‘Hi, Karin, sorry for disturbing you,’ she said, forcing a smile to lift her voice and disguise her anxiety. ‘I hope you’re feeling OK after last night. I’m not sure how much you remember, but I’m here if you need to talk. There’s no pressure.’ She winced at the lie. Her smile forgotten. ‘I know it’s tough, but like I said to you last night, please, don’t let anyone tell you what you should remember. Accept your memories as your truth. Trust them. Trust me.’

She cut the call before she could scream down the phone, ‘And whatever you do, do not trust Claudia Rothwell!’ She hoped that was obvious, and if it wasn’t to Karin, then it would be to Beth, but when Leanne tried her number, it went through to voicemail too. This message was shorter and to the point. She told Beth that Karin had phoned and left it to her to decide what that might mean.

Aware that she had a deadline to meet, Leanne made herself comfortable on the futon and opened up a blank page on her laptop.

They say you can’t rewrite history, but I’m about to try. Claudia Rothwell is not who we thought she was. The image she projects is the product of not one lie, but many, and I apologise for being amongst those who helped create a false icon. Our search for justice is a search for the truth. Here is the truth as I know it.

Leanne stared at her words. It was going to be tough convincing the Courier’s readers that despite being wrong before, she was right this time. Would they believe her? At that moment, it would be enough if she could convince only Karin and Beth. When her phone rang, she crossed her fingers.

‘What did you say to Karin?’ Beth demanded.

‘I told her that she might not be as confused as we all thought. The memories she has of Amelia are real. I showed Amelia a pendant similar to the one Karin wore and she recognised it straight away. There’s no doubt in my mind that after you and Karin became separated in the fire, she ended up with Amelia. She saved her, Beth. It wasn’t Claudia.’

‘The pendant’s gone.’

‘And you and Karin had an argument about it. You don’t trust Claudia either, do you?’

‘What you said hurt. She didn’t pay us for our silence. We needed help, we still do, but that doesn’t mean we can be bought.’

‘I’m sorry if I offended you,’ Leanne said. ‘I was frustrated because I was beginning to see what no one else could. Heroes can be victims too.’

‘Karin really saved Amelia?’

‘Yes.’