Chapter 1
“Governor wants to see you, Wade,” Principal Officer
Jim Fenner informed the tall dark-haired inmate lying prone on her bed, her
nose as usual buried in a book.
Nikki Wade looked distastefully at her worst
nightmare. She had been in HMP Larkhall for almost twelve months and Fenner had
been on her case almost since the first day. Whether it was because she was a
lesbian and therefore unlikely to succumb to his lecherous advances or because
she was a best-selling – or so her publisher told her – author, she had never
been able to work out but then again, maybe Fenner just couldn’t cope with her
smart mouth! “You know, Mr Fenner, I’ve often thought I could use you as the
hero of one of my books but then it’s been done…Jaws!”
“Look, bleedin’ Barbara Cartland, get your arse off that
bed and start movin’!” Fenner exclaimed, his face turning blood red.
Nikki smirked at him insolently as she laid down her
book and climbed from the bed. “You want to watch your blood pressure, Mr
Fenner, you never know when you might have a nasty turn. Mind you, your stomach
must have a nasty turn every time you go into Dockley’s cell.” It was common
knowledge amongst the inmates of G-Wing that Jim Fenner and Michelle Dockley –
a peroxide-blonde serving life for killing a rival for her boyfriend’s affections
– were having a relationship.
“You in bovver again, Wade?” Dockley shrieked as
Nikki, flanked by Fenner, walked down G-Wing.
“Piss off, Dockley!” Nikki retorted with her usual
answer.
Fenner poked her in the back. “Keep movin’, Wade, and
watch that filthy mouth of yours.”
“Hope that was your finger you poked me with, Mr
Fenner,” she quipped. “Must have been though, too big for anything else.”
“Wouldn’t have thought you’d know the difference,
Wade.”
Nikki laughed to herself and decided to let him have
the last word. Fenner-baiting, along with gardening and reading, were her
favourite pastimes since she’d been in Larkhall and with at least another nine
years to serve, her chance to have the last word would come again.
They reached the Wing Governor’s office and Fenner
rapped smartly on the door before opening it. “Wade for you, ma’am,” he
announced.
“Thanks, Jim. Come in, Nikki,” the Wing Governor
greeted her pleasantly. “Take a seat.”
Nikki sat down and eyed up the new Wing Governor. She
had only been at Larkhall for a couple of weeks and this was the first time
they had had a one-to-one. Very nice, Nikki thought approvingly.
“Right, I’ll come straight to the point, Nikki.
Judging by your record you seem to have a lot of excess energy…brawling,
abusive behaviour. You were on enhanced for two days then you got into a fight and
finished up back on basic. Don’t you think it’s time you got your act
together?” Blue eyes met hers challengingly.
“Do you expect me to roll over every time a screw
comes near me? Turn the other cheek every time I’m jumped on?” Nikki exclaimed.
“I don’t think so, Miss. I am innocent and if I have to fight every step of the
way to prove it, I will do.” She stood up abruptly. “Is that all, Miss?”
“Sit down, Nikki. I haven’t finished yet.”
Nikki stood her ground and looked at the Wing Governor
defiantly.
“I said, park your arse in that chair, Nikki, and
don’t move until I tell you to!” Came the angry retort. “You’re not doing
yourself any favours behaving like this.”
“Nikki slid sullenly onto the chair and glared at the
pretty blond-haired woman sitting opposite her. Karen Betts was beginning to
irritate her. Unfortunately, she was also beginning to interest her something
no woman had done since Trish died. Since relationships between officers and
inmates were strictly verboten and
Karen Betts was a married woman with two teenage kids – or so she had heard on
the grapevine – things could get very interesting!
“I’ve had an idea,” Karen was saying. “Would you
consider giving the women classes?”
“Classes?” Nikki echoed. “What the hell could I teach
them?”
“Creative writing.”
Nikki laughed bitterly. “My writing days were over
when I came in here and you’re expecting me to teach a bunch of losers.”
Karen looked at her distastefully then shook her head.
