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Authors: Phil Rickman
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was blaming Johnny Morgan for causing actual damage to his building site. Johnny had even tried to buy the land back at some stage, when his financial situation improved. Well… Clifton wasn’t having that at any price. Confidentially, wouldn’t have surprised me too much if Johnny
had
done some damage. Relations, by this time, were somewhat beyond repair. Especially after the trees were sawn down.’
‘Sorry…?’
‘After the old chap blew his head off, Johnny’s father, Jim Morgan planted about twenty trees - fast-growing conifers - below the house. To block it from view. So that the half-finished house couldn’t be seen from the farmhouse.And the farmhouse couldn’t be seen from… from up there. Wouldn’t have dared to do that when Grenville was alive, but now…’
‘He didn’t want to be looking up all the time at the place where his father… ?’
‘Yes, that’s… that’s one way of looking at it.’
Merrily glanced at him.
‘Well,’ Mr Unsworth said. ‘You’re the exorcist.’
‘You mean he was worried that his father might still be…’
‘…watching over his farm?’ Mr Unsworth laughed. ‘Well, who knows? Never catch Jim Morgan talking like that. And yet I doubt he ever went up there. Let the skeleton of the house become overgrown. When Johnny took over the farm, he did some clearing up, but the trees remained. Both would’ve denied any suggestion of superstition, but you know what farmers are like, even today.’
She nodded. When you inherited a farm, you accepted responsibility for more than the health of the land and the stock.
‘Almost came to violence when those trees came down.’
‘Clifton had them taken down?’
‘I’d guess to show he wasn’t intimidated by Johnny. Who goes storming up there soon as the chainsaws started up. Dire threats made. But then Harry Clifton wasn’t a man who reacted well to threats. If you showed weakness, or even sympathy, you’d never get what was owed to you. Was this why he did it? I don’t know.’
‘I’m sorry - did what?’
‘Built that house… as it
is
. Abandoning his original plan, for a fairly traditional dwelling in favour of something more on the lines of the commercial buildings he designed. Only more so.’
‘You mean—’
‘Well, this was the 1960s, anything
new
… And of course, Clifton knew a number of useful councillors by now, having designed extensions and whatnot for their homes. At bargain prices. Or even free. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you how these things work.’
‘No. No, you don’t.’
‘So Johnny Morgan had to look up at
that
. Planted what was virtually a new wood just beyond his farmhouse to block it out. Block himself in, more like.’
‘So are you… are you saying the house was built partly out of a kind of…’
‘Malice?’ Memory clouding his eyes. ‘No one could say there wasn’t a vindictive side to Harry Clifton.’
‘Where’s Johnny Morgan now?’
‘Oh, still alive. Living the other side of Leominster. Eventually sold up. Sold everything.’
‘And now the New House is on the edge of a housing estate.’
A
wful eyesore
. Anita Wells last night.
There used to be more trees in front and a high hedge. Zoe was so proud of it she had to have it all cleared
.
‘In full view of a lot of people now,’ Merrily said.
Thinking of the show it had put on last night. A quiver.
Jesus, stop me
.
‘Hard to say which of them won in the end,’ Mr Unsworth said. ‘Clifton or Morgan.’
‘You said Clifton died…’
‘Yes, he… Oh dear, this all sounds far more disquieting than it would have done at the time. He was said to be unwell. Balance of his mind was upset. That was the wording at the inquest. He was found in his car. Carbon monoxide. Hose from the exhaust. Parked on some spare land, on the edge of the commercial sprawl next to Roman Road.’
‘You mean at the bottom of Aylestone Hill. Did he live anywhere near there?’
‘He lived a dozen miles away in
had
done some damage. Relations, by this time, were somewhat beyond repair. Especially after the trees were sawn down.’
‘Sorry…?’
‘After the old chap blew his head off, Johnny’s father, Jim Morgan planted about twenty trees - fast-growing conifers - below the house. To block it from view. So that the half-finished house couldn’t be seen from the farmhouse.And the farmhouse couldn’t be seen from… from up there. Wouldn’t have dared to do that when Grenville was alive, but now…’
‘He didn’t want to be looking up all the time at the place where his father… ?’
‘Yes, that’s… that’s one way of looking at it.’
Merrily glanced at him.
‘Well,’ Mr Unsworth said. ‘You’re the exorcist.’
‘You mean he was worried that his father might still be…’
‘…watching over his farm?’ Mr Unsworth laughed. ‘Well, who knows? Never catch Jim Morgan talking like that. And yet I doubt he ever went up there. Let the skeleton of the house become overgrown. When Johnny took over the farm, he did some clearing up, but the trees remained. Both would’ve denied any suggestion of superstition, but you know what farmers are like, even today.’
She nodded. When you inherited a farm, you accepted responsibility for more than the health of the land and the stock.
‘Almost came to violence when those trees came down.’
‘Clifton had them taken down?’
‘I’d guess to show he wasn’t intimidated by Johnny. Who goes storming up there soon as the chainsaws started up. Dire threats made. But then Harry Clifton wasn’t a man who reacted well to threats. If you showed weakness, or even sympathy, you’d never get what was owed to you. Was this why he did it? I don’t know.’
‘I’m sorry - did what?’
‘Built that house… as it
is
. Abandoning his original plan, for a fairly traditional dwelling in favour of something more on the lines of the commercial buildings he designed. Only more so.’
‘You mean—’
‘Well, this was the 1960s, anything
new
… And of course, Clifton knew a number of useful councillors by now, having designed extensions and whatnot for their homes. At bargain prices. Or even free. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you how these things work.’
‘No. No, you don’t.’
‘So Johnny Morgan had to look up at
that
. Planted what was virtually a new wood just beyond his farmhouse to block it out. Block himself in, more like.’
‘So are you… are you saying the house was built partly out of a kind of…’
‘Malice?’ Memory clouding his eyes. ‘No one could say there wasn’t a vindictive side to Harry Clifton.’
‘Where’s Johnny Morgan now?’
‘Oh, still alive. Living the other side of Leominster. Eventually sold up. Sold everything.’
‘And now the New House is on the edge of a housing estate.’
A
wful eyesore
. Anita Wells last night.
There used to be more trees in front and a high hedge. Zoe was so proud of it she had to have it all cleared
.
‘In full view of a lot of people now,’ Merrily said.
Thinking of the show it had put on last night. A quiver.
Jesus, stop me
.
‘Hard to say which of them won in the end,’ Mr Unsworth said. ‘Clifton or Morgan.’
‘You said Clifton died…’
‘Yes, he… Oh dear, this all sounds far more disquieting than it would have done at the time. He was said to be unwell. Balance of his mind was upset. That was the wording at the inquest. He was found in his car. Carbon monoxide. Hose from the exhaust. Parked on some spare land, on the edge of the commercial sprawl next to Roman Road.’
‘You mean at the bottom of Aylestone Hill. Did he live anywhere near there?’
‘He lived a dozen miles away in
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