Double Noose

by Jay Sharman

  Chris was still finding it difficult to breath, the bleeding from his neck had stopped, he whispered ‘I do not know. I did not see them.’

  Jackson was pacing backwards and forwards in the room and felt agitated as he hit the wall with his fist. He shouted, ‘What is the matter with you all? Why can't anyone of you tell me that who attacked you. This is not for my benefit but for your protection. If we do not admonish the culprits, then more people will be attacked in the future.’

  Chris said in agonising pain, ‘Sorry, I don't know. If I knew, I would have told you by now.’

  Jackson put his hand on Chris’s shoulder and said, ‘If you change your mind then let me know.’ Jackson left the room looking apathetic and frustrated.

  Chapter 29

  On Monday morning, there was a meeting of the prison newspaper ‘Ville’ which was chaired by Everton and attended by other members of the editorial group, that included John, Tony, James and the new member, Julian. Two teachers from the education department also were present there. Everton started the meeting by setting the agenda and read out last meetings’ minutes.

  James asked the first question, ‘We all are aware about recent deaths in the prison and increased numbers of attacks on inmates by certain groups. In fact three of us have been attacked in the recent past, but nothing has been reported in our prison newspaper.’

  Everton intervened, ‘I have just realised that there has been a complaint of suppression and culpability in the prison. The problem we face is that there is no evidence found for these crimes. Moreover, the job of bringing the criminals to justice is that of the police.’

  Tony said abruptly, ‘We still can report these incidents in our paper. Especially that of Chris and James who both were attacked with hot water, which is inhumane and a brazen attack.’

  Jenny the teacher intervened as she said, ‘we need to be careful, what we put in the paper. On the contrary, by reporting them in the newspaper, we may make inmates feel unsafe in the prison, as others might copy these kinds of attacks on others.’

  James said with calmness, ‘I found a gun in the workshop, which I handed over to the prison officer but instead of absolving me from any crime I was implicated and made vulnerable for further attacks by other prisoners.’

  Everton asked, ‘Why did you not tell the prison officials about the dangers of future attacks on you by these unscrupulous elements or were you too afraid to report them.’

  Jenny said with thoughtful expressions, ‘Let us not talk about the politics here. As you know that every article has to be approved by the Education Governor, who is more than happy to censor anything that is controversial and contemptible.’

  Tony who was quiet up to now made his comments. ‘We can't acquiesce with governor on everything. Where is our freedom of speech? If we can't express ourselves, then we might stop writing and ask the governor to take over the newspaper and write everything himself.’

  Jenny put her glasses on to show more authority and said while glaring through the gap between the frames of her glasses and her eyes, ‘Let us look first how many articles we have to approve. We need to know what prisoners want to read.’

  John who had taken no part in the discussion up to now, put his pen down to one side and said forcibly, ‘Some of the prisoners come to prison for the first time and they are completely lost. They need some sympathy and guidance in the beginning, and we need to write regularly about their problems and the steps that they could take to tackle their legal problems.’

  Everton wanted a better control of the meeting, so he said with circumspect, ‘In short, we have to take care of everybody in the prison, the problem we have in prison is that we have mobile population and everybody comes with certain likes and dislikes, but one thing they all have in common is that they have been accused of committing a crime and they all want to exonerate themselves of their charges. So any articles with a legal heading would be eye-catching and would be read instantaneously.’

  Jenny did not want to be left behind and said amicably, ‘Everton is right. Who wants to write about law?’

  James raised his hand and said, ‘I could write an article about law with a heading, ‘How to make most of your solicitor’. I had a bad experience with my solicitor in the past and I don’t want others to suffer the same way as I did.’

  Jenny’s eyes opened up with a smile on her face, she said, ‘James, I think that is a brilliant topic. Maybe you should write about it. How about you Julian, do you have any topics to write in your mind?’

  Julian was startled by that question, as he shook his body, took a deep breath, and replied ceremoniously, ‘Oh yes, I could write about some medical conditions, I think.’

  Jenny asked, ‘Yes Julian, we can use your medical knowledge. You can write about depression, loneliness, heart attacks etc.’

  Julian thought for a second and then replied, ‘Ok, I can write about heart attacks, how to spot a heart attack and how to prevent it.’

  Everton passed on biscuits lying on the table to everyone and then stood in the corner of the table.

  He then suggested, ‘I am glad that we have many choices of topics to write about, but we still need to write about the recent deaths in the prison. I was questioned about Hussain’s death. John and Tony were questioned about Angelo and David’s death and even Julian was not spared after David’s death.’

  Jenny said, ‘Everton you seem to be ardent about these articles. But you forget that the governor has to approve them. I suggest that you write and we can send it for approval to the governor and see what happens.’

  Everton replied, ‘Yes, that is a start. I will write about that topic. For the next issue, we are meeting this Friday and on the same day, our newsletter will be published so we can all fold all the published articles into the shape of a newspaper and then deliver them to all the wings by going around in small groups.’

  Chapter 30

  Mike Jackson had called a meeting with all the governors and prison officers that afternoon to discuss future actions. He talked about the recent killings in the prison and the inability of the police and prison officers to name a suspect.

