Penned In - Lynn Cahoon Page 0,1
informed of when you were sentenced to attend this lockdown. You will be given a uniform shirt and a blanket for your comfort. The prison can get chilly at night. Some say it’s because of the restless spirits in the building.”
“I told you so.” Matt crowed to Hope. She slapped his arm.
“Children, please.” Angie turned back to Officer Murphey. “Can we bring in our cooler with sodas or will that be provided? I need to make sure I have water available for Dom.”
“Your dog will be provided water from the tap. No fancy bottled water for any of you.” She smiled down at Dom who slapped his tail against the table in greeting. “You may get a second blanket for him though. Any other questions?”
Matt raised his hand again. “Will we see all of the prison?”
“Your tour will include all of the safe areas. You will not be shown the cemetery. That is part of the botanical gardens.” She glanced around at us one last time. “Any important questions?”
“Man, she doesn’t like you.” Estebe fake whispered to Matt. “Are you sure you’re not acquainted with our new jailer?”
Angie saw Officer Murphey’s mouth twitch but to her credit, she stayed in character. “Okay then. There will be four staff on site tonight. We’re down from six, so you need to behave or you’ll be sent to solitary on the first offense.”
Matt looked like he was about to say something but the officer’s glare stopped him.
“We have fourteen new residents joining us tonight, but just because your group is the largest sector of those, don’t think you’ll be getting any special treatment.” She pointed to the stone front of the building and the large wooden doors. “Meet us there in thirty minutes without your picnic baskets. If you’re not there, you’ll be left outside and no one wants to be left outside alone on a night like this.”
Since the weather was a balmy warm October Idaho evening, and they were in an upscale section of Boise where the nearby houses sold in the seven figures, Angie figured she was talking about the fact they were almost at Halloween. She waited until the woman began the act again with the small group at the next table before she turned to her group. “Ready for a haunted house tour? I think they’re really going to play up the haunting angle tonight.”
“I don’t like ghosts.” Hope said as she moved just a little closer to Matt.
“I do.” Matt didn’t notice her movement. He was taking pictures of the outside of the building. “Man, I hate giving up my cell. My camera on the phone is way better than this digital I have.”
Estebe held up his camera with a set of lenses and a carrying case. “You need to buy a real camera, not rely on a device that does everything badly.”
“My phone is the newest model. I bet the pictures I take kill yours.” He snapped several pictures of the table, then of the outside of the prison. “I’m a master at this.”
“Except for the fact that you can’t take it inside the prison, I might take you up on that bet.” Estebe patted his camera case. “I guess I’ll have to share my pictures with the group so we can all have memories of this exciting outing. Thanks for setting it up.”
Matt started to say something, then swallowed his words. He’d lost the battle, everyone at the table could see that. But if he moderated his response, he might come back harder another day to win the war.
Angie rolled her eyes at Ian who just laughed. “They’re your children, not mine.”
“And that’s exactly what they are – children.” She glanced around the table. “If everyone’s finished eating, let’s pack up the coolers. Put them in my vehicle and I’ll stop at the shop and clean up in the morning.”
“Hold it,” Felicia called out. She pointed to the dark SUV at the end of the parking lot. “Just put everything into Estebe’s Hummer. He has to drop me off at my apartment anyway so I might as well take care of the cleanup. That way Angie can just go straight home without coming into River Vista.”
“You don’t have to,” Angie started but Felicia shook her head. After throwing away her paper plate, she walked over and stood next to Angie.
“I know I don’t have to, but I am a full partner, right?” When Angie nodded, Felicia continued. “Then that means I clean up at times