Page 49 of For Your Own Good
Kay smiles and leads him down a hallway. The whole place is dark, with cement floors and dark green walls. It’s not like anywhere Zach has ever been or would want to be. But Courtney was here even on Christmas.
As the district attorney had said—loudly and in front of the cameras—accused murderers don’t get out on bail, no matter how much money they have. He is also running for reelection this year.
Kay leads Zach to a small room with one door, no windows, a plastic table, and two chairs. She tells him to put both hands on the table and pats him down. It’s more than a little weird when she gets to his groin.
After confiscating his phone and keys, she leads him out of the room and down another dark hallway. They pass two empty jail cells before getting to Courtney.
She looks worse than Zach imagined. Pale, tired, and so very thin. She looks like she hasn’t had a decent meal in months. Probably hasn’t.
Courtney gasps when she sees Zach. “How—”
“Doesn’t matter how,” Kay says, unlocking the door to the cell. She motions for Zach to enter. “You’ve got fifteen minutes.”
Zach steps inside the cell and gives Courtney a hug. “Hey, Nerd.”
“That’s enough touching,” Kay says.
“Sorry,” Zach says.
Kay nods at both of them and closes the door. The metal-on-metal sound is horrible. So final.
Zach waits until Kay walks away, then points to Courtney’s outfit. Itlooks like hospital scrubs, except grey. “I’m pretty disappointed you aren’t wearing an orange jumpsuit.”
“Me too. I was kinda looking forward to that.”
She smiles. He smiles back.
“Have a seat,” she says, pointing to a metal chair bolted to the floor. She sits on the bunk. “I can’t believe you found a way in.”
“I can be pretty persuasive when I want to be.”
Courtney rubs her fingers together, the international gesture for cash. Zach nods.
“I should have thought of this earlier,” he says.
“Yeah, you should’ve. Loser.”
He smiles. “Is it stupid to ask how you are?”
“I’m exactly as bad as you think I am.”
“How are they treating you?”
“They’re pretty nice, actually. Sometimes, the guards play cards with me. Through the bars, I mean.” She stops, clears her throat. “They’re the only ones I have to talk to. Other than my lawyer and my dad.”
“I guess that’s good,” Zach says, though he doesn’t think it is. None of this is good.
“But I don’t want to talk about here,” Courtney says. “Tell me what’s going on at school. Distract me.”
What’s going on at school is her. It’s all Courtney, all the time, especially now that the trial is so close and everyone is divided about what’s going to happen. What should happen.
“Connor broke up with Siobhan,” he finally says.
“Seriously?”
“Truth.”
“Tell me.”
