‘Katie,’ he said, looking up from the papers on his desk. A few scratches were still faintly visible on his forehead and the side of his nose, but Katie could see that he had masked them with pale foundation.

She was tempted to ask if he and Laser the German shepherd had made friends now, but what she needed to tell him was too serious for sarcasm.

‘You and I need to come to some arrangement,’ she said, as coldly as she could.

‘Close the door,’ he told her, and then added, ‘please.’

Katie felt like saying, ‘Is it safe to?’ Again she said nothing but she stayed where she was, so Brendan had to get up from his desk and close the door himself.

‘What do you have in mind?’ he asked her.

‘You know of course that your pal dropped his phone at my house. One of Bill’s technical experts opened it and found the pictures that he took. The pictures that he sent to you.’

Brendan walked over to the window and stood there for a long time looking out at the rain. Six or seven hooded crows had settled on the rooftop opposite, and occasionally shook the rain from their wings as if they were shaking small black umbrellas.

‘If you must know, I was jealous,’ Brendan said at last. He still didn’t look at her.

‘Jealous? What are you talking about?’

‘I thought you might have a new man friend that I didn’t know about. So I asked Stephen to check up on you. I know it was wrong of me, and stupid, but jealousy can make you do some fierce stupid things.’

He turned to face her. ‘I have such strong feelings for you, Katie. They’re so strong that I don’t understand them myself. I cheated on you when we were in college together, but that was one way I felt I could have a relationship with you and still be a man. If you want to know the truth, you frighten me. I’ve never known a woman as attractive as you, but as scary as you, and I have no idea at all how to deal with you.’

‘I see. You thought that if you raped me, that would show me who was in charge?’

‘I didn’t think that at all. And I didn’t see it as a rape. Maybe I was too forceful, but I thought you’d respond to me if I was forceful – you know, considering how strong you are.’

‘When you assaulted me in my house, I was wrecked and I was asleep. How could I respond in any way at all? Technically and morally and legally that was rape. And when you assaulted me here in your office, I made it clear that I didn’t want to have sex with you. I think the scratches on your face are evidence enough of that.’