The Road to Justice/Sins of the Son combo pack - A John Fowler Novel (John Fowler (Books 1 & 2)) (8 page)

David George

Chapter 13

David George walked into the seedy hotel.  He paused for a second trying to remember which alias he had used to rent his room.  He silently chided himself for not having a better plan.  David knew better than not to have a plan.  Ever since he left the service he hadn
’
t planned the way he knew he should.  David paused, got a mental grip on himself and remembered the alias.  He took a deep breath, and confidently walked up to the front desk and paid for another week
’
s stay.  The manager took the money and offered David a receipt.  David passed on it and started toward the stairs. 

The package he held in his hand was what he had been waiting for.  It had been delivered to the PO Box two days ago, but David hadn
’
t sent his runner to get it until this morning.  That was the great thing about this town.  He could easily find someone who wanted to make $100.00
;
$25.00 up front and $75.00 upon delivery of the package.  The best part was David never had to show his face at the PO Box.  David didn
’
t think he was being paranoid, but right now he could care less.  In one week he would have Veronica in his sights, and he would do to her what he couldn
’
t all those years ago. 

He shook the memories from his head and started up the stairs to his room on the third floor.  The hotel was sleazy, there was no doubt about that, but no one cared who he was or why he was here, and that was exactly what he was after right now.  He entered his room and opened the package.  He had been invited to the White House as part of the dinner honoring the 5
th
Special Forces Group.  David
had just finished his last tour of duty three weeks ago.  It wasn
’
t supposed to be his last tour.  He had planned on re-upping, but David knew he couldn
’
t after what had taken place in Afghanistan.  He sat down on the bed, and then laid back.  He closed his eyes and the memories started flooding back to him of those last days in Afghanistan.  He shook his head trying to get rid of them, but they came unabated and all David could do was
relive
them, whether he wanted to or not. 

It was pure coincidence he had crossed paths with Jason Sparks in Afghanistan, but as far as David was concerned it was the best luck ever.  It was chance that both units were in the same small town in Afghanistan.  When David first met members of Jason
’
s unit, he heard someone mention Jason
’
s name. 
David asked around about Jason; h
e asked around every time he heard names that could possibly be related to his past.  They had always turned out to be
people he didn
’
t know in the past, but this time
i
t
turned out to be someone he did know
.   What were the chances of David ever meeting anyone he knew over here?

David couldn
’
t believe it.  It was actually the man he knew, Jason Sparks of Kentucky.  David thought at first maybe the name was just a coincidence; there had to be several people named Jason Sparks from Kentucky.  David did try to keep out of sight as much as possible just in case it was the same Jason he knew.  There was no sense taking chances it might be the man he knew.  No, it was best to play it safe and deal with it when he verified if it really was Jason.  When the fighting broke loose in the streets however, David saw his opportunity he took it. 

Jason had gotten separated from his unit by enemy fire.  He was pinned down behind a car while taking fire from snipers in a building across the street.  When David happened upon the firefight, he couldn
’
t believe his eyes.  There was Jason Sparks; how had he gotten from Kentucky to Afghanistan
was
anyone
’
s guess.  The irony of the situation was not lost on David.  He had gone thousands of miles away from Kentucky to avoid six people and
had found
one of them in a small town in Afghanistan.  David was assessing the situation when he noticed a member of the Taliban circling Jason and starting to approach him from the back.  David was furious, there was no way he had finally found Jason all these years later just to watch another man kill him.  He screamed at Jason.

“
Behind you!!
”

Jason turned to see the Taliban member coming toward him. Jason sprayed gunfire toward the enemy soldier.  The enemy soldier took cover behind an overturned cart in the road.  David signaled he would get the Taliban member behind Jason, while Jason would get the sniper still in the building across the street.  David came in behind the Taliban soldier and hit him in the head with the butt of his gun.  The Taliban soldier went sprawling, dropping his gun, while Jason shot the sniper across the street.  Jason turned around to see if his fellow soldier needed help and saw the US soldier standing over the prone body of his would be assailant.  Jason came up toward David with his hand extended.  David ignored the hand and bent down to pick up the enemy weapon.  Jason was a little taken aback.  David spoke before Jason could.

“
Jason Sparks, from Kentucky?
”
 
Jason looked stunned.  He really had no idea who was in front of him.  David smiled very slowly and asked him the question that would end Jason
’
s life.

“
You don
’
t remember me?
”
 
Jason shook his head no, looking very confused. 
“
How about my sister?
”
 
Jason looked even more confused.  
“
Does the name Beth George ring a bell?
”
 
David asked.  David watch
ed
as realization slowly crept over Jason
’
s face.  David felt a slow smile cross his face.  He then spoke the last words Jason would ever hear. 

“
I
’
m David, David George.
”

Jason looked as though he saw a ghost, and then dropped dead as David shot him with the enemy weapon.  David then picked up his own weapon and shot the Taliban soldier.  David felt elated inside as he called for help.  As other solders found his position, David had to repress the glee inside.  As far as David was concerned what just happened was self-defense.  It may have been over 25 years
since it was needed, but it was self-defense in his mind all the same.

