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He fought the urge to cry. The streaming shower could hide his tears, but once he started sobbing, he might never stop. Instead he bit the inside of his cheek and willed his emotions back under control.
    At the conclusion of the shower, the inmates folded their wash-cloths in neat squares and wiped down the shower room before dressing and standing at attention for inspection.
    Next was dinner: congealed macaroni and cheese and cold green beans. His stomach was in no condition for food anyway. After he disposed of his tray, an MP informed Denny he had a visitor.
    Denny exhaled with relief when he saw his wife standing on the other side of the glass. He barely got the phone up to his mouth before he blurted, “How’d Audrey swim?” JoAnne smiled. “Her medley relay set the school record. She swam beautifully.”
    He beamed. “What was her split? Did she get under thirty?”
    “I don’t know.”
    “How about the overall relay time? What’d they go?” JoAnne shrugged. “I’m not sure, honey. You know I don’t follow times like you do.”
    Denny sighed. “Listen to me go on about the meet — I haven’t even asked about you. How are you, Jo?”
    “I’m good. Glad to be back in town.” She paused.
    “What is it?”
    “I ran into Kate at the grocery store.” Denny stiffened. Kate was his ex-wife. They’d divorced twenty years ago.
    “She feels awful about her testimony at the court martial.”
    “She did nothing wrong. She just told the truth.” His hand clenched the prison phone. “I’m an alcoholic wife beater.”
    “You’re neither of those things.” JoAnne leaned forward, her brown eyes flaring. “You hit her once, then you got sober. You’ve been an excellent husband and father. You never drank again.”
    “Until the July fourth barbecue.”
    JoAnne shook her head. “Why, Denny? Why’d you take that first sip?”
    “I ask myself that every day. If I hadn’t been competing with Bill Walsh for that promotion, and if Commander Scott hadn’t offered…” He shook his head. “Nope. This is on me. Nobody got me here but me. And now my family’s paying for my mistakes.”
    “We’ll get by. I’m making good money in Alabama.”
    “How’s the job?”
    JoAnne smiled and launched into a story about one of her crazy patients. As they caught up on the last three weeks, the couple eased into their old banter and even laughed once or twice. Denny almost forgot he was in prison for a moment. Almost.

9. An Eye for an Eye
    Mr. Crawford droned on about the judicial branch of the US government, the branch enforcing the laws of the land, while Leo brainstormed ways to break those laws. He sat, absentmindedly tapping a pencil on his desk as he tried to figure out how to hook himself up with some Oxycontin.
    It wasn’t as simple as asking his druggie classmates how to score.
    Being the son of one of the most powerful men at the nearby naval base put Leo in the spotlight, and it would be too risky to approach someone he didn’t trust. He knew a few of his teammates smoked pot on occasion, but Leo doubted they were into prescription drug abuse.
    No, he needed a method more clandestine. Something untrace-able. He wondered about online prescriptions from Mexico. His mind whirred, but the excitement evaporated when he realized he didn’t have a credit card or a secure mailing address.
    Then he remembered Jason’s friend Tony. He and Jase had gotten into all kinds of trouble in high school, and if anyone knew how to score drugs, it would be him. Leo had heard Tony worked down at the docks, and he sensed it was time for a visit.
    Leo had saved a little over a hundred dollars from the meager allowances his father doled out. Audrey sometimes complained about always walking on the beach for their dates. But the salty ocean air and pounding surf provided a romantic backdrop for their snuggles and kisses, and in the end she never seemed to mind that much.
    Although they’d come very close, they hadn’t had