by Brenda Novak
Jason clicked on his flashlight and shone the light at the endless shelving units lined up, one after another. “It’s a laptop. A little bigger and heavier than the one you’ve been using over the past few days.” He stopped at a shelf in the middle of the room holding printers and an old scanner. One of the boxes was marked “computers”.
“Here we go. Start here. I’ll see what else I can find and then come back.”
“How will I distinguish the laptop we’re looking for from any other laptop in this place?”
“There’s a sticker.” He opened the labeled box. It was filled with cables and connectors and behind the box sat a laptop. He inhaled, then opened it up. It wasn’t his computer. He pointed to the bottom left corner of the keyboard, near the command button. “When and if we find the right computer, there will be a Raider’s sticker, black and silver, right here.”
“A Raider’s fan, huh?”
“Got a problem with that?”
“What if I do?”
She could see him smiling in the dark.
“What about you,” Jason said. “Do you have a favorite team?”
“Of course. The Jacksonville Jaguars.”
He laughed.
“What?”
“Please tell me you’re joking.”
“I don’t kid about things like football. The owner is very charismatic.”
“I believe they’re the least beloved team in the NFL.”
“Yeah, five years running. The Tennessee Titans are a close second.” She nudged him in the arm with her elbow. “I always go for the underdog. You ought to know that.”
***
Ten minutes later, Angela realized this wasn’t going to be as easy as she hoped. The good news was that there only appeared to be two shelves stocked with computer equipment. The bad news was that there were very few loose items. Almost everything had been boxed up tight. Jason was working three shelves away. Every noise they made echoed off the walls.
Angela had moved halfway through her shelf when she heard a noise. She shut off her flashlight and tucked it into her back pocket, then stood silently in the dark, listening, watching for shadows. She peered around the edge of the shelf. Her breath hitched when she spotted the silhouette of a man. It wasn’t Jason. This guy was bigger, broader. The moonlight came through a high window, hitting him just so. He was making his way to the area where she’d last seen Jason.
Angela promptly headed in the opposite direction, her mind whirling. She needed to warn Jason, but how?
The gun. She needed to get the gun from the car. She ran for the doors that said “Fire Exit Only”, and pushed on their metal bars. An alarm went off, sending a high-pitched warning through the neighborhood. She dashed in the direction of the parking lot, didn’t bother to stop and check if anyone was chasing her. Her heart pounded against her chest. By the time she reached the car, she was panting for breath.
“You’re not going anywhere, lady.”
She grabbed the flashlight from her back pocket and swung around hard and fast, making contact with the man’s face and sending him reeling. As soon as she saw him bent over, both hands covering his face, she jumped in behind the wheel, locked the doors, and turned on the engine.
He lunged for the car, grabbing the door handle, but quickly let go, pulled out a gun, and pointed it at her just as she slammed her foot on the gas.
The car lurched forward as a shot rang out.
Angela drove toward the warehouse, leaning forward and ducking her head in hopes of avoiding a bullet.
Another shot was fired and the back window shattered.
There was no time to think. She needed to find Jason before it was too late.
***
The hollow sounds of footsteps Jason heard were not Angela’s. But before he could check it out, an alarm went off, the screeching whistle piercing his skull.
He’d made it through an entire shelf. He peered into the box he’d just opened, saw a laptop and opened it up. No sticker.
Another noise.
He was out of time.
Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted two more laptops in plain sight further down the shelf, power cords wrapped around them. Out of options, he managed to grab them both and slide them into his backpack. After hooking the straps over his shoulders, he took off running, leaving the flashlight and crowbar behind. But when he reached the end of the aisle, he nearly rammed into a dark hulk of a man.
The moment he spotted the gun, Jason took a couple of steps backward.
The man lifted his weapon, aiming at his chest.
Jason turned and bolted just as he heard the blast and felt his body jolt forward.
***
Angela sped toward the area where she’d exited the warehouse. Besides the constant shriek of the alarm, she could hear police sirens in the distance. Despite what Jason had said about leaving him behind, she couldn’t do it. She needed to get him out of there. She came to a screeching halt in front of the building just as a shot rang out from inside the warehouse.
She opened the glove compartment and reached for the gun. Dread crept over her as her finger settled over the trigger. In the rearview mirror, she glimpsed the man she’d hit with the flashlight coming for her.
Her foot hovered over the gas pedal, ready to take off the moment Jason showed up. Just then, the solid metal doors swung open and Jason jumped inside the car.
She sped off, tires screeching before he could get the door shut. A figure sprinting through the doors took aim at Jason’s retreating figure.
“Get down!” Angela shouted.
Shots were fired, but they were already too far away for the bullets to do any harm. Thank God.
***
Neither of them said a word until they were sure they were out of danger. Once Angela merged onto US 50 West, headed toward Sacramento, Jason pulled the cell phone out of the glove box and made a call.
Colin answered on the first ring. “Where are you guys?”
