Page 112 of The Scene of the Crime

‘Take your hands off him,’ Chapman warned angrily. ‘He’s not a threat to anyone.’ He put a hand on Palmer’s shoulder. ‘Don’t worry. You’ll be OK. We’ll tell him everything you told us.’

‘Too bloody right you will!’ Anderson bellowed.

Jessica turned and looked at Anderson harshly. She waited for Palmer to be taken out before speaking. ‘I think you need to take some time to calm down before we speak to you, and I want to call my team for an update.’

Anderson looked flustered. ‘Twenty minutes, no longer.’ He turned and stalked out of the room.

Jessica looked at Chapman. ‘Might as well get some breakfast.’

He shook his head, smiling to himself. ‘Now I get why Taff calls you Dragon.’

* * *

DS Wood parked near the gated entrance to the impressive-looking house. With its double frontage and prestigious location in Kingston upon Thames, he reckoned it was worth three and a half to four million pounds. He pressed the intercom on the gate and a well-spoken female voice answered. Wood introduced himself, holding up his warrant card for the camera. ‘Sorry for disturbing you, but I’d like to speak to Chandice Bramston.’

‘I’m Chandice Bramston. May I ask what it’s about?’

‘I’m investigating a series of jewellery frauds and believe you might have been a victim.’

‘Does it concern that jeweller in Hatton Garden?’

‘If you mean Nathan Cole, then yes, it does,’ Wood replied, and the gates opened. He walked up the driveway, the gravel crunching under his feet as he admired the landscaped front garden. When he reached the house, the door opened. Chandice was in her late thirties, dark-skinned, with high cheekbonesand emerald green eyes. She was wearing tight-fitting leggings, a sports bra, an Armani tracksuit top and fluffy slippers. Wood thought she might easily have been a model.

‘May I see your warrant card again, please?’ He removed it from his pocket and held it up for her to see. Chandice took it from him without saying anything and looked closely at the photograph and then his face before returning it. ‘Please come in. I’d be obliged if you could put a pair of those slippers on.’ She pointed to a wooden box filled with slippers from upmarket hotels. ‘Excuse my attire, but I just returned from my morning gym session. Please come through to the kitchen. I was about to have a glass of Bucks Fizz. My little reward for a hard workout. Would you like one?’

‘I’m fine, thanks,’ he said, thinking she certainly didn’t look very sweaty if she’d been to the gym.

‘Don’t worry, I won’t tell your superiors you were drinking on duty,’ she smiled.

‘Go on then,’ Wood smiled back.

‘What makes you think I was a victim of Cole’s?’ she asked, as she expertly popped the cork from a bottle of Dom Perignon.

‘Through an informant who has connections to Cole.’

She poured a splash of orange juice and champagne into two glasses, handed one to Wood, raised her glass and said, ‘Cheers.’ Wood did the same, and they both took a sip. ‘Who was this informant of yours?’ she asked, calmly but steely-eyed.

‘I’m sorry, Mrs Bramston, but I can’t tell you that for legal reasons. I can only say that I was told Cole might have stolen some of your jewellery.’

Her eyes narrowed further. ‘How did you get my name and address?’

Wood could tell she was wary and realised that getting information from her wouldn’t be easy. She seemed very sharp, and he knew he needed to be careful not to say anything thatwould reveal his involvement in the De Klerk investigation and then lead back to Stubbings. He sipped his champagne to give him time to think. ‘The informant gave me your surname and said you lived in Coombe Park. I checked the voters’ register, and the only Bramstons living in the area were Patrick and Chandice.’

She nodded. ‘Patrick’s my husband.’

‘I also looked for your name on our crime report system but couldn’t find it, so I thought it best to speak to you personally in case you were a victim, knowingly or otherwise.’

‘Theoretically I was a victim, but I chose not to report the matter for personal reasons, which I’m not prepared to divulge.’

‘I respect that, of course, but it would be helpful if you could tell me what happened.’

‘How do you think I can help your investigation?’ He wondered if Chandice was fishing for information, possibly to pass on to Michelle De Klerk. He knew Stubbings had never interviewed Chandice, but Michelle might have told her about him.

‘I suspect Cole may have used different methods to scam several people, and they may not even realise they were victims. I could arrest him right now on reasonable suspicion, but if I don’t know all his methods, an interview could prove worthless. I want to build a watertight case before an arrest.’

Her eyes narrowed. ‘I despise Cole for what he did, but I’m not prepared to give evidence against him. Doing so could implicate a dear friend, who, like me, was an innocent victim. She’s suffering enough as it is right now, and I don’t want to add to her distress. I want to build bridges, not destroy them.’

Wood was pretty sure the dear friend was Michelle De Klerk. ‘My informant was once close to Mr Cole, but no longer. And like you, they can’t stand the man. I was told you were introduced to Cole by a woman called Michelle, as you needed a ring resizing.’