Total Recall by KB
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Chapter or Story 
Chapter or Story
Part 2 – Playing With Fire
As Jennifer drove out of the Centre, she glanced at Miss Parker. "I have to say that I'm curious about something."
"What?"
"I know quite a bit about almost everyone at the Centre now, but there's a person who's still a mystery. Mr Lyle. Raines asked me to do a check on various people for the Centre records but there's nothing on Lyle prior to 1995. It's like he didn't exist."
Miss Parker sat quiet for a minute before she spoke. "Lyle came to work for the Centre in 1995 and helped Raines to do some experiments on Jarod."
"I know; I saw the DSAs. Raines has them and I used them to try and understand Jarod, after you told me about him. But Lyle?"
"He disappeared for a few years but in 1997 he reappeared and started to try and take over my father's position. During an unfortunate...incident...in November of that year, Lyle was set up, first by Raines and then by Jarod. That's when he lost his thumb. But in June last year he came back and he's been trying to thwart my efforts to catch Jarod ever since."
"But I mean before that. He can't have just come into existence in 1995. What about his past?"
Miss Parker paused for a moment before she spoke. "I found something in April last year about his family. He was adopted by a couple in Nebraska and then was presumed dead after a body was found. His father, Lyle Bowman, has been in prison ever since for the murder. Apparently Lyle adopted his father's name after that incident. According to some information we discovered, he attended a High School in a little town called - oh, I forget, but some really dinky little out-of-the-way place. The school believed that he died before the class he was in could graduate in '83. Then, fifteen years later, he appeared at the Centre and started work."
Miss Parker had been looking out of the window while she had been talking but now glanced at Jennifer and was shocked at her expression.
"What's wrong? You look like you're about to pass out!"
"Did you say...Lyle Bowman?"
"His dad? Yeah."
"So what was Lyle's name before that?"
"Didn't the files say? Bobby. Bobby Bowman."
Fortunately for both occupants, the car was stopped at a red traffic light. Jennifer turned and stared at Miss Parker.
"What is it?"
"Bobby Bowman...Lyle...was my brother."
"What?!"
"I mean it. You remember I told you how my parents also adopted a boy and that must have been Lyle. There are too many co-incidences for it not to be, I mean, the name - and the school - and the new job! Not to mention that Jarod's escape would have prevented him from attending the funeral of our parents!"
"But surely you've...seen photos?"
"Sure, years ago, Parker. He looked...he was a different person then!" She took several deep breaths to calm down. "When we met, I knew he reminded me of a person that I knew really well. That must have been who it was, but I would never have worked it out myself. I must ask him..."
Even two days later, Jennifer was still in a daze. It had been hard for her to learn that her brother had been responsible for the death of Jarod's brother, and she could still remember the exact details of the discussion she had had with Jarod about it. When the door of her office swung open, she stared uncomprehendingly at the man who was leaning against her desk, a gun in his hand.
"You must have known how much I resented you." His voice was softly menacing. "I've always hated you. They both always preferred you to me and you got everything before I did - a good education, a good job, your freedom. But now I've got the upper hand..."
"Bobby, I - "
"I'm not Bobby," he hissed. "I'm nothing like him. I'm Lyle, Mr Lyle, and I would advise you to remember that."
"Well, if you're going to shoot me then it doesn't really matter, does it?" she retorted, unable to believe that he would really shoot her. "But what do you mean 'they preferred me'? You were the handsome one, the intelligent one. The whole family was centered on you and your life. You were the person I looked up to and wanted to be like. I relied on your advice. You were my hero and I was the envy of every one who knew us, being your sister."
"Yeah," he sneered. "You'd say anything to save your own neck, just like they did. But I know what it was really like, what they really wanted."
"B…Lyle..."
Jennifer stopped as the gun recoiled once and then a second time in his hand. She felt the bullets enter first her left arm, just above the elbow, and then her chest. Her breath exploded out of her as she began falling towards the carpet on the floor of her room. Hitting the floor, she could feel Lyle glaring down at her before racing out of the door of her office. He almost collided with Mr Parker, who tried to clutch at him but was distracted by the sight of the injured woman on the floor. Raines appeared, only moments after the blast, and ordered her carried down to the infirmary.
