Page 16 of High Season
“That sounds completely perfect.”
They go to the balcony that leads out from the master bedroom.
Even now, at the age of twenty-five, Nina feels that there is something delicious and rebellious about sitting there. They were never allowed when they were children. Evelyn always insisted that she needed something just for herself. Herself, and whichever boyfriend she had hauled along for the summer. Nina hadn’t even known the balcony existed until she was sixteen and Blake had shown her where the key was hidden, the two of them sneaking up when their mother was out for the evening. Nina still remembers the strangeness of it, the discordance in something so new, so unfamiliar, having been here all along.
Blake places down a bottle of wine and two glasses, pouring them both generous measures.
“I thought she’d given up,” Nina says, nodding to another overflowing ashtray abandoned on the low table between them.
“Ah, right,” says Blake. “You haven’t seen her since she was with Jonas.”
“She broke up with Jonas?”
“Jonas broke up withher, to be totally accurate. Think her polo club membership was cramping his style.”
“Good. His homemade kombucha was terrible.”
“Vile. Who brews their own kombucha?”
“Unemployed men in their forties, I suppose.”
“Jonas was in his forties?”
“Yep.”
“He looked good for it.”
“Maybe there actually was something in the whole paleo thing.”
They both raise their glasses and take large slugs of wine. From below, Nina hears Evelyn’s voice, Sandra’s response.
“Do you really think we should ignore it?” Nina says. “This documentary? Or were you just saying that in front of Mum?”
Blake takes a moment to answer. His gaze is fixed out on the sea beyond them, burnished by the late afternoon light.
“I think Mum’s probably right,” Blake says at last, slowly, as if he’s considering this even as he speaks. “People have always talked about the case. People have always said things. And these documentary makers? Unless they say they have any new information, what good can it do us? What’s done is done, Nina. Nothing can change that.”
“You didn’t read the email, did you?”
“I skimmed it,” Blake says, with a small shrug. “You know I’m always getting people emailing me about the case. Most of them are nutters, to be honest—”
“But this is different,” Nina cuts him off. “Blake. I think you should read it.”
For a moment her brother doesn’t speak.
“Fine,” he says. “Show me.”
Nina pulls out her phone, even though she could recite every word at this point. That there’s been a popular online miniseries about the Tamara Drayton case, from a well-known true crime influencer who has blown up on TikTok. Aslew of new tips and informationhas emerged in its wake. The serendipitous timing—here, the producer almost seemed giddy—with the twentieth anniversary of Tamara Drayton’s death.
We’ve asked the host of the TikTok series if they’d like to front the documentary and we’re delighted to say that they’veaccepted. We’ve also been in touch with a number of sources close to the case, and many individuals wish to come forward to share their side of the story, in the wake of the renewed interest. But what we’re still looking for is a member of the Drayton family who is willing to speak out about what happened that summer. And we believe that you—Nina Drayton—are the missing piece to the puzzle.
Twenty years ago, you became the youngest-ever witness in a French murder case. We believe that the trial was flawed, and that someone so young should never have been able to testify. Whether you agree with this premise or not, we feel that it’s important for you to have the opportunity to share your truth. What do you remember about your sister’s death, and the resulting trial? Do you, as someone with firsthand experience, think that a five-year-old is a reliable witness?
We know you’ve never spoken out about your role in this life-altering case. But we feel now could be the perfect time. If Josie Jackson is innocent, as a growing number of people believe, you could be the only one who knows the truth.
Nina watches as Blake scans the message. As he reaches the end, he shrugs.
“So?” he says. “Just like I said. No new evidence. Nothing of merit. Trying to pretend that they’re on your side, that they’ve got your best interest at heart, when all they really want is to drag our family through the mud again. Just like the rest of them.”
