The Sharps Unleashed, page 17
“Second from the left and third row back. I want to speak with him.”
A soldier grabs Jacob by the arm and pulls him up to his feet. Two other soldiers take him and march him several yards away and forces him back down to sit on the ground.
“Hello, Jacob.”
He scowls and looks away, staring hard at the woods with his shoulders hunched forward.
“Where are the other two Gleason men and the women and children?”
His face spins around to look at her with so much hatred that he looks like he’s wishing for her to catch on fire.
“I don’t know what…”
“Don’t try that. I heard what happened in high school and I heard what you did to Leon and Cole. Now, do you know where the others are?”
“You don’t know anything. It never happened! It never happened!”
Robin kneels down to be closer to his eye level, which causes her pain in her freshly stitched stab wound.
“It did, Jacob, but that doesn’t mean it has to control you. Why did you become a police officer?”
“Leave me alone, Sharp. You should just put a gun to my head because I’m never going to tell you anything about anything.”
“Then why did you surrender?”
“I didn’t! I was ambushed at the command center. I tried to shoot my own brains out and these jerks wouldn’t let me. I heard you killed a bunch of men today. What’s one more? Just put my lights out. ”
“No. You’re going to live and you’re going to get help to deal with the pain you’ve had to harbor all of these years.”
Jacob looks in her eyes with desperation glossing his. He shakes his head and takes a deep breath.
“Please, I can’t live with this shit in my head anymore.”
“Are you asking me for mercy?”
“Yes.”
“Do you honestly believe you deserve that after what you’ve done? Dozens of innocent people were killed today because of all of you. How many more would have died if we hadn’t found you?”
“A lot. Goddamn it, Sharp, just kill me!”
“Tell me where the Gleasons are.”
“Alright, look, they’re safe. They’re better off where they are. You don’t understand. Leon and Cole were bad men. They raped and beat the women and children regularly. I did them a favor.”
“As a police officer, why didn’t you get the law involved if you knew that was going on?”
“I…” He looks down at his lap and shakes his head. “I was scared of what they’d do to me or my family. Before, the thing that didn’t happen, they threated to rape my sister if I told anyone. I couldn’t say anything. I had to act like nothing happened.”
“Why did you do this? Why did you target innocent people?”
“I didn’t. I just wanted to hit the government.”
“Who was leading the operations?”
“I don’t know. Our leader was just working for the main guy. None of us met the guy at the top.”
“Who did you report to?”
“He calls himself Dex, but I got a print on him to find his real identity. I wanted insurance if this thing went sour, like I knew it would. Anyway, his name is Michael Byron and he’s ex-marine – first sergeant with fifteen years of service. He was forced to retire early because he was outspoken against the president and his policies.”
“Where is he?”
“I don’t know. He made a drop in three days ago with orders and money, then skipped town. He said we were on our own to fulfil the mission and make it to the next location. If we didn’t follow through, we’d all be killed.”
“Where was the next location?”
“Halfway across the goddamn country to Saint Louis, Missouri. This was just supposed to be a test run for the big fireworks show.”
“Do you know if your entire crew was here when we raided the saw mill? How many of you were there?”
“We had two-hundred guys. Everyone should have been on base. After you hinted to Brooks that you knew about the armored truck, everyone was ordered to remain on base unless sent out for something specific.”
“Besides you and Brooks, was anyone else on the police force involved?”
“Yeah, right. That precinct is full of pansies. They’d rather shit themselves and die than actually kill someone, even if their life depended on it.”
“What about Spears and Glenn? Where are they?”
“Those stupid bastards. They wouldn’t let us leave the precinct without them because they were catching on to us. So, Brooks said we’d just make a run over to Freddy’s for some breakfast. While Brooks talked to Tiffany around back, we were supposed to go get a table. I called someone to come pick us up, and before we could get in the damn truck without them, they came out to the back to see what we were doing. No one else was around, so we knocked them out, gagged them, and tied them up. They’re in the storage building behind Freddy’s.”
“How did you get involved in this? How were you allowed into the group?”
“An online gaming forum. We played war games while we bitched about the world and government. Brooks and I were playing with ten other guys online one night and someone made a comment about wishing it was real. We thought it was just a typical conversation, but the next day, we received private messages to complete a simple mission. It said if we completed a series of missions to prove our loyalty and balls, we’d be invited to join the Hell Storm Task Force. That’s what they called us.”
“How were you paid?”
“Cash.”
“Grace, we need to have Hodgins alert Saint Louis and we need to start tracking down Michael Byron. Also, can someone please go get Spears and Glenn out of that storage room?”
“I have David on the line. He’s been listening to everything. Hodgins is on the phone with Saint Louis now. They already found Spears and Glenn – an employee found them and cut them loose a couple hours ago. They also found the van that was on its way to Chamberlain. A bomb squad team is working on safely destroying the bombs. Jacob, we need to know if there were any other bombs that got out.”
“Not that I know of, but who knows what those morons at the factory were doing.”
“There were female DNA samples found in the armored truck. Do you know who they belong to?”
