Evidence

Chapter 3

New surroundings, new acquaintance.

Alex sat with her back leaning against the wall of her new surroundings.
Everything had all gone so very wrong so very quickly. Alex now felt as if she was truly in a pit of despair, and she didn't know how to get herself out.
Another blow had been dealt to her the previous day as she had been denied bail and remanded in custody to await her trial.
She now had a lawyer, by the name of George Jarvis, to represent her.
She understood him to be a close friend of Evan's and that he had taken Alex's case on at Evan's own request.
The denial of bail had been a massive disappointment for Alex.
She had desperately wanted to taste freedom again after it had been so suddenly snatched from her the previous day.
And she wanted to see her colleagues, her friends, especially Gene.
Only recently had she come to realise how much of a rock he had been for her, always dependable and pulling her away from trouble.
Jarvis had tried his hardest to plead Alex's case, stating that she was hardly dangerous and couldn't flee the country because she didn't even have a valid passport.
It had indeed been a very valid argument but the police argument had ended up winning the day.
The police had argued that bail should be refused on the grounds of the two charges of murder, and the charge of the attempted murder of a child, being so serious.
The police also raised ludicrous doubts about Alex's mental state, arguing that evidence that they had found could indicate that she was in some way unstable and would be best held in custody.
To Alex's disappointment, the magistrate had agreed.

Alex leant her head back against the wall and stared at the ceiling.
She was in HMP Holloway and was sat on the lower bunk of the cell she had been allocated upon her arrival the day before.
As a female prisoner, and not currently convicted of any crime, she was permitted to wear her normal clothes - the dark blue jeans and a light blue off the shoulder top.
Alex hadn't strayed far since her arrival.
She hadn't wanted to mingle because she didn't even want to be there.
She sighed as she looked at her surroundings.
Grey, drab, soul destroying.
The place made Alex feel sick at the thought that she was being held in the prison that would one day hold the likes of Rose West and Maxine Carr; people who truly deserved to be there.
That thought alone made the place feel dirty.
There was a small square window higher up the wall behind the basic metal framed bunk.
It was small and barred.
There was glass in it but it was the more secure type of glass that had small wire squares criss-crossing through it.
It was also too high up to look out from, simply allowing in a small amount of natural light.
The door of the cell was open and had been for some time.
Ambient voices could be heard from the other inmates as they mingled amongst themselves in the communal areas.
Shouts from disagreements could be heard occasionally from other inmates. There had even been a scream some time earlier.

Alex looked round cautiously as she heard footsteps approaching the cell.
The sound of footsteps always unnerved Alex in this place. She would nervously wait to see who it was, inmate or prison officer, and breathe a sigh of relief when it turned out to be a prison officer.
Her worries stemmed from the fact that this was not a good place for a copper, of all people, to find herself.
She continued to look to the doorway, almost holding her breath until the form did indeed appear.
To Alex's relief it was indeed a prison officer.
He appeared to be in his late twenties and stopped momentarily in the doorway.
"Awright luv?", he checked up on the unfamiliar face before him.
Alex attempted a weak smile and nodded, "Yeah..." she whispered.
The officer nodded back and continued on his way, vanishing from sight and leaving only the sound of his fading footsteps.
She hated this. Everything was grim about this place and she was constantly on edge here.

Alex tried to relax. She breathed out slowly, trying to calm her nerves.
She was supposed to be the expert on this yet she simply couldn't do anything about the stiff tension she constantly felt in her shoulders.
She wondered if this is how Layton had felt.
It was as if their worlds had suddenly swapped places.
She was now the one languishing in prison. Layton? Nobody knew where he was now.
To nobody's surprise, he had done a runner after the day of the car bombing.
She remembered how cocky she had been when she had visited Layton in his similar surroundings in Wormwood Scrubs. She recalled gloating about his situation as he sat before her behind the secure glass, and how she had taunted him by whispering "loser" in his face.
Alex couldn't help but wonder if Layton had anything to do with her current situation.
It was a strong possibility she couldn't help but dwell on.
He had after all warned her that he was "a very dangerous man to gamble with".
Was he behind it?
Was it Layton who had snuck into her flat and discovered the so called 'evidence' against her?
Did he then hatch the plan of anonymously tipping off the police that there were items there implicating her in the Prices' deaths?
Alex shivered at the thought that Arthur Layton might have been in her flat without her knowledge.
At least she thought it was him.
As far as she was concerned, there was no other obvious suspect, and he certainly had the motive for framing Alex.
In his eyes, he would be getting even with her. Pay back.
She wondered where Layton was now.
If he was indeed behind this then he would be feeling very satisfied with his work.
'Is this man destined to plague me my entire life?', Alex wondered.

