them with anything.’
‘How do you know for sure, then?’
‘Mainly what other girls have told us. She’s clever. Sly, manipulative and clever. Watch her closely, Ruth. She’s rotten to the core and I don’t think Mary McCluskey appreciates just what a little viper she is.’
***
Tina’s trial was brief, as she pleaded guilty, and largely uneventful. She had the good sense to say she hadn’t thought things through and really hadn’t wanted to murder Cotter. A psychiatrist’s report said that when Tina acted, the balance of her mind was disturbed. As a good Christian, George Cotter even forgave her publicly from the witness box.
The judge, however, took a very dim view of a young woman with a grudge taking the law into her own hands and his disapproval was reflected in the punishment he imposed. Tina was sentenced to be detained for thirteen years. The gasp in the courtroom was audible: under the circumstances, no one had expected her to get anywhere near that.
When Tina was led out of the courtroom, the shock was visible on her face. Penny was in tears, being comforted by her sister. Even Cotter looked surprised.
Ruth Crinson and Karen Fitzgerald were quiet as they drove back to the police station. When they broke the news to their colleagues, the mood became very sombre indeed.
‘At this rate she’s going to spend more years inside than Cotter did,’ said Rob Winter.
‘Her team will appeal. The sentence might yet get cut,’ said Ruth. ‘I’ll go and see her, see how she’s coping.’
‘Make it sooner rather than later,’ suggested Fitzgerald. ‘The way she must be feeling right now, she’s going to be an easy touch for that other kid you were telling me about.’
***
‘It’s not fair!’ Penny was sitting at the kitchen table with Ruth and Samantha, a mug of coffee in front of her and a lit cigarette in her hand. She drew deeply on the cigarette and held the smoke in her lungs. When she released it, she muttered, ‘I need a drink’.
Ruth sneaked a look at her watch: it was just ten o’clock.
‘Hang on a while,’ Samantha counselled. ‘We’ll go out for lunch and you can have a glass of wine then.’ She flicked a look at Ruth and picked up her concern immediately.
‘The sentence was harsh,’ Ruth agreed, ‘but we can be reasonably hopeful it gets reduced on appeal.’
‘Oh, you haven’t heard the best of it yet.’ Penny worked on the cigarette again, the tip glowing angrily between her fingers. ‘Little madam doesn’t want them to appeal. Reckons she couldn’t go through all that again.’
‘You’re kidding.’
‘No, it’s true enough,’ Samantha confirmed. ‘We spoke with Tina before she was taken back to the prison yesterday, and then Penny was on the phone to her for an hour or more last night. She was adamant that she didn’t want an appeal to be launched.’
‘That’s madness,’ said Ruth. ‘Even if she just gets a couple of years taken off the sentence, at her age that would make a massive difference.’
‘I know, I know, but she knows best.’ Penny blinked back tears, stubbed the cigarette out in the ashtray. She didn’t fully snuff it out and Ruth watched her through a plume of blue-grey smoke. ‘Will you speak to her, Ruth? Please? She listens to you far more than she does to me. Maybe you can get through to her.’
‘Of course,’ said Ruth. ‘I’ll try and go this afternoon.’
***
True to her word, Ruth freed up a couple of hours and headed off to Weardale that afternoon. She had spoken to Mary McCluskey on the telephone and so she was expected.
‘She’s not dealing with it very well,’ said Mary. ‘She was ready to buckle down and do her time, but this sentence has knocked her for six.’ Mary rubbed her eyes. ‘Of course, it’s early days and she may well feel differently this time next week, but I’m very, very disappointed that she doesn’t want to launch an appeal.’
‘It certainly smacks of
‘How do you know for sure, then?’
‘Mainly what other girls have told us. She’s clever. Sly, manipulative and clever. Watch her closely, Ruth. She’s rotten to the core and I don’t think Mary McCluskey appreciates just what a little viper she is.’
***
Tina’s trial was brief, as she pleaded guilty, and largely uneventful. She had the good sense to say she hadn’t thought things through and really hadn’t wanted to murder Cotter. A psychiatrist’s report said that when Tina acted, the balance of her mind was disturbed. As a good Christian, George Cotter even forgave her publicly from the witness box.
The judge, however, took a very dim view of a young woman with a grudge taking the law into her own hands and his disapproval was reflected in the punishment he imposed. Tina was sentenced to be detained for thirteen years. The gasp in the courtroom was audible: under the circumstances, no one had expected her to get anywhere near that.
When Tina was led out of the courtroom, the shock was visible on her face. Penny was in tears, being comforted by her sister. Even Cotter looked surprised.
Ruth Crinson and Karen Fitzgerald were quiet as they drove back to the police station. When they broke the news to their colleagues, the mood became very sombre indeed.
‘At this rate she’s going to spend more years inside than Cotter did,’ said Rob Winter.
‘Her team will appeal. The sentence might yet get cut,’ said Ruth. ‘I’ll go and see her, see how she’s coping.’
‘Make it sooner rather than later,’ suggested Fitzgerald. ‘The way she must be feeling right now, she’s going to be an easy touch for that other kid you were telling me about.’
***
‘It’s not fair!’ Penny was sitting at the kitchen table with Ruth and Samantha, a mug of coffee in front of her and a lit cigarette in her hand. She drew deeply on the cigarette and held the smoke in her lungs. When she released it, she muttered, ‘I need a drink’.
Ruth sneaked a look at her watch: it was just ten o’clock.
‘Hang on a while,’ Samantha counselled. ‘We’ll go out for lunch and you can have a glass of wine then.’ She flicked a look at Ruth and picked up her concern immediately.
‘The sentence was harsh,’ Ruth agreed, ‘but we can be reasonably hopeful it gets reduced on appeal.’
‘Oh, you haven’t heard the best of it yet.’ Penny worked on the cigarette again, the tip glowing angrily between her fingers. ‘Little madam doesn’t want them to appeal. Reckons she couldn’t go through all that again.’
‘You’re kidding.’
‘No, it’s true enough,’ Samantha confirmed. ‘We spoke with Tina before she was taken back to the prison yesterday, and then Penny was on the phone to her for an hour or more last night. She was adamant that she didn’t want an appeal to be launched.’
‘That’s madness,’ said Ruth. ‘Even if she just gets a couple of years taken off the sentence, at her age that would make a massive difference.’
‘I know, I know, but she knows best.’ Penny blinked back tears, stubbed the cigarette out in the ashtray. She didn’t fully snuff it out and Ruth watched her through a plume of blue-grey smoke. ‘Will you speak to her, Ruth? Please? She listens to you far more than she does to me. Maybe you can get through to her.’
‘Of course,’ said Ruth. ‘I’ll try and go this afternoon.’
***
True to her word, Ruth freed up a couple of hours and headed off to Weardale that afternoon. She had spoken to Mary McCluskey on the telephone and so she was expected.
‘She’s not dealing with it very well,’ said Mary. ‘She was ready to buckle down and do her time, but this sentence has knocked her for six.’ Mary rubbed her eyes. ‘Of course, it’s early days and she may well feel differently this time next week, but I’m very, very disappointed that she doesn’t want to launch an appeal.’
‘It certainly smacks of
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