Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter thirty of "Dark Desire." I can't believe I've gotten two hundred reviews. I want to give Tasha Hill a shoutout for being the two hundredth reviewer. I want to thank everyone who has reviewed so far. A special shoutout goes to Tasha Hill, netcy25, SpecialK92, brankel1, Boris Yeltsin, TommyandKimberlyOliverFan4Ever, and PinkPrincessMom13 for being continuous reviewers. Your support means the world to me. As for other readers, please don't hesitate to review. I'd love to hear what you'd like to see in this fic. I don't mind that at all. If you really like it, put it in your author alert and favorites lists. You'll be able to keep track of it better. Anyway, Tommy and Kim will return very soon. Stay tuned for chapter thirrty-one.

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Chapter 30: Much Questioning

Daryl, Caroline, Jerome, and thirty-year-old Denise Ryland sat at the Hart residence's kitchen table twenty minutes later. Daryl and Caroline were seated on the left side. Jerome and Denise sat across from them. He had his pen in his hand and his notepad on the table. They listened to Caroline talk about her and Daryl's leaving Kim at home while on their four-day trip to Los Angeles.

Denise propped her head up with her elbow. She was Caucasian and happened to be Caroline's height. She looked rather pale. Her sandy blond hair was long and straight with the exception of curls at the end. It was up in a ponytail. She was a little muscular. Her eyes were blue and contained scars underneath them. The back of her left hand contained a scar going across it.

"When I called Kim Friday night, we weren't exactly surprised Trini was there. Those two hadn't had girl-on-girl time in a while," Caroline said and bit her lip.

"I see," Jerome responded while writing what she said down. "When did Kim say Trini got to her house?"

"Kim said Trini got there around seven-fifty," Caroline answered and emitted a quiet shudder. "Trini went to McDonalds at her request. They had Big Macs, large fries, and large cokes for dinner."

"When did Kim say Trini left the next day?" Denise wondered, eyeing her boss as he wrote everything down. "I am sure the girls spent all day together."

Daryl pressed his lips together. "Kim said Trini left around one-forty when Caroline called her. Before then, they had hamburgers for lunch. They had eggs and bacon for breakfast."

"Daryl called her later that afternoon. She was watering our flowers," Caroline added and swallowed hard.

"Trini's unexpected request to spend the night with her caused her to forget about them," Daryl commented honestly.

Denise put her hand on the table. "Haven't we all had that happen to us?"

"No denying that," Caroline replied and shrugged.

"I got all you said," Jerome murmured while jotting Daryl's words down. He scratched his chin before gazing at the couple. "How did Kim sound to you when you called her each time?"

"Kim sounded quite happy, especially when Trini was there. She did say she was annoyed at several prank and wrong-number calls she got while we were gone," Daryl explained.

Jerome rolled his eyes. "I hate it when that happens. In fact, I got a prank call from someone claiming to have tickets to a Van Halen concert this morning."

"Let me guess. The person tried to convince you this was the real deal," Caroline said, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Yes, she did. I told her that she was playing a prank on me and demanded she not call my house again. I hung up," Jerome answered truthfully. "I wish people would stop making prank calls, especially when they claim to have something they really don't."

Caroline tilted her head somewhat. "Look on the bright side. The prank call wasn't a Bart Simpson-type. You would've known it right away."

Jerome nodded in agreement. He loved it when Bart prank-called Moe and asked for a person such as IP Freely, Oliver Clozoff, and Seymour Butz on The Simpsons. He thought they were so funny, especially when Moe made threats toward Bart. Of course, he wondered why Moe hadn't figured out Bart was his tormentor.

"Did anything happen at school last week?" Denise asked.

"What do you mean?" Daryl whispered in confusion.

"I mean, did Kim meet anyone new?" Denise replied and cleared her throat. "Have boys like Skull been pestering her?"

"Kim told us she met a new boy named Tommy Oliver at school last Monday. He stopped Bulk and Skull from harassing her. He scared them off with karate moves," Caroline said, letting out a soft sigh. "She invited him to study with her at the Youth Center."

"Unfortunately, he never showed up. She was annoyed over it when she walked into the house. She revealed Tommy was Jason's opponent at the Martial Arts Expo being held at the Youth Center on Sunday afternoon," Daryl added.

"Denise and I would've loved to have been able to attend that event, but we were on the afternoon shift at the time," Jerome said, frowning quite a bit. He proceeded to jot down the words spoken. "It sucks, but it is what it is."

"It's always a joy to see young people show off their karate skills," Denise murmured and patted the table twice.

"Kim described Tommy as having karate skills that rivaled Jason's. She said she thought he looked really cute. The boys fought to a tie. Tommy did dominate a bit of the fight before Jason came back," Daryl pointed out and pressed his lips together.

"Hmm," Jerome whispered, finishing his writing. He looked at the parents and rubbed his chin. "Was Kim able to find out why Tommy missed their study date?"

"She did find out at school the next day. She said he told her something came up. Unfortunately, he acted very rude to her for some unknown reason. She came home upset over it. I don't think she found out why he acted like that," Daryl responded, becoming a bit tense.

