Part One Hundred And Nineteen
Karen felt lighter of heart than she had done in a fortnight as she walked in through the prison gates on the Monday morning. Fenner was gone, and the initial shock of that announcement was slowly beginning to recede. On the question of her withholding the knowledge of Fenner's death, her conscience was relatively clear. She did feel guilty for having dropped Lauren in it, and she did feel terrible for having called it a day, albeit temporarily, with Yvonne, but these were both things it had been necessary for her to do. As for John, well, that was also something she could safely say she'd needed to do. A slow, sultry smile spread across her face at the memory of Friday evening. Her insides melted at the very thought of him. But she wasn't stupid, men like John Deed rarely came back for more. She knew she was privileged that he'd left her a note, telling her in no uncertain terms that he wanted her to keep in touch as friends. Immersed in her thoughts, she strolled casually in to her office, the soft, sexy smile being immediately wiped off her face. Standing by the window, clearly waiting for her, was Grayling.
"This is an unexpected pleasure," she said, dropping her handbag on the desk, and knowing that this had to be serious for him to accost her like this first thing on a Monday morning.
"I think a little conversation between us is fast becoming overdue," He said sternly, as she sat behind the desk.
"what have I done this time?" Asked Karen, her blasé manner further serving to irritate him.
"I think that's for you to tell me, don't you," Replied Grayling, not moving from his position in front of the window. Karen fished her cigarettes out of a jacket pocket, and lit up.
"Well, we can do this by process of elimination," She said, taking a long, satisfied drag. "As far as I'm aware, no inmate on my wing has caused any major incident over the last couple of weeks. Yes, some of the inmates have been acting up, clearly as a response to one of their officers being murdered, but they're settling down and I don't think their behaviour on that score is anything to worry about. Fenner's death obviously means that the shortage of decent officers has become far more of a priority, and quite where we'll find a replacement at the drop of a hat, is anyone's guess. In spite of everything, I think my wing is holding it's own. So, where's your problem?"
"Well, you've touched on it in a number of ways," Said Grayling carefully, though Karen could almost see the smoke coming out of his ears. "One of your officers has been murdered."
"And precisely what, do you expect me to do about it?"
"Well, filling me in on a few facts might be a start," He said, his voice imperceptibly rising.
"Such as," Asked Karen blandly, but worryingly certain of what was coming.
"Well, wouldn't you say it was a little convenient," He began icily, "that you get in to a relationship with Yvonne Atkins, and a few weeks later, the man you alleged raped you ends up dead."
"I would be very, very careful about what you're saying," Said Karen, her tone quiet but as threatening as Yvonne's could be. "I don't think being sued for slander would do you any good, would it."
"I'd rather be guilty of slander than guilty of either murder itself or perverting the course of justice," He said, her unequivocal threat rattling him.
"Just what are you insinuating?" Asked Karen, totally unable to believe that he was being quite so brazen about the matter.
"It doesn't take a bloody genius to work it out," Said Grayling scornfully. "Anyone as powerful as an Atkins, would naturally want revenge if they thought one of their associates had been harmed in some way."
"First," Said Karen firmly, "I am not, repeat not, any associate of any member of the Atkins family. Second, even if Yvonne wanted revenge on Fenner for what he did to me, she's not stupid enough to think of breaking the law a second time. She was behind bars long enough not to want to go through it again. My third and final point, is that you've got absolutely no right to question me like this."
"Well, considering your previous liaison with an Atkins, and the disastrous results that achieved, I'd have thought I was well within my rights to find out if you were in the process of making a similarly catastrophic mistake. What is it about the Atkins charm. First the son, now the mother. I'd have thought you'd have learnt your lesson."
