A Pair Of Runaways

by Loreal

Late one night, Jarod runs acrossed a frightened child in the middle of a deserted road. It is later learned that this child is the victim of abuse, and that she has nobody to take care of her, so Jarod assumes the role.

A Pair Of Runaways
BY: LML

Disclaimers:
I don't own the main characters of The Pretender. The only characters who are mine are the ones which are not the normal Pretender characters. No profit is being made here by the writing of this story or others similar to it. Furthermore, I have no aphilliation with or to anything connected with the pretender, its cast, production, etc. No copyright infringement is implied or intended.


Note:
This story is a very tough one for anyone under the age of 14 to read. It deals with adult themes/situations, and should only be viewed by persons who are able to read material such as this. I only rated this story PG13 because of this reason.
This story takes place somewhere between season three and four. This is the first of what I think will be at least two, possibly three stories. I hope you like it!


Chapter 1. THE RESCUE
Denver, Colorado, 9:45 pm

Amy's small features were bruised and swollen. She'd received a pretty bad beating this time, and she was sure that it wouldn't be any better. She'd been left out here to fend for herself just like the last time. But unlike the last time, she wouldn't go crawling back to the beatings, not now or ever again. This time her mom had finally done it. She'd made her choice, and her choice hadn't been Amy. Her mother had chosen the latest boyfriend and the booze and drugs over her little girl. Amy tried to rise to her feet, but could not. Her legs wouldn't hold her weight. Something was seriously wrong. This time the beating had been the worst she'd ever received, but she didn't think anything was wrong with her legs. She began to cry, but then saw someone coming. Quickly she extinguished any trace of tears and put a mask of neutrality and indifference on her small face. It was an expression that no child should ever have to make, especially one at such a tender age.

Jarod had just finished his latest pretend, and was trying to figure out where he could go next. He'd thought he would go and check out some leads he had on where his younger sister Emily might be. He'd come to realize over time that finding his family was growing more and more difficult with each passing day. And with this in mind, he vowed to himself that he would continue searching for the rest of his life if that was what it took.

He'd had to ditch his rental car unfortunately, but he was certain Miss Parker would be along very soon to find it and the clues he'd left in it. He was wondering what this coming Christmas would bring him. The last one had been very quiet, and the one before it had been interesting. He'd helped solve the murder of a homeless man who'd dedicated every day of the year to gathering money to survive and give the children in a local shelter a very good Christmas. Where would he be this year? Would he find his mother or sister for Christmas? Or would he be back in the clutches of the Center once again? No, he vowed, very decisively, that he would not be prisoner of the Center once again.

Suddenly he saw something that caught his attention. It was dark, and at this late hour, a small figure out alone usually didn't mean anything good. He slowly made his way towards the figure sitting off in the shadows on the side of the road. It was a miracle he'd even seen her.

As he approached her, he could almost see her stiffen and try to stand. He noticed how she wobbled with difficulty and stumbled back to the ground. He moved quickly and reached her just as she was about to fall face first onto the ground.

"Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. Look if my mom sent you out here to find me and bring me back you can just forget it. I'm not going back!"

This caught him a little off guard, but Jarod recovered quickly. He slowly seated himself on the ground beside the little girl, and got a better view of her. She looked to be about six or seven, with long strawberry blonde hair and beautiful eyes, which he could easily see were already swelling with the bruised features. He could see that she'd been hurt pretty badly, and that it would take a doctor to help treat her.

"Honey, I'm not here to bring you back to your mother. I don't know who your mother is, and I don't intend on sending you anywhere you don't want to go. But you do need someone to take care of you. Do you have anyone I can take you to?" The little girl shook her head. Jarod sighed and continued. "Okay then, is there anyone I can call?" The child still gave no response. "Listen to me. You need to be taken care of. If I can't call someone, and you can't go home to your mother, then how about me? Now what do you say I take you to a hospital and get..."

"No! You can't take me to a hospital! They'll call my mother and then she and Jack will come for me! They'll call the police and send me to a home for kids nobody wants!"

Amy began to cry, despite the strength she tried to use to hide the tears. Jarod felt his body ache. He felt pain for this child who had obviously been abused, and not just once. He reached out slowly and wrapped his arms around the sobbing child who crawled into them. It surprised Amy that she found herself trusting this man whom she'd never seen before. But something in her heart told her that it was okay to trust him.

"Okay. I'm not going to take you to the hospital, but could I take you somewhere warm and safe? Do you think we can go somewhere so I can take a look andsee how bad you're hurt?" Amy nodded, and Jarod smiled a great big smile. He started to stand up, but noticed that the child couldn't get up. He bent downand lifted her from the ground, carefully avoiding any bones, which might be broken. He moved slowly and carefully until he was certain he could hold her without her being in too much pain.

Since he'd abandoned his previous dwelling, he felt that he would have to get her out of this immediate vicinity. He didn't want people around this town to recognize him or the child. So, he made up his mind to find a hotel room for the night and then he'd get the two of them as far away from Denver as was humanly possible.

He walked for a few miles, until he spotted a hotel just on the outskirts of town. He removed his long black jacket and wrapped the little girl in it. Heentered the hotel and looked at the young woman seated behind the desk. The woman eyed Jarod and then the little bundle in his arms.

"Where's your car? We don't take in homeless people, Mr."

"We're not homeless. Our car broke down on the highway, and my daughter and I need a place to spend the night. I have cash if it will help." Jarod withdrew his wallet from his pocket and handed the young clerk a one hundred dollar bill.

The clerk looked first at Jarod's tall build, and then at the little girl in his arms. "Well, we do have one room available. It's up on the top floor. It's not big or fancy, but if you want breakfast my mother and I start serving the guests around eight."

"Thank you. We'll see you tomorrow then."

Jarod took the key to the room and headed in the direction the clerk pointed with her head. Once inside the room, he laid the child on the bed and began to examine her injuries.

Jarod took careful note of each and every injury on the child's body. He began to apply a cool compress to her face to reduce the swelling. Next he began to remove the child's bloodstained sweatshirt. He noticed her flinch and try to pull away, but he placed a gentle hand over her arm and tried to reassure her that everything would be all right.

"I really need to take a look at you to make sure you don't have any broken bones. I promise I won't hurt you."

Amy relaxed and let him take off the shirt. Jarod took in a breath and internally cringed as he noticed the wealth of marks covering her body. Her back was overrun with welts and very nasty looking bruises. Jarod began to apply a wet cloth on the child's back and noticed the whimper she tried to conceal. He felt so much for this little one, that he couldn't help but let his own tears escape. How could one's own parents do so much harm to their child? Itmade him sick to think that such evil existed in this world, but he couldn't dismiss the reality that such horrors did, in fact, exist.

"My name is Jarod. Can you tell me what yours is?"

"Amy. But Mommy always calls me other names."

"Okay, Amy, I need to look at the rest of your body. Do you think you can let me look to make sure that you're not seriously hurt anywhere else? I promise I won't hurt you."

Amy slowly tried to sit up, and Jarod helped her to shift her position so she was now lying on her back. He put his arm gently behind her back and helped her as she tried to sit up and reach for the waistband of her bloody pants. Jarod waited until she got the clothing off her waist and watched it drop to the floor. He noticed that her legs were just as battered as the rest of her small body, but he was very concerned about the poor shape her legs and feet were in. He noticed that her body was so tiny and thin, that he guessed she hadn't eaten in several days.

"Please don't let them come for me. Please, Jarod."

"Amy, I'm not going to let anyone come for you. I'm going to take care of you for now, and then we'll see what happens. Okay?" Amy nodded. "How long has it been since you last ate something?"

"I don't know, maybe yesterday or the day before. I don't know. Mommy didn't pay any attention to that. She was more concerned with the beer and that white stuff."

Jarod looked puzzled, and asked, "White stuff?"

"Yeah. Mommy and her boyfriend always had a big bag of that white stuff and needles and other things. They were really mean to me. Mommy used to say I was a mistake and that I shouldn't have ever been born. Maybe I should go be dead."

This really tore at Jarod's heart. He wrapped the blanket around the little girl and sat down beside her. He put a gentle arm around her and held her against him as he looked into her soft eyes, which still held their innocence. He could see the tears welling up in her eyes once again.

"Amy, you were not a mistake, do you hear me? And you shouldn't be dead. Your mother doesn't deserve you."

Jarod just held the little girl until she fell asleep, and then he let her lie down. He took out his cell phone and dialed one of the preprogrammed numbers. The person on the other end answered almost immediately.

"This is Sydney."

"Sydney, why do people hurt children?"

"Jarod, are you talking about your childhood? What type of hurt do you mean?"

"Why do parents abuse their children? I know there are people out there who don't deserve to be parents. But why do they do it? What makes them do it?"

