Chapter 4


    Miss Parker came into her mother's study to find her sitting on the large window seat, reading a book. A soft light coming from a lamp sitting on the desk was lighting the room. Her mother was reading; she didn't have to ask to know that her father wasn't back from work yet.

    For the past years, he seemed to spend more time there and less time with the two of them. Once, she had even asked her mother if she had done something, and she had immediately reassured her that it had nothing to do with either of them.

    She loved spending time with her mother alone, but she also loved spending time with both of her parents. She remembered Sunday afternoons spent playing Monopoly. But now, it was gone; her father was even going to his work on Sundays now. Work became more important than she and her mother, and she didn't know what to do to change that.

    But at the very least, she had her mother, and it was her she needed tonight.

"Mama?" she called, still standing on the threshold.

"What are you doing here, darling?" Catherine Parker replied, closing the book and resting it on her lap.

"I can't sleep."

"Do you want to stay with me for a moment?"

    Miss Parker nodded, happy that her mother seemed to have picked up on her thoughts without her having to voice them. Catherine gestured for her daughter to come and sit beside her on the window seat, and she didn't waste any more time.

    She curled up against her mother's side, and closed her eyes for a moment. She had always loved her mother's perfume. It meant that she was home and safe whenever she was close enough to smell it.

    When she opened them again, her eyes fell on the book her mother was reading: Little Women, the title said. She remembered seeing her with it a few times over the years; her mother seemed to enjoy this particular book quite a lot.

"Will you read it to me?"

    Miss Parker had asked that without really thinking about it; she just wanted to share this with her mother if she agreed to it.

"Of course. You're going to love this story, I'm sure of it."

    Instead of picking the story up where she left it, Catherine Parker opened it to the first page and started reading it out loud.

"'Christmas won't be Christmas without any presents,' grumbled Jo, lying on the rug."

    Miss Parker listened to her mother's voice more than to the words. Still, with each passing page, she could see why her mother would read it again and again: the story of the March sisters was beautiful and sad.

    From now on, they would share this story, and even though she was only nine, Miss Parker knew that in the years to come, they would end up sharing a lot.

    Her mother's study was bathed in the soft moonlight. She hadn't bothered turning on the lights; she was just there to rest and think. While she could have done it in any other room of her house, being here brought her a sense of peace the rest of the house didn't have.

    She was grateful for everything Thomas had brought into her life. Even though their relationship hadn't lasted as long as she had hoped, she had learnt a lot from him. But the one thing she was the most grateful for was this study. If he hadn't pushed her by opening this door again, by making her understand that it was all right to be there, this room would never have become her refuge. She hadn't even understood the importance of having a refuge before.

    She wished she still had her mother's favourite book with her, but on a whim, she had packed it with the rest of the things the voices had told her to send away. But she felt the urge to read it as being in his room brought out memories. She remembered the first time her mother had read it to her, late one night. They had been alone in the house, and to Miss Parker, it had felt like they had been alone in the world, too, and that nothing could get at them.

    But instead of reading a book with her mother, she was sitting alone on the window seat, looking out into the night sky. Although he annoyed her, she hoped that Jarod would call so that she wouldn't be left alone with her thoughts. But she knew it was just wishful thinking. And even if he did call, they would probably end up talking about the one subject she refused to think about.

    No, she was better alone. She had known that for a long time. Being alone meant that the Centre had no one they could hurt to ensure that she was still under their control. They had done that too often in the past to let them do it again.

    But of course, it was when she wished to be alone, that her doorbell rang. She was almost tempted to ignore it, but the person on the other side was insisting and rang a second time. With a sigh, she got up from her seat, and left the room, closing the door behind her.

    She opened her front door but there was no one on the other side. She was about to close the door, when her eyes fell on a small package on the floor.

"Jarod," she let out in a breath.

    She picked it up, and locked the door behind her, before going to sit on the couch. She had no doubt that it would contain yet another little surprise from the Pretender, but she wasn't sure she wanted to know what it was.

    But when she opened it, she was surprised to see that it was empty, except for a note resting in the bottom of the box. She unfolded it to find a few words written on it:

"Found something. Public library, Sherwood, Arkansas. 10pm tomorrow," she read out loud. "You couldn't be more cryptic, could you?"

