Revelations 12

by De Freitas

  The sheriff shook his head.

  “What about the couple in the parked car on Bermuda Avenue. How credible are they?”

  “Sir, they are adamant, especially the wife. They both saw a man leaving through the side gate. He walked right by their car. I showed them a photo of Holman. They are certain it was him but the clothes they described him wearing were incorrect.”

  “Ali, any word on the jacket?”

  “Yes. We took it from his office and sent it to the crime lab. They confirmed late yesterday that there was no trace of blood on it.”

  “Look, there is no way he buried that knife in her without getting covered in blood.”

  “Did anyone here see him when he got to Bernstein’s house that day?”

  “I did, Sheriff,” said Nick. “I stopped him from entering the house. He was wearing a long-sleeved white dress shirt. He was clean.”

  “Tom, what do you have on the Mark IV Cortina?”

  “I got the owner details yesterday afternoon. I told them to give me two lists. One is registered dark-colour Mark IV’s and the other consists of all the light colours, in case the car was repainted. We have started knocking on doors, sir, but so far no leads.”

  “What about Ford?”

  “They have reviewed the image, Sheriff. They are saying there’s not enough to know one way or the other.”

  “Look, it’s all we got on the car. Keep your men on it. The CCTV guy, what’s his name…? Adam. He sounded fairly certain. In fact, leave me a copy of that registered owners list please, Tom.”

  “Rankin, Charles; the guy who shares the office with Holman. What’s his story?”

  “He is confirming Holman’s account,” said Nick.

  “Did we find out what calls were made from the office phone?”

  “Two calls were made after Holman got back from lunch. One was to Bernstein’s address and the other was to his mom’s house. Before that, they appear just work related.”

  “What we got on the murder weapon?”

  “Almost identical to the Osbourne murder. We are trying to trace it but it has no manufacturer’s name on it,” said Nick.

  Sheriff Amos thought to himself, good luck with that! It also reminded him that the last time he had looked in Julia Osbourne’s evidence draw, the knife had been removed.

  “Has anyone actually compared this knife with the Osbourne murder weapon?”

  “I have, sir,” said Nick. “I’ve got photos of them side by side next to a ruler. The dimensions are identical.”

  How the heck did that knife end back up in the evidence drawer? he wondered…

  “Good, Nick. I’ll need a copy of those pictures.”

  “Okay guys, I got the coroner’s report this morning and Linda was eight weeks pregnant. Whether she knew or not, I’m not sure.”

  “Oscar, you’re more familiar than most in here with the medical side of things. Find out if they have a family doctor and see if she visited him. If not, then start with the clinics closest to her home and see what you come up with. Additionally, guys, I do not want to tell the parents, or anyone at this stage, that Linda was pregnant. So keep it within these walls.”

  “Did we hear back on the CCTV? Is there any building near Horizon with it?”

  “No luck, sir. What little CCTV that exists is all indoors,” said Dominic.

  “Gaby, anything on the hotline?”

  “Nothing significant, Sheriff. A few nuisance calls but no solid leads so far. Needless to say, the press are insisting on another statement.”

  “Hold them off for another day or two please, Gaby. Okay guys, that just about wraps up this morning’s meeting. Anyone got anything else?”

  The room was silent.

  “All right, let’s get to work.”

  *

  Catholic doctrine states that, for a priest to become a Bishop, he must meet the following requirements: As well as being at least thirty-five years old and a priest for at least five years, he should be “outstanding and in strong faith, good morals, piety, zeal for souls, wisdom, prudence and human virtues”, and should possess the other qualities needed for fulfilling the office.

  In May 1989, the Apostolic Nuncio notified Fr. Mark that he had been short listed, along with two other priests, for the position of Bishop. In a few months time, he was to be interviewed by a representative of the clergy.

  Fr. Mark had mixed emotions about this. He was proud that his work had been recognised by the church. He could not help but think that this was about the worst possible timing; he was needed by not only Martha and Simon but the Bernsteins too. In addition, so many others in the community had come to depend on him. He prayed that God would find a way.

  *

  Martha was reliving her nightmares from all those years ago. Thankfully, though, Simon did not wake during the night screaming. For her, that used to be the worst part of it. Otherwise, there was little difference. Simon spent the day in his room and only came out to eat. There was nothing Martha could say. She felt that all the promise of his life had been taken away. Rumour and suspicion lingered everywhere. As the days went by without an arrest, the newspaper editors printed the most outrageous theories. Everyone had an opinion. Even at the supermarket Martha overheard people discussing the murder.

  Sheriff Amos had not called or visited her since the day following the murder. She could not relax, every time she walked into a room and passed a window, she glanced out to see if there was a police car approaching. She was desperate to find out what direction the case was taking, but she knew no one in law enforcement. She lived on her nerves waiting for a knock on the door.

  Martha had spoken to Mr Caine and explained that she needed to take time off and he understood completely. At times, she wondered if Annamae would use this tragedy as an excuse to come over and try and make good with her. However, there was no visit or call from her and she was happy about that.

