‘No.’
He reached out to switch the screen back on. ‘She’s waiting for her solicitor,’ he said. ‘You wouldn’t think butter would melt in her mouth, would you?’
Jackson studied the delicate face with its wide-eyed stare and slightly puzzled smile. ‘Only because she has baby features,’ she said matter-of-factly. ‘Big eyes appeal to the care-taking response, which is why we describe women like her as beautiful. There’s plenty of literature on the subject.’
‘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 dotted and every t crossed – and he’ll just keep going until he gets it.’ She glanced sideways. ‘We’ve all worked out why you react so violently to being touched, Charles. I doubt you’ve many secrets left.’
‘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.’
‘Which is why they’re illegal in this country. In the hands of someone like Jen they could kill you. The body can only take so many shocks.’
‘She thought it was funny.’
Jackson heard the hatred in his voice. ‘How did you stop her?’
‘She took a phone call . . . and it lasted longer than she realized. When she came back I managed to lock on to her wrist and turn the gun on her.’ He fell into another brief silence. ‘I came damn close to killing her. I could have done it easily and she knew it.’
‘Why didn’t you?’
‘Because I’m better than that.’
Like your father, she thought. ‘Did Jen use anything other than the stun gun on you?’
‘Nothing I want to talk about.’
Jackson shook her head. ‘Mr Jones won’t accept that. He needs to know if she hit you with the knobkerrie.’
There was a small hesitation. ‘She didn’t have to stun me to do that. It was her favourite weapon. It started as a joke . . . a tap on the wrist if I was late. It turned nasty around July, when I told her about the month’s training in Oman. She damn near broke my arm on one occasion.’
Jackson glanced at him again. ‘When did she first use the knobkerrie? Before or after the engagement?’
‘I’m not a complete idiot. After,’ he said with another wry laugh. ‘She was fine up until then.’ He paused. ‘I thought maybe I’d pushed her into something she didn’t want to do, but it made her worse when I said we didn’t have to go through with it. I made myself scarce whenever she kicked off . . . but she didn’t like that either.’
‘At the Crown?’
He nodded. ‘I told the superintendent I never spoke to the taxi driver, but I think I may have done. I remember being given a card one time which I passed on to Jen. She goes everywhere in cabs.’ He lapsed into another silence.
‘So what makes Jen angry?’
‘The same thing that fires my mother up . . . not getting her own way. As long as you agree with her, she’s fine. It’s when you say no that the trouble starts.’
‘Some people can’t function without constant approval. Any disagreement is seen as the equivalent of rejection, and they react angrily because they feel degraded and betrayed. Does that describe Jen and your mother?’
‘Apart from the things you’ve left out.’
‘Like what?’
‘The fact that they live in fantasy worlds about how sweet-natured and beautiful they are . . . The fact that the more approval they’re given the worse they get . . . The fact that they don’t give a shit about anyone else—’ He broke off on a sigh. ‘Jen wasn’t always like that, you know. She was great at the beginning.’
‘And probably still is when she wants to be,’ said Jackson calmly. ‘People with personality disorders don’t lack charm. They employ it whenever they want to manipulate a situation to suit themselves . . . particularly if they think of themselves as special in some way.’