He smiled at her. She smiled a thin perfunctory smile back at him. He knew she wasn’t here of her own volition, but he had to find a way to break down the barriers somehow.

‘It took me a while to find your file. It had been put back in the wrong place, probably by the Governor himself, I shouldn’t be surprised! They keep all the files in these big filing cabinets in the room next door. Quite an antiquated system really. You’d think it would all be on computer these days, but it isn’t. This place is so backward, they probably still use ledgers and quill pens like they did in Victorian times, eh?’

She sat there unmoved, looking at him with her grey eyes. So much for his attempt to break the ice.

He changed tack. ‘I notice you have some nasty bruises on your face. I myself got punched the other day.’ He pointed to the bruise on his forehead and attempted to laugh in an offhand manner. ‘I can’t say I enjoy being assaulted, especially when I’m just trying to do my job. Can I ask what happened to you?’

She sighed and rolled her eyes. ‘I slipped and fell.’

Finally. She’d spoken. Obviously she was lying though. She clearly didn’t want to reveal the true reason for her injuries, probably for fear of being perceived as a snitch. He could see that she was unwilling to disclose any further information.

Maybe a more direct approach would be better. He cleared his throat, leaned forward and steepled his fingers under his chin.

‘So… you jumped off the balcony. Why did you try and do that?’

She shrugged and looked away, indifferent, unwilling to answer.

A difficult one, he thought. So many of them were like this, reluctant to help themselves.

‘Have you attempted suicide or tried to self-harm before?’

‘No.’

‘Have you had psychiatric contact before?’

‘I can’t say I’ve ever found shrinks to be of much use in the past.’

‘I see.’ He began to scribble some notes on his notepad. ‘And have you ever been diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder?’

‘No.’

‘Are you sure? When it comes to suicide and self-harm, there’s often some kind of underlying psychiatric disorder lying at the root of it. Depression, panic, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder are among some of the things that can cause people to want to hurt themselves. Or sometimes substance abuse can be the problem. Drugs, alcohol and so on.’

‘I feel just fine.’

‘People who feel just fine don’t usually jump off balconies.’

‘Look, I just did it for a laugh, okay.’

‘Now we’re getting somewhere. Why would you do that? Why would you endanger your life “for a laugh”?’ He made quotation marks with his fingers.

She exhaled impatiently and looked at her watch.

‘Look, Doctor, I appreciate you trying to help me, but I assure you I’m perfectly okay.’

He was used to inmates being reticent but this one seemed to be particularly unforthcoming. He sighed.