Chapter 14 - The Cell Block Reflection “You’ve got a visitor, Vance. Grab your paperwork and move.”
“Who is it? My lawyer isn't scheduled until tomorrow morning.”
“Didn't say it was your lawyer. Just step up to the plexiglass.”
“Helen? Did something happen to Leo? Is he worse?”
“No, Adrian. It’s not Helen standing out there in the visiting booth.”
“Then who could possibly want to see me in this place?”
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The federal holding facility was a concrete labyrinth of cold gray walls, echoing doors, and the constant, depressing hum of fluorescent ballast. Adrian sat on the edge of a bolted-down steel bunk in his temporary holding cell, staring blankly at the rough concrete floor. His mind was an exhausted blur of sleep deprivation, physical pain from his injured hand, and the crushing weight of total defeat. When the guard’s heavy boots stopped outside his cell door, Adrian braced himself for another round of interrogation or a notification regarding his impending arraignment. Instead, he was led down a narrow corridor lined with reinforced glass partitions to one of the private consultation booths. He sat down in the bolted chair on the inmate side, picking up the heavy plastic telephone receiver with his good hand. On the other side of the scratched plexiglass partition sat a small, familiar figure wearing a bright pink dress and clutching a toy stethoscope against her chest. Lily looked up at him with solemn, unblinking eyes, her youthful innocence contrasting sharply with the grim reality of the jailhouse. Adrian’s throat tightened painfully as he pressed the receiver to his ear, wondering how on earth she had managed to get inside the secure facility. Before he could speak a single word of greeting or apology, the little girl pressed her small palm flat against the cold glass, her voice coming through the static-filled intercom with surprising clarity and a shocking piece of news that changed everything.
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