Page 19

CRISTY: ‘It’s two days after our last drop, and while Clover and Jackson are back at the office digging through the boxes Sadie brought with her from Guernsey, Connor and I are in the car on our way to Malmesbury in Wiltshire to have a chat with Mia Winters’ ex-husband, Edwin Prosser.’

CONNOR: ‘Interestingly, when Mr Prosser’s son first made contact with us, it was to say that his father wanted nothing to do with the pod. However, we got a message last night saying that Edwin was prepared to be interviewed after all.’

CRISTY: ‘It could be you’ll never hear any of what we’re recording now if the interview turns out to be a waste of time, but if Mr Prosser is willing to discuss his marriage to Mia Winters, and what Lottie’s written about him, we’ll certainly be interested to hear it.’

Connor hit the stop button and said, ‘What sort of a link was that?’

Cristy sighed. ‘Not a very good one. Sorry. Shall we try it again?’

With a quick check of the satnav he said, ‘Maybe let’s wait until we know what the guy has to say. We’re nearly there now.’

He indicated to leave the M4 at junction 17, and slowed at the exit roundabout to turn north towards Malmesbury. ‘Is it the looming trip to Guernsey that’s getting to you?’ he asked, coming straight to the point.

She glanced at him, sighed again and said, ‘Yes, but not entirely for the reasons you’re thinking. I’m concerned that we haven’t heard from Sadie since yesterday morning when she messaged to say she’d received the picture of Symmonds-Browne.’

‘Were you expecting her to say something in particular about it?’

‘I’m not sure, but I emailed our flight details last night and asked her to confirm she had things set up with Corny, but no reply to that either. You don’t think Mia’s locked her up again, do you?’

‘Why not give Anna a quick call and ask if she knows what’s going on over there?’

‘I’ve already sent a text. She can’t get hold of Sadie either, so she’s calling back as soon as she’s been to the villa. That was just before we started out so …’ Cristy checked the time, ‘about forty minutes ago. Too soon to chase her. I’ll do it when we’ve finished with Prosser.’

They drove on in silence for a while, each with their own thoughts about the series and its many tangled threads, where they were going to lead, how they should be unravelled – until Cristy found herself reflecting on the message she’d received from Robert Brinkley.

Listened to the latest pod last night. I hope our interviews have helped move things on a way for you, and Sadie, maybe too soon to tell. Wish there was more Mum and I could do, but I fear our roles in the past were more incidental than informative. Still, at least we were able to provide names and share a few memories with Sadie. I think they mattered to her.

Returning from Geneva late tomorrow. There’s a fundraiser for MSF at Merchant’s House on Saturday evening, yours truly one of the speakers. Wondered if you’d consider being my guest?

At a fancy dinner in a super-smart location for many of Bristol’s elite? Him in black tie, her in a sparkly dress with her hair pinned up in a chic-messy-style, and their eyes meeting over glasses of champagne. An evening full of easy laughter and who knew what else …

She couldn’t go, of course, and not only because he was married and she might be going to Guernsey. Matthew had already asked her to be his plus-one at the very same event. The coincidence, coupled with the sheer absurdity of it … She was sure if she told Connor he’d laugh out loud.

She was right, he did.

‘I swear to God,’ he cried, slapping the steering wheel, ‘if we did a series about your love life we’d triple the ratings.’

‘You’re so funny,’ she told him darkly.

‘I’m glad you think so. Does Meena know about this?’

‘Of course not, and please don’t tell her. I’m having a hard enough time trying to sort things out in my head … Not that there’s anything to sort out. I’m obviously not going to the dinner with Matthew so he can get everyone speculating on us being back together, but if I turn him down I can’t go with Robert either. Not that I would, it feels too much like a date for me to consider it, and even if it’s not, it’ll look like one and that would just be a slap in the face for Matthew. For Robert’s wife as well, who he’s probably not planning to cheat on. I just don’t want anyone thinking that’s what’s happening and everyone will, because he’s so gorgeous why wouldn’t I want to flaunt him in Matthew’s face after what Matthew did to me?’

Still entertained, Connor said, ‘Who knew life could get so complicated for a singleton approaching fifty? I reckon most women your age would kill to have just one man interested in them, and you have three .’

‘If you’re including David in that …’

‘Of course I am, and you should see him on your own when we go. What harm can it do?’

‘The same sort of harm I might do you if you make one more jibe about my age.’

He let the silence run for a moment, then glancing at her said, ‘You’re keen to go really, aren’t you? I mean with Robert.’