“They were probably there before we stole the truck. We didn’t have any women around.”
“Who helped you steal the armored truck? ”
“Brooks. I hacked their system and deleted the GPS beacons associated with the vehicle so they wouldn’t be able to find us. Then we caused a traffic incident to separate the two trucks while they were in route for the crematory. We had planted a smoke bomb in the truck, so it forced the driver to stop and get out of the truck. Then we shot him and drove the truck up into the cargo trailer of a big rig and transported it to our main base.”
“So, you knew how many beacons were on the truck?”
“Yeah, couldn’t fucking find them all though. We hoped since I deleted them that it wouldn’t matter. Guess that didn’t work.”
“Where are the two big-rigs you were going to use to transport everything? I didn’t see them at either of the mills.”
“There’s a hidden dirt road at the top of Halverson. They’re parked there. We were going to have to load up here and then go. The road to the mill is impassable for the big-rigs. We broke one axle trying to get them down there and had to ditch the truck.”
“Where are the Gleasons?”
“God, you are getting annoying with that question. They’re safe. Ok?”
“No, it’s not ok. Tell me where they are.”
“I put them on a train to Scottsdale. They have family there.”
“Thank you. Anything else you can think of that we need to know about right now?”
“Just one thing.” He smiles in a proud way and sits up straighter. “Governor Finnegan is going to die soon.”
“How?”
“Painfully.”
He releases a sickening evil sounding laugh.
“What did you do? ”
“None of your business.”
“Goddamn it, Jacob. This isn’t a video game. This is real life. You don’t go killing people you have a grudge against. You allow the law to do its job, and if the law fails, you work to fix the system. Tell me how to stop this.”
“No. I didn’t throw my life away not to get my victory. If you’re going to send me to jail for life or to death row, I’m going out knowing I took at least one of those government assholes down for good.”
“David said they still haven’t been able to locate him. He never made it home yesterday.”
Jacob laughs and sways side to side in a happy proud way.
“Get Sara back in cuffs. I think I have some more questions for her. If I don’t get the answers I need, we’ll let her sit in Max for a few days.”
Jacob tries to stand up and lunge for Robin, but the two soldiers standing next to him shove him back down.
“Stay away from my sister! She has nothing to do with any of this!”
“We’ll see if that’s true.”
Robin and Grace start to walk away, and Jacob tries to get up again. He growls in anger as the soldiers hold him down.
“Robin, I’m going to kill you if you put my sister in Max.”
“Yeah, good luck with that.”
“Stop!”
Robin turns to look at him with an unimpressed expression and crosses her arms over her chest.
“What?”
“Just…Fuck! Stay away from her.” Robin rolls her eyes and turns to leave. He growls, and screams, “Stop! Fine. Mother fucking fine! I fucking hate all of you! ”
Robin and Grace walk back to stand in front of him, and he kicks at the ground like a child throwing a tantrum.
“If I tell you, you have to put a bullet in my head.”
“Not going to happen. Jacob, wise up. You screwed up and everyone you love and care about is going to suffer from this. You can lessen that suffering by being fully compliant and cooperative to put an end to this.”
“Do you know what the biggest grievance is I have against that mother fucker? He raised taxes to give himself and his buddies raises, but none of us got raises. Then he increased our medical benefits and gutted our 401k plans. Then he took a huge payout from that stupid E.Z. Tactical company so they could get the contract on the law enforcement’s gear, which is subpar gear compared to what we had before. Those stupid pistols don’t even fucking shoot straight. He put our lives in further danger with shit equipment, cut our pay and benefits, and robbed our families. While he’s living high on the hog, we’re all suffering to shine is fucking blood-soaked shoes. He deserves to go down like this. You know what, I know you. You got too much fucking honor and compassion. You’re not going to do nothing to Sara.”
“Ok, I hear you. But have you considered the good he has done?” Jacob scoffs and rolls his eyes. “As soon as he took office, he created a meals program for every single student enrolled in public school from kindergarten to high school. Every student receives free breakfast and lunch, and once a week, they receive enough non-perishables for dinner and the weekend meals at home, just to make sure they’re all being fed. He also gave tax credits to families with elderly dependents.”
“Yeah, and his opponent was going to do the same damn thing. He only did those things to snag the votes for next election. ”
“So, you think if a person does something wrong and deceitful that their punishment should be painful death? What about rehabilitation? What about giving them a chance to make amends for their mistakes and turn over a new leaf?”
“Yeah because that works out so well. You’ve been doing this longer than me. You know damn well how jacked up our system is. Minor criminals go to jail and come out way worse than they went in. A dishonest man with a goal to get rich spins some silky yarn with the simple townsfolk, gets elected, and gets the power needed to steal the life he dreamt of while being protected by the title and law. There’s no rehabilitation for a politician. You’d have better luck rehabilitating a serial killer.”
“Or a terrorist?”
Jacob scowls at Robin and lounges for her again, but he’s pushed back down.
“I’m not a terrorist!”
