Chapter Thirteen

"Are you going to be okay, Charlie?" Fenton asked looking at the kid. Charlie stared at the ground briefly before looking up at him. Tears welled in the young man's eyes though he quickly wiped them away.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he lied. "I'm worried about Whitney though. She was really close to Dad and to see him like that…"

"But she has you to help her," the older man smiled placing a hand on Charlie's shoulder. "Both of you are going to need each other to get through this."

"But, Mr. Hardy…Whitney and I aren't really that close. I…I don't think I can do this either."

"Charlie, you are stronger than you give yourself credit for," he reassured the young man. "You may not think that way now but Whitney will appreciate the comfort from her brother. That's what you both need at the moment. You need each other." Fenton paused when his phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID quizzically before turning back to Charlie. "Go, Charlie. Go be with your sister. We're not going to need you right now. Be with her and if there's anything you need, let us know. Laura and I would be glad to help in any way we can."

The young man nodded grimly then silently walked toward where his sister was talking with a couple of FBI agents. Fenton watched Charlie go, feeling bad for both kids. Although they were technically adults, the murder of their parents rocked them to the core and they would both need comforting and guidance from those closest to them. Fenton looked back at his phone and answered it just before the call went to voicemail.

"Hello?"

"Mr. Hardy!" Vanessa's voice echoed in his ear. Fenton could tell something was up and waved Durham over to him.

"Vanessa, what's wrong? Is everything all right?"

"Joe!" cried Bess as he and Vanessa entered the waiting room. George and Daniel rose from their seats and followed her over to them. "Where have you been? What is going on? Who was that guy Daniel saw?"

"Hold on, Bess," Joe answered calmly holding his hands up. "The killer was posing as Dad. He was in the emergency room first near Parker and Candace before trying to get into Nancy's room upstairs. As far as I know, they're all fine. Dad and Chief Durham are on their way here. That's all I know. Dad also said that we should check into a hotel nearby. That way we're here if needed. None of us should be alone either."

"So what can we do now?" George asked. "We've been waiting for nearly an hour. What's going on?"

"Candace is being admitted," he announced. "They want her overnight for observation. Parker said they're just waiting for the room right now. He's going to stay here with her so she's never alone. Mr. Drew, Mom, and Frank are all upstairs with Sam and Officer Carlisle. They're making sure everything is secure in the ICU but according to Sam, the guy didn't get into the room. The nurses stopped him."

"He really did look like your dad, Joe," Daniel replied. "I could have sworn it was him but I saw him at a distance so I wasn't sure. I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Joe shook his head. "Parker saw him up close and personal. He did really look like Dad but there was something different that Parker couldn't put his finger on."

"But how are we going to catch him if he's able to change his face?" Bess asked innocently.

"We're just going to have to be two steps ahead of him," he shrugged. "We'll get him. That I do know. What I want to know is what does a missing person have to do with the killer?"

"What do you mean?"

"The real Jasper Wilkes. What happened to him? And why did this guy take on his persona? There has to be a reason for it."

"Maybe he was the killer's first victim," Daniel said nonchalantly. The others glanced at him in surprise. "What? That was my first thought and I haven't even been here long enough to know the whole story."

"That's brilliant!" Joe cried excitedly clapping his hands. "I don't know why any of us didn't think of that! Now we just have to find the right information in order to get this guy before he hurts someone else!"

Jasper threw himself onto the bed of his hotel room, his heart pounding in his ears. Everything seemed to be falling apart for him and it all stemmed from him taking chances and doing things differently. What he needed to do was something unexpected. Something that no one would see coming.

Jasper went into the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror. He had already taken off his disguise and was staring at his normal face. His eye was still swollen from when Nancy punched him in the face the night before, the ugly bruise destroying his normally handsome face. Jasper sneered at the thought of her and how she got the better of him not once but three times, the third time being the fact that she survived him hitting her with the car. There had to be a way to get back at them all for everything they did to him.