  Unfortunately, it meant that Fr. Mark was her only outlet and she felt guilty that she was taking him away from so much of the other good work he did. She tried to get through a day without calling or meeting him, but if she did not call him he would always pick up the phone to check on her.

  Martha went into Simon’s room to see if he wanted lunch. He was staring at the ceiling and his eyes were moving back and forth. She stood for a short while watching him, but he was oblivious to her presence. She called out to him. He turned and looked at her.

  “Are you alright, son? Seemed like you were far away.”

  “I’m fine, Mom.”

  “Would you like anything to eat?”

  “Is Fr. Mark coming over today?”

  “I’m not sure, I’ve not arranged anything with him but I’m sure, if he knows you want to see him, he will make the time.”

  Simon nodded.

  “Sure, son, I will give him a call. Are you hungry? I’ve got soup ready.”

  “No… no, thanks, Mom.”

  *

  Sheriff Amos put the siren on and led the four car police convoy out of town and into the country. He felt like it was the first decent break he had gotten in the case. Finally, there was a clear connection and a piece of the jigsaw had fallen into place. He approached the old wooden house and saw her car outside. He stopped and signalled to the other officers to stay in their patrol cars. He knocked on the door and waited a couple of minutes, the door opened slowly.

  “Sheriff Amos,” she said.

  “Good morning, Ma’am. If you don’t mind we would like to ask you a few more questions.”

  She stared at him. “You are making a bit of a habit of this, aren’t you, Sheriff?”

  “Just doing my job, Ma’am.”

  “Yes, I see… you’re not very good at it, are you?”

  Deputy Blaine looked at t
he sheriff but his expression was that of a poker face.

  “Annamae, I’m going to ask you some questions. You can answer me here or down at the station – it’s your decision. Now, where were you on the day Linda Bernstein was killed?”

  “I was here at home all day and, before you ask, I have no witness to that. I live alone.”

  “Your car was seen outside Horizon Bank around lunch time. You want to explain that to me?”

  “You must be mistaken, Sheriff.”

  “We know it was your car, when last did you see Dr Brookman?”

  “I’ve told you before, I don’t know him.”

  “Yeah, I was almost certain you were lying then, but now I know you are.” Sheriff Amos looked her up and down. “You know, in my line of work, I question a lot of people. Most of the time I just use gut instinct to figure out if they are lying. But every so often I get a level of proof that is beyond doubt. I then return to question them again. As I observe them, I get a sort of sick enjoyment out of it. You know, right now, Annamae, I’m enjoying this.”

  Annamae’s eyes searched the sheriff’s face for a hint of what he knew.

  “Now, I’m going to ask you again. Did you leave this house, in that car, on the day of Linda’s murder? Secondly, when was the last time you saw Brookman?”

  “You’re bluffing, Sheriff. Do you think I’m stupid?”

  “Last chance, Annamae.”

  “I told you I was at home all day, and I don’t know any Dr Brookman.”

  The sheriff shook his head. “No Annamae, I was not bluffing. We have him on CCTV leaving Horizon Bank and getting into your car. A bit of a stupid mistake on your part, wasn’t it?”

  For the first time, Annamae’s expression changed. “I broke no law, Sheriff. You have nothing on me.”

  “You do realise, Annamae, I know what Dr Brookman is. After this mistake, you present a direct link to him. If I’m right about him, he will come after you; it’s only a matter of time.”

  “You get off of my property now!” she screamed at him.

  Sheriff Amos nodded to deputy Blaine. “I have a search warrant here, Ma’am. I will escort you to my car. You can wait in it while your home is searched. If you choose not to comply, we will take you down to the station until our search is complete. Additionally, Ma’am, we have signed authorisation papers here to impound your vehicle. We will notify you when it will be returned.”

  *

  Simon, Martha and Fr. Mark were sitting at the kitchen table. Simon had just finished telling them what he saw when he fell asleep in the chair at work.

  “Who exactly did you see, who was holding the knife?” asked Fr. Mark.

  “I saw myself, Father. The same as with Julia. It’s as if I left the office, did it, and returned. However, my return was so violent I fell out the chair. I could not explain this, so I lied to Sheriff Amos when I said I tripped.”

  “From you description, I’m certain you somehow witnessed this event but there is no way you did it. So, make sure you have no doubt in your mind about that.”

  “Was I astral travelling, Father? Is that what happened to me?”

  “What is that?” asked Martha.

  “Astral travelling, Martha, is something that is both ridiculed, as well as accepted as fact by some. It is where a person’s soul leaves their body and they travel on what is referred to as an astral plane. They are fully aware and can see events happening far away. They then return back into their body. This return can be normal, as well as violent, just as Simon described happened to him.”

  “Do you believe in it, Father?”

  “I don’t know, Martha. I have not practiced it. However, as I said, Simon must fully understand that, despite seeing what happened, there was nothing he could have done to save Linda or, for that matter, Julia.”

  It did not take long for word to get out in the community that four police cars had been seen at Annamae’s home. It did not help either that one of the officers that was involved in the search had also mentioned it to his wife. The following morning, it was front page news, along with further sensational coverage.

