Page 161 of The Scene of the Crime

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Jessica tapped on Chapman’s office door before entering. He gave her a glum look as she walked in. ‘Anderson is with Commander Williams, and I don’t have an update for you.Williams has informed the IOPC, who will carry out an investigation regarding Johan’s death.’

‘Why? Doctor Babu said you could interview Johan, and he agreed to be interviewed.’

‘Belt and braces. Technically, it’s a death in police custody as we were interviewing Johan under caution, so it’s mandatory for the IOPC to investigate. Which, in some ways, is not a bad thing as Michelle is bound to make a complaint.’

‘There was a large container of potassium tablets along with the vitamins in Johan’s bathroom cabinet. Diane sent me some photographs I took of them.’

He looked at her as if she was mad. ‘What the fuck has that got to do with anything?’

‘I think he could have been given a potassium overdose and that’s what killed him.’

‘Who by? His wife? “Excuse me, Johan, do you mind staying still while I stick this needle in you?” “Not at all, Michelle, go ahead.”’

‘There’s no need to be sarcastic.’

‘I’m not. I’m being realistic.’ Jessica’s mobile rang. It was Guy.

‘I need to answer this.’

‘Carry on, I need some coffee. I’ll get one for you.’ He stalked out of his office as she answered the call. Guy said he had been as thorough as possible in reviewing Michelle’s cases as a senior barrister and KC but found no evidence of any case Michelle had been involved in with connections to potassium, hospitals, doctors’ malpractice or drug dealing.

Jessica took a deep breath. ‘Go further back, Guy. Look at when she was junior council and an apprentice barrister if necessary. You must keep searching and let me know if you find anything.’

‘OK, I’ll try and find the chambers she first worked for.’

‘Thank you.’ Jessica ended the call and sat waiting for Chapman to return. He eventually kicked his door open, carrying two takeaway cups of coffee, and put them on his desk. She picked one up.

He sighed. ‘Look, I’m sorry for taking the piss. I know you have legitimate suspicions about Michelle. But the fact is we have no proof, and with him being fucking dead it’s doubtful we will find any. It’s case closed, and we all need to move on.’

Jessica stood up. ‘Thank you for this. I’d be grateful if you’d let me know the postmortem result when it comes in.’

‘Where are you going?’ he asked.

‘Home.’ She slammed the door behind her as he raised his hands in a hopeless gesture of apology.

She sat in her car, drinking her cup of coffee and mentally going over the facts of Johan’s death and her interview with Michelle. She was about to drive home when Guy called, with what she expected to be a further negative result.

‘Are you sitting down?’ he asked.

‘What have you got?’

‘I went further back as you requested. Thirteen years ago, when Michelle was not fully qualified, she was working for Sir Donald Griffith, an old-time QC with a very reputable chambers in Liverpool. She was a trainee barrister attached to his Chambers for two years before moving to London. He died ten years ago.’

‘Don’t keep me in suspense, what have you got?’

‘The case was well covered in the press. Griffith was prosecuting a former Olympic hurdler who was accused of injecting his partner, also an athlete, with a fatal dose of potassium. It’s not uncommon for athletes to use potassium in small amounts, as it’s beneficial for muscular problems. The defence council’s argument was that the victim self-injected the potassium and miscalculated the dose without realising it couldbe fatal. The victim then went to a bar with his partner and friends, where he died nearly an hour later. The friends testified that the victim appeared well and showed no signs of physical discomfort until a few minutes before the fatal heart attack.’

‘Shit, so itcantake time to become lethal?’

‘Yes, and a doctor who specialises in toxicology testified at the trial that potassium can be a slow release into the system and is often hard to detect after death.’

‘What was the verdict?’

‘The defendant was found not guilty as there was insufficient evidence to prove he deliberately injected his partner with the fatal dose. I’ve got the court transcript and some other stuff I’ve researched.’

‘Thank you, please send it over asap.’ Jessica sat for a while, taking deep, calming breaths, before calling the hospital again and asking to speak to Doctor Giorgini. She had to wait for her call to be transferred, but managed to keep her impatience in check until she heard her come on the line. ‘I’m sorry to call you again, but it’s really important . . .’