‘So what’s up with Bronski?’ Ellison asked as Annie handed him a coffee.
‘I think he’s frustrated. We seem to be getting nowhere fast. Dennis Cullen appears to be in the clear. He couldn’t tell us a lot and the only thing that might be useful is that Angela Goodman kept diaries, which she never shared with him. They might be illuminating, but who knows? I wish to God she would just wake up and we could talk to her.’ Annie took a sip of her coffee, and then glanced over Ellison’s shoulder to see Bronski coming towards them.
‘Ready to interview Mr Goodman, Detective?’
‘I am, sir.’ Annie emptied the rest of her coffee down the sink, hoping that Bronski hadn’t heard her comments to Dave Ellison.
George Goodman didn’t look much better for his shower but his lawyer seemed ready to get on with it, so Annie read him his rights for the tape and the allegations made by Genevieve Montgomery. She was just about to start questioning him when George Goodman put his hand up to signal her to stop.
‘I have a statement to make.’
‘Please proceed, Mr Goodman.’
‘I deny all the allegations made by Ms Montgomery. Two days ago, I told her that our relationship was over. We were at her apartment at the time. She became extremely angry. In fact, I would describe her behaviour as irrational. She lunged at me with her fists flying, screaming that I couldn’t do this to her, that she would see to it that I would pay for treating her like this. The scratches on my face were caused by her.’ George Goodman hesitated for a moment, touching his face where the scratches appeared to be healing.
His lawyer nodded for him to continue.
‘I tried to push her away, but she’s a strong woman. I fell over on to her couch while she was still attacking me. I managed to push her off, but she hit her eye on the wooden arm of the couch. That stopped her momentarily, but then she carried on screaming at me. It was as if she was possessed.’ Again he paused.
‘Please continue.’ Annie noticed that his voice wasn’t as loud as when he’d first started.
‘She kept shouting that she hadn’t waited all this time for me to leave that bitch, that was how she always referred to Angela, just for me to drop her. I kept trying to free myself from her, but it was really difficult. I have never seen her like that. Like I’ve said, it was as if she was possessed or something. I finally managed to get out of the living room and I pulled the door shut and just held on to it. She started kicking the door and I knew I just had to get out. I grabbed my coat from the hallway and ran out. That was the last time I saw Genevieve Montgomery. I swear that I never touched her except to defend myself.’
The rest of the questioning was perfunctory, and in the end they had to let George Goodman go. However, they cautioned him that they would be continuing their inquiries and would be in touch with him again.
*****
Charlie pulled up in front of his sister’s house. A white truck was backed up in the driveway, with two guys in the front seat. Their doors opened as soon as he got out.
‘Captain Hegarty?’ Charlie nodded and extended his hand. ‘I’m Dave Carlson and this is my partner Wayne Davos. We’re sorry for what’s happened to your sister.’
‘Thanks, let me show you around the house, and please, call me Charlie.’ He opened the door with his keys. Natural light flooded into the hallway.
The three men stood there for a few minutes and Charlie watched their reaction to the damage. Then he led them into the living room and the kitchen.
‘So far, this looks like vandalism,’ Dave remarked. ‘As you know, Charlie, we specialise in cleaning up contamination: blood spills, that kind of stuff but we know people who could help you out with this kind of damage.’
‘That’s OK. I was hoping to do most of this myself, once you’ve taken care of the rest of it. Come and have a look upstairs.’
The two men surveyed the bedroom, noting the patches of blood on the wooden floor and the bed.
It was Wayne who commented. ‘We’ll get the lights on all of this so we can see the extent better. We’ll be able to clean up these floorboards. I’m guessing there will also be blood on some of the walls, but it’s hard to see in this light.’ Then he focused on the bed. ‘We usually take away anything that can’t be cleaned. This mattress …’
‘Just get rid of it, I’ll arrange to get her a new one.’
‘OK, we’ll get started. Then we’ll have more of an idea what we’re dealing with.’
Dave and Wayne were very businesslike. Charlie opened the garage door for them and they backed the truck inside. Within minutes they had protective clothing on and were setting up equipment. Charlie wandered into the kitchen on his own, leaving them to it. He surveyed the damage again wondering where he would make a start. Just as he was figuring out how much paint he would need, his cellphone went off. The display read ‘Jackie.’
‘R U free about 6. No sign of J. Don’t want to go home alone. Can I meet u at hosp.’
Charlie texted ‘yes’ back, wondering what games Jim Moorcroft was playing. Although he was happy to follow Jackie home, he didn’t want to end up spending the evening with her. There was too much to do. He looked at his watch. There was just enough time to get some supplies, drop them back at the house, and get over to the hospital.
