First Degree Innocence (6 page)

“Yes, sir.” Carrie managed a sheepish smile and turned to leave.

“Wait,” he called. His tone softened. “You’re new, aren’t you? I haven’t seen you in the yard before.”

She faced him and nodded, taking a step closer. Was he setting her up by talking to her and then reporting her? It seemed she was suspicious of everyone these days, and she hated it.

“I don’t want you to get in trouble. The men are coming out in a few minutes, and although we try to keep them from straggling into this storage area and stealing a peek over at the female’s yard, we don’t always succeed. There’s an extreme penalty for fraternizing unless you’re on a shared work detail under guard supervision.”

“Thanks for telling me.” She held back a smile, afraid there was some punishment for that, too. With a wave of her hand, she spun and hurried back inside, plagued by the way his penetrating eyes made her want to stay and chat.

Chapter Five

“Oh there you are,” Susanna said, sighing in relief as Carrie appeared in the doorway. “It’s almost time to go back up. Where were you?”

“Getting some fresh air. Jet and I—”

“Okay, ladies,” one craggy-faced guard yelled. “It’s time to go back to your cages. Line up and no talking.”

Another uniformed woman tapped her baton on the door as if no one knew the way.

“Tell me about Jet when we get back to the cell,” Susanna whispered and fell into line behind Di and Helen.

The column progressed forward, and Carrie trailed Susanna through the door into the muted light of the hallway. Her eyes struggled for a moment to adjust to the dimness, while she wrestled with the reasons behind keeping the prison interior so dark. She gazed at the long corridor of cinder blocks painted in depressing gray and figured out the answer. Why spotlight the ugliness?

One by one, the metal doors clinked open and slammed shut as women filed back into their individual cells. Carrie could only wonder how long the process would take if rules didn’t dictate that only two cellblocks be allowed out for rec at the same time to minimize the need for additional guards.

Upon reaching the last cell before the door separating her block from Carrie’s, Jet fell out of line, and following her assigned companion, sauntered into her own “cage.” She cast a friendly smile at Carrie and gave her a casual salute. From a brief glimpse before the guards urged her onward, Carrie observed no difference between her cell and Jet’s. How much could you alter block walls and steel bars?

As those remaining filed through the open portal into cellblock D, Susanna glanced over her shoulder at Carrie with a raised brow. She’d obviously noticed Jet’s antics. Neither woman dared speak, though Carrie had a million questions about her encounter with the uniformed man in the rec yard.

With silent waves, she bid farewell to her friends as they returned to their own areas. She and Susanna were the last left in line, and it struck Carrie strange that their door remained closed.

“Step out, Lang.” Ogden’s ugly face appeared through the bars of the hallway door separating D from B cellblock.

The fine hair on Carrie’s arms bristled as she moved from behind Susanna and stood against the corridor wall. Their cell door opened and Susanna dutifully walked inside, but cast a worried glance at Carrie as the iron gate slammed shut between them.

One of the escorting matrons hooked her arm through Carrie’s, yanking her through the now open door leading to the main office for the guards. With each beat, Carrie’s heart felt as though it inched into her throat. She hadn’t done anything wrong… had she?

Ogden held open the office door. “Take her to the holding room,” she barked.

Tears stung the back of Carrie’s eyes, but she blinked them away. Ogden, it seemed, thrived on vulnerability. But this time, Carrie wasn’t showing any. She squared her shoulders and marched into the bleak room where a marred table and two worn chairs sat.

“Have a seat.” Ogden closed the door and sealed the room off from the prying eyes of the other two guards.

The chair offered to Carrie was positioned beneath the air conditioning vent, and within scant minutes, goose bumps dotted her arms. Ogden walked around the room several times, pounding her baton against her palm. Carrie sat, her feet firmly planted on the floor and her back straight, keeping her gaze locked with Ogden’s. Showing weakness wasn’t an option.

“So, how are things going, Lang?” The guard finally sat, leaned back, and with feet propped on the table, crossed her arms over her chest. Her orthopedic footwear reminded Carrie of shoes her grandmother wore years before.

Carrie’s stare returned to the matron’s leathery face. “Fine… everything is fine.” She waited for the proverbial other shoe to drop.

