Dani cringed and shut her eyes for a few seconds. It was one thing having to deal with her problems, but having the whole world watching her… Why was she even putting herself through this?

Maybe she should walk out of the shop, go home, pack her bags and head off to the deepest, most remote countryside and grow potatoes or something.

When she opened her eyes again it felt as though all eyes in the store were on her. Like everyone had seen the newspaper and knew who she was. Like they were judging her, talking about her, trying to decide if she was a mental case like her brother or not.

With the walls closing in, and Dani’s heart pummelling her ribs, she moved up to the coffee machine and pressed the button for a black americano, adding an extra shot for good measure, even though she was sure the extra caffeine was probably not what she really needed. She was shakily putting the lid onto the paper cup when she felt someone moving up behind her. Dani half-turned.

‘I’m so sorry,’ the woman said. ‘I didn’t mean to startle you.’

‘That’s fine,’ Dani said, only giving the blonde woman a cursory glance. Whoever she was, Dani didn’t really want to engage.

‘I thought I recognised you from the paper,’ the woman said. ‘You’re Danielle Stephens, aren’t you?’

‘Yes,’ Dani said, moving away from the woman and the machine. She needed air.

‘I—’

‘Why don’t you just buy the damn paper?’ Dani said, voice raised. ‘I’m sure that’ll tell you everything you need to know about me.’

Dani carried on her way, not looking back to see the reaction on the woman’s face. She moved over to the self-scan tills, keeping her head down. The shop felt stifling; she needed to be outside. She swiped her card against the pad then strode for the exit, avoiding eye contact with anyone else.

Only when she was out in the cool morning, taking deep lungfuls of autumn air, did it strike Dani that maybe she’d just blown a potential lead. The whole idea of the press conference, after all, was to obtain information related to the murder. What if the woman who’d approached her knew something? She could be another friend of the victim or a witness of some sort. And Dani had been more concerned about her own public image than bringing a murderer to justice.

Too late now. As Dani glanced around, and back into the shop, she didn’t even know which of the many people in sight it had been. Banishing the thought that she’d messed up, Dani continued outside and turned left to head the short distance to HQ. The entrance was in sight when her phone rang. She lifted it from her pocket. Easton.

‘You need to get over here right away,’ he said.

‘What is it?’