The Stainless Steel Rat eBook Collection Read Online Free Page B

grip, then led me over to his followers.
    ‘This is Jim,’ he said. ‘Treat him well. Anyone causes him trouble got trouble with me.’ They were all insincere smiles and promises of affection – but at least they wouldn’t bother me. I had the protection of those mighty fists. One of them rested on my shoulder as we strolled away.‘How you going to do it?’ he asked.
    ‘I’ll tell you in the morning. I’m making the last arrangements now,’ I lied. ‘See you then.’ I strolled off on an inspection tour, almost as eager to be out of this sordid place as he was. For a different reason. His was revenge – mine was depression. They were losers in here, all losers, and I like to think of myself as a winner. I wanted to be well awayfrom them all and back in the fresh air.
    I spent the next twenty-four hours finding the best way out of the prison. I could open all of the mechanical locks inside the prison easily enough; my lockpick worked fine on our cell door. The only problem was the electronic gate that opened into the outer courtyard. Given time – and the right equipment – I could have opened that too. But not under theeyes of guards stationed right around the clock in the observation booth above it. That was the obvious way out so it was the route to be avoided. I needed a better idea of the layout of the prison – so a reconnoitre was very much in order.
    It was after midnight when I eased out of my bed. No shoes, I had to be as quiet as possible, so three pairs of socks should do the job. Working silentlyI stuffed extra clothing under the blankets so the bed would look occupied if one of the guards should look in through the barred door. Willy was snoring lustily when I clicked the lock open and slipped out into the corridor. He wasn’t the only one enjoying his sacktime and the walls echoed with zzzzing and gronking. The night-lights were on and I was alone on the landing. I looked over the edge carefullyand saw that the guard on the floor below was working on his racingform. Wonderful, I hoped that he had a winner. Silent as a shadow I went to the stairs and up them to the floor above.
    Which was depressingly identical to the one below; nothing but cells. As was the next floor and the one above that. Which was the top floor so I could go no higher. I was about to retrace my steps when my eyecaught a glint of metal in the shadows at the far end. Nothing ventured, as the expression goes. I scuttled past the barred doors, and then – I hoped – sleeping inmates, to the distant wall.
    Well, well, what did we have here! Iron rungs in the wall – vanishing up into the darkness. I grabbed onto the first one and vanished up with them. The last rung was just below the ceiling. It was also justunder a trapdoor that was let into the ceiling above. Metal, with a metal frame, and locked securely as I discovered when I pushed up against it. There had to be a lock, but it was invisible in the darkness. And I had to find it. Looping one arm through the iron rung I began to run my fingertips over the surface of the door in what I hoped was a regular pattern.
    There was nothing there. I triedagain, changing hands because my arm felt like it was being dragged from its socket – with the same result. But there
had
to be a lock. I was panicking and not using my brain. I fought back my rising fears and stirred up my brain cells. There must be a lock or seal of some kind. And it was not on the trapdoor. So – it had to be on the frame. I reached out slowly, ran my fingers along the sidesof the frame. And found it at once.
    How simple the answers are when you ask the right questions! I eased the lockpick from my pocket and slipped it into the lock. Within seconds it, had clicked open. Seconds after that I had pushed the trapdoor up, climbed through, closed it behind me – and sniffed appreciatively of the cool night air.
    I was out of prison! Standing on the roof, yes, of course,but free in spirit at least. The stars were