Death of Finlay Andrews

Finlay Andrews’s hospital death closes the immediate possibility of confronting him as a witness. The failed resuscitation is followed by John Rebus’s blunt recognition that the official record will call it a heart attack, even as he expects the evidence and testimony that might matter to vanish.

The Resuscitation

Rebus and Brian Holmes arrive at the hospital ward during an emergency. Andrews lies on a bed with his chest exposed as staff give him oxygen and install a cardiac apparatus. A doctor places the pads against his chest; a jolt passes through Andrews’s body, but the machine registers nothing. The staff give him more oxygen and apply more electricity. Rebus turns away, already convinced of how the effort will end.

The Official Account

When Holmes asks what has happened, Rebus answers that it was a heart attack, then makes clear that this is what the record will say. His manner is bland, but the qualification distinguishes the official explanation from the unresolved circumstances surrounding Andrews’s death. The scene does not establish who caused the death; it shows Rebus anticipating that its formal classification will settle the matter on paper without settling what happened.

Evidence and Aftermath

Holmes keeps pace with Rebus as they leave, sharing his sense of being cheated. Asked what comes next, Rebus predicts that the photographs that matter will probably disappear. He also doubts that anyone will remain to testify, or that there will be anything they can testify to. Andrews’s death thus threatens not only a potential witness but the wider prospect of establishing the truth: Rebus expects the documentary evidence and the human account to be lost together.