Leanne didn’t slow, and thumped against the opposite side of the Peugeot. She made her target jump, but Beth wasn’t frightened, she was angry and moved to open the car door.

‘Wait, please,’ gasped Leanne. ‘You don’t have to say anything, just hear me out.’

Beth glowered at Leanne over the roof of the car, but at least she waited.

‘Right,’ Leanne said, catching her breath. ‘The thing is, I know you must be fed up of the press by now, but I’m not looking to dish the dirt on Karin or her brother, if that’s what you’re worried about.’ She held Beth’s gaze with what she hoped was a genuine look of sincerity rather than an engineered one. ‘Like I mentioned before, I work for the Courier, which has been running stories to mark the anniversary of the fire.’

‘I wouldn’t know. We stopped reading the gutter press ages ago.’

Despite the hostility, Leanne took a breath and relaxed into it. Beth had offered information voluntarily. It was progress of sorts. ‘We want to celebrate the heroes and honour those who died. We want stories about ordinary people who did extraordinary things,’ she said, quoting the phrase Mal had used on her more than once.

From her rucksack, Leanne pulled out Saturday’s edition. She had planned to post it with a note if today’s attempt at contact had failed. She handed it across the roof to Beth.

Beth scanned the front page that featured both of Leanne’s articles. She looked as though she was still reading when she said, ‘What do you want from me?’

‘To hear your story, Beth. You were there too, weren’t you? How many people have asked what it was like for you?’

Beth’s eyes were cold against the sunlight. ‘I didn’t do anything remarkable.’

Leanne rested her elbows on the car roof. ‘You wouldn’t believe how many people I’ve spoken to who have said the exact same thing,’ she said softly.

In Leanne’s experience, if you talked to someone for long enough, they would eventually find a way to be the hero of their own story. She had seen it happen before, whether it was a pile-up on the M56, or a bake sale at the local church, and Beth would be no different. Not that Leanne was interested in hearing what part she had played during the Empress fire, she simply needed to keep Beth talking.

‘I know you got out, but your flatmate didn’t fare so well,’ Leanne continued. ‘And I have to say, some of the most heart-wrenching stories I’ve heard have been where friends and families had become separated. I take it you and Karin are close?’