Caroline looked from her husband to Tom. The branches of the tree outside the window swayed softly, causing a shadow effect to ripple over her face. She blinked away tears and sighed.

‘I know,’ she said. ‘I know. I just don’t want anybody to think that if something’s happened to her, it’s her fault. She’s young. We all do stupid things at that age. We’re supposed to live long enough that they become an embarrassing memory.’

‘Why would anybody think it was her fault?’ Tom asked, his voice gentle.

Richard stood up.

‘Give me a moment,’ he said, leaving the room.

Caroline watched him go.

‘He’s barely holding up,’ she said, when the door closed. ‘Yet he thinks I’m the one who needs all the support. Richard travels a lot with his job. He feels guilty that he wasn’t here when she disappeared. He worships Fiona, even if at times they butt heads.’

‘Why is that?’ Tom asked.

‘My daughter has what some narrow-minded people would describe as a “reputation”,’ she said, in a tone that challenged the two men to react. When they remained impassive, she continued.

‘Richard is her father – that’s always going to be difficult for him to deal with. She’s not a bad girl. Just a bit wild. At first, it was bunking off school and failing in exams. We argued with her over it, but we didn’t come down like a ton of bricks. Neither Richard nor I were angels as kids and we won’t be hypocrites as parents. I always said to Richard, it’s our job to put our kids on the right path and show them they’re loved, but we must respect them as individuals. We couldn’t beat Fiona into being responsible. And I knew she’d grow out of whatever little phase she was going through, she always did. Her brother is very different. In some ways, he’s harder work. Fi has always been fun-loving and affectionate. She’s always trying to work her way round us with mischievous cheek. Fergus tends to sulk.’

‘Aside from skipping school,’ Ray queried, ‘what else was she doing that concerned you? Was she mixing with a bad crowd?’

Caroline sighed. ‘She started drinking when she was fifteen, going into larger towns like Navan for the nightclubs. We cut her pocket money, even took away her phone at one point. But Fi is good at winding people around her little finger. She’s the sort of girl who doesn’t have to put her hand in her pocket to buy a drink. There’s always a man there, ready to fork out. She made people jealous with that and in turn, it made them spiteful.’

‘People are wont to do that,’ the inspector nodded. ‘So, she has a way with men, like a lot of young, pretty girls. Does she have a boyfriend?’

Caroline bristled.