this is about Dan?’ It was hard not to make the sentence sound anything other than an accusation.
‘I don’t know, Emma, I just thought it was for the best. It would give you time to think things through, before talking to Dan about it.’
That made sense. ‘I’m sorry, Lizzy, I didn’t mean to get angry.’ In fact, Emma realised, she had been directing the accusation at herself as much as her friend. She was challenging her own reaction; that this photo had terrible implications for her relationship with the man whom she loved and trusted. ‘What does this mean, Lizzy?’
‘Well, it means that Dan knew Stuart, and that he kept that fact secret from you.’
‘But why would he do that?’
‘Maybe he thought that if he told you he knew your ex-boyfriend, it would jeopardise your relationship.’
‘Maybe.’ It was a good hypothesis. In truth, during the early stages of their relationship, such a revelation would have certainly made Emma think twice. Her break-up with Stuart had been painful, even after several years, so the thought that there was this link could have made things feel very uncomfortable. And then, later, maybe Dan had decided that to say anything after years of silence would have just seemed too weird, and would have opened up old wounds and threatened their happiness. Then she had another thought. ‘Or maybe there’s another explanation.’
‘Go on.’
‘Maybe this photograph isn’t real.’
Lizzy looked interested. ‘Someone faked the photo, to make it look like Dan knew Stuart?’
Emma scrutinised the image. It certainly looked real, but she wasn’t an expert. She just knew photographs could be manipulated in any way anyone could imagine these days. ‘Surely it wouldn’t be that difficult to add in Stuart, or Dan, to an existing image and create the impression that they were there together?’
‘Sounds plausible,’ Lizzy said.
‘I mean, look at all these notes.’ Emma fanned them out on the table in front of her. ‘They all mention the word trust, but actually they’re all about mistrust. Each note is designed to sow doubts in our minds about who we can trust. And this photograph is doing the same thing. Whoever sent this, whether it’s a fake, or whether it’s real, wants us, or me, to doubt Dan.’
‘They want to try and wreck your relationship with Dan.’
‘Exactly. Which feeds into the idea that Sally is doing this,’ Emma continued. ‘I destroyed her happiness with Stuart, as she sees it, so now she wants to do the same to me.’
Lizzy looked at her friend. ‘So what do we do?’
‘We let the police know what’s been happening. And hopefully they can have a chat with Sally.’
‘And what if it isn’t Sally who’s been doing all this?’ Lizzy picked up a note. ‘Do you think it could be Adrian Spencer?’
‘Why would you think that?’
‘Because he might have a motive. I met up with him the other day, and he told me he’d been sacked by Firework Films.’
‘Because of our complaint?’
‘I think so, yes.’
Emma sat back in her chair. ‘But do you really think he’d do this?’
‘I don’t know, but it’s just something he said to me. He said something very similar to what’s in the notes, about trusting people. I asked him if he was the person sending the letters, but he denied it.’
Emma nodded, then asked, ‘Why did you go to see him?’
Lizzy hesitated. ‘I wanted to ask them not to go ahead with the docudrama.’
‘But they wouldn’t—’
‘I know, they won’t take any notice of us. I knew that really, before I even met him, but I just wanted to try.’
‘And now he doesn’t work for them any more.’
‘Yes.’
‘Did he seem hostile?’ Emma spoke matter-of-factly.
‘No, not really. He warned me about Peter Myers.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Just like the police, he thinks Peter Myers is obsessed with you, and he said that when he’s finally released from prison, unless he’s admitted to how he feels
‘I don’t know, Emma, I just thought it was for the best. It would give you time to think things through, before talking to Dan about it.’
That made sense. ‘I’m sorry, Lizzy, I didn’t mean to get angry.’ In fact, Emma realised, she had been directing the accusation at herself as much as her friend. She was challenging her own reaction; that this photo had terrible implications for her relationship with the man whom she loved and trusted. ‘What does this mean, Lizzy?’
‘Well, it means that Dan knew Stuart, and that he kept that fact secret from you.’
‘But why would he do that?’
‘Maybe he thought that if he told you he knew your ex-boyfriend, it would jeopardise your relationship.’
‘Maybe.’ It was a good hypothesis. In truth, during the early stages of their relationship, such a revelation would have certainly made Emma think twice. Her break-up with Stuart had been painful, even after several years, so the thought that there was this link could have made things feel very uncomfortable. And then, later, maybe Dan had decided that to say anything after years of silence would have just seemed too weird, and would have opened up old wounds and threatened their happiness. Then she had another thought. ‘Or maybe there’s another explanation.’
‘Go on.’
‘Maybe this photograph isn’t real.’
Lizzy looked interested. ‘Someone faked the photo, to make it look like Dan knew Stuart?’
Emma scrutinised the image. It certainly looked real, but she wasn’t an expert. She just knew photographs could be manipulated in any way anyone could imagine these days. ‘Surely it wouldn’t be that difficult to add in Stuart, or Dan, to an existing image and create the impression that they were there together?’
‘Sounds plausible,’ Lizzy said.
‘I mean, look at all these notes.’ Emma fanned them out on the table in front of her. ‘They all mention the word trust, but actually they’re all about mistrust. Each note is designed to sow doubts in our minds about who we can trust. And this photograph is doing the same thing. Whoever sent this, whether it’s a fake, or whether it’s real, wants us, or me, to doubt Dan.’
‘They want to try and wreck your relationship with Dan.’
‘Exactly. Which feeds into the idea that Sally is doing this,’ Emma continued. ‘I destroyed her happiness with Stuart, as she sees it, so now she wants to do the same to me.’
Lizzy looked at her friend. ‘So what do we do?’
‘We let the police know what’s been happening. And hopefully they can have a chat with Sally.’
‘And what if it isn’t Sally who’s been doing all this?’ Lizzy picked up a note. ‘Do you think it could be Adrian Spencer?’
‘Why would you think that?’
‘Because he might have a motive. I met up with him the other day, and he told me he’d been sacked by Firework Films.’
‘Because of our complaint?’
‘I think so, yes.’
Emma sat back in her chair. ‘But do you really think he’d do this?’
‘I don’t know, but it’s just something he said to me. He said something very similar to what’s in the notes, about trusting people. I asked him if he was the person sending the letters, but he denied it.’
Emma nodded, then asked, ‘Why did you go to see him?’
Lizzy hesitated. ‘I wanted to ask them not to go ahead with the docudrama.’
‘But they wouldn’t—’
‘I know, they won’t take any notice of us. I knew that really, before I even met him, but I just wanted to try.’
‘And now he doesn’t work for them any more.’
‘Yes.’
‘Did he seem hostile?’ Emma spoke matter-of-factly.
‘No, not really. He warned me about Peter Myers.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Just like the police, he thinks Peter Myers is obsessed with you, and he said that when he’s finally released from prison, unless he’s admitted to how he feels
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