The rumour had been spreading for weeks, and even after the people behind Michael and Silas investigated it and confirmed that the story was false, the damage refused to disappear. Their contacts had checked with people inside the prison, made discreet enquiries through their own channels, and found no reliable evidence that either man had agreed to cooperate with the authorities in exchange for a reduced sentence. Michael had not exposed the people he once worked for, and Silas had kept to the arrangement that promised him protection and comfort in prison.
