It was an odd thing, but everybody knew not to visit Maggie, at least not in her house. Unlike everyone else in Jennings she neither ate in the cafeteria nor with a group. She could always be approached in the library on any prison business, somehow the unwritten rule ‘not in my cell’ totally applied.
Jennifer and Movita were walking down the hallway with an escort to get from one unit to another, but with Movita’s connections, the officer only went as far as the metal door that closed her wing off from Maggie’s. Once the door closed behind her, Jennifer proceeded down the corridor. She felt as if she were on her way to see the headmistress of her school. Then she chuckled. Actually, she was going to see the headmistress. When she approached Maggie’s house door, she knocked softly on the metal door frame.
‘Hello,’ Maggie said, and Jennifer followed Movita in.
As far as Jennifer knew, Maggie was the only inmate at Jennings who had a private cell. Sometimes others, for a time, didn’t have to share when inmates were released or reassigned, but nobody ever seemed to be assigned to Maggie’s cell. Looking around, Jennifer was amazed. She had never seen such order or cleanliness. The woman must scrub the place with a toothbrush, she thought. She noticed that the blanket on her bunk was pulled very tight – military style. Her magazines were stacked neatly by date on the floor near the head of her bed. All of her hygiene products were lined up along the ledge of her high windowsill. But the one thing that wasn’t visible for inspection was the fact that Margaret Rafferty had privacy, and that was what Jennifer craved most of the time.
Maggie sat down on the chair and gestured toward the bunk. ‘Have a seat,’ she said. And then took out a plate – a real plate with a line of gold around the edge and twining leaves and flowers on it. Jennifer realized she hadn’t seen china or a real cup or bowl in months.
She took the plate from Maggie’s hand. On it were small wedges of cheese, each one centered on a Ritz cracker and topped with a pimento-stuffed olive. There were also a few thin stalks of celery, with a white strip of what looked like cream cheese on it. Was it possible? It made Jennifer think of Sunday afternoons at her grandmother’s.
Movita took an hors d’oeuvre, as if having canapés at six o’clock was the norm at Jennings. Following her lead, Jennifer picked up a celery stalk. Meanwhile Maggie took out three perfect martini glasses. Just the sight of them gave Jennifer a stab. Of course, they were totally contraband, but they made Jennifer long for the days that she hung out in bars and drank Cosmopolitans until she was pie-eyed. She knew better than to ask how Maggie managed to keep them hidden from random cell searches.
Maggie cleared her throat. ‘Movita,’ she said, and inclined her head toward Mo. ‘Jennifer.’ Jen felt the woman’s eyes on her. ‘I know that you are both very bright and very motivated. I certainly don’t think I underestimated you, yet working together I feel as if in the past I didn’t know the full breadth of your abilities.’ She paused for a moment and, to Jen’s astonishment, she took out a martini shaker. ‘Blocking the dreadful JRU takeover is going to take a lot of work, could fail, and may very well cause us enormous problems.’ She looked from Jen to Movita. ‘This afternoon I realized just how much was involved and how much is at stake. The question I want to put to you is whether or not you want to pursue this, balls to the wall, no matter what?’
Movita reached for another cracker and then crossed one long leg over the other. ‘I don’t see that we have much choice,’ Movita said. ‘If we don’t do nothin’ life here will be unbearable. If we try and fail or if we try and succeed at least we know we tried.’ Movita smiled. ‘Am I startin’ to sound like Theresa?’ she asked.
Jen shook her head. ‘I know what you mean. I guess I am the one among us with the most to lose since I don’t have to do as much time as you do,’ she told them. ‘But the truth is that I have a lot at stake as well. Because I may die or go crazy if I continue this way.’ She looked down. Everyone was silent for a moment.
‘Well then,’ Maggie said, and her voice was so cheerful that Jen managed to look at her and see that she was pouring the martini glasses full. ‘Onion or olive?’ she asked. And to Jen’s complete amazement she had both.
‘Onion,’ Jen breathed and was rewarded with a perfect martini, two pearls lying side by side in the V at the top of the stem. Jen was smart enough in prison ways not to ask how, why, or how often Maggie managed to put together a treat like this. She just grinned and nodded to Movita, who grinned back at her.
