The Impatient Inmate

by Michael Scherer

About the Author: Michael Scherer has several published short stories to his credit and has completed fifteen feature-length screenplays.

Excerpt

I focused on the top of the wall surrounding the prison yard. Razor wire reflected the morning sun and created row upon row of sparkling diamond tiaras. A mix of aromas vented from the prison kitchen—bacon and freshly brewed coffee—and the damp, bleach-clean scent of the laundry saturated the morning air. Odd, but familiar.

Across the prison yard a soft, twisted puff of air kicked up a dust devil, and I found myself lost in the wonder. How could something as soft and gentle as a kiss on the cheek create chaos where none existed before?

I love mornings. A perfect time to ponder life’s little mysteries. The peace. The serenity. The quiet. The—

“Stoney. Tell this little shit to help me out.”

So much for peace and quiet.

I shielded my eyes, peered across the yard at Hawk. Chuck Duncan was his real name. A twitchy son of a bitch always on the lookout for intrigue and conspiracies where none existed. Look up the word paranoid in the dictionary, and you’ll find Hawk’s picture. Hawk was arguing with Cliff McNett, a young Robert Redford type.

I stood, slogged across the dusty prison yard, reached the bickering couple then asked, “What is it?”

“Cliff won’t hook me up with that classic Vette I want.”

“Be real, Hawk. Cliff’s been in the joint for six years. He doesn’t have connections anymore.»

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