On Thu, 06 Feb 97, Chris Catto wrote: -- "Welcome to the tragic kingdom Cornfields of popcorn have yet to spring open" (http://www.tardis.ed.ac.uk/~cfc) ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Wed, 5 Feb 1997 16:44:44 +0000 (GMT) From: Chris Catto To: Simon Newman Subject: RRList - Chapter 24 Resent-Date: Wed, 5 Feb 1997 17:08:13 +0000 Resent-From: "S.T.M.Newman" Resent-To: ijs96105@ccsun.strath.ac.uk, e.toshney@dundee.ac.uk, Chris Catto Chapter 24 Cliffhanger: Dwyer smiled. "It's the best offer you're going to get." He stood to leave, "Your choice of course." "You set this up didn't you. I thought I detected your fingerprints on that job offer." "Let's just say, the possibility of your being out of Wentworth is not one that worries me. Don't take too long thinking about the offer though. You never know when a better candidate will come along." He smiled again, and Anne saw victory in his eyes. Twenty years from now when she looked in a mirror and saw Deirdrie Keane looking back at her, would her betrayal have been worth it? She heard Myra enter the room behind her, turned to meet her. She knew, even before Myra put it into words, the question forming on the older womans lips. "Alright Reb. What's it gonna be?" ************************************************ Reb looked at MYra, "I'm sticking with you." she said with conviction. "We're gonna get Jimmy Simpkins... together." Myra nodded and understood. In a funny way she was glad that Reb had made this decision. It was twice as dangerous to be alone, now they could offer each other protection. "What now?" asked Reb. "I think we can't afford to stay here much longer. A mate of mine, name of Winnie Anderson owes me a big favour. I think she can help us." "Won't the police be checking all our known acquaintances?" Reb asked. Myra said firmly, "Believe me Winnie Anderson is no known acquaintance. 9am Governor's office, Wentworth Meg knocked on the door of Ann's office and entered. Ann had spent the rest of the night at Wentworth although Meg had just arrived and caught up on the nights events at reception. Ann brought her up to date on the Dwyer situation. "What are you going to do?" asked Meg. Ann sighed. "Dwyer is forcing it on me. I'll have to accept the place on the select committee or be out of a job..." Ann tailed off. There was a knock on the door and Officer Radcliffe walked in followed by a smartly-dressed man of about 35, tall, well-built and with short light brown hair. He grasped Ann's hand and introduced himself. "Steve Smythe. I'm leading the departmental crisis squad." Ann returned the handshake rather reluctantly. "I'm sorry we had to meet on these grounds." Ann shrugged. "It's all yours... I'm sorry, I don't feel..." Ann suddenly collapsed into a heap behind her desk. Meg went to her, "She's fainted. Well don't just stand there Radcliffe! Get Sister Hall!" 9.30am Joan Ferguson arrived at work to find a worrying state of affairs. Steve Smythe brought her up to date in Reynold's office - Cynthia Leach and McFadden were dead, Kean and Desmond had escaped, a departmental crisis squad had been called in and within the last half hour Reynolds had fainted and was very ill in the Infirmary and Dwyer had appointed Smythe as Acting Governer. This last piece of information was especially jarring to Joan. "Sister doesn't know when Mrs Reynolds wil be fit enough to work again. She'd been under incredible strain, but apparently her symptoms are consistent with poisoning. She's being transferred to the General so they can keep an eye on her later today." Joan asked "Poisoned?" Smythe nodded "It's all a bit of a mystery. The police have been called in to investigate. In the meantime I have been asked to impose a new set of security measures. I'm sure you and I will see eye to eye on this one." Joan looked at the younger, good-looking man. "I'm sure of it", she said. 10am Wentworth General Hospital Bobbie Mitchell was sitting watching the news reports of last night's events in Wentworth Detention Centre. The news of Myra and Reb's escape excited her a great deal. Bobbie was always on the lookout to get away from the mundaneness of prison. Once she had escaped with Sonya Stevens and gone to Sydney. She longed for freedom again and hearing about Myra and Reb was just the prompt she needed to make another escape. A plan was already forming in her mind. 10.30am Myra rung the doorbell of the 19th century villa. After a shirt pause a woman of about 50 with bleached blonde hair and wearing cheap jewellery answered. "Oh my God. Myra Desmond!" she exclaimed "What do you think you're doing? You're all over the news!" "Don't just stand there jabbering! Let us in for crying out loud Winnie!" Myra shouted. "No way," retorted Winnie. "I'm not going down for this." "Aren't you forgetting something?" Myra raised an eyebrow. Winnie snorted angrily. "Get in," she muttered. 