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CRISTY: ‘Hi, it’s Cristy, it’s Tuesday morning and I am on my way to Florida.

‘Yes, I really am on a non-stop flight to Miami. All will be revealed in a later episode, but for now I’m sorry to tell you that we’re unable to bring you a podcast at our usual time this evening. Never fear, there will be an episode coming your way at the end of the week that will contain surprises all of its own. Nothing to do with Florida.’ (And everything to do with Robert Brinkley, she didn’t add.)

‘It’s funny how life throws things at you, swerves you off in directions you’d never have dreamt were coming only days, maybe hours before. That is certainly happening with this series. So, I hope you’ll be patient and bear with us. Connor will be your host on Friday and I hope to be sharing the reasons for my unexpected trip Stateside by next Tuesday.’

After connecting to the plane’s WiFi and uploading the recording to the team, Cristy stretched out her long legs and sighed luxuriously as she settled deeper into the business-class seat. She truly had not seen this coming, had only learned yesterday that instead of flying to Guernsey that day, she’d be heading for the US in the morning to meet none other than George Symmonds-Browne, or so she’d been told. Or, as he was known these days, Gabriel Bailey.

Apparently, he was not in witness protection, or under any other kind of state protection. In fact, according to Evie Baker, who Cristy had been in regular email contact with since Sunday, he was living a quiet life in a safe and comfortable community on Florida’s Gulf coast. He’d changed his name, said Evie, partly out of respect for his family, but also to avoid some old business associates. He was willing to talk to Hindsight , but only in person – in other words not over Zoom, and nor was he coming to the UK.

Whether or not Evie Baker was the same Evie Natalie Irwin had talked about in her interview had not yet been established. However, she’d been the subject of much debate since Jacks had found the first email from her at eight-thirty on Sunday morning and alerted the whole team to its existence.

A video conference was almost immediately under way.

True, there had to be a million or more Evies out there. This particular message, spotted and forwarded by an insomniac supersleuth, had once again claimed that George Symmonds-Browne was in Naples.

In the end, it was Matthew who’d redirected their assumptions from southern Italy when he’d turned up at the flat around ten o’clock not only with croissants and pastries, but with information from his late-responding Interpol contact. Last known location of Symmonds-Browne: Naples, Florida. No longer person of interest to international law enforcement agencies. Nothing about protection, or turning state’s witness, or even that Symmonds-Browne might be living under another name. However, it had been enough to convince Cristy and team that a trip to Florida was worth committing to.

‘But not alone,’ Connor had declared firmly. ‘We’ve got no idea what you might be walking into and I, for one, am uncomfortable with the fact that neither this woman, nor Symmonds-Browne – Bailey, whatever we’re supposed to call him – will connect online.’

They’d all been at Cristy’s flat by then with Matthew, showing no inclination to leave, taking charge of food deliveries, while David sat watching and listening in what appeared to be growing fascination with the delegation and decision-making process.

Finally, when it became clear that Connor needed to take on the Guernsey trip – they still wanted to interview Corny the ex-housekeeper, and possibly record Robert’s meeting with Sadie – it was decided that Clove and Jacks should fly to Vilnius to talk to the journalist who was helping to locate Lukas and Janina’s older sister while Cristy went to Florida. When David volunteered himself as Cristy’s ‘bag-carrier’ she turned to him in amazement.

She was thrilled, of course, but really? Did he mean it? The nonchalance of his shrug told her that he did.

‘Why wouldn’t I want to go to the sunshine state in February?’ he’d asked, not adding, with you , but she’d known from the way he was looking at her that it was what he was thinking.

‘Darn! Beat me to it,’ Matthew declared, clearly nowhere near as thrilled as he’d tried to sound, and looking, for one truly alarming moment, as though he might offer to go too.

Shuddering at the memory of that now, and just how horrendous it would be if the three of them actually were on this plane, Cristy turned to David and smiled to find him watching her.

‘OK?’ he asked, reaching for her hand.

She nodded and felt grateful to Iz all over again for the way she’d swung into action yesterday, getting their sponsor Open Destiny on board to arrange this flight to Miami where they were due to spend the night before a hire car was delivered in the morning for them to drive across the state to Naples.

