He’d killed a warder in a failed jailbreak, but no one had believed they’d actually hang him. This was Australia, and how could a man be paid enough to murder another in cold blood? How could he sleep at night knowing that he’d taken a life? ‘They fry them with electricity in America,’ Raelene said. ‘Their eyes pop out.’ ‘Raelene!’ Jim said. Christmas was over. Watch-dog Jenny was back on guard duty, Jim’s rules were new. Raelene had never liked Jim and didn’t tolerate his rules well. ‘Who are you to dictate to me?’ ‘This is my house, Raelene. I supply the food on the table.’ ‘Yeah, and you got her pregnant when she wasn’t much older than me too.’ She’d left school midway through form two, had learnt a lot of history on the school bus. Wily as a fox, street smart, not well equipped for life but full up to the ears with useful information. It was Raelene who came home with the news that Teddy Hall had bought Vonnie Boyle an engagement ring. Not a surprise to many.
