The inmates ran their drug trade and other rackets, but at the end of the day, they had no power over the basic things that made them human beings. They couldn't take a shower when they wanted. They couldn't go to the bathroom without an audience. They could be strip-searched or cavity-searched at any time. They couldn't go for a walk or take a book from the library without permission. Their cells were constantly checked for contraband, which could be anything from a car magazine to a roll of dental floss. They ate on someone else's schedule. The lights were turned off and on by someone else's clock. By far the worst part was the constant handling they received. Guards were always touching them-wrenching their arms behind their backs, tapping their heads during count, pushing them forward or yanking them back. Nothing belonged to them, not even their own bodies.

It was like the worst foster home on earth, only with more bars.

The D&C was the largest prison in Georgia and, among other things, served as one of the main processing centers for all inmates entering the state penal system. There were eight cellblocks with single and double bunk beds in addition to eight more dormitories that warehoused the overflow. As part of their intake, all state prisoners were subjected to a general medical exam, psych evaluation, behavioral testing, and a threat assessment to assign a security rating that determined whether they belonged in a minimum, medium, or maximum facility.

If they were lucky, this diagnosing and classification process took around six weeks before they were assigned to another prison or moved to the permanent facilities at D&C. Until then, the inmates were on twenty-three-hour lockdown, which meant that but for one hour a day, they were confined to their cells. No cigarettes, coffee, or soda were allowed. They could buy only one newspaper a week. No books were allowed, not even the Bible. There were no TVs. No radios. No phones. There was a yard, but inmates were allowed out only three days a week, and that was weather permitting and only for whatever time was left on their one hour a day. Only long-term residents were allowed visitors, and then it was in a room that was halved by a metal mesh that required you to yell to be heard over the voices of the other visitors. No touching. No hugging. No contact whatsoever.

Maximum security.

There was a reason suicide rates in prisons were three times higher than on the outside. It was heartbreaking to think about their living conditions, until you read some of their files. Rape of a minor. Aggravated sodomy with a baseball bat. Domestic violence. Kidnapping. Assault. Shooting. Beating. Mutilating. Stabbing. Slashing. Scalding.

But the really bad guys were sitting on death row. They'd been convicted of killings so heinous that the only way the state knew how to deal with them was to put them to death. They were segregated from the rest of the population. Their lives were even more limited than the intake prisoners'. Total lockdown. Total isolation. No hour a day in the sunshine. No shared meals. No stepping past the iron bars that held them in their cells except once a week for a shower. Days could pass without hearing another man's voice. Years could pass without feeling another person's touch.

This was where Boyd Spivey was housed. This was where the former highly decorated detective was living while he waited to die.

Will felt his shoulders hunch as the gate leading to the death row cells swung closed behind him. Prison design lent itself to wide, open corridors where a running man could easily be taken out with a rifle from a hundred yards away. The corners were sharp ninety-degree angles that deliberately discouraged loitering. The ceilings were high to trap the constant heat from so many sweating bodies. Everything was meshed or barred-windows, doors, overhead lights, switches.

Despite the spring climate, the temperature inside hovered somewhere around eighty. Will instantly regretted the wicking nature of his running shorts under his heavy jeans, which clearly were not meant to be worn in tandem. Amanda, as always, seemed right at home, no matter the greasy-looking bars or the panic buttons that lined the walls every ten feet. D&C's permanent inmates were classified as violent offenders. A lot of them had nothing to lose and everything to gain by engaging in willful acts of violence. Taking the life of a deputy director of the GBI would be a big feather in any man's cap. Will didn't know how they felt about cops who took down other cops, but he didn't imagine that was much of a distinction for inmates looking to raise their status.

For this reason, they were escorted by two guards who were approximately the size of commercial refrigerators. One walked in front of Amanda and the other loomed behind Will, making him feel practically dainty. No one was allowed to carry guns into the prison, but each guard had a full array of weaponry on their belts: pepper spray, steel batons, and worst of all a set of jangling keys that seemed to announce with every footstep that the only way out of this place was through thirty locked doors.

They turned a corner and found a man in a gray suit standing outside yet another locked door. As with every other door in the place, there was a large, red panic button beside the jamb.

Amanda extended her hand. "Warden Peck, thank you for arranging this visit on such short notice."

"Always glad to help, Deputy Director." He had a gravelly old man's voice that fit perfectly with his weathered, mahogany face and slicked-back gray mane. "You know you need only pick up the phone."

"Would it be a bother to ask if you could print out a list of all the visitors Spivey's had since he entered the system?"

Peck obviously thought it was a bother, but he covered for it well. "Spivey's been in four different facilities. I'll have to make some calls."

"Thank you so much for going through the trouble." She indicated Will. "This is Agent Trent. He'll need to be in the observation room. He's got a somewhat checkered past with the prisoner."

"That's fine. I should warn you that we got Mr. Spivey's death notice last week. He's to be executed on the first of September."

"Does he know?"

