It was seeing the handprint on her coat that had made Claudia realise she couldn’t walk away. The fire wasn’t going to be contained. Mrs Clarke wasn’t going to be rescued. People were going to die. The only question left was had she done enough to protect herself from the fallout? No, not nearly enough.
As Claudia shouldered people out of the way, she locked eyes fleetingly with a woman coming from the other direction. Declan had shown her photos of Beth with Karin, but this woman was a replica of every other person streaming past, dazed and covered in a grey film of dust. There was no inkling that this brief encounter would change the course of Claudia’s life. The stitch in her side was easing and she believed she was indestructible.
She needed to find Declan. If the fire was as big a catastrophe as she feared, this was her last opportunity to speak to him before he was placed under the media spotlight. She wouldn’t be able to get near him afterwards, not without risking the discovery of their affair, but the biggest risk was Declan himself. He might be good at keeping secrets, but he was under the misapprehension that their secret was ready to be brought into the light. Over her dead body.
Ahead of Claudia, a group of stragglers came out from the stalls and she expected to see Declan amongst them. He ought to be coming out by now, but as she passed a deserted stairway, she realised why he hadn’t. Before disappearing into the theatre, Declan had turned to look back. He had heard the boy crying for his dance teacher. The idiot had gone upstairs to find Hilary.
Declan Gallagher’s overriding need as he raced towards the theatre had been to make sure Karin was safe, but as he drew closer, the true scale of the horror had dawned on him. He wanted to make sure everyone was safe and he couldn’t ignore the little boy’s pleas. Hilary Clarke was a legend and if she was trapped, he wouldn’t abandon her.
As he reached the top of the stairs and entered the circle, he had his first glimpse of the dense cloud of smoke above his head. It flared briefly and his heart filled with dread. It seemed like only seconds ago that he had been lying in bed imagining a future for him and Claudia. He had wanted her to realise he wasn’t afraid of commitment and responsibility. What would she think of him now? What did he think of himself?
Choking on the acrid air, Declan circled the site of the collapse. Despite the gloom, he could see where the front of the circle had been partly destroyed. He clambered over debris to get nearer the edge. He needed to look over onto the stalls even though he was terrified of what he might see.
Finding a section to the right of the collapse that looked relatively secure, he gripped the brass handrail and leant forward. Where once there had been neat rows of red velvet seats, there was devastation and chaos. Worst of all, there were people still down there.
‘Karin!’ he screamed. ‘Karin, are you there?’
He saw movement almost directly below him. It was a woman, but she hadn’t looked up. Whoever she was, she wasn’t Karin and didn’t appear to need help, so Declan turned his attention back to the circle. Luck must have been on his side because as he moved away, a large piece of masonry fell from the ceiling and glanced off the balcony roughly where he had been standing. He was about to look back down into the stalls, but something caught his eye, and he was spared the sight of Lena Kowalski’s body. She had died instantaneously. Across the rows of the circle, on the outer edge of the collapse site, he spotted an arm protruding from the rubble.
Hilary Clarke’s slight figure was hidden beneath a mound of debris with only one shoulder and arm protruding. Her white hair was covered in the same thick layer of dust that covered her face. Her eyes flickered open when Declan took her hand.
‘Hilary? I’m going to get you out.’
She smiled. ‘I suspect it’s too late, but not to worry. I don’t feel any pain – and I can’t tell you how many years it’s been since I could say that.’
Declan fought the urge to ignore Hilary and start digging her out, but she was so calm. He couldn’t do anything to save her. She knew it and so did he. ‘I’m so sorry.’
‘Don’t be sorry, be better.’
‘I am trying,’ he said, before searching for something to say that might prove as much. ‘I found out recently I’m going to be a dad again.’
‘Then you have something to live for.’
Declan gripped her hand tighter still. ‘Tell me what I can do to help?’
‘Stay with me. I don’t want to be alone.’
‘I’m not going anywhere,’ he promised, just as a hand clamped on his shoulder. He turned with a jolt. ‘Christ, Claudia! You shouldn’t be here!’
‘Neither should you.’
Claudia was out of breath again after climbing the stairs, and her lungs were desperate for clean air. Her coat collar was pulled across her mouth, and wasn’t much of a face mask, but at least it hid her scowl. Surely Declan could see that the dance teacher was beyond help.
‘I have to stay,’ Declan said, drawing his gaze back to the dying woman. ‘This is Hilary. Hilary, this is the mother of my child.’
Claudia’s jaw clenched. Declan really didn’t care who he told. He had become a liability.
‘Did my students make it out?’ Hilary asked.
‘They’re safe,’ Claudia said, before demanding Declan’s attention again. ‘Shouldn’t you be looking for Karin?’
‘I’m sure she’ll be heading out the front with all the others. She has to be,’ he said. ‘This is where I’m needed. Christ, where’s the emergency services?’
‘They’ll need time to make everything safe.’
Declan was shaking his head. ‘It’ll be too late.’
He had kept his voice low, but Hilary had heard him. ‘There really is nothing to be done for me,’ she said, her voice drifting. ‘It was quite some show, don’t you think?’
Forced to wait, Claudia edged closer to the crumbling balcony. There were a handful of people heading for a side exit, but the rest of the stalls looked to be deserted, until she saw a figure the colour of dust pulling what looked like a child’s body from the rubble. Claudia was mesmerised by the sight of what she presumed to be a corpse being handed over to someone else. If they were the child’s parents, she was confused when the mother didn’t follow the man out.
As the figure turned, she looked up, and Claudia dipped behind the shattered balcony. The theatre was full of noise, but she heard a name being carried above the useless cry of the alarm. Someone was calling for Declan and there was only one person it could be.
Remaining low, Claudia clambered back to Declan. ‘We should go.’
Declan wasn’t listening. ‘It’s OK, I’m still here,’ he said to Hilary. He had her hand clasped tightly in his, but the dance teacher’s long, white fingers had uncurled and were extended in a grim ballet pose.
‘She’s dead, Declan.’
‘I know.’
‘And so will we be if you don’t let her go,’ Claudia said impatiently. She should mention Karin, but it would be another distraction. ‘Please, you have to listen to me.’
Declan placed Hilary’s hand down gently. ‘How many other people have died tonight?’ he asked. ‘If it turns out it’s my fault, I’m not sure I could live with myself.’
‘You can go back to Ireland, start again.’
Standing up, Declan moved towards her. ‘I couldn’t go without you,’ he said, taking her hand. ‘I need you, Claude. We have to stay together.’
Claudia forgot about the fire raging above her head. The real danger lay directly in front of her and, when Declan went to lead her away, Claudia pulled her hand free and shook her head. She stepped back. No.
‘It’ll be OK,’ he promised.
‘No, it won’t!’ Claudia yelled at him. She backed away until she was dangerously close to the exposed edge of the balcony and the void beyond.
‘Jesus, watch what you’re doing!’ Declan cried out.
Claudia held his gaze as she took another step in the wrong direction.
As Declan lunged towards her, time slowed enough for Claudia to consider every possible outcome. She could simply fall back and bring this torture to an end; she could let Declan save her and commit herself to a life of purgatory; or she could step to the side.
Declan wasn’t expecting Claudia to twist her body as he made a grab to save her. He misjudged his step and lost balance. As he began to flail, Claudia reached out a hand. It was pure instinct.