‘Okay,’ said Emily, and she was reminded of how much she disliked that conversational tic, saying okay. ‘What do you think the media and the official reports got wrong about the Third of April? Is there something they missed?’

Popescu closed his eyes, as if trying to remember some distant detail, and Emily waited through these waves of thought.

He said: ‘With Henry, there was enough discussion about his mental health, and his access to firearms, and the fact he was not well socialised. The Daily Telegraph ran a story about Henry being bullied for a time at school. He was a disturbed man, yes. You read the psych report: he was diagnosed with schizophrenia in his late teens, but later there was disagreement about the diagnosis. Another doctor found he suffered from severe depression. But if you ask me, what was not properly addressed was his extreme sense of entitlement.’

‘Entitlement to what?’

‘To everything he wanted. Henry was reacting to a perceived slight when he planned and committed the murders. On the day of the shooting he visited Lucky at home and asked for a job. After Lucky said no, Henry went to the restaurant and shot up the place. He wasn’t desperate for work; he already had a part-time job with a demolition crew. But he felt entitled to a position at Lucky’s.’

‘Have you studied psychology?’ asked Emily, and Popescu looked at her like this was a personal question.

‘No, but I have plenty of experience with psychologists and psychiatrists, believe me.’

‘Okay, so according to the coroner, when Henry visited Lucky’s home a few minutes before the shooting he was only delaying what he was going to do. The gun was likely in his car already.’

‘Yes, some shooters set up a distraction that will soon be exhausted. It’s their way of playing with the world, of asserting their power. Henry devised a brief meeting that would likely convince him to go through with his plan. It wasn’t the first time he’d asked Lucky for a job. He knew what Lucky would say. I believe Henry saw himself as a victim of the world. He believed other people, all of us, treated him unfairly.’

‘What makes you think this?’