“So, you like your roomie and everything is copasetic?” Ogden’s mouth curved into a sneer.

“Susanna’s great. She and I get along just fine, and I like the other ladies in my cellblock, too. This isn’t the Hilton, but…”

A little voice told Carrie there had to be more to the meeting than Ogden wanting to make sure the accommodations were satisfactory. Carrie released a pent up breath and steeled herself. She wanted to kick herself for being so chatty.

“I hear you’ve met Jillian Duke.” Ogden picked at her cuticles.

“Yes, I’ve met Jet.” Carrie kept her answer short and to the point. Her voice was steady, but perspiration dampened her palms.

“What do you think of her?”

“I think she’s… she’s nice.” Why didn’t the old shrew get to the point? Surely this wasn’t just a social call. It had to be some kind of test.

Ogden dropped her feet to the floor, leaned forward, and rested her arms on the table. Her eyes fixed on Carrie. “Jet’s cellmate is being transferred to another institution, and I’m seriously considering moving you in with her. Whadda you think of that?”

Carrie’s mouth dropped open. It probably wouldn’t make any difference what she thought. She composed herself. “Jet already asked me about this and I told her I really wasn’t interested in moving right now.”

“Not interested? Tsk, tsk, tsk.” Ogden’s eyes beaded. “Well, missy, I don’t see that you have a choice in the matter. What I say goes. Do we understand each other?”

Unable to find her voice, Carrie nodded. If they were out on the street, she could probably out wrestle the old woman, but in here, Ogden had the upper hand.

“Nothing wrenches my gut more than newbies who think they still have control. You’ll learn one way or another you don’t make the rules… you follow them.” She stood and moved to the door. With her hand on the knob, she glanced back at Carrie. “I’ll let you know when to get your things together. We haven’t gotten the actual transfer papers yet, but don’t get too comfortable where you are. If you give me problems, you just might find yourself being shipped elsewhere. Evidently the one we’re trading for Jet’s roomie has serious problems playing nice with the gals in the pen she’s assigned to.”

Ogden opened the door. “Someone get in here and get this piece of trash out of my office,” she bellowed.

Another guard sprang to her feet, her face drawn tight. She was obviously new, lacking a name badge, and frightened by the senior matron. Carrie totally understood and accompanied the middle-aged woman without batting a lash. The farther Carrie was from Ogden, the better. Each meeting with the old crone increased an overwhelming desire to bury a fist in her ugly face.

After opening the cell, Carrie’s escort gave her a light shove inside. She’d have to push a whole lot harder than that if she wanted to maintain control in this place, but for once it was nice to sense nervousness in a uniform. Sadly, it most likely wouldn’t take long until she turned as heartless as the others.

Carrie’s mind flashed to the male guard. Did he treat his charges with callous disregard or had that been a sincere look of kindness she saw in his eyes? Why did he keep invading her thoughts and making her stomach flutter? She didn’t even know him. Surely, he was just like all the rest.

The heavy door clanked shut and startled Carrie from her pessimistic thoughts. She’d never get used to that horrible sound. It was so final.

The new guard was barely out of sight when Susanna crawled from the bottom bunk and stood before Carrie with raised brows. “So, what happened? What did Ogden want with you? Are you okay? What did you and Jet talk about? Are…”

Carrie smiled, waiting for the barrage of questions to end. Finally she held up a silencing hand. “What would you like me to answer first?”

Susanna backed up to her bunk, sat, and patted the spot next to her. “You pick. I’m dying to know everything.”

Sprawling rather than sitting, Carrie folded her arms behind her head and stared up at the bottom of her own bed. “Everything started with Jet.” She heaved a sigh.

“What do you mean everything?”

“Jet confronted me today about moving in with her. I thought I had her convinced I was happy right here, but then Ogden somehow got involved. She didn’t mention that the two of them had spoken, but why else would the old hag pick me to be the replacement for Jet’s departing cellmate?”

“Oh no! They’re moving you?” Susanna’s full lips pulled into a frown.

“I told Ogden I didn’t want to go, but she was quick to remind me that it didn’t matter what I wanted. This changing of cells is all about authority and control.”

“Isn’t everything in this place?” Susanna gave a half-hearted chuckle. “We should be glad Ogden isn’t a dog. If she was, she’d be pissin’ on us to mark her territory.”

