All Chained Up (Devil's Rock #1)(2)

“Coming?” Renfro’s voice grabbed her attention.

She jerked slightly and then moved ahead, quickly following the two men from the skywalk and into the building and the welcoming blast of air-conditioning. They turned down a corridor. She held her breath, half fearing they would walk through a cell block housing hundreds of inmates. But that never happened. Thankfully. They turned the corridor and arrived at another door, marked HEALTH SERVICES UNIT. Officer Renfro punched a code and opened the door.

The infirmary was a large airy room with big windows that looked out over a portion of the parking lot and faced the corner of the prison’s west wing.

A white-haired officer stood near the door. He was older and didn’t look nearly as fit or vigilant as Officer Renfro.

“This is Officer Murphy,” Renfro said. “He’s here most days. Different guards alternate nights in the HSU.”

Dr. Walker and Briar took turns shaking hands with Officer Murphy. With his large belly, he didn’t imbue nearly as much confidence as Renfro did, and she couldn’t help wondering if maybe he wasn’t past retirement age. He reminded her of her high school Spanish teacher. Students had made out in the back of Mr. Delgado’s classroom. She was never sure if he knew and didn’t care or was just oblivious.

She eyed his rosacea-splashed face, her gaze stopping on his swollen red nose, thinking of an antibiotic cream Dr. Walker might want to prescribe him.

A younger man wearing scrubs stepped forward, hand outstretched. He was thin with bright dark eyes. The fine lines around his eyes spoke to frequent laughter, and his resemblance to her brother-in-law, Caleb, put her at ease.

“I’m Josiah Martinez, the LVN here. We’re so glad to have you both. Thank you for volunteering your time.” He released Dr. Walker’s hand and turned to shake Briar’s. “We’ve been drowning since Dr. Pollinger took early retirement. There’s only so much I can do on my own.”

“We’re happy to help.” Dr. Walker shrugged. “Only one day a week, but maybe we can do some good until you find someone to take Dr. Pollinger’s place.”

As they continued exchanging pleasantries, Briar observed the room. It consisted of six beds and several utilitarian cabinets. A unit of shelves along the far wall held bedding, pillows, and other supplies. A cracked door revealed a restroom. She released a small breath of relief. She wouldn’t even have to leave the infirmary until she was escorted out at the end of the day. She would have to tell Laurel that. It might make her sister feel better.

“I’ll leave you in Josiah’s capable hands,” Renfro said, clapping the LVN on the back. “He and Murphy will run you through the protocols.” He glanced to each man pointedly. “Yes? Be sure to discuss emergency procedures.”

Josiah and Murphy both nodded. At the door, Renfro stopped as though suddenly remembering. “Oh. Warden Carter had a meeting this morning, but he looks forward to meeting you both. He’ll pop in today.”

The moment the door shut behind Renfro, Murphy sank back down into a chair by the door. Somehow, she suspected he usually didn’t move from that chair. Unless it was maybe for lunch. The older man smiled vacantly at her as he crossed his arms, tucking his hands beneath the stained armpits of his uniform.

“This way,” Josiah murmured, a curl of humor to his voice as his gaze shifted from Officer Murphy to her. He motioned to the single desk in the corner that held a computer. “Hope you don’t mind. Since I knew you were arriving today, I took the liberty of making appointments this afternoon. There are several inmates who have been coming in for a while with chronic complaints. I’ve opened their files up on the computer, if you would like to take a look at my notes before they start coming in.”

“Very efficient of you.” Dr. Walker nodded approvingly.

Josiah shrugged. “Dr. Pollinger’s sudden retirement left us a bit in the lurch. I’ve been doing my best but we are very grateful to have your help.”

Dr. Walker nodded as he moved across the room and sank down in the chair before the computer.

Josiah looked at Briar as Dr. Walker started clicking at the keyboard. “I thought you might like to explore the unit. Familiarize yourself with the supplies.” He offered her a key that dangled off a rubber coil around his wrist. “Here you go. We keep all supplies locked.”

She nodded. That made sense. She had an image of some scary yet faceless inmate overpowering her and getting the key that doubtlessly gave him access to all manner of things that could be used as weapons. Syringes, scissors, surgical tape. And then there were drugs, of course. A glance to where Murphy sat near the door, his eyelids drooping to half-mast, didn’t help eliminate the image.

“Thank you,” she murmured, turning for the cabinets lining the walls. “I’ll take a look.”

Josiah spoke quietly behind her. “They always put the older COs on duty in here. Murphy is one breath from retirement.” Apparently he hadn’t missed the direction of her concerned gaze.

“Not very comforting,” she murmured, her sister’s innumerable warnings ringing in her ears.

“Don’t worry. We never see much action in here. When we get inmates, they’re sick or injured. They want relief and aren’t likely to bite the hand giving it to them. Even the appointments this afternoon . . . they’ve been waiting eagerly to see the doctor for weeks. And the more dangerous inmates that come from seg are always in restraints. Even if they wanted to cause trouble, they can’t.”