The officer got the hint. “How about I fetch us a couple of bottles of water?” Candace suggested brightly.

“Sure.”

The moment the PO was out of earshot, Christi leaned forward. “People pass notes all the time. Between cells, between floors. Inmate to inmate, guard to inmate. Sometimes, just to have something to do. Other times, in return for favors, you know. Chocolate, sex, drugs. Depends on the message, depends on the messenger.”

“But not Shana?”

“Guards don’t trust her. She killed two of them. And even if you weren’t a fan of Frankie or Richie, the way she did it . . .” Christi shivered slightly. “MCI’s own girly Hannibal Lecter,” she muttered. “You know she once cut her own finger and stirred the blood into her applesauce?”

D.D. and Phil shook their heads; Adeline didn’t.

“Now, maybe if she were into drugs,” Christi continued briskly, “then she’d have currency for bribing guards or paying for friends. Or if she weren’t so fucking scary, she could offer a quick BJ, something. But Shana is . . . Shana. Guards fear her. Inmates stay clear of her. Like hell anyone’s gonna pass notes on her behalf; they don’t even offer up a Hi, hey, how you doin’. That’s the truth of it, plain and simple.”

D.D. nodded. Sitting across from her, she could see Adeline’s strained expression. She wondered how much the doctor had ever fully contemplated her sister’s life behind bars. It was one thing to know your sister suffered from antisocial personality disorder. It was another thing to know your sister suffered due to her antisocial personality disorder.

“You think Shana’s smart?” Phil asked now. D.D. regarded him curiously, unsure where he was going with this.

“Sure.”

“Think she could catch a killer?”

“If she wanted to.” Christi shrugged. “But you probably wouldn’t get him back in one piece.”

“And she never spoke of Donnie Johnson?”

“Nope.”

“What about at night?” Adeline spoke up. “Did she suffer from nightmares, ever talk in her sleep?”

“Oh, I’m sure she had nightmares. We all do.”

“But did she say anything?”

“Only ever heard her whisper one name.”

“Which was?”

Christi regarded the doctor, her gaunt face intent. “Adeline. In the middle of the night, whatever your sister dreamed about, it always involved you.”

Chapter 28