Part Twelve
Karen had always thought she could handle any situation but, as she watched Yvonne head out to the courtroom to testify, she suddenly felt incredibly vulnerable as the one human being that she felt she could rely on was temporarily away from her side and she was going to be stuck in the same room with Jim bloody Fenner. If there was one thing she was sure of, he could be totally relied on to be utterly unreliable and totally dishonest. Yet he was as important in the trial as anyone and she felt she had to restrain herself from lashing out at his innuendoes and sour jibes. Fennner, selfish as he was, could not begin to comprehend Karen's ingrained sense of the larger picture.
"You and Atkins, eh. Would never have guessed it." Fenner leered at her."What's with you women governors at Larkhall that you go moist at the sight of a cold blooded criminal?"
Karen lit a cigarette without answering and took in puffs of nicotine deep down into her lungs. One day she'll cut the cigarettes down and go on a health kick but the time right now most certainly was not right.
"If you must know, Jim, I was giving Yvonne a bit of comfort before she goes up against the defence barrister. She's going to have a hard time of it what with facing her own son in the dock and testifying against him. If you've done your homework, you'll have figured that one out."
"So it was all innocent, like Stewart and Wade were." leered Fenner.
"You keep bringing up that old chestnut" sighed Karen wearily."Leave it out won't you. In any case you'll have a few tough questions to face when you get asked about the favours you did for Merriman, like Shell Dockley before her. Seems as if you need to watch your own back before stabbing other people in theirs."
Fenner's face turned red with anger especially as his favourite phrase was used against him. That dangerous glitter made his eyes burn and his mouth set tight and thin lipped. That, indeed was what worried him. He wanted to see that bitch Merriman go down for making a fool of him and Atkins for being that gangster's moll's son and for shagging Karen when by rights she was still his. It was all an unfortunate misunderstanding which had got out of control. The fact that she could even think of going to the police really got to him and hurt him. He also had that maddening feeling that the woman he was used to smooching up and keeping sweet was dangerously out of hand. She had wanted to see him behind bars for that unfortunate incident at his bedsit even though she didn't go ahead with it. No woman would ever get the better of him as far as he was concerned.
"Now listen to me, bitch." Fenner snarled though keeping his tones low."You better get into your head that in this trial we work as a team, me and you like it should be not you and Atkins. If we get our stories right we can nail the pair of them, Merriman and Ritchie Atkins, so tight that the nick they go to might as well as throw away the key." He hurled the words into Karen's face from inches away which brought back horrible memories of that other night months ago which she had done her best to forget. But there she was, trapped inside a bare interview room in an ancient court building where the world went on outside, even in open court. The silence that surrounded them might as well have taken them miles from any human contact instead of yards. Karen shrank back in horror from Fenner because he had touched a nerve that hit almost the only vulnerable spot that she had.
"You are going to go into court and you are going to testify that, as wing Governor you authorised Merriman's prison duty in the library. I told you that she had a collection of books in her room about movie stars and had a real interest in books. I was the personal officer, you were Wing Governor. We stand together on this one. This way that bastard isn't going to take us both to the cleaners."
"Us," Karen asked in total derision. More like you."
"Because if you don't play ball with me, a few things just might come out in court that you, Karen 'politically correct' Betts wouldn't like the defence barrister to hear." He gave an evil leer and the dimly lit room threw upward shading shadows on his face as if in some sinister horror film. He paused a bit to let Karen sweat and to wonder what he would say next. The naked exercise of power of Fenner over another vulnerable human being was something that he most enjoyed feeling.
"It all depends if those high and mighty people in their gowns and wigs believe you. If they don't believe you, you're nothing. Let's see, it might come out how generous you are with your favours to men, first me, then Waddle, then me again and then, wait a minute, to the very man who is sitting in the dock. Wouldn't look very good to the jury."
"I'm not on trial, you bastard. There's a perfectly good explanation for everything I did.
Not that a bastard like you would know it. You, Jim Fenner, who'll screw around with any woman with a short enough skirt." Karen fired back at him though the note of desperation in her tone was not lost on Fenner.
