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‘Well, it’s clear she was trying to portray Sadie as a nutjob,’ Connor reflected when Cristy reported the conversation to the team the next morning. ‘And – presuming we’re all agreed that there’s nothing wrong with Sadie – the only reason I can see for Mia doing that, is because whatever she’s hiding is pretty damned bad. Remind me what she said again?’

Checking the notes she’d made right after the call, Cristy read aloud, ‘“I have spent many years protecting my niece and I’m not going to stop now.” Obviously I asked for an explanation of that, but she just started in about my reputation, and asked how I thought Sadie was managing to find Lottie’s story in order.’

‘Because Sadie herself is writing it?’ Clove said incredulously.

‘Even if we believed that,’ Jacks said, ‘and I don’t think we do, there have to be far easier ways of trying to find out about your past. Going to all this trouble would be just, well, nuts!’

‘Although you have to admit,’ Clover put in, ‘it is weird that the story is “being found” more or less in order.’

‘That’s if you discount the possibility of there being other extracts covering the in-between times,’ Cristy pointed out. ‘For instance, there could be something about Mia’s shopping trip to pick up supplies for their new charge, or more about what was in the envelope. That hasn’t come to light yet, and I presume it exists. Having said that, in my opinion, what we’ve read so far has been written by a more mature hand than Sadie’s, and the style seems consistent with some of Lottie’s published short stories.’

‘Anything in them to warrant further investigation?’ Connor wanted to know.

‘Nothing that I’ve come across so far. Most are set in foreign lands … I get the impression she’s drawn on her personal experience of working with NGOs and charities to create certain aspects of the stories.’

‘Anything set on Exmoor, or Guernsey?’ Clove wondered.

‘Not recognizably so, and no characters that stand out as being based on Sadie or Mia.’

‘Remind me when she gave up being published,’ Connor said, checking the board to see if it was there. Finding it, he read out, ‘“Last book 2005, discuss with editor Felicity Green, returning UK Feb first. Can speak sooner if necessary.” So did something significant happen in 2005 to make her want to pull out? Sadie would have been how old by then? Seven. So well settled in Guernsey and at primary school.’

‘Do you want me to set up a Zoom with Felicity Green?’ Jacks offered.

After considering it, Connor said, ‘Hold fire for now. It’s feeling like a bit of a distraction when what we really need is to get to the bottom of what went on in May of 2000, and why Sadie was left on the beach.’

‘If she actually was left on the beach,’ Cristy stated. As everyone looked at her, she said, ‘I’m just putting it out there that she might not have been. But as we’ve no idea what’s true or false about that scenario, I guess we keep going with it for the time being.’

‘But what’s making you doubt it?’ Clover wanted to know.

She shrugged. ‘I suppose it just seems so unlikely, far-fetched even, and what I’m wondering is if Lottie wrote it to try and establish an early false record of how Sadie came to them.’

‘In order to cover up … what?’

‘The fact they had her, of course, but I have no theories yet on who, why, what, or when; I’m simply saying that I think we need to keep open minds.’

‘Do we mention any of this to Sadie?’ Connor asked.

‘To be honest, I think she has her own doubts. Remember she – and Anna – were the first to suggest she might have been bought, and Lottie’s version is really all about abduction. That’s bad, obviously, but the alternatives are a whole lot worse.’

After a brief spell of reflection, Jacks said, ‘So where do we go from here?’

Turning back to the whiteboard and its list of those they wanted to interview, Cristy said, ‘One of us needs to have a chat with “Corny” – Cornelia – the long-time housekeeper for the sisters at their Guernsey home, the Villa des Roches. Apparently she lives in Cobo Bay now, on the island’s west coast, with a small menagerie including a mute parrot.’

‘Chances are she’ll be prepped by Mia,’ Connor warned. ‘What about Mia herself? Is it worth trying to talk to her again?’

Cristy’s eyebrows rose. ‘After her call last night I wouldn’t be surprised if our next communication with her is via her lawyer … Which reminds me, I’m guessing we still haven’t received anything from David Gaudion regarding the aunts’ finances?’ She was looking at Jacks.

‘You’re right, we haven’t,’ he confirmed. ‘I’ll chase it.’

