His plan is to move along the length of the pole while sitting on it, much like a kid would ride on a wooden horse. With his legs straddling the pole, it gives him much less of a chance of slipping off. Mitch turns to the soldier in the gondola and gives him a nod and a nervous look. That glance was more for his own confidence rather than assuring the other man that everything would be alright. His father is in need and he is going to help him.
One last call on the radio to tell Stuart that he wants to know of any changes to the sheriff's situation, and Mitch slides his hands out along the cold, wet metal. He pulls the rest of his body forward in a clumsy motion. The wetness of the steel helps to slide him forward, but he only moves a few inches at a time. The trek is slow and physically demanding, his thighs are burning from the tight grip he keeps on the pole and his biceps and forearms have not worked this hard since high school.
He can feel the heat from the early morning sunshine that is hitting his face. Bit by bit he is making his way across the pole. It is taking him much longer than he would like but he has yet to have a feeling that he was in danger of falling. With every pull of his arms, the inner structure of the Ferris Wheel gets closer and Mitch has begun to plan his route down. The entire thing is made of steel poles and long chains. He hopes that there will be enough places to hold on to, so he won’t have to take any dangerous chances.
Mitch is dripping with sweat as he reaches the inner part of the wheel. The long piece of steel that he has been moving along now meets a collection of diagonal metal beams. He was observant when he was making his way along the first beam, which now gives him the confidence that he knows which direction he needs to move. He grabs the first of the slanted beams, slowly transfers his body on top of it, and slides down the twenty feet to the end. Moments later he is back to his feet and slowly walking along another beam that will take him to the opposite side of the large center gear of the wheel.
The only thing that separates Mitch from the safety of the ground below is about forty feet of steel that he must travel down to reach the bottom gondola. Once again, he sits on the steel beam and straddles it as he did before. This pole is sharply slanted down meaning it takes far less energy to pull his weight forward. The trip is going smoothly when he first heard the sound of Stuart come through the earpiece.
"Mitch, you need to hurry. There's a large black man making his way toward the sheriff with a rather large knife in his hands." Hearing the sound of his voice actually had a calming effect on Mitch. He had been all alone for the last few minutes as he navigated his way down the Ferris Wheel and to know that he wasn't alone made him feel better.
Mitch moves much faster and once he reaches the point where his beam meets the bottom car, he leaps down to the seat and rolls to the ground below. It was less than athletic but he is back to his feet and running toward the midway without missing a beat. He waves up to Jesse Meyer to let him know that he made it safely and makes his way through the park. His mind considers for a moment if it was foolish to leave a murderer all alone, and able to make an escape, to rush to his father.
It doesn't take him long before he can see the man standing over his father's body. From where he is, the man looks like he could be a giant. He is shirtless, and the muscles of his abdomen are dark and tight. He holds a large sword over his head that causes the veins in his arms to look like they are going to pop right out of his skin. Mitch continues his mad dash, without a thought about what his move would be. He has no idea if the man has already used the sword on his father or is getting ready to begin his assault.
In a rush he approaches the man from behind. His feet are landing hard on the ground as he tries to be as fast as possible and is not worried about remaining silent. When he nears the man, he lowers his shoulder, as if he was making a tackle on a running back. The sound of his steps must have alerted the attacker and just as Mitch is about to hit him, he turns around. Mitch drives his shoulder into the man and both men tumble to the ground. It might not have been the safest thing to do but it had the desired effect. The man who was once standing over his father with a raised sword, is now laying on the ground next to him. For being such a big man, the man is far more agile than you would have thought. He is quicker to his feet than Mitch is and uses his quickness to grab the deputy by the neck. After the tackle, the man lost his grip on his sword, Mitch can see it a few feet away as he is being urged to his feet by the strength of the killer.
The man easily lifts him into the air, high above his own head. He is adding pressure to the neck, making it hard for Mitch to catch his breath. He has been through so much in the last few hours and now he is being choked out by a man who appears to be twice his own size. He hits the ground in a thud and it takes him a moment before he realizes what has happened. He heard the shot, of course, but it came from such a long distance that it wasn't loud enough to register over his fight for air.
When he fell from the grip of his attacker, he landed softly on top of the man's body. Mitch makes his way to his feet, rubs his neck for a bit and looks down at the remaining half of the large man's face. The shot has torn off most of the top side of the killer’s head, almost from one ear to the other. It takes a long minute before Mitch remembers why he had rushed over to this area of the park. He slowly walks over to his father and does a quick scan of his body, before falling to his knees and screaming loudly into the early morning sky.
Chapter 25
As tears roll down his face, Mitch looks down at the body of his father. The sheriff lays on his back on the cold concrete ground. His right hand is clutched at his chest, covering the badge that he was so proud to wear for many years. The pool of blood the fills his shirt and surrounds the area where his hand rests is the only sign of injury. Mitch reaches down and grabs his father's right hand and holds it in his own.
