As John watched the movement of Stroud’s path, he finally was able to see Stroud turn off of the highway and onto a lesser known route just on the outskirts of the city limits. He watched as Stroud drove into what appeared to be some kind of warehouse. John then parked his car and moved in towards the building, as he moved in closer he heard the car doors closing and people talking inside. Just to cover his own ass, he then sent a message to Craig informing him of the whereabouts of Agent Stroud. John felt at that time seeing as how Stroud was no longer on the move, he was safe to send the message out.
John slowly moved up towards the outer wall of the warehouse, strangely it contained no windows at least none that John could see on the side that he was moving down. The night had now risen overhead and the wind began whipping stronger as he moved closer to the corner’s edge. Peering around the corner there appeared to be no vehicles parked outside, and the doors that Stroud had driven through were now closed. John would have to find another way inside. Looking upwards he quickly moved back, losing his breath as he turned back around to the side wall once more. The camera had been slowly turning in his direction and he checked the side once more to see if he had missed any. There did not appear to be any thankfully, but he was pretty sure that he had cleared the whole surrounding area when he had first arrived. His mind however was racing and not completely clear.
John headed down the side and towards the back of the building. The side had been dark; however, the back seemed to have one floodlight that he could make out from the edge of the side. John pulled out his mirror tool and saw no guards and even an entry door that could be his eureka. However, a wrench stood in his way in the form of a problem camera. Luckily, John had brought a little friend with him. He reached down in his vest and pulled out his silencer, screwed it onto the gun and watched the movement of the camera with his mirror. He knew if they had someone watching the security feeds it wouldn’t give him much time to get in, but it gave him a better chance than just waltzing in in front of the camera. As the camera was about to turn, he took the shot before it could catch his image. John then raced for the door.
The large lock was bolted shut, but after several quite shots he was able to get through the blockage. His other concern at that point was a silent alarm on the door. But backup should be on the way, and it was now or never. Upon opening the door, John entered into a darkened building that seemed oddly to be anything but your typical warehouse. It was more like an office building.
John came upon a small section of cubicles and could make out what appeared to be some possible conference rooms as well. Maybe this was a hidden government building belonging to the FDC. It sure as hell would be interesting to go through this place with a fine tooth comb. He quietly made his way around the office maze closer to the middle section of the transformed warehouse. This section had apparently been converted into some kind of small eating area with several table and chair sets, an elegant fountain, and decorative foliage. John just shook his head at the tax payer dollars wasted on these assholes.
Moving finally towards the largest section of the building which covered over half of the enormous square footage, John noticed off to the right more side doors leading to possible conference rooms and actual hallways that turned off to the unknown. On the left side there was a small indoor parking area where he noticed only one car present, Stroud’s. It was empty, and John knew that he would have to choose a path to the right. Turning in that direction, he tried to listen. Earlier, he had heard two doors close and people talking. Someone was here with Stroud, but who? Was it Dodd? There was only one way to find out.
John listened to see if he could hear anything, any slight noise at all. After a few minutes time however, he had heard nothing, nothing at all. He heard no movements, no voices, it was odd. Maybe they were at the back hiding, and he had missed them somehow. He thought that he had cleared all of the back and middle areas. Should he go and check the car?
That’s when he heard it; it wasn’t loud but just loud enough. John quickly moved down the last hallway and found himself turning into a maze of twists and turns. As the adrenaline rushed through him he finally came upon his target as the gun whipped around toward him and he had no choice but to fire.
B – A – N – G
So much for the damn silencer was strangely John’s first thought as he held the gun steady towards his second target. While holding the gun towards Stroud’s head, John felt a chill sear through his body.
“You know if you kill me John, you’re only killing yourself. It’s not taken lightly, the murder of a federal agent, that is,” Stroud spoke as the unknown man lie dead before John.
“Bullshit, I know your game, and it’s no part of the FDC’s agenda. You have your own selfish motivations at play here.”
“Hmm, you know nothing, John. You’re just a pawn. The only reason you’re still alive is because I have let you continue to be. You have been worth more to me alive as my puppet, until now it seems.”
John then felt the shadows move and stepped backward to widen his range. The figure emerged like a ghost in hiding.
“Grayson, put your gun down or he’s dead,” John called out calmly as the mysterious Agent now appeared before him. Grayson held his gun in John’s direction giving John a sly grin.
“My, my we meet again Mr. Goldman. It seems we’re in a bit of a predicament here, are we not? I’ll have to admit, I raise my glass to you, that you have gotten this far. You’re most impressive, just as I suspected. You have managed to sneak into my home, take out one of my men here, draw a gun on another, and even continued to dare challenge my authority. You solve case after case put before you even when obstacles arise. Unfortunately, many of your efforts were preplanned on my part. You have only scraped the surface my boy, most likely assisting me to dispose of the weaker links in my vast supply chain. I should thank you for your service toward me and my interests. Perhaps I should save you for future endeavors, besides I’m dying to see what ghost has been serving at your side.”
As John stared Grayson in the eye, he felt the unwelcomed presence emerging behind him, the familiar sound of guns cocking.