‘So,’ Maggie said. ‘We’re going to do this thing.’
‘Absolutely,’ said Movita.
‘Absolutely,’ Jennifer echoed. And the three of them drained their glasses.
33
Gwen Harding
Better starve free than be a fat slave.
Aesop, ‘The Dog and the Wolf,’ Fables
When Movita Watson asked Gwen Harding to see Jennifer Spencer, the Warden just shrugged. She had been living with nothing but complaints, problems, and pressure for weeks and weeks now. Not to mention her own fear and despair. She felt what she imagined a nun who had served in a convent for years and lost her vocation must feel – empty, futile, and afraid.
But despite that she hadn’t had a drink. And she supposed part of her emptiness came from the lack of gin that had filled her bloodstream and her life for so long.
Seeing Jennifer Spencer was no worse or better than the other tasks she had to do, though she wondered at it. It seemed to her that Jennifer Spencer had settled down and settled in. While she wouldn’t look forward to a meeting with her, she nodded. Her days at Jennings were numbered and she didn’t know if she would then be transferred by the state to some prison elsewhere, whether she’d be offered early retirement, or whether she’d quit. She felt as if leaving would be a betrayal of the women she had tried, so ineffectively, to protect and assist. But it was clear to her that all of this was out of her hands now and far too difficult and complex for the likes of her to grapple with.
She had already brought a couple of cardboard cartons into her office. There would also be a lot of things to be fed into the shredder, but she could wait on that until just before the ax fell. Bit by bit she was packing the personal mementos and the relics from her years at the prison. There were the gratifying thank-you letters from inmates who had moved on and were succeeding in a life Outside. There were the sadder but just as meaningful notes from women who had gone on to other prisons and wrote for advice or help. She had the meaningless awards that she had won both from the community and the state. They were empty of any feeling of achievement now but she supposed she’d take them. She was trying to do the packing discreetly, but she knew that Miss Ringling, Movita – and probably every inmate in Jennings – knew what was up, though she was almost certain Movita hadn’t said a word. Still, when there was the knock on the door Gwen put the box, along with two others, under her desk.
‘Come in,’ Gwen said, and Jennifer Spencer entered the office. This time she stood and waited to be asked to sit down. Gwen thought of Marlys Johnston of JRU and her arrogant behavior and grimaced. When Gwen made a move indicating that Spencer could take a seat, Spencer – appropriately – sat across from the desk rather than next to it. Yes, Gwen thought, the girl had changed and perhaps for the better although Gwen no longer knew what ‘better’ and ‘worse’ meant.
‘Warden Harding,’ Spencer said. ‘I have some news for you.’
Gwen felt her eyebrows raising. Perhaps she’d been premature in thinking that this girl had gained some humility. Gwen, as she often did, sat silent and waited.
‘Maybe I should begin by saying I’ve known about the JRU takeover for some time,’ Spencer said.
Gwen wasn’t surprised. Between the visits the JRU staff had made, the communications with the state, and the contacts this girl had in business, it was inevitable that people, inmates included, would know about the change. ‘Yes,’ she said.
‘Well,’ Spencer continued, ‘there’s been a recent change in manage
ment at JRU and I think that will affect what goes on here.’
‘Really?’ Gwen asked. ‘In what way?’ She wasn’t sure if she should tell the girl to shut up and get back to the library, or listen. She had to admit she was curious, but she wondered if Spencer thought she could trade information for favors. Wasn’t that kind of insider stuff the very act that had landed her here in the first place? Perhaps the library wasn’t enough of an upgrade and she was hoping for a job in the office here. For all Gwen knew, the girl wanted Movita’s job; maybe she felt she could help JRU. Gwen stopped herself. Perhaps of everything having to do with the inmates, Gwen Harding felt worst about having to leave Movita in the hands of these profit mongers. No doubt she’d be useful to them initially, but Gwen didn’t want to think about where she might end up longer-term. Well, Gwen shrugged and figured she had nothing to lose in talking with Spencer, though she wasn’t making any deals. Somehow she still didn’t seem the kind of girl who would step on others, although her crime indicated that her values might be less than correct. ‘What kind of changes?’ she asked. ‘Although JRU doesn’t inform me of everything, I’m sure that I’ll be told anything important.’