Peck nodded gravely, and Will could see that he didn't like this part of his job. "It's my policy to give the inmates as much information as we can as soon as we can. The news has sobered Mr. Spivey considerably. They generally become quite docile during this time, but don't be lulled into complacency. If at any point you feel a threat, stand and leave the room immediately. Don't touch him. Avoid being within reaching distance. For your safety, you'll be monitored through the cameras and one of my men will be outside the door at all times. Just keep in mind that these men are quick, and they have absolutely nothing to lose."

"I'll just have to be quicker." She winked at him as if this was some kind of frat party where the boys might get rowdy. "I'm ready when you are."

Will was led one door down to the observation room. The space was small and windowless, the sort of prison office that could've easily passed for a storage closet. There were three monitors stacked on a metal desk, each showing a different angle of Boyd Spivey in the adjacent room. He was shackled to a chair that was undoubtedly bolted to the floor.

Four years ago, Spivey hadn't exactly been handsome, but he'd carried himself with a cop's swagger that made up for his deficits. His reputation was as a practical joker, but a good cop-the guy you'd want to have your back when things went from bad to worse. His file was full of commendations. Even after he'd taken a deal to plead guilty for lesser time, there were men who worked in his station house who refused to believe that Spivey was dirty.

Now, everything about the man said "con." He was as hard looking as a piece of honed granite. His skin was pockmarked and puffy. A long, ratty ponytail draped down his back. Prison tattoos decorated his forearms and twisted around his neck. His thick wrists were bolted to a chrome bar welded to the center of the table. His legs were crossed at the ankles. The chains around his leg irons were tightened into a straight line. Will guessed Boyd passed his days working out in his cell. His bright orange uniform was busting at the seams around his overly muscled arms and wide chest.

Will wondered if the extra weight was a good or bad thing as far as the man's impending execution was concerned. After several gruesome mishaps with the electric chair, including a man whose chest had burst into flames, Georgia had finally been ordered by the state supreme court to retire Old Sparky. Now, instead of being shaved, stuffed with cotton, and fried to a crisp, the condemned were strapped to a table and given a series of drugs that stopped their breathing, their hearts, and finally their lives. Boyd Spivey would probably get a larger dose than most. It would take a powerful combination of drugs to put down such a large man.

A crackly cough came through the tiny speakers on the desk. In the next room, Will could see Boyd staring straight ahead at Amanda, who was leaning against the wall despite the chair that was opposite his at the table.

The tone of Boyd's voice was surprisingly high for a man of his size. "You too scared to sit across from me?"

Will had never known Amanda to show fear, and now was no exception. "I don't mean to be rude, Boyd, but you've got an awful smell."

He looked down at the table. "They only let me shower once a week."

Her voice had a teasing lilt. "Now, that's cruel and unusual."

Will checked the camera that was zoomed in on Boyd's face. There was a smile playing at his lips.

Amanda's high heels echoed in the concrete room as she walked over to the chair. The metal legs scraped across the floor. She sat down, primly crossing her legs, letting her hands rest in her lap.

Boyd let his eyes linger. "You look good, Mandy."

"I've been keeping myself busy."

"With what?"

"You've heard about Evelyn."

"We don't have TVs in here."

She laughed. "You probably knew I was coming here before I did. This place could put CNN out of business."

He shrugged, as if it was out of his hands. "Is Faith okay?"

"Tip-top."

"I hear she K-fived both guys."

A K-five indicated the center ring on a paper target, the kill shot. Amanda told him, "One was to the head."

"Ouch." He faked a cringe. "How's Emma?"

"A handful. I'm sorry I don't have a picture for you. I left my purse in the car."

"The pedophiles would've stolen it anyway."

"What an appalling lack of decorum."

He smiled with his teeth. They were chipped and broken, the sort of souvenirs you got from fighting dirty. "I remember the day Faith got her gold shield." He sat back in his chair, shackles dragging across the table. "Ev was beaming like a Maglite."

"I think we all were," Amanda admitted, and Will let it sink in that his boss knew Boyd Spivey a hell of a lot better than she'd let on in the car. "How've you been, Boyd? They treating you okay?"

"Okay enough." He smiled again, then stopped himself. "Sorry about my teeth. Didn't see any point in getting them fixed."

"It's no worse than the smell."

He gave her a sheepish glance. "It's been a long time since I've heard a woman's voice."

"I hate to say it, but that's the nicest thing a man has said to me all year."

He laughed. "Hard times for us both, I guess."

Amanda let the moment stretch out for a few more seconds.

He said, "I guess we should get to the reason you're here."

"We can do whatever you want." Her tone implied she could talk to him all day, but Boyd got the message.

He asked, "Who took her?"

"We think it was a group of Asians."

His brow furrowed. Despite the orange jumper and the hellhole he called home, a piece of Boyd Spivey was still a cop. "Yellow doesn't have traction in the city. Brown's been grooming black to do its bidding again."

"Brown's involved in this, but I'm not sure how."

He nodded, indicating he was taking all this in but didn't know what to make of it. "Brown don't like getting their hands dirty."

