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Chapter or Story 
Chapter or Story
Disclaimer: see Chapter one
~~~~~~~
To End The Evil
Part 11
Visiting an old friend
Ben went over to the window when he heard a car stop in front of the inn.
He didn’t expect any visitors. It was the end of April. It was usually quiet this time of the year. Usually. He dropped his head in sadness.
Since many years April wasn’t what it had once been…
In fact, nearly thirty years ago, April had been his favourite time. Though there were never many guests in April, there was one special person always coming by that time of the year.
It had made April special to him.
That was until these visits ceased abruptly. He sighed deeply and looked up again.
The sight that greeted him left him breathless.
Miss Parker stood near the back door of the car stretching while Jarod got their luggage out of the trunk.
“It seems that your prediction is finally coming true, my dear Catherine,” he whispered a small smile gracing at his lips.
Smiling he went to the front door to welcome his visitors.
Opening the front door, he found Miss Parker walking up to the porch.
When she saw him standing in the doorframe, her face lit up and she gave him one of her rare real smiles.
She quickly closed the remaining distance between them and gave him a hug.
Her action surprised him but he eagerly returned the hug.
They parted when they heard Jarod chuckling softly from behind.
“What, pez-head?” she growled playfully, turning to Jarod.
“It’s just that Ben has a pretty confused expression on his face,” he grinned.
Ben laughed. “He’s right, you know.”
She just shrugged and smiled warmly at him.
“Come on in, there is fresh coffee in the kitchen,“ Ben invited them in.
Parker strode into the house, leaving Jarod to the task of getting their luggage inside.
Jarod shook his head and laughed. Then he reached for the bags.
“Jarod, wait. I’ll give you a hand,” Ben said and came down.
Before he took her bag he reached out and drew Jarod into a hug.
“It’s good to see you again,“ Jarod said, returning the hug.
“I can say the same,” Ben admitted. “Come. Let’s get the luggage into the house.”
They calmly went into the house and left the bags in the den. Afterwards they joined Parker in the kitchen. She had already prepared three mugs and was just putting some sugar into Jarod’s.
“Ben, I don’t remember, do you want sugar or milk into your coffee?” Parker asked, without looking up when Jarod and Ben came into the kitchen.
“One spoon of sugar, please,“ Ben replied.
Parker nodded her head, still turned away from them.
Ben and Jarod each took a seat. Parker turned and went over to the table carrying all three mugs. She gave Ben the coffee and sat down next to Jarod, handing him his mug.
Jarod’s hand brushed against Parker’s when he took the coffee. She looked at him and smiled.
Ben observed this silent communication between his guests.
“So, what do I own the pleasure of having you both together in my home?” Ben asked.
Parker looked over to Jarod who nodded in response.
“Well, Ben. We… I’ll make it short. We,” she again looked over to Jarod, “hope that you may have something from my mother. Something we are searching for. A disk maybe,“ she said hopefully yet she already steeled herself for the next disappointment.
“Your mother said that one day you two would appear on my doorstep together but I have to admit that I didn’t believe in it after your last visits,” Ben mused.
“So you do have something?” Jarod asked excited.
“Indeed, I have,“ Ben confirmed, looking from one to the other.
Jarod and Parker exchanged a look.
“Can we see it?” Parker asked a little impatient.
Ben chuckled. “Since you asked me so nicely... Jarod seems to do you some good. You do get your temper under control.” He still grinned.
“The day is still long,“ Parker growled but the mischievous sparkle in her eyes gave her away.
They all started chuckling.
“That’s more the old Parker,“ Jarod smiled.
“You want the ‘old’ Parker back, genius?” she threatened mockingly putting just a small amount of venom into her voice as a warning.
“Not really,” he replied, smiling at her split-second-transformation.
Ben watched the slight banter. They seemed comfortable around each other. There was nothing that indicated the uneasiness that Jarod had showed when he talked about the relationship between Parker and himself when he first showed up on his doorstep.
“Ben, I don’t want to be rude but… can we see the disk?” Parker asked longingly.
“Sure,” Ben said, snapping out of his observation. He got up and went to get the disk. “It will take me a while to get it.” He left Jarod and Parker in the kitchen.
“Wow,“ Jarod breathed.
“Just what I thought,“ Parker replied, as stunned as Jarod was.
Several minutes passed and Ben still wasn’t back.
“Hey. Who knows where Ben hid the disk and how much time he needs to get it. We should get our stuff to the rooms. You still want to stay here for the weekend, do you?” Jarod asked.