Alex closed her eyes and leant her head back against the wall.
She foolishly hoped that when she opened her eyes again it might all have simply been a bad dream.
She wasn't a defeatist but in her current circumstances she felt more alone than usual.
At least in the outside world -in 1981-she had company. There was Gene to verbally spar with, Chris and Ray to charge in when backup was needed and Shaz for her to educate and bring out the potential she knew was within the young WPC.
Here, Alex had nobody.
She was due to meet with her lawyer in the next day or two to begin preparing her defence.
Although he was nice and professional enough, Alex felt no connection with him as she did her close friends.
She desperately wanted to see a familiar face about now but she was in two minds about it as the mere thought of her friends seeing her in this place felt degrading.

Most of all she wanted to see Gene.
Doubtless he would have some very strong words to say about Alex's situation, yet at the same time, part of her didn't want him to see her like this.
Even though she knew she was innocent, Alex felt great shame at being in prison. It was where 'bad' people ended up, not good coppers like herself.
Alex tried to shake her thoughts of Gene and her friends.
She knew she was allowed to request visitors but she doubted they would allow her to ask for Gene to come.
As her superior officer he would inevitably be called as a witness by both defence and prosecution and, as a result, it would probably be deemed inappropriate for the suspect to have contact with a witness prior to the trial.
''Typical', Alex thought. In all of this world there was nobody else who could be there for her.

