Page 149 of The Scene of the Crime

‘That will depend on what he says when we speak to him and any other evidence that comes to light. The diamonds are probably stolen, but it’s nigh on impossible to prove who committed the theft unless Johan tells us, which is highly unlikely.’

‘I don’t mind going to South Africa and making enquiries,’ Chapman said with a grin.

Anderson laughed. ‘Sadly, I think it would be a wasted journey.’

‘I’ll take that as a no, then,’ Chapman smiled.

‘Sorry to keep asking questions, but I’m getting lost in a sea of legality and a bit confused about what crimes Johan has committed and, for that matter, Michelle,’ Jessica said.

‘There are various customs offences he could be charged with,’ Anderson explained.

‘After his near-death experience, he’d probably just get a suspended sentence or hefty fine,’ Chapman commented.

‘But he won’t get the diamonds or the cash back, will he?’

‘If we can’t prove they were the proceeds of crime, he might,’ Chapman replied.

‘As for Michelle,’ Anderson continued, ‘it depends on what she says when we interview her. If we have enough evidence to prove she lied to us to protect Johan, the CPS will consider obstruction of justice and making a false statement as possible charges.’

‘Will Cole and De Klerk be charged with any sort of fraud regarding the lab-made diamonds?’ Jessica asked.

‘They could be, but identifying the people who bought jewellery from them and persuading them to make statements could be a laborious task.’

‘And Cole will probably have destroyed any records of his dodgy sales,’ Chapman added.

‘You could put out an appeal to the public,’ she suggested.

‘We’d have to get an expert to examine all the gemstones, which would be costly. As a homicide and serious crime unit, we don’t have the time or resources to investigate it. Williams has told me to pass it on to the fraud squad, which I’m happy to do,’ Anderson said.

‘Now that we know Michelle and Cole are connected, will we interview her today?’ Chapman asked Anderson.

‘I’d rather do it tomorrow morning. Hopefully Johan will be well enough to be interviewed but that depends on what the doctor says. It will also give us time to assess everything we’ve got and decide on our approach.’

‘Who’s going to do the interviews with the De Klerks?’ Chapman asked.

‘You and I will speak to Johan,’ Anderson told him. ‘Dawn Owens said she’ll be back at work tomorrow, so I’d like her to interview Michelle with Jessica.’

‘Do you not think it would be better if Jessica spoke with Michelle?’ Chapman suggested.

‘Legally, I think it will be better if a police officer asks the questions, as what she says may need to be used in evidence against her or her husband. Jessica and I will prepare a list of questions for Dawn to ask.’ Anderson smiled. ‘What you have all achieved in under a week is remarkable, and I’m grateful for the long hours and hard work you’ve put in . . . especially you and your team, Jessica. Please thank them for me. Once Bishop and Cole are charged, I want everyone to call it a day. We’ll regroup here at eight a.m. tomorrow morning.’

‘Any news from Guy regarding the warehouse CCTV?’ Chapman asked Jessica.

‘Let me call him.’ She dialled the office number and when Guy answered, she put the speakerphone on. ‘Hi. I’m just calling to ask how it’s going with the warehouse CCTV.’

‘I’m afraid I haven’t seen Cole or Bishop,’ Guy answered, ‘but Michelle De Klerk went to the warehouse just after seven p.m. yesterday evening.’

‘Are you sure?’ Anderson asked, clearly shocked.

‘She arrived in a silver Mercedes SL sports car and was in the building for about an hour. She came out with a full black bin bag, put it in the boot, went back into the building, came out with two carrier bags, got into the car and drove off.’

‘She’d know the key code. It must have been her who ransacked Johan’s warehouse,’ Wood said.

‘Or she staged it to look like a burglary,’ Anderson added.

Jessica wasn’t so sure. ‘It’s obvious there are CCTV cameras at the warehouse. Considering she was furious with her husband for not setting up security cameras at their home, she must know his warehouse is covered. I can’t see Michelle being so stupid as to commit a crime knowing she’d be caught on camera. We told her Johan’s warehouse had been broken into, so she might have gone there to look at the state of the place and get some of Johan’s belongings.’

‘Or that’s what she wanted us to think, and everythingwasstaged. She could have the diamonds and cash in the bin bag,’ Wood said.