Page 38 of The Scene of the Crime (Jessica Russell #1)

‘You won’t mind searching the bathroom then, Taff,’ Jessica said, smiling. ‘It shouldn’t take long, then you can help me in the main bedroom while Diane searches the smaller one.’

‘I don’t want you anywhere near me after you finish in that sewer,’ Diane grimaced.

Jessica went to the main bedroom and started her search with the wardrobe. There were three pairs of worn, tatty trainers in it and a pair on the bedroom floor, none of which were Adidas. Using an ultraviolet crime scene torch, she started checking all the dark clothing for any signs of blood.

‘Come see what I found,’ Taff shouted out from the bathroom. Walking into the hallway, they saw Taff holding up a dripping-wet, transparent waterproof bag containing a mobile phone.

‘Please tell me that wasn’t in the toilet,’ Diane said, making a face.

Taff smiled. ‘Well, it wasn’t hidden in the bath.’

‘That’s gross.’

‘I think he found it in the cistern, Di,’ Jessica said, noticing the cistern lid was on the toilet seat.

‘I’ve photographed it in situ. I’ll take a few more for DS Wood, then bag and tag it for fingerprint examination. Then Guy can have a look at the data on it,’ Taff said.

‘Any sign of prints on the bag?’ Diane asked.

‘I need to dry it out at the lab before using a light source or powders. There’s nothing else of interest in here, so I’ll help you in the bedroom, Jess.

’ They meticulously checked all the clothing and trainers in the flat for bloodstains but found none.

There was no sign of the Adidas Ultraboosts, Sealskinz gloves or a hydraulic door breacher, though Diane found a crowbar in the hallway cupboard.

‘Looks like he’s got rid of the clothing he wore and the door breacher, which suggests he’s forensically aware and has a criminal record,’ Taff suggested.

Jessica closed her eyes to think and didn’t acknowledge his comment.

Taff looked at Diane, who put a finger to her lips and raised her other hand, indicating he should be patient and say nothing.

Jessica’s head moved from side to side as if repeatedly scanning the flat.

After a minute, she stopped, opened her eyes and turned to Taff.

‘There’s no photographs or memorabilia around, but there are some really worn work overalls on one side of the wardrobe, and large-size jackets.

It could be the suspect is renting or hasn’t lived here for long.

The flooring in the hallway, living room and bedrooms is laminate, and vinyl in the kitchen and bathroom.

They’re all good surfaces for retaining footprints, and we need to light source them. ’

‘I get what you’re thinking, but there will be all sorts of footprints in here, including all the detectives who were in here earlier.’

‘I’m only interested in any that fit the Adidas marks we found at the crime scene.

You can ignore everything else . . . for now.

If we find any matching footprints, it shows someone was in this flat wearing those trainers, so it has to be either the suspect’s or someone he knew who he let in . . . and that’s powerful evidence.’

‘We can’t prove it was Liam that left the footprints,’ Diane said.

‘I know. But if we find matching footprints, he has to explain how they got here. Check the base of the wardrobes and hallway cupboard. It will be even more difficult for him to explain if there are matching prints in there.’

‘A bit of reverse psychology,’ Taff grinned.

Jessica nodded and looked at Diane. ‘I want you to use luminol on any matching footprints that Taff finds to look for blood in them. If we find even the minutest speck that matches Johan De Klerk’s DNA, it can only have come from the trainers after the commission of the crime.’

‘The way your mind works is amazing. What you’ve come up with was staring us in the face, yet we don’t see it,’ Taff remarked.

‘If you trawl too deep, you can miss what’s on the surface,’ Jessica said.

‘Was that another Sherlock Holmes quote?’ Diane asked.

‘No, a lady called Anna Travis. She’s an agent on the FBI Behavioural Analysis Unit. I heard her say it at a lecture and never forgot it.’

‘Jessica, have you got a minute?’ DS Wood called out from the doorway. ‘You might like to come and see what the PolSA lads have found.’

‘What is it?’

