Dumfries (26 page)

  Silence.

  “You mentioned five inmates, Thomas.  One of them, Taylor, is not on rule thirty six.  I have no authority to rescind his punishment. Angus gave him fourteen days in solitary confinement for assaulting another inmate and prison officers whilst he was up in Longriggend.  He arrived here three days ago and was immediately placed in solitary, to fulfil his punishment after managing to swing a sojourn in Monklands Hospital,” The Governor said, looking across hopefully at Angus.

  “Ah, yes, George.  Hivving discussed that oan the way doon here this morning and taking intae consideration Taylor’s injuries, Ah’m happy tae repeal that punishment oan this occasion, given the discussion we’ve jist hid.  Thomas informed me that, as well as representing Gucci, this Portoy also represents the rest ae yer band ae thugs as well,” Angus said weakly, avoiding eye contact wae his fellow governor.

  “Yes, this Portoy fellow has got it in to his paranoid head that we had somehow engineered inmate Baxter’s temporary transfer to Longriggend for some ulterior motive,” The Fat Brief replied.

  “
Good evening.  My name is John Turney and these are the news headlines in Scotland tonight. 

  A family and a community are in mourning after the body of missing five-year-old Joan Robertson was found in a disused tenement block in Portman Street, Kinning Park last night.  It is believed the child was sexually assaulted before being strangled.  As a massive police manhunt continues for those responsible, the stricken parents of the youngster, an only child, were being comforted by family and church officials.  It is believed that Mr Robertson was an elder in his local church and his wife ran the Sunday school …

  A thirty-seven-year-old former taxi boss, Harry Stuart, has been sentenced to life in prison at the High Court today after being unanimously found guilty of shooting dead his business partner over a drugs deal that went wrong.   It is believed that the partner, forty-one-year-old Dennis Jolly, interlaced a bag of heroin with talcum powder with the intention of maximising profits, but instead, rendered the drug so weak that those who bought it, returned it demanding their money back.  This led to acrimony, whereupon Stuart lured Mr Jolly to a secluded spot near Meadowside Quay in Partick and shot him four times in the head.  A second co-accused, Eric Thomas, a scrap merchant manager of Nethan Street, Govan, was found not guilty…

  A group of Indian Army bagpipers played to an appreciative audience in Glasgow’s George Square this afternoon, delighting passers-by with their knowledge and skills of Highland music…”

Chapter Twenty Five

  “Hello, please take a seat.  My name’s Fanny Flaw and I’m the resident social worker for Dumfries YOI.  I’m sorry we’ve not met sooner, but I believe you’ve been out of general circulation. Your name is William Johnston.  Is that correct?”

  “Er…aye, Ah suppose so.”

  “Oh, you seem hesitant.  Have I got your name correct?” Fanny asked, frowning as she double-checked the name oan the cover ae the file.

  “Ma name’s Snappy.  Everywan calls me Snappy, so they dae.”

  “Oh, right.  So, you would prefer me to call you, er, Snappy?”

  “Sounds better than some ae the names Ah’ve been called in the past,” he replied, a wee grin appearing across that face ae his.

  “And both of your parents are alive and you have one brother and sister, I see.  Will you be expecting family visits whilst you’re in Dumfries, William, er, Snappy?”

  “Nae idea.  Er, kin Ah ask ye a wee question?”

  “Yes, of course.”

  “Where did that tag appear fae then?”

  “Tag?”

  “Aye, tag…yer name tag?”

  “Oh, my name?  Sorry.  I was named after my great grandmother.”

  “Who obviously wisnae fae the toon.”

  “The toon?”

  “The toon…y’know, Glesga?”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Believe you me, nae Gleswegian wae any sense between they lugs ae theirs wid ever stamp their daughter fur life wae a label like that.  Ah bet ye goat a hard time at school, especially fae aw they boys, eh?” Snappy said chuckling.

  Fanny looked up as the thin, five feet eight inch tall, alabaster-faced youth, wae whit looked like sun-bleached, blond hair and matching eyebrows, arrived under escort and stood resting baith ae his hauns oan the back ae the chair, facing her oan the other side ae the desk.  His file claimed him tae be eighteen-years-auld, bit he looked as if he hidnae reached his fourteenth birthday yet.  People could’ve been mistaken fur thinking he looked angelic, however, the psychiatric and clinical psychology assessments and background intelligence information included wae his social background report in the file in front ae her, highlighted the fact that the angel staunin in front ae her wis suspected ae being the gunman in a string ae shootings, including murders.  The security escort officer hesitated, bit turned and left them alane efter she gied him a nod that she’d take it fae there.

“Hello, please take a seat.  My name’s Fanny Flaw
and I’m the resident social worker for Dumfries YOI. I’m sorry we’ve not met sooner, but I believe you’ve been out of general circulation.  Your name is Samuel Smith.  Is that correct?”  Fanny asked, efter the inmate wordlessly slid intae the chair in front ae her, like a sleek, graceful albino cat.

  Silence.