‘I don’t think we’ve made a decision yet,’ Connor pointed out, ‘on what we tell Sadie about her aunt’s call last night.’

Having already made up her mind on that, Cristy said, ‘She needs to know what Mia said about “protecting” her. She’ll almost certainly challenge her aunt over it, and hopefully end up in a position to be able to report back with something useful. Incidentally, Robert Brinkley’s happy to talk to her about Janina and Lukas. I’m not sure how much further it’ll take us in the overall discovery process, but it could be good emotional stuff that the listeners will engage with as long as Sadie’s OK with us recording it.’

‘When are they getting together?’ Clover wanted to know, preparing to write it up on the board.

‘Perhaps you could follow up with Robert,’ Cristy replied. ‘It would be great if it could happen at, or near, the house on Exmoor. I’m sure Sadie will be keen to meet Gita again, presuming Gita’s up for it, and I can’t see why she wouldn’t be. I’m inclined to leave that with you, Clove, and if you can tie it in with an arrangement to meet with the retired detective from around those parts … Any more news on that front?’

‘Ah yes, I have a name now – ex-Detective Sergeant Catherine Shilling. She’s living in the Chew Valley these days, so kind of on the way to Minehead.’

‘Has she given you a sense of what she can tell you?’ Connor asked.

Clover’s eyebrows waggled as if she had great news to impart. ‘I haven’t actually spoken to her yet,’ she admitted, making them laugh and groan. ‘But I’m told she’s happy to talk. I’ll set something up as soon as I’ve nailed down Sadie and Robert.’

Turning to Cristy, Connor said dryly, ‘I thought you’d want to see Robert again.’

Cristy’s eyes narrowed at the tease. ‘I think I’ll just ignore that,’ she told him, ‘and, Clove, I’ve changed my mind about the detective. I think she’s someone Connor and I should talk to just in case she has a lovely little bombshell to throw into the mix.’

‘No probs,’ Clove agreed, writing Catherine Shilling’s details on the whiteboard.

‘OK, Jacks, an update on where you are with your enquiries?’

With a grimace, he said, ‘Afraid still no word from Edwin Prosser. I’ll send a follow-up right after this, and obvs I’ll continue pursuing other possible avenues of contact. Same goes with my HR person at Butlin’s, but definitely not giving up on her yet. Also, still reading the organized crime report that Clove has dumped on me. Depending on where Janina and Lukas were from, it’s quite possible they weren’t in this country legally back in 2000 so that’s going to make them even harder to trace, especially if there was gang involvement.’

‘But Lukas had a job,’ Cristy pointed out. ‘I can’t see a company like Butlin’s hiring an illegal …’

‘Maybe not knowingly. But who knows what might have happened at the local level, or what sort of papers he might have had when he came, false or otherwise. Same goes for Janina. If they were trafficked, sorry to say this, their names might not even be Janina and Lukas.’

‘Oh God,’ Cristy groaned, ‘please don’t tell me that.’

‘I’m just flagging it up, but definitely working with what we have for now. It’s always possible, once we’ve dropped the next episode, someone will get in touch with more info.’

‘Why? What’s in the next episode?’ Meena asked from the door.

Turning to her, Cristy said, ‘Robert and Gita Brinkley’s interviews where Sadie’s mother and uncle are named. It could trigger something for someone. It’s also when we’ll put the images of Janina and Lukas with Sadie on the website. Anyway, to what do we owe this pleasure?’

‘Actually, I was just passing and thought I’d drop in. No Iz this morning?’

‘The question no one was asking,’ Connor informed her.

Meena chuckled. ‘As if words might rub the lamp and whoosh, there she is?’

‘Something like that.’

‘Well, you seemed happy enough to drink her champagne last night, and you might like to know that when I spoke to her half an hour ago she was buzzing with the stats she has so far. I believe some platforms are still reporting, and obviously we’re expecting the numbers to go up, maybe exponentially, over the coming days, weeks, as the downloads increase. But, suffice it to say, you’re off to a blinding start, both domestically and internationally.’

‘Yay!’ Clover cheered, as they gave themselves a round of applause.

‘So you have to give Iz credit for getting you the right publicity,’ Meena continued. ‘Aren’t you doing more interviews for her today?’

