Adam gestured at Janet with his eyes that she should move further back, out of sight. He lowered his voice: ‘Look, Alice, you can speak in confidence here. You’re not under arrest, being cautioned or anything else at this point. We’re simply looking for the truth. You want that too, don’t you?’
She relaxed her shoulders, and he thought how easy it would be to believe anything she had to say. He needed to be careful.
‘He was unhappy about the lack of pleasure he was giving her.’
‘Sexual pleasure?’
‘Yes – they’ve had problems since early in the marriage.’
‘What kind of problems?’
‘Initially, Edgar thought everything was fine – she was adventurous, seductive. He said he became totally obsessed with her …’
‘And then?’
‘He started to worry about it being a one-way indulgence. Everything revolved around his enjoyment. It preyed on his mind. I think he felt less of a man because of it.’
‘It’s kind of unusual, him speaking to you about it?’
‘He had his reasons.’
He didn’t push the point, not yet, wanting to hear more about the Regans’ marital problems. ‘You were saying about their difficulties …’
‘The first time he told me he was drunk. As I said, I think his male ego was compromised. I told him to give it time, but he became increasingly dependent on me for advice.’
‘Go on.’
‘I thought things had settled, but then Sandra’s behaviour became unpredictable, angry outbursts, bouts of forgetfulness, shutting him out. He told me he’d tried being gentle with her, constantly reassuring her of how much he loved her. I thought it would be okay. As I said, I wouldn’t have chosen him as her partner, but I didn’t doubt he cared for her. Otherwise I wouldn’t have given him the time of day.’
‘And then what?’
‘He began contacting me again, phoning daily, telling me he thought she was having an affair.’
‘And was she?’
She stared at him blankly. ‘I can’t be sure. She might have been. I spoke to her about it, but she laughed it off.’
‘Did she ever speak to you about the Tarot cards?’ This time her flinch was filled with fear. Was she wondering how much more she should tell him? If he was to get anywhere, he had to move quickly. ‘You’re familiar with them? Perhaps you messed around with them at some point?’
‘It was just a silly game.’
‘What kind of game?’
‘The kind little girls play, imagining their future.’
‘What were the rules? There were rules, I assume.’
‘Yes – we would take turns picking a card for the other. Whatever card you picked meant something. Sandra had a book on them. We would look up their meanings.’
‘Did they ever land you in trouble?’
‘Sometimes.’ Again a blank look. ‘I thought Sandra had forgotten all about them, but then …’
‘Then what?’
‘It doesn’t matter. They don’t count for anything.’
‘Let me be the judge of that.’
Another silence.
He got up and walked over to her side of the table. ‘You do know Sandra and your father were lovers?’
‘You’re lying!’ she spat, instantly angry.
‘Why would I lie?’
‘I don’t believe you.’ Again the seething rage, far too much for her not to have had her doubts.
He held back for a minute. She would either recompose herself or come clean. He hoped it would be the latter.
‘I should hate her, shouldn’t I?’ Her words were reflective now, no longer angry. ‘I did for a long time … I thought I despised her. It put a divide between us, one that has never gone away, but eventually I came around.’
‘Why do you think that was?’
‘We share a common bond.’
‘What’s that?’
Another damned silence.
‘Do you believe Sandra was abused as a child?’
‘Yes.’ Tears formed in her eyes. ‘We both were.’ Her composure crumbled. ‘It was the two of us against the world.’
He could see even Janet Lacy was softening.
‘Keep talking, Alice. If you still care for Sandra, anything you tell us will help.’
‘As children, we thought we could live in the woods for ever, have a silly life of fantasy, wild with the wind, nothing would ever stop us. It was ridiculous, of course, but looking back, despite everything, there was still something wonderful about it, believing we could create our own future, that we were mythical creatures of the forest. I can still see the two of us running through the woods, the light from above splintering through the branches. When I think back, do you know what I hear?’
‘No, Alice, I’m afraid I don’t.’
‘I hear the sound of laughter, the kind only children can make. It was everywhere, blocking out the darkness.’
‘Alice?’
‘Yes?’
‘When was the last time you spoke to Sandra?’
‘Today.’
‘Did she say anything important? Think hard.’
The tears were back in her eyes, and for the first time, Adam saw the unhappy young girl she might have been. He didn’t want to press her, but he needed answers. ‘Alice, your last conversation with Sandra, what did she say?’
‘She wanted me to pick another card.’
‘Like you did as children?’
‘Yes, but she’s asked me at other times too – I would humour her, hoping she would get better.’