Page 97 of The Change
“Was the girl her daughter?”
“No. The moment I met the woman, there was something about her story that didn’t quite click with me. DNA tests later confirmed that she was not related to our Jane Doe in any way.”
“Then who was the mystery woman?”
“An actress paid to impersonate the girl’s mother.”
That’s when the case, which had seemed so clear-cut, suddenly began to look much more complicated.
“You located the woman and brought her in for questioning?”
“We did,” said Rocca.
“And what did she tell you?”
“That she’d been employed by a man named Danill Chertov.”
Jo paused the program on an image of Chertov. “Spencer Harding’s bodyguard!” Jo exclaimed. “I fucking knew it!”
“Yeah, but there’s something wrong with all of this.” Nessa looked spooked. “The police are claiming they did DNA tests. But Franklin and I were the ones who had the tests done. The department refused.”
Harriett snorted.
“What?” Jo demanded.
“Nothing,” Harriett said.
“No, seriously.” Nessa had grown used to her friend’s bizarre sense of humor, but this time Harriett had gone too far. “What do you think is funny about all of this?”
“You’ll see,” Harriett said. “Continue, please.”
“Was the Mattauk Police Department already familiar with Mr. Chertov at the time?”
“Yes, sir. Our department had had at least one prior run-in with Mr. Chertov. We knew he worked as a bodyguard for Spencer Harding.”
“Did you think that Mr. Chertov was acting on his employer’s orders in this case?”
“We did. When the actress came forward to identify the body, she brought documents that would have been difficult to forge. A birth certificate. An immunization schedule. It was not a cheap operation. Someone with deep pockets had to be footing the bill.”
“Spencer Harding?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Why would a wealthy, well-known art dealer pay an actress to impersonate a dead girl’s mother?”
“To convince my department to close the case.”
“Why would he want the case closed?”
“That was the question we wanted to answer.”
“At what point did Harding become a person of interest in the Danskammer Beach case?”
“The day the actress identified Mr. Chertov as her employer we placed Mr. Chertov and Mr. Harding under surveillance.”
Nessa pressed pause. “What the hell?” she said. “That can’t be true.”
“Is he claiming he suspected Spencer Harding all the way back at the beginning of June?” Jo asked.
