9999999999999999999999999999 9999999999999999999999999999 999999999999999999999999
Sophie and Hardison walked into Mr. Parkers offices of downtown Detroit. On the third floor of a office building, they where greeted by a swamped looking receptionist, with mosey hair scraped back into a messy bun. Her desk was covered in clutter,
"Oh, Hello. I'm Margret. The receptionist. Ha ha, how may I help you" She said shakily smoothing down her hair.
"Detective R Hobbsin and Detective Thermadoor, we're here to open up a missing persons case again, of a Miss E. Parker, we're here to talk to a Mr. M. Parker." Sophie said smoothly, flashing a fake badge in front of her. The girl looked taken aback.
"Really, that's great news. Really, Marsh... Mr. Parker will be thrilled. He never really did stop looking." she beamed "Come with me" She began to walk past an empty water cooler, to a grey door and knocked twice before opening.
"Uncle Marsh... Mr. Parker" She said in a professional voice. "I have some great new, they're re Opening Emma's case!" She exclaimed, gesturing for Hardison and Sophie to enter.
"What! really!" A tall middle-aged man with dark cropped hair and a shabby suit called from behind hid cheep desk. Though that was clear apart from a few photo frames and a decrepit looking Computer that Hardison had to hold his disgust at it in.
Hardison was twitching, everyone thought he should have stayed in the van. But he insisted, saying something about a phone call to Parker. He still wasn't allowed to talk.
"Hello Mr. Parker. Im Detective Hobbsin and this is Thermadoor" She gestured Hardison, who had a funny look on his face. "Its his first case, he's just here to take notes, Ignore him." She smiled. "We're here to gather information on your daughter Emma, to reopen her case"
"Thank you. I can't thank you enough for that. What do you need to know"
"okay, How about we start with Par.. Emma's Mother, Alaina King."
Hardison noticed a picture of a pretty blonde. At first he thought it was Parker, they were so similar. She was sitting on a hospital bed, her long blonde hair plastered to her skull, in a too big yellow hospital gown. She looked no more than 17, and she was holding a small pink bundle, her too familiar blue eyes fixed on it with so much love.
"That kind of complicated you probably already know this, but she killed herself when Em' was three. She was depressed you see, missed her family who disowned her after she got pregnant. Didn't approve of a bum like me, thought their little princess was to good for me. And maybe she was." He looked wistful. "Anyway, as I was saying. We where young, both dropped out of high school at 17 to look after Emma. She was working at a Dinner when she met Lewis Granger, or Luie as we all called him. Em would have been about a year. At first he was nice, would lend us money or give us some toys or clothes for Em'. Then I noticed Alaina was acting weird. Like she lived on nervous energy. 6 months after meeting him, she got arrested on a possession charge. The for the next year she got more and more. She looked like a skeleton by the time she decided to clean was something Emma said, like her Mom only loved us when she had her happy medicine. " he paused "She must have been two at the time. Bright as a button though. So Alaina cleaned herself up. Started going to meetings, spending more time with us, didn't talk to Luie anymore." He smiled at the memory's, that must have been the only time they had as a happy family. "The one day I went out to work, She told me she was sick and wasn't going to the Dinner to work. And I come home and find.." He's physical shaking " I find my beautiful little girl screaming, and my wife just, just" He takes a breath, runs his hand down his face. Sophie puts a soothing hand on his arm. Hardison remained awkwardly frozen
"Thank you Mr. Parker. Now can you tell me about Emma, when she went missing."
Hardison saw a smaller picture, wallet sized, of a small blonde girl in a blue gingham dress carrying a battered looking bag, smiling from ear to ear.
"Emma was a smart kid, after her mom.. I went off the rails, she almost got taken off me. I lost my job. Luie was taken to me then, and soon I was shifting for him. Karri from next door used to watch Emma because her daughter was the same age. Me and Karri where close friends... and her husband found out just how Close," He shock his head. "Then Karri couldn't look after Em' for me no more. So I had to leave her at home when I went to work for Luie. She wasn't supposed leave the apartment, I even locked the door. She must have gotten out some how, and went to the Playground." He looked confused still, "I don't know who would take her. Who would take a child."
"We have our leads." Sophie stated.
"You do? You mean Em's alive? Like, you've seen her, know where she is?"
"Errmm, Mr. Parker, nothing has been confirmed, and so for privacy reasons I can't confirm nor denie that fact."
"That's better than nothing." He smiled. "Tell her I never stopped looking."
8888888888888888888888888888 8888888888888888888888888888 88888888888888888888888888
The team sat around the hotel table eating chinese food.
"I think it's the real deal, Our Parkers dad." Sophie said after she was done chewing. "The pictures on his desk, the woman looked just like Parker. Scairily so."
"Yeah man, plus everything else matches up" Hardison said over a mouth full of Mu Shu Pork.
"Okay, so assuming he is, why would Holdings target Parker for hid first hit?" Nate asked.
"Easy Target, She was in the system anyway. " Eliot grunted.