“So what’s it going to be?”
Jackson closed his eyes and thought about his ankle again. He grimaced. “Give me a minute.”
“A minute it is. That gives me time to get my hand warmed up.”
He couldn’t do it again. “All right fine…I’ll tell you.”
“I knew it. Not as tough as you think you are huh?”
“I guess not.” The man sat down on the edge of the coffee table. “Just please let me treat my ankle and I’ll tell you.”
“No dice. We already played that game in the motel and look what happened.” He touched his face. Jackson could still see the red patches. “I get my money and you can do whatever you want. I could care less. I’ll untie you and you can walk out of here…or at least, you can try.” He looked at Jackson’s ankle. “So the answer is no, I’m not untying you or anything…so don’t get any ideas about any tricks. Tell me where the money is or I’ll work on the other ankle and then when I’m done with you, I’ll start on your family.” Jackson shook his head. “You touch my family; I’ll kill you.”
The man quietly laughed. “Kind of hard to do that when you’re tied up isn’t it. So what’s it going to be? Where’s my money?”
Jackson closed his eyes again. “It’s buried.”
His eyes lit up. “Buried…where?”
“In a box on an abandoned farm near my house.”
“I need more than that.”
“I’ll have to show you. It’s kind of in the woods.” He watched the man stand up and walk to the other side of the room then he returned.
“Any tricks and I promise I’ll kill you and you’re family.” Jackson nodded. “Okay let’s go.” Jackson watched as he left and entered into the closed room again. He returned about five minutes later with the same gun in hand. “I’m going to cut your legs free but leave your arms tied together.” Jackson felt the knife cut through the rope tied between his feet. He couldn’t believe how much his ankle hurt once the rope broke free. He tried to move his foot but the pain was too much. “Let’s go.”
Jackson slowly sat up careful not to move his leg. “I’m trying.”
“We need to go. Sooner I get my money the sooner you can go.”
He finally sat all the way up and placed his feet off the side of the couch. His hands were still tied in front of him. He slowly tried to stand up without putting any pressure on his ankle, but without the use of his hands it was almost impossible. He suddenly felt himself being lifted up by the man. Jackson was standing up, but only on one foot. As soon as he put pressure on the other one the pain was too much and he started to fall over. He couldn’t walk. He couldn’t believe it. How could someone do that to him and why did he let it happen. He looked down at his ankle, it was a nasty crimson color and swollen almost twice the size of his other one. He cringed,
“This isn’t going to work. You’ve got to tell me where to go.” The man pushed him back down on the couch.
Jackson looked over at the clock. Fifteen minutes had passed. It felt like an eternity. “I told you it’s at the abandoned farm and its buried right inside the stable in the first stall in the back right corner.”
“You better not be lying Stewart. Now show me on this map where the farm is.” Jackson pointed at a small piece of property he hoped was still there located two streets over from his house. “I’ll be back and if it’s not there, I’ll finish off the other one.” Jackson slowly lay back down and saw everything turn to black when the man kicked him in his ankle. It felt like a lot longer when he finally came to, but the clock said it was only 4:45 AM. He wasn’t tied down anymore and he knew he couldn’t waste this chance. He gave every effort of his body and tried to stand up and walk but the pain was too much so he quickly sat back down. He saw the phone across the room and knew he had no choice. He painstakingly crawled across the room and dialed three numbers. Ten minutes later, he was being loaded into the back of an ambulance under the name of Braymond Reynolds. Several hours later, and many convincingly explanations to the ER physicians why they shouldn’t call the police, he was leaving the emergency room with crutches and several prescriptions for pain and antibiotics. He signaled the first cab he could find and was on his way.
Chapter 35
Dever knew right away when he saw the image that he had been duped. There was Stewart seated right in the window at the restaurant directly across the street from the Candlelight. He felt like screaming right there in the restaurant, but instead he calmly forced his eyes away from the iPad and took a long hot sip of coffee finishing the rest of the mug. A minute later, the waitress filled it up again. He was seething inside so much so that he had to take several long deep breaths before he could speak again. He looked directly at Agent Mitchell. “So tell me why you didn’t pick him up if you had him in your sights?”
