“Besides me, my manager and our receptionist, I think. She arranged dispatch of the results, but I’m not sure if she read any of the results as she placed them into the envelopes. I do remember that she did them all in a rush just before going to lunch on Monday with her boyfriend. That way she would catch the courier. She had other duties to do on that afternoon and so would only have gotten around to filing away copies of the results on Tuesday. That’s when I noticed the errors.”
“Why did you come to me?”
“You’re a doctor and a politician. These things should not happen. Someone’s life could be ruined by such careless mistakes. I would not want to get the wrong results, would you? Can’t you get a law passed that punishes people for such mistakes?”
“It’s not that easy –”
“Look, Dr Dawson, I could be fired for coming and telling you this… I’m breaking company policy.”
“Yes, I guess so, but don’t worry about that right now. Just let me know if you are threatened in any way and I’ll do my very best to help you.”
“You mean you’ll help me to find another job?”
“Let’s not ‘rush the brush’ on that, Miss Scott!”
Noting her deflated look, Dr Dawson quickly sought to rectify the situation with a more calming comment. “Come and see me again if ever you need to Miss Scott, however this all pans out.”
“Very well and thanks. You know, my Gran voted for you. I can see why. I must be going,” said Scott.
“See you around. Thanks for coming by Miss Scott,” Dr Dawson said, shepherding her out of his office into the reception area and out of the clinic’s entrance.
Dr Dawson returned to his office and reviewed the copy of the blood test results document from the lab Scott left with him, before unlocking his file cabinet to retrieve the confidential files of the affected patients. He focussed on Dr Lewis’ file. According to the morning news, he was missing. Dr Dawson carefully placed the information Scott had given to him, i.e. the correct blood test results for Dr Lewis, onto his file. He did likewise for his other five patients. Dr Dawson felt mightily aggrieved. How could Precision Laboratories have gotten their blood test results mixed up?
Luckily, Scott did not know that Dr Lewis’s blood tests was among those that had been mixed up. Her explanation for the mix-up at Precision Laboratories was worrying. It was reasonable to assume that there were other doctors and patients who had also been mis-informed by these wrongly allocated test results from that lab. How involved doctors would deal with their patients in this situation was unclear. He could only try and protect himself from any of his patients should they subsequently deciding to take legal action against him for malpractice. The damage to his medical and political reputation would be severe.
Dr Dawson briefly wondered if he was deliberately being set up! Unlikely, he thought. Even his political opponents would not be so wicked as to come up with this scenario.
He opened his computer and pulled up Dr Lewis’ records, before transcribing the new (and hopefully correct) results, memorialising a short version of what Scott had told him on the original entry. He decided not to reach out to Dr Lewis’ family on this matter. Once he re-surfaced, they would need to have an urgent conversation.
He then took similar action on the records of the other five affected patients before instructing his secretary at the clinic to contact the two patients known to be in Barbados and invite them to return to see him at the clinic urgently. Finally, he messaged his three overseas patients about coming in to see him on their return home.
***
Lewis enjoyed breakfast with his mum. Ava Prescod had prepared his favourite Bajan breakfast: some old-fashioned bakes, fried salted fish with lots of onions, some fresh pear and scrambled eggs, the usual faire whenever Lewis was visiting.
“Want me to come along?”
“Not necessary. I’m planning to come right back and report what I learn. I promise, if I’m told anything urgent, I’ll call you straight away.”
“As you wish, son. Anyway, I should probably stay here by the phone, just in case Dad calls.”
“I agree, but Mum, don’t forget that you have a mobile. In fact, I guess you now have two such phones if you’ve gotten Caroline’s Christmas gift set up.”
“Bertram, I know. I use the old one. I haven’t bothered to get the new one set up yet.”
“Okay. If you give it to me, while I’m out, I’ll pop into the store and have it sorted out. If Caroline bought it locally, it should be ready to use. Whereas if she brought it with her from the States, I think we might need to get it unlocked before you can use it.”
