Page 91 of Don't Believe A Word

‘To try and protect you,’ he pointed out, ‘but OK, you didn’t know that at the time. Hang on, are you suggesting this stalker might actually be looking out for you?’

She laughed. ‘If there is such a person, it’s a nice thought, but I don’t think I’ll put too much trust in it. Anyway, let’s move on and talk about Sadie. Is she still with you, or has she gone home now?’

‘Anna took her a couple of hours ago and is staying over because Jasper’s away.’

‘Is she still feeling shaken up by the photos?’

‘Let’s say she seemed calmer by the time she left, helped I thinkby everyone reminding her that she didn’t really know what was happening in them. Anna has a theory that Janina was trying to get Sadie back, but Lottie was refusing to let her go.’

Cristy’s eyebrows rose. ‘That would put a different slant on things. What about Symmonds-Browne? Did she have any thoughts on what he might have been doing there?’

‘Not that she shared with me. I’d say it’s a question for Mia.’

‘Yes, and good luck with that. I wonder if she’s listened to the pod yet.’

‘If she has no one’s heard from her so maybe not.’

As frustrated as ever by Mia’s intransigence and capriciousness, she said, ‘And the safe? Any luck with it yet?’

‘It’s still here, and I’m sure we’ll get it open once the guy I have in mind is back from wherever he is. His wife says Jersey, I’m wondering if it’s a little more secure than that, i.e. a Crown facility. However, she assures me she’s expecting him any day now. We’ll see and I’ll let you know, but if he’s not here by the weekend I’ll make enquiries elsewhere. Now, I’m interested to know if you have any thoughts of when you might be coming this way again?’

Checking the lift in her heart with a reminder of Juliette, she said, ‘Is Corny still with Mia?’

‘As far as I know, but maybe I should put it another way, I’m keen to see you.’

Unable not to feel pleased by that, she said, ‘You could always come here.’ Before he could react she added, ‘But I’m not sure it’s a good idea, under the circumstances …’

‘What circumstances?’

Not willing to spell it out, and suddenly annoyed that he seemed to be making her, she said, ‘Shall we leave it for now? It’s late and I’ve had a busy day.’

‘OK, but we do need to talk.’

‘If you say so.’

‘I do and I would fly over there this weekend if I knew you were free – and if I wasn’t hosting an event at the yacht club on Saturday night. I was hoping you might come with me, but it’s sounding as though you’d prefer not to.’

‘That’s not what I said, but given the way things are with theseries right now I think I need to be here, or ready to go at short notice if something comes up.’

There was a moment before David said, ‘I get that, just don’t shut me out altogether, OK? At least not until we’ve properly straightened things out between us.’

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

The following afternoon, as arranged, Cristy and Connor were ready to connect to Natalie Irwin in Toronto while Clove and Jacks continued ploughing through Lottie’s jumble of boxes. No more incriminating photographs as yet, and still no explanation for those now posted on their website.

They’d spent the morning combing through early feedback reports from Iz’s supersleuths, as they were calling the social media back-up team, while discussing Cristy’s concern that she’d been followed home last night.

‘If it was someone hoping we – you – might lead them to Symmonds-Browne,’ Connor said, ‘then they surely have to know from the last episode that we have no idea where he is.’

‘And if the guy turns out to be in some sort of protection scheme,’ Jacks added, ‘then we’re never likely to find him.’

‘Frances Rush also suggested,’ Cristy reminded them, ‘that being told he can’t be a person of interest at this time could be a subtle way of warning us off. Exactly which one of the SLD directors is doing the warning, and who exactly primed him, or her, for it, is anyone’s guess, but I’m expecting things could become a little less subtle in the coming days.’

‘If the lowlifes theNice-Matinsent us are involved,’ Clover said, ‘then I can’t see them bothering with subtle at all, but hey, what do I know about how gangsters operate? I just don’t want to be face-to-face with any of them on a dark night. Are we thinking they’re behind the trashing of this office?’

Having no idea, Cristy shrugged as she checked an incoming text.

Can I take a rain-check for this evening? Flying to Paris later, hope to be back on Saturday. Robert.