    She had of course noted the fact that the meeting was in Sherwood of all places. It seemed convenient than someone who defended the little people would be in a place named like the forest made famous by Robin Hood.

    She wondered for a moment why he hadn't called her instead of sending her this little package, but she guessed that her phone lines could be tapped, and it was the safest way. One of the many people he had helped through the years must have delivered it to her door as per his instructions, but didn't stay to see that she and not someone else would pick it up.

    She memorised the location and time, before taking a lighter and burning the note. She didn't need anyone, and certainly not Lyle or Cox to find this. She went back to her room and packed a bag; she would leave right now. Going there by car would take time, but it would be the safest way: she just needed to sweep her car for bugs and GPS trackers so that the Centre couldn't follow her.

    Once that was done – and yes, there had been a GPS tracker under her car – she put her bag in the trunk and sat behind the wheel. She debated for a moment about calling Sydney or Broots to let them know she wasn't going to be there the next day, but they would be safer if they just didn't know anything.

    She didn't know the exact location of Sherwood, Arkansas, least of all of its public library, but she would have time to stop somewhere along the way to check that out. For the moment, she just needed to leave. She turned the key in the ignition and drove off into the night.

    Inside her house, her cell phone started ringing but no one was there to pick it up.

    Ethan had waited until it was past midnight before leaving his motel room with the equipment he had purchased. No one was up and about at this hour, and he would be left alone while he infiltrated Lionel Sloan's diner. Once there, he hoped he could find all the evidence he would need to help Mia and Martin.

    It should be easy, but when he turned the corner that would lead him to the back door, he saw that he wasn't alone. There was a truck parked a few meters from him, and he could see Sloan talking with two men. He couldn't hear what was being said, but he couldn't risk coming any closer and being seen. Not if he wanted to help his new friends.

    He took his camera from the bag, and was glad he had bought the camera lens the vendor showed him; at this distance, he would need it. He snapped pictures after pictures of the men talking, but he didn't know if this would be interesting, up until Sloan handed them a wad of cash. Whatever was going on there, it was definitely dirty.

    They opened the truck doors, and started unloading boxes. Ethan zoomed in until he could take clear pictures of them. From what he could read, it contained food and came from overseas. He couldn't see any indication that they had been seen by the customs office as should have been the case.

    This was the reason why Sloan's prices were so low compared the Martin's; he was using merchandise that was coming into the country illegally. Ethan could certainly see the police not only closing the place but also arresting Sloan. This would mean the end of Martin and Mia's troubles. Their customers would come back.

    Not wanting to be seen, and to ruin everything, he decided to stay put until the others were all gone. Jarod would have probably confronted Sloan himself before sending the cops on him, but Ethan wasn't sure he could do it. No, he would send the photos to the cops, and give copies to Martin and Mia just in case.

    Ethan made sure to stay in the shadows during his walk back to his motel room. Once there, he transferred the pictures to his new laptop and printed them. He placed each set of photos into envelopes. Everything was ready for the next day.

    He lied down on the bed, needing to get a few hours of sleep. But after they had been calm all day long, the voices were slowly getting louder and louder. He tried to concentrate on them to decipher their message, but it was still too confused and he couldn't make out the words. He hoped that they would become clearer with time.

    Just like the previous day, Jarod arrived early at the office, but this time, Brody and Peter were already there, the former looking like he hadn't got any sleep.

"Lucy had a nightmare and couldn't go back to sleep after that," he explained when he saw Jarod looking at him.

"I thought her grandparents were supposed to be there yesterday?"

"Their plane had been cancelled due to a storm in Ottawa."

"Ottawa? I thought they were coming from Europe," Peter said.

"They couldn't find a direct flight, even under these circumstances. Anyway, they should be there by noon."

"It will do Lucy some good to see her grandparents," Jarod said. "They're going to take her with them?"

"Yes. It won't be easy for them, but Lucy needs to be with them."

"Good. She has to stay with her family. There will come a moment when she wants to hear about her parents, and no one can tell her better than her grandparents."

    Jarod could see on Brody and Peter's faces that they were wondering about him; he almost wanted to tell them the truth, that he hadn't grown up with his family, but he wasn't one to share about his own life during a pretend. People needed to know that he could help them, not about him.

