Page 104 of The Scene of the Crime

‘There are still some diamonds hidden in wineboxes at my warehouse that Cole doesn’t know about’.

‘Shut up! That can’t solve our problems. We don’t know what Liam Palmer will say when he’s interviewed. If he implicates Cole in the break-in, then Cole will be arrested.’

‘If the police didn’t find the diamonds and the cash at Liam’s, Cole must have it.’

Michelle was shifting her weight from one foot to the other, the way she often did when waiting to enter the court room, her mind ticking over.

‘Cole’s a shrewd bastard, so he’ll probably have devised a cover story, laundered the cash and sold the diamonds already. If the police interview him, he’ll just say he knows you because you bought jewellery from him and rent the warehouse next door.’

‘What should I say if they ask me about Cole?’

Michelle felt drained. She needed more time to think it all through. She looked over at him and sighed. He seemed so pitiful, with his bruised face and the thick bandages around his head, his blue eyes looking pleadingly towards her, like a child. But she felt only anger. If they were going to get through this, though, she couldn’t show it. She had to give him the confidence to do what needed to be done, to make him feel they were working together. She moved to his bedside and took hold of his hand, then bent her head to kiss his forehead.

‘I’m here for you, Johan. I’m never going to abandon you, however foolish you’ve been. But you will need to do exactly what I tell you, all right? So, darling, when the police speak to you, tell them you can’t remember anything about what happened. It’s all still a blur. I’ll talk with Doctor Babu and tell him how concerned I am about your memory loss. Hopefully, he’ll say you are not medically fit to be interviewed. That way, I’ll have more time to speak with Anderson and try to find out what’s happening in the investigation. Then I can tell you what to say.’

‘Who’s Anderson?’

‘He’s the DCI leading the investigation. He’s not very experienced, so we should be able to pull the wool over his eyes. The same with the family liaison officer, DC Owens. However, there’s a woman, Jessica Russell, who’s in charge of the forensic investigation – she’s smart, and she can spot a liar.’

Johan let out a long breath. ‘I don’t know what I’d do without you, Michelle. I’ll do my best to fool them, but I’m worried they won’t believe me.’

‘You just have to use what’s happened to you as an excuse for being unable to remember things.’

‘What if they find out about the CVD machine?’ he asked, a tremor of panic in his voice.

‘It’s not a problem for Cole if it’s legal. If they ask you, say you knew he made lab diamonds but you hadn’t purchased any from him. Did you use your own phone to contact him?’

‘No, I used a burner phone and WhatsApp.’

‘Where’s the phone now?’

‘I went to the warehouse on Saturday to sort out some paperwork. It’s hidden in the air vent next to my desk. Look, Michelle, I know I’ve only got myself to blame for what’s happened, but you don’t need to get involved.’

‘Well, I am involved now. So just listen to me and do exactly what I tell you.’

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Feeling exhausted, Jessica went straight to bed when she got home. David had left a message saying he had gone to see a film at the Odeon in Orpington and wouldn’t be back until late. She fell asleep almost instantly and slept soundly until her alarm woke her at 5 a.m.

She went to the bathroom to shower and tried to open the door, but it was locked.

‘Let me know when you’ve finished, David. I’ll be in the kitchen.’

‘You can go next, as long as you’re quick,’ David replied. She turned sharply and saw him standing by his bedroom door in his pyjama shorts.

‘Who’s in the bathroom?’ a shocked Jessica asked. She heard the door being unlocked.

‘Donna, this is my sister, Jessica. This is Donna,’ David smiled. Jessica turned and saw a slim, attractive girl in her late twenties with long, wavy blonde hair standing in the bathroom doorway with a towel wrapped around her.

‘Really good to meet you, Jessica,’ she said with a big smile. ‘David has told me a lot about you. I’m a real fan of all those forensic TV shows. Your job must be so fascinating and gruesome.’

Jessica was so surprised that she wasn’t sure what to say. ‘Er . . . nice to meet you too.’

‘I’d love to chat about your work, but I’d better get dressed for my rounds,’ Donna said as she kissed David on the cheek, walked into his bedroom and closed the door.

‘How long have you known her?’ Jessica whispered, as they walked towards the kitchen.

‘Donna only started at the post office yesterday. But we hit it off just like that.’