“Go ahead, shoot.”
“Think Colt can keep it together when he gets out?” I wiped the little bit of sweat on my face. It must have been from being enclosed in the barn.
“He can. He just got caught up in life’s moments, trying to make a buck for his family. He was looking for extra cash flow. Now he can see what that cost him,” she said gravely.
“I’m just glad he’s getting out.” I had my own secret reasons for wanting Colt to get out, and they were two-fold. “I appreciate you showing me around a bit more, but I do have to get back.”
“I understand. Come on, let’s make our way back to the house then.”
I knew for certain that Bella was in good hands. I said goodbye, mentally, to the horse and gave Bella a hug. “Soon, your father will be here to give you a hug.”
“I hope so. Thank you, Ms. Atwood, for checking on me. I appreciate it. I like you. You’re a nice lady.” Seeing a little girl happy in foster care was a social worker’s dream.
“Thank you, and you are a sweet, smart little lady. See you next time.”
She flapped her little hand at me as Cheryl held her hand up in goodbye. I waved to both of them and made my way to the office. Damn, I forgot the eggs. I cursed as I rode back to the office.
Even though the visit to see Colt’s family gave me momentary relief, my blood pressure shot right back up as I thought about Hector. As I fumbled around in my brain for the answers, my phone rang.
“You have a collect call from USP Atwater. Do you wish to pick up the charges? Please state yes or no clearly.”
“Yes,” I replied.
“Hello, Amber speaking.”
“Hi, Amber. It’s Colt. I think I have a solution to your problem.”
Seven
Colt
The promise of freedom can kill you. It can break your mental state into a thousand jagged pieces and leave you waiting for every moment to pass. All I had to do was stay out of trouble, but the ticking of time was killing me.
“Aye. What’s good, farm boy?” Errol heard me thumping on the prison wall.
I was tired of being caged in. Some days were better than others. I would look at the wall and think about Bella and her big smile. Other days were not so good, and I wanted to die thinking of what happened to Anna. I’d made my bed, though, so I had to lie in it.
“Nothing. Stir crazy. I’m waiting for Frank to send word.”
“Right. You think he’s going to be able to find Anna’s killer?”
“I do. He’s the man. I have another problem now. I have to speak to Austin. He wasn’t in the yard yesterday, though,” I mumbled.
“Try again. Austin’s always around. He ain’t going nowhere, you know that. You better keep your head down. Raymond’s sniffing around here like a dog in heat. You don’t want any beef. He’s notorious for trying to break guys before they leave. He’s done it with five guys now. He managed to keep them here.”
I winced when I thought about it. “I know. Don’t remind me. Is he on duty today? I guess it doesn’t matter if he sends his in-house goons, too,” I answered my own question.
“You’ve never lied. He doesn’t care for the law, even though he’s supposed to be on the right side of it. That’s why I stole.”
I snickered and banged the underneath of the upper bunk where Errol was sitting. “You are full of shit, Errol! You steal because you want money and fame.”
He started laughing. “You damn right.”
Light footsteps padded toward the cell. Restrained tension eased from my shoulders as I looked out and saw it was a woman guard. Her hard-nosed gaze penetrated the cell.
“Y’all ready or what? Hitting the showers today, Colt?” Just like the others, she held her hand over her prized possession—the brutality baton.
“Yep. I’m ready to go.”
