CRUEL SECRETS Page 14

“Nuffin, let’s see what unfolds,” replied Keffa.

  “But we did no wrong, just helped the kid,” Rudy pointed out.

  “Let me tell ya, that Eddie won’t give a shit. I know him. He will shoot first, and if there’s anything left of ya, he will ask questions after.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Kelly slept well, even though it was a strange room and bed. She was overwhelmed by all the rules and procedures but this was it now. She had been caught and would have to face the consequences. The doors opened and the corridor had become a hive of excitement with young women noisily bustling their way through. Kelly walked ahead, as her door was the last on the right and closest to the exit. The screw did a head count and allowed two through at a time. As they were ushered along, she had to wait for some of the girls. She heard them talking and received a few glares but guessed she wouldn’t be popular: she hadn’t been at school, so why should it change now in prison?

  One girl, more woman really, whispered in Kelly’s ear, as she slid past, “Muvver murderer.”

  Those callous words cut her to the core. Another girl, older than Kelly, made another snide remark and blew in her ear. As they passed, Kelly got a closer look. They were tough-looking with cropped hair and each had tattoos on their neck. Kelly shuddered and then moved forward.

  “Right, Raven, you’re with me, back to the medical.” A new officer, with fair hair and more of a motherly face, nodded in her direction. Kelly sighed with relief. The other inmates all passed her, off to their allocated jobs, and Kelly followed the officer back to the medical unit to face the weird psychiatrist again.

  He looked the same as yesterday. “How are you this morning, Kelly?”

  She shrugged her shoulders. “Okay, I s’pose. How should I be?”

  He glanced up again with his blank expression. “Kelly, I have a doctor here who has been brought in specially to talk to you.” With that he got up, opened the door at the back of the room, and stepped aside for another doctor to enter, before resuming his seat. Kelly was surprised to see a woman who captured her interest – but this time more for her appearance. She didn’t wear a white coat but was dressed in a navy-blue suit and a bright green shirt. Her light auburn hair was neatly trimmed and she wore a heavy layer of make-up. She sat next to the psychiatrist and smiled. Her face lit up and Kelly felt her shoulders relax.

  “Kelly, my name is Molly Bedford. I have been assigned to your case. Is that okay with you?”

  Kelly, none the wiser, nodded and smiled sweetly.

  “I want to get to know you, so could we start by you telling me about yourself?”

  “Like what?”

  “Whatever you want, Kelly. Maybe we could start with what it was like at school?”

  Kelly frowned. “I didn’t like school.”

  Molly waited to see if Kelly would put more meat on the bones but there was nothing.

  “Tell me about your relationship with your mother. Was it like a friendship, was she strict, or was she kind?”

  “How do I know? I had only one mother, so I had nothing to compare.”

  Molly asked her last question before she made up her mind about Kelly’s personality.

  “How do you feel, now that your mother is dead?”

  “How should I feel? I mean, I don’t bloody know,” replied Kelly, with her head inclined and a deep frown forming across her face.

  With an overzealous mind, Molly decided that they may be dealing with a psychopath and so they would need to go through the checklist consisting of a series of a hundred questions that may determine this young woman’s state of mind. Molly and the other psychiatrist left the room, and they returned again, half an hour later.

  They had the files containing the questionnaire. Molly came across a few real certified psychopaths but not many. She supposed Kelly was a possibility, with her detached view of her life. The way she asked, ‘How should I feel?’ suggested she may have a more serious problem. Yet, they were unaware that the girl had been subjected to cruel abuse.

  The questions were monotonous, to which Kelly either shrugged or answered with, “I don’t know.”

  Finally, they decided she might well have psychopathic tendencies. As Kelly was escorted to the door, she turned and frowned at Molly; her eyes darkened and her face changed. “I didn’t murder my mother. I wasn’t even there.”

  Molly turned to her colleague and smiled. “It is hard to know whether she is telling the truth because she admits to the murder of Patrick.”

  As soon as Kelly was back on the wing, she was again in the throes of women who had returned from their jobs to have lunch. Kelly was handed a tray and told she would be better off in her cell until they could allocate her work. Once there, she peeled back the paper bag to find a cheese and tomato sandwich; it tasted like sour milk and cardboard, but she ate it anyway. There was a small carton of orange and a bruised apple to follow. She sat alone on her bed and wondered what was to become of her. Ten, perhaps, or even, God forbid, twenty years? Her thoughts were interrupted when a woman came in – tall and thin with long hair and narrow dark eyes – walking like a man, swinging her arms, and bouncing her hips. “So, you are Kelly Raven, then?” Her manner was cocky and abrasive.

