Page 8 (2/2)

"That’s it We’ll want to be left alone for a while We’ll tell the OD e’re done"

"Suit yourself," the guard said and walked out, closing the door behind hi ast took it and positioned hi behind hiast’s to do He picked up the phone again

"Better?"

Carter hesitated ahim, then nodded "Yessir Thank you Pincher always does ’east ive you breakfast in there?"

"Pancakes" Carter shrugged "That was five hours ago, though"

Wolgast swiveled to look at Doyle, raising his eyebrows Doyle nodded and left the rooe No Se of the counter was rutted with brown burn ht, Anthony"

A trace of a smile flicked across Carter’s face "Like on that show?"

Wolgast didn’t knohat Carter was talking about, but that was fine; it would give Carter so to explain

"What show’s that, Anthony?"

"The one with the woht a moment, then remembered Of course: The X-Files It had been off the air for what, twenty years? Carter had probably seen it as a kid, in reruns Wolgast couldn’t remember very much about it, just the idea of it-alien abductions, so up That was Carter’s i on in here all right?"

Carter squared his shoulders "You cauy, Anthony No, that’s not the reason"

"What the reason then?"

Wolgast leaned closer to the glass; he found Carter’s eyes and held them with his own

"I know about this place, Anthony Terrell Unit I knohat goes on in here I’ treated properly"

Carter eyed hiuards okay with you?"

"Pincher’s tight with the cuffs, but he’s all right"Dennis ain’t no friend of mine Some of the others, too"

The door opened behind Carter and Doyle entered, bearing a yellow tray from the commissary He placed the tray on the counter in front of Carter: a cheeseburger and fries, glea on waxed paper in a little plastic basket Beside it sat a carton of chocolate estured toward the tray "We can talk when you’re done"

Carter placed the receiver on the counter and lifted the cheeseburger to his one Carter wiped his ot to work on the fries while Wolgast watched Carter’s concentration was total It was like watching a dog eat, Wolgast thought

Doyle had returned to Wolgast’s side of the glass "Daot anything for dessert down there?"

"Bunch of dried-up looking pies Soht a lass of iced tea Make it nice, too, if you can Dress it up a little"

Doyle frowned "He’s got the milk I don’t know if they even have iced tea down there It’s like a barnyard"

"This is Texas, Phil" Wolgast suppressed the io find it"

Doyle shrugged and left again When Carter had finished his hed deeply When he picked up the receiver, Wolgast did the sah the receiver, Wolgast could hear the watery heaviness of Carter’s breathing; his eyes were slack and glazed with pleasure All those calories, all those proteinhis systeiven hiot to eat A man can’t live on pancakes"

A silent ue His voice, when he spoke, was alot it backward, Anthony," Wolgast said, nodding "It’s me who’s here to find out what I can do for you"

Carter dropped his eyes to the counter, the grease-stained wreckage of his meal "He sent you, didn’t he"

"Who’s that, Anthony?"

"Woman’s husband" Carter frowned at the memory "Mr Wood He coast reo, and it was still on Carter’s mind

"No, he didn’t send me, Anthony You have my word"