Marcie was never much one to confront anyone about anything and generally just let her boyfriends take what they wanted without objection thinking tha... was the payment she needed to make to keep them on a string.On the balcony above the yard, Chief Gretchen watched the new inmate adjust to life in jail and smiled when she saw her puffing on the half-cigarette like the addict she was. It had been some time since she had played with one of the new girls and this one looked like easy pickings for. Go and use our bed.’ ‘Yeah and don’t forget to change the sheets.’ ‘Shut up Jamie and stop being so crude. We are seeing romance blossom right before our eyes.’ Jamie demanded that Lydia get her tongue out of Alan’s mouth and tell him what had triggered her excitement. Lydia straightened up, gently removed Alan’s hand from her groin and sat back in her chair. ‘This wonderful, wonderful and amazing man came over here this evening with an ulterior motive. He’s brought the re-launch of Matilda. Most of his anger had morphed into pain and he was in no mood for a confrontation just then anyway.No one said a word, they just looked at each other for what seemed like an eternity, but in reality was just a few seconds. Ken turned and left for his favorite easy chair. There he sat staring down at the floor. There was so much he was going say, so many accusations he was going to bombard her with, but now it all seemed so hopeless. What's the use, he told himself. It's over.He caught a glimpse. It wasn't that he had really been avoiding her but he had been spending a lot of time thinking about Erica. "No, it's quite all right," he said. "And anyway I'm sure your records are fine. All the paperwork you've sent me so far is perfectly all right." Oh. Good." Allison smiled shyly. She was a quiet woman, in her late thirties, carrying a little more weight than she should and somehow looking as though the troubles of the entire town had piled up in her shop doorway. "Is your tea sweet.