  Kelly stood up, and with nothing to lose, she answered back. “Yeah, why, who wants to know?” She remembered Penny saying that, one time.

  “Oooh, daring little fucker, ain’t ya?”

  Kelly glared, narrowing her eyes. She was not going to be intimidated. Then another girl walked in and the tall one stepped aside. She was a nasty butch-looking character, with a scar across her cheek. Kelly guessed she was older than eighteen. She lit up a fag and blew smoke in Kelly’s face. Kelly didn’t move, too afraid to take her eyes off her.

  “Double murder charge, was it? Well, well!”

  Kelly said nothing and continued to stare the girl out. Inside, she was nervous but knew she had to keep calm. Running to the officer, or crying like a baby, would do her no good.

  “Killed ya own muvver, ya fucking sicko!” The stocky woman was goading Kelly, hoping for a response. Milo was the hardest bird on the wing and the one who called the shots. It was like a pecking order and she was at the top. Once news had reached the inmates that Kelly Raven, the double murderer, was on the wing, Milo had to show who was in charge to maintain her status.

  Kelly’s heart was racing and the heavy pulse made her head nod in rhythm just slightly. Nervously, she remained silent with her eyes glued on Milo.

  “Gonna fucking say somefing, or are ya gonna be rude?”

  “Yeah, I am Kelly Raven, the fucking double murderer, so who are you?” she managed to say without faltering, even though she felt sick.

  “’Ere, you wanna reel ya fucking neck in, little girl.”

  Kelly was hot under the collar and watched as Milo clenched her fat fists and tightened her square jaw.

  Kelly’s eyes darted from one woman to the other. She tried desperately to hold the mean expression, hoping it would put them off from starting on her. Once again, she tried to think of what Penny would do. But this was prison: here the rules were different, these inmates were vicious, and she was totally out of her comfort zone.

  “When ya get ya money, I want soap and deodorant. It’s your payment to me, got it?”

  Kelly was about to nod but something about the girl’s eyes made her angry. They were like her mother’s used to be: piercing, threatening, and venomous. “Nah, mate, it ain’t ’appening.” No sooner were those words out than Kelly wished she had never said them.

  Milo stepped forward, so she was only a few inches away from Kelly’s nose. “Don’t fuck with me, bitch, or you will fucking wish you had never been born. I will scar that pretty little face of yours and cut off ya fingers.”

  Kelly didn’t falter; she stayed still, her stare transfixed on Milo. Being subservient again was not going to happen – not here, not ever.

  “Cut me face, will ya? Yeah, try it, and like you said, I am a double murde
rer. If I can kill me own muvver, killing you will be a fucking breeze.” Again, she thought she had overstepped the mark but something inside was goading her on.

  Milo stepped back, shocked that the new girl had the balls to answer her back. She was uneased by the situation and yet gripped by the challenge facing her. Kelly didn’t look like a fighter; her soft complexion and round innocent eyes though may be hiding a real nutcase. Milo was confident that any newbie would shit themselves and offer her their last dinner. Kelly was different; perhaps it was the blank expression or the lack of fear in her eyes. Whatever it was, Milo sensed danger. She looked at the tall woman. “Come on, Bobby, leave the runt to think it over before she makes a big mistake.” Bobby laughed and moved closer to Kelly. “Yeah, ya wanna think on, Raven, if ya know what’s good for ya.”

  Kelly smirked, and in a raised voice, she taunted, “You too!” As soon as they were out of sight, she closed the door and shook all over.

  For the next three days, she followed the same routine of going to the canteen for breakfast and then off to Molly to answer more questions. No one had spoken to her, apart from the screws, who called only to tell her where to go and what to do. Milo had stayed away.