‘Connor is,’ Cristy replied, checking her watch. ‘In fact, you probably ought to be going, Con, you don’t want to be late.’

As he shot her a look, Jacks said, ‘What’s happening?’

‘It turns out,’ Connor replied tersely, ‘that Iz, last night, managed to sweet-talk Jodi into a family photoshoot, thereby exploiting my six-week-old daughter for our sponsors’ gain.’

‘For Hindsight ’s gain,’ Meena corrected.

‘Whatever, it just better not end up in HELLO! magazine, is all I can say. And how did she manage to get a photographer so fast, that’s what I’d like to know.’

‘More proof of her superpowers?’ Cristy suggested. ‘And try to smile. You look so much more like Clark Kent when you do.’

Slanting her another mean look, he began to gather up his things.

‘What’s the social media feedback so far?’ Meena asked Jacks.

‘Mostly positive,’ he assured her. ‘Some seriously disgusting suggestions of what could have been in the envelope, starting with an ear, or a finger, and going on to bodily waste, that sort of thing. A lot seemed to favour a blackmail note – proves how much attention they were paying – and a good number guessed photographs.’

‘And what did they think they might be of?’ Meena said.

‘Again lots of puky suggestions – you’ve got to seriously wonder about some people, or not, best just to shut them down, I say. Anyway, lots reckoned they were of the child being abused; others went for something unspecified from the sisters’/aunts’ past; the favourite was of the aunt leading the child from the beach, a lead up to the aforementioned blackmail.’

Meena nodded. ‘OK, well, plenty of engagement is what we want, however it comes. I guess nothing particularly helpful yet?’

‘Not from the listeners,’ Cristy replied, ‘but we’re making some headway with other avenues.’

‘Good, then I’ll leave you to it. Enjoy the photoshoot, Connor, can’t wait to see you in OK! magazine.’

As Meena left with a wave, he rounded on Cristy. ‘Tell me she wasn’t serious?’ he growled.

Laughing, Cristy shrugged. ‘I’ve no idea who or what the shoot’s for, but think of it this way …’

‘No! You’re going to say something outrageous, I know it, so let me get in first. I shall expect some serious progress to have taken place by the time I’m back, because in spite of what you just told Meena, as far as I can see right now, we’ve hit a wall and no one has a plan for how to get past it.’

*

An hour later, with Clove and Jacks out for lunch and Connor still posing for the press, Cristy was alone in the office reflecting on his parting shot. He wasn’t wrong, of course, they were at something of an impasse, although she wasn’t unduly worried given how many balls they had in the air. He was just grumpy because he didn’t like Iz any more than he enjoyed publicity. Being no fan of it herself, she understood. However, getting the series noticed mattered, and if the early stats were anything to go by then Iz’s strategy, whatever it actually was, seemed to be working very much in their favour.

Connor would cheer up as soon as he forced himself to come on board with that.

Turning in her chair to study the whiteboard, it was a moment before she realized she was seeing past the shots of Janina and Lukas, now added to those of Sadie and her aunts, to how very different the board had looked during their last investigation – and to how conflicted and challenged she’d felt as it had unfolded. David’s headshot had dominated then, along with those of his murdered wife, mother-in-law and a family friend. He’d unnerved her a lot during that time, long before they’d even met. What she’d heard about him, all that she came to learn, had made looking at him an almost interactive experience, as though his piercingly watchful eyes were actually seeing right into her, and following her every move. It had been deeply discomfiting to find herself so affected by a total stranger, especially when she’d fully believed in his guilt for most of the series – in fact right up until she had proven his innocence.

She felt sure that his case, its complexities and its success, were the reasons she was finding it so hard to let go of him now. Living and breathing the triple murders day in, day out, and for so long, had all but taken over her life, but it wasn’t just the series, she knew that in her heart. She’d been deeply attracted to him from the moment they’d actually met, and he was the first man she’d lowered her defences for since Matthew. It hurt a lot to know that she’d got it so wrong.

It doesn’t matter , she told herself sharply. It’s over, already fading into history and sitting here dwelling on it isn’t going to change a thing.

