Chapter 83

Chapter 83—Jack escapes again 

1:22 a.m., Friday, December 30 

The man caught Jack by surprise, “I think you misunderstand what I need,” Jack said, turning to look the man in the eye. “I need someone to tidy up my room.”
“That’s taken care of,” the man said. “My name is William, and Roger sent me to bring you to the hospital. He will take care of you from there. … Don’t worry about your room. Roger’s men are going to take care of it.”
“I can’t come back here again,” Jack said.
“Exactly. We’ve got a new place for you,” William told him, as he handed an envelope to him. “This is your new hotel, and your new room key. Hope you like it better.”
“That last place was okay, but it did seem to be a little noisy at times,” Jack quipped, checking to see where Roger had set him up. “The Penn Station Central, Jack read on the envelope. “Back to Penn Station.”
“Will that suit your needs?” William asked.
“Recently renovated,” Jack said. “It was quite the hotel back in the day. Popular for visiting NBA teams.”
“1700 rooms, you know.” William said. “You should be able to melt right in.”
“As long as it has a bed,” Jack said.
“It’s a club room.”
“What does that mean?” Jack asked.
“Refrigerator and a flat screen.”
“The refrigerator sounds good,” Jack said. “I would like to hibernate in there until I leave town. It seems as though every time I move around I draw attention.”
“What’s up with your daughter?”
“Not sure yet,” Jack said. “Roger might have some additional info on that. I should find out more when I get to the hospital. … You sure that’s where Roger wants you to take me?”
“That’s my orders,” William replied.
“He believes that there is one more important issue out there that he needs to discuss with you,” William said. “Not sure where it’s coming from, but if anyone can get to the bottom of it, Roger will. And quickly.”
“That’s what I’m hoping for,” Jack said. “I wonder why he didn’t mention it when I talked to him.”
“I’ll drop you off at the hospital,” William said. “Then I’ll make sure your belongings end up in your room. Roger has a ride for you to the hotel.”
“You gonna turn down my bed and leave a piece of chocolate on my pillow?” Jack responded.
“Doubtful,” William said, cracking a slight smile. “But I will sweep it for bugs.”
William removed the car keys from his jacket and hit the remote to find his car. “That’s the thing about rentals. I can never remember what I’m driving. Sometimes I’m happy to remember the level where I left it.”
Jack thought it curious that Roger’s man should be driving a rental, but he let it pass.
At first there was no sound. So the two men just kept walking. Finally, after the third attempt, they could hear the horn blow about a hundred feet away. William hit the remote a couple more times to confirm he had found the right car.
“How long is this gonna take?” Jack asked. “To get to the hospital?”
“Under decent conditions it takes about half an hour. I would guess that would be about it tonight.”
“Then, if you don’t mind,” Jack said. “I’m gonna get some sleep.”
“Sounds good,” William said. “I’ll wake you up when we get there.”
Jack fastened his seatbelt, and tilted his seat back. Within seconds, he was sound asleep.
It seemed only a matter of seconds to Jack, when he heard William giving him instructions. “Jack, better wake up. We’ve got a little company. And they’ve got guns.”