Dark Spaces (21 page)

At last there was a clicking sound and the door was opened by a man in his fifties, his teeth the dirty yellow of a committed smoker.

‘Is Chloe Church here?’ Lilly asked.

The guard pulled a piece of lined paper from his back pocket and carefully checked the three scribbled names.

‘Computer’s down,’ he said, as if the lack of technology might set the process back by hours.

Lilly pointed to the second name on the list of three. ‘That’s her.’

‘Right.’ The guard took out the pen he had clipped to his breast pocket and put a tick next to Chloe’s name.

‘Can we see her?’ Lilly asked.

The guard blew hard. ‘Trouble is there are only the two of us here. No one else managed it. By all accounts, Jim tried to walk, but slipped on some black ice and did for his hip. He’ll be off sick for weeks.’

Lilly hoped her face didn’t disclose her impatience or lack of interest in Jim’s injury.

‘You can imagine it’s a bit tricky,’ said the guard.

Lilly nodded that yes she could well imagine the sheer complexity of the situation.

‘We couldn’t quite decide on the best course of action,’ said the guard. ‘I mean the handbook was no use at all. In the end it was Mike who decided what to do and I’ve gone along with it. Well, someone had to make a decision, didn’t they?’

‘And what did Mike decide?’ Lilly asked.

The guard gave a shake of the head and a smile that displayed gums stained a similar hue to the teeth. ‘We’ve put all three of them in the same cell, that way we can watch ’em more easily.’

Lilly wondered why three prisoners couldn’t be watched perfectly well from three cells, given they’d be locked in them.

‘The trouble is of course, now we’ve got ’em in together, it’s a bit of a risk getting them out,’ said the guard.

‘Why’s that?’ Lilly asked.

‘Think about it,’ said the guard. ‘If we open the door to release one of them, there’s nothing to stop the other two rushing out as well. We’d be outnumbered, see.’

‘Right,’ said Lilly.

‘Thinking about it, banging them up together might not have been the best idea,’ he said. ‘But there were no guidelines see. Nothing in the handbook.’

‘Could I at least speak to Chloe through the grille?’ Lilly asked.

The guard paused for a second, clearly weighing up the risks involved. ‘Give me a mo.’

With that he clanged the door shut, leaving Lilly and Harry in the semi-darkness.

‘Do you think he’s gone to check the handbook?’ Harry’s shoulders were heaving with laughter. ‘Maybe there’s a section devoted to the opening of security flaps in inclement weather.’

‘Stop it.’ Lilly jabbed him with her elbow.

‘Section thirty one, subsection six and I quote, where a power cut or similar act of God prevents a solicitor or other adult from having an interview with their client in the allocated facility, said interview may take place through the security flap of the cell providing the solicitor or other adult stands at least twelve point five centimetres from the cell door.’ They were both cracking up now. ‘However, if at any time the officer feels security is being in any way impaired he may terminate the interview at his discretion and without consultation with Mike or indeed Jim.’

When the door clicked open once more, Lilly gave Harry another dig in the ribs and straightened her face.

‘We think it should be safe enough for you to have a chat through the flap,’ said the guard. ‘Providing you keep a reasonable distance from the door.’

‘Twelve point five centimetres,’ Harry whispered in Lilly’s ear.

Lilly followed the guard into the custody area, ignoring the sniggering behind her. Once inside the main area, it became substantially lighter and she noticed the overhead strip lights were working.

‘Emergency generator kicked in,’ the guard told her and led her to the desk where a second man, presumably Mike, was nursing a bottle of Lucozade. Without a word he thrust a sheet of paper at Lilly.

‘Put your details on there,’ said the first guard. ‘Plus your time of arrival.’

Lilly did as she was told and slid the sheet back to Presumably Mike.

‘This way,’ said the first guard and led them to a cell at the far end of the corridor. Lilly couldn’t begin to understand the thought processes that hadn’t chosen the nearest cell. ‘Number nine,’ he said, pointing to the number painted on the cell door.