“We tried. Lord knows we did. We had a team waiting for him outside the restaurant, but as soon as they got into positon to grab him some guy came by and took him right out from under him. This guy was amazing. It was like he was…superman or something.”
“Wearing a hoodie and hat right?”
“Yes Warden he was the same guy that came in to The Candlelight and spoke with Mrs. Stewart.”
Dever looked over at Timmons. “So you were watching us too?”
Mitchell shook his head. “No, we had no idea you were even around till we saw you guys come out of the restaurant then everything quickly got out of control. I think Mr. and Mrs. Stewart are playing some kind of little game.” Mitchell took another bite of his eggs and swallowed. “In fact, we even saw them toast each other through the windows.” Dever slammed his foot onto the floor so hard it almost spilled the drinks on the table.
“I still don’t understand why you didn’t grab him in the restaurant if you knew he was there.”
“We wanted to make sure he wasn’t on to us, we had a team right outside and then Agent Reilly and I were right down the road watching everything and that’s when we saw our mystery man grab Stewart.”
“You couldn’t stop him?”
“With all due respect Warden…neither did you. I saw what he did to you two. You both ended up on the floor. Look, he played the crowds right into his hands and got Stewart into the car with him. We tried to follow him but they were too far ahead.”
Dever nodded in agreement. “So you’re saying he was forced into the car?”
“That’s what it looked like to us. I think he may have had a gun on him.”
“This makes no sense at all anymore. I think we need to go see Mrs. Stewart right now.” Dever quickly stood up. “Let’s go Timmons.” Dever threw a twenty on the table and stormed out towards the door. He heard Agent Mitchell tell him they would be by shortly. He waved and headed outside to the car. A minute later, Timmons turned the key and they headed to the Stewarts. They pulled into the driveway and saw two police officers get into the cruiser in the driveway.
Dever jumped out of the car. “Where are you guys going? You can’t leave them alone…not now.”
The tall officer quickly stepped back out of the car recognizing Dever and walked over to the car. “They are officially gone and out of our hands. The Captain said for us to head back.”
“What do you mean gone? Dever looked all around the property. A minute later, Timmons was standing beside him.
“You know…the Marshall came and got them. Told them they had to go with him. I checked his credentials. They were legit. He said they were moving them to a safe house and you and the Captain had approved it.”
“I didn’t okay a damn thing. Timmons get Mitchell on the phone.” Timmons began fumbling though his pockets.
“How long ago did they leave?”
“Not long, maybe fifteen minutes tops.” He looked at Timmons who hung up his phone. “What did he say?”
“They’ll be here in about two minutes. They are right up the road.”
Dever had the officers stand by as he watched the Government vehicle pull in behind his car. Dev
er stormed towards them. He knew he should calm down first but right now he didn’t care. “How could you do this to us? We were just with you. You didn’t have the decency to tell us you were moving his family. Now we’ll never catch him. At least before we knew he would eventually come back here. Now there’s no way of knowing where he’ll go. Damn!”
Mitchell held up his index finger and looked back at Reilly who was still seated in the car talking on the phone. A few seconds later, he exited the vehicle and stood next to Mitchell. “What did you get?”
Reilly looked oddly at Mitchell first who then nodded. “We didn’t pick them up. It wasn’t a Marshall that came by here.” Dever looked directly at the two policemen.
The tall one stepped forward. “It was a Marshall. He had US Marshall Credentials. We even wrote down his name.” They watched him pull out a small notebook. “Stephen Adams.”
“Hold on.” Mitchell pulled out his cell phone and begin dialing. A minute later, he hung up. “We don’t have a Stephen Adams or any name even close to that in the Marshalls…you were scammed.”
