Bailey observed her. Was she making a veiled reference to Alice?

The thought of what Toni might do to her if she ever discovered that she was a police officer was too awful to contemplate. But at the same time she felt exhilarated that she was fooling them.

That was one of the things she loved about working undercover – the adrenaline rush you got from being in dangerous situations, from being around people who’d kill you in the blink of an eye if they knew you were a cop, where even the smallest slip-up could cost you your life. It was a perpetual high-wire act and most of the time there was no kind of safety net. Her non-undercover police colleagues admired her guts but also thought she was crazy. But they’d never understand. No one ever understood until they’d actually done it. The adrenaline was a drug, perhaps the most dangerous drug of all – seductive, terrifying and powerfully addictive. That’s what had hooked Bailey in the first place and still now she craved it…

Toni turned to Bailey and met her stare. For a few brief seconds, Toni looked into her eyes. Then she spoke softly, dangerously.

‘What would you do if you had a pig all to yourself?’

Bailey tried to think of an appropriate response but all she could come up with in the heat of the moment was: ‘I’ve always been partial to pork scratchings myself.’ She imbued her words with what she hoped was a sadistic tone, hoping they’d read something unpleasant into it.

Puzzled glances passed between members of the gang. She cringed inwardly.

Then Keisha nodded and smiled in approval.

‘Yeah! Skin them alive and then deep-fry them. I like it!’

They all laughed. Toni looked grudgingly amused.

‘So what’s going on?’ said Bailey, nodding towards the police vans, trying to sound as casual as possible.

‘A murder in the segregation block,’ said Rong.

‘A scalping?’

Shrugs passed around. Bailey couldn’t tell if it was because they genuinely didn’t know or whether they were just being coy.

‘Who was it?’ she asked.

‘Someone who’ll be sorely missed,’ said Toni.

From the heavy sarcasm in her voice, Bailey guessed that whoever had been killed wasn’t a friend of the gang.

They didn’t say anything more about it and Bailey decided not to pursue the matter. For now.

Chapter 42

Creepers of smoke curled through the air, sinuous and sleek. They twisted and broke, disintegrating into the grey haze which filled the cell. The low bass thump of the dub pulsed softly from the stereo system.

Strings of origami ducks hung from the ceiling, attached to lengths of cotton. They twisted and turned slowly in the layers of grey smoke. Crazy Mel’s handiwork was everywhere. It looked like an infestation of brightly coloured origami creatures had overrun the cell.

Kay, Seema and Mel sat slumped in a dope haze.

Seema took a drag of the joint she was holding, the harsh herbal smoke biting into her lungs. She held it down for a few moments then released it, letting it escape upwards from her mouth in a vertical stream.