Jarod picked up the phone but put it down immediately. He couldn't let Sydney realize how much he knew about Jennifer. They would kill her before they let her out of the building. He listened on the radio in his ambulance to a request for transportation of an injured person to the hospital in Blue Cove and wondered if the Centre had any involvement.
"We had no choice. It was my decision and I stand by it. I wasn't going to wait for those bumbling idiots down at the infirmary to make her worse. I want her to have the best treatment available. Do you understand, Mr Parker?" Raines eyes were narrow, shooting fire from the blue depths at the white-haired man opposite.
"Yes, but I still think..."
"Enough! The Triumvirate was consulted and agreed with me. There is nothing more to be said or done."
Jennifer's eyes flickered open and she stared uncomprehendingly around her for several seconds. Then, as her gaze met the amused one of the man standing beside her bed, she struggled to sit up.
"Jarod! What are you doing here?"
He grinned and, placing a gentle hand on her uninjured arm, prevented her from moving, before reaching up to adjust the IV that she saw led into her arm. "I'm taking care of you, of course. What does it look like?"
"But..." her face showed her confusion and doubt, "Raines is letting you work in the infirmary?"
He grinned. "Hardly. No, this is Blue Cove Hospital."
She smiled up at him and rested back against the pillows as he tucked a red curl behind her ear. "You get away with so much!"
He turned to leave, smiling over his shoulder at her. "I'm not the only one."
"The Triumvirate has told me to assure you that you are only to return to work once you are medically fit to do so."
"Yes, Mr Raines. I understand."
"Good." He turned, leaving the room, as Miss Parker approached the bed and grinned at the patient.
"How do you do that?"
Jennifer laughed, despite the slight pain it caused. "Make him be nice to me? I don't. It happens on its own."
"Well, all I can say is 'you're lucky'. The only reason you're here is that he made the Triumvirate agree to letting you stay away from work until you were properly recovered."
"I recently discovered a possible reason for the way he treats me."
Miss Parker sat down in the chair beside the bed and raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really? And what's that?"
"Jarod sent me a photo of Raines' daughter. You know, the one that died, Annie."
"Yeah, so?"
"There are some incredible likenesses between us in looks. I think that's why he acts the way that he does."
Miss Parker shrugged carelessly. "Could be."
Sydney entered the room and Miss Parker stood up. "I must go, I've got heaps to do. See you later, Jennifer."
Taking a seat beside the bed, the psychiatrist looked at her. "How are you?"
"Improving every day. I should be able to get out of here soon, I'd say. I have no need for hospitals."
He smiled. "Well, I hear you've got your orders."
"The Triumvirate is thorough."
"And Raines even more so - when he wants to be!"
After about ten minutes Sydney rose from his seat and said goodbye. As he left, his eye fell onto the medical folder that was lying open on the table at the end of Jennifer's bed. His eyes widened as he took in the writing and he glanced at the woman, who was apparently engrossed in something outside. Reaching over to tear the page out, however, a voice stopped him.
"Is something the matter, Syd?" Jennifer looked at him in concern and he forced a smile, shaking his head as he left the room.
"It's nice to be home." Jennifer sighed as she lowered herself onto the sofa in her living room and Jarod gently covered her with the blanket that he had had draped over one arm. She eyed him, settling her arm into a more comfortable position. "Are you trying to mother me, Jarod? Because now I'm home, I won't stand for it."
He hid a smile and spoke sternly. "I'm not trying to mother you. But nothing can prevent me from doctoring you. Even you can't deny me that role."
"Oh, I can. I'll just have to get better as soon as possible, that's all."
He grinned at her determination as he sat on a chair facing her and she laughed in response.
"Well, I convinced you to let me out early, didn't I? So what is there to stop me from getting better faster than expected as well?"
"Me!"
She nodded in mock sincerity. "Oh, of course. I forgot. And you've managed to stop me from doing things before too, I suppose. Like stopping me from working at the Centre, even though you didn't think it was such a good idea. And also stopping me from helping you shut down the architectural business. You stopped me very effectively then!" She snorted in derision and then grinned at him. He tried to look indignant but eventually smiled back at her.