Carrie pulled her knees up and hugged them, laughing out loud at the image Susanna conveyed. Finally she caught her breath. “Yeah, everything around here is all about the chain of command, and I got the very distinct feeling that I have to move up ten notches to even be at the bottom.” Although it was meant as a joke, Carrie’s words failed to bring a smile to her face. She’d always heard that humor could mask pain, but not this time.

Preferring to dwell on something more pleasant, she summoned a mental image of hypnotic blue eyes. Silly, thinking about a man she barely knew and getting so excited about the possibility of running into him again. Her teeth skimmed her bottom lip as she pictured him. She took a deep breath and interlaced her fingers across her stomach. If her dating experiences had been anything other than dismal and disappointing, maybe she wouldn’t be so desperate now. If only she had someone on her side…someone with money and power.

She sat up and turned to Susanna. “How much do you know about the male guards?”

Chapter Six

Susanna shrugged. “They’re men; that’s about all I know. Why?”

Carrie wasn’t sure why she asked. For some strange reason she couldn’t shake the image of those powder blue eyes peering at her through the fence. It had only been a look, for heaven’s sakes. The man was just doing his job by making sure the women’s yard was clear. She returned Susanna’s shrug and inched closer to her. “I was just wondering if you knew any of their names. I kinda met one through the fence in the rec yard. No biggie.”

A smile curled Susanna’s wide lips. “Judging from the twinkle in your eye, I don’t believe you.”

Carrie shook her head. “Oh, don’t be silly. He probably saved me from getting into trouble, that’s all. I was too busy daydreaming and hadn’t realized rec time was almost over.”

“Gee, I thought it was something spicier. So…” Susanna stretched out on her side. She leaned her head on bended arm. “Tell me more about this proposed move to Jet’s cell.”

Carrie rose and began to pace. “It just pisses me off to be used like a pawn. You know I don’t want to move, but evidently Jet’s interest in me is purely to prove she can get her way around here, and for some reason I’m her chess piece of the week. She must know some dark, dirty secrets about Ogden to be able to manipulate the woman like she does. Why else would a prison matron cater to an inmate?”

Susanna looked pensive. “I never thought about it like that, but what could she possibly have on the bitch?” She giggled and a grin softened her face. “Do you suppose on her off-time she’s secretly a strip-tease dancer at a local nudie bar?”

The image made Carrie laugh out loud. Overweight, grey-haired, varicose veins and saggy boobs. That wasn’t a sight she’d imagine anyone paying to see. She plopped down on the edge of Susanna’s bunk. “I don’t think that’s it… but what? Has Jet always snapped her fingers and made Ogden jump?”

“Ever since I’ve been here. If anyone tangles with Jet, it doesn’t matter who’s at fault, Jet always skates and the other person suffers.”

Carrie dropped her head into her hands. “Why does it have to be me?”

Susanna patted Carrie’s shoulder. “I wish I had the answer, my friend. But this type of bullshit seems to happen in here all the time.”

Standing, Carrie squared her shoulders. “Well, it isn’t the end of the world. If I get moved, it doesn’t mean our friendship is over. We’ll still have rec time together, and that’s a good thing, isn’t it?”

“Of course.” Susanna rose and hugged Carrie. “I’ll miss our quiet times when it’s only the two of us. I’m not a real warm, fuzzy person, but I want you to know that I feel closer to you than I have to anyone in years.” Her cheeks reddened.

Carrie backed out of the embrace, swiping a knuckle beneath her welling eyes. “Okay, stop it. You’re killing me here. The feeling is mutual, so let’s stop acting like we’re never going to see one another again.”

It was true. Susanna had become a good friend in a short time. Maybe their connection was sharing the horrible experience of being sent to prison in what should be the prime of their lives. Laughter threatened to erupt from Carrie at the absurdity of that thought, but she sobered with the reality that there was nothing at all prime about her existence, in or out of prison.

The sparkle came back to Susanna’s eyes. “You’re right.” She blotted a tear from her cheek. “Jet might win round one, but she isn’t going to win the battle. I just wish I knew if this was only about her flexing her muscles, or if there’s a more sinister motive behind her wanting you in her cell.”