Det Annie Macpherson 02 - Programmed To Kill

by Speake, Barbara Fagan

  When Ellison was out of the room, Annie put her head in her hands. ‘Why, do I always make a mess of relationships?’ she asked the empty room. An hour later, she’d finished updating the two files on Bannister and Mearns, making sure information relevant to both cases appeared in each. Neither body had been released as yet, although Bannister’s family was pressing for his funeral to take place. Both autopsies had been completed and there was little else to learn from the bodies. As far as she was aware, all relevant samples had been taken. The bishop was also pushing for a funeral early in the week as he had pencilled in Monday or Tuesday. The message was loud and clear that he was a busy man and this took priority. He was even getting on Franconi’s nerves with his repeated phone calls about the funeral date. Almost as if her mind were being read, the desk phone rang again. Annie thought she’d better answer it, as the desk sergeant knew she was in.

  ‘Afternoon, Detective. I have the captain on the phone.’

  Annie nearly knocked over the coffee she’d made earlier. Which captain? Charlie had telephoned her at work before today and said it was Captain Hegarty, but then of course it could be Captain Franconi. She couldn’t ask the desk sergeant without sounding stupid.

  ‘Put him though, Sarge.’

  ‘Scottie, I wasn’t expecting you to be in.’

  Annie breathed a sigh of relief hearing Franconi’s voice. Even the nickname didn’t grate for a change. ‘No sir, I wanted to catch up on some paperwork.’

  ‘I could do with more detectives like you. Do they need you back in merry old England?’ Franconi laughed. ‘Anyway, I know Ellison is the duty detective today. I’ve had a call from the chief. The bishop has been on to him again for a decision. I’ve authorised the funeral home to pick up Bannister’s body today. I couldn’t think of a reason not to, unless you or Ellison object.’

  ‘No sir, we’re OK with it.’

  ‘Good. There’s going to be an announcement at the parish Masses tomorrow morning that the funeral will be on Monday. No wake, just the requiem Mass at ten o’clock and the burial to follow.’

  ‘I see, sir. I’ll let Detective Ellison know. He’s out on a call.’

  ‘I’ll need you and Ellison to check out the attendees Monday morning and I want you to go to the burial. You never know who might turn up.’

  The murderer turning up at the funeral was a bit clichéd, Annie thought to herself. She couldn’t argue the point with Franconi, given her position. She dialled Ellison’s number and left a voicemail message detailing Franconi’s instructions and confirming their evening arrangement. Then she put the files away and left the station, planning a long soak in the bath and another cry. Hopefully, she’d be able to hold it together when Ellison came over.

  *****

  One thing Annie liked about Dave was his promptness. He arrived exactly when he’d promised. ‘Got your message about the funeral,’ he said as he placed a bottle of wine in Annie’s hands.

  ‘I thought we were going out,’ she asked looking at it.

  ‘We can or we can order in. It depends how we feel after you’ve told me what’s wrong.’

  Annie knew he wouldn’t be satisfied until he knew what was bothering her. When she thought about it, she’d spent more time with him over the past couple of weeks, than with Charlie. And she’d be spending a lot more time until the two cases were solved. Besides, wasn’t he the one, and not Charlie, that she’d told about her wedding day? What did that say about intimacy and friendship?

  ‘I’ll need to open this bottle then,’ Annie said, walking into the kitchen.

  ‘Here, let me.’ Ellison took the bottle from her and found the corkscrew on the counter, along with a couple of wine glasses.

  ‘Let’s go into the lounge,’ Annie suggested, picking up the glasses and a couple of coasters.

  Ellison poured the wine when they were sitting down. ‘In your own time,’ he coaxed.

  ‘Dave this isn’t a police interview.’

  Ellison smiled. ‘It better not be. But if this is about that soldier and he’s done anything to hurt you, I might find a reason to bring him in.’

  Annie laughed for the first time that day. She picked up her wine glass and settled down on the couch. Ellison was at the opposite end. ‘I hadn’t heard from Charlie for nearly twenty-four hours. We should have gone out last night, but as you know, he cancelled our date.’

