‘The accounts of him racing into the building are unverified. What if it wasn’t him? What if Declan Gallagher was in the Empress from the start? He could have been working late and, funnily enough, the only parts of the building still under construction were the function rooms on the first floor. What if he wasn’t simply responsible for the fire through negligence? What if he’d been working late and actually caused it?’

‘And what if that’s an assumption too far?’ Mal said, mimicking her. ‘Even if we accept that he was in the building before the fire started, it doesn’t necessarily follow that he set the place alight. We may not know what caused the electrical fault or how the fire spread, but it was an electrical fault, the fire service have said as much.’

‘And, as we all know, Declan is an electrician,’ countered Leanne.

‘It could explain why there’s confusion over his injuries in relation to where his body was found,’ offered Frankie.

Mal shot her a look. He had instructed Frankie not to mention this little nugget of information in front of Leanne, but when he noticed Leanne failing to react, he shook his head. ‘Do either of you ever listen to a word I say?’

‘I’m not disputing that Declan cared for his sister,’ said Leanne. ‘In fact, Carole Brody’s account confirms that he did, but if he had been at home, he would have gone straight to the stalls. To my mind, the only explanation for him being upstairs is that he was already there.’

Mal unfolded his arms. ‘You’re forgetting that the evidential hearings established that the fire started in the roof space.’

‘And that’s where the electricians fed all the wiring. They would need to work up there to access the trunking,’ replied Leanne. She was leaning forward in her seat now. ‘The project was behind schedule and I bet Phillipa was on Declan’s back for not having it completed in time for her grand opening. I heard a rumour he was worried about the quality of the work.’ She chose not to mention how Declan had been using his sister as a spy. Mal didn’t need to know she had spoken to Beth. ‘He could have been burning the candle at both ends. Pressure like that can lead to mistakes.’

‘I’m not saying you haven’t got something, but you’re basing all this supposition on the recollections of someone who was, by her own admission, terrified of not getting out alive.’

‘You can’t use that to dismiss what Carole Brody saw and heard.’

‘That may be so, but I stand by what I’ve said before. We wait for the public inquiry to draw its own conclusions.’

‘And what if it’s a whitewash?’