Status Updates From Naughts & Crosses (Noughts ...

[SPOILER] “‘Ladies and gentlemen and noughts, I am Governor Giustini. I have just this moment been informed that Ryan Callum McGregor has received a reprieve. His sentence has been commuted to life imprisonment. There will be no hanging today.’” What? How?

[SPOILER] “‘WAIT! WAIT!’ A voice called out from beneath the scaffold.
‘The governor…’
‘That's the prison governor…’
[…] ‘THE EXECUTION IS STAYED” Oh my god????

[SPOILER] “‘Ladies and gentlemen and noughts, we are here today to witness the execution of Ryan Callum McGregor of 15 Hugo Yard, Meadowview, having been found guilty of seven counts of murder and the charge of political terrorism. His appeal having been denied, the sentence of hanging by the neck until he is dead will now be carried out. Bring out the prisoner.” Oh god

[SPOILER] “At the far end of the courtyard was a scaffold. And still I didn’t click.” Oh no…

[SPOILER] “‘D’you find the defendant, Ryan Callum McGregor, Guilty or Not Guilty of the crime of political terrorism?’
[…] He opened his mouth and said something but I didn’t hear. […]
‘D’you find the defendant Ryan Callum McGregor, Guilty or Not Guilty of the murder of Aysha Pilling?’ The clerk’s voice rang out like a gunshot.
And I heard the verdict that time. God help me, I heard it.” Oh no…

[SPOILER] “I don’t know how Callum’s mum managed to get Kelani Adam’s to defend Callum’s dad but I was so glad she had” So it was indeed not her

[SPOILER] “‘Callum, there’s no easy way to say this, so I’m going to get right to the point. […] Until the matter regarding your father is satisfactorily resolved […] The governors and I have decided that it would serve everyone’s best interests if you were suspended for a while.’” Of course

[SPOILER] “But for me the most sickeningly humbling thing of all was I knew who had sent the money to Mr Stanhope.
Sephy.” She can’t be the one who did it, she’s a child, how would she know how to do all of this, especially without her parents noticing? Then again her mother is currently unwell and her father’s not home… but I don’t know, it sounds too simple for it to be her

[SPOILER] “I received a banker’s cheque and a typewritten, unsigned note with certain instructions,’ said Mr Stanhope.
‘May I see the note?’
‘I’m afraid not. One of the conditions on it was that you shouldn’t be allowed to see it.'” What the hell?
The only person we currently of know who have that kind of money are Sephy’s parents
But why would her father do that?
Or is it her mom? Is Ryan the one she cheated with?

[SPOILER] “I’m happy to tell you that I will now be able to take on your husband's case […] And the really good news is, I’ve persuaded Keli Adams QC to take the case — not that she took much persuading.’
[…] ‘An anonymous benefactor has stepped forward with a very generous sum of money, and a promise of however much more is necessary to ensure that your husband gets the fairest trial possible.’” … what-

[SPOILER] “What was it about me that made everyone do that? Walk out. Leave. Abandon me. After dismissing me. Why did what I said and did invariably drive everyone away?
Mother. Minnie. Even Callum.
But I was right about this one. Callum’s dad wasn’t the Dundale bomber.
Mother and Minnie were wrong. And I was going to prove it. I just had to figure out how.” Good luck with that…

[SPOILER] “‘Meggie, they found two of Jude’s fingerprints on a cola can fragment in the bin where the bomb went off…’
‘That doesn’t prove anything…’ Mum interrupted, her voice harsh. ‘That just means…’
‘A print was also found on part of the bomb casing that survived the explosion,’ Dad cut across her. ‘And the prints match…’
Jude was the bomber…” Oh no…
Was he set up? I don’t believe it was actually him

[SPOILER] “‘I signed a confession admitting to all the charges…’ […] They said they had Jude — and proof he was the bomber. They said someone had to take the blame for the Dundale bomb and it was up to me who took the fall. […] they threatened that you and Callum would also go to prison for conspiracy. It was my life or the lives of my entire family.” Oh god

[SPOILER] “‘Where’s Jude? Have they let him go? Is he safe?’
‘Jude? The police never had him. He wasn’t in the house.’ […]
Dad stared, then he looked so furiously angry that I found myself taking a step backwards.
‘Those bastards! They said they had him. They said Jude was as good as hanged…’ […]
‘Ryan, w-what did you do?’ Mum whispered.” Uh-oh

[SPOILER] “‘Where’s my husband?’ Mum asked at once.
‘He’s being held, after which he’ll be formally charged,’ the officer told us.
‘Charged with what?’ I asked.
[…] ‘Political terrorism and seven counts of murder’” Ouch