"Do you know something," Said Karen, sounding falsely cheerful. "You're the second person to say something like that to me in less than a week, and I'm getting a little sick and tired of hearing it." Then, her anger broke over Grayling's head like a tropical storm. "don't you ever speak to me like that again. That is going way beyond the professional call of duty for a superior. It's verging in to the blatantly inquisitive. There's one little angle of all this that you seem to have conveniently forgotten about. Not so long ago, you covered up for Fenner, withheld knowledge about Fenner's having raped one of your juniors from area management. You were also well aware that I was forming a case against Fenner and area management, because I didn't exactly do much to hide the fact. You were perfectly well-acquainted with the knowledge that two barristers and a Judge had visited me on separate occasions, all of whom were at least peripherally involved with the case I was putting together with George Channing. If either the criminal or the civil case had got to court, which I can assure you it would have done, you'd have looked pretty bloody stupid if and when your cover up was revealed. If I'd won, you'd almost certainly have been facing a disciplinary along with Fenner, which wouldn't have enhanced your chances of being promoted to grade one. You'd very possibly have been kicked out of the service for covering up such a serious crime. One might ask what you had to do with Fenner's death, because where there's no Fenner, there's most certainly no case. Without him to rock the boat, your job is safe for good, and let me remind you, that you had absolutely no problem with me having the semblance of an affair with one Atkins, so you have no room whatsoever to talk to me about my brief and now ended affair with the other. Do I make myself clear?" When she'd finally run out of steam, they simply stared at each other, like the Roundheads and the Cavaliers, both armies facing each other across the county line, working out who would strike next. Grayling was the one to back down first.
"I didn't have anything to do with Jim Fenner's death," He said soberly.
"No," Said Karen, the anger still clearly visible though slightly retreated, "Neither did I."
"So, who did?" Asked Grayling, as if Karen held all the answers.
"Your guess is as good as mine," Said Karen, thinking that with practice, her act really was getting better.
"Maybe Sylvia's right," Grayling added, "Maybe it was an ex-con. Let's face it, he must have upset enough of them in his time."
"I doubt it," Karen replied, "Look at it logically. To pull this off successfully, whoever it was, must have stalked him for some time before it happened. They'd have needed to know where he lived, which shifts he worked, that kind of thing. If Fenner was being followed by an ex-con he knew, he would have twigged, he wasn't that stupid. any con he had any serious dealings with, he would have remembered, which shoots Sylvia's theory right out of the water. The police would do better to focus on ex-partners. After all, he probably had enough of them who might have wanted to do away with him."
"Which brings it back to you," Said Grayling reasonably.
"No, it doesn't," Replied Karen, calming down. "I was pursuing him the legal way. If he'd been convicted of rape, which there was a bloody good chance he would have been, he'd have suffered for the rest of his life. Ex-screws don't get an easy time of it in prison, and Fenner wouldn't have made it any easier for himself. I wanted him behind bars. I wanted him to suffer for what he did to me, to Helen Stewart, to countless others. But for that to happen, he needed to be alive. So, that's why I didn't kill him, that's why I had absolutely nothing to do with his death." Thinking over what Karen had said, Grayling stayed quiet for a while.
"Would now be the right time to apologise for covering up for him?" He eventually asked.
"It might be," Said Karen dryly, "If I believed you meant it, which I don't. You've been caught out making the worst mistake I suspect you've ever made in your life. Don't use Fenner's death as an excuse to try and make up to me for what you did. You were responsible for his escaping justice, and for me questioning every move I've made concerning his case. So, please, don't try to put your professional betrayal aside just because the cause of it's dead and gone. If you ever reach the day when you are truly sorry for making me work with him day after day, knowing what he was capable of, then yes, I will accept your apology, but not before." As Grayling rose and walked out of her office, Karen wondered if he ever would repent his cover up of more than one of Fenner's crimes, but she doubted it. Men like him only felt regret for things that concerned them specifically, not for anyone else. Not for her would Grayling ever regret what he'd done. Not for her, not for Helen, not for Shell dockley or any of the others. Grayling would, in his typical, spineless manner, try to put the affair behind him, as something that could for ever be swept under the carpet of his hopeful and continuing rise in professional status.