Jennifer pulled the car to a stop and got out. Sighing with pleasure, she looked around at the mountains that ringed the lake and were reflected in its mirror-like surface. Then she turned to the small cabin that stood on its shore and, pulling a large key from her pocket, unlocked the door. She walked inside and dropped her bag onto the large table in the living room before pulling out a small, square device, out of her other pocket and plugging it into a power point. With a flick of the switch, she nodded in satisfaction, knowing that if any tracking devices had been planted on her or in her bag, they would be short-circuited. A similar device had already detected several bugs attached to her car, phone and house in Blue Cove, as well as in her office. It was fortunate that Broots had so willingly told her the frequency at which they transmitted, thus enabling her to create and use the device.
After a few hours watching t.v and admiring the view, she pulled out her laptop and connected to the Centre's mainframe. Within two hours she had finished the work that she had intended to finish earlier that day but which a sighting of Jarod had prevented. With a stifled yawn she rose and, after blowing out the candle by which she had been working, climbed the ladder leading to the upper level. The bed swayed slightly as she sat on the edge of it, the thick chains with which it was suspended from the ceiling creating a pleasant rocking sensation. After peeling off her socks, she rubbed her bare feet through the thick sheepskin rug that lay on the floor and then swung her legs up onto the mattress.
Lyle struck a match and held it between cupped hands as he tried to get a better measure of his surroundings. With the rain starting, he had seen a lone building amid the trees and had stumbled towards it in the hope of bullying the occupants into giving him shelter for the night. When nobody was visible and the interior had remained dark, he'd smashed a window and dropped inside. Now, as he looked at the pleasant furnishings and shook the water from his hair, Lyle complimented himself on his good luck.
At about two a.m., Jennifer was woken by a sound downstairs. She reached over and silently took out the gun that lived in the drawer beside her bed, picking up the torch that sat on the tabletop. Silently moving to the point at which the upper level stopped, and with moonlight streaming in through the window, she had a very fair view of a male figure on the level below. He was standing in the middle of the room, looking around, and she watched as he approached the ladder. Silently moving back a few paces, she warily faced the top of the steps, the gun ready in her right hand and the torch in her left, thumb on the switch. The silent ascent of the intruder was enough to convince her that he had removed his shoes, as she did, just inside the door, and Jennifer readied herself for his appearance.
Miss Parker crept along the side of the house, glancing in each window as she passed it, but ensuring that she stayed out of sight. A movement warned her that the object of her search could be inside and, waving at others to be ready, she moved silently towards the door. A slight noise from within made her stiffen but she stretched out a hand to the door and had just touched it when headlights swept over the scene.
As the head appeared at the top of the ladder, Jennifer switched on her torch and aimed its beam at the head of the uninvited guest, her eyes widening as she instantly recognized his familiar features.
"Jarod?"
He grinned and climbed up the last few rungs as Jennifer put the gun on her bed and moved across, lighting the kerosene lantern that hung from the middle of the ceiling. Its soft glow provided sufficient illumination for her to turn off the torch and return it to the table.
"What are you doing here? More to the point, how did you find this place?" She asked the questions with her back to him, as she returned the gun to the drawer, but turned when he stayed silent. Kneeling on the rug at her feet, he showed her the badge that proclaimed him to be a park ranger and she laughed.
"I'd seen this house in my work and I thought I recognized your car. Besides, you once mentioned that you had spent time in this area when you were younger." She nodded and laughed again, at which Jarod raised an eyebrow. "What's so funny?"
"This situation. Have you heard what's been going on this week? No? Shame on you! What happened to your regular contacts, might I ask?"
He grinned. "I wasn't accessible, being in the middle of a forest. But I'm asking one of my contacts now, so tell me what's funny."
"Raines called me into his office on Monday morning. He's proposed that, as I've nearly finished all the stuff he wanted me to do, I should be given additional work and that, ironically enough, is - "
"Chasing me." Jarod's voice was serious.
"Right." She rocked with laughter but, although Jarod smiled in sympathy at her amusement, his face remained sober and she looked at him. "What is it?"
"They aren't going to let you go now. You know that, don't you?"
She leaned forward. "But I don't mind, Jarod! Oh, I don't say I'm ever going to become like Raines, say, or Mr. Parker, but I enjoy the work and I like Parker, Sydney and the others. Besides this gives you an even better chance to avoid capture - and they'll never even know who's helping you!"
"Are you sure? I'd hate you to be doing something you didn't want to!"