Lilly nodded her thanks and put out her arm to open the security flap.

‘Not too close now,’ said the guard. ‘Can’t be too careful.’

It occurred to Lilly then that perhaps there was a dangerous offender in there. The sort that might make a grab for her hair or face. In which case she needed to get Chloe out ASAP.

Nerves began to kick in as she unlocked the hatch and lowered the flap.

When she looked inside the cell, her reaction was instant: laughter. Chloe was seated on the bed to the left-hand side, listening intently to the man perched next to her. He was at least eighty years old in his stockinged feet and hadn’t a tooth in his head.

‘My piles are the size of cherry tomatoes,’ he told her with a gummy grin.

At their feet, another octogenarian had made a nest out of scratchy police-issue blankets and was sound asleep. She snored loudly, her lips reverberating like an engine. Perhaps she had heard the old guy’s tales one too many times.

‘Husband and wife team,’ said the guard, as if he were describing Bonnie and Clyde.

‘So I see,’ Lilly replied.

God alone knew what they’d been picked up for, but whatever it was, Lilly was pretty sure that neither one of them was about to make a desperate bid for freedom. Frankly, Lilly doubted either of them could make it to the door unaided.

‘Hi, Chloe,’ she called through the hatch.

Both girl and man looked up. The old woman didn’t stir so Chloe struggled to her feet and stepped over her. If she slipped, the woman would be crushed.

‘How are you?’ Lilly asked.

‘Fine,’ Chloe replied.

‘Did you get any sleep last night?’

‘Oh yes.’

Lilly appraised her client. She definitely looked rested and at ease.

‘I’m going to try to get you out of here,’ Lilly said.

Chloe’s face tightened. ‘I don’t want to go back to the Grove.’

‘I know.’

‘You can’t let them take me, Lilly.’

Ignoring the guard’s warning, Lilly stepped up to the plate. ‘It’s going to be okay, sweetheart. I’ve spoken to Harry and he’s got a plan to keep you safe.’

‘No,’ Chloe shouted. ‘I won’t be safe at the Grove.’

‘I know you’re frightened, but hear me out, Chloe.’

The girl’s eyes were wide with fear but she nodded.

‘You can be moved to a locked room and no one except Harry will have the code,’ said Lilly.

Chloe shook her head. ‘What if they guess the code?’

Lilly looked to Harry for help and he moved next to her.

‘I’ll make it impossible to guess,’ he said.

‘Like what?’ asked Chloe.

‘I don’t know,’ he replied. ‘How about the date of birth of Lilly’s baby? No one at the Grove even knows she has a baby.’

Chloe leaned forward so that her face filled the gap. A rectangle of pink flesh, with eyes.

‘I promise I will keep you safe,’ said Harry.

Chloe gave a solemn blink of acceptance.

Gem dragged the Hoover down the hallway. Feyza calls it Henry and it’s got a face. Gem supposes it’s meant to make cleaning up fun or something.

Somebody’s brought a load of crap in on their boots and tramped it into the carpet so Gem has to move the handle as fast as she can.

Gem don’t actually mind. It ain’t like it’s hard work, is it? And it’s nice to see dirty things come up clean. If only everything in life were that simple.

‘Can I have word, Gem?’ Feyza shouts from the desk at reception.

Gem knocks off Henry with her foot and looks up at her boss. She’s counting up a wodge of twenties, licking her finger between each crisp note. There’s got to be hundreds of ’em in the pile.

‘Come over here, Gem,’ she says, placing the money in a metal box.

Gem leaves the Hoover and wanders back to reception.

‘Sit down.’ Feyza nods to the sofa that the punters wait on. It’s squashy from all them fat arses.

Gem sits down and Feyza locks the box with a key she keeps on a long chain around her neck and tucked inside her blouse.

‘You like to work here?’ Feyza sits next to Gem.

‘You ain’t sacking me, are you?’ asks Gem.

‘Don’t be silly.’ Feyza pats Gem’s hand with the tips of her fingers. ‘Why I do that?’