Karen felt lighter of heart than she had done in a fortnight as she walked in through the prison gates on the Monday morning. Fenner was gone, and the initial shock of that announcement was slowly beginning to recede. On the question of her withholding the knowledge of Fenner's death, her conscience was relatively clear. She did feel guilty for having dropped Lauren in it, and she did feel terrible for having called it a day, albeit temporarily, with Yvonne, but these were both things it had been necessary for her to do. As for John, well, that was also something she could safely say she'd needed to do. A slow, sultry smile spread across her face at the memory of Friday evening. Her insides melted at the very thought of him. But she wasn't stupid, men like John Deed rarely came back for more. She knew she was privileged that he'd left her a note, telling her in no uncertain terms that he wanted her to keep in touch as friends. Immersed in her thoughts, she strolled casually in to her office, the soft, sexy smile being immediately wiped off her face. Standing by the window, clearly waiting for her, was Grayling.
"This is an unexpected pleasure," she said, dropping her handbag on the desk, and knowing that this had to be serious for him to accost her like this first thing on a Monday morning.
"I think a little conversation between us is fast becoming overdue," He said sternly, as she sat behind the desk.
"what have I done this time?" Asked Karen, her blasé manner further serving to irritate him.
"I think that's for you to tell me, don't you," Replied Grayling, not moving from his position in front of the window. Karen fished her cigarettes out of a jacket pocket, and lit up.
"Well, we can do this by process of elimination," She said, taking a long, satisfied drag. "As far as I'm aware, no inmate on my wing has caused any major incident over the last couple of weeks. Yes, some of the inmates have been acting up, clearly as a response to one of their officers being murdered, but they're settling down and I don't think their behaviour on that score is anything to worry about. Fenner's death obviously means that the shortage of decent officers has become far more of a priority, and quite where we'll find a replacement at the drop of a hat, is anyone's guess. In spite of everything, I think my wing is holding it's own. So, where's your problem?"
"Well, you've touched on it in a number of ways," Said Grayling carefully, though Karen could almost see the smoke coming out of his ears. "One of your officers has been murdered."
"And precisely what, do you expect me to do about it?"
"Well, filling me in on a few facts might be a start," He said, his voice imperceptibly rising.
"Such as," Asked Karen blandly, but worryingly certain of what was coming.
"Well, wouldn't you say it was a little convenient," He began icily, "that you get in to a relationship with Yvonne Atkins, and a few weeks later, the man you alleged raped you ends up dead."
"I would be very, very careful about what you're saying," Said Karen, her tone quiet but as threatening as Yvonne's could be. "I don't think being sued for slander would do you any good, would it."
"I'd rather be guilty of slander than guilty of either murder itself or perverting the course of justice," He said, her unequivocal threat rattling him.
"Just what are you insinuating?" Asked Karen, totally unable to believe that he was being quite so brazen about the matter.
"It doesn't take a bloody genius to work it out," Said Grayling scornfully. "Anyone as powerful as an Atkins, would naturally want revenge if they thought one of their associates had been harmed in some way."
"First," Said Karen firmly, "I am not, repeat not, any associate of any member of the Atkins family. Second, even if Yvonne wanted revenge on Fenner for what he did to me, she's not stupid enough to think of breaking the law a second time. She was behind bars long enough not to want to go through it again. My third and final point, is that you've got absolutely no right to question me like this."
"Well, considering your previous liaison with an Atkins, and the disastrous results that achieved, I'd have thought I was well within my rights to find out if you were in the process of making a similarly catastrophic mistake. What is it about the Atkins charm. First the son, now the mother. I'd have thought you'd have learnt your lesson."
