Chapter 10: Justice Finally Served
(Friday, January 20th, 2012 – 12:00pm; Ewen High School, Chamberlain)
The news of what had just recently happened very quickly spread out, by way of the newspapers, the radio, or the TV, to everyone who was living within the town of Chamberlain or in the area just outside of it. And when everybody heard the news, they were all relieved to hear about it; the news was that Margaret White, the fanatically religious and abusive mother of the missing Carrie White, had been sentenced to be locked away for the rest of her natural life.
Having been declared by the medical experts assigned to the case to be both legally insane, and thus declared medically unfit, and far too mentally incompetent to stand trial in a court of law for her countless, abusive crimes committed against her only daughter, Margaret was ordered by the officials at a brief hearing in the local courts to spend the rest of her life locked up for her own safety, and in particularly for Carrie's, within the walls of the maximum-security wing of the notorious mental asylum at Arkham, which was a town that was only a drive of a few short miles up the road from Chamberlain. And Margaret was told, in the clearest possible terms, by the officials that life within the walls of Arkham meant exactly that…a lifetime spent confined in psychiatric care.
There had been no need for a jury or a trial to take part in the case, especially when everyone considered Margaret's serious mental illnesses and heavily delirious state of mind. Even the group of expert attorneys and lawyers who had been assigned to Margaret's defence in the case, including Chris Hargensen's own father John Hargensen, all had agreed unanimously that a trial wouldn't be necessary for this investigation.
By that point, the investigators who were looking into the circumstances of Carrie's disappearance had thoroughly looked through every single square inch of the White Residence along Carlin Street. And they were shocked by the questionable conditions that they saw within it…including the dreaded closet that was placed under right the stairs which Carrie had mentioned countless times in her notebook that she'd been locked into many times over the years, as well as a number of other suspicious looking items that proved beyond any question or shadow of doubt that Margaret was guilty of many years of abusing Carrie within the walls of that old house.
And shortly after Margaret was condemned to be placed into secure psychiatric care for the rest of her natural life, but not too long before she was due to be taken there, a number of representatives, including from the Chamberlain Police Department, the main hospital in Chamberlain, as well as from the Arkham Mental Asylum, all appeared before the media at a specially arranged press conference, which was held within the old historic town hall right in the heart of Chamberlain. There, the officials and doctors all took the opportunity to brief the press about what had happened at the hearing at the old court house and what the fate for Margaret would be. At the same time, one of the more senior Chamberlain police officers had to tell the media that the local authorities still had no information or any firm ideas about where exactly Carrie might be, though he did say they had a number of different avenues of enquiry they were currently pursuing at that moment, and he hoped that one of them would come up trumps.
Not too long before Margaret White was due to be taken away to be incarcerated within the Arkham Mental Institution, some of the other officers who were involved in the case went over to Ewen High School to address the staff and students there about the latest developments in the case.
Everyone was gathered together in the school's main auditorium, both students and teachers alike, and waited for the officers to give them all the latest news about what was going on. Many of them were anxious to hear about what was going to happen next in the case, while others in the group were more concerned to know about how the authorities were going to find out where Carrie has disappeared to.
By now, everyone in school had read quite a lot or some of the notebook Carrie had left behind, which had been put up on the internet in a PDF format by the Chamberlain Police Department not long after Carrie had vanished. And by now, everyone was now fully aware of just how bad Carrie's private life had been like under Margaret's rule - though to say it was bad would be an enormous understatement - and most of them were still being shocked by the information regardless of how much they read through Carrie's notebook.
"Okay, everyone…" Principal Morton said, as he spoke into the microphone at the podium and got everyone's attention. In seconds, they had all quietened down and looked towards him, "…now these officers are here to give you all an update with some of the latest news they have about the search for Carrie." and with that, Principal Morton moved aside and sat down as one of the officers stood up to the podium with some papers in his hands.
"Well ladies and gentlemen…I'm quite sure that by now all of you have heard the news about Margaret White's sentence of a lifetime imprisonment within the walls of the maximum-security wing within Arkham's Mental Institution…and I can safely tell all of you this…she'll never be coming out of there for the rest of her natural life. Now she'll certainly get the mental help that she really needs to deal with the various mental illnesses that she's been diagnosed with. But at the same time though…and considering everything that she did to Carrie within the walls of that old house along Carlin Street over the years...Margaret's never gonna be coming out of Arkham, except securely nailed in a wooden box." the officer said, and many of the students and teachers before him murmured amongst each other for a few moments.
They all HAD certainly heard a lot about Margaret's imprisonment from what they'd all heard the results of it on the evening news only the night before. As well as that, they had also seen an interview on the news with one of the main psychiatrists who had been involved in examining Margaret White's mental health in the time after her arrest.
During that lengthy interview he had with the press, the doctor made it very clear to everyone who watched the interview that, based on all the information he'd read within Carrie's notebook, as well as from the more recent and intensive psychiatric tests done on Margaret, as well as various other little things he'd seen here and there in the last few months, everything had shown beyond doubt that with her serious mental illnesses and highly unstable emotions, Margaret was seen as a danger, not just to her own daughter Carrie White, but also to herself and to the general public as well.
Elton Mott, who was the long-time owner of the laundry and dry cleaners on Main Street where Margaret had worked for quite a number of years before her arrest, also gave an interview of his own to the evening news where he expressed his own personal feelings about what happened in the last few weeks. He mentioned that he was "shocked" and "utterly appalled" at the fact that Margaret had been abusing her own daughter for all the time she'd been at home, and he hoped that Margaret would receive her "just desserts" in Arkham's mental institution for what she'd done to her daughter all this time. At the same time though, he expressed his own personal hopes that Carrie was all right and hoped that she would soon be found and be brought back home.
"Now that Margaret has been put into a very secure place for a long time to come, the next and most obvious part of the investigation's focus is finding out where Carrie White has gone to." the officer said, and everyone present knew full well that it was absolutely vital to find Carrie as soon as possible. There was no telling what could happen to her if she wasn't found soon, and almost all of them really wanted to apologise to her personally for what they had done and all the unnecessary trouble they had caused her during all these years.
However, Chris Hargensen, Tina Blake, Donna Kellogg, and one or two more of the other Mortimer Snerds who were sitting among the others really couldn't care less about where Carrie was, or that if she would ever be found or return to Chamberlain at all. They were pleased that she was gone.
"So far, we have a number of leads that, for the moment at least, appear to be quite promising…but at the same time though, we won't know for certain until we actually investigate each of them in turn. And we don't know how long that could take." the officer said.
