The Good Deed ~COMPLETE~

Chapter 31: Kill One To Save Many

DO YOU THINK YOU'RE SMARTER THAN ME, JOE? YOU'RE NOT. MY SOURCES TELL ME YOU HAVE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH HARVEY DUNN. I KNOW ALL ABOUT YOUR PLAN. WELL, I HAVE A PLAN OF MY OWN. THE CONVENTION CENTER HAS BEEN WIRED WITH EXPLOSIVES. IF HARVEY IS STILL ALIVE WHEN THE SEMINAR IS OVER, THE BOMBS WILL BE DETONATED. THERE'S NO WAY AROUND IT JOE, YOU MUST KILL HARVEY.

Those words; so cold and calculated. I stared at the text for literally five minutes. I must have read it ten times. Select words seemed to jump out at me, taunting me. Wired, explosives, bombs, detonated...

Even though the text was from an unknown caller, I knew that Jacob Scholtz was responsible for it. Who else could have sent something so sadistic? Fear attacked my body and soul. I wanted to just give up right then and there. So many lives at risk. Lives that I had to protect.

I was in way too deep to run. Besides, I could never leave Sue or my mother in the hands of a man such as Jacob Scholtz. I realized, that even if I did kill Harvey for real, that Jacob would not release my family, or me. He would hang them over my head and make me do horrible things just to keep them alive. So many thoughts flooded my mind, but one continuously circled. 'Jacob Scholtz needs to die, and I must be the one to kill him.'

As much as I liked the idea of Jacob being dead and gone, I knew the chances of ever having the opportunity to kill him were slim. He probably had new bodyguards already, plus, the likeliness of him being at the seminar weren't very good. Why would he risk his life in a building full of explosives? Or his freedom, with the FBI surrounding the area? He's a smart man, and he wouldn't be taken down easily.

My first instinct was to call Harvey to tell him that Jacob had, somehow, figured out our plan. That is exactly what I did....well, sort of. I sent a text. After all it was 5:00 in the morning. I don't know how Harvey would have taken it if I called him at such an early hour. I know I personally don't like getting calls before 8 or 9. Harvey got the text almost immediately and within a minute he called me.

Harvey didn't seem to concerned about the message I had received. He insisted, “Jacob's bluffing. There is no way he knows that we met, or what we spoke about.”

I wasn't so sure. “But, he said--”

“Joe! Stop. I have taken every precaution to insure my safety. The farmhouse is secure. Jacob doesn't even know it exists. This phone is untraceable. It will scramble any signals that attempt to access it's information. You need to trust me.”

“If he doesn't know anything, then why the text?”

“It's a mind game. He's only trying to make you think he knows something. He's hoping it will distract you, and I think it worked. Stop worrying and stick to the plan.”

I felt like an idiot. Harvey was so calm, and he was the one that was going to take the bullet. I had the easy job. “Sorry. I just freaked out. This whole situation has gotten to me.”

“Well I can't lie to you Joe. I'm worried about it too, but worrying won't make it go away. We need to stay focused on our mission and don't let fate decide the outcome.”

Harvey's a wise man. His choice of words, his outlook on the world. He's lived a full and experienced filled life. I could only hope to gain an ounce of his knowledge in the brief time we spent together. “You're right. I'll try to stop worrying so much...sorry for contacting you so early. Did I wake you?”

Harvey laughed. “Hell no. I hardly slept a wink. I spent half the night staring at the ceiling, wondering how the days events would pan out.”

I thought twice about telling Harvey that I actually fell asleep. “Yeah...I dozed off for a little bit.”

“Well it's a good thing you woke up when you did. Its nearly five o'clock. You'd better get headed to the Convention Center.”

I was confused. “Now? I have twelve hours before the seminar starts.”

Harvey suddenly brought something to my attention. “The sun will be up in less than two hours. If I were you, I'd use the darkness to my advantage. Get in early, get set up, and familiarize yourself with the buildings layout.”

I told you he was smart. I hadn't even thought about that. If I had waited until closer to the time the seminar was to start, the building would be swarming with people and my chances of getting in unseen would be shot. Using the darkness, along with the black clothes I had planned to wear, I could get inside unnoticed, much more easily.

I thanked Harvey for the suggestion and ended the call. I rushed to my bedroom and quickly changed into my dark outfit. One look in the mirror and I was hardly recognizable. I looked like a burglar from some high tech spy movie. I kind of felt like one too. All I could think about was the impossible mission I was about to begin. On the way out of the room, I grabbed the backpack containing the necessities I would need.

December 11th 2005 5:50am

Even though I was getting an early start, time was not on my side. The sun was to come up in just over an hour. I still had to get to the neighborhood that was located just outside of the Convention Centers perimeter, hike the half mile through the woods to get to the building, and then get onto the roof.

I drove at a safe pace toward my destination. I made sure to obey all traffic laws in hopes to avoid any police. I feared that an officer would stop me and make me late. Or worse, he would question me about my black clothing and request to search my car. Not only was I dressed like a thief, but I had all the tools of the trade stashed in the backpack; not to mention the gun which I didn't have a permit for...oh, and the extremely illegal sniper rifle in the trunk. I thought it would be best to play it safe and drive carefully.

I made it to the neighborhood and pulled down the road that the map was showing as the closest point to the Convention Center. This was a residential area, and a great number of houses surrounded me. I parked the car among a cluster of other cars in hopes of blending in. I feared some nosy homeowner would report a suspicious looking or unknown vehicle. I grabbed the gun and put it in the backpack. I took a deep breath and exited the car.

I traveled along the sideway looking for a clear path to the woods. Most of the houses had fences around the yards. I didn't want to hop a fence and come face to face with an over-protective guard dog. After around eight houses, I found one without a fence. I quickly trespassed through the yard and made my way to the edge of the dark woods.

Half a mile. That's what I kept telling myself. Just half a mile until I get out of the creepy woods. I hiked at a steady pace, and resisted the use of the flashlight. I didn't want to draw any attention to my presence. Besides, the moonlight was sufficient enough to see where I was going.

As I walked, a few long branches hidden in the shadows smacked me in the face. The sounds of millions of insects and frogs surrounded me. It was deafening. I continued deeper and deeper into the unfamiliar woods.

The city of Woodbridge had become one of the largest areas in Virginia by population. Among those inhabitants, there were also a great number of homeless people. It is a well known fact, that the less fortunate members of society live in the woods. The very woods I was in. I entered their camp, unwittingly. About a dozen tents were spread out in a small clearing. Old rusted shopping carts, mangled, and smashed. There was litter everywhere, and I could smell a recently burnt camp fire.

I stopped and listened, trying to hear if there was anybody around. The sounds of the forest were still overpowering. I crept slowly, and tried to avoid stepping on twigs and leaves. I was about halfway through the camp when I heard a scratchy voice, “Who's that?” I ran. There was no telling what they would do to me, and I wasn't about to find out.

I didn't look back, I just kept running. Once I was sure that no one had followed me, I stopped to catch my breath. I had no idea how far I had traveled, or how far I had left to go. I wasn't even sure if I had been traveling in a straight line. The dark woods were disorienting. I checked my phone for the time. It was 6:13. It had already been over ten minutes since I had entered the woods; longer than I thought it would take me. I couldn't see any signs of the end. Woods and darkness, all around me. No sounds of the city, no lights shining through. I didn't have time to consult the map, I just kept heading in the same direction. I knew that eventually I would find my way out...or would I?