Sally leant forward. ‘Let me put an alternative suggestion to you, Mr Kelly. The reason you were in Snuff Street on that Thursday night at close on midnight was because you’d gone looking for Jack Tyler. And the CCTV footage shows beyond any doubt that you were successful. I suggest you dragged Jack back to his flat and once you got there you argued with him. And at some time in the early hours of Friday morning you struck Jack Tyler and killed him.’

Damian Kelly’s eyes roamed around the room. After what seemed like several long minutes he returned his gaze to Sally.

He lowered his voice, ‘Look, I was on my way to see Jeanette and I found Jack. He was arseholed. I couldn’t leave him there like that so I thought I’d just get him home and then I’d go on to Jeanette’s place afterwards. But when I got him back to his place the bastard threw up on me. So I made sure he was OK and decided to call it a night. Satisfied?’

Before Sally had a chance to respond, there was a knock on the interview room door.

DS West stuck his head round the door. ‘Can I have a minute, ma’am?’ He must have seen the look on her face as she got up because he mouthed the words, ‘You’ll want to see this.’

Outside in the corridor, West handed her another Manila folder. She opened it. It contained a single document with an email paperclipped to the front.

‘Thanks, Tom.’

Back in the interview room she resumed her seat. She spent a few minutes skimming through the report West had handed her.

Gemma Bates finally lost patience. Pointing to her watch, she said, ‘Time’s nearly up, DI Treen.’

Sally pulled herself upright in her chair. ‘So it would seem, Ms Bates.’ She turned to Damian Kelly. ‘Time’s not the only thing that’s running out, Mr Kelly. It looks like your luck’s run out too. We’ve just got the forensics results from the murder scene through from the lab and your prints are all over Jack Tyler’s flat.’

Kelly sounded distraught. ‘Of course they are. I told you I was there. I all but carried him back to his flat. And when I last saw Jack Tyler he might have been in a state, but he was snoring like a good ’un on the sofa in his living room.’

Sally said, ‘It took you long enough to tell us, though, didn’t it, Mr Kelly. And that’s not how we found him. And it doesn’t explain why your fingerprints were also all over Jack’s empty wallet. Inside and out.’