Chief John Rocca of the Mattauk Police Department says the medical examiner had no trouble determining the cause of death.
Jo recoiled at the sight of the police chief in his formal uniform, sitting across from the show’s host. Square-jawed, laconic, and handsome, Rocca was the type of man that movies and television had trained her to trust. She knew millions of Newsnight viewers would take what he said as the gospel truth.
“How did the girl die, Chief Rocca?”
“She died of a fentanyl overdose.”
“Given the cause of death, did you have any theories about what might have happened?”
“Yes, sir. We initially believed the body belonged to a sex worker who had likely overdosed in the company of a client. We thought the man must have panicked and disposed of the body off Danskammer Beach Road. That theory seemed to be proven when a woman came forward and claimed the girl was her daughter.”
“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?”