‘The witness said so, yes. I’ve read the transcript of the call. The nineteenth of this month, it seems he was certain of the date. He claimed it was his mother’s birthday. They’d been celebrating. He said there was no doubt in his mind.’

Kesey felt a sinking feeling deep in the pit of her stomach. He’s reused the word claimed, and that wasn’t good. ‘Okay, that sounds hopeful, so, who did he say he saw?’

Lewis paused for a second before answering, resting his large forearms on the table, his empty plate pushed aside. ‘This is where it gets interesting.’

‘Interesting how?’

‘He claimed he saw a woman. A woman meeting Megan’s description, same height, same hairstyle and colour, similar age, and of average build. And he said he thought the child she was carrying might have been dressed in green. But that’s been all over the papers and TV news, so I don’t think we should necessarily read too much into it. He could simply have been repeating publicly available information.’

Kesey jerked her head back, her pulse quickening. ‘Who’s the witness?’ She guessed what the answer was going to be long before Lewis replied. Some things were too good to be true.

‘It was an anonymous call. We know it was made somewhere in the Caerystwyth area, but that’s as good as it gets. I’m guessing he was using a pay-as-you-go bought for cash. I’ll make some enquiries, but I wouldn’t hold your breath. I can’t see me tracking him down anytime soon.’

Kesey’s eyes narrowed, her disappointment almost crushing. ‘Do you think it’s genuine?’

‘I’ve got my doubts, to be honest, boss. I’d be willing to wager he’s a wind-up merchant, some headcase pulling our strings to make himself feel big. Call it copper’s intuition, a gut feeling.’

Kesey blew the air from her mouth with a hiss. She wasn’t ready to give up on hope. ‘Yeah, maybe, but maybe not; I took everything Megan said at face value. I didn’t even consider the possibility she was lying, not for a single second. It was stupid, unprofessional. She could have taken Lottie from the house herself. It’s not inconceivable. What the hell was I thinking?’

‘Oh, come on, give me a break. There is no way Megan Weller did anything to that child. No fucking way! I’d bet my house on it.’

‘Stranger things have happened, Ray. No assumptions, that’s what Grav used to tell me. Consider all the possibilities. Keep an open mind. I just saw Megan as a grieving mother, and that was it. I put myself in her place, I over-identified. I got too close, that’s the truth of it.’

‘Don’t be too hard on yourself. I still think it’s something and nothing.’

Kesey sat in silence, pondering her next step. ‘Yeah, but what if it’s not?’

Lewis pointed at her food, still sitting on its plate. ‘Do you mind me having that if you’re not going to eat it?’ He patted his gut. ‘I’m a growing boy.’