‘No, she simply accepted responsibility and said she was sorry. I’m précising, of course.’
Cristy allowed a moment to take that in. ‘So they’ve let her go without knowinghowthe twins died or where to find their bodies?’
‘Correct.’
Stunned all over again, Cristy said, ‘Don’t you find that odd?’
‘Of course, because it is, but there isn’t always logic attached to these decisions, or none that’s obvious anyway. I wasn’t there to try and change their minds, only to advise on how she should express her remorse. Naturally, they also took into account the fact that she’s been a model prisoner all this time.’
‘I guess you’re not going to tell us where she is?’ Connor ventured.
‘I really can’t, but she’s with her mother in a place she’s unlikely to be found that’s within the forty-mile radius set for this early stage of her release.’
‘OK,’ he responded, drawing out the word, ‘so where do you suggest we go from here?’
‘I’m going to tell Nicole that you – and I – are keen to help her prove her innocence. I don’t know how she’ll respond – it obviously contravenes her licence conditions to engagewith you in any way, even through me, and she might be too afraid to do that. If she is, I’ll have to respect her decision. Also, let’s keep in mind the fact that she hasn’t asked for help. It’s simply that I know, right here in my gut, that she’s holding something back.’
Having no problem believing in the instinct, Cristy said, ‘What does her mother say about her confession?’
‘Maeve won’t talk about it, but if I can convince them both that we’re on their side, maybe they’ll start to open up.’ Honey paused and sighed quietly. ‘Or maybe we’re all wasting our time and she really did do it.’ As her eyes came to Cristy’s, it was plain to see how reluctant she was to believe that.
‘What is Julian Hargreaves’s real take on it all?’ Cristy wanted to know.
Honey dropped her head and inhaled quietly before looking up again. ‘I’m sure you know that many in the legal establishment find it hard to admit to getting things wrong,’ she replied evenly.
Reading what she could into that, Cristy said, ‘You mean he never believed in her innocence, in spite of defending her?’
‘It happens all the time,’ Honey reminded her. ‘It’s our duty as lawyers to provide a defence for someone—’
‘But how does he feel about you looking into the case again?’ Cristy interrupted. ‘Particularly when Nicole hasn’t requested it.’
‘He’s not willing to put any resources into it – hence me coming to you – but he won’t stand in my way. My uncle will make sure of that; he’s a more reasonable man.’ She checked the time. ‘I’m sorry, but I have to go. I’ll be in touch as soon as I’ve seen Nicole, which should be some time in the next couple of days.’
And after they’d set up a WhatsApp group between them, she disappeared back inside.
Minutes later, as Cristy and Connor headed for thewaterfront to take the cross-harbour ferry over to the office, Cristy said, ‘Tell me your thoughts.’
‘As this stands, we don’t have much of a series,’ he responded, ‘because no way can we reveal that we’re in touch with Nicole, albeit at one remove, or use anything that suggests we’re talking to her. So any information we might get is likely to be unusable.’
‘Exactly,’ Cristy agreed. ‘However, if we take the long view and work with Honey Blackwell, who knows what we might uncover. So I’d say, for now, let’s delay uploading anything until we have a clearer sense of where things are going. Meantime, we record whatever we can, where we can, and I reckon there’s a good chance we’ll end up with a seriously mind-blowing series on our hands.’
Connor broke into a grin. ‘Especially if she turns outnotto have done it in spite of the confession. Actually, either way, it’ll be sensational, but after the chat with Honey, I’m definitely leaning into Nicole’s innocence.’
‘Mm,’ Cristy responded thoughtfully. ‘If Nicole Ivorson was a journalist or politician, I’d say she’s been gaslighting us all this time, given it’s what we do to deflect from the main story: “throw a dead cat on the table” – or in this case, bury it in the woods. It’s too serious for that, though. However, as an alibi, it hardly stands up at all, which in its way almost makes it more credible.’ She checked her phone as it rang, saw it was Clove and put the call on speaker.
‘No sign of Maeve at the churchyard,’ Clove told them. ‘We’re still here, but—’
‘Don’t worry, come on back now,’ Cristy replied. ‘We’ve just been put in pole position to find out what actually happened in July 2005, so there’s a lot to fill you in on.’
CHAPTER ELEVEN
David’s grand, Italianate-style villa, with its black filigree veranda and balconies, towering windows and extensive grounds, was in the high parishes of Guernsey. Secluded and stylish, it was a triumph of architectural and interior design, mostly overseen by his extrovert and talented younger daughter, Anna.
On Friday afternoon, as Cristy drove herself and both her children in through the electric gates, closely followed by Connor, Jodi and Aurora in their own rental car, the estate – named Papillonby David’s eldest daughter, Rosie – was a still and beautiful midwinter landscape. The frosted trees, evergreen and leafless, glistened in the early burn of sunset, while the fields each side of the meandering drive flowed and dipped like a wonderland out to the distant boundaries.
Cristy had grown to love the place almost as much as its owner, who, having released the gates for their entry, was now coming out of the front door to greet them as they reached the house. He looked so Lord of the Manor-ish in his cream chunky-knit polo neck and dark green cords that Cristy almost laughed. Seeming to reflect her humour – maybe it was simply pleasure on both their parts to see one another – he pulled open her car door, and as she stepped out into the cold, she found herself wishing they could have a few moments alone before the craziness began.
Already too late. Rosie was barging past him, whooping with delight as she yelled everyone’s names in excitement, and watching her, as she flung her arms around Hayley and Aiden, Cristy felt her heart swelling with emotion.
