Page 103 of Freshman

Alfie had avoided them at the hospital, faked drowsiness and pain when they approached. He didn’t want to be quizzed on the crash. He wanted to lock the incident away to dissect later with a sound mind.

“Does it have to be right now?”

Martin nodded. “Yes, yes it does.”

Alfie hopped back into the living room and resettled himself in the groove on the sofa.

“How’s the hip?”

“Pelvis,” Alfie mumbled, “and ribs. I’m sore, but I can move if I take it easy.”

Martin perched at the other end of the sofa, as far away as physically possible. “My colleagues will be along shortly.”

Alfie frowned. “Colleagues?”

“Yes, a warrant is being finalised.”

“Why-why do you need that?”

Martin hung his head and closed his eyes. “We want to ask about your relationship with Nate Mathews.”

Alfie’s blood clogged in his veins, and he hunched over with his hand braced on his stomach.

“Relationship? He’s a prisoner, and I’m a prison officer.”

Martin studied Alfie, tracking his eyes over his face to record his reaction. He scribbled something in his notebook. When Alfie leaned back and tried to see what it was, Martin quickly pressed it to his chest.

“Nate’s accomplices pulled Mike from the car, then got Nate out. They cut his cuffs. Then he went back for you. I have statements from both Dave and Mike, who were conscious throughout. Nate was concerned for your welfare, and when he could’ve left and driven away, he didn’t. He took you.”

Alfie pinched the bridge of his nose. “I don’t know why he did that—”

“Your boss told us you were reluctant to accompany Nate on Sunday. Dave and Mike both said Nate wanted you to get out of the car and told you to leave several times. They said you were pale and distant before the crash.”

Alfie’s gut clenched, and he curled over farther. “I had been off sick all week. Of course I was reluctant, and Nate’s always mouthing off like that.”

“When asking your colleagues about yours and Mr Mathews’s relationship, one of them told us he enjoyed your presence. And on Monday December 3rd, you were seen going into Nate Mathews’s cell.”

“By whom?”

“CCTV.”

“The cameras are broken.”

“Not the new ones that were installed that day during a lockdown. Your superior kept the broken ones up as distractions while the smaller cameras were fitted.”

A hard lump formed in Alfie’s throat. “It was an emergency. I had to go in there—”

“Without informing your fellow officers or writing the incident in the logbook?”

“I was ten minutes at most.”

Martin scrunched his nose. “More like forty-five…”

“Nate was on suicide watch. I was checking on him. He was upset over—”

“His Nana Doris.” Martin rolled his eyes. “Sure he was.”

“What exactly are you accusing me of?”

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