Salvi’s whole body stiffened and his voice became more strident. ‘No, no, it was not me! After I walked out of the hotel I went straight to my car and drove home.’

There was something about the way he said it that didn’t ring true with James, and it prompted him to say, ‘I don’t think you’re being entirely honest with us there, Mr Salvi. There were lots of people around and we’re still sifting through the property’s surveillance camera footage, so if you’re bending the truth for whatever reason we will soon know about it.’

Salvi swallowed hard and then blinked as if coming out of a trance.

‘Okay, look, when I told you I went straight to the car I forgot that I did walk down to the shoreline on the way,’ he said. ‘But I didn’t step onto the jetty. And that’s the truth.’

‘So why did you go there?’ James asked.

Salvi let out a weighty sigh. ‘After walking out of the hotel, I felt guilty and sorry for Rachel. I couldn’t decide whether to go back and talk to her or drive home so instead of going to the car park, I carried on to the lake to think about it and calm down. It was quiet there and I was completely alone. I stayed for about fifteen minutes before I made up my mind that it would be best for the both of us if I just left. And that’s what I did, and all the time I was there I didn’t see Rachel or anyone else.’

Salvi was sweating now and his breathing was laboured. His solicitor asked him if he felt well enough to continue and he insisted that he did.

‘I need to prove that I am innocent,’ he said, looking hard at James. ‘I did not do that to Rachel. Please, you must believe me.’

The next question came from Abbott. She asked him what he and Rachel had argued about in her room.

‘She told me that she didn’t want me to go back to Italy without her,’ he replied. ‘She said she loved me and wanted us to get married. She also said she was going to tell everyone that we were in love and that we were going away together.’

‘And what was your reaction?’ Abbott asked.

‘I was totally shocked. I’d had no warning. I knew she was besotted with me, and she’d asked me more than once not to return to Italy, but I made it clear to her that I had to. I thought she’d come to accept that what we had was nothing more than a fling. When I told her I didn’t love her and that it was over between us, she begged me not to end it and pleaded with me to take her to Italy. She was really hysterical and it was scary so I walked out and told her not to follow me or contact me again.’

‘And after you left the room, you went to the lake and then straight home?’ James said.