‘But you would expect her to know if she’d ever owned a key ring like that.’ He put down his mug and saw things more clearly. ‘You think she’s lying?’

‘When I interviewed Rex – he’s the bloke who carried Amelia out of the theatre – he described someone with bloodied hands and torn fingernails. He was quite graphic about it, and yet the paramedic who treated Claudia says she didn’t have a scratch on her. Even her husband says she lost a couple of false nails, but that was it.’

‘Which means someone else saved Amelia, and Claudia just came along and took the credit. Jesus,’ he said, with a mixture of disbelief and disgust.

‘It would explain why she was so adamant about not meeting Amelia. We had to set up the reunion as a surprise, and now I wish we hadn’t.’

Joe sat back in his seat and looked around the busy café. ‘It’s sickening how much we’ve been hailing her as a hero. I take it you’re writing a piece to expose her?’

‘Oh, I’d love to, but if I’m going to take down Claudia, I need irrefutable proof. Unfortunately, Rex isn’t a reliable witness, and I’m going to have to find someone else who is.’

‘Will this help?’ Joe asked, returning his gaze to the seating plan.

‘Maybe. That’s why I asked you over. I need a second pair of eyes.’

While Leanne explained what she needed, Joe repositioned himself next to her so they could work together transferring the information to the seating plan. By the time Leanne had crossed off the final entry on the spreadsheet, their coffee cups were empty and the plate of toast no more than a puddle of melted butter and a sprinkling of crumbs.

‘Are you two ready for a refill?’ Dianne asked as she cleared the table.

Leanne was surprised to see that they were the only customers left. She turned to Joe. ‘Are you staying?’

‘I’ll have another cup if you’re having one.’

‘Two more coffees, please, Di,’ said Leanne.

When they returned their concentration to the seating plan, Joe asked, ‘What next?’

‘Good question.’

They had been working methodically, and Leanne had avoided getting sidetracked by the emerging picture until the job was done. ‘I need to see who was sitting close to Amelia Parker,’ she said, searching the names that Joe had written down while she called out the seat references. ‘Where is she?’

Joe pointed to the left-hand side of the plan. ‘Row F, seats 9 and 10.’

Leanne examined the other names in that row and was surprised to find Rex Russell’s. It was interesting, but added nothing to her current lines of inquiry. ‘Where’s Claudia?’

‘Row I, seats 8 and 9,’ Joe replied, moving his finger three rows back. She had been sitting almost directly behind Amelia.