‘Marc called me on his way to Hammersmith Medicines Research, east of there, where he was due to give a dinner speech. He was still reeling from comments he’d made to a local TV news station about Bovine TB, so he wanted to remain inconspicuous. At least, that was what he told me. I mean, I know his wife never goes to functions with him, but he’s got a man who drives for him. Sometimes I’d drive him to places, but usually when it was personal and he didn’t want to be seen out and about. But this didn’t make much sense, since people knew he was giving that speech. But I went along with it when he called me to drive him to the function. And we used my car because people knew his, which I also found strange. I picked him up at a petrol station car park on Western Avenue, about a mile or so from where the hikers got hurt. Western would have taken us just about all the way to the research centre. But about halfway…’

Eastman’s face lights up white as he pulls out his phone and puts it to his ear.

‘Twenty minutes, babe.’

He hangs up, straightens his tie and his hair in the sun visor’s mirror – and then spots Anna’s shocked face.

‘You’re meeting a woman? Is that why you’re cancelling the speech?’

‘Sure, unless you want to take her place,’ he says, and strokes her leg.

The shock of it makes her clip the kerb with a front wheel. She grips the steering wheel and watches the road.

‘Mr Eastman, I don’t think that’s a good idea.’

‘Meeting her or this,’ he slurs, and touches her again.

‘Stop that,’ she says. He’s never shown sexual interest in her before and it throws her brain. But then she’s never seen him this out of it, or ever been alone with him when he’s drunk.

‘What about the speech? You can’t just not turn up,’ she says, and while in part she means that, she’s mostly trying to get his thoughts off her legs. Next time, trousers instead of a dress.

‘Already called them. Stomach bug. It’s up near All Hallows Church, so take the next north on Greenford Road.’

He returns to the mirror. Hair, tie, and teeth. He glances at her legs again. She only wore the dress in case he decided to take her to the function, and now regrets it. She tells him he shouldn’t drink any more at the function, and silently considers telling him the function might be a bad idea if reporters will be present.