"Excuse me, sir…I'm very sorry to interrupt you, but have you found any evidence, circumstantial or otherwise, that may indicate Carrie is dead?" someone in the audience asked after raising their hand, as almost everyone murmured amongst each other for several seconds with some concerns about what would happen if that suddenly came to pass, before they then quietened down.
"No, I'm pleased to report that as of today, we have NO evidence at all to indicate that Carrie White is dead." said the officer, as some before him sighed in quiet relief on hearing this news. Sue Snell was among those who sighed in some genuine relief; ever since the dream she'd had very early on Christmas morning, she'd had her own fears that Carrie might be dead and laying out in the middle of nowhere undiscovered by anyone. But at the same time though, Chris and Tina, as well as one or two other girls in the Mortimer Snerds silently cursed at this information, though they were very careful not to let anyone else around them hear.
"Yet at the same time, ladies and gentlemen…we have to be prepared for anything that might happen as time goes on. After all, the unexpected can always happen in life, and in an investigation like this, there's no exceptions. We may have some false alarms along the way…and that is something which is inevitable in cases like this, and we may have to be prepared to go to other nearby states to investigate any potential leads that might be there, and we hope that one of those leads could be the promising one we seek." the officer said.
Everyone knew the officer was correct about that statement; they knew that in similar cases, there could easily be instances of false identity when someone went missing, so it was of vital importance not to get their hopes up too much whenever the police announced they may have something or someone that was worth investigating.
Things had certainly been very different within the walls, corridors, and rooms of Ewen High School in the last few weeks ever since Carrie disappeared; with no designated outcast or scapegoat about in the building anymore, those who wanted someone to take the flak for certain things had to look for someone else to do it…but, and quite understandably, there was nobody about who was willing to take Carrie's place in that respect. Any attempt to make someone a scapegoat for something would usually result in the person fighting back quite effectively, which would cause the accusing person to withdraw quickly from that person's wrath and never try their luck on them again.
In the classes, teachers who usually asked for Carrie's work next had to constantly remind themselves she wasn't around anymore, and many people had at times taken more than one quick glance over to the empty desks and chairs that Carrie would usually occupy in certain classes. And Chris Hargensen and some of the other Mortimer Snerds now had no one that they could take their frustrations out on anymore, particularly if someone slipped up during an event in gym class or anything else like that, as any of the other students they tried to do that to would always put up some form of fight or even issuing a threat, leading to the accusing girls quickly running off with their tails between their legs.
Also, by this time, some of the students were starting to sit at the empty table in the cafeteria that Carrie would usually occupy during lunch breaks. It had been expected that some of the other students in school would then use that as an excuse to kick up a fuss about other people sitting at the table where the school's designated outcast would usually sit at, but surprisingly, nobody had said a single thing about it yet. And so, many of the other students started sitting at Carrie's table during lunch breaks without a second thought.
Many of the students, even more of the group of girls known as the Mortimer Snerds, and almost all of the teachers in Ewen High were still desperately worried about Carrie White and hoped that she was okay, wherever she was.
A few moments later, the officer sat down, and another officer stepped up to the podium to give the news he had to give.
"Well, everyone…we've decided that…at least for the moment…we won't be pressing any charges against the main bullies that Carrie had mentioned countless times in her notebook." he said, and, almost at once, a number of students before him, particularly the worst of them who had constantly bullied Carrie for no reason, all took a deep sigh of relief. But each of them was very careful not to exhale too sharply for fear that the officer would hear them.
"However, everyone…" the officer said suddenly, as all eyes looked at him and those who sighed with relief suddenly took in a deep breath, "…don't think that any of you are off the hook so easily just yet…ladies and gentlemen. We still have an open investigation, which we will continue to pursue for as long as it takes, and we could easily still press serious charges against some of those in here…based on the information Carrie left behind." the officer said warningly, as he glared round the room, as a few people, including a few students, gulped nervously. It seemed like this officer had some form of sixth sense and could tell when the worst bullies sighed with some relief.
"We're also gonna be starting interviews with many of those in the school sometime within the next few months, both teachers and students, as we in the Chamberlain Police Department want to get the full story of what happened to Carrie, what certain people did, as well as get more information in the months leading up to the disappearance, about the last day that Carrie was here in Ewen High School and what events took place." said the officer.
All the students and teachers were suddenly very nervous about that, as some of them felt the police felt some of those before them may have something to hide. They were also well aware of the somewhat worrying fact that the local papers had printed a few sections of Carrie's notebook in their columns, with one of the newspapers continuously giving new information about the case as time went on as a new piece became available. The students also knew, that with parts of Carrie's notebook being published by the press and thus being read or seen by many people everywhere, there was a lot at stake with their reputations and that of the school and its teachers as well.
The talk lasted for about another 20 minutes or so, during which time the officers present gave everyone all the latest information that they could give then about Carrie's disappearance, about what sort of conditions Margaret was going to face within the walls of Arkham's Mental Institution and so on. By the time it came to an end, it was just a minute or so before lunch time and everyone was allowed to leave the auditorium, they were all silent and stunned by what they'd heard.
Sue and Tommy were both quiet as they headed out the doors too, and they turned and walked along the corridor for a short way before they stood aside and let some of their fellow students pass them by. Both of them were completely stunned and unsure of what was gonna happen, now that this latest round of information had been given.
"Hey, are feeling okay, Sue?" Tommy asked in some concern, as Sue slowly turned her head up to look at him. He could see the sadness in her eyes.
"I…um…I just feel so bad for what happened to Carrie…especially what happened to her in that old house she called home." Sue said, sadly.
"Yeah…that was horrible what happened to her there. But…on the positive side…at least Margaret is gonna be in a very secure place where she can't do anything to Carrie now...or even be a menace to those in this town." Tommy said.
"Yeah…at least there's that." Sue said, as she smiled a little.
"So, what about that, you two?" came the familiar voice of Chris Hargensen, as she suddenly came up behind them.
"What are you talking about, Chris?" Sue said, with a heavy sigh.
"I really wouldn't worry too much about where Carrie is, if I were you. I'm sure that she's doing perfectly fine, wherever she is." Chris said, as Tina Blake and Donna Kellogg, who were behind her, agreed with smirks on their faces.
"Look, we really don't know if that's the case or not yet, Chris." Tommy said, utterly appalled at Chris' attitude to a vulnerable missing person.
"Hey lover boy, maybe you and Sue should get with the new flow in school and just forget about someone who was once here. Besides, with Carrie now gone and her mother now gonna be basically in jail…I think things in this town will be going much better from now on." Chris said.
