by De Freitas
*
It was shortly after eight o’clock in the morning when Sheriff Amos and his officers took their seats around the conference table.
“Good morning, everyone. Deputy Blaine, I think I’ll start with you today.”
“As you know, Sheriff, from the initial forensics report on the car, they found no prints or hair. They took a few swab samples from the floor mats and front seat. The results came in yesterday. They should be dropping the report off this afternoon but, in speaking to them, they said they basically got nothing from the car.
“That is what I feared, Blaine. Brookman is an educated man. That pair of gloves we saw him put on before he left the bank, I’m sure he kept them on throughout. Anyway, fill out the paperwork and arrange for the car to be returned.”
“Oscar, any luck with the hospitals or clinics?”
“Someone called me from the main hospital, Linda visited it three days before she was killed.”
“The main hospital? I thought they said about a week ago, that they had no record of her?”
“That is what they said, sir. Initially they entered her date of birth to do the search and nothing showed up on the computer. However, yesterday someone called me to say that they had made an honest mistake.”
“Call me old fashioned, but I think sometimes the system worked better with files and cabinets. Anyway what time are you going there today?”
“The doctor that saw Linda is on the morning shift, so she gave me a ten thirty appointment. Her name is Dr Allison Dearth.”
“Damn, that’s a bit of an unfortunate surname for a doctor. Anyway, Oscar, if you don’t mind I’ll come with you. I’d like to have a chat with Dr Dearth.”
“Young Dominic, what you got today?”
“Sir, there is another way out of the bank, using the emergency fire escape which opens onto Baker Street. The door is designed to only open from the inside. Unfortunately, they do not have CCTV covering it and the alarm on it is only active after office hours. I did an experiment with bank security yesterday and I was able to exit the bank. By simply jamming a coin in the lock and closing the door slowly, it prevented the door from locking and I was able to re-enter.”
“Damn, I was hoping to be able to eliminate the father but, based on what you said, we can’t – but what motive would he have to kill his own daughter? Dominic, I want you to start making some… how shall I put it?… gentle enquiries. I think we should start building a profile of him as well.”
“Gaby, anything on the hotline?”
“I’m afraid it has been pretty quiet, Sheriff. Nothing to speak of.”
“Yes, it’s only going to get quieter as people lose interest. Get the press to remind people we are still seeking information.”
“Will do, Sheriff.”
“Okay, anyone got anything else?”
“I do have one thing I’d like to share with the team,” said Nick. “I’ve been looking into the Bernstein family. Martin Bernstein enjoys a good career at Horizon Bank and, because of who his parents are, he has been fast tracked from Loan Officer a few years ago to Branch Manager today. His parents who live in New York are, by all accounts, fabulously wealthy, again from banking. They actually have the title deeds to Martin’s home. He does not own it, they do.
“Linda’s brother in the Navy is a bit of an oddball and has been, in a way, cast out of the family. I have it from a reliable source that Linda was the grandparents’ favourite and was in line to inherit, not just the family home but most of the grandparents’ estate. Is that the motive? I don’t know, but I thought it was quite interesting.”
“Good research, Nick, well done. I think, like everyone, I just assumed he owned that house. He is definitely worth looking into but I just can’t see it.”
*
It was a Thursday morning in November of 1989 and Martha had dropped Simon off at the bus stop. Her plan was to do a bit of cleaning around the house and then go to the supermarket after lunch. She was sitting in her living room with a coffee, trying to make sense of it all. There was so much that she could not explain. A couple of Mountain Bluebirds landing by the window caught her eye. Martha looked over to the fireplace. On the mantle were pictures of John and herself, taken on their wedding day. Another featured baby Simon and there was a picture of her and her sister, taken when they were children down at the lake. Suddenly, it dawned on her. There can be no other explanation; it was the only way everything could make sense. I must tell Simon, she thought.
“Horizon Bank. Good morning, this is Charles, how can I help?”
“Charles, it’s Martha. Is Simon there?”
“Sorry, Mrs Holman, he went downstairs a little while ago. He is in a meeting. Shall I ask him to call you when he comes back?”
“No, it’s okay, Charles. On second thought, perhaps it’s better if I wait till he comes home.”
*
Oscar knocked on the door of the young lady’s office at the main hospital. “Excuse me, Ma’am, I am officer Oscar Rae and this is Sheriff Amos.”
“Hello, gentlemen. Come on in and have a seat. Now, how can I be of assistance?”
“We understand Linda Bernstein came to see you a few weeks ago. We would like to ask you some questions, if you don’t mind.”
“It’s tragic what happened to her, Sheriff. I’ll assist you in any way I can.”
“Thank you, Ma’am. I’ve learnt from the coroner’s report that she was pregnant. I assume that is what she came to see you about?”
“That’s right, she was very nervous. We gathered at the time that she had not told anyone.”
“What exactly did you check when she arrived?”
