On Prescription Only: To Expose The Truth, She Must First Stay Alive

By Julia Harrison

It was just another busy day for Sister Morag Kelly at The Highfield General Hospital, a vey large teaching hospital where she had worked for over twenty years. But life was about to change forever when Morag and a new consultant Mr Simon McClymont uncover strange goings on within the hospital and its board of directors, people disappearing, drug rapes, who would be next...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Julia Harrison
• Release date: Apr 8, 2021
• ISBN: 9780995568242

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

It was the start of a typical day at Highfield General Hospital – medical staff were changing shifts, the car parks were starting to fill up and consultants were checking their patient lists with their secretaries. One consultant arriving early that day was Mr Giles Hoard-Letchman, Head of Surgery. Whilst very confident in his field and a very good surgeon, Giles was rude, arrogant and demanding to most who knew him and worked with him. However, from a professional point of view, if one was lucky enough to work under him it would, in time, give them a good start in the medical profession.

Sister Morag Kelly was in charge of one of the surgical wards where patients were cared for before and after operations, and she was often in contact with Giles as well as the other consultants. That morning, Morag noticed Giles coming out of one of the bays in a side ward talking to Nurse Katrina. As she watched, Giles handed Katrina something that she quickly put in her pocket. Morag decided to stand behind a mobile medicine cabinet, just out of their sight. This conversation is not as professional as it should be, Morag thought, there’s something going on between these two.

Giles then walked off down the corridor in a hurry, thinking that nobody had noticed, and Katrina went about her business. Morag followed Giles, staying a few yards behind him. When he noticed her, he quickly got his mobile out and pretended to talk on it.

‘Good morning again, Mr Hoard-Letchman,’ said Morag. ‘You are lucky. You’re the very first person I’ve ever met who is able to pick up a signal on your mobile despite the MR scanner next door. It interferes with signals and I’ve never known anyone else ever be able to take a call nearby. What network are you on?’

‘Er… Total-Phone,’ he replied.

‘Oh, that’s my network provider and I can’t get a signal here. Just goes to show, I need an upgrade.’

Giles stared at Morag, visibly irritated by her remark.

‘Some of us have a job to do,’ he said, red-faced and embarrassed. ‘I can’t stand around talking, not like some.’

Giles walked off towards another surgical ward and Morag smiled to herself as she watched him go. Liar, she thought.

Morag did not see Giles again that day until she noticed him getting into his car late in the afternoon.

‘Are you coming to the party tonight, Giles?’ called his colleague, Ross Wilkinson, also a consultant, across the car park. ‘It could be a good night. One of our theatre nurses is getting married and having a bit of a do over at the nurses’ home this evening. You’re invited.’

‘Okay, I’ll talk to the wife. I’ll meet you at the nurses’ home later,’ Giles replied.

At home, in the kitchen, Giles made a quick sandwich. His wife, Tiffany, was sitting on one of the kitchen stools reading a magazine.

‘Are you sure you won’t come?’ he asked around a mouth full of bread.

‘It’s not really my thing,’ said Tiffany. ‘Medical folk talking shop all night – I can think of better things to do with my time. You go, but don’t do anything I wouldn’t do… all those nurses.’

‘I will be the perfect gentleman,’ Giles smiled.

‘There is nothing that you would not do,’ retorted Tiffany. ‘Just be careful, and if you can’t, don’t get caught.’

‘Do I ever?’ replied Giles.

After a quick shower, Giles dressed, ready for the party. On his way out of the house, Tiffany pushed a packet into his pocket. ‘You never know, better safe than sorry,’ she said.

‘Thanks,’ he replied, smiling down at the condoms as she patted the pocket. ‘You think of everything. I better go in the cellar and get some wine too. Best not to go empty handed.’

‘What’s she like, this bride-to-be?’ Tiffany asked, tucking a strand of her short black hair behind her ear.

‘She’s called Mia. She’s from Finland and she’s a good nurse. She’s marrying one of the A&E doctors. I’ve met him a few times. He is called Fraser MacKay, a Scot from Inverness. I think he is on duty tonight. She’s alright. She has assisted in a few of my operations.’

‘I take it you’re not coming back tonight then?’ Tiffany nodded at his overnight bag by the door.

‘No, I will stay over at Ross’s, then I can have a drink.’ As Giles left, he gave Tiffany a quick kiss on the cheek. ‘See you tomorrow.’

Tiffany watched him leave, then she remembered the guy was coming about the extension around eight that evening, so she ran upstairs to shower and wash her hair before he arrived. Being with her horses all day had made her feel grubby.

Tiffany was just about to get into her tracksuit, when the doorbell rang. It was the architect, who had arrived half an hour early.

‘Hello, I’m Mark Cawthwin. I spoke to your husband about the plans,’ he said at the door.

Tiffany, dressed only in her bathrobe, smiled. ‘You’d better come in. I will go and get something on.’ Tiffany enjoyed playing teasing games with men that she did not know all that well, but Mark was one of her friend’s husbands and this little game gave her great amusement because she had never met Mark before and only knew his wife, Sadie, through the golf club.

