‘Pleased to meet you,’ Isaac said. ‘This is Detective Inspector Hill.’
‘Please to meet you, Inspector,’ Henstridge said. ‘Sorry that I’m not brighter, but I’ve just finished in the operating theatre.’
‘The patient transferred here from another hospital?’
‘We primarily deal with orthopaedics, so the answer to your question is yes. Anyway, you’re not here for that, and I could do with something to drink, a stale sandwich in the canteen if there’s one left.’
Larry tried one of the sandwiches, not stale as Henstridge had said.
‘We can talk here,’ Henstridge said. ‘The canteen’s as good as anywhere, not sure I’ll be able to help you.’
Isaac would have preferred somewhere more private, but he wasn’t about to complain or confuse matters. ‘Doctor, Mike Hampton?’
‘That’s what I was saying, not sure I can help you much. I went down to Argentina, checked the man out, signed him off to fly.’
‘You came back with him?’
‘I did. It was a bun fight down there, too much paperwork, and the authorities thought that his returning to England would reflect badly on their medical expertise.’
‘Did it?’
‘The hospital near to where he had injured himself was basic, not set up for spinal injuries, but apart from that, it was clean, efficient and no worse than some you’d find in this country.
‘But here was better for him?’ Larry asked.
‘Definitely. There are other facilities throughout the UK specialising in spinal injuries, and even if I say so myself, here’s the best. Hampton’s wife couldn’t have chosen better.’
‘Expensive?’
‘Look around you; what do you reckon? And besides, the cost isn’t the most important factor.’
‘It is if you don’t have the money.’
‘True, but people come here under the National Health Service, and if you have insurance, or you’re a genuine hard-luck case, we’ll not turn people away.’
‘The construction work outside?’ Isaac asked.
‘Expansion. We’ve got forty beds, need another twenty. We’re expanding out the rear of the building, trying to keep the disruption to a minimum, not always succeeding.’
‘How long to complete?’
‘Twice as long as it should take, strict hours when they can work. No weekends, nothing after 4 p.m., nothing before 7 a.m., and if they’re using heavy equipment, driving in piles or jack-hammering, they need to put in a request two days in advance, and even then, we’re likely to knock it back. Frankly, we shouldn’t have started the work, but now, we’re committed.’
The general chit-chat aside, Isaac knew they needed to focus on the one patient. ‘Mike Hampton?’ he said again.
‘Has he been charged with a crime?’ Henstridge asked.
‘He’s a person of interest,’ Isaac said.
‘No doubt you don’t have a court order, nor do you have a letter of consent from the man.’
‘Neither. It’s Mike Hampton’s former friend whose murder we’re investigating.’
‘I’m bound by the General Medical Council, by the law of this country, and something called the Hippocratic Oath. Much as I’d like to help, I can’t. Frustrating for you, no doubt, but I can’t see a way around the dilemma.’
‘We understand,’ Isaac said. ‘Why don’t we go over what is general knowledge, and if you feel comfortable, then you can answer accordingly.’
‘We can try, but remember, I am limited in what I can say.’
‘Very well. You went down to Argentina, correct?’
‘Correct.’
‘You signed off on the man, dealt with the Argentinian authorities and then came back to England with him, checked him into here?’
‘In essence, you’re correct. The only item is the Argentinian authorities. The air ambulance’s personnel dealt with the majority of the paperwork. I was primarily concerned with confirming to Kate Hampton and the air ambulance that it was safe for him to fly. Although I did have some contact with Argentinian medical personnel, on account of this facility’s reputation and my name.’
‘You signed off because you believed his spinal cord was damaged irreparably, that he’d never walk again.’
‘In part, and that was my belief at the time. The facilities in Argentina did not allow a more intensive evaluation of his condition.’
‘Mike Hampton, what part did he take in all this?’
‘Not a lot. He was on morphine, and he had other injuries. The only problem was that they gave him too much. He developed a mild addiction to it.’
‘What did you do about it?’
‘Weaned him off it once we were back here.’
‘What else can you tell us?’ Larry asked.
‘So far, I believe I’ve told you what is common knowledge. I gave a speech at a seminar, used my trip to Argentina, the difficulties, our treatment when we got back to England.’
‘Mike Hampton agreed?’
‘He did. I saw him myself, got him to sign off on the speech.’
‘From our contact with him, he’s showed no interest in anything or anyone. A down on life; surprised he doesn’t blame you for saving his life.’
‘As injured as he was in that hospital in Argentina, he wasn’t going to die.’
‘Since then?’
‘I see him every couple of months. The man is physically well apart from his disability. Mentally active, having to deal with a changed situation. We’ve given him counselling, advised him to continue, but that’s not my area. I believe that’s it.’
‘One more question,’ Isaac said.
‘You can try.’
‘It’s been reported that Hampton had some movement in his toes. Does that indicate that the spinal cord might not be permanently damaged and that it could self-heal?’
‘I’m afraid you’re now asking questions I can’t answer. I sympathise, but I can’t discuss the case further.’
‘It’s been reported.’
‘Not by me, it hasn’t. Get a court order, not so easy, given that he’s not the victim, nor has he been charged with a crime. Otherwise, get Mr Hampton to sign a letter of consent. I’ll give you a form before you leave.’
Larry regarded the visit as wasted; Isaac
