Page 123 of The Scene of the Crime
‘I was also convinced Palmer was guilty as sin at first,’ Chapman said.
‘What will happen to him for assisting Wheeler by turning off the CCTV?’ Jessica asked.
‘Palmer helped us, so I took the view that with Wheeler being dead, there was insufficient evidence to charge him with assisting an offender. As far as I’m concerned there will be no further action on that matter.’
‘You do have a heart after all,’ Chapman smiled.
‘I’m sure you’d have done the same, Mike. What were the results of the postmortem?’ They informed him of Doctor Giorgini’s findings, covering as much detail as they could recall. ‘The takotsubo syndrome is interesting. That said, whatever the cause of Wheeler’s death, the CPS feel there will be enough evidence to charge the person or persons responsible with murder . . . if we can find them.’
‘We will, guv. I’m sure Jessica’s team will come up trumps with a DNA or fingerprint hit on something from Wheeler’s flat.’
‘No offence, Jessica, but we can’t bank on it,’ Anderson replied.
‘None taken. I’ve had many a case where we thought we would get a result and didn’t, but we will do our best.’
‘DC Bingham has been leading the house-to-house enquiries at Fred Wigg Tower. Wheeler’s flat is owned by his sister, who lives in Derby and rents it to him. She’s married, so his surname wasn’t on the voter register. So far, we haven’t found a resident who saw anyone coming or going from the flat. A few knew who Wheeler was and weren’t very complimentary about him. Some were glad that he was dead.’
‘Live by the sword, die by the sword. Is there any news on Johan De Klerk’s condition?’ Chapman asked.
‘I phoned Doctor Babu earlier. He’s off the ventilator and was moved to a private room last night. He’s still unconscious, but his eyes and hands have twitched, which is a good sign. Being a fit and otherwise healthy man, the prognosis is good.’
‘Any idea on when we might get to speak to him?’ Chapman asked.
‘Doctor Babu thought De Klerk should have come round by now. He said he might overnight, but he’ll reassess him tomorrow morning.’
‘Have you spoken to Michelle De Klerk?’ Jessica asked.
‘Yes, I called her after my conversation with Doctor Babu. She was obviously still very distressed about her husband’s condition, but I reassured her that the doctor was confident he could make a full recovery.’
‘Did she ask about Liam Palmer?’ she asked.
‘She wanted to know if he had been charged. I said I’d meet with her tomorrow morning and discuss the recent developments, but she wasn’t happy. She wanted to have some good news for Johan when he woke up.’
‘So, Michelle knows it wasn’t him now?’ Jessica asked.
Anderson shook his head. ‘Not yet. I said I’d rather speak to her personally and arranged to meet her at the hospital at six o’clock.’
‘Are you going to tell her about Wheeler and the diamonds?’
‘I’ll tell her about Wheeler and the cash, not the diamonds. If they came from Johan’s safe, I want him to tell me where he got them and why he had them when he wakes up.’
‘I think that’s a good move, guv. Are you taking Dawn Owens with you?’ Chapman asked.
‘No, I would have, but she called in sick this morning.’
‘Nothing serious, I hope?’ Jessica said.
‘The office clerk took the call. She said Dawn had stomach cramps and seemed quite upset.’
‘I’ve never known her go sick,’ Chapman said. ‘Knowing Dawn, she’ll be upset by letting us down.’
Anderson nodded. ‘I don’t think there’s much more we can do today, Mike. A lot now depends on the forensic work. Do you still feel we might have some results by tomorrow morning, Jessica?’
‘Hopefully, but I can’t say if they will be positive. Guy’s working on Wheeler’s mobile and laptop, and Taff’s priority is the tape in Wheeler’s hair. I’ve asked Diane to look for touch DNA on the diamonds as well.’
‘Guy can examine De Klerk’s laptop and PC now. We’ve got a warrant. A copy should have been sent to him,’ Anderson said. ‘I’m happy for your team to concentrate on whatever they think will get us the quickest result to identify any other suspects.’
‘I’ll let them know,’ Jessica replied.
