***
After dinner Jason showed up for his weekly visit. He had worked hard on the task Matt had given him and was anxious to tell him about what he had accomplished. He had been waiting nearly twenty minutes when Matt was finally led into the visitor's room.
"So, how did the purchase go?" Matt asked.
"No problem, I'm now the proud owner of a lumberyard. I'm going to call it Quality One Lumber. As you advised, I put it in a corporation owned by a limited partnership. The general partner is Conventure, Inc."
"Conventure? . . . Oh, cute. . . . So there's no way anybody can tie the corporation to you?"
"No. Conventure is owned by a Cayman Island trust and the limited partners are all straight out of the phone book."
"I hope they don't all begin with the same letter."
"No, I mixed it up a bit."
"Good, everything is going as planned here. I've got my first Bible study group on Tuesday and the warden said we can have two a week."
"What if any of the guards listen in or, God forbid, want to join the group?"
"I've already invited the warden."
"Oh you're a real comedian. What if he had accepted?"
"Then we would have done some real Bible study."
"Seriously, the place will undoubtedly be bugged, so how are you going to accomplish anything?"
"At every session we'll hand out Bibles. It will appear that we're actually studying it, but the real lesson will be hidden deep within the Old Testament. We'll also develop a religious code that will allow us to communicate without detection."
"So what do you want me to do now?"
"Just operate your business normally, but be sure you and only you take all personnel and credit inquiries."
"I understand. Do you really think we can pull this off?"
"Only time will tell, but if we do, there are going to be some very pissed off people at MidSouth Bank. . . . Which reminds me, you better find us a damn good place to hide out once I'm released."
"How am I going to do that? I wouldn't know where to begin."
"Don’t worry about it. I'll get you some help from some of the guys in here. Maybe they can refer us to someone to fix us up new identities."
"I hope so because running this damn lumber company is going to keep me really busy."
"You've still got all the old personnel, right?"
"Yeah, most of them."
"Then just don't get in their way and everything should be fine."
"I hope so."
"Have you heard anything from Bill lately?"
"Yeah, he's up in Albany checking on an ex-employee of MidSouth who might be able to help us out with the Day-Timer. He's been there nearly a week so I would expect to hear from him soon."
"Good, we need a witness to make this plan really work. I sure hope he finds her."
"Me too."
On Tuesday the first Bible study group met. The warden stopped by and shook his head when he saw twenty-five inmates packed in the small reading room. He smiled, whispered something to a guard and then left. Matt stood before the group and began the meeting.
"Thank you all for coming out today. It certainly is a tribute to all of you that you've interrupted your busy day to learn more about God."
The inmates laughed and Matt continued, "So today I'd like to discuss some parts of the Bible that have a special meaning to me. I'm going to have some of the guys pass out a copy of the King James' version of the Bible for each of you. Be sure you find each citation that I give you and read it carefully. The Bible is the richest book that has ever been written. Each passage has hidden meanings and messages that you can miss if you don't read and consider them carefully."
Three inmates passed out Bibles to everyone. One inmate offered a Bible to the guard but he refused it. Matt smiled at him and then said, "Let’s turn to Matthew 7:7. This is one of my very favorite passages. 'Ask, and it shall be given unto you, seek, and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you.'
"Now all of us are here in prison because we never understood what Jesus was telling us. He's saying here that whatever we want we can have if we believe in God and let him provide it. Now if that's true none of us should be here, right?"
“I hear you, brother,” someone said.
"Who's in here for robbery?" Matt asked.
A lot of hands went up. Matt shook his head and said, "Well, if you'd believed what Jesus said and trusted in him, you could have got what you wanted without having to steal it, isn't that right?"
"How do you know that?" an inmate said.
"Well, I can only speak for myself, but I've always been able to get what I want just by setting a goal and working diligently for it. It takes patience, but if you really believe what Jesus says, he will always come through and you'll get what you want."
"What are you doing in here then?" the inmate asked.