“Yeah, you’re right. Let’s get the stuff!”
They both got up.
“It’s already in the den,” Jarod told her, when they walked out of the room together.
~~~~~~~
When Parker returned to the kitchen ten minutes later, Jarod was making new coffee.
“Usually it is me who needs coffee every few minutes. You’re more the sugar-addicted type of person,“ she frowned.
“I thought we would probably need it after we saw the disk!” he explained at her questioning expression.
She nodded.
“Let’s go into the living room,“ Jarod suggested.
When they walked through the den, Ben reappeared, a DSA in his hand.
Together they made their way over to the living room.
The moment she entered the room, Parker saw the DSA player sitting besides the table.
“I didn’t realize that you had it with you all the time and that it even was in the car,“ she said, indicating the device with a nod of her head.
“I don’t have it with me all the time. Most of the time was stored at your place during the last few weeks,“ he replied, putting the player up on the coffee table.
She raised an eyebrow and grinned.
Somehow the knowledge that the DSA player was at her house, since the evening that had changed her life, pleased her.
Jarod had trusted her enough to leave the player with all his disks in her house.
When she didn’t comment, Jarod looked up to find her smiling at him. He grinned at her faraway look.
“Ben, can you give me the disk, please?” Jarod asked and held out his hand.
Wordlessly Ben complied.
Jarod inserted the DSA in the player and the screen flicked to life. There was a picture of Catherine but they had yet to start the film. Jarod looked at Parker.
“You really want to do this? It’s still time to back away,“ he said.
“I told you weeks ago that there was no possibility for me to back away. Nothing has changed since then!” she stated firmly and went over to the couch to sit down. Jarod seated himself besides her.
Ben still stood in the room, feeling out of place. He felt two pairs of eyes watching him.
“I better go and…,” he tailed off and turned.
“Ben?” Parker asked irritated.
“It’s not my place to see this disk,“ he declared a sad undertone in his voice.
“Do you want to see it?” Jarod asked him.
Ben nodded slightly.
“Then come on over. We are about to start,” Parker told him firmly.
Ben looked at them, unsure but when they both nodded he accepted their invitation.
“Ready?” Jarod asked Parker.
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” she replied shakily.
With a flick o his hand, Jarod started the DSA.
To be continued…
~~~~~~~
Part 11
Visiting an old friend
Ben went over to the window when he heard a car stop in front of the inn.
He didn’t expect any visitors. It was the end of April. It was usually quiet this time of the year. Usually. He dropped his head in sadness.
Since many years April wasn’t what it had once been…
In fact, nearly thirty years ago, April had been his favourite time. Though there were never many guests in April, there was one special person always coming by that time of the year.
It had made April special to him.
That was until these visits ceased abruptly. He sighed deeply and looked up again.
The sight that greeted him left him breathless.
Miss Parker stood near the back door of the car stretching while Jarod got their luggage out of the trunk.
“It seems that your prediction is finally coming true, my dear Catherine,” he whispered a small smile gracing at his lips.
Smiling he went to the front door to welcome his visitors.
Opening the front door, he found Miss Parker walking up to the porch.
When she saw him standing in the doorframe, her face lit up and she gave him one of her rare real smiles.
She quickly closed the remaining distance between them and gave him a hug.
Her action surprised him but he eagerly returned the hug.
They parted when they heard Jarod chuckling softly from behind.
“What, pez-head?” she growled playfully, turning to Jarod.
“It’s just that Ben has a pretty confused expression on his face,” he grinned.
Ben laughed. “He’s right, you know.”
She just shrugged and smiled warmly at him.
“Come on in, there is fresh coffee in the kitchen,“ Ben invited them in.
Parker strode into the house, leaving Jarod to the task of getting their luggage inside.
Jarod shook his head and laughed. Then he reached for the bags.
“Jarod, wait. I’ll give you a hand,” Ben said and came down.
Before he took her bag he reached out and drew Jarod into a hug.
“It’s good to see you again,“ Jarod said, returning the hug.
“I can say the same,” Ben admitted. “Come. Let’s get the luggage into the house.”
They calmly went into the house and left the bags in the den. Afterwards they joined Parker in the kitchen. She had already prepared three mugs and was just putting some sugar into Jarod’s.
“Ben, I don’t remember, do you want sugar or milk into your coffee?” Parker asked, without looking up when Jarod and Ben came into the kitchen.
“One spoon of sugar, please,“ Ben replied.