"Are you going to tell them about Julia's past?" Jarod asked, having already decided to call her by the name she had chosen.

"I should, but I don't know how to tell them. How can I tell them that the woman their son married was a bank robber, and that her past cost her and her husband their lives?"

"Trust me, they will want to hear it. And Lucy will need to know the whole truth one day."

    Brody wasn't convinced but Jarod was sure that he would make the right choice in the end, for Lucy. He just needed to find the right words to not make Julia look responsible for what happened. There was only one person responsible for this whole mess, and it was McCauley.

    Jarod went to sit at his desk, and was about to turn on his computer, when the front door opened. Two men and a woman, all dressed in dark suits, entered. There was no doubt for Jarod as to who was the one in the middle. He looked at him straight in his eyes, smirking.

"Robert Collins, I presume."

"Well done. I guess you're the one who cracked my file."

"Touché."

"Sheriff John Brody," he introduced him, extending his hand to the men. "This is my Deputy, Peter Drumond, and here is Special Agent Jarod Baker from the FBI."

"As you already know I'm Robert Collins, and my colleagues from the Boston PD, Will Tanner and Rebecca Bancroft. I think that if you cracked the Rivers' file, you wanted to see them too." When none of them answered, he started to get annoyed. "Won't you tell me why you needed to know my real identity?"

    One look towards Brody told Jarod that he wanted the Pretender to take the lead in questioning Collins.

"Do you know this woman?" Jarod asked, showing a picture of the Schaeffers.

"You know I do or you wouldn't have made me come. This is Anna Carver. What has she done now?"

"She was killed, along with her husband, Don Schaeffer. We know you had McCauley arrested along with you. What happened to Anna?"

"Tanner and I went to the apartment they were hiding in but she wasn't there anymore," Bancroft replied.

"No need to add that the money was gone too," Collins said. "Now, can you tell us what happened?"

    Brody and Jarod took turn in explaining what happened after she had changed her identity. Jarod could read on Collins' face that he didn't believe for one second that Julia had changed. He didn't think there was anything he could do to convince him so he didn't even try.

"We think that McCauley found her and killed them because he wanted the money back," Brody finished.

"If he has it, you can bet we won't ever see him again."

"I don't think he does," Jarod intervened.

"What makes you say this?" Collins asked.

"Let's call it a gut instinct. I think that McCauley is still around, too. This is why we needed you to come. You're the one who knows him the best. You know how to find him."

"If we were in Boston, I'd say you were right, but I don't know this town."

"No matter where he is, he would always hide in the same kind of places. This is where he feels safe no matter where he is in the world. Where did he hide when you were with him in Boston?"

"Most of the time, he would squat an apartment in an empty building."

"There's a building that would match this description," Peter said. "You know, the one just on the outskirts of the town."

"Well, then let's go," Tanner said. "He spent enough time on the outside."

    The others nodded, and followed him out of the office. Jarod was about to walk through the door when Collins stopped him with a hand on his chest.

"I don't know who you are, but you're not FBI. Call that a gut instinct," he said, repeating Jarod's previous words. "I've spent enough time undercover to recognize someone like me."

"I'm not like you. I haven't lost my faith in people being able to change, like you did. If you don't trust me, call this number," Jarod said, scribbling it down on a paper and handing it to him. "Ask to talk to Special Agent Bailey Malone and ask him about me. My name is Jarod in case you need a reminder. Now, if you don't mind, we have a killer to arrest."

    He went to join Brody and Peter at the Sheriff's car, and shook his head to indicate he didn't want to talk about what had just happened. Collins, Tanner and Bancroft followed them in their own car. They could have taken an unmarked car to be more discreet, but they didn't have time for that.

    Being in the back of the car gave Jarod some time to think. Usually, he would have gone to confront McCauley on his own, but this time, it wasn't possible. Still, he would have liked to make him sweat for what he had done to the Schaeffers and Lucy. But he would take great pleasure in seeing him behind bars.

    The cars soon stopped in front of the abandoned building, and they all got out. There were only the six of them; they knew that McCauley was dangerous, but they couldn't lose any more time by waiting for reinforcements. They split into teams of two, and to Collins' great displeasure, Jarod was paired up with him.

