After All This Time- - Chapter 7
Jarod's fingers traced the letters of Angelo's e-mail. "This can't be."
Parker pursed her lips and reach up and squeezed Jarod's hand. "I'm sorry."
Luckily for the two of them Emily, Zoe, Charles, Ethan, and Jay had gone back into town so Parker and Jarod had a chance to grasp this revelation first.
Jarod took a deep breath and began to read. "Memo. Dated January 17, 1954. To the Chairman. Mr. Chairman I strongly disagree with your actions with the children. When I developed Project Pretender I had no idea of the repercussions that would ensue. I cannot stand by and let you twist and turn the talents of these gifted young children. I have attached to this memo the resignation of my position. If you have any questions contact me. Signed Madame Director. Margaret…. Raines."
Parker's hand fluttered up to her mouth. "I think I'm going to be sick." A thought occurred to Parker, "Raines is adopted. Do you think… Do you think your mother was adopted into the Raines' family? Like… like Raines was?"
Jarod didn't know. "I sure hope to something along those lines."
The group came crashing in. Seeing their solemn faces Charles asked, "What's the matter."
In a grim voice Parker re-read the memo. When she was finished she saw Emily crying, Ethan's eyes as big as saucers, Zoe's confused expression, Jay's look of concern, and Charles' look of utter amazement. "Well?"
"This doesn't make any sense!" Charles cried. "For starters Margaret's last name wasn't Raines, the Centre would never just let them leave, and I'd known Margaret since 1952. Two YEARS."
Parker shrugged, "That doesn't mean anything. She could have easily changed her last name to hide any trail to the Centre and I lived with Tommy for several months and he never knew what I did."
"But you were in Blue Cove." Charles argued.
Jarod shrugged, "Where did you meet her?"
"Dover Town." Jarod and Parker exchanged a glance. "Does that mean something to the two of you?"
"Everything means something." Jarod said.
Parker gave him a small nod. "A lot of our answers came from Dover Town. Mr. Fenigor's money was transferred there, my mother's safe deposit box was found there as well. Do you think our answer's may lie in Dover Town?"
Jarod shrugged, "Possibly. There's only one way to find out."
"Jarod you can't be serious about going to Delaware?" Zoe cried, "Those people, the Centre, they'll catch you!"
Parker shook her head, "I won't let them. I won't try to stop Jarod because I know I can't."
Charles gave a deep sigh, "I doubt you'll find much. The Centre has a knack for destroying things."
"We have to give it a try." Parker insisted.
And Jarod agreed.
***
The landed in Dover Town the following day. Parker rung her hands, "Jarod I'm frightened as to what we'll find."
Jarod agreed and clasp her hands, "Well I'm 100 percent sure that we are not related."
Parker nodded. "As am I. But still…"
"Come on. We're here to search for answers and answer's we shall find."
Their first stop was the hall of records. "Do you have any information at all on a Margaret Raines?" Jarod asked the lady.
"Date of birth?"
"Um…" Jarod exchanged a look with Parker, "We're not sure. We know it's before 1954."
The lady made a rude sounding noise, "Then you're out of luck."
"Why's that?" Parker asked.
"All of our records were destroyed in a fire in the fall of '96."
Parker and Jarod exchanged another look. "August. Correct?" Parker asked
"How'd you know?"
"Just a guess." Parker replied dryly, "Have you restored any of the records?"
"Most of them. However, they mostly contain things form the early 70s on. Nothing any earlier than 1965."
Parker sighed, "A dead end." Jarod started to agree and then stopped. "What is it? Parker asked.
"When I put that information out on the 'Net someone inside the Centre responded. Remember?"
Parker did remember. She remembered shooting at Jarod and then setting that piece of information on fire. "You think that we might be able to find more information?"
Jarod shrugged, "Lets head back to the hotel and see if Angelo sent us anything more."
And Angelo did send them something more. But not in an e-mail. In a package. Jarod picked it up and took it up to the room. "Angelo knows where we are?" Parker asked, "How?"
Jarod shrugged, "How does Angelo know anything he knows."
For him Parker had no answer, "Well lets see what else he has for us."
Jarod opened it up and inside found one DSA. Parker shrugged and got out the DSA player. "Well let's go then."
Jarod plopped in the DSA and let it play:
Margaret stood, arms crossed, in front of Mr. Parker. "I cannot believe what you are doing with these children! These actions are immoral and purely wrong!"
