‘Why would being here make me feel better? And besides nothing “happened” to him, he killed himself. Didn’t he?’

‘You know what I mean.’ He smiled strangely and turned away from her.

‘Did you hurt him? After that night, did you come back and hurt him?’

‘How would you feel if I did?’

‘Afraid … of you,’ she said honestly.

‘There’s no reason to be afraid of me, Jasmine. Do you think people like him change? Do you think they deserve another chance? I don’t. I don’t think they can change. You’ve got to believe me though, Jasmine, I would never hurt you.’

‘I want to go home,’ she said. She believed that he hadn’t brought her there to hurt her, but had he brought her there to confess? He was different up here; there was none of his usual bravado, no simmering arrogance. There was something a little out of control about him on this grassy clifftop.

He turned and looked at her, studied her even. ‘I bet you wished he was dead, didn’t you? When they were asking you all those questions about him. Asking you if he touched you? I bet you thought about different ways you could make it all go away, make him disappear.’

‘No! of course not. I want to go home now. You’re scaring me.’

He moved forwards quickly and grabbed her by the shoulders, staring into her eyes. ‘We don’t have much time, Jasmine. Things are going to happen, things you won’t understand. I just want you to know I’m not the bad guy here. He was a bad person and he deserved what happened to him. People like him don’t deserve mercy. They deserve to die.’

‘Please take me home,’ she begged, tears streaking her cheeks. The strangest look appeared on Tim’s face, a new expression that she hadn’t seen before, desperate somehow, almost pleading with her to understand. He let go, shaking the unfamiliar expression off and putting on a face she recognised.

‘I’m sorry. I never meant for any of this. This isn’t what I wanted. I’ll take you home.’

She walked ahead to the car, glad to be away from the cliff’s edge. Why bring her to this place? If it was sex he wanted from her, then he had had ample opportunity in the past. For the first time he had let his mask slip though. One way or another she was going to find out what he wanted. She was going to get into the guest house and see what he was hiding.