Page 23 of The System

“I know,” she said as if she’d already known that, and she had, but she’d actually forgotten about that part.

“If she starts to say anything she shouldn’t be saying, make sure to remind her of that, too.”

“Won’t that be recorded, though?”

“Yes, but at least she wouldn’t say something she’d regret later.”

“I highly doubt she’s going to confess to a crime.”

“You’d be surprised what happens when people don’t realize or remember that they’re being watched,” Diego noted. “I had a case once where a guy embezzled millions from his company. He’d been arrested, and I was on my way. They hadn’t found the money yet, just evidence that he’d taken it. His mother showed up for a visit, though, and he told her that he’d stowed it in the Caymans, and it was supposed to help her and him live out their days without having to worry about money. Nothing I could do after that. They found the account and, somehow, got the Caymans to get them access to the money. He’s still in prison.”

“I’ll do my best to make sure she doesn’t say anything stupid, but, Diego, it’s the first time I’m meeting my twin sister – I don’t even want to talk about the murder. I just want to talk to her.”

“I understand,” he replied.

“Miss Hart?” a guard called for her through the plastic window.

“Kieran,” she corrected.

Diego cleared his throat. He had to know what she was doing and why by now, but to his credit, he hadn’t said a word to her about it. Kieran was glad for that because she wasn’t trying to hurt him any more than she already had by having to explain it to him directly. She gave him a small, somewhat forced smile and then stood and walked toward the guard.

“I thought you two were together,” the guard said as he placed the visitor’s badge that she’d have to wear into the tiny metal box before he pushed it through to her side.

“We came together, yes, but I’m her sister, and he’s her lawyer. I’m going to meet with her first.”

“Visiting time is only for an hour.”

“I know. Thank you,” Kieran replied and pinned the badge to her shirt.

“The door will open. Stand inside and wait for the guard. You’ll be escorted to the visitor’s room, where you’ll be able to talk to the prisoner. No touching is allowed. And if you do, your next visit will be behind glass. Understood?”

“Understood,” she replied.

There was a buzzing sound followed by a clicking sound. Both sounds should have been expected, but they still surprised her. Those two sounds had Kieran realizing that she was about to visit someone in jail for the first time. That person was her twin sister, but just the fact that she had someone to visit in prison had her heart thundering. When the door to her right opened, she turned her head toward it but made no move to walk through it.

“Go ahead,” the guard told her when she didn’t move.

Kieran pulled on the heavy door that had only opened partially and walked through it. There was a green circle on the dirty linoleum floor that said, ‘Wait here,’ in white letters, so she stood there and waited, hearing the door close and click behind her. She was trapped now, and that had her swallowing hard.

“This way,” a different guard said when he walked into the hall and motioned for her to follow.

Kieran caught up to him, and they walked, with her slightly behind him, until they reached the end of the hallway. He swiped his badge to unlock the next door with yet another click and motioned for her to go inside, looking like he’d rather be doing anything else. And, honestly, Kieran felt the same way.

“You’ll be permitted to sit across from the prisoner at the table, but you may not touch them, and they may not touch you. They will be handcuffed to the table to prevent this, but you’re not permitted to approach them on their side of the table at any time. When you’re done with your visit, stand and walk toward the door. The guard watching the room will let you out. If, at any time, you fear that you are in danger, a guard will be stationed inside the room and will get you out safely. You are not permitted to hand or give the prisoner anything. This includes weapons of any kind, contraband of any kind, and, really, anything of any kind.” The guard laughed a little at the joke he probably made ten times a day. “Do you understand the rules as I have given them to you?”

“Yes. The other guard told me the same thing,” Kieran replied.

They stopped in front of a door with a small window, and the guard added, “This is county jail. We have two different types of visitor rooms. This is the table room where you don’t have the plexiglass between you, but if, for any reason, we deem it necessary, we will move you to the plexiglass room, or we will rescind the prisoner’s visitation privileges outside of visits with her attorney or a member of the clergy.”

“I understand,” she said, wishing she’d actually been able to process everything he’d just told her, but her ears were still replaying those buzzing and clicking sounds over and over again.

The guard scanned his badge at this door as well, and she heard the buzz and the click once more. He pushed open the door, and Kieran got inside a room that reminded her of the interview room she’d been in at the police station. It was gray all over, with a two-way mirror, she assumed, and had a rectangular metal table and four metal chairs. On one side of the table, there was a short bar about a foot long welded to the table where, she guessed, the handcuffs would be attached. Kieran swallowed and sat down in the chair closest to the door. Her hands were in her lap, and she nervously twisted her thumbs around and around as she waited, thinking about what she would say first and what questions she’d ask Marin.

A few minutes later, the buzz and the click came, and the door on the opposite side of her opened right after. A guard entered. Then, a woman in handcuffs and an orange jumpsuit walked in, and she was placed in the chair across from Kieran. When her handcuffs were locked around the bar, the guard moved to the side of the table and stood against the wall. Kieran stared at the woman in front of her because seeing a picture was one thing, but seeing this person who looked just like her staring back at Kieran in confusion was quite another.

“I didn’t believe them,” Marin spoke as she examined Kieran’s features the same way Kieran was examining hers. “But, shit… They weren’t lying, were they? We’re identical?”

“Yes,” Kieran replied. “Twins.”

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