Chapter 36
Jackson hobbled out of the cab leaning heavily on his crutches and paid the motel clerk, a young man the money for the night. He was staying in a small motel area a few towns over in Arlington. He hoped he was far enough away to not cause any suspicion because he needed some time to recuperate. He still couldn’t believe he convinced the emergency room that he was Braymond Reynolds, but it worked. They even agreed to send him the bill since he said he left his wallet back home during all the trauma and chaos. He had told the doctors that he was trying to fix a recurring pain in his ankle, and he got carried away with a knife. They didn’t believe him at first, until he told them he had recently returned from combat. Then they were ready to commit him, but he convinced otherwise. He had been surprised it had worked and when he walked out the door, he didn’t look back. He was happy to enter his room. He was on the ground floor facing the back. He was in need of some deep rest. He immediately took two more painkillers and instantly felt the numbness and drowsiness kick in. It was a good feeling. He made it to the bed and threw both legs under the covers and the next thing he knew he was out like he had never slept before. Sometime later, he quickly jumped up hearing scuffling outside the door. He could see the sunlight creeping through the large bay window filling up the room. He started to instinctively move, but quickly gasped when the pain set in on his ankle. A minute later, the door quickly opened and a young woman entered. Jackson caught his breath and waved. He had never felt so defenseless in his life. His ankle was stiff and painful. He watched as the woman quickly turned around and started to head back out the door. He yelled for her to return.
“Please ma’am can you help me for a second.” He pointed at the crutches on the floor next to the bed. She continued to back out and then slowly turned back around and hesitantly entered the room.
“Sir… I can come back another time to clean the room.” She had a fresh sweet face full of friendliness. She was probably around thirty-five.
“I just need a little help getting to my feet, and then I’ll be fine.” She looked at him oddly with trepidation. “Please…then you can clean the room.” She nodded and handed him the crutches as he slowly tried to sit all the way up. “Thanks.” He finally got the sheets up, and he saw the look of horror on her face when she saw the bandage. The blood soaked through during the night making his bandage almost completely red. Luckily, the ER had given him several spare ones that he had placed on a small table across the room.
“Let me help you.” She walked towards the bed and helped him to his feet. Gone were any signs of nervousness. “I used to work in the medical field, so I can help you if you need anything.”
Jackson shook his head sideways. “I’ll be okay. I just need to go change the bandage and take some of these.” He held up the bottle of pills. “If you want to clean the room, I’ll be in here for a while getting cleaned up. I’ll probably be here for a few days.” He started to walk towards the table, but she immediately held him up and handed him the bandages. He tucked them under his arms, smiled and walked into the bathroom closing the door behind him. A few minutes later, he had the bandage off and he could hear a vacuum running in the other part of the room. He cleaned up and placed a new bandage on. It wasn’t perfect, but it did the job. He made his way back out to the room. His ankle didn’t feel too bad with the painkillers pumping through his veins, but it was sore and he had to go slow. He made his way out the door and walked to the office and paid another night. The clerk let him know there was a diner a little ways down the road. Jackson looked at the crutches and then his ankle and decided it was worth it. A minute later, he was walking down the shoulder headed for the diner. The eggs and coffee never tasted so good. He had forgotten how much better the food was on the outside. In prison, he had the same thing every day, soggy pancakes with no syrup. After about a year or so, he just threw them down his throat with a drink of stale water. He savored each bite of the scrambled eggs and took his time. No one seemed to be paying attention to him. In the corner, a TV had the news on it and there was no mention of him making him feel safe. He quickly turned his head seeing the same motel housekeeper enter and place and order to go. She didn’t look in his direction so he didn’t bother her, but he watched her take two cups of coffee and a small bag full of bagels and pastries back outside; probably something she did every day he figured. He couldn’t wait to get back into a daily routine. He hadn’t had a normal day since he left The Conduit. Everything had been exactly the same for five years, and now not only every day was different, but also every minute. He took another bite until he saw a policeman enter the diner and slowly look around. There was no chance of escape. If he spotted him he was caught. He couldn’t outrun anything. Jackson quickly looked down and away from the officer. He couldn’t tell if he was looking at him, but he could feel the weight on his nerves. The sweat begin running down his forehead, but he didn’t dare move his arms to wipe it off. He just remained motionless focused on his food. He wished he had picked up a newspaper on the way in. He slowly nudged himself so he was facing away from the front of the diner. The officer would actually have to walk in front of his table to see him directly. He slowly took another bite and almost choked when he saw movement in front of his table. Someone was sitting next to him. He felt his heart beat out of control until he looked and couldn’t believe the housekeeper was seated next to him. He slowly looked behind her and saw the policeman still standing near the front, but he wasn’t looking his way.
“Hi…what are you doing here?”
“I saw you when I was leaving. I couldn’t believe you walked here. How’s your leg?”
