‘Did he hit your grandmother?’
‘Probably. She left him after my father was born. I never met her – I don’t think Dad did either.’
‘What about your mother’s parents?’
Acland shook his head. ‘I’ve never met them. As far as I know, there was a massive falling out around the time she married my father. They emigrated to Canada . . . but I don’t know which came first, the falling out or the emigration. Mum used to fly off the handle every time they were mentioned . . . so no one speaks about them now.’ He leaned forward to massage his temples. ‘She’s likely to—’ He broke off abruptly.
‘What?’
‘Nothing.’
‘Do you get on with her?’
He didn’t answer.
‘Should I take that as a no?’
‘She likes her own way. I sometimes wonder if that’s what caused the row with her parents. If they disapproved of Dad, they might have tried to stop the wedding.’
‘What’s to disapprove of?’
‘Maybe they thought he’d turn out like his father.’
‘Did he?’
Acland shook his head. ‘The opposite. He’s spent his whole life trying to make up for my grandfather’s failings.’
‘In what way?’
‘Mortgaged the house and the farm up to the hilt to pay off the old man’s debts and try to make a go of it. He had a dairy herd until the milk prices dropped and he found it was costing more to produce the stuff than he was being paid for it. I tried to persuade him to sell up at that stage, but—’ He broke off on a shrug.
‘What?’ asked Jackson.
‘The silly old fool went into sheep instead. There’s too much debt hanging over the place. The best he could afford after the mortgages were cleared would be a cheap brick box on an estate somewhere.’
‘What’s wrong with that?’
‘Mother wouldn’t like it.’
Jackson smiled slightly. ‘Not grand enough?’
‘Something along those lines. It wouldn’t be worth it anyway. She’d be at war with the neighbours in seconds.’ He stared out of the windscreen. ‘Dad earns just enough out of the flock to allow them to stay there, but it’s all very precarious.’
‘Does your mother know that?’
‘I doubt it. She’d make my father’s life hell if she did.’
*
Jackson thought of the conversation she’d had with Robert Willis that morning when she’d phoned to say Charles hadn’t returned. ‘Would he have gone to his parents?’ she’d asked. ‘I can’t see it. He and his mother don’t get on, although I’m not so sure about his relationship with his father. He talks more sympathetically about Mr Acland . . . usually to do with the farm and the amount of work the man has to put in.’ Willis’s dry smile travelled down the wire. ‘Mrs Acland seems to be a lady of leisure . . . and I think that offends Charles.’ ‘What about the girlfriend? I know you said there was no love lost between them, but would she take him in for old time’s sake?’ ‘Jen? Can’t see that either, I’m afraid.
‘Not that I’m aware of. There’ve been no phone calls for him . . . and he keeps to his room when he’s not out at night with me.’
‘Even when he’s not sleeping?’
‘Yes.’ Jackson sighed. ‘He seems to have a problem with Daisy and it’s making life rather difficult. He cuts her dead if he bumps into her by accident and it’s upsetting her.’
Willis hesitated. ‘What sort of personality is she? Friendly? Affectionate?’
‘Very. I’ve been wondering if he fancies her.’
‘I wouldn’t think so. I’d say it’s more likely he’s afraid she fancies him. He has real difficulty interpreting women’s motives.’
‘Because of the girlfriend?’
‘Because of the relationship, certainly. He talked about signing up to a fantasy. I interpreted that as meaning that he expected to settle down with Jen and live happily ever after . . . but it didn’t work out that way.’
‘Why not?’
‘He never told me,’ Willis said, ‘but I can make an educated guess. For a number of reasons – principally because Jen allowed her true character to emerge, I suspect – Charles became disillusioned with her.’ He paused. ‘She tried to persuade me it was her choice to end the relationship, but I don’t think that’s true. I’m ninety per cent sure it was Charles who pulled out when he realized how angry she was making him.’
‘You said he put his hands round her throat in the hospital. Had he ever done anything like that before?’
