Green File Crime Thrillers Box Set

by James Kipling

  “Here,” Jacob handed Jessica his phone. “Keep the green arrow pointed directly at the coordinates,” he explained. “If you get off track, the arrow will turn red.”

  Jessica studied Jacob’s phone, and then broke into a steady run. Alvin patted Jacob on his shoulder. “I’ll cover the rear.”

  “Ms. Anderson, let’s move,” Jacob said, feeling the heavy snow striking his face. He took off at a steady run as well, feeling the deep snow grabbing at his legs. Alvin pulled out his gun, studied the dark woods, and followed after Jacob. To his shock, Jacob managed to run with Mandy for a full twenty minutes until Jessica slid to a stop in the snow and pointed down at the snowy ground.

  “Your phone is telling me this is the location,” Jessica announced, breathing heavy trails of white fog into the night air.

  Jacob carefully slid Mandy down onto her good leg in order to rest.

  “Okay, we need to locate the cave,” he ordered. “Everyone, start looking around and—” Jacob stopped when he heard the sound of two black hawks in the distance again. The helicopters sounded loud and were flying directly toward their location with bright searchlights.

  Jessica glanced up into the snow, studied the dark trees hanging over her head, and waited. As she did, a warm hand touched her shoulder; a hand full of power and love.

  Find the cave a stern voice whispered into her heart. Find the cave.

  Jessica lowered her eyes, looked around, and spotted a large boulder standing off in the distance.

  “There!” she screamed and ran toward the boulder. Alvin helped Jacob carry Mandy over to the boulder, and then watched Jessica vanish behind it. A few seconds later Jessica’s beautiful face appeared.

  “Its tight, but we can fit,” she called out. “Hurry.”

  Jacob glanced up at the dark sky. The black hawks were growing closer.

  “Go!” he yelled, as he carried Mandy around the boulder and helped the woman down into a very tight but manageable opening in the snow that lead down into a series of underground caves. Alvin followed next. Right before the black hawks appeared, Jacob dropped down into the hole. The bright search lights barely missed him. The pilots who were flying the black hawks had no idea that their prey had vanished underground.

  Chapter 7

  Underground

  Cold, dark, and fear. These are the elements that greeted Jessica as her shoes touched down on a damp, slippery, rock slope. Instinctively, she threw out her arms and managed to touch two rock walls that felt slimy and cold. Jessica realized that she was standing in a very tight and narrow tunnel that sloped downward into a dark, open hole.

  “Easy now,” Alvin whispered, as he reached his right hand back and grabbed Jessica’s right arm. “Very slippery.”

  Alvin’s touch brought a sense of comfort to Jessica’s frayed nerves.

  “Thank you, Alvin,” she whispered back in a grateful tone, as she stared down into the tunnel, struggling to see what lay ahead. Only an icy, soulless chasm greeted Jessica.

  “Mandy?”

  “Holding onto Alvin,” Mandy assured her sister.

  Jacob dropped down into the cave before Jessica could say another word.

  “Black Hawks are right over,” he said taking out a small, black pen light from the pocket of his jacket. “Okay, let’s see what we have.” Jacob carefully turned on the pen light. A narrow, nearly blinding, beam of light shot out like a deadly laser.

  “Hey, my eyes,” Mandy complained, as the beam hit her eyes.

  “Sorry.” Jacob turned the light past Mandy’s shoulder and began evaluating the narrow tunnel. “Tight,” he whispered, as his eyes adapted to the new environment. “Ceiling is barely seven feet tall. The tunnel is about four feet in width with the floor sloping downward...” Jacob continued to examine the tunnel. “There’s a draft coming up the tunnel which means—”

  “There must be another opening,” Mandy told Jacob in a scared but irritated voice. “We’re not stupid, okay?”

  “Neither are those people standing over our heads,” Jacob replied, looking at the hole over his head and then he pointed down the tunnel. “Let’s move. Alvin, you take lead. Mandy, Jessica, you take the middle. I’ll guard the rear. Now move.”

  Alvin nodded his head, carefully squeezed past Mandy, secured his footing, and then looked behind him.

  “Mandy, hold tight to my right arm,” he ordered. Mandy quickly took Alvin’s right arm to use the man as a crutch and began moving down the tunnel while dragging her lame leg behind her.