"Well, Jarod, I can't say for certain what makes these people abuse their children. Some do it as a result of substance abuse, and some do it because they were a product of that type of an environment. Why are you asking me this, Jarod? Is there someone you're worried about? Let me help you. Just tell me where you are and..."

Jarod had to laugh. Good old reliable Sydney. It was almost funny if he thought about it, Sydney was trying to get a line on where Jarod was hiding, but Jarod wasn't going to bite the bate Sydney had thrown him.

"Let me guess. Miss Parker and Mr. Broots are standing nearby, hovering around your phone, trying to listen in on this conversation, aren't they. But in any case, you can tell them that I'm somewhere safe from the Center."

He disconnected the conversation, and went back over to the bed with the little girl, still sound asleep. He looked at the little girl's smiling face. Even in sleep he could see happiness in a face that had obviously been so badly mistreated. He knew that she was better off somewhere other than with him, but at the moment he was the only family this child had, at least the only family she had that would not hurt her. Jarod reached out to tuck the blanket around her better, when she started to cry softly. Jarod reached out and picked her up from the bed. He held her against his shoulder and began to walk about the room.

"It's okay, Amy. It's all okay. You're safe."

Amy began to relax, and her crying ceased. Jarod kept walking with her until he was certain she was sound asleep once more. Once he was certain she was sleeping again, he sat down on the bed against the headboard. It wasn't long before Jarod too, found sleep. The last thing Jarod saw before his eyes closed was the top of Amy's little head resting on his shoulder.

A few hours later, Jarod awoke to the sudden sensation of something leaning heavily on his chest and upper body. He tried to move, but then remembered who was lying on his chest. Instead of moving too much, he shifted his body into a more comfortable position and relaxed once more. He looked down at Amy's little face, still fast asleep.

"In a perfect world, kiddo, I'd give anything to be your father." He thought to himself as he imagined the possibilities of becoming a father. Probably not likely, since his life consisted of running and hiding from the Center and Miss Parker. Just then Amy opened her eyes and stretched.

"Hey. Look who's finally awake." Jarod tickled Amy just under her chin, which got the desired response of laughter from the little girl. "So, what do you say we get up, and I'll get us some breakfast and you a new change of clothes."

New clothes. Something Amy had never heard before. "Do I really get new things? Can I help pick them out?"

"You sure can, but you can't go to a store dressed in the clothes you were wearing when I found you. I'm going to have to go out and get one outfit for you while you wait here for me. Besides, we don't want anyone to see you here in this town. We're going to go very far from here."

"I don't ever want to see Mommy ever again. She hurt me and so did Jack."

Jarod knew instantly that this child needed to talk about what had happened to her. She had to talk to someone, and she trusted him. So, he began to ask questions. "Who's Jack, Amy? What did he do to you?"

"He hit me. He called me lots of names, names that Mommy called me, and some other ones."

Jarod asked her if she could tell him some of the names that she was called, and she started rattling off a whole list of names, things a five-year old child should never say. "Amy, how old are you?"

"I don't really know. I think I'm five or six. But I don't know."

While Jarod took a look at the injuries on Amy's body, he noticed that she didn't flinch any longer when he touched her with a cool cloth, or when he changed a bandage he'd put on a wound the night before. While this was going on, Jarod noticed Amy staring at his large bag that was perched beside the bed. She pointed to it as he headed in that general direction to retrieve something from the overnight bag nearby.

"What's in there?"

"That's what I use when I work."

"What do you do?"

"Well, uh, I do lots of things."

Blue Cove, Delaware

Miss Parker stood in front of the man she'd both feared and now loathed. Mr. Raines, and his ever present oxygen tank, had made an entrance into her office early this morning just as she herself had entered for the day. She'd been curious at first, but once the old man had begun to make his usual taunting remarks on how inefficient her quest to find Jarod was, she began to grow more and more pissed off. Who the hell did Raines think he was anyway? She'd remembered how he had tried, and at that time succeeded, in instilling fear into her when she was a young child. It had been shortly after her mother's funeral.

"Miss Parker, if you can't catch Jarod, then I'll just have to find more efficient personnel, who can. I won't stand for insullence and I refuse to tolerate sloppy work. You've proven to the Center time and again that you have had difficulty in the past in capturing Jarod and returning him to us. Now, what will it be? Will you continue to produce nothing of importance, or will you finally finish the job you agreed to undertake over three years ago?"

"Listen to me, and listen good. I'm not about to stand here and take in your idle threats. If you think you could do better, then why don't you try capturing him yourself instead of undermining my ability to do my job." She stepped forward and pinched the line connecting Raines to his oxygen tank. "And if you ever try to threaten me ever again, I'll put a hole in you and your oxygen tank. And this time Sydney won't be able to save your sorry hide with the help of anything here in the Center. So let me catch Jarod my way, and do me a very large favor."

"What." Raines wheezed through what little air he had been able to gasp in. He could see that this member of the Parker family wasn't afraid of anything or anybody. She wasn't like her father, and she most definitely did take after her mother. Catherine Parker had been as gutsy as they'd come, and her daughter was no exception to that rule.

Miss Parker clamped down harder on the tubing of the oxygen tank as she hissed into Raines's face. "Take your wheezing, oxygen-sucking self and go back to the tower and stay there. I'll be certain to contact you once I have successfully captured Jarod and have returned him here to the safety of the Center. And then I'm leaving this hellhole for good. Just you remember that."

Parker watched as Raines and his oxygen tank left her office and wheeled down the hall. She headed back to where her desk stood, empty and waiting for her arrival. No sooner had she sat down, than Sydney entered carrying a cup of coffee and a file folder in the other hand.

"Morning, Syd, how's your morning going? Better than mine I hope."

"Well, as far as my morning is concerned, I think I have something you'll want to see." He stepped forward and handed Parker the familiar red notebook Jarod always left for them. She opened it and noticed the familiar handwriting. She read the words to herself, and then peered closely at the other contents of the notebook. Sydney gazed at her lightly.

"It was federal expressed to me here at the Center. Since we never recovered a notebook in Colorado last week, I'd have to assume that this is the one Jarod meant to leave for us."

"Sydney, Jarod never forgets anything. Everything he says and does is with some sort of meaning or purpose. He wanted to send this to the Center."

But the look she gave him spoke more than her words had just said. The tone of her voice had been very dry and flat. But her expression conveyed a feeling of sorrow, and maybe one of relief as well.

"Parker, is something wrong? Would you like to talk about it perhaps? You know you can tell me anything. Your mother confided in me, and maybe it's time you did the same. It might help if you talk about what's bothering you."

Despite her better judgment, she decided to finally open up and tell him what was on her mind. Hell, if it had helped her mother then maybe it would do the same for her. She began to speak. "Sydney, I'm starting to wonder if I'm ever going to capture Jarod. I'm afraid of what'll happen to me if I can't fulfill my part of the deal I have with my father."

Sydney smiled at his co-worker and took a sip of his coffee. "Parker, I've known you since you were a little girl. You've never not been able to finish something you started. And if I know something about this place, and I'm almost positive I know a whole lot of things about the Center, I'd tell you not to worry about anything except getting your job done. I want Jarod back here just as much as you do, but I'd like him brought back here alive. I think you're doing an exceptional job right now, and if you'd like to, we can set aside an appointed time to sit and discuss everything if you wish."

"Thank you. I'll take that into consideration."

A mall in Oregon

Jarod walked through the crowded aisles of the store, pushing a shopping cart with Amy perched in the seat in front and all sorts of kids' clothing in the basket. He couldn't help but notice how Amy's little face lit up with delight when she saw the different types of clothing in the children's section. Jarod knew it was risky buying an awful lot of clothing for a child, and even traveling with a child was dangerous, but there was nothing he could do at the moment. He didn't want to put her into the hands of the child welfare people, they would only put her in a home where she didn't know anyone or back with her mother and the hellhole she'd just been rescued from. He knew his flight from the Center would be much more dangerous now, but he refused to let Amy be put into an environment where she would be harmed in any way shape or form.

"Okay, Amy, let's take these up to the counter and pay for them, and then we'll be on our way out of here."

"Where are we going today?"

"Well, we're going to take a little road trip, and in order to do that we're going to need to make arrangements with a friend of mine who has a recreational vehicle."

"What's that?"

"Well, it's like a little house on wheels. People take them all over the country, or so I'm told."

Over the next few hours, Jarod purchased several toys, some more clothing accessories, and a brand new RV, courtesy of the Center's funds that he'd gotten hold of. He was now sitting behind the wheel of the vehicle, driving down the highway, heading for California. He knew it would take him some time before he could get there, and there was also a pretend he had to enter into. He'd read in the newspaper in Oregon the day before about a young girl who had been brutally raped and left for dead. She'd accused and confronted her rapist, but due to a technicality, the man had gotten off, Scott free and no proof of the attack was ever found. Jarod was going to go into this pretend as an investigator on the case, but with the case being closed, he'd have to start the whole investigation from scratch. But now he had a new element to worry about. Amy was with him now, and he had her to take care of and the new pretend at the same time.