Both Tommy and Sue were just completely appalled at this shocking and unconcerned statement Chris had just said, but before either of them could say anything in reply, Chris said, "Anyway it's lunch time and I'm starving. I'm going down to the cafeteria, and if there's nothing there I want, I'll go over to one of the nearby stores." and without a further word, Chris, Tina and Donna made their way down the corridor to the cafeteria, leaving both Tommy and Sue standing at the side of the corridor. They were both in shock, and were utterly speechless, at what the leader of the Mortimer Snerds had just said to them.
(With Carrie, Island of Sodor, local time 5:15pm)
Having finished her shower and gotten dried off and changed into clean clothes, Carrie had finished another successful day of work in the depot at Tidmouth. She was feeling tired after another long day, but at the same time she felt that such work was therapy to her. She did struggle at times dealing with the nightmares and bad memories of her life from back home, particularly during the nights when it was so quiet at times that bad memories of her past played heavily on her mind. And sometimes she did struggle to cope with it, as anyone who went through what she did would.
But she found that the best way to cope with her nightmares and fears was simply going to work on the railway, because by doing that and concentrating on doing the best she could at the various tasks she was assigned to, as well as talking to her new friends and asking for their help, it really helped her to cope with her problems and thus acted as a form of therapy.
Not only that, but by doing physical work, such as shovelling coal into fireboxes and carrying tools around, as well as having to do maintenance, helped give her some much-needed exercise which helped her to sweat a bit and lose some weight.
Today, there had been more work of that sort and Carrie, despite the cold January weather, had worked very hard all day with the other recruits, including her friends, and had done various jobs, including lighting fires in some fireboxes, cleaning out other fireboxes, polishing down paintwork so it looked presentable, oiling moving parts and also helping out with some light maintenance work, as well as some cleaning and polishing, on some of the engines who were present in the yard that day, including Henry, Edward and James, who were all very impressed with the hard work that Carrie was doing since she had started working on the railway.
Now though, with the day over, Carrie was feeling tired and was very eager to get a good sleep that night. She was also very pleased that the next day was Saturday and by the fact that she, as well as all the other recruits, had the weekends off, which would allow all of them to fully rest up and charge their batteries before they came back for another five days of work on Monday morning.
That evening, she and her father, Ralph, were going to be having dinner with Simon and his parents at one of the best local pubs in Tidmouth, known as The Golden Ale Barrel. She was really looking forward to it, and particularly to getting some hot food into her after spending much of today working outside in the cold January weather. Something like that was a real reward for a job well done.
"Oh, I'll sleep well this evening." Carrie said to Simon, as they walked out to the main entrance to the building after their day of work.
"Yeah, but I bet that you'll sleep even better tonight when you get some hot food into your stomach." Simon said.
"Oh, that I will." Carrie said, as they stepped outside into the cold winter air. Despite the fact she was wearing warm clothing to ward off the cold, Carrie still felt herself shiver a little whenever she set foot outside in the cold winter air, and when she breathed out, she saw her breath before her eyes as a white cloud of condensation, slowly dispersing into the calm air.
After they stepped outside, they saw Ralph White and the Fat Controller standing close by and talking with each other about something.
"Ah, there you are, you two." Ralph said, when he saw Carrie and Simon step outside the main entrance of the building.
"Dad." Carrie said, as she and Simon walked towards her father.
"Well, you two…" the Fat Controller said, "…I'm very pleased with all the work that you and all the other recruits did in the depot today. I think you'll both be true credits to my railway."
"Thank you, sir." Simon and Carrie said together, as they nodded their heads and smiled, both pleased to be receiving praise from the boss.
"And with the work that you'll be doing here, it won't be too long until you and all the other recruits will be moving onto the next stage of the apprenticeship scheme…and that'll be doing work on my engines doing various jobs within the yards and close by, such as shunting and assembling trains as well as doing short runs wherever they may be needed." said the Fat Controller.
"And when can we expect that to happen, sir?" Carrie asked.
"Probably within about a month or so…which means there's not much longer to wait until that stage." said the Fat Controller.
"Very good, sir." said Simon, feeling pleased at the thought of him soon to be working on the footplate of a steam locomotive.
"Anyway, I'll leave you two to head on home and rest after your long day. Good luck on another day of work on Monday, and good night." said the Fat Controller, as he turned and headed back to this car.
"Good night, sir." Simon and Carrie said, as the Fat Controller walked away.
"Well then, Carrie…shall we head and home and get ready to head out to dinner this evening?" Ralph asked, as he readjusted his bag so it hung more comfortably on his shoulders.
"Of course, dad." Carrie said, before she then turned to look at Simon. "We'll see you and your parents at the pub a little later on." she said.
"Certainly, Carrie. We'll see you there." Simon said, and with that, they left the depot and headed on their way home.
As she and her dad made their way to the bus stop so they could head home, Carrie looked up into the sky; the sun was low on the horizon and the sky was getting even darker as night set in. Dark clouds were gathering overhead, a clear indication that there was likely going to be more snow on the way.
Turning to look around and along the street they were walking along, Carrie could see bright lights shining out of the many windows of the buildings they went by, which gave a warming feeling as they went by. Other people could be seen walking along too; some were talking after their day and what they were going to be doing for the evening, as others stood outside the bars and enjoyed their Friday evening drinks.
They soon arrived at the bus stop, and they didn't have too long to wait until Bertie the Bus arrived and they stepped aboard, took their seats and were on their way back to the house.
(Later that evening, 6:30pm)
After getting ready at home, Carrie and Ralph arrived at the outside of The Golden Ale Barrel, one of the best pubs anywhere on Sodor, and a place well-known for the good food it served each day, be it hot or cold. It wasn't too far away from where Ralph's house was, so as a result he and Carrie were able to walk there after only five minutes. Carrie was pleased they didn't need to walk for much longer, as the snow was starting to fall again, fairly lightly for now, from the dark clouds gathering high above them.
From the outside, the front of The Golden Ale Barrel looked no different than any of the other pubs and restaurants along the length of the street or anywhere else in any of the other towns on Sodor, apart from the fact that the building was a much larger structure than anything else along the street.
Entering through the main entrance doors, Carrie was pleased to feel a light blow of warm air on her face, which would help make her feel more comfortable, and then the welcome smells of hot food from the kitchen flowed into her nostrils. Looking round, she could see a few other people sitting at some of the tables and enjoying their dinner and each other's company, seeing as some were quietly laughing with each other or talking quietly as they ate.
