Det Annie Macpherson 01 - Primed By The Past

by Speake, Barbara Fagan

  The kitchen didn’t appear to have anything of interest, although she spent some time opening cupboards. It appeared that John Hardman was excessively tidy. All the cupboards were neatly arranged, reminding her of Angela Goodman’s. That thought made her shudder. A pretty ballerina figurine on the window ledge also intrigued Annie. It seemed an incongruous place for a statue and not something she would expect in John Hardman’s apartment.

  Annie finished searching the kitchen, and walked into the back bedroom, which Hardman appeared to use as a second study. At least this was where he kept his computer. Ellison had only just started trying to get into the computer. ‘No shoes with paint, at least not in his bedroom, but forensics might find something. Thought I’d have a quick look at this, while we’re waiting for them.’

  ‘Any joy?’ Annie asked as she stood beside him.

  ‘You give me joy, just looking at you,’ he said, flashing that smile of his.

  ‘Thanks, Dave. You’re great for a girl’s ego, especially one with a black eye and a swollen lip. What I meant was, how’s the access going?’

  Ellison turned back to the screen. ‘I’ve only been at it a couple of minutes, but I’ve tried all my usual tricks, and no joy, as you would say. I think the forensics team will need to break this one. Let’s hope there’s still stuff on the hard drive and that he hasn’t deleted everything. I’ve got a feeling this computer has a story to tell.’

  Bronski reappeared. ‘I’ve telephoned dispatch. A full team is on their way. I also found these.’ He held out a set of boarding passes to Annie, who in turn read them out loud.

  ‘Boston to Toronto, leaving tonight: two passengers, John Hardman and June Hardman.’

  Bronski smiled. ‘Let’s hope he took out cancellation insurance.’

  Annie had to force herself not to smile, as her swollen lip had started to throb. ‘So they obviously had a plan. Angela must have been the last stop, taking care of unfinished business. Presumably Jackie, or should I now say, June, was meeting him at the hospital. Maybe running into Charlie was the only unplanned part, and she was forced to come up in the elevator with him, not to ruin their cover.’

  ‘Yeah, but instead, they literally run into you chasing John Hardman dressed as a priest, and she has no choice but to try and free him from Hegarty and then herself from you.’ Ellison added. ‘Maybe, originally the plan was that she would be there when he suffocated Angela. When you entered the room, he was probably expecting her, not you. After all, both of them were regular visitors and wouldn’t have aroused suspicion. We’d even withdrawn the police cover from the room, which was very convenient for them.’

  Bronski looked at the two of them. ‘I think we’ve got the gist of this. Now we need Jackie, I mean June, to confirm it. We could do with having some more to go on when we interview her. All we’ve got so far is the passport and boarding pass. How deeply was she involved in all this and what is her relationship to John Hardman? Any luck on the computer, Dave?’

  Ellison shook his head. ‘Afraid I will have to defer to the forensics team.’

  Truck doors slammed outside. Before Bronski went out to the team, he said, ‘I think we’ve done enough for now. We’ve got enough to hold them overnight. Let’s take our time and interview them in the morning. Give each of them time to reflect, eh?’

  ‘I’m fine with that, sir.’ Annie replied. She was exhausted and wanted to be fresh for the interviews.

  ‘Macpherson, you need to get home and rest. Ellison could you drop her off at home, while I brief the team?’

  Ellison smiled. ‘My pleasure.’

  77

  The local newspaper hadn’t updated the identity of Jason Craven as yet and Mrs Lombardi, who never read a newspaper until it was three days old, had only just came across the story. She claimed that a story three days old wasn’t nearly as shocking as a breaking news story. But this one would have shocked her whenever she read it.

  ‘Oh my God,’ she repeated over and over to herself, as she telephoned her daughter’s number.

  Connie Lombardi decided to let the call go to the answer machine. She knew it was her mother and she’d been waiting for the call.

  Detective Malin had only just left her house, having questioned her for over an hour, explaining that she could be considered an accessory if she held back any relevant information about Jason Craven. Connie recanted, handing over the T-shirt Jason had worn that last day with her, and his comb, both carefully stored in plastic, in an attempt to preserve something of him. They were the only mementos of the lover she’d lost.

  The story that Detective Malin had told her was so unbelievable. ‘The man you knew as Jason Craven stole his identity from a man killed three years ago in an accident. His real name is John Hardman and he served ten years in a military prison for stalking, false imprisonment, rape and going AWOL. He was given a dishonourable discharge from the army.’

  Connie had frozen when she’d heard those words, willing Detective Malin to stop talking about a man she’d started to realise she never really knew. This wasn’t the Jason she’d fallen in love with.

  ‘Now he is being questioned in Westford Connecticut for a vicious assault on the woman he stalked and raped all those years ago, who remains in a coma and is still fighting for her life. Have you ever heard him mention Angela Goodman?’

  Her voice had been barely audible as she mouthed the word, ‘No.’

  ‘When the Westford Police finish interviewing him about that assault, I am going to interview him about the death of Carol Wojinski. Did he ever mention her by name to you?’

