‘This is about Amber, isn’t it?’ he says.

‘Yes.’

‘Is it … what’s the word they use … “triggering”? Has it stirred stuff up? Because you were doing so well. You were off at Cannes, conquering the world.’

‘I had a panic attack on the beach, Adam.’

‘You were managing all right. Mostly. So what changed? And how do we get you some help so we can get you past it?’

‘I was the woman in the kitchen. At Matthew’s house. I went there to deliver a present. I was there. I saw them. I’m the person she asked to come forward, and I haven’t done that. And I think it’s a problem for me. I mean, I think I know it’s a problem for me.’

Adam sits back, taking his hands away from hers. He’s a smart guy. Becky can almost see him crunching this new information, trying to make the best plan for them.

‘This will be OK,’ he says.

‘What should I do?’

‘Can you be sure of what you saw?’

‘No.’

‘So you’re not much help to her as a witness. I don’t mean that nastily. I just mean in practical terms, in terms of a possible prosecution, you not coming forward wouldn’t change much. Given you’re not even sure what you saw.’

‘But she asked for that person to come forward.’

‘I know that. We’re just trying to weigh it all up, Becks. The other thing is, you’ve denied it was you, haven’t you?’

‘I didn’t really mean to do that.’

‘All the same, you’re in the papers as denying being “the woman in the kitchen” or whatever they tried calling it. And you’ve definitely given quotes to journalists since then about what a good guy Matthew is. How do you get around that? On top of which it’s been quite a while since she appealed for that witness to come forward. If you do that now, it’ll look really bad. The papers will tear you apart for not coming forward immediately.’

Becky doesn’t respond. What is there to say?

‘And Medea?’

‘It’d be over.’

‘So on the one hand you’ve got stepping forward, which won’t make the blindest bit of difference as to whether Matthew gets convicted or not. Plus you don’t even know what you saw so what would you be trying to say? And then on the other hand you have getting to make your film, and not becoming a hate figure in the press for covering for your boss instead of coming forward immediately?’ He weighs up the choices with the palms of both hands.

‘I know, I know,’ she says, though she doesn’t quite feel it. ‘Do you think I’m a bad person?’

‘No, I don’t. Not at all. This is about Matthew and Amber. Nobody else.’

‘I can’t live with myself.’