Ed looks over at Reuben to continue the introduction but the director isn’t paying attention, instead, he’s gawping at the top of the stairs at the back of the room.

‘Sorry I’m late,’ says the detached voice of a man I cannot see.

‘Don’t be silly, love,’ replies Julia, ‘we’ve only just started. There is a seat right here with your name on it,’ she says to the man with a smile, pointing to a seat in the middle of the front row.

His footsteps on the polished wooden floor echo around the small room as he makes his way up the aisle.

He reaches his seat as Julia begins speaking again, and spends a minute removing his coat and scarf, and placing them carefully in front of his seat. All the while, Reuben hasn’t looked away from the man once, and for good reason. The man taking his seat in the front row, directly in front of the director, is none other than Rory Knox.

Julia continues to address the audience and informs them of the running order of the evening, oblivious to the mounting tension in the room. Reuben has now broken eye contact with Rory and is looking at his shoes. Jay is staring at Rory who still has his eyes firmly fixed on the director.

I’m not sure if Ed has noticed what is happening, or whether he is trying to carry on with the show for Reuben’s sake, but he has taken over from Julia and is currently regaling the crowd with an anecdote about his writing process.

There are small pockets of laughter, but I’m not sure why because I can’t focus on his words. All of my attention is focussed on the unfolding situation. When he finishes, Julia turns to Reuben but before she can speak, she is interrupted.

‘I’ve got a question,’ states Rory.

Julia looks put out. ‘There’s a Q and A at the end, love, can it wait until then?’

‘It won’t take long,’ he replies, turning from her to the director. ‘Reuben, why did you kill my fiancée, Anna Symons?’

There is a collective gasp in the room. People in the audience glance at each other, but no one utters a word for fear of missing a second of the drama.

Reuben though, looks calm, like he expected this question from the moment Rory walked in.

‘I didn’t kill her,’ he says, evenly. ‘It’s true that I was with her on the night she died. Not by my design though. She showed up at the same bar that Ed and I were in. Purely coincidental. She got very drunk and, for her own safety, I took her to a hotel and paid for her to stay the night. I’m very sorry for your loss, Rory, I truly am, but I am not the guilty party. Now, if you are here to derail the evening, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.’

Rory rises from his seat and takes a step towards Reuben, shaking his head. ‘Ask me to leave?’ he spits, ‘I bought my ticket, I’ve got as much right to be here as everyone else. You admitted to fucking her all those years ago, now be a man and admit to killing her.’