The Escape

Chapter seven

When Colin returned to his cell, Barry was looking at a comic on his bunk bed.

‘Guess what we decided to call him?’ Colin asked with a big smile.

‘You’d told me Karen wanted to call him Justin.’

‘I changed her mind. We want him to be called Barry.’

Barry sat up, his eyes brimming with tears.

‘You mean that? You would do that?’

‘Yeah, if that’s all right with you?’

‘Of course it is. Wow! That’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. I really appreciate it, Colin. Thank you so very, very much.’

‘That’s OK. Let’s just hope it all goes to plan in the morning.’

The lights went out, and they both lay on their bunks as the cells were locked up for the night. There were the usual catcalls and tinny radio sounds that would continue into the wee hours. Neither of them had a radio. They had talked about maybe getting one, but they had no money and no one brought one in for them. They had sometimes watched television in the communal TV room, but deliberately never together, so if one saw a show he would tell the other all about it.

‘Do you want a final run-through?’ Barry whispered.

Colin whispered back that it would be a good idea. Quietly, they went through all of Barry’s relatives, his childhood and school days until they had covered everything. At last, they fell silent.

‘Not long now,’ Barry said after a while.

‘Fingers crossed,’ Colin answered, yawning.

After a few minutes, he could tell that Barry had fallen asleep because he snored, but Colin just couldn’t get to sleep himself. He was too wired, thinking about what it would be like to see Karen and how she would react. He thought about her parents, and worried that her father might tell the prison or police where he was. He decided that he would explain to Karen’s mum and dad that he had been let out on day release for the baby’s birth.

If everything was on time and the baby was born on the due date, he was certain he would get away with it. They had planned that Barry would stay in the cell all morning and not go down for his lunch or mix with the other men on the wing. He prayed that Barry, who would have to pretend to be him, gave nothing away before he himself got to court and carried out the final part of his escape. He also hoped that he would have plenty of time before the prison officers started asking Barry questions and found out the truth.

Unable to sleep, Colin paced round the cell. He looked over at Barry, sleeping like a baby apart from the snoring. He sincerely hoped that his friend would not get into deep trouble for helping him. Colin had considered tying Barry up and gagging him, but quickly realised that was a stupid idea which could give away everything at an early stage. He had even suggested that Barry should say that he was threatened and forced to do the tattoos and swap places, but Barry had rejected the idea. He would rather just play dumb and act as if he had forgotten about the arrangements for his court appearance. He also told Colin that he did not mind getting months added to his sentence, as he preferred prison life to his life outside.

Colin had tried to make him aware of what it could mean, as Barry had not even been convicted of a crime yet, but was on remand until the magistrates’ court sent him for trial. It was during that conversation that Colin learned exactly why Barry was at Barfield.

‘I was charged and kept in custody for stealing food.’

‘Stealing food! What was it, an Iceland truck full of the stuff?’ Colin had asked, astonished.

Barry laughed. ‘No, McDonalds and KFC.’

‘Burgers and chicken?’

‘Along with French fries and a large drink. I’d even order a triple Mac with double fries and the warmed apple pie. I was doing it like every day, sometimes twice, and always ran off without paying.’

Colin shook his head in disbelief as Barry continued, ‘I waited until all the food was on the tray and then, when they asked me for the money, I’d pick it up and run like hell.’

‘Didn’t you spill it off the tray?’

‘The first few times, yes, and I was only left with the chips or burger. The more I did it, the better I got and eventually never spilled a thing. One time though the drink went all over the floor, and the manager who was chasing me slipped in it and went arse over tit!’

They both laughed out loud as Barry recounted his balancing skills.

Colin was surprised that Barry’s crime, which seemed little more than a minor theft, was serious enough for him to land up in prison on remand. Barry giggled and explained that he had been dodging paying for his fast food for as long as he could remember.

‘I’ve been arrested loads of times, given warnings, fines and probation.’

‘Then why haven’t you learned your lesson?’

‘Because I just can’t resist doing it. I know every fast-food place from Chelsea to Fulham, Putney to New Malden, Kingston and beyond. You name an outlet and I’ll have tapped ’em.’

‘You must be a walking satnav for fast-food joints,’ Colin said.

‘I’d always return the tray,’ he said with a shrug. ‘I’d leave it in their doorway after eating the food. I had to keep switching where I went, so that the staff wouldn’t recognise me. I never thought I’d get caught, but they got me in Clapham High Street last time.’

Colin was taken aback as it was a ridiculous series of petty crimes that didn’t, in his opinion, warrant a prison sentence.

‘Why are you going for trial and pleading not guilty? If you plead guilty at the magistrates’ you might not even get a prison sentence.’

Barry giggled again. ‘Because I know that I will be found guilty and get a longer sentence at Crown court. You see, Colin, I’m glad they got me. I don’t really want to go anywhere else. I’m even going to ask for two hundred other cases to be taken into consideration.’

Colin could not understand Barry’s attitude. He himself hated being in prison and had always thought that Barry was just making the best of a bad job when he’d claimed otherwise. Now he realised that Barry was genuine, and that Barfield was the closest thing he had to a family and home.

Colin still felt extremely bitter that after going straight he’d been locked up for crimes he had committed over a year before. He was angry that the judge had not taken into consideration that he had changed while he was on the run and had been hard-working and honest. It had meant nothing to the judge that he had married Karen, she was pregnant and they were due to start a family together. It hadn’t helped that when Colin had been caught he had put up quite a struggle. Although all he had done was to push the arresting officer over, the judge described him as ‘violent’ and, peering at Colin over his half-moon glasses, had spoken in a clipped cold manner.

‘You were originally due for a sentence of probation and community service. You alone chose to abscond, and the courts will not tolerate that type of behaviour. You only have yourself to blame. Justice will be served and you, young man, are going to pay your debt to society.’