Part Forty
Jo followed Karen's car through the heavy London traffic. She knew that Karen's had been a good idea, to meet a couple of Di Barker's colleagues, to really get the low down on her. If she'd known that Di's testimony wasn't to be trusted, Jo would have done this in the first place. But Jo couldn't help worrying about Karen. Neumann quite obviously knew something about her, something big that would cast serious doubt on her professional and sexual reputation. Then her thoughts turned to what had happened that afternoon. She and John had been caught almost in flagrante, and if it had been anyone but Coope, Jo might have been facing another round with the Professional Conduct Committee. Why did John have this effect on her? Why, every time she was with him these days, did she feel an almost irrepressible need to be as physically close to him as possible? She knew she had felt like this in the old days, but before they had embarked on this almost three-way relationship, she had been able to keep her impulses under control. Then the answer came to her. She could feel secure in showing her love for John, because she was no longer haunted by the certainty that he would tire of her in favour of someone younger and more sexually precocious.
When they drew up in the prison car park, Karen gestured to her handbag and said, "If you don't want that searched by whoever's on the gate, I'd leave it in your car. You've never been down on the wing before, but today you will, and I can't vouch for the safety of its contents if you take it with you. I am in the business of locking up criminals after all." Locking the bag in her car, Jo followed Karen through the endless maze of dull, winding corridors. "I must admit to a certain curiosity in seeing your wing," Jo said as they walked. "Well, you've been here a good few times to see Lauren, so I'm not surprised. Plus, both John and George have seen it, but you haven't. But be warned, you could see or hear absolutely anything, and I'm not going to apologise for any of it. Her Majesty's Prisons aren't very nice places." "Warning received and understood," Jo replied, thinking that after twenty years in the business of defending criminals, she had seen and heard every bad thing imaginable. But as they approached G wing, Jo became aware of the mingled sounds of women's voices, with insults, laughter and words of affection blending together to form an endless stream of noise.
As Karen unlocked the gate and Jo followed her on to the wing, both sets of eyes made a rapid assessment of the surroundings. For Karen this was because she wanted an immediate view of how things were going on her wing, and for Jo, it was because she'd never seen such a sight before. It was clearly the time for association, the period in the day when the inmates were allowed to mingle, to take some time out from the never-ending monotony of being locked up. A few were watching TV, several were simply sitting around smoking and chatting, and a couple was playing pool. As they walked across the wing, Jo took in the thorough mixture of ages, skin colours and temperaments. But before they could reach the officers' room, their attention was drawn to Al McKenzie and Denny Blood. "Why the hell did they want you in the witness box, Denny?" Al called, a sadistic glint in her eye. "Is it because you're screwing that cell mate of yours? Giving her more than just a legal helping hand?" "You sick bitch!" Denny shouted, launching herself at Al, the rage clearly visible in her face. Reacting like lightning, Karen leapt forward, wrapping her arms round Denny, keeping Denny's arms fast to her sides. "Do you want to stay down the block till the weekend?" Denny tried to struggle. "No, Miss," She said, all the time fighting Karen's hold. "Well, bloody grow up then!" Karen said, tightening her grip on Denny so as not to let her go. "But you heard what she said," Denny said in offended dignity. "And you know she's only doing it to wind you up," Karen said gently, trying to calm Denny down. "Evil bitch! I'll friggin kill her for saying that. Lauren's like my sister, innit." "Denny, I mean it," Karen warned. "Either give this up now, or you really are going down the block for a couple of days, because I've had just about as much as I'm going to put up with this week. Now, you did really well in court this morning, so don't screw it up." "I only did it 'cos I want her to get off," Denny insisted, the tears now running down her cheeks. "I know," Karen said, loosening her hold on Denny but not entirely letting her go. "Now, go and have a cigarette, and take a few minutes to calm down." "One pissing morning," Denny continued. "That's all I got out for in 18 months. I'll have forgotten what the outside world looks like by the time I get out, if I get out." Realising that the stress and adrenaline of appearing in court had really got to Denny, Karen simply held her, not knowing what else she could possibly do. "Denny, listen to me," She said eventually. "I'm going to look at your sentence, and find out when you're next up before the parole board. I'm not making any promises, but we'll see what we can do. You've been pretty good over the last year or so, and that's got