For Better, For Worse by Jane Isaac

Author:Jane Isaac [Isaac, Jane]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781838934729
Publisher: Head of Zeus
Published: 2020-03-18T16:00:00+00:00

*

Even with the limited view on the computer screen, it was obvious Craig Moss was a bear of a man. His broad head sat on a thick neck, the number one haircut accentuating the width of his skull. He shared his father’s fair features and pale skin, but it was the eyes that were really telling: piercing grey-blue Moss eyes that latched on to whoever was speaking.

‘We’re sorry for your loss,’ Beth said.

‘He’s nothing to me.’

‘How much do you know about the nature of his death?’ Beth asked. Although limited details of the murder had been released to the press, she wasn’t sure how much Craig had gleaned.

‘My wife, Jean, called me this morning when our phone lines were restored. She filled me in.’

‘Your wife?’ Beth’s chair leg scraped the floor as she inched back. There’d been no mention that his wife had been in touch. Was she warning him of the police’s intention to contact him, or preparing him for the news he was about to receive?

‘Yeah. She gave me a right rollicking. I wish you’d told me you were going to speak to her.’

‘We have been trying to reach you.’

He blew out a heavy sigh, looked away.

‘Do you know of anyone who might have wanted to hurt him?’ Nick asked.

‘No. As I said to your officer yesterday, my dad and I were estranged.’

‘When did you last see him?’ Beth asked.

‘About twenty-two years ago.’

‘You haven’t seen him at all since then? Bumped into him in a supermarket, seen him at a petrol station?’ She imagined Craig sitting around the dinner table with his family discussing upgrading their car, where to go on holiday, what their children had done at school. It seemed astonishing they were less than twenty-two miles from his father, a man his wife and children didn’t even know existed.

‘No. We might have been in the same county but we lived in separate towns, far enough away not to bump into each other. I don’t think I’d have recognised him in recent years anyway.’

‘Can you tell us why you decided to stop seeing each other?’

‘I don’t think that’s relevant.’

‘We’re trying to build up a picture of his life.’

‘I wasn’t part of his life. I don’t see how I can help you.’ His piercing eyes didn’t leave hers.

Nick drew a breath. ‘What was your relationship with your father like before you parted ways?’ he said.

Craig switched to Nick and gave an imperceptible shrug. ‘My father left when I was a year old. I continued to see him occasionally when I was young. As far as I remember, it was supposed to be one weekend a month when I was in school, and sometimes in the holidays, although he often cancelled. My mum brushed aside his absences, said I was better off without him. When I did see him, we played football, went to the cinema. I don’t remember much more. When I reached my teens, I started going out with friends and barely saw him at all.’

‘When did your relationship break down?’ Beth asked.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.