Page 10 of The Scene of the Crime (Jessica Russell #1)

‘I appreciate that, but there is the risk of scene disturbance and contamination—’

He cut her off again. ‘That’s why we suited up and didn’t touch anything.

A safe has been jemmied open in the basement study, and an empty jewellery box is in the bedroom.

I’m not a behavioural expert like your good self.

But my initial assessment is that this is most likely a burglary gone wrong, during which the victim was assaulted when he confronted the intruder. ’

‘I wouldn’t like to comment before examining the scene with my colleagues,’ Jessica replied.

‘How long do you think your scene examination will take?’ he asked in an almost aggressive tone.

Jessica didn’t like his attitude but didn’t want to get into an argument that would prevent her from getting on with the job. ‘Hard to say. It’s a big house, so maybe a day or two.’

‘You can enlighten us with your findings and forensic opportunities at an office meeting with my team . . .’ He looked at his wristwatch.

‘Four p.m. at Barking.’ He indicated the man beside him.

‘Detective Inspector Chapman is my deputy overseeing the house-to-house enquiries. He will remain here, and I want you to keep him up to speed with your scene examination.’

‘Arsehole,’ Diane muttered.

Chapman pretended he hadn’t heard her as he unzipped his crime scene suit. He was casually dressed in blue chinos, a polo shirt and a lightweight jacket. He was a handsome, fit-looking man in his late thirties with dark, swept-back hair and an engaging smile. He shook hands with Jessica.

‘I’m Jessica Russell, the MSCAN team leader. This is Diane, our DNA expert.’

‘Your DCI’s a bit up himself,’ Diane remarked.

Jessica sighed. ‘I think it’s my presence that’s pissed him off. He rejected me on my interview for team leader role but was outvoted.’

Chapman nodded. ‘Anderson mentioned that when he was told you’d be attending the scene.’

‘That was nice of him,’ Jessica replied, frowning.

‘Well, he needs to realise that Jessica was selected to lead this unit because she’s the best person for the job . . . whether he likes it or not,’ Diane said.

Chapman held his hands up in a conciliatory gesture. ‘I’m sure he will . . . in time. And I can assure you his bark’s worse than his bite.’

‘So, what’s his problem?’ Diane asked.

Chapman paused for a moment. ‘The thing is, he’s not a career detective. He transferred from uniform inspector to DI, then got promoted to DCI and made SIO thanks to . . . let’s just say friends in high places.’

‘Are you saying he’s out of his depth?’ Jessica asked.

‘At times, yes. His aggressive attitude is just a front to hide his lack of experience as a detective.’

‘Great,’ Diane grunted.

‘But look, he wants to find who is responsible for the crime as much as we all do. It’s just that he often goes about it in the wrong way.’

Taff pulled up in the van beside them and leaned out of the window. ‘Good morning, Draig and Di. Never fear, Taff is here bearing good news.’

Jessica ignored him. ‘Thanks for being frank with us,’ she nodded to Chapman.

‘I just wanted you to understand the reasons behind Anderson’s sometimes odd behaviour.’

Taff picked up on the tension. ‘Have I missed something?’

‘I’ll tell you later,’ Diane said.

Taff got out of the van and showed the team the black-handled knife that was recovered from the victim’s back, which was now inside a plastic weapons tube.

‘It’s a Japanese Damascus 67 chef’s knife, made from stainless steel and very, very sharp.

I looked them up on the web. The price of a set is five to seven hundred pounds, depending on how many knives you want. ’

‘How much!’ Diane exclaimed.

‘Go figure. I got a set at Lidl for under a tenner,’ Taff said.

‘I also managed to get some of the victim’s pre-transfusion blood for a DNA profile.

I asked the ambulance crew if they removed any personal property.

They didn’t, but the paramedic who put a pulse oximeter on his finger noticed a watch tan line on his left wrist.’

‘Meaning the intruder probably took it,’ Diane said.

‘What about the victim’s injuries?’ Jessica asked.

‘Severe fracture to the skull, three stab wounds to the back, four including this embedded knife, but none to the chest. He’s in surgery, but it’s still touch and go.

Doctor said they may put him in an induced coma if he survives, and it will definitely be a few days yet before anyone can speak to him. ’

Jessica clapped her hands. ‘Right, let’s suit up and get to work. Taff, you can video and photograph the downstairs and basement, and I’ll do the upstairs. Di can follow behind you, deal with the blood on the door and examine the hallway.’

‘I’ll do light sourcing for footmarks and blood, and, if necessary, I’ll use luminol as well,’ Diane said, referring to a liquid spray that reacts to blood the eye can’t see and produces a bluish-white light that glows in the dark and enhances footmarks and blood stains.

Jessica looked at Chapman. ‘You might be standing around for a while. It’s a big house, so the video and photography will take about an hour. Then I’ll do a walkthrough of the premises to form an initial assessment, prioritise the evidence and formulate a forensic strategy.’

