Michelle shook her head and scooped up Stephanie into her arms. “We’ll see…we’ll see.”
Dever quickly jumped into the passenger seat and watched Timmons start up the car. “Let’s go to the SITA building.” Timmons nodded and quickly backed the car out of the wide driveway. Dever stared at the Stewart house and took several long breaths to lower his stress level.
Jackson woke up sometime later. The sun was out so he knew it had to be morning. He immediately turned his head towards the chair and saw the man still seated there staring directly at him.
“Nice nap?” Jackson shook his head. “You ready to talk now?”
“I don’t know anything about the money. Pease just let me go.”
“Just tell me where it is and then I’ll come back and set you free.” The man slowly stood up and walked to the edge of the bed.
“What about going to the bathroom…can I at least do that?”
“Just talk to me. C’mon I waited five years for this.”
“It could have been twenty if I wasn’t here now. How did you find me so quickly anyway?”
“I’ve been tracking you since you’ve been in prison and escaped. I have people everywhere even in prison. You probably don’t even remember them. Jackson closed his eyes and thought back to all the people in prison. None of them stood out. It had been such a blur. He was so disoriented most of the time. He didn’t know if it was daytime or nighttime and all the prisoners were trying to talk to him and push him. Jackson had just gone along with it and then they left him alone afterwards.
“I need to use the bathroom. I think I’m going to be sick.” Jackson watched the man take a step back and pull out a small semi-automatic pistol from his waistband.
“You got five minutes.” He pointed the gun at Jackson’s head. “I’ll untie one arm and you can do the rest. Then when you’re done you will tie yourself back up.” A minute later, the man untied the rope on his right arm. He took a step back and held the gun up and aimed it at Jackson. Jackson quickly untied his limbs and slowly sat up. He moved his feet to the floor and slowly stood up. The room began to spin. He quickly grabbed hold of the end table to steady his feet and somehow made it to the bathroom without falling. “Keep the door open.” Jackson looked back at the man. He was still holding the weapon. Jackson cringed when he looked in the mirror and saw the bandage on his head. It was sloppy and crusted with blood. He immediately pulled it off and washed the large gash in his forehead with a wet towel. It hurt to touch, but looked and felt much better afterwards. The bleeding had stopped but he would have a large scar for a long time. “Let’s go Stewart…I don’t have all day.” Jackson ignored him and turned the water on again as hot as it would go. He watched the mirror fog up and let his lungs enjoy the hot steam. He instantly felt a soothing calm overtake his body. He found the ice bucket and moved it towards the sink. He was enjoying the instant relief.
“You’ve got ten seconds, then I’m coming in there.” Jackson took his finger and rubbed it on the mirror forming a bunch of letters. “I’m coming in.” Jackson leaned forward towards the sink and waited. A few seconds later, he watched as the man entered the bathroom, his gun aimed out in front of him. He quickly stopped when he saw the words on mirror and started reading. Jackson leaned over and grabbed the ice bucket full of steaming hot water and threw it at his face. The man immediately went down on the floor grabbing his face and screaming. The gun made a loud sound as it landed on the floor somewhere. Jackson wasn’t sure where. He took one last look back at the bathroom before he began to run. He saw the mirror where he wrote, “money is the root of all evil”; and quietly laughed to himself. A minute later, he was running out the motel door to the parking lot when he heard the gun shot.
Chapter 25
Dever and Timmons pulled into the parking lot of SITA headquarters. It was a large facility located in Arlington, Virginia right off of Rt. 395. They parked in one of the visitor spaces and slowly made their way towards the main entrance. A minute later, they were speaking to a security guard at the main desk and were eventually escorted to the Director of Security’s office.
After brief introductions, the Director pointed towards a large monitor located on the wall. “This is the surveillance video of the night of the incident. I’ve edited it down some so you will just see the key parts.” Timmons and Dever leaned forward and watched the screen. The footage was of the parking lot. The same one they were parked in. “There you can see the car parked and a man seated in there.” They both squinted and could see a figure seated in the driver’s seat. “They determined that was the same car that Mr. Stewart owned.” He pushed a button and the video quickly forwarded. “Now you’ll see him enter through the main entrance.” They watched what was definitely Stewart enter the building and disappear around a corner. “Here’s where it gets a little bad.” They watched the video forward again. “That man standing there is one of our security guards. He’s positioned outside our vault.” A minute later, a figure shows up on the far end of the screen and a muzzle flash is seen, and the guard goes down. The figure enters the vault and about five minutes later returns carrying a large sack and disappears off the screen. It is difficult to tell if it is Stewart because of the darkness, but he is dressed the same and about the same size. A minute later, the video cuts off. “That’s the end of the video. Our video system went offline at this point. Hacked by Mr. Stewart, I assume.” Both Dever and Timmons shook their heads. Timmons quickly stepped out of the room when his phone began ringing and returned a few seconds later he told Dever they had to go. Gunshots were reported at a nearby hotel. They thanked the Director and quickly headed back towards their car.
