Chapter
6
Nikki stubbed out her cigarette on the rail at the bottom of
Barbara’s bunk and flirted it into the sink to join the others that were
already there. Her cell-mate would have a fit if she came back and caught her.
She was sitting dangling legs over the bottom of Barbara’s bunk, there was ash
all over Barbara’s covers and the sink was filled with butts but she couldn’t
care less. Her enthusiasm level was at an all time low. She couldn’t even
summon up enough enthusiasm to get excited about her appeal. What was the
point? Helen had worked so hard towards it but she hadn’t stuck around long
enough to see the fruition of her labours and now she’d gone there was nothing
else to get out for. Trish had been to see her and wanted to re-kindle their
relationship but she knew now that that fire had gone out for her a long time
ago.
She heard footsteps approaching the door. Shit, Barbara! She dropped
down onto the floor, brushed the ash from the covers and scooped up the
cigarette butts from the sink – grimacing at the soggy mess they made in her
hand – as the door opened and Dominic McAllister came in. He’d been on holiday
and she knew he’d been back a few days but this was the first time she’d had a
chance to speak to him alone.
“Alright, Nikki,” he said pleasantly.
“Yes, thanks, Mr McAllister. Have a good holiday?” she asked as
she threw the soggy mess down the loo then ran her hand under the tap.
“Yeah, it was alright. Thanks, Nikki.”
He didn’t sound fired-up with enthusiasm either, Nikki thought to
herself. “Did you manage to get away?” Not that she really cared!
“I went up to Scotland.”
“Don’t suppose you saw Helen whilst you were there, did you?” she
joked.
If you knew what that bitch had done to you, Nikki, he thought
silently. “Nikki, why don’t you do yourself a favour? Forget all about Helen
Stewart because take it from me she’s just not worth the bother.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Nikki exclaimed her heckles
rising.
“Look at yourself, Nikki. Look what she’s done to you,” he
retorted. “You’re breaking your heart over a tramp who’s not fit to clean your
shoes.”
“Don’t talk about Helen like that!” she hissed.
“You’re kidding yourself, Nikki. What do you think she’s doing
whilst you’re sat rotting in here? Darning socks? I don’t think so. She’s
throwing herself at everything in trousers. Me included,” he sneered bitterly.
“Don’t say those filthy things about her!” She shouted angrily.
He turned to leave. “You’ll find out what a slut she is the hard
way, Nikki. Like I did.”
As he walked away Nikki’s voice echoed around the landing after
him. “I’m warning you, McAllister, if you ever say anything like that about
Helen Stewart again, you’re a dead man because I’ll fucking kill you!”
“Nikki, what the hell is going on?” Barbara spoke anxiously behind
her.
“It’s McAllister! He’s been slagging Helen off.” She turned to
face Barbara, her eyes flashing angrily. “So help me, Barbara, I’ll swing for
the bastard!”
Helen pulled up outside her flat feeling more confident than she
had done in months. She had been to check out training courses for primary
school teachers and, although her condition was still barely noticeable…She
picked up the Mothercare bag with a smile. She had always wanted kids. Nikki
had once told her there were ways. Maybe this wasn’t the way Nikki had in mind
but she wanted this baby. She knew it would be hard bringing up a child on her
own but other single mothers managed to cope.
As she climbed out of the car, a car horn blared and Claire’s BMW
drew up beside her then reversed into the parking space behind hers. “Are you
playing truant?” she smiled as her friend joined her on the pavement.
“Not exactly.” Claire looked at her with a worried frown. “I need
to talk to you, Helen?”
“Is something wrong?” Her heart almost stopped beating. “Nikki!
Please tell me it’s not Nikki.”
“Let’s go inside, Helen,” Claire replied. “We can’t talk here.”
Once inside Helen turned to her impatiently. “Claire tell me
what’s going on. You’re scaring me.”
“Sit down, Helen.”
“Claire, for Christ’s sake! Tell me what’s wrong.”
“Please, Helen. Sit down,” Claire said firmly. “You shouldn’t be getting
yourself so upset in your condition.”
