The Will to Die

by Joe Pulizzi

  “Perfect. And you?”

  “I’m in my car heading east on Route 2. I didn’t know what else to do.” She sighed.

  “This might work. What’s your exact location?” I asked.

  “I just passed Berlin Road.”

  “Good. We can meet you in fifteen minutes. I’m texting you directions to Robby’s uncle’s house now. It’s Elyria, north of Route 2.”

  “Got it. Okay.”

  “And Sam.”

  “What?”

  “Watch your back. Don’t trust anyone.” I ended the call.

  “Well, we’re going to have company at your uncle’s,” I said.

  “I got the gist,” Robby said.

  I dialed again. This time Alan.

  “Where are you?” Alan asked.

  “We’re headed west toward Elyria. Did you see the killing in downtown Cleveland?”

  “Yes. I received the alert about five minutes after they found the body.”

  “Did they ID the body yet?”

  “No name. Just description. Why are you asking?”

  “Let me guess. Tall, thin, dark-skinned man. Possibly Indian?”

  Silence for a few seconds. “What’s going on?” Alan asked.

  “Shit! We knew it. That’s the guy I told you about. The lab technician from the Clinic. He was going to check COD on the samples we gave him. They must have followed him right after he got the package from us. No samples left at the scene I suppose? Or inside at his station?”

  “None that we’ve found. No.”

  “For the love of ...”

  “Do you have more samples? We’re going to need them to put all this together.”

  “We should have some different samples. Sam might have some others. I’ll check with her. But right now we’ve got more important things to do. Like stay alive.”

  “Whatever this is, you two knuckleheads landed right in the middle of it. You know those two insurance companies that hit in our system? The white-collar division thinks they can link nine figures to those companies. Nine as in over a hundred million. They want to talk with you ASAP. You need to turn the car around and get your ass back here.”

  I paused for a second. “No can do, Alan. Right now you need to get your cowboys and a shitload of guns together and bring your ass to us. These guys are serious, and I have a feeling we’ve only seen the appetizers to this point.”

  “We’re fast but not that fast. We’ve got agents out on other assignments, and it will take at least twenty-four hours. Maybe more. Plus, we’d never get approval at this point.”

  “Look, Alan. Outside of taking the law into our own hands, you’re all we have. In twenty-four hours, this thing will probably be over, and either I or someone I love, probably both, are going to end up permanently missing. You have this number. Call me back. Robby and I will try not to get killed in the meantime.”

  I ended the call.

  “How far are we from your uncle’s house?” I asked.

  “About fifteen minutes, maybe less. What’s the video status?”

  The videos were cued up, and the computer was tethered to the portable Wi-Fi. “I’m going fast and trying not to miss anything, but I’m just finishing Wednesday. After that we have four days left. Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, right up to the point you already saw. I need a breakthrough. Between the phone calls, watching these videos, and your driving, I’m close to vertigo.”

  Twelve minutes later, we arrived at Robby’s uncle’s place. Robby parked a couple blocks away as a safety measure, and we walked to the house. His uncle was waiting for us on the porch. Older man, maybe in his late sixties. He looked like he used to be taller, but now the top of his back was slightly hunched. He walked up to Robby like he was in a constant ducking position.

  “What kind of shitstorm are you two kids involved in?” he said, shaking hands with Robby while they embraced. I shook his hand. “Roderick Beckett. Nice to meet you.”

  “Will Pollitt. Can’t thank you enough for all your help.”

  “Please call me Rod. How can I help?”

  “Uncle Rod, here are the keys to my Edge. It’s parked two blocks east of here. We think they’ve bugged it, but we’re not sure.”

  “No worries, son,” Rod said. “I know a guy, his name’s Keener. If that thing is bugged, he’ll find it inside twenty minutes.”

  “Great. In the meantime, we need your car.”

  We saw headlights and a slow-moving car was about to pass the house. Robby and I ducked a bit behind Rod’s front door. As the car neared, we saw the make. A black Jeep Cherokee.