His skin is cool to the touch, obviously his father has been dead for a few minutes, meaning he was probably dead before the mercenary showed up with his sword. No matter how fast he would have been able to get over to this side of the park, it is unlikely he would have been able to change the results. Now that he can see the area of the wound, Mitch can see that his father died of a single, well place stab wound. Whatever weapon the killer used, pierced through the skin in the area around the heart and judging from the amount of blood, must have sliced through several arteries.
Since his mother passed away when he was a young boy, Mitch has relied on his father for everything. The one time that his father really needed him, he was too far away to be able to help him. His thoughts dart between childhood memories and how drastically his future is going to change without him around. He looked up to his father, much like many residents of Twisted Timbers did. Bill Thompson was always a calming force in the rare instances when things in town became hectic.
"Mitch, I'm sorry. I don't really know what to say to you in a time like this. I wish I could say something to make it better. I wish I was able to give you an official story as to what happened but like I said, I wasn't able to keep up with everything." Stuart speaks with a low mellow tone, obviously saddened by the death of his boss.
The simple words from his fellow officer cause Mitch to break down. He sobs uncontrollably and loud enough to be heard throughout Graham Park. The tears flow freely until he feels a comforting hand on his shoulder. He spins around quickly in fear and is confronted by the very man he saved from sure death moments earlier. He lacks the ability to muster enough energy to fight the man, drained from losing the one person who has been a constant in his life.
Mitch returns his father's hand to his chest and faces the man standing over him, with weapon in hand. "If you're going to kill me, go ahead and do it. I have no more energy to fight."
The man extends his arm and offers his hand to the beaten deputy. He then helps Mitch to his feet and allows him the time needed to gather himself. "If I wanted to kill you, you would already be dead. In fact, if I didn't save you from the crazy Kenyan, you would already be dead. My name i
s Jesse Meyers. I'm a former Army Ranger and a trained sniper but I'm nothing like these other guys. I'm not a crazy killer."
"Was that you who took him out?" Mitch had almost forgotten about being treated like a rag doll by the large black man. "How were you able to get down from the Ferris Wheel so quickly?"
"It looked like you needed some help. I guess all of those years in the Army kind of brain washed me. I hate seeing another American lose their life." The man has now lowered the large weapon and leans against it as he talks. Mitch hadn't noticed it while they were trapped together on the ride, but his face paint is now smeared and far less effective now that he is out in the open.
"Well I guess I owe you some gratitude. Unfortunately, I am still going to have to arrest you. The F.B.I. is on the way." Mitch hadn't really considered the fact that the soldier is only one here who is currently holding a weapon. That may make it a little more difficult to arrest him, but Mitch is hoping that his patriotism will persuade him to do the right thing.
With a bit of a grin on his face, the soldier turns and starts to walk away from Mitch. He is not running or jogging even, he just slowly walks away from the deputy. He is heading for the trees just next to the carnival games and stops before heading in. "I don't think you will be arresting me, you have far more things you should be worried about. The way I see it, you saved my life and I saved yours. Now it's even."
Mitch watches as the man disappears into the trees. He doesn't have the strength or energy to chase after him, so he returns to the ground next to his father. Once again, he grabs his right hand and holds it in his own. He uses his left hand to remove the badge from his father's chest. He rubs his fingers across the bronze star, soiled with the blood of his father, before placing it in his pants pocket. He kisses his father's forehead, stands up again, and begins the lonely walk back toward the front of the park. He has not yet felt the anxiety and fear that one usually feels when losing his father, but he is sure that he will be hit soon enough with a swarm of emotions.
Chapter 26
The walk back to the front of the park feels much longer than it should. Mitch should be celebrating the success of the biggest case to ever hit Twisted Timbers. Instead, he is lamenting the fact that he was unable to save his father. Stuart has been talking to him in his ear for the entire walk, but he just keeps his silence and walks on. The flashing lights of the countless government vehicles that have ascended on Graham Park as a result of the evenings activities pierce through the wrought iron fence in front of him.
As he walks through the office building where he last left Stuart, he is forced to side step several guys in dark suits. When the feds show up to a crime scene, they come out in full force. Stuart is still seated in the control room, his back to the assortment of monitors and television screens. A large man who fits the stereotype perfectly is standing in front of him, asking questions and writing down the answers in his notepad. When Mitch walks into the room, everyone seems to go quiet and stop their investigation.
Mitch looks around the room, several guys are walking in and out of the room with laptops and long cables. Others are dusting for fingerprints and taking photos of every corner of the room. Without saying a word, Mitch turns around and returns to the room where he first found his father. The room is basically empty, meaning the guys from Portland must not know about their special guest in the closet.
Mitch rushes to the closet door, throws it open quickly and unloads on the man with a few well-placed punches to the face. The sound of the man screaming draws the attention of the agents in the area and they rush into the room and stop the melee. Mitch grabs the back of the chair, pushes the man to the hallway and into the control room. He shoves Steven Graham across the open floor until he comes to a stop near the feet of the large man who appears to be running the investigation.
