credence to a totally unsubstantiated allegation against such a prestigious unit as the Médic Ecosse transplant unit, and he really would be asking for trouble. He decided to make the call using his own mobile phone.
Dunbar didn’t hold out much hope of Lisa Fairfax being in on a weekday afternoon. He thought she’d be out at work but, as it turned out, she wasn’t.
‘Hello,’ said a well-modulated voice.
‘Miss Fairfax? My name is Dr Steven Dunbar. I’m sorry to ring you out of the blue like this but I wonder if we might arrange a meeting? I’d like to talk to you about your time at Médic Ecosse Hospital?’
‘Why do you want to see me?’
‘I work for a government department. We investigate allegations of irregularity in patient care.’
‘Do you now?’ said Lisa. ‘You’re a bit late, aren’t you?’
‘Well, you know what they say about wheels that grind slowly: they grind exceeding small,’ said Dunbar. He immediately regretted it; it sounded flippant. ‘I know you must be very busy,’ he continued, ‘but I really would appreciate it if you’d agree to see me.’
‘Busy? I haven’t worked since I left Médic Ecosse,’ said Lisa.
‘I’m sorry. I didn’t realize. Could we talk?’
‘I don’t think so,’ she replied. ‘I said all I had to say at the time and everyone ignored me. Look where it got me! It lost me my job and probably all chances of getting another, if those people at Médic Ecosse have anything to do with it.’
‘I’d like to hear your side of the story,’ said Dunbar.
‘So you can do what? File it under “Ramblings of a neurotic woman” like they did last time? Offer me sympathy and counselling? Patronizing bastards.’ The words were angry but controlled.
‘I can’t say what I’d do until I hear what you have to say,’ replied Dunbar. ‘But if I thought there was any substance to your claims, I promise I’d see they were investigated fully.’
Lisa sounded unconvinced. She said, ‘I really don’t think there’s any point in going through the hassle all over again. It must all be in the files and I simply haven’t the stomach for it any more.’
‘Could that be because you’ve had a change of heart over the matter, Miss Fairfax?’ goaded Dunbar. ‘Maybe you decided that you’d been a bit hasty with your allegations at the time? And now that you’ve had time to think—’
‘No, it couldn’t,’ said Lisa icily. ‘I simply don’t want to go through it all again. It was unpleasant enough last time. Nothing I can say will bring Amy back. She’s dead but I’m alive. I need a job. I need to earn my living.’
‘Was Amy Teasdale special to you, Miss Fairfax?’
Lisa sighed. ‘Not that old thing again. I was not unduly attached to Amy Teasdale. I liked her; she was a nice kid. I was sad when she died. I was always sad when one of the patients died, but that was as far as it went. I’m a professional nurse. These things happen.’
‘Then you worked with children a lot?’
‘Yes. Why d’you ask?’
‘Nothing. I’d still like to meet you.’
‘Look up the files. You’ll find everything you need there.’
‘I’m not interested in the files. I’m conducting an investigation on my own. No one else up here is involved, and you have my word that everything you say will be kept absolutely confidential.’
‘I really don’t know,’ said Lisa uncertainly.
‘Why don’t I buy you dinner and we can talk while we eat?’
‘No,’ she replied quickly. ‘You’d have to come here.’
‘All right. Where’s that?’
She gave him her address and he pretended to write it down. He didn’t want to give away that he already knew where she lived from the Sci-Med file on her. ‘When can I come? Tonight?’
‘I suppose that would be as good as any other time,’ replied Lisa.
‘About eight?’
‘Very well.’
Lisa Fairfax lived in a sandstone block of flats off the Dumbarton Road, the arterial road that leads out from
Dunbar didn’t hold out much hope of Lisa Fairfax being in on a weekday afternoon. He thought she’d be out at work but, as it turned out, she wasn’t.
‘Hello,’ said a well-modulated voice.
‘Miss Fairfax? My name is Dr Steven Dunbar. I’m sorry to ring you out of the blue like this but I wonder if we might arrange a meeting? I’d like to talk to you about your time at Médic Ecosse Hospital?’
‘Why do you want to see me?’
‘I work for a government department. We investigate allegations of irregularity in patient care.’
‘Do you now?’ said Lisa. ‘You’re a bit late, aren’t you?’
‘Well, you know what they say about wheels that grind slowly: they grind exceeding small,’ said Dunbar. He immediately regretted it; it sounded flippant. ‘I know you must be very busy,’ he continued, ‘but I really would appreciate it if you’d agree to see me.’
‘Busy? I haven’t worked since I left Médic Ecosse,’ said Lisa.
‘I’m sorry. I didn’t realize. Could we talk?’
‘I don’t think so,’ she replied. ‘I said all I had to say at the time and everyone ignored me. Look where it got me! It lost me my job and probably all chances of getting another, if those people at Médic Ecosse have anything to do with it.’
‘I’d like to hear your side of the story,’ said Dunbar.
‘So you can do what? File it under “Ramblings of a neurotic woman” like they did last time? Offer me sympathy and counselling? Patronizing bastards.’ The words were angry but controlled.
‘I can’t say what I’d do until I hear what you have to say,’ replied Dunbar. ‘But if I thought there was any substance to your claims, I promise I’d see they were investigated fully.’
Lisa sounded unconvinced. She said, ‘I really don’t think there’s any point in going through the hassle all over again. It must all be in the files and I simply haven’t the stomach for it any more.’
‘Could that be because you’ve had a change of heart over the matter, Miss Fairfax?’ goaded Dunbar. ‘Maybe you decided that you’d been a bit hasty with your allegations at the time? And now that you’ve had time to think—’
‘No, it couldn’t,’ said Lisa icily. ‘I simply don’t want to go through it all again. It was unpleasant enough last time. Nothing I can say will bring Amy back. She’s dead but I’m alive. I need a job. I need to earn my living.’
‘Was Amy Teasdale special to you, Miss Fairfax?’
Lisa sighed. ‘Not that old thing again. I was not unduly attached to Amy Teasdale. I liked her; she was a nice kid. I was sad when she died. I was always sad when one of the patients died, but that was as far as it went. I’m a professional nurse. These things happen.’
‘Then you worked with children a lot?’
‘Yes. Why d’you ask?’
‘Nothing. I’d still like to meet you.’
‘Look up the files. You’ll find everything you need there.’
‘I’m not interested in the files. I’m conducting an investigation on my own. No one else up here is involved, and you have my word that everything you say will be kept absolutely confidential.’
‘I really don’t know,’ said Lisa uncertainly.
‘Why don’t I buy you dinner and we can talk while we eat?’
‘No,’ she replied quickly. ‘You’d have to come here.’
‘All right. Where’s that?’
She gave him her address and he pretended to write it down. He didn’t want to give away that he already knew where she lived from the Sci-Med file on her. ‘When can I come? Tonight?’
‘I suppose that would be as good as any other time,’ replied Lisa.
‘About eight?’
‘Very well.’
Lisa Fairfax lived in a sandstone block of flats off the Dumbarton Road, the arterial road that leads out from
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