‘Why would you?’ His voice is accusing. ‘It was two years ago, Detective Sergeant. Since then, it’s been a difficult time for all of us. My daughter has lost her brother and my wife is emotionally fragile. She had a lot of problems after he died. She still isn’t back to how she used to be.’ His description of Elise bears no resemblance to the woman I’ve talked to. There’s a vulnerability about her, but there’s grit, too. The loss of her brother, however, may explain why Niamh finds it so hard to talk about Hollie’s death, especially coming so soon after. He goes on. ‘We’re trying to get on with our lives. Dredging up the past is incredibly painful.’

I nod. ‘I can imagine.’

‘It probably explains why no-one’s mentioned him to you.’ His voice is calm again. ‘James is just desperate to pin Hollie’s death on someone – when people are at the end of their tether, they’ll say anything to get what they want.’ His eyes glint as though he knows something I don’t. ‘But wouldn’t you say that’s true of most of us?’

*

As I drive away, I replay what Andrew Buckley said about how most of us would say anything to get what we want. Maybe he would, but would other people? Then I think about another comment he made. To be honest, I’m quite glad she’s out of Niamh’s life. And suddenly I’m wondering just how much he wanted Hollie out of the way. Enough to kill her?

Dylan must be the secret I’ve sensed people in the village holding back from me. But his death was two years ago. It’s more likely that Hollie’s death is somehow related to the porn ring business.

On the face of it, Andrew Buckley appears to be a respected doctor. His marriage isn’t happy, but that isn’t necessarily damning. His daughter is self-contained, but given the obvious problems between her parents and the fact that she’s lost her brother as well as her friend, it isn’t surprising.

During our conversation, I saw many different sides of Doctor Buckley, ranging from professional and astute, to cutting and manipulative. Even when he speaks with compassion and understanding, it’s cold, calculated, false, leaving me in no doubt that the only person Andrew Buckley cares about is himself. He displays all the characteristics of a psychopath.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Elise