CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE
May drove to Fallon County maximum security prison as fast as she could, her hands tight on the wheel. She had no idea if her mission would be successful, or if she would be turned away from the prison and refused entry.
It was a last-ditch idea, and it hinged on Owen being able to speak to Kerry, and persuade her that the FBI should intervene and allow this visit. Those things were far beyond her control.
And with the prison in sight, May still had no clue whether this mission would be possible. She hadn't heard back from Owen and had been focusing all her attention on driving, so she hadn't checked her messages.
Now, as she reached the prison gates, she stopped at the security booth and reached hurriedly for her phone.
Her heart thudded down as she saw nobody had messaged her. Not Owen, not Kerry. There was no point in her calling them. She knew that Owen would be waiting, just as anxious, for the permission - or not. And that as soon as there was an answer, either Owen or Kerry would let her know.
Perhaps, by some miracle, permission had already been granted, or her humble deputy status would allow her entry, May thought hopefully.
"Your name?" the guard said. The uniformed, middle-aged man sounded bored, as one would who asked this question a hundred times a day. But he wasn't careless. His eyes scanned May carefully as he reached for his iPad.
"Deputy May Moore," she replied.
"You here to see?"
She sighed. It didn't sound like her name was on the list at all.
"I'm here to interview a prisoner, if that's possible. Name of Frederick Kane, in the maximum security section."
May held her breath, waiting to see if her request would succeed, or fail dismally.
"I'm sorry, ma'am, but no one's allowed to see Kane, or any other of the maximum security prisoners, outside of the official visiting hours, unless they've got special approval from the head warden, who’s our prison manager. Visiting hours for maximum-security prisoners are on weekend mornings only. So, you wouldn't happen to have that approval?"
The guard looked at her expectantly, his eyebrows raised.
"It's very urgent. We're busy with a multiple murder case. He may have information on the perpetrator," May pleaded.
"Ma'am, I understand. But prison rules are rules. They’re put in place to ensure everyone’s safety and cannot be broken. You’ll need to get approval first."
"How do I get the approval?" May asked desperately.
"You need to apply to the head warden, with your reasons. It usually takes twenty-four hours to grant or deny the approval, and the appointment will then be scheduled the following day."
May stared at him in panic. He was sounding as if this was a good thing. It wasn't. Not with the urgency of this case, and the political pressure to solve it, that was intensifying by the minute.
"Is there any way I could speak to the head warden now?"
"Now? That's not possible, ma'am. He has a very busy day. He briefed me this morning, and I don't expect to hear from him again until tomorrow morning." Folding his arms, the guard stared at her with an expression that contained a trace of sympathy, but clearly nowhere near enough to bypass the rules.
"Look, could you maybe give me the head warden’s phone number?" May said, desperately wondering how she could negotiate further. There was a car pulling up behind her. That probably contained a legitimate visitor and it meant she would be asked to move.
But, at that moment, the guard's phone started ringing. He checked the screen and raised his eyebrows.
Then he answered, turning away from her.
May didn't even dare to hope. She waited, with every moment feeling as long as an hour.
Then the guard turned back.
"Ma'am, why didn't you say you were deployed by the FBI, and that Senior Special Agent Keith Ross was calling the head warden personally to request this interview?" he asked, sounding puzzled. "It's authorized as a national-level emergency visit."
May felt relief wash over her. Kerry had organized an intervention at the highest possible level, and at the last possible nanosecond.
"Thank you so much," she said.