“Yes, you are. You aided in the mass killings of dozens of innocent people and you kidnapped a government official. You’re a terrorist and the worst kind. You became a traitor and killed your own people – the people you claim to feel so passionate about avenging for the injustice done upon them. Or was it all just about you? Did your greed for money really outweigh the lives of so many of your friends and neighbors? What if your family was caught in those explosions? You know, you paint yourself as quite the greedy son of a bitch. Do you know what they do to terrorists in prison?”
“I know what you’re trying to do. You’re trying to get in my head and fuck it up so I tell you. But I won’t tell you. I won’t!”
“Ok but let me ask you this. When a terrorist targets a group or person they think is horrible, does the media and people talk about the evil person or the evil terrorist? You see, all you’ll do is put him higher on a pedestal and everyone will view you as a crazy greedy terrorist. They won’t talk about the bad things he did that may have caused him to be a target. They’ll talk about how they have to buckle down on the law enforcement and invade people’s privacy more to ensure another catastrophe like this doesn’t happen. Your ‘victory’ is a major loss for the freedoms of everyday people. Which I guess is really the goal of a real terrorist. You don’t actually seek justice. You seek to control and to put fear and panic into people. The same fear and panic you have from feeling like you’re being controlled. The real enemy isn’t the government. It’s yourself. You don’t gain control of your fear and anger by punishing other people.”
“I’m not a terrorist.”
“It doesn’t matter how many times you try to tell yourself that because your actions speak louder than words. You talk about greedy politicians weaving silky yarns to get voted into power. What do you think you did? You really convinced yourself that you’d do some good if you had some more power. So, you joined this group of terrorists and lied to yourself, telling yourself it’s ok if some innocents have to die as long as you can kill one politician. Tell me exactly how you are better than Governor Finnigan? Sure, he might have pulled some asshole moves in office to line his pockets, but he didn’t blow anyone up. You did. Someone handed you a fist full of cash and you hit the kill switch on dozens of innocent people. The same people who were struggling to live pay check to pay check but were happy to do so if they could live to see their loved ones in a safe free country. You took away their safety, freedom, and their loved ones just to get your hands on some cash. You are worse than Finnegan.”
“You really see me that way?”
“Yes. ”
“He’s tied up and gagged at the bottom of the hopper at Henry’s Lumber Yard. If they haven’t turned the mill on yet today, he should still be alive.”
Robin looks to Grace, and she nods and speaks into her phone, saying, “David, get a crew their immediately and call Henry’s to make sure they don’t get those mills running.” She pauses and nods. “Ok, they’re on it.”
“Ok, you can take him back. Jacob, we’ll talk again soon.”
“Yeah, whatever.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Grace sits now next to Robin in the back of their Hummer and hands her a take-out container with a sandwich, potato salad, and a pickle spear.
“Where did this come from?”
“Buckley’s Deli. The sergeant sent some guys out to get lunch for everyone. How are you feeling?”
“My thigh is throbbing and I have a migraine.”
“Eating will probably help with the migraine. They’ve located Eric and the others. The should be back soon.”
“Good. Did they say in what condition they’re in?”
“Exhausted, dehydrated, and hungry, but they’re ok. Eat, babe.”
Robin opens the container and pulls out the fresh sliced turkey breast on marble rye. As she takes her first bite, her stomach aches with the realization of just how hungry she is. Both of them eat in silence till they’ve finished off most of the food and are leaning back holding their stomachs and groaning from stuffing themselves.
“That was really good.”
“Yeah, it was. What kind of pie do you want tonight?”
Robin smiles really big and leans over to kiss her wife. Grace gently caresses Robin’s cheek and brushes the pad of her thumb over the rim of her ear. Robin grips Grace’s hip, pulling her in closer, and Grace smiles against her mouth. Grace presses a hand against Robin’s abs, pressing her fingers into her muscles, and Robin releases a small wincing gasp of pain. Grace pulls back and lightly strokes her abs.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s ok. They’re just bruised from Andre punching me so many times.”
“Hey, Robin! Where’s Robin? Robin!”
Robin and Grace climb out of the Hummer and walk out to the center of the parking lot. Eric spots her and sprints over with a relieved smile. He gives her a hug but pulls back quickly as she sways on her wounded leg.
“Sorry. Are you ok? They said you’re alive, but I wouldn’t believe it till I saw it. When that mill exploded, I just thought… Damn, you’re a beast, you know that?”
“I’m glad you made it out ok. How was your hike?”
“It was a struggle. Everyone was thirsty, hungry, and just dying of exhaustion. If you hadn’t sent the army, I don’t think we would have made it.”
“Let’s get you some food and water.”
Grace leads them to where the others are sitting, and someone hands Eric a take-out container and a bottle of water.
“Thank you.”
Robin kneels down in front of the family who had been tied up as captives in the mill before her team was caught. The husband quickly sets his sandwich down and dusts crumbs off of his mouth and five-clock sandy colored shadow.
“I’m Agent Robin Sharp.” He shakes her extended hand and quickly swallows his bite of food. “It’s a pleasure to officially meet you. I’m Greg Shipley. This is my wife, Angie, our son, Matthew, and daughter, Cecil.”
