Chapter 2
Sarah Fowler plucked the onion off her sandwich and cursed under her breath.
She hated raw onions, a detail the man behind the counter at the sub shop earlier in the afternoon was made aware of.
The disgruntled teen had taken one look at her corrections officer uniform and quickly made his own assumptions.
She didn’t care that he smelled like pot.
Sarah had been a teen once. In the lit teen’s haste to get her and her sidearm out of the store, he must have heard the word onion and presumed she’d wanted them.
“So, they approved your vacation time? I’d hate to think of you missing work on our behalf,” Connie Fowler said.
Sarah rolled her eyes. “Mom, I’ve been taking the same six weeks off every fall for the past five years. They aren’t going to change their minds for year six, okay? It was approved by the captain months ago.”
“Well, as long as you aren’t going to get into any trouble over it,” Connie said.
As much as she adored the near-daily calls from her parents, Sarah was anxious to get off the phone.
It was always the same conversation whenever they talked about her vacation time.
Every year Sarah would make the trip from Florida to her parents’ ten-acre homestead on the Maine coast. For six weeks in the fall, she would spend her days harvesting the summer crop and helping manage the small roadside stand they ran annually for incoming tourists arriving to watch the changing of the leaves.
It was something Sarah looked forward to every year.
When she’d first started at Glenwood Central Correctional Facility, the six weeks of leave were conditional to her employment there.
Not once in her time at the facility had she called off or taken a sick day beyond the vacation she had planned yearly.
Sarah was obsessive about staying healthy just so she could make it home to her parents every autumn.
At seventy-five and eighty-one, Sarah’s late arrival in their lives had been a surprise but a blessing if you asked Connie and Henry.
“How are the crops looking this year?” Sarah asked. “The cold weather has to be taking a toll.”
“Actually, despite how cold it’s gotten this year, the orchard is thriving. We’re close to having one of the best seasons we’ve had in years.”
“That’s great. I half expected you to tell me that half the crop was lost. I’m glad to hear that’s not the case.”
Connie chuckled. “Not this year.”
“If the orchard is still doing so well, how about the greenhouse? Is it doing just as good as you expected it would?”
“Oh, it’s really booming. We expect it to keep up with the orchard. Overall, everything is going very well this year. Your dad couldn’t be happier.”
“I figured he’d have a good year. He always does when the crops do well. I’m sure that between the two of them, you’re staying fairly busy.”
“Well, considering we’re not getting any younger, I think we’re doing pretty good,” Connie said. "It keeps us busy, and there are some days we can barely keep up, but you know how your father is. Nothing can keep that man down.”
“Daddy’s always been the busy type. I can’t wait to get up there and see you guys this year.”
“Is everything going okay at work?”
“Of course. I just look forward to seeing you every year. I’m hoping to get out on the boat with Henry this year.”
“Speaking of the boat, Henry thinks the lobster harvest is going to be great. He’s more optimistic than I have ever seen.”
“Do you think Dad will wait to take out the boat until I get up there?” Sarah asked. “I’d like to give him a hand if he can hold on that long.”
“Well, like I said, you know how he can be. I honestly don’t know if he’s going to wait for you or not.”
Sarah chuckled and shook her head as she tossed the remnants of her lunch into the trash bin next to her desk.
Henry Fowler was a stubborn old man. He’d long ago retired from his fishing boat but still took it out in the fall for the local harvest when only seasonal fishermen could catch the acclaimed Maine lobster.
The money the homestead brought in during the four weeks the roadside stand was open would see it through the rest of the year.
The elderly couple was beloved by everyone, locals and returning tourists alike. Sarah wouldn’t miss it for the world.
Captain Harden, in earnest, hadn’t been thrilled.
For the first time since she’d been hired, the six weeks of leave fell during the same time as their five-year state review.
The facility would be crawling with state officials, reporters, and extra personnel.
It was no surprise, given how well it was run.
As a level-one facility, it had one of the best rehabilitation rates in the state.
That was accredited to Harden’s rule, which she, in turn, shared with the staff.
It was a well-oiled machine and a pleasant work environment.
But no career would ever be higher on Sarah’s list of priorities than her parents. Family came first.
Her mother was still rambling about the greenhouse, something about the tomatoes coming in early, but Sarah’s mind had drifted away. She quickly pulled her attention back to the conversation as the alarm on her phone alerted her that her break was nearly up.
“Okay, Mom. I have a ton of things to take care of before I can make this trip and take my vacation. I’ll have to call you later,” Sarah said.
“Well, I’ll let you go then. When you head out this way, make sure you do it safely,” Connie said. “Are you prepared for this little solar storm they’ve been talking about on the news? It’s been the talk of the town for the last few weeks.”
Sarah chuckled. “I’m sure we’re going to be fine. The reports here have it listed as a normal thing that happens every so many years.”
“I meant at work, honey. Do they have proper precautions set up at your facility? They’re saying there will be some power outages.”
“We have plenty of precautions for power outages. The generator is top of the line, and we have a certain protocol for everything else. We’re going to be fine here.”
“I hope so. If not, you know our safety plan, right?”
“Mom, I don’t think we should have to worry about that. In this day and age, it would take an act of war to shut us down. I’m not all that concerned about it, if I’m being honest.”
“Either way, you know the plan. We have everything we need to get through just about anything, but you can never be too prepared.”
Sarah groaned. “It’s 2023. We aren’t going to need a failsafe plan. Nothing is going to happen, and if it does, it won’t take everything out like that.”
“I just want you to be careful. We’ll see you soon.”
“All right, Mom. I love you, guys. Don’t worry; we’re well protected down here.”
As she ended the call and her timer started to chime, Sarah clocked back in on her computer.
Before heading out to do her walk-through, she scanned the monitors that covered the west wall of her office.
From her position, Sarah could see everything that happened not only in her cell block but the others as well.
Sarah was the officer in charge of the night shift.
Any problems in her block or the other three would go directly to her.
The pay bump and accreditation on her record were worth the added responsibility.
Then again, she had never shied away from moving up in her career.
From an early age, Sarah knew she wanted to be in corrections.
While her parents had always advocated for her to join law enforcement, Sarah had known most of her life about the gray areas involved in the career path.
She simply couldn’t bring herself to put the law above the lives of her fellow mankind.
In more than one instance, a prisoner had come to them not because they were guilty but because they’d crossed the wrong politician, political figure, or officer.
Stretching out as she stood, Sarah knocked the rest of her lunch garbage into the trash and tucked her phone into the pocket of her cargo pants.
It would stay on vibrate for the rest of her shift, but she could still feel it if there were an emergency and her parents needed to reach her.
As she headed out into the main cell block, Sarah looked around in the dim silence and smiled.
In two months, she would be back home in Maine with six weeks to rest, relax, and enjoy the life she’d created as a child. Until then, there was work to be done.