The camera focused on the people in the room. Mr. Parker, Mr. Raines, Margaret, Catherine, and… Sydney!?
"Sydney knew my mother?" Jarod cried.
"Margaret calm down." The man said.
"Jacob I will not calm down!"
Jarod and Parker gave a small sigh of relief.
"And you're one to talk you brought them here!"
Jacob glared at the director. "All I did was do what I was told! I brought them from Angel Manor to the Centre. Where they came from before was none of by business."
"Margaret you can't be serious about leaving us, can you?" Mr. Parker asked from the desk.
Margaret raised her head, "James I think you know that I am QUITE serious."
Raines spoke up from his spot in the corner, "Margaret you can't leave. It just wouldn't work out. You'd never survive in the outside world."
Margaret glared at him, "Aunt and Uncle trained me very well. They built you to for the Centre. Not me. I was made for the outside world." Raines glared at Margaret but she continued, "Your parents- - adoptive parents- -, my aunt and uncle, trained me not to live this life and here I am anyway! No thank you."
Catherine gave the woman a reassuring smile, "Don't worry. There are plenty of things out there for you. Enjoy life while you can."
Mr. Parker crossed his arms, "I still don't agree with this."
"James, William, please give me your blessing. I will go without it but only if I have to."
William Raines closed his eyes, "I never could say no to you. Go."
James Parker clasped his hands together, "You have my blessing."
And it ended there. Parker and Jarod sat back in stunned amazement, "Well that explains that."
Jarod shrugged, "If only I knew something more."
Parker glanced over at him, "We'll know soon." Parker picked up her cell phone and dialed Sydney's number, "Sydney are you there?"
"Parker? Thank god you're all right."
Parker kept it short, "Sydney I need to know everything about Jacob's time at the Centre."
"Why?"
"We believe he was closely tied with Jarod's mother."
"We?"
"Jarod and I."
"Your with Jarod?"
Parker nodded even though she knew Sydney couldn't see her, "Yes. Send it to Jarod's secure e-mail."
"Parker-" Sydney began but she hung up.
Sydney stared at the dead phone in her hands, "He really is wearing off on her."
NOTE: Review, review, review! Thank you.
Jarod's fingers traced the letters of Angelo's e-mail. "This can't be."
Parker pursed her lips and reach up and squeezed Jarod's hand. "I'm sorry."
Luckily for the two of them Emily, Zoe, Charles, Ethan, and Jay had gone back into town so Parker and Jarod had a chance to grasp this revelation first.
Jarod took a deep breath and began to read. "Memo. Dated January 17, 1954. To the Chairman. Mr. Chairman I strongly disagree with your actions with the children. When I developed Project Pretender I had no idea of the repercussions that would ensue. I cannot stand by and let you twist and turn the talents of these gifted young children. I have attached to this memo the resignation of my position. If you have any questions contact me. Signed Madame Director. Margaret…. Raines."
Parker's hand fluttered up to her mouth. "I think I'm going to be sick." A thought occurred to Parker, "Raines is adopted. Do you think… Do you think your mother was adopted into the Raines' family? Like… like Raines was?"
Jarod didn't know. "I sure hope to something along those lines."
The group came crashing in. Seeing their solemn faces Charles asked, "What's the matter."
In a grim voice Parker re-read the memo. When she was finished she saw Emily crying, Ethan's eyes as big as saucers, Zoe's confused expression, Jay's look of concern, and Charles' look of utter amazement. "Well?"
"This doesn't make any sense!" Charles cried. "For starters Margaret's last name wasn't Raines, the Centre would never just let them leave, and I'd known Margaret since 1952. Two YEARS."
Parker shrugged, "That doesn't mean anything. She could have easily changed her last name to hide any trail to the Centre and I lived with Tommy for several months and he never knew what I did."
"But you were in Blue Cove." Charles argued.
Jarod shrugged, "Where did you meet her?"
"Dover Town." Jarod and Parker exchanged a glance. "Does that mean something to the two of you?"
"Everything means something." Jarod said.
Parker gave him a small nod. "A lot of our answers came from Dover Town. Mr. Fenigor's money was transferred there, my mother's safe deposit box was found there as well. Do you think our answer's may lie in Dover Town?"
Jarod shrugged, "Possibly. There's only one way to find out."
