Page 81 of The Scene of the Crime (Jessica Russell #1)

‘I went further back as you requested. Thirteen years ago, when Michelle was not fully qualified, she was working for Sir Donald Griffith, an old-time QC with a very reputable chambers in Liverpool. She was a trainee barrister attached to his Chambers for two years before moving to London. He died ten years ago.’

‘Don’t keep me in suspense, what have you got?’

‘The case was well covered in the press. Griffith was prosecuting a former Olympic hurdler who was accused of injecting his partner, also an athlete, with a fatal dose of potassium. It’s not uncommon for athletes to use potassium in small amounts, as it’s beneficial for muscular problems. The defence council’s argument was that the victim self-injected the potassium and miscalculated the dose without realising it could be fatal.

The victim then went to a bar with his partner and friends, where he died nearly an hour later.

The friends testified that the victim appeared well and showed no signs of physical discomfort until a few minutes before the fatal heart attack. ’

‘Shit, so it can take time to become lethal?’

‘Yes, and a doctor who specialises in toxicology testified at the trial that potassium can be a slow release into the system and is often hard to detect after death.’

‘What was the verdict?’

‘The defendant was found not guilty as there was insufficient evidence to prove he deliberately injected his partner with the fatal dose. I’ve got the court transcript and some other stuff I’ve researched.’

‘Thank you, please send it over asap.’ Jessica sat for a while, taking deep, calming breaths, before calling the hospital again and asking to speak to Doctor Giorgini.

She had to wait for her call to be transferred, but managed to keep her impatience in check until she heard her come on the line.

‘I’m sorry to call you again, but it’s really important . . .’

Dr Giorgini interrupted her. ‘This is all a bit much, Jessica. I have just finished the postmortem and need to speak to the coroner and DCI Anderson first. I shouldn’t discuss the results and my findings until that’s done . . .’

‘I really need to know because we may need to act quickly.’

Nicki sighed, ‘What I tell you is strictly between us for now. OK?’

‘I won’t tell a soul.’

‘I used the hospital’s equipment to check for potassium levels in Johan’s blood and urine.

They were dangerously high, and I have concluded that this was the cause of his heart attack.

I can’t rule out that he might have been injected with potassium.

There were no needle marks in any unusual places, but that’s not to say he wasn’t injected in the same site as a previous injection to conceal a criminal act. ’

‘If his wife Michelle injected potassium in his body, he’d know and would have said something. But it’s highly unlikely a nurse or doctor did it.’

‘I agree, not even accidentally. I have narrowed down the time frame of the sudden increase in his potassium level, which was last checked at eight a.m. this morning and was just above normal.’

‘Johan was on an intravenous drip. Could it have been put in that?’

‘It’s possible, and it would cause a slow feed into his body.

I’ll speak with the coroner, then call Anderson and let him know my findings, but I won’t mention we’ve spoken or anything about the drip.

I’ll let you do that. As you know, I’ve just started in London and I don’t want to start pissing people off by not following procedure. ’

‘Is there any chance you could inform Anderson first in the next few minutes?’ Jessica asked, knowing she was pushing it.

‘You’re like a dog with a bloody bone. I’ll call him now.’

‘Thank you, Nicki. I owe you big time.’

‘Too right you do,’ she laughed, ending the call.

Jessica wanted to run into the station but forced herself to sit in her car for ten minutes before calmly walking in. She intended to speak to Chapman first, but he wasn’t in his office, so she went to see Anderson and saw that Chapman was with him.

‘I thought you were going home,’ Chapman said.

‘I was about to leave, but I thought I’d see if the postmortem results had come in. I also got some interesting information from Guy that I thought you should know about.’

‘That was perfect timing, Jessica. Dr Giorgini hasn’t completed her report yet, but she just called me and said that Johan De Klerk’s potassium levels in his blood were dangerously high and concluded it was the cause of his heart attack.’

‘Did she say why she thought they might have been so high?’

‘She said someone might have injected him with a fatal dose.’

‘That’s interesting,’ Jessica said, pretending this was news to her. ‘Especially since Guy has uncovered a previous case of potassium poisoning.’

