Constance Gardiner (née Ava Moon) is a young woman who was responsible for framing William Murdoch for the murder of Randolph Littlefair.
History
Ava Moon was an actress who rented a room at an inn alongside Constable William H. Murdoch's beat. One night, she had heard screams coming from the innkeeper's room and saw a man leaving, whom she recognized by his coat and walk as a man by the name of Michael Cudmore. She notified Murdoch of what she had seen, and Murdoch promptly arrested Cudmore for rape. During the trial, Ava was unwilling to testify out of fear, but relented when Murdoch told her that it was her duty to do so. The Inspector of Station House #1 at the time beat a confession out of Cudmore and presented it at trial, but in a bout of zealousness, Murdoch alerted the jury that the confession was not a voluntary one but one extorted through violence. Cudmore's confession was promptly thrown out, leaving him a free man. Cudmore then set his sights on Ava Moon, planning to take revenge on her for having him arrested and for testifying against him.
Breaking into her room one night, he repeatedly raped her while using her knife to scar her facially and intimately, the latter of which rendered her unable to have children. Ava reported the rape to the police but was told that her story would not hold up and that Cudmore would not be prosecuted. As Cudmore left Ontario shortly after that, Ava Moon was forced to live the rest of her life filled with rage towards the man who robbed her of the two things she wanted most in life - marriage and children.
At some point, Ava changed her name to Constance Gardiner and became friends with the influential Reda family. Twelve years later, to her surprise, she noticed Cudmore's photograph in a newspaper and discovered that he had returned to Ontario under the name of "Randolph Littlefair" and was now a wealthy and influential man. Curious, Constance investigated the matter further and discovered, to her horror, that verious other women were raped and disfigured in areas that Randolph Littlefair happened be at the time, and realised that Cudmore had not changed in his ways in the last dozen years. Upon learning that Jack Reda was planning to solicit funds from Littlefair, Constance convinced them to throw a party in his honour. Knowing that she would be exposed if Littlefair saw her, she suggested that the party be themed after "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland", as a tribute to writer Lewis Carroll who had passed away recently. This allowed her, along with other guests, to wear disguises, which would help Constance remain unnoticeable by Littlefair.
On the day of the party, Constance discovered that the party had a surprise guest - William Murdoch, who was now the detective of Station House #4. In order to throw the police off her trail, she killed Littlefair and framed Murdoch for it, although Crabtree, who recognized the name "Ava Moon" from the poem she wrote at a party (about a girl named Moonava (Ava Moon backwards) who had been assaulted by an ogre whom she later killed) presented the evidence to Inspector Brackenreid.
In the end, Constance Gardiner was arrested for premeditated murder, although she notified Inspectors Brackenreid and Giles that she did not want Murdoch to hang for his crimes and that she planned to write a letter of confession for them to find. As the rest of the police officers left the station to attend Julia's wedding to Darcy, Murdoch, feeling guilty over everything Constance/Ava endured because of him, released her from her prison cell and gave her money to escape to Windsor.
Appearance
Murdoch in Wonderland
- Left with scars both emotional and physical, Constance is determined to punish Randolph Littlefair for raping and disfiguring her. She plans a Wonderland party which Murdoch attends. Constance frames Murdoch for his failure to prosecute Randolph, although her plan was to exonerate him over time. Once Murdoch figures out she was the murderer, he finds her at home, where she admits to everything. Constance surrenders peacefully, but Murdoch chooses to help her escape justice by freeing her from prison and providing her with money to escape.