Free (1982) The Almighty by Irving Wallace Page B

the tunnel. He desposited all dirt in that little-used storage room. He was executed before he got very far. But he was able to pass on word of it to the next occupant of his cell. So each occupant. dug further, hoping to be the one to use it. When Gus Pagano was thrown into the cell, he soon learned about the tunnel. There wasn’t too far to go to complete it. With all the delays and postponements that Pagano got, he was able to finish the job. He planned to use the escape route if he didn’t receive a reprieve. But he did get the reprieve and he had no reason to escape. When he heard that Sam Yinger was to replace him in that cell, he decided not to tell Yinger about the tunnel. Because he hated Yinger and didn’t think he should be free.’ Victoria caught her breath. ‘Yinger has the means to escape, but doesn’t know about it. What a great story! What a pity we can’t use it.’
    McAllister’s eyes held on her. ‘It is a shame,’ he agreed. ‘And you promised Pagano we wouldn’t use it?’ ‘Yes. I gave a solemn promise, I swore to it.’ He sighed. ‘Then that’s that.’ He came to his feet. He held up Victoria’s story. ‘I want to go in and show this to Harry Dietz, our publisher’s assistant,’ he said. ‘See if we can do something with your story, salvage it in some way. Thanks for a good first effort. We’ll have something else for you tomorrow.’
    After Victoria had gone, McAllister pressed the intercom button on his telephone and stood by until he heard Harry Dietz respond.
    ‘Ollie here,’ McAllister said. ‘Could I come over and see you for a moment?’
    ‘Can it wait?’ Dietz asked. ‘I’m really busy.’ He paused. ‘Is it urgent?’
    ‘It’s urgent.’
    ‘Okay. I’ll see you now.’
    When McAllister entered Dietz’s office, he found Dietz standing before a wall mirror combing his sandy hair. Once he was satisfied, Dietz pocketed his comb and returned to his desk.
    ‘What is it, Ollie?’
    The managing editor handed him Victoria’s story. ‘It’s from Victoria Weston. Her first piece for us. She got the material from Gus Pagano. I’d like you to have a look at it.’
    Dietz gestured McAllister to a chair, sat comfortably in his tall suede-covered swivel chair, and skimmed the story. When he finished, he handed the typed pages back to McAllister with a show of disgust. ‘It’s a piece of shit,’ Dietz said. ‘She can write, but Pagano gave her nothing to write about. You didn’t come here to bother me with this story, did you?’
    ‘No, I didn’t,’ said McAllister calmly. ‘I came to tell you something she didn’t put in the story.’
    Dietz was instantly attentive. ‘Go on.’
    ‘Pagano told her he was one of many who had been digging a secret escape tunnel from beneath Sam Yinger’s Death Row cell to the outside. Yinger doesn’t know about the tunnel. Of course, Pagano told her about it off the record.’
    Only Dietz’s small eyes reacted, narrowing. ‘Tell me more, Ollie.’
    In an effective, contained monotone, McAllister related the details of the Green Haven prison tunnel. When he had finished, he shrugged his shoulders. ‘I thought this was something you should know,’ he said casually.
    Dietz sat up. ‘You’ve told me everything?’
    ‘Everything I know.’
    ‘Very interesting,’ said Dietz. He tendered the managing editor a tight-lipped wisp of a smile. ‘That was smart of you, coming right in here with that.’
    ‘I thought it was something you and Mr. Armstead would want to know.’
    ‘Yes, I’m sure he’ll be interested. He’ll appreciate your -your sharpness - and your loyalty.’
    ‘I know you can’t do anything with it,’ said McAllister, ‘but I thought you should be informed of every tidbit.’
    Dietz considered him briefly. ‘As no doubt you, and everyone else suspects, with a new management taking over the Record there will be a reappraisal of the staff. Inevitably, some major changes will be made. Mr. Armstead intends