“Tonight.” Stone looked out the slit again. “And best as I can tell that’s about six hours away—” He stopped talking and then desperately tried to squeeze his head into the slit. He was barely making out a group of people climbing out of a car and heading to the prison entrance. Yet one tall, bushy-haired gent stood out from the others.

It has to be.

“What is it?” Knox said, “what do you see?”

Stone turned to look at him, a smile spreading across his face. “I see hope, Joe. Damn if I don’t see hope.”

Chapter 77

CHAPTER 77

“MR. TYREE, I think you better come down here, sir,” the guard said into the phone.

“What is it?” barked Tyree as he sat behind his large desk with a bird’s-eye view of his little kingdom. “I’m busy.”

The guard turned to the group facing him.

“He said he’s busy.”

Alex Ford yanked the phone out of the man’s hand.

“This is Alex Ford, United States Secret Service. I’m here with a joint federal agency task force and we have some questions for you, Warden. And if you don’t get your butt down here, the next person you’ll be talking to is a U.S. attorney as he reads the charges against your ass.”

In his office Tyree nearly dropped the phone. “I have no idea—”

“Get down here, now!”

Sixty seconds passed and then Tyree walked stiffly into the front entrance area.

Alex flashed his creds before motioning to the others. Reuben, Caleb and Harry Finn wore blue FBI windbreakers. Annabelle had on a DEA jacket. “Agents Hunter, Kelso, Wright and Tasker.”

“What the hell is this about?” said Tyree angrily.

Alex looked askance at him. “You really want to do this out in the open? Wouldn’t you prefer some privacy, or is every son of a bitch here in on it?”

“In on what?” Tyree said indignantly.

“Tyree, you can’t be that stupid. In fact, I’ve got a file on you an inch thick that says you’re a pretty smart boy.”

Tyree glanced at the nervous-looking guards and hurriedly motioned Alex and the others into a small room off the main entrance.

Alex shut the door behind them. “Okay, your little drug ring is falling apart.”

“What drug ring?”

Alex looked at Annabelle. “Agent Hunter?”

Annabelle walked up to the diminutive Tyree, towering over him. “I thought you’d be a bigger guy. I rarely see shrimp like you in charge of an op this large.”

“I am the warden of this prison. You will address me—”