The Aladdin Trial

by Abi Silver

  ‘Yeah.’

  ‘And did you go out? Did you stay in?’

  ‘I just went to the flat.’

  ‘Did you eat together?’

  ‘Mum had made some soup – tomato. I had a bit. We chatted. I arrived around 6:30, left around eight.’

  ‘Oh so you caught Silent Witness in the end then?’

  ‘Eh?’

  ‘If you left at eight, you would have caught most of the show. Doesn’t it usually start around nine?’

  ‘No. Traffic was bad, I got petrol. Maybe I stayed later. I didn’t get to see it.’

  ‘Ah. That’s a shame. It was a really good twist in the last episode. Thank you. I’ll just print this off for you both and you can sign, and that’s it, really.’

  ‘What happens next?’

  ‘This is early days. It’ll take time to get all the paperwork sorted and then a little time to liquidate the investments, if that’s what you want to do.’

  Brian presented a page to Janice, and showed her where to sign. Joe, still scowling, signed below her.

  ‘That’s it then?’ Joe snarled, tapping Janice on the shoulder so that she rose hesitantly. ‘Come on.’

  ‘Yes, thank you both.’

  ‘Waste of bloody time,’ he muttered as he headed for the door.

  Janice was now the colour of a pickled beetroot. Without saying another word, she followed Joe out of the office.

  Brian read through the statement signed by Joe and Janice. Then he consulted his desktop diary. A smile played across his lips, which, as he read, spread across his entire face. He had tried to make arrangements to visit Barbara on the 1st of March, he could see. They usually had lunch or coffee around this time, on the anniversary of their first meeting.

  But last March she had postponed things. She had taken an early break in Spain as she was having a new boiler fitted and she couldn’t bear the noise of the workmen. Now he remembered. He reviewed his emails from that time. She had returned on the 9th of March, and they had picked up the following Monday.

  He hovered by the window, where he spied Joe and Janice crossing the road to a sporty convertible BMW. Joe was striding ahead, talking loudly into his phone. Janice was hobbling along behind and, as he watched, she removed her shoes half way across the road, massaging one foot then the other, before Joe shouted at her to hurry up.

  Brian called up the text of the will again, although he knew the wording virtually off by heart. He thought about Barbara and what she would want him to do, now that he knew her son had lied to him. Of course, he could ignore the deception but how would that sit with his professional duties, including to the other beneficiaries? He resolved not to act rashly. There was plenty of time to select one of a number of options, after a period of calm reflection.

  27

  Hani Mahmood sat in the cramped consulting room waiting for the others to arrive. It was not an ideal location for their monthly review meeting, but he no longer had an office; none of the consultants did. For the past four years, he had been relegated to the nomadic lifestyle, travelling into work, rucksack full of papers on his back, trekking down from some far-off car park, as the hospital space was frequently full, anxiously trying to retrieve confidential patient data on his laptop with antiquated email systems.

  He had raised the valid point (on three separate occasions, including in writing to the CEO of the Trust) that he would have more time and energy to devote to his work were he not endlessly heaving large and weighty documentation around, but the only response had been a gentle but pointed enquiry after his own health and stamina. And today, when he required a bigger room so they could have a sensible dialogue and exchange of ideas for their monthly review meeting, his secretary had told him there was nowhere to go. At least he still had a secretary, but under the latest plans, she was to be axed by Christmas.

  First to arrive was Steven King, the junior doctor, just one-year post-qualification, followed by Jane Bridges, the consultant anaesthetist, David Wolf and Lottie Li, the nurse. Lucy Farmer, the Risk Management Officer, arrived last of all, and, as all the seats were taken, including the ones dragged in from the waiting area, she perched herself on the end of the bed.

  ‘Thanks all for coming,’ Hani began, standing to assert his chairmanship of the meeting, in the cramped, airless room. ‘We’ll begin with Mrs Barbara Hennessy. I know it may seem unusual that we are including Mrs Hennessy this month, as there is nothing to suggest that her treatment fell short of our usual high standards.’