‘I wouldn’t like to spoil the surprise,’ he smiled.

Jessica picked up her crime scene case and followed him to the lift.

On their way down she asked about other residents in the flat they were searching, and he told her that it actually belonged to a Winston Brown who was currently in Jamaica.

Their suspect’s mother had stayed there at some point but she had left and he had now been renting for a short while.

At the rear of the flats, eight search officers, dressed in protective overalls and gloves, had been carefully opening bin bags and sifting through the contents on large sheets of plastic they had laid out on the ground.

The air smelt of the rotting meat, fish and other foods spread across the sheet.

Wood pointed to a separate plastic sheet on one side, with an opened black bin bag on top of it.

‘They found that bag which wasn’t tied up. The officers had a quick look inside and noticed dark clothing in it. I thought it best to leave it in the bag and let you know before removing it.’

Jessica put on her hair cover, face mask and gloves before slowly removing black Adidas tracksuit bottoms and a matching hoodie from the bag.

She shone her ultraviolet torch on the sleeves of the hoodie and saw what she thought might be a dried bloodstain.

She needed to do a further test, so she took a container of Hemastix from her case and removed one of the three-inch plastic strips coated with a blood reagent on the tip.

She put a tiny drop of sterile water on the tip, gently rubbed it on the stain and waited for any colour change.

The orange tip slowly changed to green, then blue, indicating a high blood haemoglobin concentration.

‘Probably De Klerk’s blood,’ Wood remarked.

Jessica nodded. ‘Although it tested positive for blood, a Hemastix can’t differentiate between human and animal blood.

Diane will do a further test at the lab, check the clothing more thoroughly for other bloodstains, and raise a DNA profile.

’ She took a photo of the clothing and used more Hemastix before packaging them.

She thanked Wood and the search team and asked him if he had managed to get the Jet garage CCTV.

‘Only for the night De Klerk was attacked. Unfortunately, the system temporarily crashed the night the car was set alight. If the bastard drove there in the Range Rover, purchased a petrol can or filled one up while it was down, he might not be on CCTV, but I’ll look through it back at the station.

The garage gave me a copy of all in-store and petrol purchases for both nights, but I’ve yet to look through them. ’

‘If you want, I can get our new team member to view the CCTV and check the till roll, but he’ll need a picture of Liam.’

‘Mike Chapman told me about Guy Jenkinson. I was on the Counter Terrorism Command with him before moving to homicide. You’re lucky to have him. I’ll send you a copy of Liam’s arrest photo.’

Jessica returned to the flat and told Diane and Taff about the clothing the PolSA officers had found. Diane looked forward to examining the items for blood.

‘There was a roll of black bin liners in the sink cupboard where the Rolex and cash were found. I’ll take the roll to the lab and examine the tear-off marks for a mechanical fit to the one containing the clothing. I’ll check it for fingerprints as well.’

‘I think we will all be very busy in the lab for the next few days,’ Jessica said. ‘Any Adidas footprints?’

Taff nodded. ‘We’ve recovered some, which look the same as the ones at the De Klerk house. Unfortunately, there are other footprints over the top of them.’

‘Probably from the detectives. I can ask Chapman to get elimination prints from their shoes if you need them,’ Jessica said.

‘A closer examination under the microscope should confirm if they are the same Adidas trainers, Jess. There were none in the living room, bedroom wardrobes or hall cupboard, but there were in the hallway. They went past the kitchen towards the lounge, ending by the bathroom, where I found some by the toilet. A couple were in the kitchen by the sink, and two more were travelling towards the front door. We photographed them all.’

‘We used the luminol but didn’t find any blood. I also checked the kitchen and bathroom sink waste pipes for blood but found none. Same with the washing machine pipes,’ Diane added.

Jessica noticed the coir mat by the front door. ‘Did you try luminol on the mat?’

‘No, but I can do,’ Diane replied.

‘Let’s bag it and take it back to the lab.

If the suspect wiped his feet when he returned home, he might have left blood on the mat.

