Page 19 of The Scene of the Crime
‘Still working on it. I’ll make it a priority to assess if Mrs De Klerk was on the premises when the crime occurred.’
‘Thanks. I’ll continue speaking to the neighbours and see what else I can learn about the De Klerks,’ Chapman said, walking off.
‘He’s like a little ferret, sniffing around everywhere,’ Diane remarked.
‘That’s his job, isn’t it?’ Taff replied.
‘Do you trust him?’ Diane asked Jessica.
Jessica shrugged. ‘I’m still on the fence . . . but I do know ferrets have a nasty bite.’
CHAPTER SIX
After using different light sources and luminol in the hallway, Diane found further bloodstained partial footprints leading towards the front door. She took photos of the footprints using a scale marker and swabbed them for DNA testing. She also found clearer footmarks on the kitchen floor tiles.
Diane showed Taff the digital photographs. He estimated that someone with size nine to ten feet left the footmarks. ‘From the imprint design, they might be Adidas trainers,’ he said. ‘A footwear database search back at the lab will confirm if I’m right.’ He then returned to the house to continue his scene examination.
Jessica exited the house, holding her iPad, and sat down on the concrete steps by the front door. She removed her mask and latex gloves, placed them neatly beside her, and then made notes of her crime scene assessment and forensic strategy on the iPad. A few minutes later she closed the pad and put it to one side before crossing her legs and sitting upright. She breathed in and exhaled in a controlled manner before closing her eyes and putting her hands, palms up, on her knees.
Diane didn’t see Chapman approaching. ‘What on earth is she doing?’ he asked, making Diane jump.
She turned sharply. ‘Please don’t creep up on me like that.’
‘Sorry. In future, I’ll give you a verbal warning before sneaking up on you.’ He grinned, but Diane didn’t find it funny.‘Is she having a quiet moment?’ he asked, nodding towards Jessica.
‘She uses meditation to help her analyse the course of events. Jessica becomes the criminal and tries to visualise and re-enact everything in her mind.’
‘Like watching a film with her eyes closed?’
Diane nodded, but she wasn’t sure if Chapman was being sarcastic. ‘She once told me, the further backwards you can look, the further forwards you can see.’
Chapman smiled. ‘No offence intended, but that quote, often attributed to Winston Churchill, is incorrect.’
‘Enlighten me then, Mr Know-it-all,’ Diane said curtly.
‘I wasn’t having a dig. I heard someone say it before and googled it. The late Queen used Jessica’s version in a Christmas message to the British Commonwealth . . . so even the highest in the realm get it wrong.’ He cleared his throat and spoke in a low, raspy monotone to mimic Churchill. ‘“The longer you can look back, the further you can look forward” is what he actually said.’
Diane couldn’t help laughing. ‘They mean the same thing . . . and that impression was awful.’
He shrugged. ‘Fair enough. I’ll stick to Sean Connery from now on.’
‘Please, spare me,’ Diane said, holding her hands up.
‘OK, seriously, I’m genuinely interested in Jessica’s thought process and how she works things out.’
Diane wondered if he was just fishing for tidbits he could take back to Anderson but decided to answer anyway. ‘She develops an initial theory by assessing and analysing the scene. Then she considers the criminal’s mode of travel, how they may have entered the house, their actions, motivations and exit route. As the investigation progresses, she assesses any new evidence, forensic results and how they impact her initial theory.She’s also very good at understanding and analysing criminal behaviour.’
‘I’m not criticising, but it doesn’t sound much different from what a good detective does,’ he replied.
‘Do you know many detectives with a first-class honour’s degree in Psychology and Criminology, plus a master’s degree in Investigative Psychology?’ Diane asked.
He rubbed his chin as if in deep thought.
‘I thought not.’
‘What’s she like to work for?’
‘Great. I’ve worked with her on quite a few cases, and believe me, she’s good, if not the best, at what she does. She’s also good at taking on board the advice of others.’
