The Escape

by Lynda La Plante

  ‘What, the wimpy guy with the jam-jar glasses?’ a fellow inmate asked.

  ‘Yep, so don’t expect the screws to be in a good mood tonight.’

  Barry was lying on Colin’s bed reading a comic when the officers unlocked and flung open the cell door. Then they dragged him into the corridor so they could carry out a search. He’d managed to take off his glasses and hide them in his hand without being seen.

  ‘Governor wants a chat about your cellmate, Barry Marsden. Seems he’s disappeared. You know anything about that, do you?’ one officer asked, and poked him in the chest.

  ‘No, sir. He’s at court, sir.’

  Barry kept his head down and tried to slip his glasses into his pocket. The officer, wondering what he was trying to hide, grabbed his hand and twisted it hard. Barry yelped in pain and dropped the glasses. That was the moment the game was up, as the officer pulled his head back by the hair and recognised him as Barry Marsden, the presumed missing prisoner. At the same time, they found the art pad and felt tips that Colin had hidden under Barry’s pillow.

  The other prisoners on the block, who were watching through their cell-door windows, shouted, swore and banged loudly on the doors. They were outraged at the way a helpless fellow prisoner was being treated. Barry picked up his glasses, put them back on and moved slowly along the landing. The officer got impatient and grabbed hold of him, forcing him to walk faster. Some of the prisoners recognised Barry now he had his glasses on, and knew that it must have been Colin Burrows who had escaped. There was more jeering and swearing at the officers. It was part shock and part admiration of an inmate who had so daringly escaped using the identity of his cell-mate.

  Barry was really scared as he was manhandled and dragged through the corridors to the Governor’s office. He was shaking uncontrollably as he stood to attention in front of the Governor’s desk with a prison officer either side of him. At first, he still tried to pretend to be Colin, but one of the officers gave him a hard clip round the back of the head. He then claimed that prisoner Burrows had never told him anything about an escape plan. The Governor, who was now seething with anger, got up from his desk and went nose to nose with Barry.

  ‘I’m not a fool, so don’t make it any worse for yourself, son. Just admit that you helped him with his escape plan because YOU had to know about your court appearance, right?’

  ‘I might have been told, sir, but I just forgot about it.’

  ‘Well, you’d better start remembering quickly, or you’ll be in solitary confinement for months, without so much as a piece of chalk to draw with!’ the Governor shouted, and again an officer slapped the back of Barry’s head hard.

  He was really frightened now, and couldn’t face the thought of being in solitary with no art book, felt tips or pencils. Sobbing and terrified, he changed his story and admitted that he had known about the plan. He said he was scared of Colin Burrows and had to agree to let him take his place for the court appearance.

  ‘Did Burrows threaten you?’

  ‘Yes, sir. I was afraid not to do exactly what he told me.’

  ‘Do you know where he was planning to go?’

  ‘All I know is that he was desperate to be with his wife. She’s having a baby, sir, and he said he would do anything to be there at the birth.’

  ‘Did he say which hospital?’

  ‘No, sir.’

  ‘Take him back to his cell,’ the Governor snapped angrily.

  He was worried that the press would get hold of the story, and that he and his staff would be made to look like a bunch of incompetent fools. He also knew that it could mean the end of his career in charge of Barfield Prison.

  As Barry was dragged back to his cell, he got a huge cheer when the inmates saw him. They all started singing as loud as they could, ‘There’s only one Barry Marsden’, repeating the words over and over. The officers felt they were being made to look like idiots and, in anger, threw Barry back into his cell. He hit the floor and wall really hard, hurting his right shoulder and arm. He wasn’t sure if he’d broken it, but he didn’t dare say anything as he knew the officers wouldn’t care anyway.

  ‘You are going to get a lot of extra time inside for this. Believe me, we’ll be watching your every move from now on.’

  The cell door slammed shut as Barry crawled onto Colin’s bottom bunk and curled up in pain. The cell was a mess after the search. The officers had broken all his felt tips into pieces and thrown them in the toilet.

  The fact was many of the prison officers were going to be investigated for having allowed the escape to occur. The male officers had all been smug at first, trying to blame it on the female officer who’d escorted Colin on the court run. They now realised they were all in big trouble, and there were plenty of excuses as the officers argued and accused each other. Prisoner Burrows had fooled everyone who had dealt with him that morning. If just one of them had done his job properly and checked more closely, they would have recognised the switch and prevented the escape. Now some of them might even lose their jobs.

  Chapter Fourteen

  The police couldn’t believe it when they were told that the escaped prisoner was actually Colin Burrows. The prison sent his picture, a full description and his home address with a plea that they find and arrest him as soon as possible. They also told them that his wife Karen was pregnant and due to give birth, so they should check local maternity wards in case Burrows was there.

  Colin’s freedom was to be short-lived. Police forced entry into his flat and, finding nothing, spoke to the elderly neighbour. She was quick to reveal she’d seen Colin and he had gone to hospital to be with his wife. At the same time, other officers went to Karen’s parents’ address, hammering on the front door. Her mother, frightened out of her wits, opened up. She was certain something terrible had happened, and screamed as they pushed past her, shouting that they were looking for Colin Burrows.

