the escape man

The escape man was a legend.
They would see him close to a jail, see him sneak inside in plain sight, and walk away. No one knew how he did it.
"And today, the 'escape man' has been seen. People have been attempting to find him, with no luck. If you see him, the police should be called."
Andy watched the television screen as the man's face was put on the television. He had short black hair, and a bit of stubble on his chin. But the unusual thing was that the man was smiling in the photo shoot.
Andy couldn't get that smile out of his head as he walked to his vehicle.
"Hey!"
Andy looked at the man that had shouted at him. The man walked over, and Andy thought he looked quite a bit like the man in the photo shoot. But he was too happy and calm.
"I need some help," the man said in his cowboy-like voice. "I need to go to a meetin'. Thing is, I don't have no vehicle, and I'm late as it is. I'll give ya fifty if ya take me to it."
Andy hadn't found a job yet. Any chance to get money was a blessing in Andy's eyes.
"Okay," he said. "Hop in."
"Much obliged," the man said. "My meetin' is close to the jail, ya can just let me out when we get to it."
Andy thought this to be a little odd. Behind him, the man asked many questions.
"What's ya name?"
"Andy."
"Pleased ta meet ya. I'm Hank. Got a wife?"
"No, I'm just out of college. I don't have a job, I don't have a house, and I don't want to have a wife just yet."
Hank winked. "Son, I'd betcha there's a cute gal that likes ya. Just find that gal. Got a pet?"
"Not one of my own. I live with my Mom."
"And ya' Dad?"
"Left."
"Got any siblings?"
"No. Mom didn't want any kids because of the fuss Dad made about me. That's why he left."
"Ya' Ma got a pet?"
"A tiny Dog named Xena."
"A she?"
"Yes."
"Got any pals?"
"Just one."
"Who?"
"Ada. We've been pals since middle school."
"A she?"
"Yeah."
"A beauty?"
"I guess."
"Single?"
"I know what's going on to, and no. She's a pal, as you say."
"Fine." Hank held up his hands in submission. "But ya' don't know how lucky ya can be, if ya beat the pal zone."
Andy blushed. "You wanted me to stop at the jail?"
"That's the one," Hank said as he looked out the window. As Andy stopped the vehicle, Hank gave him a stack of money and left.
Andy looked at the stack of money and gasped. This wasn't a fifty, this was a whole stack of fifties.
He looked to see if he could spot Hank. It was night, so he couldn't tell.
He was tempted to keep the money, but decided against it.
Climbing out of the vehicle, he walked close to the jail and saw Hank going inside. The gates to the jail hung open, and Andy followed Hank into the jail.
He couldn't catch up to Hank. He managed to keep him in sight most of the time. Then Andy saw him inside one of the jail cells, sitting next to a man who was sobbing.
"Shh..." Hank said. "It's okay. It'll be okay."
"Hank?" Andy asked, holding the money limply in his hand.
"Yep," Hank said. "I'm the escape man." His voice held no accent.
"But-but how?"
"I have two skills: Hacking and hypnotizing. I hack the technology and hypnotize them."
"Why?"
"Because I know what these people feel. I know what it's like to have nobody listen, nobody want to listen, because they just hate you. The death penalty is this man's fate. He knows it's a just penalty, but that doesn't make it okay. He doesn't want to die, Andy. Do you see? He's just like us, but the decisions he made got him to this place. No one feels pity, only satisfaction. Can you imagine? People glad that you get to die?"
Andy looked at the man. And he felt pity.
"Now, why did you follow me?"
Andy held out the money. "You gave me a stack of fifties, not a fifty."
Hank grinned. "I said I'd give you fifty. I didn't specify. That belongs to you. Fifty fifties."
"Gee, Hank. Thanks."
"Now, if the police knew what I was doing, they could stop me. No one can know about me. I did say I was good at hypnotizing. Now, Andy, I don't want to do this."
"Do what?" Andy tucked the money into his pocket, feeling a little shaky.
"Sleep, Andy. Sleep."
Andy didn't feel himself fall.
Many months passed, and he asked Ada if she would go to a coffee shop with him. She said yes.
"Look, Andy, it's you," Ada said, pointing to the television.
"The 'Stop the Death Penalty' march, lead by Andy Woods, has become successful in the long run. We witnessed the thoughts of the people who had been destined to the death penalty."
The television showed a giant of a man, and Andy had a feeling he knew him.
"I thought I was going to die," the man said. "I'm thankful, I'm overjoyed, I'm so happy, I'm just so happy."
" Also, the escape man has been seen again. If you see him, call the police immediately."
The man in the photo shoot looked like Hank. Andy smiled. Hank was a kind man. He wouldn't do anything like that.
"So," Ada said, smiling. "Why did you ask me here?"
"Well, said Andy," smiling himself. "Just a question I wanted to ask." In his pocket, he closed his hand around a box, the contents of which could mean that he would have a wife. He had a job, and a home, and Hank was going to visit. Andy felt complete.