The Family Cleaner, page 15
“Why does she feel safe?” Jacobsen said.
“Pardon?” Kleinberg asked.
“Why does the sister feel safe when her entire family has disappeared? What does she know?”
“That does feel like the sixty-four-million-dollar question,” Kleinberg said.
Chapter 17
Sydney Forensic Offices, 5th October 2018
Jessica Chisolm looked up from her desk at DS Jefferson and her sidekick who were standing outside her office. She stood and waved at them to enter.
“Any news?” She asked, slipping on the black pantsuit jacket that she wore like a uniform.
“No, sorry, nothing new. Do you have time for a few questions?” Jefferson asked.
Jessica indicated that they should sit and closed the file she had been reviewing. She picked up a pen and tapped it against the edge of the desk.
“Sure, why not? Have a seat.”
“Jessica, this is Constable Martin Jackson.”
Jessica nodded to the young constable. He looked like he should still be in school uniform, not a police uniform.
“I hope you appreciate that we’re doing everything we can to find your family,” Jefferson said.
“I do understand that detective, but I really can’t help you. Unless, of course, you brought me forensic material to look at, or don’t you have any? As I’ve told you before, I have had very little to do with my family since I left the farm and went to uni.”
“Can you confirm when you last had contact with your cousin David Carter?”
Jessica looked from DS Jefferson to Martin and placed her pen precisely next to the writing pad on the desktop.
“Why do you ask? Do you think he might be involved?”
“It’s a simple question, Jessica. When did you last have contact with your cousin?”
“The last time I saw David was when he took off for the station job in the West. He would have been about fifteen, I guess.”
“Not when you last saw him, when did you last have contact with him?”
“Not in years.”
“And your family?”
“I came home once after I finished uni, as I just said. It wasn’t a tight-knit family, at least as far as I was concerned. The boys all lived in awe of their father, but I just wanted out of Bendigo.”
“What about your mother?”
“What about her?”
“Didn’t you stay in touch with her?”
“Detective, are you familiar with the expression, ‘You can choose your friends but not your family’? I didn’t choose them, and had I been given the option, it would not have been them. As soon as I had a chance to get out, I bolted and I’ve never been back. My mother and I didn’t have a great relationship.”
“So, you didn’t like your family?”
Jessica contemplated her answer. “Didn’t like? Not sure I’d put it that way. Was there anything else?”
“Yes. I asked you last time if you knew of anyone who had a grudge against your family, possibly an age-old dispute that might have been triggered recently?”
“No, I don’t know of anything.”
“I just wondered if something had come to mind.”
“Detective, at this stage my family are just missing. Until you have reason to believe they’ve come to grief somehow, I am unsure how someone with a grudge from the past is relevant. Unless, of course, you’re assuming they aren’t just missing.”
Jefferson shook her head. “Nothing new on that.”
“If that’s all, I have a busy day. I better press on,” Jessica said.
They left Jessica’s office and walked down the corridor.
“Am I missing something, or is she not very concerned?” Martin asked.
“She’s a hard nut, no doubt about it. I think she’s been estranged from her family for a long time, and there wasn’t a lot of love lost.”
“But she didn’t answer any of your questions. She just repeated what you asked in another way.”
“She did the same the last time we spoke.”
Police Video Conference, 10th October 2018
“At the end of our last call, we discussed the possibility of two sets of crimes being committed. We wondered whether we had single or multiple perpetrators,” Kleinberg said.
“To that end, I’ve asked Professor Simon D’uerf to join the call. Simon and I go way back; he lectures in forensic psychology at Melbourne Uni. He’s reviewed what we have and has some observations that might crystallise our thinking. We’ve also got DS Lauren Jefferson on the line. She’s been dealing with Jessica Chisholm. But first, over to you, Simon.”
“Thank you, Steven. What I am going to say needs to be considered in the context that I have not examined anyone, and I am solely relying on your notes. I believe the best way for me to assist is to pose a possible scenario. It could be one of many.”
“It seems to me that, at the heart of your dilemma, you have inconsistent crime scenes and inconsistent modus operandi. This inconsistency, combined with your experience of how people operate, is leading you to conclude that you have more than one perpetrator. A scenario I would like to suggest is that you may be dealing with one person but more than one personality.”
“Are you suggesting that Carter could be David for some of these crimes and, I don’t know, Danielle for others?” Brownsill said.
“Well, that is one way to put it,” the professor replied. “It’s just a theory, I need to re-enforce that. But it could explain the inconsistencies. I’m not saying it’s the only theory, but it is one.”
“If it’s the different weapons used that’s the issue, what if the perpetrator just uses what’s to hand?” Jacobsen said.
“I believe there is evidence of significant planning involved. I don’t believe grabbing the nearest weapon to hand is part of this,” Kleinberg said.
“I tend to agree,” the professor added.
“Bloody hell, I’ve heard it all now,” Prosser said, exhaling. “As if our job isn’t hard enough.”
