Dalton frowned as he tried to piece together what he was trying to say. “They? Who are you referring to?”
“The same people who owned the building. They said he was a bad guy. Your friend. Jack. They told me to send him over to the tavern.”
“So you took money from him and from them. What did they look like?”
He shrugged. “I dunno. Like you. I guess.”
“Middle-aged?”
“Yeah. Except dressed rougher.”
“Did they give a name?”
“No.”
“And that’s all?” Dalton asked.
He sighed. “I’m telling the truth, man. That’s it. That’s all I know. Look, I…”
“What about the accident? Do you know about that?”
He pursed his lips and his chin dropped.
“Kid.”
“Yeah. Yeah. I knew about it. They had a tow truck that took the vehicle away.” He sighed. “Look, am I gonna get in trouble for this? I didn’t know they were going to run him off the road. I swear. I just wanted to make some money. Is he okay? Your friend, I mean.”
“You know where they took this vehicle?”
He shook his head. “No idea.”
“You think you can take me to where they ran him off the road?”
Joey sighed, looked around then nodded.
9
Punishment was swift and unexpected. Jack assumed he’d be taken to the local pen, not returned to Holbrook, but that’s exactly where they took him after his discharge from Adirondack Medical Center. He thought he’d seen the last of that shithole. Hearing the steely gates close behind him brought back his final conversation with Angelo. Prison was too easy. This place, they could pile on the torture and get away with it under the guise of therapy. It all made sense. Being lured to Apalachin, the ease of finding Dana and the automobile crash. None of it was a coincidence.
“No seclusion room?” Jack asked as they guided him through the corridor.
“Not right now,” Jenkins said shoving him into the cafeteria where the other patients were standing in line waiting for food. Patients were four to a table. They each collected a tray and were instructed to stay in line and wait to be served.
“Hey Jack! You’re back,” Edgar said, stretching out his words. He got up from a table where he was seated with Cowboy, and a dark-skinned patient he hadn’t met before. “Come sit over here.”
“Edgar, go back to your table,” Porter said pulling him away.
“Ah come on. I was just…”
“You were just nothing. Now move it!”
Jack shuffled along with others. The food was better than in the can. They had pizza, spaghetti, shepherd’s pie and a variety of soups. He held his tray out and pointed to some soup and they scooped some into his bowl. He moved along and collected some pizza, bread and milk. He was collecting some plastic utensils when someone bumped him from behind, he lurched forward and his bowl of soup and plate of pizza clattered on the floor.
“Oh dear. What a mess you’ve made,” Sutton said before laughing and walking off with a couple of his pals. “Welcome back, asshole.”
Before Jack could react, Porter and Jenkins stepped in front of him.
“Problem, Winchester?”
He stared back and shook his head. “No.” He turned to get some more soup and Porter stopped him.
“That’s all you get. No seconds here.”
“But…”
“Move it!”
They gave a smug grin as he turned and walked away with nothing more than some crackers and bread on his tray. Edgar raised a hand to indicate for him to sit with them. As he took a seat they all looked at his tray.
“Here, you can have mine. I’m not hungry anyway,” Edgar said handing over his plate of pizza.
“Edgar.”
“No, it’s okay.”
“You can have my drink,” Cowboy said sliding it over.
“Thanks, guys,” Jack said. He looked at the dark-skinned guy whose mouth was full. He mumbled something to Jack but he couldn’t make out what he said.
Once he’d swallowed the mouthful he said, “You should have challenged them. Told them they were breaking the Constitution.”
“Who are you?”
Edgar pointed. “Oh this is Einstein.”
“Albert. Not Einstein,” he spat before filling his mouth with soup and humming the national anthem.
Edgar leaned in. “Einstein thinks he’s getting out next week.”
“He always thinks he’s getting out next week,” Cowboy added. Both of them smirked.
“I am. You just watch me.”
Edgar went on to explain. “He thinks they are breaking his rights, more specifically the First Amendment by locking him up here. Isn’t that right, Einstein?”
“It’s Albert. For God’s sake! How many times do I have to tell you? And yes, they are trampling all over my rights.”
Cowboy cracked up laughing. “When did you figure that out?”
“The Bill of Rights. Look it up, dumbass. Freedom of religion, freedom of speech and the press, the right to assemble, and the right to petition government.”
“Last week it was the Fifth Amendment or was it the Sixth?”
“No, that was the week before,” Edgar added.
They laughed into their food.
“Yeah, yeah, yuk it up at my expense. You guys won’t be laughing when I walk out of here next week.” He cast a glance over his shoulder at Porter and Jenkins who were boring holes into Jack’s back.
“On a serious note. Is it true, Jack?” Edgar asked.
“What?”
“That you attempted to run?”
“How did you know?”
“People talk. Word travels fast around here.” He looked at him then filled in the rest. “I overheard Seth talking. By the way you should be grateful. If it wasn’t for him your brain would be a pile of mush. He found you. By the way, how is that head of yours doing?”
Jack shrugged. “Fine. Anyway, attempted to escape would be the right word.”
“I told you, you can’t get out of here,” Cowboy said. “No one has.”
“Well that’s not exactly true,” Edgar said without looking up. He chewed away and Jack looked at him. When he noticed he put his spoon down. “Look, I don’t know how he did it, only that he used some service. Or something. But he got out. They caught him again of course but he managed to elude for two months until he walked into