Suddenly an idea popped into his head and he knew exactly what he had to do. He had to take another girl. The question was who? Who would be the perfect bride for him to take and fulfill what he wanted to fulfill with Candace Miller? It had to be that night or the next day though. Once the brat woke up, she would more than likely tell the first person she sees what he looked like and he wasn't ready to give up that identity just yet. At least she didn't know his real name. Just his face. He had used a different name while he was in Chicago. Jasper growled in anger. If wasn't for that damn nurse, he wouldn't be worried about her at the moment. He would have succeeded in his task and she wouldn't be waking up at all.

Then again, maybe it was time to just leave and be done with it. Jasper shook his head, angry that he would even think of giving in. That's not how he worked and he was determined to do what he needed to do. He needed someone new to target. All women had secrets. He just needed to find the right one for what he wanted to do and he didn't even care if they weren't a bride.

It was nearly six in the evening by the time Candace was finally settled into a room with Parker being by her side the entire time. Although the doctors were not worried about her or her baby, they still wanted to keep her overnight for observation just in case there was anything they missed. Parker wasn't at all worried about her health though. He knew she was strong and would be okay in the end.

No, what he was more worried about was the fact that the killer was still stalking around especially after Joe told him the man escaped. Parker was thankful though that Nancy was not harmed any more than she already was. It was the last thing he wanted to happen to her after everything else. Even though they were no longer a couple, Parker still cared deeply for her as did Candace. The main thing was that he felt horrible about bad mouthing her after they found out Candace and her were kidnapped and he wanted to apologize to her for it.

Sighing, Parker glanced over at Candace who was resting, her beautiful eyes closed and her breathing steady. He was grateful to see her alive and he didn't care about their wedding anymore. All he cared about was Candace and now the safety of their child.

After an ultrasound, it was confirmed that the baby was perfectly healthy. The doctor told them everything looked fine. Candace and Parker were both surprised to hear that she was ten weeks along and nearly out of the first trimester. Parker snickered to himself as he thought of Candace's reaction:

"No wonder I couldn't fit into anything!" she said. "And here I thought I was going to have to have an emergency tailor put more fabric on!"

Parker smiled knowing Candace would still have looked perfect in her wedding gown no matter what. She would have been fine since the gown had an adjustable corset in the back. At least that was what she told him.

"What are you thinking about?" asked a soft voice. Parked turned to see Candace staring at him, her deep eyes glistening. He gave her a half smile and walked over to her, taking her hand in his when he reached the bed.

"You…our baby…our wedding…the killer…how I almost lost you…just about everything is replaying in my head right now."

"That's a lot of thoughts running through that thick head of yours," she giggled. Parker smiled again though it was bigger this time. He kissed her hand tenderly. "You can't worry about everything, Parker. I'm fine. We're fine. Nancy will be fine. And when that maniac is caught, everything will go back to normal. You'll see."

Candace placed her hand on his cheek and looking lovingly into his eyes. She could see the conflict nestled deep within and the struggled he was having in keeping it together. Candace pulled him toward her and lightly kissed him on the lips. When they pulled apart, she smiled at Parker.

"I love you," he said huskily.

"I love you too."

A knock came at the door interrupting their moment. Seconds later, a doctor walked in with a kind smile on her face.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," she stated as she strolled across the room. "I'm Dr. Penelope Wallis. How are we feeling right now, Candace?"

"Tired," she answered wearily.

"That's to be expected," Dr. Wallis nodded, her hands in the pockets of her white coat. "If there's anything you need just let one of the nurses know. I don't expect to meet any complications so you should be out of here sometime tomorrow. Are you planning on staying with her this evening, Councilman?"

"Yes," Parker nodded. "As long as that's okay. I really don't want to leave Candace alone at the moment."

"I understand that," she replied. "Normally, we don't allow it but I'll make sure you have a blanket and pillow for the evening so you can be comfortable. With what's going on, I have no problem with you staying here this evening. There are also a few men out in the hall who would like to speak with you. A Mr. Hardy and Chief Durham. I told them that you needed your rest but it is entirely up to you if you would like to take visitors at the moment. I do feel though that you should keep it as short as possible so that you can get some rest."

