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- 09/04/2020
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Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you.
The Boot - Three Years On - 14. Chapter 14
A lot has been happening on many fronts, here's a small reminder and a little about something that's away from The Boot but definitely affects some of our regular characters, plus news for The Major that could change his future and maybe others too.
Note; there are descriptive references to violence.
A lot can happen in less than a week and the judiciary had definitely been busy. The papers had reported two separate cases of pedophilia in the Manchester area culminating in three arrests. One where a previously respected child care worker had been arrested for sexual assault against a minor while in care, he had been arrested when caught trying to assault a youth who was in hospital. Enquiries were ongoing and it was believed that further arrests could take place in connection with the incident. The arrested man was in custody and 'helping' with a police investigation. The other a separate, and believed to be an unconnected incident, involved the arrest of two men following a 'tip off' from a member of the public, no further details were given but both men involved were remanded to Strangeways Prison and were due to appear in the Crown Court.
Danny had spent all week waiting anxiously for Saturday to arrive as he had been promised that he could visit JJ who was in a secure Child Psychiatric Unit attached to the hospital. Kate and Steve had consoled him most nights before he fell into a fitful sleep and today was Friday the night before the visit.
Jim and Beccy had a busy week applying for help to furnish their first home together. They had been given living room furniture by The Salvation Army, another charitable trust had provided reconditioned white goods for the kitchen and they had been given a grant by the resettlement team at The Boot. The Local Housing Association had also given them DIY vouchers to help with decorating. Jim had put his skills to work and worked hard to decorate the house and made a special effort to create a nursery for their unborn child. All week there had been deliveries of the furniture that had been picked out by Beccy, she had co-ordinated with Jim to make sure that everything would compliment their chosen colour scheme and provide them with as comfortable a home as possible. Their excitement was obvious and Jim had taken care to make sure that Beccy did not overdo anything, he didn't want anything to harm either her or their unborn child who was due in four months time. Tonight would be the first night in their new home.
Andy and Steve had split duties at The Boot to cover for an absent Jeff and tonight they eagerly awaited Jeff's return, tonight he was going to tell them what had been so important that he needed to take some time off from The Boot. Tonight was also the first night that The Major would put in an appearance since leaving hospital, of course this meant that Ian and Kevin would be with him.
…...
Like many prisons Strangeways was overcrowded. This resulted in some inmates being placed among the general population when they should have been placed in isolation for their own protection.
There had been a buzz going on through the week and the guards had sensed the atmosphere change. They were short staffed and didn't have the resources to find out what was going on.
The remand wing, which was next to the hospital wing, was split into four landings. Each landing housed a different category of prisoner, the lower ground landing was for the younger prisoners under twenty five, keeping them apart from some of the more hardened criminals. The upper ground landing and landing one housed the more mature prisoners who were on remand for the first time and for repeat petty criminals. The top landing, landing two, housed those on remand for the more serious crimes, serious assault, arson, murder and sex offenders.
Each landing was identical and could be viewed from one vantage point, 'the centre' which was where four wings met. Cells lined both sides of the landing with a walkway that went down each side and across the bottom creating a continuous path all the way round with an iron railing, there was no connecting floor between the two sides allowing the guards to see each landing from their vantage point. Steel netting was stretched across which prevented anything from falling to the lower landings from above.
Every meal time was the same, a food serving station was placed at the centre, one landing at a time prisoners were released from their cells where they made their way to where the food was being served and returned to their cells to eat. A one way system was in place to minimise contact.
This Friday evening was no different, there was minimal choice of food, traditionally for a Friday the choices were fish and chips, vegetable curry or cheese salad, dessert was apple pie and custard or fresh fruit. The fish and chips were warm and soggy not hot and crispy, the curry was tasteless and barely warm, the salad had lost its crispness being limp and the cheese had no flavour, dessert faired little better fresh fruit being the best choice.
The Senior Officer spoke to the guards, “Listen up all of you, I know I'm repeating myself each meal time, but we've all sensed it there is an atmosphere and that spells trouble. Watch everyone like a hawk, stay in your pairs and look out for each other. If you have any concerns use your radios and remain calm. I don't mind slowing food service to avoid any trouble, got it?” The men all nodded their agreement. “Okay let's get started.”
One guard stayed with the Senior Officer, standing back from the food carts to allow plenty of space for the prisoners. Two guards stood at each end of the walkway on the lower landing while two guards went to each cell unlocking it for the prisoners to get their meal. Two more guards stood slightly apart behind the food carts watching the food being served. This was repeated for each landing.
In turn every prisoner picked up a plastic food tray each had three indentations, one for a main course, one for a dessert and one for bread if they chose to have any. As they made their way in front of the food they made their choices before collecting a drink, tea or coffee each being fairly weak and tasteless or water and plastic cutlery. As they re-entered their cells they closed the door behind them which automatically locked. One by one the prisoners were fed a landing at a time. Everything went smoothly, or so it seemed and there was sense of relief among the guards.
Nobody had noticed the crudely made 'shivs' wrapped in thin cleaning rags that were taped to the underside of two trays. They had been carefully passed to two prisoners from the top landing. Equally nobody had seen the close contact on the top landing where two prisoners had stumbled into their cells before hitting the floor.
As is usual after each mealtime a kitchen orderly was escorted by two guards on each landing, opening one cell at a time to retrieve the trays, mugs and cutlery which were counted as they were returned. Suddenly all of the radios crackled and a siren was heard on the wing, “Emergency landing two.” was the brief message transmitted. Immediately the collection stopped leaving prisoners locked in their cells and all orderly's were sent to report to the centre. Four guards remained at the centre, the Senior Officer and the remaining guards made their way to the top landing. A single guard stood outside each of two open cells.
The gruesome sight in each was very similar, food was strewn across the floor awash with what passed as tea. An inert body was lay over it oozing blood from a neck wound that had been made by a crude 'shiv' sticking out of the carotid artery also severing the vocal chords. Each man had slowly bled to death unable to speak or call out.
All prisoners remained locked in there cells as prisoners 564901 William Matthews and 564902 Alfred Johnson, Bills accomplice, were placed in body bags and taken to the morgue. An investigation would need to take place.
…...
Elsewhere in the city.
Danny was again being consoled by Kate before falling asleep.
Beccy and Jim were cleaning up in their kitchen after eating and before going to bed, they were tired from their hard work through the week.
At The Boot there was a very mixed look of shock and surprise on the faces of Andy, Steve, Ian and Kevin as a laughing Alex shared the good news that Jeff had just given him. Without The Major knowing Jeff had been doing some digging around in his past and made a significant discovery. In his drunken grief and suffering PTSD from losing his close comrades, his 'family', from the army followed by losing Andy his dear friend who was more like a son he had suffered some form of alcohol related amnesia. In doing that he had forgotten that money from the sale of his home had been placed into a bank account for him. Into that account The Army had continued to deposit his army pension. All of this time, unknown to him, it had been sitting in the bank growing with the continuous deposits and interest. The Major was not as destitute as he thought.
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14
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11
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you.
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