“Where to?”
“Candlelight.” Jackson smiled for the first time since he had escaped.
Michelle jumped when she heard the email ping on her iPad. She dropped the files she was looking at and clicked on her email. She felt a rush in her heart like you do when you’re teenage crush talks to you for the first time. Jackson had written back. He said he could meet her at the Candlelight tonight. She so wanted to tell him not to come and that he was being setup, but she knew the Warden and his men were monitoring everything she was doing. She hesitantly wrote a reply back that she would see him at 8:30. It was only a few hours from now. She was kneeling in front of a file cabinet that Jackson had used for his business. He kept records of all the work he had done. She remembered how excited he had been when he first started his business. He had been working for a large security company before and then one day he had come home and said he was going out on his own. They had talked about it for hours and met with various tax advisors and attorneys until they both were convinced that he could make a living on his own. He had been at it for about four years until the police showed up that one night. He was making decent money. They were not rich by any means and still struggled but he had contracts lined up for the next few years. Michelle had actually begun working part-time to help with the organizing and administration of his work. She pulled the last few files and concentrated on the one with SITA. It brought it chill down her spine. It was only two pages, but it specified the details of what was expected. She remembered the documents very clearly. He was supposed to see if he could get around the security system and actually enter the building and go all the way to room A-114; which was apparently what he had done. They had a video in the courtroom showing him do just that. It was shown numerous times. They even had an expert testify that the man doing the shooting was Jackson, but it was grainy…though he was dressed the same way and appeared like Jackson. The jury had agreed with the expert. She read the name at the bottom of the file…Braymond Reynolds. She took a long hard look at the picture of him, his bright green eyes and long thin nose staring back at her. It said they had an appointment a few weeks prior to the attack and it specified the time, date and place where they were to meet. It was in a hotel room about five minutes away from the headquarters. She remembered telling Jackson all about it. He had been so excited. This was fairly normal for most of his contracts that involved testing the system. He only had a few like that a year, but she remembered how much he enjoyed those. She had watched him prepare for this one on their living room couch in front of the TV with his laptop. She would often find him asleep several hours later when she came back to check on him. She hoped he was okay and some motivated police officer didn’t shoot him and end his life. She heard the phone ringing before it even did and waited till the officer downstairs called up to her and told her it was the warden. She reluctantly picked up the phone.
“Hello Mrs. Stewart. I see you responded to your husband’s email. Thank you. We will have you there at 8:30.”
“You promised me he won’t be harmed and I can spend some time with him.”
There was a long pause. “That is correct, though we do have a little complication that may make us speed things up. Apparently your husband was involved in a little scuffle with the police earlier today outside a McDonalds.”
Michelle closed her eyes. “What are you talking about?”
“We’re still gathering information, but apparently an officer tracked Stewart down near a McDonalds and was taking him into custody when Jackson lashed out and put him on the ground. He took his weapon and police car.”
“Jackson?”
“Yes ma’am.”
“He’s not a physical guy.”
“Apparently he is ma’am. We seem to be learning a lot of new things about your husband. The officer wasn’t seriously injured but still he still assaulted an officer and stole his gun and car.”
Michelle actually felt herself smile thinking of Jackson riding around in a police car. “Thanks for letting me know.”
“No problem. So we’ll have to work fast tonight so the police don’t find out about our little meeting. You should at least be able to spend time with him in the car. Timmons will be by to pick you up.”
“What about you Warden?”
Another long pause, “I’ll be there early so we can make sure he shows up.”
“I hope you’re not up to anything Warden. I’m a little nervous about this.”
“I understand. I am a man of my word. I just don’t want to get him mixed up with the police or the Marshalls until we have him safely in custody.”
“The Marshalls?” She squeezed the phone tighter.
“Yes, it is common practice for them to track down escaped fugitives, but if all goes well in a few hours he will be safe and sound back where he belongs…for now.”
“I hope so…please be careful.”
“Will do ma’am. Like I told you…you have my word.” Michelle hung the phone up and began to cry. She was so nervous. She hoped this worked. She placed her head in her hands and tried to wipe the tears, but they wouldn’t stop till she heard Stephanie’s little feet outside the door.
“What’s wrong Mommy?” Michelle pulled her in tight into her arms.
“Mommy’s just a little tired.” She tried to wipe all the rest of the tears away.”
“Is this about Daddy?”
“Yes sweetheart. Mommy just misses Daddy.”
“Me too Mommy.” Michelle hugged her tighter.
“Mommy has to go out for a little while tonight, but Ms. Barbara said she would come over till I get back.”
“Okay Mommy. Maybe she’ll bake some cookies again.”
“Maybe she will baby.” Michelle looked up at the clock…it was approaching 7:00 PM only an hour and a half to go.
