“It’s seven o’clock,” Kramer said, looking at her watch. “What time is sundown?”
“Seven fifty-nine,” Stone replied. “I’m told they do these things on time.”
“They’re not really going to hang her, Stone surely,” Forrester said, sounding distressed. “This is just some sort of torture.”
“I don’t know what’s going to happen,” Stone said “I’m afraid to hope.”
Hewitt came back outside.
“What?” Stone said.
“It’s very odd,” Hewitt replied. “No one is answering the phone.”
“Not even an answering machine?”
“Nothing; it just rang and rang. I must have let it ring twenty-five times, then I called again and got the same result.”
“Maybe they’re on the way over here,” Forrester said hopefully.
Nobody cared to address that possibility.
“Did they make you two leave Allison alone?” Kramer asked.
“A priest is with her,” Stone replied. “We thought it best to leave them.”
As if on cue, the priest came out the door. “Mr. Barrington?”
Stone looked up.
“Mrs. Manning would like to see you and Sir Leslie now.”
“How di
d you leave her, Reverend?” Hewitt asked the man.
“I think her mind is relieved,” he replied. “We had quite a good talk, although I don’t think she had met with a clergyman for quite some time. She seems resigned now.”
Resigned, Stone thought. He wasn’t resigned. Why the hell didn’t the prime minister’s office call and at least put them out of their misery?
The priest spoke again. “Are you Miss Kramer and Mr. Forrester?” he asked the two reporters.
“Yes,” Kramer replied.
“She’d like to see you both for a moment; I spoke to the jailer, and he will allow it.”
They all got to their feet and went inside, the priest bringing up the rear. The jailer searched Kramer and Forrester, then conducted the group down the corridor.
Forrester stopped. “I can’t do this,” he said. “I just can’t.”
“Wait for us outside,” Stone said, and Forrester went back down the corridor.
Allison was sitting on the bunk, reading a Bible that the priest must have given her. She looked up, saw Kramer, and smiled.
“Thank you for coming,” she said to her, shaking her hand. “I wanted to tell you how grateful I am to you, Hilary, for the reporting you did in the Times. It meant a great deal to me.” She looked toward the door. “Where’s Jim?”
Stone spoke up. “He wasn’t feeling well; he asked that you excuse him.”
Allison nodded.