Having to admit it, she said, ‘If the circumstances were different, then maybe. He’s great company and I imagine he’s a really good speaker.’

‘Then go. He hasn’t said it’s a date and has he done anything else to make you think he’d like to … you know, get you into some horizontal dancing?’

Wrinkling her nose, she said, ‘What kind of an expression is that?’

He shrugged. ‘I think it’s commonly called a euphemism, but if you’d like me to spell it out …’

‘No thanks. And the answer’s no, he has not made any overtures of that sort, I’m just … Well, let’s leave it that he’s married, OK? Shall we change the subject now and concentrate on where we’re going?’

‘No probs, but just tell me this, what would you say if David was inviting you?’

Trying not to be annoyed, she said, ‘As Matthew’s going to be there, the answer would be the same. Now, it’s saying to take the next left just up here and then we should probably be more or less there. Remind me again who we’re going to see?’

Clearly amused Connor followed directions to the address they’d been given and a few minutes later they were pulling up outside a double-fronted detached house, one of five in a small cul-de-sac, all with private driveways and fenced-off gardens.

‘Is this where Edwin lives, or his son?’ Cristy asked, as they got out of the car.

‘Him, apparently. The son’s got a place in town, but he’s going to be here.’

‘If he’s from a second marriage he could be younger than Sadie.’

‘If this is him coming to meet us I’d say he’s about your age.’

Seeing a wiry man in his late thirties heading down the garden path, she had to smile. Connor was so droll.

‘Cristy! Connor!’ James Prosser cried warmly, as they got out of the car. ‘Good to meet you. I hope it’s all right to use your first names.’

‘Of course,’ Cristy responded, as they shook hands. He seemed quite a nice man all told, kindly eyes, good smile, a little grey at the temples, and was apparently a bit of a toff given his jaunty cravat and plummy voice.

As he greeted Connor she tried to figure out where he might actually fit into Edwin’s pantheon of past-players. He clearly predated Mia’s marriage to his father, which was twenty-odd years ago, so maybe Edwin had had several wives along the way, or just several children with various mothers. It hardly mattered, they were only interested in his relationship with Mia, or, more pertinently, in what had happened after he’d stumbled across Sadie and been given his marching orders.

‘Dad’s waiting inside,’ James told them jovially. ‘I’ve made coffee, but tea’s just as easy if you prefer.’

‘Coffee’s fine,’ Connor assured him, going first along the garden path.

Cristy stopped at the gate, checking her phone. ‘If you’ll excuse me a moment,’ she said, ‘I need to take this,’ and receiving a pleasant smile from James Prosser, she turned back towards the car.

‘Anna? Is everything OK?’ she asked.

‘Yeah, it’s all cool,’ Anna assured her. ‘Sadie’s right here, just back from the hospital …’

‘What?’

‘They thought Mia had a stroke last night, but turns out it wasn’t that serious, just a weird sort of turn or something. Here, I’ll put Sades on …’

‘Hey, Cristy,’ Sadie said, coming onto the line. ‘Sorry I’m only just getting back to you. It’s been a bit frantic. We thought we were going to lose her, but false alarm and she’s home again now. She has to go back for more tests later, but Corny’s just turned up to make a fuss of her, which’ll probably drive her mad. And if Corny ends up staying it could screw things up a bit for you coming tomorrow.’

Closing her eyes with frustration, Cristy said, ‘OK, well, keep me posted and if we have to change our flights …’

‘No probs, but I was hoping to catch you before you speak to Edwin Prosser. Are you there yet?’

‘Just arrived. Why? Has Mia told you something about him?’

‘No. I haven’t even mentioned you’re going to see him, or that I found a letter from him before she keeled over last night. It was written to Lottie and I think you should read it before you talk to him. Jasper’s scanning it now ready to send.’

‘Give me the bullet points,’ Cristy urged.

‘OK, well, he addresses her as bitch-sister, so definitely no love lost between them, and he goes on to say that if she doesn’t meet the terms he laid out in his last letter she knows what will happen. Nothing to say what the terms were, or what they’re about, just the threat of doing something if she doesn’t agree to whatever he’s asking for.’

‘Is there a date on the letter?’

‘July ninth, 2000. Now listen to this, Lottie – I presume it was her anyway – has scrawled across it, Non-negotiable. Whether she wrote back to him to that effect, I’ve no idea, but I thought you should know about it before you go in.’

‘OK, thanks. Get Jasper to send it, and I’ll pick it up on the phone. Let me know how things go with your aunt and Corny.’