Grayson’s expression changed to a cold stare. “Life is full of decisions John, is it not?”
John’s eyes quickly widened heavily as he heard the gunshot go off. He blinked in disbelief as he witnessed the horrified expression that crossed Stroud’s face just before he fell to the ground, dead on arrival. As Stroud’s body lie on the cold pavement, John felt the painful strike cutting into the back of his head. He fell hard to the ground, his firearm skidding haphazardly across the room. Grayson stepped in closer to John’s position.
“Stroud was such a disappointment, John. The question is, are you worth keeping around?” Grayson then asked as he smiled broadly, aimed, and fired at his target.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
John’s eyes blinked open slowly as his consciousness slipped back into the room around him. He was alone, and the familiar hospital walls stared back at him almost mocking his attempted resilience. He tried to reason his surroundings as he pulled at his oxygen cord. Instantly, he heard a door opening and rose dizzily to its distraction.
Kellar entered the room with two nurses at her side. She carefully guided John’s head down to his pillow and went through the motions of checking his current status. As she reattached his oxygen, she glanced down at him with loving eyes. The fear in her heart could not allow her to respond in truth about the current situation surrounding him as he awoke. She wanted to put that off as long as she could. He needed more rest. After coming in so seriously, he just wasn’t ready yet; he wasn’t ready to hear the news that would change his life and possibly challenge his will for it. Kellar watched over John as he grudgingly gave into his exhaustion once more. After some time, she finally rose and headed out of John’s room only to find Dave waiting for her.
“Can we talk?” Dave questioned. Kellar nodded, leading them into a private side room.
“He woke up again Dave. I, I didn’t say anything to him. He’s still a little weak. The gunshot wound was serious, but like we’ve said he was lucky it wasn’t just a bit further over. It could have been so much worse. His concussion had me concerned as well, but the swelling has been coming down like we’d hoped. Physically, he’s going to be okay, Dave. I’m not sure I know how to talk to him about Caroline losing it and filing for divorce as soon as she knew he would pull through, or how you’re going to talk to him about his upcoming arrest charges. I’m sure Ryst will have his boys trying to push their way back in here soon; I won’t be able to hold them off much longer medically. Oh God, how are we going to tell him everything, Dave?”
“We’ll get him through this, Honey, somehow. I’m getting him the best lawyers. That witness that said John just went in there and started shooting, I know that John has a temper, and that he was angry about what Stroud had done, but that’s not him. That’s not my boy Kellar, he wouldn’t just do that. The guy said that he had to hit him over the head and shoot him because John said your next. He shot John in the damn back. The whole thing stinks. My son is not a murderer.”
“I know but it was two feds and the witness was a fed too, Dave. They hate John; what if this witness was helping Stroud. I mean he said that he was there working late, but how do we know that he wasn’t there meeting with Stroud?”
“We don’t, and that’s a good thing to bring up in court. You know I…”
“What, what is it, Dave?”
“It’s Ryst and Agent Brown; excuse me I’m going to see what this is all about.”
“Shit, okay, I’ll keep my fingers crossed.”
“Captain Ryst, Agent Brown what’s going on?” Dave then questioned.
“We have some interesting news, and it’s very good news for John. Someone else has come forward and confessed to the killings,” Brown responded.
“Well, that’s a relief, but why the hell would someone do that I wonder?” Dave questioned.
“He had a lot of interesting information to share with us. He had incriminating evidence that showed that the witness in this case had been working closely with Stroud in a criminal manner as well. He gave us information on quite a few different federal workers actually that were taking part in criminal activities. Sorry, I can’t be more specific than that. He said that he was there in the warehouse trying to get information when he was discovered. He had to shoot in self-defense, and then he left. He figured that by the time that John arrived they had guards at the ready and so he was ambushed,” Brown answered.
“So I’m guessing that this guy got some kind of deal. He didn’t want an innocent cop to fry, huh, how thoughtful.”
“All of the charges, including the two murder charges against John have been dropped, however Captain Goldman he will be facing a very stiff in house sentencing for his reckless behavior. His continued refusal to follow orders has finally led to this. He almost lost his life, and he could have jeopardized a very high level case that he was told to stand down from. Instead Lieutenant Goldman decided to take off vigilante style and go looking for his own method of dealing with our suspect. If the man, if Stroud had not already been dead, there’s no telling what scenario might have played out.”
“You know Captain Ryst, I think that it’s time now for you to get the fuck out. Like you said my son almost died yet you stand here talking about him this way. If it weren’t for him, you never would have even found where the suspect took off to. John sent a message, there must have been bad reception there, and it didn’t go through immediately. Detective Wilson said he received the message ten minutes after it was sent. John had no way of knowing that. He was just trying to get to the suspect before he took off. You know it was only a matter of time before Stroud would hear of the Judge’s ruling. John was afraid that while you people were planning and organizing Stroud would have time to realize what was going on. You should be applauding his efforts not punishing him like a child.”
“Well I’m sorry Captain, but it seems that you are a bit biased. The department will not bend to your wishes this time around, good day, Sir.”