She slipped off the bed and sat down on the rug beside him. "Jarod, you warned me of the risks when this all started and, as you might imagine, I haven't forgotten them. If anything, they've been made even more obvious. But I wanted to do it then and I still do. I love my work." He moved one hand to silence her but she trapped it and the other in both of her own and held them, continuing. "I wouldn't have taken on this job if I'd had any concerns and I certainly wouldn't have gone back after the shooting in that circumstance."
"But you don't know what they're really capable of, and..."
She placed one finger on his lips in a move that silenced him instantly. "Jarod, working in the way I am, I'd say that I'm more than aware of what they can do, wouldn't you? After all, I'm constantly working on deals and presentations for the Centre, so I'd have to be blind, deaf and stupid not to know!"
"But if you make a mistake..."
"But I won't make a mistake! And even if I did, you forget that I've got Raines to protect me from anything the Triumvirate can throw my way. That reminds me, he's changed my working hours. Having realized that I can do so much from my own computer, he said that I only need to come in every second week, so that's why I'm here at the moment. Parker can't even call me for a 'sighting' when I'm not at work. Now, isn't that nice of him?"
He laughed but stopped as he felt her shiver slightly. "What's wrong?"
"To be honest," she grinned at him through chattering teeth. "I'm freezing!"
Lyle stretched himself out on the sofa and gave a weary sigh. Just prior to falling asleep he heard the creak of hinges and silently rolled over, facing the door with his gun at the ready in his hand. He had already been forced to use it in obtaining the lift that had carried him away from the Centre and it had easily convinced a shopkeeper to give him some food. Now Lyle waited to see who he could take advantage of next.
Jennifer stretched and felt as the bed rocked gently underneath her before she opened her eyes, rolling over to look out of the window. The sun was still hours from rising and, as the moon shone in through the uncovered window, she knew, without looking at her watch, that is was only half past six. She rolled over onto her other side and looked at the sleeping figure of Jarod on the rug, wrapped in her thickest blankets and with only his face showing. Knowing how comfortable it was, she was not surprised at how deeply he was asleep. For several moments she gazed at him, but the cold air that had pervaded the cabin overnight acted as an incentive to get up and, collecting her clothes from near the ladder, Jennifer softly descended to the lower floor.
Miss Parker spent several long seconds getting her breath. The headlights that had appeared to be sweeping over the entire veranda were actually still a short distance away and the group had had time to conceal themselves before the car had arrived. They watched silently as an elderly couple approached the house, chatting quietly about the evening and they waited until the two were inside and had closed the door. Then, at a signal from Miss Parker, the group slowly began to circle the house.
Thirty minutes later, Jennifer emerged from the bathroom, her hair hanging in a thick, damp plait down her back and skin shining from the rough, homemade soap that she used when staying in the cabin. The solid timber walls prevented the sound of her movements from reaching the upper room and it wasn't until the slices of bread, coated in the egg mixture, were warming in the oven and Jennifer was in front of the computer that he descended the ladder.
"Good morning."
She smiled. "Did you sleep okay? I hope the floor is comfortable enough."
"If I said it wasn't, would you let me share the bed?" She looked at him out of the corner of her eye as he grinned, but said nothing. "So, where can a person get a decent wash around here?"
In response Jennifer waved her arm in the direction of the lake and enjoyed the look of shock on Jarod's face as he took in the frozen water and the snow that covered braches on many of the trees close to the bank. "Out there?"
"And why not? I'm sure it would be very - refreshing!" She tried to cover a smile but Jarod had noticed.
"Okay, give. Where's the real bathroom?"
"Through there." She pointed to the door. "Don't take too long. Breakfast's waiting."
Jennifer curled up in the corner of the sofa with a gloomy sigh as she flicked on the television. Jarod had left that morning to finish some work and she already felt lonely. He had promised to return by nine p.m. and, looking outside at the dizzying dance of snowflakes, Jennifer felt a shiver of apprehension. A glance at her watch showed that there was about half an hour before the time he said he would be back and, if she was any judge of the local weather, a massive blizzard was on the way. She hoped he would have the sense to stay out of it.
Miss Parker held Lyle firmly as Sam locked the handcuffs onto his wrists. As the elderly couple, shaken but unhurt, returned to their home, the group began to move towards the car. However, one of the sweepers failed to see a fine wire, tied about three inches off the ground, and he tripped and fell. In the confusion Lyle managed to wrench his arms from Miss Parker's hold and began running downhill. Sam attempted to fire at him but the bullet went wide. Miss Parker, cursing angrily, ordered the group to separate and locate him before morning.
An hour later, Jennifer glanced down at her watch in anxiety. She had expected that Jarod would call and let her know what he was doing but she hadn't heard from him. A call on her own behalf had resulted in a cheerful voice telling her that his phone was, in all probability, turned off. Thoughtfully staring at the television screen, she saw nothing of what passed before her eyes. The hands of the clock ticked forward until, as it chimed ten, the sounds galvanized her into action. She leaned forward and pulled a book of maps across the table. Opening it, she ran her finger along the road until it forked off and nodded. It was more than likely that, having never been to her house in the dark before, and particularly not during a storm, he could have taken the wrong road. After preparing a flask of hot coffee, she poured the remaining water into several hot water bottles before glancing at her watch to find that it was now ten thirty. Being so late and having heard nothing, there was almost no doubt in her mind that he had either broken down or else had had an accident in the car. Glancing at the door, she could see the pile of chains that he had left behind that morning, believing he wouldn't need them. Jennifer pulled on her jacket, scarf and gloves, collected everything and carried it out to the car. Several blankets on the floor of the front seat, as well as a first aid kit, satisfied her and, after she checked that the chains on her tires were secure, she drove away from the house.
Jarod pressed the accelerator again and listened to the wheels spin uselessly in the snow. He muttered angrily and shivered, despite the warmth that the heater was throwing out. The snow was flying wildly around outside the car and even a brief spell of watching it made him slightly dizzy but he knew that the cabin could not be too much further along the road and he was determined to reach it. As he switched on his headlights, Jarod reached into the back seat for his jacket. It was not as thick as he would have liked but he could do nothing about it then. With grave misgivings he opened the door and felt it pulled away from his grasp by the force of the wind. The light stretched a short distance along the road and, closing the door of his car, he began to trudge along, head lowered against the wind. He expected at every second to see a glow from the cabin but, just as he felt that he should have reached it, the light that had been dimly showing the way flickered and went out. Jarod cursed but dared not turn back. Instead he walked hesitantly onwards. Finally, however, he veered slightly off course and, as his foot trod on an uneven part of the road, he fell forward onto the ground and lay there, eyes closed.
Jennifer's car pulled up beside Jarod's and she frantically scrabbled for the torch that lay on the floor of the passenger seat. Its high-powered beam cut through the darkness and another light, temporarily fixed to the roof of the car and with its own generator, illuminated the scene as she moved over to his vehicle. Finding it empty she fought her way back to her own car and, knowing instinctively what he would do, began to slowly drive down the centre of the road.
Miss Parker heard the roar of a motor on the road ahead and accelerated. As she careened down the road, the car, with no chains, began to rock, and Miss Parker had to fight keep it on the road. Believing it to be Lyle in the car ahead, she forced the vehicle to go faster. However, the icy surface had no grip and the car left the road and, clipping a tree, rolled several times before finally coming to rest.
Jarod forced open his eyes and watched drowsily as the snowflakes gently came to land on him. Something inside screamed that he had to get up and move but he was too tired and ignored the warning signs. Out of the corner of one eye he thought that he could see an orange glow but the effort of turning to look was too much and allowed his eyes to slip closed. Dimly Jarod wondered what Sydney would think when he heard, or how his parents would learn what had happened.
Then he relaxed.
Miss Parker sat for several seconds in shock before pulling herself together and tugging on the handle. To her relief the door swung open and, climbing out of the wreck, she, the two sweepers and then Broots climbed out of the wreck. He turned and looked at the car for several seconds before being violently sick and his reaction set off one of the sweepers. While the other went to get water from a bottle that was always carried in the trunk, Miss Parker shook her head.
"Mutant."
Jennifer finally saw a small pile of color on the side of the road and, even as she stopped the vehicle, stretched out one hand to lower the passenger seat to an almost horizontal position. Yanking on the handle, she let the wind hold the passenger door open and then snatched up a blanket. Turning on the torch and searchlight again, she trained them on the figure. Within seconds she was on her knees beside him and, as she put a blanket around his shoulders, his eyelids flickered, but didn’t lift. Still, it meant that he was alive.
"Jarod, come on, look at me. I need you to help me here. I know you can hear me and I can't lift you on my own. Work with me here."
Half carrying, half dragging, she got him over to the car and onto the passenger seat. Once he was lying down she grabbed the second rug and wrapped it tightly around his chest and arms before wiping the snow from his face. After shutting the door she dashed around to her side. Sitting in the car, she tucked the hot water bottles under him and draped the other blankets around his semi-conscious body. Turning the key, she started the engine and did a u-turn, driving back to the intersection where Jarod become lost. A light that she had placed there still burned, despite being covered by a layer of snow, and once the car was facing in the right direction she got out, turned off the lamp and left it there for later use.
Miss Parker glared out at the darkness through the windshield. Although the car was still drivable, an occasional crunch made her secretly wonder whether they would actually get back to the Centre at all. In some ways she couldn't help but hope they wouldn't. It was bad enough that Jarod was still free and she knew that her father was going to want her to also try and locate Lyle. It didn't matter to him that Lyle had tried to kill Jennifer. It was from Raines' wrath that Lyle had fled and Miss Parker knew that he wouldn't hesitate to contact his father for help if he needed it.
Jarod felt chills go through him and he shivered violently, trying to curl up but unable to move. Something warm was pushed in beside him and, gratefully, he felt the heat against his chest. He felt as if he was breathing through glue and struggled to open his eyes, turning his head slightly. A voice murmured softly and soothingly in his ear as his hair was brushed away from his face but Jarod had no energy to try and work out who had done it. He felt himself begin to slip away from the voice and his lips parted with a sigh as he fell asleep.
Jennifer stepped back from the bed with her own sigh of relief. It had been four long days since she had brought Jarod back from the brink of death. His almost constant nightmares had restricted the amount of sleep she had had and was also preventing him from getting well as quickly as he ought. She had lost count of the number of times she had wiped his face and neck with water and held him down while he thrashed on the bed. She reached over to the bowl that sat on the bedside table and squeezed excess moisture out of the cloth before wiping his face. As the damp material passed over his mouth, Jennifer watched in disbelief as he swallowed for the first time since she had found him. Quickly she reached over and picked up a glass. Using a teaspoon, she poured several drops of liquid into his mouth and watched in anticipation. His throat moved and, encouraged, Jennifer gave him the rest of the dose she had prepared for this occasion. Then, with a weary sigh, she returned to her bed.
Jarod opened his eyes and stared blankly up at the ceiling that he could just recognize, feeling himself in a bed with blankets tucked around him. The chains that held up the bed gave him some hint of his location, but his memory was still hazy. A sound made him look around and he saw Jennifer standing at the end of the bed. Seeing that he was awake, she moved over and sat beside him, reaching up to smooth his hair.
"How are you feeling?"
He smiled feebly. "Like I was run over by a truck!"
She laughed and then, standing, pulled the blankets more closely around him, gently smoothing the pillow.
"What happened?"
Jennifer folded her arms and looked down at him sternly. "You were very stupid, that's what. If you want to go for a walk, it's better to do so in fine weather and not when there's a blizzard raging."
"I...what?" He sat up but the world began to spin around him and he was thankful when Jennifer gently pushed him back onto the pillow.
"Just stay there. It's all right; you don't have to go anywhere just yet." She took a seat beside him again. "You were coming back here when it started to snow and you took the wrong road. After your car got stuck, you decided for some foolish reason to get out and walk. When you didn't show, I got worried and went out to look for you. I found you in the snow and brought you back here. You've had a bad bought of pneumonia, but I think we've finally got that licked."
"How?"
"My parents lived here continuously for a number of years and my dad got sick like that a lot. I remembered the name of the medication and got a friend of mine to bring some here for you."
"A...friend?" He looked up at her slightly nervously.
"Don't worry, it's no one that you know or that knows the Centre. She and I went to school together. We've stayed close friends and, as luck would have it, she's a doctor, so I got everything that I could need from her to help you."
She got up but he grabbed her hand.
"What about Lyle?"
"What about him? Oh, do you mean does he know about this place? No. We got it after he started work at the Centre and I don't think he ever even heard about it. My parents left him their other house when they died and I got this. I think he sold that house, though. It was in Nebraska, so it wasn't very convenient for him. Now, try to sleep, Jarod."
She turned and went towards the ladder. Jarod watched until he couldn't see her any more, and then closed his eyes and relaxed.
