Patch is taken by Blackjack into a prison block of twenty cells, eighteen occupied, to deliver books from a revived library service. As he moves down the tier with a canvas bag of books, he sees the worn, confined lives of the condemned men: rusted bars, sparse personal items, and radios playing softly behind the doors.

Patch stops at each cell, speaking briefly with the prisoners. Ricky Nelson asks for cigarettes instead of books, Howie Goucher ignores him, and several others take random titles. Patch handles books such as Blood Meridian, Lonesome Dove, Huck Finn, and Gatsby, with Gatsby stirring a painful memory of his daughter.

As he walks, Patch reflects on everything he has learned about death-row confinement: the average fifteen-year wait, the frequent illness and psychosis, the broken sleep from constant counts, and the fact that some inmates are innocent. He knows these details because he spent his first year in prison reading, listening, and maneuvering for this moment.

When Patch reaches the final cell, he slows and is overwhelmed by memory, recalling the past and the man he has come to see. Inside, Marty Tooms appears thinner and carefully composed, standing with his eyes lowered while a radio plays. Patch struggles to speak, stunned by the reality of facing a man who has survived nineteen years without hope.

At last Marty Tooms looks up and meets Patch’s eyes. Before Patch can say what he prepared, Marty breaks the silence and says, “Hello, Joseph,” confirming that the long-awaited confrontation has finally begun.