Page 47 of The Stranger in Room Six
‘Ugh,’ she screams.
‘So sorry,’ I say sweetly.
One of the guard marches over. ‘What’s going on here?’
‘I tripped trying to find my seat,’ I say. ‘Unfortunately, I dropped my plate.’
‘It’s all over me,’ screams Jac. ‘Move! I need to wash it out and change.’
‘You’ll sit where you are until dinner is over,’ says the guard. ‘And move up so Belinda can sit down.’
Grudgingly she does so, and I sit beside her. ‘Pity it’s not shower night for another two days,’ I say.
She stares at me.
‘Haven’t you heard? The hot water’s conked out again.’
‘But I can’t walk around smelling like this!’
She’s almost hysterical. One of the girls at the table sniggers.
‘Shut up,’ Jac snaps.
‘You don’t like getting dirty, do you? I must remember that.’
Jac scowls through the meat and potato caked on her face.
‘If you don’t like getting dirty,’ I add, ‘you’d better not play dirty. I know you’re the reason my daughter hasn’t been able to visit.’
It’s clear from her face that I’m right.
‘I’ll give you one more warning, Jac. If you do that again, you’ll be getting a lot worse than this. You might, say, wake up to find someone doing something to you that you’d rather not.’
‘Are you threatening me?’
‘Just remember what money can buy. You’re right to call me Lady Belinda. I’ve got the means to get you in a lot of trouble if I want.’
She doesn’t need to know that I have no money; that Gerald had it all.
Jac’s glaring at me, then suddenly she’s up and in my face. I shove a chair between us and ram it hard against her. She falls awkwardly. There’s an audible snap followed by a terrible scream. ‘My arm,’ she yells. ‘My arm. It fucking hurts!’
‘What’s happening here?’ says a guard running up.
‘She fell over a chair,’ I say firmly.
‘Is that right?’ the guard asks Jac.
She looks at me. Fear is in her eyes. It’s in my heart too, although I can’t show that.
She nods.
The next day, Jac is shipped out to another prison. And that’s when I know I’ve won: no one will get on the wrong side of me, in case I hurt them too.
The old Belinda has well and truly gone.
31
Mabel