  ‘And you had my company instead and a great movie.’

  Annie raised an eyebrow. ‘That’s true. Anyway, I rang him this morning, to see if everything was OK. He was at the hospital with his sister. She’s improving again. But …’

  ‘But what?’

  ‘I could feel that there was something wrong from the sound of his voice. Then he said that one of his Afghanistan colleagues, Jane Garry had come to the hospital. She’d found out about Angela and wanted to see them both. She’d just finished her tour of duty.’

  Ellison interrupted. ‘I know what’s coming.’ Annie felt herself welling up. ‘They’d been in a relationship, hadn’t they?’ he continued.

  She couldn’t get her words out for a minute. ‘He said he was confused. Needed some time, that his life had changed so much since Angela’s attack. He said he needed to sort out his feelings for Jane and for me.’

  Ellison took a long drink of his wine. Annie looked at him. ‘Remember that remark you made yesterday about him having a sweetheart in the forces? Well you got it exactly right.’

  ‘For once, I wish I’d been wrong. Is she staying with him?’ Ellison was leaning forward.

  ‘I don’t know. I didn’t ask. I wanted the conversation to end. I felt like I was replaying past relationships, that I was being a fool again.’ Annie put her glass down on the table and found that she couldn’t hold back the tears any longer.

  Ellison moved closer to her and took her in his arms, soothing her. ‘You’re no fool, Annie Macpherson. He’s the fool. The guy doesn’t deserve you.’ The embrace felt good and there was nothing awkward about it. As Annie pulled away, he wiped a tear from her eye with his thumb.

  ‘I feel really embarrassed.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘We’re colleagues Dave. I’m working on two murder investigations with you and Bronski. Yet I’m acting like a teenage girl who’s been dumped.’

  ‘No you’re not. You’re a beautiful woman who’s been let down by a man she trusted. It hurts. End of story.’ Ellison was still looking at her.

  ‘Dave, you should have an agony column.’

  Ellison laughed. ‘Get yourself sorted. I’m taking you out for a good meal and no more talk of Captain Hegarty. If you have to talk captains, it’ll have to be Franconi.’

  ‘Maybe we should agree not to talk captains at all,’ Annie laughed as she made her way to the bathroom to wash her face. But she stopped at the doorway. ‘Thanks Dave.’

  He smiled at her, then added, ‘Hurry up, I’m starving.’

  Chapter 39

  Grace woke late on Sunday morning and heard the front door shut. Slipping downstairs, she found a note on the kitchen table.

  Off to the bakery for some fresh pastries and rolls.

  I’ll get your favourites.

  Love, Mom xxx

  Grace left the note undisturbed and hurried back upstairs. By her reckoning, she had about twenty minutes before her mom returned. Opening the door to Jen’s old room, it struck her that this was the first time she’d been in the room since Jennifer’s death. It felt wrong to search her sister’s things and yet in this private place, there had to be something to explain what was going though Jennifer’s mind before she killed herself. Grace had to find a reason, for her own sake and her mother’s. Maybe then they could achieve some closure. She searched quickly, putting things back as she went along. Her mother only came in once a week
to change the sheets and air the room, never touching anything else. In the wardrobe, Grace paused, looking at Jen’s outfits. The colours were too dark for a woman her age, yet the sizes were almost childlike, from when the eating disorder had taken hold.

  On the floor inside were a number of shoeboxes. Grace pulled one out and lifted the top off. It contained several diaries going back years. The writing was tiny, almost apologetic – like Jen was saying my writing shows how small and insignificant I am. Grace felt a sob in her throat. Oh, Jen, why didn’t we ever talk? Why didn’t you share your pain? There wasn’t time to scan any of them now. She rushed into her own room to retrieve the overnight bag and secreted the diaries in it. They would take time to decipher. None of the other shoeboxes held any secrets, nor did any of the drawers. Minutes later, hearing the car, Grace hurried from the room, only pausing long enough to check it looked undisturbed. Dropping the bag in her room, she switched on the shower, as her mother unlocked the front door.

