Jackson breathed in deeply as he heard the footsteps below him. He knew it was only a matter of seconds till they would be on the second floor. He looked down at his bandaged leg and grunted with all his might lifting his leg up and over the window sill. It was at least three feet above the floor. It was a small one pane window barely large enough for someone to go through. For some reason, there was a window in the dressing room that led to the roof. Jackson and Michelle had never known the reason for it, but they always joked it would be a good way to escape and now Jackson was putting it to test. If only Michelle was here to see it. He listened closely as he thought he heard the Warden’s voice, but he wasn’t sure and didn’t have time to wait. He pushed as hard as he could and was seated on the windowsill with both legs hanging over towards the roof. It was at least a five-foot drop down. He hesitated till he heard the footsteps on the stairs behind him. They were getting too close. He had no choice. He closed his eyes, looked back and pushed himself off the ledge and fell towards the roof. It felt like he was suspended in midair for what seemed like minutes, but in reality was less than a second. Then he landed hard on the shingles with his legs taking the brunt of the impact. He felt his bad leg buckle as he tried to get his balance and not fall off. The pain was excruciating, but he didn’t dare look down at his leg. He didn’t want to see the damage. He ignored the pain and quickly sat down and began sliding down the slanted roof towards the edge. It was a two-story house except that the roof angled down to the first story in the back. A few seconds later, he arrived at the edge and slung his legs over the gutter. He sat for a second catching his breath, despite running out of time. He finally swung around so his legs dropped down and he was holding the edge of the roof with his hands. He reluctantly dropped down onto the ground feeling the ground meet his feet. He immediately felt more pain, but he couldn’t stop now. He was standing behind the house on one leg in the backyard near where he had broken the glass a few minutes earlier. He quickly dove into a row of bushes separating his yard from the next-door neighbors when he heard a voice above him. It was definitely the Warden’s. He lay still not daring to even breathe for about two minutes, and then he began to crawl. He crawled as quickly as he could through the bushes coming out on the other side in the neighbor’s yard. He was sliding and crawling across the grass like an injured animal. He could only imagine what he looked like. He hoped no one could see him. He could see the white Ford up ahead. It was no more than a hundred yards away. He had to make it. It was all he could see. It was paydirt. He felt like an injured football player reaching out for a touchdown to win the Super bowl. It was do or die. He continued to crawl until he reached the pavement. His legs and arms felt all bruised and cut up, but he didn’t stop until he reached the Ford. He slowly rose up to his feet, feeling his leg and ankle scream out to him. He didn’t have much left. He somehow pulled open the driver’s door, jumped inside and started the engine up. It felt good to be in the comfort of the car. He didn’t look behind him. He just placed it in drive and pulled out onto the road and headed out of the neighborhood as quickly as possible. He tapped his shirt and felt the folder. Now if only he could get away.
Chapter 46
Dever reached the top of the stairs and followed the police officers into the master bedroom. They checked under the bed and in the bathroom, but came up empty. Dever reached for the small door leading to the dressing room and immediately upon seeing the open window knew what had happened. The officers went on to the rest of the rooms leaving him alone with Timmons. Dever pointed at the open window sticking his head out and seeing the slanted roof below leading to the backyard.
“I think he got out the window here.”
Timmons leaned in and looked out. “Are you sure it was Stewart?”
“No, but who else would break in here. We need to find out what he was doing in here?” They both turned their heads when the two police officers entered the room. Dever showed them the open window and they both ran down the stairs. Dever knew whoever had been in the house was long gone now so he stayed where he was. “Let’s start in here and then work our way through each room. I want to know what he was looking for.”
“We have no warrant Sir.”
“I’m aware of that Timmons, but we also have an escaped convicted murderer who has kidnapped his family.”
“Do you think he will harm them?”
Dever stared at Timmons for a few seconds before answering. “Does it matter what I think? We need to bring him back Timmons. Look at what is happening around us.”
“I’m sorry about Harris Sir.”