Closing her eyes, she sat quietly wondering what might lie ahead, if there was danger lurking, maybe answers to questions they hadn’t even thought to ask. Would Evie Baker turn out to be the same Evie who’d been Lukas’s girlfriend back in 2015 when Natalie had last heard from him? If so, and she was with Symmonds-Browne in Florida, how on earth had that come about? Perhaps more to the point, what had happened to Lukas?

*

‘OK, all aboard for Alligator Alley!’ David declared the next morning as he started the engine to their rented SUV.

Cristy turned to look at him.

He shrugged. ‘It’s what they call the highway between Miami and Naples,’ he explained.

‘But we’re not likely to see any?’

‘Who knows. We’ll be going right through the Everglades and last I heard it’s where a lot of them hang out. So, do you have the address?’

Pulling up the latest email from Evie Baker, Cristy programmed in 4456 Verbena Circle, Naples, FL, and hit go. It was true, their journey was going to take them right through the heart of the swamp and as far as she knew there was only the one road, but if people were doing it all day, every day … Anyway, she should probably record a description of the drive in order to set the scene and maybe share some of her feelings about what might or might not be about to happen as a result of this unexpected swerve into territory unknown. What she wouldn’t do was mention David. Given his central role in their last podcast, it would seem beyond weird that he was figuring in this one, especially on a transatlantic trip to the sunshine in the middle of an English winter.

Glancing over at him, taking in his profile and letting her eyes fall to his hands on the wheel, she felt amazed all over again to think of how only a few days ago they’d been caught up in a ludicrous misunderstanding of how their relationship was going. And now, here they were, in sunny Florida, almost like a honeymoon couple with, perhaps, as much to look forward to from one another as they had from the real reason for being here.

‘Are you going to tell?’ he asked, indicating to overtake a slow-moving truck.

Realizing he meant her thoughts, Cristy said, ‘I’m trying to make myself believe you’re really here.’

He glanced at her in surprise. ‘Last night wasn’t enough for you?’ he said dryly.

Smiling as the reminder lit through her, she said softly, ‘We should probably try harder.’

With a laugh, David reached for her hand and brought it to his mouth for a kiss. ‘We could have a priority issue facing us,’ he said, ‘so I’ll put it out there now that I’m OK with being second fiddle while you’re working. I’ve brought my bikini.’

She started to laugh.

‘Just the bottom half,’ he added, ‘and happy to share.’

Still laughing, she said, ‘Do you realize Iz – or Open Destiny – have booked us into the Ritz-Carlton, which is apparently right on the coast and starts at around fifteen hundred dollars per night? All I have to do in return is mention it in the podcast.’ She looked down at her phone as it started to ring, ‘Ah ha! Evie Baker,’ she declared, and quickly clicked on.

‘Hi, have I reached Cristy?’ The voice was female, cheery and sounded both American and … There was something else, but it was too soon yet to tell what it was.

‘You have,’ Cristy told her, hitting record in case the conversation proved useful later. ‘Good morning, Evie. How are you?’

‘Oh me, I’m fine. We’re excited to see you. Have you set off yet?’

‘About half an hour ago so already on Alligator Alley.’

Evie laughed. ‘You watch out for them naughty little critters now, they’re not to be messed with. We’ve got a big old boy in our pond here, snappy as fuck he is.’

Startled as much by the language as the pet, Cristy said, ‘Please tell me you’re not serious.’

‘I could have been, once, but he got taken off to the marshes a while ago. We’re not even sure how he came to be where we found him, but we’ve got some interesting neighbours in this community with their own kind of humour. By the way, when I say pond, in British terms it would be a lake, like Windermere or Ullswater – probably not that big actually, never was good on size. Just not the kind we Brits keep our goldfish in.’

‘Can I ask where you’re from?’ Cristy said, as they pulled up to pay a toll.

‘Liverpool, born and bred,’ Evie answered, exaggerating her Scouse accent. ‘Been a long time since I was there though. Now, I’m calling to redirect you to our country club. We’ve booked a table poolside for lunch and that’s about the time you should arrive. It seemed easier than getting our cook in on her day off. I’ll pop the address into an email so you can just click on. It’s only about fifteen minutes from the house … You’re staying at the Ritz-Carlton, is that right?’

