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Chapter or Story 
Chapter or Story
Disclaimer: see Chapter sixteen
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To End The Evil
Part 38
The calm before the storm
Two days after returning from Houston, she finally got a message from Jarod. It was a Saturday.
She had had a foreboding all day and then at noon, Debbie arrived without announcement, delivering a note from Jarod.
The letter said that it was time to go to Wyoming and that she had to get away from her pursuers alone, just as he had told her that day in Houston. Jarod would meet her at the airport they had agreed upon in Wyoming. He would be waiting for her there Sunday around noon.
She gritted her teeth at the prospect of getting rid of her pursuers alone. The sweepers had been sticking close to her heel the last days. She had to be inventive to get away from them this time.
Debbie, who was still there looked at Parker.
“Miss P., is everything ok?”
Parker smiled. “Yeah. I just have a problem right now and I have to figure out a solution quickly.”
“Can I help you?” Debbie asked, generally interested.
Parker shook her head. “No, I fear you can’t, only if you know a vanishing-trick,“ Parker said with a smile.
Debbie frowned and then looked at Parker suspiciously. “Is that about the assignment my Dad is currently doing? The one because of which he told me to pack a few things together I wanted to take with me in case we had to get away from Blue Cove quickly?”
Parker winced at the silent accusation that shone through Debbie’s eyes. She hung her head. What could she tell her? “Sorry, Debbie. I can’t tell you that,“ she avoided Debbie’s question.
“I’m not stupid, Miss P.,” Debbie roused slightly. “I might not be that old but I have eyes. I see what is going on around me. My Dad has not been happy with his job for a long time. I think he is afraid of something but every time I try to reach out to him, he closes up on me and avoids my questions just like you did a few moments ago. I’m sick of this, Miss P. Just tell me what is happening right now.”
Parker looked at Debbie. In front of her didn’t stand the little girl, she had once played babysitter for but a sensible teen who claimed her right to be included into some decisions or to at least get answers as to why the people around her were constantly looking over their shoulders.
“Yes, Debbie. It’s the same assignment your Dad told you about that gives me this problem,” Parker finally said, deciding to tell Debbie at least some part of the story. The bigger part would lie in Broots hands but Debbie had a right to know why she had to pack a bag to be ready to leave her home quickly. “What did your Dad tell you?”
“He said that he had some work to do that was really dangerous. He said that he wanted me to pack some things so that we could get away from here at a moments notice if we had to,“ Debbie paused. “I don’t want to leave the city, Miss P. I have friends here and I don’t want to loose them,” she argued.
Parker reached out and took Debbie in her arms. “I’m sorry, Debbie. I hope it won’t come that far but I can’t promise you anything. I fact I fear that what you are afraid of will happen soon but we will probably be able to return shortly afterward,“ she whispered softly into the girls ear.
“Are we in danger?” Debbie asked with a small voice.
Parker clenched her teeth again and then shook her head ‘yes’. “At the moment, I dread we are Debbie,” Parker replied with an equally quiet voice. “You are right. Your father hasn’t been pleased with his job for quite some time now. The people we are working for are dangerous and we are trying to get them out of the picture. We are gathering evidence against them to hand it over to the authorities,” Parker explained.
When she felt Debbie tremble slightly in her arms, she gently stroked her back. “Shhh, Deb, it’s ok. I know that you are afraid and you have every right to be but you have to believe me that your Dad is working on that assignment because he wants you to be safe and if we get that job done we will be able to finally be safe,“ Parker tried to calm the girl down.
Debbie pulled away to look at Miss Parker and finally nodded. Parker gently stroked her cheek and wiped a tear away that was slowly making its way down. “How long will that take?” Debbie sobbed slightly.
Parker drew her in her arms again. “I promise you that everything will be over soon. The note you gave me earlier is from a friend of ours who is helping us right now. He wants me to meet him tomorrow and we will hopefully get the last piece of the puzzle,“ Parker hushed her.
Debbie nodded against her. “Can I help?” she asked again.
“I’m not sure about that right now. Probably you can. Let me think about that for some time. Do you want to stay with me for a while longer?”
“Yeah, I would like to do so,” Debbie replied and tried to smile.
~~~~~~~
It was Sunday morning. Debbie had stayed at Parker’s for the rest of the day. Parker had brought her back over to Broots in the evening. Together with Debbie she had delivered a bag of clothes and some other things.