Parker looked down at Candace who nodded eagerly. "It's fine with us, Dr. Wallis," he answered. "You can send them in."

Dr. Wallis nodded then left the room. A few moments later, Fenton poked his head in cautiously then walked in with Durham right behind him. The two men came in slowly and Parker greeted them by shaking their hands.

"Thank you for finding Candace," he replied gratefully. "I am forever in your debt. If there is anything I can do to repay you for what you've done, let me know."

"That won't be necessary, Parker," Fenton stated with a smile. He glanced briefly at Durham before turning back to the couple. "We were wondering if you would be able to answer some questions for us Candace."

"Okay…"

"It's nothing bad," Durham assured her. "We just want to know if you saw anything that might lead us to who this guy is."

"Wait, I thought it was Jasper Wilkes?" Parker interjected. "That's who Whitney believed him to be."

"We know that one of his aliases was Jasper Wilkes," Fenton replied. "Maybe there were clues as to who he really was that you didn't realize before, Candace."

Candace sighed and closed her eyes. "When he approached us at the club," she began though her eyes were still closed, "I…I think he was Jasper. He wanted to help so I didn't see a problem in going with him especially since Nancy wasn't feeling great."

"Did she say anything?" Durham inquired. "Protest or even shake her head?"

She fell silent again as she concentrated on her thoughts. "No," Candace eventually shook her head. "By that time, Nancy was barely able to walk. Jasper and I had to hold her up together. I did think it was a little strange that we were going out the back door near the bathrooms instead of going out the front."

Fenton pursed his lips angrily. "Damn it," he muttered.

"What?" the Chief asked looking at him.

"Sam and I were out front watching the club," he answered. "He knew we were there. That's why he went out the back. And Whitney did state that she thought she saw Jasper later on after he told her he needed to leave but she blew it off as a figment of imagination." Fenton paused then turned his attention back to Candace. "That meant that he came back as someone else after he kidnapped you and Nancy. Is there anything else you can remember?"

"I…I remember watching Ben…" she stopped tears flowing down her cheeks. Parker soothed her by whispering a few words into her ear. Candace nodded before she continued. "I…I tried to go back in but the door was locked. Nancy could barely stand but I…I think she punch him pretty good. That was all I remembered from the club."

"Do you remember being in the funeral home at all?" Fenton pressed gently. "What did he look like then?"

Candace bit her lip and looked up at Parker before turning to the others. "He looked like Parker. He…he wanted to know what I was hiding from 'him.' I told him he knew all my secrets. I had nothing to hide. Well, except for one thing but I knew he wasn't Parker. I…I didn't want to tell a stranger that I was pregnant."

Fenton's eyes went wide in surprise but he composed himself by the time he asked Candace another question. "How did you know?"

"I know Parker," she stated glancing over at her fiancé. "He would never do anything to hurt me or Nancy. Besides there was something different about his face. At least the left side of his face, that is. It seemed…swollen."

"The left side?"

"That's exactly what was wrong with the guy posing as you, Mr. Hardy," nodded Parker. "That's why I was a little skeptical though it took me until now as to why that was. He had a bruise on his face, near his eye."

"Right where Nancy hit him," Fenton laughed shaking his head. "That's how we're going to get him. Nancy struck again." Then something dawned on him. "Did you see Nancy at the funeral home?"

"No," Candace shook her head. "She wasn't there. I thought that maybe he didn't take her."

"That's why she ended up on that road," he said. "She got the better of him again. He went after her for a reason."

"What are you thinking, Fenton?" Durham asked.

"I think Nancy knows who he is. Who he really is."

Author's Note:

I am so sorry that it took so long for this to come out. My brain has literally not been functioning correctly lately and a major writer's block came in. I also intended to have this chapter a longer but it didn't turn out that way! So expect the next chapter to come quickly since it is pretty much written already. Thank you so much for reading the previous chapter and thanks to those who left a review as well. I appreciate everything you all have to say! And welcome back hbndgirl! It's good to see you back and what a great ending to your story! I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter and if you will, please leave a review to let me know what you think! Have a great week and God bless!