  “It says here that you’ve been sentenced to five years for your involvement in an armed bank robbery.  Is that correct?” she asked, looking away fae him and back tae his file.

  Silence.

  “How are you feeling about the length of your sentence, Samuel?”

  Silence.

  “You must feel something surely?”

  Silence.

  “It also says here that you have no next of kin.  Is that correct?” she asked, looking intae his pale, unblinking, soft grey eyes.

  Silence.

  “You may not remember, but we first met in Thistle Park in 1968,” she said, starting tae feel uncomfortable at the sound ae her ain voice bouncing aff the bare brick walls ae the office.

  Silence.

  “Right, er, well, look, if you require any support or need someone to talk to, then please feel free to put your name forward via one of the prison officers and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can,” she finished lamely.

  Jist as he stood up and turned tae leave, he hesitated before hauf turning back tae face her.  The security escort, who’d appeared oot ae nowhere, haudin the office door open fur the inmate tae exit, appeared momentarily confused, no sure if something wis aboot tae kick aff.

  “The best feeling is nae feeling,” the YO said softly, looking straight intae her eyes, before turning and strolling past the escort officer oot intae the corridor.

  “Hello, please take a seat.  My name’s Fanny Flaw
and I’m the resident social Worker for Dumfries YOI.  I’m sorry we’ve not met sooner, but I believe you’ve been out of general circulation.  Your name is Patrick McCabe.  Is that correct?”

  “Aye.”

  “And both of your parents are alive, I see, and you have three sisters and two brothers.  Will you be expecting family visits whilst serving your sentence in Dumfries?”

  “Nae idea.  Er, kin Ah ask ye a wee question, by the way?”

  “Oh, is it to do with my name?”

  “Naw, it’s aboot that ring oan yer finger, the emerald wan,” he replied, nodding.

  “Oh? What about it?”

  “It’s an auld heirloom, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, it belonged to my grandmother.”

  “Aye, Ah thought that…probably Victorian.  It’s a stoater, so it is.  Ah’d say ye’ve goat aboot four or five carats there, so ye hiv.  Kin Ah hiv a wee gander? Ah mean, a wee look at it?”

  “I’m sorry, I’m not sure that I’ll be able to get it off,” Fanny replied, pretending tae make a serious attempt tae pull it aff ae her finger.

  “Oh, ye don’t need tae take it aff,” the YO scoffed, reaching across the desk and taking her haun in his.

  It happened so quickly that Fanny jist froze.  She desperately looked beyond the heid that wis bent forward, studying the ring, tae see if the security escort officer wis visible beyond the wee glass windae oan her office door.  He wis naewhere tae be seen.  She attempted tae press the silent alarm button hidden under her desk, jist above her left knee, bit couldnae find the damn thing, despite hearing and feeling the dull thuds ae her leg connecting against the wooden sides where it wis supposed tae be.

  “Aye, five carats and it’s flawless, so it is.  This is a rare wan.  Ah’ve no come across as good a wan as this in ma travels in a wee while, so Ah hivnae,” McCabe said, releasing her haun.

  “Er, how can you tell how many carats it has?  I thought you would need an eyeglass or something,” Fanny said, relaxing, as she glanced at the windae oan the door.  There wis still nae sign ae the escort officer.

  “Naw, that’s fur diamonds.  Emeralds ur graded using yer eye.”

  “So, how can you tell that this is flawless then?” Fanny asked, furgetting her initial fear and lifting her haun up, as the baith ae them peered at the green stane imbedded in the gold.

  “Well, whit ye look fur, tae start wae, is the colour.  Ah won’t bore ye wae the science, bit that wee beauty is a lovely dark verdant green wae a clear hue…that’s transparency tae you, by the way…which is whit the wans wae the money go fur.  Wan ae the other important things that bump up the price tag, is no hivving any visible minerals or whit they call inclusions oan the surface, which is jist another name fur cracks, wee grooves, that kind ae thing.  This wan is perfect, so it is, which makes it really rare.  Dae ye want tae know how much it’s worth?”

  “Oh, er, I think I would prefer not to know.  It would make me feel too self-conscious, if it was valuable,” she replied, clasping the ring up tae her chest and covering it wae her other haun.

  “Oh well, if ye’re ever flogging it, gie’s a wee shout and Ah’ll tell ye whit ye should expect fae a dealer.  Mind and use cedar oil if ye’re gaun tae clean it.”

  “Hello, Tony.  Please take a seat.  My name is Fanny Flaw
and I’m the resident social worker here in Dumfries YOI.  I’m sorry we’ve not met sooner, but I believe you’ve been out of general circulation since just after your arrival,” Fanny said nervously.

  “Aye, that’s right.  Oh, in case Ah furget, sorry aboot yer clutch, by the way.”

  “You remember?”

  “Aye, it wisnae me that wis behind the wheel that night.”

  “Tony, my job here is to look after the welfare of the inmates, particularly in times of need, assisting them to keep in contact with their family, that type of thing.  Should you require anything whilst you’re here, I’m here to help.”

  “Ur ye?”

  “Yes.”

