John Judge
Page 7
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Two days later on a bright spring day John strolled into Jubilee Park where he was to meet Graham. He was a little early so decided to wander around the garden. He spotted the old woman that he had helped on his last visit here. ‘Hello, Mrs Bishop, how are you today?’
The elderly woman turned her head and tried to get up but couldn’t, John took her hand and gently helped her. ‘I can’t thank you enough, John, for the help your young lady and her friend gave my friends and me. She has promised she will visit us again soon, I’m not sure she will, though.’
‘Mrs Bishop I can assure you Marie will keep her promise. She and I were very sorry that your friend and neighbour died,, especially in those circumstances. Things will change I promise, but I must ask you never to mention me or any of my colleagues. It just might upset the authorities.’ He smiled and winked at her.
‘I must go and meet my friend now, so if you will excuse me, goodbye for now.’ John turned away and walked towards Graham, who was standing by the river wall.
Mrs Bishop watched John walk away and for the first time in a few years detected a faint whiff of hope.
‘Hello, Graham, glad you could make it.’
‘Hi John, we have to make this quick, I have to get back to a meeting with my boss.’ Graham slipped a piece of paper into John’s hand, ‘it’s the list of ex-cabinet members. All of them resigned their seat without any reason being given other than “for personal reasons”. The story on the street is that they were threatened with a scandal that would have ruined them. If they had some skeletons in their cupboards, they were certainly serious enough to provoke a pretty sharp exit.’
‘You sound doubtful Graham.’
‘It’s the timing John. They voice concerns at a cabinet meeting that effectively challenges “he that would be king” and suddenly they’re gone?’
‘That just may be coincidence, maybe they have been very naughty boys that Garside couldn’t afford to have around him.’
‘That was my immediate reaction, but then I learned that a top MI5 man, Henry Mason, had been co-opted onto the cabinet as a permanent member days following these resignations. Do you remember Small the disgraced MP?’
‘Yes, I do. Something to do with child porn.’
‘Well, my sources tell me that Henry Mason had something to do with it being a setup. And he’s a good friend of Garside. With the massive resources at Mason’s disposal, he could set anything up. Now he’s at the top table.’
‘So what you’re saying is that Garside gets scared of the emerging opposition. He calls on his old mate with a promise of a seat at his right hand and Mason either digs up the dirt or invents some as he did with Small. By the way what happened to Small?’
‘Sorry to say, John, he went to pieces after the scandal and committed suicide just after he was released from gaol. He left a note denying he was guilty of the crime and that the evidence was fabricated. And yes I think Mason is capable and willing to do what Garside wants.’
‘So, it may be we can develop some allies by talking to the dissidents even though they may no longer have any political clout. We will need to know a lot more about them before we make a move.’
‘I have to go soon, John but just one more thing, do you remember the young man in the cage that had his hands damaged?’
‘Yes I do and I think you were able to get him some medical treatment weren’t you?’
‘Well, unfortunately, I didn’t. I thought he was being taken to hospital, but it turns out they shipped him to the new prison at Shooters Hill. I don’t know what sort of medical treatment he got there, but he was released a month ago and then got himself into trouble again and has been thrown into a Conpen at Southwark Park. I’m really concerned about him and many others like him John.
‘How many are being held in that Conpen? How many warders and how well armed?’
‘Roughly thirty, mostly young kids who thought they could buck the system. There are about five warders there at any one time and they have side arms and Taser guns. Why do you ask?
‘I think we may have found our first target. Thanks, Graham, let me know if there are any changes to their manning levels. I’ll be in touch, take care, friend.’
They turned in opposite directions and walked away.
John thought deeply about the first action he was about to instigate.