“So she’s either very lucky or faking it,” Elizabeth thought. But she shelved that line of thinking until she had more to go on. She turned to her other notes about Lucy’s career. Lucy had been extremely successful, starring in six blockbuster movies. Her versatility, pretty face and long blonde locks had served her well. She had probably earned enough to never work again. Something else for Elizabeth to ask her about.
Her coffee and food arrived, so Elizabeth shoved her documents aside and dove in. The eggs were poached to perfection and the yolk oozed out immediately. Elizabeth forgot all about the interview until she had finished eating.
“Time to go,” she thought looking at her watch. She paid for the meal, kept the receipt and made her way over to the reception desk.
“Hello, how may I be of assistance?” the man behind the counter said. He looked to be in his fifties but had thick locks of dark black hair. Elizabeth couldn’t tell if it was dyed or not.
“Hi I’m here to see Lucy Margot. I have an interview at ten-thirty.”
“Very good. Your name please?”
“Elizabeth Edmonds,” she said. The man picked up a piece of paper and scanned it carefully.
“Please state who you are representing?”
“I’m with the Stately Herald.”
“Very good. Finally I’d like to see some identification.”
“Oh wow sure, hang on a second,” Elizabeth said as she dug through her bag for her wallet and driver’s licence.
“Sorry for the security measures, but Miss Margot has many admirers, some of whom need to keep their distance,” the man said while looking over the licence. He handed it back to Elizabeth with a smile.
“Leroy will take you up,” he said, gesturing to a nearby busboy.
“Thanks,” Elizabeth said before walking over. Leroy called one of the lifts, and stepped inside holding the door open. He swiped an access card and then pressed the tenth floor.
“Have a lot of people come up?” Elizabeth said, making conversation.
“Not yet, I think you’re the first today.”
“Great,” Elizabeth said. She waited patiently for the lift to stop and the doors to open. Leroy stood still, ushering her out.
“On your left, you can’t miss it. Room 1001,” Leroy said.
“Thanks,” Elizabeth said and followed his directions. There was only one door to the left, with the room number he had mentioned. Elizabeth walked up to the door and prepared to knock when the door opened. A short woman with brown hair and a clipboard was standing in the doorway.
“Please state your name.”
“Elizabeth Edmonds.”
“Ok great let’s go. Miss Margot is waiting,” the woman said, gesturing for Elizabeth to enter. She stepped inside and heard the door close behind her. She walked along a short corridor which opened into a massive room. It was flooded with light from the large ornate windows lining the walls. The furniture looked like it was taken from a throne room over two hundred years ago. Except that it was in immaculate condition.
“Good morning,” Lucy said, putting down her cup of tea and rising from the comfortable single seater she was sitting in.
“Good morning, I’m Elizabeth. Nice to meet you.”
“I’m Lucy, as you must know. Nice to meet you too,” Lucy said, before shaking Elizabeth’s hand.
“Please take a seat. Would you like some tea?”
“Sure, whatever you are having would be great,” Elizabeth said, sitting down opposite Lucy.
“English breakfast, there’s milk and honey on the side,” Lucy said as she poured tea for Elizabeth.
“I’ve never had an interviewee pour me tea before,” Elizabeth said as she added milk.
“The mayor didn’t pour you tea? How rude! I suppose he was rather furious.”
“You heard about that?”
“Yeah it was a good story. Corruption, an exciting investigation by a civilian and success against all odds. Would make a great movie. You think I could play you?” Lucy said. Elizabeth couldn’t tell if she was being serious, or having fun.
“I’m sure you could. If anyone asks me I’ll recommend you,” Elizabeth said with a laugh.
“Great! I’m all about finding interesting roles, and one based on a true story with a strong female character is just what I’m after,” Lucy said.
“If you don’t mind I’d like to ask you about that. Sorry if I’m just jumping in, but is that what keeps you in the movie business? You must have earned enough already to retire for life.”
“Ha-ha that’s not a question you get every day. You don’t beat around the bush do you?”
“Sorry, old habits. If you would prefer...”
“No it’s quite alright, it’s a refreshing change,” Lucy said, about to launch into an explanation. Elizabeth took out a voice recorder and put it on the table.
“Of course, let’s start recording,” Lucy said, acknowledging the recorder.
“Thanks,” Elizabeth said, flicking a switch on the device.
“So, I’ll readily admit that I got into this business for the fame and fortune. It’s the lure of movies, and the glamorous lifestyle they promote. I got sucked in. They try and tell you how hard it is, but you never understand until you start.”
“It’s hard getting that first break?”
“Yes, but it’s even harder once you get it. Making movies is long days, with lots of concentration and repetition. But on top of that, you’re only as good as your last performance. Once you make it everyone is a critic, and they’re watching and waiting for you to screw up.”
“Sounds tough. But you keep going back, is it to prove something?”
“It is, but perhaps not in the way you think. The benefits of the fame and recognition are that you can exercise some influence over the industry. You can find whatever it is that you want to work on, or help boost up projects that might not get the light of day otherwise. But there’s only so far that will take you, and for some it just ends up as ego inflation.”
