As I looked at the eight-millimeter tape from Maddox’s collection, I could tell that an amateur had done the recording. Over half of the tape was loose and uneven, while the other half was smooth and tight. This meant that only half of the tape had been used before it was rewound. This also meant that an hour of footage was on the two-hour tape. An hour had been recorded, but we had only viewed a few minutes. There was more footage on the tape. I had let the tape play some after the scene had ended but now I wondered if I hadn’t waited long enough for the next scene to come on.

There was one way to find out.

Uncle Tyrone’s eight-millimeter VCR was still at the prison in the conference room next to Stone’s office where I had used it to show him and Daniels the footage of Anthony and Molly Thomas in the chapel.

Unable to carry everything given how I was feeling, I had left the VCR and just brought home the tapes in order to protect them.

I raced to the prison and parked in front of Admin.

One of only two buildings outside the fence, I was able to enter Admin through the front door without checking in or being seen by the control room.

Rushing down the dark corridor in only the tiny red glow from the Exit sign above the door on the far end, I entered the conference room and turned on the TV and the eight-millimeter VCR still hooked to it.

Like the rest of the building, the conference room was dark and quiet, the occasional creaks of the structure and the hum of the central air the only sounds.

I put the tape in and pushed the fast forward button.

After passing through the chapel scene at rapid speed, the screen turned to white noise and then to blue. I continued to fast forward it. In about three minutes, an image appeared on the screen again.

The infirmary at night. The camera positioned in the hallway outside, shooting through the windows.

Johnson and Thomas. No Jacobson. Both on the far wall. Three beds in between them.

The screen turned to snow and then blue again.

Before I could hit the fast forward button, another image flickered on.

It was a close-up of Johnson and Thomas having violent sex together on one of the beds in between them. They looked like animals, gnawing and pawing at each other. I saw no evidence of love or affection. Both men were drunk or high or both.

In another minute, Sandy Strickland entered the room and caught them. She walked right up to where they were before they knew she was there.

No sound could be heard from inside the infirmary, but there was plenty of sign language.