That afternoon, as he sat at a table in the kitchen surrounded by the 'pantry remodeling group', Hotch was presented with some very detailed drawings of how the new shelves for the pantry were to be built. His initial reaction was to admire the details and specifications that had been very explicitly spelled out for him.
"I think I got it all to scale," 586 explained. "This design allows for space for everything Cook normally stocks, as well as providing extra room for the special items she needs from time to time."
"With room for future expansion," 502 added. When he had arrived for the meeting, Hotch hadn't been surprised to find that Cook's assistant was the same woman he had spoke with originally about the remodel.
"This should work," Hotch replied thoughtfully as he studied the diagram. "You do realize that I will have to tear out everything that is already there and start from scratch, don't you?"
"And, while everything is out, we probably should paint the walls," 343 added. Hotch had been surprised to discover that not only was 343 the wizen man who had been chaperoning the preteen girl who delivered his meals but that he was also married to Cook.
"Yep," he told Hotch when Hotch had expressed his surprise. "I may be getting on in years, but I can still help out and, as for the missus - Well, just don't get any ideas, Young Fellow." He directed a well-practiced glare at Hotch.
"Wouldn't dream of it," Hotch assured him. "My mother raised me to respect my elders."
"Better than some of them that arrive here," 343 wheezed. "There may be hope for you yet."
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
Work on the pantry began the next morning. Cook had arranged for several members of the kitchen staff to empty the shelves before Hotch and 343 arrived, so they immediately went to work removing them.
"We need to be careful with these," Hotch observed as they carried the first of the wooden shelves out into the yard behind the dining hall. "We should be able to reuse most of this."
"You're right," 343 observed. "However, they need to be sanded and smoothed first."
"We can do that while we wait for the paint on the walls to dry," Hotch suggested. "Accomplish two things at once."
Mid-morning brought an invitation for the two men to join the kitchen staff for a 'small snack' at the table that occupied one end of the kitchen area. As they sat around the large table, it seemed to Hotch that every member of the staff wanted him to taste and comment on their individual specialty. He was doing his best to appease everyone when Cook suddenly appeared and shooed them all back to their stations.
"Lunch is coming up soon," she reminded the group. "And we need to be ready when the workers come in from the fields."
"You seem to be quite a hit, 751," she remarked to Hotch when everyone had scattered. "I seem to remember when I – "She smiled fondly at her husband.
"You better be careful, Young Man," 343 opinioned. "Or you will find yourself in a relationship with one of these people and Mistress won't be pleased."
"Thanks for the warning," Hotch said as he stood up to go back to work. "But I think I can take care of myself."
Immediately following their lunch break, 343 disappeared for a short time and then reappeared with a teenaged boy, who Hotch judged to be about 16 or 17 years old, in tow.
"This is 603," 343 introduced the boy. "He's finishing up his schooling this year and is spending the afternoons working at various jobs around the farm. He'll be helping us for the next few days."
"Glad to meet you," Hotch held out his hand to shake. When the boy extended his arm, Hotch immediately noticed old, healed burn marks up and down it.
"I've always had them," the explanation came quickly.
"He had them when he joined us," 343 told Hotch. "They were raw and sore and must have hurt like crazy. Cook and I spent the first several nights sitting up with him, putting ointment on them and trying to get him to sleep. Eventually, they healed and we all got some sleep and he turned out to be a pretty decent young fellow." He beamed proudly at the boy who smiled back shyly.
"Who is going to be helping us now," Hotch concluded. "Let's get to work!"
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
The next few days went smoothly. In the mornings, Hotch worked in the pantry with 343 and in the afternoons 603 joined them to help out. Evenings, after dinner, he returned to his cell where, after he was securely chained to the cot, the door was now left unlocked.
One evening, there was a knock on the door and, after Hotch had called out an invitation to enter, 479 opened the door and walked in.
"Checked out the work you are doing on the pantry," he announced. "And, it looks pretty good."
"It's a pretty straight forward job," Hotch replied. "And I've got some good help with it. Why don't you sit down?" He gestured towards the end of the cot.
"Don't mind if I do," was the reply. "I assume you are going to be treating the old boards before reusing them?"
The conversation continued on, veering off to other topics, until 479 caught himself in mid-yawn.
"Sorry," he apologized as he stood up. "Time for me to go. There's a lot to get done tomorrow."
"Thanks for stopping by," Hotch told him sincerely. "I've enjoyed our talk."
"Me too," 479 replied.
After that, the door to Hotch's cell was left standing open in the evenings and he frequently had guests, mostly the men he had worked with during the harvest. Also, on occasion, a grey striped tabby cat would wander in and make himself at home with whoever was there. As he spent time with the various men, Hotch began noticing things – faded gang tattoos, old needle marks, scars that indicated physical abuse as a young child. He came to the conclusion that for many of these men the island was a place of refuge from a world that had not been kind to them.
Then, early one morning, he had a now familiar visitor. "You will be quitting work at lunch time today," Mistress informed him. "And returning here to rest up. You have a visitor scheduled for the next three evenings."
"Anyone I know?" Hotch inquired acidly. "Or is this someone you have imported for the occasion?"
"No need to get snarky," Mistress replied. "And, it's probably best if I don't tell you. Since you have been out and about there have been inquiries about you from more than one source."
Hotch remembered seeing several groups of people who had showed up from the other farms to collect boxes brought in by the boat, and he also remembered how several of the women on the farm had been giving him appraising looks.
"The usual conditions?" he asked Mistress resignedly.
"The usual," she assured him. "Don't worry – I'm not about to break our agreement."