Dumfries (13 page)

  “It’s too dangerous.”

  “How could it be any more dangerous than before I went off on holiday…honeymoon, two weeks ago?”

  “Security his been tightened, so it his, and will be fur the foreseeable future.”

  “Alex.  There are one hundred and twenty six young offenders up there.  Seventy eight of them have been convicted of murder and have either been sentenced to life or Her Majesty’s Pleasure.  The rest are serving sentences ranging from three to ten years with over ninety five percent of them being convicted for extreme use of violence.  Not once has there been a cross word or even a hint of a threat towards Father Leonard or me.  I have more chance of being assaulted by a prison officer than an inmate,” she protested, stomping across and throwing hersel oan tae the chair in front ae his desk.

  “Well, it’s different this time.  The circumstances hiv changed dramatically since ye’ve been away,” he replied defensively.

  “How?  Why?  I don’t understand.  Have you spoken to that Mr Peacock, the legal man, in Edinburgh?”

  “Three new YOs hiv arrived,” he continued, ignoring her questions.  “Even some ae the officers ur no sure how tae take it.  Cocky said that some ae the younger recruits ur scared shi…er… frightened and ur no too sure whit tae expect.”

  “What, are they mass murderers or something?  How long are they serving?”

  “Er, Ah believe it’s three years apiece.”

  “Sorry?”

  “Ye heard me.”

  “But these are short-term sentences compared to the majority.  What’s so special and frightening about them?”

  “Right, Ah don’t know the full facts.  It’s tae dae wae Governor Crawford’s wife, Alison, who ye know goat shot a few years ago when she wis getting hump…er, hivving an affair wae that gangster fella up in Glesga, so it his.”

  “Alison Crawford?  What about her?  Everyone knows that her and George managed to reconcile their er, marriage problems, and get back together.  What has this got to do with her?”

  “Well, fur your information, the perpetrators that carried oot the murder ae the big-shot gangster and who injured Alison, oor colleague, arrived in Dumfries while ye wur aff swanning aboot Africa.”

  “But…but, what has this got to do with these three short-termers?  Surely if it was them, they would’ve got much longer than that, for such a horrid crime.”

  “They wur never charged, bit they’re definitely the wans that did it, so they ur,” Alex assured her grimly.

  “I still don’t get it,” Fanny admitted, screwing up her eyes and shaking her heid, looking oot ae the windae towards the red sandstone YOI building in the distance.

  “Although they’ve been charged and convicted fur something else, the background intelligence reports that arrived wae them, hiv them doon as being heavily connected wae it.”

  “So, you mean, they were suspected of involvement?”

  “Look, where there’s smoke, there’s fire.  Everywan is rallying roond George Crawford, including the officers, hard though that is tae be believed.”

  “So, what does the intelligence background information say then?”

  “Ah’m no sure.  Ah hivnae seen it masel, bit Cocky said they’re as guilty as sin, so they ur.  He’s been filling in up there since ye’ve been away.  He says that the officers ur outraged at the cheek ae The Department sending the basturts doon here.  They wanted them put straight intae solitary fur their ain good, two minutes efter they arrived.”

  “Oh, Alex, Cocky hasn’t been filling in for me, has he?  Tell me you’re kidding me, please?”

  ”Look, there wisnae anywan else tae cover fur ye.  Anyway, it wis jist a wee haudin position.  He wisnae interviewing any new admissions other than the local Dumfries untried prisoners oan remand in A-Hall.  Ah telt him tae focus oan the background reports fur those due up in court and tae leave the long term YOs fur yersel when ye came back.  He says there’s a stack ae files sitting oan yer desk, waiting fur ye up at the YO office.”

  “And what about Father Leonard?  Have you spoken to him about the changes?”

  “Naw, Ah’ve been too busy.  Cocky said he saw him up there yesterday. Look Fanny, Ah’m serious here.  Ye’ll hiv tae go a wee bit caw-canny and no upset any ae the staff or management up there.  The POA ur trying tae ban any civilian and female staff, i.e. you, fae working beyond the gatehoose, because ae these thugs.”

  “Right, I’m off.  If I’m not back by three o’clock, you’ll know I’ve been murdered, kidnapped or worse,” she said, staunin up, grabbing her bag and keys fae her desk.

  “Listen, Fanny, this isnae funny.  Ye’ll hiv tae be careful noo.  Jist tread carefully until ye get the lay ae the land…and don’t go upsetting any ae that POA crowd.  It’s me they’ll end up hassling,” he’d warned her.

  “Yes, sir! Anything else?”

  “Aye.  Ye used tae work in Thistle Park Approved School, up in Paisley, a few years ago, didn’t ye?”

