My kid's first Contour (Zetec) always ran between the "a" and the "l" (closer to the "l"). It used to freak her out, she was always thinking that it was going to overheat.
The WP, thermostat and radiator were changed as was the coolant so I'm not sure of the reason.
She's much happier now that she has a V6 because it doesn't run as hot.
