“It’s for her own protection.”
“Jackson loves Stephanie; he would never harm her. He wouldn’t hurt anyone.”
“I know…I know, but we need the officer there just in case he tries to contact her or take her with him.”
“He wouldn’t.” She couldn’t believe he was saying this.
“I understand ma’am, but this is just routine and just a precaution. I hope you understand.”
“What about me? Can I go back to work?”
“Of course, but unfortunately we will have to do the same thing with you as well.”
“What am I supposed to tell my employer?”
“Have you seen the news lately?”
She shook her head, “A while ago.”
Well maybe you should take another look.” She quickly turned on the television. She couldn’t believe it, not only were they showing Jackson’s picture they were also showing hers and Stephanie’s.
“Wait a minute Warden.” She felt the tears stop and anger take over. “We had nothing to do with this, especially Stephanie.”
“I am fully aware of that, but the media has picked up on the fact that he has a family and he might be trying to contact you guys. The only person he had contact with since he has been in prison has been you.”
“Oh my God! I have to go. I have to go get Stephanie.”
“She’s not with you?”
“No she is at her friend’s house.”
“Okay, go get her and bring an officer with you.” She could feel the anger mustering under her skin.
“Okay.” She stood up.
“Contact me as soon as you hear something. Remember you are putting him at risk if you don’t.”
“Thank you Warden.”
“We’ll be in touch.” She heard the phone click. She wanted to throw it on the floor. This was so much more difficult than she ever imagined.
Chapter 14
Jackson felt comfortable on the bus. It was empty and he was seated in the back watching the familiar landscape pass by. It seemed so long ago that he had roamed these grounds. He could almost feel his old life creeping back into him until he saw a police car pass by, probably on the way to another juvenile crime which was pretty rampant in this area. It felt good to be out. He just wished things were back to normal and not feeling like everyone was out to find him. He vowed to himself to get his family back. He felt the bus rattle along the busy road as they neared the airport. A few minutes later, he hopped off and slowly walked into the large terminal. He wasn't sure if there would be law enforcement on the lookout for him up here yet, so he figured he better disguise himself a little bit. He purchased a Redskins hat from one of the vendors near the main entrance and pulled it down over his head. It was time for the next phase of his escape. He had rehearsed this in his mind many times in prison. He found the closest men's room and waited outside pretending to read the Washington Post. The airport was fairly busy so it only took a few minutes till a man close in proximity to Jackson's size entered the restroom. Jackson followed him in and immediately went into the stall next to him ensuring the door was unlocked. He waited till he heard the flush and saw the man's feet approach the sink before he acted. "Help me. Help me please.” He called out.
"You okay?” The man curiously asked approaching the stall door.
"No. I need a hand getting up."
The man stopped just outside the door and eyed him curiously. “Let me get you some help."
"No, no. I'm fully dressed, if you can just pull me up. I'll be all set."
There was no response for a moment, then the stall door slowly opened and the man stepped in. Jackson quickly sank the rest of last syringe into the man's leg and sat him down on the toilet seat.
"What the hell…?” He quietly slurred. Jackson watched his eyes quickly gloss over and then his body finally slump against the wall. He quickly began stripping the navy blue suit off the man and putting it on himself. It was a little loose, but near enough in size to work. Once he was dressed, he found the man's boarding pass. The destination was Atlanta, Georgia. He had never been there before, but there were worse destinations. He took one last look at the man. He felt bad for having to do this, but there was no choice and he knew there would be no medical repercussions, just embarrassment. He began to leave until he remembered to place the half-filled bottle of whiskey he had purchased, on the floor in front of him. He opened the door, taking one last look. There would be no doubt that people would take him for someone who just drank too much and passed out on the toilet. He closed the door ensuring it was shut all the way and somehow even locked it from the outside. He stepped towards the entrance. When he looked up, he couldn’t believe it. Standing in front of him was a police officer.
"Is everything all right in here Sir?"
