The Good Liar(89)

“I know it sounds wrong, but you can’t help it when feelings develop, can you? Look at you and Teo.”

“What about us?”

“Not very professional, is it, for him to be dating one of the subjects of his film.”

I withdrew my hand. How did he know about that? He must’ve recognized Teo in that photograph. “We’re not dating. And even if we were, I hardly think it’s the same. Franny’s twenty-five years younger, and you think she’s your wife’s daughter. You only just met her, and now here you are, ready to commit your life to her?”

“What do you mean, I think she’s Kaitlyn’s daughter? Isn’t she?”

I wanted to tell him then and there in the coffee shop about everything, but if I did, I knew he’d confront Franny about it, and then she’d never show up for the interview. And Franny has this way of convincing you about things, of working her way into a person. She’d done it to me, and she’d clearly done it to Joshua. I had no faith that he’d be able to resist her charms, see past her explanations. And I’d been right. Even when confronted with the truth in her interview with Teo, she’d held fast to her story and had come up with excuses. She’d almost convinced me she was innocent.

“I misspoke. And please don’t speak to Franny about this, okay? I’m trying to look out for you and the girls.”

“Is that why you want us to do that interview so much? Because it’s the best thing for me and the girls?”

“Yes, actually.”

“Come on.”

“You’ll have to trust me, Joshua. Please. Come and do your interview tomorrow. Bring Franny. I promise you it’ll be a good thing in the end.”

He’d agreed to come and had texted me this morning that Franny had agreed as well. We’d spent the last two hours watching Teo on the monitor as he got Franny to commit to one version of her story and then slowly picked it apart. Joshua had been angry, wanting to stop the proceedings, but I held him back. As her story started to unravel, he sat there, his shoulders falling, a look of shock that was becoming too familiar to me on his face.

“Are you going to be okay?” I say to Joshua now. “Do you want me to take you home?”

“I can manage it on my own, thanks.”

“What are you going to do?”

“About what?”

“About Franny.”

“That’s between her and me.”

“You’re not . . . You can’t continue to be with her after this?”

“That’s none of your business.”

“But she’s not well. She’s . . . she lied to you from the beginning, Joshua. She lied and manipulated and cheated and . . .”

“Maybe she did. Maybe she didn’t.”

“How can you say that? You saw what I saw.”

Joshua looks wild-eyed, undone. I’ve never seen him like this. “What did I see? A clever man trying to make a sensational end to his film, that’s what. Taking advantage of a vulnerable girl who’s had enough terrible things happen.” He stands, swaying slightly, then steadies himself against the wall. “Franny will be able to explain all of this; we need to give her a chance.”

“I—”

“I gave you a chance. I came down here and subjected Franny to this. Now I want to take her home and discuss this with her privately.”

He pushes past me and out into the hall. He walks into the room next door, where Franny’s crying and struggling to get into her coat. Joshua takes her into his arms.

“It’s going to be okay, darling.”

“Joshua, Joshua, I didn’t . . .”

“Hush now, it’s okay. Don’t say anything more. We’ll discuss all this at home.”

Teo meets my eyes. He shakes his head. I shake mine back at him.

“Needless to say,” Joshua says to Teo, “I won’t be sitting for an interview.”

“I understand.”

“And we’ll be speaking to our lawyer to see what recourses we have.”

“That’s your right, of course.”

“You’ve done a terrible thing here.”

“I don’t see it that way.”

“Of course you don’t.”

“Just leave it, Teo,” I say. “He’s not going to listen to you.”

Franny looks up at me from where she’s been hiding her face in Joshua’s shoulder. “I thought you were my friend.”

“Friends don’t lie about who they are.”

“You’re such a hypocrite. You’ve been lying this whole time, too. I saw. I saw in Kaitlyn’s e-mails.”

Joshua pats her on the shoulder. “Let’s leave that now, Franny, all right? Let’s go home.”

“Yes, sorry. Of course I want to go home with you.”

“Good.”

He takes her by the hand and leads her out of the room. When we’re alone, I say to Teo, “Can you believe that?”

“I’m not that surprised, honestly. Franny’s very good at what she does. She has an explanation for everything.”

“She can’t explain away DNA.”

“Sure she can. She’ll just say the lab screwed up the results, that they mixed up the samples. It happens all the time.”