Praefectus Praetorio
R.I.P. Brother of the Quill
Believe me, if I was supervising the strip/cavity search of my girlfriend, you are the first one I'd ask for advice.
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Crime and Punishment in Modern Singapore
- Thread starter Praefectus Praetorio
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montycrusto
Guest
Finally a government that takes gum control seriously
Praefectus Praetorio
R.I.P. Brother of the Quill
Central Station, Jail Intake Processing: 7:35 PM SST
Giving the matron a dirty look that seemed not to faze her in the least, Barb followed the others back into the office and took the clothes offered. She had steeled herself to accept some hideous orange, formless attire that would be an unbearably insult to her own highly-refined fashion sense.
But, instead, she was impressed at once. The almost silk-like white uniform was of fine fabric and impeccable workmanship. And, as Innusha had promised, it fit very well, like she had been to a custom dressmaker for a fitting.
Looking at herself in a short mirror on one wall, Barb thought it had the look of a designer creation. A fitted, long-sleeved top, cropped just at the navel, and similar drawstring hip-hugger pants, just sized to fit and show off Barbara’s tight little ass. They almost could pass for harem pants, she thought. And a pair of matching sandals. The total look was that of expensive lounging pajamas. Barb thought how stylish (and sexy) her well-toned body looked in this “prison” outfit. It would be perfect for the upcoming faculty-staff party in April.
The Innusha took Barb’s clothes (all of them, “No underwear allowed in the jail.”), bagged them and had her sign for her possessions. She then punched a key on her computer and two other matrons appeared at a different door than that she had entered through.
As Barb was taken out, Innusha Rogers looked at her partially completed report and the bag of pills and thought about Barbara Moore’s behavior. She had lied and prevaricated from the moment she entered the office. Despite that, Innusha had gone out of her way to take pity on the misguided American tourist and used her discretion not to bring charges for importing drugs or a non-declaration at customs. While Moore had seemed grateful at first, she soon was complaining and refusing to cooperate. During the routine, and completely professional search, she had mouthed filthy abuse at the matron and even at Innusha. Did she have no self-control? Rogers gave a sigh and proceeded to complete and file her report. However, after she filed the official copy, she still sat and stared at her computer. Finally, she pulled up a copy of the report and added several extra paragraphs of commentary. She sent this revised report to the head matron on the night shift. Innusha thought she should know what was coming her way.
Main Block. Central Station Holding Facility 7:39 PM SST
Barbara went down another, sparkling clean, brilliant white hall with doors on the sides.
Barb noted that the one matron was short and thin with fine Asian features, while the other was tall and strongly built, clearly Western, almost Nordic, with striking long blonde hair. The procession stopped at one of the doors, which the smaller matron opened with a proximity card and fingerprint ID. Barb noticed the door was polished wood with a small window at face height.
The room beyond was surprisingly nice. Two beds along the long wall, two desks with blue upholstered chairs. Berber carpeting covered the floor and clean washstands and commodes were in the other corners. Barb’s bed has a small window, though it was pitch dark out.
“I am Dao Sing and this is Carrie Long. We are a little more full than normal, tonight,” said the smaller matron in an apologetic voice. “Normally you would be alone, but tonight you will have to share. Your cellmate (the word seemed out of place in the room that was more like an upscale youth hostel than a jail cell) is Rose Lin. She should be returning shortly from the dining room. Have you had dinner, by the way?”
“No,” said Barb, suddenly feeling very hungry. “I haven’t eaten since a late breakfast. It would be very unfair to make me wait for morning! I must be fed or I will lodge a complaint with the warden!” She started to complain more, but the matron interrupted.
“Do not worry. We would certainly not let you go hungry. Once all the inmates are back in- their cells – not more than twenty minutes – I will personally take you to the mess and you can have whatever and how much you want.”
“Oh, Well, that will be OK. I can wait twenty minutes, I guess. But no longer!” Barb followed with a grudging, “Thank You.”
The matrons got her situated and pointed out all she needed to know.
As they turned to go, Barb asked, “What if I need something else? How do I call you to come?”
Long looked at her incredulously, “You mean like if you want room service?”
