Leanne had planned a remorseless campaign to secure an interview with Phillipa, but it had taken precisely one call. Leanne didn’t explain why she wanted a meeting, and Phillipa hadn’t asked. The hardest part had been agreeing a time in the day that didn’t provoke suspicion in Mal. She had only been back at work two days, and would rather her editor didn’t know exactly how hard she was prepared to push her investigations. Leanne’s next challenge was to remain civil long enough to persuade Phillipa to hand over a seating plan.
It was Phillipa’s husband, Robert, who greeted her at the door before leaving Leanne to wait in the library. It was all very grand, with wall-to-wall bookshelves that required a ladder to reach the uppermost tomes; a room befitting a mansion house set in grounds so vast it warranted a sweeping drive. Taking a seat in a Georgian armchair, Leanne tapped her fingers against the polished mahogany armrest. From the other side of the door, she heard the rattle of teacups. Her hand stilled.
Phillipa glided into the room wearing a satin wrap dress and open-toed shoes that revealed a perfect pedicure. Her auburn hair shone, and her make-up was immaculate, if not on the heavy side. Whatever Phillipa had gone through in the last year, her standards had not slipped. She nodded briefly at Leanne, before returning her attention to the silver tray, which she placed on a reading table next to a stack of newspapers.
Leanne had checked through the papers when she arrived, expecting to find copies of Horse and Hound amongst a collection of broadsheets, but the newspapers were all back issues of the Cheshire Courier. Somewhere in amongst those pages were photographs of Lois, and Leanne hated the idea that Phillipa had them in her archives. Since meeting Joe last weekend, she had been coming to terms with the possibility that a group of faceless company directors were ultimately responsible for the tragedy, but old habits were hard to break. She gripped the armrests hard enough to turn her knuckles white.
Phillipa perched herself on an armchair matching Leanne’s. She crossed her feet and tucked them under her chair before turning her body to face Leanne. She ignored the tray with the fine china tea service. Unlike Claudia, Phillipa hadn’t asked her guest if she preferred tea or coffee, how she took it, or even if she wanted a drink at all. She had taken it upon herself to dictate Leanne’s needs with an air of effortless sophistication and entitlement that Claudia could only emulate.
‘I think we’re ready to start,’ Phillipa said, with perfect poise and control.
Fumbling, Leanne grabbed her phone to open the voice recorder.
Phillipa looked down her nose at the contraption being pointed at her. ‘I’d prefer it if you didn’t record this.’
Leanne’s arm remained extended. Her breaths sharp and painful.
There was a lilt of amusement in Phillipa’s voice when she said, ‘Of course, if you insist, this is going to be a very short interview.’
Leanne waited a second or two, but it was a weak attempt at bravado. ‘Fine, I’ll keep it switched off, for now,’ she added as a warning. She tapped the screen and dropped her phone into her lap, all without rolling her eyes.
‘Well done. Now, I expect you’re wondering why I agreed to meet you,’ Phillipa began. ‘As you have no doubt realised, I have accepted everything the press and the public has thrown at me. Some have called the Empress Theatre my vanity project, and I wouldn’t disagree. It was, in many ways, a reflection of my personal aspirations.’
‘And now it’s a burnt-out ruin.’
Unflinching, Phillipa lifted her chin and stretched her neck. Her pose was meant to be superior, but the light coming from the sash windows emphasised dark shadows beneath her eyes that layers of make-up hadn’t dispelled completely.
‘I was willing to accept my punishment, whatever the findings produced, but two things have given me pause for thought. One of them is you. I take great exception to the ugly rumours you’ve been spreading about me.’
Leanne attempted to look puzzled for a moment. ‘Oh, sorry, do you mean what I said about your affair with Declan Gallagher?’ Her heart was hammering in her chest. She couldn’t tell yet if her previous attack had pierced Phillipa’s Achilles heel, or stabbed a hornets’ nest.
There was a spark of anger in Phillipa’s eyes that relit her features. ‘In the last twelve months, there is only one person who has stood by my side, one person who never doubted me, who made me believe that we could endure this, and that man is my husband. We’ve been married for almost twenty years and I would never cheat on him.’ She pointed towards the door that Robert had disappeared through earlier. ‘I adore that man and, while I can accept the attacks on my character, I won’t stand idly by and let you debase my marriage.’
