‘It seems he can’t.’ She doesn’t look at me. ‘He’s up to his neck in something. It took me ages to get anything out of him and he still hasn’t told me the details.’ Instead of sympathetic, she sounds bitter. ‘The only thing I can say in his defence is that he didn’t know what he was getting into. There was supposed to be a contract. And he was led to believe he’d make a lot of money … but he was conned.’

I stare at her. ‘There has to be something he can do. Have you had legal advice?’

Stephanie shakes her head. ‘It’s not that simple. James was desperate, Elise. His last book was rejected by his publisher.’ She pauses, as though she’s trying to work out whether to tell me more, before raising her eyes to meet mine again. ‘It was a massive blow to him. Then he met someone who told him about a sure-fire way to make a lot of money. What the man didn’t tell him was how, exactly …’ She breaks off, then sighs. ‘I may as well tell you.’ Her eyes rest on mine before glancing away. ‘It’s a porn site. Whoever got James into this, conned him by telling him they were looking for investors in an app they’re developing. Only, once someone’s looked up the website on their laptop, they’re immediately on a list – and the website is in their search history. You can imagine, can’t you?’ Her voice is shaky. ‘Finding out what you’ve got yourself involved in, but if you want your investment back – like James does – you end up being blackmailed.’

‘James actually bought into a porn site?’ I’m not easily shocked but the thought of someone I thought I knew getting into something like that is utterly abhorrent.

‘I know.’ Stephanie covers her face with her hands. ‘It’s completely vile, Elise. He can’t sell, and now he’s being forced to pay huge amounts – more than we can afford – just to remain anonymous. It’s a nightmare.’

But as she speaks, I’m thinking of the exchange I saw between James and the man in the woods that day. Maybe it was connected to this. It would explain why James looked so desperate. ‘The man who’s conning him, do you know who he is?’

‘James won’t tell me his name, but I know he got swept into this circle out of pride – and vanity. James likes to impress people. I think he thought this man was a doorway into a circle of wealthy, powerful men – which he was, of course – but they are the worst kind of people, wealthy for the worst possible reasons.’

I stare at her in disbelief. ‘James should go to the police.’

She looks up sharply. ‘You won’t tell them, will you?’