‘Well, JRU doesn’t actually know this yet,’ Spencer told her.
Was this some gossip from Wall Street? ‘Yes, Spencer. What is it?’ Gwen snapped, her voice showing her impatience. ‘I have a lot of work this morning.’
‘The fact is, JRU has been acquired.’
‘Acquired?’ Gwen repeated. ‘Acquired by another firm?’ God, Wackenhut or CCA had eaten up JRU.
‘Not exactly,’ Spencer said. ‘They’ve been bought out by another management group.’
‘I see,’ Harding said. ‘And when did this happen?’
‘Just in the last two days. Some of the staff there might not even know about it.’
Gwen thought of Marlys Johnston and a small smile came to her lips. Did she know? Perhaps Gwen herself could call Ms Johnston and give her the tips. She couldn’t help think how lovely it would be if this change affected that woman in a negative way. Live by the sword, die by the sword, she thought. But, life being what it was, no doubt this would only benefit the Marlys Johnstons of the world. She’d probably wind up as president. ‘How do you know this information?’ Gwen asked Spencer. The girl looked down at her lap for a moment.
‘Well,’ she said, ‘I acquired it.’
Had Inmate 71036 gone mad? She had come into this office months ago with a chip on her shoulder and an air of arrogance to boot and here she was saying she’d ‘acquired’ Jennings? Gwen knew Spencer was smart in business but just how in the hell did she expect her to believe that she had done a quiet takeover of her facility? That would mean that she now worked for her. Unbelievable! ‘What?’ Gwen asked, reduced to single syllables to avoid stammering more than ever.
‘Not me personally,’ Spencer told her calmly. ‘A group of investors. But I have been, well, the point man, I guess.’
Gwen stared at her. It still wasn’t safe for her to speak. She thought that one of the two of them had gone mad, probably her. Was Spencer delusional? It was possible, but it was equally possible that Gwen herself was hallucinating. And if she wasn’t, she’d not only completely underestimated this girl, but also totally failed to supervise her. ‘Run this by me again,’ she demanded, not knowing what to hope for.
‘A group of investors have bought JRU. And I kind of led the acquisition.’
‘From here?’ Gwen asked. ‘You managed a Wall Street acquisition from within Jennings?’
Jennifer nodded. ‘And I know it doesn’t change our relationship as inmate and warden,’ she added. ‘But for the time being, until we can find the proper management, I will serve as de facto chief of operations.’
Gwen began to laugh. Once she started it was very hard for her to stop. In fact, it wasn’t until she saw the alarm on Spencer’s face that she came back to herself. ‘Surely, if this is true,’ she said, ‘you see the bizarre implications of this.’ This couldn’t be happening, Gwen thought. This woman might be good, but she wasn’t that good. And how had she done it alone? Gwen herself had set up the connection between Movita and Jennifer, and she also knew that Spencer had been getting chummy with Maggie. That was understandable; eventually most of the girls ended up going to her for comfort, advice, or just to be around someone who was more cultured and mature than most of the other inmates. But surely those two women, and little Suki Conrad or big-mouthed Theresa LaBianco were a poor and puny team for a caper like this. Gwen took a deep breath to manage her speech. ‘I hope you don’t think for a minute that you’re going to be acting in a warden capacity. That just isn’t going to happen. You may be able to fire me but the state charter makes it clear that the prison will continue to be run by penologists.’
Jennifer nodded again. ‘I can promise you I didn’t choose this,’ she said. ‘It kind of chose me.’
Gwen bent down, took out one of the boxes from under her feet and put it on top of the desk. ‘Well, regardless of the truth of this, in the words of the late Richard Nixon: “You won’t have me to push around anymore.” I’ll be resigning. I was going to do it anyway.’
Jennifer Spencer opened her eyes very, very wide. ‘Oh, no,’ she said. ‘You can’t do that. No, you can’t do that at all. You can’t leave, I’m going to need your help. Together we can make a change.’
‘I can leave and I will,’ Gwen assured her. ‘You may already be my “de facto chief of operations”, but even if you are, you can’t stop an employee from resigning.’