"And then there's the matter of the so called sexual assault on you. Not very convincing when you back down at the first sign that you'll have to swear an oath in court…….just like you're going to have to do right now."
The nightmare of the past few months was cruelly dragged back for her to relive in all it's horror, not to just remember. Karen closed her eyes to shut out the sight of Fenner's face.
Suddenly, there was a shuffling sound and banging doors, as Yvonne's testimony was complete. In a real fever of desperation, her mind grabbed at the vision of Yvonne's face and that she would be out of this psychologically bolted and barred room. She wanted her freedom desperately and she ran blindly for the exit and out into the cooler air of the spacious court building. She felt clammy with fear and wanted desperately to be amongst those who believed in her.
There stood Cassie well dressed in her blue trouser suit chatting to Roisin whose quick smile and physical closeness expressed all the love and light between the two of them. And Lauren, whom she had seen from time to time as a surly disrespectful visitor, cast her eyes questioningly on her with that look of concern that was so Yvonne.Her feelings were written all over her face but this time, the three women, two of whom she'd locked up for a living, were never so welcome.
"You'll think on what I've said, Karen." Fenner murmured. The relative light of the court transformed him into just another man in anonymous prison uniform who slunk for the exit. With a huge sigh of relief, Karen spotted Yvonne who was last in the steady stream of people funnelling out of the court chamber. She couldn't wait to get out of the court building.
In the melee of people in the high domed court foyer, Brian Cantwell pushed forwards in a self important way furious about being outsmarted. He was headed for his room in chambers where he could down a generous amount of the bottle of port and in his dreams, fantasise that he was still the red-hot barrister of his ambitions and dreams. Somehow, half drunk, things looked a lot better. It was accepted by his wife whose thoughts were occupied by the latest drama at the Women's Institute that his career demanded that he socialise with his colleagues in chambers till late hours and this was very convenient to her as the man could never keep up with the subtleties of who was whose best friend. He was always a year behind, poor thing. Men from her experience were like that and never understood the little pecking orders which her mind was attuned to. It gave her something to do in her day besides planning the latest Bring and Buy.
Karen had always thought she could handle any situation but, as she watched Yvonne head out to the courtroom to testify, she suddenly felt incredibly vulnerable as the one human being that she felt she could rely on was temporarily away from her side and she was going to be stuck in the same room with Jim bloody Fenner. If there was one thing she was sure of, he could be totally relied on to be utterly unreliable and totally dishonest. Yet he was as important in the trial as anyone and she felt she had to restrain herself from lashing out at his innuendoes and sour jibes. Fennner, selfish as he was, could not begin to comprehend Karen's ingrained sense of the larger picture.
"You and Atkins, eh. Would never have guessed it." Fenner leered at her."What's with you women governors at Larkhall that you go moist at the sight of a cold blooded criminal?"
Karen lit a cigarette without answering and took in puffs of nicotine deep down into her lungs. One day she'll cut the cigarettes down and go on a health kick but the time right now most certainly was not right.
"If you must know, Jim, I was giving Yvonne a bit of comfort before she goes up against the defence barrister. She's going to have a hard time of it what with facing her own son in the dock and testifying against him. If you've done your homework, you'll have figured that one out."
"So it was all innocent, like Stewart and Wade were." leered Fenner.
"You keep bringing up that old chestnut" sighed Karen wearily."Leave it out won't you. In any case you'll have a few tough questions to face when you get asked about the favours you did for Merriman, like Shell Dockley before her. Seems as if you need to watch your own back before stabbing other people in theirs."
Fenner's face turned red with anger especially as his favourite phrase was used against him. That dangerous glitter made his eyes burn and his mouth set tight and thin lipped. That, indeed was what worried him. He wanted to see that bitch Merriman go down for making a fool of him and Atkins for being that gangster's moll's son and for shagging Karen when by rights she was still his. It was all an unfortunate misunderstanding which had got out of control. The fact that she could even think of going to the police really got to him and hurt him. He also had that maddening feeling that the woman he was used to smooching up and keeping sweet was dangerously out of hand. She had wanted to see him behind bars for that unfortunate incident at his bedsit even though she didn't go ahead with it. No woman would ever get the better of him as far as he was concerned.