  “Move,” Jacob told Jessica.

  Jessica stared at Jacob with fearful eyes.

  “They’re going to kill us, aren’t they?” she asked. “The world is against us. There’s no hope.”

  Jacob wanted to tell Jessica that she was wrong, that there was a hidden treasure chest of hope buried deep inside of his heart. That would be a lie, though. The truth was, Jessica was right. Roger Alden was winning the game and, because Edwin Green couldn’t risk a political war that would destroy what trust he still maintained with the American people, Jacob was forced to fly solo. Live or die.

  “Mrs. Mayes—”

  “My name is Jessica,” She told Jacob in an unrecognizable voice that seemed very strange to her. Then she said something that sent a dagger of defeat into her trembling heart. “If we’re going to die, I would rather die being called by my name.”

  Jacob saw Jessica’s mind and heart slowly begin to crumble, as the black hawks soared overhead like hungry misquotes searching for a human victim.

  “You know,” he said, desperately trying to think of something to say, “America is a big country and, believe it or not, there’s still land that man hasn’t yet set foot on right here in our own backyard. Alaska. We’re talking about untamed land that man will never touch; deep lakes, rivers, caves, mountains, hidden valleys. There are endless hidden hallways that man hasn’t touched, and there’s no telling where this tunnel might lead.”

  It was clear that Jacob was babbling, struggling to offer Jessica some form of comfort. Jessica appreciated the effort but was too aware of reality to dare reach out and grasp at straws.

  “Maybe if I turn myself in, it’ll give the rest of you a chance to escape,” she suggested.

  Mandy stopped dragging her leg and struggled to turn her head towards Jessica. “Are you out of your mind?” she nearly screamed at Jessica. “Jessie, you’re not... don’t you ever, ever... do you hear me!”

  Alvin pointed an accusing finger at Jessica. “Don’t matter if you turn yourself in, girl,” he warned, “the wolves prowling around over our heads will continue to hunt us. You’d best get your mind straight.”

  A strange and alien anger suddenly burst into Jessica’s heart.

  “Get my mind straight?” she snapped at Alvin. “My husband is dead! Murdered! And now, look at me. I’m running scared like a rabbit; scared out of my mind!” Furious, angry tears began flowing down Jessica’s cold and tender cheeks. “I haven’t hurt anyone. I’ve never hurt anyone. My husband...this is...this is...” Jessica grabbed her face. “Oh, Jack!” she screamed. “This is all your fault! Why? Why?”

  Jacob tried to reach out and put his hand on Jessica’s shoulder. Jessica pulled away. “Don’t touch me!” she yelled at Jacob. “You can stand there and pretend to play innocent, but you’re no different than the people that killed my husband. You’re just playing on the opposite side of the field.” Jessica shook her index finger at Jacob. “I wanted to trust you. I wanted to believe there was a good guy in all this horror, but the only good guy is Pastor Braston.”

  “Jessie, please—” Mandy began.

  “Please, what?” Jessica laughed in a hysterical voice, shocked that all of her hidden feelings were suddenly flooding out of her heart like a raging waterfall. “Please, what, Mandy? My life is over. I can never go home. I can never return to a normal life, cook a normal dinner, vacuum my own living room floor, or even clean my own kitchen sink
! My life is over. I’m going to be hunted down like a dog for the rest of my life!” Jessica balled her hands into two tight fists, and squeezed her tormented eyes closed. “What hope do I ever have of regaining control over my life?” The virus a deep, powerful voice boomed through Jessica’s mind. The virus. Jessica saw her husband’s private journal enter her mind. Get the journal...get the virus. “How?” Jessica whispered, as tears rolled over her trembling lips. “How do I get the journal? Where is the journal?”

  “What journal?” Jacob asked in an urgent voice. “Jessica, what are you talking about?” Jacob quickly grabbed Jessica’s right arm. “Did your husband leave behind a journal?”

  Jessica yanked free of Jacobs grip without opening her eyes. Get the journal...get my journal. “Jack?” Jessica whispered, hearing the voice transform into her dead husband’s. “Jack, is that you?”