Dao was less sarcastic. “We aren’t on call for the inmates. However, if there is any emergency, a life or death emergency, you can press the red button by the door.”
Then she turned, and they left Barb alone.
With twenty minutes to kill, Moore, poked around the room (she couldn’t think of this comfy twin bedroom as a cell). It was rather well equipped: plush towels, tissues, toiletries, extra blankets and sheets (though not the 400 count she usually insisted on when traveling).
Then she noticed a cloth bag on the desk on Rose’s side of the room. Stepping across, she peeked in. A candy bar! Not just any candy bar, but a Mounds Bar!
Barb’s favorite! Feeling her mouth water, Barb went and sat in the chair by her desk.
With no watch, the time seemed to drag forever, and the thought of the candy wouldn’t leave her mind. She was so hungry. They must have forgotten her! She could die of starvation! She was getting faint!! After what seemed an eternity (more like five minutes), she almost leapt across the room and grabbed the bar from the bag. Hurrying back to her chair, she scarfed it down in under a minute. Oh, that was good! Coconut and Dark Chocolate! She told herself that it was just a little candy bar and her cellmate probably wouldn't notice the absence. And Barb needed the candy to survive.
Giving the matron a dirty look that seemed not to faze her in the least, Barb followed the others back into the office and took the clothes offered. She had steeled herself to accept some hideous orange, formless attire that would be an unbearably insult to her own highly-refined fashion sense.
But, instead, she was impressed at once. The almost silk-like white uniform was of fine fabric and impeccable workmanship. And, as Innusha had promised, it fit very well, like she had been to a custom dressmaker for a fitting.
Looking at herself in a short mirror on one wall, Barb thought it had the look of a designer creation. A fitted, long-sleeved top, cropped just at the navel, and similar drawstring hip-hugger pants, just sized to fit and show off Barbara’s tight little ass. They almost could pass for harem pants, she thought. And a pair of matching sandals. The total look was that of expensive lounging pajamas. Barb thought how stylish (and sexy) her well-toned body looked in this “prison” outfit. It would be perfect for the upcoming faculty-staff party in April.
The Innusha took Barb’s clothes (all of them, “No underwear allowed in the jail.”), bagged them and had her sign for her possessions. She then punched a key on her computer and two other matrons appeared at a different door than that she had entered through.
As Barb was taken out, Innusha Rogers looked at her partially completed report and the bag of pills and thought about Barbara Moore’s behavior. She had lied and prevaricated from the moment she entered the office. Despite that, Innusha had gone out of her way to take pity on the misguided American tourist and used her discretion not to bring charges for importing drugs or a non-declaration at customs. While Moore had seemed grateful at first, she soon was complaining and refusing to cooperate. During the routine, and completely professional search, she had mouthed filthy abuse at the matron and even at Innusha. Did she have no self-control? Rogers gave a sigh and proceeded to complete and file her report. However, after she filed the official copy, she still sat and stared at her computer. Finally, she pulled up a copy of the report and added several extra paragraphs of commentary. She sent this revised report to the head matron on the night shift. Innusha thought she should know what was coming her way.
Main Block. Central Station Holding Facility 7:39 PM SST
Barbara went down another, sparkling clean, brilliant white hall with doors on the sides.
Barb noted that the one matron was short and thin with fine Asian features, while the other was tall and strongly built, clearly Western, almost Nordic, with striking long blonde hair. The procession stopped at one of the doors, which the smaller matron opened with a proximity card and fingerprint ID. Barb noticed the door was polished wood with a small window at face height.
The room beyond was surprisingly nice. Two beds along the long wall, two desks with blue upholstered chairs. Berber carpeting covered the floor and clean washstands and commodes were in the other corners. Barb’s bed has a small window, though it was pitch dark out.
“I am Dao Sing and this is Carrie Long. We are a little more full than normal, tonight,” said the smaller matron in an apologetic voice. “Normally you would be alone, but tonight you will have to share. Your cellmate (the word seemed out of place in the room that was more like an upscale youth hostel than a jail cell) is Rose Lin. She should be returning shortly from the dining room. Have you had dinner, by the way?”