After twenty minutes of to-and-fro questions, Kleinberg thanked the professor for his input and removed him from the call. “Judging from your reactions, I’m not sure if that helped or hindered. I didn’t mean to scramble the whole thing; I just thought it might give us a pause for thought.”
He gave the group a chance to refocus.
“Let’s get back to some facts. Prosser, you seem to have spent the most amount of time with Carter, thoughts?”
“Inspector, he has suspicion written all over him. The professor may think he has multiple personalities, and maybe so, but in my view there certainly are two parts to the David Carter I’ve been talking with. He leads a lifestyle suggesting illegal sources of income, yet our search found nothing and forensics say his laptop was so clean they suspect it’s a blind. They believe he has another way of transacting. The phone we know of had nothing on it. He’s just too confident.”
“Where is he now?” Kleinberg asked.
“Hasn’t turned up. The noise around Geelong is that the dealers are working with someone else, not the usual guy. But they clammed up when our people pressed. They’re scared. There’s also a suggestion about other players coming in, but nothing concrete.”
“Okay. Lauren, how’s it going with Jessica?”
“She’s an odd one, there’s no doubt,” Jefferson said. “She hasn’t been near her family or had contact with them in years, according to her. And while she’s cooperating and answering our questions, she’s got nothing to say that helps.”
“What’s she like?” Brownsill asked.
“If I had to put it in one word, I guess it would be ‘neutral’. She isn’t like any of the brothers, from what I’ve seen of them on TV. At least based on what I saw from the one in Blackwater, anyway. I think we can all agree they seem a bit country hometown bogan. She’s groomed, sophisticated and speaks well. Got her looks from her mother, I guess, or Mum played away from home at some point. But she’s got a hard edge to her,” Jefferson replied.
“I saw some younger photos of the mum on the mantelpiece. She was attractive when she was young,” Brownsill said.
“As we were finishing up she almost challenged me about the missing person aspect. She said—” Jefferson referred to her notes “— ‘Detective, at this stage my family are just missing, you don’t know if it is anything more than that.’ It felt like she was teasing me a bit. I didn’t appreciate it, to be frank.”
Brownsill looked at Kleinberg.
“What about Carter, did she have anything to offer?”
“Nothing. Just said she hadn’t seen or heard from him in years.”
“What is it with these two?” Kleinberg said. “I get that Carter hates his relatives given that they treated him so poorly. But the sister. Why is she so, well, whatever word describes her?”
“Disinterested!” Brownsill offered.
“I wouldn’t say disinterested,” Jefferson said. “She seems just frustrated with our questions. But has nothing to offer.”
“Okay, but how can you be neutral, knowing that your parents and brothers are missing? How can you be neutral, even if you are a hard-nosed forensic scientist?” Brownsill said.
“By neutral I mean a complete absence of emotion. It’s the only word I can think of to describe her,” Jefferson said. “Maybe if they were confirmed dead she might react differently. It appears that them being missing isn’t a big deal, at least to her.”
“DS, are you by yourself?”
“Yes, sir.”
“We haven’t released this yet, but we found three bodies at Bendigo.”
Jefferson feigned offence and said, “Keeping the newbie in the dark, eh? It would have made a difference as to how I interviewed Jessica.”
“Yes, I get that. I wonder if it’s time we released this information and see if it flushes anything out. Thoughts, anyone?” Kleinberg said.
“Sir, from a pressure point of view,” Prosser said, “the moment that gets out we’ll be on the clock. The public will expect progress. People disappearing is one thing, dead people, now that’s a different level. And we’ll have the press all over us.”
“We have an issue in Bendigo with a TV reporter who’s been sniffing around. He knows something is off, I’m unsure how much longer we can keep this quiet,” Brownsill said.
“Okay, let me talk to the chief about this.” Kleinberg looked at Brownsill. “Anything on the prints?”
“They’ve expanded the search to all state and federal registries, but nothing yet. I’ll chase her again, but she’s getting pretty pissy with me calling her continually.”
“You tell Mary-Anne that it’s her job to get us answers, not get pissy, okay?”
“Yes, sir.”
Bendigo Police Station Media Briefing Room, 11th October 2018
The media room in the new Bendigo station was a staff room, repurposed for the day. Reporters jostled, cameras clattering together as the camera crews attempted to get an advantage. Kleinberg and Brownsill waited till some sort of order had been established.
“I am Inspector Kleinberg, and with me is Detective Sergeant Brownsill. I oversee the task force focused on the disappearance of members of the Chisholm family. The purpose of today’s briefing is to announce an important breakthrough. Unfortunately, I must advise that the case has changed from a missing persons enquiry to a multiple-murder enquiry. As you know, nine months ago Mr and Mrs Chisholm and their eldest son were reported missing from their property near Bendigo. Today I can confirm that the bodies of the couple and their son have been found. There is a press release available, and I will take questions now.”
The gaggle of reporters yelled out their questions. One resonated the loudest. “How long have you known they were deceased?”
“The bodies were discovered two weeks ago,” Kleinberg said.