Refocusing on the headshots of today, most particularly Mia’s, she was soon wondering, again, what she’d been protecting Sadie from for all these years. They already knew that a crime had been committed through the abduction, but if Sadie’s fake identity was taken into consideration, and added to the possibility that Janina had been trafficked into the country and had since disappeared, they were looking at a lot more than one crime. In fact, the most troubling issue for Cristy right now was how very hard she was finding it to believe that they were going to find Janina alive after all these years. The same went for Lukas who seemed to have disappeared around the same time as his sister.

If they were they’d surely have come back for Sadie long before now.

Unless they had and …

Quickly going to the transcript of the latest extract, spoken by Sadie, she scrolled almost to the end and hit play.

Everything you have, Edwin, everything you are, is in our control. Never forget that. We could, if necessary, discredit you to a point where you’d make yourself disappear without a trace to save us the trouble.

Had Lottie written those words simply for effect, or had she actually said them? Was she the kind of woman who’d do whatever it took to ‘disappear’ someone who stood in her way? Perhaps more relevantly right now, was she someone who’d pay for a child to be taken from its mother in order to make it her own?

But who would she have paid? A trafficker? It begged the question, how would she have known such a person? Although, who knew what contacts anyone had if you delved deeply enough. Even Cristy’s own address book contained some very murky characters, and Lottie’s work with various charities would have opened her up to a whole world of immorality and corruption. But how had she known about Janina and Sadie? Had they been ‘introduced’ by a third party and that was the real reason Mia and Lottie had taken a house on Exmoor that year?

If the story about finding Sadie on the beach was true, then there had been no illegal transaction of that sort, but it still didn’t rule out the possibility of it being some kind of a set-up. Something that the sisters had ‘spent many years protecting’ her from.

Thinking again of how the pages were being ‘discovered’ more or less in order, Cristy wondered if, in fact, Sadie might have found them some time ago and put them together to build the story they had so far. If that was the case then she’d presumably decided to feed them an extract at a time, maybe as a way of keeping Cristy’s interest alive?

‘If you’re right about that,’ Connor said when he and the others returned and she shared her thoughts for discussion, ‘then there’s a high probability that she’s already got more extracts lined up and is working out the best time to hand them over.’

‘I can buy into that,’ Clover said.

‘Me too,’ Jacks agreed.

‘And for what it’s worth,’ Clove continued, ‘here’s what I’ve been thinking about Sadie being sold to the sisters. Why would they choose her when Lottie had access to any number of kids in need of parents? The answer is Sadie’s white, while the others would have been of a much darker hue, and if the child was for Mia, which I’m getting the impression it was … Do you agree with that …?’

Though neither Cristy nor Connor had actually articulated this suspicion, they both nodded.

‘Then maybe Mia has a bit of a race problem?’ Clove finished.

Wrinkling his nose, Jacks said, ‘OK, I get all that, but what’s your actual point?’

‘There isn’t one yet. I’m just doing what we always do and putting it out there.’

Cristy was still mulling it as a video call came up on her screen. ‘What timing,’ she murmured. Clicking straight to speaker so the others could hear while remaining out of shot, she said, ‘Sadie. How are things there?’

‘Sorry, I meant to call earlier,’ Sadie replied breathlessly, ‘it’s been a horrible day, the worst. I crashed my car first thing – nothing serious – then I got to the villa and Mia bloody well locked me in Lottie’s rooms. Can you believe it? She’s only just let me out.’

Clocking everyone’s astonishment, Cristy simply allowed the girl to run on.

‘She’s trying to say it was a mistake, that she had no idea I was in there, but she knew. If I hadn’t left my phone in the kitchen I could have rung Anna or Jasper to come and get me out, but I didn’t have it with me. Then it turned out the WiFi was down in the whole house, including Lottie’s office, so I couldn’t reach anyone that way either.’

‘Has your aunt ever done anything like that before?’ Cristy asked, recalling what a steep and treacherous drop it was from Lottie’s balconies, so no escape route there.

