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and the taxi drove out.
    Colin couldn’t believe he’d got this far, as the officer turned to speak to him.
    ‘This is my second trip to the courts this morning, so I had the chance to speak with your solicitor. You’re on remand, aren’t you?’
    ‘Yes, ma’am, I’m going to be committed for trial today.’
    ‘Well, your solicitor wants you to change your plea to guilty this morning. Because you’ve been at Barfield for a month, there’s a good chance it will count as time served and
you’ll be released from custody at court. He also said the magistrate will give you credit for the other offences you’ve admitted.’
    ‘That’s good,’ Colin said happily, realising that he now had a way of walking out of court legally rather than having to escape by doing a runner. His excitement was
short-lived though, as it dawned on him that the solicitor was another problem he and Barry had overlooked. Barry had never even mentioned him, let alone described him. He’d only told Colin
that his solicitor had suggested that he should be medically assessed for his fast-food obsession and his learning difficulties, which were due to lack of schooling. These could be used to get a
lesser sentence.
    Colin knew Barry was not the brightest spark and had noticed that he struggled with reading. He seemed only ever to look at comics, saying that he liked the pictures. Colin
also knew that if Barry appeared before the magistrate, he’d never change his plea to guilty. He desperately wanted a trial and to be found guilty so he could stay in prison. Colin thought it
was harsh for someone like Barry to be locked up with tough criminals for such a petty crime as stealing food, and really he should have been sent to a hospital for treatment instead.
    ‘You’re very quiet, Marsden,’ the officer said, giving him an encouraging smile.
    ‘Yeah, lot of things on my mind,’ he replied and then asked how long before they got to court.
    ‘Be about another fifteen minutes.’
    However, it took a lot longer as they got stuck in a traffic jam because of road works. It wasn’t Colin who began to get agitated but the prison officer. She kept on
looking at her watch, shaking her head and moaning about the hold-up. They were crawling along and she was worried that, if he missed his time slot in court, they might have to delay the hearing
and that would ruin her whole timetable.
    ‘I’m getting worried. Maybe I should contact your solicitor?’
    That was the last thing Colin wanted. The solicitor might ask to speak to him and that could give the game away.
    ‘Don’t they turn off their mobiles when they are in court, ma’am?’
    She sighed and looked at her watch again.
    ‘I don’t know what to do. You see, I’ve only just completed my training and I’ve been working at Barfield for just six weeks. I used to work in a dry cleaner’s, but
I’m a single parent so I really needed a better wage packet.’
    Colin said nothing as the car inched forward and eventually started to pick up speed as the traffic thinned out. It was a further ten minutes before they drove into the parking area of the
court.

Chapter Eleven
    The prison officer opened the car door for Colin and walked with him to the entrance. They went into the court along a stone corridor and headed into the prisoner reception,
where she took off the handcuffs. She should have taken Colin down to the cell area, but instead told him to sit and wait while she asked if his case had been called yet. She became even more
anxious when told that his solicitor was already in court with another client.
    Colin sat watching and listening, wondering when, and if, he could find the moment to escape. The officer was pacing up and down, unsure what to do, when the door to the court
opened. The defendant in the previous case was led towards the cells and the female officer went through the door to try to get the solicitor’s attention. Colin looked round. No one was
taking any