by Todd, Ian
“Yes, well, I’m sure it’s because they’ll want you well settled-in before any more trouble breaks out up north,” The Governor surmised, as Miss Beaker knocked oan his door.
“The security escort is here with the new prisoner, Governor,” she informed him, popping her heid roond the door.
“Just send them right in, Miss Beaker,” he replied, opening up the file oan his desk.
“Right, jist staun there and gie yer name and number tae The Governor!” SO Dick barked at Smith.
Silence.
“Did ye no hear whit Ah said? Gie yer name and number tae The Governor!” he barked again.
The Governor looked up fae the file.
“It’s okay, Mr Dick, I’ll take it from here,” The Governor said.
He looked at the young thug staunin in front ae him. He hidnae changed since he last saw him two and a hauf years earlier in Polmont. He continued tae read the file in front ae him. It said Smith wis noo eighteen. The file informed him that the inmate staunin in front ae him wis five feet ten inches in height, hid blond hair, grey eyes and a fair complexion. He didnae sport any tattoos or any distinguishing marks apart fae a scar oan his back where he’d been stabbed while serving time in borstal. The Governor remembered the incident. Smith hid jist been let oot ae solitary confinement earlier that day efter serving seven days. He’d been allocated tae work in the pallet work shoap, if The Governor’s memory served him right, tae serve oot the remainder ae his sentence until he wis released. He’d only hid a week left tae serve before being liberated, when another inmate hid plunged a chisel intae Smith’s back and punctured a lung. Smith and his co-accused, Taylor, who wis still up in Longriggend, awaiting transfer, hid been released oan the morning ae 31st December 1971. It hid been Hogmanay, the same morning that his wife Alison hid been shot. Although well-known associates ae the three who’d arrived the previous week, baith Smith and Taylor wur no thought tae hiv been involved in the shooting ae his wife and her lover. Apart fae his nine month stint in borstal in 1971, there wur nae convictions oan his record sheet since he’d left Thistle Park Approved School in 1970 until he wis convicted ae being involved wae Taylor in robbing a bank and shooting two polismen in the Maryhill district ae Glesga. It wis the security intelligence, put thegither by the Glesga Polis, that gied the reader a clearer picture ae the appalling lifestyle and crimes that Smith hid been involved in. The Governor shook his heid in disbelief, wondering why it hid taken so long fur Smith tae be finally charged wae anything. The background intelligence information contained in the file stated that Samuel Smith wis a member ae a relatively small bit extremely violent gang ae young thugs in Springburn, in the northern part ae the city. It stated that the gang wur known tae be actively involved in extortion, hijacking, resetting ae stolen goods and wur thought tae be responsible fur the alarming rise in armed Post Office hold-ups across the central and northern part ae the city since March 1972. It also stated that Smith hid been identified as being the gunman and prime suspect in a number ae underworld related murders, bit obtaining evidence that wid’ve stood up in court hid been difficult. Unbelievable, The Governor thought tae himsel, shuddering. The Governor looked at the prisoner. The two officers that hid escorted Smith intae his office wur staunin oan either side ae him, practically touching his ears wae their noses, bit Smith still managed tae look aboot The Governor’s office as if he didnae hiv a care in the world. He gied the impression that he could’ve been staunin in a bus queue as opposed tae staunin in front ae The Governor’s desk, aboot tae start a five-year prison sentence.
“So, we meet again, Smith,” The Governor taunted the prisoner.
“Look at The Governor when he’s speaking tae ye, ya piece ae shit,” The Chief snarled, as the prisoner slowly and casually turned and looked at The Governor.
“Now, Smith, I want you to consider very carefully what I’m about to say, because you won’t get a second chance. What I’m about to tell you, I have already informed your loutish friends already incarcerated here. From here on in, until you leave this institution, you will obey the rules and carry out all, and I mean all, instructions promptly, if ordered to do so by a prison officer. There will be no backchat or cheek. If you step out of line, I…we…will be down on you like a ton of bricks. Do I make myself clear?”