to go in your favour." "That's all you ever bloody say," Denny replied, the anger battling with the tears. "You always try to help me, but we all know it's the pricks in wigs who make the decisions." Swiftly detaching herself from Karen's grasp, Denny stalked off towards her cell. "That's right," Al jeered. "Go and get yourself a piece of the consolation prize." "One more word like that, McKenzie, and you'll be down the block even before your adjudication for dealing. Is that what you want?" Al looked enraged. "You what?" She shouted in disgust. "You heard, McKenzie," Came the powerful voice of Gina who had appeared to join the verbal fray. "So shut it. It's been like this all day," Gina added, coming over to Karen. "Little spats breaking out all over the place. The nearer Lauren's verdict gets, the more fired up they are." "Gina, this is Jo Mills," Karen said, introducing the two women. "Jo, this is Gina Rossi, my principal officer." The two women shook hands. "Aren't you Lauren's brief?" Gina asked in her usual succinct manner. "Yes," Jo replied, immediately liking the down to earth, no nonsense approach that was the first thing about Gina's personality to make itself plain. "Jo would like to talk to you and Dominic about Di Barker," Karen said, lowering her voice slightly. "Though it was me who suggested it in the first place. Di is being recalled, and Jo would like to learn everything about her that she didn't know the first time round." "Be my guest," Gina said with a grim smile. "I could bitch about her till the cows come home." "Well, it's facts I'm looking for," Jo said with a broad smile. "Well, Selena and Colin are quite capable of keeping this lot in order," Gina said, turning and walking towards the PO's room. "And the last time I saw Dominic, he was writing up the day's reports." As Karen and Jo entered the officers' room, Dominic looked up from the report book. "Has court finished early?" He said, giving Karen a smile. "Yes," Karen replied, and then introduced Jo. "It seems that Mrs. Mills would like us to give her the low down on Di Barker," Gina said with a certain amount of relish. "Di's going to get a second dose of the third degree, and not before time." "Jo will do," Jo said with a smile. "Would you like a cup of tea?" Dominic offered, getting to his feet. When he'd filled the kettle and retrieved a bottle of milk from the fridge, the three women lit up cigarettes. "I'm not quite sure what you think we can tell you about Di Barker," Dominic said carefully. "Oh, come on, Dominic," Gina put in scornfully. "She reeled you in just as much as the rest of us. I bet she had a thing for you, didn't she. I remember, she couldn't sing your praises high enough when you left." Dominic blushed slightly under the scrutiny of the three women. "She was a bit obsessed with me," He said eventually. "Yeah, like she was with every bloke in this place," Gina filled in. "I don't know what the opposite is of a serial womaniser, but that's what she was. She'd hit on a bloke, and wouldn't let him out of her grip until she'd forced him away from whatever woman he happened to be with at the time." "Dominic," Karen said, suddenly remembering something. "Why exactly did you quit the service so suddenly and go to Greece of all places?" "Jesus, you don't hang about, do you," Dominic replied, realizing what Karen was getting at. "It wasn't just Di," He said, beginning to look a little uncomfortable. I had a bit of a thing for Helen at the time." "Yes, I remember," Karen said with a fond smile, sometimes seeing Dominic as the son she'd wanted Ross to be. "And I think you found out about Helen and Nikki's relationship, didn't you." "Yeah," Dominic said, a little relieved to get this off his chest after all this time. "But even if Helen hadn't been with Nikki, what Di was doing wouldn't have helped. I'd never be able to prove it, but I'm fairly certain she took passport photos from my locker, and you saw what she was like at Sylvia's party, she was all over me." "Like she was with every other bloke round here," Gina said in disgust. "Would you say she threw herself at you?" Jo asked. "Yeah," Dominic laughed. "I was sick of all the attention she was giving me and I couldn't stay here and stay quiet about Helen and Nikki, so I quit." "And we're all bloody glad you came back," Karen said, trying to put him at ease once more. "What was she like after Dominic left?" Jo asked in to the silence. "Like a bitch constantly on heat," Said Gina matter-of-factly. "First Josh, then Mark, then god knows who else." Jo held up a hand. "Mark?" She questioned, thinking she might have heard that name before in relation to Larkhall. "Mark Waddle," Clarified Gina. "He was my bloke at the time." Jo thought for a moment. "Mark Waddle as in..." She stopped, but Karen had understood. "Yes, as in the Mark Waddle I was once involved with." "Let's go back to Josh," Jo said, trying to relieve some of the tension caused by the mention of Mark's name. "This would be the Josh that Crystal Gordon is now living with?" "Yeah, Josh Mitchell," Replied Gina. "Di tried to split them up by throwing herself at Josh. We obviously didn't know about Crystal and Josh, or Josh wouldn't have been allowed