“No,” said Barb, suddenly feeling very hungry. “I haven’t eaten since a late breakfast. It would be very unfair to make me wait for morning! I must be fed or I will lodge a complaint with the warden!” She started to complain more, but the matron interrupted.
“Do not worry. We would certainly not let you go hungry. Once all the inmates are back in- their cells – not more than twenty minutes – I will personally take you to the mess and you can have whatever and how much you want.”
“Oh, Well, that will be OK. I can wait twenty minutes, I guess. But no longer!” Barb followed with a grudging, “Thank You.”
The matrons got her situated and pointed out all she needed to know.
As they turned to go, Barb asked, “What if I need something else? How do I call you to come?”
Long looked at her incredulously, “You mean like if you want room service?”
Dao was less sarcastic. “We aren’t on call for the inmates. However, if there is any emergency, a life or death emergency, you can press the red button by the door.”
Then she turned, and they left Barb alone.
With twenty minutes to kill, Moore, poked around the room (she couldn’t think of this comfy twin bedroom as a cell). It was rather well equipped: plush towels, tissues, toiletries, extra blankets and sheets (though not the 400 count she usually insisted on when traveling).
Then she noticed a cloth bag on the desk on Rose’s side of the room. Stepping across, she peeked in. A candy bar! Not just any candy bar, but a Mounds Bar!
Barb’s favorite! Feeling her mouth water, Barb went and sat in the chair by her desk.With no watch, the time seemed to drag forever, and the thought of the candy wouldn’t leave her mind. She was so hungry. They must have forgotten her! She could die of starvation! She was getting faint!! After what seemed an eternity (more like five minutes), she almost leapt across the room and grabbed the bar from the bag. Hurrying back to her chair, she scarfed it down in under a minute. Oh, that was good! Coconut and Dark Chocolate! She told herself that it was just a little candy bar and her cellmate probably wouldn't notice the absence. And Barb needed the candy to survive.
***
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Migoz2
Senator
'This is an APB. If anyone has seen Barbara's self-control, could they please report in. It was last seen.....Oh, forget it.'
Of course. By the way, I just saw a pig fly over.
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montycrusto
Guest
Sure.. anyway someone with a name like Rose Lin is bound to be a timid little person easily impressed by Barb’s obvious charisma...
Migoz2
Senator
Barbara and Rose Lin are going to bond like sisters and Rose Lin is going to tell her about the Singapore Grip (it isn't a nasty form of flu!)
Migoz2
Senator
It almost sounds like you want to be punished, Barb.....This sounds all too good to be true. Is Barb hallucinating? Is this a Trump hotel rather than a police station? Has PrPr suddenly gone soft? When is the other shoe going to drop?
Barb’s favorite! Feeling her mouth water, Barb went and sat in the chair by her desk.
Peter Paul thanks PrPr for this unsolicited product endorsement.
The Beast
Governor
Isn't that so?
Praefectus Praetorio
R.I.P. Brother of the Quill
Central Police Division, Booking Desk: 7:50 PM SST
Mai Tang, Corporal of the Singapore police, was preparing to finish her shift at 8PM. She reviewed her checklist of all the cases she’d handled during the day, to be sure she left nothing undone. Mai had always valued precision and completeness in her work, just as she strove for courtesy and helpfulness to those she worked with, included those under arrest. She came to the entry under Moore, Barbara A. This made her think back. Mai pulled up the charge report that the officers had prepared and she had annotated with Moore’s “request” for an Embassy representative. Her stomach actually churned when she recalled how Miss Moore had called her all those abusive things when Mai was trying her best to work with her.
Tang struggled to repress her feelings of hurt, those would be unprofessional. However, she thought it her duty to warn others of what they might expect from Moore. She wrote a confidential memorandum to the head of the women’s jail and also to the jail liaison from the Attorney General Chambers detailing Barb’s behavior at booking.
Mai e-mailed these off to the evening/night shift, closed down her computer and left for the weekend. She grabbed her sports bag for her date at the police racquetball courts, with the tall new man in homicide.
