves like that again.’

Smiling, Cristy said, ‘Does that mean he’s proposed?’

‘No, I think she did, but anyway, I can’t see Dad or Ursula allowing it, especially after this.’ Barely pausing for breath, she said, ‘Back to Sadie and our stupid plan to eke out the extracts and stuff. I don’t think she’d have done it if I hadn’t put it into her mind, and I only did because I was afraid if we gave it to you all in one go you’d turn us down.’

‘Then you were wrong on both counts, first for not being completely honest, second for assuming it wouldn’t be enough to interest us. It’s an intriguing case with some pretty serious crimes at its heart.’

‘Really? What crimes exactly?’

‘We’re still working on that.’ It would be crazy, not to mention unfeeling, to tell Anna at this stage how strongly she suspected they were going to uncover at least one murder – probably Janina’s. Anna would be sure to confide in Sadie and until they had more to go on there was absolutely nothing to be gained from shattering a young girl’s dream of one day finding her mother alive.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Cristy was driving as Connor read aloud the email she’d typed into her laptop.

‘Dear Marley, My apologies for not getting back to you sooner, and huge congratulations on the safe arrival of the baby.’

He turned to her, confused. ‘Is that it?’ he asked incredulously. ‘After the two-page cry-from-the-heart she wrote you, this is all you’re sending back?’

Wincing, Cristy said, ‘I haven’t finished it yet.’

He remained incredulous. ‘Remind me how long it’s been since she emailed you?’

‘Will you just stop! I was hoping for some support over this. I mean, what am I supposed to say when I kind of wish the child had never been born, and I wouldn’t mind never seeing her again in my life? Please don’t quote me on any of that.’

‘Well, at least it would be honest – and even go a bit further towards filling up a page.’

She rolled her eyes and indicated to join the A38 heading out of Bristol. ‘Matthew would never forgive me if I was that cruel,’ she pointed out. ‘Not that I care what he thinks, but then I’d have to deal with him as well as her and I’m already struggling with that, thank you very much.’

‘Have you seen him since he turned up for the drop-party?’

‘You mean since hegatecrashedthe party. No, thank God. He’s gone suspiciously quiet on me, and how wonderful if it would stay that way, but I’m not fooled. He’ll be planning some sort of ambush, I’m sure of it, or something will happen that he’ll need to share with me, or get me to sort out … Honestly, it’s like having another child and I’m not even married to him any more.’

‘So feeling needed isn’t really working for you?’

She laughed, and came to a stop at a red light. ‘He has to deal with the situation in LA: whether he’s going to stay married to Marley, be a father to Baby Bear, work out some kind of long-distance relationship if she decides to stay put over there …’

‘Do you think she will?’

‘God knows. And frankly, I don’t care. He chose the path he’s on, and contrary to what both he and Marley seem to think it has nothing to do with me. I can’t even get my head around why they want me as part of their world. I’m the ex-wife, for God’s sake …’

‘You’re alsoyou, so I get why they want you in their lives. I wouldn’t want to let you go either if I was Matthew …’

‘But he did …’

‘And he’s regretting it. And Marley can see how wonderful it would be if you two were friends. And she’s right, because we all love having you as a friend …’

‘Stop winding me up. I need some help deciding how to answer Marley’s email and you are proving about as useful as …’ She struggled. ‘I’ll come up with something and it won’t be good.’

Grinning, he closed her laptop and hit the car’s display screen to take a call from Clover and Jacks. ‘Hey, guys!’ he cried. ‘How’s your day at the beach going?’

‘Just got here,’ Clover replied. ‘Pissing down with rain and blowing a hooley so good job we brought the sunscreen. Anyway, just wanted to let you know that Sadie and Jasper are running late, ferry was delayed, but they should arrive in the next half an hour. Robert’s here, and his mother, obvs, given we’re in her residential village, and what a doll she is. If my flat was bigger I’d try to take her home with me.

‘So, is there anything in particular you’d like us to try to get from this?’ Clover continued. ‘I know we’ve been over everything already and we’re just here to eavesdrop, so to speak, but Jacks had a thought in the night—’

‘… that we ought to capture some video of the reunion,’ Jacks interrupted. ‘Provided everyone’s happy to go along with it, natch.’