Page 102 of The Scene of the Crime
‘He was in the study when I did it.’ Michelle had to sit down again. She pressed her hands to her stomach and then rubbed her hands over her swelling belly. She was trying to thinkthrough everything Johan had told her, trying to make sense of it, but some things just didn’t add up. Now that she knew Cole had been in her house on Friday, and the burglary had happened overnight on Sunday, she suspected Cole might somehow be involved. But why would he give Johan all that cash and steal it back a couple of nights later? He could have simply refused to pay Johan what he owed him, and as it was the proceeds of a crime, there was nothing Johan could have done about it.
‘What are you thinking?’ he asked nervously.
‘What else was in that safe, Johan?’
‘Nothing, just the cash.’ He tried to look her in the face but his eyes betrayed him, unable to hold her gaze.
She knew that look, a look she’d seen hundreds of times in court, and when she had questioned Johan about her friend’s ring all those months ago, he’d had it on his face then too. She knew he was lying. ‘All right, Johan, stop acting like a dumb teenager for once and tell me the truth. If Cole was behind the burglary, there had to be something else in that safe he wanted, and I need to know what it was.’
‘I told you, Michelle . . .’
‘Stop lying, or I swear to God I will walk out on you here and now!’
He let out a sob. ‘Please . . . don’t leave me. I’m sorry I got us into this mess, but I know we can work things out.’
She snorted. ‘There’s no “we” involved. It’s going to be down to me to get you out of this shit. You have to listen to me, and do exactly what I tell you to do, do you understand?’
Hearing footsteps, Michelle froze. She quickly picked up her blanket and told Johan to lie back and close his eyes.
‘Keep your eyes shut and don’t move . . .’
‘Why? I’m awake now . . .’
‘Just do as I tell you,’ Michelle said, returning to sit in the easy chair, the blanket over her knees.
‘I thought I heard voices,’ the nurse said on entering.
‘I was told to keep talking to him to help Johan wake up,’ Michelle said. ‘I thought I saw his hand moving just now.’
‘Yes, sometimes you get an involuntary twitch. I’ll check the IV drips and then leave you in peace.’ Michelle remained silent, watching the nurse go about her task, half afraid Johan would open his eyes, but he thankfully remained completely still, his eyes firmly shut.
After a few minutes, the nurse left, closed the door behind her and then suddenly reopened it. Michelle got up, afraid Johan would give himself away.
‘Would you like a cup of tea?’
‘I’m fine, thanks. I have some water, but I’ll press the call button if I need anything.’ Michelle waited until she heard the nurse’s footsteps receding, then nudged the edge of the bed. ‘She’s gone. Now if you want me to sort this out, understand that if you lie to me again, I will walk out of here and that’s it, we’re over. Understand? So, tell me, what was in the safe that Cole was so desperate to get his hands on?’
He licked his lips. ‘Michelle . . .’
‘Tell me.’
‘Diamonds. Uncut diamonds . . . stolen diamonds.’
‘Stolen diamonds? Where the fuck did they come from?’ she demanded.
‘From South Africa. They were hidden in wine boxes and shipped here.’
Michelle had to take a deep breath, hardly believing what he had just told her. She paced up and down, trying to calm herself, then stopped again at the end of his bed. ‘I can’t see your parents or sister Mariette being involved, but I can when it comes to your brother Duante. Am I right?’
Johan nodded. ‘Yes, but it was Cole who asked me if I could get a hold of any rough diamonds from South Africa.’
‘What, to sell them on the black market and go halves with you?’
‘That’s what I thought he wanted to do, but he said you need a Kimberley Certificate to prove legitimate ownership, or no reputable dealer would be interested in them. He said he knew a few dodgy dealers, but they would be unwilling to pay anywhere near the market price for stolen diamonds, with or without a certificate. Cole felt it was too risky to try and sell them right away, but he said he had a plan where we could both make a lot of money.’
Michelle felt like breaking down in tears. It was hard to even look at him. ‘A plan . . . and what exactly was that . . . ?’
‘To show wealthy people the stolen uncut diamonds with false provenance and certificates showing they were mined in South Africa and high value. Cole would offer to make rings, brooches and other specially designed jewellery at a reasonable price for interested clients but then use lab diamonds instead of the mined ones, making a huge profit.’
