Page 44 of The Scene of the Crime

‘Why didn’t he use an Uber to get home then?’

‘Besides a quick getaway, he also had De Klerk’s blood on him. None of the fuck-ups would have happened if De Klerk hadn’t been in the house, so don’t blame us.’

‘All right, but you better get rid of the car and make sure nothing leads back to your friend or me.’

‘Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing.’

‘One more thing. Was there any cash in the safe?’

‘My mate didn’t mention finding any,’ Wheeler replied, patting the money on the table.

‘Your mate could have taken it and not told you.’

‘I doubt it. He called me and came straight here after the job. Plus, I know he wouldn’t rip me off. He could have done a runner with the lockbox, but he didn’t.’

‘You better not be fucking with me. I know De Klerk had a lot of money in his safe!’

‘Then he must have put it somewhere else or spent it. My mate wasn’t going to hang around looking for it after whathappened, was he? Listen, I need more money for the job as he wants more dosh than I offered after everything that’s happened.’

‘That’s your problem, not mine. The deal was five grand, and you’ve already had two up front.’

‘I know, but because of your cock-up, he could have been caught, and now I’m the one who’s got to sort out the mess,’ Wheeler said, knowing he was pushing his luck.

There was silence at first. ‘All right, I’ll give you another three grand for him. I’ll get one of my boys to drop the cash off and collect the box. What’s your address?’

Wheeler laughed. ‘No way. Do you think I was born yesterday? I’ll deliver it to you at the shop during working hours.’

‘I’m still out of town on business. I’ll be back on Wednesday.’

‘Making sure you’ve got an alibi, are you?’

‘What I do is not your concern.’

‘Don’t worry, I’m not a grass. As a matter of interest, what’s in the lockbox?’ Wheeler asked. He had a couple of thoughts on what it might be.

‘That’s none of your business. And just remember, it belongs to me.’

‘Nicked your gear, did he?’ Wheeler said.

‘I suggest you get rid of that car tonight. Ensure you delete everything on the mobile phone I gave you and chuck it in the Thames. Don’t let me down, Wheeler. Sort this mess out, or you and your friend will regret it. I’ll see you Wednesday morning. The shop opens at nine.’ He ended the call.

Wheeler picked up the lockbox and shook it but couldn’t hear anything inside, making him wonder if it contained uncut cocaine or other high-value drugs. He also realised it could contain nothing if De Klerk had removed the contents before the break-in. He opened his tool bag, removed a battery-operatedmini angle grinder, switched it on, and was about to cut into the metal lock box when he hesitated. Surely whatever was in the box wasn’t worth the retribution that would be coming his way if he nicked it. He already had two hundred and fifty grand after all. He smiled, confident no one would ever find out about the money with De Klerk dead. He turned the grinder off, put it on the table, picked up the Rolex watch and slipped it over his wrist.

‘I’d love to keep you, sweetheart, but you’re too hot to handle.’ He kissed the watch with a smirk. As Wheeler stood up, the pain in his ribs flared again, making him feel faint. He staggered towards the toilet but didn’t make it and was sick on the living room floor. He didn’t have the energy to clean it up. Using a credit card, he cut up two lines of cocaine, which he quickly snorted. He lay down on the sofa, waiting for it to take effect. He needed to rest before disposing of the car. Pressing the dial on his Apple watch and seeing the red and blue Siri sign appear, he said, ‘Set alarm for one a.m.’

CHAPTER TWELVE

David had already left for work when Jessica’s alarm woke her at 7 a.m. Although it had taken her a while to fall asleep, she hadn’t woken during the night, and after a shower she felt refreshed and ready for work.

While eating her granola and yoghurt, she watched the news on the small kitchen TV. There was nothing about the assault on Johan De Klerk, which she thought odd as over twenty-four hours had elapsed since the crime, and no one had been arrested. Curious, she used her iPad to look at theHackney Gazettewebsite and found a short article about the crime. It only stated that a break-in had occurred on Victoria Park Road, the occupier had been assaulted and his Range Rover had been stolen. It said that DCI Anderson was leading the investigation and asked that anyone with information contact the incident room at the given number.

Jessica wondered why Anderson had chosen not to reveal all the details of the break-in. She knew that police sometimes held back information on major investigations as an investigative tactic, which made her wonder if a suspect had been identified and an arrest was imminent. She thought about ringing DI Chapman but decided against it. She’d ask DC Owens when she saw her.

After breakfast, Jessica disinfected the kitchen surfaces and was about to take out the hoover before she stopped, shovingit back into the hall closet, and instead made her bed. She was about to leave the bungalow when Dawn Owens called her.

‘Hi Jessica. Sorry to bother you so early, but I just got a call from Mrs De Klerk. Her husband had some breathing difficulties yesterday evening, and she’s been at the hospital with him all night. Doctor Babu managed to stabilise his breathing and doesn’t think there’s been any further deterioration in Johan’s condition. Michelle sounded exhausted and very distressed. She wanted to go to her sister’s for some sleep and a change of clothes before coming back to the hospital, so I cancelled this morning’s appointment with her.’

‘Poor woman, she must be going through absolute hell.’