Page 86 of Don't Believe A Word

‘I can’t be sure of that yet. But apparently she’s from Sheffield, worked in several holiday camps back in the day, until she met her now husband, Clive, while she was on a ski trip in Austria and ended up moving to Toronto. By Hilary’s reckoning she’ll be in her late forties by now.’

‘Have you tried the email address yourself?’ Connor asked.

‘Yes, and it hasn’t bounced back. Yet. So could still be current.’

Checking her mobile as it rang it took Cristy a moment to recognize the caller’s name. ‘It’s Lottie’s publisher, Felicity Green,’ she announced, and clicked the call to speaker. ‘Hi, Felicity,’ she said warmly. ‘It’s good to hear you. Are you back from your travels?’

‘A couple of days ago,’ came the reply, ‘and horribly jetlagged, but I thought I’d get in touch just in case you’d still like to talk to me.’

‘We would,’ Cristy assured her, making a quick shift of focus to Lottie Winters’ aborted literary career, ‘especially if you can throw any light on the reason Lottie decided to stop being published.’

‘I’m not sure I ever received a straight answer to that,’ Felicity Green responded, ‘but since you got me thinking about it I remembered an email she sent me a year or so before she died. I hadn’t heard from her in so long, it was quite a surprise and I was thrilled to see her name in my inbox. I’ve managed to track it down, so I can read it out to you if you like.’

‘Please,’ Cristy encouraged.

‘I can’t imagine,’ Felicity said, ‘how it managed to slip my mind, although it arrived during a very difficult time in my personal life and I suppose, when Lottie never followed it up … Anyway, here’s what she said: “Flissy, I’ve been mulling the idea of writing a kind of memoir, part fact, part fiction. It would be about two middle-aged sisters and a little girl they find on the beach near their home. I’ve already made a start, mainly notes and the odd chapter or two, and for the time being I’m using our names – Mia, Sadie and me.Why?I hear you ask. Because, say I, this way I won’t have to conjure any up until I’m ready to. I think you’ll like the way it progresses to include some very colourful characters, many of the sort you might not expect from me. Lottie, of course, will have the most tremendous love story … I believe you might be smiling at that. Oh, how I miss him still. I wonder if he ever thinks of me. I am planning a truly shocking denouement to my story. Hard to write, but I feel it has to be done for the sake of … well, everything. More soon, Lottie.”’

Cristy was looking at Connor in expectation and bafflement. ‘Did she ever send you anything?’ she asked, watching Connor start to scribble a note.

‘I’m afraid not, but I know I replied encouraging her to continue.’

‘What about the love story? She refers to it as though you knew who she was talking about.’

‘I did, and I didn’t,’ Felicity replied. ‘She never mentioned him by name, but there was someone who, let’s say, stood out from the others. We’re going back a while, mid-Nineties, I’d say, perhaps into the Noughties. She took to sending me postcards from exotic places telling me she was with him and having a marvellous time and felt she might die from sheer happiness.’

‘Was he involved in the charities she supported?’

‘She never said, but she met so many people from so many walks of life.’

Some very colourful characters, many of the sort you might not expect from me.

‘Do you know what happened to the man she mentions?’ Cristy asked.

‘I don’t, I’m afraid,’ Felicity responded. ‘I’m not even sure how long the relationship went on for, but I do remember wondering at times how much of it was actually real. It wasn’t always easy to tell with Lottie.’

Cristy glanced at the note Connor put in front of her and nodded. He was right, they needed to record this, which meant her six o’clock rendezvous would have to wait. Unless Felicity was willing to do it tomorrow.

Quickly reminding herself that was unprofessional, she said, ‘Felicity, would you be willing for me to interview you on Zoom, going over everything you’ve just told me? We can send you a link …’

‘That will be fine.’

Jacks raised a thumb.

‘It should be on its way now. So I’ll speak to you again in a few minutes.’

After ringing off she sent a quick text to Robert saying,Sorry, running late. Should be there by 6.30, and said to Connor, ‘What do you think about slotting this into tomorrow’s episode?’ If he agreed she was going to be a lot later than 6.30.

‘It’s not immediately obvious to me where it would go,’ he said, ‘although with the right links …’

‘Hello, hello, look who we have here,’ Jacks interrupted, as if a person of great import had entered the building, though he was actually peering at his screen. ‘Natalie Irwin has just emailed,’ he explained, ‘and she’s saying that yes, she remembers Lukas and Janina. No idea where they are now, but apparently Lukas went back to Vilnius after he left Butlin’s …’ He looked up. ‘So Lithuanian.’

Not sure why she was surprised by that Cristy said, ‘What else does she say?’

‘That she’s been worried about Lukas ever since he was last in touch with her …’

‘Which was when?’ Connor interrupted.

‘She doesn’t say, but apparently she’s happy to talk and share what she knows, will Wednesday work for us?’