  “That’s Sam,” I said, jogging out to meet her.

  She rolled down the passenger window. “You okay?” I asked.

  “Yes. What’s the plan?” she asked.

  “We’ll be right back,” I called out to Robby and Rod and hopped in Sam’s car.

  “Go straight for two blocks and park behind Robby’s car. We don’t know if his or yours or both cars are being tracked.” Sam parked, then we exited and started to head back toward Rod’s house. Sam made her way around the front of the car toward me and embraced me, completely taking me by surprise.

  “This is crazy, Will,” she said. “I can’t stop thinking about Jess.”

  “Me either,” I said. “And I have more news that you aren’t going to like. Your friend Jared. After we met with him and delivered the package,” I paused, looking at the ground, “someone killed him.”

  Sam’s hand immediately lifted and covered her mouth, while tears started to form in the corners of her eyes.

  “I’m so sorry, Sam. I think it’s my fault. Before I switched phones, I texted him with my old phone and gave away his location.”

  “Why is this happening?” Sam said, shaking.

  I grabbed both her hands and placed them in mine. “We’ll find out. I promise.”

  We approached Rod’s house. Robby and Rod were still on the porch.

  “Are you okay, Sam?” Robby asked.

  “I just told her about Jared,” I said.

  “Yeah, this thing is going from bad to worse. Samantha, this is my Uncle Rod. He was very helpful with the insurance information we used to double-check against your embalming records.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Sam said, reaching out her hand.

  Rod took her left hand, lowered his head, and kissed the back of her hand. “The pleasure is all mine, Samantha,” Rod said.

  “You can call me Sam.”

  Rod smiled. “I bet you all are pretty hungry. And sounds like it’s going to be a long night.” At that, Rod went through the porch door and into the house.

  The three of us were huddled as if we were ready to break for the next play.

  “Okay,” Sam said. “Now. What’s the plan?”

  We spent the next five minutes going through the timeline. The meeting with Jared. The matching of the embalming records with the life settlement deals. Dad’s cancer. Alan and the FBI. What was left with Dad’s video footage.

  “You’re sure it was Jared that was found dead?” Sam asked.

  “Positive,” I said. “Alan confirmed it was a tall, dark-skinned man. Probably Indian. Dots, not feathers.”

  “That’s racist. You should use other words,” Sam said.

  “You know what’s racist? Killing minorities for a shit ton of money. And it seems they don’t have any concern about killing us as well.”

  “Now just because they killed Jared doesn’t mean they’re going to kill us,” Robby said.

  Sam and I just looked at him.

  “Okay, they’re probably trying to kill us. What do we do now?” Robby asked.

  The top of my head was sweating, partly due to the situation and also that it was still about eighty degrees. Probably close to a record for May around here. Rod came out holding a paper plate with three Hot Pockets on it.

  “I live by myself and I don’t cook much. It was either Hot Pockets or Bagel Bites.”

  “Good call, Uncle R
od,” Robby said, and we each grabbed a Hot Pocket. Rod stood close to us.

  “Uncle Rod? Can you give us a second in private? I don’t want you to know any more than you already do. For your own protection, you know.”

  “Shit, boy. You ever been chased by the cops before? You ever had a warrant out for your arrest? You ever been wrongly accused of a crime?

  We all stood there looking at him.

  “Well, you’re in luck. I have. Multiple times. I think you need a seasoned veteran to assist in your planning. And anyway, I’ve lived a good life. Rounding third and heading home, you might say. If someone offs me while I’m helping you kids, I have a feeling God will show favor to it.”

  Robby looked at me, and I shrugged. “I don’t think we’re in a position to turn down help,” I said. “But if those cars are bugged, I’m not sure how much time we have left. They seem to be one step ahead of us. Probably more.”

  Rod started walking into the house. “It’s hotter out here than a double-peckered frog in the middle of mating season. I got the window unit running inside. Let’s at least sit down for five minutes, cool you off, and weigh the options.” The man was smiling as he walked in. He seemed to be reveling in the situation.