“How did you avoid that trap?”
“I got Cancer.”
“Wow. I guess that’s a pretty life altering situation.”
“Yes, it sure is. It gives you a whole different perspective on life. It gives you a lens to look through, which filters out everything that isn’t important.”
“What did you discover?”
“The normal things, the simple things. For me it was primarily family, and just the joy of being. But also a sense of purpose.”
“Any purpose in particular?”
“I want to be a positive role model, and use my influence in a constructive way. I want to champion women, such as yourself, who are themselves role models and active leaders in the community. So that younger girls realise that they are only limited by their imagination.”
“That’s a noble goal, and I think that we could always use more female role models. Did you feel this way previously and never acted on it, or was it a new revelation from your treatment?” Elizabeth asked. She wanted to try and turn the discussion to Lucy’s experiences at the hospital, to see if there was anything of interest to her or to Dean.
“Cancer treatment is a full on affair. The effect on your body is so intense, it strips away things that you considered important before like your dignity. The beginning of the treatment is the worst, and you have a lot of time to think.”
“Were you hospitalised the entire time?”
“No just at the start. Then I had weekly appointments. I had a variety of treatments, and I felt terrible and they were completely ineffective.”
“So this changed your perspective?”
“Yes, I vowed to make changes if I survived. And by some miracle I did. So here I am.”
“That’s a really inspirational story. I feel like we could talk for hours,” Elizabeth said with a smile. She liked Lucy.
“You know, none of the other interviews ever touched on the Cancer properly. They ignored it, like it didn’t happen.�
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“Maybe I have dwelled on it too much. I haven’t even asked you about the new movie!” Elizabeth said.
“No, it’s fine. I’d like it if your story included more than just promotional material.”
“Of course, I wouldn’t be able to write it otherwise. So, with your new lens how does the movie stand up?”
“You know, it’s actually a great movie. I play Victoria, who is a strong and complex character. It takes a lot to leave your family and everything behind to do something for humankind. “
“You know I haven’t actually watched the movie.”
“I had assumed as much, since the preview screening was a few weeks ago.”
“Well let’s use this opportunity to educate our readers too,” Elizabeth said, launching into more questions that elicited what was interesting about the movie. After half an hour she turned off the recorder and prepared to leave.
“Thanks for your time today. It was a really interesting interview, especially since I have a friend with Cancer at Royal Monterey Hospital.”
“Oh, what kind of Cancer?”
“Stomach Cancer.”
“I hear that’s pretty bad. I’m not sure how much the treatments differ, but all of mine were terrible. It was only the last one that made a difference.”
“What was it?”
“I’m not entirely sure. They injected me with something that they were testing, I had to sign a lot of paperwork. At that point I was ready to try anything. Maybe it was just a coincidence, but that was the point at which I started to get better.”
“Wow, I should tell my friend about this. I wonder if they mentioned it to him.”
“I don’t know much else about it, I really didn’t expect anything to change.”
“Do you remember the doctor that gave you this treatment?”
“I had a lot of doctors. Maybe a Dr Malburn?”
“Malburn. I’ll follow it up, see if they can offer something to my friend.”
“Sure, good luck. It was great talking to you, I’ll ask for you when we’re doing the circuit for the next movie!”
“Great looking forward to it,” Elizabeth said and left the room. It had been an interesting interview, but there wasn’t much for her to follow up. But at least she had something for Dean to look into. He seemed the type to take a chance on a new treatment. And it was good to keep her work ticking over and George off her back. She knew there was something interesting lurking in that hospital, and she had to find a way to tease it out.
Elizabeth retrieved her car, sighed as she paid the parking fee and dutifully stowed the receipt. She headed straight to the hospital to talk to Dean and fill him in.
When Elizabeth arrived at the ward Dean was in, the doors were closed and there was a note on the door.
“Of course, no visiting during lunchtime,” she said to herself, annoyed at forgetting the visiting hours. So she returned to her car, retrieved her laptop and headed to the hospital cafeteria. They had a selection of dubious looking hot food in metal trays, as well as a selection of sandwiches.
Realising that she wasn’t that hungry, she walked over to a table and sat down. She pulled out her recorder and plugged in headphones, so she could transcribe the interview on her laptop. She hated listening to her own voice, but it was easier to work with words written down. Budget cuts at the newspaper meant they no longer had staff to transcribe for them.
After an hour, she had done most of the interview and took a break. The sandwiches were starting to look more appetising so she selected one with cheese and salad.
“It can’t be that bad,” she murmured to herself. She also bought an orange juice to wash it down. The sandwich was a bit soggy, but otherwise inoffensive. She checked the time, packed up her things and made her way back to see Dean.
Elizabeth followed the signs and took a different route. She hoped to find another way into the ward, which might help her gauge the size and locate more of Robin’s patients. She took a winding route, going up stairs and down stairs and found a door she didn’t recognise. But the sign confirmed she had found the ward.
