law enforcement played through his mind as he considered what Melanie might’ve gone through behind these walls. No doubt about it, at times the job sucked.
“Naturally she got into scrapes at first,” the warden said. “Ended up in the infirmary once with eyes swollen shut and a broken rib. Turned out, though, that Melanie was tough. She also had something most inmates don’t. Brains. She formed an alliance with one of the leaders on the block, taught her to read, helped her earn her G.E.D. That smart move put Melanie under the woman’s protection.”
Joe discovered he’d been holding his breath. As the air left his lungs, he gained a greater respect for the term sigh of relief .
“From that point she kept mostly to herself, spending much of her time in the prison’s greenhouse. From there, you know the rest. Her first hearing came around and she was paroled.”
“Why do you suppose she stayed in Cañon City?” Joe asked.
“The way I heard it, she had nowhere else to go.”
“Family?”
“Mother’s dead. Hasn’t spoken to her father in years.”
Joe filed her family history away for later. Odd, the warden hadn’t mentioned a pregnancy. “How’d she make ends meet after her release?”
“She went to work as a nanny.”
“A nanny,” Joe repeated.
“For one of the correction officers. A man by the name of Carl Norris.”
“Her dead husband?”
“One and the same.”
Simon moved away from the window and returned to his chair.
Joe shook his head. “Warden, I don’t know how to say this tactfully, so I won’t even try. A report I read from her parole officer claims she had an affair with a corrections officer during her sentence and became pregnant.”
The warden studied Joe, the accusation heavy between them. “I remember the parole officer. A weasel of a man who tried to force parolees into having sex with him. He later lost his job and was sued after harassing dozens of women.
“Naturally, the rumors flew like buckshot when Carl hired her, even kept him from being promoted. It’s human nature to think the worst.”
“Did Carl work on Melanie’s block?”
“No. But they knew each other. Did they have an affair? I never believed it.”
“She is a beautiful woman,” Joe pointed out. “Like the parole officer, it wouldn’t be the first time a man used his position―”
“Not Carl,” Simon replied heatedly. “Carl Norris was one of my best friends. He was a man of principle. I assure you he wasn’t soft on the convicts who needed to be here. Nor was he cavalier about his marriage. As the saying goes, ‘desperate times called for desperate measures.’ Melanie didn’t belong in prison. We recognized that soon after she got here. She was a kid. Misguided, but she was a kid.
“Then as fate would have it,” the warden went on, “days before her parole, Carl’s wife died in a collision on 115.”
God, no, Joe thought.
“When others wouldn’t even think of it, Carl gave Mel a chance. It wasn’t like he had a helluva lot of choice, he had a six-week-old baby boy to consider.”
Several moments lapsed before the statement sunk in. When it did, Joe felt like he’d been sucker-punched. Melanie hadn’t been pregnant. Perhaps she’d rejected the parole officer’s advances, and taking his revenge, he altered his report. “Luke. She’s not his biological mother.”
Warden Rivers speared Joe with a look that said he’d made the connection. It also hinted at how deep Simon’s feelings ran. “And now you know. Melanie Norris lived in this town for quite a few years. People liked her, respected her. She’s not the big bad wolf, Lieutenant. What’s more, she may not have given birth to Luke, but I’ve never heard it said by anyone that she’s not that boy’s mother in every other way.”
Chapter Seven
With exactly seven minutes to get to practice, Luke leaned his crutches against an adjacent locker, then balancing on one foot, twirled his locker combination
“Naturally she got into scrapes at first,” the warden said. “Ended up in the infirmary once with eyes swollen shut and a broken rib. Turned out, though, that Melanie was tough. She also had something most inmates don’t. Brains. She formed an alliance with one of the leaders on the block, taught her to read, helped her earn her G.E.D. That smart move put Melanie under the woman’s protection.”
Joe discovered he’d been holding his breath. As the air left his lungs, he gained a greater respect for the term sigh of relief .
“From that point she kept mostly to herself, spending much of her time in the prison’s greenhouse. From there, you know the rest. Her first hearing came around and she was paroled.”
“Why do you suppose she stayed in Cañon City?” Joe asked.
“The way I heard it, she had nowhere else to go.”
“Family?”
“Mother’s dead. Hasn’t spoken to her father in years.”
Joe filed her family history away for later. Odd, the warden hadn’t mentioned a pregnancy. “How’d she make ends meet after her release?”
“She went to work as a nanny.”
“A nanny,” Joe repeated.
“For one of the correction officers. A man by the name of Carl Norris.”
“Her dead husband?”
“One and the same.”
Simon moved away from the window and returned to his chair.
Joe shook his head. “Warden, I don’t know how to say this tactfully, so I won’t even try. A report I read from her parole officer claims she had an affair with a corrections officer during her sentence and became pregnant.”
The warden studied Joe, the accusation heavy between them. “I remember the parole officer. A weasel of a man who tried to force parolees into having sex with him. He later lost his job and was sued after harassing dozens of women.
“Naturally, the rumors flew like buckshot when Carl hired her, even kept him from being promoted. It’s human nature to think the worst.”
“Did Carl work on Melanie’s block?”
“No. But they knew each other. Did they have an affair? I never believed it.”
“She is a beautiful woman,” Joe pointed out. “Like the parole officer, it wouldn’t be the first time a man used his position―”
“Not Carl,” Simon replied heatedly. “Carl Norris was one of my best friends. He was a man of principle. I assure you he wasn’t soft on the convicts who needed to be here. Nor was he cavalier about his marriage. As the saying goes, ‘desperate times called for desperate measures.’ Melanie didn’t belong in prison. We recognized that soon after she got here. She was a kid. Misguided, but she was a kid.
“Then as fate would have it,” the warden went on, “days before her parole, Carl’s wife died in a collision on 115.”
God, no, Joe thought.
“When others wouldn’t even think of it, Carl gave Mel a chance. It wasn’t like he had a helluva lot of choice, he had a six-week-old baby boy to consider.”
Several moments lapsed before the statement sunk in. When it did, Joe felt like he’d been sucker-punched. Melanie hadn’t been pregnant. Perhaps she’d rejected the parole officer’s advances, and taking his revenge, he altered his report. “Luke. She’s not his biological mother.”
Warden Rivers speared Joe with a look that said he’d made the connection. It also hinted at how deep Simon’s feelings ran. “And now you know. Melanie Norris lived in this town for quite a few years. People liked her, respected her. She’s not the big bad wolf, Lieutenant. What’s more, she may not have given birth to Luke, but I’ve never heard it said by anyone that she’s not that boy’s mother in every other way.”
Chapter Seven
With exactly seven minutes to get to practice, Luke leaned his crutches against an adjacent locker, then balancing on one foot, twirled his locker combination
Similar Books