Having sent the information yesterday, Cristy said, ‘Correct. Is it far from the club?’

‘Twenty to thirty minutes, depending on traffic. It’s a cool place, great beachside café, but you have to get there early, they don’t take reservations. How long are you staying?’

‘I’m not sure yet,’ Cristy replied, taking in the endless expanse of tropical foliage either side of the highway and trying not to imagine too much of what lurked in the depths. ‘I guess a lot will depend on you and what George – Gabriel – is willing to tell us.’

‘Sure, good. He’s up for this, just … just don’t push him too hard, OK?’

With a glance at David, Cristy said, ‘Is he joining us for lunch?’

‘I hope so. He said he would, and he doesn’t have any other commitments today so I expect he’ll be there. Now, you’re heading for the Royal Poinciana Golf Club – don’t ask me why it’s royal, I’ve never figured that out – but it’s not hard to find. We’ll head over there early to make sure we’re waiting when you arrive. Remember, we’re going to be poolside and there’s parking right out front.’

As she rang off, David said, ‘Given her Liverpool roots it’s seeming more likely that she’s Lukas’s old girlfriend?’

Cristy nodded thoughtfully. ‘I’m dying to find out how she ended up here with Symmonds-Browne,’ she said, all manner of scenarios dancing through her head, none of them good, especially not for Lukas.

‘Gabriel Bailey,’ David corrected quietly. ‘Has Evie mentioned Janina or Sadie at all in her emails?’

Cristy shook her head. ‘Not once. I mean, she knows it’s why we’re here, obviously, but she hasn’t volunteered a single thing about them so far.’

Speeding up to pass a U-Haul truck, he said, ‘I wonder why she asked you not to push Bailey too hard. Does that signal a short fuse that could have him walking out at the merest hint of a difficult question?’

Taking out her recorder Cristy clicked on and started to speak.

CRISTY: ‘Not far from Naples now and you’ll have heard the phone conversation I just had with Evie Baker. So I’m wondering, will Gabriel Bailey decide to join us for lunch, or have I come all this way just to be ghosted?’

She paused, lowering the device to her lap as she thought. After a while she continued.

CRISTY: ‘You know, I can’t help feeling like a pawn in some sort of a game I don’t know the rules for, which is … kind of sinister, and making me glad I didn’t come alone. On the other hand, I could be overthinking things, getting too caught up in my own imagination. So maybe I just keep moving forward, follow directions and hope, when I finally manage to talk to Symmonds-Browne – aka Gabriel Bailey – that I don’t find myself sorely wishing I hadn’t come.’

*

Half an hour later they were merging from one of the many wide, palm-lined boulevards they’d followed since entering the outskirts of town to begin a slow, meandering crawl through the Royal Poinciana’s extensive grounds.

CRISTY: ‘It’s so green and manicured, sun-drenched and fragrant, I feel as though I’m floating off into the Elysian Fields. To give you an idea of its size there are, apparently, two Audubon International Certified golf courses here – I’m sure that will hugely impress the aficionados amongst you – seven HydroGrid soft tennis courts, and seven pickleball courts (whatever that is). We know there’s a pool, because Evie’s already told us, but what she didn’t mention was the dress code that apparently requires “acceptable attire” throughout the club. I guess I’ll just have to hope that the knee-shorts and floaty blouse I’m wearing are suitable. If not, well, the luggage is in the boot – or trunk, depending on which version of English we’re speaking.

‘Anyway, from what we’ve seen of Naples so far it’s hard to describe what a striking contrast it makes to its Italian counterpart. All they seem to have in common is sunshine and blue skies; one so grungy and cluttered with history, the other so new and clean and rich. Ah, I’m guessing this is Evie, waving out to us, unless everyone’s ridiculously friendly around here …’

As David swung the car into a space, Cristy continued to record, lowering her window and smiling expectantly at the woman coming to meet them.

EVIE: ‘Cristy! You made it. So lovely to see you. And you’re …’

DAVID: ‘David. Good to meet you.’

EVIE: ‘You too. You can leave the car right here, the pool’s just through that gate. Gabe’s already at the table, and very keen to meet you.’

