drink and the sight of peoples’ bodies falling apart and he couldn’t
withstand a mental hammering. There was a stubbornness in him but also
a softness at the core, and I was brutal in my approach.
“My brother didn’t have appendicitis – that was an impossibility.
But you forged a death certificate. Why?
He hunched over the desk, his arms before him with the fists clenched
and remained silent.
“My God, what kind of a doctor are you?” I said. “Your medical
association isn’t going to like this – you’re going to be struck off,
Schouten. Or maybe you’ll be hanged – or guillotined. A man is dead,
Schouten, and you’re an accessory. The best thing that is going to
happen to you is a gaol sentence.” He shook his head slowly, then
closed his eyes as though in pain.
“You’re an old man before your time even now, and ten years in gaol
won’t improve you. They’ll take away your brandy and you’ll scream for
it. Now, what happened to Mark?” He opened his eyes and looked at me
bleakly. can’t tell you “Can’t – or won’t?” The muscles of his mouth
tightened and he remained stubbornly silent.
“All right,” I said. “You’re coming with us – we’re going back to
Papeete and you’ll tell your story to the Governor.
I’m putting you under civilian arrest, Schouten. I don’t know if that
has any validity under French law but I’ll chance it. I’ll give you
ten minutes to collect whatever you want to take with you.
Something happened inside Schouten and I knew I was getting to him. He
jerked up his head and stared at me. “But I can’t leave the hospital,”
he said. “What will happen to the people here?” I pushed hard. “What
will happen to this hospital when you’re in gaol? Or even dead? Come
on get your things together.” He pushed back his chair abruptly and
stood up. “You don’t understand. I can’t leave these people – some of
them would die.
I’m the only doctor here,” I looked at him without pity. I had a cruel
advantage and I had to use it – there was nothing else I could do.
“You should have thought of that before you killed my brother,” I
said.
His muscles tensed and for a moment I thought he was going to jump
me.
I said sharply, “You may be big, Schouten, but you’re old and soft!
I’m tougher than you and you know it, so stay clear of me or I’ll whale
the daylights out of you. I’m sorely tempted.” His mouth twitched and
he almost smiled. “I wasn’t going to attack you, Mr Trevelyan. I’m a
peaceful man. I don’t believe in violeAce – and I didn’t kill your
brother.” “Then for Christ’s sake, what’s the matter with you? Why
won’t you tell me what happened?” He sat down again and buried his
face in his hands. When he raised his head I saw that his cheeks were
streaked with tears. He said with difficulty, “I cannot leave the
hospital, but you must guarantee its safety, Mr Trevelyan.
You see, they said – they said they’d burn the hospital.” “Burn the
hospital!
Who said that?” “What could I do? I couldn’t let them burn it, could
I?” What I saw in his eyes made me begin to pity him.
I said gently, “No, you couldn’t do that.” “What would happen to my
people then? I had fifty patients what would have happened to them?”
I took the bottle and poured some brandy into a glass.
“Here,” I said, ‘drink this.” He took the glass and looked at it, then
set it down on the desk. “No. It’s past time for that.” His voice
was stronger. “I couldn’t help it. They made me do it – I had no
choice.
It was covering up a crime or losing the hospital.” He threw his arms
out. “I thought the people out there were more important than bringing
a murderer to justice. Was I right?” “What happened to Mark?” I said
in an even voice.
His eyes went cold. “You must promise protection for the hospital,” he
insisted.
“Nothing will happen to the hospital. What happened to my brother?”
“He was murdered,” said Schouten. “On a schooner out in the lagoon.”
I let out my breath in a long sigh. Now it was in the open.
All the shadowy suspicions had crystallized into this one moment, and
all I felt was a great pity for this wreck of a man sitting at the desk
I said slowly, “Tell me what happened.” So Schouten told me. He had
more colour in his face now, and his voice was stronger. His account
was factual and he made no excuses for himself; he admitted he had done
wrong, but all his thoughts were for his patients. It was a sad and
cruel story.
“The schooner came through the pass early last year. She was a
stranger, like yourselves – the only ships that put in to Tanakabu are
the copra boats and it wasn’t the right time for them. She entered the
lagoon and dropped anchor just opposite the hospital – out there.”
He nodded towards the sea.
“Two men came ashore. One was about your size, very thin.
The other was a big man – as big as me. They said there had been an
accident and a man was dead. They wanted a death certificate. I took
my bag from the corner there and said I’d come aboard, but the big man
said no, it wasn’t necessary, the man was already dead, anyone could
see that, and all they wanted was a bit of paper to say so.”
Schouten smiled slightly. “I laughed at them and said what they wanted
was impossible – that the body must be seen by a doctor. Then the big
man hit me.” He fingered the side of his cheek and said
apologetically, “I couldn’t do anything – I’m not young any more.” “I
understand,” I said. “Tell me, were their names mentioned?” “The big
man was called Jim, the other man called him that His name I don’t
remember. There was another name said, but I forget.” “All right.
What happened then?” “I was astonished. I couldn’t understand why the
man had hit me. I got up and he hit me again. Then he pulled me up
and sat me in this chair and told me to write a death certificate.” My
lips tightened. It was only too probable that the big man was Hadley
and the other was Kane. I’d have a reckoning with Kane when I got back
to the Esmerelda.
“I wouldn’t do it,”said Schouten. “I asked why I couldn’t see the body
and the other man laughed and said it was in a mess and it would turn
the stomach even of a doctor. Then I knew there was something very bad
going on. I think they had killed someone, and it was someone who
could not just disappear there had to be a death certificate.” I
nodded. “What happened then?” “The big man hit me again and kept on
hitting me until the other made him stop. He said that was not the way
to do it.
Then he turned on me and wiped the blood from my face very gently, and
while the big man sat drinking he talked to me.” “What did he talk
about?” “The hospital. He said he thought it was a good hospital and
that it was doing good work in the islands. He asked how many patients
I had, and I told him – about fifty. He asked if I was curing them and
I said yes, some of them, but others were incurable. I just looked
after them. Then he asked what would happen if there were no hospital
on Tanakabu, and I said it would be a very bad thing – many people
would die.”
Schouten caught my hand and said appealingly, “I told him all this – I
told him freely. I didn’t know what he wanted.” “Go on,”I said
tightly. to laugh and then he hit me once “The big man started
again.
He said, “That’s so you’ll take notice of what I’m saying.
You sign that certificate or we’ll burn the whole bloody hospital.” ‘
He dropped his head into his hands. “What could I do?” he said in a
muffled voice.
I was angry, more angry than I’ve ever been in my life before. If Kane
and Hadley had been in that room then I’d have killed them without
mercy.
Schouten said brokenly, “He said that he didn’t care if he burned the
patients either – it was all one to him.” His eyes looked at me in
slow horror. “He kept lighting Matches as he talked to me.” “So you
signed the death certificate.” Va. I made it out as they wanted, then
I signed it. Then the big man hit me again and the other man said, “If