Jessie reached out with her other hand and held his shoulder. “Oh, I’m so sorry. How did you get here?”
“I took a cab.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m the one that is sorry. It happened while I was driving it. I’ll have it taken to a garage and get it repaired. I promise.”
“It’s okay. That car was left here by a guest a few years ago and he never came back for it. We found the keys in his room.”
“You are the nicest person ever.”
“Customer service Charles…customer service. Now eat that burger. I insist. You didn’t walk from Manny’s now did you?” Jackson nodded. “How’s that leg?”
“It’s actually doing much better thanks to you.”
“Not for much longer if you keep walking on it like that. No more hikes I take it right?”
“No more.”
“Please come around and join me back here. I know it’s not the nicest, but one day we’ll get there. I promise.” Jackson slowly walked around the corner and sat down in the chair next to her in the cramped space. Their legs touched but neither of them bothered to move them throughout the whole meal. They both looked up when the front door opened and a guest walked in. Jackson quickly stood up leaving Jessie to the guest. He whispered he was just going to his room for a little bit and he would be right back. Jessie nodded and they clasped hands neither wanting to let go. Jackson smiled and finally let go and forced his mind on Michelle. It was time to get her and Stephanie back. He slowly walked to his room thinking about his plan. Behind him, two police cars pulled into the parking lot after tracing the white Ford.
Dever and Timmons pulled into the police station parking lot and parked in a visitor spot. Dever entered the facility and demanded a young sergeant at the front desk to let the Assistant Chief know he was here to see him. A minute later, the chief came out of a side door and waved Dever to follow him. They walked down a long hallway decorated with police officers performing various duties from directing traffic to performing boat patrols. Dever ignored them all. He sat down in one of the leather chairs in the Chief’s vast mahogany office and waited for his complete attention and then he leaned forward.
“Chief, thanks for seeing me again.”
“Are you here to tell me how my officers lost your man Stewart again?”
Dever watched the cars fly past the window behind the chief. “No, I think Stewart can get past anyone. The guys like a damn ghost. What I need is to get a look at a piece of the evidence that was recovered today.”
“You’re talking about at the Reynold’s house where the body of Mr. Reynolds was recovered that Stewart murdered?”
“Yes, but I wouldn’t be so sure Stewart murdered him.”
“So now you’re defending him.” He clicked on his computer next to him. It looks like we have his bloody fingerprints at the scene. I think that’s a pretty solid clue.”
“That’s the piece of evidence I need to look at. The captain at the house wouldn’t let me see it.”
“It’s an active investigation. Maybe you’re not familiar with police procedure, but this is a murder investigation Warden and we need to process every piece of evidence.”
Dever felt his heart pumping faster. He took a deep breath. “I understand, but there is a good chance that piece of paper may hold the clue where he is headed next.”
“I don’t understand Warden. I thought Stewart took his family hostage and was holed up somewhere or long gone in Mexico.”
“I’m not sure Stewart has his family.”
The Chief shook his head. “What? You are really confusing me. If you want to see the evidence, come back here in a couple of hours, and I’ll see what I can do. Maybe seeing it will make you realize this guy is a murderer.” Dever quickly stood up. “Whoa. Hold on.” The chief was looking at his computer screen. “It looks like they have traced the car that he fled the scene in to a motel in Arlington.” The chief pulled out a sheet of paper and copied the address and handed it to Dever. “Maybe you’ll get lucky after all.” Dever nodded and ran out the door and back down the hallway into the waiting car.
Chapter 53
Jessie couldn’t hold back the tears any more as the two officers ran from her office towards Jackson’s room. They quietly knocked on the two rooms next door and evacuated the guests then led them into the parking lot for safety reasons. They counted to three and unlocked the door with the key provided by Jessie. The first officer entered the room going right, while the second one went left. Their fingers were on the triggers ready to fire at the first movement. They were dealing with a murderer. As soon as they entered, they knew something was off. The room was empty except for the gaping hole through the large window in the back. There was a wooden chair lying on the floor next to it. Both officers quickly ran outside and around the back, while more sirens were wailing closer. Jackson was crouched behind a row of bushes separating the parking lot from the office building next door. He knew it was just a matter of time until the place was flooded with officers, so he had to make his move. He couldn’t believe it when he heard Ben’s voice outside his door telling him the police were in the office looking for him. At first, he didn’t believe it but when looked out the window and saw the two cruisers he knew he had to act quickly. The back window was the quickest. He nicked his arm up a little bit, but it was already starting to slow down. He peered around the bush and could see one of the officers coming from the left side of the building, so he knew the other one would be coming from the other side. He had seen too many crime shows. He was right, a few seconds later the other one appeared. He was much closer than the other. They both were holding their guns aimed forward and appeared ready to shoot. He had to execute his plan. He wondered how Jessie reacted to finding out who he was and why did Ben warn him? He had so many questions, but no time to answer them because the officer was almost right on top of him and there was no way he was going to miss seeing him. He waited till the officer started checking parked cars and he took off running towards the office building parking lot. As soon as he entered the lot and rounded a corner, he saw Ben waving to him in an older model pickup truck. Jackson ran towards him and he and Ben slowly pulled out of the parking lot. Jackson looked back and there was no sign of the officer. He wondered if they even saw him. He could still hear the sirens and thought he saw the Warden’s Crown Vic drive by, but he wasn’t so sure. He looked over at Ben who was driving calmly away from the motel.