"Now listen to me, bitch." Fenner snarled though keeping his tones low."You better get into your head that in this trial we work as a team, me and you like it should be not you and Atkins. If we get our stories right we can nail the pair of them, Merriman and Ritchie Atkins, so tight that the nick they go to might as well as throw away the key." He hurled the words into Karen's face from inches away which brought back horrible memories of that other night months ago which she had done her best to forget. But there she was, trapped inside a bare interview room in an ancient court building where the world went on outside, even in open court. The silence that surrounded them might as well have taken them miles from any human contact instead of yards. Karen shrank back in horror from Fenner because he had touched a nerve that hit almost the only vulnerable spot that she had.
"You are going to go into court and you are going to testify that, as wing Governor you authorised Merriman's prison duty in the library. I told you that she had a collection of books in her room about movie stars and had a real interest in books. I was the personal officer, you were Wing Governor. We stand together on this one. This way that bastard isn't going to take us both to the cleaners."
"Us," Karen asked in total derision. More like you."
"Because if you don't play ball with me, a few things just might come out in court that you, Karen 'politically correct' Betts wouldn't like the defence barrister to hear." He gave an evil leer and the dimly lit room threw upward shading shadows on his face as if in some sinister horror film. He paused a bit to let Karen sweat and to wonder what he would say next. The naked exercise of power of Fenner over another vulnerable human being was something that he most enjoyed feeling.
"It all depends if those high and mighty people in their gowns and wigs believe you. If they don't believe you, you're nothing. Let's see, it might come out how generous you are with your favours to men, first me, then Waddle, then me again and then, wait a minute, to the very man who is sitting in the dock. Wouldn't look very good to the jury."
"I'm not on trial, you bastard. There's a perfectly good explanation for everything I did.
Not that a bastard like you would know it. You, Jim Fenner, who'll screw around with any woman with a short enough skirt." Karen fired back at him though the note of desperation in her tone was not lost on Fenner.
"And then there's the matter of the so called sexual assault on you. Not very convincing when you back down at the first sign that you'll have to swear an oath in court…….just like you're going to have to do right now."
The nightmare of the past few months was cruelly dragged back for her to relive in all it's horror, not to just remember. Karen closed her eyes to shut out the sight of Fenner's face.
Suddenly, there was a shuffling sound and banging doors, as Yvonne's testimony was complete. In a real fever of desperation, her mind grabbed at the vision of Yvonne's face and that she would be out of this psychologically bolted and barred room. She wanted her freedom desperately and she ran blindly for the exit and out into the cooler air of the spacious court building. She felt clammy with fear and wanted desperately to be amongst those who believed in her.
There stood Cassie well dressed in her blue trouser suit chatting to Roisin whose quick smile and physical closeness expressed all the love and light between the two of them. And Lauren, whom she had seen from time to time as a surly disrespectful visitor, cast her eyes questioningly on her with that look of concern that was so Yvonne.Her feelings were written all over her face but this time, the three women, two of whom she'd locked up for a living, were never so welcome.
"You'll think on what I've said, Karen." Fenner murmured. The relative light of the court transformed him into just another man in anonymous prison uniform who slunk for the exit. With a huge sigh of relief, Karen spotted Yvonne who was last in the steady stream of people funnelling out of the court chamber. She couldn't wait to get out of the court building.
In the melee of people in the high domed court foyer, Brian Cantwell pushed forwards in a self important way furious about being outsmarted. He was headed for his room in chambers where he could down a generous amount of the bottle of port and in his dreams, fantasise that he was still the red-hot barrister of his ambitions and dreams. Somehow, half drunk, things looked a lot better. It was accepted by his wife whose thoughts were occupied by the latest drama at the Women's Institute that his career demanded that he socialise with his colleagues in chambers till late hours and this was very convenient to her as the man could never keep up with the subtleties of who was whose best friend. He was always a year behind, poor thing. Men from her experience were like that and never understood the little pecking orders which her mind was attuned to. It gave her something to do in her day besides planning the latest Bring and Buy.