  The porch led directly to the kitchen, which had a square wood table in the middle surrounded by four chairs. The stove was older and probably hadn’t been used in years. There was a half pot of coffee in the Mr. Coffee machine next to the sink. I picked up the scent as soon as I walked in.

  “Rod, is that fresh coffee?”

  “Depends on what you consider fresh. It’s fresh enough that I’m still drinking it.”

  “Do you mind?”

  “Shit, no. Let’s finish this one off, and I’ll make another pot,” Rod said as he grabbed three coffee cups out of the cupboard. I looked at my watch. Just past ten p.m. I haven’t drank coffee this late since college. I was praying for full strength. The adrenaline was wearing off, and I needed a pick-me-up.

  We sat at the table in silence. Almost like the calm before the storm.

  “Before we do this,” I said, “my biggest concern right now, outside of the pulses in this room, are Denise and Jess. If things come to a boil tonight or tomorrow or whenever, we need to make sure they’re safe.”

  “I agree,” Robby said. “Denise I’m not worried about. She can kick the shit out of you ten times over,” he said, looking at me. “But Jess. What do you think, Sam?”

  Sam took a sip of coffee and crinkled her mouth and nose simultaneously. The coffee was terrible, but probably worth it. “I think if we’re right and this thing is what it seems to be, that Jess could be in serious trouble. Being with her friend is not enough.”

  I took out my burner phone and put it on speaker. I found Alan in the recent calls and hit dial.

  “Will. What’s the situation?”

  “We’re in Elyria at Robby’s uncle’s house. Sam met us here. We’re working on a plan and changing cars. That’s as far as we’ve got. You?”

  “The good news is that the bureau believes you. We grabbed some imagery around the assault of the Indian guy. Couldn’t get a clear shot of who did it. Definitely a pro. Nothing was taken except the man’s driver’s license. And the samples, of course,” Alan said, clearing his throat.

  “But before we went all in with this, my superior wanted to make sure your story was legit. So our tech guys went to find imagery of your meeting with Xena Anthony. Our lead tech guy hacked into Sandusky’s network and said he’s never seen a city wired up like that. They have over two thousand cameras with views in every direction, and that’s just a four-block radius downtown. We’re bringing in the Columbus team to help us go through all the tech to see what else we can find.”

  “So my story checked out?” I asked.

  “Oh, yes, we watched it a couple times here. One of the guys made some popcorn. How you walked away after she grabbed your junk? You’re a better man than I,” Alan said, chuckling. I looked away from Sam. “But, yes, your story checks. You left her at 12:08 a.m., got in your car, and drove off. The last shot of Ms. Anthony showed no facial bruising. If anything, she assaulted you.” Alan was cracking himself up. “The guys are monitoring the video from the rest of that night to see what happened after you left.”

  Sam was looking at me. I wanted to say something but decided listening would work just fine for now. I didn’t know if she was happy, proud, or disgusted.

  “Thanks for that scintillating update, Alan. Look, we’re all big boys and girls here, but we’re concerned about our daughter Jess at Penn State. If this thing is really happening, which it seems to be, we feel she’s in danger.”

  “I hear you. We’ve got small teams in Altoona and Harrisburg, not too far from State College. I’ll put in a few calls and see what I can do.”

  “That would be fantastic. Thank you,” Sam said.

  “Keep checking in. Looks like we’re pulling an all-nighter here, so I’ll be around.” The call went dead.

  “Sure would like to get my hands on that video footage of you and that Xena,” Uncle Rod said. “That’s like Xena: Warrior Princess, right?” Robby and Rod bumped fists.

  “You guys should take it on the road,” I said. “Now let’s do this.”

  Chapter 30 – The Plan

  I’d been in hundreds of strategy sessions in my day, but nothing like this before. Regardless, I was thinking about it in the same way. What’s the ultimate goal? What’s standing in the way of that goal? How do we remove the barriers in our way?

  “Who’s the enemy here?” I asked.

  “The Sandusky Alliance, right?” Sam asked.