Silence.
“Do I make myself clear?” The Governor roared at him, spit flying across the desk.
“Answer the governor when he’s speaking tae ye!” Dickheid Dick, The SO shouted in the prisoner’s right ear, covering that side ae his face in spit.
“So, whit’s the score wae that wife ae yers then? Is it true that she’s back tae nagging fuck oot ae ye, efter spending aw that quality, loved-up time, being pumped silly by that Big Tam Simpson wan fae across in Possil?” Silent asked wae a grin oan that face ae his.
There wis a momentary shocked silence, before The Chief and the two escort screws, aw jumped oan the prisoner and started pummelling fuck oot ae him wae their fists and feet, as The governor leaned o’er the tap ae his desk wae a wooden ruler in his haun, whacking away at Silent’s back in-between the flying boots ae the screws.
“Good evening. My name is John Turney and these are the news headlines in Scotland tonight.
Housewives across Scotland have hit out at the alarming rate of price increases on food and have termed the rise scandalous. Economic experts claim that the soaring prices are as a result of the governments stern anti-inflation measures and are causing even the most ardent conservative MPs to recoil in horror and worry about their political prospects in the weeks and months to come. The government is being urged by all sides of the political divide to come up with measures to assist those on low pay who are suffering severe hardship…
Police have raided two major scrap dealer yards in the city in the early hours of this morning, hunting for stolen car parts. The yards, one in Balmore Road in the north of the city and another in the Broomielaw area of Finnieston are thought to be major illegal processing plants for stolen car parts. Police refused to comment on whether any incriminating parts were found, but it is believed that no arrests took place. A spokesman from Central HQ, Superintendent Daddy Jackson said that enquiries were continuing…
Two men have been admitted to The Royal Infirmary after being shot at close range in broad daylight from a passing car on Alexandra Parade this afternoon. A sixty-six-year-old pensioner was taken in a separate ambulance after having suffered what is believed to be a heart attack, a few minutes after the incident. Police sealed off the Parade and redirected cars onto Cumbernauld Road, causing major traffic disruption with tailbacks into the city centre…
City Councillors are backing moves for famous Glasgow Country and Western Singer, Sarah May Todd, to be awarded the freedom of the city after it was revealed she had sold out her five-night concert special at The Apollo in November in less than five hours. A spokesman for The Apollo said that it was an astonishing feat that The Rolling Stones couldn’t achieve. Some fans camped for three days around the block to ensure they got tickets…
The number of women and children being made homeless and seeking alternative accommodation due to domestic abuse is on the increase, a women’s charity claimed today…”
Chapter Eighteen
“Fanny, are you awake? What’s wrong?” Jardine whispered.
“Nothing. Go back to sleep, darling.”
“You’ve been tossing and turning half the night. Something’s bothering you.”
“What time is it?” she murmured.
“Twenty to five.”
“Only two hours before I have to get up. God, I’ll be shattered by this afternoon,” she groaned, turning o’er and resting her heid oan his bare chest.
“Tell me what’s bothering you. Is it work?” he asked, stroking her hair.
“In 1968, when I was working in Thistle Park Approved School in Paisley, I started working with a group of young boys from Glasgow. They basically ran rings around me and took me to the cle
aners. To cut a long story short, they stole my car and used it to escape back to where they originated from,” she said, staring intae space, a pained expression oan her face.
“Did you ever get the car back?”
