Page 114 of The Scene of the Crime
‘How did you find out?’
‘I attended the London Jewellery Show at Kensington Olympia last December. They had stalls with experts who were doing free jewellery evaluations. I thought, for insurance purposes, I would see what the ring was currently worth. I was knocked for six when two experts looked at it and said the sapphire was almost worthless. It had been made in a lab apparently. My husband had photos, valuations and letters proving the provenance of the original sapphire, so we knew for certain it had been swapped.’
‘What did Michelle say when you told her?’
‘She was with me at the show and was as shocked and upset as I was. I wanted to report it to the police, but she asked me to wait until she’d spoken to Johan. I was very angry and told her Cole was a thief and she should know better than anyone that heought to be punished. I told her she’d got a week to sort it out, or I would inform the police.’
Wood pointed at the ring. ‘I take it that’s the real sapphire?’
She nodded. ‘Michelle came round and collected the ring from me. A couple of days later, she called to say it was all sorted and I went to her house to collect it. Johan was there but didn’t say much, other than apologising. Anyway, maybe I shouldn’t have said it, but I said to her that maybe she should get her engagement ring checked out too, a big solitaire diamond. Michelle got upset, we had a blazing row, I think she thought I was inferring her husband had something to do with what had happened. It ended up with me storming out of the house, and we haven’t spoken since.’
‘Did you get the ring double-checked?’
‘You’re telling me I did! The expert at Olympia had given me his card. He re-examined it and confirmed it was a 12-carat Ceylon sapphire, and the diamonds were genuine too.’
‘You were lucky to get it back.’
‘I know, and if I hadn’t done, I would have reported it to the police. Having heard what you’ve said about Cole, maybe I should have done.’
‘I understand why you didn’t,’ Wood said reassuringly. ‘You weren’t to know other people had been victims.’ He chuckled. ‘I’ll bet Michelle put the fear of God in Cole when she confronted him!’ Chandice smiled ruefully. ‘She’s definitely not the sort of person you want to upset. But actually she said it was Johan who spoke to Cole. I don’t know if you’ve met him, he’s a giant of a man, built like an ox, though he’s really as soft as shit. Michelle said he told Cole he’d call the police and ruin his business if he didn’t return it. Cole said he’d taken the sapphire out to clean it and accidentally put the wrong one back in.’
‘That’s pretty lame,’ Wood said, rolling his eyes.
‘I thought it was all a bit odd, but before we had the row, Michelle asked if it could be the end of the matter, and I agreed. We haven’t spoken or seen each other in about six months. I called and left messages but never got a reply, so I gave up. I also think there might have been another agenda, but maybe I shouldn’t mention it.’
‘What was it?’ Wood asked, thankful for the champagne which seemed to have loosened Chandice’s tongue.
‘Well, poor Michelle was desperate to start a family. I remember her saying to me that part of her wanting to marry Johan was that she reckoned they’d have beautiful children. She made me laugh when she said they’d be perfect if they had his looks and her brains. But it didn’t work out as planned for them. I think she had a miscarriage and eventually had to have IVF treatment. Whether or not it was successful I don’t know, but in the meantime, I had my two. To be honest, I felt she was envious, I mean she tried not to show it, but she was getting desperate.’
‘What did your husband think about it all?’
‘About the ring?’
‘Yes, how did he react?’
‘I thought it best not to tell him. He’d have confronted Johan and Michelle. That’s another reason I can’t make a statement. So I’d appreciate it if you didn’t speak to him.’
‘That’s fine, I don’t need to,’ Wood assured her, wondering if it was Michelle who had persuaded Chandice not to say anything to her husband.
‘Do you know how the De Klerks got to know Cole?’
‘I know what you’re thinking, officer, but I can assure you neither of them was involved.’
‘I understand, but you’d have to say her persuading you not to report it has allowed Cole to steal precious stones from other people.’
‘I know, and that saddens me. Michelle has achieved a lot in her career and hopes to be made a judge one day. I think she was worried that if Cole was arrested and the press found out she or Johan were involved, they would use it against her and her reputation would be sullied. I love her dearly, I really do, and I just decided it was best to do as she asked.’
‘The media are like vultures these days,’ Wood remarked. ‘Purely out of curiosity, how did they meet?’
‘Michelle was a junior barrister when they met. We went to South Africa on holiday together about ten years ago. Johan was the guide on our safari. He was instantly besotted with Michelle. I felt like a gooseberry on that trip.’ She smiled at the memory.
‘He gave up the safari work to be with her in the UK?’
‘Not exactly. On a trip that Johan was leading, a rampaging female elephant protecting her young charged at the jeep and overturned it. A woman in her seventies was trampled to death. The company was sued, and Johan lost his job. It was in the papers over there but I don’t think it made the news here in the UK.’
‘What’s he doing now?’ Wood asked, hoping to discover something he didn’t know. He realised that the article about Johan and Michelle meeting at a rugby match was a lie to cover up the safari incident, so he wondered what else they were hiding.
‘Johan’s father, now let me think . . . yes, Pieter runs a winery in Wellington, just outside Cape Town, which the family has owned for over a century. Johan was never interested in the wine business but started working for his father after the safari incident. He had wanted Michelle to move to South Africa, but she was ambitious in her career and determined to become a Queen’s Council, as it was back then, which she eventually did. Johan approached his father about opening a wine business in London, which he agreed to. I think Johan has beenquite successful, and then they recently bought this incredible property, not that I have been there as yet, but I was told there was a huge amount of construction work done, a cinema in the basement, but you know what they say, behind every great man . . .’
