Last Call

Jack took a closer look. "Got caught?" he said, reading aloud, and then he read the smaller print: "Call Jack Swyteck."

"Good, huh?" said Theo.

Jack just rolled his eyes. "Theo, really – what do you want?" He buttoned his shirt. "I need you to give me a lift."

"Don't you have a car?"

Trina dropped me off. Anyway I need you to come with me." Where we going now?"

"My favorite place," said Theo. "Back to TGK."

"For what?"

"Just put on your lawyer face. Come on, hotshot. I'll fill you in on the way."

A TGK CORRECTIONAL OFFICER led them to a private visitation room. Coincidentally it was the very same cubicle in which Theo, as inmate, and Jack, as lawyer, had met just a few days earlier. This time, however, Jack and Theo sat side-by-side on what Theo called the suit's side of the small conference table, the lawyer and his "investigator." Together, they waited.

Finally, the fortified door opened. A guard entered first. The inmate followed immediately behind him.

It was Theo's old cell mate, Charger.

"Twenty minutes," the guard said, as he left: the room.

The empty bunk had been Charger's first clue, and at breakfast he'd heard about Theo's release. The whole cafeteria was buzzing with talk of the attack in the infirmary last night. Charger went to the telephone, dialed Theo's home number, and told Uncle Cy that he had to speak to Theo – in person and in private. Bringing an attorney along was the only way to ensure privacy, so Theo rounded up Jack just as soon as Cy called and delivered the message.

Charger sat in the wooden chair on the other side of the table, facing Theo and Jack. Theo was about to make the introductions, but Charger didn't seem to care who Jack was. He looked only at Theo.

"I lied to you," said Charger.

"About what?" said Theo.

He looked at Jack. "You got any gum?"

"Actually, I do." Jack offered a stick, and Charger took the whole pack. He tucked a piece into his mouth and chewed. Interesting, but watching him gently work the gum around in his mouth was the first time Theo had so clearly noticed Chargers effeminate side. He definitely worked on his manliness among the general prison population, not one of the obvious prison bitches who enhanced his lips with powdered Kool-Aid from the kitchen as if it were a tube of Hooker Red No. 105.

"What'd you lie about?" said Theo.

"'Bout Isaac."

"I'm listening."

Charger crossed one leg over the other, again like a woman. "Me and him, I mean. That was a lie."

Theo had little doubt as to Charger's meaning, but somehow it just wasn't registering. "What was a lie?"

Charger looked at Jack, then back at Theo. "Your friend's cute," said Charger.

Theo jumped up, reached across the table, and grabbed him by the inmate number on his jumpsuit. "You little shit, what are you saying?"

Jack pulled him back into his chair. "Easy, Theo. Go easy."

Charger caught his breath and brushed out the wrinkles that Theo had inflicted on his jumpsuit.

Charger lowered his eyes, his hands resting in his lap. "I lied when I said Isaac and me weren't lovers."

"Let's get outta here," Theo said to Jack.

"Wait," said Jack. He leaned forward, elbows on the table, the way he might during the deposition of a witness who was flip-flopping on his story. "Why did you lie about that before?"

Charger leaned forward as well, and suddenly Jack's attempt at intimidation looked more like two people on a date staring into each other's eyes. "Because that was the way Isaac wanted it," said Charger.

Jack sat back in his chair. "He preferred to keep it a secret?"

"Uh-huh. So that was the way we played it."

Theo said, "I got two things to say about that. Number one, I don't believe you. Number two, if this is all you got me out of bed with my girlfriend to listen to, I'm go

"Well, then, I'm one lucky boy. Because that's not all I have to tell you. And I can make you believe everything."

"How?"

"Isaac and me shared secrets."

"What kind of secrets?"

"The best kind," said Charger. "Dangerous ones."

"How do you mean 'dangerous'?"

"See, Isaac was a very smart man. Outside our cell, he had to treat me bad. He knew what would happen if he was good to me in front of the other inmates."

Theo said, "Yeah, they'd kick his ass."

"No," he said with a light chuckle. "Nobody kicked Isaac's ass. His concern was for me. He didn't want the bad guys to have any reason to think I knew any of his secrets. Especially, you know, if something happened to Isaac."

Theo and Jack exchanged glances. The same realization had hit them simultaneously: Charger was the safety valve – the person outside the extortion scheme who knew all the secrets and could tell all if the blackmailer turned up dead.

Jack said, "Was there something specific that Isaac wanted you to tell Theo if something happened to him after the escape?"

Charger nodded.

Theo said, "Why didn't you tell me when I was in the cell with you?"

"I didn't think you'd be leaving so soon. And to be honest, I was kind of hoping we'd get to like each other first."

"That ain't go

"I know. But give me a little credit. I'm sticking my neck out, and there's no Isaac, no Theo, no one at all on the inside to protect me."

"I'm sure we'll read all about it in the next edition of Profiles in Courage'' said Theo. "So let's hear it."

Charger smiled like a smart-ass, as if he was just now getting to the fun part. "Reality Bitches dot com," he said. "It's a website."

Theo said, "That's all you got? A website address?"

"Yup."

Again, Jack and Theo exchanged glances, both men reconsidering Charger's role as safety valve.

Jack said, "What's on this website?"

"I've never seen it," said Charger, his voice trailing off to a playful whisper. "But from the sound of it, I'd say it has something to do with Santa's naughty list."

Theo narrowed his eyes. "You better not be messin' with us."

"If anyone's messing with you, it ain't me. It's Isaac. Thanks for the gum," said Charger, winking at Jack. He pushed away from the table, walked to the door, and pressed the button on the wall. The door opened, and Charger told the guard he was ready to go.

"See you around, boys," he said on his way out. The door closed, leaving Theo alone withJack.

"You think he's for real?" said Theo.

"Let's visit that website and find out."

Jack removed his notebook computer from his briefcase and powered it up on the table. The jail made a high-speed wireless Internet co

The first was the face of a pretty redhead who was maybe old enough to vote. A string of letters tumbled across the screen and then settled into place to spell "Party Bitch."

Then the second box developed, a brunette called "Head Bitch," followed by "Nasty Bitch," "Latina Bitch," and several others, until the final box emerged. This last image, however, was much slower to come into focus than the others. It also seemed to be a much lower resolution, a little grainy, the color and lighting of much lower quality.

She was "Reality Bitch."

Theo slapped the table and walked away. "Damn you, Isaac!" he said, kicking the wastebasket across the room.

"What is it?"

Theo turned and faced Jack, mad enough to put a fist through the wall. He needed to hit something – or someone.