So worried is she by his scrutiny, she misses the turn north on to Greenford Road. In the midst of sending a text message somewhere, he tells her to take the next left. She enjoys the next part of the ride in silence.

Horsenden Lane North. They ride over the train tracks, through an estate, and then north still over the canal. The road cuts through trees that loom tall and heighten the darkness. In the gloom, she feels his eyes fall upon her again.

‘You know, Anna, I must say, I never before noticed this, but you’re a very attractive woman.’

She is considering her response when his hand slaps on to her bare thigh. She jumps, and looks down, and slaps his hand away. But the impact upon her leg is loud, too loud, and is accompanied by a mighty shudder throughout the whole car.

‘Jesus Christ!’ Eastman yells.

Suddenly she finds the car swerving, the wheel fighting her like something alive and angry. Her eyes are back on the black road and gloomy trees. Everything seems just A-Okay out there, but she knows something mammoth just happened.

‘Oh, God, what was that?’ she moans.

‘An animal. You hit something.’

They take a curve and there, ahead, is a small lay-by. She pulls in with shaking hands. The car stalls, silence filling the world, but her fingers grip the steering wheel as if it’s keeping her from floating away. Eastman roughly tosses aside his seatbelt and clambers from the car. The interior light stings her eyes.

Staring back the way they came, he slurs, ‘Can’t see anything. Maybe it was a dog.’

‘God.’

‘Maybe it limped off. Might have been a stray.’

‘Should we go back and check?’ she says, not certain she actually wants to. Not if the dog is alive but hurt.

He checks his watch. ‘I’m not going back. No point. The next driver will shift it into the side of the road. Let’s just get moving on.’

Now the thought of abandoning a hurt dog in the road appals her. But she knows he’s more interested in meeting his date. She tries something that might appeal more: ‘We could get in trouble, though, if we just drive off.’

He thumps into his seat and looks at her. ‘We? I wasn’t driving.’

‘But… you touched me.’

He gives her a long look that she doesn’t like. ‘Just get out of the car. I’ll go back and check.’

She gets out on weak legs and stumbles into the lay-by, and at no point casts her eyes back down the road, just in case. The cold wind chills a coating of sweat on her face. She finds a tree stump and half-sits, half-collapses on to it. As Eastman reverses and turns the car, she sees the damage to the front, including a dent in the bonnet. Breathing becomes hard as she realises the dent is high.