“And you don’t have to.” Gunnar came into the kitchen fresh from the shower and smelling of freshly cut grass, his long hair still damp. He put a box of frosted flakes on the counter. “I got these when I went out for a run earlier. But, if you want to avoid a diabetic coma, I made something last night.”
“You’ve been out running. What is wrong with you?”
“Wolves like to run.”
“Don’t think I’m going with you. Early mornings are to be spent under a warm comforter, not pounding the sidewalks. What did you make?”
Gunnar went to the fridge and pulled out two dishes. “Fruit compote on the bottom, then a layer of thick Greek yogurt, then granola on the top. Try it.”
Bryn eyed the dish with suspicion. “It sounds healthy.”
“That’s the general idea. If you don’t like it, you can eat the sugar-death, okay?”
“Fine. Need coffee, though.”
“I unpacked my French press last night when you were catching up on your beauty sleep. Sit. Eat. I’ll make coffee.”
“You know I’m all grown up, don’t you?” Bryn sat at the table and pulled one of the bowls toward him. “I can look after myself.”
“Debatable, at least before coffee.”
Bryn scowled but dug in to his breakfast. “Oh wow, this is good!”
“I know, genius. I’m making eggs too.” Gunnar bustled away chopping, beating and stirring and after a while served up scrambled eggs, wholewheat toast and coffee.
“I could get used to this.” Bryn ate every scrap and drank two cups of excellent coffee.
“We can take it in turns,” Gunnar said, finishing his own meal. “If you don’t know how, I’ll teach you.”
“Cooking lessons. Yay.”Actually that sounds kind of fun.“What delights has Warden got in store for us today?”
Gunnar checked his cell. “A visit to MCI Cedar Junction. An interesting one, this. There’s a guy in there who has consistently protested his innocence, name of Dwayne Scott. Not unusual, but his case is one that was investigated by a corrupt cop.”
“So I get to find out if he’s innocent or guilty?”
“Yeah. The full file is in the conference room waiting for us.”
“If this guy is innocent, it’ll make a change from all the sewer-level memories I’ve seen over the last three years. It would really be doing something good.”
“I guess your training wasn’t a picnic?” Gunnar crunched a piece of charred toast.
Bryn stared at him. “Wolves need charcoal?”
“Hey, no judging. I like it crispy.”
“Hmm and no, it wasn’t.”
“When you’re ready, you can tell me about it. Might be therapeutic.”
“Therapists run screaming from the room where I’m concerned, believe me. Tell me about the federal pen. Doesn’t it take a while to get clearance to go in there?”
“Yeah. I’ve done a few visits. We have to comply with BOP policies.”
“Bop?”
“Bureau of Prisons. So I guess Warden has already been on the case because approval for the visit has to be requested. That usually means contacting the prison where the inmate is housed and explaining the purpose of the visit, so that must have been fun.”
“No kidding.”
