Page 33 of The Scene of the Crime (Jessica Russell #1)

The journey to the hospital was quicker than Jessica expected.

On arrival, she went to the intensive care unit waiting room, where an anxious-looking Dawn sat reviewing her prepared questionnaire.

Dawn looked up gratefully. ‘Oh, you’re here.

I spoke with Doctor Babu; he told me a pathologist came to the hospital earlier.

They discussed Mr De Klerk’s injuries and examined the X-rays together.

Doctor Babu also gave the pathologist photographs of his injuries. ’

‘Did he say how Mr De Klerk is today?’

‘I didn’t ask. I thought it might be better if you did as you’ve spoken to him before and can understand technical terms better than me.’

‘Did he say it’s OK to take De Klerk’s fingerprints?’

‘Yes, but he said to get a nurse to help you . . . or I could, if you want.’ Jessica needed Johan’s fingers and thumbs held still while she scanned them and she worried that Dawn’s nervous disposition might make the process longer than necessary or result in blurred images.

‘Thanks for the offer, but a nurse would probably be best. I’ll do it now, then it’s out of the way, and we can discuss how to approach the conversation with Michelle.’

‘Will you tell her about the Crime Stoppers information?’

‘I don’t know much about it. That’s best coming from you as a police officer and the FLO. I’ll go over your questionnaire when I’ve taken the prints.’

‘Thank you so much, I really appreciate your help.’

Having identified herself to the uniformed police officer guarding De Klerk, Jessica was allowed into the ICU. She then spoke with a nurse who said he’d assist her with taking the fingerprints.

Approaching his bedside with the nurse, Jessica commented that there appeared to be a bit more colour in Johan’s cheeks and hands.

‘Yes, his circulation has improved,’ the nurse confirmed.

‘How long is he going to be kept in a coma?’

‘The swelling in his brain has gone down, so Doctor Babu hopes just a day or two longer.’ The nurse then followed Jessica’s instructions, delicately placing each finger on the scanner as she held it steady.

A few fingers had to be retaken as they were blurred, but the job was done after twenty minutes.

Heading across the corridor to the waiting room, Jessica emailed the fingerprints to Taff.

About to enter the waiting room, she noticed Michelle exiting the lift and approached her.

She looked tired, with dark circles under her eyes and was still wearing the same blue velvet Armani tracksuit. ‘Hi, Michelle. How are you today?’

‘I’m coping a bit better, but I’ve hardly slept. It’s still hard to get my head around what happened to Johan. How is the investigation going?’

Jessica felt it best to let Dawn update her. ‘Detective Dawn Owens from the investigating team is here, she’ll be able to tell you more than I can.’

‘I spoke briefly to her this morning, or it might have been last night. I’m so tired I can’t think straight, and didn’t catch much of what she said apart from wanting to take a statement from me.’

‘I expect you want to see Johan first and speak with Doctor Babu.’

‘Yes, I would.’

‘Take as much time as you need. I’ll let DC Owens know you are here. I hope you don’t mind, but I scanned Johan’s fingerprints for elimination purposes with Doctor Babu’s permission. I will need to do the same with you later and take a DNA swab.’

‘Yes, that’s fine.’ Michelle started to walk towards the ICU door then stopped and turned back.

From the look on her face, Jessica sensed something was upsetting her.

‘I know this has nothing to do with you, and it’s not part of your role as a crime scene investigator, but you might know the answer.

This morning, my sister told me about Commander Williams’s press conference last night, which really upset me.

I can’t believe no one had the decency to contact me first. As a result, I got a flood of calls from people asking me what happened and how I was.

Every time the phone rang, I dreaded it was the hospital to inform me that Johan’s condition had deteriorated, or worse, he had died.

I had the cab driver go past my house on the way here.

The road’s become a journalists’ fucking campsite.

I wanted to get a change of clothes, but I didn’t want to face a barrage of questions from the media. ’

‘I don’t know the answer to your question, Michelle. You’d best discuss it with DCI Anderson, the senior investigating officer,’ Jessica said.

‘My sister said a bald man was next to Williams during the press release. Is that him?’

‘Yes, it is.’

‘He hasn’t even had the decency to make any form of contact with me,’ she said tersely and walked off. As she watched her go, Jessica couldn’t help thinking that the level of stress Michelle was exhibiting was dangerous for a pregnant woman.