[SPOILER] “‘Mum!’ I called. […] The car took off. My hands were still handcuffed behind my back. My whole body hurt.
And I still didn’t know why.” I think I do. They didn’t erase the fingerprints

[SPOILER] “There was no warning. […] The first I knew about it was the CRASH when our front door was battered in. Shouts. Calls. […] By the time I was fully awake […] smoke was everywhere. […] I dropped to the floor.
‘Jude? JUDE!’ […]
It was only then that I realized it wasn’t smoke […] I coughed and coughed, my lungs threatening to explode from my body and my eyes were streaming.
Tear gas.” Oh god again?

[SPOILER] “I’m only sixteen and Sephy’s not even fifteen yet. […] This drinking nonsense is just her way of getting attention. I mean, it’s not even as if she’s getting drunk on proper booze. […] She’s bored, that’s all it is. I wish she could live half my life. Just half. That’d soon give her something to occupy her time.” You’re being unfair, Callum

[SPOILER] “You should’ve let me get blown up, Callum. Sometimes… sometimes I wish you had…’
Callum kissed me then. And it wasn’t like the first time we’d kissed either.
[…] it wasn’t bad, either. […] it made things better. But it wasn’t enough.” My poor babies...

[SPOILER] “‘I’m tired, OK […] I want something more in my life…’
‘And you reckon you’ll find it in a wine bottle?’
[…] ‘I don’t know where else to look’ […]” Oh honey…

[SPOILER] ‘OK, Jude,’ Nurse Carter smiled. ‘May I see your ID card?’
Jude dug into his jacket pocket and pulled it out. […] Nurse Carter swiped them through something attached to her computer. […]
‘What’s that for?’ Jude asked
[…] ‘It just stores your ID details and thumbprints on our hospital database.’
‘I don’t want my sons' fingerprints stored […] Wipe it off — NOW.’” Well that wasn’t suspicious at all

[SPOILER] “‘Callum, go and get yourself a drink or something […] I want to talk to your brother in private. I have something to tell him.’
[…] I saw all the colour drain from Jude’s face as he stared at Mum. He leapt up, profoundly shocked. […] Jude started shaking his head […] I started walking back to them […] Jude was looking straight ahead, his face pale, his eyes almost feverishly bright.” What did she tell him?

“In the fridge door was a half-full bottle of Chardonnay. […] The first sip almost made me gag. […] By the time I’d finished, Chardonnay didn’t taste quite so bad. […] I put down the empty glass and curled up in bed.
This time I didn’t even have to think about trying to sleep.
This time I left the world behind the moment my head touched the pillow.” That is not the way to go about it, but I understand

[SPOILER]“Did you or Jude plant that bomb?’
[…] ‘What I did or didn’t do is none of your business […]
‘Jude, did you plant that bomb? NO! Don’t look at your father. I asked you a question […]
‘Jude, keep your mouth shut, d’you hear?’ Dad ordered
‘Jude […] Answer me please.’
[…] ‘We had to, Mum […] but they said they’d phone through with the warning an hour before it went off. I swear they did.” Oh god

“We interrupt this programme to bring you a newsflash,’ a voice suddenly declared.
[…] ‘Just under thirty minutes ago, a bomb exploded at the world-famous Dundale Shopping Centre […] A warning was received from the nought group calling itself the Liberation Militia only five minutes before the bomb actually exploded.’
‘That’s a lie,’ Jude said.” Yeah, but they’re not going to believe that, and, either way, it WAS you

[SPOILER] “The Liberation Militia were planning something at the Dundale. Something Jude knew about. Something my brother didn’t want me anywhere near. And then I remembered.
‘Sephy’s at the shopping centre, I said, horror-stricken.” Yeah, that’s the problem

[SPOILER] ‘Where’re you going?’ Mum asked with a smile.
‘The shopping centre.’
Jude leapt up like a scalded cat. ‘Oh no you’re not.’
I frowned at him. ‘I’ll go where I ruddy like. Since when is it any of your business where I go?’
‘Callum, you don’t want to go there. Not today,” Jude said, nervously.” Well, now I know what the blueprint was of and what they were planning

[SPOILER] “I tried to move closer to the table but Jude rolled up the map before I had a chance to take a good look at it. I did see enough of it this time though to realize that it wasn’t just a map; it was a blueprint.” Okay, yeah, as I thought, Jude is also in the Militia, and they’re planning something together
But what would they need a blueprint for? And what blueprint is it?