Dave shook his head, his face full of an unusual anger. “I thank you Agent Brown for coming by. That is a weight off of all our shoulders.”
“Of course, tell John I hope that he gets to feeling better soon,” Kayla then said, almost too afraid to ask an angry Dave if she could be allowed to see John. It just wasn’t a good time. “Goodbye.”
Dave then went and told Kellar the good news, and the possible bad.
John stood inside the courtroom to be judged once more. At this point his whole life was turning into a complete nightmarish hell. Yes Stroud was out of the picture now, and at least he was not standing here today in an orange or black jumpsuit on murder charges. He figured that Derek’s people had gotten someone working for them at some level to come forward and confess. They then fed some of their gathered intel on a few of these federal bastards through the guy’s package deal for a light sentence. It was a decent plan he had to admit, and it had saved his own ass. The man John did actually kill was secretly Stroud’s right hand man he discovered as well, so John figured that was his payback conciliation prize since he had not gotten to off Stroud himself.
Yeah, luckily, he wouldn’t be serving any time for that behind prison walls, but he had been handed down a devastating suspension sentence from work that even Dave had not been able to stop. He was suspended without pay for six months due to “recurring irrational, reckless behavior.” That was the official title of his papers anyway, and he somehow doubted that it would help him out in anyway today.
“You know that I have to decide the fate of these children here with us today. These two parents whom are now divorced have not been able to reach an agreement upon custody, so it will be up to me to decide,” Judge Edwards proclaimed. John glanced over to see Caroline on the other side of the courtroom, standing with her parents. It made him sick to see her there with them, the last people he ever though would be a part of their lives in any way.
“You okay?” his lawyer asked. There were now no more statements to make, no more arguments to be made; it was time for the final decision.
“It doesn’t matter,” John replied.
“Seeing as how the boy is older and we have reports here of him having multiple behavioral problems at his current residence, we need to address that in a serious manner. Now, it is my understanding that the boy of now fourteen years, a Christopher Blake Goldman wishes to live with his father. Is that correct son?”
“Very much so, Your Honor.”
“Mmm, it appears that the apple does not fall far from the tree now does it. Your father apparently has his own set of behavioral issues. However, you are old enough to decide your own placement, and it is not working out too well where you are right now. Mother, do you agree to this solution?”
“Yes,” Caroline softly spoke while looking down.
“Very well. Christopher Blake Goldman shall be placed with his father. There however shall be a visitation time in the summer if the mother chooses to do so. Christopher you may go and stand with your father if you please. Now moving on to these babies, I’d like to return to pointing out Mr. Goldman’s behavior issues. He was recently handed down from his police department a six month suspension for recurring irrational, reckless behavior. Now, I think that it goes without saying that those are some serious charges handed down from your department. I just don’t see how a man such as yourself could be considered safe around babies such as young Kaden and Kaitlin. You obviously have a history of anger issues and reckless behaviors. There’s no place for that in the home of a young child. I therefore have no choice but to give full custody of Kaden Preston Goldman and Kaitlin Leah Goldman to their mother Caroline Nicole Harper. There will be no visitation allowed from the father.”
“That’s bullshit!” John then yelled out. “You can’t keep me from seeing my own children. I haven’t been convicted of any crimes.
”
“Order, order in the court. You see here… Mr. Goldman this outburst of yours is a perfect example of your described behavioral flaws. If you interrupt my courtroom again with such an outburst I will have to hold you in contempt of court, and give you a well-deserved time out.”
“And why do you think I would be so pissed off Your Honor, Sir.”
“Dad, stop, please.”
“Those are my children too. I love them very much, and I need them in my life. They need their father. I don’t want them thinking that I have abandoned them; please reconsider your decision.”
“My decision is final.”
“You can’t fucking do that!”
“Bailiff, escort this man out of my courtroom!”
“This is fucking bullshit!” John shouted out as he was then dragged away.
“I hate you. I fucking hate you for doing this to him!” Christopher then yelled out to his mother before he was held back by Dave who was granted temporary custody until John was released.
The dried riverbeds of consciousness claimed victory over John’s attempt to control his sanity. His mental state was dazed and clouded; a jaded frost inside of him held him prisoner. Somewhere deep inside, he knew he had to escape…himself. He called out warily to the shadows surrounding him.
“How can I outrun this darkness, the pain burns, oh shit? I can’t even see past it, there’s no fucking compass of compassion, no way out. Why? What did I do to deserve this hell? I can’t even feel life anymore. All these voices around me screaming, Christopher, Kellar, Dave, James, Alex, I want them out of my head. And Caroline’s final words to me, her parents screams, the faces of my children that spoke so many words to me as I lost them. And the damn lawyers, the fucking judge, their words play like a repeating record of morbid, distorted truth. My mind I think is leaving me. I can’t believe their gone out of my life, my true wife, the woman I loved, and oh God, my children, my beautiful children stolen from me. This numbness of misery will never have a reason to leave; it will dictate my life until it bleeds me dry. I can’t do this, I can’t.”
Daze of Reality Page 19