"Right over this way, Carrie." Ralph said, as he headed off in one way to one part of the building, and Carrie followed closely. Straight ahead, Carrie could see Simon and his parents sitting at one of the larger tables very near to the entrance to the kitchen.
"Good evening, all!" Ralph said, as he approached.
"Evening, Ralph!" Simon's parents said.
"Are you looking forward to a good dinner this evening?" Simon's father asked.
"Oh, that I am! Particularly after such a long day of hard work out on the railway." Ralph said, as he took his coat off and hung it on the back of his seat before he sat down. Carrie did the same before she sat down next to Simon. A moment later, one of the waitresses came over with the menus and handed them one each. After taking their drink orders, she went over to the bar while leaving them to decide what they wanted.
"I think I'll have the ribeye steak tonight, well-done of course, with the peppercorn sauce." Simon said, as he looked through the menu.
"Sounds delicious, but I think I'll have the rack of lamb with mint sauce." Carrie said.
A little later on, after the waitress had delivered their drink orders and then took their dinner order on her iPad before then sending the orders directly into the kitchen, the five at the table settled down to talk about how their day had gone.
"Well, we had no serious trouble in the depot today…though we had a minor issue with regard to cleaning out the firebox of No.42420 (10)." Simon said.
"And how much trouble did you have with the insides of that firebox, son?" Simon's father asked.
"Just had some difficulty getting myself in and out through that small firehole door, as well as moving about in so confined a space, particularly with all the stuff that I needed to use in there, headlamps, long brushes, a short shovel and so on, to clean out the smoke tubes, firebox sides as well as removing all the ash and soot from on top of the brick-arch inside." Simon said.
"Oh, I know what you mean by that…I had difficulties like that too when I first started my railway career all those years ago." Simon's father said.
"I assume, Simon...that you were also wearing eye protection and a facemask when you were cleaning out the fireboxes?" Ralph asked.
"I was, Ralph. After all, I had to...just like the foreman told me to. And I didn't want to get any soot in my mouth, up my nose or in my eyes. I also wore a hardhat too to protect my head." Simon said.
"And when Simon came out from the fireboxes after cleaning them out, he was just filthy." Carrie said.
"Did you go into any fireboxes today, Carrie?" Ralph asked.
"No dad…it just looked a little bit too claustrophobic inside them. So, I decided not to go inside any of the fireboxes just yet; I stayed outside them on the footplates and passed the things in and out to Simon as he needed...and I also helped him out from inside as well if he needed the help." Carrie said.
"Yeah, and I did need some help at times...depending of course on which footplate it was." Simon added.
"Well Carrie…you will inevitably get to a point where you may have no choice but to take a deep breath, and go inside a cold firebox with the necessary kit in order to clean it out or carry out any repairs and such." Simon's mother said.
"Oh, I'm aware of that…but for now I'll wait until I've built up the courage before I think about going into a firebox." Carrie said, with a rather modest smile.
(10): No.42420 is an example of the L.M.S. Fowler 2-6-4T, as designed by Sir Henry Fowler, of which 125 examples were built in 6 lots between 1927 and 1934 at the L.M.S. works at Derby, and a few examples will be appearing in this fanfic. They were principally designed for commuter work on long-distance commuter routes in different British cities, including major cities such as London, Manchester and Birmingham. They proved to be very popular and reliable engines, and subsequently became the basis for other classes of L.M.S./B.R. 2-6-4T tank engines, including those that were designed by William Stanier and Charles Fairburn. This class could be easily distinguished from other classes as they were fitted with parallel boilers and straight tops to their water tanks.
Most of the class were built with open cabs, but the last thirty examples to be built, No.42395 to No.42424, were constructed with side window cabs to give their crews better protection from the elements, particularly when they were working in bad weather, especially when working at banking heavy trains up to Shap during the colder winter months.
Fitted with two outside cylinders that were 19in in diameter with a 26in piston stroke, and paired with driving wheels that were 5ft 9in in diameter and a boiler fitted with superheating elements and pressed to 200psi , the class had a maximum tractive effort of 23,125lbf. The class were initially built with inside steam pipes, but later on most of the class were fitted with new cylinders that allowed for outside steam pipes to be used instead.
Only one member of the class was ever given a name during its working life; No.2313 (B.R. No.42313) was originally named The Prince and had its name painted on the sides of its water tanks, but the name was removed in 1933.
Some members of the class were allocated to the Motive Power Depot at Tebay, and were used to bank very heavy passenger and freight traffic up the steep northbound incline to the summit at Shap along the British West Coast Main Line. A few examples also ran on the long-distance line from Shrewsbury to Swansea Victoria in Wales. Others ran on commuter trains from stations in Manchester, London, and other large cities.
Though they had driving wheels that were only 5ft 9in in diameter, they were noted for achieving fast speeds up to and in excess of 80mph at times, particularly on the lines that ran out from Euston Station in London when hauling their daily commuter trains. Even when they were travelling bunker-first, speeds of up to 77-78mph were often recorded. Their most outstanding feature was their long-lap, long-travel piston valves, which made them extremely free-running locomotives.
Their length and 2-6-4 wheel arrangement also gave them a relatively light axle load that provided them with a very wide route availability, and able to travel almost anywhere on the L.M.S. system.
The class was withdrawn from service between 1959 and 1966, with the final two examples, No.42410 and No.42394, being withdrawn from service by the end of that year. Sadly, no examples of the class have survived into preservation, which is a big shame considering how versatile the class were in service and how useful they would have been on many of Britain's heritage railways.
Thankfully however, the L.M.S.-Patriot Project have announced plans to build a replica of one of the Fowler 2-6-4T in the form of the last member of the class, No.42424, of which construction will commence after their current project, a replica of L.M.S. Patriot 4-6-0 No.45551 The Unknown Warrior, is completed. The replica of No.42424 will be built to main line standards, though it will primarily only be used on heritage railways.
"That sounds fair enough." Simon's father said.
"But what else did you do today, Carrie? Did you do any jobs on any of the other engines?" Simon's mother asked.
"Yes, I did. I helped to light a few fires in the fireboxes of a few engines, including Edward, Henry and James, as well as really thoroughly wiping down and polishing their paintwork, as well as the brass controls in the cabs, so that they shone like new. And for that we used polish and plenty of old rags and cloths too." Carrie said, as she took a sip of her Coca Cola.