As he walked inside, Mark said, ‘I believe you are the star golf player, according to my wife.’

‘Yes, I suppose I am! Would you like to see my hole-in-one?’

‘Show me.’

‘It’s upstairs, you will have to come up here,’ she smiled, ‘that’s if you really want to see it.’

He walked up behind her towards the small trophy on the windowsill at the top of the stairs. As he stood looking at the other trophies she had won, she walked into her bedroom, leaving the door ajar. She slipped out of her bathrobe and sat on the bed naked. At that moment, Mark walked into her bedroom and started to get undressed. Minutes later, Tiffany sighed in pleasure as Mark’s hands expertly caressed her naked skin as they lay entwinned on the bed. Tiffany rolled over and rummaged in the bedside drawer, then handed Mark a set of handcuffs.

‘I like to be tied up,’ she breathed huskily. ‘It’s a pity Giles is not here; he likes to watch.’

‘So does Sadie,’ Mark replied as he kissed at her neck. ‘She is very adventurous.’

An hour later, Mark and Tiffany showered and dressed.

‘Right, what about your extension?’ Mark asked, as they walked downstairs into the kitchen and the old play room.

‘This is where we are going to extend,’ Tiffany replied.

After going through a few cups of coffee and some croissants, Mark collected his briefcase and jacket and bid Tiffany goodnight. Tiffany closed the door behind him and went to turn the TV on. A good fuck and a good film, that’s all I need, she thought. She looked at Mark’s plans, she would see him again in a week or so, then she settled down for her night in, opening a bottle of wine to eat with her deep pan pizza before heading off to bed. As she lay in bed reading, with the TV on in the background, the phone rang – it was Giles.

‘I’ve just rung to say goodnight,’ he said. ‘We’ve been to the pub and we are going on to the party now. See you tomorrow, love you, night-night!’

Giles walked into the nurses’ home and headed for the communal kitchen where people were laughing and talking. He placed a crate of wine that he had brought from home on the floor by a table. This should make things go with a swing, he thought. There are going to be some hangovers tomorrow. Just at that moment, the bride-to-be, Mia, arrived. She had the longest legs that Giles had ever seen, a real beauty in her short blue fitted dress with her long hair falling to her waist – so different to when she was in her nurse’s uniform, all prim and proper.

As Giles watched Mia talking to different people and accepting gifts, he thought, one last fling would do her no harm. Ross came up to Giles, both were watching Mia.

‘I bet you cannot bed the bride-to-be,’ said Ross.

‘Oh, I bet I can,’ replied Giles. ‘One hundred pounds says I’ll have her by the end of the night.’

‘I was only joking,’ exclaimed Ross.

As the party started to swing, Katrina came in with a bag and started handing little packets around discretely –uppers and downers, as she called them. Mia came over to Giles and Ross.

‘Thank you for the towels and reading lamps,’ she said shyly.

‘I hope they’re okay, our wives bought them,’ said Giles. ‘We don’t make good shoppers; shopping is something women are born to do and our wives seem to do it very well most days.’

‘They will look lovely in our new home,’ Mia replied, smiling.

As she wandered off to talk to more people, leaving her drink on the side, Giles quickly looked around and then popped a couple of pills from his pocket into her drink.

‘What are they?’ asked Ross.

‘Oh, the old faithful, Rohypnol. I love it when women drink red wine, it dissolves so much quicker. I always use this drug.’

On her return, Mia smiled and collected her drink. Giles and Ross looked on.

‘That was easy,’ said Ross, ‘I think I will try that one.’

‘What about Katrina?’ asked Giles.

‘Oh, no problem, she is anybody’s anyway, you don’t need to drug her. I think I’ll go for Tara, Dr Howard’s wife. I quite fancy little Rose, but she does not seem to be here.’

A short while later, Mia began to feel light-headed and stumbled towards the door where Giles was stood.

‘I don’t feel too well,’ she said, rubbing at her temples.

‘You’re drunk,’ Giles replied. ‘I’ll help you.’

‘No, I’ve only had two drinks and I drink cherryade. I’ve been too busy talking to people.’

‘I think you should lie down; you’ll be okay in a little while,’ he said as he helped her to her room. She fell onto the bed and he began to undress her, then she started to come around.

‘What are you doing?’ she asked, trying to pull away but she had very little strength.

Giles started to take his trousers off and then pulled up her dress.

‘No, please!’ she begged, unable to move whilst Giles did what he wanted to her body for what felt like forever.

An hour later, Giles finally got up and dressed himself. As he walked towards the door, he turned back to look at Mia, still semi-dressed and unable to move, and tears running down her face.

‘What’s your problem?’ he asked angrily. ‘You wanted it.’

There was nothing Mia could do as he closed the door behind him and returned to the party like nothing had happened.

As Mia’s strength slowly began to return, she got up, trembling, and walked out of her room, past the people who were still partying, and made her way towards the door. Giles gave her a sarcastic stare and a smug smile as she went past.

‘You owe me a hundred pounds,’ Giles told Ross. ‘Here is her G-string!’

‘You did it? Let’s hope she doesn’t remember in the morning.’

