The only suspect in the abduction of British girl Madeleine McCann (4) hired a car two days after she disappeared from her holiday apartment.
Staff at the car rental firm in Praia da Luz, Portugal, grew suspicious about Robert Murat's behaviour when he came in on Saturday and reported him to police.
Gerry and Kate McCann, parents of Madeleine McCann, walk near the Portuguese beach resort of Lagos with their children today
Documents show he hired a Hyundai Getz from Auto Rent III from Saturday to Tuesday. Mr Murat (33), who is Anglo-Portuguese, was interviewed on Monday and the following day he was named as the first suspect in the case.
Car rental sales assistant Maria Rocio said: "There was something about his voice when he asked for the car. He was saying, 'I need to have the car quickly'.
"His voice was very impatient. When I said he could not have it straightaway, he said, 'Oh, maybe I need to try somewhere else'."
But a Murat family friend said today Mr Murat only needed the hire car because his mother, Jenny, was using their one vehicle to transport tables for a stall appealing for information about Madeleine.
Mr Murat's home in Praia da Luz, just yards from the spot where four-year-old Madeleine was abducted 15 days ago, has been the centre of intense police activity.
The Portuguese newspaper Correio da Manhareported today that police have so far found no traces of Madeleine anywhere in Mr Murat's villa. Mr Murat has told police he was at home with his mother on the night Madeleine went missing.
Although police say they do not have enough evidence to charge or even formally arrest Mr Murat, he is the first person they have formally classed as a suspect.
Mr Murat strenuously denies any involvement in Madeleine's abduction but faces jail under Portuguese law if he speaks out to clear his name.
PA