“Thanks Ben. I owe you. First, you warned me and then you said to meet you in the parking lot. I wasn’t sure you would show.”
Ben kept his eyes focused on the busy road ahead. “Hey I wasn’t always this guy. I used to get in trouble a lot. Plus, I knew who you were the first night. I’ve been following your story real close. I figure a guy like you could teach me a lot.”
“I’m not sure you want to know what I know. It hasn’t worked out so great.”
Ben shook his head. “I’ve been reading up on you. You have done some really cool stuff and you documented everything.”
“For the most part, except for my last assignment. Hey does Jessie know?”
“No, and even if she did, she wouldn’t care. She really digs you. She was crying when she had to give those cops the key to your room. They didn’t even see me. I was in the back. I knew they would be coming sooner or later. That’s why I been working so much lately.”
“Like I said I owe you, all of you.”
“Just teach me what you know and we’re even.”
“You got it. I just have one more thing to do first.”
Ben looked at him oddly. “I need to get my family back.”
“You know they are saying on the news you kidnapped them. I knew they were lying because I saw you every day without them.”
“They were. I don’t have them but I think I know where they are.”
Jackson shook his head. “Ben you’ve done way too much already. You could already go to jail for what you did.”
<
br /> “Just tell me where to go. We’re going to get your family. Then you can teach me.” Jackson reluctantly pulled out the address from his pocket and began telling Ben where to turn.
Dever and Timmons pulled into the parking lot of the motel. It was you typical motel with a long row of one story rooms, but it had a little more upscale appeal than Dever was used to seeing. He stepped into the office and saw a pretty woman with dark hair seated behind the counter. She looked distressed and had obviously been crying. He knew he had to proceed with caution. He could see the flashing lights from the police cruisers in the parking lot reflecting in the large mirror above the counter.
He slowly reached his hand over the counter. “Hi, I’m Warden Dever and I’m looking for Jackson Stewart. I understand he was staying here.”
He watched her face tighten up as she tried to speak. Dever knew there was something more going on. He looked all around. He noticed the TV on behind her tuned to the news. They were showing Stewart’s picture and the white Ford. He pointed at the screen. “That your car?” She nodded. “I’m sorry ma’am we’ll get it back for you after the police are done. I’m sorry about all this. I know you had no idea. What room was he in?” He had to lean in as she spoke. She was barely whispering. “Did you have any contact with him?”
She wiped a tear from her face and nodded. “Yes, I let him borrow the car…and a laptop. I had no idea that’s who he was.” She wiped more tears from her face.
Dever gently placed his hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay ma’am he is a very convincing guy. Actually, the smartest guy I have ever encountered, and let me tell you ma’am I have run into a lot of smart people.” He let go of her shoulder and took a step back near the far wall. “Anything else you want to tell me?” He knew there was more. He just wasn’t sure if she was going to say anything else until she was ready. She shook her head no. He thanked her and headed in the direction of the room. As soon as he entered, he saw the painkillers, antibiotics and the red soaked bandages in the bathroom trash can. He immediately left the room and went back to the office. He saw the woman look up removing her hands from her face.
“What can you tell me about his injury?”
She looked down at the counter. “His leg was badly cut up. It looked like someone carved him like a piece of meat and I used to be a nurse, so I’ve seen it all, but nothing like this.”
“On his leg?” Dever closed his eyes.
“Right above his ankle.” She pointed at her feet. “He went to the ER for it.”
“I saw the pills. Braymond Reynold’s name was on the bottle.”
“He said that was his real name but he goes by Charles.” Dever felt his head begin to swirl as he tried to process everything. He stepped back into Jackson’s room and sat on the bed taking everything in. There were hardly any personal effects besides the pills and bandages. Dever watched the technician scoop up the laptop and place it in a bag. He knew he needed to get the report on that. He made a mental note to talk to the Assistant Chief about that when he went back this afternoon. He couldn’t believe Stewart had been holed up here all this time. How did someone not recognize him? He knew the lady had more information than she let on. He wondered if there was anyone else here who knew about him. He slammed his foot watching the technician bag up the pill bottles. How was Braymond Reynolds involved in this whole thing? He must be helping out Stewart, but how? Dever got up and left the room. He walked by the office again but the woman was still in tears, so he found Timmons and directed him to their next destination.
