He grinned broadly and asked her if she’d like a tour. She noticed that he stared at her sunglasses but she kept them on. She agreed and tried hard to take great interest in everything David told her. He informed her of upcoming trips, classes for novices, taster sessions and where they climbed. In the end, she agreed to have a half hour taster with him, and he told her he was free now. She signed some paperwork and followed him to a large hall where noise assaulted her. She stopped and held her head. In the entrance, the light flooding from the ceiling had soothed her, but now, with the echo and acoustics of the vast hall, and the shouting from children being taught a physical sport, she had to stop and breathe deeply.

‘Are you all right?’ David asked.

‘Yes. I think I’ve got a migraine coming. Would you mind if we did this another time? I’m so sorry.’

‘That’s why you wear sunglasses? I understand now. Of course. My sister gets migraines, they’re awful.’

‘I’m so sorry.’ She left the hall and went through the reception area, back into the car park where she’d parked. She sat on a wall and took deep breaths. Sweat gathered at her temples, and she searched her bag for a bottle of water and gulped it deeply. The noise in her head settled down and she was able to see more clearly. She had what she came for after all: all she needed was dates and times of sessions and events, and she’d find him; she was confident of that. She got up and straightened her jacket, and walked back to her van.

Before she’d driven five minutes down the road, her head began with its analysis: images of people milling about the centre, a man in the coffee shop, the woman buying a helmet, and David, all accosted her. How had they behaved towards her? Were any of them like her? Did she recognise any of them as visitors? Did one of them watch her suspiciously? She went through the series of questions one by one, eliminating them all. She felt like an imposter: a different species in the skin of another. Her mind threw up a cacophony of scenarios – none of them to her liking.