Page 132 of Love You Like That (Excess All Areas 4)

At first, the image from the Metrolink camera showed nothing beyond a person wearing a black baseball cap and a black hoodie, hood up, stepping off the same tram she’d travelled on. There had been no clear images of his face.

Witnesses had said they thought it was a white male. He’d taken off on foot towards Piccadilly Gardens. One of the worst parts of everything that happened was not knowing who or why. Stepping outside took on a whole new level of preparation and fear.

“Of course. Let me see.”

Zoe studied the images. There was something about the man she couldn’t quite put her finger on. She didn’t know him. But maybe she’d seen him somewhere.

“Do you recognise him?” Harding asked.

“He’s not totally unfamiliar, but I can’t think why.”

“Can I see?” Alex asked. “If it’s somehow connected to the band, I might recognise him.”

Zoe turned the images to Alex. “Do you know him?”

The colour drained out of Alex’s face. “I know why you can’t quite place him because I tried to block him from you. It’s Ollie, Oliver Church. He lives in a shared house with two mates over by the Fallowfield campus.”

“You know him?” Stambach made notes in her book.

“We hooked up a few times. Nothing serious.” His hand reached for hers, squeezing it. “Fuck. I’m sorry, Zoe.”

Zoe caught the way the two constables looked at each other at his words, but Alex’s stricken face tugged at her very being. “It’s not your fault.”

Alex rubbed a hand over his face. “I beg to differ.”

“You’re bisexual?” Harding asked.

Zoe glared at him. “That feels like an invasive and personal question. Not relevant seeing Alex already said they hooked up.”

“You don’t need to defend me, Rocky,” Alex said. “He’s gay. I’m pansexual.”

“I’m sorry. Zoe is right. I shouldn’t have asked.”

Alex shrugged. “It’s not something I hide.”

Harding looked down at his notes. “Can you tell us some more details? As specific as you can.”

“I met him at a bar in the Northern Quarter. We’d been out a handful of times. Slept together. I broke it off before the tour started two months ago. I’d been explicit that I wasn’t looking for anything serious. Looking back, I think he thought he could be the one to make me change my mind. But he took it badly. Kept texting. Showed up backstage at a concert. I had him kicked out. Shit.”

Alex stood and began to pace.

“He showed up?” Zoe asked.

“Yeah. Don’t worry. He tried to kiss me, but I pushed him away. Then we saw him in that Korean place that day. That’s the last time I’ve seen or heard from him. I told him to fuck off and thought he’d finally taken a hint.”

“Do you remember what date that was?” Harding asked.

Alex slipped his phone out of his pocket and scrolled to find something. “October twelfth. I had a gig that night I had to leave for.”

“Can you give me his address? Phone number? Better photograph?”

Zoe watched as Alex complied, giving them everything they needed. “Are you going to arrest him?” she asked.

“We’ll follow every lead in the investigation and be very thorough. We’ll need Alex to come and give a formal statement.”

“Whatever you need,” Alex said.

He saw the constables out, then in an entirely unexpected moved, he dropped to his knees between hers, wrapped his arms tight around her waist, placed his head on her lap, and just held her. Maybe it was because she was so in tune with him, but she could swear she could feel the vibration of his emotion. Rage? Sorrow? She couldn’t tell. But it had a tang to it. Metallic.

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