Dever shook his head. “I’m sorry too. I know you two were close. I intend to have us both back for his service.” Timmons nodded and began moving shirts and pants folded neatly on a shelf in the dressing room. “There is something going on here that we are missing Timmons.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s more complicated than Stewart just escaping with his family. There is something we aren’t getting.”
“I don’t understand Sir.”
“It’s just a hunch Timmons, especially with that whole thing at the Candleight, and the other guy rushing us and the trick Stewart and his wife played on us eating dinner like that.” Dever slammed his fist against the wall. “I can’t put my finger on it.”
“We’ll get them Sir.”
“I hope you’re right Timmons…I hope you’re right.”
The two officers slowly walked into the bedroom shaking their heads. “No sign of anyone Warden.”
“Thank you guys. We got it from here.” The two officers looked at each other and then headed back downstairs. Dever heard the door open and close, and a minute later, the cruisers pull out of the driveway. He continued looking through the bedroom until he heard Timmons yelling for him.
“Warden. I may have something.”
Dever quickly closed the dresser drawer and headed to where Timmons was. He was kneeling in front of a small three-drawer filing cabinet in a small office. “What have you got?”
Timmons held up a large hanging folder with the name SITA on it. “The drawer was open and whoever was in here looked like they were looking at this folder. The contents are gone. Dever grabbed the folder while Timmons continued to look through the rest of the contents.
“We need to go back to SITA…now Timmons.” Timmons shut the bottom drawer and followed the Warden down the steps and out the door. They looked around the house and Dever saw the recent indentations in the bushes but didn’t say anything. He walked back to the car still holding the empty folder and waited for Timmons. He knew the answer was in there somewhere. They just had to find out where.
Chapter 47
Jackson pulled the Ford into a spot in the back of the parking lot. He looked at himself in the rearview mirror and couldn’t believe what a mess he was. His face was scratched and dirty from crawling. His leg ached and his bandaged looked torn and full of dirt and leaves. He looked like a mess. He limped across the parking lot and slowly opened the office door not sure what to expect. He was surprised when Jessie popped out from behind the counter. He couldn’t believe the shock on her face when she opened the door and came running around. She stopped in front of him and looked at him up and down.
“Charles…Charles what happened? You look awful.”
“I know. I had a little accident.”
“A little?” He watched her look beyond him and out the window at the car.
“Not that kind of accident. I decided to go on a little hike and I fell down.”
“You went on a hike with your ankle like that. Are you crazy? Hold on one second.” She ran back in the door and behind the counter. She picked up a radio and called into it. He heard a male voice answer and a minute later, Ben came in through the front door. He looked at Jackson up and down and then went behind the counter.
“You okay dude?”
“Just fell.”
“Can you watch the desk for a while? I’ve got to get him cleaned
up. Thanks Ben.” Ben nodded and sat down in the chair and began to move the mouse around in front of the computer screen. Jessie placed her arm on Jackson, and they slowly walked towards his room. He couldn’t believe how bad his ankle was hurting. “Does it hurt?” Jackson nodded.
A minute later, they were in his room, and she had the bandage off and was rubbing ointment on the wound. She handed him a painkiller and one of the antibiotics that he immediately swallowed. “How did you fall?”
“I wasn’t paying attention.”
“Why don’t you go get cleaned up, then we’ll get some food in you. Jackson nodded, and headed straight for the shower. He placed the file that was tucked under his shirt on the counter next to the sink and peeled off the rest of his clothes. A minute later, he smiled feeling the hot water beat down on his skin. After he dried off and put on fresh clothes, he exited the bathroom and walked back into the room. Jessie was gone. He saw the scribbled note on the pillow that she had gone to Manny’s and would be right back with some food. Jackson smiled, picked up the note and crumpled it up and threw it into the trash can. He felt much better. His leg didn’t hurt as much, it was just a little stiff, but he could handle that. He sat down on the edge of the bed and began reading the file. He couldn’t believe how much detail was in it. He never read the files. He left all that to Michelle. She was so meticulous. He skimmed through the pages quickly and arrived at the last page and stared at the picture of Braymond. His smiling face was staring back almost daring him to come find him. Jackson thought back to his ankle and then his family. He read through the file again and powered on the laptop and confirmed everything on SITA’s confidential servers. He had everything he needed. He was ready. He had a plan. He closed the lid when he heard the soft knocks on the door. It was Jessie with two of Manny’s best burgers. He helped her open the bag and they pulled together two chairs and laid out the meal.
