Chapter 21. The final outcome of the escape and the Java course

Everything went as we expected. We managed to get out of prison without any complications. We’re following the plan and we’re already at Pedro’s friend’s house. I don’t have much time, so the farewell will be short. I have no idea what the next destination of my fellow escapees will be. They never told me. What I’m clear about is that I won’t see them again. It’s a very desolate feeling, since, although I haven’t known them for long, I’ve created a great friendship with them and they’ve been a great support.

From this house I’m walking to the library on foot. As I walk, I think that being on the street is a very strange feeling. I don’t know how to describe it, but the mere fact of walking down any street makes me happy. I hope my new friends are doing well and I hope the same will happen to me. I’m quite nervous because I don’t know exactly what’s going to happen, and it’s a very distressing feeling.

Although Chani is helping me prove my innocence, my relationship with him won’t be the same anymore. I’m planning to leave this city and forget everything that’s happened to me here. That also includes Chani. As for Rich, better not even mention it. He was one of my best friends and he betrayed me without thinking twice for some money.

I keep walking and my head won’t stop spinning. I guess it’s normal, but I have a very bad feeling. Maybe it’s just nerves. I’m enjoying what could be my last minutes of freedom, although I can’t take advantage of them the way I’d like. I have to walk very quickly, as I don’t have much time.

Thus, without any warning, someone grabs my arm and I almost have a heart attack. No one knows me in this area, so I didn’t expect anyone to try to stop me for any reason. When I turned around, I got a small surprise: it was Rich. I thought it would be a coincidence, since we had agreed to meet at the same place and were following the same path. But actually, that wasn’t the case. He was waiting there for me to warn me.

As soon as I saw him, I felt an immense sense of anger. I thought about hitting him, but before I could say anything, he started speaking hurriedly. I could barely understand him.

I tried very hard to understand what he was saying and came to the conclusion that he was leading me into a trap. I don’t have much time, so I asked him to explain himself better and more slowly.

Then he began to explain a story to me. According to him, Chani had planned everything together with his Korean girlfriend. Apparently, it had all been his girlfriend’s idea. She had planned it from afar. Moreover, they had Chani’s cousin as an accomplice. The main idea was to frame me and Rich, but it seems they didn’t have enough time to access his computer and gave up.

Continuing with the story, theoretically, Rich knew nothing until Chani and his girlfriend contacted him a few weeks ago. They offered him a good sum of money if he would testify against me and corroborate their story. According to Rich, he refused to do so and then came the threats. First they suggested they could have him locked up, and then, seeing that their victim was still hesitating, they started making physical threats against him and his family. They advised him to stay out of it, and that’s why he hadn’t heard from him for a long period of time.

Meanwhile, Chani and his accomplices had been weaving a plan to ensure I stayed locked up for a long time. The idea was to convince me to escape from prison and that, when I arrived at the agreed location, the police would be waiting for me there. Apparently, that’s what awaits me there: a bunch of camouflaged police officers, from the surroundings to inside the library.

The story seems credible; even Rich’s way of expressing himself is very convincing, but this plot is quite difficult to believe. I’ve been planning the prison escape for months based on information, and I can’t wrap my head around the idea that things could be different. On the other hand, it’s normal that Rich would want to deceive me; theoretically, he’s the one who benefits from me being in prison.

After thinking for less than a minute, I tell him I don’t believe him and that I’m going to reach the library. Although in reality I’ve already started to have doubts and I’m extremely nervous. But, having come this far, I don’t know what else to do. The only option I have is to continue with the plan and trust that everything will turn out well. The story I’ve just been told makes a lot of sense, but if I were in his place, I would also try to deceive him.

Luckily for me, Rich had evidence to show me. The first time he contacted Chani and his girlfriend, he managed to get a recording. At one point during the meeting, he excused himself to go to the bathroom and activated the audio recording on his mobile phone. At the beginning of the conversation, two people speaking in Korean can be heard, although at a certain point they start speaking in English with Rich. It’s undoubtedly Chani’s voice; he starts by saying that I’m a criminal and that I must pay for my crimes. Then he advises him not to help me and ends with a threat, making it clear that if he helps me in any way, he’ll end up having to explain himself to justice.