Jarod sat in thought for a moment about the little girl sitting beside him, sound asleep. "Well, little one, you and I are going to be together for now."

The Center

Sydney stood beside Broots' desk watching the genius at work on the intense search for Jarod. He was curious about the conversation he'd had with Jarod just a few days before, but something was very unsettling. He had asked for Broots to search the area of Jarod's last pretend, somewhere in Denver Colorado. Broots had come up with nothing as of yet, but he still kept searching. Just then the genius turned from his monitor and looked at the older man.

"Sydney, I think I've got something. There is a missing kid report from a woman in Denver. But here's where it gets tricky. The woman and her boyfriend are both drug addicts, and there's a very questionable absence of time between the time they say the kid went missing and the time they reported her disappearance. They reported her missing this morning, but she went missing sometime around late Sunday night."

"So, what do you think, Broots? Do you think Jarod found the child and took her with him?"

"They don't pay me to think around here, just track Jarod down and do all the technical stuff. But if you really want my opinion, it is possible Jarod could've found the girl, and then taken her with him."

Sydney looked thoughtfully at the technician for a minute, and then something clicked in his head. "You know, you could be on to something, Broots. If the little girl went missing sometime that afternoon, and if Jarod found her a short time later, there is a very good chance he could've taken the child with him." Sydney looked at the man and then smiled. "Who knows," he began to speak once more. "if this child is with Jarod, then maybe he's getting a taste of what raising kids is all about. Maybe he'll know a little of what I went through with him."

He looked at the door as it swung open and in walked Miss Parker. She didn't look too pleased at all either. She advanced on her two friends. Although she would never admit it openly, she considered both the men to be her two closest friends within the thick walls of the Center. She could never consider her father, brother, or Mr. Raines as being trust worthy.

"Well, boys, I've got Jarod's life in a box from his last hole in the ground. It doesn't look like there's anything worthwhile, but then again one never knows when it comes to Jarod and his many different names and lives. So, how about you two? Come up with anything new?"

Sydney gave her the news of what Broots had found, and the woman looked sternly off into space. She was thinking, and very hard from the look of it. Suddenly, she turned and left the tech room. Her companions watched her leave, and then went on to do their tasks.

Miss Parker entered her office, and sat down at her desk. There was something very disturbing about this newest development. Broots would keep searching for some more information to give them a clearer picture of where Jarod could be hiding. But now, they had to assume that Jarod had taken the abused child with him. And, if it were true, Jarod would and could be easily be weighted down because of the girl. Just then the phone on her desk rang. Parker lifted the phone and curtly answered.

"What."

"Well hello there, Miss Parker." It was Jarod. How could she mistake that smooth velvety voice for that of anyone else?

"What do you want, Jarod? Where are you and the child?"

Jarod avoided the question, and instead replied with a short little laugh. "Children, Miss Parker? I never knew you had such a heart of gold. Your mother would truly be proud of her daughter and how you turned out. But then there's your father. What would your father say if he knew you were asking about a child? But in any case, I'm sure you'll be interested to know that there are people out there in this great big world who do terrible things to children."

"Jarod, I know full well what you're talking about. I see things like this every day in the newspapers and on television. Don't play games with me, Jarod. Where is the girl? Her mother has filed a missing persons' report on her."

Jarod didn't hesitate this time, but instead replied with as much briskness and hostility in his voice as he could possibly manage without outright shouting. "Her mother is also a known drug addict and a prostitute. She herself not only beat this child, but also allowed the boyfriend she was taking up residence with to do the same and a whole lot worse. They left the kid out on the highway, in the dead of night with little clothing on her body. When she was found she could barely walk, and she cries and is stricken with nightmares." Then he disconnected the conversation and replaced the phone in his pocket.

Amy had just woken up from the short nap she'd begun only an hour ago, and was searching around for something to occupy herself with while Jarod drove. Jarod pulled over to the side of the road and was looking intently at the child who was almost smiling at him.

"Hi there. Did you sleep well?" Amy nodded. "I stopped so we could get something to eat. Do you like ice-cream, Amy?"

Amy looked at him with a frightened expression on her face. "I don't know. Jack let me have ice-cream once, but then he made me play the game with him."

Jarod didn't let his rage and anger show through his facial features. He just looked directly into Amy's little face and asked, "What kind of game, Amy? Did he hurt you?"

"He hurt me, but he also made me do some other things too." She paused for a moment, and Jarod thought he'd have to coax her to tell him more, but she began talking of her own accord. "He made me do some bad things. Nobody told me they were bad, I just thought they were. I didn't like it, and he got mad. Then he hit me really hard. He made me bleed, and Mommy yelled at me for making him hit me."

"Did your mother know what he made you do, Amy? Did she know what he did to you?"

"I tried to tell her, but she called me a liar and hit me an awful lot. I didn't ever try to talk to her about it again."

Jarod almost certainly knew the answer to his next question, but it had to be asked anyway. He hurt for this little girl and all she'd been through. But now everything would change. "Amy, did Jack ever want you to play that game with him after that first time?"

"Yes. And he never gave me any ice-cream or anything nice. He would always hit me or do something else to hurt me and make me cry. I can't cry in front of him and Mommy. If I cry they get angry and hit me harder."

Jarod lent forward and gently reached for the child. She didn't recoil from his touch, but rather went to him directly without a second thought. Jarod just sat there, holding the small child in his arms and letting her cry on his shoulder. It was something he'd wished someone had done for him when he was a boy. He remembered the pain and grief and other emotions he'd felt while in the care of the Center.

"Hush now. It's all going to be okay. I'm not going to let you be harmed ever again. I promise you at least that much. I'll do everything within my power to be certain you are safe."

"I'm scared. Jarod, will my mom and Jack ever find me ever again? Can I stay with you forever?"

Jarod didn't know what to say in response. How could he tell this child something he knew could only lead to trouble in the future, whether it is immediate or distant? And yet, he had finally found someone who could very easily be considered family to him. This child had no one in her life who would love and care for her as she should have been loved and cared for for the last several years of her life since her birth. How could he lift this child's spirits and hopes, and at the same time how could he break the little heart that had begun to trust him in such a small expanse of time? He gazed fondly at the little face, and the questioning look she gave him. He could easily read the pleading expressing in her eyes. Finally he made up his mind. He knew that it was a decision, which once made could never be reversed, but that didn't matter to him. Although he was on the run from the Center, he needed something and someone in his life.

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

Jarod gazed at the little girl, who smiled and turned to look out the window. "What's that? Is that ice-cream?"

Jarod smiled and laughed. He was going to spoil this little girl for now. She'd never been given anything good in her life, so now it was time to make up for lost years. He smiled and nodded. "Yes. That's an ice-cream truck. Let's go see what they've got."

Jarod and Amy exited the RV and headed in the direction of the ice-cream vender. Jarod ordered a large cone with every flavor possible.

"Well, sir, I can't put all that in a cone, but how about a dish? Will that do?" The vender smiled warmly at the two customers. Jarod nodded at the man and then ordered a large chocolate twist for Amy.

"Trust me, kiddo, you'll like it."

They ate their treat outside, sitting on a bench in a park surrounded by tall trees and a play area for children nearby. Jarod noticed Amy eyeing the kids playing in the sandbox and on the other toys. She looked then at Jarod, almost as if she were asking for his permission to go and play.

"If you want to go over there and play, then go right ahead. Just stay where I can see you, and don't go any further than the play area. Don't go with anyone you don't know, and don't talk to anyone you don't know. You can talk to children, but not adults. Do you understand me?"

"Okay, I promise."

Jarod watched as Amy sprinted off in the direction of the play area. He watched as she made her way toward the sandbox first, and seeing that there was nothing too interesting there, headed over to the swings. He noticed at once, when a young woman approached with a small child lagging behind her, and another one running far ahead of her in the direction of the play area. The woman released her hold on her younger child, and watched with a smile as the child ran to catch up with her sibling. The young woman made her way over to the bench where Jarod sat and seated herself on the bench and watched as her children ran about the play area, tagging one another and other children who'd seemed to join in the game. Jarod kept his eyes glued to Amy as she went about playing with a few other children. Jarod then noticed the woman sitting beside him.

"Hello. How are you doing? You've got two adorable children."

"Well thank you very much! So do you. Your daughter is adorable."

Jarod didn't know what to say at first, but then he responded by thanking her. Although Amy wasn't his child, he decided that this would be the best scenario to stick to.

