Cassie was painfully conscious that she had not got round to visiting Barbara who had been over two months in Larkhall by their reckoning. Soon after Barbara had been admitted, Roisin had gone with Yvonne to make arrangements for the funeral but time had flown by in their busy lives since then. At isolated moments when they were both hard at work the stray thought crossed their minds but time passed and they let time slip through their fingers yet again. It wasn't until school decided on an 'inset day' for teacher training coincided with Roisin's mother volunteering out of the blue to look after Niamh and Michael that that vague desire to see Barbara was crystallized into action. Fortunately, Michael would be plucked clean away from his circle of school friends so that he could safely ditch the awkward adolescent routine that betrayed his fear of losing his street credibility. Amazingly, Roisin's mother came at the crack of dawn and both children were surprisingly receptive to being up at such an early hour especially when they didn't have school to get up for. They both waved back as two hands waved out of the back window, slowly diminishing in size with Roisin's mother confident at the wheel.
They duly passed through the lodge where Ken did a 'double take' and belatedly recognized both of them, especially when they signed their names in the guest list.
"I remember you both." He hailed them." Didn't you both pull our old governing governor out of that terrible fire in the library a few years back"
"Believe it or not, that was us. Sometimes we wonder ourselves that we did it when we think about it."
This was a first time in Roisin's experience that Cassie was so modest and unassuming. It did feel like another era and they were different people even though their house held the papers, which had granted them their free pardon, which made their present life possible.
"You see that door over to the left. Go through there and you can see the sign to the visitor's room. There'll be someone to show you the way and help you out if you need it."
Cassie grinned at the remark. There was a distinct flavour of 'if you want to know the time, ask a policeman' about it all. When they were inmates here, there were some screws that they wouldn't have wanted to catch a cold off far less polite ask for assistance. To their surprise, it was Selena who was present to frisk the visitors before the door was opened up at the appointed time. She performed her duties in as correct, businesslike fashion and Cassie couldn't help noticing how young she looked. It must be creeping middle age that had prompted the thought, Cassie reflected ruefully, despite her refusal to admit such a possibility.
"No Bodybag today? I'm sorry, I mean Sylvia Hollamby." Roisin casually asked Selena without thinking before amending her question in a prim and proper manner, which made Cassie smile.
"She's been transferred off G Wing until Barbara Mills' trial." Selena said shortly.
"Bet you're missing her already"
Cassie's lighthearted joke got a response from Selena who permitted herself the luxury of a slight smile. She could not believe that she had a glorious holiday from her sulphurous muttering in the PO room. Sometimes. she could have sworn that she used to make homophobic remarks under her breath, sparked by Nikki's very tangible presence. It was a huge personal encouragement to have as a boss this mature and sensitive and very 'out gay' wing governor.
"Not altogether, Cassie but, hey, life goes on."
The door opened and the crowd of visitors poured in. Sure enough, it was Dominic on duty in the visiting room and both he and Nikki greeted them with broad smile of welcome.
"Our luck's in today, babe. No Di and no Bodybag. Couldn't be better"
They threaded their way through the crowd and finally spotted Barbara, sitting at a table near the back of the hall. They both noticed that Barbara looked pale and drawn and her welcoming smile was a bit forced.
"What's worrying you?" Cassie asked in her direct way after the introductions.
"I've been told when the date is for the trial." Barbara confessed," Jo and George have been to see me and it's Monday February 6th 2006"
"At least someone's got things moving and chance to get you out of this dump"
"That's if the jury believe me. All this time, I've been trying not to think about the trial and now the date's come up, I'm not so sure I'll actually get out"
Barbara's low depressed tones made a vivid contrast to Cassie's radiant positivism.
"You might get that judge who was so kind to Lauren. Have faith"
"I wish I did. I might get the sort of hanging judge who gave me three years inside for Peter's death and he might be especially severe on me for what he might see as a second offence"
Roisin's heart went out to Barbara. She could not imagine that she could doubt her faith in God's protection but if she was talking in these terms, she must be seriously worried.
"I heard that Bodybag's been booted off G wing until your trial comes up. That's got to be a good sign for the future"
Barbara's face brightened at that. It was a huge relief not to see her scowling face around the wing and the residual gloom of the building had instantly lightened. All the other prisoners had been in more of a laughing and joking mood and the prison officers had noticeably mellowed. She had got to think that the intangible atmosphere that periodically got prisoners down from time to time might be the product of the accumulated bad vibrations, caused by all the generations of Fenners and Bodybags. Evil begets evil, as a well-remembered phrase told her and she realized that it might take a more long lasting, intangible form.
Nikki strolled round the room talking to various groups of prisoners and their visitors. She thought it was a good idea to 'show the flag' a bit from time to time as her low-key way of inspecting what was done in her name on G Wing. Her foreknowledge of the VO for Barbara coincided just nicely with this duty.
