Kesey didn’t exactly have her head in her hands. But she may as well have. Her body language told its own story. ‘How bad are we talking?’

‘She was feeling low very soon after the birth, difficulty sleeping and even thoughts of suicide. She needed a lot of help with Lottie’s care. It seems Dale stepped up big time. It was long before he started drinking. It seems he hasn’t always been the waste of space piss artist he’s become. He offered Megan a lot of support, along with her mother, Doreen Jones, who stayed at the house for a few weeks while she was at her lowest. They kept up a suicide watch for a week or two, day and night.’

‘Oh, crap, that was the last thing I was expecting to hear. Is the depression still an issue?’

Lewis shook his head. ‘No, and it hasn’t been for over four years. And I think that’s important. I’m not sure it’s of any significance to the case at all.’

‘Yeah, but it could be, Ray, it could be. Psychiatric conditions can be deceptively complex. It’s like addictions. People can sometimes hide them surprisingly well.’

Lewis lifted his bulk off the desk, settling in the only available chair. He sighed as he sat himself down, crossing his legs one over the other, his knees complaining with the effort of it all. ‘I’ve been giving it some more thought. The bloke who rang in when the case went public refused to give a name. He insisted on remaining anonymous despite several requests to identify himself. Ask yourself why? And how many people do you know that don’t use a smartphone these days? Put those two things together, and it rings alarm bells for me. I don’t know why he contacted us, not with any certainty, but I don’t like it. If we focus on Megan, we’re looking in the wrong direction. It’s a distraction and nothing more. We’ve still got a good many nonces to look at. We should be concentrating on them. This whole business with Megan is a waste of our time.’

Kesey pressed her lips together in a slight grimace. She seemed quieter and less animated than usual. ‘Have you heard of Meadow’s syndrome?’

Lewis shook his head. ‘I can’t say I have.’

‘It’s a psychological disorder marked by attention-seeking behaviour. I came across it a few years back when I was with the West Midlands force. A young mother, a nurse, was lacing her toddler’s food with small amounts of household bleach, making him ill, and then gaining attention by seeking medical help. She’d taken him to the family GP numerous times, and to several different casualty departments over a period of months. Her partner reported her to social services in the end. He suspected what was going on and set up tiny surveillance cameras when no-one would take his concerns seriously. He caught her in the act. If he hadn’t, the child might well have died. He very nearly did.’