The Sanctuary

4

BEYOND THE ADMINISTRATIVE wing, Basal looked fairly typical for any newly constructed prison, Danny thought. But as Bostich ran down a short summary of the layout and basic expectations, it was clear that there was far more to the facility’s inner workings than first met the eye.

The large cross-shaped structure was divided into four operational wings referred to by their compass location with a large, domed common area at its hub. The two-story north wing, where Danny was admitted, held all administrative functions, which centered on the warden. The south wing was used for services including the infirmary, food preparation and dining, laundry, maintenance, commissary, and programs. Members were housed in one of three wings. The longer west or “commons” wing consisted of ninety cells with a maximum capacity of 180 members. The shorter east or “privileged” wing consisted of fifty units called rooms rather than cells, many of which were single occupancy. And the basement or “meditation” floor was reserved for up to fifty less-responsive members.

There were two yards—one small patch off the hub, and a much larger park that surrounded the entire facility, a privileged area reserved only for the east wing members accessed through the back of their quarters.

Bostich led Danny through a secured door into the hub, where perhaps forty members loitered around fixed tables or on brown couches that faced a small television playing HGTV. The rest were either on the yard, in the rec room, or in their cells, Bostich said. Commoners weren’t permitted to work.

Most prisons had work programs ranging from common maintenance to skilled labor—employment that kept inmates occupied for six to eight hours a day, earning a maximum of ninety-five cents an hour, half of which went to pay fines. A man dressed in jeans and a blue button-front shirt paused his mopping of the gray floor and leaned on his mop to watch Danny. Jeans. An employee, yes, but an inmate? The privileged class.

Odd. Work, however menial the task, tended to keep prisoners occupied and out of trouble. Here, that privilege was reserved for those who’d graduated to the east wing. The employed would control the prison’s entire underground commerce, which in most prisons consisted of extorting, hustling, and trading of both legal goods, such as potato chips or coffee, or contraband, such as tobacco, prison brew, or drugs. Goods smuggled in or purchased by the wealthy at the commissary were the currency in most prisons, and those prisoners who had the most to trade typically had the most power, just like in all societies.

Giving those in the privileged wing that balance of power by offering them an easy way to make extra money would create class envy. Violence or threats of violence would be used to extort or rob the upper class in many prison systems.

Evidently, Basal wasn’t home to typical prisoners.

The walls and floor were concrete, painted a shiny gray. Guarded steel doors controlled passage into each of the four wings. Black-and-yellow-striped tape ran along the floor, marking walkways and restricted areas. No pictures or images on the walls, no plants or decorations of any kind.

The silence struck Danny as he followed Bostich across the hub toward a guarded door with a sign that said Commons above it. The hub was massive, hollowed like an echo chamber beneath a large glass dome, and yet an eerie quiet hovered about the several dozen members who quietly watched him. No one seemed to be speaking.

They were all dressed in the same blue slacks and tan short-sleeved shirts, staring with interest. A cross-section of ages was represented, but fewer younger prisoners than at Ironwood.

Respect was critical in prison, not of correctional officers as much as of other inmates. Cross into the personal space of a CO and you were likely to be ignored unless you were belligerent. But disrespecting another inmate with anything from a harsh look to an angry word could earn you unending trouble.

Take a man’s freedom and he will cling to those few needs that make him human: his need for respect and his need for dignity. Take those and he will become an animal.

Treat a man like you treat an animal, and to the extent he is able, he will treat you like one. Respect and dignity—these were the lifeblood of the convict code, a convention that had as much if not more bearing on how a prison ran than the official prison protocol.

What few on the outside seemed to realize was that humans were human, regardless of which society they lived in. Government, hierarchy of power, and expectation of social conformity were as real in the prison society as in any other. Rob the members of their dignity and they would only learn to rob others of theirs. Hence, the monster factory.

Bostich nodded at a brown-headed, lanky CO standing by the entrance to the commons wing. “Danny Hansen, 297, new arrival.”

The guard checked a box on his clipboard. “Seventy-one.”

“Let’s go.”

Bostich led him down a wide hall with two floors of barred cells on the left. Metal stairs rose to a second tiered row with a four-foot walkway for access to cells set back from the railing. Same gray floor, same painted cinderblock walls as in the hub. All of it scrubbed clean and shiny new. A guard station manned by a young officer who leaned back in his chair behind several monitors was centered on the opposite wall. Beyond him was a passage to what Danny guessed to be the showers. He’d seen no public phones yet.