  The main governor suggested, ‘We all need to be on our guard now. Anymore hangings of prisoners could put us all in a serious trouble. The government might suspend some of us and even close the prison. The prisoners outside are reluctant to come here, as they fear for their lives. The ones who are here want to move to different prisons. I expect all of you to be on your guard all the time. when prison officers lock the prisoners up, I want them to stay on the landings and not disappear into their rooms for tea or coffee. I like you to concentrate more at the entrance of the shower rooms, as where most of the deaths have taken place.’

  Some officers started to laugh, and Jackson saw the humour behind that, so he stood up and said, ‘What the governor means is that you keep your eyes on that area to see who comes and goes inside the shower room.’

  The governor grinned and continued, ‘You also need to keep any eye on the Greens and try to identify if there is any animosity between different groups. I am arranging for some spies to operate in different wings of the prison and this information should stay with you only.’

  Jackson again stood up and said, ‘You will not know about these spies, but they will be reporting back to me on a daily basis and for you they would be like any other prisoners. Moreover, they will also be looking for any officers who may have played any role in these killings.’

  The same evening Julian was lying in the bed and Nicki was sitting on a chair, reading the newspaper article about overcrowding of the prisons in the UK. Nicki looked at Julian, who was watching television that was also covering the same news. Nicki left the paper on the table to lie down with Julian in the lower bed as she wanted to hold him tight. She did not feel any electric current in his body anymore and that was a relief for her.

  Julian said sarcastically, ‘I thought that you did not want to come to me anymore, as if a devil had g
one inside my body.’

  Nicki laughed, ‘Even if you were possessed by a devil, I would still be by your side. I will never leave you.’

  Julian smiled and whispered after putting his arms around her neck. ‘I don't expect you to be disingenuous to me, but I wonder sometimes that you may be drawn to the arts teacher Mike.’

  Nicki kissed him on his face, ‘Mike is not too bad. He has shown more interest in me these days, but thanks god, he does not come near to me. I am doing a project about portraits and that has kept me busy for the last few weeks.’

  Julian sat down in the bed and took a deep breath with his outstretched hands.

  He said, ‘I remember that I am not going to the arts class today but instead to the gym to keep myself fit. Would you be ok to go to the arts class on your own’

  Nicki looked into Julian’s eyes and said, ‘Oh yes darling, I will be fine. Maybe, I can flirt with Mike a bit more and plan my escape from prison through him.’

  ‘Whatever you do, do not talk, remember that you are still a dumb.’

  Julian was enjoying his workout in the gym area. The sweat was dripping from his body continuously and he was in a desperate need for a shower.

  Suddenly, the gym door opened, and a prison officer rushed inside the gym to speak to the gym instructor. He shouted, ‘I need to speak to Julian. We have an emergency in workshop five, where a prisoner has fallen to the floor and is not responding. We tried to call for a doctor, but he is not in the prison, so we need somebody quickly. I was told that Julian is a doctor and maybe he can help us.’

  Julian was listening to the conversation and he came forward with a towel on his shoulder. The prison officer held Julian’s arms and pleaded, ‘Please come with me. We need you, there is an emergency in one of the workshops.’

  Within minutes, Julian found himself in workshop five, which was only the next door. When Julian reached there, he saw a prisoner lying on the floor with eyes closed and his breathing laboured.

  First thing Julian did was to shout, ‘Everybody move away, let us have some fresh air.’

  The prisoners left the area so that Julian was able to assess the condition of the prisoner. Julian felt his pulse, which was full and pulsating, his breathing was shallow.

  Julian shook the prisoner’s head and within seconds, he opened his eyes and asked, ‘What happened? Why am I lying on the floor?’

  Julian replied, ‘You must have fainted. How are you feeling now?’

  ‘Still feel weak but otherwise I feel good.’ replied the prisoner.

  ‘Let me get you a glass of water.’ Julian looked at one of the prison officers standing there.

  Julian handed over the glass of water to the prisoner, who felt refreshed and sat down to drink the water. Julian assisted him in standing up and asked him to sit on a nearby chair, but the prisoner did not want to sit down, but kept on walking in the area in small circles.

  Robin was also assisting Julian in helping the fainted prisoner. The Greens had developed a respect for Julian for his medical background and also for his efforts to revive David a few weeks ago.

  Robin then announced, ‘I am feeling tired. I am going to have a shower now. If anybody needs me, you can get me from there.’

  The shower room was a long walk from the site of the incident. Everybody saw Robin pick up his bag and walk slowly to the shower room.

  The prison officers asked Julian. ‘Do you want to go back to the gym or back to your room in the prison?’

  Julian replied, ‘I had just about finished my gym and was going to take my shower there.’

  The officer replied, ‘You have been very helpful to us, so you can take shower here if you like.’

  Julian ambled slowly to the shower room, as the prisoner was feeling better now and walking unaided. All the prisoners had gone back to their work place, where they were using their sewing machines for repairing and making various types of clothes. The prison officers had gone back to the office to have their tea break. The noise of the sewing machines was getting louder and louder and everything seemed to be getting back to normal. Looking outside the windows, the sky was grim and dark, and the rain was pouring like cats and dogs. The roaring thunder was sending shivers of fear through the spines of many present in the workshop, especially when lightening was prolonged and glaring but that did not stop the prisoners from finishing their work.

