Page 146 of The Scene of the Crime

‘Of course not, have a seat,’ he said.

‘I just wanted to say how well you seemed to work alongside Mike in the interview with Bishop,’ she said.

‘I’ve known Mike for a long time,’ he said. ‘He’s a good bloke and a good detective; we get on well.’

‘He told me how you got some new information that’s proved really useful, about the fake sapphire and Michelle De Klerk’s relationship with her friend, Chandice. You got to her via an ex-police officer, is that correct? Don’t worry, I’m not interested in the name.’

‘Yeah, he’d been hired by Michelle, but he’d been working in Spain and didn’t get to hear about the burglary until he returned. That was when he contacted me.’

‘I see. So, you then went to see Chandice.’

‘Yes. Look, I told Mike all about it.’

Jessica nodded and sipped her coffee. ‘It would be very useful for you to repeat it all to me. It would give me an insight into her relationship with Michelle, and that would help me when I talk to her. You did make notes, didn’t you?’

He started looking shifty. ‘Yes, I don’t have them with me now.’

‘Why don’t you start from the moment you arrived at her house. You’d be surprised how even the smallest details can give you a real insight into a relationship.’

Julian took a sip of his coffee. ‘Look, I have to look out for this ex-copper. I don’t want to get him into trouble. I mean I pretty well told Mike everything that she said to me.’

‘I’m sure you did.’

‘Then what do you want?’

‘I may be wrong, but I think you are a very experienced officer, and I know from experience that jotting down notes when you are interviewing someone can often make them less cooperative. So, I would understand if you’d recorded the conversation without her knowledge.’ Wood sighed, then tookhis mobile from his pocket. He scrolled through and then passed it to her.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

Jessica received the call from Chapman as she came out of the ladies toilet. DS Wood was standing waiting for her outside. She handed him his mobile. ‘That was very interesting – and useful – thank you,’ she said.

He put the phone back in his pocket with a frown. ‘We’d better get a move on. Anderson’s waiting.’ They hurried to the viewing room, where Wood turned the recording equipment on. In the interview room, they heard Chapman opening with the usual introductions before he cautioned Cole.

Baldwin coughed. ‘Before you commence the interview, DI Chapman, I’d like to inform you that Mr Cole has made a prepared statement that he would like me to read to you.’

‘What’s a prepared statement?’ Jessica asked Anderson.

‘It outlines the suspect’s version of events and their response to the allegations against them. Because he hasn’t had full disclosure, Baldwin hopes it will stop further questioning and reduce the impact of adverse inferences at trial.’

‘So, the interview will be over after Cole’s statement is read out?’

‘No. Thanks to you and your team, there’s incriminating forensic evidence to put to Cole that has not been disclosed to Baldwin. Cole may well give “no comment” answers, but that will harm his defence if he suddenly comes up with an explanation at trial.’

‘Go ahead,’ Chapman said, and Baldwin cleared his throat before proceeding.

‘Firstly, I want to state that I am innocent of the crimes I am accused of and believe that John Wheeler and Christopher Bishop are responsible.

I admit to knowing Johan De Klerk. He’s a charming man and a customer of mine. We first met eight or nine months ago when he bought some jewellery for his wife as a birthday present. I also sold Johan a Rolex watch, which Mr Baldwin has told me was stolen from him during a burglary, which I know nothing about.

I get along well with Johan, but we had a slight falling out last December over a ring belonging to his wife’s friend Chandice. Michelle brought her to the shop to have her diamond and sapphire ring resized and polished. Chandice left the ring with me, but after I’d removed and polished the sapphire, I accidentally put a different one back in the ring. They all thought I had deliberately made a switch to keep the sapphire and sell it on.

They were understandably angry when they discovered what had happened, and Johan came to the shop. Thankfully, I found the original sapphire in a drawer with many others. Johan was satisfied that it was a genuine mistake and apologised for accusing me of any wrongdoing. I accepted his apology, and that was the end of the matter.

Last Friday, I received a phone call from Johan. He asked me to come to his house in Victoria Park Road, Hackney, to discuss the sale of some diamonds he had acquired. I was driven to Johan’s in the afternoon by Christopher Bishop, a cab driver, who I regularly use as I don’t have a driving licence. I can’t recall when I arrived, but I think it was between three and four p.m. I told Bishop I wouldn’t be long and to wait for me.

Johan invited me to his cinema room in the basement, which also had a bar. He gave me a cognac in a water buffalo engraved glass. We sat in the cinema seats, and he showed me a black lockbox containing numerous rough, uncut diamonds. I examined them and asked where they came from. He said South Africa and asked if I wanted to buy them. I suspected they were stolen or purchased on the black market and told Johan I wasn’t interested. He asked if I knew anyone who would be. I said I didn’t, and he’d have difficulty selling them to reputable dealers like me, as rough diamond imports must be accompanied by a Kimberley Protocol certificate, which he didn’t have. He told me he could get the certificates from a friend in South Africa, but I still wasn’t interested.

Johan didn’t say anything or pressure me, and I didn’t ask any further questions about the diamonds, but I think he understood why I didn’t want to get involved in illicit or stolen goods. We talked for a while, and I left. On the way back to my shop, without thinking, I told Bishop about the diamonds Johan had tried to sell me, and I believe he must have informed John Wheeler.