Chapter 28
Jackson had the cab drop him off a hundred yards shy of the Candlelight. It was located on Sycamore Street, a busy road filled with a many restaurants and small quaint shops. There were no chains here. He had heard there was an ordinance, but he wasn’t sure. It was a popular area for families and couples on dates. There were ice-cream shops and small coffee houses always filled with happy-looking people talking about whatever was the hot water cooler topic of the day. Jackson and Michelle used to come down here all the time before Stephanie was born and just hang out. There were usually plenty of family-oriented street performers always ready to entertain a crowd as well. They had even brought Stephanie a few times in her stroller. Jackson slowly walked towards the restaurant. It was up ahead on the left hand side situated between a small antique store and a wig store. He smiled looking at the wig store thinking of them trying on countless wigs. It was a fun place to go. The entire back wall was one big mirror and the employees encouraged you to have fun with the different wigs. They even had professional photographers on hand. The Candlelight was a small restaurant famous for its combination of seafood and steak, and of course the candle lights that dimly lit up each table. Each one was a handcrafted by the owner and no two were the same. They were all magnificent pieces carved from many different types of wood and the most amazing part was they were all replaced every year, all thirty-five of them. At the end of the year, right before Christmas they would hold an auction where you could try and buy one of the gems. Sometimes the prices would go as high as five thousand dollars. Jackson and Michelle had come to watch on several occasions, but they had never been able to afford one. Jackson approached the restaurant and looked all around. He didn’t see Michelle, but it was still early. He still had over an hour until she arrived. There was a fairly heavy crowd about on Sycamore tonight. He was glad that hadn’t changed. No one paid any attention to him. He was wearing a dark blue baseball cap pulled down fairly low, but not too low so as not to draw any attention. He knew his picture had been posted on the news and newspapers and figured most people in this crowd were news watchers so he had to be careful. He found a bench secluded off a dark walking p
ath. He remained in place for about thirty minutes before making his way in. He asked for a specific window seat and the hostess complied as soon as it came open. He smiled and thanked her. He ordered a Diet Coke and kept his eyes trained outside the window. He could feel the tension building in his body as the time approached. It was only about fifteen minutes until they were scheduled to meet. He didn’t see any unusual activity, but he figured they were out there. He thought there would be undercover police officers scattered all about, but so far he had seen no one suspicious. He swiped a slab of butter onto a warm piece of bread and smiled thinking of Michelle sitting across from him. He could almost feel her in his mind, still no activity outside; just normal people enjoying the evening. He kept his eyes focused on the window while the waitress came by and brought him a second Diet Coke. He was really nervous. He could feel the tension throughout his body being rejuvenated by the splurge of caffeine attacking his nervous system. He quickly glanced all around the restaurant. It wasn’t very crowded. It was mostly filled with couples. No one was paying any special attention to him, so he continued his vigilance on the window.
Dever was standing in the kitchen peering through a small slat on the busy door. He had his body hidden to the side so when the door was opened he couldn’t be seen. He had been here for about an hour now and informed all the wait staff to just ignore him. So far they had been compliant. He couldn’t see the whole restaurant but he could see the table where Michelle would be seated. He had already informed the hostess that she would be seated here. He knew Jackson would show up soon thereafter. He expected him to be here early and he had scoped the area out several times and hadn’t seen him or anyone suspicious. The plan was to let Michelle sit down and order and then as soon as Jackson showed, Timmons would approach from the front and he would come from the back. They had made sure the tables between Dever and the target table would be empty. Dever didn’t expect any confrontation, but he wasn’t sure if Jackson still had the officer’s gun. The police had said they found it in the cruiser behind a warehouse, but Dever didn’t know if they were telling him the whole story. He knew there was an element of embarrassment involved so he might not get the whole picture. Dever leaned against the wall. He could feel the excitement building in his bones. He loved it. He was an adrenaline junkie by heart. Always had been and probably always will. He felt his gun on his side just to make sure it was still there; even though it always was. He had already cleaned it several times this morning. He was adamant about a clean weapon. That was the one thing he had always instilled in his troops and it paid off in combat because he never had a weapon jam when needed. He watched a tall young waiter scoot by him holding a tray full of burgers. It smelled so good, but he ignored it. There would be plenty of time for that later. He and his wife would go out to a nice steak dinner tomorrow to celebrate. He wondered what the Marshalls were doing. They were probably still in North Carolina trying to track his prisoner. There was no way he was going to let them show him up. He couldn’t wait to pull up to the prison and show off his capture. He imagined all the press, the Governor and everyone having so many questions. He would answer every one of them no matter how long it took. He actually jumped when his phone rang. It was Timmons. He said he was five minutes out. Dever squeezed his weapon a little tighter.