“She brought it with her.”
“Then you might have to be with me when we sort it out. Let’s work on that this afternoon after lunch once I’m back.”
“Sure, but what if Dad turns up here after I’ve gone out with you?” Mrs Lewis was being stubborn now.
“Look, Dad’s a big boy. He has a key to the house, remember!”
“Fine, but I’m staying put. How soon before you leave?”
“Around 9:00 a.m., traffic from St George into town should have died down by then if my memory serves me correctly. The big push is from around 7:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., so I should be able to get down to town in the thirty minutes I’m allowing myself.”
“Ava tells me she’s happy to see you home again, even under these difficult circumstances.”
“Yes, she’s made that clear! Mum, I picked up something special for her at Miami Airport yesterday afternoon. I’ll give it to her before I leave for RBPF HQ.”
“Oh, Bertram, that’s very nice of you. I’m sure she’ll welcome your gift.”
***
Following breakfast, the West Indies cricket squad would leave their south coast hotel at 8:00 a.m. under police escort for the excellent net and medical facilities at the New Kensington Oval complex. There, they would practice and train between 9:00 a.m. and mid-day.
The England team would later do likewise, leaving the hotel at 11:30 a.m. Their net session would take place between 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. after they had taken lunch between 12 noon and 1:00 p.m. with the West Indies players in the spacious players’ restaurant at the ground. It meant the West Indies then had the afternoon off, with the England team having had the morning to themselves.
Meanwhile, preparations for the Test Match at one of the world’s most famous cricket grounds were near to completion. Sponsors signage were up outside and inside of the stadium, television and radio set ups were done and the final rolling and watering of the pitch (or wicket as some purists preferred to call it) were ongoing. New Kensington Oval was almost ready to stage another great Test Match.
***
Jeremie arrived at St. Lawrence Gap at 8:15 a.m., accompanied by Inspector Gray after first having gone to RBPF HQ for half an hour. They were met by AC Smith and Station Sergeant Bob Black.
Representatives of the local media were awaiting Jeremie’s arrival. He was shown the location of the attempted robbery and shooting. The damaged cars were still in position. Following a further five-minute closed-door briefing away from the assembled media and growing number of members of the public, he approached the podium on which stood a variety of recorders from radio, television and print journalists’ (including phones from the growing band of local citizen-journalists) as well as television cameras.
Before Jeremie could speak, the questions started coming.
Inspector Gray, raising both hands intervened, “One at a time please.” This resulted in the journalists quietened down, though their hands remained raised.
“I have a statement for you, after which I’ll take your questions,” said Jeremie.
He read a prepared statement, which he skilfully adjusted slightly following the updated briefing he had just received on the incident. He then tried to answer all of the questions asked, responding honestly and as openly as he could without giving away key aspects of the several investigations the RBPF were now
engaged in.
***
It was around 8:30 a.m. when Vickers parked his vehicle in the car park in Belleville, St Michael. Exiting his vehicle, he noticed another well-known vehicle was already parked in the MD space.
That was a pleasant surprise. He had expected to have to wait a while for Dr Dawson to arrive. Vickers knocked on the still locked door.
“Good morning, sir, may I help you? We’re not open until 9:00 a.m.,” said a middle-aged lady, unlocking the door, but not allowing him to enter.
“Good morning ma’am, I’m here to see Dr Dawson.”
“Do you have an appointment, sir?” she asked.
“No. But please show him this,” said Vickers producing one of his official business cards.
The woman looked at and read the card. “Just hold on a minute please sir,” she said, re-locking the door.
A minute later, a smiling Dr Dawson opened the door himself.
“Top of the day to you, Chief Superintendent. What brings you to my clinic so early today? I’m sure you don’t want me to give you any sick leave.” They of course knew each other from previous official encounters.
“Not today, Dr Dawson, but I’m working a case that I think you might be able to help me with. May we speak privately please?”