  “Yes, back in 1968.  Why?”

  “Well, wan ae the three new arrivals wis there roond aboot the same time as you.”

  “Oh, what was his name?”

  “Ah cannae remember, some Atalian sounding name, bit nae doubt, he’ll be wan ae yer past successes,” he’d replied sarcastically, as she disappeared oot the office door.

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

  Glasgow’s Assistant Chief Constable, Jack Tipple, has refuted claims that corruption is endemic in Scotland’s biggest police force after it was revealed that nine serving police officers are currently suspended whilst under investigation for corruption.  The number of those suspended was revealed as a result of a question raised by Springburn MP Alex Cotter to the Secretary of State for Scotland at Westminster today.  Mr Tipple stated that the figures were misleading as seven of those under investigation have been cleared and are now back on active duty, whilst the other two will remain suspended until the conclusion of an internal investigation…

  It has been revealed that Father Henry Coil, of St Luscious of Our Lord Chapel, was one of two men found guilty and jailed for fourteen days at Glasgow Sheriff Court today, after being confronted by a photographer from the Glasgow Echo, engaging in lewd and libidinous practices.  It was revealed that the priest, who has been a well-known anti-brothel campaigner in the city for the past twenty years, was snapped performing an indecent act on another man, nineteen-year-old Brian Cox, in the town centre’s Sauchie Lane last month.  A spokesman for the church last night asked everyone to remember fifty-nine-year-old Father Coil in their prayers…

A family of four from Arden was overjoyed to find out that they had scooped the first and second prize in the monthly draw at Honest John McCaffrey’s Kitchen Essentials store on Dumbarton Road today.  Mr and Mrs Patterson and their two teenage children were overjoyed with their prizes of a Remington Deluxe wet and dry shaver and a refurbished Double Diamond fridge…

  A sixty-eight-year-old pensioner was killed after being hit by a bus on Springburn Road earlier this afternoon.  Mrs Etta Robertson died soon after being admitted to the casualty department of The Royal Infirmary.  Springburn Road was shut for two hours and caused massive tailbacks as far back as Castle Street flyover in the Townhead…

  Residents have been warned that the city’s dog-catchers have upped their patrols in Drumchapel after a pack of dogs, numbering up to twenty five at times, has been seen running about the area using the pavements as toilets.  John Burns, the city’s chief dog warden said today that the dogs are not strays, but belong to local householders, who let their dogs out in the morning and let them back in at night after spending the day making a mess of the pavements in the area…

  A thirty-two-year-old woman was raped in Cardonald last night as she got off a bus on Kingsland Drive.  Community leaders and members of the city’s churches have called for more police on the beat…

  Jill Shand, a hospital casualty sister at Glasgow’s Royal Infirmary and active member of Scottish Women’s Aid, a new organisation recently established in the city, has called on Corporation Councillors to introduce campaigns and classes in schools, highlighting that violence against women is unacceptable, as part of the core curriculum amongst the city’s schoolchildren…”

Chapter Eleven

  Fanny parked her car facing the red sandstone turreted gatehoose.  She sat and watched a large, black prison van, exit before it disappeared doon Terregles Street.  Apart fae the tall Queen Ae The South floodlights jist alang the road at Palmerston fitba ground, Dumfries Young Offenders Institution and its wall and fence, topped wae swirls ae razor sharp barbed wire, dwarfed the surrounding hooses.  Despite its presence oan the same spot since the 1800s, she doubted if any ae the residents, wae their gardens backing oan tae the wall or fence, hid ever darkened its doors or knew whit went oan there.  She gazed through the large wooden doors, as wan ae the gatehoose officers oan duty swung the first ae them shut.  Beyond the wooden outer gates, she noticed Father Leonard oan the far side ae the inner steel-barred gate, heiding towards the gatehoose.

  “Good, he’s here,” she murmured tae hersel, as an officer appeared at the bombproof plate glass observation windae, beside the single entry door tae the left ae the main gate, watching her.

