husband at the time of the Northern Health Scheme?’
‘He was a minister. Lots of people.’
‘No inner circle?’
‘Paul Schreiber, I suppose. I think he was in charge of pharmaceuticals. And Gordon Field, the hospital manager.’
‘No one else?’
‘I’m not sure if you could call her inner circle, but a very unpleasant woman named Freeman kept popping up. She was the wife of a surgeon at the hospital but she behaved as if she had some kind of official position, although I never worked out what exactly. The others were very respectful towards her.’
‘Lady Antonia Freeman,’ said Steven.
‘That’s right. Do you know her?’
‘She’s dead. So is Charles French.’
Melissa swallowed. ‘I knew about Charles.’
‘These “things” that your husband said he knew. Are you absolutely sure you don’t know what he was referring to?’
‘Positive. He’d never mentioned anything like that before.’
‘Good.’
Melissa looked surprised, but then she understood. ‘You mean there are some things it’s better not to know?’
‘Enjoy your holiday.’
Steven left Markham House feeling satisfied with what he’d established. He called Jean Roberts from the car. ‘Jean, I need as much information as you can dig up on two people from the old Northern Health Scheme: Paul Schreiber and Gordon Field. Schreiber was concerned with the supply of medicines, and Field was the manager of College Hospital at the time.’
‘I’ll see what I can do, but—’
‘It was a long time ago. Yes, I know. Do your best. I also need more information about the people who died in Paris – not French or Freeman, the others.’
‘Very well. Have you heard how Sir John is?’
‘Not yet. I’ll let you know.’
First Steven called Charlie Malloy. ‘I know this isn’t your bag, Charlie, but I’m beginning to have doubts about John Carlisle’s suicide. Any chance of someone taking a discreet look at the circumstances surrounding it – and I mean discreet?’
‘You know, Dunbar, I’m beginning to wish you hadn’t come back,’ joked Malloy. ‘I’ll see what I can do. What exactly’s your problem with it?’
‘His jump-off point. According to his wife, his feet were about five feet off the ground. That meant he had to have come off the top rail of a horse stall. There was no chair or ladder around so he would have required considerable arm strength to get up there. If he’d been a fit Royal Marine, fair enough, but he wasn’t.’
‘I’m not sure how we could prove something like that now,’ said Malloy.
‘We couldn’t. So if nothing comes of your foraging maybe we’ll just keep it as our secret.’
‘Fair enough. Let’s both forget we just said that.’
Steven called the hospital and was told that John Macmillan was stable and comfortable. He had not been allowed to regain full consciousness yet. That would probably happen tomorrow. ‘Good luck, old son,’ he murmured as hung up.
ELEVEN
Steven did not make much progress over the next three weeks. The information which Jean came up with on the Paris flat victims only served to confirm Charlie Malloy’s cursory assessment of them: two names in the business world, a merchant banker and a senior civil servant. None of them had a criminal record or had been associated with any scandal considered newsworthy by the press.
Paul Schreiber, however, had thrown up a more interesting CV. He had been head of a pharmaceutical company before being implicated in a price-fixing scam and forced to resign. He had remained as a major shareholder in the company, Lander Pharmaceuticals, with a big say in its running. He had been responsible for supplying the medicines requested by Charles French’s software. He had died in a fire along with a male nurse in the pharmacy department of College Hospital.
Gordon Field, the hospital manager, also had a bit of a shady past, having had some involvement with a dodgy PR company before reinventing himself
‘He was a minister. Lots of people.’
‘No inner circle?’
‘Paul Schreiber, I suppose. I think he was in charge of pharmaceuticals. And Gordon Field, the hospital manager.’
‘No one else?’
‘I’m not sure if you could call her inner circle, but a very unpleasant woman named Freeman kept popping up. She was the wife of a surgeon at the hospital but she behaved as if she had some kind of official position, although I never worked out what exactly. The others were very respectful towards her.’
‘Lady Antonia Freeman,’ said Steven.
‘That’s right. Do you know her?’
‘She’s dead. So is Charles French.’
Melissa swallowed. ‘I knew about Charles.’
‘These “things” that your husband said he knew. Are you absolutely sure you don’t know what he was referring to?’
‘Positive. He’d never mentioned anything like that before.’
‘Good.’
Melissa looked surprised, but then she understood. ‘You mean there are some things it’s better not to know?’
‘Enjoy your holiday.’
Steven left Markham House feeling satisfied with what he’d established. He called Jean Roberts from the car. ‘Jean, I need as much information as you can dig up on two people from the old Northern Health Scheme: Paul Schreiber and Gordon Field. Schreiber was concerned with the supply of medicines, and Field was the manager of College Hospital at the time.’
‘I’ll see what I can do, but—’
‘It was a long time ago. Yes, I know. Do your best. I also need more information about the people who died in Paris – not French or Freeman, the others.’
‘Very well. Have you heard how Sir John is?’
‘Not yet. I’ll let you know.’
First Steven called Charlie Malloy. ‘I know this isn’t your bag, Charlie, but I’m beginning to have doubts about John Carlisle’s suicide. Any chance of someone taking a discreet look at the circumstances surrounding it – and I mean discreet?’
‘You know, Dunbar, I’m beginning to wish you hadn’t come back,’ joked Malloy. ‘I’ll see what I can do. What exactly’s your problem with it?’
‘His jump-off point. According to his wife, his feet were about five feet off the ground. That meant he had to have come off the top rail of a horse stall. There was no chair or ladder around so he would have required considerable arm strength to get up there. If he’d been a fit Royal Marine, fair enough, but he wasn’t.’
‘I’m not sure how we could prove something like that now,’ said Malloy.
‘We couldn’t. So if nothing comes of your foraging maybe we’ll just keep it as our secret.’
‘Fair enough. Let’s both forget we just said that.’
Steven called the hospital and was told that John Macmillan was stable and comfortable. He had not been allowed to regain full consciousness yet. That would probably happen tomorrow. ‘Good luck, old son,’ he murmured as hung up.
ELEVEN
Steven did not make much progress over the next three weeks. The information which Jean came up with on the Paris flat victims only served to confirm Charlie Malloy’s cursory assessment of them: two names in the business world, a merchant banker and a senior civil servant. None of them had a criminal record or had been associated with any scandal considered newsworthy by the press.
Paul Schreiber, however, had thrown up a more interesting CV. He had been head of a pharmaceutical company before being implicated in a price-fixing scam and forced to resign. He had remained as a major shareholder in the company, Lander Pharmaceuticals, with a big say in its running. He had been responsible for supplying the medicines requested by Charles French’s software. He had died in a fire along with a male nurse in the pharmacy department of College Hospital.
Gordon Field, the hospital manager, also had a bit of a shady past, having had some involvement with a dodgy PR company before reinventing himself
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