  Suddenly everybody heard the shouting from the shower room as Julian came running to the workshop and started shouting, ‘Help, help, Robin is lying on the floor and he is not breathing.’

  The two prison officers rushed to the scene immediately, where they saw Robin lying there with his tongue protruding out of his mouth and his eyes wide open. There was a rope around his neck, made of bed sheets.

  Julian removed the rope around his neck and started to press hard on Robin’s chest to give him resuscitation that was followed by breathing into Robin’s lungs. Two other prisoners rushed to the scene to offer help. Besides them, there were two other prisoners in the adjoining shower room, who also came to Julian’s assistance. Despite their best efforts, Robin could not be revived.

  Julian said, ‘I am sorry that I could not save him.’

  Everybody was so shell shocked that they did not say a single word. Robin’s body was covered with a white coloured bed sheet and both the ambulance and police were informed.

  Mike Jackson also managed to reach there within five minutes. He stood there motionless, with his hands folded in front of him with his eyes focussed to the dead body. He moved his head from side to side and took deep breath at regular intervals, and wiped drops of perspiration from his forehead as he could not believe his eyes that another prisoner had lost his life.

  Jackson was surprised to see Julian there, he asked, ‘Doctor, what are you doing here?’

  Julian looked nervous as he ambled towards him to reply, ‘I was called in this workshop by a prison officer from the gym, as another prisoner had fainted earlier here.’

  Jackson asked, while holding his mobile phone in his hand, ‘Was anybody near Robin when he died?’

  Nobody seemed to reply. The prison officer present there said, ‘There are four shower cubicles in this workshop. Robin was in one of them and for others, I am not sure as I did not check them, but I saw Julian going there for a shower after I suggested to him to go there. Robin had already gone to take his shower five minutes earlier.’

  Jackson pressed his head with his hand and said, ‘I am confused. All I wanted to know was that if anybody else was present in the shower area besides Robin?’

  The prison officer looked at group of prisoners standing in one corner of the hall and whispered ‘No, I don't think so but if somebody else had a quick shower there.’

  Jackson turned to Julian to ask him, ‘I can't believe that you were the only person anywhere near to Robin at the time of his death. Did you see anybody else in that area?’

  Julian could also feel drops of sweat on his forehead and whispered, ‘No sir, I did not see anybody else. When I came to the shower area, I saw Robin hanging from the ceiling. I immediately removed the rope around his neck and laid him on the floor.’

  ‘Was he breathing or still alive when you saw him first?’ asked Jackson

  ‘I think that he was already dead.’ Julian looked at his both hands who had examined more dead people in the recent past, than he had done in his GP’s surgery in the last ten years.

  ‘Did you see anybody else running away from the shower area?’ Jackson was getting frustrated at the lack of progress made in solving these murders and he felt that his questions were not very helpful anymore.

  Julian looked at the prison officer, standing by Jackson and said, ‘I was so busy in reviving Robin that I did not notice anything else.’

  Jackson seemed puzzled like anybody else and said, ‘This is unbelievable that another prisoner has died in a broad daylight. How was Robin feeling just before he died?’

  The prison officer stepped for
ward and said, ‘He was in a good mood and in fact, he tried to help us by reviving the other prisoner who had fainted earlier. He was the one who suggested that we should call Julian for help. Robin did not look like the type who would take his own life.’

  Jackson did not seem impressed by that statement and said, ‘All the Greens looked happy before they died. I can't understand that why they would take their own lives in a broad daylight. They can easily do that in their own cells. They all have died in the shower rooms.’

  Jackson looked around to check if he recognised any of the prisoners, but they were all new faces except for that of John and Tony, who still were sitting in their chairs, busy doing the repair work on a sewing machine.

  Jackson walked across to them and asked John, ‘Hello John, last time, I saw you soon after David’s death and you were seen coming out of the shower room, where were you today at the time of Robin’s death?’

  John replied, ‘Gov, I can't tell you the exact time but I had to go to the toilet.’

  Jackson’s eyes sparkled, as he muttered, ‘I see, that sounds very interesting. If I am right to say that it was near about the time when Robin died?’

  John got up from his seat to stand next to Jackson to say, ‘As I said before, I don't know what time Robin died, as I don't have a watch, but I heard lots of shouting and noise in the shower room, after I had come out of the toilet.’

  Jackson was fully confident that John was the man, who had killed Robin, as he was seen each time, soon after the death of all the Greens.

  Jackson then turned towards Tony to ask him, ‘Where were you Tony, when Robin died. Were you with John in the toilet as well?’

  Tony seemed startled by this direct accusation and replied nearly at the top of his voice, ‘No Gov, I am not a gay and I don't follow John wherever he goes. I was right here all this time stitching these bloody trousers.’

  Jackson still was not satisfied with the answer and asked him again, ‘Tony, After Robin’s death, everybody rushed to the shower room to see what was happening there, but you two did not move at all. That’s a bit strange, is it not, Tony.’