Jackson ducked behind a small Mazda as a bullet ripped through the steel on the car next to him. He could see the man standing outside the motel door. His face was bright red, and he was holding the gun with one hand and touching his burned face with the other. He was aiming in his direction and pulled the trigger again. The bullet whizzed over his head. Jackson turned and sprinted out of the parking lot towards the main road. There wasn’t much traffic, so he quickly crossed the road and ran to a Seven-Eleven parking lot drawing a few looks from customers inside. A second later, he heard the array of sirens approaching. He knew he had to move. He looked back, and the man was standing across the street waiting on a large truck to drive by. Jackson only had a few seconds to make his move. He quickly scurried out of the Seven-Eleven parking lot and ran next door to a restaurant. It was one of those chain restaurants that usually drew a large crowd during the lunch hour, so Jackson leaned down and starting hiding behind the cars. He found a large Fed Ex van and hid behind it while a police car sped by with its lights ablaze. The car pulled into the motel parking lot, and the officer headed toward the open motel room. Another shot, this one coming from the Seven Eleven. Jackson waited for a sharp pain, but felt nothing, so he kept on running. More police cars and sirens. It seemed as though they were everywhere. He stopped at the edge of the restaurant parking lot and looked back. He could see the police cars pulling into the Seven-Eleven. A second later, he heard footsteps to the right of him. He quickly knelt down and watched the man with the burned face run by. He was looking behind him. A second later, two policeman ran by not far behind. They were screaming for him to stop and drop his weapon. Jackson almost smiled and relaxed for a minute till he heard a familiar voice. It was the Warden’s, and he was close by because he could hear him barking out orders that it was his man out there. Jackson slowly and carefully turned around and headed towards a large gas station. It was one of those ones that serve truckers and cars alike. He made it over to the truck side where there were easily twenty-five large eighteen wheelers parked about. He crawled near the closest one and sat down behind a set of double tires hiding him from anyone’s view. He sat back and listened to the sirens coming and going. It sounded like every police car in Virginia was on-site. After a while, he felt himself drifting off until the roar of the engine caused him to jump up. He q
uickly ran out from behind the tires just as the big rig began to pull out. The sound was deafening and as soon as the truck cleared away he saw three police cars on the other side. He had nowhere to hide. He was out in the open. He quickly turned around and casually walked towards the closest truck and pretended to examine the trailer and then the cab. A minute later, he climbed up the ladder and pulled open the door. He couldn’t believe his luck, it was unlocked. He sat down in the driver’s seat and instantly felt the power. It was like he was in control of one of the most powerful beasts on earth. There were controls and gauges all around. He was high above the ground and the seat was comfortably equipped with specialized contours. He couldn’t tell if the officers were looking his way, but he continued to pretend he was getting ready to drive till he watched the last one leave. He let his eyes wander onto the gauges and pretended he was driving the big rig down the highway till he heard someone behind him. It was a large Kenworth with a sleeping cab behind the driver’s seat. He slowly turned around and saw the large bearded man making his way towards him.
“You having fun?”
Jackson nodded. “Something I always wanted to do. It’s amazing.”
“Get out.” Just then, Jackson noticed the shiny revolver the man was holding.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t think anyone was in here. I couldn’t resist.”
“Out.” He pointed at the door. “Or I’ll grab one of those cops I keep hearing…now!”
Jackson quickly found the door handle and jumped down the steps. He didn’t even look back. He made his way across the rest of the parking lot to the last truck where he was able to look back towards the hotel and Seven-Eleven. It looked like most of the activity had died down. He figured they either caught the man or gave up. He wasn’t sure how long he had been hiding behind the tires either. He had lost track of time again, just like he was back in prison. He found a small bench at the end of the parking lot where he sat and watched the trucks come and go till he remembered the man said he had people everywhere, and he believed him. He still couldn’t figure out how he had tracked him down to the motel, especially after the Warden couldn’t. He looked behind him and all around. Everything was clear as far as he could tell, so he started walking towards the small convenience store attached to the gas station.