‘Will do. By the way, she told the doctor I’m trying to kill her, and now she’s banned me from Lottie’s rooms.’

Wondering how Sadie was managing to sound so unfazed by the chaos, Cristy said, ‘Well, we’ve got a lot of stuff at the office, and I’m sure you’ll find a way around it.’

‘Oh, I will. Don’t worry.’

‘I need to go now. I’ll call when we’re on our way back to Bristol.’

As she rang off Cristy forced herself past the disappointment of having to delay the trip to Guernsey and only recalled David’s suggestion that she should ask Sadie about Lottie’s will as she was walking towards the house. It was too late now, and anyway it wasn’t the time while everything was going on with Mia.

‘Ah, there you are,’ James Prosser smiled, as she entered the hall. ‘We’re just getting comfortable in here.’ He directed her towards a set of double doors to the left and as she walked into a spacious drawing room she felt her phone vibrate. Presumably the email Sadie had promised.

‘Thanks,’ she said, as James Prosser took her coat. She looked around the room, taking in a faux log burner at the heart of a red-brick fireplace and various lamps switched on to help brighten the gloomy day. Rising from a comfy chair to greet her was an older man with sparse white hair and a similar cravat to his son’s.

‘Edwin Prosser,’ he said, reaching for her hand. ‘Thank you for coming all this way. I was just saying to Connor, I don’t get many visitors these days, apart from James and my grandchildren, so new faces are always welcome.’

He was nothing like the runtish or weaselly individual she’d imagined, thanks to Lottie. To the contrary, in fact. Though he had to be in his late seventies, maybe even early eighties, it was easy to see how handsome and dapper he’d been in his day. His eyes, like his son’s, were kind and welcoming, as was his smile, and in spite of his apparently frail physique, he stood quite tall. She wondered what he’d thought of Lottie’s description of him when he’d read it, if it had angered or upset him, or not surprised him at all.

‘It’s good to meet you,’ she said. ‘Thanks for agreeing to talk to us.’

He nodded and gestured for her to sit in a wing-back armchair next to his, while James poured the coffee and Connor began unpacking the equipment.

‘Can I ask,’ Cristy said, ‘why you changed your mind about being interviewed?’

Edwin’s eyes went down as he bunched his gnarled hands together. ‘Those years, when I was with Mia,’ he said, ‘I’m not proud of what happened back then, of who I was and the things I did. For over two decades it’s been behind me and I’ve chosen not to think of it, or to talk to anyone about it.’ He reached for a framed photograph on the table beside him and stared down at it for a moment before passing it to Cristy. ‘This is my wife, Yolanda, James’s mother. She died six years ago … She knew all about Mia, of course, and she forgave me when I really didn’t deserve forgiveness at all.’

Looking at the sweet, open face of a woman in her prime who seemed to be flirting with the photographer, Cristy said, ‘She’s lovely.’

‘Yes, she was. We still miss her and I don’t think it’ll change, at least not for me. Will you take milk or sugar?’

Glancing to the coffee James was holding out, she took the mug, saying, ‘Black is fine, thanks.’

She watched as James stirred two lumps into his father’s World’s Best Grandpa mug and passed it over.

‘I’m going to tell you what I know,’ Edwin said, ‘for the girl’s sake – Sadie? Is that her name? – and for no other reason. I’m afraid it will cast me in a very poor light, and to be honest I’d rather my grandchildren didn’t know anything about how I behaved towards their dear grandma during those shameful times.’

‘We’ve already agreed,’ James came in gently, ‘that we’ll talk to them before this goes out. And they’re quite grown-up now, at least they like to think they are,’ he added wryly to Cristy, ‘so I’m sure they’ll be able to handle it.’

‘How old are they?’ she asked carefully. They weren’t in the business of destroying someone’s cred with their grandchildren – unless they deserved it of course.

‘Fifteen and twelve,’ James replied.

‘They’ll look at me differently,’ Edwin said, ‘and that’ll be hard. On the other hand, they’ve had a very loving and stable upbringing, while Sadie … I’ve no idea what it’s been like for her growing up with those sisters, but I do know that she deserves to get to the truth of who she really is.’

*

A few minutes later, carefully hiding her excitement and having received Edwin’s permission to record, Cristy began by asking Edwin how he’d first met the sisters. Yes, they were keen to get to the crux of things, but backgrounds had a funny habit of throwing all sorts of unexpected and intriguing information into the mix.