Gem shrugs. People don’t need proper reasons to do shitty stuff, do they?

‘You welcome here as long as we open,’ Feyza tells her. ‘How long we open, I can’t say.’

Gem don’t know much about business but she don’t think Feyza needs to worry. Plenty of punters. Plenty of cash.

‘You see, Gem.’ Feyza stretches out her legs. ‘What we do here not legal.’

Gem nods. Well, she ain’t stupid. Everyone knows brothels ain’t legal.

‘Police leave us alone because we don’t cause problem out on street.’ She points vaguely at the door. ‘And we let those boys have free service here sometimes. Understand me?’

Gem nods.

‘Bill here yesterday for this,’ says Feyza.

Gem ain’t that surprised. A slimeball like Bill would make a good copper.

‘He not happy with Misty, I tell you,’ says Feyza. ‘Which very bad. He can make lot of trouble for us if he want.’

‘Does he want to?’ asks Gem.

Feyza pats her hand again. The nails are painted with black and silver crackle. ‘Lucky for us, no. He just want free service.’

Gem looks down at her own nails, bitten so short they often bleed. ‘Not with Misty, though,’ she says.

Feyza snorts. ‘Misty must stay well away from Bill.’

‘Who then?’ Gem don’t know why she’s asking. She knows the answer.

‘He want you, Gem,’ says Feyza, confirming what Gem already knew.

‘I ain’t a working girl,’ says Gem.

‘I know this,’ says Feyza. ‘I not even ask you if it was other punter. I just tell them piss off. But …’

But it ain’t anyone else is it? It’s Bill.

‘Before you say yes or no, Gem, there is one thing for you to know,’ says Feyza.

Somehow Gem thinks she knows everything she needs to know about fat, ugly, filthy Bill.

‘What?’ she asks.

‘He not want full service,’ says Feyza. ‘He just likes girl to stand and watch while he give himself hand job.’

‘Why?’

‘Who knows?’ Feyza gives one of her cackles. ‘What is it you say? Be grateful for small mercies.’

What with the nails and the horrible laughing, Feyza could pass for a witch. Even her nose is a bit pointy, Gem notices for the first time.

‘So, darling, you do this for me?’ Feyza smiles. ‘Small favour?’

Gem doesn’t answer.

‘One little favour,’ Feyza says. ‘And I don’t ask you anything no more.’

Lilly and Harry went up the stairs to the courtrooms. They found the entire floor deserted and in darkness. Without any windows it was impossible to see anything but the faintest of shapes looming at them.

‘Hang on,’ said Harry.

Lilly heard a rustling sound and the chink of coins.

‘Here we go,’ he said and pointed a thin beam of light in front of them.

‘A torch?’ Lilly was gobsmacked.

‘It’s on my key ring.’ Harry waved what looked like a pen at her. ‘For emergencies.’

‘Quite the little Boy Scout.’

‘Dyb, dyb, dyb.’

Harry cast the torch around the foyer, but it was quite clear that there was no one around. ‘What now?’ he asked.

Lilly was about to admit that she had no idea when she caught sight of a yellow glow at the far end of the corridor.

‘Over there,’ she said, and they made their way as carefully as they could to the source of the light.

Halfway across, Lilly banged her knee against a bench. ‘Shit.’ The metal gave a clang.

‘Okay?’ Harry grabbed her arm. ‘Have you hurt yourself?’

She rubbed her leg. ‘I’ll live.’

They went the rest of the way arm in arm, until they were in front of a door, weak light seeping under it.

‘The advocates’ room,’ said Lilly and pushed open the door.

Inside, the room, though not bright, was bathed in the muted glow from the street lamps outside and Kerry Thomson stood next to the floor-to-ceiling window, holding a file next to the glass. Everything, including the prosecutor, had an unhealthy sepia colour, like an old and fading photograph.

‘Lilly Valentine,’ said Kerry. ‘Of all the solicitors who would make it to court on a day like today, I’d have put money on you.’