Placing the doll on her lap she pulled the legs off. Kate knew everywhere there was to look for drugs. It was her job, after all.

Patrick answered the door himself and smiled in delight as he saw Kate on his doorstep.

‘Hello, love. Come in.’

She stepped into the hallway.

As Patrick walked her through to the lounge he frowned. She did not look like a happy woman. When she was seated on the sofa with a glass of brandy, he spoke.

‘What’s up, Kate? You look terrible. Is it something about the case?’

She sipped the brandy. ‘No. Nothing to do with that.’

Then it all tumbled out. Patrick sat beside her, unsure if what he was hearing was true. When she had finished, he sighed heavily.

‘Sounds to me like your daughter needs a good kick up the arse, if you’ll pardon the expression.’

‘I’m sorry to bring my troubles here but I really didn’t know where else to go.’

Patrick grasped her hand. ‘Listen, Kate, if ever you need me, I’ll be there. All right?’ He meant it. Seeing her like this made her more human somehow. It was gratifying to know that she could feel the same as him. That she had the same troubles, worries and hopes that he had. It made her more a person and less a policewoman.

Kate ran her hands through her long hair and sniffed. ‘It was just the way she acted when I went in the cell. You know, as if I was the enemy or something.’

‘At the moment, Kate love, you are the enemy. She probably feels ashamed of herself.’

‘I know what you’re saying, but she was drugged out of her head, Patrick. She was nicked in a filthy squat with a load of known druggies. The boy who took her there was called Joey something or other. He already has a record as long as my arm and he’s only eighteen. I tried to kid myself that someone took her and dragged her there, you know the scenario. But after talking to her best friend, I realise that my daughter is nothing but a little slut.’

Patrick slapped her knee sharply. ‘Hey, hey, you listen to me now, Katie, that’s your child you’re talking about. I wouldn’t care if my Mandy was flashing her clout on the Old Kent Road if it meant having her back! You’re being too hard on her. She’s sixteen. Christ Almighty, didn’t you ever do anything wrong at sixteen?