Page 35 of Justice

“Simple, we finish the job I was hired for.”

CHAPTERTWENTY-NINE

Molly hatedprison now that Justice was gone. While the new warden never visited the blocks, she’d changed so many rules it was now like a punishment instead of a place to bide her time. She had been stripped of her privileges, no longer able to receive shipments and make money. With no one on the outside to support her, she was forced to work in the laundry, washing everyone’s dirty clothes for pennies each day.

Even the guards had changed, no more bribing them or exchanging sexual favors. Not that it mattered much, she didn’t have much money and she wasn’t about to have sex with any of them.

She loathed her new cellmate, a woman named Clarissa, doing six months for selling oxy to an undercover cop. Clarissa cried all the time. When she wasn’t bawling her eyes out, she was picking her nose and saving the shit in her pocket. Molly could hear her at night, talking to herself as she ate the snot she’d collected all day, and then masturbating several times until she fell asleep, not caring how loud she got before she came.

The new warden was a religious woman and made sure everyone who chose not to attend church services, listened to it over the speakers. She implemented nightly devotion time, with a reward program for the most bible verses memorized. She shut down the library, and all internet connection was cut off. Phone calls, even from attorneys, were restricted to once a week, and only if you could recite the bible verse assigned for that week.

“Smith, you’ve got a visitor.” Officer Grayson said as he unlocked the door to her cell. Another rule the new warden implemented, all inmates were to spend twenty out of twenty-four hours inside their cells.

“Visitor? But it ain’t Thursday and I don’t care about bible verses.”

“No, it ain’t, but your new attorney is smarter than the warden. Put a call into the States Attorney’s office and they ordered the visit.”

Molly kept her mouth closed as she held her hands out for the handcuffs. She had no idea who the hell this alleged new attorney was, but she remembered how sweet Adam Kenner, his assistant, had been on Justice. Molly hoped he had been able to pull some strings so Justice could pay her a visit.

They walked down the hall, past the old library, which was now where they held church services, past the spot where Olson stuck a knife into Deidre’s chest, a shadow of a bloodstain remaining. The payphones were now gated off, and the door to the loading dock was removed, a painting of Jesus in its place.

Arriving outside the visitor’s door, Molly watched and listened as the lock on the door was released. The metal door pushed open and a tall man, with an expensive suit, stood behind a metal table in the center of the room.

“We won’t be needing those, Officer.” The man pointed at the shackles on her hands and ankles.

“Sorry, Councilor, warden’s rules,” Grayson said as he helped Molly to the metal chair opposite the man.

“State of Georgia statutes clearly state, unless the inmate has exhibited hostile behavior, shackles and or handcuffs may be removed during legal counsel. Now, unless your warden would like another call from the States Attorney, I suggest you remove those unnecessary items from my client.”

Grayson pulls out his key, unlocks her restraints, and then takes his spot against the wall. The man looks at him over his black-rimmed glasses. “Officer Grayson, unless you have privileges to practice law in this state, or have been assigned the role of advocate, your presence is not only unwelcome, it is unlawful. Since we both know you dropped out of community college, I recommend you leave this room, before I have formal charges brought against you.”

The man waited until the door closed behind Grayson before opening his briefcase and placing a black box in the center of the table.

“I apologize for all this, Ms. Smith. Since the events recently, the state has been more open in giving council opportunities to visit with clients. However, most of my colleagues have been willing to conform to the new warden’s protocol. As you’ve seen and heard, I use the law in my favor whenever I can.”

“Excuse me, there must be some kind of mistake, I didn’t hire an attorney,” Molly whispered. Her knowledge of what was going on in the prison not what it used to be, and she had no idea if she was being recorded.

“There’s no reason to whisper.” Tapping the black box in the center of the table, “This is a blocking device. Any microphones in this room are disabled as long as this blue light is on.”

Molly looked down at the black box, and sure enough, a neon blue light sat bright in the center.

“Okay, but who are you? Why am I here?”

“Ms. Smith, you will have to forgive me, this trip was last minute and I’m running on little sleep.” Removing his glasses, he pulls a card from inside his jacket pocket, the thick, fancy card stock sat on the edge of the black box. “My name is Albert, and I was sent here to negotiate your immediate release. Which, from reading your file, will take me less than a few hours to do. However, there is a small catch.”

Molly leans back in the chair, crossing her arms over her chest. “There always is.”

“Oh, I think you will find what I have to offer generous.”

“Well, Albert, forgive me for being skeptical, but the last man I trusted caused me to wind up in here.”

“Your ex-husband, Gavin Smith, was a detective with the Atlanta PD, correct?”

“How the fuck did you know?”

“Ms. Smith, my employer pays me a great deal of money to know these things. Such as what went on in your grandmother’s attic.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

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