Matt smiled, "Good question. . . . Actually I'm in here because I pissed off some very powerful people." The inmates laughed, Matt smiled and continued, "I had asked God to make me wealthy and he obliged, but at the time I didn't realize God had already given me the greatest gift a man could ask for. Her name was Lynn. She was my wife and I loved here dearly. I should have asked for God to protect her but instead all I thought about was material wealth and the happiness I thought it would bring. Because of my selfishness she was murdered and I'm here alone rotting in prison."
The inmates were still. Matt continued, "So the point is, you should be careful what you ask for and make sure your motives are pure. Some of you have probably had similar circumstances."
The discussions continued for the duration of the time the warden had allotted. When it came time to close, Matt said, "I'd like you all to turn to Jeremiah 15:15 and study it carefully. It will introduce you to a concept that will be important in our later studies. Does anyone have any questions? . . . If not, I'll see you next week."
The inmates got up and mingled for a while and then left with their Bibles in hand. Eduardo came by before he left and said, "Very inspirational, Matt. I think I'm going to like this study group."
"How do you think the men liked it?" Matt asked.
"The ones I talked to were very impressed. However, there are some that are still skeptical."
"Well, I can understand that. But as time progresses I hope they will become believers. We need as many as possible to join our cause."
"I don't think many will turn down what you have to offer," Edwardo said.
"Good. . . . Listen. I may need your help on another aspect of the program."
"Just name it, boss. I'll make it happen."
"Thanks. I've got to clean this place up and get back to my cell right now, but I'll touch base with you in the yard tomorrow."
"Cool, man, see you then."
Eduardo left and Matt began cleaning up the library. When he was done, he reported back to his cell. He picked up a calculator, sat on his bunk, and began punching numbers. When he was done, he smiled and shut it off. After putting the calculator back on his desk, he fell back on his bunk and fell asleep.
The next morning after breakfast he reported to the yard as required every morning at 9:30. He scanned the area for Eduardo but didn’t see him. He stepped down onto the grass and began walking through the inmates playing basketball, lifting weights, jogging, or just laying out soaking in the sun. Finally, he spotted Eduardo in the distance. He walked over to him and put his hand on his shoulder. Eduardo turned and smiled when he saw who it was.
"Hey, Matt, my man."
"How's it going?"
"You tell me," Eduardo said.
"Good, very good, but like I said, I do need your help with something."
"No problem. Just name it."
"You got any contacts on the outside that can set me and a friend of mine up with a new identity. When this thing comes down, I want to be somewhere where nobody, I mean nobody can find me."
"Sure, I know the best man in the state. He's over
in Fort Worth. He can make a new man out of you."
"Really."
"Yes, fake IDs, passports. Hell, he'll even get you a new face if you want it. When he's done, nobody will recognize you."
"Hmm. I don't know about the face. I'm kind of fond of the one I have.”
"Well that's up to you, man. But it's safer to go with the whole program."
"I'll think about it, but I definitely need the fake IDs and passports."
"His name is Wally Wilkins. He owns a pawn shop downtown near Tandy Center, A-1 Pawn & Loan Company."
"Thanks, I'll have Jason get with him right away."
"No problem. Just let me know if you need anything else."
"I will."
Matt turned and walked back across the yard. He was feeling good. His plan for revenge was coming along great and as an added bonus, he had earned the respect and admiration of almost everyone at the prison, including the warden. But his string of good fortune wasn’t quite over. He found a note back in his cell.
Matt,
You need to talk to a new inmate, Cecil Walker. I think you two will have a lot in common. Hope you are holding up okay.
An admirer
Matt studied the note and wondered how it got in his cell. He wondered who Cecil Walker was and why he should talk to him. The handwriting looked feminine. He thought back and tried to remember if he had met any women since he’d been at the prison. The warden’s secretary came to mind. She had been friendly to him and asked him why he had pled guilty. He wondered if she was his secret admirer?
Convinced he had figured out the source of the note, he racked his brain trying to make a connection to Cecil Walker. The name didn’t ring a bell. He wondered how he could find him. He figured it must be important or Melinda wouldn’t have taken a chance in sending him the message. He wondered how she did it anyway. Which guard was her messenger boy, and why was she so anxious to help him?