  The fresh coffee smelled wonderful and the plate was full of Grace’s favourite pastries. ‘Mom, I’ll be putting weight on if you keep this up.’

  Lillian Marks gave her daughter a hug. ‘Can’t I spoil my daughter once in a while?’

  ‘Sure, Mom, but not every weekend. So when is Barry coming over?’ Grace bit into the crumb bun and savoured the experience.

  ‘In a couple of hours. I’m doing cold cuts, salads and rolls, buffet style. I’m looking forward to seeing him again. I keep thinking how differently things might have turned out if Jen had stayed with him.’ Lillian got up to pour more coffee. ‘I even wondered about grandchildren the other day.’

  ‘Mom, don’t do that to yourself. We don’t even know if they would’ve stayed together.’ Lillian replaced the coffee pot and sat back down. Grace sensed that there was something her mother wasn’t telling her. ‘Has Barry said something about their relationship that’s led you to think these things, Mom?’

  At first her mother looked out the window wistfully, but then turned back. ‘He talked about how much he loved her and it was obvious that the break up was Jen’s doing, not his. I felt like he was still trying to understand it. She became so unhappy in college that I think she just wanted to leave everything behind her. Maybe she was too young to leave home. She should’ve stayed here and commuted. Ed and I could’ve supported her more.’

  ‘Mom, it’s a natural transition going to college. It wasn’t like she was hours away. She could’ve come home whenever she wanted. You forget that I did it at the same age and I was several hundred miles away. I didn’t have the option of coming home at the weekend.’

  ‘I know, dear, but you were always stronger and more mature than Jen.’

  Grace had to hold back. I needed you too, Mom, but you were absorbed in the second family you’d created. I had to get on with things myself. You never wanted Jen to grow up; that was the real problem. Grace knew she would never say these things to her mother, even though she felt them deeply. She’d missed out on a father. Jen had all of that, plus a big sister. Grace knew that she couldn’t let jealousy destroy her relationship with her mother, nor prevent her from seeking out a reason for her sister’s actions. She had to concentrate on that last part. She’d replace the diaries when she was done with them and do her best to understand Jennifer and her reasons, without upsetting her mother any more. She swallowed the last of her bun. ‘Mom, do you need me to do anything for the buffet?’

  ‘No, sweetheart, it’s all prepared.’

  ‘In that case, I could do with working upstairs on my laptop, as I’ve a big meeting in the morning. Plus I need to get dressed and ready.’

  ‘Of course. I suspect Barry will be here on time, like he was last week.’

  ‘Give me a five minute warning,’ Grace replied as she took her coffee upstairs.

  Chapter 40

  Ellison was already in when Annie arrived on Monday morning. ‘You look like you’re dressed for a funeral,’ he said.

  ‘Very funny, Detective. What time are we leaving?’

  ‘We’ve got about half an hour.’ Ellison turned back to his computer.

  ‘I’ll make us some coffee. Does Bronski know about the funeral?’

  ‘Yeah, if he picked up his messages at the weekend. I left him a voicemail.’ Ellison followed Annie into the kitchen. ‘So how was your Sunday? Had any calls?’

  Annie poured the two drinks before replying. ‘I spoke to my mum for a while. My brother is doing a lot better, almost back to normal. She’s expecting him to get back to his day centre this week. Then she’ll get some time to herself.’

  ‘That’s good. Does that mean the doctors have sorted out his epilepsy medication?’

  ‘That’s something we never know for sure, but it looks like he’s stable on it, for now at least.’ Annie started to walk out of the kitchen, but Ellison touched her arm gently to stop her and keep some privacy.

  ‘What about Hegarty, did you hear from him?’

  Annie looked down, avoiding her colleague’s gaze. ‘No, nothing.’ Then she continued into the squad room. There were no new pink slips on her desk, so she sat down and drank her coffee while her computer booted up. There was less than ten minutes before they would have to leave. She scrolled though her emails to fill the time.

