‘I came back from the bathroom, and she pulled me into her room. She said she’d had a terrible few weeks, that things weren’t going her way and that I could make her feel better. She said we had a connection and that if she had our child it was essentially the same thing anyway. It was almost November. I was aroused, yes, but I also felt compelled. I don’t know how else to explain it. Basically I wasn’t thinking, and what she was saying about the baby made sense in my muddled mind. She was so insistent, very determined. She locked the door and that was that.’

The house is silent. The McCraes’ expensive appliances don’t even hum.

‘Afterwards I was mortified—I barely spoke to her, just said goodbye to the others and left.’ He brings his hands together. ‘I think for days I was in shock, not just about what had happened to Evelyn but also what I’d done. And once we learned Nicole had disappeared, I suppose I assumed it was my fault. That she was upset about what happened between us. I didn’t know what to do. All I wanted was for it not to have happened.’

‘You didn’t tell anyone?’

‘Not a soul. Diana was very upset about Nicole’s disappearance. Not only were we worried about her, but she had been our source of hope. I have to admit, however, that a part of me was glad. I wanted to forget what had happened, and that would have been easier if she was gone.’

‘But she wasn’t,’ Oli says.

‘Well, not exactly. She contacted me, maybe eight weeks later.’

‘Where from?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘What did she say?’

‘She said I had to give her money. That she was pregnant and that if I didn’t give her money she would tell everyone I raped her that night and that’s why she disappeared.’

Diana looks stricken. ‘Oh, Julian.’

‘So you sent her the money?’ Oli asks.

‘Yes.’ He nods miserably. ‘To a PO box in New South Wales.’

‘And you’ve been doing that ever since?’

‘Yes.’ His voice is barely audible. ‘She said that if I didn’t, she would tell the child that I’d refused to provide support for her. It seemed like the least I could do. Over the years I sent money wherever Nicole asked me to.’

His sadness is contagious, and Oli feels it deep in her bones. ‘What happened last week?’

‘My mobile was playing up, and Nicole called me at the house. Said she was in Melbourne. I’d obviously seen the news and I was worried. She sounded desperate and asked me to bring her money in person.’ His eyes snake to his wife. ‘A large amount of money. She said I could meet the child.’

Diana flinches again.