But not the crisp blue uniform he had once worn so proudly, and not anything else that bore his name. In a building at the Trenton air base there is an incinerator used to dispose of secret or sensitive documents. In a move that had no precedent, Williams’s uniform was dropped inside and burned. The homicidal ex-colonel’s disgrace was complete.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The first debt of gratitude is to those people who were willing to talk to me—either on the record or on condition of anonymity—in my effort to tell the story of Russell Williams. As well, none of this could have happened without the generosity of colleagues at the Globe and Mail, most of all investigative reporter Greg McArthur, whose hard work and talent was plundered. Special thanks, too, to reporters Colin Freeze, Tony Reinhart and Christie Blatchford and to the amazing folk who run our Editorial Research operation: take a bow Celia Donnelly, Rick Cash, Paula Wilson and, especially, Stephanie Chambers. Thanks also to the senior Globe management for cutting me loose for many months, particularly Deputy Editor Sylvia Stead, who instantly recognized the story for what it was. In Tweed, Lisa Ford became a great friend and ally, and in Trenton the debt is to Kathleen Rankine and Steve Bolton for their kindness in sharing their knowledge of all things military. At Random House, thanks to Anne Collins, editor Pamela Murray and the rest of the team there, as well as freelance editors John Sweet and Angelika Glover. Likewise to Charles Conrad and his people at Crown Publishing Group in New York. Last, not least, thanks to my best friend, Bob McKelvie, to Sheila Whyte, and to my agent, Helen Heller, for their constant support and insight.
Finally, it was of utmost importance to try to do justice to the memories of the two courageous women who were murdered by Williams, Corporal Marie-France Comeau and Jessica Lloyd, and to acknowledge the scores of others who were harmed. Any errors are my own, but I’ve tried to tell the truth and hope that in some small way it might help heal some of the wounds.
PHOTO CREDITS
All photos are copyright Timothy Appleby except where otherwise noted. Grateful acknowledgment is expressed to the following people and sources for permission to reprint these images.
The maps of Orleans and Tweed on this page are copyright Brian Hughes/GetStock.com.
i.1 all images courtesy The Globe and Mail
i.2 all images courtesy The Globe and Mail
i.3 all images courtesy The Globe and Mail
i.4 © George White
i.5 courtesy The Globe and Mail
i.6 courtesy The Globe and Mail
i.7 courtesy The Globe and Mail
i.8 courtesy The Globe and Mail
i.9 Court exhibits: handout
i.10 © Kathleen Rankine
i.11 ©Chris Mikula/Ottawa Citizen
i.12 ©The Canadian Press/Nathan Denette
Every effort has been made to contact the copyright holders; in the event of an inadvertent omission or error, please notify the publisher.
A New Kind of Monster Page 26