Jessica returned to the waiting room and was pleased to see Dawn looked a little more relaxed. She decided not to mention her conversation with Michelle as it would make her anxious again.

‘I’m still unsure what to say to Mrs De Klerk,’ Dawn said. ‘I’ve heard what she’s like in court.’

‘You’re not in court being cross-examined, Dawn. Take a few deep breaths, try to relax and have more confidence in yourself and your abilities.’

Dawn smiled. ‘It’s just that this is my first investigation as an FLO.’

‘We all learn from experience, and there is a first time for everything, so think of your time with Michelle as part of the learning curve. There are some questions I need to ask her, but they can wait until you’ve finished, and I’ll need to scan her fingerprints as well.’

‘Thanks for your advice. It’s made me feel a lot better. I’ll tell Michelle that we’ve had some information about the crime, which DCI Anderson is following up on, and, as yet, I don’t know the outcome.’

‘Excellent. You could also add that you hope to be able to give her more details once you have spoken to DCI Anderson or suggest she could talk to him in person.’

‘Yes, I’ll do that.’ She quickly made a note.

‘Try not to look at your notes or the questionnaire too much. It can give the impression you’re not listening to what she’s saying. Lots of eye contact is best.’

‘You’ve obviously done a lot of this type of stuff.’

‘Not with victims of crime, but I studied psychology and human behaviour at university, which has helped me better understand how we can communicate with one another.’

The waiting room door opened. DCI Anderson walked in carrying his briefcase. ‘What are you doing here?’ he said sharply.

‘You told me to get a statement from Mrs De Klerk and tell her . . .’

‘I’m not asking you, Owens! I explicitly told Miss Russell she wasn’t to interview Mrs De Klerk.’

Jessica calmly removed the handheld scanner from her bag and held it up. ‘I need elimination prints from the De Klerks. I was chatting with Dawn while waiting for Mrs De Klerk.’

‘Well, once that’s done, you can go.’ With his back to the door, he hadn’t noticed Michelle entering the room.

‘I’d like Jessica to stay,’ she said firmly.

Anderson turned around. ‘And you are . . . ?’

‘Michelle De Klerk.’

A red-faced Anderson proffered his hand. ‘I’m DCI Anderson and . . .’ Michelle walked past him and went over to Jessica.

Anderson continued. ‘I apologise for not making contact or meeting you personally until now. The investigation has been nonstop, as we have been doing everything possible to identify and arrest the person who attacked your husband.’

Michelle frowned as she looked Anderson in the eye. ‘Why did you go ahead with a press conference without speaking to me first?’ she asked, her head tilted to one side.

‘Again, I apologise most profusely. I thought that Commander Williams was going to speak to you.’ Jessica knew he was lying. It was his responsibility as the SIO to contact Michelle.

‘So, whose decision, was it?’

‘Um, it was Commander Williams’s . . .’

‘So why didn’t she talk to me?’

‘She was in a difficult situation.’

‘What could be so difficult that she couldn’t tell me?’

‘I can’t say at present.’

‘Well, I have a right to know.’

‘Commander Williams decided that . . .’

Michelle cut him off. ‘Commander Williams isn’t leading the investigation, you are! Why didn’t you inform me about the press conference?’

Anderson was flustered, ‘Again, I can only apologise . . .’

‘Can you imagine how surprised and upset I was when I heard it was on the news?’

Anderson’s lip quivered as he tried to find a suitable answer. Dawn was spellbound, and Jessica felt like she was in court listening to the accused being fiercely cross-examined.

Anderson caved in. ‘Someone leaked information to the press, forcing our hand.’

‘Someone inside the investigation?’

‘It could be. Our department of professional standards is investigating it.’

Jessica thought Michelle would erupt, but she remained calm and composed. ‘I understand that these things happen, but I need people to be open and honest with me. I realise you’re busy and have a job to do, but as the victim’s wife, I have a right to know what’s happening.’

Anderson looked relieved. ‘Thank you for your understanding, and I assure you it won’t happen again. I also came to give you some positive news.’ Michelle sat down.

‘After the press conference, I received anonymous information about a possible suspect and executed a search warrant early this morning. During the search, I found a Rolex watch and two thousand pounds in cash hidden on the premises.’ Anderson put his briefcase on the table, opened it and removed an exhibit bag containing a watch, which he handed to Michelle.

‘The serial number on the watch is the same as on the documentation I recovered from your house. I wanted to show it to you for a positive visual identification.’