"Did I hear the news correctly that Di Barker has left the prison service?" Barbara asked Nikki as she passed. She had been really down in the dumps since she had heard about her trial date that everything from which she might draw emotional sustenance was blighted. She had heard the news correctly as it had inevitably gone round G Wing like lightning. She wanted someone else to convince her that it was real.
"Neil gave her the boot for writing Karen's address on a back of a news cutting that Denny sent to Shell. Let's just say that Karen got a midnight visitor though nothing bad happened but that was no thanks to Di." Nikki said tersely. This was as much as she had cared to tell anyone, even her old friends, as it was a matter, which impinged on her job.
"I wouldn't wish ill will on anyone but she's got more and more bitter and twisted and a public danger, especially to you, Nikki. It was the best thing for her to go." Came Barbara charitably delivered verdict while Cassie and Roisin grinned broadly in unmistakable delight.
The taller woman shrugged her shoulders self deprecatingly at their response. She sensed Di Barker as an evil spider, hatching up plans in the corner and making Sylvia Hollamby even worse than she was. Nikki had survived all these months due to a thick skin and the ever present mantra that went round in her head that Di Barker hated so many other prison officers that there was only so much scheming she could direct at her. In that way she had not let that woman get to her.
"Sounds as if you're in for a pretty comfortable time of it now Nikki"
"Yeah,"grinned Nikki smugly back at Cassie. She was obviously on top of the world. "The other prison officers are fine and I've only got one prisoner who really needs watching."
"Who've you got as witnesses for the trial?" Cassie pursued.
"Well, Nikki's coming as a character reference for a start"
"..so I'll have to be on my best behaviour." Slid in Nikki with her most misleadingly innocent expression on her face.
"As if." Retorted Cassie. Wing governor or no wing governor, she knew that Nikki would be true to herself and could imagine Nikki giving as good as she gets to any of the pompous barristers she had ever seen in action.
"…anyway, there's also a surgeon, an anaesthetist and a red hot American pathologist with legal qualifications"
"Whew." Cassie gasped, her blue eyes opened wide." Why don't you wheel in Magnus Magnusson, Albert Einstein and…….."
"Albert Einstein is dead, Cassie." Put in Roisin helpfully.
"As if I didn't know. Just testing you, Roash"
The other three women burst into laughter at Cassie's inimitable banter, which raised everyone's spirits. They weren't sure whether Cassie was bluffing or not but, either way, she responded with such style.
"So long as you haven't told that to the kids"
"As if I'd lead them up the garden path to look complete idiots in class. Anyway they're too smart to get conned"
"Thomas Waugh has agreed to do a physical and psychological assessment of you Barbara," Nikki added quietly." He knows that he made a tit of himself when he gave evidence for the prosecution in Lauren Atkins' trial. I've got on with just fine since I've been here. If I've had any problem that I've taken to him, he's run with it. He's got strong principles and I can now see why Helen got on with him"
The other three women pricked up their ears at Nikki's generosity to him. They knew the heartbreak Nikki had gone through when she was an inmate at Larkhall and she'd split up with Helen and Dr Thomas supplanted her in Helen's affections. That was a long time ago to Nikki and, since she had become wing governor, she had come to fully understand Dr Thomas's virtues as another professional. Her statement wasn't made out of any nobility or charity, it was merely giving credit where credit was due.
"And I've got Jo and George to represent me." Barbara followed up, her confidence boosted by the support from the others around her.
." I can see now that the brief I had when I was first in court just isn't in their league when we saw Jo in action. In your situation, you never feel that you have guarantees, Barbara. I've been there. " Added Nikki helpfully.
She glanced at her watch and could see that there wasn't that much left of visiting time. Bang went her good intention of doing the rounds at visiting time.
"I'm sorry as I've gotta go and mingle with the others."
There was a silence amongst the three women as they paused for reflection. The background chatter between the other prisoners and their visitors went unheard.
"How are your kids getting on?" Barbara asked politely.
"Well, Michael is in danger of becoming a teenager though Niamh's not got there yet"
"It will come, Cassie"
"How about you, Barbara? What sort of teenager were you"
"Well," thought Barbara as she searched her mind." The Christian upbringing I had extended out into my social life. I suppose I was very much protected or else the world was very innocent. It feels impossible to convey how straight laced everything was, everything in its order, everything secure. It was another world where you didn't ask any questions, not like today. Of course I learnt to question things when I was here before and it did me a lot of good. Prison's somewhere to shake your ideas up a bit so long as you don't make a profession of it"
"We understand, Barbara." Roisin answered with all her heart. The drastic changes in her life had been very much helped along its way by prison though she was very much aware of the horrors of it all as well.