  Ellison parked the car opposite the front entrance to the church. Annie took some photos of different cars and their occupants, using Ellison’s digital camera. The mayor arrived a few seconds before the funeral procession. He was on his own and his driver dropped him at the front. ‘So Lansdowne is here,’ she remarked to Ellison, although she knew he would’ve spotted him too.

  ‘Yeah. Here comes the hearse.’

  There was a requiem Mass. Ellison nipped into the service, but Annie chose to wait outside, walking across to the bakery for some coffee and a pastry. She craved sugar when she was upset. The bakery was deserted, except for the woman behind the counter. The smell was heavenly.

  ‘Quite a turn out,’ the woman remarked as she handed Annie the coffee and the pastry, while glancing across the road at the church.

  Annie introduced herself and then asked, ‘Did you know Father Bannister? Did he ever come in here?’

  ‘Yeah, never liked him though. There was something about him. Maybe I felt uncomfortable because I’m not a Catholic, but I think it was more than that. He wasn’t all that friendly till one day my son came into the bakery with me. My afterschool childcare had let me down. I didn’t like the way he looked at my boy. Do you know what I mean?’ The woman didn’t wait for Annie to answer. ‘You get this feeling and a shiver runs through you. Then he started asking me questions about Billy: what school did he go to, where did we live, that sort of thing. I wanted to be polite, but really I wanted to tell him it was none of his business.’

  Annie sipped her coffee, in no hurry to leave. Both women stared over at the church.

  ‘Of course Billy is a little chatterbox so he answered before I could stop him. I didn’t think a lot about it at the time.’

  ‘Did it ever happen again? I mean, did he ask about your son again?’ Annie asked, hoping no other customers would come in before the conversation finished.

  ‘No, but a couple of days later, Billy told me he saw the priest outside the school gates. Billy’s childcare girl was waiting for him.’

  ‘So the priest never approached him or anything?’

  ‘No, but I got that creepy feeling again and told Billy that if he didn’t see Elaine waiting for him at the gates to go back inside the school. It’s a fine line between protecting your kids and scaring them.’ The woman started to sort out a tray of doughnuts, then looked back up. ‘I’m not accusing the priest of anything. I thought it was odd, that’s all. You do read things in the papers.’

  Annie put her cup and the half eaten pastry on the counter and got h
er notebook out. ‘You weren’t here when my colleague and I came in last Monday when Father Bannister was murdered, were you?’

  ‘No, it was my day off. I had to take Billy to the orthodontist for his braces.’

  ‘I need your name and a phone number in case we need to speak to you again.’ Annie glanced out the window and saw Ellison at the top of the steps. ‘And I’ll have another coffee and one of those jelly doughnuts for my colleague.’

  Ellison opened the car and Annie passed over the coffee and doughnut when they were settled. ‘Now I know why I don’t go to church any more,’ Ellison remarked as he took the first bite of his doughnut. ‘Thanks, I needed this.’

  ‘So what was it like inside?’

  ‘Nothing useful for us, as far as I could see. The mayor did one of the readings, I guess because of his position and to underline the chief’s intention to ensure we find the killer of an innocent priest. The chief was sitting right next to him.’

  ‘Hmm, I wonder about the innocent after the brief conversation I’ve had in the bakery.’

  ‘More than about the different types of doughnuts on offer then, was it?’

  Annie filled him in on the woman’s concern for her son. ‘So, it seems he couldn’t keep his mind and his actions from wandering in the direction of little kids, even when he was getting dessert.’

  ‘Hmm, just not the dessert he craved,’ Ellison offered.

  ‘Abusing kids is the lowest of the low,’ Annie remarked.

  Ellison was thoughtful. ‘I can see a motive from someone he may have abused years ago, as a child, or even a very disgruntled parent or parents, but what about the link to Mearns? Not sure how that fits, unless Mearns has known him a lot longer and has been acting for him for years and someone found out that he’s gotten the priest off charges before. That could make someone seriously angry with both of them.’