“Sod my condition!” She exclaimed but nevertheless did as she was
told. “Now tell me.”
Claire sat down beside her and took hold of both her hands.
“Helen, Dominic McAllister has been killed.”
“Killed?” she repeated. “My God! Poor Dominic.” Her eyes filled
with tears. “When did it happen?”
“Sometime this morning.”
This morning! When she had been so happily planning her future and
the future of her unborn child. She looked at Claire curiously as a thought suddenly
struck her. “Why are you here telling me this? Wasn’t it an accident?”
“That’s just it, Helen.” Claire hesitated, the grip on Helen’s
hands tightening. “Dominic was murdered! They think Nikki did it!”
“No!” she almost screamed the word. She tried to stand but Claire
forced her to stay seated. “Claire, you don’t know what you’re saying. Nikki
wouldn’t kill anyone. You don’t know her like I do. She’s gentle and kind.”
“Listen to yourself, Helen,” Claire snapped impatiently. “Nikki is
in prison because she killed someone.”
“But she didn’t murder them!” She tore her hands out of Claire’s
grasp and stood up. “You’re her lawyer. You know she didn’t murder that
policeman!”
“Helen, I know she didn’t but she was heard threatening Dominic
McAllister. The whole of G-Wing heard her. A few hours later he was found in
one of the corridors stabbed to death.”
“But that doesn’t mean she did it!
“Maybe not but at the moment she is the only one with a motive.”
“Motive?” Helen repeated. “What possible motive could Nikki have
for killing Dominic? I know she used to be jealous of him but that was all
resolved months ago.”
“Oh, Helen, it was because of you,” Claire replied reluctantly.
“Apparently, Dominic was slagging you off to Nikki and she got really angry and
threatened to kill him.”
“That still doesn’t mean she did it. When Nikki is in a temper she
says things she doesn’t mean.” She sat down on the settee and dropped her head
into her hands. “I haven’t seen her for months and I’m still destroying her,”
she said dismally. “Dominic was right. She is better off without me.”
Claire frowned. “When did you last see him?”
“A couple of
nights ago. I phoned him when I got back from Scotland and he came round.” She
closed her eyes trying to blot out the evening. “Claire, it was terrible. I
told him I was pregnant and he went ballistic. I’ve never seen him like that
before. You don’t think he told Nikki, do you?” She asked horrified.
“I don’t think so. She never mentioned it to me.”
“So, you’ve seen her? Where is she?”
“I saw her earlier. She’s being held in segregation under police
guard, mainly for her own protection. McAllister was popular with both the
inmates and his fellow officers so the police think someone may make an attempt
on her life.”
“How is she?”
“She’s totally devastated. For this to happen now when her appeal
is just weeks away.”
“Claire, I’ve got to see her,” Helen said urgently.
“You can’t, Helen. The only people allowed to see her are the police
and myself.”
“Then take a message to her. Tell her I…Tell her…” she stopped,
unable to continue as sobs wracked her body.
Claire held onto her until she stopped shaking.
“If I write her a note, will you take it in for me?” She pleaded. Claire
nodded and she hugged her gratefully. “I just want her to know I’m thinking of
her. Maybe she won’t care but she has to know.”
Claire looked at Helen sympathetically. “I know how you feel about
her and how much you’ve lost because of her. Is she really worth all the
sacrifice?”
Helen nodded, unable to speak for the tears again running
uncontrollably down her cheeks.
“Well, she swears she’s innocent and for your sake, Helen, I hope
she is otherwise she’ll never leave Larkhall alive again!”
Nikki, accompanied by two police constables, was brought from
segregation to find Claire and Karen Betts, the Wing Governor, waiting for her
in the outer office.
“May I have a quick word alone with my client, Miss Betts?” Claire
asked.
“Of course.” She motioned for the police constables to precede her
from the office.
“Are you alright, Nikki?” Claire asked with concern when they were
alone.
“Not really.”
“Maybe this will cheer you up. I have a message for you from
Helen.” She pulled a folded piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to
Nikki.