to stay in the service. But it was around the time that Di mislabelled the drugs tests. Crystal knew hers couldn't have been positive, so she went on hunger strike until she was proved right." "I know all about that," Jo said. "So, at the same time, Di was throwing herself at Josh. In what way?" "Making out they had some really hot date, plastering on the make up, making out she had this lover who couldn't leave her alone. I walked in on them once having a row, and Josh asked me if Di had been saying all this stuff about the two of them, and when I said yes, he made it pretty bloody clear that they weren't. I think that might be why she went after Mark, to prove she could get herself a bloke." "What happened with Mark?" Jo asked, seeing a brief glimmer of pain in Gina's eyes, which was suddenly hidden under the bitter, hardened outer shell. "I was pregnant," Gina said reluctantly. "And Di took advantage of the fact that me and Mark weren't getting on so well. She wanted to get one over on me because I knew what a tit of herself she'd made with Josh. So, one night when I was doing something else, she got him drunk, and got what she wanted. All that spite and vindictiveness just for a quick screw in the club toilets. Then, the next day, she kept rubbing it in. I didn't know who the hell she was talking about, but she kept saying how the bloke she'd been with couldn't get enough of her. Anyway, I found out I was pregnant, just before she dropped him in it. So, with no bloke on the scene any longer, I thought about having a termination. Di tried to give me this really pathetic apology, so I told her that there wouldn't be no baby, problem solved, and she tried to give me the old line about making a rash decision. Like she'd ever want a baby. It would cramp her style too much. Over the next few days, I found out from the Julies that she'd been telling all and sundry that I wasn't really pregnant and forcing Mark to come back to me by telling him I was having his baby. So, I did what Karen knows I'm famous for, I went looking for Di to punch her lights out. We got in to a fight in the locker room, and she pushed me over onto the bench. The fall I had made me lose the baby, when I'd only the day before decided to keep it." Brief tears rose to Gina's eyes, making her feel stupid and vulnerable. "I'm sorry," She stammered slightly. "Is that when you left Larkhall?" Jo asked gently, feeling and empathising with Gina's pain all too easily. "Yeah," Gina replied, lighting another cigarette. "I'm not the only one who Karen persuaded to come back." There was another short silence. "Any more men I should know about?" Jo asked, thinking that Gina would prefer the focus to be taken away from her. "Only Barry Pearce, but I think she got more than she bargained for with him, and Neil Grayling," Karen filled in, grinning when she saw Jo's raised eyebrows. "But I thought Neil Grayling was..." "Gay," Finished Karen. "Yes, he is, and I think it might have been Di that persuaded Neil to reveal himself." "Yeah," Said Gina with a grin. "It was probably the only way he could get a bit of peace." "So," Dominic said, finally getting a word in. "What's the other end of the bargain? I've sat through enough trials to know that when one side recalls a witness, the other side usually wants something in return." Jo looked extremely impressed. "I'm being called," Karen told him. "Actually, Gina, you can get your head round this one. You've got the most suspicious mind of all my officers so I'm sure you'll find an answer." "Oh, cheers," Gina said dryly and with good humour. "Jo is fairly certain that the prosecution has something big on me, only I can't for the life of me work out what it is." Dominic hurriedly rose to his feet. "I'm staying out of this one," He said. "I don't want to end up with the sack." "Sit down," Karen said good-naturedly. "Well, I'd have thought it was bloody obvious," Gina said matter-of-factly. "Work it out. Who was Fenner sleeping with before he died? Who, therefore, probably had instant access to all his stuff, including any memorabilia Fenner might have had from his relationship with you." Karen began putting the pieces together. When it dawned on her exactly what Fenner had kept in his possession, and therefore what Di would subsequently have had in hers, a look of shock passed across her face. "Oh, no," She groaned, putting a hand to her mouth. "Oh, come on, it can't be that bad," Gina said with a smile. "Thanks for the blind optimism, Gina, but it's pretty unfounded in this case." "What the bloody hell did you do?" Gina asked, looking very interested. "That's absolutely none of your business," Karen said. "Well," Gina said, glancing over at the rota. "If you're in the witness box tomorrow, it'll be Sylvia's business, and that's the last thing you want." "Not bloody likely," Karen said firmly, taking a pen from the desk and slashing a red line through Sylvia's name. "You can go in her place. At least you know how to keep your mouth shut." "So, come on then, tell me what I'm in for," Gina cajoled. "If I'm right," Karen said tightly. "You'll find out soon enough anyway." Seeing something in her face, Gina said, "Come on, Dominic, we've got work to do."