Chapter 54
Jackson led Ben down a small suburban road leading to another typical Fairfax County residential neighborhood. Most of the homes looked similar only distinguishable by different colors and landscaping. Jackson had Ben park a few houses up from the destination. He could see the house with the address. It was a dark-blue small colonial. There were no cars in the driveway, and it appeared to have no activity. Jackson knew he had to go inside. He just hoped he wouldn’t find another body. He told Ben he would be back shortly. He was going to go check things out. Ben tried to come with him, but Jackson convinced him he was more important staying with the car and letting him know if anyone was coming. Jackson casually walked down the side of the street. It was mid-day so most of the people were most likely off at work, leaving the occasional stay-at-home mom tending to her children, but Jackson didn’t see anyone so he continued on. He looked behind him and could see Ben leaning over the wheel watching him in the rearview mirror. He liked the young man and owed him more than he could ever know, but he didn’t want to get him more involved than he needed to. Jackson stopped when he arrived at the next door home. It was almost an identical house, just colored a dark greenish color with black shingles outlining the windows. Jackson scanned the house quickly and didn’t see anyone or anything suspicious near the windows so he continued on. He was less than fifty yards from the house. He could feel something in his gut telling him this was the place. He paused at the bottom of the driveway and circled around the side of the yard and made his way through the well-manicured lawn towards the house and out of view from the street. He noticed the perfectly-placed flowers and bushes along the side of the house making it difficult to get near the windows. He carefully stepped over a row of low hedges so he could peer into the windows. There were lights on inside and he thought he could hear the sounds of a TV. He felt his pulse quicken. He knew he needed to remain calm, so he took a few deep breaths through his nose and then looked in again. There was recent activity. He was looking into the kitchen. He could see dishes in the sink and a pizza box on the counter. He continued on and made his way towards the back. When he reached the corner he saw the patio equipped with a brand new stainless steel grill and upscale outdoor furniture. Whoever was living here wasn’t holding back on decorating. Above the patio was a walk-out sliding glass door. He tried to peer in but couldn’t see anything. He counted to three and darted across the backyard and over the patio leaving him on the other side. There was a large window in front of him that he looked in and could see the TV hanging on the wall. It was tuned to a children’s channel. He couldn’t contain his excitement. He had checked on the computer and Braymond’s mother had no grandchildren, just Braymond and a single daughter living somewhere overseas. He took one more look throughout the entire floor through the window and didn’t see anyone. It was an open floor plan allowing him to see all the way to the front of the house. Feeling satisfied, he inched his way towards the sliding glass door and tugged. It wasn’t locked. He couldn’t believe it. He slowly slid the door about two feet open and slipped inside. He felt like a cat bugler, but he didn’t care because as soon as he stepped inside he saw a pair of shoes that a little girl would wear. His excitement level went up another notch. He quietly closed the door behind him, so far so good. He tiptoed into the living room area and glanced at the TV. It was one of those large ones, at least seventy inches. The room was decorated with plush leather couches and antique tables. Each picture on the wall was hung up precisely, as if it was done by a museum curator. Jackson moved on to the kitchen. He quickly made his way through it not seeing anything other than the dishes and the pizza box and stepped into the dining room where his eyes locked onto several framed pictures of Braymond with his family. He recognized the father from the body. He studied the picture of his mom. She looked like a lovely lady with long golden hair and full of life; he hoped he didn’t find her dead body upstairs. He continued on around to the front of the house and peered out the window. He smiled seeing Ben still parked up the street. He walked past the stairs and entered a small den. It was lined with cultural books and art from all over the world. Jackson was fascinated by the quality of works, but he turned around and headed back to the bottom of the stairs. He took another deep breath and began walking up until he heard a door open and close above him. Jackson wasn’t sure what to do. He had no weapon, and he would be defenseless against Braymond. He didn’t want to walk in on his mom either. If she h
eard something, she could call the police and he would be trapped. Ben wouldn’t have time to warn him. The signal was if Jackson heard the horn honk twice, someone was coming and he needed to get out. He hadn’t heard anything yet. His legs started moving automatically like he was a puppet being controlled by some unknown puppeteer, and before he knew it he was halfway up the stairs. As he approached the top, he could hear TV sounds again. It sounded like the same channel that was on down stairs. It was coming from one of the rooms down the hall. There was a bathroom at the top of the stairs to the right and three bedrooms he assumed to the left. He quickly peered into the bathroom and didn’t see anything so he turned left and headed down the hall. The first two doors were open, and he looked in not seeing anything or anyone. He stopped outside the closed door. All he could hear were the sounds of the TV. He had to continue no matter what; he had come this far and he had to know. He closed his eyes and thought about all the images and memories of Michelle and Stephanie, and then he plunged through the doorway stepping into a master bedroom. Suddenly, everything became so blurry and noisy all at once that Jackson couldn’t hear or see anything. There was loud screaming and shouting coming from all directions. Jackson closed his eyes and covered his ears and then everything became silent, almost blissfully silent. Standing in front of him were Michelle and Stephanie. They were unharmed and beautiful as ever appearing like two angels. Jackson was stunned and silent. He couldn’t move or talk. It was if it were all a dream. He had found them. He felt the rush of tears flowing from his eyes as he reached out for them and embraced them both as tightly as he possibly could.
“Daddy…Daddy…you’re here. You look just like the man on TV.” Jackson tried to wipe away the tears but finally gave up and hugged and picked up Stephanie kissing her all over.
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