Chapter 30
"I still can't believe Dr. Smyth wants us to bribe Brody's cellmate for information!" Lee groused as Francine drove toward the prison gate.
She pulled into the parking lot and quickly found a spot. "You know Dr. Smyth. Any time he thinks he can get an edge up with the big man in charge." She glanced in the rearview mirror to check her lipstick before turning to Lee. "Ready?"
"Why not?" Lee climbed out of Francine's car and stretched his arms above his head. With a loud groan, he lowered his arms and scanned the parking lot. A motorcycle at the far end of the lot caught his attention. "Hey, does that bike look familiar to you?"
Francine climbed out and shielded her eyes from the bright sun. She studied the direction he was facing. "Maybe." She paused before adding, "Just because we chased someone down on a motorcycle, doesn't mean that's the same one."
"I know, but I've got a feeling we're on the right track. I mean, what are the odds, right?" Lee closed the car door and moved toward the building.
Francine joined him, stride for stride. "Plan of attack… start with the warden. Give him the rundown of what we need and go from there?"
"The warden, then the nurse I think. I don't want to disrupt them any more than we have to." Lee smoothed his tie as they neared the guard booth. He tugged his ID out of his pocket while Francine pulled hers out of her purse. Lee leaned close to the speaker on the wall and pressed the talk button. "We're here to see the warden. He's not expecting us today but we spoke with him the other day. He said we could come back any time."
The guard behind the glass lifted a black phone beside him. Although Lee couldn't hear who he was speaking with, he could see the expression on the guard's face. After a few moments, the guard's scratchy-sounding voice came through the speaker. "The warden said someone will be right down to escort you to his office."
"Thank you." Lee tucked his wallet back in his jacket and inhaled. "I guess we wait."
A few minutes later, another guard appeared and gestured toward them. "The warden is waiting for you. Follow me, please."
The trio wound their way to the warden's office. "Thank you for seeing us today," Lee stated as he extended his hand.
"I suppose I'm not surprised. After our last conversation, I had a feeling something was happening with Brody and Al Saleed. I set up a little bit of surveillance with a few of my most trusted guards." The warden held out a notepad which Francine readily accepted. "I also spoke with another one of your agents… Amanda Stetson. I gave her as much information as I could over the phone. Brody really doesn't leave his cell much but I was able to confirm his movements with your partner."
"Thank you. We appreciate your cooperation with this. I'm sure you heard about the attempt on Ambassador Saif Youssef Al Balushi's life?" Francine asked as she read his notes.
The warden nodded. "We did. We have several inmates here who are connected with the Ambassador in one way or another." Lee's eyebrows shot up. The warden held up his hand and confirmed, "We've ruled out any of those individuals as they have no contact with the outside world as it is. They aren't even allowed to write letters to loved ones."
Lee pursed his lips as Francine said, "Well, that's what we thought was happening with Brody but somehow he's managed to get messages out to his organization. The question is how."
"I may be able to answer that… partially anyway. Our librarian, Joseph Domingas, noticed something slightly unusual when delivering Brody's favorite book and notified me immediately. Domingas is a long-term resident here at our facility. He is well-liked by all the guards and most of the inmates as well." The warden sat back in his seat and folded his hands.
"What did he see that was so unusual he felt the need to report it?" Francine leveled her steely gaze on the older man.
The warden leaned forward and rested his hands on the desk. "Brody favors one particular author and most weeks, one specific book. Yesterday, when selecting the requested book, Domingas noticed the spine of the publication felt different. Before delivering it, he discovered a small pencil tucked in the folds."
"So, someone stuck a pencil in a book," Francine remarked flippantly.
"Miss Desmond, most of our inmates are not allowed writing utensils outside of designated areas of the prison. This is a direct violation. With that being said, Domingas had previously heard rumors from some of the other inmates Brody was trying to re-establish his organization, even though he was behind bars. He reported what he had found to me immediately and me alone." The warden drummed his fingers gently on the desktop.
Lee rubbed two fingers together as his mind began to whirl. "So you're using Domingas as an inside man so to speak?"
"In a manner of speaking. Domingas receives nothing from us in exchange. To be honest, he is a decent man who made a bad choice and unfortunately, he will spend the remainder of his life here, for that bad decision. As he stated himself, he's just trying to do the right thing." The warden reached into a drawer beside him and pulled out a bright yellow file. "This is his intake file if you want to see for yourself. He's been here for over ten years, never had a fight, or been disrespectful to any of the guards or other inmates. He's well-liked by most everyone here."
Francine took the offered folder and skimmed the pages. With a shake of her head, she said, "After this, he may not be so well-liked. I heard they don't like rats in prison."
The warden grinned toothily. "In most prisons, I would agree, however this is a federal prison. The crimes here are very different from your run-of-the-mill state prisons. The individuals you call rats, they call informants here. And an informant is granted immunity against further prosecution should they discover something unsavory occurring. We have a way of protecting our informants as well."
"So if I understand what you're saying, no one will know it was Domingas giving up information. Correct?" Lee lifted his chin to make eye contact.
"Precisely, Mr. Stetson." He held his hand out and Francine quickly returned the file.
"Other than the pencil, did he discover anything else?" she asked.
The warden smiled again. "As a matter of fact, he may have. You see, he flipped through the pages of the book and discovered faint lines under some letters. He didn't have enough time to decipher what it spelled out but he is set to collect the book from the ward in a few days."
"From the ward? You mean he doesn't turn it in directly to Domingas?" Lee questioned.
"No, Mr. Stetson. Books are dropped off twice a week and collected outside of the cell block office. There is a cardboard box for the inmates to return them. The officers in the cell block keep a list so when Domingas collects them, he can verify all the books are there and in good condition," the warden explained.
Lee leaned to the side and thought for a moment. "So if the officers have access to the books also, then we could surmise he's communicating with an officer."
"The books never leave the institution, so that would be a solid theory. And I took the liberty of investigating who tracks the books in his cell block," The warden informed them. He pulled out another file and handed it to Lee. "Yoliber Espiritu is the only officer in this ward signing off on books returned."
"Espiritu… Lee, what did Amanda say they called the other man?" Francine's eyes widened.
"The ghost," Lee confirmed as the muscle in his cheek began to twitch. "Warden, what does Yoliber Espiritu drive by any chance?"
"CO Espiritu has a jet-black motorcycle. As a matter of fact, I believe you can see it from this window over here." The warden turned in his chair and pointed at the same motorcycle Lee had spotted earlier.