CRUEL SECRETS Read online

  Patrick’s eyes widened. “How do you work that out? I mean, what you gonna do to earn that?”

  With a crafty smile and a wink Eddie replied, “I will make sure none of your businesses get robbed.”

  The reality slapped Patrick in the face and he knew then he had no choice.

  That had been twenty years ago. Toni saw then exactly what her brother was all about. She admired him, but she also liked Patrick, and their relationship flourished over the following year. Eddie had her on the payroll, by collecting the weekly poke from Patrick. It was Eddie who pushed them into marriage. He had to keep Patrick close, as he did have a lot of clout, and Eddie didn’t want to be looking over his shoulder all the time. Toni, however, fell out of affection for Patrick long before the church bells rang.

  CHAPTER NINE

  True to his word, Peter had spoken with the lawyer, and the legal visit was arranged. Charlie was the screw who had taken Kelly down to the legal visiting room. The prison was on lockdown for two days after they had found Milo with her throat cut and Bobby unconscious with the knife in her hand. Kelly felt an overwhelming sense of dread when it happened though. She guessed right away it was organised by Toni. Now Hattie was number one at Toni’s side and proud of it. Kelly felt sorry for Hattie; she was just used and so blinded by securing a reputation, she couldn’t see what was happening.

  Kelly recalled the aftermath when they went to the canteen. It was as though Toni was the queen, as all the inmates made way for her niece to get to the front of the queue. There was whispering and a couple of the women patted her on the back. Kelly was irritated by the way she was being feted because of her family connection to Toni. They fussed over Kelly, almost fawned all over her, and it was sickening. She knew it was an act; they couldn’t give a shit, really, as it was fear that made them behave in that way. Chicken was served to the first twenty people and Toni was always one of them. The screws had to turn a blind eye; they didn’t want a ruckus. Charlie ran the wing and allowed Toni her freebies, and in return, Toni kept the wing in order, so as not to cause the officers a hard time.

  The day the knifing happened, Kelly was in her room reading Eclipse, the third novel in Stephenie Meyer’s vampire love saga, which she had found in the library. It was easier to stick her head in the pages than listen to the garbage that came out of her aunt’s mouth. Toni was proud of her endless wrongdoings, from petty theft to violent assaults. The news of Milo and her sidekick spread like wild fire and was at Toni’s door seconds later. Julie, a white girl, who followed Hattie around like a lost lamb, was full of excitement to be the first to spill the news. Toni sat up straight and Kelly closed her book.

  “Tone, Tone, that fat Milo bird, the one that knifed Kelly, is dead. Bobby, her cousin, has killed her. They have taken her away. Ya got any puff for Hattie ’cos we are gonna go on lockdown?” At that moment, the sirens went off. The sound was so loud that Kelly had to put her hands to her ears.

  Toni pulled a parcel from under the bed. “’Ere, give her this. Where the fuck is she, anyway?”

  Julie laughed. “In the shower. Cor, that’s a fucking sight an’ a half, her big fat arse squashed against the glass.”

  Toni laughed along. “Take that to her before we are locked up.”

  Julie winked and left. Kelly turned to face her aunt, and it was then she knew she was behind it, and Hattie had been the one who had killed Milo. Toni raised her eyebrow. “Oh well, they shouldn’t have fucked with me family. Shit happens!”

  In total disbelief, Kelly glared. She didn’t want this kind of retribution on her behalf. A ‘sorry’ from the two women would have been sufficient. She had been hurt, yes, but Milo should not have been killed in retaliation. It was the walk through the middle of the inmates in the canteen that made her realise why it had to happen though. If Toni hadn’t taken revenge, then her reputation would have gone down the pan. It wasn’t for Kelly’s benefit that Milo had to die but for Toni’s status. She learned a valuable lesson then that a reputation can mean more in life than anything, including money. Greed was not just about possession, it was about status. Prisons were microcosms of society, but most people going about their daily lives outside prison were unaware of this.

  Kelly was escorted by Charlie to the legal visit room. As they walked along the landing, the inmates nodded and asked how she was. Kelly just smiled in return but really she was thinking, Fuck off – you aren’t my friends.

