Madigan fidgeted in her seat, leaning her arms against the cold metal table and studying the large room around her where a few other visitors sat at the surrounding tables. A woman and her young daughter in the corner seemed to be just as nervous as she was. An older man tapped his foot against the concrete floor, echoing through the cold room until a large metal door creaked open behind her.
Men in orange jumpsuits walked in a neat line from the hallway behind the door into the open room and dispersed between the tables. A few guards came into the room and stood by the doorways.
Just behind them, John Talbot shuffled out, and a smile spread across his face as he made eye contact with Madigan. She grinned nervously as he shuffled across the room and settled into the seat across from her.
“I’d have hugged you just then, but they won’t allow us to touch,” he said, keeping his cuffed hands under the table on his lap.
“No, I understand. It’s great to finally see you. You look good.”
His eyes brightened at the compliment.
It hadn’t been since the trials that she’d seen him in the courtrooms. Although a tie and suit had been replaced by a prison jumpsuit, he looked just as good as he had that last day he was taken away, charged as an accomplice to her old foster father, Eli, in the cover-up of the murder of Valerie Hall.
The murder her foster mother Evette had committed.
“How’re you holding up?”
“Good.” He made eye contact with her, and when she broke it, he kept staring.
“What?” she laughed in a whisper.
The smile disappeared from his face. “Is there something wrong?”
“Huh? No.”
“I was trying to think of a nice way to put this, but you look downright exhausted,” he said.
“Gee, thanks.”
I’m getting criticized by the guy in the orange jumpsuit.
And he’s right.
“You know I don’t mean it as a dig. I’m concerned about you.”
“I’m fine,” Madigan said, sitting up straight. “Still living with Grace. Work’s good and…”
And I can’t think of anything else that is. And I’m slightly exaggerating about work.
“Please tell me you’re not upset about me being in here.”
She shook her head. “Well, yes, but no. When you told me you’d made peace with it, I did too.”
“Good,” he said, “because I deserve this. I’m finally paying for what I did. This is how it’s supposed to be.”
“If you say so, but you were threatened by Eli. You thought you’d be in trouble or dead if you didn’t do as he asked. You were trying to protect Evette.” I guess I did too, from Grace, in my own way. “She had us both fooled, John.”
“That’s why I’ve only got ten years here instead of life.” He sighed and leaned his elbows up on the table. “Will you just tell me what’s going on with you? Is it the dreams still, about your attack?”
“No, I don’t have them as often anymore,” Madigan said.
“But it’s about that, isn’t it?”
She hadn’t told Grace for fear of worrying her, or the usual, stopping her from chasing down the man who assaulted her and got away. John couldn’t do anything about stopping her, and he had no contact with Grace.
And it would feel good to get it off my chest.
“Fine, yes.”
He leaned in closer and lowered his voice. “You’ve been looking for him.”
How does he do that?
“How did you know?”
“It’s what I’d be doing if I were in your shoes,” he said. “We think alike, remember?”
They shared many of the same thoughts about their upbringing and the self-worth they lacked even as adults. They also shared a love for an adrenaline rush, as proven by the time she helped him escape from police custody, taking him to the location he’d buried Valerie’s body.
“You haven’t found him yet,” he said, again, assuming right. “I think you’re playing with fire, here. It’s a dangerous—“
“Please, John, spare me the lecture. I told you because I thought maybe you’d understand. Maybe you’d just let me talk.”
“Oh, I think the time for talking is over,” he said, hushing his voice. “It’s time to get serious about finding this bastard.”
She raised her brows and found herself leaning in slightly.
“I have a good buddy, Luke, and I want you to meet with him. Tonight. I’ll let him know you’re coming.”
“Wait, no. I’m not getting anyone else involved in this.”
“And I’m not letting you work on this alone. If I were out, I’d be able to help, but I can’t. Luke’s the next best thing. He owes me. You can trust that he’ll be on your side.”
She shook her head. “I don’t trust people that easy. I can’t just take your word for it.”
“You don’t have a choice.” His eyes scanned the room before making eye contact with her again. “You don’t want him to hurt anyone else. You don’t want him free out there.”
Using my weakness against me again, and it’s true. The possibility of him doing the same or worse to someone else is just as disturbing as what he did to me. But I can’t take help from a stranger.
“I work alone,” Madigan said.
“And how’s that working for ya?”
Almost got into an altercation with a man whose face I nearly slammed with a door. Otherwise, not terrible.
Madigan pursed her lips and pushed herself back with the edge of the table, crossing her arms across her stomach.
“Wild Card. Tonight at eleven,” he said. “He kinda looks like me, a little taller. Brown eyes. Dark brown hair. Wear a blue top.”
“I can’t do this,” she said, but her voice wavered.
“Course you can. You’re badass. After what you did in South Bend?” He grinned. “But you had help then, remember? Anything you need, Luke’ll help ya out.”
He ran his fingers over his beard again, revealing a white tattoo on his forearm, just north of his scorpion tattoo. A lily.
He turned his arm toward him and stared down at it as a guard by the door hollered that visits were over. “When I get out, I’m having the scorpion covered,” he said. “I just want this one here.” He grazed his thumb over the flower and looked up at Madigan.
“It’s nice,” she whispered, her voice lost amongst the shuffles and clinking of the metal cuffs.
He nodded to her and stood. “Watch your back, alright?” he said.
She nodded, and he turned around, shuffling toward the door.
“You too,” she called after him, but he didn’t turn around.
As she grabbed her bag and dug around for her phone, it vibrated in her hand. A missed call notification from her Dad’s cell. She tossed it back into her bag, and as she rode her bike out of the visitor parking toward the main road, she thought about the promises she made to Grace.
Talk to my parents.
Or sign up for self-defence classes.
She turned right out of the gate toward Tall Pines Gym.
Whoever Luke is and whatever he owes to John, I can’t bring him into this.
Taking off down the road, the engine’s rumble and the rock song playing in her ears drowned out her thoughts, easing her heartbeat back to normal.