Banks was taken back to his cell—wherever that was—and Clint told Rock he wanted to see the warden.
“I ain’t supposed to take anybody to see the warden without first checkin’ with the deputy warden.”
“Well, let’s put it this way, Rock,” Clint said. “How much would it take?”
* * *
Later that day Rock walked Clint down the hall to the warden’s office.
“Wait here,” he said.
He opened the door and peered in, then withdrew his head.
“Okay, it’s like I said. Deputy Warden Simon is out making rounds. Usually takes him a couple of hours. You got that long.”
“Okay, Rock,” Clint said.
“You won’t forget my money?”
“I gave you my word.”
“Yeah, you did,” Rock said.
Clint went into the office and Rock walked down the hall. At the end of the hall, where there was a bend, he ran into Deputy Warden Simon.
“Is he there?” the man asked.
“Yes, sir.”
“All right,” Simon said, “it’s time to get rid of both of them, Adams and the warden. And I want it to look like escaped prisoners did it.”
“Right.”
“If you have to kill two or three prisoners to sell that scenario, do it.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And make sure one of those dead prisoners is Harlan Banks.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Don’t just ‘yes, sir’ me, Rock. Do it!”
“We will, sir. I’ve got some good men, like—”
Simon held his hand up.
“I don’t want to know,” he said. “Just get it done, Rock.”
“Yes, sir.”
Simon went down the hall and through a door to perform his rounds.
Rock turned, went through another door, where he had six men waiting. They were all guards, but they were dressed as prisoners, and they were armed with guns. Ace and Danny were not among them. They were busy with Amanda again, and did not know what was happening.
“Let’s go,” Rock told them.
* * *
Clint entered the outer office, where Deputy Warden Simon’s desk was empty, made his way to the warden’s door, and opened it without knocking.
Warden Gordon looked up from his desk and his eyes widened when he saw Clint.
“Adams!” he said. “How did you get here?”
Clint noticed the warden’s hand hovering near a desk drawer. He assumed the man had a gun there.
“Relax, Warden,” Clint said. “I just came to talk.”
“Where’s Simon?”
“He’s not out there,” Clint said. “I think he’s making rounds.”
“Well,” the warden said, “w-what did you want to talk about?”
“Me,” Clint said. “I think we both know I don’t belong in here. And we both know there are others inside with the same problem.”
“I don’t understand—”
“Sure, you do. You’ve got a special ‘unofficial’ area of this prison where people disappear. No files, no records, many of them railroad in a kangaroo court, like me, for crimes that didn’t happen.”
“What do you want—”
“I’m sure you heard four prisoners tried to kill me,” Clint said. “They paid for it.”
“That was you?” Gordon asked. “You killed all four?”
“That’s right.”
Again, the warden’s hand almost went to the desk drawer, the top one to his right.
“Warden,” Clint said, “I think there’s something else we can agree on.”
“What’s that?”
“I’m much too famous to die in here, and have it kept quiet. Don’t you think?”
The warden frowned.
“And on your watch,” Clint said. “Word would get out quickly, and you’d have some questions to answer. And if the State Prison Board comes in here and takes a closer look at your operation, you’ll be in trouble.”
The warden bit the inside of his cheek, then said, “It’s not me. It’s Simon. It was all his idea.”
“That doesn’t surprise me,” Clint said. “Look, there’s an easy way for you to avoid this.”
“How?”
“Release me,” Clint said. “Let me walk out of here with Harlan Banks and Amanda King.”
The warden frowned again.
“Who are they?”
“Exactly,” Clint said. “You don’t know about them, but you’re taking the money that’s being paid to keep them in here. I think your deputy has taken on a little too much authority here, don’t you?”
Actually, the warden did think that. But the extra money, and the sex, had blinded him.
“I need you to get me out of here, Warden,” Clint said.
“Yes,” the warden said. “Yes.”
At that moment they heard something in the other room. Clint lunged for the desk, and the warden thought he was attacking him. But Clint wanted to get to that drawer, and he hoped he was right about the warden keeping a gun in there.