As Evie stepped back to check her phone, Cristy continued recording.

CRISTY: ‘Evie’s a very attractive woman of around fifty, I’d say – to be honest it’s not easy to tell when various enhancements have been brought into play. Maybe edit out that last bit, I don’t want to offend her, but honestly, those lips …? Anyway, she’s petite, lots of jewellery, a cloud of fair hair, a winning smile and merry blue eyes.’

Turning off the engine, David said, ‘OK, are you ready for this?’

Cristy started as Evie reappeared at her window. Quickly lowering it again, she said, ‘Are we properly dressed?’

Laughing, Evie said, ‘We’re quite casual at the pool. If you’ve brought a suit you can take a swim after we’ve eaten. Or you can wait until we get to the house and take a dip there. Of course there’s an excellent facility at the Ritz-Carlton, but obviously it’s shared with other guests. Ah! Here’s Lukas. He didn’t think he’d make it in time, but luckily he has. Come say hi.’

Still blinking, Cristy watched Evie hurry over to a smart white Lexus where an impeccably dressed, athletic-looking man of around fifty was already stepping out – and as he enveloped her in a tender, almost intimate hug it seemed only polite to look away.

‘Well, there’s a turn-up,’ David muttered wryly.

Cristy turned to look at him. ‘Please tell me I’m still recording,’ she said, holding up the device.

‘You are,’ he confirmed.

Speaking into it, she continued.

CRISTY: ‘So they’re all together, George, Lukas and Evie. Is it too much to hope that Janina might also be here in Shangri-La?’

*

Cristy and David were out of the car by the time Lukas came loping across the car park to greet them, all smiles and outstretched hands. She felt, oddly, as if she already knew him – she did from photos, though of course he was older and greyer – and there was an air of easy sophistication about him that he almost certainly wouldn’t have had twenty years ago. (No sign of the hat!) Maybe it was the expensive cut of his clothes and his natural tan that made him appear so comfortable in these surroundings; he really did seem to belong.

‘Thank you, thank you for coming all this way,’ he said, grasping Cristy’s hand in both of his, his Lithuanian accent making his words somehow warmer and friendlier. ‘I was worried I might miss you and I want to hear all about Sasha. How is she? Will she come too? Can we meet her?’

As Cristy struggled for an answer, David said, ‘We call her Sadie, but if you prefer Sasha …’

‘Sasha, Sadie … We don’t mind just as long as she’s safe and happy. That’s all we’ve ever wanted for her. Oh, but to see her, to hold her dear face in my hands … I’m sorry,’ he said. ‘Lukas Andris, pleased to meet you.’

‘David Gaudion,’ David replied, shaking hands. ‘And likewise.’

Turning back to Cristy, Lukas said, ‘When we were told about your podcast it was like being blessed by God above. After all these years … Of course Evie got in touch right away, and now here you are …’

‘Honey,’ Evie said gently, ‘Gabe is at the table alone. We should go in or … Well, let’s go in.’

Cristy glanced at David and caught the arch of an eyebrow as they linked hands and fell into step behind the others. Keeping her voice low, she said, ‘This is so not what I expected …’

‘On the same page for that,’ he told her. ‘And there’s so much money around here you can almost smell the laundry.’

Realizing he’d be far more attuned to that than she would, she said, ‘Are you serious?’

‘I could be.’

‘It’s beautiful, though, isn’t it? Helped by the weather, of course. But what about Lukas being here? I’m still struggling to get my head around that.’

‘Me too.’

Smiling and waving as Evie turned to check they were coming, Cristy said, ‘I wonder how open and honest they’re going to be, how real they actually are. I mean, they haven’t gone out of their way to find Sadie in all these years, and yet now they want us to believe that they can’t wait to see her and we’re a gift from God.’

‘Whatever their story, I feel it’s going to be an interesting one. I guess it’ll just be a question of whether or not we believe it, which makes me doubly glad we didn’t bring Sadie with us.’

Sadie had wanted to come, had virtually begged to be included, but Cristy had been adamant that she and David should check everything out first. ‘We only have this Evie’s word that she has a link to George Symmonds-Browne. And even if she does, we still don’t know exactly why he’s willing to see us, or, more importantly for you, if he’ll be able to tell us where your mother is.’