  Hani paused for a moment, ‘But, as head of this team, and I know Lucy echoes this sentiment, I felt it important we ensure we record accurately the treatment she had here up until her sad death. Jane, can you take us briefly through the operation?’

  ‘Thank you, Hani. I will make sure we include a full report from all the monitors of the procedures which were followed both during and after the operation, including the drugs administered. As you know, this was a metatarsal osteotomy carried out without complications under general anaesthetic. The operation took an hour and a half. The bunion was successfully removed, Mrs Hennessy was closed up and pain relief prescribed.’

  ‘Thank you, Jane.’

  ‘Wait a moment.’ Lucy had raised her hand. ‘I understood there was some problem part way through the operation.’

  Jane sat up straight in her chair.

  ‘I think “problem” is putting it too highly,’ she replied. ‘Some of the monitors recorded an issue with the depth of the anaesthesia about thirty minutes in, but it was easily corrected.’

  ‘You know that first-hand, do you?’

  ‘Well, I know that because she stabilised. All her signs returned to normal.’

  ‘But you weren’t in the theatre all the time during the operation? I saw from the log that the ODA called you out.’

  Steven coughed and fidgeted. Hani raised one eyebrow.

  ‘Quite right,’ Jane said. I had to attend an emergency call. The ODA came in to get me. It had to take priority. I was only out for around ten minutes but when I returned I saw everything had stabilised.’

  ‘Lucy. If the ODA comes, then Dr Bridges has to attend,’ Hani explained benignly.

  ‘OK,’ Lucy replied. ‘But during that time, when Dr Bridges was out, she can’t say first-hand what happened ’cos she wasn’t there. That’s when there were the problems you mentioned, isn’t it?’

  Jane glanced up at Steven. She had been confident he would manage without her: ‘Nothing will happen, Steve,’ she had reassured him as she had hurried out to provide her expertise elsewhere.

  ‘Yes. It was,’ she replied. ‘But she stabilised quickly and the operation was perfectly successful.’

  ‘I just want to make sure our report is full as well as accurate,’ Lucy replied. ‘There is a police enquiry going on.’

  ‘I don’t see that any criticism can be levelled at the anaesthesia,’ Hani declared, with a scowl at Lucy. ‘Let’s move on to the next patient.’

  * * *

  ‘Jane. Can you wait outside for a few minutes please?’ Hani called out to her to stay behind as the others filed out, apart from Lucy, who had indicated she wanted a few private words. Jane deliberately ignored the lingering look her husband was throwing in her direction, as she obeyed Hani’s instructions. After five minutes or so, Lucy left with a casual nod, and she entered the room and closed the door behind her.

  Hani was still standing behind the desk, shuffling papers around. He waited until Jane had sat down and taken out her notebook. Then he sat down himself.

  ‘Sorry to delay you any further. I wanted to say that I feel awful about how things went there with Lucy, in the meeting. It wasn’t appropriate for her to speak to you in that way in front of the others and I have made that clear to her. But you can see that we have no choice but to report fully on the operation, to protect ourselves. All the p
olice need is one little inconsistency and they’ll become interested. I asked how she knew about you leaving theatre. She checked the ODA records. She’s quite a little Sherlock Holmes.’

  ‘It’s OK,’ Jane replied. ‘I understand.’

  ‘With the police enquiry, I have agreed with Lucy that your brief absence should be noted in the report.’

  ‘I would have done the same in your position,’ Jane remarked coolly.

  ‘Good,’ Hani replied. ‘I would hate to think this would come between us. You know I trust your judgement.’

  ‘Was that all?’ She closed her notebook and tucked it under her arm.

  ‘Well, no. Not exactly.’

  Jane waited. Hani leaned his elbows on the desk, interlaced the fingers of each hand and tapped his thumbs together a few times.

  ‘Your interview for head of department is coming up soon, isn’t it?’

  ‘Two weeks.’

