‘I don’t believe her,’ Cristy stated, throwing a pen onto her desk and sitting back in her chair, angry and frustrated, and alive to the repercussions of her own doubts already gathering force.

Clove and Jacks regarded her, wide-eyed.

Connor seemed still to be processing it all.

‘What exactly don’t you believe?’ Clove asked, clearly needing to understand what she’d missed.

‘Any of it,’ Cristy replied, with a dismissive wave at the screen. She truly didn’t like how she was feeling, wished it would stop, but it was there and she couldn’t shake it. ‘In fact,’ she continued, ‘the only verifiable truth in Sadie’s story was the time Mia called her, because it was registered on her phone. We’ll never know what Mia actually said when she rang, any more than we’ll ever know what really happened at the villa, because there’s no one to corroborate any of it, and nor will there ever be.’

Carefully, Jacks said, ‘So you think she made all that shit up because …’

‘… she could,’ Connor finished for him. He looked at Cristy, making it clear that he was with her on this.

‘Are you serious?’ Clove cried. ‘Are you actually saying you think it was a push, not a jump?’

Cristy nodded. Yes, that was what she thought, much as she might not want to.

‘But why? What did Sadie say to make you think that?’

‘What she just told us,’ Cristy replied, ‘had been carefully thought out and there’s no doubt it was convincing. I could even swallow it myself if it weren’t for the fact that I just know in my gut that she wasn’t telling the truth. For whatever reason, it’s serving her best now to have Mia out of the way.’

Since they all had experience of Cristy’s hunches bearing out, no one argued. ‘I don’t see we’ll ever have a way of proving anything,’ Connor said, ‘and I guess there’s a chance she didn’t intend for things to end the way they did – Mia called her, remember – but either something was said …’

‘Or Mia showed her something,’ Cristy put in.

‘And whatever it was Sadie – lost it!’

‘Jesus,’ Clove muttered, slumping back in her chair as if all the wind had gone out of her. ‘I mean, I can see where you guys are coming from, but … Really ? After all the swearing that she doesn’t want revenge, that she still owes her aunt for a wonderful childhood … It couldn’t all have been lies. Could it?’

Cristy was asking herself the same question: could it all have been an act? Had Sadie known about the journals and her aunts’ part in her mother’s death right from the start? Was it possible the whole thing had been an elaborate, near faultless manipulation designed to punish Mia and provide herself with a cover, a victim role even, so she’d … what? End up with everything?

The girl Cristy had come to know wasn’t that devious or coldly calculating, she had a heart, an innate and wrenching need of the family that should have been hers …

‘Cristy?’ Connor prompted.

Quickly assimilating, she found, to her dismay, that she was no closer to believing the story Sadie had just told. ‘I’ll concede,’ she said, ‘that Mia might have been in Lottie’s rooms when Sadie got there, and it’s possible there was paperwork everywhere, although that could have been staged after the event to support her story. It’s highly likely they talked, or argued, got into a terrible fight about something, most likely the journals, and Mia ended up saying or doing something that pushed Sadie over the edge – poor choice of words, but you get my meaning. It’s the timing of it all that I’m having the biggest problem with, and the way she just delivered her version of events.’

‘It was too pat,’ Connor agreed. ‘And I agree about the timing. Why would Mia jump now when Sadie was promising to protect her from the real damage the journals could do? Sure, she didn’t want Sadie to leave, but taking her own life to try and stop her? What kind of sense does that make? OK, we know she was nuts, but she wasn’t as far gone as she kept trying to make out, so I’m going to say that something happened to blow everything wide open in a way that … Actually, I’ve no idea what it might have done, but we do know that Mia will never be able to tell us.’

Feeling her heart clench around the truth of that, Cristy said, ‘Her suicide threats play very neatly into Sadie’s narrative now, and we , as luck would have it, are key witnesses to the fact that her aunt was mentally unstable and threatening to do away with herself.’

‘So you reckon she could have been playing us along ever since she met you?’ Clove cried incredulously. ‘Is that what you’re saying? Like she had some gross manipulation thing going?’