“I promise it’s on me next time.” Jackson placed his foot up. Jessie immediately looked at the bandage.
“Not bad Charles…not bad.” She smiled. “I see you’re a quick learner.
Jackson smiled back. He had put the bandage on himself after the shower. “Thanks to watching you do it so well.”
“I’ve already heard Ben saying how much better the Wi-Fi is…I can’t thank you enough.”
Jackson took a bite from the burger. “It was nothing. Just needed a few tweaks. Thanks for letting me use the laptop.”
“Anytime. You can use it as long as you need as well as the car. As long as you promise not to go one any more of those hikes.” She started to laugh.
“Thanks. I promise won’t but I’ve got to take a hike up to Manny and thank him. These are so good.” He took another large bite.
“Another perk of working right down the road.” She looked down at her watch. “The high school kids are checking out in about an hour. Ben said they were coming and going all night last night.”
“I still don’t hear anything.”
“I see. Maybe tonight will be different when we host a fraternity reunion two doors down from you.” She smiled.
“Really?”
“Yep. They come every year and stay for three nights. I think they went to George Washington University. So get ready. I’m sorry they can get pretty loud.”
“No problem I remember those days.”
“You were a fraternity boy?”
“Alpha Sigma Phi?”
Jackson watched as she stood up and started to dance and cheer, “Theta Pi” the one and only.
“Where did you go to school?”
She took a long sip and looked towards the window. “I’m a Baltimore girl, John’s Hopkins.”
“Wow!”
“How about you? Let me guess Colorado because you’re a big time hiker.” Jackson smiled. “Nope, I’m a Nittany Lion.”
“You went to Penn State…really? I had a few friends who went there. They loved it.” Jackson closed his eyes and remembered meeting Michelle his junior year at Penn State. They were in the same management class. He was majoring in IT and she was a business major. As soon as he had walked into the classroom, he knew she was the one. He had sat down next to her and they were inseparable ever since. They eventually moved in together during their senior year and then got married. “Charles…Charles…you okay?”
“Sorry, I was just thinking about Penn State.”
“A lot of good times huh. Remembering all those frat parties?”
Jackson shook his head. “Oh yeah…lot of good times.” Jackson finished his burger and ate some fries. Jessie stayed for another hour till she heard the busses starting up and she ran to the office. Jackson powered on the laptop again and logged into the SITA servers and began the exact same process he did five years ago using the data in the file. A few hours later, he was ready.
