Date: Sun, 10 Jan 2016 13:39:14 +0100
From: Rick Masters <succum@gmx.com>
Subject: Juvenile Detention 16

JUVENILE DETENTION

Chapter 16 – The Investigation Continues

Before leaving the Solitary Confinement Block Steven and Gladys managed to
interview the other two inmates from Bravo block who had gone to Josh's
assistance.  Both of their accounts confirmed what Andy and Chris had
reported, and when Gladys put the question of the risk they took to go to
Josh's aid they got largely the same answer, with one slight difference.

"It was Andy Seymour who called to us to help. In Bravo that is not a
request; it is an order."

Steven and Gladys left the Solitary Block and returned to Steven's office,
where Gladys immediately started to type up the notes from the day's
interviews. While she was doing that Steven got on the phone to Officer
John Makepeace, second in charge of the Academy, who heads up the
disciplinary process. In a case as serious as the one Steven was
investigating, Makepeace would decide the level of punishment for all
involved. Steven explained that he had finished interviewing all the
inmates from Bravo block and gave his opinion on the part each one had
played in the incident. As much as he would have liked to, Steven did not
try to cover anything up or soften the facts. Neither did he suggest any
leniency towards those who had gone to help defend an individual being
attacked by a gang.

"Thank you for that information, Steven. I plan to hold a disciplinary
hearing for the Bravo group towards the end of the afternoon today. Will
you be able to be present and give your evidence at that hearing?"
Makepeace asked.

"There is some evidence that has been shared with me that I need to keep
under the hat at this stage. Until I can see clearly where this
investigation leads us, I need to be very careful. But I believe I can be
available to attend and speak on what I can from about four o'clock
onwards."

"Yes, of course I understand your need to be circumspect. We will schedule
the hearings to start at sixteen hundred then in the solitary block." With
that Makepeace closed the conversation and hung up his phone.

Steven relayed the gist of his conversation to Gladys, and the two of them
had a short discussion on what information they thought could be released
at the hearing and what they thought should still be kept under wraps.

"Well, I hope it is enough to show that these guys had not planned any of
this and acted on the spur of the moment without thinking, because they
knew their mate was in trouble and suffering at the hands of a gang and
that will be enough to get them sprung from solitary," Steven said. As a
general rule Steven was not in favour of using solitary confinement as a
means of punishment, because he did not believe that it played any part in
rehabilitating the inmates who experienced it. However he could see the
value in it as a deterrent to bad behaviour while still incarcerated.

They then worked out the order in which they would like to interview the
Charlie block inmates who were in solitary, which they had planned for the
next morning. To fill the time remaining until the disciplinary hearings,
Steven began to read through the transcripts that Gladys had already typed
up and printed off. When he had finished reading the interview with Josh,
Steven was even more impressed with Gladys, as she had virtually recorded
their whole conversation perfectly. There were a couple of minor changes
that Steven asked Gladys to make, but nothing that actually changed the
import of the evidence gained from the interview with Josh. The same
applied to the rest of the transcripts, and this gave Steven an increased
confidence in the ability of Gladys to be a real help in the
investigation. Steven asked Gladys to attend the disciplinary hearings with
him, just in case they learned of some other facts which had been missed or
omitted during their earlier interviews.

Because of the serious nature of the incident leading to the disciplinary
hearings, Officer Makepeace had decided to chair them himself. The line of
questioning for each of the four inmates followed virtually the same
pattern as Steven's and Gladys's earlier interviews. The one question on
which all of their fate really hung was why they had got involved
personally and not called an officer to stop the attack.

Both Andy and Chris answered that they were closer to the scene than any
officer and knew that Josh did not stand a chance against a gang of guys
experienced in street fighting. Andy also told the hearing that he had been
given the responsibility of looking after Josh and explicitly his physical
wellbeing by more than one officer, so he felt a compulsion to get involved
and also use his authority as the cell block leader to call in the others
to assist. Andy was hoping that answer would give the officers a reason to
excuse the other three for their involvement and get them out of solitary
even if he was given more time. When asked which officers had given Andy
this unusual responsibility Andy had hesitated and given Steven a chance to
intervene.

"I am one of those officers and maybe Mr. Seymour feels that he is not at
liberty to reveal the names of the other officers without first gaining
their permission.  I gave both Mr. Seymour and Mr. Jones, as leaders of the
cell block and as cell mates of Mr. Tolmers, that instruction because I
could see right from the start that Mr. Tolmers was at a great
disadvantage. He clearly has had no experience in the way of criminal
activities, and as such he would become the prey of other less caring
members of our occupancy," Steven told the hearing.

"I see. Thank you, Officer Steven, for enlightening us. Mr. Seymour, do you
know if the reason Officer Steven has given for putting this responsibility
on you is the same reason the other officers have done so?" Makepeace
asked.

"I do not know for sure but believe it could well be. I believe Mr. Tolmers
was not given a fair trial and has been sent here in error. He definitely
is not the same as any of the rest of us," Andy answered.

Makepeace told each of the four Bravo block boys that they would spend the
next night in solitary as they could not get through all the disciplinary
hearings until the investigation team had interviewed the other ones in
solitary also and they had had their hearings. He also explained that his
team could not make a decision until they had heard all the boys'
testimonies and would only then make a ruling. Clearly Officer Succum and
other like-minded officers on the night shift would be making some visits
to the Solitary wing that night.

The hearings for the four inmates from Bravo were concluded just before it
was time for a shift change, but Gladys said she would stay and type up all
the notes she had taken from the hearings before she left to go
home. Steven, having had a late night the previous evening, decided he
would look at Gladys' transcripts the next day and after one other call
would go home.

