Page 60 of The Scene of the Crime

‘I expect you want to see Johan first and speak with Doctor Babu.’

‘Yes, I would.’

‘Take as much time as you need. I’ll let DC Owens know you are here. I hope you don’t mind, but I scanned Johan’s fingerprints for elimination purposes with Doctor Babu’s permission. I will need to do the same with you later and take a DNA swab.’

‘Yes, that’s fine.’ Michelle started to walk towards the ICU door then stopped and turned back. From the look on her face, Jessica sensed something was upsetting her. ‘I know this has nothing to do with you, and it’s not part of your role as a crime scene investigator, but you might know the answer. This morning, my sister told me about Commander Williams’s press conference last night, which really upset me. I can’t believe no one had the decency to contact me first. As a result, I got a flood of calls from people asking me what happened and how Iwas. Every time the phone rang, I dreaded it was the hospital to inform me that Johan’s condition had deteriorated, or worse, he had died. I had the cab driver go past my house on the way here. The road’s become a journalists’ fucking campsite. I wanted to get a change of clothes, but I didn’t want to face a barrage of questions from the media.’

‘I don’t know the answer to your question, Michelle. You’d best discuss it with DCI Anderson, the senior investigating officer,’ Jessica said.

‘My sister said a bald man was next to Williams during the press release. Is that him?’

‘Yes, it is.’

‘He hasn’t even had the decency to make any form of contact with me,’ she said tersely and walked off. As she watched her go, Jessica couldn’t help thinking that the level of stress Michelle was exhibiting was dangerous for a pregnant woman.

Jessica returned to the waiting room and was pleased to see Dawn looked a little more relaxed. She decided not to mention her conversation with Michelle as it would make her anxious again.

‘I’m still unsure what to say to Mrs De Klerk,’ Dawn said. ‘I’ve heard what she’s like in court.’

‘You’re not in court being cross-examined, Dawn. Take a few deep breaths, try to relax and have more confidence in yourself and your abilities.’

Dawn smiled. ‘It’s just that this is my first investigation as an FLO.’

‘We all learn from experience, and there is a first time for everything, so think of your time with Michelle as part of the learning curve. There are some questions I need to ask her, but they can wait until you’ve finished, and I’ll need to scan her fingerprints as well.’

‘Thanks for your advice. It’s made me feel a lot better. I’ll tell Michelle that we’ve had some information about the crime, which DCI Anderson is following up on, and, as yet, I don’t know the outcome.’

‘Excellent. You could also add that you hope to be able to give her more details once you have spoken to DCI Anderson or suggest she could talk to him in person.’

‘Yes, I’ll do that.’ She quickly made a note.

‘Try not to look at your notes or the questionnaire too much. It can give the impression you’re not listening to what she’s saying. Lots of eye contact is best.’

‘You’ve obviously done a lot of this type of stuff.’

‘Not with victims of crime, but I studied psychology and human behaviour at university, which has helped me better understand how we can communicate with one another.’

The waiting room door opened. DCI Anderson walked in carrying his briefcase. ‘What are you doing here?’ he said sharply.

‘You told me to get a statement from Mrs De Klerk and tell her . . .’

‘I’m not asking you, Owens! I explicitly told Miss Russell she wasn’t to interview Mrs De Klerk.’

Jessica calmly removed the handheld scanner from her bag and held it up. ‘I need elimination prints from the De Klerks. I was chatting with Dawn while waiting for Mrs De Klerk.’

‘Well, once that’s done, you can go.’ With his back to the door, he hadn’t noticed Michelle entering the room.

‘I’d like Jessica to stay,’ she said firmly.

Anderson turned around. ‘And you are . . . ?’

‘Michelle De Klerk.’

A red-faced Anderson proffered his hand. ‘I’m DCI Anderson and . . .’ Michelle walked past him and went over to Jessica.

Anderson continued. ‘I apologise for not making contact or meeting you personally until now. The investigation has been nonstop, as we have been doing everything possible to identify and arrest the person who attacked your husband.’

Michelle frowned as she looked Anderson in the eye. ‘Why did you go ahead with a press conference without speaking to me first?’ she asked, her head tilted to one side.