‘Er, yeah, hostile toward her,’ MacDonald continued, ‘the counsellor suspected I had done something. Only she wasn’t sure what because Amelia insisted I didn’t touch her.’ He puffed himself up. ‘Which I bloody well didn’t!’

‘Why would the counsellor make such a suggestion then?’

‘We’re not sure, Mr Hunter,’ Mary said. ‘Amelia isn’t well mentally—we know that—but we’ve never been able to figure out why.’

‘What do you mean by “not well mentally”?’

‘As I said yesterday, it started after she came to live with us. On her first day at school the other kids bullied her and called her “bad”, even though the teacher said she didn’t make any trouble.’ Her voice caught. ‘How could those girls from the home be bad? They were just babies when they arrived. They lived quiet, blameless lives.’

Jake shaped his words carefully. ‘So you don’t believe Amelia was abused at the girls’ home?’

‘She’s never said anything about it, and I know Charlotte insists nothing ever happened to her. But it’s the only thing that explains …’ her voice dropped to a whisper, ‘… everything.’

‘Explains what, Mary?’

‘She’s missing …’ She looked at her husband. ‘One of the doctors asked Amelia yesterday about her … um … lady parts.’

Scott MacDonald looked outraged.

‘It’s Amelia’s business if she doesn’t want to tell us,’ Mary rushed on, ‘but I take it something’s not … normal down there.’

MacDonald exploded. ‘What are you saying? Someone did interfere with her?’

‘Calm down,’ his wife fixed him with a glare.

‘I understand, mate,’ Kelly said. ‘She’s your little girl.’

MacDonald did seem to be genuinely surprised by the news, which told Jake that Mary MacDonald didn’t turn to her husband for comfort when she first discovered what had been done to their daughter.

‘Mr and Mrs MacDonald,’ he said. ‘Can you please tell me about the damage done to Amelia’s fingers and toes? I could see at the hospital that there were significant injuries to both.’

MacDonald shrugged. ‘It’s just something she does.’

Mary sighed. ‘Nothing we’ve ever tried has helped her. Even when we wrap her hands up at night she undoes it all and picks at them in her sleep. There’ll be blood all over her sheets in the morning, but she says she can’t remember doing it.’

‘Has she ever told you why she does it?’

‘She’s only said that it somehow makes her feel better.’ Mary began to cry.

Scott MacDonald puffed himself up again. Apparently it was his go-to move. ‘That’s enough.’

Kelly nodded. ‘We probably have everything we need for today, wouldn’t you say, Hunter?’

Jake had quite a few more questions for the MacDonalds, but suspected he’d get further talking to Mary sans Kelly and her husband. He’d call her tomorrow and arrange to meet.

‘Of course, you’ve had a long day.’ He stood up to show them out.

*

Jake had one more interrogation to conduct for the day, but it was of a location rather than a person.