“Why?”
“Sophie called to let me know that police are all over her mother’s house. She’s being questioned.”
“Nice of her to let you know.”
“Yeah, it was. I was able to get my hands on a few thousand dollars, and she was bringing it to you. We’re both trying to help you, so what’s your problem? I know you’re upset that she’s living with me, but you’ve been gone for eight years. What did you expect?”
“I need to know if Sophie was ever pregnant.”
“What?”
“You heard me. After I was locked up, was Sophie pregnant with Dirk’s child?”
“No. Why are you asking?”
“Let’s just say I think you better start sleeping with one eye open.”
“I don’t like what you’re implying.”
“I don’t suppose you do.”
“She’s my wife, Jason. Has been for three years.”
“Funny, I didn’t see a ring on her finger.”
“We agreed it would be best for me to give you the news.”
“Well, congratulations, old friend. We’ll talk soon.” Jason hung up the phone.
Angela had gotten as far as 65th Street when he told her to take the next exit and turn around.
“Why, what’s going on?”
“The house we were staying at is no longer safe.”
“So where to now?”
“Mom’s house.”
“Your mom?”
He nodded. “Take 50 East via the ramp toward South Lake Tahoe, then get off on Watt Avenue.”
“I heard a shot ring out,” Angela told him. “Please tell me you weren’t hit.”
He examined the backpack before reaching inside. He pulled both computers out at once. A bullet was lodged in the middle of one of the laptops. “Saved my life,” he said.
“I can’t believe you got out of there alive.”
Taking a deep breath, he opened the other laptop. As soon as he saw the black and silver sticker on the left han
d corner, he let out a laugh.
“You didn’t know that was your computer until now?”
“I had no idea. The alarms went off right just as I reached the end of the shelf. These were the last two. I shoved them into the backpack and took off.”
Angela shook her head. After a moment, she said, “I thought you said your mother’s house was crawling with cops.”
“It is. I was going to have to find a way to get in there either way. Better sooner than later.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I can’t get into the computer without a password. I kept a disc with all my passwords at home before I was locked up.”
“How are you going to get inside the house without being seen?”
“I’ll enter from the backyard. I spent most of my teenage years sneaking in and out of that place. When my dad was young, he was in the army specializing in surveillance, but not even he ever caught me coming or going.”
“You’re not thinking of asking me to wait in the car, are you?”
“Didn’t even consider it.”
“If I’m wrong about this,” Jason told her, “if there were no large deposits made into Sophie or Colin’s account, then I’m finished.”
“Don’t say that. Even if you find absolutely nothing on that computer, we can’t give up. Your attorney was taking bribes. The key witness at your trial lied. We have proof. That has to be worth something.”
“No matter what happens,” he said, “meeting you was worth the trouble.”
“Jason, you’re scaring me. Going to your mom’s house is like sneaking through a lion’s den. It’s too risky.”
“I need that password, Angela.”
Chapter Fifteen
They didn’t drive around the neighborhood or pass Jason’s family home. At this late hour, it would only draw suspicion. Instead, Jason instructed Angela to park two blocks away.
With his computer tucked away inside his backpack, he climbed out of the car. Angela followed close behind. They kept a brisk pace as they crept down the sidewalk of the tree-lined street, careful to stay in the shadows.
In a few hours, Jason thought, the sun would rise, throwing light on a lot of memories. Even in the dark, the area looked and felt so familiar. As they passed the house where Colin used to live with his dad and two older brothers, he recalled that he’d been jealous of Colin and his family back then. They used to spend entire weekends wrestling on the floor, or catching tadpoles in the creek behind their house, while Jason was usually stuck with his sister. Tracy was three years older, and was forced to spend a lot of time watching over him. But although he was ashamed to admit it, even if only to himself, he’d never realized until this very moment how good he’d had it growing up. Both of his parents had doted on him, and of course, Tracy resented the attention he got. He wondered now if she’d finally gotten the recognition she’d craved once he’d been carted off to prison.
A dog barked in the distance.
They remained silent, careful not to step on a twig or anything that might make a noise. Even from here, he could make out the large brick chimney, which had served as a marker when he was younger, jutting above all the other houses.
Relief set in when he realized that the next-door neighbor had brought in the dogs his mom usually complained about. It only took him a minute to find the loose board in the wood fence.
He crawled through the opening, then helped Angela through.
Neither of them said a word as she followed him to the base of a large oak tree. Looking up, he could clearly see the window to his old bedroom. The tall pines surrounding the property kept him well hidden from the federal agents, who were more than likely on the other side of the fence.
Mom had no idea he was coming. He figured it best if she didn’t know.
“I’m going to make sure I can get the window open,” he whispered close to her ear, “and then I’ll come back to help you up.”
She nodded.
He took his time climbing the tree, making sure not to crack a limb and alert anyone that he was here. Climbing that tree felt like riding a bike. Once learned, never forgotten. Level with the window, he grabbed the screwdriver from his back pocket and slid it into the area still dented from years of coming and going.
