"I see. So you’re admitting to a DUI, for a start?” she challenged him.
“I don’t recall exactly how much I’d had to drink,” he said uneasily, flushing red.
“And there's a span of time here, from when you left the party to when you arrived home, that's missing from your memory?"
"Uh, yeah. That’s correct."
"And you don't have a memory of what happened in that space of time?"
"No. I don’t."
"Do you remember going into the woods before you left?"
"I don't remember. I don't think I did. I know at some stage, before I left, took a walk around the perimeter because I thought I'd lost my car keys, but then I found them in my inside pocket."
"Did you see Dylan, Alyssa's boyfriend, at all?"
"I definitely saw him but I can't recall when. Quite late, I think."
"Did you see him going into the woods?"
"That I don't recall."
"Did anyone see you arriving home?"
"No, I live alone. And like I said, I was driving slowly. I wouldn't have made a noise."
May shook her head. This was a very unreliable and piecemeal account. Coach Adamson could have strangled Alyssa during an alcohol-induced psychotic break. Or he could be giving deliberately vague and evasive answers. Either way, there was no clear alibi here and from that perspective, he was looking guilty.
Now it was time to find out what he'd done in the morning.
"What were your movements the next day? Early Sunday?" she asked.
"Early Sunday. I slept. I woke up feeling rough. I went for a run."
"You went for a run? Where?"
May recalled that, according to the map, Coach Adamson lived about five miles from the second murder site. A fit man, going for a run, could easily have gotten there on foot.
"I - I can show you the route, I think. I took a lot of the trails and they're quite complicated. I was feeling hungover."
"What time was that?"
"About - um - mid-morning, I think. We got a message, that's right. We got a message saying there had been an incident, and that all sporting events were canceled at school for Sunday afternoon and would be rescheduled for a later date. So after that message, I went for a run."
"And you can't trace the route on a map?"
"I would have difficulty doing that."
"Did you see anyone out running?"
"I don't know, I wasn't paying attention to anyone. I'm sure there were a few other people along the way. I think I saw a couple of walkers, and maybe one or two other runners."
May stared at him. "Could you recognize any of the other people? Did you see anyone you recognized? Did you greet anyone along the way?"
"No."
"Did you see Sadie Croft at any time during your run? Did you pass her house?"