From a Safe Distance (32 page)

‘So you got your wife to do the dirty work?'

‘I suppose you could say that, but she is on the spot. She recorded the interviews, two of which I propose to play to you now. But before we come to that, I would like to suggest that we take our lunch break now. This morning's business has taken longer than expected. Shall we reconvene at two o'clock?'

As he stood up, Dick Montgomery said, ‘I've no doubt a good many of your patients would like you to be their champion, Dr Greenwood. Are you planning any more sorties into other organisations, I wonder? Flying the flag of justice? With a flick of his eyebrows, he added, ‘I wasn't aware that
a psychiatrist's job was to treat the whole world, especially when he is unwell himself.'

‘This is not normal practice,' said Ms Olubi, sitting down and nodding her head in the direction of the tape recorder. ‘There had better be a good reason for it.'

Helen replied, ‘I think the recordings allow an insight into everyday life on a house and into Sandra's behaviour, two things which we would probably not be able to convey to the meeting in any other way.' She moved to the other end of the table, opposite Jim, and set up the cassette player.

Max remembered their practice run at home the night before. ‘Perhaps, Mrs Greenwood, you would be kind enough to talk us through them.'

‘Thank you, er, Mr Chairman. In the office at Grove, I interviewed several staff who had worked with Sandra in Alder, Grove and Birch, with their knowledge and consent. Of these recordings, some had too much background noise or were interrupted beyond saving, and one was too faint to be of any use. The two remaining are fairly self-explanatory.'

She reached into her bag for the tapes. After some frantic rummaging, she looked up in horror. ‘They're not here! I put them ready in this bag last night! With the player!' She stared at Max. ‘You didn't take them out for any reason, did you?'

‘No. Didn't touch them.'

‘Please excuse me, everybody, but I need a word with my husband outside.' She closed the door quietly and they stood in the corridor. ‘I
know
I put them in there! Last night!' Helen's desperation showed once again in her Scots accent.

‘Just stop and think for a minute. Did you leave the bag unattended at all this morning, when you were on the house?'

‘Oh … yes … it's coming back to me. I had to leave the office to go and help somebody.'

‘Who else was around?'

‘The usual staff.' They looked at each other intently. ‘But why?' asked Helen.

‘Hey, a motive isn't hard to find, is it?' Max opened the boardroom door. Helen slipped in as he spoke: ‘We are going to have to adjourn while we try to find the tapes. It would not be easy to proceed without them.'

Everybody groaned and started to move; Max noticed the crooked smile on Sandra's face.

‘We'd better have a re-start time, then,' said Dick. ‘We'll give you until three o'clock. Back here then, ladies and gents.'

The room emptied quickly, leaving the two of them.

‘Before we do anything else,' Helen muttered, ‘I must get some more painkillers. I feel terrible.'

‘Poor darling!'

They walked back to Grove House together. Nat was at the window. He'd never been inside, and this was Helen's territory, so he let her lead the way. It was very quiet as most of the residents were at Activities, Helen explained. Nat was standing by the door now, and they followed her into the office without a word.

‘Lookin' for these?' she asked, swinging round and holding up the tapes. She wore an expression which said, “Go on, challenge me!” Helen reached out for the tapes but Nat jerked her arm away.

‘Oh no! Did you really fink we woz gunna let you tape us, then use it against Sandra? She knew. Oh yeah – we worked it out!'

‘Nat, give me the tapes, please.' Helen was trying to stay calm.

‘Are they
really
important then?' Nat giggled. ‘Hey, you're that shrink, innit?'

‘I am a psychiatrist, yes.'

‘Did ya know Vee?' Nat was still laughing because of her perceived power over them.

‘Yes.'

‘Ha, ha!' She could hardly contain herself. ‘I s'pose Helen here's another one of your patients then. Go round lookin' for nutters, collectin' ‘em, do ya?' Neither of them could answer. ‘Well?' She was still holding the tapes in the air.

They didn't respond, until finally Helen said: ‘I'll forget what you just said if you let me have the tapes.'

‘Wassit worth? Go on!'

‘If you give them back, I shan't say anything about your behaviour – Oh! I'm sorry, Liz, but nobody else is allowed in the office at the moment!' The girl walked away and Helen shut the door and faced Nat. ‘You won't be disciplined.'

