‘You don’t find her attractive?’
‘Not particularly,’ said Jackson honestly. ‘Too damn willowy for my liking. I’d be afraid of breaking her.’ She paused to watch Jen smooth her hand over her skirt. ‘Is she alone in there?’
‘There’s a female officer by the door.’
‘But she knows there’s a camera on her?’
Jones nodded. ‘She’s already attacked one policewoman, so she was told she’d be monitored by CCTV to prevent her doing it again. As a result, she’s behaved impeccably since she’s been in there.’
‘What does she look like when she’s in a temper?’
‘Not much different, according to Nick. There are no obvious signals to alert anyone she’s about to lose it.’ He blanked the screen again. ‘That’s why we need Charles’s evidence, Doctor. If we know what triggers her rages, we’ll have something to work on.’
‘Are you asking me to persuade him?’
‘He’ll listen to you.’
Jackson shook her head. ‘I doubt it. The last time the subject of Jen came up, he drove me into a bollard.’
Thirty
ACLAND HADN’T MOVED from his place in the corner of the bed. He sat in the same position with his disfigured profile towards the door, staring at the wall opposite and apparently oblivious to the comings and goings outside. Jackson watched him for a second or two. He had a capacity for stillness that was quite extraordinary, she thought.
‘Were you born with patience or did they teach it to you in the army?’ she asked.
He turned to look at her. ‘I learned it as a child. There wasn’t much point getting worked up about sitting alone in my room when nothing I did was going to make a difference. Now it comes naturally.’
‘Did you know it was me at the door?’
He nodded. ‘I recognized your footsteps.’
She moved into the room. ‘Have you been told that Jen’s been arrested?’
He nodded again.
‘They’re waiting to interview her.’ Jackson gestured towards the end of the bed. ‘May I?’ She took his silence for assent and perched on the end, leaning forward with her elbows on her knees. ‘The superintendent wants to question you first. How do you feel about that? Would you like me to stall him . . . give yourself a little more time?’
‘What for?’
‘So that you can decide how quickly you’re willing to cooperate. Mr Jones needs it all, I’m afraid – every
‘I wouldn’t bet on it.’
‘How many times did Jen use the stun gun on you?’
‘It depends whether you count repeated hits,’ he said. ‘If she zapped me every five minutes she could keep me on the ground for as long as she liked.’ The humour lines appeared around his good eye. ‘A man would have to be pretty stupid to get caught more than once, wouldn’t he?’
‘Is that what embarrasses you? That you think you were stupid?’
‘It doesn’t say much for my army training. Soldiers are supposed to be ready for surprise attacks.’
Jackson smiled. ‘From the enemy, maybe . . . not from friends.’
‘I didn’t even know she had it the first time she used it. She said it was an accident and only zapped me the once. The second time, I fell asleep in a chair when we were supposed to be going out. She said it was to teach me a lesson about taking her for granted.’ He fell into a brief silence. ‘It was shortly before I went to Oman and she said she only did it because she was upset about me going . . . so I took the damn thing off her and smashed it with a hammer.’
‘But she bought another one while you were away?’
Acland nodded.
‘They’re easy to come by, Charles. Daisy’s been offered several by touts in the back streets. You shouldn’t beat yourself up over it.’
He didn’t say anything.
Jackson straightened. ‘What happened?’
‘I told her I’d had time to think it all through in Oman and the engagement was over. She didn’t take it too well.’ He gave a small laugh. ‘I turned my back on her. Pretty naive, eh?’
‘How many hits?’
Acland shook his head. ‘I gave up counting. Every time I tried to get up, she used it again. The charge does something to your head . . . makes you lose coordination. Repeated charges scramble everything.’
