Dumfries (55 page)

Chapter Forty Seven

  Fanny shifted uncomfortably in her seat as she looked aboot at the wee group sitting roond the coffee table in the governor’s office.  She’d been relieved tae find oot that the reason Father Leonard wis carrying a tape machine wisnae because he wanted tae record the session. It hidnae eased her discomfort though.

  “Right, we’re gathered here to decide the winning team of last week’s quiz, run by Mr Baker.  From what I can gather, apart from a solitary disruptive element at the end of the session, that has since been dealt with by a cooling-off stint in solitary confinement, a constructive day was had by all,” The Governor announced, opening up the session. “Chief Baker, who I totally concur with incidentally, also believes that given the current mood amongst some of the inmates, announcing the winning team openly and fairly, could assist in re-establishing the confidence towards the staff by some of the less disruptive inmates. Now then, having shared each other’s notes and been given time to reflect, I’m now inviting you all to choose the winning team.  Mrs Flaw?”

The adjudicators debated the merits ae the answers fur o’er an hour.  Aw present agreed early oan that Mr Hamilton’s group suggestions ae a tent, a saw and a torch, didnae quite match up tae the mair practical responses fae the other groups, fine though they wur.  An embarrassed silence descended when SO Dick suddenly turned and asked The Chief whit his answers hid been at his interview that led tae him being appointed a chief prison officer.  When The Chief replied that it hid been a fishing rod, a box ae matches and a paraffin lamp, it hid been impossible tae keep the frowns fae appearing oan the faces ae those present.  It wisnae lost oan anywan present either that McGeachy, the YO who’d ended up in solitary confinement fur verbally abusing The Chief fur imposing his answers oan them, hid been justified in his grief.

  “Ah know it looks dodgy, bit Ah swear Ah never tried tae influence them,” The Chief pleaded, hauns ootstretched, daeing the finest Pinocchio impression any ae then hid come across in a while.

  “Well, let’s just move on, shall we?” The Governor said, tae everywan’s relief.

  Fae where Fanny wis sitting, it wis obvious that The Chief’s group certainly shouldnae be declared the winners.  As far as she wis concerned, that left the Barlanark, Springburn and Carntyne /Garthamlock YOs in the ring.  SO Dick’s defence as tae why the Barlanark group should be declared the winners wis so pathetic, that baith Fanny and Father Leonard instantly smelled a rat.  Their answers hid been good…it wis jist that he’d blatantly hinted, oan numerous occasions during the discussion, that if it wisnae fur him, the Barlanark YOs widnae hiv come up wae a third answer oan their ain.  Efter that, the discussion broke doon and despite the Carntyne/Garthamlock and Springburn teams hivving coming up wae a canoe, a book oan tropical diseases and wan oan boat-building, needle and thread, a mirror and a length ae rope, she felt that the Springburn YOs hid jist edged in front, efter Johnboy Taylor added that The Mankys wid be prepared tae swop their boat, mirror and book oan tropical diseases fur a shot ae Man Friday fur a week.  The winning team, The Chief’s group, won by a show ae hauns ae three votes tae two.  The Chief, although admitting that McGeachy’s group’s choice ae matches and a paraffin lamp hid limited longevity use, he wis quick tae point oot tae nods fae the governor, SO Dick and Mr Hamilton, that the fishing rod identified as a necessity fur survival, hid swung it fur the winning group.

  “Ah mean, withoot food, everywan wid die ae hunger,” The Chief declared, challenging anywan tae contradict him, by menacingly glaring at aw the faces in the circle wan by wan, apart fae the governor, who sat nodding in agreement anyway.

  It hid been clear tae Fanny and Father Leonard fae the start, that The Governor didnae want tae upset the prison officers or The Chief, so hid caved-in as chairman withoot a challenge. Fanny thought The Chief wis gonnae dae a wee lap ae honour roond the table, bit SO Dick’s enthusiastic sycophantic back-slapping left him in a fit ae coughing and spluttering.  At the end ae the day, even though she didnae agree wae him, Fanny could see whit the governor hid been up tae.  He clearly wanted tae keep the officers sweet, as well as the YO, McGeachy, and the members ae his group. Fanny could well appreciate the difficulty in trying tae resolve the issue ae the tension between the prison officers and the inmates, that hid been erupting in flashpoints throughoot the prison o’er the past week. She only wished that the management could’ve come up wae something a bit mair honest and dynamic than that.  Later that evening, a poster wae a coloured drawing ae a palm-tree-covered island, highlighting the questions and announcing the winning answers, wis posted up oan the recreation hall notice board.  There wis nae mention ae The Chief’s answers given at his interview.  Within five minutes ae it gaun up oan the wall and wae a prison officer delegated tae staun near it tae keep his eyes oan it, somewan hid managed tae scrawl ‘PISH’ in large bold letters across it.

