Squeezing her eyes shut, Leanne refused to follow Claudia’s instructions to remember those they had lost. She chose instead to think about the people who had caused this misery, and what she would like to do to them. She listened to the sobs echoing across Victoria Park and, when the first notes of ‘Ave Maria’ filled the air, she turned back to Phillipa. She wanted to witness her adversary’s conscience breaking her completely, but she had already scuttled away. Leanne took her notebook from her rucksack and scribbled the quote as best she could recall. ‘Phillipa Montgomery dared to show her face at the memorial service and said, “I know what part I played and I accept the consequences.”’

As Leanne made her way backstage to the performers’ tent, she caught a glimpse of Claudia prowling in the wings. She hadn’t strayed far from the spotlight all night and was clapping along to a local band who had written a song especially for the occasion. It was one of the last acts, chosen specifically to lift the mood and ensure that the people of Sedgefield left the park with hope in their hearts. Leanne wasn’t ready to be uplifted. She had a job to do.

‘Are we all set?’ Frankie asked when Leanne caught up with her in a quiet corner that would be perfect for their covert operation.

Leanne had her phone in her hand. ‘I’ve just shared my location with Amelia’s mum so she can track us down. They’re on their way over, and all we need now is for our main attraction to fall into the trap.’

‘It’s not a trap,’ Frankie reminded her. ‘As far as we’re concerned, it’ll be a happy coincidence that Claudia and Amelia are reunited.’

‘If you say so,’ Leanne replied. This hadn’t been her idea. Mal was getting jumpy, convinced another media outlet would beat them to this one-off opportunity.

Frankie caught Leanne staring off towards the stage and Claudia. ‘Don’t look so worried. If you ask me, Claudia’s loving being centre of attention, and she’ll get loads of mileage out of this. She’s nothing like I expected. I know you said she had a case of imposter syndrome, but I can’t see it from where I’m standing. She’s a hard one to figure out.’

‘What you see isn’t always what you get,’ Leanne said, repeating the phrase Claudia’s friend, Kim, had used to describe her. Claudia had many layers, and Leanne was still working out where the real Claudia started and the imposter began. ‘She told me it was never her intention to fill Phillipa’s shoes, but she’s having a good go at trying them on for size. Speaking of Phillipa …’ There was a mischievous glint in her eye.

‘She’s not about to close the show, is she?’ Frankie said, laughing.

‘No, but she was here.’