Felony Tank by Braly Malcolm

Author:Braly, Malcolm [Braly, Malcolm]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Crime fiction
Publisher: Stark House Press
Published: 2016-04-08T00:00:00+00:00

The captain asked Zack, “You notice anything?”

“Nothing much.”

“You think there’s anything to that?”

Zack smiled. “Like he said, he’s got hold.”

“Yes, that’s what I was thinking, but you’d better check it out.”

“All right, but it’s probably just talk. You know how they’re always talking.”

Zack opened the door leading up to the felony tank, and the faint sound of singing came into the room. He paused.

“Listen to that.”

“It doesn’t have to mean anything.” The captain sounded uneasy.

Zack said, “If they are trying to cut out, it’s going to be hard to catch them at it. By the time I can get the door open they’ll have scattered. I’ll find the cuts, but not the men.”

The captain thought a moment, then said, “If you find anything, don’t let on. Just make out like it was your regular round. Maybe we can arrange a little surprise for them.”

Zack was concentrating on being quiet on the stairs, so he missed the flash of Armando’s head withdrawing behind the window. He tiptoed to the gate of the outside corridor and unlocked it.

The bars were clear the whole length of the tank. No one was near them, except the edge of the crowd around the television. The poker game was going, but there were only a few players. Other men stood in front of their cells, their blurred faces turning to him.

Zack nodded and padded slowly along the bars, trying to inspect them and still not give away what he was doing. No one made him any greeting or asked him anything. That was odd. They were always full of gripes. They looked at him but they didn’t say anything, and their faces seemed stiff.

Something was up. He could taste the tension in the air like brass on his tongue. No one was talking in the whole tank, just the unnatural voice of the television.

All right, he thought, what are you up to?

Walking back the other way, he was able to inspect the other side of the bars, but they were whole. The paint wasn’t even scratched. Maybe they’re just starting.

Closing the gate behind himself, he picked a place along the outside wall where it was impossible for anyone in the tank to see him. He pushed his cap to the back of his head and lit a cigarette. After a couple of drags, he placed his ear to the metal wall.

He heard the distant murmur of the television. That was all, until the singing started again. Then he heard the sawing. He’d never heard anything quite like it before, but he knew instantly what it was. He stepped on his cigarette and moved along the wall.

That’s nowhere near the front bars, he decided. What the hell are they trying to pull? He was baffled, but he knew better than to enter the tank again—that would alert them for sure.

Sometimes the sawing seemed distant, sometimes closer, but he couldn’t grasp any certain direction, until he noticed the small door into the utility tunnel, and something clicked in his mind.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.