It wasn't too long before the waitress arrived back at the table with their starters, and they tucked in. Simon and Carrie had both ordered the soup, which today was leek and potato, which was served with fresh bread rolls on the side. Without any hesitating, both Carrie and Simon tucked into their starters. For Carrie, this was delicious soup; in fact, it was some of the best she'd ever had in her life. The bread rolls, which were still warm as they'd been taken out from the oven a few minutes before, also helped to make the starter a nice one.
The group soon finished their starters and, as the waitress took the dirty dishes back to the kitchen, they settled back down to continue with their conversations.
"That was good." Simon said, as he took a sip from his glass of Coca Cola.
"Indeed…that soup was delicious." Carrie said, as she smiled.
"So, what's next for you all on the apprenticeship scheme?" Simon's mother asked.
"Well within the next few weeks, possibly even before the middle of February, we'll be moving onto the next stage of the scheme, which will involve actually going onto the footplates of the engines and working around in the depots or out on the lines on short workings." Simon said.
"You mean working as in assembling trains and even delivering them?" Simon's father asked.
"Yes, that's the idea, and maybe even getting a chance to drive one of the engines as well if given we're ever given the chance." Simon said.
"I really hope to get the chance to drive one of the engines in the near future…and maybe even one of the engines over on the Skarloey Railway." Carrie said.
"Well…maybe that'll happen sometime in the future, Carrie; I've driven all the engines over on metals of the Skarloey Railway quite a few times over the last few years…but for the moment, let's just focus on working with the larger engines on the big railway." Ralph said.
"Okay, then." Carrie said.
(Later that evening, Ralph's house – 7:40pm)
Having had a very good dinner at The Golden Ale Barrel, and feeling very satisfied with their meal, Ralph invited Simon and his parent's round to his house for an after-dinner drink and some cake. After arriving and switching the lights on, Ralph went straight into the kitchen and filled up the kettle with water before popping it on.
As he did so, Simon's parents went into the living room to sit down as Simon and Carrie went upstairs; Carrie needed to hang her coat up and take off her shoes so she could wear her slippers, which were more comfortable on her feet, particularly after the long day she had gone through earlier on. Once she had put her slippers on, she went back into the corridor and met with Simon, who was stepping out of the main bathroom, and went back downstairs.
"How are you feeling after that dinner, Carrie?" Simon asked, as they went downstairs.
"I feel really satisfied actually, Simon…and the food was really nice. I hope we can go back there again sometime in the future." Carrie said, as she smiled at Simon.
"I agree, Carrie…The Golden Ale Barrel is one of the finest places on Sodor where people can get a good meal, and a very popular place at that too." Simon said, as they stepped off the last step of the stairs and onto the ground floor.
"Okay everyone, tea and cake up!" Ralph called from the kitchen.
A few minutes later, they were all sitting in the comfort of the living room with a mug of hot tea and a plate with a slice of rich chocolate cake before them on the coffee table or on the side tables beside the armchairs. The TV was turned on, and the news channel before them was showing them the latest news from round the world.
The five in the room were talking with the person beside them, and thus they weren't really paying that much attention to the news bulletins that were appearing on the TV, until one of the announcers sitting behind the desk on the screen before them made an announcement which turned their heads to the TV.
"…and now we move onto the latest news regarding the Carrie White Case from the town of Chamberlain, Maine…" and all their heads, but especially Carrie's, turned quickly to the TV when they heard that.
"…this latest news in the case is that Carrie's abusive mother, Margaret White, has been declared legally insane and is thus unfit from a medical and mental point of view to stand trial for her countless acts of abuse and violence to her now-missing daughter over the years. Because of this…" the announcer said, as the new footage on the screen showed Margaret White, now firmly secured in a straitjacket and bound for a mental asylum, was led out from the open door at the side of the Chamberlain Courthouse with an officer firmly securing her on each side, "…Margaret, having also been declared a danger to the public, herself and her daughter, will be confined for the rest of her natural life to the maximum security wing of the mental asylum in Arkham, about 10 miles or so away from Chamberlain." the announcer said.
In the background and off to the sides of Margaret, among a number of news people and photographers who were getting pictures of Margaret being dragged away for the news channels and for the front pages of the various different newspapers, a large number of local people from Chamberlain, quite a few of whom were very familiar to Carrie, could be seen. Many of them, with their arms crossed over their chests, were glaring distrustfully at Margaret as she was being led away, while others were shaking their fists or hurling various types of abuse and obscenities at her, shouting out things like "How could you have done things like that to your own child?!" or "It's no surprise that Carrie ran away from here, you wicked child abuser!" or "I hope that you rot inside Arkham for your crimes, you monster!" and other nasty things as well, such as "Witch!", "Devil!" and "Child abuser!".
When she heard this piece of news and saw what was happening with her mother on the screen before her, as well as with all the threats the people were hurling at her mother, Carrie gasped in utter shock and astonishment, as well as brought her hands up to her mouth; her mother was being led away to be imprisoned in a very secure place for a very long time to come as punishment for what she had done to her over all the years, which meant that she would be confined in her own version of the dreaded closet for almost all of it.
"As we can all see from this footage shot earlier on today by our cameraman outside of the Chamberlain Court House, very angry scenes unfolded as many of the local people, all shocked by the revelations of why Carrie disappeared, came out in full force to witness Margaret being taken away. And our reporter and crew who were there today all described the anger and tension within the air as being electric." the announcer said, as the footage continued to play.
Then the next shot that was shown on the T.V. screen was a photograph of Carrie, taken from the most recent school photo session which took place in Ewen High before November, where professional photographers had came to the school and took pictures of all the students.
"Carrie White, seen here in this photograph taken in Ewen High School not long before she disappeared, unexpectantly vanished from Chamberlain, Maine on the morning of November 19th shortly before Thanksgiving 2011 and was last seen within the vicinity of Portland, Maine not too long afterwards. She hasn't been seen since then, and no positive sightings of her have been made by anyone in the New England area." the announcer said.
Simon and his parents looked from Carrie back to the TV screen in a stunned silence; even though they already knew the exact reasons of why Carrie ran away from home and was here on Sodor in the first place and what she had gone through at home, it was still a bit of a shock to see Carrie's face on TV and to hear more recent details of the story that had come to light.
Ralph was just as shocked to see this news that he never expected to hear, and to see his abusive, mentally ill ex-wife being led off to a place where she would be given the treatment she had needed for her mental illnesses, as well as where she could never do any sort of harm to anyone again.
