The Constant Gardner

Business Ethics

The Constant Gardeners Epilogue

Short Summary

British diplomat and a passionate gardener Justin Quayle meets the impulsive activist Tessa whom he marries promptly, and at her request takes her on his diplomatic mission in Kenya. When Tessa is brutally murdered, Justin decides to investigate her death after suspecting her death not being a rebel assault and also against the strong wish of his superiors to let the matter quietly disappear. He discovers a powerful mystery connecting the members of the British High Commission to not-so-acceptable business practices of multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical companies. In the process of learning the secrets of his powerful enemies, Justin must learn all of his wife's many secrets and die while living with them as well.

Eccentric Summary

Justin Quayle is a low ranked diplomat sent to lecture a class and represent Sir Bernard Pelligrin to a discussion group in London, where he is being questioned yet attacked by a young controvert Tessa whom asks him after a short affair to take her with him to his diplomatic mission to Kenya as student, lover, mistress or wife, he accepts and soon after the agreement marries her.

Tessa is pregnant and almost giving birth. She is a researcher and is on a mission to get to know and explain the UN's actions. During her research she uncovers accidentally certain well kept secrets involving high British Commissioners and big pharmaceutical organizations like KDH and 3 Bees. Along with Dr. Arnold Bluhm, a well educated African doctor with activists' mentality, they approach Dr. Joshua Ngaba with questions and, being an activist, she attacks him regarding his help in Kenya and so she gets to know the faces behind 3 Bees.

Arnold also tells her that 3 bees is testing HIV patients for Tuberculoses and uses them to test out their drug called Dypraxa. The drug seems to cure TB but has a higher number of deaths as results than cured. These patients are being used as test subject and Tessa gets more involved in the matter for snooping around and she decides to request help from Sandy Woodrow, one of Justin's diplomat friends.

Tessa lost her child and sees breast-feeding an African baby she tells Sandy that the baby's mother is Wanza Kilulu, a girl who is dying with HIV and is one such test subjects for the TB tests runned by 3 Bees. She confesses to Sandy that Justin is unaware of her doings and asks Sandy to please react on her sayings from then on.

Tessa quarrels with Justin for not helping Kioko Kilulu, the younger brother of Wanza, with a lift to their 40 miles away village and later that day also for carrying a box of pesticide manufactured by 3 Bees; Justin does not understand her mood and thinks she blames him for losing the baby.

Quayles

Justin met Tessa in a lecture, where he represented Sir Bernard Pelligrin, and connected by a direct attack, in questions, to him by her regarding diplomatic matters and how the UN addresses the matter. She was mainly ignored and booed by her fellow colleagues, but Justin allowed her to state her point and respected it by answering to the point. Soon after they met they got married and moved to Kenya on a diplomatic mission of Justin and she started working as a researcher.

Tessa is pregnant and Justin makes her his world, tending her like a tender garden, and stands by her side during all events they are required to be. They have an agreement that Tessa's work is her work and Justin does not get involved with it and vice versa. This is mainly because their line of work collides and questions the other's methods and measures.

Murderous Intents

Tessa asks Sandy for help, he agrees to such and finds himself in a dilemma where he had to choose to either help Tessa or safe his career.

Tessa wrote a report to 3 Bees concerning the inefficiencies of Dypraxa and sends it to Sir Kenneth 'Kenny' Curtiss who at his turn reports this matter to Pelligrin who is the direct link between the two corporations and their subsidiaries. Pelligrin sends a letter to Sandy reflecting his mal content on the matter at hand and asks him to politely ask Tessa to stand off.

Tessa asks him if he had received any reply from the higher commission and Sandy tells her yes but it is a personal letter. Tessa offers him a deal, if he allows her to read the letter he could have her as mistress; he abides to the deal and shortly after that Tessa gets murdered.

Eminent Demise

Justin gets involved after her demise and after going through her belongings. He got intrigued due to the fact that local authorities had ransacked her stuffs and that she carries a diary. He read a letter from Sandy to Tessa stating that she should return what she took or at least do it for the sake of their relationship where he signed off repetitively with "I love you".

Justin digs in a little too deep and gets to know the dark secrets his wife carried. He learns about Dypraxa after Kioko left a note on her grave the day of her funeral, he followed Kioko to his village and saw the village mart being used for medical treatments. He was questioned for his presence and asked what the information on the cards of those in queue meant. The local police captured him and told him that they would let him go if he gave them a lucrative option. Sandy comes in and saved the day; later he tries to convince Justin that Tessa was having an affair with Arnold. Justin knows that Arnold is gay and about Sandy's obsession with Tessa, but he plays along.

Justin followed some leads that lead him to some key players in the entire conspiracy; he departs to London where his passport is being withheld by customs. He meets right after that with Pelligrin and learns about another letter implicating High British Commissioners with the entire pharmaceutical affair. With the help of Guido and Arthur "Ham" Hammond he hacks Tessa's computer and uncovers more link between KDH, 3 Bees and the British High Commissioners. He also learned that Tessa had conversations regarding the matter with Birgit, a member of an organization named Hippo, and decided to go to her contact and see what he could uncover about his wife's strange demise. She advices Justin to go back to Kenya, all his questions would be answered there.

Justin decides to go back to Kenya and stand up to Sandy and learns about Dr. Brandt formerly introduced as Dr. Lorbeer. Justin follows up the tracks to Dr. Brandt and introduces himself as an independent reporter to gain