EDWIN: ‘I used to own a wine shop on Kensington Church Street. The sisters were regular customers and we always enjoyed some banter when they came in. Lottie was especially flirtatious, while Mia was … quieter, not shy exactly, just not as extrovert as her sister. I, on the other hand, was a foolish and arrogant dupe who should have been able to see through what was going on, but I’m afraid I didn’t, not at first anyway. All I saw was two rich women who seemed to like me, and then were prepared to share some of what they had with me. I was too stupid, too greedy to realize that I already had what really mattered – a woman, a wife, actually, who truly loved me, a son who needed me … but I was dazzled by those sisters. I’d never known anyone like them, especially Lottie. She was captivating, exciting, reckless, irresistible and I was ready to do anything she asked of me. Including marry her sister.’

Cristy allowed a moment for the bombshell to drop for her and the listener before picking up again.

CRISTY: ‘But you were already married?’

EDWIN: ‘Indeed I was.’

Silence fell over the room as Edwin’s rheumy eyes stared into the past, perhaps seeing all that he’d done, the people he’d clearly hurt and betrayed, and those who’d apparently done the same to him.

CRISTY: ‘We’ll get into the illegality of it in a minute, but tell me first, why did Lottie want you to marry Mia?’

Edwin nodded slowly, staring at the fire as he considered his response.

EDWIN: ‘Mia wasn’t a beauty. She didn’t sweep people off their feet or even particularly interest them the way Lottie did. She existed in Lottie’s shadow and was so terrified of losing her sister and being left all alone that Lottie thought it would be a good idea to make her a gift of me. That way Mia would have someone to call her own, and Lottie would be free to live the life she wanted.’

CRISTY: ‘But surely they knew you were already married?’

EDWIN: ‘Lottie did, but not Mia, and apparently she’d – to quote Lottie – developed a passion for me. I’m sure Mia wouldn’t have gone through with anything if she’d known about Yolanda, but inconveniences such as an existing wife didn’t matter to Lottie. If something stood in her way she simply removed whatever it was and carried on with no regard for what she might be leaving in her wake. Keen though I was to take her money, I made it clear that I didn’t want to divorce Yolanda; but even that wasn’t an obstacle for Lottie. She simply said that it would take too long anyway, so I should just go through a ceremony with Mia and we’d sort out the finer detail later. Oh, and of course I wasn’t to mention anything to Mia about my wife. It would upset her, she said.’

Edwin gave a mirthless laugh, clearly still incredulous at the comment even now.

EDWIN: ‘You’re no doubt asking yourselves why on earth I agreed to it and the answer is Lottie was very persuasive, and very clear about the difference she was prepared to make to my life, financially.’

CRISTY: ‘But how did you get away with it? Weren’t the sisters quite well known in society circles?’

EDWIN: ‘I don’t know what they told their friends, it’s possible they knew nothing about Yolanda anyway so no questions were asked.’

CRISTY: ‘Did you tell Yolanda?’

EDWIN: ‘Oh yes, she knew, and I can tell you she wasn’t happy about it. Well, of course she wasn’t. But I explained what Lottie’s investment could do for us, how it would grow my business beyond our wildest dreams and make us comfortable for the rest of our lives. I assured her I’d pull out of the fake marriage once everything was in place, and she mustn’t think I had any feelings for Mia because I didn’t. It still hurts me terribly to remember what I put her through, and how much she suffered when she finally agreed to go along with it. The only surprise is that she didn’t end up despising me as much as I despised myself.’

Edwin fell silent again and put a shaky hand to his mouth. It was clear that his emotions were getting the better of him. Cristy glanced at James expecting him to ask them to stop now, but he was staring at his father, not with disgust or condemnation, merely as though he pitied him for the weakness that had caused him to behave the way he had all those years ago.

Edwin’s voice was hoarse as he continued to speak.

EDWIN: ‘The whole time I was “married” to Mia I continued seeing Yolanda and James, regularly, and I was soon able to move them to a very nice house in Hammersmith. My official address, of course, was in Kensington, with Mia and Lottie, when Lottie was there, but she travelled a lot. I never liked being alone with Mia, and I certainly didn’t treat her well. Looking back I was cruel to her and I’m not proud of that either. Of course, we were pawns in one of Lottie’s grand schemes, not that I ever knew, or found out, what she was trying to achieve. It just seemed it was more than getting a husband for her sister so she could be free of her … I thought there might have been a man, but she never mentioned one and no one ever came to the house. In fact, I’m not sure she ever had any real feelings for anyone, apart from Mia, I guess. And I can’t even swear to that.