    They didn't talk while they proceeded through the empty corridors. The weight of the gun was unfamiliar in Jarod's hand. He wasn't one to carry one very often, unless it was part of his current pretend, and he could count on the fingers of one hand the number of times he fired one.

    Jarod and Collins heard a sound at the end of the corridor they were currently walking down, and nodded at each other. They radioed the others to tell them they might have found McCauley before looking at each other; neither of them had any intention to wait for the rest of the group. He was theirs. The cop took point, with Jarod covering him.

    They stopped just to the side of the opened doorway, and took a quick look inside; McCauley had his back to them, which meant he couldn't see them, but they didn't know if he had something in his hands. Still, they stopped to reconsider their decision to go in there alone.

"Turn around slowly, McCauley," Collins said from the threshold, Jarod just behind him.

"Rivers...," McCauley said, turning around and holding a gun loosely in his right hand. "I always thought that Anna was the one who gave us to the cops. It turns out I was mistaken and it was you. So you're a cop. Good job on pretending to be a bad guy."

"Drop the gun. It's over."

"It will be over when I say it is over. And right now, I still have a score to settle."

    Everything was happening as if in slow motion. McCauley was raising the hand holding the gun, but before he had time to complete his movement, two gunshots were fired. Jarod and Collins each shot him in the arm, their bullets close to each other.

    McCauley fell to the floor, and they ran towards him, pushing the gun away from his hand.

"Now, where's the money?" Collins asked, his gun trained on him.

"I don't know. The bitch wouldn't tell me. But at least, she got what she deserved."

    At these words, Jarod lost his calm, grabbed McCauley by the collar and hauled him up. He held him close to his face and whispered

"You killed a little girl's parents. She didn’t deserve this, they didn't deserve this either. But trust me, I will make sure you get what you deserve."

    When Ethan arrived in the street where the two diners were, he could already see police cars surrounding Sloan's. He wasn't close enough to see what was happening, but he could guess that the man was being interrogated. At the very least, his insomnia was useful this time; he had been able to deliver the photos right before the morning shift arrived, and they hadn't lost any time in coming.

    Smiling to himself, he turned towards Martin's diner to find his two friends watching what was going on from the threshold.

"Did you do this?" Martin asked, when he came closer.

"Let's go inside. I'll explain what I have found."

    The diner was empty; he remembered seeing Bill and several other people watching the scene on the other side of the street from the sidewalk. The three of them sat at a table, and Ethan started telling them about his night, and what Sloan was hiding.

    In the end, he slid an envelope across the table.

"In there, there are copies of all the photos I gave the police, just in case. I don't think you will ever need it, but keep it in a safe place."

"I will. This is just the beginning though. All of this would have been for nothing if the customers don't come back."

"They will, Uncle Martin. Bill is going to convince them," Mia said, pointing to the man talking on the sidewalk. "I can't hear what he's saying, but I'm sure he has already started."

"Bill is a good man. Just like you, Stranger. I'm sorry I was suspicious at first. It's just that I'm not used to asking for help."

"Aren't you glad I talk too much, now?" Mia asked, earning herself a smile from both men.

"Yes. May I offer you something to eat or drink?"

"I'm all right, but these people might want something," he said, gesturing to the people entering the diner.

    One look outside told Ethan that the show on the other side of the street was over. Bill seemed to have had no problems in convincing people to come back to Martin's. He left the table, intent to help Martin and Mia with the influx of people.

"You're a sweetheart, Stranger, but we can manage," Mia replied, before kissing his cheek. "Why don't you sit at the counter and just watch?"

    He didn't really hear anything after she kissed his cheek, but he still sat on the bar stool she indicated. It was just a kiss on the cheek, but it felt like it meant more. He looked at Mia as she was taking an order, and when he caught her eyes, she winked at him.

    He couldn't help but blush. He didn't know how she was doing it, but she confused him. He couldn't say he had any experience with women – they had always thought he was weird and the voices had always prevented him from ever being interested before – but he still thought he could understand what she wanted. And speaking of the voices, they had once more calmed down since he had come into the diner. He started to wonder if Mia's presence had something to do with that.

