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He looked up at Albert and gave the smirk right back, the big asshole.
“Anything else, Mr. Fontaine?” she asked as she rose off the bed and looked down at him.
This was the moment. This was what Earl had been waiting all this time for.
“I do got me something, Doc.”
“What’s that?” she said, but there was no interest behind her eyes. Inmates here probably had lots of special requests of her, most of them perverted, even with the massive Albert standing behind her. Lust often trumped good sense.
“Got me a daughter.”
Now her eyes focused on him. “A daughter?”
He nodded and struggled to sit up. “Ain’t seen her in forever. She’s all growed now. Must be, let me see, well into her thirties sure enough.”
“Okay?”
“See, thing is, hell, you know it, I’m dying. Ain’t long for this world, right? She’s all I got left. Like to see her, if I could. Say goodbye, all that. You unnerstand?”
She nodded. “I can see that, certainly. Where is she?”
“See, there’s the thing. I don’t know. Hell, for all I know she’s changed her name. Well, I know she did for a fact.”
“Why would she have done that?”
Earl could not lie here, though he wanted to. The doctor could check. And if she found out he was lying she would surely not do what he so desperately needed her to do.
“She went into Witness Protection. Her real name’s Sally, named after my momma, God rest her soul. Last name Fontaine, o’course. Like mine. I’m her daddy. Ain’t seen hide nor hair since she done that.”
“Why did she go into Witness Protection?”
“Ain’t nothing I done,” he said quickly. And this was true. She had gone into the protection program for another reason unrelated to her murderous father. “It was because of what others done, over in Georgia. After her momma died and I went to prison she got put into foster care. Got mixed up with some bad eggs and then turned agin ’em. That’s why she went in.”
“Okay, but what do you want me to do?”
Earl shrugged and put on his most pathetic expression. He even forced tears to slide down his face. He had always been able to do that on command. The tactic had worked on many women. Too bad for them.
He said simply, “I’m dying. Want to see my only kid before I kick off.”
“But if she’s in Witness—”
He broke in, growing impatient. “You can call ’em. Tell ’em about me. They’ll have a record of her. Maybe she’s still in there, maybe she ain’t. Maybe it’s a long shot. Hell, probably is. But if they could get a message to her? Be up to her, o’course, if she wants to come see me or not.”
“But will they let her?”
“Long time ago all that stuff happened. Folks after her, hell, they’re all dead now. Or in prison. She’s got nothing to be afraid of. And she don’t have to come. Up to her, like I said.” He paused and looked directly at the doctor, assuming the most sincere expression of his life. “My only chance to say goodbye, Doc. Ain’t got much time left. Hell, you know that better’n anybody. Better’n me even. Why I decided to ask you. Don’t think the warden gives a damn.” He paused. “You got kids?”
She looked startled by this. “No, I mean not yet. But I hope to—”
“Best thing I ever did in my life. Royally screwed up the rest of it, no lie there, but my little girl? Now, I done good bringing her into this world, and I’ll tell anyone who asks.”
Earl heard Albert snort at this but he kept his gaze on the doctor. His eyes bored into hers. He had always been able to play to the sympathies of women. He hoped he had not lost this skill.
“My little girl,” he said. “Last chance. If she wants to come and see me, so be it. If not, then that’s okay too. But I just want to give her the chance to see her daddy one last time. That’s all, Doc. Can’t make you do it. You got to want to. All I can do is ask. Well, that’s all I got to say. Up to you now. If you don’t want to, I’ll unnerstand. Shoot, just go to my grave wondering, I guess. Mebbe no mor’n I deserve. Don’t know. Just don’t know. My little girl. My little…”
He lay back against his pillow, out of breath, his frame sunken in, looking as pitiful as he possibly could.
He could see the conflict going on in the woman’s mind. He had spent much of his life studying people in order to learn how to best exploit them. The eyes revealed the internal turmoil she was experiencing. She looked uncertain, confused, all good things for him.
At last she said, “I’ll…I’ll see what I can do, Mr. Fontaine.”
He reached out his hand for her to shake. Albert quickly stepped up but the doctor motioned him back. She shook Earl’s hand. Hers felt warm and soft inside his bony cold one.
“God bless you, Doc. God bless you from a dying old man.”
She walked off to the next patient. But Earl had done his job.
He knew she was going to do exactly as he had asked.
Chapter
9
THE CARGO PLANE BUMPED ALONG at about ten thousand feet as they descended into what looked to be dense forest. Robie and Reel sat across from each other in jump seats in the cargo hold. As the plane shuddered and thrashed through the air Reel smiled.
“What?” asked Robie.
“For some reason I thought the agency would have sent one of the Gulfstream jets for us.”
“Right. At least the trip wasn’t long.”
“Good old North Carolina. In the middle of nowhere, North Carolina,” she amended.
“The agency does not encourage neighbors,” replied Robie.
There were no windows for them to look out, but their ear pops told them the plane was in descent. And their watches confirmed this to be the case.
“What’s your best guess for when we get there?” she asked.
Robie shrugged. “They said they were going to put us through the paces. I expect them to do nothing less than that.”
“And afterward?”
“If there is an afterward.”
“I don’t think that’s entirely up to us, Robie.”
“Never thought anything different.”
Five minutes later they heard the landing gear come down. A few minutes after that the plane touched down on the tarmac, then rolled for a bit as the thrust reversers and wheel brakes were engaged and the aircraft came to a clunky halt far down the runway.
The plane taxied and then the engines were killed. A door was opened and they were told by one of the aircraft’s personnel to exit.
They walked down a set of portable stairs that had been rolled to the open door of the plane.
When they touched ground a Humvee pulled up with a skid. Inside was a dri
ver and, next to him, Amanda Marks, dressed in cammie gear. She got out and faced them.
“Welcome to the Burner. We’ve made some changes since you were here last.”
“What kind?” asked Reel.
“I don’t want to spoil the surprise,” replied Marks. She eyed them both and then looked at a sky full of clouds. The chilly wind whipped around them.
“Down to your skivvies. You can keep your shoes on.”
“Excuse me?” said Reel.
“Strip down to your skivvies,” Marks said again. Her tone now carried no pleasantness.
“And why would that be?” asked Robie.
“Either do it or get back on the plane and hire a lawyer,” she retorted.
Robie and Reel looked at each other and then slowly started to undress on the tarmac.
Robie had on running shorts and a white thermal long-sleeved T. Reel had on bike shorts and a blue tight-fitting long-sleeved Under Armour workout shirt. Both had on running shoes.