‘We have not come here to party,’ said Giles, ‘we have come here to get laid. Partying is what we do with our own social set. Viagra and Rohypnol are like Bonnie and Clyde, they work well together, they are a great tool.’

‘I know, I took a couple myself. Now where is Katrina? I need Katrina.’

Later on, as he walked towards the sofa, Giles noticed Katrina sat talking to one of the orderlies. Katrina handed him a drink.

‘It’s a fun party, said Giles, ‘although Mia seemed upset, probably had a row with hubby-to-be or something. Karl, the orderly, saw her running back to the hospital, screaming her head off. Has she taken anything like one of your little surprise tablets?’

‘Oh no,’ replied Katrina. ‘Mia is very anti-drugs, we call her milkshake. Rumour has it she’s still a virgin, very into God. She was on cherryade all night, unless somebody spiked her drink. Oh God, I hope not, she will be over there having her precious Fraser doing blood and DNA tests as we speak.’

Just at that moment the penny dropped and Giles realised what could be happening. Rohypnol will show up in her blood test. Oh God, he thought.

‘I have to have a word with Ross,’ he said, his head beginning to spin.

‘Don’t bother, he went home ten minutes ago,’ said Katrina, ‘one of his kids was ill. His wife is staying with her sick mother and the nanny was worried, so she called him.’

Giles grabbed at Katrina’s arm. ‘If anyone asks just say I was with you all night, I never left your side. Okay?’

‘Yes,’ replied Katrina, ‘but I have hardly seen you at all.’

‘If anyone asks, just do it,’ snapped Giles.

‘You can stay at mine tonight,’ said Katrina.

‘No, I will go home, I need some sleep.’

CHAPTER 2

Giles thought about what had happened as he drove home. She was hitting on me; I didn’t chase her. Ross is my witness. And Katrina will say whatever I tell her to say – she may be a slag, but she is a very loyal slag.

Giles drove through his electric gates and into his driveway. The lights came on. He opened the front door and the alarm started bleeping.

‘Oh shit,’ he said.

Tiffany came running out of the bedroom. ‘What are you doing home? I thought you were coming home tomorrow?’

‘I was, but I don’t feel very well.’

‘Pissed, are we?’ she remarked, ‘don’t forget to lock up. I’m going back to bed, what time is it?’

Giles looked at his wrist and then realised that his Rolex was missing. He remembered taking it off when he was in Mia’s room. I thought I’d put it in my pocket. As he felt in his pocket all he found was the unopened packet of condoms that Tiffany had given him earlier and the G-string belonging to Mia, but no watch, or mobile for that matter. This would trace his whereabouts if anything was said.

‘Are you coming to bed?’ asked Tiffany.

‘No, not yet. I need to call Katrina; I think I’ve left my office keys at the party and I need them tomorrow?’

‘It’s two in the morning, she’s probably in bed. You can always ask security to let you in with their pass key. When I was on reception, GPs and consultants were always leaving their keys at home – you used to do it a lot when I first met you. I swear you would forget your head if it was not connected to your body.’

Giles went downstairs to phone Katrina but there was no reply, just her voicemail. He left a message.

‘Call me at home,’ he said, ‘I have to talk to you… urgently!’

The next morning, Katrina phoned Giles.

‘Where the hell have you been?’ he snapped. ‘I needed to talk to you!’

‘We have all been at the police station all night,’ she replied. ‘It was four-thirty-five in the morning before the police left the nurses’ home according to Dave, the night-watchman. Fingerprints, you name it. Mia was raped and everyone who was at the party has been questioned. You left before the police came so I tried to call you, but you did not answer your mobile. I could hardly call your wife, I don’t suppose she knows about our arrangement, does she?’

‘How is Mia? She looked drunk when I saw her last.’

‘Her mother, brother and sister are coming over from Finland, but according to the police she remembers the attack. Fraser is at her side, he won’t let it drop, but she is very dazed at the moment. I’ll know more tomorrow. I’ve got rid of all the gear so they won’t find anything here. Anyway, we have this rather nice policeman outside, so we are all very safe. I think this will put an end to parties at the nurses’ home for a while though.’

‘When I helped Mia to her room because she was feeling unwell, I think I left my watch in there and maybe my mobile. Could you have a look? Emma was with me, but she was a little drunk so she may not remember it.’

‘I would, my darling Giles, but her room has been sealed off. Nobody is allowed in there until the police have finished their investigation.’

Giles was starting to sweat.

‘Anyway,’ Katrina continued, ‘I’m really tired now. I’ll see you tomorrow, bye.’

Tiffany had listened to the whole conversation on the phone in her bedroom with her hand over the receiver. ‘I’m just taking a quick shower,’ said Giles as he came upstairs. After half an hour, Tiffany shouted to him, asking if he wanted to talk about it. Giles came out of the en suite.

‘I know you better than anyone,’ said Tiffany. ‘What happened? Did you have sex and now she is crying rape?’

‘Something like that.’

‘Oh, well at least you took precautions. You did, didn’t you?’

‘Well, no, I sort of got carried away.’