Chani is smart, so he never lets his involvement show and is very restrained in his threats. This recording has opened my eyes, although even so, I’m not 100% convinced. It could have been part of the plan to get Rich to trust them and thus obtain an incriminating recording. Either way, I’m more inclined to believe Rich’s version. But I’m still doubting; I’m weighing my alternatives and mentally reviewing all the conversations I’ve had with those involved since I entered prison.

As Rich sees that I’m still hesitating, he decides to show me one more piece of evidence. Something irrefutable. He asks me to follow him, although he suggests I keep my distance. He scans the horizon very carefully and stays close to the wall. It seems he’s looking for something. He reaches the corner of a container; from there you can observe the library and the entire main street in front of it. I don’t know what we’re looking for, but almost without telling me anything, he points out a van. There are people inside, they seem to be watching. Then he shows me another van parked on the other side. It’s clear they’re police officers and they’re waiting for my arrival.

At that moment, I start to feel an amount of anxiety that I can barely control. I think that if the police are waiting, it’s because they already know I’ve escaped from prison and the whole plan has gone awry. The easiest thing would be to try to run away. I wish I knew where Bud had gone; maybe he could take me with him or at least help me leave the country.

I didn’t yet know that Bud was still monitoring the communication coming to the prison. Inside, the police still didn’t know I had escaped, so they weren’t looking for me. If I returned before they searched my cell, no one would have evidence of my escape and no one would have reason to doubt me.

Suddenly I remembered the recording that Chani’s cousin showed me to frame Rich, where he asked Chani to leave the country and never return. I mentioned this to Rich, and he told me it was a phrase taken out of context. The conversation wasn’t with Chani, but with an English friend from his same city. It’s such an absurd excuse that it must be true.

I don’t know what to do; I’ve become blocked. Fortunately, Rich starts speaking in a low voice and tells me he has a plan. It seems he had it planned since Chani asked him to participate in this trap meeting. Actually, I barely have to do anything; everything will depend on him. Well, to be honest, if he asks me to do something, it’s to hit him in the face. I’m surprised, but he only had to ask twice. He’s bleeding from the nose, has wiped his t-shirt and even stained part of his clothes with mud. Finally, he tells me to escape from there as soon as possible. My intention is to return to prison with Phil; although in the prison they already know I’m not there, I can make up some story, like that I fell asleep in the laundry room. I tell Rich my meeting point with Phil, and he simply says goodbye, telling me he’s giving me a two-minute head start.

The parking lot for prison staff is underground and from there you can access several rooms. Before escaping, Bud showed me a route back to my cell. The door should still be open and, once there, I’ll be able to lock it from inside. It was the perfect plan, although I’m worried that the police may have alerted the prison guards about my possible escape. By this time, they’ve probably already checked my cell and discovered I wasn’t there. Even so, I trust the plan. No one has seen me outside these walls and they can’t prove I’ve escaped. If I manage to return without being detected, I’ll be able to continue with our strategy.

Returning to my humble quarters was quite simple. I locked the cell from inside and now I’m just waiting for the morning inspection. I don’t see much commotion, which means they’re not looking for anyone; a very good sign. When the guard arrived, his expression changed completely. For a moment, I was scared, but then I remembered that Bud had escaped and they still didn’t know.

Quickly, the guard raised the alarm and the search operations began. It was then that I realized Bud, from outside, had helped me by blocking communications between the police and the prison. The plan had worked perfectly.

Of course, I was interrogated about the disappearance of my fellow escapees, especially because I shared a cell with one of them. I simply said I was asleep and that when I woke up, I found myself alone in the cell. It was an unlikely explanation, but impossible to refute.

Rich, for his part, handed over the audio to my lawyer and together they started working on my defense. Thanks to the new evidence and Rich’s testimony, it didn’t take long for me to regain my freedom. Finally, I was able to prove my innocence. Now I have a whole new life ahead of me and, moreover, I’ve learned to program in Java.

Chani and his girlfriend weren’t as lucky. They were found guilty of extortion and sentenced to several years in prison. The affected companies recovered their money, and everything was finally cleared up.

Thank you for accompanying me on this arduous journey. Together we’ve learned to program in Java, and I hope it’s as useful to you as it has been to me.