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Tracy Cartwright sat on her mattress, close to the locked door, staring at the air-vent cover in the ceiling above the centre of the room. As a result of Toby Miller’s and John Jabaldjari’s efforts to remove the vent cover in a search of a way out of the room, it hung haphazardly by just one remaining holding screw. The cover, made of durable plastic, and covered with dust and grime accumulated over years of neglect, fluttered slightly as the air inside the stuffy room was sucked out through the narrow flue by the passage of air over the top of the hummock outside.
Feelings of hopeless frustration and failure weighed so heavy on Tracy as to be almost overwhelming. There were moments when she struggled inwardly against the urge to break down and cry uncontrollably. So far, she was winn