"Ahh…yes. I'm running late for my flight.” He quickly walked out the door looking back seeing the police officer peering into the stall. As soon as he was out in the terminal, he could see more officers quickly approaching. This wasn’t going according to plan. He turned around and began walking the other way quickly. He had to change plans. Something he was getting tired of doing. He couldn’t stay in the airport anymore, so much for Georgia. He kept passing more and more officers and they were all heading towards the men's room. They were all talking on their radios. He looked back again and saw the officer who he had run into in the rest room looking in his direction and speaking into his radio. He wasn't sure what to do so he began walking faster, almost jogging. He turned left and saw the terminal exit. He began to run as quickly as he could and ended up on a giant escalator heading to the metro platform. He looked back and saw two or three officers following him; they were closing in. There was nowhere to go. There was no train in the station. Jackson quickly summed up his options and jumped onto the track ignoring the screams of panic from the passengers standing on the platform behind him. He carefully avoided the third rail and began running down the track. He looked behind him and could see the officers on the platform closely watching him. He recognized the one from the men's room and couldn’t believe it when he saw him jump down into the track bay behind him. He continued running on the track for a few seconds until he heard the piercing sound of a metro's horn in front of him. He had to get out of the way, or he would be instantly killed. There was no way the train could stop in time. He jumped to the right, but his foot caught on a piece of the track and he fell down. He could see the train ahead; it couldn’t be more than a hundred yards away and he was stuck on the track. His foot was twisted in an awkward way, luckily he couldn’t feel the pain due to the terror he was feeling from the train, but he couldn’t move it. He saw the train moving closer out of the corner of his eye; it was slowing down, but it was too late there was no way it could stop in time. He kept fighting with his foot but it wasn't budging. He wasn't going to give up now. There was no way. He tried to slip his foot out of his shoe, but it was too tight. He could feel the vibrations all around him. It was overcoming all his senses. The noise was overwhelming. It felt and sounded like a giant explosion happening, and he was stuck in the middle. He couldn't believe it. He wasn't going to make it. He tried one last effort as the train was only seconds away from striking him. Nothing, it wasn't moving. He closed his eyes still pulling on his foot trying to free it loose. It had to come free; it couldn’t end like this. What about Michelle and Stephanie? What would they think? He gritted his teeth and pulled as hard as he could, still nothing. He could feel the train upon him, it was too late. Everything became blurry and then all of a sudden silent, eerily silent. He realized he didn’t make it. He was in heaven. Everything was blissful just like they say it would be. He felt his body relax. It felt like he was floating until all of a sudden he felt a great rush of pain in his leg. He felt his eyes open up and found himself lying in a fetal position under the side rail on the track. He had somehow survived. He looked back and saw the train a few hundred yards away at the airport station.
"Are you okay Sir
?"
"Yes. I'm okay. How did I get over here?” He looked behind him seeing the same police officer from the restroom.
"I grabbed you and pulled you under the rail." Jackson grabbed his foot not ready to see it yet. "Sorry about that. I had to pull you quickly."
"It's okay. Thank you."
"No problem.” Jackson watched as the large officer climbed to his feet. He couldn’t have been more than thirty with short light brown hair. He kind of resembled a young Michael Douglas. "So why don’t you tell me what's going on."
"I just saw that guy in the restroom and thought he was dead." Jackson answered trying to stand on his bad leg.
"Is he dead?" The officer looked back towards the station.
"I don't know."
"Is that why you ran away?
Jackson felt his body tense up. He could feel his ankle throbbing. "Don’t worry we'll have plenty of time to talk. Let's get you out of here and get that leg looked at.” He leaned against the officer and let him lead him.
Warden Dever walked into Jackson’s cell and began to pace around. The cell was empty because Carlos was still in the infirmary. There was nothing of any personal significance to indicate anyone but Carlos lived here. There were no pictures, no possessions, just sheets and an extra set of clothes on the floor that Dever kicked with his feet. He couldn’t believe this had happened here. He felt his anger begin to brew up again. He quickly exited the cell and watched as a remote control somewhere closed the door behind him. It still felt secure to him despite the escape. He was in a grumpy mood when he walked back into Harris’s station. The Sergeant wouldn’t make eye contact with him. It was just too much for him to take getting outsmarted by a criminal.
“I’m just curious why didn’t you stop him from leaving the building even if you thought it was Hoover?”
Harris kept his gaze at the warden’s polished wingtips. “I screwed up Sir. I should have stopped him. I warned him repeatedly, but he just left the building.”
“Well it wasn’t enough. You should have stopped him.”
“I agree, and I am sorry.”
“We will listen to the radio logs and video to come up with our report, but I’m sorry as you know we have to place you on leave till we finish our investigation. You’re a good employee Sergeant. I don’t think you have anything to worry about. We all make mistakes.” Harris nodded continuing to keep his eyes focused downward.
“Keep your head up and let’s try and find out everything we can about him.”
Dever quickly exited his station and followed the same path Jackson took heading outside to the parking lot.
Chapter 15
Jackson was sitting in a first aid station underneath the airport somewhere. The policeman was still with him standing in the corner of the room looking at his smartphone. The EMT was wrapping his ankle with an Ace bandage.
“That should hold it, but I think you need to go see your doctor when you leave here just to make sure there is no internal damage.” Jackson nodded. He kept thinking that the only doctor he had seen in the last five years was the required annual medical visit in the prison.
“So do you want to tell me why you we’re running away like that?” The officer asked looking up from his phone.
Jackson quickly looked down. He just hadn’t planned on any of this happening. He had to think quickly. He hoped his mind would cooperate. “I was just a little freaked out seeing him like that.”
“Did you know him?” Jackson felt his pulse quicken.
“Is he alive?” He watched the officer study his face.
“Yes. In fact it appears he drank himself into a coma. He was just taken to the hospital. Is he a friend of yours?”
“I’ve never seen him before till I walked by the stall and saw him there. It really scared me.”
The officer slowly stood up. “I’ve never seen someone react the way you did running away and onto the tracks. You could have killed yourself.”
Jackson placed his injured foot onto the ground and was happy it didn’t hurt too much when he put pressure on it. “I’m sorry. I’m not sure what I was thinking. I was just running late and I’m stressed out a little. Thanks again for saving me.”
