“So where were you three nights ago when Tasneem Pillay was murdered?” Detective Botha asked.

Danny Ross was big and muscular. Jade expected that lifting crates of apples and bananas was a good workout. He seemed upset about the death of his girlfriend, but Jade had long ago learned that this did not preclude him as the murderer. Many people did things in a moment of passion, and they lived the rest of their lives regretting it.

“I was home, at my place. Tasneem said she was coming over, said she’d bring takeaways. I was waiting for her.”

“What time was that?” Detective Botha asked.

“About seven. I got there at seven. I was late from a delivery. I sent her a text that I was late. I thought I’d find her there already, but she hadn’t arrived. I was sort of happy. Anyway, I turned on the sports channel and waited. I lost track of time and suddenly it was nine and she hadn’t arrived. I phoned and the phone was off so I walked over to her mother’s place. Tasneem wasn’t there either. That’s when we started getting worried.”

“So you hadn’t seen her during the day?” Detective Botha asked.

“No. I was hectic at work. I spoke to her in the morning. She said she wanted to tell me something. I think it was more gossip about that co-worker of hers, the one she and Kopano always gossiped about. Nothing important.”

“Can you think why she’d be over in Hollyland? Does she have friends that side?” Jade asked.

“No. I’ve never heard her talking about going that side.” His eyes suddenly welled up with tears that he brushed away angrily – men didn’t cry in his world. “She was always very cautious, careful about where she walked and all. She even took one of those women’s defence classes.”

“So tell us about your relationship with Tasneem,” Detective Botha said.

“It was good. We were even starting to talk about marriage. Her mother likes me. Her sister too. They’ve had it hard since their father died.”

“Has it always been good?” Jade asked.

“Sure, why?”

“There was an incident at Excel Mobile last month.”

Danny rubbed his head and looked away from them. When he looked back, Jade could tell he was annoyed that they knew about it. “Okay yeah … Tasneem wanted to break-up. But it was nothing.”

“It seemed like something,” Detective Botha said. “The security people had to remove you from the building. You were aggressive, even violent. Were you often violent with Tasneem? Did you get violent with her three nights ago? Maybe she was at Hollyland visiting someone else? Is that what happened?”

“No!” Danny slammed his fist on the table. “It was never like that. Never. That was a one-time thing, it was over. Even by that night it was over. She spent the night by me that night. Tasneem loved me, there was no-one else. She wasn’t like that.”

Jade poured some water for him and waited as he drank and calmed down a bit. “So why did she want to break-up?”

“It was stupid. Someone at her place there said they saw me with another girl. But it wasn’t true. She got really upset the night before and went home to her house angry and wouldn’t take my calls. I needed to talk to her, so I had to go to Excel. I didn’t want it to get like that, all loud and everything. I apologised. I apologised to all of them. We sorted it out. People fight. It happens. But I loved her. I love her.”

He couldn’t stop the tears now and they came out like a deluge. Jade believed him. She believed he loved Tasneem; she wasn’t so sure he didn’t murder her, though.

***

Tell us: What do you think? Could jealousy have caused this murder?