Page 135 of The Scene of the Crime

Anderson hesitated, then looked at her. ‘Are you up for doing that?’

She smiled. ‘I suggested it, so I guess I am.’

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

When they were in Chapman’s car, Jessica told him about her conversation with Dawn Owens. ‘At least it’s not someone on the team,’ he said. ‘I’ll make some discreet enquiries. Anderson won’t be pleased, whatever the outcome, but I’ll try and persuade him just to give Dawn a dressing down. Anyway, best keep it to ourselves for now.’

‘Good, thank you.’

Chapman pulled up in Hatton Garden near the junction with Greville Street, behind the observation van. Taff jumped out of the observation van and got in the back seat of Chapman’s car. ‘This is all very exciting. I’d never been in an observation van,’ Taff said, handing Jessica a small acrylic ring box. She opened the box, and Chapman removed a diamond ring from his pocket, wiped it with a tissue, and placed it on the velvet mounting inside the box. ‘Where did you get the ring?’ Taff asked.

‘The exhibits storage room. It’s from an unidentified body on a cold case murder. The pathologist said she was hit in the head with an axe, and her body had been in the ground for over a hundred years, which is why we were never able to identify her. At the time we had a jeweller examine the ring. He reckoned it was made in the mid to late eighteen hundreds. The diamond is two carat and worth thirty or forty thousand quid.’

‘Nice of her to help – whoever she is,’ Taff quipped. ‘Wipe the box down before you hand it to Cole . . . and try and hold it by the corners when you do. It’s a good surface to get prints off.’

‘I know what to do, Taff,’ she said curtly, and Taff returned to the observation van.

Jessica wiped the ring box clean, put it in her coat pocket and was about to open the car door.

‘Are you sure you don’t want to wear a wire?’ Chapman asked. ‘I brought one along in case you changed your mind.’

‘There’s no point. It’s just a quick in-and-out job. Mind you, it would have been helpful to know what Cole looks like, but I . . .’

Chapman sighed. ‘He’s white, mid-fifties, about five foot six and bald, apart from dyed black hair on the sides.’

‘How on earth do you know that?’ Jessica asked with a quizzical expression.

‘I’ll explain it all to you later.’

‘I’d like to know before I go into his bloody shop!’

‘Julian Wood got some information through an informant, but I couldn’t risk their identity being revealed.’

‘Am I in any danger? Will Cole suspect I’m undercover?’

‘Of course not. Look, I can do it if you’re worried.’

‘No,’ she said firmly. ‘We all agreed Cole would be less suspicious about a woman. But I’m really pissed off with you, Mike.’

‘Sorry, I should have told you earlier. I’m . . .’ She got out of the car, slamming the door.

When she got to the shop, she pressed the camera doorbell. After a few seconds, it buzzed and she walked in. The interior was very plush, with soft lighting and elegant display cases containing rings, necklaces, bracelets, earrings and watches. She immediately detected the distinctive odour of cigar smoke. There was a man matching Cole’s description behind the counter.

‘Good morning. How can I help you?’ he smiled.

‘I’ve got a diamond ring that belonged to my husband’s greatgreat-grandmother. I wanted to enquire about having it cleaned and restored, or possibly having the stone remounted in a new ring.’

‘Are you Mrs Wood?’ he asked.

Jessica looked puzzled. ‘My name is Chapman, Jessica Chapman.’

‘Sorry, my dear. A Mrs Wood called me yesterday saying she wanted an old diamond ring cleaned and restored. I thought you might be her. Do you have the ring with you?’

‘Yes, I do.’ She took the box from her pocket and placed it carefully on the counter.

Cole opened the box and removed the ring, examining it with a jeweller’s loupe. ‘Do you have any provenance for the ring?’ he asked.

‘Unfortunately not.’