‘What are you talking about, Chris? What are you even –?’

‘Have you abused our children?’

‘Chris, please,’ Sarah said, frowning.

Zac looked shocked. ‘I don’t know how you could –’

‘It’s yes or no, Zac. Their school knows you’re a danger to them. Child Protection is actively investigating you with a view to prosecution and will be contacting you in a couple of days. We’ve told the kids they can’t be with you under any circumstances ever again.’

Tears – he was on the ropes. ‘What do you think I’ve done with your children? I mean, Chris, come on. Sarah?’

‘You can keep going with the act or you can be honest with us,’ I said.

‘What have I done to your children, Chris?’

‘You tell me.’

Sarah leant forwards. I turned, shot her a glance, needed her to stay put, just for a while.

Zac’s glasses were in his left hand, the right wiping his eyes. ‘You’re accusing me of …’

Sarah – no. Her elbows on the table. ‘Zac, look, I don’t think you –’

‘Have you abused our kids?’

‘Chris,’ he said.

‘You’ve lied about everything else, so please, at least tell me the truth about this.’

‘I haven’t lied about everything. If I’m defensive it’s because there are certain things you’ve brought up that I’ve not been completely honest about.’

‘Like your masters?’

Glasses back on, reaching for another cigarette. He lit it, exhaled. ‘That’s correct.’

‘So why tell everyone that you’re doing it?’

‘So that I don’t look like the dropkick I am with no job and no prospects. And no job, by the way, because of a wrongful conviction and sentence I served in Loddon prison.’

‘Your job at Natural Opulence?’

He was cracking, finally. ‘That was a lie, Chris, yes. I didn’t work at Natural Opulence. But I did work at one of their subsidiaries … Can I just ask what you hope to achieve with this mad investigation?’

‘I want to know who you are and what the fuck you’ve been doing with my family.’

He shrugged. ‘So … Ask me more questions, and I’ll answer them honestly.’

‘Why are you lying?’

‘Why isn’t a question, Chris. I don’t have any kind of nefarious reason.’

‘Are you a sociopath?’

‘No, Chris, I am not a sociopath.’

I sat back, stared at him.

‘It’s the ongoing nature of it all,’ Sarah said. ‘We feel like we don’t know who you are.’

‘Fine,’ he said, blowing smoke to the side. ‘I understand that.’

Sarah’s hands on the table. ‘The reasons we liked you and welcomed you into our family had nothing to do with your job. I don’t give a flying monkeys about that stuff. It was about you – just the time we spent with you. This has caused me a huge amount of anxiety.’