"Kids seem to get into an awful lot, especially when they run into other children. Once you've cleaned all the different bumps and bruises that your kids come home with, you've got more difficult roads ahead."

The woman nodded and smiled at Jarod warmly. "I know what you mean. I swear my two kids come home with more cuts and scrapes and bruises than I ever thought of coming home with. So what about your little girl? How many times have you had to patch her up from falling off the jungle gym?"

Jarod was a little taken aback by this, but regained his composure. He wasn't sure what he should say to this woman. In reality, he'd only patched up Amy's bumps, bruises, and other injuries only a few times. But he couldn't very well tell that to this woman.

"Oh, she's had her fair share of childhood injuries, some more serious than others. But never the less she's a good girl."

"I'll bet your wife thinks the same about her too."

"Her mother isn't with us any longer. It's just me and Amy now."

"Oh, I'm so very sorry! I didn't realize."

Just then Amy came bounding over to Jarod, a scared look on her face. Jarod waited patiently as she came running and held his arms out to her. "Hey there.
What's wrong?"

"There's a woman over there who said I looked like a welfare case or something. I didn't talk to her like you said, but she came over by the other kids and looked at me."

Jarod rose from where he was sitting and took Amy's little hand. "Can you point the woman out?"

Amy pointed over to a tall red-headed woman standing over by the swing set, pushing a dark-haired child. Jarod, still holding Amy's little hand, made his way over to where the woman was. Once he reached the woman, he promptly gained her attention and began to speak very rapidly.

"Excuse me, but do you have a problem with my daughter? Because my daughter just approached me and told me about something that you said just a few moments ago. Now, just so you're well aware, neither myself, nor my daughter, are welfare cases. And I take it personally when someone insults my daughter by calling her a welfare child."

"I've never seen either of you before, and I'd know if I had. I'm one of the teachers here at the local elementary school, and your daughter, if she really is that, doesn't even look like you. Where's her mother anyway?"

"You know something, that's none of your business. Come on, Amy, it's time to leave. I wouldn't want you to pick up any of this woman's bad habbits."

The woman looked incredulously at Jarod and Amy as they walked away. Jarod kept hold of Amy's hand as they made their way toward the RV. He helped Amy into the vehicle, and then got in behind the wheel. Amy turned to face him.

"Jarod, did I do something wrong?"

"No, Amy, you didn't do anything wrong. That woman was being very mean. Not mean like your mother and Jack were, but mean with her words. She said something that was not very polite."

Amy seemed to understand, and then looked away for a moment. But just as quickly, she looked back at Jarod and asked, "Jarod, why did you say I was your daughter? Why did you tell that woman I was your daughter when you got mad at her?"

Jarod thought quickly and then smiled at Amy. "Well, I told her that because if you're going to stay with me for now, we need to pretend that you are my daughter. Think of it this way. Now you have a new family who won't hurt you any more. Not like your first."

The Center

Miss Parker was sitting in her father's office, waiting for him to return from a meeting he'd had to attend at short notice. She couldn't help but think about the phone call Jarod had made to her that morning. What was it about this conversation, which was very different and very interesting all at the same time? How could Jarod be involved with a child, and an abused one at that? What was his position in this newest of pretends? Was he a social worker, or was he just a person who'd run a crossed a child in need of someone to love and care for her as well as protect her. Something was very intriguing about her telephone conversation with Jarod and the information that Broots had recovered. Suddenly, the sharp trill of her cell phone interrupted her silence.

"What?"

"Hello, Miss Parker. Did you give some more thought to what I said the last time we spoke? Have you figured out where I am and what I'm doing?"

"I know you've got that kid with you, Jarod, and I'm going to give you a piece of advice free of charge. Lose the kid that is unless you want me to catch you. You know what will happen if the Center finds her with you, Jarod. They'll take her and subject her to things no child should ever have to endure."

Just then the door to her father's office was pushed open and in strolled Mr. Parker. Miss Parker quickly and quietly closed the phone, terminating the conversation with Jarod. Her father looked at her for a moment and then spoke.

"Well hello, Angel! Sorry to keep my favorite girl waiting, but you know how demanding the tower can be. Who was that on your phone?"

"Just the police in Denver, Daddy. We've got a lead on Jarod, but it's a cold one. It seems that the police have a few cases that they'd deemed unable to be solved that were suddenly and miraculously solved recently. It could very well be the work of our wonder boy, but after some extensive checking I've determined that Jarod took no part in solving these mysterious cases."

The older Parker looked at his daughter thoughtfully for a moment, and then scratched his balding head. "Why do you figure it wasn't Jarod's work? Doesn't the pattern fit with what he's been doing out there for nearly four years?"

"Well, at first glance that's what I thought. However, after speaking with the local and state police forces, they've confirmed that there was no one with the name of Jarod, first or last, recently employed or added to their duty rosters in the last several years. I even checked the other various angles, which might have appealed to Jarod's interests, but again there was nothing helpful in any direction. All I have to go on is the items from Jarod's last lair in Bolder Colorado, and that in itself isn't saying much."

Parker looked for a moment at her father and then quickly excused herself. She knew that Jarod would undoubtedly call her back soon enough to complete the conversation she'd cut short. No sooner had she reached her office, than Sydney appeared with a look, which spoke volumes on his face. She turned to face the psychologist and watched as he ran a hand nervously through his thinning hair.

"Sydney, what's the problem? Did Jarod contact you with something important, or did we get a braking lead?"

"Well, I figured that I'd have received a phone call with the information I was given. But rather Jarod has decided to email the information directly. Broots is of course unable to trace the origin of Jarod's message to us."

"What do you mean by us, Sydney?"

"Well, Parker, Jarod mentions the two of us in his email. Here is a print out of Jarod's message to us." Sydney passed her a paper with a few lines of printed text on it. Parker read it to herself and then out loud.

"Hello, Sydney, and Miss Parker. This is a message geared toward the both of you concerning your latest barrage of questions. There is a great deal of evil in this world, and unfortunately, children do suffer from evil at the hands of those into whose hands they are placed for protection and care. If I am able to help just one child, that is one child more who will not suffer a fate that should never befall anyone, child or otherwise. Keep looking, and maybe you'll learn the whole truth of the matter behind what has happened recently. Oh, and I wouldn't expect anything less than total dedication and fruitlessness on your parts to attain my whereabouts. However, I don't intend on being here when you do discover where I've been keeping myself as of late. Good luck, and happy hunting."

Parker and Sydney stared at each other for a quick moment, and then Parker broke eye contact. She stared intently at the piece of paper with the cryptic words and their meaning in her hand. How did Jarod always seem to know how to get to them? How did he always manage to capture their attention and then leave them dangling from the bate he'd pitched in their direction?

"Well, Sydney, it looks like your boy has just proven my theory. I do think his humane nature prompted him to take that little girl on the run with him. I think he found her after she'd been abused, and took her somewhere safe with him and is now attached to her. He's formed an attachment to the child, and we both know what will happen if the Center gets their hands on the both of them."

"Raines and the rest of them would use the child as a tool to weaken Jarod's defenses. They would do it without a second thought to what they did to the child, including endangering her welfare or even killing her. How quick you are to forget that we too are a part of the Center. They've destroyed everything they've ever touched. You know as well as I do that your father also has a large stake in this."

Parker started to stride toward the older man, but his penetrating stare stopped her right where she stood. "Sydney, I know what you're saying is true, but I can't let that affect my job, and that is to bring Jarod back to where he belongs, here in the Center. As soon as my job is finished, I'm out of here for good, and I'm not going to look back, not for one single solitary second."

San Francisco

Jarod parked the RV in a vacant spot in a campground. Amy was sound asleep in the seat beside him, and he figured it wouldn't be prudent to wake her at such a late hour. He exited the vehicle's cab and entered the living quarters. He began to arrange several items in the living area, and then retrieved the child from the cab. He placed her in one of the bunks, and then set up his laptop and began working diligently.

He finished his work within two hours, and then went to his own bed for the remainder of the night. When they awoke in the morning, there would be a lot of things to do in preparation for the latest pretend Jarod would enter into. As he lay there, staring up at the ceiling of the RV. His thoughts drifted to the Center and his childhood. He pushed those thoughts aside for the moment and let his mind drift to thoughts of Miss Parker. How could such a complex woman such as she be so conflicted with the truth and what she'd been lead to believe for so many years?

"Jarod?" The little voice and the hand, which tapped him relentlessly on the arm, shook him from his thoughts. He sat up and allowed his eyes to adjust to the darkness. He could see Amy standing beside his bed, persistently nudging his shoulder in order to try and obtain his attention.

"It's not time to get up yet. It's still time for sleep." Jarod said quietly. "Come on. I'll tuck you in, okay?"

