The coin settled. The officer finished his statement to the woman who wanted into the bathroom. The tap shuddered as she forced the lever down, stopping the water. Her jaw was so tense that it clicked as she worked it open into a yawn-like movement. She raised the bottle of prescription pills to her mouth and tipped it back.

“Hey!” the officer at the door barked the word.

She lowered the jar, turning back his way. She’d caught one pill between her lips and held it there. The remainder settled back in the bottle.

“No games,” he said.

She shook her head.

“Hurry it up.”

She nodded, her tongue catching the pill. She worked saliva into her mouth and then swallowed it dry. Easier than using her hands. She replaced the cap and dropped the pills into a pocket.

“I’ll need a bottle of water,” she said, running the back of one hand along the front of her dress. “That’s fine, isn’t it? I would have to be very creative to kill someone with a plastic bottle.”

“You’re acting like you think this is funny? You can do without. Come on. Out.”

She made her way out of the washroom. The officer in charge of her made sure that people gave her a very wide berth, fifteen feet of clearance. She clasped her hands in front of her as she walked. Back straight, she entered the hallway.

Kenzie was sitting on a bench by the wall, next to the lawyer that had been assigned to Ashley. Ashley hadn’t bothered to learn the man’s name. The other members of the team weren’t present.

The conversation between the lawyer and Kenzie stopped as they saw Ashley.

“Ash!” Kenzie greeted her. “I still love the hair. I love the dress, too, you went with black? You didn’t take Victoria up on her offer to wear something of hers?”

“Hm. It seems it’s easier to handle moments like this when I’m my usual self.” The statement could have served as a response to both the question about the dress and the statement about her hair.

“You look awesome, don’t worry,” Kenzie said. “And I think you’ll do great. I have a good feeling.”

She said it without a smile on her face, eyes large and wide with sincerity. Ashley reached out to put her hand on Kenzie’s head. Stiff as it was, more like a doll’s hand than like her own, only the fingertips and heel of the hand touched.

“Hey,” the officer said. He stood a distance away. “No contact.”

“Hey yourself,” Kenzie said. “It’s fine and we’re fine. There’s no rules and I’ve seen a bunch of people have their turns here and none of them had to wait anywhere.”

The officer frowned. “Prisoner Stillons, move. That’s enough socializing, and we should wait somewhere away from any people.”