Sally opened her case notes. ‘Well, let’s just see how we go, shall we? When we last spoke, Mr Kelly, I showed you this photo.’ She pulled the CCTV still from her notes and, turning it through one hundred and eighty degrees, pushed it towards Kelly. ‘For the tape, this is a CCTV image captured at eleven forty-six showing Damian Kelly approaching the victim—’

Gemma Bates interrupted. ‘An image that you claim is of my client, DCI Treen.’

Sally gave her a withering look. ‘Take a closer look, Ms Bates. Unless Mr Kelly has an identical twin, I don’t think there’s much doubt, do you?’ She looked at Damian Kelly. ‘Do you have an identical twin, Mr Kelly?’

Kelly looked nervous. He was paler than before and in the few hours since their last interview appeared to have aged several years. He mumbled, ‘No. No, I don’t.’

Sally said, ‘Well, I think that’s cleared that one up, don’t you?’ She stared down Gemma Bates. ‘Would you like to explain what you were doing in Snuff Street with Jack Tyler at eleven forty-six, just a few hours before Jack’s murder?’ The word ‘murder’ seemed to echo round the tiny room.

Kelly got as far as saying, ‘I was …’ before Gemma Bates stuck her hand up.

‘I would advise you not to say anything, Mr Kelly.’

Kelly sat silently for a couple of seconds, head down, picking at his fingernails. Sally just waited.

Then he said, ‘No.’ The word rang out like a gunshot. ‘Why shouldn’t I say my piece? I’ve done nothing wrong here.’

Sally wanted to punch the air. Step one – get them to talk. ‘So, what were you doing in Snuff Street with Jack Tyler?’

When Kelly looked at her she could see dark rings round his eyes. ‘What does it look like? I was helping out a mate.’

Sally said, ‘Helping out a mate who was found dead shortly afterwards. And whom you claimed earlier not to have seen after you left The Lamb Inn that night.’

‘Look, I have no idea how Jack ended up dead. But I knew this was going to happen.’

Sally said, ‘Are you saying you knew Jack Tyler was going to be killed?’

Kelly yelled, ‘No, you silly bitch. I mean I knew if I said I’d found Jack down a dark alley close to midnight it wasn’t going to look good for me.’

Sally said, ‘I’d advise you to moderate your language, Mr Kelly, unless you’d like things to look a whole lot worse for you.’

Gemma Bates pounced. ‘Are you threatening my client, DI Treen?’

‘No, I’m simply advising him that the law takes a dim view of suspects abusing police officers.’