Michael considered his response carefully. He wanted to be on the same page as his colleague. But Doyle’s denial of the accusation had been spirited and Michael had perceived him as frank in his analysis of Mary Ellen’s disappearance, not biased. The man had screwed up, that was for sure, but deliberately so? Michael didn’t know. Then again, was he seeing the situation from a blinkered male perspective?

Laura stopped the car.

‘I’m serious, Michael. I’m not happy with this whole affair. I can’t see how it’s not black and white for you. A woman went missing and because she wasn’t challenging for the role of the Virgin Mary our colleagues down here made certain assumptions. Jesus, we know full well that the institutions of the State have always been stacked against women in Ireland, and I’m including the gardaí in that. Things might have changed, but in some parts of the country they’ve changed faster than others. So you’ve Sergeant Doyle happy to see the back of her and the villagers whispering. And all the while those derogatory conversations were being had, Mary Ellen was being held captive in some bloody house or basement somewhere, with her kidnapper doing God knows what to her. Don’t you think Doyle has something to answer for?’

‘All I’m saying is that I can see things a little from his point of view,’ Michael said, defensively. ‘It’s a small place and you said yourself, everybody knows everybody’s business, so he knows the family. It also seems like a safe place. You’d never make the leap that Mary Ellen had been snatched, especially if you had a witness who brought her virtually to her door. Not to mention she was a grown woman.

‘I’m not fighting with you, Laura. There’s no excuse for Doyle not logging her disappearance properly. And if he treated the family as badly as they claim, well, they have him by the balls. But – and hear me out – you know what it’s like to be a guard. Sometimes, you can’t do right for doing wrong in the eyes of the public. The Lehane family had their problems and Doyle factored those in. Look at the inconsistencies he had to deal with – the fact they reported her missing the next day, even though she’d been out all night on previous occasions. And it’s not like he did nothing. They searched the taxi driver’s house. Ultimately, Doyle made a mistake. But perhaps it was an understandable one.’

‘Unless he did try to rape her,’ Laura said, her features hard. ‘Then he’s not just a friendly, bumbling guard. He’s a dangerous arsehole. And I’m really surprised that you’d take his word as verbatim that she had stayed out on other nights. Is he telling the truth, just because he’s a guard?’