I12DT - Digging up the past

[Samantha McManus]

"Did she talk about her homelife at all? From before?"

[Narrator]

"Can't say that she did. Though I recall one of the other girls that came here from the juvie block asked her something once about... oh shoot what was it... Something about crying about something. Oh that's right, she made some flippant comment that no one ever came to visit her and that made her go real quiet. Thought she was gonna finally start something. Kept thinking if she's not starting something now we'll find the girl shived in her bed one morning, but nothing ever came of that."

[Samantha McManus]

"Did she ever talk about Norma?"

[Narrator]

"Norma! That's who she was talking about. That Norma never came to visit. Don't think she ever mentioned her herself though, at least not while she was in our block."

[Samantha McManus]

"That was the other girl involved. The one who wasn't sent here."

[Narrator]

"Is that so? Huh. I never knew. Well, she certainly was a sore spot for her I suppose. Think they had a Thelma and Lousie going on? Little young for that I suppose..."

[Samantha McManus]

"I honestly can't quite tell. Mary seems to have been the ringleader, by all accounts."

[Narrator]

"You'd think so, if they let the other one off the hook. And honestly, from what I remember she certainly was the type for it. When I say she never did anything then that's only because someone else always seemed to mysteriously start to have a grudge against whoever slighted her. Some of the inmates really liked her. One of them killed herself when Mary was released."

[Samantha McManus]

"Suppose those records are sealed like the rest, aye?"

[Narrator]

"The records on little miss sunshine are, the ones on other inmates not so much."

[Samantha McManus]

"Even the one who committed suicide?"

[Narrator]

"Well, they're not exactly open to the public, but this isn't quite the same as Miss Bell's deal for total amnesty."

[Samantha McManus]

"It just might be helpful to understand what made someone so... attached, to Mary."

[Narrator]

"She was pretty charismatic when she wanted to be. And I know it's a cliche but a lot of 'relationships of convenience' happen. That's the official term at least. Some of them deal with it better than others."

[Samantha McManus]

"Was this more towards the latter part of her time here?"

[Narrator]

"Aye. Only really had to deal with her after she was transferred into the adult block."

[Samantha McManus]

"Seems to match up to when she had everyone wrapped around her little finger, aye?"

[Narrator]

"Pretty much. If you ask me they shoulda put her in one of them glass cages like they did with the guy in that movie. Don't think she ever ate anybody though." he barks out a laugh.

[Samantha McManus]

"She certainly has a way about her, as I said."

[Narrator]

"See that's what's got me wondering. Why are you so interested in her? You said you're her 'caretaker'?"

[Samantha McManus]

"Aye. She's presently held at a highly secure facility on Muir Island."

[Narrator]

"That sounds much more reassuring than what I feared. Not the least bit surprised she wasn't as 'rehabilitated' as the parole board thought though."

[Samantha McManus]

"We're just having a bit of trouble putting a finger on her pathology, so we're going back a ways."

[Narrator]

"She's nuts. I hope you don't think you can help her..."

[Samantha McManus]

"I'm more for making sure she can't hurt anyone else."

[Narrator]

"Then throw away the key."

[Samantha McManus]

"If only it were that simple."

[Narrator]

"Tell me about it. I hope I could help you at least."

[Samantha McManus]

"Greatly. The differing perspectives have been invaluable."

[Narrator]

"Anything else I can help you with?"

[Samantha McManus]

"I think it'll just be a stop at the records office, and then I'll be done here."

[Narrator]

"Certainly. Have a nice day."

[Samantha McManus]

Samantha started down the hallway to inquire at the records department.

[Narrator]

To cut things short, all files on Mel have been mysteriously destroyed. No one outright admits it but it's obvious in the surface thoughts of the people Sam talks to that they hope Sam won't come back with something that'd cut through the red tape of sealed files and force them to admit it. The file on the girl the guard mentioned - the one that committed suicide - doesn't say much either. There was no note found and it was treated as one of those things that happens sometimes. Security measures were heightened for a while but that's all that ever came of it.