Page 59 of The Scene of the Crime

‘Should I tell him about the pathologist?’

‘I left a message for him last night, so he should already know, but I’ll speak with him when I get there.’

‘Thank you so much, I can’t tell you how relieved I am that you’re coming.’

Jessica looked at her watch. It was 7.45 a.m. ‘Are you still expecting Michelle to arrive between half nine and ten?’

‘Yes, that’s what we arranged.’

‘You’re there a bit early then?’

‘I know. I wanted to speak to Doctor Babu about Mr De Klerk. Knowing more about his and condition will be helpful when I speak to Mrs De Klerk.’

‘And what did he say?’

‘Nothing.’

‘Why not?’

‘He’s not here yet.’

Jessica closed her eyes and shook her head; it was like going around in circles with Dawn. ‘I’ll make my way to the hospital now. Traffic permitting, I should be there well before Michelle arrives. We can go over everything when I get there.’

* * *

The journey to the hospital was quicker than Jessica expected. On arrival, she went to the intensive care unit waiting room, where an anxious-looking Dawn sat reviewing her prepared questionnaire. Dawn looked up gratefully. ‘Oh, you’re here. I spoke with Doctor Babu; he told me a pathologist came tothe hospital earlier. They discussed Mr De Klerk’s injuries and examined the X-rays together. Doctor Babu also gave the pathologist photographs of his injuries.’

‘Did he say how Mr De Klerk is today?’

‘I didn’t ask. I thought it might be better if you did as you’ve spoken to him before and can understand technical terms better than me.’

‘Did he say it’s OK to take De Klerk’s fingerprints?’

‘Yes, but he said to get a nurse to help you . . . or I could, if you want.’ Jessica needed Johan’s fingers and thumbs held still while she scanned them and she worried that Dawn’s nervous disposition might make the process longer than necessary or result in blurred images.

‘Thanks for the offer, but a nurse would probably be best. I’ll do it now, then it’s out of the way, and we can discuss how to approach the conversation with Michelle.’

‘Will you tell her about the Crime Stoppers information?’

‘I don’t know much about it. That’s best coming from you as a police officer and the FLO. I’ll go over your questionnaire when I’ve taken the prints.’

‘Thank you so much, I really appreciate your help.’

Having identified herself to the uniformed police officer guarding De Klerk, Jessica was allowed into the ICU. She then spoke with a nurse who said he’d assist her with taking the fingerprints.

Approaching his bedside with the nurse, Jessica commented that there appeared to be a bit more colour in Johan’s cheeks and hands.

‘Yes, his circulation has improved,’ the nurse confirmed.

‘How long is he going to be kept in a coma?’

‘The swelling in his brain has gone down, so Doctor Babu hopes just a day or two longer.’ The nurse then followed Jessica’s instructions, delicately placing each finger on the scanner as sheheld it steady. A few fingers had to be retaken as they were blurred, but the job was done after twenty minutes. Heading across the corridor to the waiting room, Jessica emailed the fingerprints to Taff. About to enter the waiting room, she noticed Michelle exiting the lift and approached her. She looked tired, with dark circles under her eyes and was still wearing the same blue velvet Armani tracksuit. ‘Hi, Michelle. How are you today?’

‘I’m coping a bit better, but I’ve hardly slept. It’s still hard to get my head around what happened to Johan. How is the investigation going?’

Jessica felt it best to let Dawn update her. ‘Detective Dawn Owens from the investigating team is here, she’ll be able to tell you more than I can.’

‘I spoke briefly to her this morning, or it might have been last night. I’m so tired I can’t think straight, and didn’t catch much of what she said apart from wanting to take a statement from me.’