‘You can’t blame me for—’
‘People like you think it’s a game. You tell one person and they pass it on to the next, then the next, until one day Karin Gallagher is screaming in my face. That was the second thing that happened. The final straw. I will not let this go unchallenged.’
If the sharpness of Phillipa’s tone was meant to penetrate Leanne’s cold heart, it didn’t work. ‘If Karin has a problem with you, it has nothing to do with me.’ Leanne’s lips curled into a snarl. ‘Quite frankly, I couldn’t care less about the state of your marriage. Maybe you did have an affair with Declan, maybe you didn’t. So what? Others might be interested to hear the ins and outs of your private life, but I’m not. That being said, if you’d like to save the Courier the cost of some ink by not circulating the gossip, I’m sure we can come to some arrangement. You might be able to help with other matters I’m investigating.’
Phillipa shook her head. ‘You don’t know me very well, do you, Leanne? I’m not the type to be manipulated. I asked you here because I thought it was simplest to cut out the poison at the source.’
‘You think I’m the one who started—’
‘Please, let’s not get into a debate,’ Phillipa interjected. She cleared her throat, adjusted her tone. ‘It seems that you’ve formed quite a bond with a friend of mine. Claudia Rothwell?’
Leanne kept her expression neutral. Even a cursory glance at the articles written in the last couple of months would make her look like Claudia’s personal champion. ‘I can appreciate how it would seem like that.’
‘And I suppose you talked about me in your cosy little chats, and Declan too,’ said Phillipa. ‘I’m disappointed that Claudia has gone on to repeat your vile claims to his sister, but that’s another matter. You must be very proud of yourself.’
‘Oh, please,’ Leanne said, rising to her feet. She couldn’t bear one more second of Phillipa’s company. She would find another way to obtain the information she needed. ‘If anyone has spread poison and misery in this town, it’s you. We’re all getting told to move on, well, move on, Mrs Montgomery. Go back to the South of France or whatever hole you choose to hide in. Sedgefield doesn’t want you. You’re a blemish in its history that needs to be expunged.’ Her voice trembled and she blinked hard. She wouldn’t let Phillipa see her tears.
Phillipa stood to face her. ‘Don’t make an enemy of me, Leanne,’ she warned. ‘I still have influence.’
‘Save your threats for someone who cares. If I had my way, I’d have nothing more to do with you and your nest of vipers. And that includes Claudia. You think I told her about your affair? It was the other way around. You’re malignant, the whole lot of you.’
Leanne slung her rucksack over her shoulder.
‘Wait. Please,’ Phillipa said. Her expression remained fixed, but the iron rod up her backside appeared to have buckled. ‘I know what you think of me, and I understand why. I’d feel exactly the same if I’d lost someone dear to me.’
Leanne stepped back, her calves knocking against the chair. ‘I don’t know what you mean.’
‘I made it my job to find out everything I could about those who died,’ Phillipa said, far too softly. ‘If I hadn’t taken it upon myself to renovate the theatre, it would still be hiding behind a row of dilapidated retail units, and Lois Granger would be living her best life, with her best friend.’
‘No, don’t you dare mention her name.’
‘I’m sorry for your loss, I truly am,’ Phillipa continued. She too had tears rimming her eyes. ‘I can’t change what happened, however much I’d like to try. Hate me if you must, but please, sit back down and let’s start again. I believe I’ve misjudged you.’
Leanne was torn between her desire to escape and her need to understand what was behind the sudden switch in her disposition. When Phillipa sat down, Leanne followed suit, but she kept her rucksack on her lap.
‘If it helps, I hate myself too,’ Phillipa began. ‘When the fire station was closed down, I was as worried as the rest of the town, but I could appreciate that efficiency savings had to be made. So one of the first things I did was to bring in an expert to check over the house and improve our fire safety.’
‘While the rest of us could burn.’
‘I put my family first, yes,’ Phillipa said, looking away briefly. For someone who objected to being shamed about an affair, she was content to pour shame on herself. ‘But I did make fire precaution a priority at the theatre too. Not that it was enough, but there you have it.’
‘Why are you telling me this?’
‘I simply wanted to apologise. My heart breaks for each and every one of the victims and, since I know you’re going to ask, that does include Declan. I worked with him for over two years, and I’d go as far as to say I liked him. He was attractive,’ she said, arching an eyebrow. ‘He was also very charming, but a bit too much of a charmer in my view. I could certainly understand why his wife divorced him. He wasn’t my type, Leanne, not by any stretch of the imagination.’