Over the course of the day the foreboding she had had Saturday morning had gotten stronger and by now it was hard not to think about it.
A feeling that something was about to happen soon and that she wouldn’t return to Blue Cove any time soon had grown within her.
So she had quickly packed a few things together; some clothes but mainly some pictures of her mother she wanted to take with her.
She knew that she couldn’t walk out of her house with a bag on her shoulder without making the Centre suspicious so she had put it into Debbie’s bag and asked her to take it.
Debbie would meet up with her tomorrow to give it back to her.
When she had arrived at Broots house she had quickly talked to Debbie’s father. He needed to know that she had told Debbie at least a small part of the story and more importantly she had reminded him to be on his guard.
She had told him about her feeling and that he should be prepared to get the dreaded call from her tomorrow, saying that that they had to leave Blue Cove at once and meet up with Sydney to make the way up to Canada together.
Broots had swallowed with difficulty but he had nodded bravely in the end.
Before Parker left the house both he and Debbie had told her to be careful.
So here she was, Sunday morning in her car trying to get rid of the sweeper following two cars behind.
When she noticed the sweeper overtaking another car and taking his place directly behind her car, she chuckled slightly. He had obviously learned his lesson. They were in Dover Avenue after all. He surely didn’t want to take the blame of losing her.
“Amateur. Do you think I’m stupid enough to do that trick again?” she muttered, shaking her head slightly.
In fact she had an entirely different plan in mind. One that was somehow more risky but she hadn’t managed to think of anything better.
After a few more miles she pulled the car over to the side. The sweeper following her stopped and then moved past her so as not to attract any attention. He stopped the car again half a block in front of her. He couldn’t have been more conspicuous.
“What do we have here? A green horn; beginner; amateur?” Parker rolled her eyes. The sweeper had just told her that he was new in his business. “Lyle, Lyle, Lyle. You are gambling at high stakes,” she murmured, while shaking her head slightly and then she grinned victoriously.
She had just gotten a nice idea.
Putting the car into gear again, she rolled up to the sweeper’s car. After getting out of the car she walked over to the one in front of her.
She tapped on the window lightly when the sweeper busily searched through some papers on the passenger’s seat. He winced and turned to see her standing next to the car. When he rolled down the window, she could practically see him sweating. She had to stifle a grin.
“Hey, why are you following me?” she asked naively.
“I don’t know what you mean, ma’am,” the sweeper replied innocently.
“Ahw, come on. Don’t play dumb,“ she grinned.
“Well, I… I… I have orders,” he finally blurted.
Parker had to keep herself from rolling her eyes. Didn’t Lyle or Willie give these sweepers anything better to work with than ‘I have orders’?
“Well, why do they want you to follow me?”
“They want me to keep an eye on you,” he replied honestly.
“They think I would do something stupid?” Parker smiled sadly and heaved a sigh for show.
The sweeper nodded slightly.
“But now that I know, I am followed, do you think, I would try to do anything?” she asked the man.
He shook his head after thinking about that for a minute.
“Well than, you can go home now. I’m just on my way to do some shopping,” she smiled an easy smile.
“Sorry, Miss Parker but I can’t do that,“ he said.
“You would loose your job, wouldn’t you?” she asked sympathetically.
He nodded. He was confused.
Everyone working in the Centre knew about the lady that stood in front of him right now and everyone knew that she was dangerous. They said that she had a tongue as sharp as a knife and that she had a bad temper that, once triggered, would lash out on anyone available.
But the woman that stood before him didn’t fit into the description of that dragon. She seemed to be a kind and caring woman.
“Well then,“ she said, “you better do your job and follow me around. But I told you that I will just go shopping.” She grinned treacherous and winked. “And you know woman. That shopping tour might take a while.” With that Parker turned around and walked back to her car.
She grinned. That pretending thing really had something to it. That poor sweeper didn’t know what came to him. The confusion had been clearly written all above his face. Maybe that new part in her plan would it make it more secure. She chuckled slightly. It would at least get more interesting that way.
She got into her car and started the engine. Pulling out into the traffic, she drove past the sweeper’s car and waved at him with a sweet smile on her face.
To be continued…
Author’s Note: Oh, people. This one was great fun. These movements so completely unlike Parker were so… comical; so very unlike Parker. I hope you liked it as much as I did. If so (and if not) tell me.
