‘She has other people to answer to, as well as you,’ Meena cut in sharply.
Cristy felt ready to strike back hard, but she somehow managed to rein it in as Connor took over.
‘They’re not the only sponsors in town,’ he pointed out, ‘and they could also come back on board when we’re ready to go. It’s not as if their products are time-sensitive, any of them.’
‘I wish it was as simple as that,’ Iz told them, ‘but these guys have already allocated their budgets for the next six months – they want placement now …’
‘Then let’s find others,’ he interrupted. ‘We can’t be short of interest given our ratings—’
‘Which actually fell off during the last series,’ Iz reminded him, with an apologetic grimace. ‘I’m sorry, but I’ve been instructed to tell you that unless you can begin the uploads in the next two weeks then the Sponsorship Liaison Group will consider withdrawing their support …’
‘What the fuck!’ Connor raged. ‘They sent you here to deliver ultimatums as if we have absolutely no say in our own schedule! Well, you know what you can tell them—’
‘Calm down,’ Meena interrupted. ‘It’s not unsalvageable – not yet anyway. We just have to come up with something that’s going to work, and if it means putting your current investigation on hold, then it’s what you have to do.’
‘Says you,’ Connor spat, ‘who actually has no say in anything—’
‘Stop!’ Cristy came in loudly. ‘Before this meeting getscompletely out of hand, I’m ready to make an executive decision. As I see it, we actually need to start uploading something straightaway or we might never find Claude Major – sorry, Jacks, I still have faith in your tech skills, but even if you can get some background on him, it might not lead us to where he is today.’
‘And you’re certain he’s key to taking this forward?’ Jacks asked.
‘As certain as I can be, at least until we get some answers from Nicole.’
‘Does that mean you’ve found her?’ Iz exclaimed. ‘That’s amazing …’
‘We’re communicating through her lawyer,’ Cristy explained, ‘and if Nicole confirms that Claude Major was involved in the twins’ murder or disappearance, and she doesn’t know where he is today, then we need to get the public involved.’
‘But how do we do that without compromising Nicole?’ Clove wanted to know.
‘By doing what Iz herself has already suggested,’ Cristy replied. ‘We make the backstory multi-episodic for at least the next three weeks, adding commentary as we go, such as the rumours about a cult leader called Claude Major. We probably shouldn’t refer to him as that, but the name doesn’t have to have come from Nicole. In fact, it didn’t, so no worries there. And we could get ourselves some useful feedback without putting her licence in jeopardy.’
Cristy allowed a moment for everyone to take this in, then continued.
‘If we don’t do it this way, then someone out there, from the media or another podcast, is going to get to the heart of the story first, and if that happens, it could seriously screw with our series. So the timing of our uploads really does matter, and thankfully it means we’ll no longer be in conflict with our sponsors.’
After a stunned moment, Iz broke into a delighted grin, while Meena looked profoundly relieved, and the others – Connor most of all – were clearly already assessing what this sudden turnaround was actually going to mean for them over the next few days and weeks.
‘And that’s why,’ Cristy told David later, at home by now, snuggled up on the sofa with him on video link, ‘they are the world’s best team. One hundred percent support, no dissent, total trust and full immersion in the story.’
Clearly amused, he said, ‘So you’ve decided to turn Kinsley down?’
She grimaced as her heart jolted with unease. ‘We’re due to speak in the morning, and right now, I’m ashamed to admit that I still haven’t actually made many notes, never mind reached a decision. Obviously, if I knew I could take Connor, Clove and Jacks with me, there wouldn’t be a problem, but there would still be Harry and Meena to consider, and I’m no closer to feeling OK about leaving them in the lurch than I ever was. Although, Meena really pissed me off today, not sufficiently to start considering abandoning her as some sort of petty revenge, but it wasn’t easy biting my tongue.’
Sipping his drink, David said, ‘The hardest choices almost always end up with someone feeling disappointed or let down, and if you do take up Kinsley’s offer, you’re likely to be facing a lot of that. So maybe get used to it?’
She eyed him balefully. ‘Is that your way of telling me to man up?’
He laughed. ‘What I’m saying is what you already know: life is all about winning and losing, opportunities taken or lost, people who come and go.’
People who come and go.That was the hardest part.
Sighing, she reached for her drink as she said, ‘I know I’m repeating myself, but Connor and I work so well together. We’ve had each other’s back since I hired him as a young researcher straight out of uni. He gave up a perfectly good career in TV to come and start the podcast with me and he feels like family. So, if we want to talk about loyalty, let’s look at his to me. I owe him big-time for taking the risk he did to help me get my life back on track after my marriage broke up, so the idea of bailing on him now is unthinkable – unconscionable. Sorry, I just keep going over and over it in my mind, and I know it’s a sign of madness, doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome, but I seem to be on that wheel.’
‘OK, let’s look at it another way,’ David said. ‘How do you feel about leaving Bristol now that you know your brother’s going to be in London?’
‘Well, obviously having Tom nearby, or even sharing an apartment with me for a while, makes me want to pack up and leave right away. And if Aiden does end up getting into UCL … Oh God, let’s stop – it’s all so confusing. Just when I think,yes,it’s what I’m going to do, I see Connor and the team without me in Bristol and I feel so wretched I’m right back at the beginning.’
‘So whatareyou going to say to Kinsley?’