The next shot on the TV screen showed Margaret being loaded into the back of the specially adapted vehicle that would take her to the Arkham Mental Asylum, as other officers stood some distance from the vehicle so as to keep the press and the angry crowd of locals away from her. Then the doors on the vehicle were securely closed up, and Margaret was driven away from outside the courthouse and on to Arkham.
As this latest news about Carrie's disappearance played out on the TV, Carrie herself slumped back into the armchair in some shock as she allowed the new information to sink into her brain; it was quite obvious from what she had seen that the notebook she had left behind in her locker had been found by now. And due to the extensive information she had left within it, her mother was by now in secure care in Arkham, never to be released again. The sight of the townspeople from Chamberlain, many of whom she knew, hurling obscenities and threats at her mother for what she'd done to her over the years was something that really shocked her; she had expected her mother would be put in jail for what she'd done, but never expected anyone to be standing out on the streets and condemning Margaret.
"Ah, Carrie…are you feeling all right?" Simon's mother asked in genuine concern, as she and her husband looked towards Carrie.
"Would you all please excuse me for a few moments?" Carrie asked, as she got up from the armchair and went into the kitchen, and from there outside onto the patio in the back garden, where the snow continued to fall from the dark sky. She stood out in the cold, snowy air alone for a few long moments, allowing the news she'd just seen on the TV to sink in fully. She just couldn't believe what she'd seen and was still unsure if it was real or not.
Her thoughts were briefly disturbed when there came a steam whistle from her right and, a few moments later, Gresley L.N.E.R. K3 Class 2-6-0 No.1935 painted in L.N.E.R. apple green livery (11), passed by along the line the end of the garden heading north with a long line of different and heavily-laden box vans trailing along behind him. The train was a fish train that was being taken from Knapford Harbour all the way over to the other side of the Island of Sodor along the Northern Main Line, and it was the fist train was famously known on the Island of Sodor as The Flying Kipper. As No.1935 made his way along the line towards the north, he blew his whistle again in greeting as he headed on by with his heavy train, with the many different vans within the train following along very smoothly behind him as he headed on his way.
(11): The L.N.E.R. Gresley Class K3 / G.N.R. Class H4 2-6-0 will also have a few different examples, with different numbers and in different liveries, appear within the course of this story as and when necessary. And Carrie will also get the chance to work with a few of them as well.
Designed by Nigel Gresley and intended to be used on fast express goods and fast vacuum-fitted freight work, as well as for use on the occasional passenger services, 193 members of the K3 Class were built in seven batches between March 1920 and February 1937. They were built in the works at Doncaster and Darlington, as well as at Armstrong Whitworth, Robert Stephenson and Co, and the North British Locomotive Company. They were the very first class of 2-6-0 steam locomotives to be built with three cylinders in Britain, and were also one of the first classes of steam locomotives to feature Gresley's conjugated valve gear. Their outside cylinders were almost horizontal, but their inside middle cylinders were steeply inclined so as to clear the leading coupled axle.
Due to their size, with a large diameter boiler of 6ft, a small squat chimney, and a large firegrate of 28 square feet, they were regarded as the very first product of Gresley's "big engine" policy. With their 5ft 8in diameter driving wheels, a boiler pressure of 180psi, and three cylinders which were 18.5in in diameter with a 26in piston stroke, the class had a tractive effort of 30,030 lbf, and they very quickly became an L.N.E.R. Standard engine.
The first ten examples of the class to be built (G.N.R. Nos.1000 to 1009, L.N.E.R. Nos.4000 to 4009) emerged from Doncaster Works in 1920/21 right into the General Strike where there were no coal trains to be pulled, but plenty of passenger work. They often found work on hauling very long and heavy passenger trains, which were sometimes up to 20 coaches long and weighing well over over 600 tons. Each new batch that was built incorporated minor changes to the design, such as a slightly reduced height so as to comply with the L.N.E.R.'s composite loading gauge.
The second batch (K3/2) had a reputation for poor steaming, but this was eventually solved in 1929 when a slight shorter blastpipe, about 4in shorter, was fitted. The improvement was so significant that the blastpipe orifice was opened out to 5.5in. The coal consumption of the class was also improved, and so orders were placed to convert the entire batch.
When the very last example of the K3 Class to be built was delivered into L.N.E.R. service in 1937, Gresley's brand new V2 Class 2-6-2 mixed traffic engines were already coming out from the L.N.E.R.'s works in Doncaster and Darlington in some numbers, and they proved to be quite worthy replacements to the K3 Class 2-6-0s on their fast express parcels services.
Initially, the class were fitted with austere cabs which had no side windows fitted and only a small side cut-out of a foot and a half for the driver and fireman to peer out from when they had to look ahead, but in 1939/40 proper side-window cabs were introduced, along with comfortable padded seats for the crewmen to sit on when on long journeys. Also in 1939 a North Eastern (N.E.R.) style cowl was fitted to the blastpipe/chimney arrangement. This new cowl resembled the cooling towers found at many modern power stations, which was significantly different to the G.N.R.-style liner and cowl that had been used on the early K3 Class engines. These weren't interchangeable and the entire chimney, liner and cowl had to be replaced although this was barely visible from the outside.
The K3 Class were known for being rough riding machines, often with reports of bolts being shaken loose and damage being caused to the dragboxes on both the engines and tenders not being an unusual issue, which did cause some problems for the shed maintenance teams. However, because of the rough riding, it actually helped the K3s to steam far more freely, as the vibration and rocking motions usually caused the ash, clinker, and cinders to be shaken out from the firegrate, thus keeping the air-spaces clear and allowing the K3 Class to steam much more freely than may otherwise have been expected.
An early problem the class had at first was an over-travel problem on the middle valve during high speed coasting. This was partly due to the design of Gresley's conjugated valve gear, which multiplied slackness in the pins and joints, and partly due to a whip action in the motion levers at speed. This problem was avoided by limiting the maximum cut-off to 65%.
Another change made to the class was the introduction of long lap valves in 1928, which had already shown an Gresley's A1 Class Pacifics. No.134 was fitted with long lap valves in October 1928 as an experiment, and it quickly showed a considerable improvement in the locomotive's coal consumption. All future K3s to be built would be fitted with long lap valves when new, and all existing examples of the class were refitted with them by 1936. Trials made in August 1930 between No.109, with long lap valves, and No.111, with the original valves, showed a coal saving of 7.5lb per mile. Not only that, the starting, running, and pulling capabilities of a K3 filled with long lap valves were observed to be better.