Cristy’s distaste for her own fears showed. Then, out of nowhere, she was picturing Sadie’s reaction when she’d seen her father and uncle for the first time in over twenty years. It was a reminder of how deeply she’d felt for Sadie, for them all, in those moments.

‘I’m prepared to believe,’ she said, ‘that Sadie didn’t know about Gabe and Lukas before the series started. In fact, I’ll go as far as to say that right up to when we found them in Florida it was highly likely the search for her roots was as genuine and heartfelt as she portrayed it.’

‘But?’ Connor prompted.

She shook her head, wishing that she wasn’t seeing things the way she was. ‘It was very soon after discovering she wasn’t alone in the world, that she “found” Lottie’s journals. So was the timing of that simply coincidental, or had she been waiting for the right time to use them?’

‘Shit,’ Connor murmured. Then, ‘Who the fuck is that girl?’

Long moments passed with no one attempting to answer the question.

In the end Clove said, ‘So where the eff does this leave us?’

Connor shrugged. ‘Well, whatever happens next,’ he said, ‘it still remains one hell of a story – putting the likelihood of us being strung up like turkeys to one side. Abducted child murders her multi-millionaire captors and walks off with all the dosh . This is presuming she messed with Lottie’s meds, the way Mia claimed.’

‘Seen through that lens,’ Cristy said, ‘you’re right, it is a great story – if only we could tell it that way.’

‘I wonder if the injunction will be lifted now,’ Clove said. ‘We could tell it then.’

‘Small point,’ Jacks said, ‘actually, fucking great big one really, does Sadie get all the dosh?’

‘I presume so,’ Cristy replied.

‘Whether she does, or doesn’t,’ Connor said, ‘we have to ask ourselves if we’re sitting here crediting her with more … malice and powers of cunning than she’s actually capable of?’ As Cristy’s eyes came to his, he said, ‘It’s not the way we’ve seen her until now, so we have to put it out there that we could be wrong.’

No one commented, in fact there seemed no more to say for the moment as the reality of how they might have been duped spread all its ghastly ramifications over their hard-earned reputations, and their futures.

In the end, Connor said, ‘Time’s running down on prepping the last episode so we need to start making decisions. I say we record as many accounts as we can of what happened last Thursday night – police, coast guard, David if he’s up for it – and then follow up with Sadie’s version of what went down. It’s all we’ve got, so it’s all we can do.’

The silence that followed showed how unenthused they all felt.

‘Getting away with murder is one thing,’ Clove grumbled. ‘Pulling one over on us is another altogether.’

Cristy almost smiled. After a moment she said, ‘I know, it’s disappointing to end with “did she jump, or was she pushed” when we’re all thinking the way we are, but it’s not a bad ending for the series. As Iz pointed out everyone’s already asking the question …’ She stopped, frowned and looked at Connor. ‘Call up the last episode and go to where Sadie reads the journals to Mia. I’d like to listen to it again.’

*

By five the following afternoon the so-called grand-finale was more or less ready for release – just a few sound edits to smooth over and the closing dialogue between Cristy and Connor to add. Although no one was experiencing the high that generally whooshed them to the end of a series, they were all agreed that listening to Sadie’s reading of the journals again had straightened a few things out in their minds and allowed them to pack a bigger punch to their closing than most would be expecting.

With some time to spare while the techies took over, Cristy nipped out to meet Matthew at the Harbourside Kitchen. He’d texted earlier practically begging to see her before he left for Heathrow later – he was flying to LA early in the morning. It was a meeting she could do without, knowing he was probably going to try to persuade her to go with him, but she didn’t quite have the heart to let him go with no more than a curt Bon voyage on the phone when she knew how much he was dreading the trip.

‘Thanks for coming,’ he said, as she joined him at a window table. ‘I know this is a busy time for you, especially with it being the last episode … Everything good with it? Happy with the way it’s ending?’

‘Sort of,’ she replied, unfastening her coat, but keeping it on. ‘Is this the coffee I ordered?’

