Page 81 of High Season
“Well… it’s just… the question about whether I remembered what happened to Tamara? I thought we’d talk about that a bit more? I thought that that might be—you know. Quite a big thing. That it’d be a sort of turning point. After all, I’m basically saying there’s a good chance Josie Jackson didn’t do it. Isn’t that something we should focus on a bit more?”
Katherine is inspecting the ingredients on the back of a protein bar wrapper.
“Well,” she says. “Do you know whatdidhappen to Tamara?”
“Well, no,” Nina says. “Like I said. I don’t remember.”
“Mmhmm,” Katherine says. “You see our problem?”
“I…” Nina trails off.
“The thing is, Nina.” Katherine begins to unwrap the protein bar. “That this isn’t exactly new evidence, you understand? Sure, you don’t remembernow. And don’t get me wrong, that’s incredibly interesting. It gives our viewers something to think about. But if I was watching at home? Well, I’d be asking myself what’s more reliable. Do I believe the testimony of someone—albeit a little kid—who says that they saw exactly what happened—and their memory is fresh, right? They saw it happen literally a couple of days before they speak out.”
She breaks off a piece of the protein bar.
“Or do I believe that same kid, twenty years later, who says that they don’t remember anymore? Not that they remember that they made the whole thing up, or that they know what really happened. But that they simply don’t rememberanythinganymore.”
She places the small, compact square of ultra-processed nuts and chocolate into her mouth.
“Honestly, I’d believe the little kid,” she says between chews. “I don’t remember my first day at school, or the day my dad left, but that doesn’t mean it didn’thappen. It doesn’t mean I didn’t know about it, and understand it, and remember it at the time. You see?”
She swallows noisily.
“And anyway,” she continues. “We have afantasticneurologist, all lined up. He’s going to give us some great material about false memories, and how trauma can lead to us blocking things out. All that good stuff. What you said wasbrilliant. I can just see it now. You saying you don’t remember, and then cutting straight to Dr. Edmonson to explain why you don’t remember something now that you remembered so vividly at the time. It’ll all flow together brilliantly. All very thought-provoking, for our viewers.”
“So it doesn’t matter?” says Nina. Her voice comes out faint. She feels, suddenly, very far away from this woman. Almost like she isn’t in the room at all. “It doesn’t matter that I’ve… that I’veconfessed?”
Katherine laughs then.
“Oh, sweetheart,” she says. “You have nothing to confess to! You’re just telling us your side of the story, as you remember it. Nobody expectssomeone to remember exactly what happened, all that time ago. We have the case file for that.”
She stuffs the remainder of the protein bar into her handbag, pats it conspiratorially.
“I’ll need my energy later!” she says. “And between you and me?”
She winks at Nina, an exaggerated flutter of her eyelash extensions.
“I think that Josie Jackson is guilty as hell.”
NEW VIDEO
@TRUECRIMEFANGIRL_2002
POSTED TODAY AT 15:22
Hey, true crime babies, and welcome back to my series on the Tamara Drayton case. I am still here, still on the beautiful Azure Coast, as they call it, and we are starting filming really, really soon. But in the meantime I’ve been doing some serious snooping. In fact, yesterday, I actually went and took a look at the pink house, and you bet your girl went and knocked right on that door. There was no answer, sadly, but hey, you gotta try, right?
But on top of that, I’m going to be dropping some huge, really juicy information soon. Now this is a super big deal, and I’m not allowed to talk about it yet, but let’s just say that I got access to Josie Jackson’s case file yesterday and oh my god—I can’t wait to share some of the new information that’s inside. Like, this shit isn’t even public yet. It’s gonna be big. Give me a follow to make sure that when I post about it, you don’t miss out.
I have to wrap this up, but keep investigating, keep asking questions, and keep talking about this case, guys, because we are getting justice in real time. You love to see it.
Drewpow: Noooo you cannot leave us hanging like this!!
Claireflowers: R.I.P. Tamara Drayton. You would have loved Truecrimetok.
TWENTY-SEVEN
2004
