Page 3 of Freshman

Alfie shook his head. “I won’t be here for your breakfast; thanks for the offer.”

The prisoner bunched his lips together, and lines of amusement appeared around his eyes. “You hurt my feelings, using me like that and running out in the morning. That’s harsh. Most unexpected for a man with a pretty face like yours.”

Alfie snorted. “There goes your last chance.”

He knocked his radio to the gate, and the metallic ping got the attention of the chatting officers. They looked up and raised their eyebrows in unison. If Alfie wasn’t annoyed, it would’ve looked funny. A progression of age through their eyebrows. The thirty-year-old Ian had a bushy black set, the man beside him, Keith, had streaks of grey through his, and then there was Henry, white and sparse on his brow all the way to his ears.

“What is it, fish?” Henry shouted.

Alfie bit the inside of his cheek, then released the flesh and forced a smile. “Isn’t he supposed to be somewhere?”

The prisoner narrowed his eyes and stared at the ceiling as if considering some complex problem. Then he levelled his head and stared Alfie in the eye.

“Fish? If anyone in here shares traits with a fish, it’s Henry and his stench.”

The snort that escaped Alfie was involuntary, and he hid it with a shuffle. The prisoner beamed at him through the bars, eyes tracking the lift of Alfie’s lips he battled hard to control.

Henry didn’t hear what the prisoner said, but the other prison officers did.

“Nate, enough now. Come on, let’s get you back to your cell,” Ian mumbled.

Alfie took an involuntary step back at the name. There was only one Nate in the prison, Nate Mathews. On H-wing for triple murder. The staff shuddered at the mention of his name. Alfie had assumed he’d look like a monster, scarred, with busted teeth and narrow eyes, but the man before him was attractive, with an intimidating vibe that both scared and drew Alfie in.

Nate closed his eyes and opened them slowly. His lips twitched at the edges, and a smile bloomed over his face. “I’m going to remember that pretty smile of yours, Freshman.”

Alfie pressed his lips in a hard line, then raised his eyebrow.

Nate laughed, backing away from the gate. “Night.”

Alfie didn’t reply; he turned back to watch his vacant wing of the prison. Gates opened and clicked shut behind him. Alfie listened to the clomp of feet, one set heavier, slower, an unrushed stride into the prison. A short time later, the same gate opened and closed without the distinctive set of footfalls. Nate had been locked back in his cell.

Ian and Keith waved a goodbye to Henry, then opened and closed the several gates that led back to civilisation. Alfie waited a few minutes before unlocking the gate at his back to join Henry in the office. He wanted to catch Henry before he fell back to sleep.

“So that’s Nate Mathews…” Alfie mumbled.

Henry stilled his hands, glasses inches from his face, then he lowered them into his lap.

“Evil that one. What he did to those men…” He trailed off, then shuddered before pointing at the filing cabinet in the corner. “It’s in there, the details if you want to read them.”

Alfie glanced at the browning unit, with its dented door and deep scratches. The files of each prisoner were on computer, but the prison still liked to keep a paper copy of each prisoner too.

Alfie shook his head. “I know he killed three people. If that doesn’t make you evil, what does?”

Henry nodded. “Makes me despair the death penalty was banned. I say send him to America and let them put him down.”

Marie’s cackle broke their tense conversation. She appeared in the office doorway, shirt buttoned wonkily and thick fringe in disarray.

Glen appeared behind her with a dopey grin on his face and ruffled red hair. His rose-tinged cheeks made it look like he had run a marathon.

Alfie inwardly shuddered at the disturbing visual. “So, you sorted the noise?” he asked.

Marie cocked her head and wrinkled her nose. “What noise?” She stumbled forward at the slight shove from Glen.

“You know…the noise,” Glen said with zero subtly.

She turned to him, then whipped back to Alfie. “Oh, yes…the noise. Nothing, it was nothing.”

They moved from the door, giggling as they went.

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