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MARCHING POWDER

But the governor wasn’t there, not that time or the next, or the time after that; he was always in a meeting or away from his desk. I knew that Julián couldn’t keep coming every day just to help me make phone calls, so on the fourth occasion I told the governor’s secretary to give him a message that I was going to ring the media. The governor took my call immediately.

‘Governor, I’m innocent. Can’t you help me get out? I had nothing to do with this,’ I said, getting straight to the point. He did too.

‘I know, Thomas. I believe you. But it’s out of my hands. There has to be an investigation.’

‘When?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘But I’m innocent.’

The governor kept repeating that he had nothing to do with this type of disciplinary matter and that he couldn’t interfere. I offered him money to get me out, but he claimed it was impossible. Too many people knew. Finally, I said I would call my embassy and the television stations unless I was given a chance to clear my name. He didn’t like me threatening him like that, but I was desperate and it was the only weapon I had left.

‘I can’t get you out,’ said the governor angrily, ‘but I’ll see what I can do about speeding up the investigation.’ Then he hung up on me.

Two days later, I was summonsed to the administration block to appear before a meeting of the prison discipline committee. This was a panel of prison officials they put together to investigate and judge internal disciplinary matters. On it sat the governor, the prison psychologist, the major, some administration staff and the prisoners’ delegate. The meeting was relaxed, and assuming that I had the governor and Julián on my side, I was confident that things would go my way.

I was allowed to give evidence and to put my case to the committee. I explained that I hadn’t been inside the Velascos’ room at all, and that the police had found no money or drugs on me, and nothing in my room. When the committee asked what I had been doing there, I explained how the Velascos owed me money and how we had had a fight over the debt. I said that I had sent my shop employee, El General, to pick up the money before going myself.

‘So, you see, it doesn’t make sense for me to be doing a drug deal