Parker nodded her head, still turned away from them.
Ben and Jarod each took a seat. Parker turned and went over to the table carrying all three mugs. She gave Ben the coffee and sat down next to Jarod, handing him his mug.
Jarod’s hand brushed against Parker’s when he took the coffee. She looked at him and smiled.
Ben observed this silent communication between his guests.
“So, what do I own the pleasure of having you both together in my home?” Ben asked.
Parker looked over to Jarod who nodded in response.
“Well, Ben. We… I’ll make it short. We,” she again looked over to Jarod, “hope that you may have something from my mother. Something we are searching for. A disk maybe,“ she said hopefully yet she already steeled herself for the next disappointment.
“Your mother said that one day you two would appear on my doorstep together but I have to admit that I didn’t believe in it after your last visits,” Ben mused.
“So you do have something?” Jarod asked excited.
“Indeed, I have,“ Ben confirmed, looking from one to the other.
Jarod and Parker exchanged a look.
“Can we see it?” Parker asked a little impatient.
Ben chuckled. “Since you asked me so nicely... Jarod seems to do you some good. You do get your temper under control.” He still grinned.
“The day is still long,“ Parker growled but the mischievous sparkle in her eyes gave her away.
They all started chuckling.
“That’s more the old Parker,“ Jarod smiled.
“You want the ‘old’ Parker back, genius?” she threatened mockingly putting just a small amount of venom into her voice as a warning.
“Not really,” he replied, smiling at her split-second-transformation.
Ben watched the slight banter. They seemed comfortable around each other. There was nothing that indicated the uneasiness that Jarod had showed when he talked about the relationship between Parker and himself when he first showed up on his doorstep.
“Ben, I don’t want to be rude but… can we see the disk?” Parker asked longingly.
“Sure,” Ben said, snapping out of his observation. He got up and went to get the disk. “It will take me a while to get it.” He left Jarod and Parker in the kitchen.
“Wow,“ Jarod breathed.
“Just what I thought,“ Parker replied, as stunned as Jarod was.
Several minutes passed and Ben still wasn’t back.
“Hey. Who knows where Ben hid the disk and how much time he needs to get it. We should get our stuff to the rooms. You still want to stay here for the weekend, do you?” Jarod asked.
“Yeah, you’re right. Let’s get the stuff!”
They both got up.
“It’s already in the den,” Jarod told her, when they walked out of the room together.
~~~~~~~
When Parker returned to the kitchen ten minutes later, Jarod was making new coffee.
“Usually it is me who needs coffee every few minutes. You’re more the sugar-addicted type of person,“ she frowned.
“I thought we would probably need it after we saw the disk!” he explained at her questioning expression.
She nodded.
“Let’s go into the living room,“ Jarod suggested.
When they walked through the den, Ben reappeared, a DSA in his hand.
Together they made their way over to the living room.
The moment she entered the room, Parker saw the DSA player sitting besides the table.
“I didn’t realize that you had it with you all the time and that it even was in the car,“ she said, indicating the device with a nod of her head.
“I don’t have it with me all the time. Most of the time was stored at your place during the last few weeks,“ he replied, putting the player up on the coffee table.
She raised an eyebrow and grinned.
Somehow the knowledge that the DSA player was at her house, since the evening that had changed her life, pleased her.
Jarod had trusted her enough to leave the player with all his disks in her house.
When she didn’t comment, Jarod looked up to find her smiling at him. He grinned at her faraway look.
“Ben, can you give me the disk, please?” Jarod asked and held out his hand.
Wordlessly Ben complied.
Jarod inserted the DSA in the player and the screen flicked to life. There was a picture of Catherine but they had yet to start the film. Jarod looked at Parker.
“You really want to do this? It’s still time to back away,“ he said.
“I told you weeks ago that there was no possibility for me to back away. Nothing has changed since then!” she stated firmly and went over to the couch to sit down. Jarod seated himself besides her.
Ben still stood in the room, feeling out of place. He felt two pairs of eyes watching him.
“I better go and…,” he tailed off and turned.
“Ben?” Parker asked irritated.
“It’s not my place to see this disk,“ he declared a sad undertone in his voice.
“Do you want to see it?” Jarod asked him.
Ben nodded slightly.
“Then come on over. We are about to start,” Parker told him firmly.
Ben looked at them, unsure but when they both nodded he accepted their invitation.
“Ready?” Jarod asked Parker.
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” she replied shakily.
With a flick o his hand, Jarod started the DSA.
To be continued…
