Page 57 of Butterfly

Ian bowed his head, retreating.

“I’ll open it later,” Ollie said, dropping down from his bunk.

He shoved the letter into his bottom drawer.

“How long until the maggots mummify themselves?”

Teddy glared but still flashed his fingers.

“Thirty days?”

Teddy nodded.

“And then how long as mummies?”

Teddy used his fingers again.Fifteen days.

“Right, so…no sex for forty-five days.”

Teddy dropped the tweezers.

“It’s agreed,” Ollie said, jumping back onto his bed.

Teddy narrowed his eyes. A smug grin twitched his lips. It said,You won’t last one.

“I’ll last longer than you.”

Themaggotsgrew until the tub could no longer contain them. Teddy stole a container from the kitchen. No one challenged him, not even the officers when they caught him with it in his cell. Seinfeld stared at Teddy, Teddy stared back, then Seinfeld backed out of the cell, muttering, “I’m going to pretend I didn’t see that.”

Teddy slid the tray beneath the bed.

Every single officer who had seen the tray had performed the same routine.

“I heard them last night,” Ollie said, lying in bed.

Teddy stood in front of the sink, brushing his teeth, but he paused to let Ollie know he was listening.

“They were whispering. It was hard to make out, but I’m pretty sure they were sayingbraaains.”

Teddy snorted, then spluttered toothpaste into his beard. Ollie smiled, proud of himself for making Teddy laugh.

Knuckles wrapped on the door.

“Ollie, I need you up and ready by eight,” Seinfeld said.

Ollie frowned. “Why?”

“For your visit.”

“For my…” His wide eyes found Teddy’s in the mirror.

“Didn’t Officer Hargreaves tell you?” Seinfeld asked.

“No.”

Every time Ollie sent a letter to Leo, he included a visiting form. It had become a habit. He filled it in, including a date, and all it needed was a phone call to the prison to confirm the recipient was coming.

“He said yes?” Ollie asked, but Seinfeld had already moved on. He looked at Teddy. “He said yes.”

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