From outside, Eastlake Hall could be a rec center or a school. The front is a wall of gleaming windows, with palm trees and flowerbeds flanking the entrance. Inside, there's no mistaking it's a prison. The metal detector by the door has guards at either end. Posted nearby is a large sign listing visitor rules: No blue or gray or khaki clothing, no weapons, no drugs, no alcohol, no gifts, no backpacks, purses, briefcases, hip pouches, packages, or parcels; limited paperbacks, magazines, notebooks, and postage stamps allowed, subject to inspection and approvaL As always during visiting hours, there's a long line of people waiting to be patted down. Claire usually uses this time to jot questions, consider options. Today she can't look away from the visiting children with their unbridled energy, the way they play hide and seek behind the grown-ups' legs. They could be anywhere. Once Judith and Claire get through the metal detector, they sign in at the reception desk manned by a guard behind bulletproof glass. Then they are led through several locked doors to the visitation center, where they wait in a tiny soundproof side room that smells strongly of disinfectant and more faintly of mildew. They take the chairs closest to the window overlooking the visitation center, leaving the chair by the cinderblock walls for their client. Claire has braced herself for his youth, but she still isn't prepared for the hulking boy who shuffles in, his hands and feet shackled. His name is Zeke. He's well over six feet tall, but his face is splotchy with picked-over acne and his features are softly rounded. Floppy brown bangs fall into his eyes. His pupils are so dilated he looks like a startled animal. Fear or drugs, maybe both. Judith said he's on a mood stabilizer, which could bolster an insanity defense. He's probably textbook abused, too. There's a story to be woven here. They can defend this kid. A guard removes the leg shackles before he leaves, shutting the door behind him. The boy is barely an arm's length away. He staggers when he goes to sit. Claire's urge to jump back startles her. She makes herself reach for his arm, but Judith gets him first.
A WALK IN THE PARK I 13