“Just one minute please, guys. I’ll need to get her file.” Dr Dearth left her office and returned shortly after. “Okay, so this is it here. She was approximately eight weeks pregnant. Everything appeared normal. We took her weight, height, blood pressure, blood sample and urine tests, ultrasound which… let me see… were all were normal.”
“Did she say why she chose to come here and not her regular doctor?”
“I thought about that and I was going to ask but, wait, hang on…”
“What is it, Dr?”
“I’m just noticing something. Someone has changed her birth date on the form. She was born 11th March 1968. It’s been changed to 17th March 1968. I would remember doing this.”
Sheriff Amos looked at the form. It was clear to see the date had been altered.
“That would explain why the hospital told us, initially, that she was not here. You used the word ‘we’ earlier when you said, ‘we gathered at the time that she had not told anyone’. Who else was here?”
“There was a new nurse on duty, very helpful. Asked Linda lots of questions, and very keen.”
“Do you remember her name?”
“No, Sheriff. It wasn’t a girl. It was a male nurse. Looked a bit old to be just out of nursing school but came across as extremely knowledgeable.”
Sheriff Amos looked at Oscar, “Are we thinking the same thing? Wait here, Ma’am. I’ll be back in two minutes.” Sheriff Amos ran out to his patrol car and returned with the picture of Dr. Brockman. “Have a look at this photo, Ma’am. Could this be the nurse?”
“Yes, that’s him.”
*
“Hi, Father. End of month transactions again, is it?”
“I’m afraid so, Simon. I made sure and queued up over there to get Marian. I dealt with her last month, she is so efficient. I was in and out of here in five minutes.”
“You almost did not make it; we are just about closing. In fact, look, they have just flipped the sign on the door. Remember, we close a little earlier on a Thursday, I’m just on my way home.”
“Have you got the car? Or has your mother got it today?”
; “Mom has it. It’s her supermarket day, so I’m going to take the 3:15pm bus.”
“Well, actually, I’m heading out your way to visit with Mr Taylor, so I can run you home.”
“That would great, Father. Thanks.”
*
Sheriff Amos was back at the station when the emergency call came in. He knew the address instantly. He grabbed his gun and charged out of the office. With the siren on, he raced through the streets and out to the country. When he pulled up at the house, there was already a patrol car there. Officer Ben approached him as he got out of his car.
“Sheriff, it’s Mrs Holman. She was shot.”
“What else do you know?”
“The priest, Fr. Mark, arrived here with Simon, her son, and found her. They are still inside the house.”
“It looks like she came home and surprised a robber, sir. As she went in the front door, she was gunned down. There are footprints to and from the living room window.”
“Call dispatch. I want the dogs here now!”
The young officer radioed for the dogs. Meanwhile, Sheriff Amos looked around. Next to his car and the young officer’s patrol car, were Martha’s and Fr. Mark’s cars. The ground was relatively dry and he could see clearly tyre marks from each of them.
“I think he came though the field, sir, and entered into the house through the living room window. There is definitely no sign of any other vehicles.”
“Park your car at the top of the drive, Ben. Everyone approaching the house will go along that fence on the far side. Have you got tape in your car?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Barrier off that side of the house with the living room window – no one goes there. How long before the dogs are here?”
“They will be about forty minutes, sir.”
Sheriff Amos entered the house. A few feet inside the door, the lifeless body of Martha Holman lay on the floor, along with her car keys and her opened handbag. In the living room, he found Simon and Fr. Mark, both in tears. Clearly, neither of them were in a condition to speak to him. He walked over to the window: there was glass on the floor and a large rock lay across the room. Looking through the window, he saw footprints, both to and from the window. Clearly, this was how the attacker both entered and exited the property.
Five days later, Sheriff Amos and his team assembled for their morning meeting.
“Nick, please take the team though everything we have to date.”
“Okay, Sheriff. I’ll bring it up on the projector so everyone can follow.”
Entry
“The person definitely approached the house walking from the road down the field, which is parallel with the driveway. He then entered through the living room window and left through the same window. He went into the field and came out at the road. They used hounds and German shepherds but unfortunately both teams of dogs lost the scent at the road, so it’s pretty certain the suspect got into a car. There is an area, just off the road, where a car could be parked, that is pretty hidden from people passing. There are no tyre tracks in it but it does not mean the person did not drive out of there and clean them before leaving.”
Footprints
“Nine and a half, same size as the Osbourne homicide. Different tread pattern, but sports-type track shoe. It’s definitely Adidas, we are checking on the exact type.”
Fingerprints
“No prints recovered. Almost certainly wore gloves.”
Items taken
“Mrs Holman’s purse and possibly some items out of a jewellery box. We will need her son to go back to the house to determine exactly what has been removed. There were a lot of drawers opened upstairs.”
“Hang on, Nick. Is Simon still staying at the church?”
“Yes, Sheriff. I’m pretty sure he is.”
“Okay. go ahead please.”
