Page 140 of The Scene of the Crime

‘Could it be a staged scene?’ Chapman asked.

‘It’s possible, but I can’t be certain as those two boxes may have been opened before the place was ransacked.’

‘I’ll get all the available CCTV from the security guard and head back to Barking with Jessica,’ Chapman told Wood. ‘Can you stay put, Julian, then brief the SOCOs when they arrive.’ As they headed towards Chapman’s car, he stopped and handed Jessica the car keys, saying he’d forgotten to tell Wood something.

Wood was inside De Klerk’s warehouse, looking around when he saw Chapman. ‘Don’t take this the wrong way, Julian, but I need to ask you something about the break-ins.’

‘You think it might have been Stubbings, don’t you?’

‘It crossed my mind. You said he’d been watching this place and he knew Cole was a hooky jeweller and De Klerk was involved with him. As I recall, Stubbings was also pretty good with computers and technical equipment.’

‘You don’t like him one bit, do you?’

‘He’s not my favourite person, no, and I don’t trust him.’

‘Well, I do, and I think you’re out of order. Why would he givev me all that information and then risk coming here? Stubbs isn’t stupid, Mike. He knows that he’d go to prison if he got caught, and his life would be hell.’

‘I hope, for both our sakes, this has nothing to do with him.’

Wood waited until Chapman had gone back to the car before calling Stubbings. He had a nasty feeling in the pit of his stomach. He’d tried his best to keep his name out of things, but if the stupid bastard had been thieving at the warehouse he’d landed himself right in it.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

When they returned to the station, Chapman and Jessica went directly to Anderson’s office. He was looking pleased with himself. ‘Cole lives in a flat just around the corner from his shop. I’ve sent detectives and scene-of-crime officers to search both Cole’s and Bishop’s flats. So, tell me what happened in Hatton Garden.’ Jessica described her interactions with Cole as she posed as a customer.

‘She left out the best bit,’ Chapman said with a smile. ‘She put that toe-rag Bishop on the ground when he went for her.’

Anderson nodded. ‘DC Bingham said you’ve got a mean right foot, Jessica.’ She was relieved when Chapman moved on to what they’d found at the warehouses. ‘Any idea who turned over De Klerk’s place?’ Anderson asked.

‘I’ve been thinking about it on the way back here,’ Chapman said. ‘If a hacking device wasn’t used, they’d have had to know the key code.’

‘Michelle De Klerk?’ Chapman nodded. ‘What do you think, Jessica?’

‘It’s possible, but I don’t think she’d risk being seen by the guard or picked up by the CCTV cameras.’

‘She could have got someone to do the dirty work for her. In her line of work, she meets a lot of criminals,’ Chapman suggested.

‘I don’t believe Michelle would risk her career by doing that.’

‘I tend to agree with Jessica,’ Anderson said. ‘Get DC Bingham to look through the CCTV for the last couple of days to see if he spots anyone who is known to us or is acting suspiciously.’

‘It might be worth sending it over to Guy with photos of all the suspects. He’s a super recogniser who can identify faces, often after the briefest glimpse. He will quickly spot anyone of interest on the CCTV, even if they look different to the photos,’ Jessica suggested.

‘Agreed,’ Anderson said.

‘I’ll upload the footage and photographs to HOLMES for him to review,’ Chapman said. He just hoped it didn’t turn out to be Wood or Stubbings caught on camera.

‘I want you and DS Wood to interview Bishop first. He seems to be the weak link, and you can use his admissions against Cole when you interview him.’

‘What about De Klerk? Bishop said he’s involved with Cole in a jewellery scam,’ Chapman said.

‘Doctor Babu told me he’s awake. But he’s confused and not fit to be interviewed yet. Babu says he’ll reassess him tomorrow.’

‘If Jessica was right, it’s all been a big act,’ Chapman said.

‘But we can’t prove it, and I don’t want to risk raising it with Doctor Babu. De Klerk’s not going anywhere, and hopefully Bishop will give us plenty of ammunition to hit him with when he is fit to be interviewed.’

Jessica’s mobile pinged, and she looked at the text. ‘Taff says Cole’s right shoe matches the print on the magazine found on the floor beside Wheeler’s body. The fingerprints on the water buffalo glass are also his.’