  Again Connie felt like she was in some kind of bad dream. ‘No, I only heard people talking about it in a restaurant, and then I saw that article in the paper, the night you came to see me.’ Connie felt as if she was being accused of something, but the only thing she’d done wrong was to be taken in by this man. ‘He never talked about other women, and although he never said anything, I always felt like he needed to be protected. Like maybe he had been hurt in the past, like a wounded animal. Do you know what I mean?’

  Malin hadn’t been able to square the man she wanted to describe to him with the one he was telling her about, the man now under arrest. It was as if they were two different people.

  Had she been such a bad judge of character? That really frightened her. Finally, she knew she had to call her mother back. Mrs Lombardi would only get more frenzied if she didn’t.

  As Detective Malin started his car, dispatch radioed him. ‘We’ve taken a call from a motel desk clerk at the Sleepy Glen Inn.’

  ‘I know the motel.’

  ‘She’s only just seen the paper and recognised the man referred to as Jason Craven.’

  ‘I’ll go straight there. What’s her name?’

  78

  Annie was afraid to look at herself in the mirror. Although she’d slept for eight hours, the swelling of her lip hadn’t gone down and the bruising on her face was more pronounced. She thought a hot shower might help. After drying her hair, she made herself some toast. Her mouth moved more easily, despite the swelling, and make-up hid some of the bruising. As she carefully sipped her coffee, her cellphone rang.

  ‘Macpherson.’

  ‘Hi Annie, I’m leaving for the hospital soon. Can I give you a ride to the station?’

  ‘Thanks Charlie, I can be ready in 10 minutes. I’ll meet you downstairs.’

  Charlie was waiting as she came down her front steps. The day was already warm and the sun felt good on her face. Before pulling away from the kerb, he leaned across and brushed her hair back to get a better view of her face. ‘That looks a bit better than yesterday. How does it feel?’

  The sensation of his hand on her hair was what Annie was feeling the most, but she couldn’t give that away. ‘I’ll be fine in a few days. I was able to chew s
ome toast, so that was a bonus. Anyway, I’m not the important one, how was Angela overnight?’

  ‘I couldn’t get much out of the nurse on duty when I called this morning, so I’ll have to try and talk to one of the doctors when I’m there today. I’m still hoping for a miracle.’

  Twenty minutes later, Annie walked into the squad room. Ellison was hanging up the phone, as she walked in. Bronski wasn’t there yet.

  ‘Hi beautiful,’ he said and smiled.

  ‘Thanks, Dave, only I can’t smile back.’

  ‘Pity, because I think you’ll want to smile when I tell you what is about to be faxed to you and Bronski.’

  ‘What’s that?’

  ‘The adoption record for June Hardman, also known as Jackie Winters, also known as Jane Lieberman.’

  ‘Gosh, you have been busy.’

  ‘Came back here last night after I dropped you off and you managed to resist the temptation to invite me in.’ Ellison winked. ‘So instead, I thought there might be another way to your heart. I got the paperwork together to release whatever files there were on June Hardman from the welfare department and the adoption agency. The permissions were signed last night and I have been making phone calls for the last half hour. I knew you’d have problems talking and besides I thought you would want to exercise those lips interviewing instead.’

  ‘Dave, why haven’t you been snapped up yet?’

  ‘Because I’ve been waiting for you all my life.’ Ellison winked at her again before going over to the fax machine. While Ellison was picking up pages cascading from the fax machine, Bronski appeared.

  ‘Morning, how’s the lip?’

  ‘Fine, sir, I should be OK for interviewing.’

  ‘Just what I wanted to hear.’

  Ellison popped back to his desk and explained what he was gathering up from the fax machine.

  Bronski’s face lit up. ‘This is going to be a good day.’ As Bronski poured coffee for the three of them, the desk sergeant phoned to ask about the interview schedule for Jackie Winters and Father Loftus. The two had steadfastly refused to provide any other names to the police.

  ‘Give us an hour,’ was Bronski’s reply.

  ‘OK Ellison, how about talking us through the record? What can we use this morning?’

  Ellison skimmed and read out pieces that were pertinent. Annie took notes while Bronski listened intently.

  ‘June Hardman, aged 10,was taken into care following the suicide, by prescription pills and drowning, of her mother Alison Hardman. The mother suffered from depression for years following the death of her husband. The suicide was on the 15th of April 1987.’

  ‘Wait a minute.’ Bronski got up and grabbed the notes from the military trial from his desk. It only took a minute for him to find the relevant part. ‘I thought so: that’s the date that Hardman was convicted and sent down for ten years.’

  They all exchanged knowing looks.

  ‘Let me see if anything of that is mentioned. It’s too much of a coincidence.’ Ellison scanned down the sheet of paper. ‘Yeah, listen to this: the next of kin of June Hardman is her brother, John Hardman.’

  ‘Well that clarifies the relationship,’ interrupted Bronski. ‘Macpherson, you were right again.’

  Ellison continued reading ‘… who is fifteen years older than his sister. However, he is unable to participate in discussions about her future care as he has been sentenced to a ten-year prison sentence and therefore a judge will rule on the adoption. No other relatives have come forward.’ Ellison paused for a moment and then turned the page. ‘It has been reported that John Hardman telephoned his mother after his conviction and that it was only hours later that her body was found by her daughter.’ Ellison took a breath.

