They stood over Patricia Patterson as she was sleeping in the cell. Both women were dressed simply in work overalls. The cell itself was four bare whitewashed walls with no windows. A single light above the door illuminated the scene.
The taller of the two knelt down and touched the sleeping woman’s face. ‘How long will she be out?’
‘Your guess is as good as mine. Depends how much she ate this morning and her constitution.’
‘Has it been decided yet?’
‘Not yet. We’re waiting for his answer.’
The woman stroked Patricia’s hair. ‘A shame, I liked her.’
‘She left us. We can’t allow it to happen again.’
The taller woman stood up. ‘Shame though.’
‘Make sure there’s somebody outside her door at all times, but there is to be no contact. Not until it has been decided.’
‘I’ll take the first shift myself.’
‘We have cameras and sound?’
The tall woman pointed to the light. ‘I tested them myself this morning before we brought her here.’
‘And her car?’
‘Left in a busy garden centre. It won’t be found for a while.’
‘Good. Do not enter, whatever happens, is that understood?’
The tall woman nodded.
‘There is to be no communication with her, that is the instruction.’
They both left the cell, ensuring the door was locked and the bolts were in place. From the outside, the woman checked the camera and then turned out the light, plunging the cell into blackness.
On the rough mattress, Patricia Patterson slept on, her eyes flickering from side to side as she dreamt her drug-troubled dreams.