‘I didn’t mean like that,’ Leanne said. She was surprised that tears had sprung to her eyes. ‘You’re not the only one who wished they’d died in the fire. I lost someone too, my best friend, Lois. She was everything I wanted to be. She was the nicest person I ever knew. She could walk into a room full of strangers and leave having made friends for life. I felt so special because she called me her best friend, and when she died, I was a nobody again.’

The outpouring came from nowhere and took Leanne by surprise. She was huddled beneath the covers in an otherwise empty boat, in the middle of the night, in the middle of nowhere, and she understood exactly how alone Karin felt. There had been times when she had thought she wouldn’t make it, but she had, and she wanted to believe it had been for a purpose. Karin might be part of that purpose, and Leanne wasn’t going to lose her now.

‘I want to make things better, for me and for you,’ she said, sharpening her words to pierce the silence on the other end of the phone. She strained her ears and picked up the faintest of breaths. ‘Please, Karin. Talk to me.’

‘I’m sorry your friend died.’

‘I didn’t tell you so you’d feel sorry for me. I just wanted you to know that you’re not the only one who wonders if it should have been them who died. If you need me to come over and sit with you, I promise, I’ll leave my notepad at home.’

‘It’s OK. I’m drunk, but I’m not about to do anything stupid. I just want all the noise in my head to stop.’

‘Is that why you’ve been phoning me? Do you think I can help?’

‘You’re the only one who’s still looking for answers.’

‘I am, and I’m getting closer to the truth,’ Leanne promised. Karin’s call had reminded her that this wasn’t simply a story to be written and shared. The characters were real, and what had happened to them would affect the rest of their lives. She wasn’t going to give up on them, not ever. ‘I’m here to listen whenever you’re ready.’

‘I don’t think I’ll ever be ready. My mind’s broken, and what memories I have can’t be trusted.’

‘I wouldn’t be too sure about that. We can work with whatever fragments you have left of that night.’ Wanting to give Karin hope, she added, ‘A while ago Beth said you had dreams about seeing Declan.’

‘Sure, I still get them, but they’re mixed up with other things.’