Between 1932 and 1933, a plan was considered to build two "Improved K3s" which would've had 6ft 2in wheels and be classified as mixed traffic rather than express goods. In an attempt to improve the poor riding, an articulated bogie under the cab joining the engine and tender was considered, which would've resembled the rebuild C9 Class 4-4-4 Atlantics, but without a booster fitted in the rear bogie. Larger wheels would have resulted in the boiler being mounted higher up. This would have resulted in a smaller chimney, so a ducted double chimney was considered. The design evolved to include 19in diameter cylinders and an increase in the cab bogie's wheelbase. A multiple-valve regulator header design was also considered, but this was suspended due to difficulties in arranging control rodding to the header. The plan for the "Improved K3s" was cancelled in October 1933, to be replaced eight months later with the first plan for Gresley's new V2 Class.
In 1932, the K3 Class were being used to operate two fast weekday coal trains from Peterborough to Ferme Park Yard (Hornsey) The slow coal trains that were running on this line were causing serious line occupancy problems, and the new services were an attempt to ease the situation. Loads were limited to fifty-six wagons with each weighing 10 tons. At the same time, Doncaster-based K3s also operated a similar coal service from Doncaster to Peterborough.
Due to their weight, their route availability was restricted somewhat, though they could master almost all main line duties, especially on fast fitted freights such as those to Manchester and Liverpool. As the K3s had an unbalanced gyratory movement and a syncopated exhaust beat rhythm at their chimneys, they received the nickname of the "Jazzers", quite appropriate as jazz was becoming very popular in Britain at the time.
The class, with their large 6-foot diameter boilers to give them an adequate supply of steam for their three cylinders, as well as their 5ft 8in diameter driving wheels, worked all over the L.N.E.R. main line system wherever weight restrictions would allow them to go, doing all kinds of work, from hauling fast express passenger trains to vacuum-fitted freights and perishables trains (including fish trains), as well as slower unfitted freights. The K3 Class proved to be quite outstanding at their tasks, and they were easily able to do anything that were asked of them. When working on passenger trains, with loads that could reach over 500 tons in weight, the K3s could reach speeds of up to 76mph at times and could also average up to a mile a minute speeds on the stretch from King's Cross to Peterborough.
In 1939/40, many original examples of the K3 Class were fitted with new side-window cabs in order to give the crews better protection from the weather, and many more examples were also fitted with long-lap valve gear between 1929 and 1934. One example of the class, No.227, was fitted with a rather unusual device to its boiler, which was an experimental electrical foam indicator that was intended to warn the footplate crews if the engine would prime.
One example of the class, No.206 (later No.61863 under British Railways) was rebuilt by Edward Thompson in June 1945 and became the only example of an L.N.E.R. K5 Class 2-6-0; the middle cylinder was removed and the two outside cylinders were replaced with two new ones, each of which were 20in in diameter with a 26in piston stroke, the exact same dimensions as on Thompson's B1 Class 4-6-0 mixed traffic engines, were fitted and a new boiler with a pressure of 225psi, as opposed to the original boiler pressure of 180psi, was fitted, which gave the locomotive a tractive effort of 29,250 lbf. New frames and wheels were also fitted to the engine as well, so very little of the original engine was used in the rebuild.
During tests against two original K3s, the sole K5 showed that it was much more economical in terms of its coal and water use, and also rode much better than it had when it was originally fitted with an inside cylinder, which was usually difficult to access and thus difficult to maintain, and so was slightly lighter in weight as well. However, the time involved with the rebuilding No.206 meant that more examples of the K3 Class weren't rebuilt to a K5 standard, though some K3s were fitted with K5 boilers during overhauls.
The K3s and single K5 were used all over the L.N.E.R. network, where they displaced the older K1 and K2 Class 2-6-0's from various duties. They allowed the express freight trains to be to run at higher speeds. The K3s were also used on two fast weekly coal trains that ran from Peterborough to Ferme Park, with the loads being limited to 56 wagons of 10-tons each. At the same time, K3s that were based at Doncaster also worked a similar coal service from Doncaster to Peterborough.
During their careers on the L.N.E.R., the K3 Class were painted in black livery, with only No.1935 being painted in the L.N.E.R.'s trademark apple green livery, though it was only in the post-war period for a time.
Upon nationalisation in 1948 the class, at that time numbered from No.1800 to No.1992 under the L.N.E.R.'s new post-war renumbering scheme, had 60000 added to their numbers, and so they became No.61800 to No.61992. The class remained intact on B.R.'s Eastern and North Eastern Regions until 1959, and worked very well on all the different types of traffic given to them, whether it was freight, mixed traffic, or passenger trains.
The entire class was withdrawn from service on B.R.'s Eastern and North Eastern Regions between 1959, starting off with No.61898 due to the poor condition of its middle cylinder, and 1965, though three examples of the class did survive as stationary carriage heating boilers until the end of 1965. The sole rebuilt K5 2-6-0 had already been withdrawn from service in June 1960. Sadly, no examples of the Gresley K3 Class have managed to survive into preservation, despite how useful they were during their long years of service working on the main lines of the L.N.E.R. and British Railways Eastern Region.
However, the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust based in Darlington, the very same organisation that built the first brand new main line steam locomotive to be built in the U.K. since March 1960 and the 50th Peppercorn A1 Class Pacific No.60163 Tornado and who are now in the process of building their next locomotive, the seventh member of the Gresley P2 Class 2-8-2 No.2007 Prince of Wales, have a plan in place to build a brand new example of the Gresley K3 Class 2-6-0 sometime in the future, of which construction will start once their projects to build a brand new L.N.E.R. V4 Class 2-6-2 and a brand new L.N.E.R. V3 Class 2-6-2T tank engine are completed. The number for the new K3 hasn't been announced yet, but it's very likely that it'll be a replica of one of the original locomotives, as the next number in the sequence, No.61993, was assigned to Gresley's K4 Class 2-6-0 engines.
A few long moments later, after No.1935 had passed by the garden with his long train with the sounds fading quickly away, Carrie heard the back door open and someone step outside behind her. She turned her head and saw Simon stepping out onto the patio.
"Hey Carrie…are you feeling all right?" he asked, in some concern for his friend.
"Yes Simon, I'm…I'm fine. I just wanted to step outside for a few minutes to allow the news I just saw on the TV to sink in." Carrie said, as Simon stepped over to her and stood beside her. She was still stunned at seeing her mother on the TV and being led off to be confined in an asylum for her own safety.
"That woman who we just saw on the TV and who was in that straitjacket…she's your mother…isn't she?" Simon asked, as he stood beside Carrie.