11am Smythe had decided that it was time for Bev Baker to join the other women. Joan had been ordered to take her to her cell. "Back against the wall," Joan said as she opened the solitary window. Baker obliged without word. Joan took a good look at the prisoner stood before her. Apparently she had killed several people and severed their bodies. The media had nicknamed her "The Beast" and she was linked to many more murders although some were not proved. Joan showed Baker into the cell she was going to share with recently transferred from B Block prisoner Edna Pearson. "Who sleeps there?" Bev pointed to Edna's bed. "I ask the questions around here," snapped Joan. "Is she Top Dog?" Bev asked as if Joan had answered. Joan stared at Bev curiously "Why?" "Who's Top Dog?" "Well why don't we go and find out now." Joan led Bake to the rec room. 11.05am Rec Room The women were relaxing in the morning rec period, news of last night's escape hot on everyone's lips. As Ferguson entered with Baker everyone stopped and looked. "This is Bev Baker. She'll be spending a long time with you." Joan grinned. "Move over Granny," Bake said to Dot Farrow who was sitting in front of the television next to Judy. Dot gave her a scowl, stood up and started to walk out but collapsed suddenly in a heap in front of Joan. "Mason - get Sister Hall..." Joan sighed. 11.10am "Farrow has just been taken to the Infirmary. She fainted in the rec room. According to Hall her symptoms are similar to Reynolds' although not as acute," Joan was telling Smythe. "How odd," Smythe nodded then changing the subject completely, "There's a new arrival waiting in reception. Go and supervise the induction would you." 11.15am After the fuss of Dot's collapse had died down, Bev had gotten into conversation with Judy. "We have something in commong," Bev said. "What's that?" asked Judy. "We're both mercy killers. I killed an old man on a respirator." Bev said coldly. "That must have been hard for you," Judy tried to empathise. "No." said bev flatly. To Judy's relief Meg entered the room and Bev stood up. "Can I speak to you in private please Mrs Morris?" When they were out of earshot of the rec room, Bev spoke sharply "I want moved into a cell with Bryant." "I don't think that will be possible Baker." "If you don't move me, I'll kill someone. Mark my words." Bev went back to the rec room leaving Meg feeling very cold indeed. 12pm Pixie entered her cell to find a stranger sitting on the empty bed. "My name's Shirley Victor," said the woman who was about 25 years old, had long flowing auburn-red hair and a Scottish accent. Pixie thought she was very beautiful. "I'm Pixie. SO what are you in for?" "They transferred me from Barnhurst. I was done for possession of cocaine a couple of years back Brought me here 'cos Barnhurst is full. At least that's the official story..." Shirley shrugged dismissively. "What do you mean?" Pixie asked. Shirley ignored the question. "Is Mr Dunlop a screw here?" Shirley couldn't wait to find out. 1pm Winnie had taken Myra and Reb to a safe house - a remote farm about 10 miles from the city near some woods, plenty of cover. Winnie had supplied them with everything they needed. Reb wondered what Myra had done for Winnie that she would do this for them but now was not the time to ask trivial questions. "We're gonna lay low here for a while, hopefully the police will have to narrow their search soon. We're red hot property at the moment, we can't risk being seen. They can't connect us with Winnie." Myra said. "And she's starting the search for Simpkins then?" Reb asked. "If he can be found, Winnie'll find him," Myra said with assurance. Reb couldn't wait. 1.30pm Suburb All Alana Thomas could do now was wait for the police. She'd had to do it in the end, her mother's suffering was too much to bear. Seeing her lieing in the hospital, her body rotting away, begging for Alana to take away the pain had been unbearable. Alana was responsible for giving her the medication and knew an overdose was fatal. Her mother had slipped away in the night and felt no pain. But although she had taken away her mother's suffering, she hadn't taken away her own or that of her two kids, Ben and Stephanie and her husband Arthur. Ben and Stephanie had loved their Gran - how could she tell them she had killed her. Her thought's were interrupted as the doorbell rang. Her suspicions had been correct. "Alana Thomas, I'm arresting you for murder." 