The Constant Gardener

BBB (Crick): Well, if it's your actual case histories and that — obviously, Rob — technical discussion of symptoms, indications, dosage — side effects, Rob- then it's like we said, it's down to your manufacturer every time. We're talking Basel, we're talking Seattle and we're talking Vancouver. I mean, fuck. We would be behaving with criminal irresponsibility, wouldn't we, Viv, if we didn't immediately turn to the experts for evaluation. That's not just company policy. I'd say that was Holy Writ here at ThreeBees, wouldn't you?

BBB (Eber): Absolutely. No question, Doug. The chief insists. The moment there's a problem, it's get KVH on the help line.

Officer: What are you telling us? This is ridiculous. What happens to paper in this place, for Christ's sake?

BBB (Crick): I'm telling you that we're hearing you and we'll mount a search and see what we come up with. This isn't the civil service, Rob. Or Scotland Yard. This is Africa. We don't all march on our fucking files, right? We got better ways of spending our fucking time than —

P. R. Oakey, QC: I think there are two points here. Perhaps three. Can I take them separately? The first is, how certain are you officers that the meeting between Mrs. Quayle, Dr. Bluhm and representatives of ThreeBees that you're referring to actually took place?

Officer: As we already told you, we have documentary evidence in Bluhm's handwriting, from Bluhm's diary, that a meeting was arranged for November 18 through Ms. Rampuri's office.

P. R. Oakey, QC: Arranged is one thing, Lesley. Consummated is quite another. Let's hope Ms. Rampuri has a good memory. She conducts an awful lot of meetings, you may be sure. My second point is tone. Insofar as you are able to say, would the alleged representations have been adversarial in tone? Might there, for instance, have been a whiff of litigation in the air? De mortuis and so on, but from all one hears about Mrs. Quayle, she wasn't exactly one to pull her punches, was she? She was also a lawyer, as you say. And Dr. Bluhm is by way of being a professional watchdog in the pharmaceutical field, I understand. We're not dealing with nobodies.

Officer: What if they were adversarial? If somebody's died of a drug, people have got a right to be adversarial.

P. R. Oakey, QC: Well, obviously, Rob, if Ms. Rampuri smelled a claim in the air, or worse, or the chief did, assuming he did indeed receive the written materials, which is clearly open to question, then their very first instinct would be to send them on to the firm's legal department. Which would be another place to look, wouldn't it, Doug?

Officer: I thought you were their legal department.

P.R. Oakey, QC: (humour) I'm a last resort, Rob. Not a first resort. I'm far too expensive.

BBB (Crick): We'll get back to you, Rob. It's been our pleasure. Next time let's make it lunch. But don't expect the moon is my advice. It's like I say. We don't spend all day filing paper here. We have a lot of irons in the fire and as the chief likes to say, ThreeBees does business from the hip. That's how this company became what it is today. Officer: We'd like one more moment of your time, please, Mr. Crick. We're interested in speaking to a gentleman named Lorbeer, probably Dr. Lorbeer, of German, Swiss or perhaps Dutch origin. I'm afraid we don't have a first name for him but we understand he's been closely involved with the career of Dypraxa here in Africa.

BBB (Crick): On which side, Lesley?

Officer: Does that matter?

BBB (Crick): Well, it does, rather. If Lorbeer's a doctor, which you seem to think he is, he's more likely to be with the manufacturers than with us. ThreeBees don't run to medics, you see. We're laymen in the marketplace. Salesmen. So it's try KVH again, I'm afraid, Les.

Officer: Look, do you know Lorbeer or not? We're not in Vancouver or Basel or Seattle. We're in Africa. It's your drug, your territory. You import the stuff, you advertise it, distribute it and sell it. We're telling you a Lorbeer has been involved with your drug here in Africa. Have you heard of Lorbeer or not?

P. R. Oakey, QC: I think you've had your answer, haven't you, Rob? Try the manufacturers.

Officer: How about a woman called Kovacs, could be Hungarian?

BBB (Eber): A doctor too?

Officer: Do you know the name? Never mind her title. Has any of you heard the name Kovacs? Female? In the context of marketing this drug?

BBB (Crick): Try the phone book, I should, Rob.

Officer: There's also a Dr. Emrich we'd like to talk to —

P. R. Oakey, QC: Looks as though you've drawn a blank, officers. I'm awfully sorry we can't be more use to you. We've pulled out all the stops for you, but it just doesn't seem to be our day.

Note added one week after this meeting took place: