Request for Information by Mare McMurray
Summary: Did Mr. Lyle get another mail-order bride?


Categories: Plot? What Plot? Characters: Lyle, Telling Would Spoil
Genres: General
Warnings: None
Challenges: None
Series: None
Chapters: 1 Completed: Yes Word count: 985 Read: 1650 Published: 15/08/05 Updated: 15/08/05

1. chapter 1 by Mare McMurray

chapter 1 by Mare McMurray
Disclaimer: The characters Miss Parker, Sydney, Jarod, Broots etc. and the fictional Centre, are all property of MTM and NBC Productions and used without permission. I'm not making any money out of this and no infringement is intended.



Request for Information
by Mare McMurray





The Centre
Blue Cove, Delaware

Broots sat in front of the laptop typing away, his fingers moving fast long the keys, his eyes locked with the screen. Focused on what he was doing, Broots didn’t hear Miss Parker come up behind him.

"Broots!" Miss Parker hissed, her hands coming down on his shoulders, causing him to jump.

Broots brought in a quick breath.

"Oh! Sheez...M, Miss Parker, you scared me."

Still recovering from the scare, Broots turned slightly in his chair to face Miss Parker.

"Well that’s what happeneds when you don’t pay attention."

Miss Parker stood up fully, brushing her hands down her tight black dress and walked around to the front of the desk Broots was working at. She placed her palms on the surface of the desk and leaned forward.

Broots looked up at her, then down, nervous as always.

"Is...is there something you wanted, Miss Parker?"

"Actually, it’s something I want."

Miss Parker looked up to see Mr. Lyle coming into the room. Broots turned towards Mr. Lyle, but then looked back at Miss Parker and gave her a worried look. Mr. Lyle came up behind Broots’s chair, placing his left, thumbless hand on the back of it. Miss Parker glared at him.

"And what do you want?"

Mr. Lyle took in a deep breath, "oh, just some information." He reached into his coat pocket and extracted a piece of paper. He handed it to Broots, who took the paper in shaky hands and looked at it.

"Rebecca Miller?" Broots asked, looking up.

Miss Parker looked across the desk at the paper in Broots’s hands; she squinted her eyes suspiciously and looked back at Mr. Lyle.

"Another mail order bride?"

Mr. Lyle forced a smile, putting his hands into his pockets. He looked down at Broots.

"Find out everything you can and get it to me ASAP."

Broots nodded, turning back to his laptop.

With a slight nod to his sister, "Miss Parker," Mr. Lyle turned and left the room.

Miss Parker stared after him, eyes narrow.

"Broots?"

" Yes Miss Parker?"

"Make me a copy of everything you get on..." she snatched up the paper, " Rebecca Miller." She walked around the desk, setting the piece of paper back down by the laptop.

Broots looked at the paper shyly, fearful. "But will Mr. Lyle like you going into his business?"

Miss Parker looked back at him from the door, a mischievous smile on her face. "Not if he doesn’t know." With that, she walked briskly out; the doors slowly swinging shut behind her.

Broots turned back to his laptop, still not sure. He picked up the paper, looking at the name again before starting to type. The seemingly never-ending echo of fingers on a keyboard clicking throughout the darkened room.

* * * * * *

The Centre
Blue Cove, Delaware
A few days later...

There was a soft nock at the door, Miss Parker and Mr. Lyle turned to it.

"Yes?" Miss Parker said sternly.

Broots shyly came in, holding two vanilla folders and wearing a bright lime green and red shirt. Looking at the floor, he cautiously approached the two.

"Nice shirt," Miss Parker commented, looking it over. Mr. Lyle made a face.

"Thanks," Broots said, holding up one of the folders to Mr. Lyle. " Everything I could get on Rebecca Miller."

"’Bout time." Mr. Lyle snatched the folder out of Broots’s hand and opened it briefly for inspection.

Holding the other folder behind his back slightly, Broots watched the floor.

My. Lyle closed the folder sharply and headed out.

"Lyle!" Miss Parker snapped, as Mr. Lyle pulled back the door. Still holding onto the door, he looked at her impatiently.

She raised her eyebrows; " Might I ask what this sudden fascination with young woman you have is all about?" She grinned.

Mr. Lyle locked eyes with her for a second, then turned, was out the door and gone.

Miss Parker’s smile faded. She turned back to Broots who was standing quietly still holding the folder behind his back. He looked up at her, then to the door.

"Well?" Miss Parker said sharply, holding out a hand.

Broots jerked back to attention, quickly bring the vanilla folder back around and handing it to her. Miss Parker too it and thumbed through it.

"All I could find," Broots looked back at the door for a moment, speaking almost in a whisper, "is that she grew up in New York somewhere and stays at a apartment near her work. She’s 26, unmarried, has family up state and is living a happy life working at a diner as a waitress." He patted his pockets as if searching for more. " That’s about it, I’m afraid."

Miss Parker nodded, still glancing at the pages in the folder. She turned back to the front page where a picture was. Just then Sydney came in and walked up beside Miss Parker.

"Who’s she?" he asked.

Miss Parker sighed.

"Hopefully not another casualty of The Centre." She closed the folder and dumped it into the trash. She ran one hand through her hair and looked at Sydney who showed perplexity on his face. Without another word, Miss Parker walked out, leaving Broots and Sydney behind.

Sydney turned to Broots, raising his eyebrows in question. Broots shrugged, and headed out himself. With a last look at the vanilla folder, Sydney trailed after them.

The soft clank of the doors closing echoed throughout the windowless room, seeming more like a dungeon then an office.


Please let me know what yout think! suemcmurray@earthlink.net
This story archived at http://www.pretendercentre.com/missingpieces/viewstory.php?sid=3711