Matthew nodded and pushed it towards her, and then managed to look sad, probably because he was.

As she watched him she could feel the scrutiny of those on neighbouring tables who’d probably recognized him, possibly her as well, but she deliberately avoided eye contact. Instead, she found herself seeing him as the man she’d always loved, the father of her children, the husband she’d always trusted and respected and had fully believed she’d spend the rest of her life with, until he’d become the bastard who’d cheated on her and broken her heart. It might all be in the past now, but she couldn’t deny that it still had the power to hurt her. Just as his angst could move her, the way it was now, proving, as if she didn’t already know, that there was still a connection between them, and probably always would be.

Clearing his throat, and making an attempt to sound cheerful, he said, ‘I’ve already spoken with a nannying agency, so someone should be in place by the time I get back with Bear.’

Feeling for how worried he was about trying to cope on his own, she said, ‘That’s good. You’re going to need someone to help out while you’re at work.’ She could say more, so very much more, but she was afraid she might end up offering herself as a back-up. ‘How much time are you taking off?’ she asked.

‘Two weeks is all I could manage, having been in LA over Christmas. Hayley’s said she’ll try to come down for a few days mid-March, and Aiden’s obviously going to be around. Not that I’ll be expecting him to babysit with his exams coming up, and I didn’t get into it being good practice for him. He keeps telling me we’ll cope, which kind of suggests he’s not planning to decamp on me and come to you full time.’

Moved by the children’s efforts to support their father, and feeling guilty for not doing the same, Cristy found herself saying, ‘I’m sure I’ll come to visit too.’

He looked at her in surprise and with so much hope that she immediately wished she could take the words back. ‘Will you?’ he said. ‘You’re welcome, any time, you know that.’

‘I just hope there aren’t going to be two babies by May,’ she said, ‘or whenever Pearl’s is due …’

‘I’m sure that one will live with her and her parents,’ Matthew put in quickly.

Suspecting he was right, she said, ‘Shame they’re standing by their daughter’s decision to put off a DNA test until after the birth. You’d think they’d want to know themselves who the father is.’

‘I’m starting to get the impression that young Pearl calls most of the shots in that family.’

Thinking of what an awful girl she sounded, and how bloody unfortunate it was going to be if she, thanks to a few quick shags with Aiden, ended up being permanently in their lives, Cristy said, ‘Let’s talk about it some more when you’re back. Maybe by then the other boys will have told their parents so we can join forces to put the pressure on …’ She broke off and groaned aloud. Stop with the intimidation .

Matthew put a hand over hers as he said, ‘Whatever happens we’ll work it out,’ and she was reminded of how much comfort she used to take from this very gesture, and those very words, for he always had seemed to find the answers one way or another. He was a different man now though, thanks to his own schizoid aberrations, so much as she might want to lean on him, or at least trust him, she knew she couldn’t.

Instead of taking her hand away, she turned it in his and linked their fingers. ‘You know you’ll always mean the world to me, don’t you?’ she said, meaning it. ‘Apart from all the times I want to brain you, of course, but I need you to understand that even if I weren’t with David now, there really is no going back for us.’

He swallowed as he nodded, and his voice was unsteady as he said, ‘He’s a lucky bloke, I just hope he knows it.’ He removed his hand and picked up his coffee. ‘So, I won’t ask you to come with me tomorrow,’ he said, as if only coming to the decision now, ‘but if you and David would like to join me out there before I come back … OK, de-lulu, as Aiden calls it.’

Breaking into a laugh, she said, ‘Do you honestly think David would even want to?’

He shrugged. ‘I thought we got along pretty well when we met.’

‘Which is good, I’m glad you did, but it doesn’t mean he wants to be your best buddy, or go on holiday with you.’

‘His loss.’ He thought about that. ‘Actually it’s mine, but hey, as long as you and I stay friends and you understand that I’m ready to take you back any—’

‘You’re married,’ she interrupted, ‘and now would be a good time to remember that. I take it Marley will still be in LA when you get there? She hasn’t gone to Santa Fe yet?’