David stood up from the bed he had been reminiscing on and walked to the window.  He could see the Washington Monument from his window.  This was coming together so much better than he could have ever hoped for.  He walked over to his closet to inspect his dress uniform.  He suspected it would be the last time he ever wore it . . . unless they tried or buried him in it.  When this was over, he truly doubted anyone would ever remember that he served his country.  David thought back to that awful day when his life had truly changed.  The day when Jason had caused him to fall down that old mine shaft and land on top of the lifeless form of his sister. 

He thought about how he wanted to go back home, but knew he couldn
’
t.  He knew if h
is mother was alive, she w
ould never forgive him for not protecting his sister.  David thought of the irony.  His mother never protected him or his sister.  They had looked out for each other for years, until Jason had ended her life and tried to end his. 

He thought about the old family that had taken him in a few days later.  He was nearly dead when they found him.  David had found an opening in the old mine shaft he had been shoved down, and crawled out of it.  He had hid out in the hills until the old man had found him when he was out hunting.  The old man who had helped raise him for the next five years was the closest thing to a father David had ever known.

David shook his head.  His mother had little to no education that he knew of.  She drank, took all sorts of drugs, and would date any man in the county, or surrounding counties, that wanted her.  It was no shock to him when he learned she had died of an OD two months after he and his sister had disappeared.  He wanted to go back after his mother died and tell the town what had happened to Beth, his sister, that day . . .
but he knew better.  He knew Veronica would have something done to
him, or worse, no one would believe him over Veronica.  No, it was better this way.

Pap, that
’
s what the old man had David call him, raised him.  Pap and Maw lived in the hills.  Everything they had they got from hunting, farming, or fishing.  Every once in awhile, Pap would go into town and buy a few things and get his mail, but for the most part he and Maw lived off of the land.  David never learned their last names.  Pap worked David hard on the farm.  David didn
’
t seem to mind.  He immersed himself into the work. 

Maw began to home school David.  When he started to complain, Maw told David if he wanted any chance of getting in the Army someday he had to have a diploma.  Not only did David stop complaining, but he poured as much effort into school as he did with work.  Ever since Maw and Pap found David, all he would
talk about was joining the A
rmy when he turned eighteen.  He believed it was his only chance to get away and not be found by the group
;
Veronica
’
s group.  The one he had tried to be part of . . . until Beth died and Jason tried to kill him.  They had never wanted him in the group since he was a few years younger
than the rest of them
.  He always followed them whenever Beth went out with them.  After Beth died, he never really thought they were looking for him, but he always wondered.  He wondered if anyone checked to make sure that both of them were dead. 

When the day came that David turned eighteen, he told both Pap and Maw goodbye.  Pap gave David a ride into town, and $200.00.  Pap said he had earned that and more over the years.  They shook hands and David headed into town to try and find out where the nearest Army recruiter was.  Pap watched him walk away and never tried to chase after David.  Pap had watched the scrawny broken boy he found grow up to be a very strong and dangerous man.  Pap knew something had happened to him, but never asked what.  As far as he was concerned it was probably
best David joined the Army.  Pap drove off, never to be seen by David again, and honestly, Pap never wanted to see David again.

             
David
’
s biggest fear was when he joined the Army he would be questioned about his disappearance for over six years.  David was stunned when everything was over and no one had asked him about him or his sister. 

             
David snapped back to the present.  He always wondered why his mother had never filed a missing persons report.  As he climbed the ranks of the Army and was stationed at Fort Campbell, he did a little digging.  Apparently neither he nor his sister had ever been listed as missing, or dead.  Looking back, he couldn
’
t say he was surprised.  His mother avoided the law as much as she could.  She always suspected the law was after her.  What he understood now that he didn
’
t understand as a child is the only reason the local sheriff and police kept looking in on her was to check on him and Beth. 

It was a small town he grew up in until the incident and everyone knew that it was really just him and Beth.  People in small towns tend to take care of their own.  Someone always seemed to be bringing a casserole or something over at night for him and Beth to eat . . . which was good, because Beth really wasn
’
t much of a cook.  As bad a cook as she was though, she was a much better cook than David
’
s mother.  Beth was probably more of a mom to him than his own mother.  Beth . . .over 25 years later, and he still woke up in a cold sweat thinking of that last time he ever saw her before she went to meet Veronica.  David set his jaw and nodded to himself
.  He would see that Veronica ca
me to justice . . . one way or another.

New York City

Chapter 16

As John entered the foxhole, he gave a low whistle.  Chet had apparently gotten his hands on every state of the art piece of technology he could find.  There were digital displays everywhere.  Chet was standing over a monitor moving his hands like something out of a sci-fi movie looking through different files.  John knew his buddy was good with computers, but maybe John had underestimated Chet.  For the first time John noticed that Chet seemed confident.  This was Chet
’
s element.  John knew what he owed his friend.  They had to solve this case.  John cleared his throat, but Chet had him tuned out.  John walked over and laid his hand on Chet
’
s shoulder.  Chet turned.