Anderson held a hand up. ‘Before you go any further, I also spoke with Doctor Babu again. He said sudden stress can trigger hyperglycaemia and, in some cases, contribute to an increased risk of heart attack, especially in individuals who have just been through a traumatic incident. If, as we suspect, Johan was lying, his stress levels would have gone up, which, coupled with his injuries, could . . .’

Jessica interrupted him. ‘Michelle De Klerk was a junior barrister on a case involving potassium poisoning, which means she has knowledge of its use and its effects on the human body.’ She had their undivided attention now, as she repeated her conversation with Guy.

‘Bloody hell, this doesn’t look good for her,’ Anderson remarked.

‘It’s unlikely Michelle injected him with the potassium, but she could have put it in his drip bag. I think examining it for fingerprints and DNA needs to be done asap.’

Anderson nodded. ‘Do it.’

‘I can call Taff and Diane and get them to go to the hospital, seize the bag and search Johan’s hospital room for discarded syringes and anything else of evidential value.’

‘Tell them to ask Doctor Babu for permission to do the search,’ Anderson instructed.

‘We’ll need to get Michelle’s fingerprints. Should we do it covertly or ask her?’

‘No need. I got her elimination prints at the hospital when I took Johan’s the day after he was attacked. For now, she doesn’t need to know anything about what we are doing.’

‘I still don’t understand how and when Michelle could have tampered with the drip bag,’ Chapman said.

‘It could have been before we arrived at the hospital and while Johan was having a head scan.’

‘Remember, Michelle was alone in the room when we got there,’ Anderson said.

‘OK, but we need to tread carefully here. I mean, it could be possible for someone else at the hospital to have put the potassium in the drip bag.’

Jessica knew she had to make them concentrate and keep their focus on Michelle.

‘Think about the timing. Michelle knew from the evidence at the previous trial exactly how long it would take for the potassium to become lethal. She knew the time we were expected to arrive at the hospital to interview her and Johan. If you remember, the window in his private room overlooked the car park, so she could see when we arrived. John having the scan gave her the window she needed.’

‘Where did she get it, then?’ Anderson asked.

‘There were his and hers cabinets in the en suite to the master bedroom, which I searched and then recorded the contents on video. I noticed a large plastic container of 275 milligram potassium tablets and other vitamins in Johan’s cabinet.

I looked inside all the containers in case any contained illegal substances.

As I recall, the potassium bottle was virtually full.

’ Before continuing, she showed them the pictures that Guy had sent her on her phone.

‘Michelle could have dissolved a quantity of powder from the capsules in hot water and created a highly potent potassium liquid, which she then put in the drip bag.’

‘If she did, she will probably have got rid of the container and empty tablets by now,’ he remarked.

‘The video and pictures I took prove that potassium tablets were in Johan’s cabinet.

If she got rid of them, she’d have difficulty explaining why, especially after Dr Giorgini’s postmortem results.

I don’t think anyone else was involved in Johan’s death.

Michelle had the motive and the access to the potassium. ’

Anderson stood up and clapped his hands. ‘We need to interview Michelle De Klerk and search her house.’

‘Are you going to arrest her?’ Jessica asked.

‘Not yet. I want to recover the drip bag and have it tested for fingerprints first. If Michelle’s aren’t on it or there’s no sign it was tampered with, it will be hard to prove she did it.

I’ll call Commander Williams and update her.

Mike, I’d like you to get the search warrant and organise a small arrest and search team and transport.

’ Chapman nodded. He was still uncertain about Michelle’s guilt but didn’t argue.

It was almost like an afterthought when Anderson glanced towards Jessica, who was standing in front of his desk.

‘Good work, and I’d like you to accompany us.

We’ll regroup as soon as we are all good to go.

I’ll call Doctor Babu now.’ Anderson picked up his phone.

Jessica called Diane and asked her to go with Taff to the hospital, seize the drip bag and search Johan’s room. She then had a ham sandwich and an orange juice in the canteen and then went and sat in the incident room, trying to slow her heart rate.

‘I’ve got the warrants, and the arrest team and transport are good to go,’ Chapman said.

Jessica smiled. ‘I’m looking forward to this.’