A Pretender fanfic
by Maggy
R/R e-mail: maggysfic (at) aol (dot) com
Please do not archive without permission
CHAPTER 5:
Sweeper Training
An hour later, Parker had put the Scotch away, jammed some clothes into an overnight bag and was heating a second pot of coffee when her doorbell rang.
"Oh, give me a break!" she exclaimed, once again wishing
for the familiar presence of her gun. "What the hell is it now?"
She caught her breath in surprise when she saw who it
was. He was probably the last person she'd expected.
"Broots? What are you doing here?"
Her habitually harrassed coworker seemed positively distraught.
"Miss Parker--" He glanced nervously over his shoulder.
"Out with it, Broots. Why did you drive all the way up here-- you could have called."
"Your cellphone is off, and your wire phone is off the hook." He walked over to the sofa table, and clicked the receiver against the switchook.
"Oh," she said, chagrined. She must have been even more rattled by Mr. Argyle's call than she'd realized. "What is it, Broots?"
"Lyle. And Mr. Raines."
"They paid me a visit at the crack of dawn yesterday in order to threaten me with a Tower investigation. Tell me something new."
Broots straighened his spine and met her eye directly. "OK, how's this? Your phone is tapped and they intercepted the call from Mr. Argyle."
She narrowed her eyes angrily. "Oh, they did, did they?"
"Oh, didn't they? Then I overheard Raines telling Lyle to intercept the package, too."
"Intercept? You mean, they're planning to send a sweeper team?"
Broots nodded. "Led by Lyle. Personally. Look, Ms. Parker, it's really too dangerous. Jarod is dead, and you don't know who this guy is-- but they do. They talked about him as if they knew him but didn't like him much. Kind of the way they talk about me."
"Their mistake," she said, flashing Broots an unintentional smile. She appreciated his driving so far out of his way to tell her. "You're right, Broots. It could be a trap. I know that. But it also could be real. You know the kind of people Jarod befriends-- remember Bernie and the Little King? The strange man on the phone could have some information about J-- about my mother."
The balding man heaved a sigh. "I figured you'd say that. So I brought you some other news. I guess we could call it 'good news' if we're talking about a bell curve."
"Thrill me."
"I don't think they know where you're going."
She looked up from checking the lock on her suitcase. "What?"
"They were trying to get Angelo to work his empathic mojo, and explain the message. I don't think they'll get much. He was pretty confused."
"What about-- Sydney?" Her voice caught on the question.
Broots dropped his gaze to the floor. "Syd's locked himself in the room on SL-9 with all the DSAs we've been able to recover."
Tears prickled at the back of her throat, but she ignored them. "I'll deal with Sydney when I get back, Broots."
She began pacing across the mahogany floor. "They didn't get it..." Her frown slowly became a beatific smile. "That means there's a chance--"
"You know what it means?"
"Of course I know what it means." She continued pacing. "Quiet a minute. I need to think... OK, Angelo will have to tell them. It's not his fault. They'll try to follow me, or maybe get there first, which means-- Broots, did you drive here in your own car?"
He nodded.
"Great. Would you drive me to the train station? Oh, and how much cash do you have with you? Let me just make one phone call--" She grabbed the wad of cash he pulled out of his pocket. "I'll write you a check. Cash it fast."
Miss Parker grabbed the phone, and dialed quickly. "I need to find out when the next train leaves Dover for Chicago," she said.
Broots began shaking his head in warning, then started waving his hands in little crawling motions she interpreted as bugs.
"Yes, thank you," she said, nodding and smiling at him. "And how much for the round-trip ticket? OK. I'll be there thirty minutes before departure." She gave her credit card and telephone numbers, then hung up.
"But, Miss Parker--" Broots was shaking as if he would burst. "You just--"
"I know, Broots. I know." She smiled. "I'll be ready in two minutes."