Lies and Misdemeanours

“We have to get them out, Wally,” Hetty murmured as they turned out of the jail’s courtyard, and made their way through the main street that ran straight through town.

Before they turned out of the main street, she glanced back at the dark building, and felt a deep sense of foreboding with her.

Two days later, Hetty shivered as a cold breeze swept up her back. She tugged her shawl tighter around her shoulder, and warned herself to remain calm. She wished now that she had thought to bring a cloak with her because she felt so very cold, on the inside as well as on the out.

The helplessness of the last few days had scarred her to her very soul, and she knew that she would never forget them, no matter what the outcome was.

The desperate situation the Jones family now faced was simply terrifying; not least because the man who had come to mean so much to her now faced a battle for survival. She quickly blocked out all thoughts of what could happen to Charlie and Simon, and turned her attention to Wally, who appeared to be just as anxious as she was.

“Do you think we are going to get in this time?” she asked him without taking her eyes off the jail door.

He merely looked at her and shrugged.

They had called by the jail each morning since their last visit a couple of days ago, but hadn’t even gotten through the gate. They had been told on each occasion that the prisoners weren’t available, but no explanation had been given as to why.

Yesterday, Wally had warned the jailer that he would fetch a solicitor; or a magistrate from another county, if they weren’t allowed in this morning. Whether his warning would gain them entrance today had yet to be seen.

She stood back while Wally knocked on the gates of Derby jail again and, together, they stood back to wait a little while longer.

Thankfully, someone answered. The small panel in the gate was slammed back, and a thin face appeared behind the bars. He looked at them for a moment, but didn’t speak. Moments later, he slammed the panel back into place before the gate began to rattle.

Wally and Hetty shared a look of relief, and waited while the gate was opened. Neither of them spoke w

hen the jailer motioned them to enter.

The look he gave them as they sidled through the narrow gap, warned them to remain quiet.

Hetty stepped into the inner courtyard. Her stomach dropped to her toes at the sight that greeted her. She froze. A wave of sickness swept through her and she wondered briefly if she was in the middle of a nightmare. But she knew that she wasn’t when the jailer moved to stand beside her.

The discordant rattle of his keys sounded loud in the silence of the yard, which was broken only by the rhythmic clank of picks and shovels hitting the dirt.

“Oh, good God,” she whispered.

Her eyes widened in horror at the sight of Charlie and Simon, along with two other men, lined up against the far wall. All of them were digging their graves.

“We want to talk to them,” Wally growled. His voice shook with suppressed emotion as he stared at the sight that no man wanted to see. He slid a hand around Hetty’s waist, but neither of them knew whether they were supporting each other, or themselves.

“How can they be condemned if they haven’t had a trial yet?” Hetty whispered as she levelled an accusatory glare on the jailer.

“They were tried yesterday,” the man replied with a frown. “Were you not told?”

Wally shared a look of horror with Hetty. “If we had been, we would have made damned sure that they had a fair trial,” he snarled. “How could they be tried so quickly?”

“Meldrew arranged it,” the jailer replied.

The look he gave Wally effectively said; ‘did you expect anything else from that man’.

Wally knew that what had happened wasn’t the jailer’s fault, but it was difficult not to consider that all of the people in supposed positions of ‘authority’ around the jail were guilty of being corrupt.

Before either of them could say anything else, the jailer hurried over to the prisoners.

Hetty and Wally looked at each other as they waited for the prisoners to be released from their duties and allowed to come over to them. Thankfully, because of their need to dig, none of the prisoners had chains on today, and Charlie and Simon were able to walk unhindered toward them.

Hetty fought a sob as she saw the changes two days in the jail had wrought upon both men. They were both a little thinner, considerably paler, and had not slept well from the look of the dark circles beneath their blood-shot eyes. They were both dirty, and clearly hadn’t been given anything other than the most basic of necessities with which to survive.

“Are you alright?” she whispered.

Rather than answer, Charlie walked straight up to her and drew her into a huge hug without even saying ‘hello’.