Even in the pool of a luxury hotel, £30 for expensive for a swim. However, this was a rare opportunity to spend precious time with NP, so I grabbed it. The charge included use of a romantic bedroom and access to the beach, so you could argue that overall it represented value for money.

By lunchtime NP was gone, replaced by LM. Between us, we downed a bottle of white wine with a light salad for our lunch.

I had intended to return straight home immediately after the meal, but just as I was about to climb into my car it occurred to me that I was over the legal alcohol limit for driving. I rang TPR to say that I would stay in the hotel room for the rest of the afternoon. I had plenty of work to keep me busy on my laptop. Once the drink was out of my system, I would set off home again.

It was difficult to relay this message to TPR because he was in a state of distress having just received a voicemail from PC. In this, PC sounded both drugged and suicidal. I offered to investigate.

First I telephoned Falkirk Public library, a favoured location of PC’s when ‘working at home’. The member of library staff who answered my call was so familiar with PC that I wondered if she was having an affair with him.