Page 33 of High Season
“I mean, ofcourseyou’re not going to tell me,” she says. “But you have to ask, you know? You can’tnotask the question.”
Josie bends down to unzip her backpack.
“OK, OK. We’ll revisit that one later,” Katherine is saying cheerily.
Josie straightens.
“Here,” she says. She drops a cardboard file on the table. It’s so thick, so stuffed with papers, that it falls with a satisfying thud that silences Katherine.
“The case file,” Josie says. “That’s what you wanted, right?”
“Josie.” Katherine looks like the only thing stopping her from whisking the file up from the table immediately is Gabby approaching with her double espresso. “My god. Youstar. You’re the only person who can request most of this stuff, but even then we weren’t sure they’d grant access to all of it.”
“It’s all there,” Josie said. “Everything they’d give me, at least. I looked through it. It’s mostly boring legal stuff, but I’m sure there’s something you can use.”
“Of course, of course. I’m sure there’ll be plenty we can sink our teeth into. We’ll get it copied today and get this back to you.”
Josie zips her backpack up with one decisive motion.
“It’s fine,” she says. “You can keep it. I don’t want it.”
“You don’t—?”
“No.”
Josie stands.
“Enjoy your coffee.”
She almost delights in the panic that flashes in Katherine’s eyes.
“But—I thought we could set up your first interview? Or at least have a chat through what information you might be able to offer us about—”
“I said I’d help,” Josie says. “And I got you the case files. I didn’t say that I’d be interviewed. Or talk about the case, for that matter.”
“But Josie.” Katherine has flushed an unflattering shade of pink. Her coffee remains untouched in front of her. She forces out a strained-sounding laugh. “You’re our star interviewee! This documentary could be so good for you. It could change people’s opinion of you. Convince them of your innocence.”
“I think it might be difficult to do that,” says Josie, “when the people making the documentary aren’t convinced of my innocence themselves.”
A look of horror dawns on Katherine’s face.
“Is this because I asked if you did it?” she says. “Josie? I was only asking a silly question. Of course I think you’re innocent! But I have toask. The evidence against you was so compelling.”
“Right, yeah,” says Josie. “You don’t have to tell me. I spent ten years in prison on the basis of that evidence. Clearly someone found itcompelling.”
“Josie. Let’s start again. Please. We can talk this through.”
Josie shifts the now empty backpack onto her shoulders.
“It’s all there in the file,” she says. “Everything. You don’t need me, telling the same story all over again.”
“But Josie—”
Josie doesn’t wait to listen to her. She has already turned to leave.
“Josie, please,” Katherine calls after her. “Let’s just talk!”
Josie turns back then, pausing with one hand on the door.
