Knox and Stone glanced at each other. Knox took the note, read it once more and then sent it sailing down into the prison’s sewer to join the drug-laced carrots.

“What do you think?” Knox said in a low voice as they resumed eating. They both tapped their feet against the floor to cover their conversation.

“I saw him glance at me when he was at the door. And he nodded. Didn’t know exactly what was going on, but I was hoping.”

“Follow his lead?”

“He’ll have to cover himself. And we’ll do exactly as he says when the time comes.”

Twenty minutes later something hit their door. “Trays,” bellowed a voice.

They pushed them through and sat back on their cots.

“Why do you think they’re even keeping us alive?” Knox said. “They don’t know that folks won’t show up for me.”

“Anybody comes near this place, they’ll know long in advance. Then they either kill us or hide us. Plenty of places to do that here.”

“So why not kill us now? Not that I’m glad they’re not,” he added hastily.

Stone thought about being left in the mine with the snakes. He was certain now that had been Tyree’s handiwork. “Killing is fast, a second of pain and then it’s over. We’re free of this place. That’s apparently not good enough for Howard Tyree. He wants to control us, every second of our lives. I’m sure he’ll kill us at some point. But in the meantime he’s looking forward to making our lives as miserable as they can possibly be.”

“Guy sounds like a serial killer.”

“He is, only on the wrong side of the bars.”

Knox stretched out on his steel cot. “So now we wait?”

“I don’t see another option right now, do you?”

Their door was hit with a hard object. “Hands through the cuff door,” yelled a voice.

“Aw shit, what now!” moaned Knox.

Stone whispered, “Just remember that we’ve been drugged, so act punchy.”

“I’m so tired I won’t have to act.”

They were cuffed, stripped, searched and probed. This had quickly become almost as natural as taking a piss. Both men hung their heads and acted as listless as possible without overdoing it.

They were herded down the hall, guards and Tasers on either side while they shackle-shuffled along. They climbed stairs until there were no more stairs to climb. Stone figured they were in the west tower of the prison but he couldn’t be sure. His usually reliable internal compass wasn’t working all that well in here.

The room they were brought to was circular-shaped with a table and two chairs in the very center. Three-inch-wide slits in the wall revealed the dark outside. A fluorescent light bubbled overhead. They were placed in the chairs and the guards stood back, waiting.