‘It isn’t the Buckleys we’re investigating, right now,’ I point out. ‘According to Doctor Buckley, Hollie messed Dylan up. He told me he was glad Hollie was out of Niamh’s life.’

The DI speaks sharply. ‘He actually said that? Do you think he meant it?’

‘Maybe. There’s more. Hollie made an appointment to see him at the surgery.’

The DI frowns. ‘When was this?’

‘Last year. To start with, he said she had a crush on him. And that when he didn’t reciprocate, Hollie allegedly accused him of touching her inappropriately. But then he also admitted, very reluctantly, that Hollie had found out about him and Stephanie Hampton. I imagine that’s the real reason she went to see him.’ I pause, frowning. ‘There’s also something Elise Buckley said, about Andrew Buckley wanting people to believe Hollie had problems, though she had no idea why. By the way, he also made it clear that he doesn’t want me talking to her about Dylan. Something about her being fragile, and how they’re trying to get on with their lives.’

‘If we have what we need, it sounds a reasonable enough request.’

I shake my head. ‘If it was anyone else, you’d think he was protecting his wife. But not him. Both of them have alluded to the fact that their marriage isn’t what it should be. The other thing is, Elise Buckley isn’t fragile. She’s calculating, but not in a self-interested way. I’d say she’s protecting herself and her daughter – from him.’

‘Where’s this coming from?’ He looks at me curiously.

I take a deep breath. ‘Let’s just say, when you’ve been there, you know the signs.’ I pause. ‘Andrew Buckley has all the trademark characteristics of a psychopath.’

‘That doesn’t make him a criminal. We all know the world is full of them, May.’

As I’ve found out, first-hand. ‘About Dylan, sir … I’ve asked for his medical records and anything else we can find on him, and I looked at his Facebook page last night. There’s a whole load of stuff on there that I’m sure Andrew Buckley doesn’t know about.’

‘Such as?’

‘Messages from Hollie, telling him how much she loved him.’ Heart-breaking messages that completely contradict what Andrew Buckley had told me about Hollie being the one who left Dylan. ‘I’d say Doctor Buckley lied about what happened between them.’

The DI gets up. ‘We need to look into it, May.’ He pauses. ‘Any luck locating Mason?’

‘None, unfortunately, and there’s no way of knowing when he’ll be back.’

*