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so no, I wouldn’t say she was given to pestering people.’
    ‘So not violent, or aggressive in any way?’
    Miles shook his head.
    ‘Except for what she did to me,’ Kelsey muttered.
    Sadler’s eyebrows shot up. ‘What did she do to you?’ he asked quickly.
    Kelsey waited for Miles to answer, but in the end she was the one who said, in typical teenage-speak, ‘My mother gave me like an overdose when I was twelve years old that might only have killed me if Dad hadn’t come back when he did. I mean, I know that’s not violent, exactly, because she didn’t hit me or anything, but you’ve got to admit, it is a bit random.’
    ‘I’m afraid it was my wife’s way of forcing me to end my relationship with Vivienne,’ Miles explained.
    DC Joy could hardly have looked more appalled. She found it hard to believe that a mother had used her own daughter in that way. ‘Was your wife charged with anything at the time?’ she asked.
    ‘No, but she has been receiving psychiatric treatment—’
    ‘What you should really be asking,’ Kelsey broke in, ‘is what made her all screwed up in the first place, because she wasn’t always like it—’
    ‘Kelsey—’
    ‘… but no one’s allowed to mention what turned her into a mental case,’ she went on defiantly. The accusation in her eyes was unmistakable as she glared at her father, but as Joy watched her she could see through to the anxiety of a confused and angry child.
    Looking at Sadler, Miles said, ‘What my wife did to our daughter was an isolated incident brought on by intense stress. No one is more horrified than Jacqueline by what she attempted to do.’
    ‘Have you spoken to her psychiatrist since she disappeared?’ Sadler wanted to know.
    ‘Yes, but apparently it’s been several months since my wife’s last visit.’
    ‘And you weren’t aware of that until now?’
    ‘I had an inkling, but short of carrying her there, I can’t force her to make her appointments.’
    ‘We’ll need to speak to the therapist.’
    ‘Then I’ll get you the name and number.’ As Miles walked across the room to the dining area, Sadler said to Kelsey, ‘Where do
you
think your mother might have gone?’
    Kelsey shrugged and shook her head. ‘She never tells me anything,’ she said in a tone that was meant to indicate she couldn’t care less, when there was little doubt that she did.
    Thinking of how close his own teenage daughters were to his wife – apocalyptic rows notwithstanding – Sadler found himself feeling sorry for the girl, since it was clear that she’d lost out on the normal type of mothering.
    Having found what he was looking for, Miles came back and handed a small business card to Joy so she could note the details.
    Sadler said, ‘I’m afraid, from what your daughter’s told us, Mr Avery, that it seems we can’t rule out the possibility of your wife being a possible danger to others.’
    Miles’s face paled. ‘What happened with Kelsey wasn’t a serious attempt on her life,’ he stated shortly. ‘She knew I’d be back any minute …’
    ‘Nevertheless …’
    ‘She tried to kill herself at the same time,’ Kelsey said. ‘Dad, you should tell them these things.’
    Sadler looked from father to daughter. ‘So she could also be a danger to herself?’ he said.
    Miles didn’t deny it.
    ‘How long ago was this attempt on her life?’
    ‘I told you, when I was twelve,’ Kelsey replied. ‘Which means, just over two years.’
    ‘Has she made any other attempts?’
    ‘Nothing to be taken seriously,’ Miles said gruffly.
    Sadler’s expression darkened. ‘So there have been others?’
    ‘It’s mainly talk. Once or twice she’s taken a few too many pills, not enough to do any real damage.’
    ‘Is she on any medication now?’
    ‘Antidepressants of some kind, I think. You’ll have to ask her doctor exactly what they are.’
    ‘I see. We’ll be sure to do that.’ Then, after pondering for a moment, ‘The fact that you called