‘Not as far as I know. Well, someone has to be taking care of Bear, and last time we spoke it was her.’ He sighed heavily. ‘And soon it’s going to be me. Do you think I might be able to rename him before I give him back?’

‘You can always try,’ she smiled, checking the time. ‘I’m sorry, but I have to go, we’ll be uploading soon and then, I guess, it won’t be long before we find out what the public at large thinks of the series finale.’

‘Any surprises in store?’ he asked, dropping a twenty on the table as they stood up.

‘One or two.’

As they left together Cristy was aware that they were still being watched, and once outside, probably because she knew it would mean something to him, she kissed him on both cheeks.

‘Have a good flight,’ she said, ‘and message to let me know when to expect you back.’

‘I will,’ he promised.

As she started towards the office she could feel his loneliness and regrets as if they were stretching out between them, even trying to pull her back. She kept going, only turning at the last to give him a wave, but to her surprise he’d gone – and for one peculiarly disorientating moment it was as though he’d left her all over again.

*

An hour later everyone was gathered in the office, drinks in hands, feet up on desks or chairs as they listened to the closing minutes of the pod. Sadie was thanking the Hindsight team for the ‘incredible chance’ they’d given her to share her journey, ‘with your hundreds of thousands of listeners around the world … Sometimes terrible things happen and it’s only with the benefit of hindsight that we can see how they might have been done differently.’

‘Neat how she slipped the series title in there,’ Harry commented dryly.

Cristy nodded and continued listening to her own voice as she began winding things up.

CRISTY: ‘So there we have Sadie’s final words on the search for her roots, the surprises and joy it brought her along the way, the confusion, frustration and sadness – and last of all the way it resulted in the untimely and tragic death of her aunt. I wonder if you’re finding yourselves as moved by her retelling of what happened at the villa that fateful night as we were when we first heard it. It must have been terrible for her, having no one there to support or guide her, or to help persuade Mia not to jump. I’m sure the trauma of it will stay with her for a very long time.’

CONNOR: ‘I have no doubt of it. We don’t know whether or not Sadie and Mia talked about Janina that night, but it’s hard to imagine they didn’t, considering what Sadie found in Lottie’s journals. As the key points remain unavailable to us we still can’t share any details, but what we know already is that Lottie met Janina and Gabe while they were in Guernsey. You might have seen the photographs on our website of them in a café.’

CRISTY: ‘The fact that Janina lost her life not long after the pictures were taken could be put down to a tragic accident, caused perhaps by careless driving on dangerous roads that she was unfamiliar with. Or did someone force her over the edge? Matis Albescu, her old tormentor? There’s no evidence of him being on the island at that time, and why would he want her dead instead of returned to the captivity he’d kept her in for the previous five years?’

CONNOR: ‘As we’ve read the journals we believe we do know what happened to Janina, as does Sadie, of course, and we understand why she’s choosing not to share the details publicly. That could change now that her aunt Mia is no longer with us to be hurt by the revelations, and if it does we’ll certainly let you know.’

CRISTY: ‘Before we go we can reveal that questions have arisen around the way Lottie Winters died back in 2020. They were posed to us by Mia days before she died. I’m afraid we can’t be specific about what was said, nor can we say for certain that Mia was thinking straight when she brought the matter up. It’s just left that lingering doubt in our minds over what might have happened to cause Lottie’s collapse when her heart medication had allowed her to live a full and healthy life until suddenly it didn’t.’

CONNOR: ‘Naturally we wish Sadie – or Sasha as she’d now like to be known – all the happiness she deserves with her new family, and I’m sure you do too. We hope to be back later in the spring with a brand-new series, a whole new crime to unravel and hopefully solve.’

CRISTY: ‘For now we’d like to thank our sponsors for making this production possible, and all of you for listening …’

As Connor faded out the sound, Meena let her breath go in a long, loud exhale of amazement and said, ‘Well, a redefinition of subtle, if ever I heard one. I can’t wait to see how all that plays out when it reaches the parts most other pods wouldn’t dare to go . It must have been terrible for her, having no one there to support or guide her, or to help persuade Mia not to jump . Wow, if no one guesses from that what you think then they’re not paying attention.’