  Sheriff Amos updated his team on the status of the investigation. He had only made the connection to Annamae because he recognised her name was on the list Tom had given to him of registered Ford Cortina Mark IV owners. He asked Gaby to contact Adam at Horizon and pass on the department’s thanks for suggesting the model of car. Unfortunately, no direct link to the murder was discovered during the search of Annamae’s home. However two items of significance were found; the first was a 1968 newspaper clipping with the headline: “POLICE DECLARE MISSING DOCTOR DEAD”. The second item was a piece of paper with an address in Louisiana that Sheriff Amos recognised immediately. It was the first hard evidence of contact between Annamae and Dr Brookman.

  Sheriff Amos gave his team of officers only enough information on Dr Brookman for them to understand he was a central figure in both homicides. He did not include anything regarding his demonic possession, which he recorded in his diary.

  “Okay, Sheriff,” said Nick. “Let’s say, for arguments sake, Holman is innocent. It can’t be Brookman, as he was in Horizon throughout the murder. It leaves us with Annamae. She dropped Brookman off at Horizon as a lookout and went over to Bernstein’s. Did she do Julia as well? Or are we still looking at Holman?”

  “As I told you guys, we need to follow the evidence and, at the moment, we just don’t have it on either of them. Hell, for all we know, it’s someone else.”

  “What about Linda’s mother, Sheriff?”

  “Yes, I’ve been thinking about her, but I just can’t see it. Again, we have nothing on her. In fact, guys, we can’t rule anyone in or out. We did confirm the father never left the bank, yes?”

  “That is correct, sir. There is nothing on CCTV,” said Dominic.

  “Is there a back entrance he could have left through?”

  “I’ll look into that, sir.”

  “How long are they going to take with Annamae’s car, Nick?”

  “Forensics informed me not before next Friday, at the earliest. I tried to push them on it but they said it’s not just fingerprints they lift, it’s an entire science involved with it these days. It takes time to process, they say.”

  *

  “What?” said Martha.

  “You heard me correctly. They searched her home and took the car,” said Fr. Mark. “I don’t want to sound like a gossip. I’m just telling you what I’m reading in the papers.”

  “Are they saying why they went there?”

  “From what the article says, no one knows for sure. There is just a lot of speculation that her car was seen close to the Horizon Bank that day. There is a police news conference scheduled to start at the top of the hour. Channel eighteen will have it live.”

  Martha and Simon counted down the minutes, along with almost all of Sidon. Sheriff Amos approached the microphone. “Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. I’d like to provide you with a brief update with regards to the Bernstein homicide investigation. The coroner’s initial report has confirmed the cause of death was a single stab wound to the heart. The knife used was of the same type as the one in the Osbourne murder and, in both cases, the knife was left in the victim. At this time, the investigation is on-going; we have not ruled anyone in or out. We are continuing to gather evidence and I will again ask anyone with information on this, or the Osbourne murder, to please contact us. I would like to thank all the members of the force for the hours they have put into this. Finally, I would like to remind you to continue to show respect for the privacy of the families involved.”

  “Sheriff, what can you tell us about the home you searched yesterday?”

  “A person has been questioned, their home was searched, and their car is being processed as we speak. No arrest has been made, we
class the individual as a person of interest.”

  “Sheriff, is this person the aunt of the deceased’s fiancé?”

  “That is correct. However, I emphasise that she is only one of many people we are looking into. She deserves privacy and no one is allowed onto her property without her permission.”

  “Sheriff, can you confirm that her car was seen outside Horizon Bank on the day of the murder?”

  “That is correct.”

  “Are the prints on the knife the same as in the Osbourne murder?”

  “Unfortunately, we were unable to recover any prints from the murder weapon. I will take one more question.”

  “In your opinion, Sheriff, did the same individual murder both these young girls?”

  “Yes, at this moment, that is my opinion. Thank you all and I remind everyone to be extra vigilant at this time and to look out for each other.”

  “Okay,” said Martha. “So he’s confirmed Annamae’s car was outside Horizon Bank but they are not saying much else.”

  “Was she following me, Mom?”

  “She may have been, but I can’t see them looking into her for that. They must have something else on her. I’d love to know what it is.”

  “She’s been acting really strange for quite a while now. I’m not saying she did it but, let’s be honest, she never liked Linda.”

  CHAPTER 19

  Three weeks had passed since the death of Linda Bernstein. Her body had been finally released by the coroner and her funeral arranged. Fr. Mark presided over the service and Linda’s brother read the eulogy. In a touching gesture, Martin asked Simon and Martha to sit with him and Brenda. The church was overflowing with people who had come to pay their respects. Linda was buried in a family plot in Sidon’s main cemetery, on the eastern side of the city.

  The funeral gave Martin and Brenda some form of closure and, to some extent, Martha and Simon felt the same. They talked it over and they both determined that they had stayed home for long enough. It was pointless living life like that, they needed some distraction and they both decided to go back to work.