In the short time it had taken for Cloudy Eye to leave, the police had got everyone under control and the crowd had begun dispersing.

Zara made a beeline for Jack. Getting within a couple of metres of him, she was about to call his name when he looked at her with wide eyes and a small shake of his head.

She stopped. Had he just warned her off? He’s undercover, she suddenly realised. What’s going on with this group to warrant putting a cop undercover? Not wanting to put him in any danger, she turned, feeling a trickle of fear in her stomach. Be safe, Jack, she thought, and went in search of Sophie.

She was in deep conversation with a woman Zara didn’t recognise.

‘Sophie? Would you talk to me about what you’re doing here today?’ Zara asked when she was close enough.

Sophie glanced at the woman as if looking for permission. ‘I guess so.’

‘We’ll both talk to you,’ the woman said. ‘I’m Kristen. Today’s sort of rally isn’t how we usually go about things.’ She gave a rueful smile and shrugged. ‘But I guess these things happen. Everyone has been getting a bit restless of late.’

‘Do you mind if I record our chat?’

‘That’s fine.’

Getting out her phone, Zara quickly ran through some questions in her mind and jotted a couple of them on paper.

‘Okay, I’m recording an interview on the …’ She gave the date and time, then asked Sophie and Kristen to state their names, ages and occupations.

‘Can you tell me about Voices for Animals? What you stand for and how you achieve it?’

Kristen began, ‘We’re an organisation that has been active for about ten years. We felt there was a need to get information out to the public about farming and the way animals are treated on farms. We believe in open and transparent industries and that people have a right to know how their food is farmed and gets to their plate. If it’s cruel, then it shouldn’t be allowed.’

‘Sophie, let me ask you why you’re here today supporting this cause.’

‘Sure. I lost my dad in an accident earlier this year, as you know. At first I decided I didn’t want to have anything to do with rallies, because my dad was killed while he was protesting. However, I’ve since thought his death shouldn’t be in vain—he was fighting for something he raised me to believe in, so I needed to get involved in what I’m passionate about, which is animals—all sorts of animals, not just farming ones. So,’ she shrugged her shoulders, ‘here I am.’

‘And you say that you’re a non-violent organisation. How do you make sure of that?’