“Thank you. That’s very kind of you. I am anxious to know the results of the test. Found a cut on my leg last night. Don’t know when I got it, but . . .”

“I know waiting’s the worst part, but I really don’t think you have anything to worry about. Even if you did have a cut on your leg, his blood would have had to seep all the way through your pants.”

“I know. I’m just . . .”

She frowns and shakes her head. “I’m so sorry. We’re at such high risk here. It’s . . . Anyway, call me if it gets too much for you. But try not to worry. I’m sure you’re fine.”

She stood to leave.

I stood and came around my desk to walk her out.

When I reached her, she kissed me briefly on the lips.

“See?” she said. “I’m so convinced you haven’t been infected that I’m willing to kiss you.”

I started to say something but she leaned in and kissed me again.

The second kiss started out friendly enough, but grew deeper and more passionate as she lingered.

“Sorry,” she said. “I got caught up, but would I do that if I thought you were infected?”

20

“Chaplain?” Stone was saying.

“Sorry,” I said. “I was just thinking.”

Something had been said, something I missed while I was lost in thought—Anthony and Molly Thomas, Ike Johnson, Sandy Strickland, Anna, Laura Mathers, HIV, AIDS, blood, and murder all swirling around in my head.

Tom Daniels and I were in Stone’s office to give him an update.

“About what the inspector said?” Stone asked.

“What’d he say?” I asked.

Stone frowned deeply.

“That Officer Shutt has been written up several times on accusations of brutality toward inmates—every one of them black,” Daniels said.

“What has been done? Did you know about this?” I asked Stone.

He frowned at me again and shook his head.

“Not much has been done,” Daniels said, “as you would expect, because the grievances have been written by inmates. It seems that on a couple of occasions, he was reprimanded by his supervisor.”

“That’ll teach him,” I said.

Stone frowned at me again. The man was nothing if not consistent.

“You both know what it’s like,” Daniels said. “We get grievances on staff members all the time. Some inmates spend all their time writing grievances. Good officers and staff get written up all the time. It’s almost impossible to know. There’s nobody in the entire department who hasn’t been written up by some inmate for some silly something.”

I shook my head.

Daniels said, “What?”

“There’s a difference in frivolous inmate grievances and a pattern of abuse against a single race.”

“There’s no evidence of that,” he said.

“But there’s accusation and it should have been investigated.”

“How many reports of abuse has he received?” Edward Stone said.