A Lovely Way to Burn

Twenty-Two

Stevie woke unsure of where she was, and then she saw the lights of the city shimmering in the darkness beyond the large picture windows and remembered. She pushed herself upright on Iqbal’s couch.

‘How long was I out for?’

‘Hours. I reckoned you needed it.’

She ran a hand through her hair, pushing it away from her face.

‘I feel awful.’

Iqbal went behind the breakfast bar, took the packet of frozen peas from the freezer and tossed them to her.

‘I stuck them back in when I saw you’d fallen asleep.’

‘Thanks.’ Stevie held the pack to her face. The coldness hurt. ‘Do I look awful?’

‘Better than when you arrived. You hardly remind me of Joseph Merrick at all.’

‘Cheers.’

She lifted one of the cushions from the couch.

‘Looking for these?’ Iqbal held up the notes he had printed earlier. ‘How much did you manage to get through before you dropped off?’

‘Not much.’

She had passed out almost as soon as she had sat on the couch.

‘It makes interesting reading. Put it together with some of the other stuff I’ve found and it becomes fascinating. Come and take a look.’

Stevie gave the city lights a last glance. There was something different about them. Something she couldn’t put her finger on. She turned her back on the lights and joined Iqbal at his desk. He swivelled round in his chair to face her.

‘Okay, did you read the article about the breakthrough your boyfriend and his colleagues made?’

‘A bit of it.’ Stevie was ashamed to admit she hadn’t got beyond the first paragraph before sleep had ambushed her. ‘I’m not sure I absorbed it all.’

‘I think it could be one of the keys to the whole thing.’ Iqbal’s eyes were bright with the triumph of discovery. ‘Put simply, Simon and his team, Buchanan and Ahumibe, had an idea that if they could work out a way to deliver anti-epileptic medication directly into the spinal tissue of children with cerebral palsy, it could be more effective than existing treatments. They looked at methods of delivering medication for other conditions and Buchanan, the chemist in the crew, developed a form of anti-epileptic medicine which could be administered through a pump implanted in children’s abdomens.’

‘It sounds like the cure might be worse than the disease.’

‘That’s where you’re wrong.’ Iqbal was as enthusiastic as a new convert. ‘Cerebral palsy is a horrible disease and these are sophisticated devices. The pumps deliver minute trickles of medication through a tiny tube implanted in the spinal cord. We’re talking microsurgery.’

‘So, did it work?’

‘According to the studies Simon and his team set up it worked very well indeed, much better than they’d anticipated. There was only one problem.’

Iqbal paused and Stevie realised that he was waiting for her to ask what the problem was.

‘What?’

‘The treatment was expensive. It would cost around five thousand pounds to insert the pump, another two thousand two hundred pounds every three months to fund the drug, plus another eight hundred pounds every three months to top up the pump. It could go on for as long as the child lived, into adulthood, into old age. People say you can’t put a cost on a life, but these funding bodies in the National Health Service do exactly that. They have to or there’d be no money left for anything else. They ruled that the treatment was too expensive for the NHS to license. But the team had got their teeth into the project.’

Stevie tried to push images of teeth and dissected spines from her mind.

‘What did they do?’

‘They found a pharmaceutical firm that would manufacture their form of the drug, set up their own company, Fibrosyop, and decided to offer the treatment privately.’

It chimed with what Nurse Webb had said.

‘So only rich people could afford it?’

Iqbal leant forward. ‘Do you have kids?’

The question was unexpected. It made her think of Joanie and Derek, the IVF treatments Joanie had only told Stevie about after Derek had left.

‘No.’ Stevie stretched her shoulders, trying to loosen the knot of muscles in her neck.

‘Neither do I,’ Iqbal said. ‘But I know that if I did, I’d do anything for them.’

‘I guess that’s the way it’s meant to be.’

‘Exactly.’ Iqbal smiled. His teeth were white, and so evenly spaced he could be mistaken for an American. ‘So it wasn’t only rich people who accessed the treatment. Parents raised money in whatever ways they could. Some of them more or less bankrupted themselves.’

‘A nurse I spoke to said that by offering the treatment privately, Simon and his colleagues hoped they’d find a way to make it cheaper.’

‘No doubt. But I’m betting they got rich in the process.’

Stevie remembered Simon’s exclusive apartment, the fast cars, five-star hotels and expensive meals.

‘I don’t see where this gets us. It might not be the prettiest story, a bunch of doctors profiting from sick kids, but they weren’t doing anything against the law.’

