***** Blair rubbed her hands together gleefully. "I know just which private detective I'm going to use too," Blair exclaimed. She kissed Dorian on the cheek. "I'm so happy you were here. Taking to you always helps." Blair grabbed her purse. "I'll let you know what happens as soon as I get this going."

*****

Blair walked down the hallway to an office she had not been to in many years. Her mind was flooded with memories, most of them not very good ones. They were memories of hurting Todd . . . lying to him . . . cheating him . . . giving him hope for something that didn't exist. Blair stopped just short of the door. She took a deep breath and pushed the past out of her mind. She had to concentrate on the here and now and on the future. Blair turned the knob and entered the office.

The person in the chair behind the desk looked up. "Right on time. I can't say that I wasn't shocked to hear from you after all these years, especially given our last meeting."

"I never said I didn't think you were good at what you did. I just didn't want you cheating Todd," Blair responded.

"Don't you mean cheating you? You already thought of Todd's money as your money at the time."

Blair glared at her.

"Okay, that's all in the past. Now why don't you pull up a seat and tell me what I can do for you."

"Ms. Vance, I . . ."

"Come on Blair. I think we know each other well enough for you to call me Sam."

Blair rolled her eyes in annoyance, "Sam," she said with deliberate emphasis. "Todd is the reason I'm here. I need to find out if someone I believe is hurting him is up to something."

"I heard that you two were divorced long ago. Isn't Todd married to another woman now, an attorney?"

"It's not a real marriage," Blair said angrily and defensively. "It's a business arrangement."

"Really? Now that's not what I heard. The way I heard it is that Todd's wife is very devoted to him and that he proposed to her on bended knee, in public. I do believe this was after the so-called business arrangement."

"My goodness Ms. Vance . . . oh excuse me . . . Sam . . . you seem to have been following Todd's life rather closely. Suspiciously closely if one were to think about it."

"Yes I have," Sam confirmed without a shred of an apology. "I like Todd. What I did was business. It was never personal. David Vickers paid me to do a job and I did it."

"And then you tried to cheat Todd out of part of his inheritance."

"No more than you did," Sam countered back.

Blair shot Sam a dirt look. "I hope I'm not on the clock for this trip down memory lane."

"No. First consultations are free . . . says so right on my business card." Sam's mood turned serious. "I was very sorry to hear that Todd became so ill. Is he doing any better?"

Tears sprang to Blair's eyes. "No . . . well, yes and no . . . in some ways, but in others . . . that's why I came to see you. I believe that Todd is being deliberately made ill, or at least made worse by the people around him . . . most of them anyway."

Sam looked at Blair with questions in her eyes. "Are you talking about Todd's sister . . . Viki Carpenter?"

Blair sighed. "No. I don't believe Viki is hurting Todd. She loves him with all her heart. I do believe that she is being naive. She is trusting people that want to hurt Todd."

"Mrs. Carpenter is involved with Sam Rappaport, correct?"

"Yes. They became close when Todd got sick."

"Do you believe that he's trying to hurt Todd?"

"No! God no! Sam is the only one who's on to them, the way I am. Sam would die for Todd."

“All right so it doesn't take Dick Tracy to figure out you think it's Todd's current wife who's trying to hurt him."

"Yes, it's Téa. It’s Téa and most likely Kevin and his family and Todd's doctor."

"Kevin Buchanan . . . Mrs. Carpenter's son?"

"Yes! With all your research into Todd's comings and goings you must have discovered that Kevin and the Buchanans hate Todd. They have always hated Todd. Kevin can't stand the idea that Todd is part of his family and has taken away his mother's attention and love. Asa hates Todd for several reasons, not least of all is Todd taking him hostage last spring and causing him to have another heart attack."

"All right, so you think Todd's doctor is involved in this?" Blair was sounding a little paranoid to Sam.

"Todd's doctor, Susannah Hanen, is Nora Buchanan's sister. Is it beginning to make some sense to you now?" Blair asked sarcastically.

Sam looked up in thought for a few minutes. "You believe this Doctor Hanen is trying to exact revenge for what Todd did to her sister?"

"Yes. I also think she's doing it for the money. I think Asa or one of the Buchanans is paying her."

"So you think they are all keeping Todd mentally ill to get his money . . . and for revenge."

"Yes, especially Téa. Todd paid her five million to marry him so she could steal my little girl from me. It has always been about Todd's money for her."

"She's not the only one," Sam muttered under her breath.

"Look! If you're going to sit there and be an insulting bitch, I can go somewhere else."