"Do you know something," Said Karen, sounding falsely cheerful. "You're the second person to say something like that to me in less than a week, and I'm getting a little sick and tired of hearing it." Then, her anger broke over Grayling's head like a tropical storm. "don't you ever speak to me like that again. That is going way beyond the professional call of duty for a superior. It's verging in to the blatantly inquisitive. There's one little angle of all this that you seem to have conveniently forgotten about. Not so long ago, you covered up for Fenner, withheld knowledge about Fenner's having raped one of your juniors from area management. You were also well aware that I was forming a case against Fenner and area management, because I didn't exactly do much to hide the fact. You were perfectly well-acquainted with the knowledge that two barristers and a Judge had visited me on separate occasions, all of whom were at least peripherally involved with the case I was putting together with George Channing. If either the criminal or the civil case had got to court, which I can assure you it would have done, you'd have looked pretty bloody stupid if and when your cover up was revealed. If I'd won, you'd almost certainly have been facing a disciplinary along with Fenner, which wouldn't have enhanced your chances of being promoted to grade one. You'd very possibly have been kicked out of the service for covering up such a serious crime. One might ask what you had to do with Fenner's death, because where there's no Fenner, there's most certainly no case. Without him to rock the boat, your job is safe for good, and let me remind you, that you had absolutely no problem with me having the semblance of an affair with one Atkins, so you have no room whatsoever to talk to me about my brief and now ended affair with the other. Do I make myself clear?" When she'd finally run out of steam, they simply stared at each other, like the Roundheads and the Cavaliers, both armies facing each other across the county line, working out who would strike next. Grayling was the one to back down first.
"I didn't have anything to do with Jim Fenner's death," He said soberly.
"No," Said Karen, the anger still clearly visible though slightly retreated, "Neither did I."
"So, who did?" Asked Grayling, as if Karen held all the answers.
"Your guess is as good as mine," Said Karen, thinking that with practice, her act really was getting better.
"Maybe Sylvia's right," Grayling added, "Maybe it was an ex-con. Let's face it, he must have upset enough of them in his time."
"I doubt it," Karen replied, "Look at it logically. To pull this off successfully, whoever it was, must have stalked him for some time before it happened. They'd have needed to know where he lived, which shifts he worked, that kind of thing. If Fenner was being followed by an ex-con he knew, he would have twigged, he wasn't that stupid. any con he had any serious dealings with, he would have remembered, which shoots Sylvia's theory right out of the water. The police would do better to focus on ex-partners. After all, he probably had enough of them who might have wanted to do away with him."
"Which brings it back to you," Said Grayling reasonably.
"No, it doesn't," Replied Karen, calming down. "I was pursuing him the legal way. If he'd been convicted of rape, which there was a bloody good chance he would have been, he'd have suffered for the rest of his life. Ex-screws don't get an easy time of it in prison, and Fenner wouldn't have made it any easier for himself. I wanted him behind bars. I wanted him to suffer for what he did to me, to Helen Stewart, to countless others. But for that to happen, he needed to be alive. So, that's why I didn't kill him, that's why I had absolutely nothing to do with his death." Thinking over what Karen had said, Grayling stayed quiet for a while.
"Would now be the right time to apologise for covering up for him?" He eventually asked.
"It might be," Said Karen dryly, "If I believed you meant it, which I don't. You've been caught out making the worst mistake I suspect you've ever made in your life. Don't use Fenner's death as an excuse to try and make up to me for what you did. You were responsible for his escaping justice, and for me questioning every move I've made concerning his case. So, please, don't try to put your professional betrayal aside just because the cause of it's dead and gone. If you ever reach the day when you are truly sorry for making me work with him day after day, knowing what he was capable of, then yes, I will accept your apology, but not before." As Grayling rose and walked out of her office, Karen wondered if he ever would repent his cover up of more than one of Fenner's crimes, but she doubted it. Men like him only felt regret for things that concerned them specifically, not for anyone else. Not for her would Grayling ever regret what he'd done. Not for her, not for Helen, not for Shell dockley or any of the others. Grayling would, in his typical, spineless manner, try to put the affair behind him, as something that could for ever be swept under the carpet of his hopeful and continuing rise in professional status.