The cell Bostich took him to was located on the second tier, three quarters of the way down the hall. The front wall of each cell consisted of vertical bars and a barred door, allowing unrestricted view of the interior.

“Here you go.” Bostich opened the unlocked door to a cell with the number 71 stenciled above it. “Everything you’ve been issued is on the top bunk, including a handbook with the rules. I suggest you familiarize yourself with it.”

“Thank you.” Danny stepped inside and scanned the cell.

Eight feet wide if you wore large shoes, maybe twelve deep. Two long strides by four shorter strides. A bunk bed on the right, opposite two standing lockers. Beyond the bunk, a single metal sink attached to a single metal toilet, no seat.

On the top bunk, his kit. Two additional pair of blue slacks, two more tan shirts, two white T-shirts, two pair of white boxer shorts, two pair of black socks, one yellow towel, one yellow washcloth, one set of white sheets, one gray blanket with blue stripes at the top, one bar of soap half the size of his fist, a tube of Crest toothpaste, one yellow toothbrush, one red disposable razor with a worthless blade, and two roles of single-ply toilet paper. These and the clothes he wore were now his only earthly possessions. They’d taken the rest when he’d entered the facility.

His cellie was an organized, educated man, judging by the clean sink, the folded clothes on the end of his bed, and the philosophy books stacked neatly on the top of the first locker. No TV, no music player, no electronics of any kind in sight.

The cell door clanked shut but remained unlocked. Lockdown would come at night with lights out.

When Danny turned around, Bostich was gone. There was no further explanation of the prison protocol, no introduction to the facilities, no assembly-line pickup of issued items.

But clearly, that was part of the program. He was being watched carefully. What he did now would determine what happened to him.

And he would do what he always did. Time.

He would go through the motions, naturally. He would eat what they gave him to eat, try to sleep when they told him to sleep, walk around the yard when they allowed him to do so, avoid the hustlers, read anything and everything he could get his hands on, make polite conversation with whoever was predisposed to join him, and he would think.

But mostly he would simply do his time, decades of it, trying to figure out who he really was and then attempting to live a life behind bars that allowed him to be that self. Because truthfully, behind bars a man has only himself and time.

His memory of his past life hung in his mind like a distant fog, surreal now after three years. It was hard to believe he’d been that fifteen-year-old boy in Bosnia whose mother and sisters were raped and killed…that child who became a man when he took a pistol and shot the men who destroyed them…that young soldier who became feared for his efficiency.

And that priest, who took the lives of far too many people when he became their judge, jury, and executioner. Through it all he’d learned two things about himself, the part of him that had been buried under years of suffering and rage in a brutal war: he would far rather be a lover than a fighter, and he made for a terrible priest. And yet he would always be known for that, wouldn’t he?

The priest who killed.

Danny had finished making his bed and putting his few items in the second locker when the rap of knuckles on steel interrupted his thoughts. At the door stood an older, skinny man with gray hair and a matching goatee, grinning. One tooth missing. Eyes as bright as the blue sky.

“Hello, cellie.” The man opened the door, stepped in, and extended his hand. “Simon Godfrey’s my name. Welcome to your basal cell in-carcinoma, home of the diseased, deviants unfortunate enough to be caught. Basal, institute for the wayward.”

Danny took the cool, thin hand. “Danny Hansen.”

“Good name,” the man said, still grinning. His eyes sparkled with life. “The word is you’re a priest. Now, what on earth is a priest doing in this sanctuary for the wicked?”

The man was either daft or exceptionally witty, and Danny thought the latter. Translation: What are you in for? It was typically a guarded question on the inside, not the first question asked. Godfrey was either too new or too long in the system to care.

“How did you know I was a priest?”

“Everyone knows, that’s why. The captain announced it two days ago. A priest is coming, he said.”

“The captain?”

“Bostich.”

“He said that?”

“He did. And you know what that means.”

“He announced that?”

“He announced that.”

“How?”

“A man with many questions.” He slapped Danny on the shoulder and stepped past him. “I like that, Father. I like that a lot. He told Randell, who told his bunch of knuckleheads, who told the rest.” Knuckleheads, prison slang for those bucking the system and doing hard time. Godfrey faced the metal toilet, unzipped his trousers, and let loose a stream into the toilet bowl. “Loudmouth works better than the loudspeaker inside. Problem with the loudspeaker is, no one listens. But put it out on loudmouth and in five minutes the whole club knows.” He zipped up and turned around. “Wouldn’t you agree?”

“Makes sense.”