~~~~~~~~
Part 38
The calm before the storm
Two days after returning from Houston, she finally got a message from Jarod. It was a Saturday.
She had had a foreboding all day and then at noon, Debbie arrived without announcement, delivering a note from Jarod.
The letter said that it was time to go to Wyoming and that she had to get away from her pursuers alone, just as he had told her that day in Houston. Jarod would meet her at the airport they had agreed upon in Wyoming. He would be waiting for her there Sunday around noon.
She gritted her teeth at the prospect of getting rid of her pursuers alone. The sweepers had been sticking close to her heel the last days. She had to be inventive to get away from them this time.
Debbie, who was still there looked at Parker.
“Miss P., is everything ok?”
Parker smiled. “Yeah. I just have a problem right now and I have to figure out a solution quickly.”
“Can I help you?” Debbie asked, generally interested.
Parker shook her head. “No, I fear you can’t, only if you know a vanishing-trick,“ Parker said with a smile.
Debbie frowned and then looked at Parker suspiciously. “Is that about the assignment my Dad is currently doing? The one because of which he told me to pack a few things together I wanted to take with me in case we had to get away from Blue Cove quickly?”
Parker winced at the silent accusation that shone through Debbie’s eyes. She hung her head. What could she tell her? “Sorry, Debbie. I can’t tell you that,“ she avoided Debbie’s question.
“I’m not stupid, Miss P.,” Debbie roused slightly. “I might not be that old but I have eyes. I see what is going on around me. My Dad has not been happy with his job for a long time. I think he is afraid of something but every time I try to reach out to him, he closes up on me and avoids my questions just like you did a few moments ago. I’m sick of this, Miss P. Just tell me what is happening right now.”
Parker looked at Debbie. In front of her didn’t stand the little girl, she had once played babysitter for but a sensible teen who claimed her right to be included into some decisions or to at least get answers as to why the people around her were constantly looking over their shoulders.
“Yes, Debbie. It’s the same assignment your Dad told you about that gives me this problem,” Parker finally said, deciding to tell Debbie at least some part of the story. The bigger part would lie in Broots hands but Debbie had a right to know why she had to pack a bag to be ready to leave her home quickly. “What did your Dad tell you?”
“He said that he had some work to do that was really dangerous. He said that he wanted me to pack some things so that we could get away from here at a moments notice if we had to,“ Debbie paused. “I don’t want to leave the city, Miss P. I have friends here and I don’t want to loose them,” she argued.
Parker reached out and took Debbie in her arms. “I’m sorry, Debbie. I hope it won’t come that far but I can’t promise you anything. I fact I fear that what you are afraid of will happen soon but we will probably be able to return shortly afterward,“ she whispered softly into the girls ear.
“Are we in danger?” Debbie asked with a small voice.
Parker clenched her teeth again and then shook her head ‘yes’. “At the moment, I dread we are Debbie,” Parker replied with an equally quiet voice. “You are right. Your father hasn’t been pleased with his job for quite some time now. The people we are working for are dangerous and we are trying to get them out of the picture. We are gathering evidence against them to hand it over to the authorities,” Parker explained.
When she felt Debbie tremble slightly in her arms, she gently stroked her back. “Shhh, Deb, it’s ok. I know that you are afraid and you have every right to be but you have to believe me that your Dad is working on that assignment because he wants you to be safe and if we get that job done we will be able to finally be safe,“ Parker tried to calm the girl down.
Debbie pulled away to look at Miss Parker and finally nodded. Parker gently stroked her cheek and wiped a tear away that was slowly making its way down. “How long will that take?” Debbie sobbed slightly.
Parker drew her in her arms again. “I promise you that everything will be over soon. The note you gave me earlier is from a friend of ours who is helping us right now. He wants me to meet him tomorrow and we will hopefully get the last piece of the puzzle,“ Parker hushed her.
Debbie nodded against her. “Can I help?” she asked again.
“I’m not sure about that right now. Probably you can. Let me think about that for some time. Do you want to stay with me for a while longer?”
“Yeah, I would like to do so,” Debbie replied and tried to smile.
~~~~~~~
It was Sunday morning. Debbie had stayed at Parker’s for the rest of the day. Parker had brought her back over to Broots in the evening. Together with Debbie she had delivered a bag of clothes and some other things.