When they'd left, Jo said, "So, what might the prosecution have on you that I need to know about?" Karen began to look very uncomfortable. She stood up and began walking round the room, stacking papers, putting things away and generally avoiding Jo's gaze. "Do you remember, I told you that Fenner tried to blackmail me into dropping the rape allegation, by showing Grayling some pictures of me?" "Yes," Jo said slowly, fully understanding now. "Well, I'm fairly sure that as Grayling wouldn't have had any use for them, he'd have given them back to Fenner. Knowing now how he definitely felt about me all that time, there's no way he'd have got rid of them, and going by what we now know of Di Barker, she'd love to use them to get back at me for always being the one he loved." "Precisely what was in the pictures?" "Trust me, you really don't want to know," Karen said, a blush staining her cheeks. "Karen, the whole court is going to know this time tomorrow, and that includes George. So tell me." "Why?" Karen said in enraged despair. "Why does this always happened to me? Every bloody time, something new has to come out about my past. Soon there'll be nothing left." "Karen," Jo said gently. "Whatever you did that Fenner had pictures of, it won't be anything I haven't heard before, you know." "I know," Said Karen uncomfortably. "I'm just quite ashamed that I did it, that's all. John's going to get a shock, that's for sure." Jo grinned. "Now I really am intrigued." "The pictures Fenner had," Karen began slowly. "Were of me either just wearing nothing at all, or of me doing various things that wouldn't look out of place in the Kama Sutra." "Okay," Jo said quietly. "I don't need to tell you that the prosecution is going to have a field day with this." Karen could see it like it was yesterday. Her standing in front of Neil's desk, of him showing her the photo that said "Enjoy," on it, and of him saying, "I enjoyed the ones of you in the shower too." "What are you thinking?" Jo asked, seeing that some memory had invaded Karen's mind. "I've just remembered exactly what is in some of those pictures, Fenner's favourite ones. Tell me this, Jo. Why do I always seem to do such stupid things without a care in the world when I'm doing them?" "I'm told it's part of being human," Jo said gently. "If I know the worst, I can prepare for the worst." "In a few of them," Karen said, standing in front of the window that looked out on to the exercise yard, so that she couldn't see Jo's face. "I was touching myself." She could feel the colour suffuse her cheeks. "That isn't anything to be ashamed of," Jo said quietly, having herself partaken of that particular delicacy in the sometimes lengthy period when she'd had no other lover, and had been keeping herself away from John's all too tempting bed. "It is, when it'll be on display for all to see," Karen said miserably. "Neumann will have to have a very good reason for showing that sort of picture," Jo said firmly. "And now that I know what to expect, I can object hopefully before he shows it."
A little while later when they walked out of the officers' room and across the wing, they were stopped by Denny, looking a good deal happier than she had done earlier. "Oy, Miss," She called as Karen and Jo walked passed her. "When's Posh Bitch coming back?" Standing stock still in her tracks, Karen briefly thought she could strangle Denny. Jo might be okay about Karen and George on the surface, but Karen didn't especially want it broadcast to all and sundry that George had been with her at Larkhall last Friday. Having seen something of this in her face, Denny came over and said, "Shit! Have I dropped you in it, Miss?" "Not really," Karen said fondly. "But it seems to be one of those days." When she and Jo had walked through the gate and down the corridor, Jo said, "I'm assuming that's Denny's name for George?" "Yes," Karen said, briefly wondering if she was destined to look sheepish for the rest of her life. "I unexpectedly had to do two hours here on my own last Friday evening, and George offered her company. I don't know what made her do it, but I'm heartily glad she did. If George hadn't been here to be my runner and to look after a very distressed Tina Purvis, one of the other inmates, Buki Lester would have died." Abandoning any thought of worry for George's safety in a place like this, Jo asked, "What happened?" And Karen could see nothing but concern for her in Jo's face. "Buki is one of G wing's regular cutters. Whether she picked last Friday night because she knew I would be on my own, or because everything had suddenly got too bad for her, I don't know. But she took a razor blade to the main artery in her wrist. Not something I'm going to forget in a hurry." Jo could clearly see that whilst Karen might view this as an occasional part of the job, it had still greatly affected her. "I don't really know how to say it," She said eventually. "But from what I've seen and heard today, I know that yours must be one of the hardest and probably the least rewarding jobs anyone ever has to do, yet you put your heart and soul in to it. The way you looked round your wing when we first arrived, it was as if you were checking up on your flock, as though they were an enormous family who were all under your wing, including your officers. In your own way, and for different reasons, each and every one of them matters to you." Karen stopped in the corridor and stared at her. "No one's ever seen it like that before," She said, greatly touched by what Jo had said. "But yes, I suppose that's how I do see them sometimes. You can't help but be fond of some of them. Some, like Denny, or the Julies, or Buki, or even Cassie, Barbara and Nikki when they were here, and Roisin, and even Shell Dockley on a non-violent day. You get to know so much about them, especially the ones who are here for a long stretch, that you can't help but look upon them as meaning more to you than a job. I expect you feel like that about some of your clients." "Yes, occasionally there'll be one whose case I get far too emotionally involved with." "And I probably do the same with countless of my inmates," Karen said ruefully. "Though a good proportion of the time is spent thanking any remotely higher being that they aren't members of my family." Jo grinned as they kept on walking, but it wasn't lost on her that a large part of Karen resided within these walls, that a significant proportion of her psyche belonged to these women whom she showed so much maternal fondness for, in spite of their causing her no end of hassle on a daily basis.
