‘Kim, listen. No, I didn’t respond to being dumped by immediately getting “clean”, as you call it – though, you know, I continue to shower and wash my hair every day, and brush my teeth. Why didn’t I ditch the weed on the spot? Because there was no incentive. You’d left me! I felt like shit. I still do. Whether you like it or not, I enjoy smoking weed. For all I knew, you were done with me for good and wouldn’t have me back even if I did make a colossal sacrifice for your sake—’

‘Yes. That is the situation, perfectly summarised.’

‘I can give up skunk, no problem.’

‘No, you can’t.’

‘Yes, I can. But only if you guarantee you’ll make it worth my while.’

‘Fuck off, Gabe.’

‘Promise me that if I’m drug-free for a year, you’ll take me back and stay with me until such time as I reoffend.’

‘No.’

‘I’ll take a drug test every day if you want me to.’

‘No! I don’t want to live with a man I have to test for illegal substances every day, or, actually, ever. Most people don’t do that – you do know that, don’t you? The way normal people live?’

‘Your anti-weed prejudice is a relic from a bygone era, Kim.’ Gabe looks sad for me. ‘Most people—’

‘I don’t care about most people. I hate most people. If I ever have another relationship – which is by no means guaranteed – I need it to be one in which drugs aren’t an issue, any more than arson or gambling is an issue. If no man exists who can give me that, I’ll stay celibate. Look, can we talk about what we came here to talk about?’

‘That’s what I’m doing,’ Gabe says. ‘I care more about our marriage than about Billy Dead Mates.’

Two women at a nearby table look up from their iPad minis. I scare their eyes away with my best scowl.

‘Then you ought to want to help make sure the police catch him before he kills me,’ I say to Gabe. As I say this, I can’t help thinking how unlikely it sounds. I feel as if I’m reciting lines I’ve learned for a play.

‘From what you told me on the phone, he’s not going to do that. If he wanted to, why wait so long after giving you the book?’

‘I don’t know. What if there is no “why”?’ For some reason, I want Gabe to take the threat to my life seriously, even if I can’t.

‘Isn’t there always a “why”? It might be a crazy one, but it’ll make sense to him if to no one else.’

‘Who cares? Look, the guy needs to be locked up, that’s all. Have the police contacted you?’