Part Sixty-Eight
On the evening of Saturday February the fourth, George stood and surveyed her lounge. Yes, it was spotless, and yes, it did look ready for a case conference come dinner party. She hadn't cooked for ten people including herself for quite some time, but she knew she had risen to the challenge admirably. It had been virtually impossible to gather together all the witnesses and other people concerned with Barbara's case in one go, seeing as both Tom and Zubin were almost always in theatre, and Nikki and Thomas were submerged in their duties at Larkhall. It had originally been Jo's idea to have everyone round for dinner, and George had agreed immediately. They had also decided to have this unorthodox case conference on the evening that Kay was due to arrive so that she also could be included. Going upstairs, George made sure that everything was as it should be in the room she had allocated to Kay for the next fortnight. The double bed was made with fresh linen, and George had removed any of her own clothes that were taking up space in the wardrobe. The radiator was on, taking the edge off the icy February chill. This room looked out onto the back garden, though there was precious little to see at this time of year. It was also over the kitchen, and George breathed in the rising aroma of the beef roasting in the oven. As she heard the doorbell ring, signifying the arrival of either Jo or the first guest, George went back downstairs, fervently praying that tonight's mixture of people would gel as successfully as at all the other gatherings she had hosted in the past.
Standing at the door, holding a bag containing several bottles of wine was Yvonne. Not seeing a car in the drive behind her, George assumed that Yvonne must have walked, her house only being two or three streets away. Yvonne followed her into the kitchen, where George put some of the wine she'd brought in the fridge. "So, who else is coming?" Yvonne asked when George had poured them both a drink. "Jo, obviously, Nikki and Helen, Karen, Thomas Waugh, Tom Campbell-Gore our resident heart surgeon, Kay Scarpetta and Zubin Khan our consultant anaesthetist. Zubin is picking Kay up from the airport." "Zubin Khan," Yvonne said meditatively. "He was the one whose prostitute I tracked down and had a nice little chat with, wasn't he." "Yes," George replied with a smile. "But try not to give him any reason to suspect you of doing anything of the sort. He's very touchy about that subject, so I'm praying that Brian Cantwell really doesn't bring it up in court, though without her to corroborate the allegation, he hasn't got much chance of making it stick." "I went to visit Barbara today," Yvonne said, lighting a cigarette and glancing casually around George's tastefully decorated lounge. "She was like a junky waiting for a fix, could hardly sit still and was snapping at everyone." "And she'll probably remain like that throughout the entire trial," George said sympathetically. "Having a defendant's life quite literally in your hands, it makes nearly everyone around you expect you to perform miracles out of thin air." "As long as you and Jo do your best for Barbara," Yvonne told her gently. "Which I know you will, that's all that matters."
Jo arrived next, followed by Helen and Nikki, and then Karen followed closely by Thomas. George had put the roast potatoes in the oven, slightly basting the meat in all its richly flavoured juices. Tom arrived next, and sniffed appreciatively as he walked into the house. "Zubin and Kay not here yet?" He asked, not seeing Zubin's car in the drive. "No, not yet," George told him leading him into the lounge. "Her flight must be delayed or something." Introducing Tom to the assembled company, she asked him what he would like to drink. "An orange juice if you've got one," He said, making George feel momentarily guilty that everyone else was drinking alcohol. When she handed him the glass, she saw with a little relief that he'd got into conversation with Helen, and that she was explaining to him precisely who everyone was.
When Kay and Zubin finally arrived, George was busy putting the Yorkshire puddings in the oven, and putting the vegetables onto boil, so she asked Jo to let them in. "Kay, this is Jo Mills," Zubin said when Jo opened the front door. "And Jo, this is Dr. Kay Scarpetta." "Pleased to finally meet you," Jo said with a smile. As Kay and Zubin moved into the hall, George emerged from the kitchen drying her hands on a tea towel. "Kay, good to see you," She said, holding out her hand. "How was your flight?" "Long and tiring," Kay replied with feeling. "Though the prospect of having dinner cooked for me is very much appreciated." "As long as you can handle the thought of a simultaneous case conference," George told her, leading the way up the stairs, carrying one of Kay's bags. "I've worked over lunch before now," Kay replied as she followed George up the stairs with the rest of her luggage. "So I guess that taking part in one over dinner isn't so far removed." As Kay put the rest of her belongings down on the floor by the bed, she took a look round the comfortable room. "Will this suffice for a fortnight?" George asked her with a smile. "Definitely, thank you," Kay told her. "The main bathroom is right next door, and as I have an en suite, you'll be the only one using it. I'll leave you to get sorted. Come down when you're ready."