‘Stupid, stupid, stupid. How can you do that? I put the fucking things in your pocket for God’s sake. What are we going to do now? Who else were you with?’

‘Ross Wilkinson, Tom Goodyear, Katrina and, well, just about everyone, but Ross had to leave just after Mia went to lie down.’

‘Right, as everyone was either high or drunk nobody will have noticed you missing.’

‘I will say you were home at eleven and that we were watching TV together.’

‘What about my watch and mobile?’

‘Just say someone stole them and planted them in Mia’s room, if that’s where you think they are.’

‘Do you think I raped her?’

‘No, you don’t need to rape anyone. She should be grateful a top consultant wanted her, if only for sex. Was she good?’

‘Can’t remember, it was over a bit quick.’

‘As long as we stick to our story, everything will be okay.’

Later, as Giles was eating breakfast, the doorbell rang. Tiffany answered the door. It was the police.

‘Mrs Hoard-Letchman?’ asked Charlie Reynolds, one of the officers.

‘Yes.’

‘We would like to speak to your husband.’

‘Do you have a warrant?’

‘Do we need one?’ replied Officer Reynolds.

‘Come in, he is in the kitchen.’

‘Mr Hoard-Letchman, we would like to ask you some questions down at the station about an accusation of the sexual assault of a young lady, whose party we believe you and your friends attended last night. We feel you may be able to help us with our investigation. You can come willingly or we can get a warrant. You are not under arrest but your assistance would be of some help.’

Tiffany looked nervously at her husband. ‘I’ll call Daddy, he will know what to do.’

Giles collected his jacket and got into the unmarked police car. Just at that moment, Gillian, Tiffany’s cleaner, arrived. As she walked past the police officers she said, ‘Good morning, Charlie. What are you doing here?’

‘Oh, police business,’ he replied.

Watching from the doorway, Tiffany’s face fell. ‘I employ you to clean my house, not chit chat.’

‘I can and will say good morning to who I please, good manners cost nothing,’ Gillian replied. ‘That police officer happens to be my son.’ She quickly walked past Tiffany to hang her coat up.

‘I’m sorry,’ Tiffany replied, closing the door and turning to her. ‘There is a problem at the hospital and Giles is one of the witnesses. I suppose your son will tell you the rest.’

‘I doubt it, we make it a rule never to discuss his work and he is not allowed to talk about cases, just like your husband and his medical work. Confidentiality rules and all that apply to the police as well. My son is very loyal to his job, he never breaks the law and really goes after them that do.’

The phone rang – it was Tiffany’s father, Jack Black. ‘What is the problem? I got a message from Laura to say Giles had been taken in for questioning about an assault on a nurse during a party. I don’t believe it? What is he doing going to those sorts of parties anyway?’

‘Aren’t they the sort of parties you used to go to?’ responded Tiffany. ‘I believe you met Mummy at one.’

‘That was different, the parties were a bit better run then than they are now. We all had to leave the nurses’ homes by ten or a great big fat matron would throw everyone out, then bolt the door. Anyway, about Giles, I will call Gordon Smith, our family solicitor, he will get any charges written off if there are any. I’m sure it’s just a misunderstanding. What is the nurse’s name? Maybe if I had a word with her she would withdraw her statement. I’m sure when people have too much to drink things can accidentally get out of hand.’

After her father’s call, Tiffany went upstairs to shower and get dressed. She came down an hour later, dressed to the nines, and told Gillian she was just popping over to the hospital to see someone. An hour later, Gordon Smith rang.

‘Tiffany has gone to see someone at the hospital,’ said Gillian.

‘Not the nurse?’ asked Gordon.

‘What nurse?’

‘Oh, it doesn’t matter, I will call her on her mobile.’

Gillian noticed Tiffany’s mobile on the table. ‘No, you won’t, she has forgotten to take it with her. It’s here, on the table. I know she is calling to collect some flowers and a card on her way. I know some young surgical nurse is getting married soon, Tiffany told me about it last week when she was looking for her cheque book. I think Giles and Tiffany were going to give her a cheque for a wedding gift, or something like that. Anyway, I’m sure it will come as a nice surprise.’

‘Yes,’ said Gordon, ‘I will ring her later, thank you.’ He realised what Tiffany was doing and rang her father.

‘I believe that your daughter has made this situation a whole lot worse,’ Gordon told Jack Black. ‘Giles could go down for this and she has gone to visit the nurse who this is all about.’

‘Well, a friendly chat cannot do any harm,’ replied Jack.

‘How does interfering and harassing a victim of sexual assault sound? Offering her money in return for withholding information?’

‘It would be a gift. The nurse would keep her job and, as difficult as it would be for him, Giles’ professional reputation would not be affected. All could be forgotten. Anyway, according to my daughter, they were at home together when this so-called assault took place, so he has an alibi. Laura, Giles’ secretary, phoned to say that Giles had called her and he wanted you to represent him against some false charges. Some nurse is trying to screw money out of him and, when he said no, she cried rape.’