‘I’ll come on to Sadie now and the first, the only time I saw her. To be honest my only real surprise when I found they had a child in the house was that she wasn’t black or brown. I’d long suspected something like it would happen, that they’d somehow smuggle a child out of Africa or Asia and sort the legalities of it later. It was never going to be difficult for someone with Lottie’s contacts and their resources. And it would be someone for Mia to call her own. It didn’t occur to me until after I saw Sadie that of course they’d choose a white child, it would be so much easier to pass her off as a relative, a niece, the child of a distant cousin – that’s what they tried to tell me – but I knew very well that the child was no relative of theirs.’

CRISTY: ‘At this point we’ll edit in some of what Lottie wrote about the day you went to the house on Exmoor, just to remind listeners of what happened. Is there anything about it you’d like to correct, or challenge … We can play it back for you if you like?’

EDWIN: ‘No, it’s fine. I don’t need to hear it again. It happened more or less as she described. An ugly scene, that’s for sure, there again nothing about my association with them was pretty.’

CRISTY: ‘So what did you do after you left?’

EDWIN: ‘I drove back to London with all sorts of madness going on in my head. Obviously I had no idea who the child really was, and to be honest I’m not sure I was of a mind to find out, only perhaps to use her to get myself out of their lives. Before I could come up with a plan Lottie was in touch to remind me that bigamy was an imprisonable offence and that would be just the beginning if I didn’t take the offer she was about to make. Get out of Mia’s life for good, never talk to anyone about my bigamous marriage, least of all Mia, and no mention should ever be made of the child. In return for my silence – I think she called it co-operation – I would become even wealthier than she’d already made me and my legitimate family would always be taken care of, should anything “untoward” ever happen to me.

‘Of course I understood the threat, and I knew very well that she had ways of making things go her way that I wouldn’t be able to stand up to. She told me once, “Never underestimate my reach, Edwin. I can become a dangerous enemy for someone like you.” And I didn’t doubt it. Beautiful, vivacious, wildly exotic and generous as she was, there was something very dark in her soul.’

CRISTY: ‘So you agreed to her terms?’

EDWIN: ‘Actually, not right away. I guess you could say greed got the better of me again, so there was a lot of back and forth over the next few weeks, me trying to get even more out of her than she was offering by threatening to tell Mia about Yolanda, or call social services about the child, but Lottie had all the cards and she knew it. I was never going to beat her and, to be honest, I was starting to become afraid of her. She kept bringing Yolanda and James into conversations or letters, never in an outright threatening way, she was too subtle for that, but I knew she wouldn’t hold back on hurting them if I ever did anything to try and hurt her.’

Edwin sighed wearily and pressed his gnarled fingers to his eyes.

EDWIN: ‘And that more or less concludes my association with the Winters sisters. A grim and reprehensible period of my life that feels now as though it happened to a stranger who has nothing to do with me … I only wish that were true.’

JAMES: ‘I’d like to point out here that Dad has led a totally blameless life since, and has always been completely loyal to his family, as well as an engaged and respected member of his community. So I hope it’s not too much to ask that he isn’t judged on the very bad decisions he made more than a quarter of a century ago.’

Knowing it wasn’t in her power to prevent that once his story was out there, and clearly he knew it too, Cristy turned back to Edwin. It made her sad to think of what his earlier crimes were likely to cost him at this late stage of his life. He might have deserved it once, but not any more. She’d discuss it with Connor, and see if there was a way to limit the damage. Meantime, she decided not to show him the letter Sadie had just brought to light. He’d addressed his attempt at blackmail, there was nothing to be gained from going over it again.

‘Anything you want to add?’ she asked Connor.

CONNOR: ‘When you listened to the most recent podcast you’ll have heard us talk about Janina and Lukas Andris. Do those names ring any bells for you?’

EDWIN: ‘I’m afraid not.’

CONNOR: ‘Were you ever aware of Lottie being in contact with, or having any dealings with Eastern European “businessmen”, aka traffickers?’

EDWIN: ‘I can’t say I was, but who knew what she was doing during her overseas trips? I know what she wanted us to think, and I’ve every reason to believe she was involved in a lot of good work, but where Lottie’s concerned I’d say almost anything is possible.’

Taking that as a perfect out, Cristy was about to thank Edwin for his honesty and insights when he spoke again.

EDWIN: ‘What she wrote about finding the child on the beach … I don’t believe it for a minute and I’d be surprised if you do.’

CRISTY: ‘So how do you think they came by the child?’

EDWIN: ‘That I don’t know. I wish you luck in trying to find out.’