  Charlie then said, “See, I said you would be better off with Toni.”

  Kelly didn’t answer her; she was going with the flow, biding her time, and one day she would be out and away from the tension and the fakeness of it all. The metal banging and the rattling of the key chains were sounds that echoed in her mind and jolted her back to reality. She could be spending a long time inside, if found guilty. The stairs, which went from B wing down to the recreation room and canteen, had a mesh tread so anyone could see through. It made Kelly feel sick. She hated heights, but more disturbing were the nets hanging there to catch any inmate being thrown over. She trembled; it really was an evil place.

  Charlie led Kelly through the double-locked doors and buzzed out the next set where the legal visit room was. It was a glass booth with a table and four chairs. Kelly could make out a woman already seated.

  “Right, Kelly, in you go. I’ll be back in an hour, okay?”

  She liked the fact that Charlie, the so-called mean screw, addressed her now by her first name; to all the others, she was known by her surname.

  She stepped inside and sat awkwardly. The lawyer had her nose in some papers before she looked up. Kelly noticed how clean she looked. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a neat and perfectly straight ponytail, and her well-manicured hands displayed a small diamond ring and a hint of pink nail varnish. She was wearing a fitted grey suit and a pink cashmere jumper. Around her neck was a string of tiny pearls.

  As she looked up, a very gentle smile crept across her face. Kelly liked her already. Her eyes were warm and open and her cheeks had a natural pink glow; there was no make-up – she didn’t need it – except for a dusting of mascara and a layer of gloss. She was an attractive woman, probably in her early thirties.

  “Hello, Kelly, my name is Sophie Grey. It’s lovely to meet you. Peter told me about you and I am so pleased you have enlisted my services.”

  Kelly felt the tension leave her body.

  “No, Sophie, it’s my pleasure.” She was perfectly comfortable speaking the Queen’s English but because she had gone to a school in South-East London where the pupils used over-the-top slang, she could naturally swing from one way of speaking to another, depending on the person she was talking to.

  “Peter is a good, kind man. He was the first person who offered to help. Will you thank him for me?” asked Kelly. Her stomach was filled with butterflies but not because she was nervous; if anything, she was more excited that perhaps, at long last, there was some hope.

  “Oh yes, he is special.”

  Kelly blushed. “Oh, I am sorry, I didn’t … I mean, are you two … err?”

  Sophie gave a friendly chuckle. “No, Kelly, I am not with Peter. He is not my type.” She stopped and winked. “I am gay.”

  “Oh …”

  Sophie placed her hand on Kelly’s. “But, if I were straight, I guess I probably would fancy him.” She giggled, along with Kelly. That was the icebreaker.

  “Kelly, why are you wearing prison issues? You should be in your own clothes because you are on remand. You’re not convicted.”

  “I haven’t got any of my own clothes, well, only the ones I was arrested in.”

  “Is there anyone on the outside who could send you some in?”

  Kelly smiled sweetly and shook her head.

  Sophie looked Kelly over and made a mental note of her size; she would need a suit for court.

  “Right, Kelly, I have gathered all the paperwork from the prosecution, and I am really concerned. There are a few things that just don’t add up. Pl
ease don’t jump to conclusions at this point, but the evidence they have is really messy, and I am surprised they have charged you with two murders. It’s as if they just want the case closed and are clutching at bent straws. So, Kelly, do you want to tell me your version of the events?”

  Kelly closed her eyes for a moment, fathoming out the question. “There was only one event.”

  “Yes, that’s what I thought. Did you confess to murdering your mother?”

  Kelly shook her head. “No, I didn’t, well, from what I remember, I didn’t. I did say I had killed that Patrick, whatever his last name is. But I didn’t mean to kill him. I just wanted to get away. He was in my room with his belt undone. He grabbed me, and that’s when I fell and reached for the nearest thing, the metal doorstop. I never intended on killing him, just hitting him to get away, that’s all.”

  Intently, Sophie watched the girl relive the event and was convinced she was telling the truth. Not only was Sophie a lawyer, she was a child psychologist and a specialist in juvenile cases.

