Bailey peered into her mashed potato, trying to unlock Sharon’s true intent. She smeared it smooth and started again, this time separating the first two letters: F Lee.

Maybe she hadn’t written ‘flee’ at all.

Chapter 89

Amber was patrolling the third-floor landing of C-Wing, stopping here and there to chat to the inmates lounging on the balconies.

Bailey watched from a short distance away, waiting for Amber to disengage from her current conversation. As soon as she did, Bailey stepped forward and made her approach.

As she drew closer, Amber recognised her and her face tautened with that same whiff of censure she’d expressed towards Bailey ever since she’d discovered that she’d become a member of the Ace Blade Crew.

‘Hello, Bailey,’ she said stiffly. ‘What brings you to C-Wing?’

‘You, actually.’

‘Oh?’

Bailey glanced around and lowered her voice slightly. ‘I was wondering if you could help me out with something.’

Amber seemed to soften slightly. ‘I’m always happy to be of assistance.’

‘I’ve been thinking about what Sharon wrote in her own blood when she was murdered.’

‘Oh… right. Most unpleasant.’

‘What did you see?’

Amber hesitated, shuddering at the memory. She looked at Bailey with a puzzled expression.

‘Why were you thinking about that?’

‘I have a funny feeling that there’s more to it than meets the eye.’

Amber frowned as she tried to recall. ‘Well… I saw the word “flee”. At least that’s what I think it said.’

‘What did you make of it?’

‘It seemed like… like a warning maybe. Who knows? She was dying. People probably think and do all sorts of crazy things when they’re dying. It doesn’t necessarily mean that it signified anything.’

‘I’m not so sure.’

‘What are you getting at?’

Bailey took a piece of paper out of her pocket, on which she had replicated in biro what she had drawn in her mashed potato. She showed the piece of paper to Amber.

‘It looked like this, didn’t it?’

Amber peered at the piece of paper. ‘Yes… yes, I believe it did.’

‘What if it didn’t say “flee” but “F Lee”?’

Amber frowned. ‘You mean… like a name?’

‘Exactly. I needed to talk to you about it because you were there and you clearly saw it. And you’re smart.’

Amber nodded slowly as she turned the idea over in her mind. ‘Hmm… you could have a point. But who does “F Lee” refer to?’

Bailey shrugged. ‘I have no idea. That’s the problem.’

‘I’m not sure I can help you, Bailey, and if I’m to be honest, it sounds a little dubious to me.’

Bailey nodded glumly, downhearted. She wasn’t about to give up just yet though.

‘You wouldn’t happen to know anyone in here by that name, would you?’ she asked hopefully. There were over six hundred inmates in the prison, and a good number of prison staff on top of that. Bailey didn’t know the names of all of them by a long stretch, but she was hoping that Amber might be able to provide some insight on that front. As a prison officer, Amber was probably acquainted with many more of them than Bailey was.