Tonight is the night we die

Chapter Thirty-One

JAKE'S POV

Eating a chocolate bar in the moldiest hotel room on Earth, instead of being in a warm, well-lighted room with a Mahagony candle burning in a corner with homemade food and the prettiest woman to have ever existed. That is a brusque change of situation. I miss those distractions that were giving life to the surrounding. It was a pleasant sound to hear the matches scratching against the box to light up. A pleasant smell of the food cooking in the kitchen. A pleasant sensation of Gloria's hand running through my hair. Every time she was passing next to me, I wished she would do it.

The only noise I have is the alarming sizzling sound of the lightbulb from the bedside table lamp. The only sensation I feel is the humid air making my body feel dirtier and dirtier as time passes by. I would rather die than use that shower. The brown-stained bathtub does not inspire me "clean".

The ladder to get to Theo is not ending. I climb, climb and climb again but it also appears like I am not moving and I am on the ground. It is midnight now. Time is not on my side here, hours slip away. Alan does not have one second to lose and my sanity either.

Elijah was a good teacher, he had years to perfect his skills. I am using every single bit of information he ever taught me. Theo must have made one mistake, a tiny one would be enough to help me there. I knew he has done one, somewhere. He does not have the patience and meticulousness to leave zero traces. I need to find it and the fog will clear up. But it's been hours now. I do not have that much hope in me in general, I am seriously starting to run out of it for good.

I wait for the resultats. It is all I do. I look for something, find a potential lead, then wait for long minutes to see all my efforts being for nothing. I tap my fingers against my lips, ready to throw that stupid wobbly table out of the window if I do not get a result again. Closing my eyes, falling asleep is all I want.

* Blink *

I open my eyes to verify if I just hallucinated. But my screen assures me that I heard well. I had a boost up the ladder, a gigantic one. An unexpected one.

I am inside his computer. I am inside Theo's computer. I could throw that table out of the window out of joy instead of frustration ! burst out laughing, hysterically. Hours of frustration and anger are not mixing well with tiredness and relief :

" Someone's a dead man ! " I whisper to myself, excitingly going through his files.I

do not have much time. If he spots me, I am the dead man. I stay focused and careful. This is not the time for me to make a mistake. Years of learning should prevent that. All the deleted data is right there, this is a gold mine ! Alan is free ! A file is catching my eyes. More files are hidden in them. All carry as a name the number of the room the victims were found in. I just won the jackpot. My ego is thriving. Perhaps I should not have a wide smile on my face as I watch videos of girls being stabbed to death. He recorded everything. Ever since I discovered it was him, I knew he would have been psycho enough to keep souvenirs. The strand of hair was not enough to experience the murder again.

This is good. Too good to be true ! I cannot do anything with the files. I cannot transfer them, copy them, or use them in any way shape, or form. It is well protected. It would not take me hours but days or even weeks. Plus I cannot stay that long on his computer without getting caught by him. My ego takes a big hit that calms him down right away. I sigh with frustration. I quit everything and get up. I need some air !

I grab my jacket left on the floor hours ago and a pack of cigarettes in my bag and quit the room. It is quiet outside. I doubt the few people here are tourists that needed a break.