“So months after they were reported missing?” The question the inspector was dreading.
“Yes.”
“Where were they?”
Kleinberg hesitated. “At the property ... sorry, everyone, that is all I am prepared to say at this point.”
“Why did it take so long?”
“Why wasn’t the property searched properly before?”
Those questions and several others went unanswered as Kleinberg and Brownsill pushed their way through the throng and escaped down the corridor to the office.
“Not sure I got away with that,” he said to Brownsill.
“No, sir. I think they can see a porky when it’s tossed at them.”
“Let’s hope this gives us a break. Maybe it will flush Carter out.”
“Kleinberg,” he said when his phone rang. “Hang on I’ll put you on speaker, DS Brownsill is with me.”
“Sir, I went to see Jessica Chisholm while you were giving your presser,” Jefferson said.
“And?”
“I told her what you were announcing, and she just listened.”
“And?” Kleinberg asked.
“Just that, she listened to what I said. Shook her head and asked if there was any good forensics to speak of. I said I didn’t know. Then she asked when the bodies would be available for burial as she assumed she would have to arrange things.”
“And that was it?” Kleinberg said.
“Yes, and then asked if that was all ’cause she had a walk over the bridge booked followed by a harbour cruise and she didn’t want to be late.”
Kakadu National Park, 11th October 2018
David sat with his feet resting on an esky, a copy of The Catcher in the Rye in one hand, a stubby in the other. He had first read it as part of his year ten English lessons. The distance learning teacher recommended he read it again when he was older, as she believed he would understand it better. Passing time in Kakadu was a perfect opportunity. He could now, unfortunately, relate to Holden Caulfield's struggle with PTSD.
The sat phone chirped and woke Frank. He lifted his head, rolled over onto his back and went back to sleep.
“David,” Pav said, “big news, you hear?”
“No mate, I’m off the grid other than this sat phone. What news?”
“You family, policija say they dead. This you, David?”
“Absolutely not, Pav. Did they say how or where?”
“Ne, nothing. Just dead and looking for others.”
“I don’t know if I should come back or not, I need to think. Thanks for the heads-up, talk soon.” He ended the call and sat pondering the news, staring at the phone in his hand.
“Bloody hell, Frankie, we may be in a bit of strife. These cops are going to chase us till they get answers. Should we go back?”
I bet Prosser is going nuts not knowing where we are. The question is, how long can we stay out of sight, and what good does it do?
Frank gave David a quizzical look and plopped his head onto his paws.
“I think we need to go back, mate. I’m not sure this was a clever move.”
Sydney Forensic Offices, 13th October 2018
Jefferson succeeded in her third attempt to lock Jessica into a meeting.
“I wanted to touch base again after the news of your parents.”
“Yes. Why?” Jessica replied.
“Well, I guess I was wondering if you had any thoughts about ... well anything, really.”
“Thoughts? Not really. I guess I’ll have to arrange funerals with the other two not around.”
Jefferson looked at Jessica, baffled. “With the other two not around, you mean with your brothers also missing?”
“Sorry, that didn’t come out right. Of course, I will have to arrange their funerals.”
“I understand the bodies will be released soon,” Jefferson said.
“It seems to have taken a long time to locate my parent’s bodies, given they were at the crime scene the whole time,’ Jessica said.
“Honestly, it was just luck they found them at all. One of the local officers noted that David said he slept in a cellar as a boy. They couldn’t work out where the cellar was, so they went looking.”
Jessica hesitated for a few seconds and then said, “Why couldn’t they find the cellar, it’s hard to miss, it’s at the end of the corridor.”
“It had been boarded over and a cupboard pulled across in front of it,” Jefferson said.
“Someone has been thorough,” Jessica said. She picked up her pen and started to doodle on a notepad.
“And they were in the cellar?
Jefferson nodded.
“That was a lucky break. So, without that, you’d still be looking?”
“The cadaver dogs may have picked it up, but with all the other distractions on a farm, they may not have.”
“Any news about Jake and Freddy?” Jessica asked.
“Jefferson shook her head.
“So, what is it you want, Detective?”
“Any ideas on anything, to be frank.”
“What about forensics? Have they found anything in the cellar?”
“Nothing. The place was clean other than traces of the victims,” Jefferson said.
“Detective, I can see you’re confused by my reaction. I get that, but you need to know that we’ve been estranged for many years. When families become estranged, the prevailing feeling is often one of antipathy. I deal with my estrangement by blanking them out.”
“That’s what I assumed,” Jefferson said.
“If there’s nothing else, I guess I should start making funeral arrangements.”
Fairhaven, 13th October 2018
David swapped vehicles in Geelong and drove to Fairhaven, pulling his ute into the driveway just before dusk.
Frank re-marked his territory on every bush. David pulled his camping gear from the tray and stacked it in the storage shed. He would clean it tomorrow.
After opening a few windows to get some fresh air in the house, he filled Frank’s water bowl, grabbed a beer, and retrieved his local phone from the desk drawer. Sitting on the back porch he turned the phone on.
