began to pace the room, the alcohol in his blood suddenly seeming a little less potent. He thought about the timing of the e-mail - it had been sent two days before she was murdered. He went through the series of events, as if to feed the spark in his mind. Hannah discovered something 'horrible' on her boyfriend's laptop which was bad enough for her to mention it in an e-mail to Lewis. She called it a dilemma; what dilemma? Was it something she felt the police needed to be informed about? Was she confused as to whether she should inform the police or not? Then, two days after all of this, she was murdered.
As Lewis paced his flat, his thoughts returned to Craig Blaine. Perhaps he was her boyfriend and she had discovered something on his laptop. If so, did the police know about this?
He walked the room in circles for a few more minutes, his drunken mind becoming alert. He went into the kitchen and made himself a mug of strong black coffee.
***
Lewis saw Kelly sitting at a table in the corner of the bar as soon as he walked in. He managed a smile and a wave as he approached.
"Hi," he said, forcing the smile wider. "Can I get you a drink?"
"No thanks, I'm still working on this Coke."
Lewis nodded, went to the bar and returned with his own glass. He hugged Kelly and sat down on the opposite side of the table.
"How have you been?" she asked with a sympathetic tone.
Lewis nodded, "Holding up, how about you? I can't imagine what it must have been like to find her."
"It was awful, you have no idea. I can't get the image of her lying there out of my mind. I can't imagine why someone would do that to her."
Lewis sipped his Coke. Kelly had been one of Hannah's closest friends at university and their living together to save on rent had seemed like the perfect solution when Hannah had suggested it. Lewis had known Kelly for many years and they got on well, although they had little in common and their relationship was usually aided by their mutual friend.
"How was your trip?" Kelly asked, making her best attempt at changing the subject to something lighter.
"It was good thanks... I wish I had never gone on it now though."
Kelly shook her head, "There was nothing you could have done Lewis. Whoever killed her chose a time when there wasn't anybody around."
Lewis looked at her. "What do you mean 'whoever'? I thought they had the guy who did it? Craig Blaine, your next door neighbour, that's right isn't it?"
Kelly looked down into her glass for a moment before nodding.
"Yes, yes I know. I'm just being silly."
Lewis leaned forward. "What do you mean Kelly? Is there something else?"
"No, no of course not. I'm just surprised Craig could have done something like that."
"Did you know him well?" Lewis asked.
Kelly shook her head, "Not really, no more than saying hello in the hall. He's an odd guy, no doubt about that. He's in his forties and still lives in that little flat with his mother. He would always have this odd smile on his face whenever I saw him. I know Hannah was creeped out by him now and again too."
Lewis's thoughts became caught up on the e-mail Hannah had sent him two days before she had been killed.
"So Craig wasn't her boyfriend then?"
A short burst of laughter escaped from Kelly. "No way, he wasn't boyfriend material, at least not for Hannah."
"Then why are you so surprised that it was Craig? If he was so strange and creeped you both out, then why not him?"
"I don't know, he was odd for sure. But also, he didn't seem like he would harm a fly; he spoke so softly... he just seemed like a gentle giant. He wasn't blessed with the greatest social skills, that was all."
Lewis frowned and turned to look out of the large window by the front entrance of the bar.
"You know, whenever there is something on the news about people who were the friends or family of a murderer..." he said turning back to Kelly. "...they all seem to say that they couldn't believe that person was capable of murder; they say that they
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