Chapter 48
He set the alarm for 12:00 AM and jumped when it went off, something he had always done ever since he started waking up to an alarm back in high school. He quickly rose up and got dressed in his darkest clothes, a navy blue sweatshirt and a pair of jeans. A few minutes later, he walked into the motel office and smiled seeing Ben seated behind the desk playing with the computer. He fondly remembered those days back when he was in school. He could never get away from it. Michelle used to have to beg him to step away from the computer. He spoke with Ben for a few minutes about the latest network infrastructure and told him he was going out for a quick bite. Ben gave him the keys, and he started up the Ford. It began. He made the slow ride back towards the highway flooding his mind with many of the same memories he had five years ago. It felt good. It was something he had to do, though this time he was doing it because he had to. About twenty minutes later, he was parked in the back of the SITA parking lot out of range of any perimeter cameras. He had checked all those before. He hadn’t always been this thorough, but after college he had been applying to various jobs when one day a well-dressed man showed up knocking on his door. He spoke so eloquently about a special assignment the Government was hiring for, and they needed his expertise. He had been skeptical at first but after the man pulled out his laptop and showed him all the special software and equipment Jackson was hooked. That’s how he ended up working for the United States Army for four years in their classified intel department. It was as if it had unofficially never happened. He would drive to a bland office building every morning and then be taken to a special high-security building out in the Great Falls area of Northern Virginia where he was trained on how to penetrate any computer system or secure facility. By the time he was done with training, there was nothing he couldn’t get into. It was if he were a magician. He stayed with the Army another three years finishing out his obligation then he returned to civilian life and eventually started his own business. Now he was back where it all had ended, his last assignment. He felt the same goose bumps he had felt before as he stepped out of the car and worked his way toward the building zigzagging his way through the parking lot to avoid the cameras. He memorized them last night. This was something he had to regularly do while serving his Country. It was his jobs to not only test the secureness of Army facilities, but to also access ones they needed to see. He worked his way up to the side of the building and crouched down in the row of hedges alongside the entranceway. He would have to time it just right with the cameras and guard patrol. He counted down from ten and jumped up when he reached zero. He quickly typed in the six-digit code on the door and stepped inside. He was back. He slowly leaned against the wall and made his way down the same dark hallway he did last time. He knew there would be a security officer around the corner, so he carefully stopped and tried to control his breathing. It was something the Army had trained him on incessantly. A calm mind is a clear mind they had told him over and over. He had to get past the guard to make it upstairs to the safe area. There would be another guard stationed outside the safe, but he would deal with him when he got there. He slowly peaked out his left eye around the corner and saw the crisp whi
te shirt of the officer no more than ten feet away. They were still wearing the same uniforms they had been five years ago. The officer was seated back against the wall, forcing anyone who goes down the hallway to where the stairs leading to the second floor are located. Jackson could see the man’s profile. He looked around thirty and in shape. He planned on using the same method he had used last time, but things were a little different now. He was playing for the real thing not just a test the security job. He reached into his back pocket and waited till the guard looked away towards the bank of monitors forcing him to leave the back of his head towards Jackson. Jackson took note of this and made his move. He couldn’t move as quickly as he had before, but he ignored the pain and sprang into action. He was beside the guard before he even knew what had happened. He immediately placed a hand over the surprised guard’s eyes then quickly removed it shining the bright light from the flashlight he found in the Ford’s glove box. He took advantage of the man’s temporary blindness and quickly tied his hands together and carefully placed the man down behind the desk on the floor, just as he had done five years ago. He was feeling déjà vu, but he continued on with his plan. A few minutes later, after taking a long route up the stairs to stay out of the camera’s eye, he saw the second guard stationed outside the vault. This is the same one who had been shot and killed last time. Jackson felt suddenly out of breath seeing the innocent man there just doing his job. He closed his eyes and counted to ten again. He made sure his shirt was tucked in and then slowly walked around the corner and waited till the guard turned his head and stared at him. He was older than the other one. He had soft brown hair and a receding hairline. He wondered if he even knew what had happened in the exact same spot and scenario five years ago. He assumed he did, so he proceeded carefully and slowly. As he got closer, the guard appeared to scrutinize him closely. Jackson took another deep breath. He could read the man’s nametag. His last name was Williams. He remembered the guy who had been killed five years ago. He was named Hibner. He thought about him every night in prison. One minute he had been alive and well, and the next he was dead laying in a pool of blood. Jackson forced himself to concentrate on Williams. He kept his eyes focused on the man’s beady brown eyes and his gun hand just to be sure. He couldn’t believe he was back here. He knew he was on camera now just as he had been five years before. He could still see the video from the courtroom playing in his mind, just as if he had seen it ten minutes ago. He carefully looked all around; nothing had changed. Everything was if it was just the same. It felt like time had stopped. Jackson slowly extended his hand towards the officer who smiled and did same. Jackson knew he had done it again. He had succeeded. The man looked him up and down. Jackson was wearing the first guard’s uniform. It was a little loose on him, but it worked and Williams seem to be buying it.
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