‘He’s –’ I felt that constriction in my throat again; I swallowed hard. ‘He’s vanished. It’s probably nothing. He’s probably just harassing next door’s poodle.’ I wished I believed that.

‘Right. Well, Blake’s been in the cells all night. No access to a phone or a dog.’ He was almost brusque. ‘Anything else I should know about?’

‘I’m not sure.’

‘Maggie –’

I snapped the phone shut and rushed into the green room to retrieve my coat and bag. Renee stalked past me, head in the air, followed by an extremely obsequious Charlie.

‘But you look wonderful in red, my darling,’ he was saying. A knowing little smile attempted to cross Renee’s Botoxed face. ‘You’re not going, are you?’ he muttered at me.

‘Looks that way.’

Fay popped her head round the door. ‘Hi all.’ She pattered into the room, wrapped in fluffy blue angora like a little Persian kitten. Her new hair made her look even more ravishing than before, like a gorgeous street urchin. I stared at her jumper. I was sure I’d had one like that once.

‘Maggie, darling, are you all right? I was so worried yesterday.’ She put a hand up to stroke my head and I flinched. ‘Oh goodness, I’m sorry. Is it that painful?’

‘So what exactly have you come to talk about today on this great show?’ I gazed at her, almost fascinated by how much she repelled me now. ‘On this fine display of human culture.’

Charlie coughed loudly.

‘I’m going to talk about my newfound fame and how splitting up –’

‘Dumping,’ I corrected.

‘Splitting up’, she smiled at me with pity, ‘with my boyfriend was both extremely painful and also fortuitous. I never would have achieved what I have recently if I’d stayed with him. He was too controlling. You want to take a leaf out of my book, Maggie. Don’t be answerable to men.’

‘Right. Well, good luck.’ I backed out of the room.

‘Oh, aren’t you staying?’ Like she cared. Renee was bearing down on her like some hulking great carrion crow as I escaped.

Charlie followed me into the corridor.

‘This show can run itself, Charlie. I don’t really care any more. I loathe all this so much …’ I gestured to the falsely smiling celebrities whose pictures lined the walls, at the crocodile of over-excited guests being led into the studio now. ‘You promised me a change and I haven’t got it, so I’m going.’

‘I’ll stick to my promise,’ Charlie said stiffly. ‘Even though what you did in June was unforgivable.’ We glared at each other like gun-slingers in the dirt, trying to assess who’d be fast enough to fire that final fatal shot.