There’s also the chance of pollens or soil being recovered from where he stepped in the raised bedding at the De Klerks’.

Good work, both of you. Is there anything else you can think of that we need to do here? ’

‘Not at present,’ Diane said, and Taff shook his head.

‘I’ll ask DS Wood to arrange for the front door to be secured and new locks to be fitted in case we need to come back.

You two head back to the lab and get cracking on the exhibits and other stuff we’ve seized today.

The suspect can only be held in custody for thirty-six hours before being charged.

It would be good for Chapman to put any positive forensic results to him in an interview.

I’ll do one last sweep in here and tell DS Wood what we’ve found before leaving. I’ll see you in a bit.’

*?*?*

Chapman was informed that Liam was being booked in at the station.

He went down to the custody suite, where Liam was being belligerent and refusing to give his full name or any other details.

His lip was swollen, a large bandage was plastered to his forehead and the bruising from his fall had spread across his eyelids.

Chapman thought he looked familiar but couldn’t place him.

The Custody Sergeant again asked him for his name and date of birth. ‘I got these injuries ’cause that officer assaulted me,’ he said, nodding to one of the two detectives beside him.

‘Do you wish to make an official complaint?’ the sergeant asked.

‘I ain’t saying nothing more till I see a solicitor.’

The sergeant sighed. ‘No skin off my nose, son. I’ll inform the duty solicitor of your arrest while your fingerprints, DNA and photograph are taken.’

The contents of Liam’s backpack and pockets were placed on the counter.

Chapman noticed a pair of gloves, but they were made of black wool.

Wearing latex gloves, he looked in Liam’s wallet and found five hundred pounds cash and a NatWest debit card in the name of Mr L Wilson.

Chapman asked if the bank card belonged to Liam, but he didn’t reply.

The detective searching him said it was probably stolen, and he’d check with the bank.

The detective then uncuffed him. ‘Follow me.’

Chapman spoke to the officer who Liam had accused of assault. ‘Go to the office, check the bank card and type up your report. Also, get someone to take Liam’s phone and the cash to the lab as soon as possible to examine the phone data and the cash for fingerprints.’

In the fingerprint room, the detective told Liam his fingerprints would be taken on a scanner and asked him to hold out his right hand. Liam put his hands in his pockets. ‘I ain’t doing nothing until I see a solicitor.’

Chapman had an intuition about why Liam might want to avoid giving his name and fingerprints.

‘You wanted for a crime, or did you fail to appear in court?’ Liam said nothing, just smirked at Chapman, who smiled back.

‘My guess is there’s an arrest warrant out for you, probably for burglary.

’ Liam licked his lips. Chapman nodded. ‘Thought as much. Now, here are your choices. One, you cut the tough guy act and give your fingerprints and DNA swab voluntarily. Two, my colleague and I, or more officers, if necessary, will take them by force, which we are legally entitled to do. So, what’s it to be . . . the easy way or the hard way?’

Liam’s smirk turned to a look of unease. He took his right hand out of his pocket and held it up. The detective held it and placed Liam’s index finger on the scanner. ‘Thank you, Liam, or should I call you by a different name?’

Liam made a hissing sound. ‘You’ll find out in a couple of minutes.’

‘Are you working, Liam?’ He nodded. ‘Where?’ Liam didn’t reply. ‘I’m only asking because we need it for your custody record. You don’t have to tell me, but we will find out.’

‘I’m a night attendant at the Jet petrol station in Hollybush Hill.’

Chapman nodded slowly. He decided not to ask further questions until Liam was in the interview room and his answers were being recorded.

Chapman watched as the detective scanned Liam’s fingers, then looked at the computer screen to see if there was a match on the database.

When he saw the name William John Palmer come up on the computer screen and his last arrest photograph, where he still had hair, he could hardly believe what he was looking at.

He sat staring at the screen, his whole body tensed as he waited until Liam’s DNA swab had been taken and he was placed in a cell.

Then he hurried up the stairs to his office.