want to give Kevin any false hope, not when he was so fragile. She made a note to talk to the guards before she left, for she was seriously worried about him.
‘Are you sure it was Brian Morris?’ she said. Kevin nodded. He was looking better now someone was listening to him. He sat up straight in the chair and there was a tiny glimmer of his old cockiness. ‘And you’re certain of the time – just as you were heading down to the bridge?’
‘Yep,’ said Kevin, ‘Only time I see anyone, that night. I’m walking maybe just past the sluice gate, near where the old canal joins, see?’
Alex did a quick mental calculation. If Brian had seen him that night he’d been about half a mile from the bridge where the Elver Man was parked. Even on such a foul night, pushing his pram full of elvers, Kevin was no more than 20 minutes away. The police had said the Elver Man had been dead for at least four hours so Kevin couldn’t be the killer! She nodded, trying to keep her face calm, making cryptic little scribbles in the folder of notes on the table. She was in dangerous territory here she knew, discussing a crime for which Kevin had not been committed. If he gave her any information that could be used as evidence she would have to report it to the police and that would make her a witness for the prosecution. Not exactly the role she wanted and not likely to endear her to her colleagues or her probationers, but she was sure Kevin was innocent and no-one else in authority seemed willing to look at the case twice. If she didn’t stand up for him then who would?
A door opened, this time on the left of the visiting room, and a line of prisoners shuffled in, spreading themselves around the room to receive their visitors. Kevin stiffened and his face paled as he caught sight of one man at the back of the group. Alex glanced over casually but caught the eye of the cause of Kevin’s concern. A tall, well-built man with dark eyes stared at her for an instant and bared his teeth in a smile that was almost feral. He has a mouth full of gold teeth and he flicked his tongue at her before she could look away. The guard behind Kevin moved swiftly to stand between the man and Alex, manhandling him roughly into a seat away from Kevin’s table and muttering something in his ear. He gave Alex a nod as he resumed his post and she responded with a quick smile, trying to disguise how much the incident had shaken her. Kevin looked ghastly, she realized. He’d turned a horrible grey colour and seemed to be struggling for breath. Glancing down she saw his hands were clenched tightly together on the table in an effort to stop them shaking. She reached out to touch him, hoping to offer some comfort, but he jerked away and twisted round in his seat to signal to the guard.
‘I’m done here,’ Kevin said, rising to his feet. The officer looked at Alex and shrugged before taking Kevin by the shoulder and leading him out into the Remand area.
Alex looked around, careful to avoid the gaze of the dark-haired man. At that moment the door to the visitors’ area opened and the day’s procession of visitors flooded in, a ragtag mix of old and very young, happy and fearful. She slipped past and out of the door amidst the confusion of greetings and raised voices stepping thankfully into the relative calm of the waiting room. On the other side of the room beside theexit to the gate was the female guard from her visit with Ada Mallory who flashed a quick grin of recognition.
‘Just you today then?’ she asked, as she unlocked the door through to the main reception area. Alex shook her head at her as she rummaged in her briefcase for the all-important warrant card.
‘Yeah, I’ve not brought the pantomime this time. Say, do you ever work on the Remand wing?’
The woman pulled a face. ‘Sometimes, though I’m mainly here for the female visitors. They don’t like us mixing with the cons – seem to think we can’t handle it. I do a couple of
‘Are you sure it was Brian Morris?’ she said. Kevin nodded. He was looking better now someone was listening to him. He sat up straight in the chair and there was a tiny glimmer of his old cockiness. ‘And you’re certain of the time – just as you were heading down to the bridge?’
‘Yep,’ said Kevin, ‘Only time I see anyone, that night. I’m walking maybe just past the sluice gate, near where the old canal joins, see?’
Alex did a quick mental calculation. If Brian had seen him that night he’d been about half a mile from the bridge where the Elver Man was parked. Even on such a foul night, pushing his pram full of elvers, Kevin was no more than 20 minutes away. The police had said the Elver Man had been dead for at least four hours so Kevin couldn’t be the killer! She nodded, trying to keep her face calm, making cryptic little scribbles in the folder of notes on the table. She was in dangerous territory here she knew, discussing a crime for which Kevin had not been committed. If he gave her any information that could be used as evidence she would have to report it to the police and that would make her a witness for the prosecution. Not exactly the role she wanted and not likely to endear her to her colleagues or her probationers, but she was sure Kevin was innocent and no-one else in authority seemed willing to look at the case twice. If she didn’t stand up for him then who would?
A door opened, this time on the left of the visiting room, and a line of prisoners shuffled in, spreading themselves around the room to receive their visitors. Kevin stiffened and his face paled as he caught sight of one man at the back of the group. Alex glanced over casually but caught the eye of the cause of Kevin’s concern. A tall, well-built man with dark eyes stared at her for an instant and bared his teeth in a smile that was almost feral. He has a mouth full of gold teeth and he flicked his tongue at her before she could look away. The guard behind Kevin moved swiftly to stand between the man and Alex, manhandling him roughly into a seat away from Kevin’s table and muttering something in his ear. He gave Alex a nod as he resumed his post and she responded with a quick smile, trying to disguise how much the incident had shaken her. Kevin looked ghastly, she realized. He’d turned a horrible grey colour and seemed to be struggling for breath. Glancing down she saw his hands were clenched tightly together on the table in an effort to stop them shaking. She reached out to touch him, hoping to offer some comfort, but he jerked away and twisted round in his seat to signal to the guard.
‘I’m done here,’ Kevin said, rising to his feet. The officer looked at Alex and shrugged before taking Kevin by the shoulder and leading him out into the Remand area.
Alex looked around, careful to avoid the gaze of the dark-haired man. At that moment the door to the visitors’ area opened and the day’s procession of visitors flooded in, a ragtag mix of old and very young, happy and fearful. She slipped past and out of the door amidst the confusion of greetings and raised voices stepping thankfully into the relative calm of the waiting room. On the other side of the room beside theexit to the gate was the female guard from her visit with Ada Mallory who flashed a quick grin of recognition.
‘Just you today then?’ she asked, as she unlocked the door through to the main reception area. Alex shook her head at her as she rummaged in her briefcase for the all-important warrant card.
‘Yeah, I’ve not brought the pantomime this time. Say, do you ever work on the Remand wing?’
The woman pulled a face. ‘Sometimes, though I’m mainly here for the female visitors. They don’t like us mixing with the cons – seem to think we can’t handle it. I do a couple of
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