‘I’m afraid so. It’s her thing, locking people up. She used to do it to Lottie if she was angry with her, or wanted to be the one in control. She’s nuts at times, honestly. Harmless, but definitely nuts. Anyway, I’m back at the lodge now and I wanted to let you know that she’s heard the first episode. It’ll be why she locked me up, as a punishment, I’m sure of it …’

‘She rang me last night,’ Cristy interrupted, ‘so I know she’s heard it. We’ll get into the details of the call in a minute, but I think you should know that she’s accused you of writing the extracts …’

‘ What! You can’t be serious. She is so … I swear I did not write them. I found them, like I told you, in amongst Lottie’s other stories and travel pieces … Oh my God! She thinks it’ll make you stop helping me, that’s why she said it. She comes out with such horrible lies sometimes. She’s done it all my life. Please tell me you don’t believe her.’

‘I don’t,’ Cristy admitted, ‘but there is something I’d like you to clear up.’

‘Yes, of course. Anything.’

Sadie looked so eager to comply and fearful of not being believed that Cristy could feel herself starting to soften. ‘The extracts you’ve given us so far seem to be telling the story in order, so am I right in thinking you found them all before you and Anna approached me with the first one?’

The girl’s dismay was so apparent that it was admission enough.

‘Talk me through it,’ Cristy encouraged.

Sadie took a breath, lowered her head and looked so guilty and ashamed as she met the camera lens again that it was hard not to feel sorry for her. Depending, of course, on what she had to say next.

‘I came across the third one first, during the pandemic,’ she said quietly. ‘That’s the single page where the envelope turns up and they get all worried about what’s inside. I found it a bit weird that Lottie had used our names for a story like that, but it was so short and seemed to go nowhere that I decided it was just an idea that she’d jotted down to work on later and never went back to. I forgot about it even, until I found the box with the toys and a note. Seeing that note – Her name is Sasha, she will be two years old … Well, you know what it said, and I … I felt sick inside, because I just knew that it was about me, and whoever had written it had meant to come back for me but somehow, for some reason, they hadn’t.’

‘Did you find the photographs of your mother and uncle at the same time as the note?’ Cristy prompted, recalling that they’d been in the box Sadie had brought to Bradford-on-Avon.

‘No, they came later … I can’t remember now if it was before, or after, the chapter where Edwin turns up at the house, I only knew that when I saw them I felt certain I was looking at my parents. I swear I wasn’t making it up when I said I remembered a man in a hat … I know we think now that he was my uncle, but at the time I was sure he must be my father.’

‘So exactly how long have you had everything you’ve shown us so far?’

Sadie was shamefaced all over again. ‘I found the latest extract, the one that ends with Lottie having an idea, a few months ago.’

Recalling how shaken she’d appeared after reading it aloud, and her initial claim that she’d only come across it four days before, Cristy said, ‘I’m not sure whether to admire your acting skills or simply to call this all to a halt right now …’

‘No, no, please don’t do that,’ Sadie jumped in. ‘I’m sorry, I really am.’

‘But how can we trust you, Sadie, when you’ve misled us …’

‘But only about when I found things. Everything else is true, and please remember that when I read out the last one I’d only just heard Robert and Gita Brinkley’s interviews. That’s why I was so emotional …’

‘But why the hell didn’t you hand it all over as soon as we met?’

Colouring, Sadie said, ‘I was afraid you might just dismiss it, or think I was some sort of fantasist. And as the pages don’t prove anything, I thought … Oh God, I thought if I drew it out, gave them to you bit by bit, it would give me some time to find more, if there is more, but I still don’t know if there is.’

As a tear dropped onto her cheek, Cristy sighed and said, ‘I want you to know, Sadie, that if we hadn’t already posted the first episode I really would be calling everything off right now. This level of duplicity and manipulation is unforgivable, and not one of us sitting in this room now takes kindly to being made a fool of …’

‘That wasn’t my intention,’ Sadie cried desperately, ‘and I’m sorry, I really am …’

‘How long were you intending to continue with the charade?’

‘I – I didn’t have a plan, exactly, but I knew I’d have to tell you if I didn’t find any more …’

‘And apparently you haven’t. So what now?’

Sadie regarded her helplessly, her face a picture of guilt and despair.

Cristy looked from Connor to the others and back to the screen. ‘If we do carry on,’ she said, ‘I want your solemn word that there will be no more deception, and if there is anything else you’re holding back, I need to know now.’