“Yes. It was my first car as well. Someone once told me that some cars had bad karma and brought their owners nothing but grief. They must have had that one in mind when they came up with that one. It was a nice little green mini. I really loved that car, until it was stolen, that is. You wouldn’t have thought that it had been used in an escape. It was still in the same state that it was in before it was taken, apart from my workbag, containing the files of all the boys, which went missing and a burned-out clutch. I had to get rid of poor Nelly…that’s what she was called, soon after her return though. It just didn’t feel the same, knowing that the boys had stolen her. Every time I looked at the car, it reminded me of what had been going wrong in my life at the time. It was also around that time that I found out I was pregnant with Jake. I felt really hurt and down during that period of my life. The boys had lured me in to a false sense of security, as had Jake’s father. From feeling on top of the world, with everything to live for, I ended up with nothing. I packed in my job and was going back to live with my parents with my tail between my legs. I felt so humiliated. Even now, I can still feel the hurt, pain and shame of having to face Mum and Dad. I phoned my mum to come and pick me up. I don’t know where my head was at the time. I can remember telling my mum over the phone that I was pregnant.”
“What was her reaction?”
“You know what my mother’s like. She was twittering away, ten to the dozen. I couldn’t get a word in edgewise. On reflection, I was probably in the process of having a full-blown nervous breakdown. All I can remember is shouting down the phone, informing her of my situation. There was this deafening silence, before I heard her body crashing onto the floor. In the background I could hear my father’s footsteps running towards her, screaming out her name, panic and fear in his voice. I don’t think my father has ever forgiven me for that.”
“I’m sure he has, Fanny. Your father isn’t one for holding grudges for too long,” he said soothingly, caressing her hair.
“And my poor mother? She still hasn’t got over the shock. The shame of her only darling daughter ending up with a child out of wedlock wasn’t what they’d had in mind for me.”
“But why is this bothering you now? You’ve got me and Jake, whose grandparents, aunts and uncles on both sides all simply adore him.”
“The boys.”
“What about them?”
“Two of them, including the one that was the ringleader back then, have arrived in Dumfries, with another on his way. I have an appointment with the ringleader tomorrow, I mean today, and I’m not looking forward to it.”
“He’ll probably not even know who you are. You said so yourself. They were only kids back then. They must all be in their late teens by now. Back then, you were Miss Fanny Flaw and you’re still…what?…Ms Fanny Flaw?” he said. “Is that still the same?” he asked, as the baith ae them burst oot laughing.
“You know, it’s not only my parents who don’t fully understand why I kept my maiden name. My boss, Alex, said that I did it deliberately to upset George Crawford, Alison Crawford’s husband. I had a meeting with him and Father Leonard. He just doesn’t know what to call me, so instead of Miss Flaw, it’s Mrs,” she said, chuckling. “On a serious note, though…some of the prison officers are nervous, what with all the trouble that’s been brewing in the adult prisons these past few years. Father Leonard said that with the arrival of these YOs, the management are concerned that they’ll incite the others to undermine the regime.”
“And will they? What’s your thinking?”
“I’m not sure. On paper, with regard to their convictions, they’re much and such the same as the majority of the other YOs in the place. It’s what’s said in their background intelligence reports, which accompany the files on all the inmates as they pass through the system, that’s the problem. I only got a hold of Guc…er…the ringleader’s one, just before I left earlier this evening. I’ll have more time tomorrow to read it before I meet him, but from what I did read, he’s suspected of having been involved in a string of murders, underworld slayings in Glasgow…and he’s still only nineteen.”
“Nineteen?” Jardine asked, rolling aroond oan tae his left side, propping his haun under that chin ae his as he searched her face, worried.
“God, can you imagine the life he’s led? If only I’d had the time to work with them for longer when I had them in my care when they were young,” she groaned, biting oan her bottom lip.
“You don’t think you’re in any danger, do you?” Jardine asked, alarmed.
“No, I don’t think so. The governor has heightened the security level and there’s a new chief officer arriving on Monday. They say he’s one of the old school types, which doesn’t bode well.”
“What’s Father Leonard saying about it?”
“He says we’ll just have to go with the changes meantime. We don’t really have much choice in the matter.”
“Why don’t you take a few days off? Spend some time at home with Jake and I? I’m sure Jake would be delighted to see you at the school gates in the afternoon when the bell rings.”