‘No problem. I need to brief the house-to-house officers and give them a list of questions to ask. When I’ve done that, I can drive to the garage and get everyone a coffee or anything else you want.’

‘Thanks, that would be appreciated,’ Jessica replied, removing a small wallet from her pocket.

‘Don’t worry. I’ll claim it back on expenses. Do you want anything to eat?’

‘I wouldn’t say no to a coffee and bacon roll,’ Taff said.

‘Same for me, please,’ Diane added.

‘A tea and an egg sandwich if there is one,’ Jessica said.

Chapman nodded. ‘Got it.’ He walked off.

‘What do you make of him?’ Diane asked Jessica.

‘Hard to say. Maybe a bit too friendly, considering we’ve just met. Best we keep an eye on him.’

‘You think he’s up to something?’ Diane asked.

‘He could be Anderson’s mole, but I might be wrong.’

‘That would be a rare occurrence, Draig,’ Taff grinned.

‘You should get on well with him, Taff . . . you both think you’re funny,’ Diane said with a grin.

*?*?*

While Jessica and Taff started recording the scene, Diane photographed and swabbed the blood smear on the doorknob.

She also found some on the internal Yale lock and examined it closer with a magnifying glass and crime scene torch.

She noticed two tiny black fibres stuck to the blood, and used plastic tweezers to retrieve them and put them in a small pill box.

As there were no finger marks in the blood, she thought they might have come from woollen gloves worn by the perpetrator.

An hour later, DI Chapman called out from the front door.

They joined him outside, and he handed out the food and drinks.

‘Sorry about the delay, but I got some info from one of the house-to-house officers that I had to follow up on. I took a statement from Mr Elton, the next-door neighbour. He and his wife know the De Klerks quite well it seems . . . Johan is in his late thirties and a wine importer from Cape Town. According to Mr Elton, Johan likes the finer things in life and tends to brag about them, one such item being his new gold Rolex Daytona, worth sixty grand. He showed it to Mr Elton, who recalled it had a black face and a diamond-studded dial. The paramedic noticed a tan mark on De Klerk’s left wrist, right?

So, it looks like the intruder took it.’

Jessica nodded. ‘We’ll search the house, in case it’s still there. Did Mr Elton say anything about Mrs De Klerk?’

‘Yes, her name is Michelle. She’s a barrister – a KC – but uses her maiden name of Belsham for work.

I’ve come across her in court and she’s highly respected.

She’s a tough operator, handling some big cases.

I’ve informed Anderson. He’s shitting himself because he knows the press will be all over the case if they find out the victim is Michelle Belsham’s husband. ’

‘I don’t see how he can stop the press finding out,’ Jessica said.

Chapman shrugged. ‘Well, Anderson wants everything kept low-key for now. If the press asks, he’s just going to say it’s a burglary where a male resident was assaulted, and he wants us all to do the same.’

‘I don’t get it,’ Taff said.

‘He doesn’t think it likely, but he’s concerned that she might have been kidnapped. A press release could spook the kidnappers and put her life in danger. He’s also hoping that your team might find something forensic-wise to identify the assailant quickly.’

‘We’ll do our best, but I wouldn’t bank on it,’ Jessica said.

‘Fair enough,’ Chapman said.

‘Does Mrs De Klerk own a car?’ Jessica asked.

‘The neighbour said she drives a silver Mercedes SL sport, which I found parked around the corner in Homer Road by a locked gate leading to their garden. A number-plate check showed her as the registered keeper. Her husband’s car is a year-old black Range Rover Sport, which isn’t there.

It might have been stolen or used as the getaway car. ’

‘Mrs De Klerk might be using it if she’s away somewhere,’ Taff suggested.

‘I hope you’re right,’ Chapman replied.

‘If she is safe and well, it will be a big shock when she finds out what’s happened to her husband,’ Diane remarked.

‘Did the neighbour know the Range Rover’s registration?’ Jessica asked.

‘Only part of it. Because it’s a personalised plate. The first three letters are JDK. I’ve asked for a search on Range Rovers to identify the full registration and his insurance company. If he had a tracker fitted, it will help us locate the car.’

‘I’ll look for the registration and insurance documents in the house,’ Jessica said.

‘What’s your initial assessment?’ Chapman asked.

‘Still working on it. I’ll make it a priority to assess if Mrs De Klerk was on the premises when the crime occurred.’

‘Thanks. I’ll continue speaking to the neighbours and see what else I can learn about the De Klerks,’ Chapman said, walking off.

‘He’s like a little ferret, sniffing around everywhere,’ Diane remarked.

‘That’s his job, isn’t it?’ Taff replied.

‘Do you trust him?’ Diane asked Jessica.

Jessica shrugged. ‘I’m still on the fence . . . but I do know ferrets have a nasty bite.’