    He followed her with his eyes as she waltzed from table to table, taking orders and bringing plates and drinks. She gave each customer a sincere smile, but whenever she caught him looking at her, it became brighter. She was a beautiful woman, he had noticed it when he first stepped into the diner, but he hadn't really seen her before. Now, he was really watching her, and he wondered how he hadn't noticed the little details before, like the mole just below her right ear.

"She's a handful, but she's worth it."

    Bill's voice jolted Ethan out of his thoughts, and he turned towards him. The older man had a smile on his face as if he knew something Ethan didn't; and he probably did.

"I know you had something to do with what happened, and I'm happy you managed to help them. They didn't deserve what was happening."

    Ethan didn't say anything in reply, but only nodded and Bill returned to his plate. He was happy he had been able to help, too. He now understood better why Jarod kept doing it. They had a gift, and helping people was the best way for them to use it.

    He still wasn't sure he completely understood what the man had implied at first, or even if he wanted to understand. He would have to leave soon, and he wouldn't come back, but Mia didn't know that, yet. All this flirting was innocent until it wouldn't be anymore, and he knew that for her sake, he couldn't let it go so far. She didn't know him; she didn't even know his real name. He should leave before it was too late.

    Without looking for her, he stood up, and walked to the door. People didn't notice that he was leaving, and that was for the best. He had made it all the way down the street and around the corner when he heard her voice calling the name he had given her. He stopped but didn't turn around.

    Her footsteps came closer until she stopped right behind him. With her hands on his shoulders, she made him face her and his eyes fell upon hers; she knew.

"You're leaving," she stated.

"I wasn't supposed to stay that long."

"But you did, to help us."

"Yes. I have to go now."

"Who are you running away from?" she asked, but he didn't answer; she smiled and he understood that she hadn't expected him to. "I won't see you again, right?"

    He didn't have to answer that question either; she already knew before she asked.

    He was about to turn away from her when she took his face in her hands and leaned in. She kissed him on the lips this time, long and slow. His hands came to rest at her waist as he started to respond. She was conveying a lot of feelings into this one kiss, and he hoped she understood that it wasn't completely one-sided.

    The kiss came to a natural end, and he was about to say something when a headache seized him. The voices suddenly became louder, and he bent over in pain, pressing the palms of his hands to the sides of his head. He knew that Mia was talking to him; he could feel her hand pressed against his back, but he couldn't make out the words.

    But now, he could finally hear what the voices had been trying to tell him since the night before: someone was in danger, and he had to go. He didn't know who it was, but he knew that he had to go help them. Once he understood this, the voices calmed down, until they returned to being the constant buzz at the back of his mind.

"Are you ok?" he finally heard Mia saying, concern in her voice. "I'm going to go get the doctor. He is at the diner."

"No. I'm all right. It happens, but I'm fine now."

"You don't look like you're fine," she replied, as she took in his pale face. "What happened?"

    He almost wanted to tell her, but he knew he couldn't; she wouldn't understand. She would try to, but in the end, she would just think he was a freak, just like other people did in the past. No one could understand him except for Jarod and Miss Parker; they knew how it felt to be different.

"Headache," he just said; it was only part of the truth, but at least, he wasn't really lying to her. "I have to leave now. It's important."

    She nodded, but he could still see worry in her eyes. She was worried for him, for his well being. He tried to swallow, but there was a lump in his throat. He was more touched than he thought he would be by all the emotions he could read on her face. But now wasn't the time for this. The voices went out of their way to make him understand that he had to go.

    He turned away, and started to walk towards his motel, but before he could get too far, he turned back towards Mia. She hadn't moved one inch from where she had been standing, and he smiled at her before deciding that there was at least one thing she should know about him.

"My name is Ethan. I am very pleased to have met you."

"Ethan," he saw more than heard her whisper. "The pleasure is all mine. Take care of yourself, Ethan."

    He nodded, before turning away from her once more. This time, he didn't look back, he couldn't look back. The voices needed him to be somewhere else, and he couldn't lose any more time.

