Page 97 of You Lied First
It’s well over two hours before we hear from Margot again.
On our way,her message says, and Liv and I both slump back with relief.
‘How was it?’ I ask as soon as I open the door.
‘Oh my God. Farcical,’ Margot says. ‘Flynn and I deserve Oscars. I actually cooked him dinner and we all sat at the table. I barely ate a thing, but he didn’t seem to notice.’
I nod appreciatively, although the word ‘seem’ sticks in my gut. Could Guy be playing a game here, too? If I’m not careful, I could really spiral. I’m so far out of my comfort zone my brain feels fried but I can’t let on, not with everyone depending on me to be the guiding hand on the tiller of logic and reason.
‘Nice,’ I say calmly. ‘Nice touch. So, he doesn’t suspect anything’s up?’
‘He doesn’t suspect a thing. He’s actually pleased about the new client lead. He’s in front of the TV with a bottle of red wine.’
‘Amazing. Right – you’re welcome to stay as long as you like. If you want to make the call from here?’
‘Let’s do it together,’ Margot says. ‘Then I’ll go to the hotel. Because if, for any reason, he comes here, my car can’t be parked outside yours.’
‘Well, we’ve got the number of the incident room, so …’ I bite my lip as I look at Margot. ‘Shall we? Are you ready? Everyone ready?’
‘Hang on. I can’t call them from here,’ Margot says. ‘They’ll be able to see my location, won’t they? I should do it from the hotel, shouldn’t I? Otherwise, they’ll come here, and you’ll all be implicated.’
I frown. ‘But wouldn’t you have told us? Because we were with you in Muscat. We’re a part of the story. We’re witnesses that you were home in the villa that night … We can be with you, I think? And it isn’t such a stretch that you’d have come running to a friend if you’d found this out,’ I say. ‘Maybe Liv and Flynn should go upstairs, but I’ll sit here with you if you want me to.’
‘Okay,’ Margot says rather breathlessly. She fans her face with her hand and tries to calm her breathing. ‘I can’t believe I’m about to do this.’
‘He deserves it,’ Flynn says. ‘You can’t let him get away with it.’
And so Margot dials the incident room. The call handler answers the phone sounding, according to Margot, tired and fed-up, but snaps to attention the moment Margot blurts out her story. She then waits while she’s transferred to DS Margaret Ward herself, and I follow the conversation through Margot’s nods and affirmations.
Margot hangs up the call. ‘She’s coming here. Now.’
‘What?’
‘The Detective Sergeant – Margaret – she’s coming to collect the memory card and take a statement from me. Oh my God, Sara – this is it. I’ve done it.’
I get up to hug her and she clings to me. I don’t know who’s shaking the most, me or her.
It takes about an hour for DS Ward and another detectiveto drive up from Oxford. They take accounts from Margot, me, Flynn and Liv, view the video, and take it away. Early in the morning, Guy – vehemently protesting his innocence – is taken into custody. Within twenty-four hours he’s charged with the murder of Celine Cremorne and imprisoned pending trial.
It’s finally over.
EPILOGUE
When Margot arrives at The Ivy, the hostess tells her that her companion’s already arrived and leads her to the table where Sara’s waiting. Sara stands when she sees Margot and the two women hug before taking their seats.
‘What a lovely place,’ Sara says. ‘I’ve walked past it so many times but never actually been inside.’
‘In a previous life, it used to be the original spa of Cheltenham Spa,’ Margot says. ‘The rotunda was added later, I believe.’
‘Then how fitting that we’re here. I feel like I have a previous life, too – and I’ve certainly added some rotunda! It must be the relief! All that weight I lost has come straight back on.’ Sara pats her belly and chuckles. ‘So that’s it? He’s gone?’
‘Yep,’ Margot says. ‘He flew out last night.’
Guy’s extradition has been a long and gruelling process. At times, Margot would find herself waking up in a cold sweat, having dreamt that he’d somehow wormed his way out of the penal system and was free. That he had come home and was back in her house, ready to punish her for handing him in. But it hasn’t happened. All the evidence, including his DNA that was found on and inside Celine’s body, points tohim. There’s no alternative scenario to consider. He’s really gone.
‘Shall we start with a glass of champagne?’ Margot says.
‘Absolutely,’ Sara says. ‘It’s such a relief, isn’t it? To be able to draw a line under it all. I still can’t believe it. Even now it’s signed and sealed, I can’t actually believe that Guy’s going to jail for murder.’