  Jane thought of her husband and of his warning about Hani, but he didn’t appreciate how alike she and Hani were.

  ‘I’m sure you’ll get excellent feedback, from everyone.’

  ‘Thank you. Is that all, Hani?’

  ‘No. There’s just one more small thing I need to ask from you.’

  28

  ‘Have you read the front pages today?’ Constance and Judith were set for a day’s preparation of Ahmad’s defence, but Constance had insisted on buying a copy of every daily newspaper and was trawling their contents.

  ‘No. Come on then. Lay it on me.’

  ‘OK, prepare yourself. The Times majors on “Man arrested for artist’s murder is foreign refugee. Questions are being raised about who let him in and what checks were carried out.” Fairly anodyne I suppose.’

  ‘And anodynely fair,’ Judith quipped. Constance ignored her.

  ‘The Daily Mail? “Syrian cleaner on trial for brutal murder of renowned elderly artist – is no one safe in hospital?” You can’t approve of that one.’

  ‘No. How do they suggest our unsafe hospitals improve things?’

  ‘Various ideas like prison-style security and closer vetting processes for staff.’

  ‘Because this member of staff has slipped through the net and is guilty?’

  ‘Yes. And the Guardian. Listen to this: “The unnamed man the police have arrested is a Syrian national who came here three years ago and was re-housed at the tax payers’ expense. But his past is a mystery, as there is no cooperation with Syria or its law-enforcement agencies.”’

  ‘The implication being that he may well be a serial killer and we wouldn’t know it.’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘This one, the Mirror, has a photo of his wife, Aisha, taken through the window. Talked to a named neighbour who says she is not allowed out alone.’

  ‘Ah, so they haven’t named Ahmad but they might as well have. Is that permitted? And now the world believes that Ahmad is a domestic abuser too. That’s a good angle. Let’s try that one on a few agoraphobics I know and see how they like it.’

  ‘At least the theft hasn’t leaked out yet.’

  ‘It will though, most likely before trial. Can we not persuade him to give that one up?’

  ‘I’ve tried. Maybe you should speak to him about it?’

  ‘Yes. I must go to see Ahmad. I know I’ve hesitated, which isn’t like me; bull in a china shop usually. Don’t look so surprised. I’ve been listening to these podcasts on self-awareness – Greg’s idea. I just really want our meeting to count, Connie. Do you understand? You’ve done a fabulous amount of spadework but I want to get something from him which you haven’t managed to extract so far. Perhaps even something he saw but he didn’t appreciate its significance.’

  Constance was staring vacantly at her screen and didn’t respond.

  ‘Connie. Can I say something?’

  ‘Yes.’ Constance focused on Judith. ‘You don’t usually ask permission.’

  ‘Well this is something personal.’

  ‘Oh dear. Did I forget to put on deodorant this morning?’ Constance shifted in her seat.

  ‘Is everything OK, at home?’

  ‘Wow. That’s a bit left field for you.’

  ‘I’m sorry. You don’t want to tell me.’

  ‘No. I, well, no, I don’t want to tell you. Am I not performing, have I let something slip through the net? Is that it?’

  ‘It was just friendly concern. But it’s none of my business. You’re right. Let’s move on.’

  ‘I’m tired, not sleeping so well.’

  ‘Oh?’

  ‘Mike’s gone.’

  Judith laid down her pen. ‘Gone where?’

  ‘To his brother. For a while.’

  ‘Ah. Better than his mother, I suppose.’

  ‘He says what I…what we’re doing, is useless. Worse than that, he says we are defending people who don’t deserve a defence, that we shouldn’t defend someone with links to terrorism.’

  ‘Is that where it all came from yesterday, then?’

  ‘He asked me to stop representing Ahmad. Did he really think I would?’

  ‘Well not this minute anyway.’ Judith smiled weakly.

  ‘I can’t believe you’re not being more supportive.’

  ‘I told you once how I lost my husband; in reality, some years before he died, it seems. I still question if things would have ended differently if I had been more flexible.’