Chapter 26
Dever kept walking around the tiny motel room and staring at the bathroom mirror. The police techs were already comparing the blood found in the bathroom and on the bed with Jackson’s DNA; though Dever was already sure they were a match. He still wasn’t clear on what had actually happened here. The detectives were saying that Jackson had held someone prisoner, and the person had escaped, but Dever was thinking the opposite. The words about money on the mirror bothered him. He couldn’t figure out what that was all about. The police had chased someone through the parking lot, but he had got away along with Stewart, who he knew was here too. The police were currently going room to room in the motel looking for him or any trace of him. The clerk said he thought Stewart looked familiar when they showed him a picture. Dever walked around the bed again and looked carefully at the four ropes used to tie someone down with. They were expertly tied and restrained by someone who obviously knew what they were doing. He quickly looked towards the door when he saw Timmons enter the room.
“They found his room. It’s on the back side.” Dever followed Timmons out of the room but quickly stopped, turned around and walked back into the room and snapped a picture of the mirror with his iPhone. A minute later, they entered the room checked out to Stewart. It was laid out exactly as the other one was, the same awful furniture and décor. Dever followed a uniformed police officer to the bathroom area where he showed him the remains of a used hair dye box and several receipts from CVS. Dever had seen CVS across the street on the other side of the Seven-Eleven. He reminded himself to check out their surveillance videos at some point. He read through the receipts and saw various food items and a pair of reading glasses. A pair had been found in the other room, so he figured they must be Stewarts. He walked around the room several times and sat on the bed and closed his eyes.
“You okay Warden?”
“I’m fine Timmons…just trying to figure out what happened.” He waved him away. Timmons headed back outside leaving Dever to himself. The best Dever could figure out was Stewart never made it to his room and was jumped before he could do anything. He was held captive in the other room by someone else. The police had gathered reports that at least three gunshots were fired in the vicinity, but there had been no reported injuries or damages. He guessed Stewart must have somehow escaped from the man and avoided being shot and got away. He just couldn’t figure out why. He thought back to the message on the mirror about money being the root of all evil. It didn’t make any sense. They were trying to get fingerprints from the mirror, but he wasn’t sure how great they would be, and even if they could determine whose they were he wasn’t sure what they would mean. How could someone else have found Stewart anyway? He thought. He had looked everywhere and kept getting outsmarted by him every time. At least, the one constellation he had was that Stewart had gotten away again…but from whom he didn’t know, and he needed to figure out very soon. He circled the room several more times then went outside and found Timmons.
Michelle was snuggled on the couch watching a talk show when the news broke in and showed the motel and the name Jackson Stewart on the bottom of the screen. She felt her heartbeat stop upon seeing this, then it started up again when the voice said they believe had escaped unharmed. The cameras showed the outside of the room that he was believed to be staying in and the location of the three gunshots. They had painted tiny yellow circles around each casing. She didn’t believe Jackson was shooting people, but the newsman wasn’t clear on who was doing the shooting or why. There were no reports of anyone being shot so she was feeling a little better by the time the talk show host re-appeared and started talking about depression in young adults. She sent Michelle to school with her security entourage. She hadn’t wanted to do it, but her kindergarten class was having a special party today that she had been looking forward to all year. Michelle was supposed to be one of the chaperones, but she figured it would be better for her to stay away than to field lots of questions about Jackson. The two police officers who escorted her to school were both dressed in normal attire, and the teacher guaranteed that there would be no mention of any of this to Stephanie. Michelle looked at the clock on the wall and saw she still had three hours till she would be home. She had been so excited to sit in the back of the unmarked police car when she had left for school. She still wasn’t quite sure why she needed all the security with her but after seeing the report on the news she was starting to wonder if she really knew the full story. Maybe the Warden was right. A minute later, just as she had expected, the phone rang and the police officer said it was the Warden. She slowly made her way over.
“Hello Mrs. Stewart. I take it you have heard what happened?”
She gripped the phone a little tighter. “I saw the news report.”
“Good. It appears your husband escaped safely. So that’s good news. Do you have any idea why someone else would be after him?”
She looked over at the young officer seated at the kitchen table. He quickly turned away. “No Warden I have no idea. Are you sure it was him?”
“Yes, we have multiple witnesses who saw him in the parking lot and running away. We also have a hotel clerk who remembers checking him in. The police are thinking Jackson had someone held captive, but I believe it was the other way around.”
Michelle took a deep breath. “I agree with that.”
“Do you know anything about money and Jackson? Was he involved in any money schemes or anything?”
“Of course not Warden, remember I told you he was a security consultant not a banker.”
“There was an interesting expression written on the bathroom mirror about money being the root of all evil, that I’m guessing your husband wr
ote.”
“For your information, Jackson was not a money person. He didn’t believe in needing a lot of money to be happy. We had everything when he was here.”
“Thank you Mrs. Stewart. Please let me know if you can think of anybody that might be after your husband.”