Cell/Refractory Central Station Holding Facility 8:01 PM SST
A few minutes after Barb finished the candy bar, Dao Sing entered, and profusely apologizing for the wait, lead Barb to the mess. A high-ceiling, immaculately clean facility with art hangings and soothing music over the speakers, it was totally empty. For once, a contrast: the tables and chair were black against the beige walls and floor. Dao explained that the colors were chosen to promote a feeling of calmness to aid digestion.
A tray of decent enough looking food had been set out just for her. Dao volunteered that she could get anything else Barb wanted from the kitchen. While it wasn’t anything like she had been expecting at Labyrinth just a few hours ago, Barb was too hungry to complain. Also, she grudgingly admitted to herself that Dao had been rather nice to her. Just as Barb prepared to dig into the meal, the door from the cell block slammed open. She and Dao looked over and saw the other matron, Carrie, marching toward them with a small prisoner (dressed identically with Barb), in tow.
“Just a minute,” said Carrie when she reached the table. She grabbed Barb’s arm and forced her to drop the food back on the tray.
“This is your new cellmate, Rose Lin. She has a problem. Tell Miss Moore your problem, Rose.”
Rose was clearly cowed by the tall matron. She looked shyly at Barb and stuttered in a small voice, “My candy, my Mounds bar is gone. Did you take it?”
Clearly, the best course of action for Barbara at this moment was to confess and offer to made amends. However, it had been a long hard day for Barb and she was under a lot of pressure in unfamiliar surroundings. It is unfair to judge a person’s honesty and integrity based on one quick response under adverse conditions. And we shouldn’t here judge Barbara Moore. Shocked and disoriented by her arrest and jailing, her judgement may have been impaired.
However, her actions in the next few moments, along with how she had handled the hidden ecstasy, would later come back to haunt her.
“Why no. Of course not. How dare you accuse me like that with no evidence! Carrie, Dao, I want to complain to your superiors about you permitting such slander!”
Both matrons were aware of Rose’s usual honesty and were momentarily taken aback.
Long said, in a flat cold voice, “We tell you our names as a courtesy. You are to address us as matron.”
Barb caught the menace in her voice and knew she’s gone too far. But she was too accustomed to complaining to fully back down. “My apologies, MATRON. But don’t I have the right to enter a formal complaint?”
“Yes, Miss Moore, if you wish to get Rose in trouble for lying.”
“Well, it’s not that.” She smiled weakly at Rose. “But I have my rights and if she lies about me, she should accept the consequences.” Barb was a little hesitant here. She didn’t really want to get the other girl in trouble. But she couldn’t see how to back down now. Anyway, punishment was probably nothing; missing morning television for a day.
“Very well, Miss Moore,” said Long with clear annoyance in her voice, “I will request the head shift matron to come and hear your complaint.” She dialed her phone and proceeded to speak in Chinese to the person on the other end. This was more than Barb had expected, bringing in the head of the jail. Also, every member of the police and jail staff spoke clear, precise British English to Barbara; it was a shock to be reminded that she was in a truly foreign country where the national language was Malay with Chinese or Tamil also spoken by large swaths of the population. But the lingua franca was English.
Long hung up and announced the head of the shift would be there in 10 minutes. In the meantime, they were to return to their cell. Barb started to object that she hadn’t had a bite of her dinner, when Long raised her hand for silence. “You are the one who insisted on a complaint to ‘our superiors.’ Shift Head Wong instructed us to proceed to your cell immediately,” in a tone that brooked no debate.
Mai Tang, Corporal of the Singapore police, was preparing to finish her shift at 8PM. She reviewed her checklist of all the cases she’d handled during the day, to be sure she left nothing undone. Mai had always valued precision and completeness in her work, just as she strove for courtesy and helpfulness to those she worked with, included those under arrest. She came to the entry under Moore, Barbara A. This made her think back. Mai pulled up the charge report that the officers had prepared and she had annotated with Moore’s “request” for an Embassy representative. Her stomach actually churned when she recalled how Miss Moore had called her all those abusive things when Mai was trying her best to work with her.