"I had a nightmare. Jack was there and Mommy and you. They were hitting me again, and you couldn't help me."

Jarod swung his legs to the floor and put his arms around Amy's shivering body. He picked her up off the floor and carried her back to her own bed, laid her down, and tucked her back in. He sat down beside her and held her hand as he spoke softly to her.

"Amy, listen to me. I'm not going to let anything happen to you. Your mother and Jack will never find you, I promise. Now it's time you got some sleep. I'll be right here when you wake up in the morning. Now get some sleep. We have a very busy day ahead of us tomorrow."

Jarod bent over and lightly kissed the child's forehead, just as his mother had done when he was a small boy. The memories of her began surfacing more frequently than before, and he was now able to recall specific events with his family. The clearest and most specific one he had been of his mother giving him a lunch box. He remembered her telling him that he would be attending special school. He remembered the teachers who had come to see him. And, he remembered bits and pieces of the night he was snatched from his family.

He watched Amy's chest rise and fall until her breaths were even. He knew with no doubt that she was back asleep, and he was planning to follow suit and do just that very same thing.

"Good night." Jarod's soft whisper had no effect on Amy's slumber as he straightened the blanket around her and headed back to his own bed for the remainder of the night.

Within a few short hours, Jarod was awakened to the feel of someone crawling onto the bed with him. He opened his eyes and saw that it was Amy, trying to crawl up onto his bed. He noticed the light streaming in through one of the windows, and realized that it was time to get up. He started to sit up, but Amy, not realizing that Jarod had woken up, had tried to crawl over him to reach his other shoulder. She'd already nudged his other shoulder until she realized that it wouldn't do any good. Maybe if she tried the other side, just maybe she'd get some results. She was almost on the other side, when he started to sit up. This through Amy off balance, and she landed hard on his chest, expelling the air in his lungs with a very loud oomph coming from him.

"Well good morning. Didn't I wake up quick enough for you?" Jarod tickled Amy just under her chin and listened to the peels of laughter the act resulted. He lifted her off his chest and set her on the bed beside him. "Okay, okay, I'm up. So what do you want for breakfast?"

"Could we get some pancakes please?"

Jarod smiled widely and sat up. "If it's pancakes you want, then pancakes you'll get. Come on. I saw a little diner on the edge of town when we pulled into the campground last night. I'm sure they'll have pancakes there."

After he'd dressed and given Amy the privacy to dress herself, they climbed into the cab of the RV and headed in the direction of the large city. They were well outside the city limits of San Francisco, but it was still close enough to be considered a part of the outlying area of the city. They pulled into the parking lot of a diner a short time later, and entered the establishment.

Once they'd seated themselves in a corner booth, a waitress came over to their table and asked them what they'd like to order. Jarod decided he'd have eggs over easy, and some orange juice. The waitress then turned her attention to Amy.

"And what would you like, honey?"

"I'd like some pancakes, please?"

The waitress smiled and nodded at the pair. "I'll be right back with your food." And then to Jarod she said, "You've got a very beautiful little girl there. And she's very polite as well."

Their food arrived in a short time, and they ate it in silence until Jarod broke it. He waited until Amy finished the mouthful and then said, "I have to do some work today. You can come with me for a little while, but if I have to go somewhere I can't take you, then I'm going to have to leave you with a babysitter. Is that okay?"

"Will you come back?"

Jarod took Amy's little hands between the two of his. "Of course I'll come back. I'm not leaving you for good. If I have to leave you, it won't be for any longer than a couple of hours. In fact, I'll give you my cell phone number just in case you get scared or lonely, okay?"

"Okay, but don't leave me."

The rest of their meal was filled with little interruption, except for the waitress checking on them periodically to see if they wanted anything more. Once they'd finished their meal and had gotten back in the car, Jarod took out his cellular phone and pressed a few buttons. Amy watched intently as his hand selected each button and pressed it. He waited for someone to pick up, and when they did, he said, "So, have you given any more contemplation to our earlier conversation? You know it's rude to hang up on someone, especially if that someone has information which could be useful to you."

At the Center, Miss Parker sat at her desk holding onto the receiver of her phone.

"Well, Jarod, you never answered my question entirely. I strongly believe you have that child, and unless you get rid of the kid, you'll be putting her life in danger with the Center. You don't want anything bad to happen to her, now would you?"

Jarod said nothing right away, but instead waited to listen to Parker and the words of wisdom she might have to offer. Unfortunately, however, Amy chose that moment to sneeze. Jarod internally shuttered at the sound of the child's sneeze, but showed nothing on the outside.

"What was that, Jarod, a mouse? Have you taken up residence with the three blind mice now? Or am I right, and was that the child in question?"

Jarod quickly covered the mouthpiece of the phone and whispered something to Amy. He held the phone in front of her mouth and she said in a clear voice, "My name is Amy. What's yours?"

She sat there frozen in place. She thought she was dreaming for a second, but then she realized that it couldn't be a dream. She'd heard a child's voice saying, "My name's Amy. What's yours?" So it was true! Jarod did have the child with him, and they were on the run together. She decided to play a littlegame with the child, via the telephone lines, and see what came of it.

"Hi, Amy, I'm Miss Parker. I'm a friend of Jarod's. Can you tell me how you met Jarod?"

In the RV, Amy looked questioningly at Jarod and he nodded. "He helped me. He said Mommy and Jack would never hurt me again."

"How did you meet him, Amy?"

"Mommy and Jack hurt me, and I ran away. It was really cold out and I didn't have a jacket or anything. Then Jarod found me. He says I don't ever have to go back to my mommy or Jack ever again. They drank out of bottles and cans and used needles and a big bag of white stuff."

At the Center, Miss Parker had the same reaction to the comment that Jarod had had when he'd asked Amy about what happened with her mother. Then the realization hit her like a ton of bricks. The white stuff was, no doubt, cocaine. She decided to get more information from the kid. For once, she was going to do the right thing. And maybe it would help her to find out where Jarod was and bring him home.

"What did your mother and Jack do to you, Amy?"

Amy began telling Parker some of the things that she'd told Jarod, things her mother and Jack had done, with the occasional nod of encouragement from Jarod. He too had his own agenda for this little tactic. He would get Parker to see what a living hell the child had been in and then get her to exact a sort of revenge on the mother and Jack, a revenge he himself could not take. He knew Parker well enough to know that she wouldn't kill the couple, only make their lives just as much of a living nightmare, or maybe more so, than that of Amy's.

"Amy, can you tell me where your mother lives?"

Amy looked at Jarod and was silent. Jarod nodded once more, and Amy responded. "Mommy and Jack live in a messy apartment on Green Street in Denver. Mommy and I used to live with another of her boyfriends before Jack, but he left us one day, and then she met Jack. I don't ever want to go back there. They were mean to me and they hurt me. They hit me, and I didn't like it. They got mad when I cried, so they would hit me again to make me stop."

Parker sat in thought for a moment. Since there was no appropriate age given on Amy, Parker had to guess that she was somewhere around five or six years old. It almost made Parker cry, listening to Amy tell her all the things that had happened to her. But then she got an idea in her head. She would go down to Denver, meet the mother and the boyfriend, and seek some retribution for Amy.

"I've got to go now, but I wanted to say good-bye to you first. Give Jarod back his phone please."

Amy said, "Bye bye," and then pushed Jarod's hand with the phone away. Jarod had no sooner put the phone to his ear, when Parker began hissing sharply into it.

"Let me tell you something, Jarod, I'm going to deal with her mother and the boyfriend. But this isn't over. I'm going to bring you down, and when I do, I'm going to make sure that kid is put in the foster care system where she belongs. You never should've taken her along with you. And if you've crossed any state lines, which by the way I am almost certain you have, then you're going to be charged with kidnapping. Do you have any idea what kidnapping means, Jarod?"

"As a matter of fact, Parker, I do know first hand what kidnapping is. It's what the Center did to me when I was just about Amy's age. But I don't intend on letting you catch me. But at least you're going to take on a portion of your mother's work, no matter how small it may be. Catherine Parker would be very proud of her little girl."

Jarod disconnected and put the phone in his jacket pocket. He started the engine and drove away from the little diner as quickly as he dared without breakingany speeding laws. He gazed out the window and thought of Amy and Miss Parker. His thoughts were interrupted by a police car coming up behind them, blue lights flashing and siren wailing.

"Amy, I need you to trust me and just agree with everything I say. Oh, and don't call me Jarod."

"Okay, but what do I call you? Are we playing that game you told me about before?"

"Yes."

Jarod pulled over, even before the officer signaled for him to do so, and began hunting for the proper papers. He extracted the license and registration from the glove compartment, and waited patiently for the man to exit his cruzer. Amy watched as the young man, obviously a rookie, strolled over to Jarod's window and peered in.