Seeming to accept that, Sadie had said, ‘Will you keep in touch, let me know what’s happening?’

‘Of course. And if we feel it’s the right thing to do maybe you and Jasper can fly out to join us.’

Wondering if that was now more likely to happen than not, Cristy went ahead through an arched gateway to a spacious pool area filled with loungers and palm trees, although not many people. An array of large, circular tables was set out on a shady terrace overlooking the water and as they approached a tall, slender man of around sixty with thick silver hair and dark glasses stood to greet them. For a strangely disorientating moment Cristy felt she was watching him morphing from his younger, almost shadowy self into this older, markedly less sinister reality.

‘Cristy, David,’ Evie said eagerly, ‘this is Gabe. He’s very pleased to meet you.’

As Cristy shook his hand, which was lean and bony, he said in a decidedly plummy British voice, ‘I’m very pleased to meet you. I hope you’ll excuse me for not removing my glasses.’

‘He’s photophobic,’ Evie jumped in. ‘Ultra-sensitive to light.’

‘You’re from England?’ he asked Cristy.

‘We are,’ she confirmed, and stood aside for him to greet David.

‘What part?’ he asked, addressing David now.

‘Originally Gloucestershire,’ David replied. ‘These days, Guernsey. And you?’

Evie said, ‘Gabe was also born in Gloucestershire, close to the Oxfordshire border.’

‘Shall we?’ Lukas suggested, holding out a chair for Cristy to sit next to Gabe.

David took the other side and immediately a server was there ready to take orders for drinks. Arnold Palmers all round. As the server departed Evie began extolling the club’s many virtues, gamely backed up by Lukas, while Gabe sat quietly in his chair, smiling benignly and gently tapping his fingers on the table. Other diners began to appear, filling nearby tables, some waving a hello to Evie, while Lukas discreetly provided names and status. High flying lawyers, real estate agents, CEOs of multi-nationals …

The list went on and Cristy couldn’t help wondering how he’d describe Gabe were he giving a commentary to someone else. Gabriel Bailey, old English aristocracy, ex-human trafficker no longer sought by law enforcement?

Seizing a pause in Evie’s lengthy plaudits (was she nervous, or always as chatty as this?) and Lukas’s asides, Cristy said, ‘I have to confess we weren’t expecting to see you, Lukas. You’re a very welcome surprise.’

He smiled in a way that made him appear both apologetic and pleased by the compliment. ‘We weren’t sure until this morning,’ he said, ‘that I was going to make it back in time to see you. I’ve been in New York, on business, but here I am now, and delighted to meet you.’

Still trying to get a through line on things, Cristy said, ‘Can I ask, before we go any further … Two colleagues of mine are in Vilnius searching for your sister Audra …’

‘Ah, yes. Am I able to help with this? I can let you have her phone number and email and I’ll make sure she knows it’s all right to speak to them. I’ll need their names, of course.’ He was already poised to tap into his mobile.

After providing Clove and Jacks’s details, Cristy waited for him to relay them to Audra, while Evie and Gabe smiled on and David looked as amazed as he did amused. Cristy recalled Natalie Irwin saying that Lukas had a way with him that ‘kind of cheered you up’, and it didn’t seem he’d changed, for she had to admit he really was likeable.

Lukas looked up from his phone, grinned and saluted them: mission accomplished. ‘I’ve been listening to your podcast since we found out about it,’ he told her. ‘I’ve got so much to ask … We’ll come on to it, of course, but I want to apologize for being so difficult to find. It’s just that when Evie and I took this job, with Gabe, one of the conditions at the time was that we didn’t let anyone know where we were. There were some very good reasons for it, but things have changed over the years …’

‘Not completely,’ Gabe put in.

‘No, not completely,’ Lukas agreed, ‘but there’s no harm in us talking to Cristy and David now.’

Cristy half-expected Gabe to object, but he only nodded absently, so she said, ‘Just before coming here I spoke to an old friend of yours, Natalie …’

Lukas nodded. ‘Ah yes, Nat. How is she? I’ve always felt terrible about cutting contact with her. She was such a very good friend to me when I needed one most.’

