Page 21 of A Game of Lies

‘Let’s see what Ryan’s wife thinks about that, shall we?’ Ffion turns away.

‘I’m sorry?’

‘I doubt that.’ She raises her voice as she walks back towards the farmhouse. ‘Jessica Francis just turned up to see her husband. I’ll tell her you’re on your way.’

Ryan’s wife is a petite blonde in black Nike leggings and an oversized grey sweatshirt. When Ffion had seen her by the entrance to Carreg Plas, frowning into her phone as though looking at directions, she’d taken her for a teenager. A fan of the show, hoping for autographs, perhaps; or something to do with Zee Hart. But then the woman had looked up, and Ffion had realised she was in her late thirties, her face creased with concern. ‘Is this where they’re filmingExposure?’ she’d said. ‘Only I’m looking for my husband.’

Jessica listens in silence as Miles admits that no one has seen Ryan since yesterday morning, and that the activity Jessica noticed on the way up to Pen y Ddraig – the helicopter, the parked cars, the slow-moving clusters of red search-and-rescue jackets – is all because of Ryan.

‘But you said he’d left the show “for personal reasons”. How do you know what his reasons were, if you haven’t spoken to him?’

Ffion glares at Miles, who is avoiding eye contact. ‘We tried calling you,’ he says, avoiding Jessica’s question.

‘I switched off my phone.’ Jessica looks up. ‘All my friends were calling, wanting to know if Ryan had known whatExposurewas really about, asking if he’d be okay with it.’ She exhales sharply. ‘Of course, what they really wanted to know was hissecret.’ She spits the final word.

‘Officers from Staffordshire police went to your house yesterday,’ Georgina says, ‘but no one was home.’

‘I went to my mum’s. I’d already had reporters knocking on the door, offering “sensitive” exclusives, and I knew that the more I told them to get lost, the more it would look like we had something to hide. And we don’t. We don’t have anything to hide,’ she repeats firmly.

‘Have you heard from Ryan since he left the show?’ Miles says. He never says the word ‘missing’, Ffion realises. He’s reframed Ryan’s disappearance – edited it – to make it a voluntary act. If Miles is concerned about Ryan, it’s only in terms of his own reputation.

‘No.’ Jessica’s voice breaks. ‘When I watched the show last night, and realised he’d left, I called his mobile, but it was turned off. I remembered he said he’d have interviews to do, but it was driving me crazy not knowing how he was. As soon as I woke up, I got in the car and came here.’

‘Mrs Francis,’ Georgina says, ‘I’m sorry to ask, but what is Ryan’s secret?’ There’s a softness to Georgina’s voice Ffion hasn’t heard before.

Jessica’s entire body tenses. She speaks in a low voice, laced with venom. ‘He doesn’t have asecret.’ When she speaks again, her words are deliberately airy. ‘My husband wears women’s clothes. That’s it. That’s thebig secret. And yes, Ryan was ashamed of it, but only because people like Miles Youngmadehim ashamed.’

‘All I’m doing is encouraging people to be their true selves,’ Miles says.

‘Bullshit. You’re outing people for entertainment. You’re taking away their freedom to choose when to tell their story and who to tell it to. You’re taking something private – something that shouldn’t evenbea secret – and you’re making it dirty.’

Ffion imagines Ryan out on the mountain, sick to his stomach with the shame someone else put there. He’s been missing for thirty-six hours and the more time that passes, the less chance there is of finding him alive. They’re approaching summer, but the nights are still cold and the temperature on the mountain is several degrees colder than in the valleys. All Ryan has with him are the clothes he was wearing when he left camp; no shelter, no food or water.

Miles is still talking. He’s still defending his concept. ‘Our contestants are having to dig deep into their emotions.’

Jessica gives a humourless laugh. ‘You’re playing God.’

‘We’re helping them confront their true selves.’

‘And those poor kids watching … the ones who are gay or trans, or who are into dressing up, or playing with Lego or whatever else you’ve decreed is a fuckingsecret—’

‘We’re supporting journeys of self-discovery.’

‘—you’re teaching them to feel ashamed of who they are!’

‘The contestants will go home transformed.’

‘Assuming they make it home at all,’ Jessica says coldly. She holds Miles’s gaze. ‘How did you find out?’

‘That’s a researcher’s job, I don’t really get involved—’

Ffion glares at him again, and Miles swallows. ‘Something he bought online, as I understand it. A receipt, was it? A pair of shoes …’ He waves a hand in lieu of a complete explanation.

‘Is that legal?’ Jessica spins to look first at Ffion, then Georgina. ‘That can’t be legal.’

‘I can give you the contracts. All the permissions are there.I authorise Young Productions to carry out background research as necessary for the purposes of the production…’ The hand again, waving away his responsibilities.

‘Jessica,’ Georgina says, ‘why do you imagine Ryan hasn’t been in contact with you?’

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