‘So you would refute that you left surfing because your reputation was tarnished after the incident with Cory Allbright at Pipe Masters?’

‘Yes. It was time to move on.’

‘Tell me about your history with Cory. Most people don’t realize you were good friends once.’

He didn’t reply for a moment. She had dangled a carrot and he knew it – an opportunity to give another perspective on a story everyone believed they already knew. To her amazement, he took it.

‘He was one of my best mates. Once I went pro, at fourteen, we basically toured the world together. We’d share hotel rooms to save money. Hang out together.’

‘You were best man at his wedding to Mia.’

He shifted in his seat, looking openly uncomfortable. ‘That’s right. I was there the night they met.’

‘You’re godfather to his oldest son.’

He nodded. His fingers, interlaced, were blanched slightly at the knuckles.

‘So what went wrong between you?’

‘. . . Who says it did?’

‘Everyone’s seen the footage of that final at Peniche. They can see the body language between you on the beach beforehand; even paddling out, you looked to be scrapping . . . You were cutting in on his lines; you kept blocking his runs, running down the clock. Why?’

‘To win.’ He shrugged, as though it was obvious.

‘But you couldn’t.’

‘Couldn’t I?’

‘He was leading the heat and the league. He had ten thousand points. You had seven thousand eight hundred. He only needed one more good run to win that event and secure the world title.’

‘And if he didn’t get the good run, it would push the world title back to Pipe Masters.’

‘You couldn’t have caught him up. You would have needed straight tens at all events.’

‘Then I’d have been going for straight tens.’ He shrugged.

‘You were coming back from injury,’ she pointed out. ‘You were off-form.’

‘Yeah. All of that – and I was still placing second. It’s never over till it’s over. Cory knew that.’

She stared at him, seeing the arrogance in his eyes. ‘And would he have done what you did, if he’d been in your shoes?’

A sour smile sat on his lips. ‘Oh yeah. Cory tried to do a lot of things in my shoes. He was a fighter.’

‘When did his friendship become so meaningless to you that his safety was something you could just toss away . . . for a win?’