“With that attitude towards the women, thank goodness you didn’t go into the
prison service. You’re not the only one who had things taken away from them.
Some of these women have husbands, kids.”
“Whereas, I’m only a dyke!”
“I didn’t mean it like that,” Karen said
apologetically. “I just thought it would give the women another interest. You
as well. Will you at least think about it? For me?”
Nikki looked at her for several seconds then she
smiled. This woman could get under her skin! “For you, I’ll think about it.”
Karen smiled back at her. “Thanks, Nikki. You can go
now.”
Nikki made her way back to G-Wing, striding ahead of
her accompanying officer. She went up to enhanced taking the iron steps two at
a time and went into Barbara Hunt’s cell. They made an odd couple. She was a
thirty-odd year old lesbian author and Barbara was a fifty-odd year old
ex-Civil Servant but, after a shaky start, they had become firm friends and had
briefly shared a cell. Barbara was sitting at the table writing in the daily
journal she kept. She looked up with a smile as Nikki entered. “Are you busy,
Babs?”
“I’m never too busy for you, Nikki. What’s wrong?” She
took off her spectacles and eyed her friend keenly.
“Nothing’s wrong,” Nikki replied as she sat down on
Barbara’s bed. “I just want to bounce something off you. Miss Betts has asked
me to give the women creative writing classes. What do you think?”
“I think it’s an excellent idea!” Barbara exclaimed
avidly. “Count me in.”
“You mean you’d attend them?” Nikki asked in surprise.
“Of course. I intend to turn my journal into a book
when I get out of here, so I’d jump at the chance to be taught by an expert.”
“I’m hardly an expert,” Nikki protested modestly.
“Nikki, you’ve written a dozen or so books and very
good they are too. Well, the murder mysteries are. I couldn’t quite get my
teeth into the science fiction. Bug-eyed monsters never were my cup of tea.”
She grimaced. “And what about the one that was made into a film?”
“Alright,” Nikki grinned. “That’s enough flattery for
one day. I’ll do it.”
“Are you going to tell Miss Betts now?”
“No, I’ll sleep on it and tell her tomorrow. I don’t
want to appear too eager.”
“That’s great, Nikki. When can you start?” Karen asked
her eagerly when Nikki told her the news.
Nikki shrugged. “Whenever you’re ready, although I
will feel a prat playing teacher, but if you can put up a couple of posters to
see if anyone’s interested, we can take it from there.”
“The sooner the better. I may even come along to them
myself,” Karen promised.
“And that really will make me feel self-conscious,”
Nikki laughed, blushing slightly as her eyes met Karen’s.
Anything that detracted from boredom at Larkhall was
greeted with open arms and Nikki’s classes were no exception. After seeing the
number of names scribbled on the poster Karen had put up, Nikki agreed to give
a one-hour lesson twice a week until further notice or at least until the women
lost interest. On the day of the first lesson, she went into the room Karen had
assigned her and was pleasantly surprised to find about fifteen women present.
Her heart sank, however, when she saw that two of the women were Shell Dockley
and her partner in crime, Denny Blood. Nikki had often thought that Denny would
fare better in Larkhall if she wasn’t always at Shell’s beck and call and
thought for herself for a change. As it was, she didn’t think either of them
could string a sentence together but since they were there she had to give them
a fair chance. Barbara was also there and gave her an encouraging smile.
She stood at the front of the class and perched on the
edge of the table. “OK, then, “ she cleared her throat nervously. “I’m not here
to teach you English but if you need any help with your punctuation, spelling
or grammar…”
“My grammar’s been dead for years,” Dockley
interrupted loudly. “Me grandad as well.” She fell about in fits of laughter at
her own joke.
Nikki raised her eyebrows. She hadn’t even spoken a full
sentence before Dockley was pissing about. “As I was saying, what I’d like you
to do is write a piece about something you’re interested in…”
“I’m interested in sex, Nikki,” Dockley interjected.
“Can I write about that?”
