Absolution in Ink

The prison cell had a routine and Vivian had learned to live inside it the way you learned to live inside any small space, by making the boundaries familiar, by giving the hours a shape they had not arrived with.

She was running a cloth along the shelf above the bed when the officer stopped outside the bars.

"Vivian Tate."

She turned.

The officer held out a white envelope through the slot.

"Letter