"License and registration please." Jarod handed over the papers and waited for the patrolman to finish inspecting them. When he'd finished examining the documents, he handed them back over to Jarod.

"Okay, Mr. Parker, everything seems in order with your vehicle. Now, do you know why I pulled you over this morning?"

Jarod smiled and reached out to take his documents from the officer. "Well, to be honest with you, Officer, I really couldn't say. I wasn't speeding, I don't have any tail or headlight problems, and I haven't been drinking. So, maybe you could tell me why you've just pulled over a fellow police officer."

The younger man looked a bit puzzled at this remark. He'd noticed the name Jarod Parker on the license and that the man had indeed been doing none of the things he'd just inquired about. "Well, I didn't mean to offend you, Officer Parker, but..."

"You didn't offend me, and my name is Lieutenant Jarod Parker. Please call me Jarod. I was just wondering why you pulled me over. Is it the vehicle I'm driving?"

"Well, to be honest with you, Lieutenant, uh I mean Jarod, it is a bit odd to see someone driving a recreational vehicle through the streets of San Francisco. But I can sort of understand why you drove in, I mean if you're on vacation it makes perfect sense."

"Yes, but that would be if I were on vacation. I'm actually transferring to this police department. I'm on assignment here temporarily from Lawndale to help out with some cases that have been deemed unsolvable. Maybe there is a connection with a few of the cases we've been working out there."

The patrolman looked next over to Amy. He noticed a little smile on her face. "So you like having a policeman for a daddy?"

"Yeah. It's neat because he puts the bad guys in jail."

Then to Jarod the rookie said, "If you'd like, I can show you how to find our station house. That is after you drop you daughter off with your wife and then we'll go in my car. Just show me where you're staying, and..."

"Officer, my wife isn't with us. In fact, we don't know where she is at this point in time. She just up and disappeared one day, leaving me and Amy hereby ourselves. Until I can find a day care or somewhere safe for Amy, she goes with me. I know it's not policy or anything, but I don't have anyone to leave my daughter with."

"Believe me, Jarod, I understand how you feel. I've got an infant son myself, and if anything were to happen to his mother, well I don't know what I woulddo with him whenever I went to work. Do you have any family or anyone she can stay with during the day while you're working?" Jarod shook his head. "Okay then, follow me. We'll take her with us, and while you're in with the captain, I'll keep your daughter busy."

"Let's see if that's okay with her first. Amy, do you mind going with us to the police station so I can meet my new boss?"

"Can I see what a jail cell looks like?"

Jarod laughed and agreed. "That settles it."

Chapter 2 REVENGE'S REWARDS
The Center, 10:45 am

Broots sat in front of his computer terminal and was vigorously drumming his fingers on the keyboard, trying to compile all the acquired data to find the next place Jarod might be heading. The sudden touch on his shoulder caused him to jump back and spill his half empty coffee cup onto the floor.

"Relax, Mr. Broots. One would think you had something to hide if just a light tap on the shoulder makes you jump and spill your cup of coffee." The liquid voice of Bridget floated over the back of roots' neck and into his ear.

"I'm not hiding anything, Bridget, you just startled me that's all. Even my daughter has done it a time or two. It's just something normal for me I guess."

"Very good then. In any case, I just thought you should know that if you'd ever like to get into something bigger and better than just the mundane routine of tracking down leads on the genius that ran away, then by all means, come and see me. I'm sure we can work something out which would be of great benefit to yourself as well as others involved."

Broots sat at his computer terminal and watched from the corner of one eye, as Bridget turned and made a graceful exit from the tech room. How was it that Bridget always managed to stir up trouble of one form or another whenever she showed up in the Center? How had Bridget, the woman with the fake English accent, the manner which spoke volumes of her superiority over anyone she felt was beneath her level of intelligence, and her fake charm come to be involved with the Center in the first place? It was time to do some very high profile searching on the woman who was both loved and hated.

He'd never really forgiven her for the T-board that Sydney, Miss Parker, and himself had all endured for nearly two and a half days. He knew full well that Miss Parker would have loved to have been able to put a bullet into the little bitch's head after learning she'd been the one trying to drop Mr. Parker's helicopter from the sky. And yet, all at the same time, Bridget had target the weakest and strongest members of the team in charge of recapturing and returning Jarod to the place he'd broken out of. However, she had, as of yet, failed to target the most neutral person on the team, Sydney. Why was this? What had prompted Bridget to first stalk Broots, attempt to frame Miss Parker for the act itself, attempt to kill Mr. Parker whom she was supposedly in love with, and then try to murder Miss Parker herself? But why had she not made Sydney a member of those on her little list of people in need of major chaos and disorder in their lives?

Miss Parker entered the room, and for the second time that morning, Broots got the scare of his life. Parker grabbed for the young technician and held his stiffened body against the back of his chair.

"Take it easy, Broots. What's gotten into you? You look white as a ghost. Find something concerning Jarod, or was it something else?"

"Well, Miss Parker, I uh got a visit a while ago from our little friend with the fake English accent. She tried to persuade me to be the turncoat against you and Sydney. She seems to think that she can use the offer of money or other tidbits of interest in order to get me to turn on the two of you. Not that I'm buying into it, but she seems to think she can keep throwing the offers in my face until I finally crack and give into what she wants. I'd never do that to you or Sydney."

Parker smiled at the person she thought was highly intelligent and sometimes an idiot all at the same time. She really did have to give him credit, though. She didn't know too many people who would turn down all kinds of offers from the higher-ups in order to better their situation, however tenuous it may be.

"Broots, I didn't think you'd turn on us. You may be a little gullible, but not that gullible. Anyone that accepted an offer from Bridget and her so-called friends would have to either be crazy or in love with death in order to take on that beast of nature. But that's not the reason I came here. We're going to Colorado. Jarod was there last, and I've got a strong suspicion he needs our help."

"What!" Broots almost fainted at these words. "What do you mean Jarod..."

"Just shut up for now. I'll explain later, when we're on the plane."

In thirty minutes, Miss Parker, Sydney, and Broots were heading for Denver Colorado. Parker had just finished explaining the situation to her two companions, when her cellular phone rang loudly.

"What!"

"Hi, Miss Parker!"

"Hi there. How did you get this number?" Parker waited for the small voice to answer the question, but it didn't take long before the reply came.

"I watched Jarod push the buttons earlier. I just the same ones he pushed."

"Well where is he? Is he there with you?"

"No, he had to go somewhere for a minute, but I wanted something to play with, so I picked up one of his phones. He has one in his jacket, but I found one in that big case he carries around with him. Are you mad I called you? I just got bored. I wanted to talk to someone. Is it okay?"

"Absolutely." Parker had to give the kid credit, she was smart, and also had very good memory skills. Sydney and Broots looked at her quizzically for a brief second, but she glared at them and they occupied themselves with some other task.

"Where are you?"

"Sorry, but I can't tell you that. I can't say anything about where I am, or what we're doing, except that I'm having a lot more fun that I ever would have had at Mommy's. Where are you?"

"Heading for Denver. I'm going to see some people there. In fact, you might know them. Remember what we talked about before?"

"Yes, but why do you want to see Mommy? Are you gonna tell her you know where I am, or that you talked to me? Please don't let her find me!"

Parker looked around to see if her two companions were listening to her conversation, and she noticed that Broots was busy with a crossword puzzle, and Sydney was thoroughly engrossed in a very thick book. She went to the back portion of the chopper and lowered her voice so only Amy could hear her.

"No, Amy, I'm not going to let your mom find you. I'm going to make sure she goes to jail where she belongs for what she and Jack did to you. But I want you to do something for me. I want you to talk Jarod into calling me later on tonight. He doesn't have to know we talked, okay?" She knew full well that
the kid would undoubtedly tell Jarod everything, that was if he wasn't listening to the conversation already. But then again, kids were pretty good at lying when they wanted to.

"Sorry, Miss Parker, but that's not possible. Amy and I don't keep secrets from one another. But I must give you credit for giving it the old college try. She's not that dumb to believe she could keep something from me anyway."

"Damn." Parker thought to herself. Jarod was there listening the whole time, and he knew right where she was heading as of this moment. "Well, Jarod, I must also give you points for excellent thinking on your part. You really had me going for a minute there."

"Actually, Amy never really lied to you. I was out doing something, and she did find the phone in one of my bags. I just made sure she knew what buttons were for you. I mean we couldn't have her calling Mr. Raines or Bridget or someone else who might not like talking to children, now could we?"

Jarod hung up the phone, breaking off Parker's reply. She sat there listening to a dial tone for a few seconds, and then rejoined Sydney and Broots. As she took her seat, neither of the men spoke up to question her about the phone call. They both knew who Parker had been talking to, or at least that was what she was going to let them think. Parker looked at both of them, cleared her throat, and began speaking.