Steven's one call was to check on how Josh was doing.  On his way in he
checked in with the medic to learn how he felt Josh was doing and then went
on through to where Josh was propped up in bed trying to eat an early
dinner with only one hand. Even though the medic had cut his food up for
him, Josh was still struggling and Steven offered to help him by holding
the knife on the plate so that Josh had something to push against to get
the food onto his fork.

"Officer Steven, do you think that while you hold the knife you will be
able to multi-task and answer my question?"

Steven saw a mischievous glint in Josh's eyes and burst out laughing. "Josh
Tolmers, you are going to get yourself into trouble with that sort of
approach. Do you think you can chew and listen at the same time?"

"Of course, and if I get any crunchy bits I will just ask you to repeat
what you said," came a very quick retort. "But don't try to skip answering
the question, because I am going to keep at it till I get the answer."

"You really do want to know the answer, don't you? Well the truth is that I
am bi with more of a leaning to straight than gay. I am married with two
great children and I keep myself faithful to my wife even with the
opportunities I have available to me in here.  However, that does not mean
that I don't enjoy looking at you guys naked and smooth. So many of you who
come in past me in that room where you get stripped and shaved have really
nice bodies and great packages. But you are the first one that has ever
made me feel that maybe I could be unfaithful just once. It is a great
struggle with me and I am going to ask you to try not to tempt me. There! I
have been honest with you; please respect that and keep this information to
yourself."

Steven had looked down at his hand resting in his lap when he told Josh his
answer and now looking up he saw that Josh had tears in his eyes which made
them glisten. "I am sorry, Officer Steven. I should never have held you to
tell me that, and I promise you that I will not tell another person. I also
won't try to tempt you in any way, and if you find that there is something
I do that is tempting you, then please tell me so that I can stop doing
it."

"Actually I think you would have to stop breathing for that to happen and I
definitely don't want that. Just be yourself and I will have to cope with
it the best I can. Anyway, I need to get off back home to my family now. Is
there anything you need?"

"You mean apart from you as my father? No, I don't think so."

"I would be honoured to have you as my son. When this is all over we will
have to see what we can do," Steven said and quickly left before Josh could
see how he had moved Steven by suggesting he would like him as a
father. His emotions remained in turmoil for the entire journey home, and
when he got there his wife immediately picked up on it and asked him what
was up. Fortunately Steven had never kept his bi-sexuality from his wife
and he related to her the conversation he had had with Josh. "I don't know
what it is about this young guy that has got so under my skin, and to know
that he has suffered this because other people have let him down by not
doing their job properly just upsets me so much. I mean we have had him for
less time than his defence and the remand guys had and already we can see
that he is not like the rest. Even the other inmates know that he is not a
criminal. It is just so unfair!" Steven almost spat those last five words
out.

Abigail slid closer to him and put her arms around her husband. "I only
know this boy through what you have told me about him and I also feel for
him, so I know you must be feeling it even more. You are a good man, Steven
Chambers, and this is why you feel the way you do. I know you are too busy
with the investigation to do anything more, so just get me the names of
those two who transported Josh to the Academy and I will get in touch with
them and try and find out what I can and maybe egg them on to do a bit
more. With the investigation you must have access to his whole file, so you
should be able to find out that information for me and let me see if I can
do anything to help you both."

"Thank you, my sweetest. Now I guess I had better go and give our two
delights some attention or I might be in trouble there," Steven told his
wife, giving her a kiss and feeling much better. Abigail, on the other
hand, was more unsettled. She had never seen her husband affected in this
way by one of the inmates, which is why she offered to get involved. She
realised that Steven was attracted to Josh, but she was not worried about
that because she trusted Steven to keep that attraction under control. But
she also knew that to help him help Josh was one way that he would be able
to maintain the control he had exercised since they had started dating and
which had kept him faithful to her from before they had become intimate
with each other. That night after they had got their two children settled
in bed they had one of their best times of love making since their wedding
night some ten years ago.

The next morning Steven again called on Josh to see how he had coped with
the night to find the medic helping him to put his overalls on.

"Mr. Tolmers has a fever and his wound does not look good, so we are taking
him back to the hospital.  Chief Craven has told me to accompany him and
said I could use my discretion on the employment of handcuffs," the medic
told him.

"You will not need handcuffs even if you have to leave him alone to go for
a pee or to make a phone call. You have my word on that."

"Thank you. Mr. Tolmers, what do you have to say about that?"

"Officer Steven is right. I am not going to do anything to risk spending
any longer here than my sentence calls for. The sooner I get out the sooner
I start getting some justice. I won't try to run away, I promise you. There
is something much more important to me than that."

"How were they so blind to not be able to see that in you? I agree there
are some that have something to answer for in your case and I hope you are
successful. Mr. Tolmers has told me his story and his resolve and I believe
it," the medic, Officer Simon, explained to Steven.

"I wish I could come with you, Mr. Tolmers, but I have to do the
investigation and get the information quickly before it gets muddied by
poor memories or exaggerated by overactive imaginations."

"It's okay, Officer Steven, Officer Simon will do what is needed."

With both officers helping, Josh was soon in his overalls as far as they
would go and was supported as he walked to the prison car that would take
both him and Officer Simon to the hospital. Steven left them at the car and
made his way to his office, where he found Gladys already hard at work.
Steven fired up his computer and noticed he had a load of emails. He opened
the first and when he saw that it was from an officer who had no connection
with the incident he closed it and moved on to the next. Any where the
author admitted some connection, however tenuous, Steven forwarded to
Gladys so that she could also read them.

One email in particular caught his attention, and after forwarding it on to
Gladys he asked her to look at it as soon as it came through on to her
PC. Steven then began to look at it again and read it through several times
to make sure he was reading it with the right understanding. The email had
come from a new officer, who like Gladys was still in training, and who was
assigned to Charlie Cell Block.


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