‘Did Sadie know you were going to talk about the journals like that?’ Jodi asked, clearly surprised and impressed. ‘I mean, you didn’t say what the missing parts are, but you’d have to be an idiot not to work it out.’

Cristy shook her head, and felt a quick pang of unease as she tried to imagine how Sadie, Gabe and Lukas might respond when they heard the insinuations, never mind what she’d said about Lottie’s death. She’d yet to hear what David thought of the episode, having sent him a copy just before the upload.

‘How do you think Sadie’s going to react?’ Iz asked, glancing up from her phone.

‘She’s lucky we didn’t go any further than we did,’ Connor retorted.

‘Everyone’s been asking, “Did she jump, or was she pushed?” since the last ep,’ Jacks put in. ‘All this will do is create more volume.’

‘Because you’re convinced she actually did push her aunt over?’ Iz grimaced as they all looked at her. ‘Sorry. Just needing to be clear.’

Connor eyed her warily. ‘We are, but if you’re thinking of putting our suspicions into some kind of press release, rein yourself in. We’ve got no evidence to support them and I guess there’s still an outside chance we could be wrong.’

‘What, you?’ Jodi teased. ‘Never let it be said.’

Connor crooked an eyebrow, and downed the rest of his drink. ‘Any more going?’ he asked, holding out his glass.

‘Coming right up.’ Iz headed for the fridge. ‘I’m so happy to be celebrating with you all,’ she declared in a burst of exuberance. ‘It’s been a brilliant series in so many ways, and with all the interviews we’ve got lined up over the next few weeks … The advertisers are going to carry on fighting for space forever more. That’s the great thing about pods, isn’t it, there’s no actual end to their lives. Unlike poor Mia and Lottie. Which reminds me, how do you think Lottie died? Was it really suspicious? Could Sadie actually have been behind it?’ Her cheeks were so flushed with excitement and her tongue running on so loosely that Cristy had to wonder if she was actually connecting with what she was saying.

‘Just imagine, if it turns out she offed both the aunts!’ Iz gushed elatedly. ‘There won’t be any Florida for her then, that’s for sure. And we, on Hindsight , will have exposed it …’

‘Exactly what part of reining in did you not get?’ Connor interrupted. To Cristy he said, ‘Do you have to be somewhere? You keep checking the time.’

‘I’m meeting Robert Brinkley at seven-thirty,’ she replied. ‘He’s leaving at the weekend and asked if we could get together before he goes.’

‘The drop-dead gorgeous heart surgeon?’ Jodi teased.

‘Who was in love with Lottie,’ Clove added. ‘Do you know what he wants to see you about?’

‘I think just to say goodbye. I’ve put the journals on a memory stick so he can read what she wrote about him. Before you ask, no he doesn’t have the crucial entries, and no, we won’t be adding his starring role to the website. It’s not relevant for one thing, and they’re way too … personal.’

‘Amazing, isn’t it, the stories behind the stories,’ Iz commented thoughtfully. ‘There’s so much the public doesn’t get to see or hear about that they’d probably find every bit as fascinating as the main theme. I remember thinking that when I listened to your last series, the one about David … Actually, that reminds me,’ she said, looking suddenly worried as she turned to Cristy. ‘I’ve had a few calls about you guys, wanting to know if it’s true that you’re seeing one another. Obviously, I’m denying all knowledge, but frankly all that’s really surprising here is that no one’s cottoned on to it sooner.’

Dismayed, while knowing it had always been inevitable, Cristy said, ‘Let’s just feel thankful it’s not happening in the middle of a series.’

‘Wait till they find out he was in Florida with you,’ Connor grinned. ‘Anyway, the fact that Sadie and her aunts live in Guernsey should have flagged it up at the get-go. Just goes to show that not everyone’s paying attention.’