"We didn't ask if she ever made up with him because we didn't want to make her mad," Caroline added and let out a long yawn. She ran her fingers through her hair. "We were uncertain about leaving her at home when the Green Ranger appeared, but we decided to because we had planned this vacation for a long time."

"It sucks that you came home from Los Angeles and found your daughter gone," Denise said with a shake of her head. "That should never happen to parents."

Daryl and Caroline looked at each other, sadness lining their faces. They wished they hadn't come home to find Kim missing. They wanted nothing more than to go looking for her. At the same time, they knew that could be dangerous, especially when parts of town weren't so crime free. They shifted their attention back to the police officers.

"We believe Tommy kidnapped Kim and is holding her captive somewhere," Caroline said very seriously.

"He might have had an infatuation with her and decided to act on it," Daryl added, tapping his fingers on the table.

"That doesn't make sense. They barely know each other. He didn't treat her right like you said," Denise wondered in much uncertainty.

Jerome eyed her. "You never know what boys and girls might be thinking about each other."

"There is a possibility Rita ordered one of her minions to kidnap her, so she could use her as bait to lure the Power Rangers into a trap," Daryl answered and became nervous. He let out a shuddering breath. "I almost wish that is what could be happening."

Denise furrowed her brow. "That is possible, but why would they let her pack some clothes?"

"They could be planning to hold her hostage for a while," Daryl said, sighing heavily. "I think we should call Tommy's parents and tell them what he did to our daughter."

"They should know what is going on. The thing is we don't know their phone number since they are new to town," Caroline pointed out truthfully.

"Do you think you could get it for us?" Daryl whispered hopefully. "I don't think it is in the phone book yet."

"Sure," Denise answered, nodding slowly. "You should know that Tommy's parents are actually on the police force."

"We have their phone number, but it is in the police car's glove compartment," Jerome added.

"I can go get it right now," Denise said while rubbing her hands together. "It shouldn't take long for me to find it."

Caroline sighed in relief and choked back a sob. "Thank you so much, Officer Ryland."

Daryl snorted. "We really appreciate it."

Denise stood up and headed for the front door. She unlocked it, opening it. She went outside and closed it behind her. Daryl and Caroline felt their bodies shake quite a bit.

"It is good to know we have a number for directory assistance," Caroline whispered.

"Yeah. You can even get numbers out of state with this system," Jerome replied, his face full of awe.

"In the old days, you had to call an operator and tell them who you wanted to talk to. Then they would connect you to said person," Daryl commented while tapping his finger on the table.

"That could be a hassle because the operators accidentally connected to the wrong people sometimes," Caroline added, looking annoyed.

"There were times wrong numbers led to people dating," Daryl said and tilted his head a bit.

"Wrong numbers can also result in gifts being brought to children and new mothers," Caroline whispered in much sweetness.

"Yep," Daryl agreed and spoke gibberish. "It can result in some wacky situations as well."

Jerome nodded in agreement. He suppressed a yawn before smacking his lips. He and the couple started talking about Kim's doing gymnastics since she was five years old.

00000

Marty, Lillian, twenty-nine-year-old Justin Weedy, and thirty-four-year-old Kylie Mogue sat at the Oliver residence's kitchen table. Marty and Lillian were on the left side. Justin and Kylie were on the right. They listened to Marty talk about his and Lillian's going over to Joel's house and staying there Saturday night. He had his pen in his hand and his notepad on the table.

Justin jotted down Marty's words. Being African-American, he was rather short for a man. His skin was a little dark. He was lean, but he had a little bit of muscle. His eyebrows were thin to the point that they looked almost invisible. He had no hair on his head with the exception of a black mustache. His dark brown eyes had freckles underneath them. Some freckles connected to each other.

Kylie ran her hand over her face. As a Caucasian, she was quite tall for a woman. Her skin was so pale that she appeared to be a ghost. Her long black hair happened to be straight, though it had curls at the end. It was up in a bun with a few strands sticking out. Her eyes were hazel. The backs of her hands contained scars going across them.

"Tommy said he didn't want to go with us to Joel's house. We told him we were fine with him staying home alone overnight," Marty said.

"We've let him do that several times," Lillian added.

"Okay," Justin said, writing down the couple's words. He looked at them, a curious expression showing in his eyes. "How did Tommy sound when you called him while you were at Joel's?"

"He sounded very happy each time we called," Lillian answered honestly. "Of course, he was annoyed when he received prank calls."

"Prank calls suck ass. That's for sure," Kylie commented, blowing a raspberry.

"Sometimes, I want to throw the phone against the wall because of all the prank calls I get," Justin grumbled, rolling his eyes. "It is so fucking irritating."

"Yep," Marty agreed.

Justin tapped his pen against his cheek. He repeated his action with the other one. He ran his tongue all over the inside of his mouth.

"Is there anything that might have happened during Tommy's first week at his new school?" Justin wondered.

"What do you mean?" Marty asked in confusion.

"I mean, did he meet any students? Did any of them give him trouble?" Justin commented, waving his hand in the air.

