Page 139 of The Scene of the Crime

‘I was going to ask if you’d like to go for a drink after work. I understand if you don’t want to.’

‘I can’t. I’m going out with my brother and his girlfriend this evening – that’s if I’m not still stuck at work.’

He nodded. ‘Maybe some other time then. Where are you going tonight?’

‘Quattordici’s in Chislehurst.’

‘I’ve been there. The food’s really excellent.’

‘I know, that’s why I agreed to go there,’ Jessica said. Chapman sighed. Maybe it was just time to shut up. ‘Actually, work permitting, you can join us if you want,’ she said casually.

‘Really?’

‘Yes. I don’t fancy playing gooseberry with David and his girlfriend.’

‘I’d love to. What time?’

‘Table’s booked for seven thirty. We’ll probably have a drink in The Bull first at seven.’

Chapman smiled. ‘Sounds good. We’re here,’ he said as their squad car drew up. DS Wood was waiting in the street outside the warehouse with his team of three detectives.

‘Nice work with Cole and Bishop,’ Wood said, nodding to Chapman.

‘Actually, Jessica did most of the hard work,’ Chapman told him. They then went into the warehouse foyer to speak to the security guard and show him the search warrants. The guard escorted them to De Klerk and Cole’s premises.

‘I was expecting some sort of container,’ Wood remarked on seeing the floor-to-ceiling windows and glass door entry. The blinds were all down.

‘They call them warehouses, but they’re really just large office spaces with desks and chairs etc. but renters store stuff in them as well,’ the guard explained. ‘There’s a back shutter for loading and unloading goods. We have security cameras covering the street, back and lobby, so let me know if you need to see any footage.’

‘How long do you keep the recordings?’ Chapman asked.

‘Ninety days before the recorded footage is overwritten.’ While the guard opened De Klerk’s door, Chapman entered the numbers Bishop had given him for Cole’s unit.

‘Have a look at the state of this place, Mike,’ Wood said as Chapman was about to open the door. De Klerk’s warehouse looked as if someone had thoroughly searched it. A filing cabinet had been opened and the contents were strewn around the floor. Boxes of wine had been opened, the bottles removed and put to one side. They went from De Klerk’s warehouse onto Cole’s, which looked untouched. ‘What do you reckon that big machine is for?’ Wood asked.

‘Bishop said Cole had a machine for making diamonds,’ Chapman told him.

Chapman sighed. ‘This is the second time someone’s got to a suspect’s address before we have.’

‘Do you want Jessica’s team to examine the warehouses before we search them?’

‘I’ll get her to view it first.’ He phoned Jessica, who was still in De Klerk’s warehouse, and asked her to come in and have a look.

Jessica looked in from the doorway, surveying the scene. ‘Someone was in a hurry to find whatever they were looking for in De Klerk’s section. My team are very busy at the moment. It would be helpful if the divisional scene of crime officers carried out the photography and forensic examinations,’ Jessica said.

‘I’ll take some pictures on my phone for Anderson, call him with an update and request the SOCOs attend,’ Chapman said.

‘Do you think Cole or Bishop were responsible for trashing De Klerk’s section?’ Wood asked.

Jessica glanced at him. ‘I overheard Cole say he’d got diamonds hidden in his warehouse, but they were arrested before they could get here. And I can’t see it being Wheeler, as he’s been dead for a couple of days now.’

Wood nodded. ‘Whoever did this must have known the entry number.’

‘Not if they had technical knowledge and used a hacking device to break or bypass the key code and unlock the door. I think they found what they were looking for in De Klerk’s office,’ Jessica said quietly.

‘How do you work that out?’ Wood asked. They walked back into De Klerk’s warehouse and Jessica gestured to the documents strewn over the floor and then pointed at the boxes containing bottles of wine.

‘The boxes have been ripped open haphazardly, apart from the two over there on the floor next to each other that have been cut open neatly. I think whoever opened them knew where to look and what they were looking for.’