“How long?”

“Fifty years.”

The man whistled. “Me, I got life. Do you want me to wash my hands?”

Danny found the man’s unpretentious audacity disarming and oddly comforting.

“I want you to do whatever it is you need to do.”

“Then I won’t bother,” Godfrey said. “Not to worry, I didn’t touch myself. Have a seat and let me tell you how it is before you head out to meet the wolves, though to be fair, there’s only one real wolf in this place and you already met him.”

He sat on the lower bunk and patted the mattress. Danny felt obliged to humor the man.

“You’ve been around, so you know that a priest has it coming from both sides. There’s those who assume you’re a sexual predator, and you know how that goes. And then there’s the rest, who think a man of the cloth breaking the law just ain’t right. So you’re screwed either way.”

“Assuming I’m a priest. Which I’m not.”

“I’m assuming you were at one time.”

“I gave it up before I confessed.”

“To what?”

Back to the start. He decided it wouldn’t hurt to leak the right story.

“Let’s just say I helped the wayward see the light using a little too much force.”

“Hmmm. And these wayward, did they deserve it?”

Danny considered the question only a moment. “No more than I did.”

The man grinned from ear to ear. “So now I really like you. Unfortunately, Bostich doesn’t, that much I can assure you. I’m assuming you got the speech from the warden?”

“We spoke, yes.”

“Two kinds of prisoners, right? Fish and indeterminate lifers. But there’s a third group in here: the knuckleheads he brings in for one reason and one reason alone—to test the rest. In his twisted way of thinking, you see, he has to make this grand sanctuary of his as similar to his understanding of the world as possible. That means there’s got to be a carrot and there’s got to be a whip, and he’s going to help you decide which one you want. But what fun is all that without temptation? So, yes, he brings in the knuckleheads to either entice you into wickedness or push you over the edge. If your edge was violence, he’s going to push you there again. Trust me on that.”

Perhaps. But Danny had lost his stomach for violence three years ago. The only edge Danny had now was Renee. As long as she was safe, he would not bend.

“I’m no longer a violent man,” he said.

“All I’m saying,” Godfrey continued, “is that Bostich, who’s a devil, has his orders, and unless I’m a fool those orders are to break you down before he breaks you in.”

None of this concerned Danny for the simple reason that he was powerless to change any of it. There was only so much the authorities could do to a person in an American prison, and none of it compared to the suffering he’d experienced in Bosnia as a younger man. His vow of nonviolence could not be compromised.

“They can try,” Danny said. “I suppose I deserve whatever comes my way.”

“You do realize what the carrot is, don’t you?” Godfrey asked, then answered himself. “The privileged wing. You follow the rules, all the rules, rules, rules, and you live life large until you get out on early release, assuming you still want it. All things become new, my man, that’s the carrot.” He formed an imaginary ball with his thin, blue-veined hands. “A paradise overflowing with milk and honey, that’s the ticket. The Pape’s kingdom, right here on earth. They live in apartments over there, man! With their own bathrooms and flatscreen TVs. They wear what they want, they get all the jobs. Better food, a cinema room, a full weight room, a gym with nets. Heck, if you believe the rumors, they get booty calls over there.”

“And yet you’re still here,” Danny said.

Godfrey lowered his hands and flashed his missing-toothed smile. “Because I can’t seem to keep my mouth shut. The warden doesn’t like my little slipups. He’s got all the privileged guys in tow, see?” He stabbed his forehead with a bony finger. “But I got too much up here for him. The only thing that keeps me out of trouble is that no one has the brains to listen.”

His confession made Danny wonder why he’d been placed with Godfrey. Clearly, the warden wanted him to hear all of this.

“How long have you been here?” he asked.

“Two years. Give me another two and I just might see it like the rest. It gets to you, you know. Don’t think it doesn’t. Once you buy into it all, you’re stuck. The strange thing is, the Pape’s philosophy actually seems to work. Basal is probably the smoothest-running correctional facility in the country.”

“Why wouldn’t it be? The warden handpicks his prisoners.”

“True. He’s even got the knuckleheads by the gonads. It’s not just the carrot, my friend. There’s more down in that basement than a cold hole. You buck the system and you pay a price.”

Godfrey glanced at the bars and lowered his voice. “In my time I’ve seen three men commit suicide, all of them knuckleheads, and I swear not one of them did it to themselves. That’s just the way it is. He’s got a little heaven and a little hell laid out like a smorgasbord, and he makes the choice pretty easy. Just like on the outside.”