  Alvin gave Mandy a worried look. “She’s losing her mind. This mess is too much for her.”

  “Jessica, honey...” Mandy dragged her body over to Jessica, grabbed her sister and gently shook her. “Jessica, honey, snap out of it, please. You’re scaring me.”

  Get the virus...win the game...choose your teammates carefully...the voice of Jack Mayes whispered before, to Jessica’s misery, it faded away. “Oh Jack, this isn’t your fault. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.” Jessica grabbed her face. “Oh, Jack.”

  Jacob quickly checked the hole still over his head and then rubbed his face. “We need to move. Go!” he ordered, hearing one of the Black Hawk helicopters landing in a nearby clearing. “Alvin, move!”

  “Say no more, brother.” Alvin worked his way back to Mandy, took the woman’s arm, and began helping her down the slippery slope.

  “Move,” Jacob ordered Jessica and gently pushed her forward. “Move.”

  Although dazed, Jessica moved. Jacob used the pen light to create a visible path. Even though her legs were working, her mind was far, far away. Where was the journal? What was ‘AIV’? Why had the CIA really killed Jack Mayes? All of the questions bounced around inside of Jessica’s mind, somehow landing her back on the same block of wood—the virus.

  The virus was the ultimate weapon; the only weapon Jessica had that would allow her to regain control of a small portion of her life. While it was clear to Jessica that she would never be able to regain full control of her life again, if she had the virus, she had control. Perhaps, like in the movies, she could force people to create a new name for her. She could live in a new country, where she could spend the rest of her days in a hidden sanctuary growing roses. Yes, the virus was the only weapon left to grasp at, but what about the stolen files? Why had Jack Mayes decided to steal files pertaining to President Green? Jessica wasn’t certain. Or was she?

  “Jack?” she whispered, “were you planning to blackmail President Green?”

  “What?” Jacob asked hearing Jessica whispering to herself.

  Jessica focused her eyes on Mandy’s back and watched her sister drag her lame leg down the slippery slope. “What were your planning, Jack?” she whispered, ignoring Jacob. “What were you trying to accomplish?”

  Jacob bit his lip while waiting to ask Jessica again about what she was whispering. Instead, he blocked out every sound possible and tuned his ears in to Jessica’s voice. Unfortunately, Jessica stopped whispering and focused on maneuvering the dark slope, one careful step at a time.

  AIV...Journal...she knows, Jacob thought to himself. Jessica Mayes is the key to victory.

  Jacob glanced over his shoulder. It wouldn’t be long before a team of hired assassins began dropping down into the tunnel like a pack of raging, rabid dogs hunting wounded rabbits. If we live through this, there may be a chance, he thought without allowing real hope to reach his heart. It was better to stay focused on reality.

  Above ground, Shelley was running beside two men who were carrying Hayford on a black canvas stretcher. The men took the dead man to a Black Hawk that was landing.

  “This is as far as you go,” one of the men yelled over the sound of the landing Black Hawk. “Get back to your duties!”

  Shelly stared at Hayford’s lifeless, dead body, and then burst back into the snowy woods.

  “Red Team, on my dime now!” she screamed into her walkie-talkie. A few minutes later, the men assigned to the Red Team appeared before Shelly. “Alden has ordered us back.”

  “What?” Charlie barked. “We—”

  “Stand down,” Shelly ordered Charlie in a sick voice. “I don’t know why Alden ordered us to stand down, okay? We have our prey within reach.” Shelly kicked at the snow. “Alden is the boss. Fall back.”

  Each man belonging to the Red Team looked at one another as if they had each had their arms ripped off. What could they do, though? Orders were orders, even if the orders were absurd.

  “Yes, ma’am,” Ben spoke up and glanced back through the woods. “Let’s move.”

  Shelly waited until the Red Team began falling back before pulling out her cell phone. “We’re falling back, Mr. Alden,” she spoke, struggling to keep her voice civil.

  “Very good,” Roger spoke in a pleased voice, standing in his office like a hideous black widow spider. “Drive into town. The media will be waiting at the local police station. Your job is to relay a very gruesome and sad story to the media.”

  “Sir?” Shelly asked, feeling angry and confused.

