Zipping up her coat, Leanne was getting ready to patrol the block, when two figures appeared from the direction of the apartments. One wore a woollen scarf that seemed too heavy for her hunched frame, and the other a padded jacket and mustard beret.

Leanne locked the car and slipped through the narrow pedestrian entrance next to the main gates. She didn’t run in case she drew attention to herself, but she walked fast enough to reach the Peugeot at the same time that its indicators flashed and the doors unlocked.

‘Please, can we talk?’ Leanne said before either woman had a chance to react to her arrival.

Beth stepped in front of Karin. ‘Leave us alone,’ she hissed.

Leanne stepped away from the car, signalling to Beth that she didn’t want to be considered a threat. Her new position also gave her a better view of Declan’s sister. She hadn’t met Karin before, and her first impression was that she looked nothing like the pre-disaster photos the Courier had acquired. Her dark hair hung limply around her face and disappeared beneath the folds of her multi-coloured scarf. Her eyes were also multi-coloured; bloodshot with purple shadows beneath.

‘Who are you?’ Karin asked, holding on to her girlfriend’s arm.

‘She’s no one,’ Beth said.

‘I’m a reporter with—’

‘I’ve been advised not to talk to you,’ Karin said before Leanne could finish.

‘I work for the Courier. My name is Leanne Pitman and—’

Beth was opening the passenger door. ‘It’s OK, I’ll handle this.’

Red blotches had bled into Karin’s cheeks, but it was impossible to tell if it was from the cold or growing anxiety. ‘You wrote about the wee girl.’

‘Amelia?’ asked Leanne. ‘Yes, do you remember her? You would have been sitting a few rows behind.’

‘Stop!’ Beth said. ‘The last thing she needs is someone forcing her to relive stuff she’s better off forgetting.’

‘I’m sorry,’ Leanne said as she watched Karin get into the car.

Beth was about to close the car door when Karin popped her head back out. ‘She’s OK, isn’t she? I thought she was dead.’

‘She’s fine.’

The door closed and Beth rested her hands on the car roof, her head bowed as if she didn’t have the strength to turn to face Leanne again. After a couple of breaths, she twisted around.

‘Whatever you want from us, we’ve got nothing left to give.’

‘I’ve found the woman you were sitting next to at the theatre.’

‘So fucking what?’

‘I thought you might want to know. Her name is Carole Brody.’