Page 28 of The Scene of the Crime (Jessica Russell #1)

Jessica went on De Klerk’s Springbok Wines website to learn more about him and his business.

His father Pieter ran a winery in Wellington, just outside Cape Town, which the family had owned for over a hundred years.

The winery was in a picturesque valley at the foot of Groenberg Mountain, with the Kromme River flowing along its doorstep.

From the photographs, the land, vineyards and cellars looked very impressive.

They produced award-winning white and red wines, notably Chenin and Sauvignon Blancs, Chardonnays, Merlots and Pinot Noirs.

Johan’s brother, Duante, and his sister, Mariette, were still in South Africa, helping to run the business.

Jessica made a PDF copy of the article, printed it and gave it to Guy to read. ‘Found anything interesting?’ she asked him as he scan-read the article.

‘Just a few interviews with him about his love of South African wines . . . and Michelle. He’s clearly besotted with her.

From what I’ve read, it looks like his business is thriving.

Your report stated that Michelle thought he kept cash from business deals in his safe.

It might be worth looking at his business bank accounts to give us an idea of his cash flow and how much might have been stolen,’ Guy suggested.

‘We’d need Anderson’s approval and a court order to examine his accounts. I think we best hold on that for now.’

‘There might be another way to get his business accounts and cash flow details,’ Guy said.

‘Under the Overseas Companies Regulations 2009, any overseas company with a place of business in the UK must register with Companies House. De Klerk would also need a licence to sell alcohol and would have to pay import duties.’

‘You’re certainly a fount of knowledge,’ Jessica smiled.

‘Companies House stores details of statutory and annual accounts? confirmation statements and change of address notifications, and it’s all in the public domain, which means anyone can look at it.’

‘How do you know all this?’

‘I did a lot of work on the Counter Terrorism Command looking at fake companies set up by terrorists to launder money and fund their activities.’

‘Well, I’ll leave you to it,’ Jessica said as her phone rang. She recognised DI Chapman’s number.

‘You busy?’ Chapman asked.

‘We’re always busy. What can I do for you?’

‘The Range Rover has been recovered and . . .’

‘Hang on, let me grab a pen and paper to take the location details.’

‘Don’t bother. It’s on its way to the lab on a total lift truck.’

‘It would have been better if we examined it in situ first,’ she said, surprised Chapman hadn’t considered that.

‘It’s a burnt-out shell, and I wasn’t informed until an hour ago. It looks like it was set alight in the early hours of the morning. I’ve been to the dump site and viewed it, or what’s left of it. Anderson said to get it straight up to the lab.’

‘So, where was it found?’

‘In the middle of the eighth fairway by some woodland at Wanstead Flats Golf Club. It was still smouldering when some early-morning golfers came across it at seven a.m. The area isn’t overlooked by any houses or flats, so that’s why a fire wasn’t noticed or the vehicle found earlier.’

‘If the intruder dumped the car, it suggests he knows the area.’

‘I agree, and the location isn’t far from the Green Man Roundabout, where DC Bingham thought it came off the A12.’

‘Looks like he kept it hidden somewhere until now.’

‘Yeah, probably too hot to handle, to coin a phrase.’ Chapman laughed at his pun. ‘The fire brigade attended and hosed it down. The club chairman was nearly in tears at the damage it’s caused, not to mention the fire truck.’

‘You circulated the registration at the time. Why did it take so long for you to be informed?’

‘Local plods were called to the scene first, but the number plates were burnt off. They called out a scene of crime officer who checked the vehicle identification plate at the base of the driver’s side pillar. It was then identified as De Klerk’s car.’

‘What about footmarks near the vehicle?’

‘Hundreds of them, mostly golf spikes. The SOCO had a look, but it’s impossible to know which way the suspect walked off as the area became so churned up from the fire truck.’

‘Did the SOCO say anything about an accelerant?’

‘Only that there was a strong smell of petrol. He took some samples of the interior debris and put them in nylon bags.’

‘We’ll be able to determine the accelerant with GC-MS testing.’

‘Run that by me again?’ Chapman asked, which made her laugh.

‘I keep forgetting you’re not one of us. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.’

‘Sorry, but I’m still none the wiser.’

‘You don’t have to keep saying sorry.’

‘Force of habit, I guess. I’ll bring the debris bags to the lab for your gas thingy testing. Is it OK if I’m present when you examine the car?’

‘If you want to, that’s fine by me, but you might be hanging around for a while.’