There was a pause that seemed like it went on for many minutes, but actually was only for about ten or fifteen seconds, before Carrie, after taking in a deep breath, then turned to look at Simon…and, with some understandably hesitancy, she nodded to confirm that it was her mother on the TV.
"Yeah, I thought so." Simon said quietly, as he nodded his head in understanding.
"I was…just surprised to see her on the TV, and to now see that she's gonna be put somewhere for a long time where she can't do any harm to me or to anyone." Carrie said, as she put her arms round Simon and hugged him. Simon returned her hug, knowing full well that Carrie just needed the comfort from the unexpected shock she'd just had.
"It's all right, Carrie…you're safe now…and everything's gonna be okay. I promise." Simon said, as he did his best to comfort Carrie.
"I know…but all the same…" Carrie said, but then stopped as she allowed Simon to keep his arms around her; she liked the feeling of Simon having his arms around her and they stood out there in the cold and snow for a short while longer. From the kitchen window, Ralph and Simon's parents stood together and watched the two teens stand outside in the cold winter air and swirling flakes of snow for a few moments before the two then turned and came back inside where it was warm.
"Is everything all right, Carrie?" Ralph asked in concern, as he took a sip of his tea.
"Yes, I'm all right, dad…I just needed to take a moment away after seeing that news segment." Carrie said.
"All right then, if you're sure about that." Ralph said, as they went back inside the living room to sit down and finish off their tea and cake.
(Chamberlain, Maine, Friday, January 20th, 2012 – local time 6:30pm)
In the Kelly Fruit Company diner in Chamberlain, many of the local teens, now that it was Friday evening at last and school was over for another week, relaxed and socialised with their friends and enjoyed each other's company. The staff who worked in the diner were being kept very busy with serving groups of teens cold drinks and hot food, as well as keeping the place in order on the January evening.
Sitting at one of the larger booths upstairs, a number of teens from Ewen High School, including Tommy and Sue, the Watson Twins Nikki and Lizzy, Rachel Spies, Norma Watson, Freddy Holt, Heather Shyres, and Jessica Upshaw, sat together and socialised with each other. The most obvious talk on everyone's lips was the news of Margaret White's commitment to a lifetime of incarceration inside the Arkham Institution; in fact, during lunch time that day, some of them had actually seen Margaret being brought to the special van that took her from the courthouse to Arkham earlier on that day, as the courthouse was only a short walk, only a minute or so, away from Ewen High.
"That scene we saw outside the courthouse earlier on...it was like nothing that I've ever seen before in this town." Jessica said to the others.
"Yeah, and all the anger that was coming out from everyone who was standing in that crowd was just…WOW…I don't expect to ever see something like that around here again." Heather added, in a calm but undeniable excitement.
"Yeah, and I thought most of the people who were in that crowd would…" began Nikki.
"…tear Mrs White to pieces at the first opportunity they had." finished Lizzy.
"Yeah well…at least she can't do anything further to Carrie now." Sue said, with a heavy sigh. She was particularly relieved to hear that Margaret wouldn't be doing any more harm to her daughter, and the fact that Margaret was now gonna be off the streets and securely in mental care in Arkham.
"Yeah, and I'm quite sure that Carrie herself will be very pleased when she hears the news about it…wherever she is right now." Tommy said with a small smile, as he took a sip from his glass of ice-cold Coca Cola.
"And I think I'll drink to that too." Rachel Spies said, as she lifted her own glass and took a sip from it.
Just then, Chris, Tina, and Donna, all three of whom were suitably dressed up for the evening in sultry-style clothing, stepped up towards the table with the boyfriends of Chris, Tina and Donna, Billy Nolan, Kenny Garson, and Jackson "Jackie" Talbot respectively, in tow behind them all.
"Hello, everyone…I hope that we didn't miss anything in the last while." Chris said, as they arrived at the side of the table.
"No, not at all, Chris. We just ordered some drinks while we waited for you lot to arrive here." Heather said, as she took a sip from her glass.
"You all been here long?" Donna Kellogg asked, as she and Kenny sat down beside where Jessica was sitting.
"No, not too long actually. We've only been here about 10 minutes or so, Don." Rachel said.
"Well let's get down to ordering dinner." Heather said.
"Great idea…I'm starving." Tina said, as she and Jackie sat down at one end of the table beside Sue and Tommy, as Chris, Billy and Donna also sat down.
It wasn't too long before one of the waitresses took their dinner and drink orders and brought them into the kitchen, leaving the group to sit around and talk while they waited.
"I assume you both saw what happened near the school earlier?" Sue said, as she turned to look at Chris and Billy.
"Sure, I did…I was walking back from the store with my lunch in hand when I saw everything happen." Chris said.
"Yeah, I was with Chris and saw what happened out by the courthouse earlier on today too. And the tension and anger within everybody in the crowd…" Billy paused as he sucked in a deep breath, "…I'm surprised that they didn't all rush forward and kill Mrs White right then and there." Billy said, as he smiled a little at the memory.
"Yeah, and I don't think any of us would've been surprised at that." Tina said.
"And I also got it all on my phone." Chris said, as she took her phone out from her handbag and waved it around a bit before putting it back.
"Yeah, I guess that's not totally unexpected for you." Sue thought to herself, as she took a sip from her glass.
"And with all that done, with Margaret being locked away for a very long time…I've a feeling there won't be as much interest in her religious views as there was before." Donna said."
"Yes…but then again Carrie is still missing…and I don't think most of the people in this town will stop worrying about her until she's been found." Heather said.
At the mention of Carrie, Sue did want to speak to Chris about her callous comments about Carrie earlier on in the day; but she and Tommy had spoken about it earlier on, and they both felt – and unanimously agreed – that confronting Chris about it in the diner that evening wouldn't be appropriate, especially as many of them would be tired after their day and wanting to get some good hot food into them and socialise after their school day, and the fact that they didn't want to create a scene unnecessarily in front of so many people.
So, they both decided to hold off talking with Chris about it for the moment. It wasn't too long before their dinners arrived from the kitchen, being served to them by two of the waitresses on duty, and they all tucked into their food.
And that's it for this chapter! As we've seen, Margaret has been put away for a very long time and will NEVER be let out again. Many of those in Ewen High School are very pleased with the news as we've seen, but Chris is just completely indifferent to it. Chris being callous in such a manner like that to someone who's gone missing really shouldn't be a surprise to many of you. But to be perfectly honest, even IF she knew what would've happened at the Senior Prom, and about the events beforehand, if Carrie had stayed in Chamberlain…I don't think that there would have been much change in Chris' opinions of Carrie White.