“Hustlers?”

“Sure, we got all kinds, everybody has their thing, but it’s all pretty much either aboveboard or immediately exposed and punished. Nothing happens the warden doesn’t know about, trust me. If there’s a hustle going on, it’s only because he allows it. There’s no freedom here. Pape controls every syllable uttered in this prison. Sometimes I think half the staff doesn’t even know what’s really happening.”

“So it’s not all aboveboard.”

“I’m not talking about the hustles and tattoos or what not. I’m talking about what’s really going on. And visitation? Forget it.”

It was the first thing Godfrey said that struck a raw nerve.

“Unless you’re in the east wing, and then only if he can trust you. ‘Come out from among them and be separate,’ as the book says. Keeps you safe from what destroyed you, he says.”

“I’m surprised his policy isn’t challenged.”

“By who? You have an attorney?”

“No need for one.”

“Exactly. Like you said, he handpicks his prisoners. The ones who don’t have a case or the resources to bring a case. You have anyone on the outside who would help you?”

His mind filled with an image of Renee marching up to the gate upon learning that she was barred from visiting him. She would go ballistic if she learned that contact with him was being cut off indefinitely.

Danny stood and ran his fingers through his hair. On the other hand, if he could manage his way into the east wing and earn both visitation rights and an early release, he would be able to tend to her needs.

Dear God, he missed her. It was difficult to reveal the true nature of his longing to be with her without causing her more anxiousness. If she knew the extent of the suffering their separation caused him, she would never consider moving on to build a new life without him. And yet, considering her nature, he was sure she needed constant companionship. His own need for her loyalty and love was superseded by his need to see her at peace and comfortable, even if the transition proved to be difficult.

But now…what if there was a way to get out early? A legal way.

“How long does it take to get into the east wing? Assuming you play by the warden’s rules.”

Godfrey shrugged. “I’ve seen it done in six months. But he cycles them out as fast as they go in. Any deviant behavior, and I mean crossing-the-road-on-the-wrong-day kind of deviant behavior, and you’re back where you started from. Welcome to the sanctuary, Priest.”

“Please, don’t call me that.”

“No? Might as well get used to it, they’re already calling you that.” The older man stood. “If I was you—and this is just me, understand—I would learn the rules, follow his laws to the letter, and take your abuse. Let them think they’re breaking you. It’s in their blood. In the Pape’s universe, everyone is guilty and deserves punishment. Heck, he’d put the whole world in here if he could. Follow the Godfrey and you won’t go wrong.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“And so that you know, the only people who will talk to you during your so-called indoctrination are those the warden’s determined fit to speak to you. You’ll feel like a leper out there, but it’s by design. The good news is, you get me. If you let me, I’ll talk your ear off.”

“Speak all you like. Although I’d prefer it if you didn’t snore too loudly.”

“Then we’re good. I’ll sleep with my blanket over my head.”

Danny chuckled. “No need, my friend.”

Godfrey gave him a whimsical look. “You may insist, my priest.”

“What do you know about an inmate named Peter Manning?”

“Members, not inmates. Remember that. And the guards are facilitators. They’re just here to help us see the light. The warden’s very particular about words. And whatever you do, don’t swear. It took me three months to learn how to speak right.” He walked to the bars and peered down the tier. “Why do you ask about Peter?”

“The warden asked me to help him out.”

Godfrey looked away, frowning. “Pete’s in for statutory rape. He’s twenty years old and his story’s going to break your heart and get you in trouble, mark my words. He moves like clockwork—he’ll be in the dining room in half an hour. You can hear the story from him if you can get him to talk. But I’m warning you, tread carefully. You can’t save him.”

“I’m not here to save anyone.”

The man didn’t respond, but his eyes betrayed his thoughts clearly enough. We’ll just see about that. You never knew what kind of cell mate you would find in prison. Danny couldn’t imagine a better one than this old character who spoke what was on his mind.

“Just curious,” Danny said, “since you asked me, what’s your story?”

“Me? I was once a philosophy professor at UCLA. That was sixteen years ago. I’ve been serving Father Time ever since for a crime I didn’t commit.”

“And what crime was that?”

“I was framed for the tsunami that killed all those people in Indonesia. Unfortunately, I no longer have the resources to appeal the verdict.” He said it without the slightest hint of humor. “But don’t you worry about that, Priest. You have bigger worries.”

“Is that right? And what would they be?”

“Bruce Randell,” Godfrey said. “You’re not careful and he’ll kill you.”