Page 71 of The Scene of the Crime (Jessica Russell #1)

‘Let me think a minute.’ He paused briefly before continuing.

‘On Friday morning, he called me and said he needed a lift. I picked him up in Hatton Garden and dropped him off at about three-thirty outside De Klerk’s house.

He said he had some business to sort out and told me to wait in the car.

He came out about an hour later, and then I took him back to the shop. ’

‘When did you next see him?’ Chapman asked.

‘When we got back to the shop, Cole told me to pick him up from home at nine on Saturday morning, as he had to go to Birmingham on business. I dropped him off at Euston.’

‘Did Cole say anything about Wheeler doing the burglary over the weekend?’ Chapman asked.

‘No. I didn’t hear from him again until Tuesday afternoon.

He sounded pretty pissed off on the phone and told me to pick him up from Euston.

I was running late due to the traffic and didn’t arrive until just after five.

He was in a foul mood and furious with me for recommending Wheeler.

I asked him what was wrong, and he said that Wheeler and a mate of his had fucked up and now he thought they were trying to rip him off. ’

‘This mate, you know his name?’

‘No, he never said. I dropped him off at the shop and went home. I thought about going to see Wheeler to find out what had happened, then thought better of it.’

‘So, you know where he lives?’ Wood said.

‘Yes. It’s his sister’s place.’

‘Did you go to Wheeler’s flat with Cole?’ Chapman asked.

Bishop was sweating. He wiped his face with his hand, then swallowed. ‘Yeah, on Tuesday night.’

‘How did that come about?’ Chapman asked.

‘I was at home, and I remember it was late when Cole phoned me. He said to come and pick him up right away but didn’t say why.

When he got in the car, I could see he was fuming.

He asked if I knew where Wheeler lived as he wanted to have it out with him and get his property back.

I told him it wasn’t a good idea as Wheeler can be a nasty bastard, especially if he’s had any coke. ’

‘But Cole ignored you,’ Wood commented.

Bishop nodded. ‘He said he’d be reasonable with Wheeler and there was nothing to worry about.

He wanted me with him because I knew Wheeler and he thought I could calm him down if things got heated.

’ Bishop reached for a bottle of water, unscrewed the cap and took a few gulps. His hands were shaking.

‘So, what happened when you got to Wheeler’s flat?’ Chapman asked.

‘I knocked on the door while Cole stood away from the spy hole. Wheeler didn’t answer it at first, but I knocked again and said it was me and I needed to speak to him urgently. He opened the door and I walked in, then Cole rushed in from behind me with a gun in his hand.’

‘What sort of gun?’

‘It was an old revolver. Nat flicked open the cylinder to show Wheeler there were bullets in it and told him to sit in the armchair. Wheeler looked pale. He was clutching his side and groaning. Cole picked up a cushion to use as a silencer and held it to Wheeler’s head.

He told Wheeler he knew there was cash in De Klerk’s safe and he wanted it – and something that sounded like a locked box.

Wheeler said if there was any cash, his mate who did the job must have stolen it.

He looked Cole in the eye and said he’d removed the diamonds from the lockbox and hidden them elsewhere for safekeeping. ’

‘Did you already know what had been stolen from De Klerk’s?’ Chapman asked.

‘No, not until then.’

‘But you just told us that Wheeler said he’d removed the diamonds, so you knew about them?’

‘No, that was the first time I’d heard them mentioned. I’m telling you the truth.’

‘What happened next?’ Wood asked.

‘Cole kept the gun to his head and said he’d better tell him where they were, or he’d blow his brains out.

Wheeler laughed at him and said something like, “Go on then, if you’ve got the bottle, you little prick.

” He knew Cole didn’t have what it takes to shoot a man in cold blood, and if he did, he’d never get the diamonds back. ’

‘We know from forensics that Wheeler’s wrists were bound with rope and his mouth with black masking tape.

If Cole was holding a gun, you must have done that.

’ Chapman said. Bishop took another drink and licked his lips nervously.

‘If you want me to help you, you need to tell us everything,’ Chapman said.

‘I swear on my kids’ life I didn’t know Cole had brought that stuff with him.

Look, I was shit scared at this point, with the gun and everything, so I just did as I was told.

I thought Wheeler might make a fuss, but he didn’t.

He seemed to be in a lot of pain and it was like he had no fight left in him. ’

‘Did you punch Wheeler in the face?’ Wood asked.

‘No, that was Cole. He pistol-whipped him. I told him there was no need for all this heavy stuff, and he told me to shut up and search the flat.’

‘Were you wearing gloves?’