Michelle was driving her Ford slowly and Timmons was seated in the back. She could see his face in the mirror; it was a mask of uncertainty. She felt the same way. She wasn’t sure what to expect. She hoped things would work out the way she wanted them to but she wasn’t sure. She wiped a tear from her eye and kept focused on the busy street. She had left Stephanie with Joan and knew she would be okay. They were getting ready to bake cookies when she had left. Stephanie had promised to make two cookies for her. She had even said she would make two for daddy. Michelle felt another tear stream down her face as they turned onto Sycamore and Timmons quickly ducked down out of view from outside the car. She could see all the shops and restaurants. It had been five years since she had last come here. She just couldn’t come back without Jackson. She had thought about bringing Stephanie a few times but she just couldn’t do it. She could see the Candlelight up ahead and felt her stomach lurch as she stopped the car in the parking lot next to the restaurant. She slowly got out and looked all around her. She could see all the relaxed and smiling faces walking past her. She wished one of them was hers. She felt her jaw clenching her teeth together as her legs guided her towards the restaurant. She could see the soft bouncing lights through the window from the candles. She couldn’t see Jackson yet but she was feeling him in every bone of her body. She just knew he was nearby. She felt like yelling for him to run, but Timmons was located behind her somewhere, she was sure of that. It felt so foreign on her. She stopped at the door and looked all around. The hostess seemed to understand that she needed a moment. She looked all around at all the other shops and restaurants nearby. She focused on a couple standing in front of a restaurant across the way. They looked so happy and in love. She closed her eyes and imagined it was her and Jackson. A minute later, she opened them and concentrated on the window across from her. She could see the soft lights from the Candlelight reflecting on it. It was so soothing. A second later, she was seated at a table with no one else around. She was sure that was planned. Jackson wasn’t here yet which had her both nervous and at ease at the same time. She looked around and didn’t see the Warden or Timmons anywhere, but she knew they were close by probably monitoring her every move. A minute later, a young pretty waitress who appeared slightly nervous took her order for a glass of white wine.
Chapter 29
Dever kept looking at his watch and wondering where Stewart was. He was certain he would show up. He had no doubt in his mind that Stewart’s whole escape plan was all about reuniting with his family. The way he figured it; Stewart was planning on escaping and then getting away for a while and once things calmed down planning on coming to see his family, but all that had changed after the airport. He wasn’t sure where everything was going to end up now, but he was sure Stewart would somehow come and see his wife. He had checked all the emails and phone calls and there was no secret message or secret phone call he to tip him off as far as he could tell. There was also no way he could have seen him sneak in here a few hours ago. He had entered through the back kitchen door dressed in the same attire that the cooks were wearing. He took a long look behind him at each one of the busy workers. None of them were paying him any attention. He wondered what the owner had told them. He could see Timmons by the door and wondered if Jackson was out front somewhere and could somehow see them, but he knew there was no way he could see though walls. He felt himself relax a little as he watched an elderly couple make their way into the restaurant and sit down at least ten tables away from Michelle. She looked so innocent and helpless sitting there. He felt like walking over to her and offering her his comfort. He could see the disappointment on her face probably wondering where her husband was. He was really surprised at how easily she had gone along with the plan. He didn’t think he would be able to do it with his loved ones, but everyone was different and as he had explained to her Stewart’s safety was in jeopardy. He knew the police were licking their chops to get their hands on him, especially after the McDonalds incident. They still believed it was Jackson holding someone hostage and firing the shots earlier, though he knew differently. He kept his thoughts to himself. The less they know the better. He knew Jackson would eventually be caught; they always were and after the assault on the police officer every law enforcement eye would be on the lookout for him. He just hoped he got there first. He raised his radio to his ear and listened to Timmons relay that Stewart didn’t seem to be anywhere around. Dever responded back to be patient. It was going on 9:00PM, but he was sure Stewart was just being cautious and checking every possible outcome. The guy was smart, almost too smart. It made him wonder how long he was actually planning this escape, probably for years. The walking right out of the Conduit was genius.
He walked right by one of the sharpest men in the whole unit. He still couldn’t believe it. He took another long look around the restaurant and froze seeing a man slowly walk in by himself. He was wearing a dark pull-over hooded sweatshirt and a cap pulled down low over his face. It looked like he was wearing glasses as well. Dever slowly leaned back into the kitchen where he could see Timmons better. Timmons was seated with his side to Michelle in the far corner. Dever could see him watching out of the corner of his eye. A minute later, the hostess walked the man over to Michelle’s table. He couldn’t see her face, but he watched the man sit down and speak to the waitress who quickly scurried off looking towards Timmons. Dever worked on his breathing to keep himself under control. He leaned against the door and waited just as he had promised.
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