It was a public show of mutual support, which Kate and Gerry McCann have become accustomed to displaying since their daughter vanished.
It was a public show of mutual support, which Kate and Gerry McCann have become accustomed to displaying since their daughter vanished.
After Mr McCann drove his wife to Portimao police station, where a huge crowd of photographers and TV crews was waiting for them, they gave a quick embrace - a simple kiss on the lips.
Mrs McCann then braved the expected media throng to walk the 50yds to the front door, looking apprehensive but managing a nervous smile.
Her appearance at the police station was the latest episode in the extraordinary story of the missing four-year-old British girl.
Friends of the McCanns yesterday described the past week as "one of the worst" since Madeleine disappeared on May 3.
That adds up to a rough time by any standard given the painful vigil they have endured on the Algarve since they discovered their daughter was missing from their holiday apartment.
But the past seven days have seen them forced to sue a Portuguese newspaper for alleging the police suspected them of killing Madeleine.
Now the latest development - the summons to police headquarters for further questioning - has left them hopeful of a fresh turn in the investigation, but fearful that the finger of police suspicion was indeed turning to them.
It is 126 days since Madeleine went missing from her bed in her family's flat in the resort of Praia Da Luz while her parents dined in a nearby tapas restaurant.
Portuguese police have repeatedly said that the couple are not suspects in the case, but they have endured a series of media reports alleging they were involved.
Mrs McCann, a GP, was accompanied by her husband's sister, Trisha Cameron, as she entered the building yesterday afternoon, clutching, as ever, Madeleine's favourite soft toy, Cuddle Cat.
Mrs McCann was kept waiting for more than an hour before the interview began at 3.10pm. She chose an interpreter from a list given to her by officers and was questioned by two detectives in the presence of her lawyer.
As the world's media waited outside, Justine McGuinness, the McCanns' spokeswoman, read out a short statement.
She said: "Today Kate McCann has returned to Portimao to be questioned by the Portuguese police to assist them in their investigations.
"Kate and Gerry are happy to help the police in their investigations to find their daughter Madeleine, as they have been since she was taken.
"Kate continues to believe that Madeleine is still alive, and to hope and pray that she will be returned soon.
"Kate is a loving, gentle mother - one of the victims in an extraordinary and terrible set of events."
There has been no indication as to whether the fresh interviews are being conducted in the light of forensic tests being conducted in the UK on material found at the holiday flat a month ago.
British sniffer dogs reportedly found traces of blood on a wall in the apartment where Madeleine went missing, although that was three months after her disappearance, and after the flat had been let out to other holidaymakers.
The official line remains that the tests are continuing, although detectives confirmed yesterday that they had received partial results from the British laboratory.
The only suspect named in the case so far is Robert Murat, an Anglo-Portuguese man who lives with his mother 100yds from where Madeleine was snatched. His home was searched but he has not been formally arrested.
The police interviews have forced the McCanns to shelve plans to return to their home in Rothley, Leicestershire, with their two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie on Sunday.
Attending the police station means they will not have time to pack their bags and say "thank you" to their supporters in Praia da Luz by Sunday, a family friend said.
