‘So you did have an affair with her?’

‘If you mean by that did she ever sleep with me, the answer is yes. If you’re really interested, so do lots of other women, though I can’t see what in the hell it has to do with you.’

‘Did you know she was a junkie – that she was main-lining on heroin?’

‘Good heavens, no.’

‘Not good enough. You didn’t even bother to look surprised.’ Miller shook his head. ‘You’re a liar.’

Something glowed deep in Vernon’s eyes. ‘Am I?’

Miller gripped the edge of the desk to keep his hands from shaking. ‘I know this girl, Vernon. The first time I clapped eyes on her, she was floating off the central quay two feet under the surface and yet I know more about her now than I do about my own sister. She was a sweet, shy girl, a little bit introverted, interested only in her work. To use an old-fashioned word for these times, she was a lady – a term that wouldn’t mean a damned thing to you in spite of Eton, Sandhurst and the Guards.’

‘Is that a fact now,’ Vernon said softly.

‘You’re from under a stone, Vernon, did you know that?’ Miller said. ‘Now let me tell you what really happened between you and Joanna Craig. She was brought to one of your parties by an old student friend and she must have looked as fresh as the flowers in spring compared to the usual rubbish you keep around. You wanted her, but she didn’t want you and that wasn’t good enough for the great Maxwell Vernon because what he wants he takes. You got her boozed up and gave her a fix and from then on she was hooked because she had to have one every day of the week and that meant coming to you – accepting your terms. That’s the terrible thing about addiction to heroin. There’s no degradation to which the victim won’t stoop to get the stuff and you must have been just about as low as she could get.’

Vernon’s face was white, the eyes burning. ‘Have you quite finished?’

‘I’ll let you know when I have. When you’d had enough, you threw her out and then last night she forced her way into your party to beg you to help her because she was going to have a baby. You laughed in her face, Vernon. You told her there was always the river and she took you at your word.’ Miller straightened up and took a deep breath. ‘I’m going to get you for that.’