Denver Colorado, 3:30p.m.

The room was cluttered with bottles, cans, dilapidated furniture, and other items. She sat in the middle of the mess and watched for the vein to pop up from the loss of circulation and blood. It was her fifth attempt to inject the needle, but she refused to give up. She'd already collapsed a few of the other more prominent veins, but then again, she wasn't that worried. If worse came to worse, she could use other veins in her legs and other parts of her body. The coke was already in effect, but she both needed and craved something more. There had been a time when the coke was more than enough to stimulate her and give her the extra edge she wanted. Now, all it did was get her started. She needed more than just coke to get by.

Jack had made sure she got more of what she wanted. He made sure she'd been introduced to speed balls, and LSD as well as several others. She'd started shooting up shortly after her daughter had been born. She started just to keep herself from going crazy whenever the kid cried or needed something. She was surprised that the baby hadn't been affected by the high amount of drugs in her system, but then again, maybe it had something to do with the fact that she'd been in rehab when Amy had been born. They'd wanted to take the child from her, but she'd sworn to them that she could and would change her life style. She went by all their rules, even contacting a social worker that would help her learn all the important things she'd need to know as a new mother. But eventually, her past caught up with her, and the ex-boyfriend she'd thought she'd left for good came back into her life, causing her to lose both her job and her newly acquired sobriety. The baby was only a few months old when she'd packed up their belongings, moved in with her ex, and quit being clean.

Just then a knock sounded at her door. Shit! Nobody in this neighborhood knocked on a door. A knock on the door usually meant drug busts. She knew they'd been looking for her, but after she'd left Ohio and headed for Colorado, she'd figured that the cops had all but given up on her and her baby. She hadn't seen Ohio in nearly six years, making her daughter almost six by now. And anyway, where was the kid? It had been nearly a whole week since they'd last seen her. She'd been crying for something to eat, and Jack had finally had enough. She vaguely remembered Jack hitting the kid a few times, and then locking her out of the house. When the kid didn't return in three days, she went to the police. She never gave them her real name, just an alias. She was known as Candy to most of the dealers in the area, and that was how she liked it.

The knocking had since ceased, but now Candy was aware of several people in the room with her and Jack, who had passed out hours before from the booze and drugs in his system. She looked at the woman who approached and grasped her roughly by the shoulders.

"You're under arrest, Candy, or should I say Gloria Lawrence. I'm with the federal Marshals, and you are charged with flight from prosecution, child abuse, violation of parole, possession with the intent to sell, possession of an illegal substance, or several as the case may be, and half a dozen other things."

Parker pushed the woman out into the waiting arms of the state troopers she'd phoned only a few hours earlier. Broots and Sydney had made their way through the filthy apartment and had succeeded in finding the unconscious Jack, on the couch, bottle of Jack Daniels in his hand and a needle almost fully submerged in his arm. Between the two of them, they managed to drag him out to the large vehicle parked in front of the building. Parker turned to the troopers and spoke up.

"Okay, guys, if you'll help us get these two into the vehicle, we'll take them from here. They're also wanted on kidnapping charges. The little girl belonging to this woman," Parker pointed to Gloria Lawrence. "was supposed to be turned over to the welfare authorities when her mother went off the wagon. We've been after them for quite a while."

The troopers complied and nodded in farewell as Parker climbed behind the wheel of the vehicle and drove off. Of course they weren't federal marshals, and they weren't taking them to turn them over to the Ohio State police, at least not yet. There were a few things that needed to be cleared up first. Parker would rather have liked to take them out into some dry field and blow them both away for what they'd put a little child through for so very long. But common sense prevailed, and aside from that, Sydney had coaxed her out of that particularly gruesome scenario.

San Francisco, California

Jarod sat acrossed from the young teenager who'd been raped and was now coping with the reality that her attacker had gone free. Amy was happily playing with some very interesting toys in the next room, but it had taken some convincing to get her to stay there. She'd latched onto Jarod when he'd suggested the idea of a babysitter, and he wasn't about to upset her any more than was absolutely necessary.

The young victim's name was Sandra Bradford, and she was just sixteen. She'd been at a party with some friends and had decided to leave when some of the partiers had chosen to open up the liquor cabinent and break out the most expensive stuff. She'd called her mother's house, but no one had been there to answer. She left a message on the machine saying that she would be walking home, since she had no money for a cab. She left the party, and had only gotten about six blocks or so when she heard someone following her.

"Sandra," Jarod began. "I need for you to recall as much of what happened after you noticed someone following you home. What came next?"

"I went to run, but he grabbed me. I was under a street light, and I got a pretty good look at his face. He tried to cover it with his sweater, but it fell when he grabbed me. I recognized him as being one of the kids from the party."

"Do you know his name, Sandra?"

"Yeah. His name is Seth James. He's a football jock, and he had been hitting on me all night. I told him I wasn't interested, and then I thought he went off to find someone else to hit on. He was one of the ones who'd been drinking with all the rest of the jocks there at the party. I never would've gone if I'd known there was going to be alcohol at this party."

Jarod spent the next two hours taking her statement, and then smiled reassuringly at her as she stood up to leave. Since no physical evidence of James' being the attacker was found on Sandra's body, he'd been let go. There was no dispute that she'd been raped, and no doubt that it had been a very violent assault. But because of the lack of evidence linking James to the attack, the case had been put on hold.

Jarod quickly began to set up a sinario in which he would be working at the high school for only a few short days. He double checked everything before leaving, and then shut down his laptop. But before heading to the school he headed over to where he'd left Amy earlier that day. He checked to assure himself that Amy was all right, and that she would be okay with his leaving her for only a few short hours longer.

It only took Jarod an hour to find the football jocks, and only a minute to spot Seth James. He was sitting in the middle of a large group of jocks who were busy talking and joking around about the normal stuff jocks discussed. Jarod had a part to play, and he would play it as best he knew how.

"Hey, guys, I'm your new coach. My name's Jarod Parker. You can either call me Jarod or you may call me Coach Parker."

One boy spoke up. "So how long are you staying here? Think you'll be around longer than the last coach was?"

"I'm filling in for Dale Krandle since he's just undergone a minor surgery. He won't be back for a few days, so it looks like you're stuck with me until he returns. Oh, and don't think of pulling any of the stunts you used to pull on Coach Krandle, because for starters if there's one thing I can't stand it's kids who think they're too good to do the same work as anyone else, and second of all, if you do decide to be stupid and pull something, I can assure you that it will come back to kick you in the ass times ten."

"Think you're a tough guy, huh?" This was Seth James. His description matched Sandra's description of her attacker perfectly. Jarod leaned down into Seth's face and stared directly into the kid's expression.

"No, but if push comes to shove, I can tell you this much. You won't come out the victor of the battle." Then to the rest of the athletes Jarod said, "Okay. Everybody take your laps and continue until I say stop."

An abandoned building, Bolder Colorado

Gloria Lawrence tried to back away from the woman holding her in a captive position. Since she and Jack had been taken into custody by these three Feds, nothing had been done according to the laws that she knew of. "Let me go, you bitch! You have no right to keep us here like your prisoners and treat us like this!"

"Funny. Isn't that what you did to your daughter Amy for six long years? Did you give her a chance to be set free of your pathetic lifestyle of men and drugs and alcohol?"

Just then Sydney tapped Parker on the shoulder, signaling that it was time for her to hand the woman over to him for his method of treatment. Parker letgo of the woman briefly, but only long enough to cuff her hands securely behind her back. She forced Gloria into a waiting chair, and then secured her legs to those of the chair with two more sets of handcuffs. She turned, and backed out of the room very slowly and methodically. It was time for her to go and work on the boyfriend for a while.

While Sydney worked on the woman, she worked on the boyfriend, and Broots maintained communication with the Center whenever necessary in order to keep the real reason for their trip a secret. Sydney figured this would work, since he was a trained psychologist, and in his field of work, dealing with hostilitywas no big surprise. He'd certainly seen enough over the last thirty years or so. He took his place in a chair opposite from Gloria Lawrence, and smiledat her.

"Look. All we're trying to do is get you to tell us what you did with Amy. If you tell us that then you can leave this place."

"What about the charges? I want those dropped."

"Sorry, but I'm afraid that isn't going to be an option. You see, Ms. Lawrence, you broke the law and now you need to face the consequences of that action. What happened to make you go back on the drugs and alcohol? What happened to make you fall so far from where you'd gotten in your life? You were a mother on her way to sobriety. You had your whole life ahead of you, and you've thrown it all away, and for what? What was it worth to you Gloria? What was so terrible that you thought drugs and booze would solve everything? What did your little girl do that was so terrible, that you beat her until she couldn't walk? Please just tell me and this will all be over, kind of like a bad dream you've just woken up from."