  Fanny didnae need tae actually see the name printed oan the cover ae the blue folder that wid be sitting in amongst the pile, oan tap ae her desk, tae know that it contained the historical and current criminal background details ae Anthony Gucci.  She knew it wis him as soon as her boss, Alex McRae, hid mentioned Thistle Park and an ex-inmate wae an Atalian name in the same breath.  She reckoned he’d be aboot nineteen by noo.  The last time she’d seen him hid been jist before Christmas in Thistle Park Approved School in Paisley in 1968.  She’d been a young, eager-tae-impress, newly-qualified social worker, attempting tae make her mark in her first job efter graduating.     It hid nearly become her first and last job within the criminal justice system.  She felt hersel shudder, remembering how her life hid come tumbling doon, roond aboot her ears.  It hid also been aboot that time that she’d discovered that she wis pregnant wae her son, Jake.  If that hidnae been bad enough, the events that hid taken place involving Tony Gucci and a group ae other young feral tearaways fae the Toonheid district, near the city centre in Glesga, hid tipped the balance.  As a fourteen-year-auld, Anthony ‘Tony’ Gucci hid been the leader ae a group ae boys who’d refused tae accept their sentences, and who’d spent their waking hours systematically undermining the regime ae the school.  The social background reports oan the boys at the time hid been appalling, even by Thistle Park standards.  The school authorities hid been at a loss oan how tae deal wae them, and hid gied up oan any form ae rehabilitation attempts wae them.  The heidmaster at the time, an ex-naval commander, hid welcomed and supported Fanny’s attempt, despite stiff resistance fae the majority ae the school staff, tae try and integrate the boys back intae the mainstream.  The staff at the time hid protested and warned anywan who wid listen, that attempting tae work wae this particular group ae boys, wid end in disaster.  She could still taste the bitterness five years oan efter they’d been proved right.  It hid taken her almost three years tae venture back tae working wae young offenders efter that.  She could still remember the first time she met the boys.  The Mankys!  That’s whit they wur called, she noo remembered.  She’d been trying tae remember their gang name oan the way across fae her office.  The school management in Thistle Park hid mair or less abandoned them tae a classroom in a prefabricated war-time hut, where they’d sat aw day, either sleeping wae their heids oan the desks, or watching children’s and schools’ programmes oan television.  Eager tae prove tae everywan how capable she wis, she’d chosen the group as a project, aiming tae re-integrate them intae the mainstream school regime, as a result ae the Kilbrandon Report, which hid contained recommendations oan how juvenile delinquents in Scotland wur tae be treated fae there oan in.  Her strategy hid been tae try and split the boys up by placing them within different working parties in the school.  The heidmaster hid been encouraging and supportive, while the all-male staff, hid thought she’d left her sense at hame efter leaving fur work in the mornings.  The real problem hid started when the heidmaster hid agreed wae senior staff, oan the grounds ae security, that four ae the boys hid tae be closely supervised at aw times and wur no allowed ootside the main building.  Efter placing maist ae the boys intae work parties, the four security risks…Tony Gucci, Johnboy Taylor, Joe McManus and a strange, introverted boy called Samuel Smith, who the others called ‘Silent’…hid been assigned tae help build the set fur the annual school Christmas concert.  At first, aw the boys hid refused tae get involved.  They’d seemed perfectly happy tae be hinging aboot, daeing nothing, aw day, every day.  It hid soon become clear that if she could persuade Tony Gucci tae participate in her programme, the rest wid follow.  Fanny could still remember the day she’d come face-tae-face wae him fur the first time.  Before that, she’d spent a good bit ae her time observing him fae a distance.  When he’d been escorted in tae an office in the corridor ae the classroom huts where the boys vegetated during the day, she’d asked the teacher tae leave them alane.  She could still picture the horror and shock oan the teacher’s face.  Efter being left alane wae Gucci, she’d suddenly found that she couldnae speak.  O’er the years, she knew that she’d sub-consciously avoided asking hersel why that wis.  The handsome fourteen-year-auld, wae the Atalian good looks tae go wae his name, sitting opposite her, hid oozed charm and an innocence that belied the psychological profile that hid categorised him, even at that young age, as a dangerous psychopath.  She thought back tae that first meeting…the long embarrassing silences, as she sat trying tae explain tae him whit it wis that she wis trying tae dae, how honesty and integrity wur at the heart ae whit she wis telling him and that him and the rest ae the boys could trust her.  She smiled as she remembered that she’d jist aboot jumped oot ae her skin when he’d suddenly spoken fur the first time, asking her if he could hiv a read ae his file, which hid been sitting oan the desk between them.  Up tae that point, he’d jist sat looking at her wae an amused twinkle in they dark eyes ae his.  When she’d refused his request, he’d asked her in aw innocence, in a soft gentle voice, why no?  He wanted tae know whit wis so special aboot the contents ae the file that it wis such a secret.  