‘So you moved out here as a kid then?’ he says in his breezy Irish lilt.

‘Yes,’ I say. ‘When I was six, we moved to the city for my dad’s work and I’ve been here ever since.’

‘What did your dad do, then?’

‘He was a professor.’

‘They didn’t need professors where you’d come from?’ I keep his gaze. I show I’m still in control, even if he’s asking me the questions.

‘Well, they did, but he got a head of department role down here at a university.’

‘Those bastards,’ he says, with a grin. ‘Nothing against your old man, but it was a head of department that booted me.’

It’s healthy that he can laugh about it. Most young men would respond with more anger. ‘Do you blame the head of department for what happened?’

‘No, not him. I blame myself. I did it, no one else. I could have done something different to earn a little money.’

‘The papers you wrote all earned As.’

‘They did, you’ve done your homework.’ Not homework: it was in the email from Adam Limbargo, the man who referred him on. I met Adam at university over twenty years ago, and he’s still there lecturing in Anthropology. I’ve always felt like I’ve owed him a favour. He was a year or two older, but he always looked after me, when most older guys were more likely to try getting me into bed. There was a boozy night, I was stuck in the city and had lost my purse at a bar. Despite being in a drunken state himself, Adam put me in a taxi with enough cash for the fare.

Last time we met it was at a cafe over coffee. What I thought was an old friend hoping to catch up, I quickly realised, was a counselling session for him. You would be surprised how often it happens: I hear from someone out of the blue, wanting me to dispense free advice. He bought me a coffee, then told me about his problem. After that I didn’t hear from him for months until he sent me this email.

Hello Margot,

It’s been a while. I caught your guest lecture in April. I was at the back of the theatre and didn’t have time to say hello but I did love your take on Evil as a Necessary Ideal. It is fascinating to think about the origin of the concept of evil, how it is really just a label for treatable behaviour that falls within the spectrum of Antisocial Personality Disorder: sociopathy, psychopathy etc. But I’m not just writing to gush about your genius, Margot.