  “We think. Probably our best bet right now, assuming what Warrior Princess said was correct,” Robby said.

  “I think the fact they used her face for a punching bag means she was right,” I said. “So it’s us against SA. They’re not only protecting a financial scheme, but they have some warped mission against people who are not white or not straight. They’re smart. They have a lot of technology. I think we should assume they know someone hacked into their system. Once they realize that, whether they know it’s the bureau or not, shit is going to hit the fan any second now.”

  “The question is, what do they want from us?” Sam asked. “I mean, do they want us quiet or dead or do they think we have something?”

  “That’s what bothers me about this whole thing,” I said. “No one has come to us with demands. No one has directly threatened us. And I can’t put a face on this, and it bothers the hell out of me.”

  “Right now, the only thing we know is that they didn’t want you going to the Cleveland Police,” Sam said.

  “Well, yes,” I said.

  “I mean that’s why they set you up,” Sam said. “They found out about Jared and the samples, and they could have killed you both right there. There was probably a car right outside watching you. But they didn’t. Instead, they killed Jared and beat up Xena. So they need you alive for some reason, we just don’t know why yet. They just couldn’t have you running off to the cops, and putting out the APB on you pretty much assures that you wouldn’t.”

  “Jack!” Robby said.

  “What about Jack?” I said.

  “Jack was looking in the closet, most likely for the missing journals. If they exist. Your dad was leaving pockets of evidence. That camera, which we aren’t done with yet. The samples, which we assume they stole. The last piece are the journals. They must think you have them.”

  “And I’m almost positive that Jack and Dan did not know about the journals before Dad passed away,” I said. “Dad kept them to himself and locked in the closet. Very secretive. Now they know the journals exist and they’re exposed.”

  “John Wick,” Robby said.

  “Not another John Wick story,” Sam said.

  “Seriously, guys, listen,” Robby said. “In the beginning of the first John Wick, they come to John’s house to kill him, and he of course takes them all out. Then he goes on the of
fensive. But before he kills everyone and walks away with the dog, he blows up all the money and assets from the Russians, and they come out of their hole. Then he starts to take them all out.”

  “Like in Indiana Jones,” I said. “The one with Sean Connery. Where the Jewish guys set fire to the sewer and all the rats go running.”

  “Are you guys, like, twelve years old?” Sam asked.

  “I like it,” Rod said. “You want to flush them out of their holes. Get them in the open so you know what you’re dealing with.”

  “Exactly,” Robby said.

  “The journals,” Sam said. “We just deduced that they think we may have them. At least as of last night, they were hunting for them. Or at least Jack was. What if we play the game like we have the journals?”

  “Holy shit,” Robby said. “Like Jerry Maguire.”

  “Are you serious with the movie references, Robby?” Sam asked.

  “No, not Jerry Maguire. Tom Cruise’s character in—what was it?—The Firm. They make copies of all the illegal documents and put them on a boat that never docks at port. That was the leverage he needed so the Mafia couldn’t touch him or his wife. We could do that with the journals.”

  “That’s fucking brilliant,” Rod said.

  “Yes,” I said. “It would be if we actually had the journals. But we don’t.”

  “You got a better idea?” Robby asked. “Anyway, you’re in marketing. You lie for a living.”

  “What do you think, Sam?”

  “It’s worth a shot,” she said.

  I MADE THE CALL. “ALAN!”

  “Will, glad you called. I got two guys from Altoona on their way to Jess. I need her location.”

  “Sam’s texting everything to you now.” I looked at Sam, who quickly pulled out her phone.

  “Roger that,” Alan said.

  “Question. How much farther have your tech guys got on tapping into the downtown cameras?”

  “Not exactly sure. Hold, please.” There was muffled talking in the background. While I waited, I gave Sam Alan’s number, and she relayed Jess’s information to him. Two minutes later, Alan came back on the line.

  “Good news. We’re seeing what they’re seeing. The Columbus tech team has it set up that anything with movement bubbles to the top of the icon set.”