"Copper, eh?" Alex opened her eyes immediately and sat up defensively.
A figure was stood in the doorway leaning against the stern metal frame.
Alex hadn't heard this one approaching.
A woman in her late forties, maybe early fifties, stood arms folded staring at Alex.
She had shoulder length dark hair and was of a 'stocky' build. She was clearly an imposing character.
Without thinking, Alex shuffled back slightly, away from the imposing figure.
This was no prison officer.
Alex felt a rush of adrenalin surge through her. She feared that the situation she dreaded had come.
"It's alright", the figure held her hands up as if to indicate that there was nothing to fear.
Alex didn't speak. She didn't know why this person was here or what she wanted.
"My name's Jill", the prisoner continued, "can I come in?"
Alex didn't see any other choice so she simply nodded.
Jill walked in and casually plonked herself down next to where Alex sat on the bunk.
"So..." she queried again, "...copper?"
Alex knew that if she lied she would eventually be found out, and that wouldn't do her any good in the long run.
Yet she dreaded revealing that she was a police officer.
If word got round that there was a copper in the prison, even one accused of a crime, Alex was sure she would become a target for some of the inmates.
"Yeah...", she reluctantly answered, looking down and not making eye contact.
Alex wondered for a moment about what might happen next. A punch? A kick to the head?
"Me too", Jill simply replied.
Alex almost missed the answer and had to run it by herself again in her mind.
"Sorry?"Alex turned her head to face Jill, this time making eye contact.
"You, me", Jill pointed to herself and then to Alex, "coppers!"
Alex could barely hide her relief and surprise as the words sank in.
"Look", Jill began to explain, "I've been here quite a bit longer than you. One of the screws said you were a copper and that you looked like you could use a friend while you get used to things".
For once, Alex didn't know what to say. She had genuinely been expecting to have her head kicked in at any moment on the basis of her career choice.
Jill held her hand out to Alex, "Jill Bailey...Formerly WPC Jill Bailey, back in the day".
Alex shook Jill's hand and introduced herself to this ex WPC who, it appeared, was now the nearest thing she had to a friend.
"Alex Drake", she said, "...Formerly D.I Alex Drake".
Jill looked surprised and a little impressed.
"A D.I?" she exclaimed, "Cripes you've done well for yourself luv! Our D.Is were all fellas!".
Alex smiled in thanks.
"And look where it's got me", Alex attempted a little black humour.
"Well", Jill shrugged, "Just goes to show that rank counts for nuthin' in the long run".
"Seems you might be right", Alex sighed as she answered.
"Good...Then in that case I won't call you Ma'am", Jill tried to cheer up her new acquaintance as best she could.
Alex smiled a small smile in response.
"That's better", Jill responded, pleased that Alex hadn't shunned her approach.
She observed Alex for a few moments, trying to make out what she could about her in the few moments they had known each other.
"I see you're worried", Jill stated the fact most obvious to her, "you're worried about them lot out there finding out you're a copper".
Alex nodded, although 'worried' didn't even come close to describing it.
"They will find out", Jill couldn't hide the fact, "but in their own time, so don't go broadcasting it obviously. It won't make you any friends and by the time they find out they may have even got to know you".
Alex silently took the information in.
"And it depends on what you're in for, but at the moment you're only on remand", Jill continued, "But if what I've heard is true...".
"What?" Alex's new found confidence ebbed away a little at the prospect of yet another glitch.
"If what I've heard is true, then quite a few of the girls here might hold you responsible for the deaths of their lawyers", Jill broke the bad news, "lawyers they were pinning their hopes on".
"The Prices?" Alex asked, not liking the prospect Jill had raised.
"So it's true then?" Jill quizzed, "You're the one they think did the Prices in?"
"It's true that the police seem to think I did it", Alex admitted with great reluctance, "but it's all circumstantial".
Jill turned to face Alex, a look of absolute honesty on her face.
"That's the other thing around here. Don't go round telling everyone you're innocent".
"But what if I am?" Alex demanded, her voice showing all the recent frustration.
"Doesn't matter luv. Pretty much everyone here has claimed they're innocent at one time or another", Jill explained the hard facts, "It doesn't matter if you are or aren't. But some may well hold a grudge against you for the Prices' deaths".
"Why will no one listen to me?" Alex pleaded and looked up to the ceiling.
"That's what your lawyer's for. At the end of the day it's his job to get your facts across", Jill tried to reassure Alex, "and friends? Family? They can visit you."
Alex shook her head at that prospect.
"Most of my friends are involved in the case", she answered.
"Family then?" Jill offered the next obvious suggestion.
"Not really", Alex looked back down again as she thought of her only family.
"No one at all?" Jill sounded concerned.
"Well...", Alex began to admit, "...my daughter, Molly".
"That's good", Jill nodded.
"But she's far away", Alex explained.
"Outside of London then?" Jill sounded genuinely sad for her new friend.
"Much further than that", Alex said as she thought of Molly, "and it's complicated".
Jill watched Alex again; concluding that some family break up was responsible for the complication she referred to.
Alex ran a hand over her eyes as if to wipe away tears that were forming.
"Hey, hey!" Jill placed an arm around Alex's shoulder for comfort, "none of that or I call you Ma'am".
Alex took a moment to compose herself. She didn't want to cry in the presence of someone she had only just met, yet the strain of the last day or so was beginning to drain her emotionally.
Jill sat where she was for a moment as Alex suppressed her tears. There was silence. Finally Alex attempted to move the subject along.
"How long have you been here?" she enquired, "If you don't mind me asking".
Jill herself sighed now, "six years", she answered in a matter of fact tone.
Alex nodded and wondered where she herself would be in six years time. She dreaded to think what the answer might be.
"Did my husband in", Jill volunteered her own tale.
Alex was surprised but tried to hide any visible reaction from Jill.
"Don't worry luv, I'm no psycho", Jill assured Alex, "Bastard used to lose control with his fists after he'd had a few with his mates. Did it one time too many though...Kitchen knife".
Alex suddenly felt terrible for Jill.
She hadn't tried to analyse Jill as she did with suspects but she certainly hadn't taken her new friend for a killer. Alex had naturally assumed that Jill must be in for something somewhat less serious as she seemed such a nice person and, like herself, had been a police officer.
Yet even in 2008 Alex had worked on cases of abused wives and girlfriends who had been driven to kill their partners after being forced to the end of their tether by violence.
"Self defence?" Alex assumed.
Jill shook her head as her own facts came out.
"I'd drunk most of a bottle of whiskey in preparation for him coming home that evening. It always hurt less that way y'see", Jill explained, "but I wasn't thinking right and got him as soon as he came in".
Alex listened to her friend's story. It sounded so familiar to her from cases she had heard time and time again.
"Court took that as premeditation", Jill shrugged, "life, minimum twenty years".
She knew Jill had, by her own admission, taken a life.
But if this had been a case in her own time, Alex was sure that the story of abuse would have been taken into account.
Obviously this wasn't the case here in 1981.
"You didn't have to tell me ", Alex said grateful for Jill's admission.
"I knew your story", Jill shrugged, "only fair you knew mine".
Alex was surprised at how brutally honest Jill had been.
The psychologist within her told her that this had been Jill's way of forming a bond of trust between herself and Alex, getting everything out in the open so Alex knew Jill was genuine and only sought to help her.
Jill smiled and retrieved her arm from around Alex's shoulder, patting her on the shoulder in reassurance instead.
"You stick with me, Alex", she said full of confidence, "and you'll be fine. I'll show you the ropes and show you around".

Alex appeared relieved that she was no longer quite so alone and smiled back in thanks as Jill got to her feet and began to head for the door.
"I'll be back to check on you later, I'll show you where to get a book or somethin'", she offered.
"Thanks", Alex nodded, feeling a little better.
Jill stopped in the doorway and looked back.
"Oh and...if any of the girls give you any trouble at all...", Jill began in a serious whisper, "...you tell me and I'll break their legs!".
Alex raised her eyebrows in surprise and nodded politely.
She was sure Jill could manage to carry out her threat.
She certainly looked like someone who could take care of herself, but Alex preferred to fight her own battles.
"Us coppers gotta stick together after all", Jill said as she left.

End chapter 3

(Author note - Last time I uploaded a chapter to this site, something went wrong with the upload and some of the spaces between words vanished. If this happens again, please bare with me while I correct it. It's simply and error on this site and not in the checked and uploaded original)