Bishop nodded. ‘There was a pair of Wheeler’s on the coffee table.’

‘Where’s the rope and the tape now?’ Wood asked.

‘I threw it all in a bin on my estate, along with the clothes I was wearing, ’cause the rubbish collection was Wednesday mornings.’

Chapman realised the chances of recovering the items now were virtually nil. ‘Well, you left a bit of tape on the back of Wheeler’s neck, and forensics found your partial print on it. That’s why we were after you.’

He sighed. ‘I thought I must have fucked up somewhere.’

‘You’d probably have got away with it if Wheeler hadn’t died, as there’s no way he’d have reported what happened to the police.’

‘Maybe not, but he’d have come after me and Cole with a vengeance.’

‘Did you find any diamonds?’ Chapman asked, wondering if there were more than the ones recovered from Wheeler’s stomach.

‘No. Cole was livid, and that’s when he started burning Wheeler with a cigar.

It was horrible. I could smell his burning flesh and hear his screams from behind the tape.

Cole said if he didn’t tell him the name of his mate who robbed De Klerk’s house and where the diamonds were, he’d keep going.

Wheeler nodded, like he would, and I took the tape off his mouth. ’

‘What did he say?’

‘He was in a terrible state. It was hard to make out what he was saying, he was groaning and gurgling that much, but I’m pretty sure he was saying he did the job on his own.

Cole asked if his ribs were all messed up because of De Klerk, and he nodded.

He asked Wheeler again if there was cash in the safe.

He nodded, and I think he was about to say where it was when, suddenly, his eyes bulged, and he couldn’t breathe, then his head slumped forward.

I checked for a pulse, but he was dead.’

‘What was Cole’s reaction?’

‘He was dumbstruck, then he started cursing at Wheeler. He wanted to search the flat again and started rooting around. After a few minutes, I said it was pointless, and he agreed we’d better get out.’

‘For what it’s worth, the money was hidden inside a travel pillow, and he’d swallowed the diamonds. It looks like he intended to sell them in Dubai.’

‘Did he have a heart attack?’ Bishop asked.

‘It’s possible. De Klerk caught him in his house and gave him a good beating, which ruptured his spleen and that could have led to his death.’

‘So, we didn’t kill him,’ Bishop said, looking relieved.

‘De Klerk had reasonable grounds to assault Wheeler. You and Cole didn’t, so legally, you could be culpable of murder.’

Bishop looked shocked. ‘I swear to you I never hurt him. It was all down to Cole. I was scared he was going to fucking shoot me.’

‘Did Cole say anything on the way back to his place?’ Wood asked.

‘He told me to keep my mouth shut and get rid of the tape and my clothes. He said he’d give me five grand.’

‘What’s Cole’s relationship with De Klerk?’ Wood asked.

‘Like I said before, I think they scam people.’

‘Can you explain it in a bit more detail?’

‘I don’t know much about it, but Cole makes lab-grown diamonds in a machine. He told me it’s all legal, and De Klerk got a cut of the profits.’

‘What’s the scam if it’s all legal?’ Chapman said.

‘I think Cole shows punters real uncut diamonds and then makes whatever jewellery they want with lab-grown diamonds that are worth about a quarter of what they’re paying.’

‘Where do the real diamonds come from?’

‘I found a screwed-up Kimberley certificate for some mined South African diamonds in Cole’s warehouse bin a few weeks back. De Klerk probably smuggles them in through his wine shipments from South Africa.’

‘How do you know it was a fake certificate?’

‘Well, you wouldn’t throw it away if it was real. You need a genuine Kimberley certificate to make stolen diamonds look legit.’

‘Sounds like you know a bit about it all,’ Chapman observed.

‘You learn a lot when you’re banged up,’ he said.

‘They must have been making a lot of money,’ Wood said.

‘I don’t know exactly how much, but I’d imagine you’d be looking at hundreds of thousands.’

Chapman whistled. ‘Did you ever see Cole or De Klerk handling any uncut diamonds?’

‘I saw De Klerk in the shop one time with Cole. There was a black box on the counter, which, looking back, was probably the lockbox Cole kept going on about. I saw what looked like little stones, but they must have been uncut diamonds. De Klerk closed it pronto when he saw me. I’ve also seen him in Cole’s warehouse a few times, so they must work the scam together.

To be honest, I keep my nose out of their business. I’m just the gopher.’

‘How long have they been producing these lab-made diamonds?’

‘I don’t know, but I found the fake certificate about three or four months ago.’

‘What about De Klerk’s wife, Michelle? Do you know if she’s involved with Cole as well?’