Gordon made his way to the police station to see Giles, feeling very uncertain about the accusation. With the present statement, things were looking bad. Not just for Giles, though, but also for Tiffany who was an accessory to perverting the course of justice.

Giles had a cocky attitude. ‘Nobody will pin this on me,’ he said to Gordon. ‘I know too many people. Who is going to believe a slag of a nurse against a top surgeon like myself? Now get me off!’ he snapped at Gordon.

‘No, you can get yourself another solicitor this time,’ Gordon replied, angrily. ‘As you say, you have enough money, so buy one. Unlike you, I still have scruples; you don’t buy them, you’re born with them.’

As Gordon got up to leave, Giles shouted, ‘Who needs a third-rate solicitor?’

Gordon looked round. ‘You do,’ he said. Gordon left the room and headed for home. He went past the hospital, which was near to the police headquarters. On the hospital car park he saw Tiffany’s Range Rover. Now there is a woman who definitely knows how to help her husband, Gordon thought. He then saw Morag getting into her car and driving out of the main entrance. As he drove up behind her, she noticed him in her mirror. Gordon flashed his lights and they pulled into the car park of a local shop.

‘May I speak to you, Morag?’ Gordon asked as he walked over to her car.

‘I don’t know what you could possibly have to say that would be of any interest to me,’ she replied out of her window.

‘Well, I have something to tell you.’

‘Very well…’

Gordon climbed into the passenger seat. ‘I have been asked to represent Giles Hoard-Letchman, who is on a drug-rape charge. The victim is a young nurse.’

‘I know. We had a disagreement over claims with Giles once before and he was cleared.’ Morag looked away. ‘I believe he was guilty then and I believe he is now. The nurse involved this time is honest, truthful and very hard-working. She had everything going for her until that animal did this to her and someone like you will let him run free to do it again. I don’t know how you sleep at night. Get out of my car.’

‘Giles is an animal and I will not be taking his case,’ said Gordon. ‘I realise now that he was guilty then too. I saw it in his eyes, the same look as I saw once before when I represented him. At the time, a part of me did not want to believe it, but this time I’m sure. His arrogance will be a part of his downfall. I can’t do anything about the past now, but I can do something about the future. But I have a feeling that with all the evidence the police have he will not be walking away this time.’

‘Giles said he has an alibi; he was with his wife at the time of the assault.’

‘That’s funny, when the police searched Mia’s room at the nurses’ home, they found his Rolex and mobile phone. And a nurse called Katrina has given him an alibi to say he was with her all night. I don’t know how one can be in two places at the same time.’

‘This hospital seems to think it’s possible,’ remarked Morag.

‘Thank you for talking to me, I’m glad we could clear the air. There is one thing you could do for me, Sister Kelly.’

‘Yes?’

‘Tell Mia that if she needs legal representation then I would be more than happy to take this case on, and win. It would be a no-win, no-fee; I am more than confident about this case.’

The next morning Morag went onto the ward and looked at the rosters.

‘Where is Katrina, she should be here?’

‘Oh,’ said Rose, ‘she has been suspended and arrested. Something to do with that party over at the nurses’ home. Amphetamines were found in her car and they were believed to have been taken from the hospital. It does not look like Hoard-Letchman can save her now, he is in the slammer.’

‘The slammer? That’s very Americanised. I’d prefer a sewer.’

‘Morag, that’s terrible.’

‘It is Giles Hoard-Letchman we’re talking about?’

Rose smiled, ‘Yes, a sewer would be most suitable for him.’

‘I will go and see Mia; she needs cheering up. I’ve brought her some fruit and chocolate.’

‘Oh, she has had some beautiful flowers delivered from a well-wisher, must have cost the earth, and a card containing five grand in cash.’

Morag rushed in to see Mia, who was still very bruised. She saw the flowers and a card that simply said ‘Get well soon!’ A well-wisher, she thought, yet Mia has no idea who sent them.

‘Did she sign anything?’ Morag asked Rose who followed behind her.

‘No, not that I saw. A policewoman came to talk to Mia and the woman who delivered the flowers left very quickly. She did have something in her hand, but pushed it back into her handbag. Mia was a bit tired and half asleep. Fraser was also with her this morning; he is taking all this very badly.’

‘What was the woman like?’

‘Tall, black-bobbed haircut, slim, snooty – a too much money and too much time sort of woman. My mum used to say someone who knows the price of everything but the value of nothing. I’ve never seen her before, but I’ve only been here six months.’

‘Well, all I can say is you came face-to-face with Hoard-Letchman’s wife. Now there is a woman who is frightened to death of losing her status. She is desperate to hang onto him and is using everything she has in order to do so.’

Mia looked drained as she spoke in a quiet, gentle voice. ‘She wanted me to sign a letter. I asked what it was and she told me it was just a release form from Morag as I was taking time off work. I said I needed Fraser to read it. She said I should not bother him – that it had to be signed straight away and it could not wait. That’s when Nurse Rose came in with some get-well cards.’

‘I never sent anything for you to sign and if there was I would bring it to you myself,’ said Morag. ‘You must not sign anything from people you don’t know. I will inform the police straight away. There is one person I think you should meet, though. A solicitor who would like to defend you when this goes to court. His name is Gordon Smith and he defended Hoard-Letchman on another accusation of alleged assault. He got away with it then due to insufficient evidence. Gordon defended him and won.’