‘As I’ve already stated, I’m not interested.’
‘I realise that now, and I’m not above admitting I’ve made an error. When Declan’s sister came to see me, I managed to glean from her that her misinformation had come from Claudia. I connected the dots in a straight line back from Karin, to Claudia, to you. I see now that it was more a web with numerous strands, all connecting to our mutual friend. It would seem I underestimated Claudia Rothwell.’
‘I know how that feels,’ Leanne admitted.
‘I had thought you were her biggest fan.’
Leanne followed Phillipa’s gaze to the stack of newspapers. ‘I had her down as the reluctant hero. Not any more.’
‘She is quite a character, isn’t she? She tried so very hard to fit in after marrying Justin. Whenever we met, it was obvious she had done her homework, dressing in a way to compliment my style, exploring interests she knew I was passionate about, turning up in places she knew I frequented. I don’t mean to sound like a snob, and my reticence about Claudia has nothing to do with her background. It was simply that everything she did felt contrived.’
Leanne thought back to their first interview. Claudia had gone out of her way to appear relatable, right down to the instant coffee and Custard Creams.
‘I never felt as if I got to know the real Claudia,’ Phillipa continued, ‘but I’d say she’s starting to reveal her true colours now. She’s enjoying her elevated status, and I’ve reached the conclusion that she thinks she can keep it by undermining me.’
‘And that would be why Claudia made up this story about you and Declan?’
‘I’m pleased to hear you calling it a story,’ Phillipa said. She tipped her head towards the silver tray. ‘Now, how do you like your tea?’
Leanne dropped her rucksack on the floor. Her lips were parched, so she allowed Phillipa to play hostess. They had reached a truce of sorts if only because they shared a common adversary.
‘Would it be possible for you to do me a favour, Mrs Montgomery?’ Leanne asked, balancing her teacup on the saucer.
‘I’d certainly consider it.’
‘There’s a story in the Courier that I believe has been misreported. As you can imagine, not every witness I’ve spoken to has been as reliable as I would like,’ she said. She wouldn’t share specifics, but she hoped Phillipa would read between the lines. ‘It would help enormously if I had a better understanding of who was sitting where in the theatre. I noticed from the public inquiry that you were able to provide the investigators with seat locations for the victims. Would you have the whole picture?’
‘I’m afraid it would have been the theatre company who provided that information, but I’m still in contact with some of the staff. From what I gather, they looked at payment transactions, so the information won’t be complete. Customers would have bought groups of tickets, and there were cash sales too.’
‘And complimentary tickets.’
‘Absolutely,’ replied Phillipa with a curious smile.
‘Could you obtain a seating plan for me?’
‘It would be a breach of data protection,’ she replied, appearing to dismiss the request out of hand. ‘So if you do happen to receive one, it couldn’t have come from me.’
‘I’ll bear that in mind.’
Leanne drained her cup and, as she placed it on the silver tray, she noticed the papers again. ‘Have you read Amelia Parker’s story?’
‘It’s very hard to avoid it.’
‘Someone mentioned that Ronson Construction had merchandise that was very similar to the key ring torch Amelia describes.’
‘They gave away anything one could stamp with a logo,’ Phillipa said with a shrug, but then her expression changed. ‘Actually, yes, I do remember those.’
‘You don’t happen to have one, do you?’
‘Do you honestly think I’d collect that kind of rubbish?’
‘No, I don’t imagine someone like you would,’ Leanne said. It was the last hint she would drop. She had shared as much as she could. ‘I think that’s it then. Thank you for your time.’
Leanne hadn’t been obliged to take off her footwear on entering the house, so when Phillipa showed her to the door, there was no awkward wait for her to lace up her boots. ‘Will you be at home for a while?’ she asked, her parting question.
‘It won’t be my home for much longer. The house is about to go on the market and we have our eye on something just outside Wilmslow. My intention is to remain until we have everything packed up and ready to go.’
‘You’re leaving Sedgefield for good?’ Leanne said, surprised that the prospect didn’t provide the level of glee she would have expected.
‘I’d say it’s for the best, wouldn’t you?’ Phillipa asked. ‘And I’m sure there will be someone to fill the breach.’