Chapter 5
Sarah combed over the payroll for the last two weeks.
It wasn’t due to be turned in until the following Wednesday, but she liked to have everything ready in case of an emergency.
Her parents weren’t in their fifties anymore.
If she needed to rush to Maine for any reason, everything would be done for whoever had to step in and help out while she was gone.
While no catastrophes had hit yet, there was nothing wrong with being prepared.
Tucking the file back into its place in her desk, she locked the drawer and tapped on her keyboard.
The computer screen jumped to life in front of her, blinding her for a split second.
Immediately, she clicked on the internet icon.
She and the other COs were the only ones who could access the outside world from their work computers.
She took the privilege to heart and only checked her personal email once every shift most of the time.
Tonight was different, though. She had kept something back from Adam.
Earlier in the day, a friend of hers at the prosecutor’s office had updated Sarah on Adam’s case.
As of three that afternoon, it was sitting in front of a judge, waiting to be dismissed.
When she’d told him there was a chance he’d be a free man come Monday morning, she hadn’t been exaggerating in the least. It was the reason she was now checking her email.
If Larry Barns, an attorney with the prosecutor, had learned anything, he promised to email her no matter how late it was.
Slowly the computer connected to the internet and loaded the page after working its way through the plethora of firewalls.
Twenty seconds later, her email was loaded, and she was scanning through a dozen junk emails when the computer pinged, and a new email came through.
Her heart started to race as she dug out her phone and dialed Larry’s number.
“Hey, Sarah,” Larry said. “Did you get a chance to read the email I sent to you?”
“I certainly did. Is everything in there?”
“It’s all there, Sarah. The judge signed off on the whole thing at about midnight. He made a notary meet him at the courthouse just to make sure everything was taken care of.”
“I can’t believe it’s finally going to happen. He’s been waiting a long time for this.”
“I know he has, and I’m glad I get to be the one who delivers the news to you,” Larry said. “I wanted to get the paperwork over to you as soon as I got word. As of right now, only a handful of people know about it.”
“So, there’s nothing else keeping this from happening?”
“Nope. The judge made sure to do everything by the book. There was no way he was keeping Adam in there for more time when he’s been proven innocent.”
Sarah sighed in relief. While Adam had his reservations about getting released, she knew they were going to do the right thing.
There was a lot of corruption within the system, but the world had grown up with all its new technology.
Word had spread quickly about his wrongful conviction, and the growing number of people asking for his release couldn’t be ignored.
Come Monday morning, Adam was finally going to be a free man.
“I’m so glad they’re going to right the wrong they’ve done to him. He’s going to be thrilled.”
“Well, this is a start. Next thing we have to do is get that man the restitution that is rightfully his.”
“I hope he gets everything he deserves.”
Larry laughed. “That’s the plan. Give Adam the good news for me and tell him I’ll be in touch as soon as I can.”
“I’m going to let him know as soon as I can. He’s going to be so happy.”
Shoving her phone back into her pocket, Sarah quickly went back to the monitor.
Larry had gone above and beyond in sending her documentation.
Sarah knew that in addition to sending her the information, he’d already sent it to the warden and Adam’s public defender as well.
By Monday evening, Adam would be walking out of prison for the last time.
Her heart started to race as she opened the attached document and instantly started to print it.
Sarah had only ever felt so torn once before in her life.
That had been five years before when she’d moved from Maine to Florida.
Everything inside of her wanted to stay close to home, but she had to get out and see the world, finding her own path as she went.
Florida had been the perfect place to settle down for a while.
It was an easy drive up the coast to get to her parents’ place, she was close to the ocean she loved, and the warm weather was a blessing that made her miss Maine less.
Why had she formed a friendship with the prisoner?
She hated that he was going to be gone from her life but found elation in his freedom.
Sarah knew Adam had a right to know he would soon be free.
The outdated printer in the back corner roared to life.
As it started to print out the first of over forty pages, she leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes.
Everything was changing now. It almost seemed befitting, with the solar shower set to start in the next few hours.
The event, a rarity for the globe as a whole, had brought to light the shortcomings the planet had taken for such an event.
While the forecast had been pinpointed for days to a select few areas, it didn’t mean everyone wasn’t on high alert.
Grabbing her phone, Sarah had one more call to make before she told Adam the good news.
Becky was working at the hospital and had once again sent her home with an amazing meal.
The woman took her lunch at the same time as her husband, Alan.
They would be finishing up, and Sarah wanted to thank her for being so wonderful.
Sarah dialed her friend’s number, and she answered right away.
“Hello, Sarah. Did Alan give you the spaghetti I sent with him?”
“He sure did. Again, thank you so much for being such a wonderful person.”
“You don’t have to thank me. Between you and Alan, I don’t have too many other people who mean that much. Plus, I need to make sure my best friend is eating properly.”
“Well, you’re doing a fine job of it so far,” Sarah said. “How’s everything going for you today?”
“Another day in crazy town.” Becky chuckled. “Everyone is freaking out about this solar storm that’s supposed to come through, and we’ve been packed ever since I walked through the door.”
“I can only imagine how many people are going nuts out there. At least it’s quiet here at the prison.”
“It’s easy to keep calm when you’re locked in a cell for the majority of the day. Hell, just give them a sedative if they start freaking out. Let them sleep it away.”
Sarah laughed. “Don’t get me wrong, there are days I wish I could knock the majority of them out for a few hours.”
“I bet. Say, are you coming to the cookout on Thursday?” Becky asked.
“I damn near forgot, but I’ll be there.”
“I can’t wait to see you. Just make sure my husband gets home tonight. I’d really like to see him, too.”
“Oh, your man will be home. Come a blackout or not, he’s going to be coming home.”
“Good, then you have nothing to worry about.”
Sarah chuckled. “Anyway. I need to get some things done around here, but I just wanted to thank you for dinner and see how your day was going.”
“Well, you’re very welcome, and I hope you have a good night.”
Ending the call, she slipped her phone back into her pocket and listened to the printer as it hummed behind her.
How the ancient beast was still alive, Sarah had no idea.
For years she’d been asking the budget committee to replace it.
Now, knowing that the instant it was done, she’d have to go show Adam, Sarah prayed for the old beast to break down.
While she was happy he was going to be released, there was a part of her that wasn’t ready for the man to go.
When the printer stopped of its own accord and beeped to signal it was done, her heart ached.
“Damn,” she muttered.
Despite wanting to wait a little while longer, Sarah had never been one to drag out the inevitable.
When it came to breaking up with her past boyfriends, she had done so in an effective and well-thought-out manner.
They could say she was cold, but Sarah didn’t see it that way.
She hated herself for making the comparison between past relationships and what she had with Adam.
It was apples to oranges. As she stood and stretched out, Sarah closed her eyes and drew a deep breath.
Suddenly, everything around her plunged into darkness.