“Sure. Do come on in.” Dr Dawson noted the last sentence was rather formal.
A couple of minutes later, they sat in Dr Dawson’s well-appointed office. More of the Dawson Clinic’s staff had started to arrive to be in place for the official 9:00 a.m. start of business. Luckily, Dr Dawson’s first patient appointment was not until 9:30 a.m. He would normally spend the first part of any day at the Dawson Clinic reviewing e-mails that had come in overnight and preparing to see persons listed as his patients for that day. The start to today had already been different. Now this!
Vickers wasted no time in coming to the reason for his visit to the Dawson Clinic.
“I understand Dr Albert Lewis from the Central Bank came to see you earlier this week. Please tell me exactly when and why he came to see you?”
Dr Dawson was unsure how to answer this simple question.
“Chief Superintendent, please tell me what this is all about, before I decide if I can answer your question or rather, how best I might do so.”
“Why are you so concerned, Dr Dawson?”
“Well, I’m a physician after all. Doctor/client patient relationships are confidential. So, I’m asking again – why are you here?”
“Very well. Dr Lewis is missing and I’ve been tasked with investigating his disappearance. This was mentioned on this morning’s news. I’m told Dr Lewis visited you late on Tuesday afternoon. True or not? Also, what was the purpose of his visit please?”
“Look, can you please tell me what this is really all about? I don’t like games.”
“No games, sir. Dr Lewis has not been seen since Tuesday afternoon. Our investigations so far suggest that you might have been one of the last persons, if not the last, to see him after he had left the Central Bank that afternoon and headed for your office, hence I need confirmation of his visit.”
"Yes, of course. I’m usually in the House on Tuesdays so the clinic closes at 2:00 p.m., an early day for my staff. Last Tuesday, the House finished sooner than anticipated, so I stayed on in Parliament to do some work in the Leader of the Opposition’s office. However, on receipt of Dr Lewis’ call, around 2:45 p.m., I agreed to meet him here at 3:30 p.m.
“Let me back track though. I had seen Dr Lewis a week earlier. He had a cold and so came to see me to get checked out. He said his wife had forced him to come to me. I suggested that he take the remainder of that week off…three working days, get some rest and use the medication that I had prescribed for him. I gave him an appropriate doctor’s certificate to cover his few days away from work. Before leaving, Dr Lewis asked me to take some blood from him and run some appropriate tests. He said that he had been feeling ‘a little run-down’ recently and wanted to check that all was well within himself.”
“Okay. You mentioned tests, Dr Dawson. What were these for?”
Dr Dawson hesitated in answering.
“Look, this is a serious investigation. The Governor of the Central Bank has personally asked my Commissioner to investigate this matter and he has put me in charge. It wouldn’t surprise me if the Prime Minister hasn’t spoken to both men about this case, since Dr Lewis is a top public servant in our country. He’s also a dual citizen, so for all I know the US is probably also speaking with our Government for news on his disappearance. I need answers, Dr Dawson, now. So, please…”
“Okay, but I’m loathed to tell you all of the man’s business.”
“Dr Dawson, I’m getting tired. I could go get a search warrant and come back with some men and start digging up your clinic until we find what you’re not telling me. But I’m sure we can avoid that –”
“Superintendent, surely you’re not threatening me. Are you?”
“Perish the thought, sir.”
“Good. Then we understand each other.”
“We sure do. That’s what I wanted to hear.”
***
Chapter Thirteen
Cabinet
Just after 8:40 a.m., Colonel Burke assembled his full team in BIB’s conference room to consider where they stood on the operations they were now engaged on. The ECC project had gone well to date and was not expected to deviate much from the featured plan over the next six days. But the prisoners’ escape, the disappearance of the CBOB’s Deputy Governor and the previous night’s St. Lawrence Gap incident meant that this discussion was necessary at the start of the day to harness BIB’s efforts at solving the three problems as quickly as possible.
***
Dr Dawson took a deep breath. He stood up, took the few steps to close and lock his office door to ensure they were not disturbed.