    To say that Sydney was worried would be an understatement. Miss Parker hadn't come into work this morning, and hadn't told anybody about it. Raines and Lyle had already come to see him to ask about her whereabouts, but he didn't know anything. He and Broots had tried calling her cell phone but it kept ringing without anyone picking it up. He had sent the technician back to his station a couple of hours ago; Miss Parker would have wanted him to resume his work on the encrypted video files he had found in Lyle's computer the evening before.

    He wanted to believe that if she hadn't come, it was because she had a lead on Jarod's current whereabouts, but he knew better than that. She would have called him and Broots if that was the case, and she wouldn't have left alone.

    On his way back to his place, he would stop by her house to see if there was any clue as to where she was. He already knew that she wasn't home sick; one of the first things he had done upon noticing that Miss Parker didn't come to the Centre was to send Sam. No one had come to answer the door, and her car was gone.

    What surprised him though was that neither Raines nor Lyle had done anything to find Miss Parker aside from asking him and Broots a couple of questions. He was starting to think that, whatever happened, they knew more than they let on. And it didn't sound good for his friend. He hoped that he was mistaken but he doubted it.

    Leaving his office, he went to see the one person who could give him some answers:  Angelo. He found him hidden in one of the vents on SL-10, eating a box of Cracker Jacks. Sydney crouched before him and waited until he had his attention to start talking.

"I need your help, Angelo. Do you know where Miss Parker is?"

"Danger. Daughter in danger. Not Jarod, trap."

"Oh god..." Sydney let out in a sigh. "Where is she, Angelo?" he tried again, hoping that he and Broots could arrive just in time.

"Bait. Bait for Jarod. Jarod in danger."

    Sydney had no doubt now that the Centre was behind this. They were using her to capture Jarod, and he was sure no one would mind if she ended up being a casualty in the process. He had to find a way to let Jarod know about this, otherwise, he would lose both of them.

    He was about to ask Angelo again if he knew where Parker was, but he had already crawled further back into the vent, and wouldn't come back. He wouldn't find out anything more from him, but maybe there was another way.

    Sydney hurried back to the elevators, and ran into Broots as he was going to his work station.

"I've decrypted the video files. You're never going to believe what I found, Sydney."

"They're going to use Miss Parker as bait to capture Jarod," he replied.

"What? How?"

"Not here. Let's go to my office."

    Broots followed him silently back to his office, and it wasn't until the door was closed behind them that he started talking again.

"How are they going to use her as bait?"

"I don't know, but this is what Angelo thinks is going to happen. And he's rarely wrong. What have you found? Maybe there's something on the video files that is going to explain all this."

"I don't think so. The encrypted video files were of Miss Parker's office. She was right when she said that there were cameras in there. Mr. Lyle and Mr. Cox must have been there yesterday morning to get them back. The oldest file is dated from the day she returned from Carthis."

"They must have installed the cameras when she was away, then. Do you know on whose order it was?"

"No. I haven't found any document to go with them. Just the video files. There's one you might find interesting. It happened after we left her office on that day."

    Broots put the disk he was holding in Sydney's computer and pressed play. The screen was dark for a moment before they saw Miss Parker, sitting on the couch and talking to someone on the phone.

"I wouldn't be surprised if it was Jarod on the other side of the line," Broots said, but Sydney shushed him.

    There was no sound, but the psychiatrist had learnt to read lips when he was a kid, and he still remembered enough to understand Parker's side of the conversation. She was talking about Carthis and the scrolls; nothing surprising here given what had happened a few hours before this had been recorded.

    He stopped reading her lips when he saw a tear roll briefly down her cheek before she dried it with her finger. Second later, she closed her cell phone and rested her hand against her lips, smiling softly.

"If Raines or Lyle have seen this, it's no surprise they're using her as bait to capture Jarod, Broots. From this day on, I have no doubt that they saw her as a liability."

"You're probably right. There's only one other interesting video, it's of the morning she received the picture of Matt Anderson. They know we have found out about him and Project Renewal."

"We really need to find where Miss Parker went, Broots. It's a matter of hours before they get to both she and Jarod."

    Broots was about to reply when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Sydney called and they were surprised to see Sam on the other side.

"Mr. Lyle and Mr. Cox boarded a Centre jet half an hour ago," he said without preamble. "I thought you would like to know."

"Thank you, Sam. Do you know where they are headed?"

