He laughed, but it rapidly turned into a cough that went on for the best part of half a minute.

‘If you quit,’ Leonard said eventually, ‘how come I keep seeing your bloody name and photo every time I open a newspaper these days?’

‘You know what they say,’ Dee said. ‘Once a hack, always a hack.’

‘You telling me you want to talk to me about a story?’ Leonard said.

‘Maybe,’ Dee said. ‘What do you say?’

She had to wait for his answer while he broke off to cough some more.

‘Can’t shake this bloody cough,’ he said. ‘Doctor told me it would get better if I gave up the fags, but she’s a fool. It’s got worse since I stopped.’

‘You stopped smoking?’ Dee was impressed. The only time she’d seen Leonard without a cigarette in his mouth was during his girlfriend’s funeral. Even then, he’d lit one up the moment the service ended.

‘I always promised Roxanne I’d stop,’ he said. ‘Never kept the promise while she was alive. The least I can do is keep it now. Just hope she’s watching over me so she knows I did it eventually.’

‘Good for you,’ Dee said.

‘Maybe. Fags and booze were two of the few pleasures I had left. Now it’s just the booze. Been drinking like a bastard since I gave up the fags. Can’t seem to help myself. Speaking of which, you said something about buying me a pint?’

‘If you can spare me some time?’

‘Time’s all I’ve got these days, love. Too much of it. Just tell me where and when, and I’ll be there.’

After checking out of her room, Dee spent the morning in the hotel lobby, working on her book. By early afternoon, she’d achieved her daily word count and was ready for a break. Which was good because she was meeting Leonard at the Town of Ramsgate in just under an hour. Gathering up her bags, Dee left the hotel and allowed one of the uniformed doormen to help her into a waiting taxi.

There was a different person working behind the bar today, a woman in her mid-twenties with multiple piercings and short hair dyed bright blue. Dee ordered a glass of white wine for herself and a pint of London Pride for Leonard.

It was too early for the post-work drinkers, and the woman behind the bar seemed more than happy to chat.

‘How long have you been in the UK?’ Dee asked, picking up on her strong Australian accent.

‘Couple of months,’ the woman said. ‘Saving to continue my travels. Another nine months and then I’m back home to Oz. I finished uni last summer and haven’t been able to work out what to do with the rest of my life. So I’ve done the classic Aussie thing of travelling while I get my head sorted.’