Agency Worker.

Hello, are you new? Don’t be nervous, we are all pretty friendly around here. What‘s your name? Its okay, you don’t have to tell me it’s all good in fact, that’s the best way to be. They pay you little attention if you’re quiet. It’s good to stay out of their radar.

I’m Jemma by the way, been here a couple of months now, but I’m not going to stay. My work colleagues will be collecting me any day soon. Here take a seat no point standing around all day you might as well rest. We can look out of the window and watch people coming and going. You get all sorts coming here. I am just waiting now to be re-assigned. Silly really how I was caught.

I used to be a carer. You know, in old peoples homes. It didn’t pay very well but I was agency you see, I never worked very long in the same place before I was moved on. Then I left to join another agency. The pay was much better and their offices were closer to my flat. I liked the fact that I don’t stay in one place too long, it meant I didn’t have to make friends. I’m not there for that, I’m there to do my job, you know. The permanent staff took an instant disliking to me. It’s snobbery really, just because I’m temporary. It’s not as if I care for patients any less than they do. Nevertheless, I always got great reports back from the managers and that was pretty much my whole life until I changed agencies.

Look, the suns coming out. It’s been a miserable couple of days. Beware the Ides of March. Dreadful month March. I came here back in February. Although it seems I’ve been here for much longer.

I’m not bragging, but I was good at my job. There were others that worked as hard as I did yet after a few months they struggled to get a placement. I was reliable, always turned up on time and just got on with the job at hand. I didn’t complain like the others. That’s why a new agency inquired after me. I knew I had hit on to something special when I was given one of their cards. I wish I still had it to show you. It looked so professional and their offices were spotless. You don’t often get such high-class agencies like that springing up in Greenwich. All the staff are lovely and so smart and polite.

Are you all right there sitting in the sun. It can get hot this time of day. Shall I get you a drink? You don’t want to dehydrate yourself it’s easy done.

I wasn’t surprised they wanted me to join their team. They had been watching me for some time. They said I was very stealth like and unnoticeable. That’s just what they were looking for. I was slightly shocked at first. I couldn’t believe that an agency like this existed. However, nothing shocks me anymore not after working for them. It did mean a slight change to my kind of work.

Look at me sitting here boring you to death with my life story. You don’t have to listen you can always tell me to shut up. I won’t take offence. Let me give you some advice, you have to watch for the tablets they give you. I take the ones they give me in the morning but you see those large blue capsules that come to you after lunch, I hide them at the back of my throat and spit them out when no one is looking. I have a stash of them in my room. If you ever want to be spaced out for several hours just ask me, I won’t charge you, because you’re new. No point really I’m sure you have nothing to trade. I know what their up to giving everyone those blue pills. It’s so they have no trouble and everyone’s calm in the evening. They used to do that in many of the homes I worked in too. You had to draw a blind eye to that sort of thing. After all being a carer is bloody hard work.

I remember very vividly my first assignment. My target was a Mrs Davies. Feisty one she was. But you see it was a test to see if I could handle the job. She was a nice looking old dear bright blue eyes that sparkled. She was very sharp of mind too you could call her a bit of a busybody. She always had opinions on what you were wearing or what programme on the TV she wanted to watch, she had to watch Inspector Morse or there would be trouble. Her son contacted the agency in order to lay claim on the life insurance so I did my job and smothered her with a pillow. I was so nervous after my first job but it didn’t spark any suspicion. The staff at the home thought I was in shock. Mrs Davies son put on a fantastic act of grief; he could have won an Oscar for his performance. He came in the next day all red eyed and fragile.

My boss was very pleased with my success and I was given many more assignments. They trained me very well in their methods and it wasn’t too long before I was given stage three assignments, not just in old people’s homes but also in hospitals and day-care centres too. I had done over thirty-seven jobs before I was caught. I remember all of them, all their names. Funny how these things stay with you.

 I remember one old person called Mr Bishop who knew I was going to kill him. He woke up just as I was injecting a drug overdose into his drip.

‘Who sent you?’ He demanded.

I wasn’t sure whether to tell him that his wife had ordered the hit, but there was something in his glassy eyes that told me he already knew. It was a real shame. I like Mr Bishop he was an interesting person. He spent most of his days telling me how he was a spy assigned to bring down communist Russia and that he was working for the Government. You could say we had a lot in common. He passed away peacefully and his wife never came to the hospital to see him Silly old bitch she could have alerted the police to what had really happened but when its old people no one really thinks anymore of it. It is expected. Old people die.

Look they are passing out the menus for lunch now. You don’t get a great choice. I would stick to the pasta if I were you their soups are disgusting. Always smile when they hand you your plate you don’t want them to know you’re on to them. Never let your guard down. Believe me when I tell you they are watching you very closely.

That’s how I was caught. I let my guard down. You forget these hospitals are very security conscience. CCTV camera’s everywhere. It’s not like the good old days when you could do as you pleased and no one saw you.

I really screwed it up for the agency. I had to tell the police about the agency in the end. They bullied me into it. I think that’s why they haven’t picked me up straight away. Of course I didn't name any names. Just the location.They’re going to punish me for a while. Their like that. They don’t want to be known to the authorities. I’m sure the Government funds them.

The police said that the offices were empty and had been for over a year, but you and I both know that they made it look like they were never there. As I said, they were very smart. I wonder where there new offices are. It won’t be long until they pick me up. You wait and see they will probably come disguised as doctors from another hospital coming to move me to a secure unit. It won’t be long now, any day.
Shall we join the lunch queue?