They were crammed in like cattle. The worried inmates had been marched down to the canteen first thing, so that their cells could be searched. Normally this would have worried the prisoners – all sorts of contraband items were concealed within their small cells – but today nobody seemed to care. All eyes were on cell B33 – Jordi’s cell.
From their viewpoint below, the inmates could see the PPS officers at work, in their white, sterile suits. Some passed in and out of Jordi’s cell, carrying evidence bags. Others crawled along the gantry, conducting a fingertip search for clues. They made a very odd sight in the old prison, raising the inmates’ anxiety levels still further.
Helen sat at the breakfast table, flanked by Noelle and Babs. There was a gaping hole where Jordi should be – she never missed breakfast and was always a lively presence – and no one seemed to know what to say. What was there to say? The world seemed a poorer, darker place this morning.
Casting her eye around the room, Helen saw the familiar groupings drawing together. Those who could afford to pay for protection cosied up to the gangs, while those who couldn’t tried desperately to find a clique to belong to. To Helen’s surprise, the only person in the room who seemed isolated was Alexis, who sat on her own in the corner of the room. Had something happened between her and Annie? Was it possible she had been discarded by her boss? If so, then she faced an uncertain future.
‘What are you going to do?’ Babs said suddenly, intruding on Helen’s thoughts.
Helen turned to find both Babs and Noelle looking at her.
‘Are you going to tell them what you saw?’
Helen said nothing, staring at the untouched food in front of her. She had been wrestling with this dilemma all night. She should say something to the authorities – she had seen Jordi’s attacker – but to do so would reveal her own wrongdoing. And could she trust them to take her seriously? How much stock would they put in the word of a ‘serial killer’ awaiting trial? Once she had made her statement, she would have exposed her hand, and if the killer was a prison officer, as Helen increasingly felt sure he was, then she would be putting herself in danger.
‘I don’t know,’ she eventually muttered. ‘I need time to think.’
‘You didn’t recognize him? Didn’t see his face or nothing?’ Noelle finally said, staring at her cracked nails.
‘He was too quick. I saw him from behind, but it was dark –’
‘Have you thought about where he could have disappeared to?’ Babs interjected. ‘When you lost him?’
Helen had been thinking of little else. The attacker could have disappeared into one of the cells at that end of the gantry, but to do so would have risked alerting the inmate sleeping inside. Far more likely then that they would have vanished through the access door to the next wing. But to do that, they would have needed an electronic swipe card – and only prison officers had those.
‘I think he escaped to C-Wing.’
‘In which case, say nothing,’ Babs said quickly, nodding urgently at something over Helen’s shoulder.
Puzzled, Helen turned to see Cameron Campbell walking towards her.
‘On your feet, Grace,’ he said brusquely.
‘I think it’s best if we skip the fun and games today, Mr Campbell. Nobody’s really in the mood.’
Babs was already struggling to her feet. But Campbell dismissed her out of hand.
‘No need to get excited, Grandma. I’m not here for fun.’
Babs glared at him and for a moment Helen feared she might do something stupid.
‘I’m here on official business,’ he continued, turning his attention to Helen. ‘I have bad news for you, Grace. You failed your drugs test.’
For a moment, Helen said nothing – she was too stunned to react.
‘That’s impossible …’
‘On the contrary. You tested positive and you know what that means …’ he continued.
Helen stared at him in horror, knowing full well what was coming next.
‘You’re off to the Seg.’