"Jarod you can't be serious about going to Delaware?" Zoe cried, "Those people, the Centre, they'll catch you!"
Parker shook her head, "I won't let them. I won't try to stop Jarod because I know I can't."
Charles gave a deep sigh, "I doubt you'll find much. The Centre has a knack for destroying things."
"We have to give it a try." Parker insisted.
And Jarod agreed.
***
The landed in Dover Town the following day. Parker rung her hands, "Jarod I'm frightened as to what we'll find."
Jarod agreed and clasp her hands, "Well I'm 100 percent sure that we are not related."
Parker nodded. "As am I. But still…"
"Come on. We're here to search for answers and answer's we shall find."
Their first stop was the hall of records. "Do you have any information at all on a Margaret Raines?" Jarod asked the lady.
"Date of birth?"
"Um…" Jarod exchanged a look with Parker, "We're not sure. We know it's before 1954."
The lady made a rude sounding noise, "Then you're out of luck."
"Why's that?" Parker asked.
"All of our records were destroyed in a fire in the fall of '96."
Parker and Jarod exchanged another look. "August. Correct?" Parker asked
"How'd you know?"
"Just a guess." Parker replied dryly, "Have you restored any of the records?"
"Most of them. However, they mostly contain things form the early 70s on. Nothing any earlier than 1965."
Parker sighed, "A dead end." Jarod started to agree and then stopped. "What is it? Parker asked.
"When I put that information out on the 'Net someone inside the Centre responded. Remember?"
Parker did remember. She remembered shooting at Jarod and then setting that piece of information on fire. "You think that we might be able to find more information?"
Jarod shrugged, "Lets head back to the hotel and see if Angelo sent us anything more."
And Angelo did send them something more. But not in an e-mail. In a package. Jarod picked it up and took it up to the room. "Angelo knows where we are?" Parker asked, "How?"
Jarod shrugged, "How does Angelo know anything he knows."
For him Parker had no answer, "Well lets see what else he has for us."
Jarod opened it up and inside found one DSA. Parker shrugged and got out the DSA player. "Well let's go then."
Jarod plopped in the DSA and let it play:
Margaret stood, arms crossed, in front of Mr. Parker. "I cannot believe what you are doing with these children! These actions are immoral and purely wrong!"
The camera focused on the people in the room. Mr. Parker, Mr. Raines, Margaret, Catherine, and… Sydney!?
"Sydney knew my mother?" Jarod cried.
"Margaret calm down." The man said.
"Jacob I will not calm down!"
Jarod and Parker gave a small sigh of relief.
"And you're one to talk you brought them here!"
Jacob glared at the director. "All I did was do what I was told! I brought them from Angel Manor to the Centre. Where they came from before was none of by business."
"Margaret you can't be serious about leaving us, can you?" Mr. Parker asked from the desk.
Margaret raised her head, "James I think you know that I am QUITE serious."
Raines spoke up from his spot in the corner, "Margaret you can't leave. It just wouldn't work out. You'd never survive in the outside world."
Margaret glared at him, "Aunt and Uncle trained me very well. They built you to for the Centre. Not me. I was made for the outside world." Raines glared at Margaret but she continued, "Your parents- - adoptive parents- -, my aunt and uncle, trained me not to live this life and here I am anyway! No thank you."
Catherine gave the woman a reassuring smile, "Don't worry. There are plenty of things out there for you. Enjoy life while you can."
Mr. Parker crossed his arms, "I still don't agree with this."
"James, William, please give me your blessing. I will go without it but only if I have to."
William Raines closed his eyes, "I never could say no to you. Go."
James Parker clasped his hands together, "You have my blessing."
And it ended there. Parker and Jarod sat back in stunned amazement, "Well that explains that."
Jarod shrugged, "If only I knew something more."
Parker glanced over at him, "We'll know soon." Parker picked up her cell phone and dialed Sydney's number, "Sydney are you there?"
"Parker? Thank god you're all right."
Parker kept it short, "Sydney I need to know everything about Jacob's time at the Centre."
"Why?"
"We believe he was closely tied with Jarod's mother."
"We?"
"Jarod and I."
"Your with Jarod?"
Parker nodded even though she knew Sydney couldn't see her, "Yes. Send it to Jarod's secure e-mail."
"Parker-" Sydney began but she hung up.
Sydney stared at the dead phone in her hands, "He really is wearing off on her."
NOTE: Review, review, review! Thank you.