Jo followed Karen's car through the heavy London traffic. She knew that Karen's had been a good idea, to meet a couple of Di Barker's colleagues, to really get the low down on her. If she'd known that Di's testimony wasn't to be trusted, Jo would have done this in the first place. But Jo couldn't help worrying about Karen. Neumann quite obviously knew something about her, something big that would cast serious doubt on her professional and sexual reputation. Then her thoughts turned to what had happened that afternoon. She and John had been caught almost in flagrante, and if it had been anyone but Coope, Jo might have been facing another round with the Professional Conduct Committee. Why did John have this effect on her? Why, every time she was with him these days, did she feel an almost irrepressible need to be as physically close to him as possible? She knew she had felt like this in the old days, but before they had embarked on this almost three-way relationship, she had been able to keep her impulses under control. Then the answer came to her. She could feel secure in showing her love for John, because she was no longer haunted by the certainty that he would tire of her in favour of someone younger and more sexually precocious.
When they drew up in the prison car park, Karen gestured to her handbag and said, "If you don't want that searched by whoever's on the gate, I'd leave it in your car. You've never been down on the wing before, but today you will, and I can't vouch for the safety of its contents if you take it with you. I am in the business of locking up criminals after all." Locking the bag in her car, Jo followed Karen through the endless maze of dull, winding corridors. "I must admit to a certain curiosity in seeing your wing," Jo said as they walked. "Well, you've been here a good few times to see Lauren, so I'm not surprised. Plus, both John and George have seen it, but you haven't. But be warned, you could see or hear absolutely anything, and I'm not going to apologise for any of it. Her Majesty's Prisons aren't very nice places." "Warning received and understood," Jo replied, thinking that after twenty years in the business of defending criminals, she had seen and heard every bad thing imaginable. But as they approached G wing, Jo became aware of the mingled sounds of women's voices, with insults, laughter and words of affection blending together to form an endless stream of noise.
As Karen unlocked the gate and Jo followed her on to the wing, both sets of eyes made a rapid assessment of the surroundings. For Karen this was because she wanted an immediate view of how things were going on her wing, and for Jo, it was because she'd never seen such a sight before. It was clearly the time for association, the period in the day when the inmates were allowed to mingle, to take some time out from the never-ending monotony of being locked up. A few were watching TV, several were simply sitting around smoking and chatting, and a couple was playing pool. As they walked across the wing, Jo took in the thorough mixture of ages, skin colours and temperaments. But before they could reach the officers' room, their attention was drawn to Al McKenzie and Denny Blood. "Why the hell did they want you in the witness box, Denny?" Al called, a sadistic glint in her eye. "Is it because you're screwing that cell mate of yours? Giving her more than just a legal helping hand?" "You sick bitch!" Denny shouted, launching herself at Al, the rage clearly visible in her face. Reacting like lightning, Karen leapt forward, wrapping her arms round Denny, keeping Denny's arms fast to her sides. "Do you want to stay down the block till the weekend?" Denny tried to struggle. "No, Miss," She said, all the time fighting Karen's hold. "Well, bloody grow up then!" Karen said, tightening her grip on Denny so as not to let her go. "But you heard what she said," Denny said in offended dignity. "And you know she's only doing it to wind you up," Karen said gently, trying to calm Denny down. "Evil bitch! I'll friggin kill her for saying that. Lauren's like my sister, innit." "Denny, I mean it," Karen warned. "Either give this up now, or you really are going down the block for a couple of days, because I've had just about as much as I'm going to put up with this week. Now, you did really well in court this morning, so don't screw it up." "I only did it 'cos I want her to get off," Denny insisted, the tears now running down her cheeks. "I know," Karen said, loosening her hold on Denny but not entirely letting her go. "Now, go and have a cigarette, and take a few minutes to calm down." "One pissing morning," Denny continued. "That's all I got out for in 18 months. I'll have forgotten what the outside world looks like by the time I get out, if I get out." Realising that the stress and adrenaline of appearing in court had really got to Denny, Karen simply held her, not knowing what else she could possibly do. "Denny, listen to me," She said eventually. "I'm going to look at your sentence, and find out when you're next up before the parole board. I'm not making any promises, but we'll see what we can do. You've been pretty good over the last year or so, and that's got to go in