Nikki shook her head,
screwed the paper up and pushed it into her pocket. “Too little, too late,
Helen,” she muttered bitterly. “Let’s get this over with, Claire.”
“Miss Wade, would you tell
us again your movements between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. today,” Chief
Inspector Hilton looked at Nikki expectantly.
“Shopping in the West End,
lunch at The Savoy, boat trip down the Thames,” Nikki said sarcastically.
“Nikki, you’re not doing
yourself any favours,” Claire said in an undertone.
“Well, what do they
expect?” Nikki retorted.
“Shall we start again, Miss
Wade?” Hilton said patiently. “You were probably the last person to see Officer
McAllister alive…”
“You mean apart from the person
who killed him?” Nikki said defiantly.
“Start from when Officer
McAllister came into your cell,” Hilton ignored her outburst.
Nikki cleared her throat
nervously. “I asked him about his holiday. We chatted and then he said some
things about a friend…”
“Miss Helen Stewart?”
Nikki nodded. “I got angry
and he left.”
“After you threatened to
kill him.”
“Yes, but I didn’t mean it.
I was angry.”
“What happened then?”
“My cell-mate,
Barbara…Barbara Hunt, came back and we stayed in our cell until lunch-time.
After I had eaten I went into the garden.”
“Did anyone see you?”
“There were a couple of
other women out there, they must have done.”
“But you could have gone in
from the garden at anytime, murdered Officer McAllister and then gone back out
to the garden as if nothing had happened.”
“But I didn’t! The only time I went back in was to go to
the loo.”
“You didn’t mention that
before.” The Chief Inspector looked at her keenly.
“Do you remember every time you take a piss, Inspector?”
“Chief Inspector, Miss
Wade,” he informed her smugly. “So, when you came in to use the toilet, did you
see Officer McAllister?”
“I may be a dyke but I
still use the ‘Ladies’ and no he wasn’t in there,” she told him sarcastically.
“Nikki!” Claire hissed warningly.
Nikki’s temper flared as
she remembered being interviewed by the police after she had killed the copper,
Lawson. “Why don’t you bastards ever believe anything I say? The last time you
brow-beat me so much I said anything you wanted me to but not this time,
Inspector. I didn’t kill McAllister and you’ll never make me confess to
something I didn’t do!”
“Alright, Miss Betts, you
can take her back. I’d like to speak to Barbara Hunt now, please.”
Nikki was taken back to
segregation, still flanked by the two police constables. As the door closed
behind her she sank to the floor, her back against the wall and retrieved the
note from her pocket. She opened it, carefully smoothing out the creases and
read it.
Dearest Nikki
Nothing will convince me
you killed Dominic. Be strong
and don’t let the bastards
grind you down.
You’re always in my
thoughts.
Helen xx
She pressed it to her lips.
“You’re always in my thoughts too, Helen. I love you so much,” she murmured
almost inaudibly then she laid her brow against her knees and silently wept.
“Miss Hunt…” Hilton began.
“Mrs Hunt,” Barbara
corrected him.
“My apologies,” he smiled
superciliously. “Mrs Hunt, you heard Miss Wade threatening to kill Officer
McAllister?”
“Nikki was angry, Chief Inspector,”
Barbara told him calmly. “I’ve lost count of the number of times I have heard
women in here say in anger ‘I’ll kill you’. If they all acted upon their words
there would hardly be anyone left.”
“So, when was the last time
you saw Miss Wade this morning?”
“We had lunch then she said
she was going out into the garden. After that, all hell broke loose and I
haven’t seen her since. Chief Inspector, Nikki is a very good friend of mine.
Where is she? What have you done with her?”
“Miss Wade is being held in
protective custody,” he told her smoothly.
“Has she been charged?”
“Mrs Hunt, when was the
last time you saw Officer McAllister alive?”
“Chief Inspector, you’re
not suggesting I killed him?”
“I’m not suggesting
anything, Mrs Hunt, but you did say you were a friend of Miss Wade’s.”
“I was in the library all
afternoon, Chief Inspector. Officer Barker can vouch for me. She was in there
as well.”
“Alright, Mrs Hunt, that
will be all for now.”