Julia tried to gather her thoughts. “I don’t think the pickup at Kay’s house had a flag sticker, but I could be wrong.” She was too freaked to remember details of that day or her vision. “I only see some details and not others.”
Suddenly her phone rang, and Julia fumbled for the cell, saw the call was from Bennie, and answered it on speaker. “Bennie, you’re not going to believe this! We were just tailgated by a black pickup truck. It could’ve been the guys who killed Kay. They tried to hit us!”
“Oh no, are you okay?” Bennie asked, alarmed.
“Yes, but he tried to run us off the road and—”
“Tell me later. I’m on my way to the prison and you need to meet me there. They’re holding Coutney’s preliminary arraignment tonight.”
“Tonight?” Julia felt caught off-balance. “When? Is there a fixed time?”
“No, they schedule them when a magistrate judge is available. Usually it’s sooner, but this is the boonies.”
“But we’re twenty minutes away. Will they wait until we get there?”
Bennie snorted. “Julia, it ain’tbrunch.”
39
Julia knew they were getting closer to the prison because an unnatural brightness emanated from the woods. The rain had stopped, leaving the night sky thickly black and heavy with humidity, and a ghostly white light illuminated droplets of moisture in the air, like a spectral haze hovering over the trees.
Julia felt worse as they got closer, and her stomach knotted. She realized that it was one thing to know Courtney was in prison, and another to go see her there, even on a closed-circuit screen. Paul must’ve felt the same way because he’d been utterly silent since the tailgater. She didn’t want to think about any dents on the bumper or scratches on the rental. She had bigger worries, like whether the driver of the pickup was Kay’s killer trying to intimidate or hurt them, or if he was just a good ole boy making trouble for out-of-towners.
They reached a small sign that readNEW DOVER COUNTY PRISON, then turned onto a road through the woods, which ended abruptly in a vast clearing that contained the prison. New Dover County Prisonwas an aging concrete complex shaped like a massive H, surrounded by security lights mounted on the perimeter. Double rows of cyclone fencing topped with concertina wire surrounded the edifice, and there were peaked turrets at regular intervals with silhouetted guards inside, visible through greenish glass.
Julia had never seen a prison this close, and the sight struck her as horrifying in a uniquely institutional way. Her best friend was locked behind bars for a crime she hadn’t committed, and that utter injustice was lawful.
“This scares the shit out of me,” Paul said quietly.
“I’ll say.”
They passed through an open gate in a cyclone fence, entered prison property, and stopped at a narrow guardhouse to show their IDs to a corrections officer in a black uniform. He checked their names on a list and raised a reflective bar to let them drive through. They traveled down a long asphalt road and into the visitors’ parking lot, which was empty except for Bennie and Alex, who stood talking next to their cars.
Uh-oh.Julia hadn’t expected Alex. “Paul, be nice.”
“This fucking guy,” Paul muttered. “What’s he doing here?”
“Just ignore him, okay?” Julia parked next to them, and Bennie came over before they got out of the car.
“Leave your phones and purse. Bring your car keys and driver’s licenses.”
“Okay.” They obeyed, then got out of the car.
Alex flashed Julia a tense smile. “Good to see you.”
“Good to see you, too. I’m sorry I didn’t think to call you.”
“No worries. I know a few C.O.s, and one gave me a heads-up.”
Julia blinked. “What’s a C.O.?”
“Corrections officer.”
Paul sniffed. “You know everybody, don’t you? You’re like the Mayor of Shitsville.”
Alex snorted. “What, no stitches, bro? Better luck next time.”
Bennie snapped, “That’s enough, you two.”