Slammer (15 page)

'You're cold,' he said.

'You want to warm me up?'

*

In the classroom, Horse coughed and Glass looked up from his seat. Horse and Caesar had remained standing. Glass realised sitting might have been a mistake.

'Asked if you'd seen Watt recently,' Horse said.

Glass pictured Watt sitting in his chair in the lounge watching TV with Lorna. She was still scared. Middle of last week, Glass had walked into the kitchen when Lorna was making dinner. When he spoke to ask if he could help, she'd screamed, dropped her glass and said, 'Jesus. Don't sneak up on me like that. Christ, Nick.' Glass swept up the broken fragments, mopped up the spilled wine. Lorna fetched another glass and filled it. He blamed Watt. Blamed Caesar. It was their fault she'd started drinking again.

'Course he hasn't,' Caesar said. 'No reason for him to.'

Caesar was right. Now that Glass wasn't running drugs, he didn't have to meet with Watt every few days. They'd become professional, scarcely exchanging a word, just the gear. Most of the time. They usually met in public places, but on a few occasions they'd met at Mad Will's flat, and Mad Will always poured Glass some coffee from his thermos which Glass took a sip of before leaving. Once, Watt was busy in the bedroom and Glass had to hang around till he was finished.

'Couldn't he have given you the package?' Glass had asked Mad Will.

'Got a thing about the handover being personal,' Mad Will said.

'He just likes to fuck with me.'

'He likes to fuck with everyone.' Mad Will took a wrap out of his shirt pocket. 'Bump of Charlie?'

'Bump?'

'I'd offer you a rail but it's uncut. Your head might explode.'

'I'll take my chances.'

When Watt appeared in his dressing gown ten minutes later, Glass was on his feet with his hand out before he even thought about it. Or maybe he did think about it but his thoughts were blurting out, instant and rapid, and he felt fast and confident and the back of his throat was melting ice and Watt was no danger and everything was okay, course it was, never better.

'What've you been feeding him?' Watt asked Mad Will.

'He's just being friendly,' Mad Will said.

Watt faced Glass. 'Put your hand away.' He shook his head. 'You don't want to be friends with me. You don't want to be part of this gang. Trust me.'

*

'I hear that boy's
weird
.
'
Jasmine's voice screeched in the classroom. She clutched Caesar's arm. 'In a good way.'

'You know why,' Caesar said. 'Mafia ever tell you what happened, Nick?'

Glass couldn't concentrate. His thoughts kept jumping from one thing to another.

'Well?'

'No,' Glass said.

'I'm glad to hear he can keep his mouth shut.'

'You're forgetting,' Horse said. 'Crystal and Mafia had a lover's tiff. Not speaking to each other any more, are they?'

'What happened?'

'None of your concern.' Caesar turned to look at Jasmine. 'We've had one or two barneys, haven't we?'

'Making up, though,' Jasmine said. 'That's sweet.'

'Will that be sweet for you?' Caesar asked Glass. 'When you and Mafia make up?'

'We won't.'

'Caesar was just guessing about the fight, you know,' Horse said. 'But it's nice of you to confirm it.'

He and Caesar laughed. They thought they were so fucking smart. Glass said, 'Makes no difference to me what you know.'

'It should,' Caesar said. 'Cause I know enough to put you away for a long, long time.'

A bluff. Sounded bad, but there was no way Caesar could prove a thing.

'You think I can't prove anything?'

'It's like you're psychic,' Glass said.

'Well, that's where you're wrong.'

Caesar was enjoying the moment. Glass could tell he wanted to draw it out for as long as possible.

'How?' Glass said.

'Got one of the baggies stashed in a safe place,' Caesar said.

Glass didn't see how that affected him.

'Dear me,' Caesar said. 'I used to think it was because you were young. But now I realise you're just fucking slow. You need some speed to perk you up.' He looked at Jasmine. 'Tell him.'

Jasmine raised her hand, waggled her fingers. 'Prints,' she said.

'That's a joke,' Glass said. 'You could have got my prints on an empty bag and put the gear in it afterwards. Nobody's going to believe you.'

'But we didn't put those prints there, did we?'

'The only people who know that are us and Watt.'

Horse took his hand out of his pocket. He had something in it. 'Thanks, Officer Glass,' he said. Pressed a button and the tape recorder stopped.

'Beautiful,' Caesar said. 'You're a real dim-witted twat, Crystal.'

'Jesus,' Glass said. They were going to blackmail him now.

'Actually,' Caesar said, 'it's not Jesus. It's Julius.'

High fives all round.

'I can't pay you,' Glass said. 'I've no money.'

'I don't want your money, you tit.'

'What do you want?'