  When everywan stood up tae take their leave, Fanny held back.

  “Now, Mrs Flaw, a word please,” The Governor said tae her pleasantly.

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

  Union officials called out over two hundred men from Jessford & Jackson Engineering in Partick to down-tools today after claiming that management reneged on productivity agreement bonuses. Director, Mr Brian Jessford, accused the union of living on another planet after highlighting that overseas markets had fallen and that the company couldn’t afford to sustain bonuses if they didn’t have the orders on the books….

  Two firemen were rushed to Glasgow Royal Infirmary this morning after a blazing roof collapsed on top of them as they tackled a major fire in the Townhead district of the city.  A hospital spokesman said later that one of the injured is in a serious condition.  Fire appliances from across the north and west of the city joined their colleagues around eleven o’clock this morning to bring the blaze under control.  Glasgow Fire Brigade have said that it’s too early to ascertain whether the blaze at a timber yard on Dobbies Loan was started deliberately…

  Three little piggies went to market.  At least that was the theme for pupils at Dunnard Street Primary School in Maryhill today as bosses from the city’s Blochairn meat market loaned the pupils three piglets to help them enact the famous nursery rhyme in front of their parents and teachers in the school assembly.  Mrs Petrie, the school’s head teacher, warmly thanked Mr Bob Beacon, head meat processor of Rank & Sons, meat supplier to half the city’s school kitchens, for giving the children a real hands-on experience of working with live animals.  The three little piglets were returned safely to the meat market soon after the assembly…

  A nineteen-year-old youth was found hanging from his prison bars in the solitary confinement unit when officers entered his cell this morning at Polmont Borstol, near Falkirk.  A Scottish Home & Health Department official in Edinburgh denied that the regime was at fault, after it admitted that this was the third young offender to have hung themselves in the past twelve months in Scotland…

A man, believed to be in his early thirties, was found dead in his rented flat on Woodside Road in the early hours of this morning after being discovered by firemen called to extinguish a blaze on the third floor.  It is believed the man, a Mr Thomas Peters, who had only recently moved in to the area after being released from prison, had set himself on fire with a cigarette after falling unconscious under the influence of drink whilst sitting on a fireside chair…

A woman and her two young children were recovering in hospital tonight after a three-day siege ended.  A man, believed to be the women’s husband and father of the children, both under the age of five, attacked them with a knife when police stormed the flat in a tenement building in Whitehill Street, Dennistoun, ending the three day-siege…”

Chapter Forty Eight

  “Oh, you’re here, Johnboy…good, good.  Just go right through and I’ll join you shortly.  I’ve left my written notes across in the gatehouse,” Father Leonard tutted, as he swept past him, nodding tae the security escort screw.

  Johnboy heard the lock turning in the vestry door behind him as he lay doon his guitar case.  He looked aboot.  The room wis jist as it hid been the last time he’d come and spoken tae Father Leonard a few weeks earlier.  He looked across at the open door that led through tae the chapel proper.  Somewan wis tuning up a guitar.  He recognised the sound ae the tap E string being struck by a plectrum and the whining, resisting sounding twang ae a string being stretched up tae the required pitch.  He waited, listening, before nodding his heid in appreciation, as the plectrum wis raked across the strings slowly, wan at a time, E-A-D-G-B-E.  Perfect.  Whoever it wis knew how tae tune-up a guitar.  He wondered who the priest hid managed tae con in tae daeing the service.  Well, there wis only wan way tae find oot, he thought tae himsel, as he pulled open the door and stepped through oan tae the plush, red carpet runner.

  “You!” Johnboy exclaimed.

  “Me,” Jimmy Baxter replied, smiling, as he ran his fingers across the frets, trying tae impress Johnboy wae a wee twelve bar blues run.

  “Fuck this, Ah’m aff,” Johnboy declared, daeing an aboot turn.

  It wis only when he reached the vestry door, efter retrieving that guitar case ae his oan route, that he remembered he wis locked in.

  “Ye’re back?  That wis quick, so it wis,” Jimmy Baxter said tae him, still sitting oan the piano stool as Johnboy re-entered, this time, taking his guitar case wae him.

  “Right, whit’s gaun oan?” Johnboy demanded tae know, putting the case doon, as he walked across tae the fancy, light oak, carved pulpit, trying it oot fur size.

  “How dae ye mean?”

  “Ye know fine well whit Ah mean.”

  “Father Leonard asked me if Ah’d help him oot wae his service.  Ah said Ah wid if he goat somewan else, as Ah wisnae prepared tae dae it jist masel.  Nae use making an arse ae yersel oan yer lonesome, is there?”