‘You should be in touch,’ Evie told him. ‘At least let her know you’re still alive.’

‘I think she’d appreciate that,’ Cristy said.

Clearly glad she thought so, Lukas said, ‘I should do it before she has chance to hear the interview we give you. It seems only fair for her to find things out before everyone else, don’t you think?’

‘Absolutely,’ Evie agreed.

‘I’ll arrange for her interview to be sent to you,’ Cristy said, ‘so you can hear her in advance as well.’

‘Thank you,’ he smiled. ‘I’m already looking forward to hearing her lovely voice. I used to try to mimic her Yorkshire accent, and the way she laughed at my efforts …’ He laughed himself and gave a sigh of nostalgia.

When no one seemed inclined to say anything else, Cristy said tentatively, ‘Will it be OK to record here?’

‘Oh, I’m sorry,’ Evie jumped in, ‘I should have explained right away. No phones, or anything of that sort, are allowed in public areas. I hope you don’t mind. And we thought that rather than dive right in, this would be a nice, relaxed get-to-know-you lunch before we go back to the house. We can talk about anything you like there. Is that OK with you?’

‘Of course,’ Cristy replied, embarrassed that she’d rushed into asking when it should have been obvious that a recording device would be close to offensive in a place like this.

‘We’re happy to talk to you,’ Gabe told her. ‘And we want to hear all about Sasha.’

‘I’m sure they’ll tell us everything,’ Lukas said. ‘After all, we want a two-way exchange here, don’t we?’ He was looking at Cristy, apparently seeking assurance that she wasn’t going to hold back on them.

‘Of course, we’ll tell you about her,’ she promised, ‘but I hope you’ll explain things to us first.’

Lukas’s eyes crinkled at the corners as he smiled. ‘A very reasonable request,’ he agreed, ‘but please keep in mind that no one here intends her any harm – if that’s what you’re afraid of.’

‘No one ever did,’ Gabe put in.

Lukas grimaced. ‘Well, that’s not exactly true, but let’s leave it until later.’

Gabe nodded and let the subject drop as easily as if they’d been discussing the weather. ‘What would you like to eat, Cristy?’ he asked. ‘Can I recommend the Cobb salad? Or perhaps you’d prefer lobster? It’s always very well prepared here.’

As Cristy scanned the menu Evie said, ‘I think I’ll have the snow crab,’ and smiled up at the server, as he brought the drinks.

Lukas and David decided on lobster, Cristy went for the seared tuna while Gabe ordered shrimp pappardelle.

The menus were taken, and toasts of welcome were made – and next thing, almost as if they were picking up on a recently abandoned conversation, Lukas and David were engrossed in a detailed discussion of the financial markets. Evie smiled on happily, clearly proud of her man, while Gabe tilted his head to one side seeming to listen, although he had nothing to add. Apparently realizing she was watching him he turned to her and said, ‘Are you a golfer, Cristy?’

‘Uh, no, I’m not,’ she replied, feeling absurdly as though she might be letting him down. ‘Are you?’

‘Mm, I play most days. Did you know that they call Naples the golfing capital of the world? Some say it’s Myrtle Beach in South Carolina, but for me it’s right here. What about tennis, is that your game?’

Caught by the suddenness of the question, she replaced her glass on the table and said, ‘It was, some years ago. I haven’t played in a while.’

‘Pity. How about pickleball?’

‘I don’t actually know what that is.’

‘Very noisy. Evie’s quite good at it.’

‘It’s kind of like badminton, but not,’ Evie explained. ‘There are courts here. I can show you if you like.’

Cristy smiled back at her and felt once again as if she were in some sort of parallel universe where the real world was something that happened a long way from here.

‘We’re not Trump supporters,’ Lukas was telling David. ‘The man is fiscally and judicially ignorant, although he likes to think he’s king of all he surveys. Of course, everyone around these parts has Republicanism running through their veins, so it’s best not to get into a conversation about politics. Not the done thing, old boy,’ he added, affecting an accent almost as British as Gabe’s.

‘We have some very interesting wildlife here,’ Gabe announced. ‘Especially the birds.’

Cristy turned to him uncomprehendingly.

