Page 39 of Fighting for Tawny

“I felt that, too. But we can’t let that bother us. We have to hold our heads up high. This is our chance to do something positive with our lives. Don’t let someone else’s negativity bring you down, Susan.”

She crushed her cigarette into a warped tin ashtray. “I don’t know how you keep from bein’ beaten down by life.”

Tawny stared at the ground. She’d survived her partner being killed and an attempt on her life when Axel Anderson, Jr. cut her brake lines, and her squad car plunged off a cliff. “Because I’m alive. Every day is a gift.”

Susan jumped off the redwood picnic table. “You know what else is a gift? Brownies! C’mon. Let’s go grab more before they’re gone.”

Tawny grinned. “I’m right behind you.”

CHAPTER TWELVE

Before they turned in for the night, Tawny whispered to Yolanda, “Check your bunk for drugs. But don’t make it obvious.”

Yolanda nodded and climbed the ladder to the top bunk. Tawny heard her moving around until she lay quiet.

Stoneface Colfer called, “Lights out! I’ll be right outside, ladies, so don’t try anything stupid.” He switched off the lights and stepped outside the bunkhouse.

Tawny made her way to her bunk in the darkness and searched it for packets of fentanyl, heroin, or cocaine. It might not be long until Whitcomb dragged her and possibly one or more of the others into his scheme with Stoltz, Jones, and Cohen. Her bunk was clean. For now. Exhausted from today’s trials, Tawny curled on her side and closed her eyes.

In the morning, she rose early after a sound sleep and volunteered to cook breakfast with Ronette.

As she cracked eggs into a glass bowl, Tawny asked, “So, Ronette, how’d you end up in prison?”

Ronette turned slices of bacon in a frying pan. “Ever hear of Judge Cohen?”

“Oh, God, don’t tell me. He sent you to CIFW. And I’ll bet Perry Jones was your public defender, too.”

“Yeah. Same thing happened to you?”

“Yep. And to half a dozen other women I could name. Look, I don’t know Dee, Debbie, Joy, Susan, Barbie, or Precious very well. Do you?”

“I know Barbie and Precious. And they were sentenced by Judge Cohen.” Her brows furrowed. “Tawny, what’s going on? Are we all here because of him?”

“I think so. I heard some weird things have happened in the past here at fire camp. So be on your guard. And check your bunk for drugs. Keep this to yourself. I’ll pass the word to the others myself.”

“Bette was right, wasn’t she? We heard about her crazy conspiracy theory. And now she’s gone.”

Tawny dumped the scrambled eggs onto a platter and put four slices of bread into the toaster. “Maybe.”

Moira joined them as they settled around the dining table. She’d already eaten breakfast but accepted a cup of coffee. “Good morning. Did you sleep well?”

They nodded and murmured their agreement.

She pointed to a bag she’d dropped next to the door. “I brought some board games I thought you’d like to play during downtime and some personal toiletries you need. Today, we’ll clean our truck and our gear from yesterday. After that, you’re free unless we get a call. Do you have any questions about yesterday?”

A few questions about the nature of the fire they fought went around the table. Moira answered them and praised them for their insight. After they ate, one pair cleaned the kitchen while the others tended to their gear and the truck. No emergencies needed their assistance, and the day passed in tranquility.

During the next three days, Tawny questioned the others individually about their pasts as they did chores around the bunkhouses. The similarities of their stories raised the hackles on her neck. Single. Abandoned by family. A history of drug or alcohol abuse or prostitution. The kind of person no one would miss. Easy targets of Warden Stoltz, Judge Cohen, Jones, and Whitcomb. The more she considered their circumstances, the more she realized her suspects weren’t working alone. Someone with more clout called the shots.

At the end of their conversation, Tawny warned each woman to check her bunk for drugs and to come to her immediately if anything suspicious happened.

“Why not Captain Finnigan?” Joy asked as she and Tawny cleaned the bathroom in Bunkhouse A.

“Because nothing is going to happen when she’s here. We’re vulnerable at night.”

“Okay, so why you?” Her voice held a note of jealousy.

“You’ve seen me fight, right?”

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