“I can’t. I’ve only just returned after our holi…honeymoon,” she said, looking up at him, before smiling and kissing him.
“Good evening. My name is John Turney and these are the news headlines in Scotland tonight.
A British Frigate reported earlier today that she had been in collision with an Icelandic gunboat on the high seas amidst fears that the Cod War between Iceland and Great Britain is escalating…
A senior director, Mr James Anderson, informed members of the Social Work Committee of Glasgow Corporation today that the department was in a serious position due to an extreme shortage of staff. Mr Anderson informed councillors that the department was 25% short of the staff required to provide an acceptable service to the needy. Mr Anderson also informed the committee that he would shortly be putting forward proposals to give new social workers coming to Glasgow a removal and disturbance allowance, assistance with housing and loans to purchase cars to undertake official duties…
A postmaster is believed to be in a critical condition in Glasgow’s Royal Infirmary after being clubbed and shot during a robbery in Balornock early this morning. Mr Jack McFarlane was said to have struggled with one of the attackers after refusing to hand over bags containing money that had just been delivered by a GPO van for the area’s pensioners. After being clubbed over the head by what witnesses described as an iron bar by the assailant, the other robber shouted for his accomplice to move aside before he shot Mr McFarlane at point blank range. It is thought the robbers made off with a four-figure sum of money. Local Springburn Inspector Paddy McPhee is appealing for witnesses or for anyone who saw a red Ford Cortina parked outside the Post Office just after nine o’clock this morning…
Two Clydeside Provident Company employees were violently assaulted and robbed in two different parts of the city last night. The incidents, two miles apart, in Milton and Auchinairn, brings the number of Clydesdale Provident employees robbed and assaulted this year alone to nine. A company spokesman said that all employees are trained to hand over money without resistance if confronted by would-be robbers…
An ex-police inspector whistle-blower, previously stationed in Paisley, has lost his appeal against being sacked after it was discovered that he was responsible for disclosing corruption amongst serving police officers in Glasgow to a national newspaper. The dossier he provided was used by The Glasgow Echo in a series of articles that exposed levels of corruption and malpractice up to and including middle-ranking police officers, which subsequently led to a number of resignations and arrests by an outside police force…
Fourteen Dalmatian puppies were born in the home of Jack and Dorothy Baker on the twentieth floor of the Red Road flats yesterd
ay afternoon. Mrs Baker said that Elsie, the bitch, was doing fine and doting on the new arrivals whilst the father, Ben Gurion, was so far showing little interest. Dog breeding expert Jackie Phimister told the news desk that this isn’t unusual in male dogs…
A group of women, lead by an off-duty casualty department ward sister from Glasgow’s Royal Infirmary, converged on Central Police Headquarters today, protesting against the use of male officers interrogating rape victims. Superintendent Daddy Jackson refuted claims that male officers often appeared unsympathetic to the plight of victims and stated that his officers treated all victims of crime equally. Superintendent Jackson pointed to the high conviction rate as a result of dedicated police work. A spokesman for the protesters, Jill Shand, stated that the Chief Superintendent had missed the point and that the distress felt by women who’d just been violently raped by a male before being subjected to aggressive challenges by a male police officer in a uniform, to ascertain whether the victim’s claims were true or not a short time thereafter, was totally unacceptable…”
Chapter Nineteen
The Governor sat fidgeting behind his desk, fingers drumming oan his ink blotter. He glanced across at The Chief who wis staunin ramrod straight, his eyes almost invisible under the shadow ae his peaked cap, facing the door.
“Ah don’t see whit’s so special aboot Gucci, Governor. Why gie him special treatment? Wance ye start that, they’ll aw be expecting it. These wee so-called tickets feed aff ae their notoriety, so they dae,” Mr Baker, the new chief, hid advised earlier.
“He’s not getting special treatment, Chief. Gucci has requested an audience, as is his right. I get similar requests from YOs every day of the week.”