‘Then why should I have this solicitor?’

‘Because now Gordon thinks Giles is guilty. He has seen what the police have on record and the way that Giles and Tiffany – not forgetting her father, Mr Black, too – are behaving at the moment. I understand what you are going through, Mia. About thirty years ago, I knew a nurse at this hospital. She was twenty-two and she was on a night shift. It was four in the morning and she was doing a ward check.

‘A Dr Black was the doctor on duty that night. He was good looking and a bit of a flirt – a jack the lad as they call it these days. He had many girlfriends, but this nurse did not fancy him. He was okay to talk to; but not a social friend, just a work colleague. They had some pretty wild parties over at the nurses’ home and a few of them even decided to find digs in the town. That night I complained, er, I mean, the nurse complained of a headache and Black Jack, as we all called him, said he would get her a couple of aspirin. One of the patients woke up so she got her a drink of warm milk while Black Jack went to the medicine cabinet for the tablets.

‘On his return, Black Jack gave the nurse some tablets and a glass of water. She took them, but half an hour later she started to feel very light-headed and could not stand up. He just smiled at her. When she woke up, she was in a bed at the top of the ward, in one of the side rooms. They did not really use the side wards, only for storage. She started to feel shaky and knew something bad had happened. My uniform, sorry, I mean her uniform had been removed at some point because the buttons were not in the right button holes and even her pants were on back to front, like someone had dressed her in a hurry. Her black tights were nowhere to be seen.

‘When she got out of the bed, she noticed a blood stain and knew then what had happened. She was a virgin up until then but, in those days, we did not have DNA or rape counsellors and we did not really have anyone to talk to. It’s different now, you will get through this and I will help you the best that I can.

‘Two months later, I, sorry, she, found she was pregnant. She went to stay with relatives in Scotland because in those days it was frowned upon to be pregnant out of wedlock. I don’t know what happened to the little girl, born on Christmas day. She was adopted and I was never allowed to see her.’ Morag’s face froze for a few moments as she remembered her ordeal.

Mia looked deep into Morag’s eyes. ‘How did you ever come to terms with something like that?’ she asked.

‘It took a long time, but I met my husband, Peter, and went on to have my boys. I told Peter what had happened. I thought he would not want to see me again, but he said it made no difference. He said his feelings for me were so very strong. Black Jack went to work in another hospital abroad and only returned to this hospital when his father died. He became head of the board.’

‘What happened to the little girl?’

‘I don’t know, I did try to find out. My late mother said she was adopted by a childless couple and someone else told me she had married a wealthy doctor and was living in Germany. I sometimes wonder if she knows the truth or whether she believes the couple are her real parents. She did not ask to come into this world the way she did. I truly hope she is happy. I always thought, and I still believe in my heart, that we will meet one day. I don’t know where or when, but I have a strange feeling we are meant to meet. I hope if she does know about me that she will try to find me. I have learnt to live with it, times were different then.

‘So life can and will go on, and it will be the same for you. You have Fraser and he loves you so very much. Looking at him this morning, when I saw him walking up the corridor to see you, he reminded me so much of my husband, Peter. His loyalty. I will always be here for you to talk to, night and day. In the meantime, I hope you allow Gordon Smith to help you. I know you don’t feel like this legal fight right now, but there are a lot of people behind you. Who wouldn’t like to see Hoard-Letchman get his comeuppance? He is an evil man, like his father-in-law. It’s a pity we cannot kill two birds with one stone. I have always believed in the saying what goes around, comes around, and it will.’ Morag leaned over to hug Mia and say goodbye. ‘I will see you later on, take care.’

As Morag left the room, she noticed a policewoman waiting in the ward.

‘I believe that Mrs Hoard-Letchman has been to see Mia,’ said Morag, ‘and I feel that this is not right. Her husband drug-raped this nurse and she comes offering money and sympathy. I hope you and the rest of the force are taking this down, it’s intimidation.’

‘We are aware of the situation and that is why I am here, to sit outside Mia’s room and give her the protection she is entitled to – the same as any victim of a violent crime, whether it be sexual or any other kind of attack. We will be aware of the comings and goings of visitors, and we have CCTV footage of Mrs Hoard-Letchman’s visit as proof. We are very aware of her intentions.’

Morag went about her business, feeling a little better about the situation. The consultants started their morning rounds at ten, checking on their patients’ progress. Some patients were waiting for operations; some were being checked over after their recent surgery. Mr Simon MacClymont was taking over Giles’ patients while he was suspended and under investigation. Simon was a very calm man, with a very caring personality. He had been with the hospital for about a year, having moved from Scotland where he had previously worked in a large hospital in Inverness. Morag smiled when she saw him, she felt that all the patients were in good hands.

Later that morning, Morag’s other suspicions about Giles were confirmed. At a meeting with Simon, he asked Morag some questions about certain patients that Giles had taken care of. First, the case of the sudden death of a thirty-eight-year-old healthy married mother of two, who was put on warfarin to prevent blood clots while having her varicose veins done.

