Everyone who has the task of hiring people sometimes makes mistakes. Prison authorities are no different. Hiring Gillian Patterson as a prison doctor was such a mistake.
She came from two failed marriages, one to a good man who bored her, and the other to a rotten man who almost destroyed her. When she arrived at the prison her self-esteem was low, her confidence shattered. She was in just the condition that suited the purpose of Magnuson, a killer for hire.
He was an evil man on death row who had little chance of ever being paroled. The moment he saw Gillian and heard her speak he detected the misery that was part of her. This was a woman he could use, manipulating her in whatever direction suited him. But ultimately there was only one direction that interested him and that was how to escape.
Seduction of a member of the prison staff by an inmate is difficult, but not impossible. The fact that Gillian was the prison doctor made it possible for Magnuson to pretend injury so that he could be alone with her. A touch of hands, the pressure of one body against another, whispered confidences: all weakened the resolve of a damaged woman.
Gillian was not the only woman working in the prison. Among the others was Beloved Childe, a contractor to the prison authorities, not a staff member. Beloved is a singular woman. Attractive and deeply intelligent, her main interest lies with prisons, primarily all-male prisons, and their inmates. Her primary function within the prison system lies with rehabilitation. She is not a staff member of any prison, but a contractor who moves from one to then other, to help the wardens make sense of their charges.
At her first meeting with Gillian she wondered about the wisdom of employing this doctor to deal with prison inmates, many of whom are devious and manipulative. Beloved liked Gillian and wanted to protect her. She also did not want to see the prison’s security undermined. She had previous dealings with Magnuson and saw him as one of the most ruthless inmates.
The deeper Gillian falls for this evil man, the more certain Beloved is that she must intervene to stop Gillian making the mistake of her life. She does not know exactly what Magnuson is planning, but is sure that whatever it is, it will serve only his interest. She tries to warn Gillian against him, but the other woman cannot turn away. She has to have this man who has persuaded her of his love and his caring nature. After the disasters of her past loves, she needs him too badly. Beloved sees the direction in which Gillian is moving and knows she has to act soon. Beloved knows something is coming and that an escape attempt is possible, but does not believe that Gillian is that desperate and will go that far.
In our next musing we will explore further the complex relationships between Beloved, Gillian and Magnuson and where it all will end.