“As long as you don’t make it too graphic, Shell,”
Nikki replied trying to remain calm. “But I’m sure coming from you none of the
words will have more than four letters in them.” She suppressed a smile and
Dockley glared at her as some of the women, Denny included, sniggered. “As I was saying again, I want you to write about something you’re interested in.
Anything at all and you can write it either as an essay or as a poem.”
“Bleedin’ poetry!” Dockley exclaimed.
“Shell, why don’t you shut up? Some of us are
interested in these classes,” Barbara spoke up from the middle of the room and
was rewarded with a grateful smile from Nikki. She could tell Nikki’s patience
was wearing thin at Dockley’s outbursts and the last thing she wanted was to
see her friend down on the block for brawling again.
“Why don’t you shut it, bitch?” Dockley retorted.
“Why doesn’t everyone just stop bickering and let
Nikki get on with the class,” Karen Betts demanded as she came into the room.
“Shell, I think you’ve interrupted the proceedings long enough. Out! That goes
for anyone else who is just here to muck around.”
Nikki suppressed a smile as Dockley rose sullenly from
her seat. “Come on, Denny,” Dockley ordered over her shoulder but Denny
remained sitting. “Denny!”
“I’m gonna stay here for a bit, Shell,” Denny told
her, trying not to buckle as Shell glared at her.
Denny does have a mind of her own, Nikki thought
triumphantly, but knew by the looks Dockley was giving the young con, she was
going to suffer later.
“I think you can carry on in peace now, Nikki,” Karen
smirked as Dockley brushed past her.
“Thanks, Miss Betts,” Nikki replied, returning her
smile.
“I’ll come back later and see how you’re getting on,”
she promised.
Nikki watched the Wing Governor leave before turning
back to the class. She would look forward to that!
“That’s coming along great, Denny. Well done!” Nikki
patted the young woman’s shoulder. It was the fourth of Nikki’s classes and she
had been surprised when Denny had appeared at them all. She had been painstakingly
working on a poem about a dog she had when she was a child and it became clear
to Nikki that the youngster was almost illiterate so, with a little
encouragement, Denny had been persuaded to start attending the adult literacy
classes as well.
Karen Betts had got into the habit of slipping into
the room fifteen or twenty minutes before the end of the class and at first
Nikki had found it a little disconcerting but Karen had nothing but praise for
her efforts.
“OK then, see you all next week.” She watched as the
women filed out until only Karen Betts was remaining. Karen walked up to her, a
smile on her face.
“You’re doing a really good job, Nikki, especially
with Denny Blood,” Karen said approvingly. “Maybe you should start writing
again.”
“What’s the point?” Nikki replied dismally, then her
face brightened. “I have been thinking though, Miss Betts. With your permission
I’d like to have the women’s work made into a book…well, it will only be a
booklet really but some of it is very good and I think their interest needs
rewarding.”
“You mean like vanity publishing?” Nikki nodded and
Karen frowned as she continued. “That can be quite expensive, can’t it?”
“Not if I call in a few favours,” Nikki grinned.
“OK, then. Let me know when you’re ready and I’ll see
what I can arrange for you.” Karen smiled up at her. “I’ve never read any of
your books. Maybe I should pay a visit to the local library.”
Nikki grimaced. “Don’t expect too much. I’m no Agatha
Christie.” She looked at Karen
pensively. “Well, I guess I’d better go back to the wing.”
“Guess so,” Karen agreed reluctantly. “I’ll escort you
back.”
As they approached the gate to G-Wing, Karen stopped
suddenly and took Nikki’s arm. “That day in my office, Nikki, you said you were
innocent.”
“Yes, Miss, I am but isn’t that what all cons say?”
Nikki replied bitterly. She looked down at Karen’s hand, still resting on her
arm.
“Sorry,” Karen muttered and turned and walked away.
Nikki looked after her thoughtfully. Something was
happening between herself and Karen Betts and she wasn’t sure what. She wasn’t
even sure if she wanted anything to happen but it sure as hell would brighten
things up!