At the use of the word ‘suspects’, Damian Kelly slumped forward on the desk, his head in his hands. ‘I don’t feckin’ believe this.’ He sat upright again. ‘Look, I didn’t kill Jack Tyler. When I found him in that alley he was in a right state. There was no way I was going to leave him there all night like that.’

‘So you’re trying to tell me you were just doing Jack Tyler a favour.’

He said, ‘Finally, now you’re beginning to get the picture.’

Sally glanced down at her notes. ‘If that’s the case maybe you could clear something up for me, Mr Kelly. Why were you heading down Snuff Street at close on midnight in the first place, heading in the opposite direction to where you live?’

He leant forward, more confident now. ‘I think that’s my business, don’t you?’

‘This is a murder inquiry, Mr Kelly. Everything is my business. Why were you heading down Snuff Street at a quarter to midnight?’

‘I was going to see someone.’

‘I think you found the person you were going to see, Mr Kelly. I think you were looking for Jack Tyler. And unfortunately for Jack you found him.’

He shook his head. ‘No. No. No. It wasn’t like that.’ He turned to the solicitor. ‘Does anyone else get to find out what I say here?’

Gemma Bates said, ‘Not necessarily. Not unless it comes out in court.’

Kelly turned to Sally. ‘I was paying a visit to someone.’ He turned to the solicitor again. ‘Are you sure my wife won’t find out about this?’

Gemma Bates shook her head, ‘Only if you’re charged and it comes to court.’

He nodded. ‘I was going to see a woman.’

Sally asked, ‘Which woman?’

Kelly stayed silent.

‘For your own sake, Mr Kelly, I advise you to give us her name.’

Gemma Bates nodded her agreement.

Kelly said, ‘Jeanette. Jeanette Freeman.’

Sally asked, ‘And will this Jeanette Freeman be able to corroborate your story, Mr Kelly?’

‘Yes. Yes, she will. I’ve been going with her on and off for years.’

Sally asked, ‘And she’ll be able to tell us that you spent that night with her, will she?’

Kelly ran his tongue around his lips. ‘Well, no.’

Sally stared him straight in the eye. ‘Oh, and why is that, Mr Kelly?’

‘Because Jack threw up all over me, didn’t he? I couldn’t turn up like that, now could I?’

‘But presumably Jeanette would be able to confirm that you’d had an arrangement for you to see her that Thursday night.’

Kelly said, ‘It wasn’t that sort of arrangement. I didn’t have to call.’

Sally said, ‘That’s very unfortunate for you, Mr Kelly. So, what you’re actually telling me is that you have no one who can corroborate your story.’

No response.