‘Gabe conducts bird tours,’ Evie explained. ‘He’s very knowledgeable. They call him an avian consultant.’

‘Amongst other things,’ Gabe chortled. ‘If you’re interested I’ll be happy to show you around while you’re here. We have a pair of ospreys on Pines 9 that you ought to see. I’m very keen on the American Kestrel, myself – you’ll know that as a sparrow hawk, I expect.’

‘Tell us about the Florida Wood Storks,’ Evie urged. ‘I know they’re one of your favourites and you speak so poetically about them.’

And so, bizarrely, for the next hour or so, they listened to George Symmonds-Browne waxing lyrical on his specialist subjects (which also included wildflowers and turtles’ mating habits) while tucking into some delicious food and becoming, in Cristy’s case, increasingly fascinated by the dynamic between these three. How on earth had they ended up here together, and who in the heck was paying for it all? It surely wasn’t coming from the proceeds of Gabe’s earlier career, or maybe it was. She was, of course, dying to ask, but clearly this wasn’t the time or place, and she wasn’t sure she could anyway, when there seemed no way in through the shiny, happy carapace they exuded, not a single crack nor a shadow of an opening.

Finally, they were walking back to the cars, David side by side with his new best friend, Lukas, and Cristy between Evie and Gabe who’d very gently taken her arm.

‘Were you followed here?’ Gabe asked quietly.

Startled, she said, ‘No, I don’t think so.’

He nodded and Evie said, ‘There’s nothing to worry about, Gabe. We’ll be home soon, safe and sound.’

*

Barely waiting until David started to drive out of the club’s grounds behind Evie’s car, Lukas following in his, Cristy said, ‘What is it with Gabe? He doesn’t seem … He’s so … not what I expected.’

‘I know what you mean,’ David responded, ‘but if you ask me none of them are.’

‘You appeared to get along very well with Lukas.’

‘Sure, he comes over as a regular guy, very knowledgeable about the world of finance … Wasn’t he a builder, a plumber, a delivery driver, back in the UK?’

‘That’s what Natalie Irwin told us, but that was ten or more years ago. He’s obviously upped his game since coming to work for Gabe.’

‘And has in that time amassed himself – or Gabe – a small fortune.’

‘Did he tell you that?’

‘He didn’t have to. No one who knows the stock market the way he does isn’t playing it and winning. So I’d say, they’re pretty well covered financially speaking.’

After considering that for a moment, while clocking one exclusive gated-community after another as they drove the glossy eight- or ten-lane boulevards, still behind Evie’s Mercedes, Cristy said, ‘Gabe asked me if we were followed here. Do you think we might have been?’

David frowned. ‘I can’t say I noticed anyone, although we haven’t exactly been looking. Anyway, he surely wouldn’t be hard to find in a place like this, so who’d need to track us to get to him?’

‘He’s changed his name,’ she reminded him thoughtfully. ‘So I’m asking myself, is he still running scared of the gangs? I guess he must be, given he’s no longer a person of interest to Interpol, so it can’t be law enforcement he’s hiding from. ’

‘If he really is hiding.’

She glanced at him quizzically.

He shrugged. ‘Something’s off – or at least odd – about the set-up here,’ he commented.

Knowing exactly what he meant, Cristy watched Evie turn into a private development with exquisitely tended flower beds and clusters of succulents on the sloping lawns each side of the entrance. They slowed to a stop in front of two towering electronic gates with the community’s name, Floral Grove , in gold lettering on each one, and a uniformed guard ambled out of a whitewashed, red-roofed booth to greet Evie and Gabe.

‘There seems to be a lot of security around here,’ she remarked to David, noting a handsomely groomed German Shepherd eyeing the apparently friendly exchange between his handler and the recent arrivals. ‘What do you say to that?’

‘What I’m thinking is, once this particular episode airs the whole world is going to know where they are, so why have you been invited here?’

‘I’m going to guess that part of the deal of telling us what we want to know is going to include not revealing their whereabouts. Which will make the intro I did on the plane redundant along with most of what I’ve recorded since. However, this is about Sadie, not location – so what really matters is finding out how she ended up with the Winters sisters back in 2000, and what the heck happened to her mother?’