Page 128 of Too Close To Home

But this wasn’t some bloke across a bar.

This was Harrison.

And I want you had come out sounding nothing like a chat-up line and far more vulnerable than he’d meant.

Jake could’ve laughed it off. Made some filthy comment, turning it into the sort of thing he knew how to handle. Instead, he left it sitting there between them, because some reckless part of him wanted to know what Harrison would do with it.

Harrison held his gaze a beat too long, then whatever had been there disappeared behind the familiar control of DI Black. “We still have Andy in custody.”

“Right.”

“But I’ve got a limited window. Under PACE, I can hold him while we’re conducting enquiries, but unless I can justify a charge, he walks.”

Jake chewed his lip. “How long?”

“Not long enough.” Harrison sighed. “A few more hours. After that, I either charge him with something I can evidence… or release him pending further investigation.”

“And you don’t have evidence?”

“Not enough.” Harrison shook his head. “We’ve got officers searching his place. Computer seized. Forensics are going through everything. But that takes time, and custody clocks don’t care about that.”

Jake leaned his hip against the counter, folding his arms. “So he could walk free?”

“He could.”

“And he’s denying it, I take it?”

“Yes. He claims to know nothing.”

Jake snorted. “Course he does.”

“The thing is, he also…” Harrison paused, as if testing which words were least likely to cause another outburst. “Raised a number of allegations during interview.”

Jake frowned. “What sort of allegations?”

“That you could be involved.”

Jake stared at him. “How the fuck am I involved?”

“He claims you abducted Emily to frame him. Prove yourself right about him.”

An uncredulous breath of laughter burst out of Jake. “You’re serious?”

“He is.”

“You know where I were. I weren’t anywhere near her.”

“We’re still cross-checking your alibi.”

Fucking hell.

The bloke in the Nirvana T-shirt.

Jesus Christ.

Jake scraped a hand through his hair. “You can’t believe him.”

“It’s not about whether I believe him. He’s made the allegation on record, so we have to deal with it.” Harrison drew a breath. “But that wasn’t all he said.”