The weekend rolled around. Jarod had two days off work at the logging camp. He hadn't gotten much further in his investigation. His prime suspect was Damon Markham, leader of the local chapter of Forest United. Jarod had checked Forest United's web site and discovered that the local group was meeting the following evening. He planned on attending that meeting. Markham was the obvious suspect. Almost too obvious, he thought. Could it be the environmentalists were being framed? He frowned, thinking about it.
Earlier in the week, Jarod had purchased a small television set with a VCR in it. He'd been putting it to use after work on the rare occasions when he wasn't working on the case. Littered around the TV were video tapes and their jackets. They all bore the words "Monty Python" on them.
Tomorrow, Jarod would investigate Forest United. Today, though, he would resume his cultural education. He thought about The Centre. He pictured Miss Parker's face when she'd gotten his package. They were all so predictable, he thought. Parker and Broots. Even Sydney. They really weren't much of a match for him. Dangerous, sure, but he was used to toying with them. Given the proper precautions, Jarod generally succeeded in playing his cat and mouse game with them most effectively.
Jarod had hacked into The Centre's computer systems yesterday and traced the searches they had run. It was just as he'd thought. Predictable.
Jarod picked out a tape and popped it in the VCR. He sat in the wooden chair next to his bed, leaned back and watched Monty Python. Jarod didn't leave his room that day, watching tape after tape of Monty Python episodes. His laughter filled the air as he watched the Parrot sketch. He guffawed heartily at the Mattress sketch. Jarod watched and rewatched his favorite sketch of all, the Lumberjack Sketch.
A young British man was talking about longing to be a lumberjack. At the word, lumberjack, Jarod grinned. The man was describing why he wished to change occupations from barber to lumberjack. Jarod found himself quite caught up in the man's description of the glamorous world of the lumberjack, which included leaping from tree to tree while floating down the rivers of British Columbia. The man was dressed as a lumberjack now, and there was a gleam in his eye. Suddenly he was singing.
Jarod cocked his head in interest as he listened to the song. A group of what looked like Canadian Mounties was singing in chorus, repeating the man's words.
I'm a lumberjack and I'm OK,
I sleep all night and I work all day
Jarod laughed as the song verses got stranger and stranger. Mrs. Fielding came up to check on him because she had heard his voice through the air vent. She found him embroiled in the Lumberjack sketch. "Have you seen this one, Mrs. Fielding?"
"Yes, I think so." She looked strangely at Jarod, who was sitting on the chair a few feet from the small television. He could hardly contain his laughter.
"I think this one is my favorite," he said. "Although I really like this one as well…" Jarod ejected the Lumberjack tape and put in a different one. He pushed the 'play' button and the World's Funniest Joke Sketch came up.
"Do you know, the funniest thing about this one is that most of the German words are complete gibberish. It isn't even really a joke! Did you know that? Isn't that amazing? Oh, and the one with the mafia trying to sell protection to the army. Have you ever seen that one? I have it right here. Should I play it for you?"
"No, dear. That's quite all right. Well, I'll just leave you now." Mrs. Fielding backed out of the room slowly, a strange expression on her face.