2pm Ann had been mpved to the Wentworth General and Meg had taken the afternoon off to go and visit her. "Dwyer has forced me to resign as Governor of Wentworth and I'm taking the position on the Slect Committee," Ann sighed "What else could I do?" Meg shrugged. "The officers are holding a union meeting at 9am tomorrow to discuss your position, Smythe and the crisis squad. There's a good chance we'll go on strike." Ann nodded, "Well that's something at least." "Have they found out what's wrong?" Meg asked "Apparently traces of rat poison were found in my morning tea. Someone tried to kill me." "Who could do that? Surely not Dwyer! And the same thing happened to Dot Farrow this morning." "She's been poisoned too?" "Apparently so" In another ward of the hospital Bobbie was preparing her escape. She called out for help and hid behind the door. As the nurse entered she grabbed her and covered her mought, too late as the nurse let out a yelp, alerting the officer outside. "Let her go Mitchell," he ordered running in. "No way," gulped Bobbie. "You're letting me out of here!" Their argument was abruptly halted as a man ran into the room and knocked the officer out cold. "What the...?" started Bobbie and let go of the nurse. The man flashed a gun at Bobbie and threw her some civvies, she changed into them in silence, her wrist still hurt a bit, and he sat her on a conveniently placed wheelchair. "I'm getting you out, isn't that sweet of me?" Bobbie was too stunned to talk. The man pointed the gun at the nurse. "Wheel her out. I'm right behind you, just remember this is loaded." The nurse gulped and started wheeling Bobbie out, the mystery man following, his gun at the nurse's back under his coat. 2.30pm Baker had requested a meeting with Smythe to discuss her cell arrangements. "Move me in with Bryant," she demanded. "I'm afraid not," siad Smythe ,"you stay with Pearson." "Then somebody is dead." Bev said simply. 3pm - Laundry "What's your new cellmate like Pixie?" asked Judy, as she brought the press down. "Oh Shirley? She seems OK, she's Scottish," Pixie replied as she folded some sheets. "Who is?" asked Bev entering. Pixie gulped. "The new girl, Shirley." "I can't wait to meet her," Bev smirked, and walked over to the press. "Can I have a go?" Judy shrugged "All yours." Bev placed a sheet on the press then brought it down on her own hand with a bang. "You stupid foll. You'll have to go to Sister," Judy sighed. Pixie led Bev out, the pain evident as she clutched her hand in agony. 4pm Infirmary "What do you mean you don't know where she is?" Joan shrieked at Sister Hall. "She was here when I was treating Baker. Then Baker left and I haven't seen her since." Officer Radcliffe walked in with an ill prisoner, "Go and look for Dot Farrow," Joan told her. "She's disappeared..." 5pm Dining Hall Bev sat down next to Edna Pearson. "I know you poisoned Farrow, and the Governor," Bev said. "Think what you like," Edna said. "Where do you think Farrow is now?" Bev asked. "The Infirmary?" Edna shrugged. "She's dead. I killed her." Edna didn't react visibly as Bev had hoped. "Oh really?" she said as calmly as possible. Bev held her dinner knife up to Edna's throat. "If they don't move me into Bryant's cell, I'll kill someone else. It could be you." 6pm Solitary Alana Thomas had been remanded in custody to Wentworth and Ferguson was leading her to the obligatory 24 hours in solitary. "So you killed your own mother eh?" "it was a mercy killing damn you." Joan snorted, "Not what I heard. I heard you always hated her and enjoyed killing her." A foolish thing for Joan to say as she didn't realise Alana's strength. Before she knew it Alana turned on her and smacked her on the mouth. The blow sent Joan reeling to the floor. "You'll pay for that Thomas," Said Ferguson picking herself up. "You mark my words, you'll pay dearly..." 7pm Unknown Location Bobbie awoke suddenly to find herself tied up in a dark room, the events of the afternoon hazy at best. Beside her the nurse lay unconscious and badly beaten. The man who had kidnapped her at the hospital was sitting a short distance away. "Why?" she asked. "I've been reading about your mate's escape... Kean and Desmond. You're one of Desmonds mate's aren't you?" Bobbie nodded in silence. "Reckon I know why they escaped too," he continued, "They're on to me. I'm the one Stevens hired to do in their families and now they've escaped to track me down." Simpkins had it all worked out. "And where do I fit in all of this?" Bobbie asked. "If they don't give themselves up.. I'll kill you." ~He used to bring me roses~ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Prisoner Cell Block H Mailing List. He used to give me roses....... pcbh@chewy.demon.co.uk http://www.chewy.demon.co.uk/pcbh/ Team AMIGA --------------------------------------------------------------------------------