Chapter 3
As she moved through the empty halls in a pattern Sarah knew by heart, she thought about her work and the checklist running through her mind.
It was the same every night except for Thursdays, the one day she took off each week.
Now, with it being halfway through her Friday shift, Sarah found herself looking forward to the walk-through.
It was always interesting to see what had changed during her day off.
Staying on top of all the changes was part of her job as the officer in charge.
Everything was quiet and peaceful, just the way she liked it.
Making her way to the large break room where the inmates spent their afternoons and time off from their jobs in the facility, she noticed a familiar figure approaching, and she waved.
Alan Elliot was her second in command and the only other officer she would see until the end of her shift if there weren’t any problems. Sarah could keep watch over the other guards at their own cell blocks thanks to the cameras in her office.
That didn't stop her from making rounds every once in a while to the other buildings when it was a nice night outside.
With the potential for a power outage, even the incredibly slim chance they had, Sarah would stay put in her own cell block unless needed.
She wanted to be able to deal with any emergencies that might arise.
Sarah wasn't anticipating any power outages from the solar event, but it never hurt to be prepared. The correctional facility’s power outage plan placement was clear.
The OIC needed to be in a location where the others could find them at a moment's notice.
Closing the distance between Alan and herself, Sarah grinned and shook her head when she saw the Tupperware container in his hands.
“Spaghetti and meatballs is the meal of the night,” Alan said, handing her the container.
“You know that wife of yours is going to make me fat,” Sarah replied.
“I can’t stop her from cooking meals for you. Becky just wants to make sure you’re eating good meals and staying healthy. Plus, she loves to cook.”
Becky had been sending Alan to work with meals for her for as long as she could remember.
Being single and working long hours meant a lot of fast food and prison meals.
If she felt bad about anything the prisoners were subjected to, it was the food.
She’d eaten some prison food in the many years she had put in at the correctional facility, and Sarah was less than impressed.
She was thankful Alan’s wife had a soft spot for her.
Sarah smiled. “She’s definitely got a knack for it. You’ll have to tell her thank you for me.”
“I’ll let her know, just like I always do. You’re going to have to make it over for some quality time soon. Becky would like to see you.”
“I’ll make some time to do that when I get back from vacation,” Sarah said. “What’s the block feeling like today?”
“It’s been a quiet day,” Alan replied. “There hasn’t been any drama. At least nothing that we’ve been able to catch.”
“These are the days we hope for. I would appreciate a nice, easy day.”
“Well, so far, so good. I’m going to head out for lunch. Do you need anything from me before I go?”
“Nope. I should be good to go. You go ahead and take your lunch break. I’m just going to finish my rounds before heading back to the desk.”
“All right. I’ll be back in a bit.”
Despite knowing she wasn’t supposed to play favorites with any of her subordinates, Alan was the exception she made to the rule.
He’d been the man responsible for getting her in the door at the facility.
Alan had no desire to move up the ladder at the facility.
His position there provided him and his family of five with insurance and benefits.
Becky’s work as a doctor at the local hospital gave them everything else they needed.
He loved working with the inmates and helping rehabilitate them.
It was the only aspect of her elevated position that Sarah didn’t love.
It was easier to help the inmates when you had a good relationship with them.
Sarah’s evenings were, more often than not, spent checking spreadsheets and reviews from the shift before when she wasn’t making schedules and checking for intake and release updates.
It was all work that needed to be done, but it kept her off the floor more than she liked.
There were still a handful of cases and inmates she kept an eye on.
It broke her heart when a new arrival would come through that had obviously been railroaded by the system.
Those cases kept her up at night. She would pour over the files for hours as soon as she walked through the door.
Most times, it would be while she scarfed down the cold leftovers Becky sent with Alan.
There were men who deserved to be there, men who admitted what they had done, and those bad seeds who were only at the low-level facility because of deals they’d struck.
More often than the general public realized, there were those who had no right to be imprisoned whatsoever.
Those few gave her purpose and a reason to keep climbing the ladder.
Even if it meant changing the system one convict at a time, at least she was doing something.
As she made her final round through the cells, her mind floated back to the conversation with her mother earlier in the day.
It wasn’t often she took anything the news reports had said to heart, but the solar storm happened to be one of them she had kept an eye on.
According to the report, her area wasn’t supposed to be affected by it.
The pass was supposed to take place farther north.
She chuckled at the thought of her parents prepping for a storm that would, at its worst, cause a few power outages.
Suddenly, she heard an inmate calling her name.
“What are you doing, John?” Sarah asked, turning to the man’s cell door.
“Just want a few minutes to chat. My cellmate has been down in the infirmary all day, and I’ve had no one to talk to,” John said.
“That’s fair, but you have to be excited that your time is almost up. Are you going to keep your nose clean this time around?”
“I’m thinking about it. I know one thing for sure.”
“Yeah? What’s that?”
“I ain’t going to be robbing any banks. I don’t think I can go through another round of prison.”
“I think you’re moving in the right direction. This place has made an impression on you, and I’m glad to know you’re going to get out there and do the right thing.”
“I owe a lot of that to you. Say, have you been watching the news and what they’re saying about this solar flare?” John asked.
“Yeah, but it’s supposed to go through up north. We’re going to be just fine down here.”
John chuckled. “I sure was hoping it would do something around here. It certainly would break up the monotony around this place. Anyway, you have yourself a good night.”
“You too, John.”
There was one more stop she wanted to make before returning to her office and spending the bulk of the remaining six hours on her shift doing paperwork.
Inmate 6735 was seven doors from the steps that led to her office in what they affectionately called the crow’s nest. She had a 360-degree view of her block.
Her heart lurched a little at the thought of the inmate leaving.
It wasn’t a romantic affection but a deep one, nonetheless.
How many more days would she have where he would be her last stop before payroll forms, intake papers, and quarterly reports?
Like a handful of others, he was not a guilty man, and she didn’t need the paperwork to tell her so. Her gut instinct was never off when it came to people. She knew the guilt of every inmate at the facility. Sarah swallowed and shook her head, reminding herself that it was all part of the job.
Drawing a ragged breath, she absentmindedly fidgeted with her uniform to make sure it was free from crumbs and wrinkles before moving past the steps leading to her office to the other side of the block.
She and Adam had been working John’s case together despite the backlash she’d gotten from Captain Harden.
In the end, Sarah knew Harden liked to see the innocent people Sarah helped go free.
She was a good woman despite her tough exterior.