"Calm down. Blair, as I said, I like Todd. He was decent to me before he found out what I was up to. If someone is hurting him, I'd like to help. The thing is, this sounds really far fetched. On top of that, you seem to have an ax to grind as far as Todd's current wife is concerned. I see you're still calling yourself Mrs. Manning."

Blair looked down at her lap.

"Hey, I don't care if you are doing this to get Todd back. I'll still dig up what I can for you. I would like to know if there really are people out there that are trying to hurt Todd. Now is this all about you wanting to get rid of Todd's wife and get him back or do you honestly believe that the people you mentioned are trying to hurt Todd? I mean making that accusation about a doctor is serious business."

Blair looked into Sam's eyes. "I believe it. You can't imagine what they do to Todd at that hospital. They drug him into a stupor. They tie him to his bed. They . . ."

"Blair," Sam interrupted. "It's a psychiatric hospital. From what I know of them they do medicated patients to calm them. They do use restraints when patients become dangerous to themselves or others. Now are you saying these are used punitively in Todd's case?"

Blair took another deep breath. She shook her head. "I don't know. I think so. I mean my mother was in this horrible state hospital and they used drugs and restraints on her just to keep her from being a bother to them. Those drugs almost destroyed my mother, physically and mentally."

"That was a long time ago. Things have changed for the most part. Llanview Hospital does not seem to be the kind of facility that would do that anyway. Is Todd dangerous to himself and others?"

Blair hung her head again. "Sometimes . . . no . . . don't you see! He may seem that way because of what they're doing to him. Téa is having an affair with Kevin Buchanan. I just know it. Viki doesn't believe it. She thinks her son hung the moon. She feels the same way about Téa. You should see them together. She treats Ms. Delgado like she's her long lost daughter. I'm not sure if you know it, Viki had the same thing Todd has, DID."

"Yes, I remember that." Sam shook her head. "You know, I never suspected anything like that with Todd, but when I look back, I can see some signs of it. Todd had the most radical mood swings, but not in a bipolar way. I've known people with bipolar disorder and that wasn't how Todd acted. He did act like different people at different times. I attributed it to his just getting out of prison and all the craziness he was going thorough when David Vickers and Tina Roberts were trying to keep him from finding out he was the Lord Heir."

Blair's lips trembled. "When I found out what was wrong with Todd I realized I'd seen many signs of it too. I realized I even met some of the child alters and that some of them played with our little girl, Starr." Blair swallowed away the lump in her throat. "I may have even met some of the adult alters, like Pete and Rodd." Blair's voice became wistful at the thought of Rodd. She kept telling herself that it was not Rodd, but Todd, who was able to have the more normal sexual moments with her. Yet even Blair wondered how Todd, who had been so terrified of being sexual with her . . . afraid of her and afraid of himself . . . that first time . . . and many times in between . . . only being with her when she was the aggressor . . . when she would literally lead him to it, was sometimes quite the romantic lover.

"So you do believe that Todd has DID?" Sam asked.

Blair brushed away a tear and nodded.

"Then I don't get why you think all of these people, including a doctor, are doing this to Todd."

"I'm not saying Todd isn't mentally ill. He's had problems all his life, long before he ever met Viki, Téa or Doctor Hanen and her staff. I'm saying that once they got hold of him, they began to make him worse for their own purposes. What difference does this make to you anyway? I'm willing to pay you to find out what I want to know. Have you suddenly developed ethics and morals after all these years and you don't want to go after someone unless you know they've done something? If I wanted that I could have gone to Hank Gannon."

"You're right. I will go after anyone you pay me to go after and I will find out anything you pay me to find out, if it exists. I'm asking because I wasn't lying about liking Todd. I do. He was honest and funny and good company. I hate knowing that he's so sick. When I heard, I couldn't believe it. I thought Todd could overcome anything."

"He still can, but not when those he thinks he loves are taking advantage of his vulnerable state. You should see Téa prancing around Todd's unit acting like the be all and end all in Todd's life all the while she's screwing Kevin and laughing at Todd. No one believes me except Sam Rappaport, and even he has his doubts."

"Playing the devil's advocate here, could it be that they think you're saying it because you're jealous of Téa and you hate her for helping Todd get custody of your daughter?"

"Jealous! I've never been jealous of any woman in my life!"

"Oh that's right," Sam emphasized the word right. "No woman could ever be as beautiful as you or be as fascinating and fun to be with as you or as good in bed as you. It would be impossible for Todd to really love someone else." Sam wondered if Blair knew, in her heart, that she had been jealous of all other women all her life and always felt in competition with them, or if she was truly that blind to herself.