"Shit rolls downhill."

"Did they send a sign?" Proof of life. Amanda shook her head. "What do they want to trade her for?"

"You tell me."

He was silent.

She said, "We both know Evelyn was clean, but could there be blowback?"

He glanced at the camera, then looked down at his hands. "I can't see it. She was under the umbrella. No matter what happened, ain't one man from the team wouldn't still lay down his life for her. You don't turn your back on family."

Will had always thought Evelyn was protected on both sides of the law. Hearing it validated was no consolation.

Amanda told the man, "You know Chuck Finn and Demarcus Alexander are already out?"

He nodded. "Chuck stayed down South. Demarcus went out to LA where his mama's people live."

Amanda must have already known the answer, but she asked him, "Are they keeping their noses clean?"

"Chuck's got a belly habit for back-to-backs." Meaning he was shooting heroin, then smoking crack chasers. "Brother's gonna end up back in the joint if he don't die on the street first."

"Has he pissed anybody off?"

"Not that I've heard. Chuck's a cotton shooter, Mandy. He'd fuck his own mama for the swill in a spoon."

"And Demarcus?"

"I guess he's as clean as you can be with a felony rap hanging over your head."

"I hear he's working on getting his electrician's license."

"Good for him." Boyd seemed genuinely pleased. "Have you talked to Hump and Hop?" He meant Ben Humphrey and Adam Hopkins, his fellow detectives who were currently serving time at Valdosta State Prison.

Amanda gauged her words. "Should I talk to them?"

"It'd be worth a try, but I doubt they're still keyed in. They got four years left. Keeping their noses clean, and I don't guess they'd be too forthcoming with you considering your hand in their current incarceration." He shrugged. "Me, I got nothing to lose."

"I heard you got your date."

"September first." The room went quiet, as if whatever air was left had been sucked out. Boyd cleared his throat. His Adam's apple bobbed in his neck. "Gives you perspective on things."

Amanda leaned forward. "Like what?"

"Like not seeing my kids grow up. Never having the chance to hold my grandbabies." His throat worked again. "I loved being on the street, chasing down the bad guys. I had this dream the other night. We were in the raid van. Evelyn had that stupid song playing-you remember the one?"

" 'Would I Lie to You?' "

"Annie Lennox. Stone cold. I could still hear it playing when I woke up. Pounding in my head, even though I ain't heard music in-what?-four years?" He shook his head sadly. "It's like a drug, ain't it? You bust down that door, you clear out all the trash, and then you wake up the next day and do it again." He opened his hands as much as he could with the shackles. "They paid us for that shit? Come on. We shoulda been paying them."

She nodded, but Will was thinking about the fact that they had managed to pay themselves in myriad other ways.

Boyd said, "I was supposed to be a good man. But, this place ..." He glanced around the room. "It darkens your soul."

"If you'd stayed clean, you'd be out by now."

He stared blankly at the wall behind her. "They got it on tape-me going after those guys." There was no humor in the smile that came to his lips, just darkness and loss. "I had it in my head that it went down different, but they played it at my trial. Tape don't lie, right?"

"Right."

He cleared his throat twice before he could speak. "There was this guy beating that guard with his fists, wrapping a towel around the brother's neck. Eyes glowing like something out of a freak show. Screaming like a goddamn animal. It got me to thinking about my time on the streets. All those bad guys I took down, all those men I thought were monsters, and then I look at that guy on the tape, that monster taking down that guard, and I realize that it's me." His voice was almost a whisper. "That was me beating that man. That was me killing two guys-over what? And that's when it hit me: I've turned into everything I fought against all those years." He sniffed. There were tears in his eyes. "You become what you hate."

"Sometimes."

Will couldn't tell if Boyd was feeling sorry for the men he'd killed or sorry for himself. Probably, it was a combination of both. Everyone knew they were going to die eventually, but Boyd Spivey had the actual date and time. He knew the method. He knew when he would eat his last meal, take his last crap, say his last prayer. And then they would come for him and he would have to stand up and walk on his own two feet toward the last place he would ever lay down his head.

Boyd had to clear his throat again before he could speak. "I hear Yellow's been encroaching down the highway. You should talk to Ling-Ling over in Chambodia." Will didn't recognize the name, but he knew that Chambodia was the term used to describe the stretch of Buford Highway inside the Chamblee city limits. It was a mecca for Asian and Latino immigrants. "You can't go straight to Yellow. Not without an invitation. Tell Ling-Ling Spivey said keep it on the DL." The down low-don't tell anyone. "Watch your back. Sounds to me like this thing is getting out of hand."

"Anything else?"

Will saw Boyd's mouth move, but he couldn't make out the words. Will asked the guard, "Did you hear what he said?"

The guard shook his head. "No idea. Looked like 'amen' or something like that."

Will checked Amanda's reaction. She was nodding.

"All right." Boyd's tone indicated they were finished. His eyes followed Amanda as she got up from the chair. He asked, "You know what I miss the most?"