Page 128 of The Scene of the Crime
She looked shocked. ‘Murdered?’
‘We’re still awaiting the pathologist’s final report. But Wheeler did have a ruptured spleen, which contributed to his death. We believe the injury may have occurred during the struggle with Johan,’ Jessica said.
She frowned. ‘If my husband did something to Wheeler, it must have been in self-defence.’
‘Of course. And that wasn’t Wheeler’s only injury. Burn marks on his body indicate that he was tortured with a lit cigar shortly before he died,’ Anderson said.
‘Oh my God, this is just terrible. Have you any idea who might have done that to him?’
‘Not as yet, but we believe they were involved in or at least aware of the break-in and were looking for the contents of Johan’s safe,’ Anderson told her.
‘Did you find anything else you think might have been stolen from Johan’s safe?’ she asked.
‘Yes. We recovered a large amount of money hidden in a travel pillow. Added to the five thousand found in Palmer’s flat,it totals nearly two hundred and fifty thousand pounds. Do you know if Johan had that much cash in the safe?’
Jessica noticed a brief flare of anger in Michelle’s eyes before she gave a small shake of her head, as if finding it hard to believe. ‘That’s a lot of money, but I don’t know anything about it. You’ll have to ask Johan when he regains consciousness.’
‘Doctor Babu was surprised he hadn’t woken up by now,’ Jessica said.
‘I know,’ Michelle said sadly. Michelle gripped both arms of the chair and eased herself up, then stood with one hand resting on her belly. ‘Thank you for updating me on the investigation. Is there anything else?’
Anderson shook his head. ‘We’ll let you know if there are any further developments.’
She nodded and left the room.
‘What did you make of that?’ Anderson asked Jessica when she had gone.
‘I thought you handled her well. But it was interesting how she deflected the question of what was in the safe towards Johan. When you told her the actual amount of the cash, she looked annoyed before she managed to control herself.’
‘And what does that tell us?’
‘I’m not sure – but I’m wondering if Johan has already woken up.’
Anderson looked taken aback. ‘I find that hard to believe. I mean, do you really think he has regained consciousness and has spoken with Michelle?’
‘I don’t know. I’m just raising it as a possibility based on my observations. I thought it odd that she didn’t ask more about Wheeler or why he would break into their house.’
‘Why?’
‘Because barristers, like us, are naturally inquisitive. I thought she would want to know more about who was involved and why their house was targeted.’
‘I think she’s just focused on Johan and his recovery.’
‘She makes that very clear, but I think she was also fishing for information but didn’t want to go too deep in case she gave anything away. Also, people who already know the answers tend not to ask pertinent questions.’
‘Do you think I should have mentioned the diamonds recovered from Wheeler’s stomach?’
‘No, I think you were right not to. I think it’s good to keep something up our sleeve. Excuse me for a minute. I won’t be long.’
‘I’ll wait here for you,’ Anderson replied, thinking she was going to the toilet.
Jessica returned to the waiting room a minute later. ‘That was quick,’ Anderson said.
‘I’m now convinced Michelle is lying, and she discussed the investigation with Johan before we got here.’
Anderson looked surprised. ‘What makes you say that?’
‘I just knocked on Johan’s door. When Michelle opened it, I lied and told her we’d finished with Johan’s laptop and phone and asked if she’d like them back . . .’