your favour." "That's all you ever bloody say," Denny replied, the anger battling with the tears. "You always try to help me, but we all know it's the pricks in wigs who make the decisions." Swiftly detaching herself from Karen's grasp, Denny stalked off towards her cell. "That's right," Al jeered. "Go and get yourself a piece of the consolation prize." "One more word like that, McKenzie, and you'll be down the block even before your adjudication for dealing. Is that what you want?" Al looked enraged. "You what?" She shouted in disgust. "You heard, McKenzie," Came the powerful voice of Gina who had appeared to join the verbal fray. "So shut it. It's been like this all day," Gina added, coming over to Karen. "Little spats breaking out all over the place. The nearer Lauren's verdict gets, the more fired up they are." "Gina, this is Jo Mills," Karen said, introducing the two women. "Jo, this is Gina Rossi, my principal officer." The two women shook hands. "Aren't you Lauren's brief?" Gina asked in her usual succinct manner. "Yes," Jo replied, immediately liking the down to earth, no nonsense approach that was the first thing about Gina's personality to make itself plain. "Jo would like to talk to you and Dominic about Di Barker," Karen said, lowering her voice slightly. "Though it was me who suggested it in the first place. Di is being recalled, and Jo would like to learn everything about her that she didn't know the first time round." "Be my guest," Gina said with a grim smile. "I could bitch about her till the cows come home." "Well, it's facts I'm looking for," Jo said with a broad smile. "Well, Selena and Colin are quite capable of keeping this lot in order," Gina said, turning and walking towards the PO's room. "And the last time I saw Dominic, he was writing up the day's reports." As Karen and Jo entered the officers' room, Dominic looked up from the report book. "Has court finished early?" He said, giving Karen a smile. "Yes," Karen replied, and then introduced Jo. "It seems that Mrs. Mills would like us to give her the low down on Di Barker," Gina said with a certain amount of relish. "Di's going to get a second dose of the third degree, and not before time." "Jo will do," Jo said with a smile. "Would you like a cup of tea?" Dominic offered, getting to his feet. When he'd filled the kettle and retrieved a bottle of milk from the fridge, the three women lit up cigarettes. "I'm not quite sure what you think we can tell you about Di Barker," Dominic said carefully. "Oh, come on, Dominic," Gina put in scornfully. "She reeled you in just as much as the rest of us. I bet she had a thing for you, didn't she. I remember, she couldn't sing your praises high enough when you left." Dominic blushed slightly under the scrutiny of the three women. "She was a bit obsessed with me," He said eventually. "Yeah, like she was with every bloke in this place," Gina filled in. "I don't know what the opposite is of a serial womaniser, but that's what she was. She'd hit on a bloke, and wouldn't let him out of her grip until she'd forced him away from whatever woman he happened to be with at the time." "Dominic," Karen said, suddenly remembering something. "Why exactly did you quit the service so suddenly and go to Greece of all places?" "Jesus, you don't hang about, do you," Dominic replied, realizing what Karen was getting at. "It wasn't just Di," He said, beginning to look a little uncomfortable. I had a bit of a thing for Helen at the time." "Yes, I remember," Karen said with a fond smile, sometimes seeing Dominic as the son she'd wanted Ross to be. "And I think you found out about Helen and Nikki's relationship, didn't you." "Yeah," Dominic said, a little relieved to get this off his chest after all this time. "But even if Helen hadn't been with Nikki, what Di was doing wouldn't have helped. I'd never be able to prove it, but I'm fairly certain she took passport photos from my locker, and you saw what she was like at Sylvia's party, she was all over me." "Like she was with every other bloke round here," Gina said in disgust. "Would you say she threw herself at you?" Jo asked. "Yeah," Dominic laughed. "I was sick of all the attention she was giving me and I couldn't stay here and stay quiet about Helen and Nikki, so I quit." "And we're all bloody glad you came back," Karen said, trying to put him at ease once more. "What was she like after Dominic left?" Jo asked in to the silence. "Like a bitch constantly on heat," Said Gina matter-of-factly. "First Josh, then Mark, then god knows who else." Jo held up a hand. "Mark?" She questioned, thinking she might have heard that name before in relation to Larkhall. "Mark Waddle," Clarified Gina. "He was my bloke at the time." Jo thought for a moment. "Mark Waddle as in..." She stopped, but Karen had understood. "Yes, as in the Mark Waddle I was once involved with." "Let's go back to Josh," Jo said, trying to relieve some of the tension caused by the mention of Mark's name. "This would be the Josh that Crystal Gordon is now living with?" "Yeah, Josh Mitchell," Replied Gina. "Di tried to split them up by throwing herself at Josh. We obviously didn't know about Crystal and Josh, or Josh wouldn't have been allowed to