"No. They haven't left a flight plan. Do you think they know where Miss Parker is?"

"I think they always knew."

    Sydney knew that he had contact to Jarod and to tell him everything they had found out, but he was worried that it would only lead to his capture. No matter what the psychiatrist could say, Jarod would risk his own freedom for Miss Parker; he already did once in the past, and he would do it again.

    McCauley was locked away at the Sheriff's office, under the watchful eyes of Peter, Tanner and Bancroft. Brody had already called a local judge about having him officially charged with the murders of Don and Julia Schaeffer. All that was left to do was to tell Lucy that it was over.

    Jarod stopped his car behind Brody's. Collins was in the passenger seat, looking outside at the house. He hadn't wanted to come at first but Jarod had insisted; he had to see that Julia wasn't the same woman anymore, that she had left Anna behind the moment she had run away.

"I've called Malone," Collins said as Jarod was about to open the door. "He said that you're a good man and that I should trust you because he does. He said 'good man' not 'good agent'. I know the difference. I don't know who you are, but Malone was right."

    Jarod knew that the conversation was over when Collins reached for the door handle.

    They followed Brody to the front door and through the house to the backyard. Lucy was sitting on the same chair Jarod had seen her when he met her. In her arms, she still had her teddy bear. But instead of Cynthia sitting beside her, an older couple was sitting on either side of her; Don's parents, Jarod quickly guessed.

    Jarod walked towards them, and crouched down before Lucy. Her grandparents looked at him, expecting him to introduce himself, but they had time for that. First, he had to talk to Lucy.

"Hello Lucy. You remember me?" he asked, as the little girl raised her eyes to him. "You remember the promise I made to you the other day? The man who hurt your parents won't ever come to hurt you because he has been arrested. And he will go to prison for a very long time. John will make sure of it. It's over, Lucy."

"Oh thank God," he heard the grandmother say, but he stayed focused on the little girl.

    He could see the moment she accepted that he was saying the truth. She didn't smile, she wasn't ready for that yet, but some of the life that had been missing from her eyes returned. It would still take time, but she would be fine.

    With one hand still holding onto her teddy bear, she extended her arms towards Jarod, and he took her in his arms before standing up. Her arms wrapped around his neck as she rested her head against his shoulder.

"Thank you," she whispered against his ear.

"You're very welcome," he replied, tightening his arms around her.

    Lucy didn't leave his arms for a while but once she agreed to be put down, Cynthia introduced Jarod and Collins to Don's parents. They thanked them too for having put the murderer of their son and daughter-in-law behind bars. When they were sure that Lucy was out of earshot, Brody, with the other two men's help, told them the whole story.

"Now, it's all over though," Brody concluded. "McCauley will spend the rest of his life behind bars. You have nothing to be afraid of."

"It's not completely over. We still haven't found the money," Collins reminded them and Brody and Jarod glared at him.

"Maybe she got rid of it before she came to live here with Don," Don's father suggested.

    As the others kept talking, Jarod looked at Lucy, playing with John and Cynthia's children. She still had her teddy bear clutched tightly in her hand, and as she was running, with the bear trailing behind her, he saw something glint in the sun.

"Is there a zipper on Lucy's teddy bear?" he suddenly asked, interrupting the conversation.

"Yes," her grandmother replied. "Julia bought it because she liked the idea that it would keep Lucy's secrets. I thought it was silly, but she loved it."

"Keeping secrets?" Jarod repeated, turning towards Brody and Collins.

"You think...?"

    The Pretender shrugged at the Sheriff's question, before going to Lucy. He called her and she stopped before him. Once more, he crouched down to be at her level and smiled to reassure her that everything was fine.

"Your Grandma told me that your bear was keeping secrets for you," he said and she nodded. "Do you think I can hold it for a moment?"

    As he had expected, Lucy held the teddy bear tight against her chest and took a step back from him. He hated to push her, but he had to check if he was right.

    He heard the other adults stop a few steps behind him. All eyes were turned onto the two of them, and Lucy was beginning to be worried, he could see it.

"I promise I won't take it away from you. I just... Do you think your Mommy hid one of her secrets inside?" To his big surprise, she nodded, her eyes wide. "I just need to see it. Maybe you can give it to me yourself."

