Page 118 of Too Close To Home

Harrison had no intention of letting that happen. “Where did you go after speaking with Emily?”

“For a piss.”

“But you didn’t return to your pint.”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Couldn’t pay for it.”

“How did you pay for the first one?”

Andy waited a moment as if contemplating whether to answer that. “It was bought for me.”

Harrison hid his surprise at that. “By who?”

Andy said nothing.

“Who bought your first pint, Andy?”

Andy waved vaguely. “It was on the house.”

“On the house?”

“Aye.”

Harrison peered at Calder. Calder wrote that down.

“Why would the bar give you a free pint?”

“I dunno. Nice gesture. I’m there a lot.”

Harison left that there, but made a note to check with the staff. “Why did you tell officers you didn’t know Emily Fisher, when you clearly spoke to her that night and you are aware of her father?”

“Cause of this!”

Harrison remained stoic at the outburst. “What’s this?”

“I always get accused of this. If I said I knew her, I’d be suspect number one. Like last time. You lot have me pinned as summat cause I live on my own and cause of what happened before—”

His solicitor tapped him on the arm, and Andy shut up.

Harrison pressed forward. “So you lied.”

“I don’t know her. I know her dad. And she recognised me and said ‘hello’. I asked her if she’d seen my phone. That’s it.”

“What time did you leave the pub?”

“After I’d had a piss.”

“Which way out did you use?”

Andy notably squirmed. “I went out the window.”

Harrison blinked. “Why would you go out the window?”

Andy looked thoroughly aggrieved and possibly a little embarrassed, but eventually he said, “Cause Jake Whitton, that’s why.”