‘That’s true. But the treatment wasn’t fail-safe.’ Iqbal flicked through the sheaf of papers. ‘The raw data on Simon’s computer is a record of results of the trials they did. I haven’t worked my way through all of it yet, but it seems straightforward enough so far.’ He pulled a page from the pile and handed it to her. ‘I did, however, take a break from the data to do a bit of extra digging. Have a look at this.’

He maximised a window on the laptop and a website burst across the screen. The site was simple, an amateur job, but it had been made with passion.

DO NOT TRUST YOUR CHILDREN TO FIBROSYOP screamed the banner. A photograph of a smiling girl, wearing a party dress and glittery doodle boppers, took up most of the screen. It had been taken at Christmas-time and a silver tree, decorated with tinsel and baubles, sparkled in the background. The image was so full of colour that it was an instant before Stevie realised that the girl was in a wheelchair, her neck supported by a headrest. The text surrounding the photo was a passionate invective against Fibrosyop.

Joy Summers had been seven years old when she had died after undergoing treatment by Simon’s team. Her father was convinced that the doctors were to blame. Stevie wondered if Mr Summers had written his report of his daughter’s early death in the first throes of grief. His pain resonated in every accusation.

‘This is the treatment that Simon helped to develop?’

‘One and the same. I don’t know if he was justified or not, but Joy Summers’ father had a definite grudge.’ Iqbal clicked on a link to a newspaper article, with the air of a magician completing a trick. ‘After his daughter died, his wife committed suicide. They had already sold their house to pay for the treatment. He lost pretty much everything.’

Stevie scanned the article. Polly Summers had taken an overdose. Her husband Melvin had found her lying in their daughter’s bed, the child’s photograph face down on the sheet beside her.

‘Horrible.’

‘Imagine how it was for Melvin Summers. Maybe he decided he had nothing left to lose and took the law into his own hands.’

‘Simon was killed by someone with medical knowledge. They managed to make his death look natural.’

Iqbal grinned. ‘Did I mention that Mr Summers was a dentist? These guys are experts in anaesthetics. He’d know the best way to knock someone out, and the difference between a long sleep and the big sleep.’

‘I don’t know.’ Stevie spoke gently, not wanting to rain on his parade. ‘Mr Summers may have had a motive, but why would that make Simon hide his computer in my flat? I’m not sure it ties up.’

Iqbal’s smile faded. She could see his zeal waning, tiredness winning the battle. He screwed up a piece of paper and tossed it in the wastepaper basket.

Stevie asked, ‘What was that?’

‘Summers’ address.’

Stevie fished the paper from the bin and smoothed it flat. It was a close-up of a leafy cul-de-sac taken from Google Earth. The street had been surveyed on a bright, sunny day. A woman walking a golden Labrador was frozen mid-step outside a red-roofed apartment block. One of the flats was ringed in blue felt-tip. The street might have been anywhere in the city, were it not for the address printed neatly in the margin.

‘How did you find it?’

‘It was easy. Summers isn’t such a common name and the report on his wife’s suicide gave his age. I found him on the electoral role and cross-checked against council tax records. It took less than ten minutes.’

Iqbal picked a cluster of paper clips from a jar on the desk and started to thread them together. There was something self-conscious about the way he was avoiding her gaze. A thought occurred to Stevie and she asked, ‘Did you check up on where I live too?’

Iqbal let the chain of paper clips fall back into the jar. She saw a blush spreading across his face and laughed. It was a welcome release.

‘I looked you up on the Web. I’m afraid Shop TV is a little loose with info about its presenters. It gave me more than enough to go on.’ Iqbal took a piece of paper from his pocket, crumpled it into a ball and sent it into the bin. ‘That’s another problem with the Net. It’s too easy to find out things you shouldn’t want to know.’

Stevie had a sudden urge to take his hand in hers. She clasped her fingers together.

‘I’ll check Melvin Summers out. You’re right, he might be a lead.’ She laughed again. ‘Listen to me. I sound like a real detective.’ This time she reached out and touched him. ‘You should get some rest.’

Iqbal looked beyond her, out towards the lights of the city. Now that he was no longer absorbed in the documents his mouth had a worried set to it.

‘I shouldn’t have looked up your address.’

‘It’s okay.’ Stevie gave in to her impulse and sandwiched his hand between hers. Iqbal’s fingers felt warm and dry. She squeezed them. ‘I’m flattered.’

Iqbal returned her squeeze, a gentle pulse of flesh on flesh. He said, ‘There’s something happening out there.’

It was quiet in the flat amongst the glow of the computer screens. Stevie asked, ‘Is it getting worse?’

‘The official media is playing it down, but #sweats is just about the only topic on twitter. According to it and other sites I looked at while you were asleep, the sweats are spreading.’ Iqbal stroked the back of her hand. ‘I’m glad PC Caniparoli sent you here. Working through the data is just about the best distraction I could have had.’