  ‘He’s at St Mary’s hospital,’ she sobbed.

  They radioed back this information, but paid her no attention as they searched her house. She insisted that her daughter had just given birth, and that Colin had permission to be there.

  ‘No, he hadn’t. He’s an escaped prisoner.’

  ‘Oh, my God! Oh, my God, my poor daughter! This is awful.’

  Sirens blaring and blue lights flashing, two patrol cars, with three officers in each, pulled up in the hospital car park and ran into the building. It was terrible. The nurse on duty was told to keep calm and point out which bed Mrs Burrows was in and if her husband was with her. They made the nurse so nervous that she was gasping for breath, but from the double-doors opening onto the wing, she was able to show them Karen’s bed. The man they wanted was sitting beside his wife, cradling his newborn son in his arms.

  Colin couldn’t help but hear the rumpus and, seeing the uniformed police in the doorway and the panic-stricken nurse, he knew his time was up.

  He stood, looked them in the eye and turned to Karen.

  ‘I’m sorry, darling, I lied to you. I never had permission to be here. I pretended to be someone else, and did a runner from prison so I could be with you. It looks like the cops are here for me.’

  Three of the uniformed officers entered the ward, trying not to alarm all the new and expectant mothers. One officer called out for everyone to remain calm.

  ‘Come on out now, Burrows. Don’t scare everyone. Just walk towards us slowly and keep your hands up so we can see them.’

  Colin kissed his son on the forehead before handing him to Karen, who was in floods of tears. He leaned forward to kiss her as well, but she turned her head away. He felt totally dejected and rejected as he held his hands up and began to walk between the rows of beds. The noise had woken most of the sleeping babies and they were howling.

  As Colin reached the officers, they snatched him and turned him roughly, pressing his face against the wall as they handcuffed his hands tightly behind his back. The cuffs hurt as they pinched his skin. The officers grabbed him under th
e arms and dragged him forward, slamming his body against the swing doors as they headed for the lifts. They pressed for the lift, but it was on the top floor so they pushed him towards the stairs.

  ‘There’s no need to be so rough. I’m not causing you any trouble.’

  Colin half turned, wanting to explain he was giving himself up quietly and that he had only escaped to be at the birth of his son. Suddenly he lost his footing and, with his hands cuffed behind him, couldn’t regain his balance or grab the safety rail. He fell down an entire flight of the staircase, hitting his head hard against the wall. The officers ran down to help him onto his feet. He had a big round red mark on the side of his head, which was already starting to swell up, and his nose was bleeding.

  By the time they got him to the patrol car, blood had dripped down his shirt. The driver got out and quickly opened the rear door.

  ‘What happened to him?’

  ‘Tried to do another runner and tripped down the stairs. Banged his nose, but it’s his own bloody fault,’ one officer said and threw Colin onto the back seat.

  The patrol car screamed off with its blue light flashing. An officer radioed in to report that they had recaptured Colin Burrows and were taking him back to Barfield Prison.

  The prison gates opened as the patrol car was signalled to enter. Four prison officers were waiting as the car stopped. Colin was dragged out, his head throbbing and the swollen red mark turning into a bruise. He felt dizzy and sick to his stomach. The police officers handed him over to the prison guards, explaining that the bruises and bloody nose were down to him trying to avoid arrest and escape again. One policeman even laughed and said, ‘They don’t run or get away from us once we nick ’em.’

  The prison officers didn’t think it was funny, but Colin was so angry he stepped forward and kicked out, calling the policemen liars.

  It was the worst thing he could have done, because his move made it look as if he had become violent. One of the prison guards punched him hard in the chest, knocking him backwards to the floor. The next second, he was turned over with his face to the ground while the police handcuffs were taken off and replaced with a prison set. The police left as the guards pulled Colin up hard by his arms, which felt as if they were being jerked out of their sockets. They then pushed him through the gate into reception.

  The officer who had given him final clearance that morning was waiting angrily as they dragged him in. He was in a foul mood, because he had been called before the Governor to explain exactly how he had allowed Colin to escape, and had been given a severe roasting. He knew he might be sacked or forced into early retirement, and he was furious. He walked over to Colin and took hold of his face in his big lumpy hands and squeezed tightly.

  ‘You are going to be very sorry, Burrows. Your life in here won’t be worth living when we’re done with you.’

  Colin was in a great deal of pain and made yet another big mistake, one he would regret for the rest of his life. Unable to use his hands, he brought his knee up and kicked with all his might into the officer’s crotch. The guard let out a howl of pain. The two officers behind Colin swept his legs from beneath him, so that he crashed yet again face forward onto the concrete floor. He tried to get up, but one of them used a baton to hit him over the head. He wasn’t sure how many times he was hit as the blows were so painful and hard that he passed out.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Colin woke up the next morning in the hospital wing. His bandaged head was throbbing and his left hand was cuffed to the iron bed post. His mouth felt dry, and he had a horrible bitter taste in his mouth from the dried blood. His face was aching terribly and he had lost two teeth.

