Eleanor Sutherland, a junior doctor in her late twenties, sits at a small square table in the staff canteen of a London Hospital, with a cup of tea and an open pack of sandwiches in front of her. She scrolls down through her incoming emails, deleting each one in turn without reading the content. Taking a bite out of her late lunch, she stops when noting her police officer father has left a voicemail.
Placing the phone to her ear, she listens to his curt, missive ‘need you home and don’t fart arse about getting here’.
Out the corner of her eye, she sees her mentor Sir George Khan standing in the doorway of the now emptying room.
Witnessing the confused look on her face, he gently asks, “Is there a problem, Eleanor?”
Being a man that can spot a lie at twenty paces, she replies honestly before her courage wanes. “My father requires me to return home. I do not know why, but it did sound serious.”
Much to her surprise, he holds up a hand, signalling the topic is not open for discussion, before softly murmuring, “Then you must go.” He moves back into the corridor, leaving her in a confused state.
If she had taken time to read the obituaries section in the national newspapers, which reported the death of retired MP Nigel Trevisa. Was an observer at the Trevisa’s London home in Mayfair last night at 10pm, what awaits her in Northamptonshire may not come as a complete surprise. . But she doesn’t have time to read anything other than medical journals and patient records, and last night she was observing Sir George in surgery before taking on an extra shift.
All she wants to do now is finish her shift, get home, find out what her father wants and get back to her beloved career; little does she know it is not going to be that easy – an innocuous task given to her father decades ago has morphed into something more dangerous and is about to reach its deadly climax. Without her knowledge, she has been cast as the leading lady, a role that will require her to become brave and fearless if she wishes to see another day.