  “Hayford had a wife and three lovely children,” Roger told Shelly, as he began to sip on a fancy, imported tea. “Hayford was gunned down in cold blood by Jessica Mayes. I want to destroy this woman’s character and turn her into a ruthless killer that every single American citizen in this despicable country will hate. And I do mean everyone.”

  “But sir, we have the perimeter marked off...we can catch—”

  “Can you?” Roger barked at Shelly, despising the woman’s daring choice of words. “Hayford is dead, Agent Malone. What does that tell you?”

  “Hayford was targeted, sir, but we can—”

  “You can do nothing!” Roger yelled and slammed his fancy teacup down on his desk, spilling some of the tea in the process. “The unknown man that is traveling with Jessica Mayes isn’t working alone, you stupid, stupid, woman! It’s likely the abandoned van was a trick of some sort. I needed to find out. Unfortunately, Hayford was my bait.”

  “You mean, you set us up, Sir?” Shelly asked in a shocked voice, as she looked around in the dark, snowy, woods in disbelief.

  “I needed to see what power my enemy possesses,” Roger informed Shelly. “It’s clear that Jessica Mayes is connected to people of substantial power. Edwin Green, I might even dare to say.” Roger left his desk, walked over to the window in his office, and continued. “I can’t risk more bloodshed at the moment, Agent Malone,” he said, forcing calmness into his voice. “I have teams watching every possible location, but still our enemies managed to take down one of our own. No good. We need to proceed more carefully. Right now, we will use the media to continue destroying Jessica Mayes.”

  “Yes, Sir,” Shelly said through gritted teeth and yet somehow sounded respectful.

  “But,” Roger added, ignoring Shelly and mainly speaking to himself, “at this point, we’re going to move a few more pawns across the board. I want you to firmly state to the media, Agent Malone, that you saw Jessica Mayes escaping in a black government van.”

  “Sir?”

  “A black van with the license plate GOV PA1217,” Roger ordered, as he pulled back a thick curtain and looked out into a hard rain; a rain that was pouring on the streets that housed corrupt politicians.

  “A Pentagon van?” Shelly asked.

  “Exactly,” Roger said in a pleased voice. “I want to add pressure to Edwin Green and make the American people very suspicious. In the meantime, I will use the death of Hayford to increase the protests taking place across the country. I’m going to have the media turn Hayford into a hero for the people; a fallen soldier who died
at the hands of a deadly terrorist and turn Edwin Green into the most hated man in the world.”

  “Yes, sir,” Shelly replied, wishing Roger was there, so she could shoot the man dead. Instead, she ended the call and obeyed orders. What else could she do? Roger Alden was the boss. For the time being, at least.

  ((((((((((*))))))))))

  Unaware that a strange chain of events was working in their favor, Jessica, Mandy, Alvin and Jacob continued to move down the slippery tunnel, one careful step at a time, as Josh Potter crawled through the snowy woods over their heads, half out of his mind.

  “Oh man...this is big...oh man,” Josh murmured in a panicked voice, as the Black Hawk helicopter carrying Hayworth rose into the air.

  Fearing for his life, Josh crawled deeper into the woods. He cuddled up behind a large boulder and waited until morning but nearly froze to death. Half sober, he managed to locate his truck, which was parked on a dirt back road. He escaped unseen and unhurt, leaving the world to believe that Jessica Mayes had killed a man.

  Of course, there was no way for Jessica or anyone else to know that a drunken Josh Potter had accidentally killed the man. Life was far too full of mysterious tunnels to ever know the real truth.

  “Only the Bible is the real truth,” Jessica whispered, as her mind struggled with reason and certainty. “Even if I locate the journal, what truth will there ever be…except God?”

  Jacob heard Jessica whispering to herself again but didn’t say a word. Instead, he saw that Alvin had stopped walking.

  “What is it?” he called out.

  “Running water,” Alvin answered, struggling to see into the darkness by the beam of light Jacob was shining over his shoulder. “I think there’s an open room up ahead.”

  “I hear the water, too,” Mandy said, leaning on Alvin’s back. “Sounds like a river.

  Jessica listened intently, focusing to hear what sounded like the force of a powerful river. “I hear it.”

  “Me, too,” Jacob said as he caught up to everyone. “Careful, now, okay?”