stay in the service. But it was around the time that Di mislabelled the drugs tests. Crystal knew hers couldn't have been positive, so she went on hunger strike until she was proved right." "I know all about that," Jo said. "So, at the same time, Di was throwing herself at Josh. In what way?" "Making out they had some really hot date, plastering on the make up, making out she had this lover who couldn't leave her alone. I walked in on them once having a row, and Josh asked me if Di had been saying all this stuff about the two of them, and when I said yes, he made it pretty bloody clear that they weren't. I think that might be why she went after Mark, to prove she could get herself a bloke." "What happened with Mark?" Jo asked, seeing a brief glimmer of pain in Gina's eyes, which was suddenly hidden under the bitter, hardened outer shell. "I was pregnant," Gina said reluctantly. "And Di took advantage of the fact that me and Mark weren't getting on so well. She wanted to get one over on me because I knew what a tit of herself she'd made with Josh. So, one night when I was doing something else, she got him drunk, and got what she wanted. All that spite and vindictiveness just for a quick screw in the club toilets. Then, the next day, she kept rubbing it in. I didn't know who the hell she was talking about, but she kept saying how the bloke she'd been with couldn't get enough of her. Anyway, I found out I was pregnant, just before she dropped him in it. So, with no bloke on the scene any longer, I thought about having a termination. Di tried to give me this really pathetic apology, so I told her that there wouldn't be no baby, problem solved, and she tried to give me the old line about making a rash decision. Like she'd ever want a baby. It would cramp her style too much. Over the next few days, I found out from the Julies that she'd been telling all and sundry that I wasn't really pregnant and forcing Mark to come back to me by telling him I was having his baby. So, I did what Karen knows I'm famous for, I went looking for Di to punch her lights out. We got in to a fight in the locker room, and she pushed me over onto the bench. The fall I had made me lose the baby, when I'd only the day before decided to keep it." Brief tears rose to Gina's eyes, making her feel stupid and vulnerable. "I'm sorry," She stammered slightly. "Is that when you left Larkhall?" Jo asked gently, feeling and empathising with Gina's pain all too easily. "Yeah," Gina replied, lighting another cigarette. "I'm not the only one who Karen persuaded to come back." There was another short silence. "Any more men I should know about?" Jo asked, thinking that Gina would prefer the focus to be taken away from her. "Only Barry Pearce, but I think she got more than she bargained for with him, and Neil Grayling," Karen filled in, grinning when she saw Jo's raised eyebrows. "But I thought Neil Grayling was..." "Gay," Finished Karen. "Yes, he is, and I think it might have been Di that persuaded Neil to reveal himself." "Yeah," Said Gina with a grin. "It was probably the only way he could get a bit of peace." "So," Dominic said, finally getting a word in. "What's the other end of the bargain? I've sat through enough trials to know that when one side recalls a witness, the other side usually wants something in return." Jo looked extremely impressed. "I'm being called," Karen told him. "Actually, Gina, you can get your head round this one. You've got the most suspicious mind of all my officers so I'm sure you'll find an answer." "Oh, cheers," Gina said dryly and with good humour. "Jo is fairly certain that the prosecution has something big on me, only I can't for the life of me work out what it is." Dominic hurriedly rose to his feet. "I'm staying out of this one," He said. "I don't want to end up with the sack." "Sit down," Karen said good-naturedly. "Well, I'd have thought it was bloody obvious," Gina said matter-of-factly. "Work it out. Who was Fenner sleeping with before he died? Who, therefore, probably had instant access to all his stuff, including any memorabilia Fenner might have had from his relationship with you." Karen began putting the pieces together. When it dawned on her exactly what Fenner had kept in his possession, and therefore what Di would subsequently have had in hers, a look of shock passed across her face. "Oh, no," She groaned, putting a hand to her mouth. "Oh, come on, it can't be that bad," Gina said with a smile. "Thanks for the blind optimism, Gina, but it's pretty unfounded in this case." "What the bloody hell did you do?" Gina asked, looking very interested. "That's absolutely none of your business," Karen said. "Well," Gina said, glancing over at the rota. "If you're in the witness box tomorrow, it'll be Sylvia's business, and that's the last thing you want." "Not bloody likely," Karen said firmly, taking a pen from the desk and slashing a red line through Sylvia's name. "You can go in her place. At least you know how to keep your mouth shut." "So, come on then, tell me what I'm in for," Gina cajoled. "If I'm right," Karen said tightly. "You'll find out soon enough anyway." Seeing something in her face, Gina said, "Come on, Dominic, we've got work to do."