When they all eventually sat round George's dining table and she brought in the food with help from Jo, a very sincere comment came from Tom. "You can't beat a really juicy piece of Aberdeen Angus." When everyone had been served and the wine had been poured, Jo began, between bites of food, to explain their position. "For the first time since we began this case," She said, her gaze encompassing every person at the table. "We have all our witnesses in the one place. You are all aware of the salient facts of the case, and of the particular issues that each of you must focus on when on the stand. What I want to do tonight is to go through this all for one last time, so that you can all see how the different testimonies will interconnect. Well, that's the plan anyway." Jo paused to take a sip of wine. "Apart from what happened on the day Henry died," Nikki broke in. "What else are you going to be looking at with Barbara?" "As you know, Barbara kept a diary through the entirety of Henry's illness, so we've decided to use various extracts from her diary that show beyond the smallest of reasonable doubts, that no way was Barbara planning to kill her husband. In fact they show the exact opposite. She was dreading having to make that kind of decision, and she was extremely afraid of not being able to go through with what he might want her to do. Next to go on the stand is Kay, who will present various forms of photographic evidence to show that Barbara couldn't have been the one to give Henry that final injection." "I'm going to need a slide projector in court," Kay put in. "Will that be possible?" "No problem," George said, making a mental note to arrange it at the earliest opportunity. "Jo used a combination of an overhead projector and a chess board last year," Nikki said with a smile. "A chess board?" Tom queried with obvious interest. "More as an aid to memory than an exhibit," Jo told him with a smile.
"Then we have Tom," George took over. "Primarily because when the prosecution is having its crack of the whip, they will be using another cardio thoracic surgeon to explain why Henry Mills could not possibly have died from natural causes, which still remains as a possibility if not a probability. As we do not have such a narrow minded approach to Barbara's case, Tom will be explaining just why death by natural causes still remains as a possible explanation." "But I thought that Kay could prove that Henry did give himself that last injection," Yvonne put in, clearly trying to understand. "I can prove that Barbara certainly didn't give him the injection," Kay explained to her. "And I can prove that the injection could only have been given by Henry Mills himself, but I cannot prove precisely what killed him. It could have been the overdose of morphine, it could also have been as a result of his body simply giving up, or a combination of the two. His cancer was so far advanced, that it really could have gone either way. I can make suggestions that are backed up by pathological evidence, but no more."
"Then we have Zubin," George continued. "Who will do his best to establish both the state of play between Barbara and Henry in the last weeks of his life, and will give a direct account of the pain relief Henry was receiving, together with an estimation of how far the metabolites from the morphine may have collected within Henry's major organs. As the prosecution have not availed themselves of a pain relief expert, I am assuming that they don't have any alternative argument to offer." "Then we have Nikki as Barbara's character witness," Jo said, taking back the reins of the explanation. "And as Nikki has known Barbara for some years, she can give an accurate estimation of the likelihood of Barbara being indisputably innocent." "I shared a cell with Barbara for nine months, so there isn't much I don't know about her." The resulting slightly stunned silence that followed Nikki's assertion, seemed to thicken the atmosphere around them. Raising her eyes to heaven, George gave Nikki a look that quite clearly said, "I will kill you when the opportunity allows." "I thought that you were Barbara's Wing Governor," Zubin said carefully, putting down his knife and fork to look over at Nikki. "I am," She said simply, not really knowing how to explain this slight anomaly. "So," Tom said in dawning realisation. "You're that Nikki Wade." "The one and only," Nikki told him dryly, giving him a slight smile of thanks for saving her from no end of difficult explanations.
