Chapter 7 - The Paper That Came Too Early
"You wrote this before the incident," I said.
Marr's eyes flicked to the timestamp. Her hand came down over the top corner, too late.
"Clerical error."
"You predicted Dee would attack me? That's a pretty impressive error."
"Your refusal will be recorded."
"Please make sure you record the time, too."
After she left, I sat on the steel bunk with my heart slamming. I'd been right about one thing: Dee hadn't invented the shakedown. I'd been wrong about how many people wanted it to happen.
By afternoon Ortiz returned. Her face was pale. "I'm off the schedule. Administrative leave. Effective now."
"Because of the complaint?"
"They say I mishandled evidence."
"You didn't handle the card."
"That doesn't seem important to them."
She hesitated and slid a folded carbon copy under my door. It was her handwritten incident report, stamped RECEIVED with a time before Pike had taken the card.
"Take this to Beth," I said. "Beth Mercer. My sister's a legal aid attorney in Sacramento. Tell her I didn't sign anything."
"They'll search me on the way out."
"Then memorize the case number. Please."
Ortiz repeated it twice, then tucked the copy into her uniform seam. "I'm not promising I can fix this."
"I'm only asking you not to let them pretend it never happened."
At evening count a replacement officer arrived with a transfer form. My bus would leave at 4:30 a.m. No hearing. No lawyer. No explanation.
I told him I wouldn't sign.
He shrugged. "Doesn't matter. You're still getting on that bus."
May you like
Then, through the narrow window, I saw Dee crossing the yard between two guards, her head lowered. She looked up toward my cell and mouthed three words.
THEY HAVE JO.