When they'd left, Jo said, "So, what might the prosecution have on you that I need to know about?" Karen began to look very uncomfortable. She stood up and began walking round the room, stacking papers, putting things away and generally avoiding Jo's gaze. "Do you remember, I told you that Fenner tried to blackmail me into dropping the rape allegation, by showing Grayling some pictures of me?" "Yes," Jo said slowly, fully understanding now. "Well, I'm fairly sure that as Grayling wouldn't have had any use for them, he'd have given them back to Fenner. Knowing now how he definitely felt about me all that time, there's no way he'd have got rid of them, and going by what we now know of Di Barker, she'd love to use them to get back at me for always being the one he loved." "Precisely what was in the pictures?" "Trust me, you really don't want to know," Karen said, a blush staining her cheeks. "Karen, the whole court is going to know this time tomorrow, and that includes George. So tell me." "Why?" Karen said in enraged despair. "Why does this always happened to me? Every bloody time, something new has to come out about my past. Soon there'll be nothing left." "Karen," Jo said gently. "Whatever you did that Fenner had pictures of, it won't be anything I haven't heard before, you know." "I know," Said Karen uncomfortably. "I'm just quite ashamed that I did it, that's all. John's going to get a shock, that's for sure." Jo grinned. "Now I really am intrigued." "The pictures Fenner had," Karen began slowly. "Were of me either just wearing nothing at all, or of me doing various things that wouldn't look out of place in the Kama Sutra." "Okay," Jo said quietly. "I don't need to tell you that the prosecution is going to have a field day with this." Karen could see it like it was yesterday. Her standing in front of Neil's desk, of him showing her the photo that said "Enjoy," on it, and of him saying, "I enjoyed the ones of you in the shower too." "What are you thinking?" Jo asked, seeing that some memory had invaded Karen's mind. "I've just remembered exactly what is in some of those pictures, Fenner's favourite ones. Tell me this, Jo. Why do I always seem to do such stupid things without a care in the world when I'm doing them?" "I'm told it's part of being human," Jo said gently. "If I know the worst, I can prepare for the worst." "In a few of them," Karen said, standing in front of the window that looked out on to the exercise yard, so that she couldn't see Jo's face. "I was touching myself." She could feel the colour suffuse her cheeks. "That isn't anything to be ashamed of," Jo said quietly, having herself partaken of that particular delicacy in the sometimes lengthy period when she'd had no other lover, and had been keeping herself away from John's all too tempting bed. "It is, when it'll be on display for all to see," Karen said miserably. "Neumann will have to have a very good reason for showing that sort of picture," Jo said firmly. "And now that I know what to expect, I can object hopefully before he shows it."
A little while later when they walked out of the officers' room and across the wing, they were stopped by Denny, looking a good deal happier than she had done earlier. "Oy, Miss," She called as Karen and Jo walked passed her. "When's Posh Bitch coming back?" Standing stock still in her tracks, Karen briefly thought she could strangle Denny. Jo might be okay about Karen and George on the surface, but Karen didn't especially want it broadcast to all and sundry that George had been with her at Larkhall last Friday. Having seen something of this in her face, Denny came over and said, "Shit! Have I dropped you in it, Miss?" "Not really," Karen said fondly. "But it seems to be one of those days." When she and Jo had walked through the gate and down the corridor, Jo said, "I'm assuming that's Denny's name for George?" "Yes," Karen said, briefly wondering if she was destined to look sheepish for the rest of her life. "I unexpectedly had to do two hours here on my own last Friday evening, and George offered her company. I don't know what made her do it, but I'm heartily glad she did. If George hadn't been here to be my runner and to look after a very distressed Tina Purvis, one of the other inmates, Buki Lester would have died." Abandoning any thought of worry for George's safety in a place like this, Jo asked, "What happened?" And Karen could see nothing but concern for her in Jo's face. "Buki is one of G wing's regular cutters. Whether she picked last Friday night because she knew I would be on my own, or because everything had suddenly got too bad for her, I don't know. But she took a razor blade to the main artery in her wrist. Not something I'm going to forget in a hurry." Jo could clearly see that whilst Karen might view this as an occasional part of the job, it had still greatly affected her. "I don't really know how to say it," She said eventually. "But from what I've seen and heard today, I know that yours must be one of the hardest and probably the least rewarding jobs anyone ever has to do, yet you put your heart and soul in to it. The way you looked round your wing when we first arrived, it was as if you were checking up on your flock, as though they were an enormous family who were all under your wing, including your officers. In your own way, and for different reasons, each and every one of them matters to you." Karen stopped in the corridor and stared at her. "No one's ever seen it like that before," She said, greatly touched by what Jo had said. "But yes, I suppose that's how I do see them sometimes. You can't help but be fond of some of them. Some, like Denny, or the Julies, or Buki, or even Cassie, Barbara and Nikki when they were here, and Roisin, and even Shell Dockley on a non-violent day. You get to know so much about them, especially the ones who are here for a long stretch, that you can't help but look upon them as meaning more to you than a job. I expect you feel like that about some of your clients." "Yes, occasionally there'll be one whose case I get far too emotionally involved with." "And I probably do the same with countless of my inmates," Karen said ruefully. "Though a good proportion of the time is spent thanking any remotely higher being that they aren't members of my family." Jo grinned as they kept on walking, but it wasn't lost on her that a large part of Karen resided within these walls, that a significant proportion of her psyche belonged to these women whom she showed so much maternal fondness for, in spite of their causing her no end of hassle on a daily basis.