[Georgia 03] Fallen

court to retire Old Sparky. Now, instead of being shaved, stuffed with cotton, and fried to a crisp, the condemned were strapped to a table and given a series of drugs that stopped their breathing, their hearts, and finally their lives. Boyd Spivey would probably get a larger dose than most. It would take a powerful combination of drugs to put down such a large man.
    A crackly cough came through the tiny speakers on the desk. In the next room, Will could see Boyd staring straight ahead at Amanda, who was leaning against the wall despite the chair that was opposite his at the table.
    The tone of Boyd’s voice was surprisingly high for a man of his size. “You too scared to sit across from me?”
    Will had never known Amanda to show fear, and now was no exception. “I don’t mean to be rude, Boyd, but you’ve got an awful smell.”
    He looked down at the table. “They only let me shower once a week.”
    Her voice had a teasing lilt. “Now, that’s cruel and unusual.”
    Will checked the camera that was zoomed in on Boyd’s face. There was a smile playing at his lips.
    Amanda’s high heels echoed in the concrete room as she walked over to the chair. The metal legs scraped across the floor. She sat down, primly crossing her legs, letting her hands rest in her lap.
    Boyd let his eyes linger. “You look good, Mandy.”
    “I’ve been keeping myself busy.”
    “With what?”
    “You’ve heard about Evelyn.”
    “We don’t have TVs in here.”
    She laughed. “You probably knew I was coming here before I did. This place could put CNN out of business.”
    He shrugged, as if it was out of his hands. “Is Faith okay?”
    “Tip-top.”
    “I hear she K-fived both guys.”
    A K-five indicated the center ring on a paper target, the kill shot. Amanda told him, “One was to the head.”
    “Ouch.” He faked a cringe. “How’s Emma?”
    “A handful. I’m sorry I don’t have a picture for you. I left my purse in the car.”
    “The pedophiles would’ve stolen it anyway.”
    “What an appalling lack of decorum.”
    He smiled with his teeth. They were chipped and broken, the sort of souvenirs you got from fighting dirty. “I remember the day Faith got her gold shield.” He sat back in his chair, shackles dragging across the table. “Ev was beaming like a Maglite.”
    “I think we all were,” Amanda admitted, and Will let it sink in that his boss knew Boyd Spivey a hell of a lot better than she’d let on in the car. “How’ve you been, Boyd? They treating you okay?”
    “Okay enough.” He smiled again, then stopped himself. “Sorry about my teeth. Didn’t see any point in getting them fixed.”
    “It’s no worse than the smell.”
    He gave her a sheepish glance. “It’s been a long time since I’ve heard a woman’s voice.”
    “I hate to say it, but that’s the nicest thing a man has said to me all year.”
    He laughed. “Hard times for us both, I guess.”
    Amanda let the moment stretch out for a few more seconds.
    He said, “I guess we should get to the reason you’re here.”
    “We can do whatever you want.” Her tone implied she could talk to him all day, but Boyd got the message.
    He asked, “Who took her?”
    “We think it was a group of Asians.”
    His brow furrowed. Despite the orange jumper and the hellhole he called home, a piece of Boyd Spivey was still a cop. “Yellow doesn’t have traction in the city. Brown’s been grooming black to do its bidding again.”
    “Brown’s involved in this, but I’m not sure how.”
    He nodded, indicating he was taking all this in but didn’t know what to make of it. “Brown don’t like getting their hands dirty.”
    “Shit rolls downhill.”
    “Did they send a sign?” Proof of life. Amanda shook her head. “What do they want to trade her for?”
    “You tell me.”
    He was silent.
    She said, “We both know Evelyn was clean, but could there be blowback?”
    He glanced at the camera, then looked down at his hands. “I can’t see it. She was under the umbrella. No matter what happened, ain’t one man from the team wouldn’t still lay down his life for her. You don’t turn your back on family.”
    Will had always thought Evelyn was protected on both sides of the law. Hearing it validated was no consolation.
    Amanda told the man, “You know Chuck Finn and Demarcus Alexander are already out?”
    He nodded. “Chuck stayed down South. Demarcus went out to LA where his mama’s people live.”
    Amanda must have already known the