"The last but certainly not least witness we have," continued Jo, wanting to move right away from this moment of awkwardness. "Is Thomas, who will present a psychiatric report on Barbara, which will hopefully establish her extreme desire to avoid ever having to go back to prison, including not being capable of killing her husband because of this." At this point, George, with help from Nikki, collected all the plates together and took them into the kitchen. "I'm sorry for being the world's most successful conversation stopper," Nikki said sheepishly. "But it just didn't occur to me that anyone wouldn't know." "Don't worry about it," George told her fondly. "I should have informed those of our witnesses who couldn't have known. I'm sorry that you were put in such a difficult position." "I've been in worse," Nikki said dryly. "Just make sure Yvonne doesn't get onto 'Babes Behind Bars.' Though who knows, I suppose it might always liven things up a bit." "After the trouble we had looking for Zubin's prostitute," George said quietly. "I don't want any mention of telephone sexlines."
When they were all sitting in the lounge drinking coffee, George sank gratefully into a chair beside Tom, both of them not far from the piano. Lighting a cigarette, she took a long and satisfying drag. "You look as though you needed that," Tom commented dryly. "After cooking dinner for ten people, you're absolutely right," George told him with a tired smile. "How long have you been playing the piano?" He asked her. "Or is it simply there for the sake of ornament?" "I've been playing since I was a child, which is far too long ago for me to contemplate. I only usually play now when I'm either angry or miserable, and rarely when there is anyone in the vicinity to hear me." "I usually end up playing when I'm trying my damnedest to resist the urge to drink," Tom told her, thinking of the ornate baby grand in the large house he had inherited from his parents. "How do you do it, Tom?" George asked him, bringing his eyes back on her. "Do what?" "Get through an occasion such as this, without either drinking or smoking?" "I don't drink," He explained to her. "Because it would be catastrophic for me to even consider it, and I don't smoke, because I definitely know better. Tell me, do you have any idea what the insides of your lungs must look like?" "No," George told him firmly. "And I have no desire to find out." "Ask Kay," Tom said, clearly trying to goad her. "She sees the lungs of numerous smokers nearly every day of her working life." "And that isn't a thought I'm going to linger on," George said with a slight shudder. "Tell me about Yvonne Atkins," Tom invited without any warning. "Your question suggests that you already know a fair amount about her," George replied noncommittally. "I do read the newspapers, George," Tom informed her with a wry smile. "Wasn't her daughter on trial for killing a prison officer this time last year?" "Yes, she was, in January." "So why, just out of pure, uncomplicated interest, is Yvonne Atkins involved with this case?" "When Yvonne herself was in prison," George explained to him quietly. "She also became very close friends with Barbara. Yvonne is financing this case, which with mine and Jo's fees, and the fees and expenses of all our witnesses where applicable, is no small amount. I think it's Yvonne's way of trying to make up for some of the things her late husband managed to accomplish."
A good while later when everybody had left, Kay asked George if she wanted any help with the washing up. "Luckily most of it can go in the dish-washer," George told her, so Kay stood in the kitchen doorway watching her stack the many dishes inside that most wonderful of all kitchen appliances. "You look a little shell-shocked," George commented, glancing over at her. "It's probably jet lag," Kay explained with a yawn. Then, returning them to the subject of Nikki that Jo had tactfully manoeuvred them all away from earlier, Kay said, "I hadn't realised that Nikki Wade was The Nikki Wade." "She's been in the job of Wing Governor for quite a while now," George filled in. "So it didn't seem important to tell any of you who didn't know." "She might not know it," Kay continued. "But her case was all over the American press as well as the British. It slightly amazed me just how many of tonight's gathering are or were connected with Larkhall prison." "Yes, I know what you mean," George said with a smile, as she switched on the dishwasher. "Yvonne was also an inmate there at one time." "I did wonder," Kay said thoughtfully. "Just the occasional thing she said to either Karen or Nikki." "Something I've learnt whilst working this case and being an onlooker in a previous trial, is that just because a person may have the label of ex-con attached to them in some way, doesn't mean that they are any less human. Perhaps you could call it part of my education in learning that nobody is either perfect or lives by the same rules as anyone else. Yvonne, Nikki, and even Barbara have taught me a lot one way and another."