“Has he ever granted clemency at the last minute?”
“No, of course not.”
“And didn’t he campaign on the promise of more and quicker executions?”
“I believe so.”
“Then why are we wasting time with the governor?”
“You got a better idea? We’re running out of options here, Cody. Things are getting rather dicey.”
Cody laughs and says, “Dicey?” Then he catches himself, lowers his voice, and says, “I’m three hours away from getting my ass strapped to a gurney and a needle stuck in my arm, so, yes, Jack, I’d say things are pretty dicey. For some reason I do feel, should I say, rather vulnerable.”
Cody walks closer to the bars and looks at Garber. For a long moment they stare at each other. “It’s over, isn’t it?”
Jack shakes his head and in a low voice says, “No, but it’s almost over. I’m still tossing Hail Marys.”
“My odds?”
Jack shrugs and says, “I don’t know. One in a hundred. It’s getting late.”
Cody moves even closer and their noses are inches apart. “It’s over and I’m cool with that. I’m tired of the drama, tired of the waiting, tired of the food, tired of a lot of things, Jack. I’m ready to go.”
“Don’t say that. I never give up.”
“I’ve been here for fourteen years, Jack. I’m tired of this place.”
“The Supreme Court will one day declare that it is not right to put minors on trial for capital murder, but it won’t happen tonight, I’m afraid.”
“I was fifteen years old, in that courtroom, with a terrible lawyer. The jury hated me and hated him. I never had a chance, Jack. I wish you’d been my lawyer at the trial.”
“So do I.”
“Come to think of it, Jack, I’ve never had much of a chance anywhere.”
“I’m sorry, Cody.”
Cody takes a step back and manages a smile. “Sorry for the self-pity.”
“It’s okay. You’re entitled to it right now.”
“How many executions have you witnessed, Jack?”
“Three.”
“Is that enough?”
“More than.”
“Good, because I don’t want you to watch me die. No witnesses on my side of the room. Got that? Let the Baker family pray and cry and cheer when I stop breathing. I guess they deserve it. Maybe it’ll make ’em feel better. But I don’t want anybody crying for me.”
“Are you sure? I’ll be there if you need me.”
“Nope, I’ve made up my mind, Jack. You’ve fought like hell to keep me alive and you’re not going to watch me die.”
“As you wish. It’s your party.”
“It is indeed.”
Jack looks somewhat relieved and glances at his watch. “I need to go, gotta call the court. I’ll be back in an hour.”
“Go get ’em, tiger.”
Jack leaves and a door clangs somewhere down the hall. Cody sits on the edge of his bed, deep in thought. The buzzer sounds again and Marvin is back. Cody returns to the bars and says, “What now?”
“Say, look, Cody, the warden is here to go over the last-minute stuff.”
“I thought we did that yesterday.”
“Well, he wants to do it again.” Marvin leans in closer to the bars. “You see, Cody, he’s pretty nervous because this is his first execution.”
“Mine too.”
“Right, well he needs to go over some things, rules and procedures, stuff like that. Be nice to him because he’s my boss.”
“Why should I worry about being nice to the warden? I’ll be dead in three hours.”
“Come on, Cody. He’s got a doctor with him so don’t make trouble.”
“A doctor?”
“Right. One of the rules. They need to make sure you’re healthy enough to take the needle.”
Cody laughs and says, “You’re kidding, right?”
“Dead serious, Cody. Nobody’s kidding around tonight.”
Cody backs away and laughs hysterically. As he does, the warden and a doctor in a white coat appear at the door as Marvin eases into the background. The warden holds a legal pad with his checklist and is visibly nervous. Cody eventually steps back to the bars. The doctor cautiously keeps his distance.
The warden says, “Okay, Wallace, as I said yesterday, we have procedures to follow. If you don’t like them, don’t blame me. They were on the books before I got here. This is Dr. Paxton, the head physician here at the prison.”