‘A video of it ends up on my computer,’ I shrill. ‘And I can’t help but wonder why you’d reject my advances in the kitchen and then half an hour later have a change of heart and come down to the office in the garden to seduce me. Did you need that time to arrange for whoever it was to film us?’

He exhales heavily, sending a whistling down the line.

‘Well, did you?’ I shout.

‘I’d just come from seeing you in a hotel bar with another man,’ he sighs, sounding at the end of his tether. ‘Knowing that you’d barefaced lied about it. Is it any wonder that I was reluctant to make love to you?’

‘So what happened in that half-hour to change your mind?’ I ask, pressing for an answer that gives me just the flimsiest of reasons to believe him.

‘What happened,’ he says, ‘was that I decided that no matter what, I loved you and wasn’t prepared to lose you.’

A crack runs down the length of my heart.

‘Though if the police see the CCTV from the hotel, I think that’s already sealed our fate.’

‘I’ve deleted it,’ I almost cry out, hoping that by saying it quickly it will not incriminate me.

‘You’ve what?’ he rasps.

‘I went to the hotel, spoke to Andy and deleted everything with you or me in it.’

‘Jesus,’ he exhales. ‘Why would you think that was a good idea?’

‘Because I’m innocent, and I knew if they saw me and Jacob in the bar, it would give them everything they need to charge me. But what I didn’t expect to see was you. What was I supposed to do, leave you on it and feed you to the lions?’

‘But even if you’ve been successful, there’s going to be chunks of time missing on the videos and when the police ask Andy why, he’s going to tell them it was you.’

‘He might not,’ I say, though I already know that whilst he may be a good friend, he’s too career-minded to say anything other than the truth if asked. He’ll know that I was left alone with the CCTV for long enough to destroy the evidence. He’ll assume I’m guilty. I would.

‘I don’t know if we’re going to be able to get ourselves out of this,’ says Leon. ‘But if we can, the only way we’re going to do it is by sticking together.’

23

I wish I could believe him, but as much as it pains me, I still don’t know if I can trust him, so until I’m sure that I can, I have to do what I’ve got to do on my own.

‘Oh,’ says Shelley, when she opens her front door to me ten minutes later.