Page 48 of In Death, Love Survives

Crawley takes a seat behind his desk as Ryan and I settle into the two brown leather chairs on the opposite side.

“Well, get on with it,” Crawley says.

“We need the funding that we were promised to hire more staff. Our teams are drowning,” Ryan answers.

“That money could be used elsewhere. You know we need new gym equipment, have to fix A block up. I could go on and on.”

“Sir, with all due respect,” I interject.

“Fletcher, with all due respect to your profession, we have real needs here. I can’t be hiring more psychiatrists or whatever it is you want.”

“Yes, you can. It’s what’s best for the prisoners. It’s what’s needed at Roper State.”

Crawley digs his hand inside a sunflower seed bag on his desk and pops a few in his mouth. He looks between Ryan and me, noticing that we’re a united front on this matter.

“Three staff members, Dr. Owens. It’s up to you to figure out who, what, where. Report back.”

We should be getting five or six, but I keep that to myself.

“Understood,” Ryan answers.

“Good. I’m off to a meeting over our most infamous inmate,” Crawley says with a loud sigh as he stands.

“Who?” I ask.

My heart beats wildly in my chest in anticipation. Crawley looks over at Ryan and back at me.

“Wolfe Walker.”

He opens his door and gestures for us to go without another word.

“I’ll be looking for a report from you soon, Ryan.”

“Yes, sir.”

Ryan and I head back to our medical unit.

“What’s that about?”

Ryan clears his throat as he pulls at his tie.

“Walker’s attorney is trying to get him out. It won’t work.”

“Why not?”

“Walker getting put into a maximum security prison was a gift that the judicial system isn’t taking lightly. He can have all the money in the world trying to get him out, and I just don’t see it happening.”

“Well, that’s not exactly fair if he’s not the one who killed the victim.”

Ryan pauses right before we walk outside and past the prisoners who are still out there.

“There’s no debate about whether he killed him, Nova. You do know that, right? Wolfe Walker is a murderer.”

“I don’t want to argue about someone in here.”

Ryan opens the door for me, and we both walk in silence down the path. His eyes gaze over to Wolfe, and so do mine. He’s in the same spot where he was when we walked past previously, only this time, he looks angry.

“Wolfe Walker isn’t some Good Samaritan. He’s a criminal. You can help him all you want, and you should, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to be the good guy. Ever.”