Click.
He pushed the window open and crawled inside.
His eyes had already adjusted to the dark, and he realized instantly that nothing had changed in his bedroom. Shelves lined with old trophies, a mini basketball hoop on the back of the door, an old model airplane he’d watched his dad build. He turned back to the window, surprised to see Angela almost ready to climb in. He reached out a hand and helped her inside. Her hands were still shaking a bit, but she helped him remove his backpack.
“I’m going to let Mom know we’re here.”
“Should I try to boot up your computer?”
He nodded. “Do you have your flashlight?”
She pulled it from her bag.
“Probably a good idea to use that instead of turning on any lights. Might want to use a pillowcase or something to muffle the light from the screen.”
Before leaving the room, Jason went to the shelf lined with all of his old movies. He grabbed the Star Wars movie, opened the case, and pulled out the disc.
“What’s that?”
“All the passwords should be on this disc.”
“Perfect,” she said. “I’ll take it from here.”
Jason made his way down the carpeted hallway toward the stairs. Mom’s bedroom was downstairs next to the kitchen. He didn’t like the idea of giving her a fright in the middle of the night like this, but he didn’t have much of a choice.
The stairs were carpeted, too, but the floorboards beneath creaked with every step. Before he reached the bedroom, he heard his sister’s voice come from behind.
“Put your hands up where I can see them.”
He did as she said, slowly turning her way. “Tracy, it’s me, Jason.”
She didn’t lower the gun, not until a light came on and Mom walked out of her bedroom.
“Oh, my God!” His mom rushed forward. “Jason.” Her hands cupped his face, her eyes bright with unshed tears. “You shouldn’t be here. The authorities are outside.”
A knock on the door stopped him from saying a word.
“Go to my room,” his mom whispered. “Hide in the closet until I come and get you. Now!”
“And you,” she said next, pointing to Tracy. “Put that gun away.”
Before Jason disappeared into her room, he watched her flip the lights on in the kitchen and family room as she made her way to the front door. Inside the bedroom, he stayed close enough to the doorway so he could hear what was going on.
“Everything’s fine,” his mother said. “My daughter was having nightmares. I can’t have you people intruding on my life like this. It’s unacceptable. I want to talk to whoever’s in charge.”
“Sorry, Ma’am. We just wanted to make sure everything was okay.”
“Everything will be fine once you give me back my privacy.”
The door clicked shut.
“What are you thinking, pulling out a gun when you know there are police and federal agents parked right outside this door?”
“I heard someone walk past my bedroom and head down the stairs. What was I supposed to do?”
Once his sister and mother joined him in the bedroom, Jason told them about Angela, and the computer, and how he had proof that the key witness at his trial had been bribed.
His mother was appalled by it all, but he saw hope in her eyes.
“I’m sorry,” Tracy said, “but you can’t possibly stay here.”
“Of course, he can,” his mother cut in. She grabbed hold of Tracy’s arm. “Your brother needs us.” She looked at Jason. “What can I do, son?”
“I want to help Jason as badly as you do, but not to the detriment of all else. You could be thrown in jail for helping him.” Tracy looked at Jason. “
How could you do this to your own mother?”
“Stop it!” his mom said, her face red from exertion. “You two need to talk this through and make nice. I’m going to heat up some water for tea.”
“Why are you so angry?” Jason asked his sister the moment his mom disappeared.
“Do you have any idea what you’ve put her through since you decided to break out of prison? She’s aged ten years in the past few days. She’s a nervous wreck.”
He grabbed his sister by both shoulders. “What is your problem? I’m your brother and I’m innocent. When are you going to get that through your head?”
For a moment, she looked terrified. He let go just as his mom walked back into the room. “Come on,” he said. “I want you to meet Angela.”
The three of them trudged quietly up the stairs.
“I got the computer booted up,” Angela reported. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you weren’t alone.” Angela came to her feet.
After introductions were made, Tracy merely shook her head in dismay. The tension between him and his sister was palpable.
Downstairs, the teakettle whistled and his mother went to tend to it.
Meanwhile, his sister was making her way around his bedroom, her fingers brushing over trophies and pictures of Jason playing baseball and football. “They thought you walked on water.”
Jason sighed.
Angela glanced his way.
An awkward silence floated around the room.
“Mom and Dad loved us both equally,” Jason said.
Without a word spoken, and a crooked smile on her face, Tracy left the room.
Angela was still looking at him. “Is she okay?”
“I really don’t know. She’s always been jealous of me. I had hoped she’d grown out of it by now. Apparently not.” Noticing the illuminated screen of the laptop on the small desk where Angela sat, he said, “It looks like it’s working.”
“There’s a lot of information on here. All you need is time.”
“Come on,” he said. “First we need to get you something to eat.”
Chapter Sixteen