Mal refused to give up. ‘There are untold stories out there, accounts of survivors being helped by strangers. There’s one that has real potential. Remember the young girl who was buried in the rubble – Amelia Parker? The family tracked down the man who carried her out, but someone else had passed her to him. A mystery woman covered in dust. She was the one who dug Amelia out of the rubble and saved her life, but so far, she hasn’t been recognised for her heroism.’

‘And you want me to find her?’

‘You’re a good journalist when you want to be. Tap into the emotion I know you feel behind all that anger.’

‘As you’ve just pointed out, my emotions are irrelevant,’ she replied. ‘I wasn’t there.’

‘And neither was I, but I want you to write a piece that places the reader inside the theatre that night. Let us celebrate the best in humanity, not the worst. Hell, if you manage to find Amelia’s hero, I can guarantee it will make the front page, and not just in the Courier. You could make a name for yourself.’

‘Trying to get rid of me?’

‘No, I’m trying to make you a better journalist.’

Leanne rose to her feet without bothering with a response. She was heading for the door when Mal said, ‘Oh, and I want you to cover the plans for the memorial service.’

‘Whatever.’

‘You’ll need to speak to Claudia Rothwell. She’s the one whose charity is putting it all together. Do you need her details?’

‘I know who she is,’ Leanne said, making sure she had turned away fully before Mal could see the glint in her eyes. The battle for justice would go on, and if her editor wanted facts to substantiate her accusations, what better place to start than with one of Phillipa Montgomery’s sycophantic friends? Leanne would take down Phillipa’s tight network of supporters, one bored housewife at a time.

2

It was raining when Leanne pulled up in front of a gleaming set of electronic gates in her battered Ford Fiesta. A ten-foot wall enclosed the property and, although it wasn’t far from Sedgefield town centre, there were enough surrounding woods and hedgerows to make it feel like it was in the middle of the countryside. The three-storey new-build contained five luxury apartments, and the penthouse occupying the entire top floor belonged to Claudia Rothwell.

There was an intercom set into the wall next to the gates, but Leanne figured Claudia would have a good view of arrivals and could surely let her in without making it necessary to get out of the car to use the buzzer. Mal had made the arrangements for the interview, and Leanne was not only expected, she was on time. She waited patiently. The gates remained firmly sealed.