‘No, no,’ Anne interrupted her, and Geraldine let her talk. ‘I’m not talking about normal emotional changes in a new mother. I mean, she’s always been excitable. Even before she was pregnant, she was volatile. She used to burst into tears for no reason, any time anyone challenged her. The slightest thing seemed to set her off, sometimes nothing at all. She’s always been –’ she broke off and heaved a sigh. ‘She’s always been irrational. We hoped, my husband and I, that she might change once she was married, although we never thought that boy was right for her. She was such a lovely child – I mean, she still is lovely, she’s a really lovely person, but look, I don’t want to make this sound worse than it really is, but she’s a very emotional person. She becomes hysterical at the smallest provocation. She’s fragile, you see. We did our best, bringing her up, making sure she had the best of everything. And we never asked her to do anything that pushed her too far out of her comfort zone. She couldn’t cope, you see. We were always very careful with her. She can’t take any pressure. Some people are just like that. It wasn’t anyone’s fault. She wasn’t able to stay in a job because no one she worked for ever understood her. She can’t be corrected, you see. She just crumbles under any criticism. Jason knows what she’s like. How could he do this to her?’

She dropped her head in her hands and burst into tears. ‘Find her, please find her,’ she mumbled. ‘Oh God, what is he doing to her? She’s so vulnerable. This will drive her crazy. My daughter has never been a strong woman. She needs to be cared for and handled gently, not tormented.’

Geraldine was only slightly reassured that Anne did not appear worried that Jason might mistreat the baby. Anne’s concern was all for Jessica.

‘Of course, she was frightened,’ Eileen replied, when Geraldine reported her impression at a briefing on her return to the police station. ‘Her granddaughter’s disappeared. They must all be going out of their minds with worry. But from what you said, she was more concerned about her daughter than her missing granddaughter.’

‘That was certainly the impression I got.’

‘There are plenty of women who are scared of upsetting their precious children, especially teenage girls,’ a constable chipped in, and several of his male colleagues voiced their heartfelt agreement.

‘Jessica sounds like a very spoiled young woman,’ one of them commented tartly.

‘And you were speaking to her mother, Sarge. She’s hardly going to be an impartial judge of Jessica’s character.’