‘Pha! Thass no good. I wuz gunna leave this dump soon anyway. I dunt give a
monkey's
about discipline!'

The three of them stood motionless.

‘I know what,' said Nat, ‘I get to come to the big fat boss meetin' you're ‘avin.''

‘But you ca – ' Helen began, but Max interrupted her. ‘– If you give us the tapes, you can sit in.'

Silently, with false reluctance, Nat handed over the cassettes, having slipped them quickly into a carrier bag. A stupid grin spread across her face.

It was five past three. Everyone was back in the boardroom except Sandra. Once again, Dick looked at his watch. Max put his briefcase next to Helen's bag. Jack coughed. Ms Olubi found the right page in her notes, pulled her chair in and fiddled with her earrings. Nat came in, walked casually round behind the Chief Executive and sat next to Max.

‘Does anyone know where Sandra is?' Max began. Some said “no” while others shook their heads.

‘We have managed to find the tapes,' Helen said, as she plugged in the cassette player for a second time.

‘Excuse me,' said Dick, ‘but what is this junior member of staff doing in here?'

Helen stayed calm. ‘I said she could join us to get experience of meetings.'

‘But the matters we are discussing are of a confidential nature!'

‘Sir, I think we can rely on Ms Cooper's discretion.' Helen looked hard at Nat, then went on: ‘Now, as I said earlier, only two of the recordings I made were any good and – oh, no!' Helen shrieked in dismay.

‘What's wrong now, Mrs Greenwood?' Dick's impatience came partly from having missed his lunch engagement.

‘They've been
cut!
' Helen noticed as soon as she took the cassettes from their cases. She stood up abruptly, turned on Nat, who was laughing, and shouted: ‘
Get out!
Get out of this room! You haven't heard the last of this!'

Nat obeyed, still grinning. Jim took one of the cassettes and passed it round. There were murmurs of disbelief.

‘Whatever's going on?' asked Dick.

‘Sir, we've been sabotaged. But all is not lost,' Max replied. ‘I have copies of the transcripts I made in case of power failure, or something unexpected like this. They don't have the same impact, but it's probably for the best in the end so that we don't recognise the voices.'

‘Wouldn't they have been better in your report booklet?' Dick pointed out.

‘Possibly. But this is particularly sensitive material. I'll have the copies back afterwards please.'

There was still no sign of Sandra, however. Everyone started to read the transcripts which Max passed round, before all sight of their purpose was lost.

FIRST INTERVIEW

HELEN: How long have you worked here, at Squaremile?

ANON 1: ‘Bout five years. [Max remembered that this was Liz.]

HELEN: So you came here straight from school?

ANON 1: Yeah. I started on Birch, before Bill, ven came here, ven got promoted.

HELEN: Are you happy here?

ANON 1: Pretty much. ‘Sonly a job though, innit? Not worth gettin' stressed about.

Pause

HELEN: Can I ask you … about Vee. Did you get on with her?

ANON 1: Yeah, but I di'n't fink she was right in vis job.

HELEN: What do you mean?

ANON 1: Well, she ‘ad degrees an' that. Dunno why she came here.

HELEN: You're saying she was overqualified.

ANON 1: Yeah, pretty much, yeah. Dunno what she was doin' ‘ere. I know it got to some people. Vee sometimes ‘ad a good idea, y'know, but because it was
‘er
that thought of it … People got jealous, y'see.

HELEN: I see. (Thinks for a moment.) Can I ask you now what you thought of Sandra, as a manager, I mean?

ANON 1: She was OK, I s'pose. More laid back than Jenny used to be in Birch, before Bill, y'know, but she – Sandra I mean – was dead keen to keep the place clean more than anythin' else, for visitors an' that.

HELEN: Did she get on with the residents?

ANON 1: Yeah, but we ‘ad to do all the work wiv them. Still, she was the manager, so I s'pose she could do what she liked.

HELEN: Hmm. Did Sandra get on with Vee?

ANON 1: Oh, no, not really. Dunno why, ‘cos Vee worked as ‘ard as the rest of us.

HELEN: Vee worked hard, did she?

ANON 1: Oh, yeah! Always on da go. ‘Cept when she was ill o' course.

