Page 160 of The Scene of the Crime
‘Yes, sorry, I was just thinking about the best advice I can give you . . . which would be to step back and go over everything you know. Identify all the evidence, write it down and construct competing hypotheses to produce the most likely explanation of events. I hope I’m not teaching you to suck eggs, but from what I’ve been told your intuition is usually correct. Keep digging, and you’ll find the evidence you need to prove Johan De Klerk was, or wasn’t, murdered.’
Jessica thanked Anna for her advice and said she’d let her know the outcome. No sooner had she finished the call than her mobile rang. It was Diane, who’d been told about De Klerk’s death and wanted to know how she was. Jessica told her everything that had happened at the hospital and about Doctor Babu’s comments.
‘How does it impact the case, now that Johan’s dead?’ Diane asked.
‘Chapman said Johan didn’t reveal any incriminating evidence of a criminal connection between himself, Cole or Bishop, but they will be tried for Wheeler’s death.’
‘What about Michelle?’
‘She was screaming her head off, but I didn’t fare much better questioning her. She can spin a yarn, all right. It was quite a performance as the innocent heartbroken wife and upstanding barrister. Truthfully, I think she’s a liar and a narcissist, manipulative and utterly convinced of her own superiority.I wouldn’t be surprised if she attempted to bring a case against Anderson and Chapman for harassment and causing her husband’s heart attack.’
‘Does that mean we’re off the investigation?’
‘I can’t see any more arrests being made, but we’ve still got forensic work and reports to complete.’
‘At least we earned a lot of kudos on our first case,’ Diane said, trying to be positive. Just as Diane was about to end the call, Jessica asked if she could do something for her. ‘Name it.’
‘When we searched the De Klerks’ property, I filmed the contents of Michelle and Johan’s cupboards in the en suite bathroom. As I recall, there were a lot of vitamins and health supplements in Johan’s. I’m sure there was a large plastic container of potassium. Could you check on the video for me?’
‘Sure, any reason why?’
‘Yes. Doctor Babu said that Johan had a high potassium count in his system when he was brought in.’
‘I doubt daily potassium vitamins would cause a heart attack.’
‘I know, but if he was taking a daily dose, we should let the doctor and pathologist know,’ Jessica said, not wanting to reveal her suspicions about Michelle.
‘I’ll get back to you as soon as I’ve had a look,’ Diane said, ending the call.
Sitting at the kitchen table, Jessica started following Anna Travis’s advice and making notes, though it did all feel a bit pointless. She googled potassium and read that it provides electrolytes essential for several body processes, supports nerve and muscle function and helps maintain normal blood pressure. She then looked up potassium overdoses and read that, as Doctor Babu had said, too much potassium in your blood can cause an irregular heartbeat and result in a heart attack. Frustrated by her own lists of queries, she next called the hospital mortuary, asking to speak to Dr Giorgini, explainingit was about Johan De Klerk’s postmortem. She was put on hold and transferred to various departments before she angrily demanded that if Dr Giorgini was there, she urgently needed to speak to her. She hung on as she was informed that Giorgini was examining De Klerk’s body. It was another five minutes before she was able to speak to her.
‘Sorry to bother you, Nicki, but there’s something you might be able to help me with.’
‘Make it quick, Jess. I’m in the middle of De Klerk’s postmortem. Anderson wants the results asap.’
‘This might sound a bit crazy, but could you inject someone with potassium or put it in a drink to bring on a fatal heart attack?’
‘Obviously you’re talking about De Klerk.’
‘Yes. I know what Doctor Babu said, but I find it odd that one minute he’s chatting away, and the next he’s dying. De Klerk had potassium in his bathroom cupboard, but I’m unsure if they were capsules or tablets.’
‘It would take a lot of them to kill him.’
‘I know, but it means his wife, Michelle, had access to them.’
‘In a drink, the potassium might taste bitter or salty. You could crush and dissolve tablets or capsules in water to create a liquid for injection, but you’d have to know what you were doing to make it work slowly until it became lethal. De Klerk has a lot of needle marks on him, some old and some new, but I’ll check for any in unusual places. I need to get back to the mortuary now.’
Jessica knew Giorgini was an exemplary pathologist, and if there was any evidence that Michelle had somehow injected Johan with a lethal dose of potassium, she would find it. But now that she’d brought the idea up, it seemed too far-fetched. Was she just clutching at straws, now that there was no realisticpossibility of proving Michelle was involved in any criminal activity, or was it an emotional reaction to Michelle’s threats?
Diane rang back and told Jessica that Guy had enlarged the section she had filmed and the potassium was quick-release and in tablet form. She asked how many milligrams of potassium were in each capsule, and Diane said 275. She asked Diane to send her a copy of the potassium container and photos of the back and sides so she could see all the details about the manufacturer and daily dosage recommendations. Diane was about to ask some questions, but Jessica asked to speak to Guy, and so she handed the phone to him. Guy immediately asked about the potassium’s relevance, but Jessica interrupted him.
‘I need you to do something for me asap. I want you to review every case Michelle De Klerk has worked on. You might have to go back years, I know.’
‘Christ, she’s been a junior and senior barrister before becoming a KC and must have worked in God knows how many chambers.’
‘I know. Just keep going back and see if there is any case, no matter how long ago, that is connected to hospitals, doctors, surgeries or drugs. Do a word search for potassium in each case and let me know immediately if you get a hit.’
‘Will do.’ She hung up, knowing Guy would do a thorough search. Part of her doubted he would find anything confirming her hunch, but she just couldn’t let it go. She decided to get changed, go to Barking and speak with Anderson and Chapman about her suspicions.
