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Falconer 102<br />
would he get cell lock or the hole or maybe seven more years for<br />
attempted escape. So far as he knew, he and the chaplain’s dude<br />
were the only ones in on the plot. Then Tiny called them to<br />
attention. “Now, I got to have your cooperation,” Tiny said. “It<br />
ain’t easy for any of us to have two thousand shit-heads out here<br />
together. The tower guards today is been replaced with crack shots<br />
and, as you know, they got the right to shoot any inmate they got<br />
suspicions about. We got crack shots today so they won’t be no<br />
spray firing. The leader of the Black Panthers has agreed not to<br />
give the salute. When the cardinal comes you stand at parade rest.<br />
Any of you ain’t been in the service, ask some friend what parade<br />
rest is. It’s like this. Twenty-five men has been picked to take the<br />
Holy Eucharist. The cardinal’s got lots of appointments and he’s<br />
going to be here only twenty minutes. First we hear from the<br />
warden and then the commissioner, who’s coming down from<br />
Albany. After this he gives out the diplomas, celebrates mass,<br />
blesses the rest of you assholes and takes off. I guess you can sit<br />
down if you want. You can sit down, but when you get the order<br />
for attention I want you all straight and neat and clean with your<br />
heads up. I want to be proud of you. If you have to piss, piss, but<br />
don’t piss where anybody’s going to be sitting.” Cheers for Tiny<br />
and then most of them pissed. There was, Farragut thought, some<br />
universality to a full bladder. For this length of time they perfectly<br />
understood one another. Then they sat down.<br />
Somebody was testing the public address system: “Testing, one,<br />
two, three. Testing, one, two, three.” The voice was loud and<br />
scratchy. Time passed. God’s advocate was punctual. At a quarter<br />
to twelve they got the command for attention. They shaped up<br />
nicely. The sound of the chopper could be heard then, bounding<br />
off the hills, loud at low altitudes, faintly, faintly in the deep river<br />
valley; soft and loud, hills and valleys, the noise evoked the<br />
contour of the terrain beyond the walls. The chopper, when it<br />
came into view, had no more grace than an airborne washing<br />
machine, but this didn’t matter at all. It lofted gently onto the
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