“Let’s see how this goes,” she thought. Elizabeth walked through and saw a long corridor with a bend at the end. There were rooms lining the walls. As she walked down she counted ten rooms. She turned the bend, and began to recognise her surroundings. She had traversed down the other end of the corridor and come back to where she had first scouted out. She could see Tom and Dean’s rooms, the recreation area and at the end the nurse station.
“So there’s about twenty patients,” Elizabeth said to herself. And she had only seen two. There was a lot more work to be done. She purposefully opened the door before Dean’s and walked inside.
She prepared her response at the intrusion, but there was no accusations. She looked around the room and saw an old woman lying in bed, asleep. Her chest was moving so slowly that Elizabeth couldn’t tell at first if she was alive. Elizabeth slowly turned and left the room as quietly as possible.
“That’s one down, seventeen to go,” she thought to herself. Not wanting to try her luck, she went straight to Dean’s door and opened it.
“Back again,” Dean said, putting down the newspaper.
“Yeah here I am. Did you read the article?” Elizabeth said.
“Yup, I like it. I don’t think it would have been as good without the quotes from the patients.”
“Just as well I got them then.”
“Just as well. Busy day today?”
“Yes actually. You wouldn’t believe who I interviewed.”
“Who?”
“Lucy Margot, the actress.”
“Hmm don’t recognise the name, might recognise the face.”
“It doesn’t really matter. The exciting thing is that she survived Cancer, and she was treated as an outpatient here.”
“I’m happy for her, it happens sometimes. Luck of the draw.”
“What if it’s not just luck? She said that she was offered a special treatment that was experimental, and she got better after that.”
“I’m listening. What is it?”
“I don’t know exactly. Some kind of injection. She had to sign a lot of waivers to get a chance to try it.”
“I’d be up for that. I’m an old geezer, why don’t they try it on me?”
“I don’t know. Maybe because you’re an old geezer?” Elizabeth said. Dean laughed and nodded.
“Who do I talk to about that?” Dean said.
“Lucy mentioned a Dr Malburn. That’s probably a good place to start.”
“Good. I’ll start quizzing the nurses. Any updates on our investigation?”
“No, not really. I counted twenty rooms in this ward, I think they’re all single occupancy. I’ve visited three, so that leaves seventeen more.”
“That shouldn’t take too long. If I was more mobile I’d do them all in one day.”
“Well sure I could do that, but I want to stay under the radar. If people start complaining to the nurses I’ll be kicked out.”
“True, you need to be careful. I’ll help you.”
“How?”
“When you visit I’ll make sure I call them over. Then you can quietly check other rooms. If somebody was sending you a message, they’ll pipe up if you stumble across them.”
“Yeah that’s not a bad idea.’
“Then let’s get started. I need to ask them about this doctor before I forget the name.”
“Sure,” Elizabeth said. She watched Dean grab the white cord dangling by his bed and press the big green button. It lit up immediately.
“Off you go, better if they don’t see you in here. For multiple reasons.”
“Yeah you’re probably right. Ok see you later Dean.”
“See you tomorrow,” Dean said, a big grin on his face. Elizabeth waved and pushed open the door. She didn’t see any nurses outside, but didn’t stop to look around. She headed away from the nurse station, towards the second entrance.
; “I can probably check the last four rooms quickly and quietly without raising suspicion,” she said to herself. Elizabeth walked quickly and with purpose down the hallway. She slowed as she approached the door. She sidled up to the first room on her left, and tried to listen in. No noise came from inside the room.
Elizabeth gently pushed open the door and looked in. An old man with sparse white hair and thick glasses was reading the newspaper. He looked up, squinting in Elizabeth’s direction.
“So sorry, I must have the wrong room,” Elizabeth said. The man nodded and returned to his newspaper. Elizabeth quickly closed the door. She had blurted out her response without thinking, but it had been a reasonable answer. Surely the person looking for her would at least enquire after a stranger just in case. Especially a woman.
“I wonder if the patient read my article?” Elizabeth thought to herself. She repeated the same routine on the next two doors. The blank look she received confirmed that neither were relevant to her. There was one door left before the ward exit, so she ducked in there next.
“Excuse me, who are you?” a woman’s voice said with annoyance. Elizabeth looked up at a stern woman in her fifties.
“Oh, wow I’ve definitely got the wrong room,” Elizabeth said. She was surprised at being challenged so strongly, but held her breath in anticipation. Maybe it was the patient she needed to find.
“Indeed. Please make yourself scarce,” the woman said, dismissing Elizabeth. She was all too happy to leave, and rushed out. She quickly scanned the corridor and saw nobody else.
“Let’s not push my luck,” she said to herself, and headed straight for the main doors. She was soon out of the ward and back in the safety of the rest of the hospital.
“Well I’ve now seen seven patients all up. Thirteen to go,” Elizabeth thought. It had been a productive day, but she hadn’t uncovered anything significant.
“I need a break on this hospital clue,” Elizabeth said quietly. She headed back to the office to continue working on Lucy’s interview. It was important to work on it while it was still fresh. And within a few days she should be able to visit the other patients. That should turn up something useful. She just had to find the person who had left her the message, and then things would start clicking into place.
The Secret Patient Page 5