Song of the Blackbird (Albatross Prison #1) Read Online Free
Author: DB Michaels
regularly.”
“Interesting.” That big, gruff man had a soft spot for animals? Maybe he just wasn’t a people person. Several men in blue walked by carrying huge clear trash bags filled with ramen noodle packages, Twinkies, chips, and various other junk foods.
“What are they doing?” Emma asked.
“Buying their monthly canteen food.”
“Anybody can buy the food?” Did Sam ever buy anything? He used to love chips and Cup-o-Noodles.
“If they have money, they can buy it,” Julien said.
Something squeezed tight in Emma’s chest. Why had Sam refused all her offers of help? Why had he sent back her letters and money? He’d refused her visits, too. He’d been unhappy at first but had accepted his situation more by the second year of his incarceration. She hadn’t seen him in almost a year. The last time they talked on the phone was six months ago. And she hadn’t heard from him since. He’d cut off all contact with her. She hadn’t even known he’d transferred from Delano to Albatross until she’d visited his first prison and found out about the transfer.
“What happens to the guys who don’t have enough money?” Emma asked. “Do they get enough food?”
“Twenty-nine hundred calories a day the state provides.” Julien rolled his eyes. “Don’t worry. They get plenty of food. And free medical, mental, and dental care. Some of them don’t even want to parole. They have it pretty good here.”
Maybe prison life wasn’t that awful. Still, she desperately wanted to confirm for herself that Sam was okay. Emma scanned the crowd of blue, hoping to see that familiar lanky form with the frizzy black hair and gentle brown eyes. Would Sam be mad to see her? He’d told her to be patient and wait for his parole date but how could she when she hadn’t heard from him in ages? She needed to make sure he was all right, needed it as much as the air she breathed.
After several fruitless minutes of searching the crowd, Emma caught sight of the pristine scenery extending far beyond the barbed-wire fences. They were near the top of the hill by now so she had an unobstructed view of the terrain. She’d been too busy worrying about Mr. Roberts earlier to notice the view.
Stretches of blue mountains spread across the horizon, and nestled outside the prison gates was a lush green golf course surrounded by tall, sweeping palm trees. In the distance, rows of windmills spun their blades majestically in the cool crisp autumn air. It was hard to remember they were only an hour away from the congestion of Los Angeles. The sun shone like a beacon in the sky, illuminating all the glorious beauty of nature. It looked like paradise until one saw the barbed-wire fences and the imposing towers dotting the prison’s exterior.
“This used to be a private horse ranch of a reclusive billionaire in the 1950s.” Julien pointed to a tall building on top of the hill to the left. “There’s the Albatross Hotel, where his guests used to stay. The state took over the land in the seventies and converted it into a prison.”
“So Unit 1 patients are housed up here?” So much history lay behind the beat-up old prison. Did Sam know any of it? Emma was sure he’d find the prison’s history fascinating.
“No. The hotel isn’t earthquake-safe. We stopped using it as a dorm years ago.”
“So where do the inmates stay?”
“In those bungalows next to it.” Julien waved his hand to the left. “I know, it’s a lot of climbing to get back and forth to the different clinics. If you want, you can wait for a golf cart.”
“Golf cart?”
“Yes.” Julien pointed to a cart heading down the hill. “The heads of the departments get golf carts. Someone’s bound to be going back and forth and usually they’d offer you a ride if you need it. Although sometimes you can’t find a cart. They break down and take a long time to fix.”
“How come there’s such a delay to get things fixed?”
“It’s the state.” Julien
“Interesting.” That big, gruff man had a soft spot for animals? Maybe he just wasn’t a people person. Several men in blue walked by carrying huge clear trash bags filled with ramen noodle packages, Twinkies, chips, and various other junk foods.
“What are they doing?” Emma asked.
“Buying their monthly canteen food.”
“Anybody can buy the food?” Did Sam ever buy anything? He used to love chips and Cup-o-Noodles.
“If they have money, they can buy it,” Julien said.
Something squeezed tight in Emma’s chest. Why had Sam refused all her offers of help? Why had he sent back her letters and money? He’d refused her visits, too. He’d been unhappy at first but had accepted his situation more by the second year of his incarceration. She hadn’t seen him in almost a year. The last time they talked on the phone was six months ago. And she hadn’t heard from him since. He’d cut off all contact with her. She hadn’t even known he’d transferred from Delano to Albatross until she’d visited his first prison and found out about the transfer.
“What happens to the guys who don’t have enough money?” Emma asked. “Do they get enough food?”
“Twenty-nine hundred calories a day the state provides.” Julien rolled his eyes. “Don’t worry. They get plenty of food. And free medical, mental, and dental care. Some of them don’t even want to parole. They have it pretty good here.”
Maybe prison life wasn’t that awful. Still, she desperately wanted to confirm for herself that Sam was okay. Emma scanned the crowd of blue, hoping to see that familiar lanky form with the frizzy black hair and gentle brown eyes. Would Sam be mad to see her? He’d told her to be patient and wait for his parole date but how could she when she hadn’t heard from him in ages? She needed to make sure he was all right, needed it as much as the air she breathed.
After several fruitless minutes of searching the crowd, Emma caught sight of the pristine scenery extending far beyond the barbed-wire fences. They were near the top of the hill by now so she had an unobstructed view of the terrain. She’d been too busy worrying about Mr. Roberts earlier to notice the view.
Stretches of blue mountains spread across the horizon, and nestled outside the prison gates was a lush green golf course surrounded by tall, sweeping palm trees. In the distance, rows of windmills spun their blades majestically in the cool crisp autumn air. It was hard to remember they were only an hour away from the congestion of Los Angeles. The sun shone like a beacon in the sky, illuminating all the glorious beauty of nature. It looked like paradise until one saw the barbed-wire fences and the imposing towers dotting the prison’s exterior.
“This used to be a private horse ranch of a reclusive billionaire in the 1950s.” Julien pointed to a tall building on top of the hill to the left. “There’s the Albatross Hotel, where his guests used to stay. The state took over the land in the seventies and converted it into a prison.”
“So Unit 1 patients are housed up here?” So much history lay behind the beat-up old prison. Did Sam know any of it? Emma was sure he’d find the prison’s history fascinating.
“No. The hotel isn’t earthquake-safe. We stopped using it as a dorm years ago.”
“So where do the inmates stay?”
“In those bungalows next to it.” Julien waved his hand to the left. “I know, it’s a lot of climbing to get back and forth to the different clinics. If you want, you can wait for a golf cart.”
“Golf cart?”
“Yes.” Julien pointed to a cart heading down the hill. “The heads of the departments get golf carts. Someone’s bound to be going back and forth and usually they’d offer you a ride if you need it. Although sometimes you can’t find a cart. They break down and take a long time to fix.”
“How come there’s such a delay to get things fixed?”
“It’s the state.” Julien
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