HELEN: Was Sandra different in any way when Vee was there and when she wasn't?

ANON 1: Erm, let's fink. I fink she was a bit ‘appier wiv Vee not around, but she …

(The telephone rings.)

HELEN: Hello? Yes. Is it urgent? Only I'm in a meeting right now. OK. Bye. Sorry, you were saying?

ANON 1: Erm, I don't fink Sandra wanted Vee around. When Vee come back, it was like Sandra dint care. She gave ‘er grief an' that. Know wha' I mean?

HELEN: What kind of grief?

ANON 1: Oh, I dunno. Always pickin' up on fings, criticisin' an' givin' ‘er nasty jobs like cleanin' a blocked toilet or somebody's … Hey, you're not goin' to report me for this, are you? ‘Cos I don't fink it's right to take sides a' work. I wan' you to know that. It's just a job, like I said.

HELEN: Don't worry.

ANON 1: There's sumfin' else. Sandra told us that Vee was goin' to ‘ave to go. We ‘ad to give ‘er – Sandra I mean – a piece of paper every week for free weeks sayin' what Vee ‘ad done wrong. There ‘ad to be at least free fings on da paper each time, so I fink some people made stuff up, just so Sandra wunt get annoyed.

(End.)

The silence of the boardroom gradually gave way to coughs and whispered conversations as people finished reading.

‘Perhaps we can have comments when you've all read the second interview,' Max said. He knew that this was Nat. ‘If anything, it illustrates the problem better.'

SECOND INTERVIEW

HELEN: Do you like this job?

ANON 2: ‘S alright. When people don't nag. (Sounds of chewing.)

HELEN: OK. I want to ask you a few questions. Any information you give won't be used against you. I won't nag on this. If you don't want to answer a question, that's fine, but it would be helpful if you do. I have seen your helpful side. I will not tell anyone who said what in any case.

ANON 2: Right, go on, then. (Still sounding a little defensive.)

HELEN: How long have you known Sandra?

ANON 2: About … three years.

HELEN: Do you like her? Do you think she is a good manager?

ANON 2: Yes. She's been good to me, given me chances, basic'ly. Shown me the ropes an' stuff.

HELEN: So you were sorry when she got promoted off the house.

ANON 2: Yep. Jean was nice, but a bit soft. Then there was you.

HELEN: Did you get on with Vee too?

ANON 2: Ah, she was off ‘er ‘ead that one.

HELEN: So you didn't get on with her.

ANON 2: I don't mix with that sort. Sandra reckoned she should've stayed in the funny farm for good. You never knew what she might do next, basic'ly.

(Anon 2 giggles.) [Max remembered realising that Helen seemed to have found a topic on which Nat had strong views.]

HELEN: What makes you say that?

ANON 2: Every so often she'd ‘ave a funny turn an' go off sick. I reckon she was lazy, as well as nuts. That sort shouldn't be in work, because they make it harder for the rest of us in the end. Sandra said Vee couldn't do anything right, wha'ever she did. People like ‘er should be put away and forgotten, basic'ly, so the rest of us can get on with our lives, the useless … (Anon 2 cannot think of a strong enough insult beyond swearing. She coughs instead.) I know Sandra felt the same, and I trusted her. We used to have a laugh!

(Audible amusement.)

HELEN [sounding rather annoyed, as Max recalled]: What about the fire? Didn't she get everyone out on her own?

ANON 2: She was only doin' her job. Anyone else would've done the same. And for all we knew, she could've started it ‘erself! Yeah, she could've ‘eard a voice tellin' er to start a fire! Well, we don't know what goes on in their ‘eads, do we? That sort like a bit of attention, too.

HELEN [Max could picture her expression as he read]: But the fact remains, she rescued those residents. She wasn't behaving oddly then, was she?

ANON 2: You on Vee's side?

HELEN: I don't think there are any “sides” in this.

(End.)

Sandra finally put in an appearance and took her place next to Ms Olubi. ‘I'm sorry. I was needed elsewhere,' she said, in response to a questioning look from Dick Montgomery.

‘Right. I suggest you read these two interviews, Ms Wheatley,' he said crisply, while the rest of us take a short break. Ten minutes, then.'