Tang struggled to repress her feelings of hurt, those would be unprofessional. However, she thought it her duty to warn others of what they might expect from Moore. She wrote a confidential memorandum to the head of the women’s jail and also to the jail liaison from the Attorney General Chambers detailing Barb’s behavior at booking.
Mai e-mailed these off to the evening/night shift, closed down her computer and left for the weekend. She grabbed her sports bag for her date at the police racquetball courts, with the tall new man in homicide.
***
Cell/Refractory Central Station Holding Facility 8:01 PM SST
A few minutes after Barb finished the candy bar, Dao Sing entered, and profusely apologizing for the wait, lead Barb to the mess. A high-ceiling, immaculately clean facility with art hangings and soothing music over the speakers, it was totally empty. For once, a contrast: the tables and chair were black against the beige walls and floor. Dao explained that the colors were chosen to promote a feeling of calmness to aid digestion.
A tray of decent enough looking food had been set out just for her. Dao volunteered that she could get anything else Barb wanted from the kitchen. While it wasn’t anything like she had been expecting at Labyrinth just a few hours ago, Barb was too hungry to complain. Also, she grudgingly admitted to herself that Dao had been rather nice to her. Just as Barb prepared to dig into the meal, the door from the cell block slammed open. She and Dao looked over and saw the other matron, Carrie, marching toward them with a small prisoner (dressed identically with Barb), in tow.
“Just a minute,” said Carrie when she reached the table. She grabbed Barb’s arm and forced her to drop the food back on the tray.
“This is your new cellmate, Rose Lin. She has a problem. Tell Miss Moore your problem, Rose.”
Rose was clearly cowed by the tall matron. She looked shyly at Barb and stuttered in a small voice, “My candy, my Mounds bar is gone. Did you take it?”
Clearly, the best course of action for Barbara at this moment was to confess and offer to made amends. However, it had been a long hard day for Barb and she was under a lot of pressure in unfamiliar surroundings. It is unfair to judge a person’s honesty and integrity based on one quick response under adverse conditions. And we shouldn’t here judge Barbara Moore. Shocked and disoriented by her arrest and jailing, her judgement may have been impaired.
However, her actions in the next few moments, along with how she had handled the hidden ecstasy, would later come back to haunt her.
“Why no. Of course not. How dare you accuse me like that with no evidence! Carrie, Dao, I want to complain to your superiors about you permitting such slander!”
Both matrons were aware of Rose’s usual honesty and were momentarily taken aback.
Long said, in a flat cold voice, “We tell you our names as a courtesy. You are to address us as matron.”
Barb caught the menace in her voice and knew she’s gone too far. But she was too accustomed to complaining to fully back down. “My apologies, MATRON. But don’t I have the right to enter a formal complaint?”
“Yes, Miss Moore, if you wish to get Rose in trouble for lying.”
“Well, it’s not that.” She smiled weakly at Rose. “But I have my rights and if she lies about me, she should accept the consequences.” Barb was a little hesitant here. She didn’t really want to get the other girl in trouble. But she couldn’t see how to back down now. Anyway, punishment was probably nothing; missing morning television for a day.
“Very well, Miss Moore,” said Long with clear annoyance in her voice, “I will request the head shift matron to come and hear your complaint.” She dialed her phone and proceeded to speak in Chinese to the person on the other end. This was more than Barb had expected, bringing in the head of the jail. Also, every member of the police and jail staff spoke clear, precise British English to Barbara; it was a shock to be reminded that she was in a truly foreign country where the national language was Malay with Chinese or Tamil also spoken by large swaths of the population. But the lingua franca was English.
Long hung up and announced the head of the shift would be there in 10 minutes. In the meantime, they were to return to their cell. Barb started to object that she hadn’t had a bite of her dinner, when Long raised her hand for silence. “You are the one who insisted on a complaint to ‘our superiors.’ Shift Head Wong instructed us to proceed to your cell immediately,” in a tone that brooked no debate.
***
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Migoz2
Senator
Barbara Moore, going from bad to worse at the speed of sound.....
Loxuru
Graf von Kreuzigung
Make that 'speed of light'!
So ... I can’t help it ... it’s instinctive.