He’d then gone oan tae accuse her ae hivving double standards by no trusting him and gieing him access tae background information that wis kept oan him.  He’d been as sharp as a razor, even at that age.  Efter her refusal, he’d hardly spoken efter that, bit hid jist sat looking, brooding, listening tae her diatribe aboot how important it wis fur them…fur her…tae be able tae support them tae dae their time like the majority ae the other inmates in the school, who’d accepted their lot, and jist goat oan wae it.  Thinking back, she couldnae believe how naïve she must’ve sounded tae the fourteen year auld Tony Gucci.  Withoot a word, he’d suddenly stood up and left.  Efter he’d disappeared back tae join the other boys, she remembered sitting staring intae space, her heart pounding and the sweat running aff ae the palms ae her hauns.  Within a day or two, aw the boys hid suddenly agreed tae move oot ae the classroom and be delegated tae work in various working parties.  It hid almost been too good tae be true.  She’d found oot later that it hid been Johnboy Taylor who’d influenced Tony Gucci tae take her up oan her offer tae get the boys moved oot ae the classroom.  At the time, he’d been the schools maist prolific absconder.  Within a month or so, wan ae them, a boy they called Baby Huey, hid actually managed tae earn enough good behaviour points tae earn some hame leave. The transformation in behaviour in such a short space ae time hid actually earned her grudging respect fae some ae the dinosaurs that constantly advocated sharp, shock treatment fur young offenders.  Whit her and none ae the other staff hid realised until it wis too late, wis that Tony Gucci, Johnboy Taylor, Joe McManus and Samuel Smith hid used their new-found freedom tae plan an escape fur the evening ae the VIP Christmas Concert.  In attendance hid been Paisley’s Lord Mayor and his wife, The Chief Constable and various high profile guests such as consultants fae the nearby Dykebar Psychiatric Hospital.  During a particular rousing part ae the musical production oan stage, The Mankys hid broken a windae and escaped.  Tae complete her humiliation, they’d stolen her car fae ootside the mai
n entrance block which hid contained not only Tony Gucci’s case files, the wan she’d refused him access tae, bit the files ae aw the original boys who’d been kept under strict supervision in the classroom.  It hid only been efter the guests hid left at the end ae the concert that the escape hid been discovered.  By that time, the boys hid probably been hauf way back tae Glesga.  When she’d left tae go hame, she’d discovered that her wee Mini, wae her bag ae files, wis gone.  Efter trudging back tae the building tae report the theft, she’d been confronted by two lines ae staff, aw wielding batons that wur being cracked aff the heids and backs ae the rest ae the original boys fae the classroom, as they wur being kicked and prodded tae run the gauntlet tae the only secure cell in the school.  She’d never witnessed violence like it.  Some ae the boys hid been screaming, trying tae defend themsels as best they could, as their heids wur cracked open and their blood splashed everywhere.  She’d been totally traumatised efterwards and hid stayed in her bed fur aboot a week.  She’d never gone back tae the school efter that.  It hid been aroond aboot that time that she’d discovered that she wis pregnant.  Her severe morning sickness hid been the excuse she’d been looking fur tae make a hasty retreat.  It hid taken her years tae get o’er the trauma ae whit she’d witnessed that night.  Oan reflection, she knew she should’ve reported whit she’d witnessed tae a higher authority, bit it hid aw seemed so unreal at the time. There hid been many a sleepless night o’er the years, when she’d doubted whit she’d actually witnessed.  Wance her son Jake wis aboot two years auld, her mother and father hid agreed tae look efter him, while she went and worked part-time, as a juvenile support worker in an orphanage.  She never saw or heard whit hid happened tae any ae they particular boys efter that…until noo.  She wondered who the other two boys wur that Alex her boss hid mentioned? Johnboy Taylor, Samuel Smith or Joe McManus being the likely candidates.  Oh well, nae doubt she’d find oot soon enough, she thought tae hersel, as she opened her driver’s door.

  Efter pressing the prison’s outer doorbell and being let in, tae the mechanical droning sound ae the electric door clicking open, Father Leonard wis awready staunin oan the other side waiting fur her.

  “Fanny, you’re back.  How was the honeymoon?”

  “It was fine, Father.  What about yourself, how are you doing?”

  “Oh, never a dull moment, at least, not in this place,” he sniffed, looking aboot the gatehoose.

  “Yes, I heard there had been some changes since I’ve been away.  Look, I need to check out what’s waiting for me in the office.  Can we get together later…say, in half an hour or so?”

  “Yes, that’ll be fine.  Governor Crawford wants a meeting with us, together, at half past ten.  I’ll pop in by your office about ten and I’ll fill you in on what the situation is, although it sounds as if you already know.”

  “Alex McRae informed me when I went in to HQ this morning.  This won’t be a permanent ban, will it?”

  “I’m not sure.  The prison officers are all delighted, of course.  I think we may have to go back to the drawing board.”

  “Okay Father, I’ll catch you at ten,” she said, heiding fur the stairs in the gatehoose which wid take her up tae the social work base.