She looked at the psychologist for a second and then eyed the doorway. "Is that other woman coming back any time soon?"

"No. Parker isn't coming back here to talk to you for quite some time. Ms. Lawrence, I've spoken with your boyfriend Jack, and he seems to think that you knew about what he did to your daughter and yet you did nothing to prevent it. Why is this?"

"Look. You know nothing about raising kids, okay? I'll just bet you're a workaholic who's a pencil-pushing old-timer who thinks he had to walk fifteen miles to school, up hill both ways. You know nothing about the kid. I gave her to my mother or someone else who wanted her. God knows I didn't want the little brat to begin with!"

Sydney stared intently at the face of the drug addict in front of him. He'd known what she was going through with her withdraw symptoms, the shakes, themood swings, and much much more. But what could he do about it? His job was to get her to tell him what happened to the kid, or at least what had posessedthis woman to allow her drug-dealing lover to hurt the little girl.

"Sydney," Broots entered the room with a cellphone in hand. "It's Raines. He wants a status report from each one of us on how the search for Jarod is going."

"This is Sydney." He took the phone from Broots and spoke in his usual manner.

"Well? How goes the search for your run-away genius? Why aren't you three back from Colorado yet? Either Jarod's there, or he's not."

"Well, Mr. Raines," Sydney began easily. "Jarod has been spotted here in Colorado by a strong source we've been using for information. However, the factstill remains that he could be hiding underground, lying in wait for us to leave Colorado."

Sydney listened as Raines audibly wheezed in some more air through his oxygen tank and then spoke once more. "Fine. Just find Jarod and bring him back. I'll send a sweeper team out to make sure you're doing all you can. They will be there within a few hours."

Meanwhile, Jarod was working the athletic teens until they were exhausted. He knew the limits of how hard he could push the kids, but in any case, he wanted these kids to know that he was going to be as tough as any other coach would be. The James kid had really started to get to him, and there was nothingmore he wanted to do than to just take the kid out back and confront him on Sandra's attack the night of the party. Amy was busy playing in the daycarecenter at the police precinct, and he'd parked their vehicle back at the campground where they'd spent the previous few nights. He'd only been there a few days, and these kids were really starting to become less and less tollerable.

"Okay! That's enough for today. Se you all at practice tomorrow. Oh, Mr. James," Jarod singled the youth out from his friends and ushered him over to a side of the field. "I was wondering if you'd be willing to help me out. I need you to help me pack up the equipment and put it all in the storage area for the night. I hope you don't mind."

James did mind, in fact he minded quite a bit. But this new coach could really spell trouble for him if that was what he wanted to do. Seth resigned himselfto helping the new coach out just once, and then he'd take off like a bat out of hell. He had places to be this evening, and staying after to become bestfriends with the coach wasn't on the top of his list of things to do. He picked up an armload of the equipment from practice, and carried it into the storage room behind the gymnasium.

"So, anything good to do around here?"

"I wouldn't know." Seth answered Jarod's question in the driest of tones possible. He was going to make this guy see that being here was not one of theplaces he wished to be.

Jarod obviously understood the kid's sarcasm, because from that point on not a word was spoken between the two of them. It only took them an hour to finish putting things where they belonged, and then Seth James turned and left the building. Jarod eyed the youth as he exited the school in a hurry, and pulled out a red notebook.

"Well, Mr. James, you certainly do have things to do this evening. But somehow I don't think partying is going to be one of them."

Jarod made a quick note in the book and then went in the same direction as the boy. Jarod spied him as he made a left-hand turn, and headed down a darkened ally, heading for what was probably anabandoned building where some of the troublesome kids partied frequently. Jarod watched the kid as he walked brisklythrough the dark area created by the two larger buildings on either side. Slowly, he began to follow the boy until he was in the darkest part of the ally.Using what vision he had, Jarod crept upbehind the boy and struck with a quick, but very meaningful punch to the side of his head. It was hard enough to knock the kid out for a little bit, but not hard enough to kill him. Jarod needed this kid to be scared, and scared he would most definitely be once Jarod was finished with him.

Jarod brought the kid into an abandoned building and proceeded to tie his arms and leggs together, making it almost impossible for the kid to move. Suddenly the boy began coming back into consciousness. Jarod had prepared for this and was now wearing a mask in order to cover the more visible parts of his face. The genius watched as the youth struggled to move, but he was unsuccessful in his attempts.

"Who the hell are you? What do you think you're doing to me?"

"Doesn't feel so good, now does it? You're at the mercy of someone else, not knowing what's going to happen...not knowing whether you're going to live or die."

"You can't do this to me! I don't know who the hell you are, but when I get out of this I'm going to make you wish you'd never even so much as looked at me!"

Jarod ignored the comment and grabbed at James's shirt. He grasped the boy's face and wrapped a cloth blindfold around his head, and tying it securely in a very strong knot at the back.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!"

"Only the same thing you did to Sandra Bradford. You attacked her after she left a party, and you raped her."

"No! That wasn't me! I was found not guilty of that. She's a lying little slut who probably didn't want to tell her parents she went out and screwed some guy after getting herself too damned drunk to remember his name."

Jarod was now very furious. "Oh come now, Mr. James, you couldn't stand the fact that Sandra Bradford rejected you. You attacked Sandra Bradford that night after the party because you were angry with her. You were angry with her for not giving in to your advances. You waited until she went to leave the party, and then you followed her. You followed her until she hit the ally. But she noticed someone was behind her, and that's when she started to run. Isn't it?"

Jarod advanced upon the kid once more, now having grabbed at his shoulders and pinning his struggling body down to the ground with his weight. James began to curse and try to fight back, but there wasn't much he could do with Jarod holding him down.

"Okay! I did it! I tried to get her to go out with me. I'd been drinking that night, and I got a little carried away with what I was saying to people at the party. Sandra didn't want any part of me or my pick-up lines, and she told me so right in front of my friends. I waited until she went to leave, and that's when I followed her out of the party. I knew what route she'd take home, so I followed her. When she saw that someone was following her she tried to run. I was faster and I caught up with her. I grabbed her and pinned her to the ground."

"And that's when you raped her wasn't it!" It wasn't a question but more like a statement. James' face seemed to lose all of its color and Jarod had to almost slap the kid to get him to answer. However, he never laid a hand on the boy. All it took was for Jarod to grasp the boy's shoulders and shake him just a little.

"Yes! I did it. I raped Sandra Bradford. Now, please let me go."

"I don't think so. You see, Seth, everything you've just said was caught on tape. And I'm very sure that the police would love to hear it, considering the fact that they're right outside."

"Noooo!" James's scream could be heard by the three officers waiting outside the building. As they went in and arrested the youth, Jarod handed one of the officers a tape recorder.

"I think you'll find this information quite interesting." Jarod said, and slipped past the other officers.

An abandoned building, Bolder, Colorado

Sydney looked at the woman, who by now was exhibiting all the classic signs of someone going through withdrawl. The shaking had become more and more violent, and her mood swings had not been very pleasant to endure. As Sydney watched Gloria Lawrence, he didn't notice that Parker had entered the room.

"The boyfriend cracked. He told us everything we wanted to know about the kid."

"So what do we do with them?"

"We hand them over to the authorities, but under the assumption that they murdered the kid. Since no one knows what really happened to the kid after she disappeared, it's safe to say that they killed her and got rid of the body."

Miss Parker stepped forward and grasped Gloria Lawrence's tightly cuffed wrists. She pulled hard on the cuffs until the woman had no other recourse but to follow her out of the room. Once the couple had been placed in the custody of the local authorities, Broots, Sydney, and Miss Parker headed back for the Center.

An hour later, Jarod and Amy were on their way out of San Francisco. Still driving the RV, they made their way across California. They didn't know where they'd be going next, but wherever it was, they were together and safe from the Center. As he drove, Jarod had an idea.

He retrieved his cellular from his pocket and dialed Miss Parker's cellphone. She picked up on the second ring with a very annoyed, "What!"

"Just calling to see how you made out this afternoon with your little project."

"They're in custody and charged with the murder of the girl. Other than that, there's not too much I can do."

"Thank you. Amy will really appreciate what you've done for her. I also appreciate what you have done. Your mother really would be very proud to see her daughter doing something good."

"I didn't do it for you, Jarod. I did it for Amy. As much as I don't like what's happened to either of you, I still have a job to do. And make no mistake, Jarod, I mean to Pursue you until I finally have captured you and brought you back to the Center."

"I wouldn't expect anything less than total dedication on your part, but there's something I think you should know."

"What?"

"I'm going to make it very difficult for you to find either of us, just as I always have."

The End