Page 27 of Diamond in the Rough

“As a ghost.”

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Maddox twirled the phone card in his hand. Three days he’d been inside. Three days he’d heard nothing. He looked towards the phones on the wall, temptation right there, but the inmates were paying him too much attention for his liking. They glared, and he glared back until they averted their gazes. Three days of staring but no action. Some looked at him with fear and others with violence. His reputation kept them at bay.

“Food’s not as bad as you expect,” Ernie said.

Maddox grimaced at his bowl. “I don’t care about food.”

“You sound like some grumpy child.”

“I don’t like being stuck in a cage.”

“Neither did I when I first got here, but now…”—Ernie shuddered— “it’s the outside that freaks me out.”

Maddox tapped the card on the table.

Ernie sighed. “You gonna use that thing, or what?”

“I’ll be overheard.”

“There’s a lot of guys that’ll get points on the outside for messing you up.”

“And so far, not one has tried.”

“To get by in here, you’ve gotta make friends.”

Maddox snorted. “I don’t need friends.”

“Oh, you do, if you want to carry on running things. You’ll need help from the inside as well as the outside.”

“I need a phone.”

Ernie nodded. “Yeah?”

“Who’s good at getting stuff?”

“That’ll be Gavin over there…”

Ernie lifted his chin in the direction of an inmate. Flaming ginger hair and freckles. He looked Maddox’s way, and his cheeks reddened. There was no mistaking his black eye and his healing lip. Maddox went to stand, but Ernie gripped his forearm.

“Don’t.”

“I need a phone.”

“And he’s a kid. Don’t go over there, he gets enough shit in here.”

“What do you suggest I do?”

“He’s been stealing glances at you like he thinks you’re God. He’ll come to you.”

“And I’m supposed to wait?”

“Yes, Gavin’s a good kid. I like him.”

Maddox sighed and went back to twirling his phone card. “What’s he in for?”

Ernie shuffled closer. “He killed five people.”

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