  On the fifth day, she was allowed to go to recess. She waited for the inmates on her wing to go to work so she could be alone in the shower. She was uncomfortable being naked in front of anyone. The prison issues were adequate enough and the towels were clean. She had soap and shampoo issued when she first arrived. The showers were three in a row and all available. No one was around, apart from a scrawny-looking bird mopping down the walkway. Kelly folded her clothes, piled them neatly next to the showers, stepped on the cold tiles in the cubicle, and closed the door. The shower was freezing at first but it soon warmed up. She massaged the shampoo into her scalp; it was harsh and stung her eyes, but she felt desperate to wash away the prison smell. She hated the pungent odour; it was distinctive and a bit like the school gym odour. Then it happened – without any warning – as the door was flung open and two women, Milo and Bobby, stood there. The first jab landed on the side of Kelly’s head, knocking her against the wall so hard a tile cracked. The second blow was to the ribs and she doubled over. But even those punches were not enough to take her out. Milo waited for Kelly to stand up straight, but as Kelly lifted her head, she lifted her leg too, and in one swift move, she caught Milo in the chest and sent her sprawling to the floor. The other girl, Bobby, who looked so much like Milo they could have been sisters, turned to help her friend get to her feet. Kelly was out of the cubicle and snatching the towel, wrapping it around her, before Milo was up in her face. They stood eye to eye, glaring, and then suddenly Kelly felt a dull thump to the ribs. It wasn’t a punch, it felt different. The two women walked away and then Kelly saw the blood and felt the pain. She placed her hands over the wound and felt the claret seeping between her fingers. As she grappled with her clothes, trying to pull them on, she was unable to stem the rush of blood from her wound which gushed down her legs and made a real mess of her prison tracksuit bottoms. She started to panic. There was now no one around and she felt her breathing become difficult. The loss of blood was making her feel faint. She looked up and down the corridor but there was still no one in sight. Just as she fell to the floor, a newly appointed PO turned the corner and stopped in her tracks at the horrific sight in front of her. But she was quick to call through on her radio though and within seconds the sirens went off. Kelly was hurried to the medical centre, while everyone was forced to endure another lockdown. Because the wound was life-threatening, a decision was made quickly for an ambulance to be sent. There was no way the staff in sick bay could deal with it.

  Hours later, she awoke in the hospital bed. They had managed to stop the bleeding, clean up the damage, and drain the blood in her lungs. She was weak and sick but at least she was alive. With no time wasted, she was bandaged up and sent back to prison.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  The number one governor came over to the sick bay, where Kelly remained for another week, after they had released her from hospital. She was questioned about the incident but pretended she saw nothing.

  Charlie, the screw who had taken her through reception on the first day, made it her business to look out for the young inmate. She escorted her back to her cell after the stay in hospital. Closing the door behind them, Charlie sat on the bed with Kelly. “Tell me, Raven, who did this, and I will make sure they get moved.”

  Kelly smiled. “I’m all right. I’ve been through worse.”

  Charlie found it hard to swallow; she knew only too well the truth of that statement. This youngster wasn’t like most of the other inmates; she was gentle and harmless and not out to cause any conflict.

  “Look, if you need me, come and find me. I am your personal officer. You all have one.”

  Kelly nodded and Charlie left. She lay back on her bed with her arms behind her head and stared up at the ceiling. She thought about her aunt Bet and longed to see her but sending out a visiting order somehow seemed wrong. She had got herself in this mess and so she would go it alone. There was no point in dragging people along with her on this roller coaster of an ordeal. Just as she was dozing off, the door flew open. Kelly was on her feet in seconds; no way was she going to leave herself wide open again.

  In the doorway was a tall inmate, but she was way too old to be on the juvenile wing. Kelly stared for a while. There was something familiar about her. She looked to be in her forties with long dark hair and round green eyes. She wasn’t foreign but had olive skin much like her own.

  “So, you are Kelly Raven then, are ya?”

  Kelly didn’t answer. She wasn’t sure if the woman was being friendly or sarcastic. Her tone was menacing and she had an edge about her: hard and confident. She was puffing on a cigarette and leaning against the wall inside Kelly’s cell. “What’s up, cat gotcha tongue?”

  Kelly remained silent. Everyone was an enemy now.

  “You ain’t gotta fucking Danny who I am, ’ave ya, me little chicken?”

  Kelly tilted her head, as she remembered those words ‘little chicken’, but she still had no idea who the woman was.

  “Right, get ya gear. You’re coming with me, in my cell, over on B wing.”