  “Kelly, tell me about your family, your mother, father, and Patrick.” She watched for Kelly’s reaction. It was easy to read her expressions because she was an open book; her eyes were expressive, and she did nothing to hide her feelings, not in front of Sophie.

  “Patrick is not family, as far as I know. He came to stay for a while. My mother said he was my uncle, but how he was really related, I have no idea. You see, my real aunt, my aunt Bet, said he wasn’t related. He was only my mother’s friend—”

  Sophie cut in. “Kelly, you refer to your mother as ‘mother’ not mum. It suggests to me, you didn’t see her in a fond light.”

  Kelly bit her thumbnail and then took a deep breath. “The truth is I hated my mother. She was nasty to me. But, I didn’t kill her. I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t kill anyone. Patrick, well … that was an accident, I swear.”

  Gently, Sophie tapped Kelly’s hand. “It’s okay, you can hate someone, but it doesn’t mean you would kill them. It’s good to open up to me. I am not judging you at all. Trust me, Kelly, I am on your side.”

  “Not like the shrinks in here, every bloody day, questioning me.”

  “What!” screeched Sophie. Kelly noticed that the lawyer’s eyes narrowed and her face darkened at this news.

  “It makes my blood boil. Just because you haven’t engaged a barrister, they think they can do as they please. Oh, I am so going to take them to task.” She took a deep breath. “Kelly, you are not to answer their questions anymore. They are only allowed to assess you once you have been convicted. Unless the CPS want a private assessment, then they need to have your consent and mine too now. God, they make me mad.”

  Kelly was grinning at the difference in Sophie’s face when she was angry.

  “So, what can you tell me about your father?” She calmed down, after scribbling a few notes.

  “I was four when he left. He went to prison, I believe. Weird, ’cos all those years my mother brainwashed me into believing he was a paedophile.” She stopped when she saw the expression on Sophie’s face.

  “What?”

  “Kelly, I have looked into your father’s record. It’s part of the case, you see, and he was most definitely not a paedophile. Do you know anything about him at all?”

  “Well, sharing a cell with his nutcase sister, I only know what she boasts about him.”

  Sophie put her pen down and sat up straight. Her eyes were bulbous, as though she was going to pop a blood vessel. Kelly studied Sophie’s facial expression. “What’s wrong, Sophie?”

  “Toni Raven is in here, is she? Christ, it just gets worse. My goodness, Kelly, I am so glad you have me to take on the case. Your father, Eddie Raven, is a known criminal, a gangster, in fact. He has murdered a number of people, but he has only been convicted for two murders. He was released around the time you ran away. Is it a coincidence that a few weeks later your mother gets murdered? To my mind, it was convenient too because where would the blame lie, if not at your feet?”

  Kelly covered her mouth in shock. “So, you think my own father murdered my mother?”

  “I can’t say that, Kelly, but I don’t believe you were responsible. Oh, and another thing. Did you know it was your mother who gave evidence against him, as it was her statement that got him locked up?”

  Overwhelmed by it all, Kelly placed her hands over her face and cried. She didn’t cry for her mother, or her father, but for herself. She was born to a family of raving lunatics. How could she possibly be sane?

  Sophie got up and knelt next to Kelly, rubbing her back. “Hey, listen, sweetie, I have to tell you everything. Kelly, we need to fathom all this out together, so are you with me?” She waited until the soft sobs subsided. Kelly wiped the snot on the back of her sleeve and turned around to face Sophie.

  “I was four years old when he disappeared from my life. I pretended he never existed. I was so good at it that up until now I believed what I had been told. But I do remember being four. It was so different then, so different. My memories faded over the years because I just assumed it was all a fantasy. The pretty pink frills, the soft bedclothes, the toys, birthday cakes, balloons – they all melted away like ice cream. My happy life was slowly, day by day, being dragged away, until, finally, I realised that the bare rooms, the strict regime, and the constant harsh words, were my entire world then. I can’t remember my mother smiling at me, ever. I recall the beatings, being tied in the shape of a cross in the shed and whipped. I remember the Bible being shoved under my nose every waking hour. The school was a retreat from the numbing silence or the nagging words from the woman that was supposed to love me. Yet, what I remember most of all in that house of hell was being on my knees praying to this so-called Jesus Christ. I desperately wanted my dad to come back and take me away from it all and make things go back the way they were. He never did. I hung from that cross, bleeding and freezing. And yet I still prayed. I begged Jesus to help me. No one did, though. So, I guess I hated my father for leaving me and I hated God, too.”

