Page 81 of Maybe Tomorrow

‘Something’s happened to Anthony. That’s why his name isn’t on the list. Oh my God, what if he’s dead?’

‘What? Where did that come from? Pauline, if anything serious had happened, they would have called you?’

‘Would they?’

‘Of course, they would. Look, you’re letting your imagination run away with you. Come and sit down. It’ll all be sorted in a minute. It’ll just be an office mix-up. They happen all the time. Remember when we didn’t get our bins emptied two weeks running when the council changed the route of the bin wagon? Same thing here. I mean, I bet his list was alphabetical and Winstanley was the last name and it’s just been missed off. It’s easily done.’

Pauline nodded. ‘Yes. You’re right. I bet if he just turned his piece of paper over, he’d have seen Anthony’s name.’

‘Exactly.’

They sat back in the hard plastic chairs and waited. The only sound in the room came from the ticking clock on the wall which seemed to tick louder with every passing minute.

Eventually, after almost twenty minutes, the door opened, and a woman stepped out. She was wearing black trousers and a grey jumper that was too tight for her. Her dyed blonde hair had been scraped back into a ponytail and her roots were in need of a touch-up.

‘Mr and Mrs Winstanley?’ she asked.

‘No. I’m Mrs Winstanley. This is Leo. A friend,’ Pauline corrected her.

‘Oh. I’m sorry. I’m Deirdre Abbot. I’m in charge of Section A, that’s where your son is staying. I’m afraid Anthony is currently in the prison hospital.’

Pauline slapped a hand to her chest and took in a sharp intake of breath. Leo grabbed her other hand.

‘Hospital?’ she asked.

‘Yes. He was attacked in his cell on Christmas Day.’

‘Attacked? Is he… I mean, how bad… what happened?’ Pauline’s words fell over themselves as she tried to understand what was happening. Tears rolled down her face and she didn’t wipe them away.

‘I wasn’t here. We’re running an investigation to try to find out exactly what happened. However, trying to get information out of a bunch of prisoners is like trying to get common sense out of an MP,’ she sniggered.

‘Wait a minute,’ Leo said. ‘You said he was attacked on Christmas Day. It’s now the twenty-eighth. Why didn’t anyone call Pauline and tell her what happened?’

‘Ah. Well. Like I said, I wasn’t here.’

‘But you’re in charge of the section where Anthony is being held. You just said that. So, who was in charge while you were away?’ Leo asked.

‘That…’ Deirdre began to look uncomfortable. ‘That is something we’re looking into?’

‘You mean, you weren’t here and there was nobody in charge?’

‘I’m sorry, you are…?’

‘I’m Leo Mulligan. A very close friend of Pauline and Anthony’s.’

‘Look, I am very sorry about what happened to Anthony. Like I said, we are investigating?—’

‘Can I see him?’ Pauline interrupted.

‘That’s not possible at the moment, I’m afraid.’

‘Why not? What’s happened to him?’

‘Mrs Winstanley, your son is fine. He’s conscious and he’s healing well. He’s in the hospital wing merely for his own protection.’

‘Protection?’

‘Mrs Winstanley, your son is accused of raping and murdering a vulnerable young woman. There are people in here, hardened criminals, who take exception to that kind of crime. We’re currently trying to find the best solution to keep Anthony safe.’