Over the course of the day the foreboding she had had Saturday morning had gotten stronger and by now it was hard not to think about it.
A feeling that something was about to happen soon and that she wouldn’t return to Blue Cove any time soon had grown within her.
So she had quickly packed a few things together; some clothes but mainly some pictures of her mother she wanted to take with her.
She knew that she couldn’t walk out of her house with a bag on her shoulder without making the Centre suspicious so she had put it into Debbie’s bag and asked her to take it.
Debbie would meet up with her tomorrow to give it back to her.
When she had arrived at Broots house she had quickly talked to Debbie’s father. He needed to know that she had told Debbie at least a small part of the story and more importantly she had reminded him to be on his guard.
She had told him about her feeling and that he should be prepared to get the dreaded call from her tomorrow, saying that that they had to leave Blue Cove at once and meet up with Sydney to make the way up to Canada together.
Broots had swallowed with difficulty but he had nodded bravely in the end.
Before Parker left the house both he and Debbie had told her to be careful.
So here she was, Sunday morning in her car trying to get rid of the sweeper following two cars behind.
When she noticed the sweeper overtaking another car and taking his place directly behind her car, she chuckled slightly. He had obviously learned his lesson. They were in Dover Avenue after all. He surely didn’t want to take the blame of losing her.
“Amateur. Do you think I’m stupid enough to do that trick again?” she muttered, shaking her head slightly.
In fact she had an entirely different plan in mind. One that was somehow more risky but she hadn’t managed to think of anything better.
After a few more miles she pulled the car over to the side. The sweeper following her stopped and then moved past her so as not to attract any attention. He stopped the car again half a block in front of her. He couldn’t have been more conspicuous.
“What do we have here? A green horn; beginner; amateur?” Parker rolled her eyes. The sweeper had just told her that he was new in his business. “Lyle, Lyle, Lyle. You are gambling at high stakes,” she murmured, while shaking her head slightly and then she grinned victoriously.
She had just gotten a nice idea.
Putting the car into gear again, she rolled up to the sweeper’s car. After getting out of the car she walked over to the one in front of her.
She tapped on the window lightly when the sweeper busily searched through some papers on the passenger’s seat. He winced and turned to see her standing next to the car. When he rolled down the window, she could practically see him sweating. She had to stifle a grin.
“Hey, why are you following me?” she asked naively.
“I don’t know what you mean, ma’am,” the sweeper replied innocently.
“Ahw, come on. Don’t play dumb,“ she grinned.
“Well, I… I… I have orders,” he finally blurted.
Parker had to keep herself from rolling her eyes. Didn’t Lyle or Willie give these sweepers anything better to work with than ‘I have orders’?
“Well, why do they want you to follow me?”
“They want me to keep an eye on you,” he replied honestly.
“They think I would do something stupid?” Parker smiled sadly and heaved a sigh for show.
The sweeper nodded slightly.
“But now that I know, I am followed, do you think, I would try to do anything?” she asked the man.
He shook his head after thinking about that for a minute.
“Well than, you can go home now. I’m just on my way to do some shopping,” she smiled an easy smile.
“Sorry, Miss Parker but I can’t do that,“ he said.
“You would loose your job, wouldn’t you?” she asked sympathetically.
He nodded. He was confused.
Everyone working in the Centre knew about the lady that stood in front of him right now and everyone knew that she was dangerous. They said that she had a tongue as sharp as a knife and that she had a bad temper that, once triggered, would lash out on anyone available.
But the woman that stood before him didn’t fit into the description of that dragon. She seemed to be a kind and caring woman.
“Well then,“ she said, “you better do your job and follow me around. But I told you that I will just go shopping.” She grinned treacherous and winked. “And you know woman. That shopping tour might take a while.” With that Parker turned around and walked back to her car.
She grinned. That pretending thing really had something to it. That poor sweeper didn’t know what came to him. The confusion had been clearly written all above his face. Maybe that new part in her plan would it make it more secure. She chuckled slightly. It would at least get more interesting that way.
She got into her car and started the engine. Pulling out into the traffic, she drove past the sweeper’s car and waved at him with a sweet smile on her face.
To be continued…
Author’s Note: Oh, people. This one was great fun. These movements so completely unlike Parker were so… comical; so very unlike Parker. I hope you liked it as much as I did. If so (and if not) tell me.
