Kesey glared at him as he rocked in his seat, nostrils flared, chest thrust out, sweating. ‘You’ve forced your way into your ex-wife’s property before now. It’s on record, in the files. Perhaps this time you did something you now regret. I’ve interviewed Megan. She described your behaviour in specific detail. You were way out of control. It seems as if you were angry enough to me.’

‘I haven’t got a fucking clue what you’re talking about.’

‘Lottie is missing, Dale. You need to take this seriously. I want you to tell me exactly what you’ve done with her. You need to do the right thing. It will go better for you in court if you do. It’s the only card you’ve got left to play.’

Dale repeatedly clenched and unclenched his hands into tight fists below the table, as his bravado melted away. ‘What the fuck are you saying? I’ve got no idea where she is. Get out there and find her. If she’s missing, it’s got fuck all to do with me.’

This time it was DS Lewis’s turn to speak up. ‘We have good reason to believe that you either hid in the vicinity and waited until the two officers left your ex-wife’s home address, or you left the area and then returned very shortly after the officer’s departure.’

‘No fucking way, that didn’t happen.’

‘You broke in through the kitchen window, you climbed the stairs, and then you took Lottie from your ex-wife’s bedroom at the back of the property. It’s time for some honesty, time to come clean. Where is she, Dale? What have you done with your little girl?’

Dale jumped to his feet, knocking back his chair, his arms held wide. He was shouting now, his voice breaking as the tears began to flow. ‘If some bastard has taken Lottie from the house, you need look for her.’ He lurched forward, throwing himself over the table, grabbing the lapels of Kesey’s navy jacket with both hands and pulling her towards him, foreheads touching, skin on skin. ‘Did you hear what I said, you stupid bitch? I want out of here. I want to look for my daughter. If some fucker took Lottie, it wasn’t me!’

Lewis moved with surprising speed and agility for a man of his age and fleshy build. He pulled Dale off Kesey, forced an arm up his back, and then used his superior strength and weight to push him to the floor, pinning him there with one arm while searching for his handcuffs with his free hand.

As Lewis dragged Dale upright, both wrists tightly secured, Dale was still yelling, a stream of tears running down his sullen and ill-tempered face. ‘Find my daughter! That’s all I’m asking you. If someone’s got her, you’ve got to find her! I’m begging you. She’s five, just fucking five! Do something useful for once in your fucking lives. Find my little girl.’

As Lewis shoved Dale back towards his cell, Kesey sat back in her seat with her feet on the table, gathering her thoughts. She was only slightly shaken by the physical nature of Dale’s protests. His overt aggression hadn’t surprised her a great deal. She’d seen it all before and coped with worse.