‘Mrs Bailey had become one of Giles’ patients only a few weeks before her death,’ explained Morag. ‘It was strange because she was previously under Ross Wilkinson and then, for no reason that I can see, she was put on Giles’ list – a few patients were added in fact. Giles was extremely busy and had a full appointments list, yet he had more patients on his list than the other surgeon in his field.’

As Simon looked at the other cases that were with Hoard-Letchman, he noticed that although there were both male and female cases, they were all aged between thirty and forty-five years, they all came in needing mild surgical procedures, and they either died or became seriously ill while under the care of this hospital.

Morag thought for a moment. ‘I had a feeling something was wrong, but never thought anything like unexplained deaths were on the cards. This is a hospital – most people get better in these places.’

Simon looked at Morag. ‘Is there anything else you feel I should know, even if at this point it does not make sense?’

‘Yes, the keys to the medicine cabinet went missing. They were always in my office, and on one occasion when I looked in my drawer they were not there. We had one hell of a search. I was disciplined with a written warning. In forty-two years, I have never had anything on my record. I love nursing and never wanted to do anything else. My mother was a matron at The Cottage Hospital in Carrbridge Creek. The next day, Katrina, one of the nurses, came into work and said she had found the keys in the corridor and handed them back, but I know in my heart they were in my drawer.

‘I know that I should always lock my drawer, but I trust all my nurses and have never felt any need to not trust anyone here. They are not just my nurses – I consider them all to be my friends and we are a team. Katrina used to come into my office. I trusted her at one point, but when I told Giles about certain patients that I was concerned over he seemed to know about my concerns before I told him. I feel she must have been keeping him informed on day-to-day happenings.’

‘It’s almost as if those keys were stolen and copied,’ said Simon. ‘I would like to see Mrs Bailey’s medical records and talk to the nurses who attended to her.’

‘Oh dear, I’m afraid that was mainly Nurse Katrina.’

‘There are other cases that I’d like to see, but we will start with hers. I would also appreciate you keeping this to yourself, until we have sufficient evidence.’

Morag stood up. ‘We will have to continue this again. Here is my phone number if anything comes to mind.’

‘And here is my home and mobile number,’ said Simon, smiling. He stood up and collected his notes. ‘If this is what I think it is, this hospital is in for a rough time ahead. It will have a major investigation and the medical council will be involved, not forgetting the board. I will contact Mr Black this evening.’

Morag’s face fell. ‘Do you not realise that Mr Black is Giles Hoard-Letchman’s father-in-law?’

‘In the year I have been at this hospital, I never knew that.’

‘You remember Tiffany, that receptionist we had about a year ago? You could not miss her. Tall, black-haired girl, a bit bossy and snobby. Well, she is Mr Black’s daughter and married to Giles. She has been to see Mia and is trying to bribe her with money and flowers so that she drops the rape charge.’

‘But the police and her solicitor already know?’

‘I feel she too has a lot to answer for. At the end of the day, it will all come down to proof, and the Blacks and Hoard-Letchmans of this world know a lot of high-profile legal people who will bend over backwards to get them off.’

‘He will have the odd judge in his back pocket,’ added Simon. ‘If it turns out that people are being killed off, for whatever reasons, our lives will also be in danger.’ He thought for a moment. ‘I think we should go over this after we can look at these patients’ files. I will go and get some later today. I’ll take them home and if you are free this evening then we can decide what our next move should be. But we must not discuss anything else right now, or mention to anyone that we feel there has been any injustice.’

CHAPTER 3

As Simon and Morag went about their business, they both realised what horrible truths may unfold within the next few weeks. Their day’s work was pretty routine as Morag sorted out medication and Simon was in the operating theatre. Later that day, Simon went to the records office to request certain files and Morag also made notes on the patients on Giles’ list. The two arranged to meet at Morag’s house that evening, which was an appropriate location because she had some personal notes that she had made over the years in a diary.

As Morag was leaving for the day, she called in on Mia. ‘I’ve just called by to say my shift is over and I will be off in a few minutes. Do you need anything?’ she asked.

‘No, but thank you,’ Mia answered. ‘My mother is coming tonight and my little sister, so I am really looking forward to seeing them,’ Mia answered. ‘Dr Webster told me I could rest at home now for a while. I cannot go back to Finland because of the assault. I feel nervous about leaving here, but I am staying with my fiancé, Fraser, so he will look after me. The hospital is giving him some annual leave. We were having that time after our wedding, but that has been postponed for now. My mother and sister will be staying for a month or so. Also, we have been talking about Gordon Smith and I am going to ask him to represent me.’

Morag smiled. ‘That’s the best news I have heard today, and on that note I bid you good night.’ Morag walked through her ward and into the corridor leading to the main reception. She passed by the main reception and went to say goodbye to Maggie and Stephanie on the main desk. As she did so, she overheard their conversation about Giles Hoard-Letchman that sent a shiver down her spine. Maggie and Stephanie were saying how surprised they were that he had got bail.