  The prison doctor examined him a few hours later. Colin was feeling dreadful. His head still throbbed and his jaw ached. In fact, his whole body felt like lead. The doctor unbuttoned Colin’s shirt but said nothing as he looked at the awful bruises. He felt his ribs, then his stomach, pressing it with his fingers and causing Colin to flinch in pain. He shone a torch into Colin’s eyes and ears, then asked him to open his mouth. Clicking off the torch, he picked up the clipboard from the end of the bed and made notes. Colin moaned with the pain.

  ‘Well, that’s what happens when you run off and accidentally fall down stairs, Mr Burrows,’ the doctor said without sympathy.

  Colin tried to answer him, but he was in such agony that he couldn’t find the energy. He wanted to explain just how he got the injuries, but the words would not come out. They felt trapped inside his mouth.

  ‘Just stay calm. You’ll remain here for a while, and I’ll check on you again tomorrow.’

  A week later, Colin was still in the hospital wing, but the handcuffs had been removed. The bruises were healing and turning banana yellow. He still had headaches, but, thankfully, they had not been too bad, and he slept for most of the time during his recovery.

  The Governor had visited him on his second day in the hospital wing. The interview had been short and disturbing. As soon as Colin’s condition improved, he was to be placed in a high-security wing with loss of privileges for two months and solitary confinement. He was told he was very lucky that his sentence had not been extended but, if any other incidents arose, he would be given more time inside. Colin knew that the truth was the Governor was embarrassed by the whole affair and just wanted it to be forgotten as soon as possible. Taking more action, such as holding a hearing to increase Colin’s sentence, would just drag it out.

  Colin learned that Barry Marsden claimed that he had been threatened into aiding the escape. The Governor believed that, because the man had learning difficulties, it had been easy for Colin to force him to help with the plan. Colin wanted to defend himself, to say that it had been Barry’s idea in the first place and that he had in no way threatened him, but he said nothing.

  The Governor was aware that Colin had been injured during his arrest, but warned him that it would not be wise to make a complaint. If he chose to ignore the Governor’s warning and did complain, the rest of his time at Barfield would be very uncomfortable.

  ‘Do you have anything you wish to say?’

  The Governor waited for him to reply. Colin still said nothing. It was partly that he didn’t want to get Barry, or himself, into further trouble. But it was also because he was finding it difficult to form the words. It was as if his brain was not working properly. He knew what he wanted to say, but he just could not get the words out.

  ‘I know, Burrows, that you wanted to be with your wife for the birth of your child. I also know that permission was refused and that you simply decided to ignore the ruling and escape. But rules are there to be obeyed, not broken. You are serving a prison sentence for your crimes. You must now face the punishment of remaining here for your entire sentence without any hope of an early release.’

  So that was it, and there was nothing Colin could do about it. He closed his eyes, not wanting to show that he was close to tears, as the Governor turned and walked off with a smile on his face.

  Colin stayed in the hospital wing until his injuries were healed and the doctor said he could return to the main prison. They had given him painkillers and were concerned that he was again suffering from depression. The doctor suggested that he be watched with regular visits to his cell. Colin had not spoken to anyone the entire time he had been in the hospital wing, and had answered queries only with grunts and nods. They assumed he was just being difficult and that he still had anger issues.

  Colin was deeply angry. He felt that no one understood. He had never been allowed to explain what it meant to be refused permission to be at the hospital for his child’s birth. He had never even been able to say that he had always intended to return to the prison.

  It felt as if the world was against him, and worse still was having no contact with Karen. He had no phone card as he had left it with Barry when he had escaped. He had no money to buy another one, and he wasn’t sure they’d allow him to make calls even if he did have one. Besides, he wasn’t certain he wou
ld be able to speak to her, as he had not been able to form a single word since his so-called ‘accident’. It seemed that all he could do was grunt, and he was getting more and more frustrated. He thought about writing a note to the doctor, but decided not to bother as he thought that, after his escape, the man would just ignore it.

  The strain was getting worse and he felt that the only thing that could make him better would be seeing Karen. Only she understood him, and only she could help pull him out of this awful mess and depression. He just hoped that he hadn’t upset her too much. He wanted so badly to talk to her face to face, to explain himself, and hoped that she would forgive his stupid mistake.

  Karen had been shocked when Colin had been arrested at the hospital.

  How could he have put them both in that kind of danger? Her mother and father were equally disgusted, and they didn’t accept the apology that Colin had given Karen as he was taken away. He had lied to them, he had lied to Karen, and they knew he had ruined any hope of an early parole. Karen was also depressed, since she was finding it difficult to cope with the new baby and she couldn’t sleep from worry. She needed her mother’s help and decided to move back in with her parents.

  Soon, the small flat she and Colin had rented was taken over by another young couple. Karen had moved all her possessions over to her parents’ house and the couple bought what little furniture was left.

  Karen wrote to Colin only once, and her father read the letter before she sent it. He suggested that it would be best for Karen and the baby to make no visits and to have no further contact with Colin. Also, it must be clear that there was no longer a job open to him on his release.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Colin received Karen’s letter on his first day back on the new wing. He shared a cell with a tough illiterate prisoner, serving eight years for armed robbery and grievous bodily harm.