‘Do you think he’d mind giving me a short interview?’ Pip said.

‘I’ll give you his number and you can ask him.’ Naomi held the study door open for her.

In the kitchen they found Cara trying to fit two pieces of toast in her mouth simultaneously and a just-returned Elliot in an eyesore pastel yellow shirt, wiping down the kitchen surfaces. He turned when he heard them come in, the ceiling lights picking up small wisps of grey in his brown hair and flashing across his thick-rimmed glasses.

‘You done, girls?’ He smiled kindly. ‘Excellent timing, I’ve just popped the kettle on.’

Pippa Fitz-Amobi

EPQ 12/08/2017

Production Log – Entry 7

Just got back from Max Hastings’ house. It felt strange being there, like walking through some kind of crime-scene reconstruction; it looks just the same as it does in those Facebook photos Naomi and co. took of that fateful night five years ago. The night that forever changed this town. Max still looks the same too: tall, blonde floppy hair, mouth slightly too wide for his angular face, somewhat pretentious. He said he remembered me, though, which was nice.

After speaking to him . . . I don’t know, I can’t help but think something’s going on here. Either one of Sal’s friends is misremembering about that night, or one of them is lying. But why?

Transcript of interview with Max Hastings

Pip:

All right, recording. So, Max you’re twenty-three, right?

Max:

Wrong actually. I’m twenty-five in about a month.

Pip:

Oh.

Max:

Yeah, when I was seven I had leukaemia and missed lots of school, so I got held back a year. I know, I’m a miracle boy.

Pip:

I had no idea.

Max:

You can have my autograph later.

Pip:

OK, so, jumping straight in, can you describe what Sal and Andie’s relationship was like?

Max:

It was fine. It wasn’t like the romance of the century or anything. But they both thought the other was good-looking, so I guess it worked.

Pip:

There wasn’t more depth to it?

Max:

Don’t know, I never really paid attention to high-school romances.

Pip:

So how did their relationship start?

Max:

They just got drunk and hooked up at a party at Christmas. It carried on from there.

Pip:

Was that a – what are they called – oh, a calamity party?

Max:

Holy shit, I forgot we used to call our house parties ‘calamities’. You know about those?

Pip:

Yeah. People at school still throw them, tradition apparently. Legend is that you were their originator.

Max:

What, kids are still throwing messy house parties and calling them calamities? That’s so cool. I feel like a god. Do they still do the next host triathlon bit?

Pip:

I’ve never been. Anyway, did you know Andie before she started a relationship with Sal?

Max:

Yeah, a bit, from school and calamities. We sometimes spoke, yeah. But we weren’t ever, like, friend friends, I didn’t really know her. Like an acquaintance.

Pip:

OK, so on Friday the twentieth of April, when everyone was at your house, do you remember if Sal was acting strangely?

Max:

Not really. Maybe a little quiet, if anything.

Pip:

Did you wonder why at the time?

Max:

Nope, I was pretty drunk.

Pip:

And that night, did Sal talk about Andie at all?

Max:

No, he didn’t mention her once.

Pip:

He didn’t say they were having a disagreement at the time or –

Max:

No he just didn’t bring her up.

Pip:

How well do you remember that night?

Max:

I remember all of it. Spent most of it playing Jake and Millie on Call of Duty . I remember ’cause Millie was going on about equality and stuff, and then she didn’t win once.

Pip:

This was after Sal left?

Max:

Yeah, he left really early.

Pip:

Where was Naomi when you were playing video games?

Max:

M.I.A.

Pip:

Missing? She wasn’t there?

Max:

Um, no . . . err . . . she went upstairs for a while.

Pip:

By herself? Doing what?

Max:

I don’t know. Taking a nap. Taking a dump. Fuck knows.

Pip:

For how long?

Max:

I don’t remember.

Pip:

OK, and when Sal left what did he say?