‘No,’ Spencer said, ‘not unless she’s a prisoner, working for JRU. Then no matter what job she’s been assigned to, she can’t quit, she doesn’t get vacations, and she’ll barely be paid.’
Gwen stopped putting things into the box. ‘I gave you credit for being smart,’ Gwen said. ‘But maybe not enough credit. Is what you’re saying true?’
‘Oh, yes,’ Jennifer assured her. ‘In fact, I thought we might start simply by going over the list of JRU personnel you’d like to see fired.’
Gwen actually laughed again. ‘You’re serious,’ she said.
‘Oh, yes,’ Jennifer told her again. ‘I’m not sure I want this job but now that I have it, I’m going to do it.’
Gwen sat there for what seemed like a very long moment. ‘Let this cup pass from my lips,’ she murmured.
Jennifer heard her. ‘Yes,’ she said. ‘That’s sort of it.’
The girl didn’t know that Gwen had been talking to herself. Gwen thought about all of the nonsense she’d been hearing in meetings about ‘higher power’ and the like. This was not going to make her a believer but it certainly looked like a Hand was involved. Then she narrowed her eyes. ‘Is this some kind of Wall Street scam to get you out of here sooner?’ she asked. ‘Because it will not work. I don’t care if you are the chairman of the company, it won’t get you one day less for your sentence.’
‘I know that,’ Jennifer said. ‘There’s no reason for you to believe me, but I actually am thinking of others.’
And, for the first time in a long while, Gwen believed in the possibility of the redemptive power of Jennings. She looked at Jennifer Spencer as if for the first time. This woman might believe she, as warden, would be resentful or punitive, but all Gwen Harding felt was gratitude. Jennifer Spencer had taken her talent, intelligence, and experience and used them all, along with her financial contacts and God knows what else, to do good. The very end of the morning sunlight flickered in through the window and Gwen, who was not a fanciful woman, could almost swear that the light reflecting on the corner walls behind Spencer looked like the dancing of angels’ wings.
Gwen extended her hand and, after a moment’s pause, Jennifer took it. ‘Congratulations,’ Gwen said. ‘I’m very pleased and proud of you.’ She thought she saw another flicker, this time one of pleasure, in Jennifer Spencer’s eyes. Gwen smiled. She thought of the changes they could begin to institute and began to get truly excited, but then felt that, aft
er the surprise she’d been handed, Jennifer should be punished. She gave her best stern look to Spencer.
‘I realize, of course, that you must have broken a great many rules to manage to do this from inside our institution,’ she said. ‘Your position of ownership doesn’t change that fact.’ Then she raised her hand and shook a finger at Jennifer. Using her best schoolmarm voice she told her, ‘This is going on your permanent record, Missy.’
After a moment they both began to laugh. When their hilarity calmed, Gwen thanked Jennifer Spencer with all sincerity. ‘You’ve saved a lot of women a lot of pain,’ Gwen told her.
‘Well, I’d like to save a lot more women a lot more pain and there’s one way we can do that immediately,’ Jennifer said.
‘Good afternoon, Officer Byrd,’ Gwen Harding said as the CO walked into her office. He looked around and Gwen glimpsed the panic that he quickly covered when he saw Jennifer, Suki Conrad, and Theresa LaBianco sitting in her office.
‘Yes, Warden?’ he asked, his voice deep and fairly strong. It didn’t sound like the voice of a rapist, but then whose did?
‘Officer Byrd, I’d like to introduce you to the new owner of Jennings, Miss Jennifer Spencer. Minority shareholders include Suki Conrad and Theresa LaBianco.’ Byrd just nodded silently. It was obvious that he was trying to think fast, but was simultaneously confused by the lay of the land.
‘New owners?’ he asked. And Warden Gwen Harding hoped she heard a tremble in his voice.
‘Yes,’ she told him. ‘The prison is no longer a state agency. It’s been sold. The point is, you are no longer working for the state, nor are you union protected. And Miss Spencer, the new chairman of JRU International, has something to share with you.’
‘Yes?’ he asked, turning his head.
‘Miss Spencer would like to read you something from the New York Times.’
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