"This is the man who is responsible for everything. His name is Steven Graham and his uncle is the owner of the park. My father interrogated him and apparently this isn't his first time putting on an event like this." Mitch walks across the room and takes a seat in an open chair next to his fellow officer. "I'm sure he will be more than willing to answer all of your questions."
"Thanks. My name is Special Agent Walker. Looks like you folks stumbled upon a pretty big bust up here. We have heard rumors of these things taking place in several places in the Northwest, but we have never had any evidence." The agent is writing furiously in his notebook, trying to record everything that has been told to him so far.
"We are pretty sure there was a similar event in this very park about ten years ago but the only person who would know anything about it is the sheriff...sorry, was the sheriff." He finds it hard to actually say the words, finding it easier to refer to the dead man as the sheriff instead of his father.
"That may be true. I'm sure we will get plenty of useful information once our computer guys get into the hard drives. They are the best at what they do. Excuse me while I go and check on their progress, the early indications are that this system is very advanced. They didn't say it would be impossible to hack, just that it may take more time than normal." As the man exits the room, Mitch has his eyes fixed on the man responsible for all of this madness.
"You guys think you won, don't you? Look at the big screen at the top." The man is still tied in the rope and nudges his head in the direction of the screens. "That is more money than a lot of small countries make in a year. I think all of your heroics were good for ratings, which means it is good for my wallet."
Mitch turns to look at the screen the man is talking about and notices the enormous number the man is referring to. "You think you are ever going to see any of that money? I doubt you will ever see the light of day again. You are responsible for the deaths of six men here, including a sheriff. I am going to see to it that you spend the rest of your miserable life in prison."
"You know what all of that money buys me? It buys me the best lawyers in the country. Hell, with that much money, it could even buy me a few judges." Given the current predicament, the man is far happier than he should be. "Besides, like I told you earlier, we have been doing this for a long time. My father started putting the Crew together when I was just a teenager. We know how to cover our tracks and we always plan for every contingency."
"What is that supposed to mean? I doubt you had planned for me to just happen to drive by last night and interrupt your little game. The only game you'll be playing in the future is hide and seek with a few sex starved inmates." Mitch gets up to walk out of the room and gives the man a final punch in the face before he exits. "Stuart, I'm going to check with Agent Walker and see how his guys are doing with getting into that system. Have you seen Fred wandering about?"
“I haven’t seen him since he was able to beat the Japanese fellow. I thought he was heading in this direction but once the feds showed up, I haven’t had much access to the camera feeds.”
Chapter 27
Mitch walks into the third room of the narrow office building, the one with the large computer servers and the rats nest of wires. Nothing in the room looks familiar to the young officer. There are several men in suits who are connecting and disconnecting wires in rapid fashion. The fact that anyone could have that much knowledge of how a computer system this intense operates, is mind boggling to Mitch. The only computer experience that he has is the few beginner’s classes he took at the high school and the old system that the police station uses.
"Agent Walker, any word on how long it is going to be before your guys are going to be able to get into the system and give us a better idea as to what was going on here?" At first, he feels like he may have asked the question in his head, due to the lack of a response from the agent.
"They tell me it won't be that hard to get into the mainframe, but it is going to take some time to pull up the individual files and camera feeds. Probably going to be at least another hour or so. You've had a long night, why don't you go home and get some rest and give me a call when you feel up to answ
ering some questions."
He had never even considered the fact that he is working on his second full day without any sleep. The minute Agent Walker mentions getting some sleep, Mitch lets out an uncontrollable yawn. "Yeah, that might be for the best. I'll give you a call later this afternoon." Mitch gives the men working on the servers a final glance before turning and exiting the room.
He makes his way down the hallway but decides to stop in and talk to Stuart one last time before leaving. "Stuart, I'm heading home to get some rest, you should do the same thing." He plops down in the chair across from Steven Graham. "There isn't much we can do here. They are working on getting into the system and it will be at least an hour before they know anything else. I'm kind of anxious to see how much they can find out from the videos so we can fill in a few of the blanks we have."
"I'm alright Mitch, besides, I'd rather stay and make sure they take care of the sheriff's body properly." He stops after mentioning the body, as if he just realized for the first time that he is not only talking about the sheriff but also Mitch's father. "I've been keeping an eye on him on this screen. So far it looks like they are doing everything by the book. I still want to stay and make sure everything is alright with Fred too. The last time I saw him I thought he was making his way toward this building, I'm sure he will be coming in at any minute. I will feel better when all of the procedural things are taken care of."
Mitch rubs his palms against the top of his thighs. "Do as you want but if there is anything that comes up that you think I need to know about, give me a call right away." He makes his way to his feet and looks down at the prisoner one more time. The man has a smug look on his face, with blood continuing to drip from his lower lip. A large knot has formed near his hairline and he most certainly has a broken nose. Mitch thinks about giving him one more solid left hand but thinks better of it and heads for the door.
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