  Kelly looked up to see Sophie on the verge of tears.

  “Oh, look, I am sorry, Sophie, I didn’t mean to ...”

  “No, Kelly, it’s all right. I just feel sorry for you. It must have been terrifying.”

  “Yeah, well, if there is a God, he is punishing me now.”

  The horror had turned Sophie’s stomach. Now she had a clearer insight into Kelly’s life, it was worse than she could have imagined. Peter had told her about the scars on her back. He had broken all the rules, but his passion to save Kelly was more important. The poor girl had every reason to go insane. But as far as Sophie was concerned, she wasn’t mad at all.

  “Kelly, has your father tried to contact you?”

  “Toni said to send out a VO. He wants to see me.”

  Sophie grimaced in annoyance. “I am not comfortable with you sharing a cell with Toni. Whose idea was it, yours or hers?”

  Kelly snorted. “Hers, I didn’t even know her. She is another controlling freak.”

  “I am sure she is, Kelly, and a devious one too, looking at her record. Look, if you are content to stay there, then carry on, but tell her nothing about our meeting. It is imperative that you keep quiet about our discussions. I have a feeling there is more to all of this. Oh, and by the way, I’m not sure if you already know this, but that Patrick Mahoney was married to Toni.”

  “Oh, Christ, of course! I remember now seeing his name on his suitcases when he stayed at our house, and Toni mentioned she was Toni Mahoney. I just didn’t put two and two together,” she blushed.

  When the visit came to an end, Sophie stood. Kelly felt awkward; should she shake hands or just wave? Sophie made the decision for her, by holding out her arms, and before Kelly could do anything else, Sophie was hugging her. Kelly hugged her back and whispered, “Thank you for believing in me.”

  Charlie escorted Kelly to her cell.

  Sophie had work to do and the first thing on the list was to go straight to th
e medical unit’s offices. They were just down the corridor. Kirsty, the screw who had taken Kelly to the hospital, was on duty. She looked Sophie up and down. “What exactly do you want?” she asked, in a bullish tone.

  Sophie gave her a sarcastic smile. “To see the psychiatrist who has been interrogating my client.”

  With raised eyebrows, Kirsty rebuffed Sophie. “Well, you will have to make an appointment or e-mail the office.”

  “Sorry, what is your full name?” countered Sophie.

  “Kirsty.” This question put her on the back foot and she felt uncomfortable. “Why?”

  “So, Kirsty, when I speak with the number one governor this afternoon, I can give her your name.”

  Kirsty hated confident women who were more powerful than her. “Oh, well, my name’s Kirsty Fellows. I am just following orders. No one sees the doctors unless they have an appointment.”

  “Yes, and I am just following the law, which, in this instance, has been seriously broken, and I would not like to have to go to the governor’s deputy and report that I have been obstructed in allowing the matter to be cleared up at the earliest time, which is now.”

  Kirsty swallowed hard; she felt her mouth dry up and was uncomfortable with the situation. “Okay, I will see if they are in their offices.”

  “They are, I just saw them walk in,” replied Sophie, ensuring she would not be fobbed off.

  She followed Kirsty to the door and pushed past her, before Kirsty was able to introduce her. The two doctors stood up instantly. They were always ready to jump to their feet, if the door flew open.

  Sophie waved her hand for Kirsty to leave. She then marched over to the desk, plonked her files on top, and announced she would be making a formal complaint.

  “I am Kelly Raven’s lawyer. It has come to my attention that over the past few weeks you have been conducting an assessment without her prior consent and broken the terms of her stay. Must I remind you that she is on remand? I don’t know what your game plan is, but be warned. This will come out in the court case. So, I suggest you give me a copy of the assessment and don’t leave any papers out.”