Re-enactment
“We believe, Sheriff, that the person was in the house when Mrs Homan arrived home. From what we can establish, Mrs Holman parked her car. Her footprints clearly show her exiting her vehicle, going around the back (we assume to get something out of the trunk). She then walked through the front door, where she was shot twice in the chest. Her purse is removed from her handbag, along with possibly other unknown items from the house.”
Motive
“Robbery is what it looks like. However, we are all aware that Mrs Holman was not by any means a wealthy woman, other possible motives are unclear.”
Suspects
Her son, Simon J Holman, would be the most likely suspect, but he has a rock solid alibi. He was in meetings for most of the day. The bank closed early on the Thursday. He did not even go for lunch and Fr. Mark took him home where together they found the body. There is only one other family member, her sister. Her alibi is that she was home all day as her car was at the mechanic shop. Her story checks out.
Martha made one phone call to Simon at 10:38am and his colleague, Charles, took the call. He said Martha just told him it was something she wanted to tell Simon, but not to bother as it would be better to tell him when he gets home. Simon tried to return the call at 2:10pm but there was no answer. He assumed she was at the supermarket, so time of death is somewhere between 10:38am, when Charles spoke to her, and 3:35pm, when the priest called the police.”
“Thanks for that, Nick. I got the coroner’s report late last night. Mrs Holman was killed by two gunshots to the chest, one was directly to her heart, the other was to her stomach. The bullet to the heart lodged in her spine, there is an exit wound from the stomach shot, out the left side of her back, and that bullet is missing. Now I find it incredibly difficult to believe that our team of guys, along with forensics, missed that bullet. We need to find that bullet gentlemen. The bullet recovered from her spine, was from a Smith and Wesson model 30 revolver. Unfortunately, an extremely common weapon. Forensics will be another week at least. However, I’m told ‘off the record’ they have again found nothing on the car.
“We will go back today and we will again try and find that missing bullet. There is a possibility she was shot before she closed the door, so we will set up a grid pattern outside and I want every square inch of that ground searched. Needless to say, a bullet does not disappear. Blaine, I’d like you to put together a team; you are in charge of this. Dominic, you come with me. We will go and visit with Simon and the priest and perhaps we can get something out of them. I tried the day after the murder, but the kid was a mess. I’m told his father died in the war and his mother is all he had. Go ahead and get started with the search and I’ll meet you guys at his house later on.
“Gaby, what you got today?”
“Same as usual, Sheriff. The press are demanding more information. I’m sure you have seen the headlines. The department and you, in particular, are coming in for a lot of criticism and there is a petition going around for a vote of no confidence in you.”
“I don’t know what to tell you, Gaby. Try and hold them off. The Governor was on the phone yesterday and, from how he spoke to me, I think he will fire my ass before the vote of no confidence happens.”
Sheriff Amos and Dominic left the station to make the short journey across town to the church.
“Sheriff. That guy is surrounded by death, don’t you think? One girlfriend, a fiancé, his father and now his mother. What are the odds of that?”
The sheriff was too lost in thought to reply to the young officer.
*
Sheriff Amos knocked on the church door.
“Morning, Sheriff,” said Fr. Mark in a subdued voice.
“Hello, Father. This is officer Dominic. I’d like to apologise for coming over the other day. I know it was not a good time, but do you think Simon and yourself will be able to answer a few question for me now?”
“Come on in, Sheriff. Have a seat through there in my
office. Simon is in the church, I’ll go and speak with him.” A few minutes later he returned, “Okay, Sheriff. He won’t be long. I have coffee there if either of you like.”
“No thanks, Father.” Sheriff Amos looked around the office and noticed a mattress against the wall. “Is this where he’s sleeping, Father?”
The priest nodded. “Come on in Simon and have a seat,” said Fr. Mark.
“Hi, Simon,” said Sheriff Amos. “This is officer Dominic. Firstly, thank you for seeing us and, as I said to Fr. Mark, I’m sorry for coming over a few days ago. I appreciate it is a very difficult time.”
Simon did not raise his head but just looked at the floor. “That is fine, Sheriff.”
“I’d like to say, Simon, I know you have had a lot to deal with in your short life and you have my sincere sympathy for what happened to your mother. Needless to say, you are under no suspicion. All we want to do is ask you a few questions, in the hope that we can find out who did this to her.”
Unfortunately, Simon was unable to provide the sheriff with any information that would be useful. Sheriff Amos asked him if he would consider coming back to the house to identify anything that was stolen but Simon refused. The sheriff thought it best not to pursue it any further and to leave it for now. At the end, Simon asked the sheriff how long it would be before he could bury his mother. Sheriff Amos promised that, as soon as the coroner’s work was complete, he would let him know.
Sheriff Amos and officer Dominic left the church and headed over to Martha’s home.
“Well, Blaine, what have you got?”
“Nothing so far, Sheriff. We have looked inside the house and the search of the front yard is almost complete.”