Burnington Gaol

F O R T Y - S I X | Frank

Frank sat on his hard bed, hunched over, head in his hands. The cell door screeched open. He glanced up with a weary smile.

"Well, if it isn't my favourite guard," he muttered as Tony slapped on the cuffs. "I thought you'd been suspended."

Tony scowled, shoved him towards the door to East Wing. A few more doorways later, and they found themselves in the Turning Circle, where Frank could see Adeline and Billy waiting through the Visitor's Centre window. He grinned, perched himself on the stool, looked at the two teens through the thick glass. His eyes were immediately drawn to Adeline's left arm, to the deep scar that bothered him every time he saw it. Then his gaze lifted, and he finally laid eyes on the terrible, hollow look on their faces. Sweat glistened on their cheeks and their eyes were ringed from a sleepless night, but more importantly, their gaze was not fixed on him, but on the guard.

"Are you alright, Adeline?" Frank asked.

Her attention snapped back to him, and she straightened herself.

"Yes," she said, "of course."

She rested her hands on the bench, her index finger tapping rapidly. Frank eyed it for a moment, went back to looking into her lovely brown eyes.

"What can I help you with?" He asked, unsure of their purpose.

"We wanted to say goodbye," Billy said, looking down at Frank.

"I thought you'd already done that."

"A proper goodbye," Billy explained. "Without digging for any more clues."

"We're finished," Adeline said, her voice regretful and solemn.

The room fell silent for a moment, except the tapping of Adeline's finger on the bench. Frank found it annoying.

"I understand," he said.

Both of them met his eyes with a strange look on their faces, but Frank wasn't sure what it meant.

"You did everything you could," he reassured. "That's all Jimmy ever asked for."

"Have you any last wishes?" Adeline asked. "Anything you want us to do once... once you're gone?"

Frank pondered the question for a heartbeat.

"Don't do drugs. Stay in school."

Adeline smiled.

"Anything you actually want us to do?" She asked.

Frank bit his lip, looked at Billy.

"Look after her," he said, his eyes boring into the boy's. "Make sure she has everything she needs. Always be there for her." He looked back to Adeline. "And once I'm dead, stop. Stop looking for Susie's killer. Promise me you will, Adeline, because chasing ghosts will drive you into the ground."

Adeline bit her lip, nodded.

"I promise."

The tapping got louder, and Frank did his best to ignore it.

"Thank you both," he said sincerely. "For all you've done. I wish there was a way I could somehow repay you."

Frank stood from his stool, the incessant tapping drumming into his ears. His giant blond guard stepped forward, tightened his handcuffs, and took him back to his cell.

© A.G. Travers 2018