Gee, I hope there aren’t any hidden cameras in that cell room that might have captured me eating that Mounds bar. Nah, they wouldn’t think to do that, would they?
Praefectus Praetorio
R.I.P. Brother of the Quill
Have you been reading ahead?So ... I can’t help it ... it’s instinctive.
Gee, I hope there aren’t any hidden cameras in that cell room that might have captured me eating that Mounds bar. Nah, they wouldn’t think to do that, would they?
M
montycrusto
Guest
So Barb, when her tummy was rumbling,
Found her tight little rectitude crumbling.
She stole from her cell-mate,
Then started to yell:”Wait,
I still haven’t finished my grumbling!”
Found her tight little rectitude crumbling.
She stole from her cell-mate,
Then started to yell:”Wait,
I still haven’t finished my grumbling!”
Praefectus Praetorio
R.I.P. Brother of the Quill
Cell. Central Station Holding Facility 8:15 PM SST
The prisoners were required to stand at ease at the side of their respective beds, while the guards waited by the open door. Soon Matron Wong entered.
Barbara was taken aback. In keeping with the usual stereotype, most of the women she’s met in Singapore (with the except of the almost Nordic matron Carrie) were on the small side. But Wong was six feet tall and a good 200 lbs. Heavy, but more, very strong and imposing. Barb began to regret that she’d insisted on making a complaint.
Wong said little and listened attentively as the guards briefed her on the situation. Then she heard both prisoners’ stories. Barb stumbled a bit on hers as she was getting a bit scared about the whole situation.
“So,” Matron Wong finally spoke in a very deep voice, “Your stories are incompatible – opposite! Do you both swear by your account?” She looked at each in turn: Rose nodded confidently, Barb less so. She was desperately thinking of how she could deescalate the situation – but no idea came to mind.
“Matron Sing, was inmate Moore left alone in the cell”
“Yes, Head. For about 15 minutes.”
“Matron Long, was inmate Lin left alone in the cell?”
“No, Matron. I was with her the entire time. When we entered, she went straight to her personal bag, saying she wanted her Mounds Bar for her dessert, she said the name specifically. When she couldn’t find it, she said her new roommate must have stolen it. I did a search of her bag and there was no bar, so we proceeded immediately to the Refractory.”
Looking to both guards, Wong asked, “And the cell was closed and locked when no one was here?” They both nodded yes.
“Please search the wastebaskets.” There was a small trash basket at the foot of each bed. Barb gave an involuntary gasp as she remembered throwing the wrapper in her basket.
Sing came up with the wrapper from Moore’s basket and handed it, somewhat reluctantly to the head. Long and Lin grinned.
“I didn’t put that there!” cried Barb. Pointing at Rose, “She must have planted it.”
“She tried to get you in trouble before she even met you?” asked Wong. “And Matron Long didn’t notice?”
Barb heard a little voice of reason telling her to confess, but the instinct to lie and get away with a lie was too strong. “They’re all against me,” she said, waving her hand at the two guards and her fellow prisoner. “It’s a conspiracy against me because I’m a foreigner. They are all liars!” Dao looked really hurt at the accusation. “I’m the stranger here and they hate me!”
“A very serious accusation,” said Wong in a cold voice, “and one I’m obliged to investigate. But first, I think you should look at this.” She handed Barbra a tablet she was holding. It was running a video. It showed the cell with Moore sitting on her cot. Immediately she got up and went to grabbed the candy bar and ate it, and then discarded the wrapper in her basket. Barb stared open-mouthed in horror as the image. She stuttered, “How? When? How?”
The Head pointed to the corners of the ceiling, where, almost unnoticeable, were small surveillance cameras.
“Are you still desirous of pressing your charges and accusations against the two matrons and your fellow inmate?” asked Wong in a flat voice.
“No,” said Barb in a low whisper.”
“And do you confess to stealing and lying to the jail authorities?”
“Yes,” even quieter. “I can’t hear you.” “Yes,” Barb said in a louder but breaking voice.
“This is a problem. Long, get Lin settled and then come to my office. Sing, bring inmate Moore along with me.”