"Todd and I had something special," Blair claimed.

"From what I heard, you told anyone who would listen that you and Max Holden had something special."

"What the fuck have you been doing! Spying on Todd and me all these years!"

"Llanview is a small town. You and Todd have not led quiet lives. It wasn't difficult to keep up with you."

"Max Holden is an asshole. I'm not involved in any part of his life anymore. This is about saving Todd from God knows what at that hospital. I saved my mother. I can save Todd." Blair hated that Max continued to be thrown in her face.

"And what are your plans for him after you save him?"

"What?"

"I mean once Todd is out of the hospital, where do you plan on taking him, to another hospital?"

"No. I want him home with . . . well, with Starr . . . Todd and Starr need each other . . . and with me. I'll hire nurses and a doctor to be with him at first."

"And of course you'll deny his current wife access to him while he's with you."

"She's no good for him. Todd couldn't possibly love her the way he loved me."

Sam smiled. Blair's ego was something to behold. Sam suspected Blair would feel this way about any woman involved with any man she'd ever been with. "Okay, so what is it you want me to find out? You want me to get proof that this Ms. Delgado is doing the nasty on the side with the Buchanan guy?"

"No, at least not yet. I already have someone watching Téa when she's not with Todd, which is hardly ever anymore!" Blair grit her teeth and added in frustration. "What I need you to do is more difficult and it has to be done carefully. If I'm wrong, and I don't think I am, I don't want anyone to find out I did this. I need you to get proof that Doctor Susannah Hanen is on the take. I need you to see if there is a trail of money that leads from one of the Buchanans to the good doctor. I know you won't mind bending a few rules and laws if you have to."

Sam thought for a few moments. "I can do that. It may take a couple of weeks, but I can do that."

Blair and Sam discussed the financial details.

"I'll be looking forward to hearing from you," Blair held out a check for the retainer.

After Blair left, Sam stood there for a few moments with the check in her hand. "Well, Todd, if there is someone out there trying to hurt you, they won't be for long."

*****

"You make sure to tell them not to let the vegetables get too hot. They need to test it on the inside of their wrist first," Carlotta cautioned Téa as she handed her a bag containing several kinds of homemade baby foods.

Téa laughed. "Carlotta, they're medical people. I don't think they'd let the baby burn his mouth."

"Ah, people use the microwave. Sometimes they don't realize how hot the center of the food is. Mrs. Ramez did that with strained carrots when her Juan was only seven months old. He would never eat carrots again after that."

Téa hugged Carlotta. "I love that you care so much."

"You said he's like a baby. Who could not care about a baby?"

Téa smiled. "I think you've grown to care a little bit about Todd too."

Carlotta sat down on the opposite side of the booth. "He's a good man, mija. Underneath all the pain and anger he carries around, he's a good man. I remember how he was when you were hurt. I saw how much he loves you. Del and Abuela saw it too. Your Todd wants what's best for you, even if it is not what's best for him."

Téa’s expression turned to one of sadness. "That's part of the problem. I think Todd is able to admit to himself that he loves me and needs me. I think he's finally beginning to believe I love him and that I will not leave him, no matter how much he pushes."

"Then what is the problem? I don't understand," Carlotta stated.

"Todd is afraid for me. He trusts himself even less than he trusts the rest of us. He believes he'll hurt me if he's near me. He sees I won't be pushed away, so he's determined to get himself taken away. There is a part of Todd that is actually happy that his mother was able to get away from his father. He wanted some happiness and peace for her, even though whatever peace and happiness, if any, that she managed to find was at his expense. That's the way Todd is. When he loves someone, truly loves someone, he wants to keep them safe from everything bad in this world. Todd would love to keep Starr safe in a fortress somewhere and he'd like to do the same with me. For some reason, despite knowing I'm capable of some pretty awful and underhanded moves myself, Todd has put me in the same league as Starr. He wants us to be better than he. He doesn't want the things that hurt him or the things he's done or thinks he's done to touch us. So many times I heard Todd say he doesn't want Starr to become like him or like Blair. He doesn't ever want her to know the kind of feelings that drove him to become so full of rage and fear and caused her mother to become the way she is. He wants her to be able to trust. He doesn't ever want her to feel abandoned or unloved or dirty. He doesn't want her to feel like a loser or feel the need to hurt people. Todd is always praising Starr and making her feel good about herself."