  “When wis that?”

  “When wis whit?”

  “When did he ask ye and when did ye agree?”

  “Ah don’t know…probably aboot six weeks ago.  Why?”

  “Because Tony wis right.  That wee humphy-backed basturt is a treacherous wee fork-tongued conman that needs watching, that’s why.”

  “Ach, it’s no as bad as it may seem.  Ah managed tae wring a few concessions oot ae him before Ah eventually agreed.”

  “Like?”

  “Like, we kin get oot ae oor cells whenever we want tae come doon here tae practice.  Seemingly, Baker the Basturt agreed that whoever he goat could be locked in here between teatime and rec time and aw day Saturday.  It means we kin hiv a wee guitar session before we heid tae rec every night, if we want.”

  “So, wis it you that put him oan tae me?”

  “Aye.”

  “Why?”

  “Because ye’re the only wan Ah know who kin play the guitar and who’s gonnae be aroond fur a while.”

  “Whit else?”

  “Ye know whit else.”

  “Look, Ah’m telling ye right noo, Ah’m no the wan tae be able tae help ye oot.  Whitever ye may think, ye’ve goat the wrang guy, so ye hiv,” Johnboy warned him, looking doon and coming across a red Proddy hymn book oan the shelf underneath.

  “Johnboy, you clocked me in the bank that day, didn’t ye?  Ye know fine well Ah hid nothing tae dae wae that robbery, yet Ah’m daeing nine years in here fur it.  Ye’re ma only hope ae me getting oot ae this shit-hole.”

  “Ye’ve obviously no heard whit Ah’ve jist said.”

  “Aw Ah wid need wis a signed statement fae yersel, in front ae another witness, stating that Ah wisnae wae youse.  That wid allow ma brief tae try and get me a retrial.”

  “And if Ah telt ye Ah wisnae in the bank, whit wid ye say?”

  “Ah’d say ye wur a lying basturt.”

  “Aye, that’s whit the judge and jury thought as well,” Johnboy retorted, placing the hymn book back oan the shelf, as he looked doon at the crest-fallen face, sitting there oan the stool wae a silent guitar, sitting oan his lap.

  “Christ, whit’s it tae you, eh?  Ye’ve goat nothing tae lose, bit me…” Baxter croaked bitterly, his voice fading, the emotion heavily hinging in the air.

  “Ah could get done fur perjury if Ah came forward and said something like that.”

  “Johnboy, don’t hit me wae that shite.”

  “Look, whether ye believe me or no, Ah’m as innocent as you ur.  Ah wisnae in that bank, whitever ye may think.”

  Silence.

“Ah don’t believe ye…ye wur ma only hope,” he gasped quietly, looking up at the cross high above Johnboy’s heid, sounding really bitter.

  “Well, whether ye dae or no…Ah wisnae in that bank.”

  “So, who wis then?”

  “Silent and some other people whose names Ah’m no gonnae mention.”

  “Aw Mankys?”

  “If that’s whit ye want tae call them.”

  “So, Ah’m goosed…is that whit ye’re saying?”

  “Well, unless ye kin somehow get through tae Silent, who never uttered a single word before, during or efter oor trial, tae volunteer and speak up oan yer behauf, then Ah’d furget it.  If ye’re asking me, Ah’d say no tae bother wasting yer time,” Johnboy advised, deliberately dampening doon the aggressive tone in that voice ae his and shrugging his shoulders, no sure whit else tae say.

  “Ah, Jimmy, Johnboy, so you’ll both have had a chance to talk about what’s expected?” Father Leonard puffed oan his arrival, turning up conveniently oan cue, wiping the sweat aff ae his brow wae a white handkerchief.

  “Aye, Ah wis jist saying, Father, Tony certainly hid a point aboot aw youse priests needing watching.”

  “Did he now?” Father Leonard replied warily, detecting the edge and the tone in Johnboy’s voice.

  “Aye, and here wis me feeling sorry fur ye the other day there, efter ye’d crept up aw they steep stairs, following that forked tongue ae yers, tae plead wae me tae help ye oot.  Ah knew Ah should’ve goat ye tae go and find oot exactly where in the bible it says there’s such a place as purgatory.  That wid’ve kept us Mankys entertained fur a while,” Johnboy said drily, looking the priest straight in the eye.

  “Purgatory?  Is that no the same as being left in limbo then?” Jimmy Baxter asked, looking fae Johnboy tae the priest, bit being ignored.

  “Right, Father, tell us whit it is ye want us two Proddy sinners tae dae fur ye?” Johnboy finally asked him, breaking eye contact and bending doon tae open up that guitar case ae his.