  ‘Obviously his conviction and sentencing pushed her over the edge,’ responded Bronski.

  ‘Aye, but to do it at home, knowing your ten year old daughter would find you. That’s unforgivable for a mother,’ Annie added.

  ‘There’s more. John Hardman was allowed home for the funeral of his mother and had a few minutes with his sister, who was very distressed when he was led away. That evening it was reported by the prison authorities that he badly assaulted one of the guards, who went in to check on him.’

  ‘So we have a motive for both Angela Goodman and Carol Wojinski. Both testified against him. His mother commits suicide because of it, and his sister ends up getting adopted. And it’s all down to him.’ Bronski was summing up.

  ‘But a man like him will see himself as a victim, and will want revenge on the two women he blames for all of this.’

  Ellison turned to them both. ‘Just remind me, Jackie Winters, or June Hardman, as we now know, had a key to Angela’s house, didn’t she? So motive and opportunity?’

  ‘The lack of forced entry has always bothered us,’ Annie said.

  ‘Where did Moorcroft fit in? Was he part of it?’ Ellison questioned.

  The three were thoughtful for a few minutes. Then Annie offered her view. ‘I think he was an innocent victim, a ploy to get access to Angela. I could never see Jackie and Moorcroft as equal partners in a relationship. My guess is that she was using him, but now we have to prove all these theories. It will be interesting how they each react when we present them with what we know. Should we decide how we’re going to approach the interviews?’

  ‘Yeah, but we need to brief Franconi first,’ said Bronski. ‘He should be in any minute. Ellison, keep skimming that document and let me know if there’s anything else we can use.’ Bronski grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair, and walked back to his desk.

  Annie knew he would need a few minutes to organise his thoughts. He always did before they saw Franconi.

  Bronski’s phone rang as he sat down at his desk. ‘Morning, Glen … I see, yeah, bring it in.’

  ‘Well, well,’ Bronski said, turning to his colleagues who were both at their desks now. ‘Seems that Hardman tape-recorded his encounter with Angela Goodman, and the forensics team found it hidden in the apartment. Glen Heaviley says the transcript will be dynamite. They talk about what happened and he makes her beg for mercy – not that he showed her any. Glen’s bringing it up now.’

  Annie took a deep breath. It was one thing imagining what had happened to Angela Goodman from seeing the extent of her injuries. It was going to be another listening to her terrified voice. All Annie could do was think of Charlie.

  ‘And one more thing. They have found two diaries in the apartment with the name Angela Hegarty in them.’

  An hour later, Bronski and Annie were back in the squad room having briefed Franconi. He was pleased with how things were going. They would need to brief him again after the interviews.

  Bronski turned to Ellison. ‘Anything else before we get started?’

  Ellison sat back in his seat. ‘Our girl didn’t have an easy time of it. There is a catalogue of aborted placements for June Hardman, behaviour problems, foster parents not coping, even one adoption that ended because of her behaviour. She left the system when she was of a legal age and there the record stops. She obviously moved around after that and that’s why she was so difficult to trace. I’m working on her adopted name now, seeing what else may come up, but all in all, I would say she had years and years to build up her resentment.’

  ‘OK, keep on it.’ Then turning to Annie, Bronski added: ‘Are you ready, Detective?’

  79

  Annie couldn’t believe that a week had passed since the arrest of John Hardman and his sister. She still thought of June Hardman as Jackie Winters. The forensic evidence from the apartment turned out to be overwhelming. The rope from the sports bag matched that used in the hanging of Jim Moorcroft and the credit cards, knife, and rope contained John Hardman’s fingerprints. Then there was the tape recording, which still made Annie
shudder when she thought about it. Charlie hadn’t been told about the tape recording yet, although it would come out in the trial. So some time soon she would need to tell him. Records from Hardman’s computer revealed the detailed planning that he’d engaged in over the previous three years. Their scheme had been meticulous and June Hardman had played her part with precision, duping both Jim Moorcroft and Angela Goodman. She’d inveigled her way into Jim’s life so that she could befriend Angela and gain access to her for her brother.

  Also found were the missing two years of Angela Goodman’s diaries spelling out, in chilling detail, the stalking, rape and mind games that John Hardman had played to gain power over her. Carol Wojinski had clearly been through the whole ordeal with Angela and had been her main supporter throughout the trial. Carol had also taken the stand to corroborate Angela’s story. In fact, the diaries revealed that Carol was instrumental in Angela reporting what had happened.

  The evidence from some of the computer records also helped Detective Malin to build up his case against Hardman, motive wise. The DNA evidence from the T-shirt and comb that Connie Lombardi handed over identified without a doubt, that the man known as Jason Craven was really John Hardman. The motel desk clerk was able to identify him in the vicinity on the day of the accident, and the staff in the bookshop had also seen him passing by, as had other shop owners in the locality. The rental car employee picked him out as the man who had rented the second car in the accident. All that remained was for the prosecutors to be more definite about the final list of charges, which also included the assault on Annie in the hospital.