Despite her certainty that Claudia Rothwell had taken the credit for someone else’s heroic deed, Leanne wanted to be proven wrong, but as she watched Claudia’s complexion pale, her heart sank. The reaction was exactly as one might expect from someone who had been caught out on a big, fat lie.
Amelia’s reaction was off too, and Leanne was waiting for her to look straight past Claudia and ask when the woman who rescued her was getting there. It was so surreal that Leanne had to stop herself from releasing a nervous laugh. She wasn’t entirely sure she succeeded.
‘Hello,’ Claudia said at last.
‘Hello,’ said Amelia.
The awkwardness continued as the girl and her so-called hero waited to see who blinked first. Leanne shared a look with Frankie. Amelia had shown up before Leanne had been able to explain what was going on to her colleague, but Frankie must realise something was amiss.
When Leanne thought she couldn’t stand the suspense a second longer, Claudia clasped both hands over her mouth to suppress a sob. She dropped to a crouch, her eyes welling up. ‘Oh, Amelia. Sweetheart. You look so well. I don’t think my heart can stand it.’
‘I was covered in dirt last time,’ Amelia conceded. She had pressed her body against her mother’s side, a handmade card clutched in her hand. She made no move to approach. ‘Is it really you?’
No, it bloody isn’t! Leanne wanted to scream. She had considered calling the whole charade off, but she needed Amelia to confirm her suspicions. She wanted reassurance that she wasn’t going mad.
‘It’s me,’ Claudia said, as a single tear spilled down her cheek.
There were tears in Amelia’s eyes too, and even Frankie gave a sniff. Working the crowd, Claudia spread her arms wide. Amelia let out a sob and raced into her embrace. There was a collective gasp, and a sigh of relief from Henry; he had his money shot. Only Leanne remained unmoved.
‘We’ve spent the last year not knowing who we owed for saving our girl,’ explained Kathryn. She had a crumpled tissue in her hand and blew her nose. ‘It doesn’t seem enough, but thank you, Claudia. Thank you.’
Claudia had cupped Amelia’s face in her hands. ‘It was Amelia’s determination to get back to you as much as anything. I did what I could.’
‘Do you remember the light?’ asked Amelia.
‘Oh, sweetheart,’ Claudia said. ‘All I remember is you. I was scared you weren’t going to make it. You were such a fighter.’
‘What light?’ asked Leanne, unwilling to gloss over the finer details that would make or break Claudia’s claims.
‘The torch. She gave me a torch.’
‘She’s never mentioned it before,’ Kathryn said, in response to Leanne’s quizzical look. To her daughter she added, ‘Are you remembering something new, love?’
Amelia’s brow furrowed. ‘I think so. Claudia gave it to me to hold while she dug me out. I was crying.’
‘Could it have been a light from a phone?’ suggested her mum.
‘No, it was a proper one.’
‘You didn’t mention a torch,’ Leanne said casually to Claudia.
Ignoring the question, Claudia stood up to check her husband’s reaction to the unfolding scene. It was a reminder to them all that whilst Kathryn had her daughter, the Rothwell’s remained childless. Claudia gave Justin’s hand a squeeze.
‘The torch?’ Leanne asked again. Claudia’s misdirection had bought her time, but she wasn’t going to evade the question completely.
Claudia’s sigh had a hint of exasperation. ‘I’m a bit like Amelia. I remember snapshots, and it’s hard to put everything in order.’ She glanced at Frankie’s phone, trained on their little group. ‘All the ushers had torches.’
‘No, it was a little one,’ Amelia said. ‘It was on a key ring.’
Claudia’s expression was fixed. There was a smile of sorts. ‘And do you remember what I said to you?’ she asked. ‘I told you to keep it safe. I told you it was going to lead us out.’
‘Yes, you kept talking to me,’ Amelia said eagerly. ‘What else did you say?’
Claudia’s smile broadened. ‘I said you were very brave. I said you were going to see your mum again very soon.’
Amelia turned to her mum. ‘She did. I kept closing my eyes, but she was still there when I opened them again.’
‘I couldn’t leave you,’ Claudia replied, her words thick with emotion.
Leanne lowered her head. She didn’t believe any of it, but without Amelia’s corroboration, she wasn’t sure she had enough to publicly accuse Claudia of being an imposter, not without putting her professional neck on the line.
‘Here,’ said Amelia, handing Claudia the card she had been holding. ‘I made this for you.’
Amelia had written Claudia’s name on the envelope with a red felt-tip pen. The Courier’s readers would find it sweet that she had misspelled her hero’s name – and the reunion piece would undoubtedly be published, Leanne would never be able to convince Mal otherwise.
The card pulled from the envelope was just as saccharin, with a hand-drawn heart on the front enclosing two figures, one adult and one child-sized. There was a lengthy message inside and, as they waited for Claudia to finish reading it, Leanne made one last stab at uncovering the truth.
‘What happened to the torch, Amelia?’
The girl shrugged. ‘I gave it back.’
‘Do you still have it, Claudia? Where did it come from?’
Claudia pressed herself against her husband, apparently needing his support to keep her upright. ‘I carry all kinds of junk in my bag,’ she admitted. ‘You never know when it’s going to come in handy, and I guess I was right. I’ve no idea where it went.’
‘I could draw you a picture,’ Amelia said.
Claudia stifled a yawn. ‘Maybe another time,’ she replied. ‘I still have a few more interviews with the press before I can go home, but it was lovely meeting you again.’
‘Can we have some photos of both families?’ Henry suggested. When he noticed Leanne slinking away, he added, ‘And you too. Mal wanted one with you in the group.’
‘I don’t think so.’
‘Oh, come on, Leanne,’ said Claudia. ‘After everything you’ve done, it wouldn’t be complete without you.’
Leanne was minded to repeat her refusal, but she was forced into the huddle. Slipping behind Justin, she hoped to be lost in the background, but he noticed and stepped to the side. When Henry was satisfied with the pose, Leanne was standing with a hand resting on Amelia’s shoulder, and Claudia’s arm was around her waist. It was too much. Leanne couldn’t leave without saying something, so as the group disbanded, she pulled Claudia into a tight hug.
‘I know it wasn’t you,’ Leanne hissed quietly into her ear.
Claudia wouldn’t be shocked for a second time. She matched the force of Leanne’s embrace. ‘You know nothing about me.’