An hour later, as Charlie entered the hospital, he felt weary physically, but his thoughts were racing. How many hours of his leave had he spent here already? Was his sister ever going to come out of the coma? What if he had to plan a funeral, rather than a homecoming? But he knew he had to take one day at a time. Suddenly, he remembered that he hadn’t looked for the trunk with the diaries; maybe later tonight. It was awkward with the decontamination crew at the house. He didn’t want them witnessing him searching through his sister’s private things. He owed her that at least. Before he went upstairs to the ward, he grabbed a bite to eat. The last food he’d had was hours ago when he’d been with the two detectives and his former brother-in-law. Despite everything, when he thought of Annie, it made him smile.
Two hours passed quickly, and as Charlie glanced at his watch, he realised he must have dozed off for at least some of the time. He now turned as the door of the room opened and Jackie walked in. She looked more apprehensive than when they’d parted that morning. He got up and gave her a hug.
‘Thanks for coming, you’ve been a huge support for Angela.’
‘How’s she doing?’ Like everyone else who came into the room as visitors, she whispered. Charlie himself had only just started to speak at normal volume, realising this would be the best way to stimulate his sister.
‘About the same. The doctor was here just as I arrived and he is still hopeful and so am I.’ But he heard his own voice break with the last few words. Jackie touched his arm to comfort him.
A half hour later they got into their cars and Charlie followed her to the house she shared with Jim Moorcroft. On the way, he couldn’t help but wonder what Jackie might face when they got back. This time he would insist on going in with her. If Jim Moorcroft was still angry, he didn’t want Jackie taking the full brunt of it.
53
Annie finished the notes of the interview with George Goodman and updated the rest of the file. Not really much to show she thought, as she put it in the drawer. If only Angela Goodman would come out of the coma. But even if she did, would she remember who her attacker was?
Just as she reached for her jacket, Dave Ellison came by her desk. ‘Want to get a bite to eat?’
‘Thanks Dave, that’s really kind of you, but tonight I just want to get home.’
‘Turning me down, eh?’ Ellison put on his really hurt look.
Annie smiled, but she didn’t want to be persuaded. ‘Sorry Dave, but I’ll take a rain check.’
As Annie turned the key in her door, she had second thoughts
about being alone and regretted turning down her only prospect of company. ‘Pull yourself together, woman, you have been on your own a while now, enjoy it.’ But the words, even said aloud, didn’t help. The light on the answer machine was flashing. Once again, she’d missed a call from her mother. She listened to the message: this time the news of Andrew was good. The crisis was over and he’d soon be home.
Thankfully, her mother never mentioned Paul, but Annie couldn’t help wondering if he’d stayed in touch with her mother after he returned to Stockport from his visit to Huntly. His continued involvement with her family bothered Annie. She knew he wanted her back, and that her mother would be thinking that this time away would give Annie the space to realise that breaking off the engagement was a mistake. If anything, it was making her realise just how right her decision had been. Strangely enough, at this moment, she was feeling closer to Charlie than she ever had to Paul.
Using the remote, she half-heartedly searched the TV channels, just confirming to herself that there wasn’t much to watch. Placing the remote back on the coffee table, she went back into the kitchen and took some meatballs and sauce from the freezer, putting them on the counter to start defrosting. Then she opened a bottle of red wine.
*****
Charlie parked in the drive next to Jackie. As he got out of his car, she was already peering through the side garage window. ‘His car’s in the garage.’
‘I think I should go in first, talk to him, see what kind of mood he’s in,’ Charlie said, locking his car.
‘I don’t think he’d let you see how he’s feeling, Charlie. After all you’re someone who could stand up to him. He saves his feelings for me, and who knows how many other women like me, knowing I won’t retaliate.’ Jackie’s hands were shaking as she searched for her house keys.
‘Look, why don’t you wait in the car? Let me handle this. I’ll tell him that I know he can be abusive and that I want to know that you’ll be safe.’
‘Don’t get me wrong, Charlie, I appreciate what you’re saying, but he’s my partner, and I got myself into this relationship. I can’t keep hiding from it. You could come in with me for a few minutes, though, if you want. You could tell him about Angie. I know he respects you.’
Charlie nodded, and they walked up the path. There were a couple of lights on, even though it wasn’t dark out yet. Jim was definitely in the house, but what kind of state would he be in? In some ways, Charlie wanted to assess if Jim Moorcroft could have been the one who assaulted his sister. Once he knew that Jackie was OK in the house, he might ask Jim to come out with him for a drink, try and get a measure of the man. He let Jackie go ahead, just keeping a few steps behind her.
54
As insistent as they’d been, Gus Wojinski finally managed to persuade Carol’s parents and his mother to go out for a meal without him. They had to be convinced first that he would eat, so he got out a frozen meal Carol had prepared last month and put it in the microwave to defrost. Seeing her writing on the label brought it all back home.
‘Are you sure? We could all stay and I’ll prepare something.’ Mrs Wojinski clearly appeared ill at ease at the thought of leaving her son alone in the house.
‘No Mom, you three get something decent to eat: take your mind off things.’ Gus knew she still hadn’t forgiven herself for not being there when Detective Malin had visited with the news that they were treating Carol’s death as a homicide.
‘Well, if you’re sure?’