  “Ah see ye’re still collecting files oan people then,” he said, nodding tae the thick wan in front ae her.

  “Part of the job, I’m afraid.”

  “Well, Ah hope the content ae that his improved since the last time Ah read it,” Tony said, referring back tae the night in Thistle Park Approved School in 1968, when him and his friends stole her car, which hid contained files oan him and the other absconders that hid escaped wae him.

  Fanny looked across the desk at the YO in front ae her.  She didnae detect malice in they dark eyes ae his.  She found it difficult tae believe that he’d been responsible fur hauf the things that the polis intelligence file hid attributed tae him.  Seemingly armed Post Office robberies hid drapped by o’er fifty five percent in the city since his arrest.  He wis still strikingly good looking and sat there, exuding a confidence that she hidnae come across in any ae the other inmates since she’d started working in Dumfries.

  “Kin Ah hiv a wee swatch then?” he asked her wae a smile, nodding at the blue folder in front ae her.

  “I’m sorry, it’s against the rules, I’m afraid.”

  “So, hiv they…you…still goat me doon as some sort ae a psycho then?”

  “I’m sorry, Tony, but I’m not allowed to divulge the contents of a prisoner’s file to anyone, including the prisoner.”

  “So, how dae ye expect a person tae change then, if he’s no allowed tae get access tae see whit it is he his tae change fae then?”

  “Oh, there’s a whole range of methods that can be utilised to assist with an inmate’s rehabilitative process that can lead to positive change.”

  “Fur instance?”

  “We can assist a prisoner to reflect on his present situation by being encouraging and supportive.  If an inmate wishes someone to talk to regularly, this could be arranged also.”

  “Is that whit ye wur trying tae dae when ye worked in Thistle Park?”

  “I suppose so, yes,” she replied warily.

  “So, how wid somewan like you measure success then?”

  “Pardon?”

  “Success?  Whit dis success look or taste like tae somewan like yersel?”

  “Oh, well, er, I suppose someone not returning to prison after they’ve been released.”

  “Sounds a bit iffy tae me.  Ah mean, if Ah wis tae get released the morra and never come back, Ah wonder how many people like you, working in a zoo like this, wid genuinely be able tae claim that Ah wis wan ae their successes?” he snorted dismissively, looking aboot the room.

  “The rehabilitative process involves taking a collective approach.  More than one person could justifiably claim to have contributed to the successful rehabilitative outcome of an inmate.”

  “Is that whit ye’d call collective responsibility then?”

  “I suppose so, yes.”

  “So, when somewan like Silent…Samuel Smith…gets assaulted by hauf a dozen screws, including the governor and chief officer, ten minutes efter arriving in a place like this, ye’d accept a share ae the responsibility fur that then?”

  Silence.

  “Wur ye aware ae whit happened tae the boys that wur accused ae helping us tae escape fae Thistle Park that night?”

  “Er, I did hear rumours that some of the boys may have been assaulted,” she lied.

  “Bit ye did nothing aboot it?”

  “For your information, I left that night and never returned to Thistle Park,” she replied defensively.

  “That’s no whit Ah asked ye.”

  “What do you want me to say?  Of course there are rogue elements in any organisation, but not everyone is like that.  Times have changed.”

  “Hiv they?”

Silence.

  “Dis yer secret files tell ye how we first goat in tow wae Silent Smith?” he asked suddenly, breaking the silence.

  “No, not that I’m aware of,” she replied, biting.

  “He wis ten-years-auld when he wis put intae Larchgrove Remand Centre in Glesga because his granny and granda hid kept him aff ae school when he wis getting bullied by some aulder boys.  It wisnae that long efter his ma and da hid been killed in a car crash.  He wis put in The Grove under a Care and Protection Order.  He wis telt that his granny and granda didnae want him, which wis a bare-faced lie tae start wae.  Anyway, he eventually found oot the truth when he read his file in the bag ye left in yer car, the night we borrowed it,” he said wae a thin smile.  “Of course, by then, the real damage hid awready been done.  While in The Grove, under they false pretences, he wis targeted by wan ae the teachers who wis notorious fur molesting weans that he wis supposed tae be care and protecting.  At the time, nowan noticed or couldnae gie a shit aboot whit wis gaun oan, seeing as he wis jist a wee dispensable CP withoot any connections in the place.  Ah’ve always wondered whit wid’ve become ae Silent if Johnboy Taylor, another ae yer ex-Thistle Park boys, who nae doubt ye’ll be meeting at some stage the day, hidnae intervened oan his behauf.  He’s jist arrived doon fae Longriggend wae injuries similar tae the wans that the boys goat the night we pissed aff wae yer wee Mini, by the way.  Against the wishes ae Johnboy’s pals at the time and him being only aboot ten-years-auld himsel, Johnboy stood his ground and took Silent under his wing tae protect him.  That’s whit saved Silent fae getting that arse ae his shafted by a so-called care and protector.  A week or so later, Silent escaped wae wan ae oor other pals, and he’s been wae us ever since.  We looked efter him when the people who wur supposed tae take oan that responsibility failed miserably.”