    Lucy loosened her hold onto the teddy bear, and he thought for a moment that she was going to give it to him, but she just unzipped it, and got something out from inside of it and zipped it back up. When she opened her hand, Jarod saw that it was a key. He took it from her, before standing back up and showing it to the others.

"Now, we just need to find which door it unlocks."

"Oh, I think I know," Collins replied. "But it's not a door. It's the key from a baggage locker at South Station in Boston. We would often use them to hide our equipment."

"Well then, I guess it's really over, now," Jarod said. "Well done, Lucy," he added, turning towards her, and he could see the hint of a smile on her lips.

"I'm sure you have time for some drinks, then," Cynthia offered. "No alcohol," she added as her husband was opening his mouth.

    The three men looked at each other before nodding their agreement; the others could manage McCauley for a little while longer.

"If you don't mind, I'll run and get something from my car."

"Of course. Would some coffee do or do you want something else?"

"Coffee will be great."

    The night before, he had walked past a bookstore, and had wandered inside without a real purpose. This was when he saw Curious George on one of the shelves. He didn't know if Lucy already had a copy, but when he bought it, it was with her in mind.

    He grabbed his backpack from the trunk of his car, and went back to the backyard. Once there, he stopped beside Lucy's chair and got the book out of his bag.

"This is for you," he said, handing her the book.

"You're too kind," her grandmother replied with a smile.

"It's nothing. I really enjoyed this book when I read it, and I thought Lucy might too."

"I'm sure she will. Won't you, Lucy?"

    The little girl nodded at her grandfather's question, before looking up at Jarod with a small smile.

    Cynthia returned with the drinks, and she gestured for Jarod to sit on one of the chairs before handing him his cup of coffee.

    They talked about what would happen then, and both Collins and Brody reassured Lucy's grandparents that she wouldn't have to be there for the trial as she had been hiding in the car the whole time and hadn't seen anything.

    Once the little girl was done looking at her book, she put it on her chair and went to sit at Jarod's feet. She started to rummage through his backpack, and her grandmother was about to stop her when he reassured her with a look that it was ok.

    After a moment, she took his laptop out and handed it over to him with an expectant look on her face.

"Her parents would sometimes let her play a game on their laptop," Cynthia explained.

"Ok then, let's play," he replied, sitting down on the floor next to Lucy.

    He turned on his laptop and while he waited for it to boot he took time to look at Lucy. She already seemed to be more open than she was when she first saw him. She still had a long road to go, but he was glad that she was already a bit better.

"Oh, it looks like I have a message. Do you mind if I check that first, Lucy?" he asked, and she shook her head no.

    He opened it and what he read made his blood run cold.

Miss Parker in danger
Public Library, Sherwood, Arkansas.
10pm

CJ

    Jarod got up so fast he startled everyone but he didn't even notice. He dialled Sydney's number on his cell phone and started speaking before his old mentor had even time to open his mouth.

"Where is Miss Parker?"

"We don't know. She didn't come into work this morning."

"I think I have an idea where she might be."

"Don't go, Jarod. This is a trap. They're using her as bait to capture you. Cox and Lyle are there, too."

"You know as well as I do that if I don't go, they're going to kill her. Lyle won't hesitate pulling the trigger. And I won't let that happen."

    He hung up then, knowing that Sydney would continue trying to stop him from going. But it would have been to no avail; he had made up his mind the moment he saw his friend's message. He had only called to check if, for once, it was a mistake. But it hadn't been; it never was.

"What's happening Jarod?" Brody asked, coming to stand before him.

"I have to go," he replied, pushing past him to go get his laptop and backpack.

"Wait," Brody stopped him again before he could take another step. "It sounded like a friend of yours is in danger, and you're running straight into it, too. Let us help you."

"You can't help me. Nobody can."

"Why don't you call your colleagues from the bureau in Little Rock, then? Nothing is beyond help."

"I'm not FBI," Jarod just said, stunning everyone listening.

    He took this opportunity to run past him and towards his car without anybody coming after him. He turned the key in the ignition and drove off.

    He had no plan, but he had a few hours before him to think about one that wouldn't get one or both of them killed.





To be continued...