'Wait and see,' Caesar said. 'You'll find out soon enough.' He moved towards the door, his cronies following. He turned, asked Glass, 'You sure you don't want a nice relaxing rectal tube to slip up your arse?'

'
Crystal
doesn't need one,' Horse said. 'He's well fucked already.'

THURSDAY

Caesar said, 'Glad you could make it.'

They were in his peter. Jasmine and Horse were there too. The radio was off, so it had to be serious.

'So?' Glass said. 'What is it?'

'Fuck, he's impatient,' Horse said.

'Teach him some manners,' Jasmine said.

Glass stared at her. If she wanted to try it on with him, she was more than welcome. He wasn't scared of a transvestite. Not any more. He'd dropped some Temgesic before coming to work. Wished he'd kept more of those, but he was down to his last four. 'You lot still think you can intimidate me?' he said. 'You're wrong.'

'Oh,' Caesar said. 'That's a —' he lunged forward, punching the air right where Glass's nose would have been if he hadn't snapped his head back and out of the way in time — 'fucking shame.' He stared at Glass, mouth puckered as he sucked his front teeth.

'You know,' Horse said. 'I'd swear you seem just a bit intimidated to me, Glass.'

Caesar cocked his head.

'What do you want?' Glass said, taking a step back, wiping his nose with the back of his hand. Then he realised what he was doing, and that there was no need cause Caesar hadn't hit his nose and it wasn't bleeding, and he put his hands by his sides. 'I'm fed up of this.'

'Ooooh,' Jasmine said. 'Balls like those, you make me want to reach out and polish them.'

'That's enough,' Glass said.

'No, it isn't.' Caesar nodded to Horse, and Horse slammed the cell door shut.
 
'You'll stay here and you'll listen to what you're told.'

He poked Glass hard in the chest with his finger.

Glass said nothing, stood there as if Caesar's finger punch didn't hurt.

Caesar jabbed him again. 'Okay?'

His fingers were like rocks. 'What is it you want from me?' Glass said.

'Apart from your gorgeous body?' Jasmine said.

'Shut your fanny,' Caesar told her.

Glass flinched as Caesar's hand found his shoulder.

'Look,' Caesar said, his voice all friendly, 'we just need that bit of help we mentioned.' Glass was about to speak, but Caesar continued: 'No risk in it for you.'

'I've heard that before,' Glass said.

'And it was true, wasn't it?' Caesar squeezed Glass's shoulder.

Glass felt the scars on his shoulder burn beneath Caesar's fingers.

'Not exactly.'

'Well, you didn't get caught. And this is even less risky.'

Glass didn't want to know. He didn't want to have to say he wouldn't do it, cause then everything would start up all over again. And whatever it was, there was no way he could go through with it. He wouldn't be able to pull it off. He couldn't. Not without getting out of his head.

'What it is,' Caesar said, removing his hand from Glass's shoulder, 'is, we're a bit fed up of this place, the three of us.'

'Don't blame you,' Glass said.

'Yes,' Caesar said. 'But you get to go home to your lovely wife and kid at night.'

Glass stiffened.

'I'm being sincere,' Caesar said. 'You get to see your family. Whilst I have to bunk up with Jasmine here. Who's lovely too, but she's got a dick. Think you'd like that?'

'Course not.'

'I didn't think so. So you understand how we all might want to be somewhere else?'

'I can understand it, yeah.' Glass resisted stating the obvious.

'Good,' Caesar said. 'That's very good.'

There was a pause. Glass couldn't hold it back any longer. 'But you're all lifers,' he said. Even Jasmine. Only two years into a minimum ten-spot. She looked like skin and bones held together with lipstick but she was an accessory to a double killing. Her accomplice had torched a flat they'd robbed, killing the young couple they'd left tied up in the bedroom. Maybe he ought to be afraid of her after all.

Caesar lowered his voice. 'That's why we're breaking out.'

'I don't want to hear this,' Glass said.

'But you've no choice,' Caesar said. 'Our escape plan won't work without you.'

*

In C-Hall, once the prisoners were locked up, there was very little to do, so staffing was at a minimum. The officer on night duty was the lone guard and he'd spend most of the night sitting in the office or the staff room with his feet up and his slippers on, reading a book and drinking coffee.

Cushy number. Glass didn't mind night shift at all, not since he'd been muling for Caesar and Lorna and Caitlin were safe.

All the duty officer had to do was patrol at set intervals, check the cons were okay, and peg in at the appropriate station — 'pegging' being a simple matter of slotting a key in a wall panel and turning it clockwise or anti-clockwise, depending on what instructions you received at the gate. It was just a way to make sure you didn't spend the night asleep.