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“Until recently, Druin was a relative nobody,” I said, figuring out the story as I was going. “During the riots, he overthrew one of the most powerful criminal gang leaders in the entire prison.”
The Supervisor scratched his chin, interest stoked. “And?”
Yes, and what?
I was dying to hear what I was going to come up with too. “And… I believe there was a conspiracy, that the riot was staged so he could take over from Thillak.”
“Do you have any evidence for this?”
“He admitted as much to me during our negotiations,” I lied, but the lie felt so good, like honey dripping over my tongue.
Perhaps there would be a third act for Druin after all — some much-owed payback for him trying to have me killed.
“An admission of guilt?” the Supervisor said, eyebrows rising. “Why would he admit such a thing?”
Yes, why?
“Because criminals always return to the scene of the crime they’re most proud of,” I said. “His exact words were: ‘Never let a good crisis go to waste.’”
The Supervisor’s curiosity drew his brow down into a scowl. “I could believe he was responsible for kicking off the riots, to use them for his own purposes, but why would he want some of the prisoners and their Prizes to escape?”
“Maybe they paid him,” I countered. “Maybe he needed the credits to bankroll his takeover of power.”
“Mm,” the Supervisor said, unconvinced.
I needed to try harder. “Or maybe he owed those particular inmates favors. Or he wanted the guards to have their attention diverted elsewhere other than inside the prison. Or maybe they were just side effects of the riots and had nothing to do with Druin. Either way, the riots were his idea.”
The Supervisor fell back onto the sofa Lily had just vacated.
I could still make out the indentation where her ass had been and I couldn’t help but picture it naked underneath me. I snapped to attention and focused on the here and now.
“Good work,” the Supervisor said, nodding his head at the details I had given him. “But we need more information. Do you have time to investigate what you’ve discovered before you leave?”
I nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“Excellent. Then be sure to include them in your report before you leave.”
“I may not have time to complete the entire report before I leave. But I will ensure to get it to you the moment I return to the barracks.”
It was all a lie. I wasn’t going to waste my time writing a report. I doubted I had the skills to do it even if I wanted to.
But the Supervisor didn’t know that. He nodded. “Excellent. I will give you an excellent recommendation for this. Discovering how and why the riots happened is of utmost importance to the Warden. He does not take failures lightly.”
And for the first time since I met him, I witnessed a flicker of fear in his eyes.
“There will be no failure,” I said. “May I go? I have many loose ends to tie up.”
The Supervisor nodded, still lost in thought. “Yes. Yes, of course.”
I saluted, turned on my heel, and marched toward the door.
“Oh, and have the Prize who was just here earmarked for me — and exclusively for me,” the Supervisor said. “I can’t put my finger on it, but I sense she’s a part of this somehow.”
There was no use trying to discourage him. It would only make him more suspicious.
I nodded and marched out of the room. As if I needed more motivation to ensure I got Lily out of there!
I handed the rifle back to the guard and told him, “Return to your duty.” Then I hesitated before adding: “And if you have no further issues, I may forget this whole thing ever happened.”