‘That’s OK. I can then report back to Anderson if anything useful is found, which I doubt due to the fire damage.’

‘Oh, ye of little faith.’

‘Sorry, I forgot the A-Team was on the job. See you in about an hour.’

After finishing the call with Chapman, Jessica went to the lab rooms and told Diane and Taff about the Range Rover.

They were pleased to hear it had been recovered, but as they were still examining some of the items seized from the house, Jessica said she’d give them a shout when the Range Rover was in the examination bay.

In the meantime, she continued with her research on De Klerk.

*?*?*

Arriving at the MSCAN office, Chapman had to knock on the door as he didn’t know the numbers for the digital lock.

Jessica, who was with Guy, opened it and invited Chapman in.

He handed her the nylon exhibit bags containing debris from the car and told her that the Range Rover had been unloaded and was in the examination bay.

‘Very impressive,’ he remarked as he looked around the room, which had brand new furniture and all-in-one wide-screen computers on the desks.

‘I’d like you to meet Detective Sergeant Guy Jenkinson. This is DI Chapman, the deputy SIO on the De Klerk case.’

Guy stood up and shook hands. Chapman gave him a quizzical look. ‘Are you the Holmes Manager on the Counter Terrorism Command? I’ve got a friend on the unit who spoke very highly of an ex-army officer called Guy Jenkinson.’

‘Yes, that’s me, but I’m no longer on Counter Terrorism.’

‘What’s your new posting?’ Chapman asked, thinking he was temporarily assisting Jessica or just visiting her offices.

‘MSCAN, as their HOLMES manager and crime analyst.’

Chapman looked at Jessica. ‘How did you pull that off?’

‘Commander Williams kindly arranged it. Guy’s also skilled in retrieving and analysing phone and computer data, so we won’t need to outsource the work to technical support.’

‘It will also speed things up for all of us when inputting and retrieving information from the HOLMES system. I can’t wait to see Anderson’s face when he learns about Guy being on your team,’ Chapman said.

‘Will he be upset?’ Guy asked.

‘No, he’ll be as jealous as hell,’ Chapman grinned.

When Guy returned to his desk and was out of earshot, Chapman asked Jessica if he could talk privately with her about Anderson. She took him to her office.

‘Bloody hell, it’s twice the size of mine and you’ve got a sofa and armchairs. Any chance I can join MSCAN?’ he said.

‘Has Anderson been complaining about me or the team?’ Jessica asked apprehensively.

‘No. I just wanted to tell you I was wrong about him sneaking home to his wife yesterday. He went to see Commander Williams about a press release first.’

‘I saw the article in the Hackney Gazette . Williams was here earlier and told me about the meeting with Anderson.’

‘He wasn’t pleased with her decision. I didn’t tell him I agreed with her and thought it was right to wait for any forensic results.’

‘You said earlier today that she’s a bit of a battleaxe.’

‘What, Williams?’

Jessica laughed, ‘No, Anderson’s wife. And you thought he was under the thumb.’

‘By all accounts, he is.’

‘Would you say she’s a coercive woman? A coercive person can be described as someone in a relationship who seeks to exert dominance and control over an individual through psychological and emotional manipulation.’

‘I have heard other people say she talks down to him and treats him like a lap dog.’

‘If he feels worthless and bullied at home, it can affect his behaviour at work.’

‘You mean by trying to act like he knows what he’s doing and thinking he knows best,’ Chapman said, nodding.

‘On the face of it, he’s had a successful career. Degree entry, fast-track promotion, moved to CID and now a senior investigator on the murder squad. Quite an accomplishment in most people’s eyes.’

‘I agree with you, but he doesn’t listen and learn or utilise the skills of others who are more experienced. Do you think he’s got some mental issues?’

‘I don’t know, but he may suffer from imposter syndrome.’

Chapman laughed. ‘That’s a very appropriate diagnosis.’

‘It’s not a diagnosable mental illness but Anderson may feel like an imposter because he has minimal CID experience and knows he lacks the knowledge and skills to perform the role effectively.

Now he’s running a major investigation team, and he’s realised he has much more to learn.

Inwardly, he lacks confidence and doesn’t feel worthy of the rank.

To counter these feelings, he is brash and tries to act like he knows what he’s doing. ’

‘That sort of makes sense to me. But are you saying his home life causes the imposter syndrome?’

‘To an extent, yes, and I don’t see him as the sort of person who would seek help from others about his anxieties.’

‘Is there anything I can do to help him?’