In the yard, several of the unlucky guards in charge of distributing lunch were lined up.
Around them, more than a dozen guards surrounded the group, while from the watchtowers, snipers aimed their rifles in that direction.
Pope watched them furiously but said nothing. Time passed slowly, until suddenly, sirens began to sound outside Fox River Prison, approaching quickly.
Several patrol cars entered the prison and stopped. Officers got out and headed toward Pope, guided by the entrance guards.
Pope had been in charge of Fox River for decades, always maintaining good relations and strong connections, so he had called for reinforcements from the nearby station.
"Thank you for coming." When the officers arrived, Pope spoke harshly: "Today's task is strict, there's no time for anything else. Search the cafeteria from top to bottom, leave no corner unchecked. Anything suspicious or related to poison must be confiscated." Pope ordered, and the group of police went straight to the cafeteria.
At that moment, Pope turned to the "suspects" before him and spoke in a stern voice: "Three prisoners are dead! Whether one of you or several of you poisoned them, you have committed murder."
"I'll say this only once, if someone did it, step forward right now, there may still be room for leniency." Pope paused to let his words sink in.
"Otherwise, when I find out, I'll make sure you spend the rest of your life locked up." Pope was convinced the poisoner was among them, and he said it firmly.
It was logical. After all, that day Area A was under lockdown, prisoners couldn't leave their cells, and the poison clearly wasn't airborne like gas, otherwise it wouldn't have killed only Quinn.
So, if it wasn't the prisoners, who else could it be? The threat hung in the air, and of course, no one confessed, all denied indignantly.
"Fine, since you want it this way, don't blame me for being harsh." Pope snapped and ordered Bellick: "Set up a tent and start body searches."
"Understood!" Bellick showed a fierce face and gave orders without hesitation.
The suspects looked at each other, uncomfortable and even somewhat offended, but curiously, none shouted at Pope that he was violating their rights.
...
Past two in the afternoon, Sara received a call.
"Dr. Tancredi, we have the toxin results from the body of the deceased Little Jack from yesterday morning. We found five highly toxic substances: arsenic, ricin, cyanide, strychnine, and a glycoside extracted from lily…"
"It's hard to imagine how those five poisons could all be found in a single body… what the hell is happening in your prison?" The voice on the other side sounded horrified.
"I don't know, only that it's serious…" Sara replied helplessly, thought for a moment and asked: "According to your professional experience, if someone ingests those five toxins, how long would it take them to die? Would there be an incubation period?"
"Absolutely not!" the specialist replied with certainty. "Once they enter the bloodstream, death occurs in under a minute, usually in seconds. There is no incubation period."
"Why do you ask?" Sara rubbed her forehead, thoughtful. "In that case, the situation is even more complicated."
After a pause, she added: "I'm sorry, I can't give details right now, I need to inform the warden, thank you for your help."
"You're welcome." came the reply.
Sara went straight to see Pope and, without preamble, informed him of the toxins and laid out her suspicion.
"Warden, I'm afraid the killer isn't necessarily in the cafeteria…"
"Jack died yesterday in the yard, long after breakfast, and Bowman was the same, his death happened long after dinner."
"They must have ingested the toxins some other way, not through the food. As for Quinn, I suspect the killer wants you to believe the poison came from the meal."
Hearing this, Pope nodded. He wasn't naïve; decades in charge had taught him enough. When he heard that those toxins killed in seconds, he understood the problem.
The absence of incubation meant the poison had to be administered while close to the victim, but that made it even more complicated. Jack died in the yard—anyone could have done it.
But Bowman last night and Quinn today died inside their cells, which were locked. Who could have done it?
The most likely suspects were Benjamin Franklin (C-Note), Bowman's cellmate, and Abruzzi, Quinn's cellmate.
But that didn't make sense, why would they attack their own men? Were they stupid enough to do it inside the prison? Then… if not them, who else could it be?
The only possible answer… it had to be a guard. Pope's heart clenched, he took several deep breaths, then asked: "All three dead ingested toxins, correct?"
Sara nodded. "Yes."
"That means they ate or drank something shortly before dying, right?" Pope insisted.
Sara nodded again. "Or maybe smoked."
"Fine, let's confirm that first." Pope concluded and headed toward Area A. "Thank you for your work."
"Hmm." Sara nodded, nothing more.
...
The atmosphere in Area A was complete chaos, Nolan just watched curiously. Weren't these guys tired? They'd been shouting for hours, without lunch and vomiting everything, where did they get so much energy?
At that moment, Pope returned and began interrogating C-Note first, then Abruzzi, but it was useless. C-Note swore Bowman had been lying in bed for minutes before his death, without eating, smoking, or drinking anything.
Abruzzi assured that before breakfast, Quinn had neither eaten, drunk, nor smoked. Pope was losing patience and went to talk to T-Bag.
T-Bag recalled: "Warden, what could we eat in the yard besides air? Little Jack didn't eat anything before dying."
"…"
Pope had to leave frustrated. After the commotion, the inmates suddenly fell silent, as if on cue, and began to murmur.
"I think there's a killer among us, and one who can kill without us noticing, who could be that incredible?"
"…"
"The real question is, who will be next?" "Don't say that!" "But it's the truth, or do you think he'll stop?"
"Damn… what if it's me?" One prisoner panicked and shouted toward the corridor: "Guard! Take me to solitary! Quick!"
As soon as he said it: "I want solitary too!" "Me too, me too!"
Another shouted: "Guard, I confess! Actually, your mother comes to see me often, I'm your stepfather!"
"What the hell…?" the other inmates muttered, stunned.
"Same here, your mother was with me already!"
"I'm your real father!"
"My son! Come take your dad away, save me!"
"Hurry, if I die, you'll be left without a father!"
"…"
One after another, the shouts filled Area A, as if everyone were seeking their own doom.
The guards in charge were baffled: "??!"
"...seriously?" Nolan was speechless too.