‘Derek said that I was fiddling while Rome burns.’

‘What else is there to do?’ Iqbal sounded hopeful.

Stevie let go of his hand.

‘Watch television?’

She got up, took the TV remote control from its dock on the shelves, pointed it at the television and clicked. The same images as before flashed on to the screen: the hospital wards, the masked scientist staring intently at the test tube as he introduced something into it, drip by careful drip.

V5N6 IS NO RESPECTER OF AGE OR SOCIAL CLASS. SCIENTISTS ACROSS THE WORLD ARE TAKING PART IN AN UNPRECEDENTED COLLABORATION TO FIND A VACCINE. MEANWHILE PEOPLE ARE BEING ADVISED TO TAKE SOME SIMPLE PRECAUTIONS.

Stevie looked over her shoulder at Iqbal. ‘You were right. It’s better not to touch.’ She turned her attention back to the screen.

LIMIT TRAVEL TO NECESSARY JOURNEYS. DO NOT HOARD FOOD OR PETROL.

Iqbal got up from his seat and stood behind her. Stevie could smell the fragrance of the fabric conditioner he washed his clothes with, and beneath that his own sharp scent. He rested his fingers gently on her shoulders, a feather-light touch more warmth than weight.

REPORTS OF WIDESPREAD INFECTION HAVE BEEN CONDEMNED AS ALARMIST BY THE GOVERNMENT

‘The more I consider it, the more I think it might be worse not to touch.’ Iqbal squeezed her shoulders gently. Stevie felt his breath on the back of her neck and then the trace of his lips, dry and delicate, at the top of her spine. She felt her body respond and whispered, ‘I might be a carrier.’

THE MINISTER FOR HEALTH HAS URGED INTERNET USERS AND THE MEDIA TO MAKE CLEARER DISTINCTIONS BETWEEN HARD NEWS AND RUMOUR

Iqbal pulled the left strap of her vest to one side and grazed her shoulder with his teeth.

‘I know.’ His mouth continued its progress across her shoulder and his words were a murmur. ‘But maybe the news is right and reports of multiple deaths are much exaggerated.’

‘My best friend died of it.’

He kissed the top of her head again. ‘Would you like me to stop?’

Stevie hesitated for a beat. Thinking about Joanie had made her remember how alone she was.

‘No.’

He shifted her other strap and ran the tip of his tongue along Stevie’s right shoulder, making her gasp.

‘The sweats has some positive outcomes.’ Iqbal’s teeth found the sensitive spot between her neck and her shoulder. ‘It makes men bolder. I guess, in the end, all we are is a bundle of cells with the same needs as a mayfly.’

Stevie shivered and leant into him. Iqbal was slim and light compared to Simon’s solid bulk, but the heat of him, his urgency, recalled Simon, and she found herself wanting to be overwhelmed. Stevie turned to face him, still in the orbit of his arms. She whispered, ‘Maybe we shouldn’t.’

‘Maybe we should.’ Iqbal caught her hands in his, holding her embrace tight. ‘People like you are survivors. I’m just a computer geek, the kind of guy who gets shot in the first frames of the movie.’

Stevie remembered her mother, the months of battling, the growing indignities that had turned her into someone else, and the final relief of defeat. She said, ‘It’s not as simple as that. Life isn’t like the cinema. No one’s invulnerable, no matter how strong they are. We can’t predict who’ll live and who’ll die.’

Iqbal whispered, ‘This might be the last chance either of us ever gets.’

Stevie laughed. ‘Do you hit every girl you meet with the please-make-love-to-me-before-I-die-of-the-plague chat-up line?’

He touched her hair with his face. She felt him breathe in her scent the way Simon had done when they were making love.

‘Not usually.’

‘Good, because only an idiot would fall for it.’ Stevie raised her face and they kissed. She felt Iqbal’s body tremble and knew that beneath his desire he was shy. The realisation emboldened her and she pulled off her vest.

Iqbal ran his hands the length of her body, stroking her breasts through her bra, exploring the slide of her back, the slope of her rear. She whispered, ‘Are you sure?’ and he led her up the floating staircase to his bed. Iqbal’s body was smooth, his skin almost as soft as her own. She tried not to think of Simon’s broad chest, the rough, gratifying weight of him, as she let Iqbal touch his lips to her bruises. He traced his fingertips across her body, his caress so light that when she closed her eyes Stevie was barely sure that he was there. She saw his hand on her thigh and thought, we are all flesh. Then Iqbal leant across her, turned out the lights and they clung to each other in the dark.