‘They will once they know you’re getting it on with the man you cleared of a triple murder,’ Harry commented dryly. ‘What?’ he demanded as Meena scowled at him darkly. ‘I’m right, aren’t I?’

‘You are,’ Cristy told him.

‘It’s your phraseology that needs some work,’ Meena chided. ‘Anyway, aren’t we going for an end-of-term dinner at The Ivy? If we are, we ought to be on our way.’

‘I’ll just be a few minutes late,’ Cristy told her. ‘And I suggest we turn our phones off for the evening unless we want to deal with Sadie and her family tonight.’

‘Talking of phones,’ Jacks said, ‘I’m picking up your old one tomorrow. I’m not sure what they found yet, but apparently there was something and the advice I’m getting at the moment is that you should abandon the handset and the number altogether.’

‘Really?’ she said, not sure whether to be alarmed by that or not. ‘Did they trace the stalker?’

‘I’ll know more when I go there, but the good news is, you’re already up and running with a new phone, so nothing more to worry about.’

*

‘Well, that was a very close sail to the wind,’ David commented dryly when Cristy called after saying goodbye to Robert at the White Lion in Clifton. It had been an unexpectedly emotional parting, with him glad to receive the memory stick and her still sympathizing with his loss of a woman he’d so clearly loved. She hadn’t told him about Mia’s claims regarding Lottie’s death, there was no point when it was doubtful anyone would ever be able to prove it.

‘I know you warned me it might ruffle a few feathers,’ David continued, ‘but I confess I wasn’t expecting anything like that. Have you heard from Sadie since it aired?’

‘Not a word.’ She stepped off the kerb to cross into Princess Victoria Street. ‘Have you?’ she asked.

‘No, but Anna’s had quite a lot to say about it.’

Cristy winced. ‘Do I want to know?’

‘Probably not, but I expect she’ll tell you herself once she’s managed to get hold of Sadie.’

‘So she hasn’t spoken to her either?’

‘She keeps trying. I guess you know what you’re doing, so you have to be aware that you could be facing a whole lot of trouble over this. OK, you didn’t outright accuse her of anything, but the implications are clear and I’d be amazed if Lukas isn’t already talking to a lawyer.’

‘You could be right, but think about it. If they start kicking up a fuss they’ll only draw more attention to it and I’m not sure they’ll want to do that. Dealing with flak from social media is one thing, getting lawyers involved could take it to a whole other level.’

‘OK, but tell me, do you seriously think Sadie was behind both her aunts’ deaths? Because I have to say, it’s a hard one for me.’

‘I understand that, but once you’ve had time to think about it you might find it’s not so far-fetched. The trouble is, we’ll never be able to prove it.’

‘OK, well I guess we have to wait and see what happens over the next few days. As you say, giving it more oxygen probably isn’t the way to go so you might not hear anything from them. Where are you now? I can hear traffic.’

‘On my way to meet the others at The Ivy. Wish you were here.’

‘Well, I can’t make it happen tonight, but it turns out I need to be in London on Friday, so I thought, when my meeting’s over, I could take a train to Bristol and fly back to Guernsey on Sunday or Monday. Will that work for you?’

Loving the thought of seeing him again so soon, Cristy said, ‘Even if it didn’t I’d make sure it did. Oh, and by the way, I should probably warn you that there’s been some press interest in our relationship. Cristy Ward falls for man she helped clear of murder, that sort of thing.’

‘OK, I like the falling-for bit, and I guess we were always going to be outed at some point. Pretty amazing, in fact, that it hasn’t happened before now. It’s not as if we’ve put much effort into hiding things.’

‘We haven’t,’ she agreed. ‘Maybe we need to talk to Iz about how best to play it, whether we want to brazen it out and give someone an exclusive, or beg for privacy, or something in between.’

‘I’ll be guided by you, or Iz. Why not set something up for when I’m there, if she’s going to be around?’

‘I’ll talk to her tonight and let you know. I should go now, I’m at the restaurant. We’re going to turn our phones off, by the way, so if there is any blowback from Sadie and family tonight, we won’t have to deal with it until tomorrow.’