Marty held up a finger. "Tommy did say he met several students during the week. Their names were Jason Lee Scott, Trini Kwan, Zack Taylor, Billy Cranston, and Kimberly Hart. He hoped to become good friends with them, especially Kim."

"He stopped two bullies known as Bulk and Skull from harassing her," Lillian said, sighing in a soft manner. "He used his karate moves to scare them off."

"I wish we could've been there to see it. We would've been smirking into next semester," Marty said, wiggling his eyebrows.

"From what we saw, Tommy appeared to show signs of having a crush on Kim," Lillian added.

"Kim is well known for attracting boys. The boy with the biggest crush on her is Skull. He is always asking her for a date," Kylie responded.

Lillian showed shock. "No way."

"I wish I was kidding. Skull doesn't get that Kim isn't interested in him," Kylie commented, giving a shrug.

"The bright side is he has never left gifts on her doorstep, called her house constantly, placed notes on her locker, and followed her everywhere she went," Justin whispered and emitted a soft snort. "He is just a big pest."

"That is good," Lillian said in relief.

Kylie exhaled. "It sure is."

Justin cupped his chin in his hand. "Hmm."

Justin moved his head from side to side in which he stretched his neck. He tapped his pen on his notepad.

"Where do you think Tommy could've gone?" Kylie asked seriously and raised her eyebrows.

"We have no idea," Lillian admitted truthfully. "He has a jeep. If he wanted to, he would've driven to my brother's cabin in the mountains north of here."

"Your brother is John Rush, right? You told us a little bit about him," Justin said while writing down her words.

"That's right," Marty answered with a nod. "We believe Rita ordered one of her minions to kidnap him, so she could use him as bait to lure the Power Rangers into a trap. The Green Ranger did appear last week."

"That is very possible. Then again, why would they let him pack clothes?" Kylie wondered in confusion.

"They could be planning to hold him hostage for a while," Lillian said with a shrug.

Justin was about to say something when the phone started ringing. Lillian got up and went over to it. She picked it up as the second ring started. She put it to her ear.

"Hello?" Lillian whispered, biting her lip.

"Is this Lillian Oliver?" Caroline responded in uncertainty.

"This is she," Lillian admitted and blew softly. "Who are you?"

"I am Caroline Hart. I am Kimberly's mother," Caroline commented in seriousness.

"Why are you calling here?" Lillian asked very confusingly.

"There is something you need to know about your son," Caroline hissed angrily. "He blew off a study date with my daughter at the Youth Center on Monday afternoon."

Lillian gasped in shock. "What in the hell are you talking about? Tommy never told Marty and me about that. If he did make a study date with Kim, he would never blow it off."

"Well, he did!" Caroline yelled and scoffed. "When Kim asked why he didn't show up on Tuesday morning, he said something came up. Then he began acting very rude to her."

"Tommy isn't one for being rude to anyone," Lillian insisted, hints of irritation lining her voice. "Even if he was rude, he was probably stressed over moving halfway across the country. We've officially been living in this city for just over a week."

"Well, you don't know your son as well as you thought!" Caroline retorted with a huff. "Daryl and I believe he kidnapped Kim and is holding her captive somewhere!"

"That is ridiculous!" Lillian yelled, becoming very angry. Marty stood up and went to her side. "Our son wouldn't do something like that."

Caroline let out another scoff. "You—"

Marty yanked the phone out of his wife's hand. He placed it to his ear while flaring his nostrils. He balled his hand into a somewhat tight fist.

"Caroline, this is Marty Oliver. I am Lillian's husband and Tommy's father," Marty said in a low but firm voice.

"I didn't expect you to be next to your wife," Caroline retorted.

"I want you to listen to me. Lillian and I know Tommy would never kidnap a girl like Kim and hold her captive anywhere," Marty insisted in much sternness. "He barely even knows her. Moreover, where would he keep her captive?"

"I don't know where he would keep her captive, but it is likely he had an infatuation with her and decided to act on it. You don't know what boys and girls could be thinking about each other!" Caroline yelled in fierceness.

"That is true," Marty agreed. "However, Lillian and I don't believe for one second that our son has your daughter with him. We believe he was kidnapped by Rita's minions. They may have done the same to Kim."

"Daryl and I aren't entirely sure about that. We just want to find her and bring her home!" Caroline said in much frustration.

"We want to find our son and bring him home just as much. Throwing baseless accusations around won't help us find our children!" Marty blurted out and sniffled. "Lillian and I know with all our hearts that Tommy would never hurt anyone. If he was rude to Kim, then I am really sorry he was. He didn't mean to be. He is new in town. He doesn't know his way around yet. You need to believe us. Please."

"I don't know if we should," Caroline muttered, choking back a sob.

Marty felt a tap on his shoulder. He looked at Justin, who waved his hand toward himself. He gave him the phone, seeing him put it on his ear.

"Caroline, this is Officer Weedy," Justin said calmly.

"Hello, Officer Weedy," Caroline responded in relief. "It is nice to hear from you."

Marty and Lillian tapped Justin's shoulder. They mouthed 'We are going to the bathroom.' He gave them a nod and a wink. He watched them leave the kitchen. He proceeded to speak with Caroline.