As soon as the door was shut behind them, Gus went back into the kitchen, opened the door of the microwave and spooned the contents of the container down the garbage disposal, before putting the container and a plate in the dishwasher and starting it up. That would make it look like he had eaten. He had no appetite and knew that he had already lost weight. That morning he’d had to tighten another notch on his belt, but the thought of eating only made him feel sick.
Walking into the den, he poured himself a whisky. Then he looked at the lists the four of them had been compiling all day. It was the funeral arrangements, although they couldn’t finalise the details, as his wife’s body was yet to be released. The identification had been made through her dental records, because her body had been so badly burned. At least he had been assured that she’d died from the impact, not the fire, and he was spared having to have a devastating last image of his beautiful wife. No, he would picture her, as she was that last night, when she’d excitedly told him that she was going to buy the pregnancy testing kit the next morning. Then the plan was that she would do the test the next night and they would have their special meal, either as a celebration or commiseration with a determination to try again. Instead, that was the last night he ever saw her.
Sitting in his recliner, he pressed the control, trying to relax as the back of the chair eased and the weight was taken off his legs. Placing his glass on the side table, he shut his eyes. Carol’s face came into clear view. The smile that had always enchanted him and what attracted him to her the first time they met, when friends had fixed them up on a date. It hadn’t been the most auspicious start as he’d been wary, having broken off an engagement only weeks before. But she’d won him over and six months later they were married.
Now he was planning her funeral. As he felt the tears well up again, he put the chair back into an upright position and looked again at the list of the people he had to tell about the funeral. He could see that an old friend of Carol’s was missing from the list. Rising from the chair, he went off in search of her address book, the one she used for Christmas cards. Now, what was the woman’s second name?
55
Although a few steps behind Jackie as she opened the front door, Charlie noticed the smell first, a smell that conjured up for him his time in Afghanistan. But before he could grab Jackie and spare her, she let out an anguished cry.
‘Oh my God, no … no!’
He pulled Jackie towards him and shielded her from the view of the body hanging from the top landing, in clear view of the hallway. Then very gently, he eased her out of the house. She leaned over the porch steps and vomited. Charlie gave her his handkerchief and got out his cellphone. Instinctively he knew there was no point going back into the house and trying to revive Jim Moorcroft.
*****
Annie had finished her glass of wine and was getting a pan out to heat up the meatballs when her cellphone rang. Tempted at first to let it go on to voicemail, she then thought better of it. As she lifted it out of her handbag, Bronski’s ID came up.
‘I’m on my way over to your apartment house. Dispatch has just let me know that Captain Hegarty has dialled 911. He’s with Jackie Winters at the house she shares, I mean ‘shared’ with Jim Moorcroft. They’ve just found his body. I thought you’d want to come with me.’
Annie couldn’t believe what she was hearing, and her mind started racing, but this wasn’t the time to be asking questions. ‘I’ll be waiting out front.’
Annie shut her phone and leaned against the kitchen counter. ‘What is going on?’ she found herself saying out loud. She debated whether she should ring Charlie or not. No, he was a potential witness. Instead she put the container of meatballs back in the freezer, and went into the bathroom to brush her teeth. The last thing she wanted was for Bronski to smell the wine on her, although officially she was off duty and she’d only had one glass.
In the car, Bronski filled her in with what he knew. As they approached the house, they could see the police cruiser and an ambulance. Jackie was being examined by a paramedic in the back of the ambulance. Bronski approached to speak to her while Annie moved towards the house.
Charlie was on the front porch, his back to her, on his cellphone. ‘So there’s no change … the doctor will be round tomorrow? What time? OK, I’ll be there … no, not tonight … see you in the morning.’ As he put his cellphone away, he noticed Annie for the
first time.
‘It’s not a pretty sight in there.’
‘I’m sure not, but I have seen bodies before, including a teenager who hanged herself.’ Annie didn’t mean to sound so off hand with him and she surprised herself the way it came out.
‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to imply …’ Charlie realised that he had momentarily forgotten that she was a cop and this was her business.
‘I know you didn’t,’ Annie interrupted, ‘and I apologise for sounding so abrupt. We’ll need to speak to you, get the details, but I need to go inside first. Where will you be?’ Her tone had softened.
‘I’ll check on Jackie and then wait in the kitchen.’
Annie nodded, hoping her face didn’t give away the tinge of jealousy she was feeling as he mentioned Jackie’s name. ‘I think Detective Bronski might be having a word with her.’
An hour later, as the body was being removed from the house, Annie walked into the kitchen to find Charlie sitting at the table drinking a cup of coffee, which one of the crime officers had given him. The thermos had been left in case anyone else needed one.
‘Want one?’
‘Thanks, I could do with one.’ Annie sat down at the table.
As he poured the coffee, he commented, ‘Jackie shouldn’t be by herself tonight.’
‘Bronski has taken care of it. The paramedics are taking her to the ER to get checked out for shock, and one of her friends from work is meeting them there and has offered Jackie her spare room for as long as she needs it.’
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