‘We were crossing the auditorium to reach the side exit. Bits of ceiling were still falling here and there, and I kept looking up, expecting to be buried alive at any minute. Even through the gloom, I could see up to the circle. It looked half destroyed, but thankfully it was empty. Except for him.’

‘Wait, are you saying Declan was upstairs?’

‘I only saw a glimpse, but I’m guessing I was one of the last to see him alive,’ she said, opening the front door. ‘I feel awful saying it, but it’s probably for the best that he didn’t make it out. If it had been me who killed all of those people, I wouldn’t have wanted to live.’

After saying goodbye to Carole, Leanne came to a stop on the pavement outside. Her thoughts were spinning. Although there were vague reports of someone who might have been Declan arriving at the theatre, Mrs Brody was the first witness to have seen him inside the Empress, placing him where no one expected to find him. What the hell was he doing up in the circle?

As she searched for an answer, Leanne looked up and down the road. The figure of a man caught her attention. He had been leaning against a wall, but straightened when he saw Leanne. He had his phone in his hand and shoved it into his pocket as he strode towards her. Joe had tracked her down.

Leanne’s car was parked at the kerb, but she had to walk towards Joe to get to it. Thankfully, she was nearer, but she lost valuable seconds rooting around in her rucksack for her keys. Her fingers clasped the car fob and, without looking up, she unlocked the car and got behind the wheel. Joe appeared in her peripheral vision and, as she turned the ignition and hit the central locking mechanism, a man’s hand slapped against the window.

‘Leanne! I just want to talk!’

Keeping her gaze fixed straight ahead, Leanne pulled away from the kerb. She didn’t look in her rear-view mirror. She wouldn’t look back.

8

Leanne stood behind Mal with her arms folded as she glared at his computer screen. The latest edition of the Courier had been published that morning and they could now concentrate on the mock-up of next week’s commemorative issue. It was going to be published just four days before the first anniversary of the fire.