‘Please, call me Carole.’

‘OK, Carole,’ Leanne said. ‘Where were you?’

‘In the stalls, somewhere near the middle. I’m so glad our Rachel wasn’t with me. Can you imagine? Chances are, I wouldn’t be a grandmother right now,’ Carole said. She had her phone in her hand and the deep lines on her brow eased when she found what she was looking for. ‘Curtis Ethan Johnson. Seven pounds nine ounces. She waited such a long time for him. Forty-two she was.’

The phone was thrust towards Leanne and she obliged by scrolling through the photos while her mind placed Carole in the theatre that night. Carole was in the middle, Amelia to the left. She would have liked them to have been nearer. ‘He’s gorgeous,’ she said, handing back the phone. ‘Now, you were saying that you were in the stalls. Which exit did you use?’

‘Well, I headed for the one at the back.’

‘Why do you think most people ignored the side exits? Was the signage not good enough? Would you say the staff had been trained sufficiently?’

‘Oh, I don’t know. There was a lot of noise with the alarm, and no one stopped us from gathering up our belongings. I saw people carrying out tubs of popcorn. We thought we had all the time in the world.’ Carole rubbed her forehead. ‘There may have been calls to use the side exits, but I’m glad we were under the circle when the collapse happened. It shook the whole building. We were choking on the dust. Things got bad very quickly.’

‘Can you describe it?’ Leanne asked, wishing the knot in her stomach wouldn’t tighten every time she asked someone this question.

‘It was awful. Just awful. We were getting pushed this way and that, and I knew I had to find another way out or die trying. I’m not afraid to admit it, I thought I was done for. I remember telling myself, “That’s it, Carole, you’re never going to meet your grandchild.”’

‘But you managed to stay calm? Your daughter says you helped others,’ Leanne prompted. Carole’s modesty might be admirable, but it wasn’t going to make a particularly good story.

Carole blushed. ‘Like I said, we stuck together.’ Her voice was a whisper when she added, ‘It wasn’t the time to be alone, and yes, I suppose I helped along the way. I grabbed hold of one young woman and made sure we got out of there. I don’t know what came over me. It was grim determination, pure and simple. I had to live for Curtis, not that I knew he was a Curtis then, or a he for that matter. Our Rachel didn’t want to know beforehand.’

‘And who was the woman you helped?’