It was time to head back to the attic – time to implement the next stage of his plan. It was time to have some fun.

21

Megan stared into Kesey’s tired eyes, fixating on the source of her anguish. There was apparent nervous tension in her voice and tone when she spoke. ‘How many times do I have to say it? If someone insists that they saw a woman leaving my home address in the early hours of that awful night, there are two possibilities. Either the witness was lying through their teeth, or they saw someone else entirely.’

Kesey was inclined to believe Megan’s impassioned plea, but she continued nonetheless. The detective had once made assumptions in a previous case. A case in which a woman seen only as a victim had gone on to stab and kill an officer under Kesey’s command. ‘Our witness claims that the woman he saw matched your description almost exactly.’

Megan’s professional legal instincts came to the fore as she struggled to control her emotions, a desperate sense of injustice beating her down a little further with every question. ‘You said “claims”, and that’s significant. He can claim whatever he wants to. That doesn’t make it true.’

‘He says he saw what he saw.’

Megan adopted a challenging tone, forcing a laugh. ‘I’m assuming you’ve interviewed this mystery man you referred to? I’m assuming you’ve confirmed that he’s a credible witness. Because if he’s not, if he’s provided you with misinformation for whatever reason, which I can assure you he most certainly has, you’re wasting your damned time talking to me when you should be out looking for my daughter. You’ve let me down, Laura. And much worse than that, you’ve let my poor Lottie down.’

‘All you’ve got to do is answer my questions.’

‘I thought you were better than this. More fool me, I trusted you. You told me that you’re a mother yourself. You told me you understood my predicament. How do you sleep nights? I don’t think I could in your place. I’m beginning to think you didn’t believe a single word I said.’

‘Have you ever suffered from depression, Megan?’

Megan blinked away her tears. ‘What?’

‘I asked you if you’ve experienced depression?’

‘What’s the relevance?’

‘Answer the question, please, Ms Weller.’

Megan took a deep breath in through her nose and then exhaled slowly through her open mouth. ‘Yes, I have, after giving birth. But then you’re already well aware of that. That’s why you asked. It was several years ago. Surely you’re not suggesting it could be of any relevance?’

‘Do you still suffer symptoms? A great deal has happened in your life in recent months, the separation, Dale’s excessive drinking, the injunction and the events leading to it. It wouldn’t be surprising if all that misfortune got you down. It wouldn’t reflect badly on you. People have broken down when faced with far less.’

‘Postnatal depression and reactive depression are two very different things. I did have a hard time after Lottie’s birth, and I’d be the first one to acknowledge that. But I received the help I needed at the time. What happened then has no relevance whatsoever to current events. Someone broke into my home, exactly as I told you. Someone took Lottie from the bed as I said. Your investigation is way off track. If you truly think I’ve got anything at all to do with my daughter’s disappearance, you’ve got this horribly wrong. I’m asking myself if you’re the right person for the job. I very much hope your superiors are doing the same.’