Anteroom to Shift Head Matron’s office. Central Station Holding Facility 8:55 PM SST
Barbara sat fidgeting on a chair with the two guards flanking her. She was getting more and more nervous. Shit, she’d really screwed up now! She had spent the last 20 minutes trying to come up with some excuse, some story to mitigate her guilt. She had been completely unsuccessful.
A young Chinese-looking man had arrived about fifteen minutes ago and gone straight into the office without acknowledging Barb’s presence.
Finally, Wong appeared at the door and waved them in.
The prisoners were required to stand at ease at the side of their respective beds, while the guards waited by the open door. Soon Matron Wong entered.
Barbara was taken aback. In keeping with the usual stereotype, most of the women she’s met in Singapore (with the except of the almost Nordic matron Carrie) were on the small side. But Wong was six feet tall and a good 200 lbs. Heavy, but more, very strong and imposing. Barb began to regret that she’d insisted on making a complaint.
Wong said little and listened attentively as the guards briefed her on the situation. Then she heard both prisoners’ stories. Barb stumbled a bit on hers as she was getting a bit scared about the whole situation.
“So,” Matron Wong finally spoke in a very deep voice, “Your stories are incompatible – opposite! Do you both swear by your account?” She looked at each in turn: Rose nodded confidently, Barb less so. She was desperately thinking of how she could deescalate the situation – but no idea came to mind.
“Matron Sing, was inmate Moore left alone in the cell”
“Yes, Head. For about 15 minutes.”
“Matron Long, was inmate Lin left alone in the cell?”
“No, Matron. I was with her the entire time. When we entered, she went straight to her personal bag, saying she wanted her Mounds Bar for her dessert, she said the name specifically. When she couldn’t find it, she said her new roommate must have stolen it. I did a search of her bag and there was no bar, so we proceeded immediately to the Refractory.”
Looking to both guards, Wong asked, “And the cell was closed and locked when no one was here?” They both nodded yes.
“Please search the wastebaskets.” There was a small trash basket at the foot of each bed. Barb gave an involuntary gasp as she remembered throwing the wrapper in her basket.
Sing came up with the wrapper from Moore’s basket and handed it, somewhat reluctantly to the head. Long and Lin grinned.
“I didn’t put that there!” cried Barb. Pointing at Rose, “She must have planted it.”
“She tried to get you in trouble before she even met you?” asked Wong. “And Matron Long didn’t notice?”
Barb heard a little voice of reason telling her to confess, but the instinct to lie and get away with a lie was too strong. “They’re all against me,” she said, waving her hand at the two guards and her fellow prisoner. “It’s a conspiracy against me because I’m a foreigner. They are all liars!” Dao looked really hurt at the accusation. “I’m the stranger here and they hate me!”
“A very serious accusation,” said Wong in a cold voice, “and one I’m obliged to investigate. But first, I think you should look at this.” She handed Barbra a tablet she was holding. It was running a video. It showed the cell with Moore sitting on her cot. Immediately she got up and went to grabbed the candy bar and ate it, and then discarded the wrapper in her basket. Barb stared open-mouthed in horror as the image. She stuttered, “How? When? How?”
The Head pointed to the corners of the ceiling, where, almost unnoticeable, were small surveillance cameras.
“Are you still desirous of pressing your charges and accusations against the two matrons and your fellow inmate?” asked Wong in a flat voice.
“No,” said Barb in a low whisper.”
“And do you confess to stealing and lying to the jail authorities?”
“Yes,” even quieter. “I can’t hear you.” “Yes,” Barb said in a louder but breaking voice.
“This is a problem. Long, get Lin settled and then come to my office. Sing, bring inmate Moore along with me.”
***
Anteroom to Shift Head Matron’s office. Central Station Holding Facility 8:55 PM SST
Barbara sat fidgeting on a chair with the two guards flanking her. She was getting more and more nervous. Shit, she’d really screwed up now! She had spent the last 20 minutes trying to come up with some excuse, some story to mitigate her guilt. She had been completely unsuccessful.
A young Chinese-looking man had arrived about fifteen minutes ago and gone straight into the office without acknowledging Barb’s presence.
Finally, Wong appeared at the door and waved them in.
***
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M