‘What did you say?’ interrupted Morag.

‘Oh, Hoard-Letchman has got bail and he is out and about,’ said Maggie. ‘I spoke to his secretary, Laura. He wanted some files or something, and Laura could not get through to the records department so we had to divert the call.’

‘Why did he not come and get the files himself.’

‘Well, according to Laura, he may be on bail but he is still suspended, and being seen around this hospital could only damage his legal case with that nurse, Mia. It may be seen as intimidation,’ explained Stephanie.

‘If that’s the case, then why did Tiffany, his ever so loyal wife, give Mia a get-well card and five grand in cash for her recovery? Now that gives us all something to think about. Did Laura manage to get the files?’

‘No, the office was closed at that time,’ said Maggie. ‘I believe she is going to get them on Friday.’

Morag thought for a moment. ‘I will see you tomorrow.’

Morag walked towards her car, thinking about the files that she and Simon had in their belongings, worried about what was going to unfold. She phoned Simon on his mobile, but only got his voicemail. She left a message.

‘You must call me, it’s very urgent.’

Morag had just arrived home when the phone rang. It was Simon.

‘Hoard-Letchman is out on bail and he has asked his secretary for some files,’ blurted Morag.

‘Yes, I know. What does surprise me is he also wants some mortuary documents on patients that were on his list and documentation on patients on Mr Black’s list, but a lot of the postmortem documents are not in the files.’

At that moment there was silence.

‘Bring everything you have in your briefcase and I will show you what I have,’ said Morag. ‘My husband is working tonight and my sons are not here, so we will have no interruptions. I will clear the kitchen table and we will be able to try and find out what has gone on.’

Simon seemed relieved. ‘Thanks. I have three children, all under the age of twelve, running around and constant noise. I’m glad I can keep this investigation away from my family and, as we don’t know what we are going to find, it is best that we keep it to ourselves. I hope you have a good photocopier.’

‘I hope you have quite a few flash drives. We need all this back in the records office tomorrow, and definitely by Friday, just in case Hoard-Letchman does manage to get hold of whatever he is so desperate to find.’

Morag made some light food to eat and put the coffee machine on. Reading through the documents and files, copying everything, Simon was surprised that nearly all of the death certificates were signed by Hoard-Letchman, Mr Black or, strangely enough, Ross Wilkinson.

‘With as many doctors and consultants as there are within that hospital you would think other names would have appeared on forms of this kind,’ remarked Simon.

Morag shook her head. ‘It’s not just Hoard-Letchman or Black Jack we need to worry about is it? Ross Wilkinson is involved.’

‘You called him Black Jack,’ observed Simon.

‘Yes, it is his nickname from many years ago and it stuck, most people call him by that name.’

‘As for Ross Wilkinson, I was working with him in the theatre today and he seemed quite a decent kind of guy, a good surgeon.’

‘Just watch him, remember who his friends are. Forewarned is forearmed, as they say.’

It was just after eleven that evening when Peter arrived home.

‘Hello darling! Simon, this is my husband, Peter,’ said Morag. ‘As you know, Peter, Giles has been suspended. Simon has taken over from Giles, but we have some concerns about some patients.’

‘Is that not something that you would normally sort out at the hospital?’ asked Peter.

‘Well, yes, normally, but there are some things that we don’t feel are quite right.’

Peter looked straight at Simon. He saw a file on the table that clearly said Consultant Mr J Black, then another signed by Giles Hoard-Letchman.

‘Before I married Morag, she had been a victim of what one would today call drug-rape, by a young doctor who overstepped the mark. He was called Jack Black and has since retired from the hospital. I did not want her to return to nursing, but she was a good nurse and, as she told me, if she was to run away from the job that she loved and all the patients who she cared for, then Jack Black would have won.

‘He would have taken her life away, as well as her dignity. She was going to fight for her own survival and try to live the life she was meant too. After she told me her reasons, I understood what she meant and why she chose to continue in nursing. She went all out to be the best sister she could possibly be. I think all the problems that young nurse, Mia, is having reminds Morag of the dark days that she has gone through, but came out the other end.’

Simon looked shocked.

‘He really is an awful man,’ said Peter, ‘and his son-in-law does not seem much better.’

‘No, he is not,’ said Simon.

Morag went into the study to put some more paper in the printer. The two men continued talking.

‘How did you two meet?’ Simon asked Peter.

‘She came to my father, who was also a dentist like myself, for a check-up. We started to talk and got on well. We had a mutual interest in painting, so we went to some evening classes together. I was not a doctor – they were people she had problems trusting. Whilst I hope you manage to get the pair of them struck off, I hope you both also consider your own personal safety.’

As Peter looked at some of the files, he noticed that some of the blood pressure results had been crossed out and nothing had been written in its place. Medication had also been withheld without any notice.

Simon looked at another of the documents. ‘Ether contains Methocel Cellulose,’ he said, ‘which is a banned drug.’

Peter looked on. ‘It was once used in anaesthetics.’

‘Yes, and it caused liver damage. Yet here, on nearly all these people who have died, this drug has been used at some point in their treatment. A