"But surely, mija, Todd must understand that you are a grown woman and whatever baggage you have, you came into the relationship with?"

"He does. In my case it's fear for my safety and . . ." Téa would not share the private details of Todd's disclosures, not even with Carlotta. "Todd's dad made him do some terrible things when he was just a little boy. Todd is afraid he'll do them again, now that he remembers them. He also grew up seeing his dad do horrible things to his mother. Todd is terrified that this is what it will be like if we are together. And he is afraid of himself for what he did to Marty Saybrooke."

"Todd was married to Blair. Why is he so much more afraid with you?"

Téa thought for a few minutes.

Carlotta waited patiently for a response.

"I think I do know." It was clear from Téa's expression and tone that she was figuring this out for herself as well as for Carlotta. "Todd is not afraid of hurting Blair because he sees himself in her. He sees much of what he hates in himself in Blair. He sees what he thinks he is in Blair, and he sees what he wants to be in Starr and in me. He perceives Blair as already damaged. In the same way he thinks it's too late for him, he also thinks it's too late for her. In his mind that makes Blair immune to his evilness and poison, as he calls it.”

Téa's mind raced as she figured out more and more. “Todd was also used to being treated the way Blair treated him. It was comfortable for him in the sense that it was a known. Blair would hurt Todd and then find a way to make him believe it was his fault and make him crawl to her for love and affection. This was familiar to Todd. He knew how to respond to this. It's a normal marriage built on trust and love instead of lies and revenge and causing deliberate pain that Todd hasn't got a clue how to handle. He's terrified that all he can do are terrible things to me. He's terrified that he won't be able to control himself because in the past his rage has made him hurt people, people that he realizes didn't deserve to be hurt. Todd thinks he deserved to be hurt. He places Blair in the same category as he places himself. The fear he has with Starr and Viki and me, and possibly even Sam and Doctor Hanen and some of the staff is nonexistent with Blair. He can touch her and not have to worry about hurting her because in his mind, she's already hurt."

"Mija. Are you all right?" Carlotta noticed the expression on Téa's face.

"Yes! Oh yes. Madre de Dios, I think that is it. I really do. Even though Todd has been intimate with me in more important ways, I was always so hurt that Todd was able to have sex with Blair and not with me. From what we understand now, Rodd could make love to her but Todd . . . Todd was still able to have sex with her because Blair was always the aggressor."

Téa's thoughts were jumping around as finally it hit her. "Intellectually I think I've understood this for a very long time. Doctor Hanen and Viki have been trying to explain this to me, in one way or another, for months now. In his own way, Todd has too. I heard them and I comprehended what they said, but I never felt it in my heart before. I never understood that I have nothing to feel hurt about. Todd doesn't trust himself around something, like our marriage, that isn't already damaged and spoiled. Todd went into our marriage thinking it would stay a business relationship. I always thought he panicked and pushed me away because I wanted more. Now I see that it was when he wanted more that he became frightened. He wanted a real marriage and it terrified him. He didn't think he could ever be good enough for that or even know how to be in a relationship that wasn't based partly on him being the good little boy, being mistreated by someone he loves, and partly on him being his father and doing the mistreating. Todd sees no in-between in relationships. You're either the victim or the bully. Todd learned how to be both, and he doesn't want to be either. He has told me so many times, in one way or the other that he sees the person he wants to be when he looks into my eyes. He knows that I believe he can be that person. There are times, fleeting moments of time, that he believes it too. Then they pass and everything his father told him makes him feel like fool for ever believing he could be what he dreams to be."

Carlotta brushed away a tear. "I think when Todd is with you, those dreams seem almost like he can touch them. Yes, the fear that they will never happen comes back over and over again. It is so much safer to stop dreaming than to feel like a fool for dreaming of something you believe will never come true and feeling the pain of dreams never realized. That is where you come in, mija. You stay by Todd's side no matter how hard he tries to get you to leave. You bring those dreams closer to him and you help him reach for them, because it seems to me that Todd has already done the same for you. I think even after everything you’ve both been through and as sick as he is, Todd is the answer to everything you've ever dreamed of."

Téa moved over to Carlotta's side of the booth. She hugged her tightly. "You do understand. Yes, Todd has made my dreams come true. He thinks that he has ruined my life. He can't believe that he has made it worth living, not yet. He will. I swear I will find a way to make him understand that he will not become his father. And I will not become his mother or mine. I will not hide from his pain behind a bottle of booze or anything else, and then walk out on him when even that isn't enough to keep from seeing how much he's hurting. I'll help him learn that it's safe to dream of good things. I'll help him understand that he doesn't have to sabotage those dreams in order to be in control of the wrecking ball. I'll help him understand there doesn't have to be a wrecking ball at all."