“Can I see your ID and boarding pass?” Jackson reached into his jacket and pulled out the ticket. He handed it to the officer who examined it for a minute, “Mr. Rocher...huh? How about some ID?”
Jackson reached into his back pocket and slowly stood up. “I seemed to have lost my wallet. Must be when I fell on the tracks.”
“Okay. Hold here for a second. I think I heard Officer Malek say he picked it up. I’ll go get it for you.” Jackson nodded. He watched the officer leave the room and as soon as the door closed he stood up.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m going to test out my foot, see if I can walk.” The EMT nodded and went back to his paperwork. “I’ll be right back.”
“Don’t go far. Officer Newman will be right back with your wallet. I need to see your ID as well for my paperwork.”
Jackson grabbed the door handle and smiled. “Trust me I’m not going to get far with this.” He pointed at his wrapped foot. The EMT smiled back. Jackson limped out the door and as soon as he was outside he ran towards an elevator nearby. He didn’t even feel the pain in his leg. A minute later, he was on the main level and he exited the front doors. He still had enough money for a cab, so he jumped in the closest one and watched terminal disappear behind him.
“Where is he?” Officer Newman stormed into the medical office causing the EMT to jump up and bump his elbow on the table.
“He said he was going to test out his foot in the hallway. He just stepped out. With that foot he can’t be too far. Do you have his ID?”
Officer Newman shook his head. “There is no ID. That guy that was just here is Jackson Stewart, an escaped felon. We just received word. We even have a picture.” He held the phone in front of the EMT and they both nodded in agreement that it was him. “If only we had only received this information five minutes ago. Newman began screaming commands into his radio with Jackson’s last known whereabouts as he ran into the hallway and began searching the airport.
“Warden Dever.” The Warden quickly looked up from his computer screen as the Captain stepped into his office. “We just got word that he was spotted at National Airport. They had him in custody.”
“What! And let me guess they don’t have him anymore.”
The captain nodded. “They didn’t know who he was till he was gone. They’re searching the airport now.”
“He’s gone. They might as well give up.” He quickly logged off his computer. “Get me Timmons. I’m heading to DC. I knew he was going there. I wonder what he was doing at the airport.”
The captain stepped into the large office. It was decorated with Marine Corp flags and memorabilia all over. There were tons of tiny photos on the walls of soldiers in combat uniforms from all over the world. No one ever asked about them, they were all scared to death of the Warden. “Apparently, he had a boarding pass for a flight to Atlanta with another name on it, the officer that took him in found it on him. He also injured his leg on the Metro tracks.” The Warden shook his head. “Guess what they found in a guy in a rest room?”
“What?”
“Rohypnol again, apparently Stewart injected the guy and took his clothes and boarding pass. That’s where he got it from.”
“So he was planning on escaping to Georgia huh, probably to lie low for a while. I need to find out everything about him. I mean everything. I want to know who he sat next to in fourth grade.”
“Yes Sir. I have his complete file right here.” He handed the manila folder to Dever who immediately took it in his hands.
“Thank you Captain. Please have that car ready in about ten minutes.”
“You got it.”
Dever read through the file and wasn’t surprised at the lack of information it contained. There were no incidents in his five years at the Cond
uit. Most of the reviews were praises from the officers how helpful he was at maintaining the computers in the library. He focused on the details of the crime and the trial. He wasn’t surprised to see that Stewart tried to put up a defense that he was set up, but the evidence was too overwhelming against him. He probably claimed he was innocent like everyone locked up in The Conduit, but there was something different about him. He just couldn’t place his finger on it. He knew the Governor was going to be calling him again and the damn press was going to be bugging him for updates. He just wished he had something to say. Unfortunately, Jackson Stewart eluded them again. He wanted to wring the neck of the airport security officer who let him go and who knows he may get a chance to do so when he gets up there. He couldn’t believe he had gotten outfoxed by a criminal, especially one who was serving a twenty sentence for murder. He felt as though it was up to him to bring him back no matter what those damn Marshalls said. He had already ignored two calls from them, but he knew he would have to deal with them soon if he didn’t bring Stewart home. He already called his wife and let her know he probably wouldn’t be coming home anytime soon. If Stewart was in the DC area, Dever would find him. He had spent his last tour in the Marine Corp stationed at the Pentagon, so he was familiar with the area as much as he hated that assignment, but at least it had given him some knowledge of the DMV as they called it up there. He knew his family was in the affluent suburbs of Fairfax County. He would make a point and stop by and visit with Mrs. Stewart to ensure she doesn’t assist her husband, but he was sure she would as most spouses would do if they were in the same situation. He couldn’t blame them because he would probably do the same thing himself. He reread the crime details again. It was pretty clear Stewart set up the whole plan of breaking into the computer system, disabling security in the money vault and taking the money. Twenty million dollars were missing. He would have the skills to do so and after seeing him in action this morning, he was convinced that he would have no problem getting this done. He was just surprised he got caught, especially leaving fingerprints on the murder weapon and being seen on video, but hey, we all make mistakes sooner or later and he was hoping he would make another one real soon. He quickly stood up and grabbed his coat and carry-on bag, he always kept loaded with a fresh set of clothes in case something like this ever happened.
Evasion Page 6