“I will.” She hung up, handed the phone back to the officer and ran upstairs to their bedroom.
Chapter 27
Jackson handed the clerk seventy-five dollars for the Tracphone with a web browser. He couldn’t believe they were selling these things at a convenience store. Throw-away phones with internet access. A lot had changed in the last five years since he had been incarcerated. He had tried to keep up by browsing hundreds of websites and news feeds while on the library computers, but to actually see it first hand was really amazing. He quickly left the store and made his way back across the busy parking lot. He had no place to go. There was no way he could head back to the motel, and it was too risky to go near his house; so he decided to wander down the road sticking close to the sidewalk and stores. It was still light out so everything was still open. He saw a McDonalds up ahead; he decided to go in there. Just as he stepped into the parking lot, he heard a loud siren directly behind him. He quickly turned around and saw a police cruiser heading directly for him with his lights brightly flashing. He began to walk faster towards the door, but there was no way he was going to make it. He decided to stop as the police car pulled up alongside of him in front of McDonalds. He could see all the curious faces and workers peering out the enormous glass windows. He quickly turned his attention back to the officer seated in the cruiser next to him. He looked to be in his thirties and appeared to have a large upper-body trained from hours on a weight bench. His hair was very dark and with a two-day stubble on his face and left him looking like a young Sly Stallone. He was waving at Jackson to stop. Jackson began to turn around and run in the other direction until he saw the small barrel of a Sig Saur being pointed directly at him. He squeezed the Tracfone in his hand and closed his eyes. His mind immediately went back to the conduit and Michelle and Stephanie. He kept seeing his daughter standing just a few feet from him in their house. He could almost reach out and touch her. The officer was yelling commands but they weren’t registering, everything was just blurring together. He wasn’t sure what was happening. It was like all of a sudden the world was in manic motion. He couldn’t see or hear the people behind him anymore instead, just a constant buzzing sound. The officer was out of his car and coming towards Jackson, but he wasn’t moving. He just saw the muzzle aimed directly at his heart ready to take everything away from him. He wasn’t quite sure what happened next but somehow the officer was on the ground and Jackson was behind the wheel of the police car pulling out of the McDonalds parking lot. He quickly made a left and drove quickly. He had no idea what he was doing or where he was going. The only thing he knew was he had just committed another crime, and this was a major one. He could see police cars blazing behind him heading towards the McDonalds, so he gunned the engine and made several more sharp turns till he ended up in a small business complex. He drove behind a large warehouse and parked the cruiser against the furthest wall. He slowly stepped out of the car and took several breaths, his first since he took the car. He was trying to remember how it all happened, but nothing was entering his mind, He had the officer’s Sig tucked into his pants. He just hoped he hadn’t pulled the trigger, He remembered seeing the officer lying on the parking lot on his back. He didn’t remember seeing any blood, so that was a good thing; but there may have been blood everywhere for all he knew. It was all still very blurry. He listened to the distant sirens, happy none of them appeared to be heading in his direction. He sat down against the wall in front of the police car. There was no one around. He guessed business hours were over and the employees had gone home. He closed his eyes and tried to remember exactly what happened till he felt the Tracfone in his pocket. He pulled it out and clicked the browser on the tiny screen. It was hard to see, but he somehow managed to access his Gmail account. He felt his heart begin to tremble when he saw the email from Michelle. She had wanted to meet him at the Candlelight last night. Everything suddenly became clear again. He could see and hear. He immediately typed a response and said he could meet her tonight. He wasn’t sure how it would happen, but there was no way he was passing it up. It was close to 6:00 PM now, so he asked her if they could meet at 8:30. He knew Stephanie would be a problem, but he hoped maybe she would come too. He closed his eyes again and imagined sitting down for a nice dinner with his family. He and Michelle would order medium steaks and Stephanie would have macaroni and cheese or chicken fingers. He wasn’t sure what her favorite was and he hated not knowing. It had killed him for the last five years and now he was finally free, but he was hiding behind an old warehouse with a stolen police car and holding the weapon of a police officer that he didn’t know was alive or dead. He tried to sniff the barrel like they do on TV, but he couldn’t tell. He just knew he had to keep moving. They would eventually find the car, especially if it has a GPS tracking device. He was getting so tired. He began walking away from the warehouse towards a small patch of dark woods. A few minutes later, he heard the sound of helicopters above him, so he started to jog. He came out on the other side and was behind a Dunkin Donuts. He quietly entered the store and ordered a donut and had the clerk call a cab. He sat by the window with his fingers crossed hoping the cab showed up before the police. About two minutes later, he sighed as a yellow cab pulled into the parking lot.
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