Before the walls
For years, you kept Northgate Corrections’ prisons running. Locks, wiring, worn-out machinery: there was always something to mend. The work paid the bills, and at the end of the day Lucy was waiting at home. Then an urgent work order arrived one night, and you picked up your tools.
The wrong room
Marcus Webb, your supervisor, sent you to Blackstone to repair a fault. You followed his work order to an administrative office. Andrew Miller, the auditor, lay dead inside. You had barely taken in the room when officers arrived. They searched your tool bag and pulled out the murder weapon. Even your surprise had a place in someone else’s plan.
A case built against you
By the time you stood trial, the work order had vanished. The access logs and camera footage told a different story: you had been there before the murder. Rachel Brooks, your lawyer, fought to expose the changes, but could not prove them. The court believed Northgate’s records. You were left with a sentence and a truth no one would hear.
Six months later
After six months at Greyford, you know the days by their sounds: locks turning, meals arriving, footsteps passing your cell. Lucy still visits. Today she asks when you are coming home, and once again you have no date to give her. You return to your block. Her question follows you all the way back.