Carlotta reached up and gently squeezed Téa's chin. "You can do all that, mija. I see it in your eyes. I think your Todd has finally found someone who is stronger than everything his father and his mother and everyone else that's ever hurt him put together did to him. You hate losing. You will not lose the man you love to what his parents did to him or to mental or physical illness or to anything or anyone else. I'm not a betting woman, but I would wager this diner and everything else I own on that."

Téa hugged Carlotta one more time and left Angel Square to go back to the hospital.

*****

Other than a couple of quick trips to the bathroom, Sam did not leave the baby's side for the entire night. When morning came, Sam fed him some cereal and gave him a bottle for breakfast. Sam would not allow the baby out of his sight. He stood outside the bathroom door when Frank and Jeff gave him his morning bath. Now that the baby was able to hold himself in a sitting position longer, with support, a tub bath became an option. Sam wasn't the only one smiling when the baby splashed the water by moving his arms up and down, kicked his legs in delight, and laughed and squealed in joy as they held him in the comfortably warm water. Frank and Jeff enjoyed every moment spent with this delightful child and didn't mind ending up almost as wet as he. The baby enjoyed having his hair washed too. He giggled and laughed when the spray attachment gently rinsed the shampoo and soap off of him.

The baby had been crawling around the unit for a while. He finally sat on the floor near the coffee table in the lounge area nearest to Todd's room. He was there when Viki arrived. Sam was sitting on a chair near him. Frank was a couple of chairs away. The baby was happily tearing pages out of a magazine Frank had handed him. He would laugh and squeal in glee as he held each torn page up to show Sam.

Viki was glad she'd gone to Llanfair to sleep last night. Kevin was upset when he arrived home. He'd had an argument with Rachel over her mother's part in Todd's dissociation. While Rachel wasn't completely sure her mother didn't still harbor a desire to see Todd punished for what he did to her and her friends, it was one thing for her to speak negatively about her mother and another to hear Kevin do it. Nasty, angry words were exchanged and Rachel walked off and left Kevin standing on a line for a movie. Viki was there when Kevin needed someone to talk to. She was grateful for that, even if she was sad that Kevin was left angry and upset when they finally called it a night and each went to his and her own room for some sleep.

"How is our boy doing this morning?" Viki asked first thing.

"He had a good breakfast and he loved his bath time," Sam answered.

Viki smiled. "Honey, were you able to get some sleep?"

"I got enough sleep." The circles under Sam's eyes belied his statement.

"Would you like me to get you some breakfast?" Viki assumed Sam had not eaten.

"No. Are you going to be around for a while?"

"Of course I am. Honey, you know I only left last night because you seemed to want to have some time alone with the baby."

"Yeah . . . okay. I'm going out. If anyone comes to visit the baby, I want you to stay during the visit."

Viki knew better than to try to reason with Sam. "I will." She bent down and stroked the baby's silky, shiny, freshly washed hair. "I'm looking forward to spending some time with him."

Sam took Viki's hands in his. "I mean it. Promise me that for whatever time I'm gone, you won't leave the baby or any of the alters or Todd alone, should they come out."

"Sweetheart, I do mean it. It sounds like you plan to be gone for a while. Will you tell me where you're going?" Viki's stomach was doing flip-flops. There was something about Sam's tone and demeanor that frightened her, for him.

"Just out. I need some air and some time to think."

Sam kissed Viki on the mouth. His kiss was hard. There was urgency to it. It made Viki feel like she'd never seen him again. She wanted to go with him. She knew he'd never agree to that, not only because she was the only one he trusted to stay with Todd, but also because it was obvious that whatever he wanted to do, he wanted to do it alone.

After Sam left the unit, Viki sat in the chair he'd been sitting in. She smiled weakly at Frank.

He could tell how worried she was. He gave her a reassuring smile back. It let her know that he knew how she felt and he would be there for her if she needed him.

The baby cooed loudly and joyously. He laughed and held up a page he'd just torn out. He was sharing his fun with Viki now.

Viki knelt down to him. She rubbed her nose against his. "Whose boy is this? Whose good boy is this? Whose sweet angel is this?"

The baby laughed loudly. He placed his fingers on Viki's lips and once again squealed happily.

