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‘Eighteen minutes is eighteen minutes, Vance,’ Robin countered, grinning. ‘And as for the salsa dancing, we were practically Torvill and Dean.’

‘Torvill and Dean danced on ice,’ Sienna noted primly.

‘There was ice, believe me,’ Robin shot back. She was having far too much fun. She needed to stop it. Enjoying herself with Sienna Vance had never led anywhere good.

‘And the cottage evening?’ Carrie asked.

‘The cottage was bloody freezing,’ Robin noted.

‘But we warmed it up,’ Sienna said. And then her neck flushed a telltale pink.

Robin decided to focus on Carrie. Much less chance of thinking about kissing her neck.

‘And as for the dates with other people… Well, neither of those went anywhere. Total non-starters,’ Robin said quickly.

‘Complete dead ends,’ Sienna agreed quietly. ‘Though I believe they’re still together.’

‘Really?!’ Robin asked, accidentally looking at Sienna. ‘How do you know that?’

‘Saw them going round Sainsbury’s together,’ Sienna said mildly.

‘I guess opposites attract,’ Robin said.

Sienna’s neck was even pinker now. And Robin’s neck was feeling distinctly warm too. At this rate, everyone was going to melt their own throats.

Carrie let out a low, amused hum. ‘So, you survived the dungeon, the salsa, the freezing cottage, and the third-party dates. Which brings us to the actual turning point.’ Carrie’s eyes sharpened as she looked between them. ‘Let’s talk about the polygraph episode. Who decided that biometric interrogation was a sensible addition to a podcast?’

‘It might have been the producer, Dora Jenks. But Gemma Bates definitely had a hand in it,’ Robin explained.

‘It was a pseudo-scientific ambush,’ Sienna added, her voice tightening. ‘Polygraphs are completely unreliable. Google the subject, you’ll find plenty of evidence. The whole thing was a cheap, exploitative gimmick.’

‘Robin? Do you feel the same?’ Carrie asked her.

Robin nodded. ‘Sure. I’d go along with that.’

Robin laced her fingers together on the tabletop, her gaze dropping down to her knuckles. This was it. They were gonna talk about that terrible day.

Fifty-Six

Across the table, Carrie sat back, resting her hands loosely over her iPad as Sienna shifted slightly in her seat, readying herself for what she knew was coming.

Remember your lines.

‘Now,’ Carrie said. ‘It would be very easy to jump straight to the climax. The shouting, the walkout... But before we talk about Robin leaving the room, I’d like to focus on the lead-up. Sienna, how did you approach the exercise?’

Sienna smiled. ‘My approach was simple. Stick to verifiable, technical facts.’

‘It was very skilled,’ Robin chimed in, offering Carrie an easy grin. ‘She was playing it at its own game.’

‘I wasn’t gaming it, Robin,’ Sienna said with a glance at her. ‘I was trying to strip it of its power. The entire environment was designed to trigger anxiety. Zoe Moore wasn’t just asking questions. She was asking questions calculated to produce a bodily response. The sensors weren’t measuring truth; they were measuring stress.’

Robin leaned in. ‘Translation: They were on the windup from the get-go.’

Sienna let a chuckle slip out and glanced at Robin. Robin looked back, her dimples making a brief appearance. Sienna was thrilled no one was measuring her pulse at that moment.

Carrie nodded. ‘So, you’re saying they were making the telemetry spike on purpose?’

‘Precisely,’ Sienna nodded, adjusting her position in her chair, feeling the firm ground beneath her regain its stability.