  Kelly frowned. She wasn’t going to be pushed around by any other inmate ever again.

  “Nah, you’re all right. I’m staying ’ere on me own.”

  “You what? Don’t you know who I am?”

  Kelly had had enough of the bolshiness of the inmates. “I don’t give a fuck who you are, so if ya don’t mind, I wanna be left alone.” Kelly sat back down on her bed and sighed. She was acting like some tough nut, when really, she just wanted to be nice – but nice didn’t get you anywhere in here.

  “I’m Toni, Toni Mahoney, formerly Toni Raven.”

  Kelly looked up and tried to remember if she had seen the woman before, but she had no recollection.

  “Look, Toni, I don’t mean to be rude, but I don’t know ya.”

  “I’m ya fucking aunt, for fuck’s sake!”

  The pain in Kelly’s side was back again and her tablets were only issued in a morning. “Look, please, I’m not feeling too good. I don’t know ya, and as far as I know, I don’t have an aunt. We have the same surname, but that’s all, so if ya don’t mind.” With that, she lowered her head and waited for the woman to leave.

  “Listen, kid, I know ya got stabbed. It’s a fucking nightmare on this wing. They’re all a load of nutters. Ya safer with me. Besides, they allow family to share.”

  Kelly was feeling sick with the pain and her temper was on a short leash. She knew she would lose it at any moment. “Look! I said I don’t fucking know ya, I ain’t into all that lesbo bollocks, and I am fine on me own!” The angry words seemed to trip over themselves. That was how it was going to be from now on. No longer would she be nice, polite Kelly; she had to leave that part of her outside the prison to survive with this scum.

  Toni laughed and
moved towards Kelly. “Look, madam, you listen to me. Stop acting like a spoilt brat. Ya mother ain’t ’ere to pander to your every whim—”

  Kelly was raging now; all the suppressed anger and the agonising pain had sent her over the edge. She jumped to her feet, snatched Toni by the hair, and rammed her into the wall. “I fucking told you to leave me alone. I ain’t fucking spoiled, I ain’t never been fucking spoiled, and me muvver’s never pampered to my every fucking God-damned whim.” She let go of Toni’s hair and gasped for breath. Toni was startled and then concerned, when her niece turned a deathly white and staggered to get to the bed. Toni ran from the cell and called the PO. “Quick, get here, Kelly’s sick!”

  Charlie flew down the corridor to find Kelly slumped on the bed, the blood from her wounds oozing out again. The internal stitches had come away and she was bleeding inside.

  It took just four minutes to reach Sutton Hospital, and by this time she was dead – in a clinical sense, that is. They rushed the drain into her lung and started resuscitation. Her heart had stopped. The young consultant, on a short-term contract from his main duties at King’s College Hospital, was about to call it a day, when he felt an overwhelming sense of dread and decided to fire up the paddles one last time. He waited a second and then saw the heartbeat return. She was alive and he would make sure she stayed that way. She was not to go back to prison until he was satisfied her lungs were healed. The governing governor received the call and instantly agreed; after all, the girl was not even convicted and was still on remand. That messy news would not go down too well with the authorities in London.

  Toni was back on her wing and queuing for the phone. Four women stepped aside, allowing Toni to go in front. Hattie, a big black woman, was on the phone, arguing with her ol’ man, and when Toni told her to hurry up, she leaned forward and growled. Hattie had her little firm inside with her, all out of Hackney. Toni wasn’t worried by anyone; she was the one who held the reins. Her stints inside spanned years, on and off, and her reputation preceded her. She was a bitch on the outside and a raving nutter in here. She had served six months in total down the block for fighting and had two years put on her three-year sentence for serious bodily harm. She knew how to fight, growing up with three big brothers, who never thought twice about smashing a woman if the need arose. If she wanted to get anywhere in their pack, she had to fight for it. Eddie was her closest brother; they were a year apart and shared business and pleasure. She was the only woman he could ever trust, and in a strange way he looked up to her. There weren’t many women who could fight like a man and be hard-faced about it. Toni was a looker in her day, too, with a neat figure, long dark hair, and green eyes set against her olive skin. It was her looks and air of confidence that turned many a head when she walked into a room. But she also had a quick tongue and a foul mouth, the very attributes to impress Eddie, which only incited her to impress him even more.