‘There isn’t, I swear, but I’m still looking. You’ve seen for yourself how much there is to go through …’

‘OK,’ Cristy cut in, needing to move things along, ‘when you come over to talk to Robert Brinkley maybe you could drive and bring some boxes with you so that we can help with the search.’

Sadie was already eagerly nodding. ‘I’ll get Jasper to rent a van, we’ll be able to fit more in that way and if it’s too much we can always bring it back again. Oh God, thank you for not giving up on me. I know I’ve handled it all wrong, I just … It’s hard to express how much it means to me, having your support …’

Cristy’s hand went up. ‘Your apology is accepted, so let’s deal with other things. We’re considering coming to interview your old housekeeper, Corny, unless you think we’ll be treated to a Mia-inspired account of your life on the island.’

Sadie grimaced. ‘It might be best if you could arrange things so that neither she nor Mia know you’re coming. I’d be there, obviously, to introduce you to Corny – it might scare her otherwise, if you just turned up – but at least that way we’d know that she hasn’t been told what to say by Mia.’

‘OK, we’ll talk some more about it after you’ve met with the Brinkleys. Have you arranged a time and date with Robert yet?’

‘Yes, we’re coming over the day after tomorrow, and meeting in Minehead.’

‘How are you feeling about that?’

Sadie’s eyes closed as she inhaled deeply. ‘Nervous, a little bit excited … I know, obviously, that they can’t tell me where my mother is now, or my uncle, but the fact that Robert met her, actually spoke to her …’ She broke off, took a moment and started again. ‘He sounds like a nice man in his interviews, and when I spoke to him on the phone.’

‘He is and you’ll love his mother. Clover and Jacks will be there to record your chat, but only if you’re comfortable with it.’

‘I’m sure that’s fine. Are Clover and Jacks listening now?’

Cristy nodded for Connor to switch everyone into the call. Moments later they were all on the screen with Clove and Jacks waving a friendly hello.

‘I’m sorry I’ve messed you all around,’ Sadie told them earnestly. ‘Thank you so much for giving me a second chance.’

Before she could get into any more apologies, Cristy said, ‘There’s something else your aunt told me during our FaceTime chat and, frankly, it’s what’s really keeping us all on board.’

Sadie frowned.

‘She said she’s been protecting you from something all these years, and she’s not going to stop now.’

Sadie’s frown deepened as bright spots of colour flared in her cheeks. ‘Did she say what it was?’

‘No, but feel free to ask her and if she’ll tell you …’

‘She won’t.’

‘I suspect you’re right, but whatever she says, we’ll be interested to hear it.’

‘Of course. I’ll let you know right away, provided she hasn’t locked me up again. But don’t worry, I’ll be on my guard next time I’m there and, anyway, Jasper will be with me to help load the van.’

*

Two hours later, as Cristy walked home in the dark, the call she’d been waiting for finally arrived.

‘Dad’s furious with me,’ Anna confided, sounding stressed and sorry. ‘He said I had to call right away to explain myself and to make sure you don’t think Sadie is entirely to blame.’

Having suspected Anna had played a bigger role than Sadie had let on, Cristy said, ‘I’d find your apology easier to accept if your father hadn’t pushed you into it.’

‘Oh, he didn’t. I mean, I was going to call you anyway, and I would have right after Sadie rang me, but then Ludo, Rosie’s boyfriend, had a melt down and no one knew how to handle it. Dad had to hold him down while I rang Ursula, that’s Ludo’s mum, and she took forever to come … It was a nightmare; I think he wanted to kill us … Ludo, I mean, not Dad.’

Reminded of how life went on regardless, Cristy said, ‘What set Ludo off?’

‘A bat, would you believe? He’s got this collection, baseball, tennis, golf, cricket – I know they’re not all technically bats, but it’s what he calls them and he’s super proud of them. He won’t let anyone touch them, even his mother, but he brought them over to show us today, and Laurent and Rosie used one to play rounders and the next thing we knew Ludo was going off on one and trying to attack them. So, that’s the reason I’ve taken a while to call, I’ve been trying to comfort Rosie with Dad doing is best with Ludo and Ursula.’

‘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.