Jackson looked down. “It hurts, but I’ll live.”
“If you don’t mind my asking how did you do that?”
“Biking accident.” He saw the officer turn in his direction again. He quickly turned his head causing the lady to look behind her and see the officer.
“If I didn’t know any better, I think you’re avoiding the policeman.”
Jackson shook his head. “No he was just looking at me funny. I always act that way around cops. My dad was one.” He wasn’t comfortable at how easily he could now string out lies, but it was becoming easier and easier.
“How about I give you a ride back to the motel?”
Jackson looked down at his plate. He only ate about half. “I really appreciate it but I know you have to get back, and I’m going to be a little while longer.”
“It’s no problem. You’re a customer of ours so if I didn’t assist you I wouldn’t be doing my job.”
“I thought you were the housekeeper?” Jackson took another bite. The officer hadn’t moved. He was still standing in the front leaning against the wall next to the door.
“I am, but I’m also the manager and the front clerk depending on what’s going on.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean the place is family owned…my
family so we all do everything. It’s just me and my sister who are left. Our parents started the place but they died a few years ago in a bad accident.”
Jackson nodded. “I’m sorry. It seems like a nice place.”
“It’s not the Ritz, but we try and make it accommodating. We fill it up with mostly soldiers and Government employees coming and going to the Pentagon being we’re right here.” Jackson looked at the officer again and wondered why he wasn’t leaving. “I’m sorry to impose on you like this, I just felt bad you walked all the way over here.
“No…no…I don’t mind at all. In fact I enjoy having company. The last few days have been rough with all this.” He pointed at his bandage.
“That’s why I’m giving you a ride as soon as you’re through.” Jackson took a deep breath when her cell phone rang and she held up a finger and walked towards the front by the officer. He quickly looked down until she blocked his view. He thought about leaving out the back, but just then the lady hung up her phone said something to the officer and he quickly left. She walked back over to him and sat down again.
Sorry about that, that was my sister. She wanted to know where her omelet is…I told her I was helping a customer.” She quietly laughed. “I also told that officer that we had some strange cars near the motel and that he should go check them out. You a little more relaxed now?” Jackson nodded. Five minutes later, he was seated in her Ford Explorer and they were headed for the motel. She dropped him off in front of his door and promised she would be back later to check on his bandage. Something about how she used to be a nurse. Jackson entered his room and called a cab.
Chapter 37
Jackson had the cab pull all the way through the gate and onto the farm. It was just as he had last seen it, abandoned and no unkempt. He laughed to himself thinking of the man digging up and not finding any money. It had worked to allow him to escape, but he knew if he ran into him again he was in trouble. He hopped back in the cab and decided to quickly drive by his house just to feel closer to Stephanie and Michelle. As soon as they pulled onto the top of the street something felt different, he could see his driveway but didn’t see any police cars parked on it. He wondered why. He had the cab slowly drive down the road and by the house. There was nothing, no activity, not a single car or any sign that they were around. He had a weird feeling in his stomach as they pulled out of the neighborhood and headed back towards the motel. Jackson had the cab drop him off at the diner and he made his way back to the motel. He couldn’t believe his ears when he entered his room and turned the TV on. They were saying he had kidnapped his family. He wasn’t sure what was going on. He ignored the throbbing pain in his ankle and kept switching channels till he saw the Warden standing in front of a microphone. He wasn’t giving all the details, but they were saying Jackson had posed as a law enforcement officer and took his family. The Warden was standing next to a US Marshall who was nodding his head in agreement with everything the Warden said. They kept showing his picture as well as Stephanie and Michelle’s claiming they were in grave danger. He listened as the Marshall and a police chief were saying a massive manhunt was underway. Jackson threw the remote against the wall breaking it into hundreds of pieces when he realized who had taken his family. He couldn’t believe he had let that happen. They were in danger and there was nothing he could do about it. It was entirely his fault. He looked down at the bandage on his ankle and screamed. Every minute that went by, he knew they were getting further and further away from him. He jumped at the knock at the door. He quietly slid off the bed and hopped on one foot to the door ready to pounce. He knew he would only have one chance at it. He started breathing again when he saw it was the housekeeping lady again. He slowly opened the door and watched her enter.
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