For many of the inmates, Paula had become a mentor, a coach, a mother figure. A warrior-mother. A she-wolf.

Lately, Paula had spoken a lot about Leila, a young woman due for release in a couple of weeks, desperate to be with her kids, who had been living with her sister. But she was terrified of her violent ex-boyfriend—he’d threatened to follow the sister to the jail on the day Leila got out and track her down. So Paula had recruited Anita to help, coordinating with the sister to set up a safe escape route. Anita would whisk Leila away from the Silverwater gates on the day of her release and take her to a place where she could be reunited with the sister and the kids.

Anita knew Paula had started developing ideas for a kind of underground railroad for women who needed support to escape dangerous men, help beyond the services official refuges could offer. In Paula’s mind, it was something she could coordinate from inside the jail, with Anita’s help on the outside, and then she could build on it after her release. The plan was probably crazy. Almost certainly dangerous and unwise. But there was never any doubt in Anita’s mind that she would be Paula’s ally in this campaign, in whatever way she was able.

Sometimes Paula would ask Anita for news of Ruby, Jye and Nicole. Nicole had written to thank Paula for helping her kids and Anita had stayed in contact with the grandparents. The latest report was that Jye was boisterously happy at big school and Ruby was doing well in year nine, only going off at the mouth and landing in trouble every now and then. Nicole’s physical recovery was solid, and she’d started working at the council swimming pool.

The warning buzzer sounded for the end of visiting time.

‘Oh, it’s always too soon,’ Anita groaned.

‘Wait one sec,’ said Paula. ‘Give me a proper look at the belly.’

Anita stood up and posed flamboyantly with her gigantic belly.

‘You’re so beautiful,’ Paula murmured.

Anita huffed a laugh. ‘The security guy always gives me the greasy eyeball like he suspects it’s a fake belly I’m using to smuggle drugs and weapons in here.’

‘Forget that stuff,’ said Paula. ‘Sneak in some decent food.’

‘Next you’ll want me to smuggle in protein powder and anabolic steroids, now that you’re in training to be a competitive bodybuilder.’

Paula gave her a sly smile. ‘What can I say? My body is my weapon.’

The trickiest part of the day for Paula was trying to fall asleep on the unyielding narrow bed in her cell.