Story XIX: Pigeons (Part 3 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 3 of 3

It wasn’t three months later when Stacy Richards walked. They had Stacy for killing his wife and daughter, aggravated, and twenty other things. He said he couldn’t remember any of it. Not by reason of temporary insanity, cause that’s what he tried for.

We were stepping Stacy through the Sequence, and Chester was reading away. The Warden said it didn’t make a bit of difference to him, but it did. He liked the ceremony the way it was, like it was a tradition he had no part of, other than to keep it.

And sure enough, it comes over Chester Radio: “Your bird, Stacy. Oh, Lord, you got your bird.”

I tried to pull him together while we were headed down to the Basement, I got myself involved. “You’re alright, Stacy. You’ll be alright,” I said. “God’s got you. That’s what it means.”

Till then, I didn’t even believe any of it, not a single word, …