‘It wasn’t anything like that. It was a tape recorder. She played the tape on it. And . . . he’d recorded Jake crying. He had it right there, recorded. And I think he was playing it sometimes when I was alone in the house, to frighten me. To make me think I was crazy.’

‘Babe . . .’ Charlie was shaking his head. He looked sad. Like he was going to say any minute now, Oh babe, I thought we’d covered all this . . .

‘Charlie, listen to me! Beezer saw Harlan going into Jake’s room after the christening, on the morning he died. I think . . . Charlie, this is awful but I think it’s the truth and I can’t get it out of my mind. I think Harlan killed Jake. That he was jealous of him. That he wanted to be number one son. He couldn’t stand the thought that Jake was always going to be your favourite.’

Charlie stopped rubbing her back. He stood up sharply, walked away from the bench.

Then he turned back and pointed a trembling finger at her.

‘You know what?’ he said.

Nula dumbly shook her head.

‘You are fucking crazy,’ said Charlie, and he got in the buggy and drove away, back up to the house, leaving her sitting there, aghast.

75

The parents weren’t talking. Milly had sweated over whether to tell Mum about what she’d discovered, and now she wished she hadn’t. But it had tormented her for so long. It had to be said. And now Dad and Mum were ice-cool with each other, barely polite.

The best thing to do was keep out of their way. She did a few laps of the indoor pool, happy that Harlan wasn’t here. She didn’t know what he got up to in the city, and she didn’t want to know, either. Dull business stuff, she guessed. Learning all about brocades and sofa stuffing. Really riveting. After she got bored with the pool, she decided to go down to the gatehouse and find Belle, have a chat.

She dried off, combed out her hair, dressed and set off down the drive. Maybe she’d stay for lunch, escape the parents and the frosty atmosphere; Jill always made her welcome. Felt sorry for her, she supposed, with Nula half off her head most of the time, Charlie always raging.

When she got close to the gatehouse, she let herself in the little gate in the picket fence and was approaching the front door up the path when she heard voices coming from the back garden. She could hear Belle’s voice, and Nipper’s. Something Nipper was saying brought her up short against the house wall.

‘. . . why would you get your knickers in a twist about that? It’s just sex. Just fun. That’s all. I told you.’

‘Yeah, well. I’m not sure that’s all it is for Milly.’