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‘Pretty grim so far,’ Bryant noted, sitting on one of the boxy chairs.
Kim stood at the small window which seemed to be the fashion throughout the building. ‘I suppose that’s the point,’ she said.
He wasn’t wrong, but it was important to remember that this wasn’t a facility for unruly kids. The inmates at Welton had committed crimes, broken the law. It wasn’t errant, rebellious behaviour but criminal activity. There had to be consequences. Another – smaller – voice in her mind insisted that they were still kids.
‘Sorry to keep you,’ said a female voice at the door.
Kim kicked herself for assuming the person they’d come to see was a man.
The woman was an inch or so taller than Bryant’s six feet. She had the build of an athlete and long red hair, pulled back except for a few springy bits around her temple.
Bryant held up the ID he hadn’t yet put away and introduced them both.
‘I’m Josephine Kirk – please follow me.’
There was no offer of a handshake from the brusque woman, and she strode away at speed. Kim and Bryant shared a look before following her.
She opened a door and nodded for them to enter.
The office wasn’t spacious; nor was it luxurious. As with the rest of the facility, everything was simple, square and without effort to soften the harshness.
Despite the brusqueness, Kim was prepared to offer the benefit of the doubt to any woman who had shoe-horned her way into a male-dominated environment.
‘Your colleague mentioned a current case. How can I help?’ Josephine Kirk asked, and Kim noticed there were no offers of refreshments or attempts at small talk. Kim didn’t mind the absence of either.
‘We have two victims, and we believe both of them spent time here.’
‘Names?’ she asked, tapping her computer screen into life.
‘Eric Gould.’
‘Age?’
‘Thirty.’
‘Yes, that inmate was here from 2008 to 2011. Next?’ she said, her fingers poised to enter the next name.
‘Paul Brooks.’
‘Age?’
‘Thirty-one.’
‘Also here 2008 to 2011. Next?’
‘That’s it.’
‘Well, in that case, I’ve answered your—’
‘Is there anything more you can tell us about the two of them?’ Kim asked. She appreciated brevity, but she’d been hoping for a little more than confirmation. She’d got that from the court records.
‘Such as?’
‘What they were like.’
Kirk shrugged. ‘Very much before my time. We took over from the Youth Custody Service seven years ago. Personal knowledge of any prisoners before then is severely limited.’
‘But the records?’ Kim asked, pointing to the computer.
