Colin said nothing as the car inched forward and eventually started to pick up speed as the traffic thinned out. It was a further ten minutes before they drove into the parking area of the court.
Chapter Eleven
The prison officer opened the car door for Colin and walked with him to the entrance. They went into the court along a stone corridor and headed into the prisoner reception, where she took off the handcuffs. She should have taken Colin down to the cell area, but instead told him to sit and wait while she asked if his case had been called yet. She became even more anxious when told that his solicitor was already in court with another client.
Colin sat watching and listening, wondering when, and if, he could find the moment to escape. The officer was pacing up and down, unsure what to do, when the door to the court opened. The defendant in the previous case was led towards the cells and the female officer went through the door to try to get the solicitor’s attention. Colin looked round. No one was taking any notice of him and he knew it was now or never. He stood up and calmly headed back down the corridor to the door through which they had entered.
Colin walked slowly across the rear car park and out of the open gates, and then ran as fast as his legs would carry him up the street. He had to keep a tight hold of his baggy jogging pants as they kept slipping down. Nervous and confused, he asked a couple of passers-by the way to the nearest bus station because he knew the Underground did not go as far out as Croydon. The depot was half a mile down the road. On the way, Colin nipped down a side alley and turned Barry’s T-shirt with the Coke can logo inside out. Arriving at the bus station, he looked in Barry’s wallet, to find nothing, not a penny. He knew that by now the prison officer would have realised he’d gone and had probably told the police. He looked round in despair and saw a man get off his bike at a newsagent’s shop and rest it against the wall. He didn’t want to take it, but felt he had no choice.
Karen meanwhile was at home checking her hospital bag with her mother. She was feeling scared as they had been told that she should not contact the hospital unless her waters broke or she had regular contractions. She wasn’t sure, but she had begun to feel twinges in her belly. Her mother kept on asking if she was all right and, at the same time, checking they had the due date written correctly on the calendar.
‘I just want to have the baby!’ Karen wailed.
‘I know you do, love, but they’ll only send you back home if you’re not really ready. Often, it’s a few days either side of the due date. When your waters break you’ll know… and right now, they haven’t, have they?’
‘I want to be there early to make sure they have a bed for me.’
‘Of course they’ll have a bed for you on the maternity ward. Just sit down for now and try and relax. I’ll make us a nice cup of tea.’
Karen slumped onto the sofa, near to tears. She felt like a beached whale, and her emotions were in a mess.
‘I wish Colin was here,’ she said tearfully.
‘Well, you’ve known for some time that he can’t be. The prison refused him permission to be with you, but I’m here. I won’t leave you, so just relax. You’re all packed and ready, and I can drive you there when the time is right.’
Karen suddenly let out a yelp of pain and held onto her stomach.
‘It’s time, Mum. I can feel it. We’ve got to go NOW!’
By now there was complete panic at Clapham Magistrates’ Court. At first, it was assumed Colin had gone to the toilet, but after a search of the building it was obvious that he had simply walked out. The prison was contacted and the local police arrived at the court as the poor newly trained prison officer broke down in tears.
She explained about the traffic jam, that they were late for court, and how she had been trying to find out when Barry Marsden’s hearing was going to happen. By now, his solicitor had joined them and said that, had Barry appeared and pleaded guilty, it was more than likely he would have been released that morning. He joked that they would probably be able to find him in the nearest McDonald’s, and, if not there, they should try KFC.
As Barry Marsden was not a high-risk category ‘A’ prisoner, there was little concern for public safety. He had never been known to be aggressive or violent, so the police inspector didn’t feel the need for an urgent public appeal. This took a bit of pressure off the situation. However, his escape certainly made the prison and court officers appear totally incompetent, which in itself was a serious matter.
The prison authorities would be furious, and the police would have to begin a search even though they felt it was the prison’s fault. The police immediately gave Barry Marsden’s description to all local patrol officers. They also sent all his personal details to the police stations near his family, so that officers could visit his relatives and find him as quickly as possible.
Of course, the police were searching for the wrong person, as the prisoners had swapped identities. This gave Colin added time to make his way home. He dumped the bike away from his flat. He was exhausted from all the frantic pedalling on the eight-mile journey. He rang the doorbell and waited for someone to answer. When no one did, he realised Karen must have gone to hospital or be at her mother’s. He needed to change before he could do anything else and remembered that they kept a spare key with their neighbour.
The neighbour was an elderly lady who was hard of hearing and took a long time to answer his desperate ringing of her doorbell. Eventually, she opened the door and was very surprised to see Colin. He asked for the spare key, and said as little as possible so as not to alarm her or give the game away.
‘I’m allowed home to be with Karen for the baby’s birth,’ he said, impatient for her to give him the key to their flat.
‘Oh, how nice. She left about an hour ago with her mother, who said they were off to the hospital.’
‘Had she started labour?’ he asked as she handed him the key.
‘Not sure, but she was clutching her tummy and moaning a lot.’
Colin thanked her for the key and hurried off to his flat. Once inside, he ran into the bedroom, threw off Barry’s smelly clothes and scrubbed off the tattoos with white spirit. Wanting to look good for Karen, he then had a shower, washed his hair and shaved. Having put on a clean shirt and jeans, Colin searched the flat for some money so he could get a taxi to Croydon hospital. He thought the first thing the police would check would be buses and the Underground.
Karen’s waters broke as she arrived at the hospital, and she was helped into a wheelchair by one of the porters. Her mother was beside her, holding her daughter’s hand tenderly as they were taken up to the maternity ward. Her mother unpacked the nightdress and baby bag, and Karen sat on the edge of the bed as another contraction began. She moaned, holding onto her belly, and her mother rubbed her back to try to comfort her. A nurse gave Karen a hospital gown to change into, and then a midwife examined her pelvis to find out what stage of labour she was at. She also checked the baby’s heart rate.
‘Will the baby’s father be joining you for the birth?’ the nurse asked politely.
‘I wish he was, but he’s away on business,’ Karen replied between deep breaths.
Chapter twelve
The police arrived at Barry Marsden’s home address on a run-down estate in Peckham, South London, but no one was there. They also called on two relatives who appeared not to care and said they had not seen him in years. As the solicitor had suggested, they also began to check the fast-food joints near the courthouse and his local shopping centre, but without success.