Viki felt her head beginning to throb again. She'd been having one headache after another since yesterday. She didn't make the connection that her headaches seemed to be triggered by being around the baby. Viki kissed the top of his head. "My angel," she said softly. "I hope your daddy's going to be all right."

*****

Bo sat on the visitor's side of the glass partition.

Zack Rosen's eyes filled with surprise when he came to the visitor's room and saw Bo waiting for him.

"Commissioner Buchanan. To what do I owe this honor? I don't suppose you're here with a pardon from the governor."

"Sorry, Zack. You'd been out of here by now if it weren't for that nasty little business you got into. I thought you'd have been too smart to get mixed up with that bunch selling drugs to other prisoners."

"Are you saying the governor is holding that one little incident against me," Zack quipped, with a cross between a smile and a sneer on his face.

"I didn't come here today to talk about your future. I came to talk about your past."

"Do you mean my previous life as a police commissioner?" Zack laughed at his own joke.

"No. I mean about your first couple of years here at Statesville."

"Damn and I forgot to bring my scrapbook."

Bo could not stand Zack. He could tell that to this day he did not regret what he did to Marty. He still only regretted getting caught. Prison had hardened Zack. He was angry, bitter and resentful. Bo didn't know if Zack would help him even if he could.

"So tell me Commissioner, how is everyone back in dear old Llanview? How's Nora?"

"I don't have time for small talk, Rosen. I need to ask you some questions."

"Didn't you learn any manners from that rich upbringing of yours? I see you don't bring a gift when you come to visit . . . not even a cake . . . nevertheless one with a file in it. The least you can do is fill me in on my old friends. So how's my old friend Todd? Is his still crazy and in the nut house? Oh! Excuse me. That is not PC. He's he still mentally ill and residing on a psychiatric unit? That lady shrink of his visited me a few months ago. Not a bad looker. Todd always was a lucky bastard."

Bo wanted to smash Zack's face against the wall. He was happy that there was glass between them. He decided to get right to it. If Zack answered, he answered. "Do you remember a yard guard named Garret that was here in when you first got here?"

Zack's cocky demeanor changed immediately. Bo's question had just wiped the sneer off his face. Bo didn't need to hear Zack say it. He knew that Zack knew who, and most likely what, Garret was.

"I asked you a question, Rosen."

"Why do you want to know about Garret after all this time? He's not at Statesville anymore."

"I know. Did you have any problems with him when he was here?"

"I was a model prisoner, didn't they tell you that?" Zack tried to sound cocky again, but this time he came across sounding frightened.

"I want you to tell me what you know about Garret and what he did to prisoners while he was here," Bo stated.

"Sorry. I minded my own business. It's more fun around here when you do that."

"Do you know anything about Garret abusing prisoners?"

Zack took a deep breath. He collected himself. He wasn't sure what to do. He didn't want to get himself hurt or worse, but he also wondered if he could use this to his advantage. Now that he was over his initial shock of being asked about Garret, his wheels were turning once again.

"So tell me Commissioner, what's in this for me?"

Bo smiled and shook his head. Same old Zack, he thought to himself. "I don't know. It depends what you tell me."

"Uh-uh, Commish. My dad is a good businessman. He taught me to get it in writing, first!"

"Sorry, Rosen. I'm not the warden or the DA or the governor. I can't make you any promises. So I guess that's it." Bo got up to leave.

"Wait! Let's discuss this a little more." Zack reacted as Bo hoped he would.

Bo sat down again. "Look, I know you've been here a long time and you could use a break. As I said, I can't make you any promises, but I can talk to the people who can, on your behalf. That is if you are of some kind of value to us . . . mmmm . . . maybe a witness or somethin' like that."

"Garret still has friends that work here. Getting time cut off my sentence isn't gonna help me if they come after me."

"We might be able to work out some kind of deal to get you transferred."

"To a white collar prison?" Zack asked hopefully.

"Last time I checked, rape and drug dealing weren't white collar crimes. There are other state correctional institutions where you might find life a little easier than here at Statesville. Who knows? We won't until we hear what you have to tell us about Garret?"

"This is about Todd, isn't it . . . about what Garret did to Todd?" Zack whispered.

"I'm asking the questions," Bo pointed out firmly.

Zack looked Bo in the eye and then looked around on his side of the visitor's room. "Not here. You take me some place private and I might have a thing or two to tell you."

Bo smiled. "I'll go see about getting us a private interview room."

Zack watched Bo walk away. "Shit man, I hope I'm not gonna regret this," Zack mumbled to himself.