At night, the cafeteria was searched from top to bottom, they found a pile of contraband, weapons, and even suspicious substances that were placed in front of Pope.
They also searched the suspects, but found nothing, the level-one lockdown in Area A had already lasted almost 24 hours.
After all the prisoners' requests to be sent to solitary were ignored, the irritation, the fear, and the anger threatened to explode at any moment.
Therefore, Pope had a difficult decision to make, should he lift the lockdown before nightfall and let the prisoners of Area A out?
If he did, he risked someone else dying in the yard, if he didn't, the inmates would remain locked up and the possibility of a riot would increase, and even inside the cells, deaths by poisoning could continue.
Both options were terrible, someone was going to die one way or another, in the end, Pope thought of himself.
He was close to retirement, and a riot in his final days would not be the best end to his career, so even if it was hard to accept, he decided to lift the lockdown.
"Open the doors!" a guard shouted.
The bars opened one by one, the prisoners came out of their cells relieved, shouting and shoving, though soon they lined up obediently.
Most took it calmly, the fear had already faded quite a bit, Michael, serious and melancholic, showed a hint of relief.
Nolan felt it too, after so much confinement with nothing to do but sleep, the momentary freedom was a breath of air.
In the yard, everyone minded their own business, most released their energy right away, C-Note, however, didn't get distracted: he sent his men to fetch the cigarettes and matches Nolan had asked for.
Westmoreland, holding his cat, went straight to the payphone to call and check on his daughter, Michael headed for the bleachers to look for the screw he needed.
Nolan placed himself in a secluded corner, stretching his muscles, feigning calm while enjoying that brief moment of fresh air.
Before long, Bellick discreetly approached the fence near Abruzzi and whispered something, Abruzzi nodded and went to the phone.
...
The sun was beginning to set, C-Note, quick to act, looked at Nolan from afar, hesitated for a moment, and ordered his men not to follow him, then walked alone toward him.
Nolan noticed his approach and, seeing the expression on his face, knew he wasn't coming to pick a fight, so he waited calmly.
C-Note sat down next to him, pulled cigarettes and matches out of his pocket, and slipped them into Nolan's coat.
"Brother, what you asked for," he muttered nervously.
"Thanks," Nolan smiled.
"Don't mention it… it's the least I can do, sorry about yesterday, I was an idiot and didn't understand the situation," C-Note apologized sincerely.
"It's nothing, that's in the past, I'm not resentful."
"I'm glad to hear that," said C-Note, relieved, but needing confirmation: "So… I'm safe, right?"
Nolan lit a cigarette and replied calmly: "This is a prison, anyone can stab you at any moment, but as long as I've got cigarettes, I won't come after you."
C-Note breathed deeply, more at ease. "Perfect, and if you run out, just tell me, I've got plenty."
"I'll thank you for that."
C-Note stood up satisfied and walked away, Nolan, amused, smoked his cigarette, not drawing much attention since several others were also smoking in the yard.
...
When he finished the cigarette, Westmoreland came over and crouched beside him.
"Mr. Nolan," he began directly, "I made some calls to confirm what you told me yesterday."
Nolan smiled faintly. "And?"
"I only need one million for my daughter, you can keep the rest, but on one condition," said Westmoreland.
"That I take you with me?" Nolan guessed.
Westmoreland nodded. "I didn't spend much time with her in life, now I just want to spend what I have left by her side."
"Have you thought about the fact that once you're out, the FBI will be chasing you? Going near your daughter could make things even worse," Nolan countered.
"I know," he replied firmly. "But I think I can avoid them for a few months."
Nolan offered him a cigarette and lit another for himself. "And when they catch you, they'll bring you back here, with no benefits, until you die of old age."
"I don't care," Westmoreland said resolutely.
Nolan nodded. "All right, I'll get you out, but I'll suggest something else: stay here quietly, when I'm out, I'll have your daughter move to Chicago and I'll put trustworthy people to look after her, that way you can see her without risking being caught."
Westmoreland's eyes widened in surprise. "You would do that for me?"
"If you run, you won't be able to fix anything, I don't need to hide," Nolan replied, pointing with his eyes toward Abruzzi.
Westmoreland understood immediately. "Abruzzi promised you a new identity?"
"I haven't asked him yet, but I know he'll agree."
Westmoreland was thoughtful for a few seconds. "Let me think it over… how much time do I have?"
"A few days, don't rush," said Nolan.
At that moment, Michael was leaving the bleachers frustrated, his plan interrupted by T-Bag, Abruzzi, after finishing his call, walked over to Michael.
Nolan turned his eyes away from them and looked back at Westmoreland.
"Yesterday I saw my cellmate talking to you, he's interested in you," he said.
"Yes, I noticed," said Westmoreland.
"He's a genius, a real genius. Before coming in, he'd already investigated and is convinced that you're D. B. Cooper, he'll come back to you soon."
"He came in voluntarily?" Westmoreland asked, intrigued.
"It doesn't matter," Nolan smiled. "What matters is that what we talked about stays between us, understood?"
"Understood," Westmoreland affirmed.