Story XIX: Pigeons (Part 1 of 3)

A scheming prisoner on Death Row has one last jury to fool: God Himself.

This story is being released in both its full version, available directly below, or in three sections this week: Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday.

Story XIX: Pigeons

Part 1 of 3

Before Oklahoma put him down, Chester William was upper tier, North end of West Cell House. He had the cell we called the Drainpipe. I’d heard about him before I even transferred up to McAlester.

My first few years at OSP, I worked in the Y-buildings, then the warden handpicked me for West Cell. I’d run afoul with him about something. Prior to that, I’d never stepped foot, though I already knew about Chester and Chester Radio.

West Cell was probably a hundred years old when I started there. It backed up against the Administration Building. Nothing but a brick alley between the two, no windows either side. If there had been a way to measure it, the warden’s secretaries and death row murderers couldn’t have been fifteen feet apart, though I doubt a secretary ever lost a minute of sleep over it.

The administration called West Cell “Capit…