  ‘If he’d asked you, like Mike did – given you an ultimatum – you wouldn’t have budged.’

  ‘No, you’re right. But perhaps he means well, he’s trying to protect you?’

  ‘That’s what he said, but I’m not so sure.’

  Judith sighed. This was why she didn’t usually get too close to the people she worked with. So much time was wasted on chit chat and sympathetic comments.

  ‘Well if you can’t make it work with Mike then at least you’re much younger than I was, and you have a chance to start again with someone more in tune with your priorities.’

  ‘You make dating sound like buying a musical instrument.’

  They both giggled.

  ‘For now, it means I have no distractions and that’s what Ahmad needs. Once it’s all over I can think again about Mike. But if you think I’m failing…’

  ‘No. I don’t think that at all. Let’s spend the next hour taking stock of where we are, and then let’s head over to Ahmad. I’m sure he’ll be delighted to see us.’

  29

  ‘Shadya, let’s play Bananagrams.

  ‘Oh come on. Is it because I always win?

  ‘No I don’t. And crybaby is a word. I checked last time.

  ‘We can. I found all the pieces and counted them. They’re all here.’

  Shaza squatted down on the floor next to her bed and pulled the banana-shaped case out, spilling the letters on to the floor. Then she picked up her Barbie doll and sat her opposite, legs splayed.

  ‘Barbie’ll play if you won’t.

  ‘No. She’s not. This one’s Clever Barbie. She wants to be a doctor when she grows up. The other one is Beach Barbie. Suzy says she’s an “airhead”. But we need to play quietly.

  ‘I know. I put my music on earlier and Mama came in and turned it off.

  ‘Yes I heard her last night too. Do you think Baba’s coming back?

  ‘Me too. I don’t want to be a single parent family. If you’re from a single parent family you have to sit at the front in assembly and talk about stuff with everyone watching. And you have to eat your breakfast at school. Yuch. I don’t want two breakfasts.

  ‘Will you read to me tonight instead of Baba?

  ‘No you don’t have to do the voices. You can’t do them like him anyway.

  ‘All right. I’ll read by myself but I think you’re being mean.

 
‘Suzy said not to worry when she came over. She said “they’ll soon come to their senses and know your dad wasn’t involved”.

  ‘I asked her “involved in what?” and she didn’t say, and Mama came in, and she gave me one of those looks grown-ups sometimes give, that says we shouldn’t tell other people what we’ve been talking about.

  ‘Maybe Contents will tell me when she comes back. She said she would. What d’you think?’

  30

  David Wolf was bothered when he found himself awake at 8:02 on a Sunday morning. He was more indisposed when he reached out his arm and found that Jane was no longer lying next to him.

  ‘Hello darling. Did I wake you? Sorry,’ she apologised, seated at the kitchen table with her laptop open. David crossed the room in his pyjamas and poured himself some coffee from the pot. ‘I was just trying to catch up on a few things.’

  ‘No. I couldn’t sleep any longer,’ he replied. ‘This bloody court case is still on my mind. They asked if I “would be prepared” to be a witness now. Not that I know anything useful. I keep thinking we had a murderer working on the wards for two years and we didn’t know. He might have killed other patients.’

  ‘I doubt that.’

  ‘Who knows?’

  ‘Well we haven’t had any other patients fall out of windows, have we?’

  ‘He might have killed them in different ways; lethal injection, suffocation. I’ve been researching online. There’s loads of them at it, especially in Germany.’

  ‘I think you’re being overly dramatic,’ Jane mocked him, lightly.

  ‘The police might reopen all suspicious deaths at the hospital. Hani will have a coronary.’

  Jane’s fingers moved away from her mouse.

  ‘You’re assuming the cleaner’s guilty,’ she said.

  ‘The police seem confident. They keep coming and questioning people. And there were lawyers in asking questions the other day. At least they gave us the room back after a week when I said we would have more dead people if we couldn’t use it.’

  Jane returned to her laptop.