Chapter 15 - The Federal Penitentiary
The federal penitentiary outside Joliet was a bleak monument of reinforced concrete,
razor wire,
and despair.
Rain beat relentlessly against the armored transport van as we pulled through the triple-locked security gates.
Armed guards in tactical gear flanked the entrance,
their faces expressionless behind riot helmets.
I stepped out of the vehicle,
my long wool coat snapping in the cold wind,
and walked into the sterile,
fluorescent-lit intake facility.
The warden,
an old acquaintance named Miller who owed his career to a favor I had called in years ago,
was waiting by the visitor processing desk.
“Dante,
” Warden Miller greeted me,
shaking my hand firmly.
“You didn’t have to come out here yourself.
” “When a rabid dog sends word from his cage,
Miller,
you go see if his teeth are still sharp,
” I replied smoothly.
“Take me to him.
” We walked down a labyrinth of heavy steel corridors,
the sound of slamming iron doors echoing off the bare concrete walls.
We stopped before maximum-security visitation booth four.
Behind the thick,
reinforced plexiglass partition sat Enzo Santoro.
Gone was the tailored Brioni suit and the expensive gold watch.
He wore standard orange prison scrubs,
his hair uncombed,
his face gaunt and pale from lack of sunlight.
He looked up as I entered the booth,
a bitter,
twisted smile touching his lips.
“Dante,
” Enzo rasped,
his voice hoarse from disuse.
“I knew you’d come.
” I sat down on the metal stool,
picking up the heavy black telephone receiver.
Enzo picked up his receiver on the other side of the glass.
“You have thirty seconds before I walk out that door,
Enzo,
” I said,
my voice cold and flat through the speaker.
“Make it count.
” Enzo chuckled,
leaning forward until his face pressed close to the plexiglass partition.
“You think you cleaned house,
Dante?
” “You think chopping off my head and Vance’s head cured the sickness in Meridian Freight?
” “There’s someone else.
” “Someone closer than you think.
” “Someone who helped me set up the offshore accounts long before Nora ever touched a spreadsheet.
” I didn’t blink.
My gaze remained locked on his desperate,
venomous eyes.
“Name.
” Enzo smiled wider,
his eyes gleaming with malicious satisfaction.
“Guess,
Dante.
” “Guess who has access to your private vault,
your master security override codes,
and your personal calendar.
” “Guess who has been smiling in your face every single day while watching you play protector to your little accountant.
” I hung up the phone receiver deliberately.
The heavy click echoed loudly in the small booth.
Enzo stared at me in confusion as I stood up,
buttoned my coat,
and turned toward the door.
Warden Miller looked at me questioningly.
“Everything alright,
Dante?
” “Keep him in solitary confinement,
” I instructed coldly,
walking out of the booth without sparing Enzo another glance.
“And make sure his food is tasted by a guard.
” “The rat wants to play games even in his cage.
May you like
” “Let him rot in the dark.
”
