Insiders by Olivia Goldsmith Page A

suddenly in a rage. Goddamnit! She wasn’t a convict. She had her own damn cell phone – and they had taken it. She had a Verizon credit card with no limits. Why couldn’t she use it? What harm would there be in that? It had rounded corners, too. She couldn’t kill anyone – or herself – with a fucking cell phone. The rage took its toll, and Jennifer wilted onto the made-up bunk. Tom had better get her out of here before the end of the day. This was worse than anything she’d imagined.
    â€˜You’re sitting on my bed,’ Jennifer heard a timid voice say. She jumped up to see Officer Camry standing in the door of the cell with a very small and very pretty young blonde woman.
    â€˜I’m sorry,’ Jennifer said sincerely.
    â€˜It’s okay,’ the girl said timidly. She looked as if she was terrified of Jennifer, and she seemed to be almost clinging to the smiling Officer Camry.
    â€˜Miss Spencer, this is Suki,’ Roger said as he gently guided the young girl into the cell. ‘You and her will be bunking together.’
    Jennifer saw the girl looking at her still damp jumpsuit.
    â€˜Were you the one who stuffed the toilet in Observation last night?’ Suki asked her. Then she went over to her bunk and looked at the wet spot Jennifer had left when she sat there.
    â€˜You can use this bedding,’ Jennifer said, pointing to the roll on the bunk meant for her. ‘I won’t be using it.’
    â€˜Why not?’ Suki asked her.
    â€˜I’m not staying,’ Jennifer replied.
    â€˜Where are you going?’
    Jennifer thought she was going to scream. ‘Can I justmake a phone call?’ she asked, looking past this Suki and talking to Roger.
    â€˜Not until after work,’ Suki told her.
    â€˜But I have to make the call now. ’
    â€˜Miss Spencer – Jennifer – will be working with you in the laundry,’ Camry told the young girl. ‘Will you see that she gets there this afternoon?’ he asked with a smile.
    â€˜You bet Rog – uh, sir,’ Suki said, blushing.
    Roger stood there as awkward as a teenager on a front porch after a first date. Was he going to kiss this girl? Jennifer wondered. But Camry finally turned and walked away. Suki watched him go until he turned for a moment and waved good-bye.
    Jennifer didn’t know what that was all about, and she didn’t need to know. A deafening bell clanged loudly and echoed off the concrete.
    â€˜Time to go back to work,’ Suki chirped brightly. ‘Come on, I’ll show you the way.’
    Jennifer followed without question. Maybe she could find a phone in the laundromat.

9
Movita Watson
Here I am and here I stay.
    Patrice de Mac Mahon
    I did alotta work in the office that no inmate should be trusted with, but that was because of Miss Ringling. She was one of those state employees who felt the main function of her job was cashing her paycheck. Most work that required any intelligence was given directly to me by the Warden. The rest of it was given to me by Miss Ringling. But now I was finally shuttin’ down the PC and gettin’ ready to go to dinner, when Warden Harding strolled outta her office in that casual-like way that says she’s got something to tell me.
    â€˜Movita?’ she asked.
    â€˜Mmmm,’ I kinda murmured back. You can’t really diss the Warden, but by now her and me know each other good enough for me to voice a certain kind of awareness.
    â€˜I’ve assigned Spencer to Conrad. Do you think Sukiwill mind having her as a cellmate?’ the Warden asked me.
    Since when did The Woman worry about what I thought? ‘Why do I care what Suki minds?’ I answered back. It sounded kinda snotty so I softened it a bit with, ‘She’ll do fine. NBD. Spencer’s no suicide, if that’s what you’re thinking.’
    â€˜I just thought that you might have a better sense of who would be the best to