‘Obviously we can reveal, through ex-DS Patten, that the police spoke to Meier at the time of Nicole’s arrest,’ Cristy decided, ‘and maybe we can say that he’s had contact with her since she was sent down …’ She stopped to think that through.
Connor said, ‘It wouldn’t cast any doubt on her confession or link us to any sort of contact with her, only mark him out as a person of interest during the initial police inquiries. So yeah, I think we can go with that, and maybe end with something like: “Next time, we’ll bring you some intriguing details of Nicole’s relationship with Jean-Claude Meier, whose policestatement seems never to have made it to Nicole’s defence team?” We won’t be able to use her actual recording, obvs, but no reason not to play in at least some of his.’
Cristy nodded agreement and was about to start typing it into the script when both her and Connor’s phones signalled an incoming WhatsApp from Honey.
Putting the call on speaker, Connor said, ‘Working on a Sunday? Whatever next?’
‘Is Cristy with you?’ Honey asked sharply. ‘She needs to hear this.’
‘I’m right here,’ Cristy called out. ‘What’s happened?’
‘Nicole has been returned to custody,’ Honey informed them.
Cristy’s heart stopped.
‘Why? What happened?’ Connor demanded.
‘Someone let it be known that she was in touch with you guys.’
‘Jesus Christ!’ Connor muttered.
Cristy was reeling, but shock yielded fast to fury. ‘It has to have been Meier,’ she seethed, and snatching up her phone, she scrolled straight to his number.
‘So everything you told us was a lie,’ she accused when he answered. ‘You don’t want to see her at all, and now you’ve got her locked up again—’
‘Cristy, stop! What are you talking about?’
‘Youlet it be knownthat she’d spoken to us. No one else knows that—’
‘But why would you think I’d do something—’
‘You tell me why you did it.’
‘I am trying to tell you that I didn’t—’
She wasn’t listening. ‘You know exactly what happened to the twins, don’t you?’ she cried furiously. ‘You convinced – brainwashed – Nicole into confessing … Well, take it from me, the whole world is going to know the part you played in this, and if you think the location of your preciouscompoundis safe, think again.’ As she slammed the phone on the desk, cutting him off, she was shaking so hard that Clove came to put steadying hands on her shoulders.
‘We fell for it,’ Cristy shouted at Connor. ‘We were taken in like everyone else. All that bullshit about some special connection, one true love, belief in her innocence. He did it! I’m telling you: he took those twins. Not only that – I’ll stake everything I own that he knows exactly where they are now. Lying, cheating, manipulative bastard …’
‘Cristy, there’s something here you need to see,’ Jacks told her.
She turned to her screen as he shared his findings.
Clove read out Molly Terrance’s latest article:
Exclusive: Baby Killer Returned to Custody.
Police were called to a South Gloucestershire location early this morning to arrest Nicole Ivorson, who is said to have broken the terms of her licence. Ivorson, convicted murderer of her own children, Noah and Abigail, when they were only eleven months old, recently confessed to her crime after years of maintaining her innocence. A condition of her parole was that she would have no contact with the press, but this reporter can reveal that she has been working with Cristy Ward’s Hindsight team to try and prove her innocence.
Cristy was speechless.
‘How the hell does she know that?’ Connor growled. ‘Who the fuck told her?’
Cristy’s eyes closed as the horrible, unthinkable truth dawned on her. ‘I told Meier about her,’ she confessed. ‘It doesn’t matter how it came up – it just did – and so I’m to blame for this.’
Connor stared at her, as did the others.
‘I’m still here,’ Honey reminded them. ‘I heard all that, so at least we know how it happened.’