He then told Vickers all he knew.
“Oh my!” exclaimed Vickers.
It was not just Dr Lewis who had been affected. Several of Dr Dawson’s patients had been given the wrong blood test results and there were other physicians and patients who would have to go through this ordeal later today, otherwise soon.
Stunned, Vickers leaned back in his chair with his mouth slightly opened. After a minute of silence and staring blankly at each other, Vickers finally spoke.
“Dr Dawson, thanks for this! For my part, I promise to keep it as quiet as I can, for as long as I can.”
Vickers placed himself in Dr Lewis’ shoes. Had he received similar results from his doctor after tests were done on him, he might also have wanted to get away, at least for a while if that was what was in play here.
***
By 9:00 a.m. Jeremie was able to get away from St. Lawrence Gap. He headed back to his Bridgetown office to take part in an emergency P.A.A.N.I. teleconference that had been called for 9:25 a.m. by Colonel Burke.
With new work streams’ having been allocated to BIB operatives by 9:10 a.m., Colonel Burke prepared himself for the P.A.A.N.I. teleconference he had instigated with his fellow Heads. He wanted an update from each of them in order to provide a special up-to-date SSB to Motby before the start of the day’s 10:00 a.m. Cabinet meeting.
***
Going forward, Vickers’ challenge was going to be discovering whether Dr Lewis’ disappearance had been deliberate, and of his own doing (because of the results he had received), or if it was at someone else’s behest. If the latter, the why would become important to establish quickly. Knowing this would start helping him figure out how best to retrieve the situation and hopefully find Dr Lewis in a good, safe and normal condition.
Vickers left the Dawson Clinic compound for the short drive to RBPF HQ to meet with Bertram Lewis. He would not share what he had just learned from Dr Dawson with Lewis. Nor would he, at this stage, tell his Commissioner, Dr Edwards or others in the Lewis family what he knew, though he realised that he would at some stage – probably within the next twenty-four hours, have to sha
re this information with them all if Dr Lewis was not recovered within another forty-eight hours or so.
Meanwhile, he would tell Moss, his partner on this case sooner rather than later, but swear him to secrecy.
***
The emergency P.A.A.N.I. teleconference was short and sweet, as was often stated in Barbados, so it was all over ten minutes later.
Colonel Burke had spent the time between the end of his meeting with BIB operatives and the start of the short P.A.A.N.I. teleconference conceptualising what he might place in the security situation brief (SSB). He actually had a draft already typed, which he would expand and update as necessary shortly after he had chaired the P.A.A.N.I. meeting.
Colonel Burke observed that this was a good example of his often spoken of concept – ‘walking and chewing gum at the same time’. He was therefore able to quickly finalise the special SSB for Motby. Ten minutes after the meeting’s end and a final review, Colonel Burke dispatched the special SSB to the Head of Government.
He did not anticipate hearing back from Motby until after today’s Cabinet meeting. He knew that he would have to make himself available to him once the Cabinet meeting was over – even if it meant him having to step away from the meeting with Sir Thadeus and fellow security Heads at the British High Commissioner’s official residence scheduled to commence at 3:00 p.m. that afternoon. Elizabeth Burkett had his mobile number and knew where he would be, should Motby wish to speak with him before the Cabinet meeting ended. Colonel Burke would answer the Prime Minister’s call, whenever it came.
***
It was 9:35 a.m. at Government Headquarters on Bay Street, St Michael. Members of Cabinet were starting to assemble for the 10:00 a.m. Cabinet meeting. As the Prime Minister had made it clear to his Ministers that they should not be late for his prompt start to their weekly Cabinet meeting, his Cabinet colleagues had for the past few years made it their business to never be late. He had made it easier for all of them by laying on tea, coffee, juice and biscuits from 9:30 a.m. to 9:55 a.m. when he would expect them to have at least assembled just outside the Cabinet Room’s door – or rather be seated.
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