Thanks to Nancy, TKDgrl, Pez7701, SciFiColleen and gemini006007 for your kind words and encouragement. Again, this was only supposed to be a one chapter piece... but again this just kinda wrote itself.
Chapter Three: Picking Up On The Nerve
I walk slowly around the small house. There are no personal belongings, no evidence that our elusive pretender was ever here, apart from the pez dispenser which I managed to sneak into my poacket before anyone else noticed. The sweepers are congregating outside the house while Lyle storms about. I walk upstairs and into the master bedroom. Again there are very few personal touches, just standard household furniture, though it is more upmarket than Jarod's usual haunts. Looking out of the window I can see Lyle is attempting to gleen information from the neighbours. His skills as an interrogator are sadly lacking without his threats of violence, and The Centre will not permit him to use such force with the general public. They have no qualms with him using them on members of staff though. I am confident that he will not gain any useful information, people Jarod has met are usually reluctant to offer any assistance to his whereabouts.
Broots follows me into the room and stands beside me. I know he saw me take the pez dispenser and he will probably be worrying about it. These past two months have been very unsettling for him, since Miss Parker disappeared. They have been unsettling to us all. Miss Parker just didn't turn up for work one day and neither Broots or myself could contact her by phone. We covered her absence that first day and even went round to her house. There was no sign of a struggle and nothing seemed out of place. It was as if she had just vanished into thin air. Of course we couldn't make up excuses forever and a couple of days after she had disappeared all Hell broke loose when The Centre realised exactly what had transpired. Rianes was furious, I don't recall ever seeing him so angry. Broots and myself were subjected to a T board but of course we had no idea what had occurred. It was enough to set Broots off onto a path of constant panic. And we had now been re-assigned to work with Lyle on bringing back Jarod which didn't help Brootsin the least. It was Lyle's belief that his sister was shacked up with Jarod, and had even been helping him all these years. However we have found no evidence to support his theory.
I tended to agree with Lyle, though I would not be admitting that to him or to anyone else at The Centre. Jarod had contacted me about a week after she had disappeared and though he never said directly that she was with him, the tone of his voice and certain terms he used led me to believe she was. And I was glad. I myself had urged Miss Parker to leave The Centre several times to no avail. I just hoped that they would be safe and stay away from The Centre - even if it meant I would no longer see either of them.
"Sydney, if Lyle or any of the sweepers had seen you..."
"You worry too much Broots." I chuckle to myself as he shakes his head. Broots does not believe that Miss Parker is with Jarod - he firmly believes she hated his guts. I, on the other hand, never bought that act. She let him go as many times as I did - she just made a better show of it. I believe it's wishful thinking on Broots' part, I think he still has a bit of a crush on her.
"Uh- oh."
I glance at what Broots has seen and notice Lyle making his way back to the house. Some of the sweepers have already retreated back to the cars, it is obvious that the trail is cold. Lyle does not appear too happy. Broots and I make our way back downstairs and meet Lyle in the hall. "Any information on Jarod?" I ask hopefully. We all have appearances to uphold, after all.
"Nothing of any use, Jaord was here but he left a couple of days ago. Did his usual do gooder act by stopping a park being turned into a shopping mall. Let's go, the trail is dead." He snarls out his words and begins to head back to his car.
"Broots and I should stay behind and talk to the people he met - they may be able to help us." I want to talk to the neighbour myself. With this house being at the end of the road there is only one house close enough to this one to have noticed anything.
Lyle stops and turns back around to stare me down. "Fine. You can make your own way back. I want you both back at The Centre tomorrow and your report on my desk by 10 am." He walks back up to me until he is only a few inches from me. " I am not my sister, don't think you can pull one over on me. I want to know whatever you discover", with that he glares at me a while longer and then leaves. We watch the cars leave. I fear Lyle is feeling the pressure from Raines more acutely now that he has the sole responsibility of bringing Jarod back. And of course this obsession with finding his sister is adding fuel to that fire.
Broots gives me a withering look, I know he humours me at times but lately he lets me know I am pushing my luck. That we have to make our own way back to the airport will only add once more to his concern. I hope that by speaking to the neighbour I can put his mind to rest on one point. I knock lightly on the door, conscious of the fact that Lyle has already made a bad impression. The elderly lady answers the door and eyes us both suspiciously, I can only imagine what she thought of Lyle.
"Can I help you?" She asks nervously.
I put on my best 'concerned' face - though it's not much of a stretch, never has been. "Hello. My name is Sydney, this is my colleague Broots. We're trying to locate our friends." I take out the photos of Jarod and Miss Parker - the one I took from her Centre ID card. As the old lady scrutinises the photos Broots gives me another one of his looks, the one that tells me he does not think this will be worthwhile.
"I told your other colleague that Jarod left a couple of days ago", she finally answers as she hands the photos back over to me.
I smile at her, "Madam I do not care for my other colleague or what Jarod asked you to tell him. Quite frankly I hope he never catches up with either of my friends. I only want to know that they are together and that they are happy."
The old lady smiles at us both, as if we had passed some test. "Come on in. Jarod said you may come by, and that I could trust you both." She steps aside to let us in. "I just wanted to be sure myself that's all. Jarod was right about that Mr Lyle though, nasty piece of work. My name's Mrs Noble by the way", she continues as she follows us in to her house.
We sit ourselves down and politely accept her offer of refreshments. "So you want to know that they were happy? Well they seemed so to me. She's a beautiful lady that's for sure, though Jarod is a very handsome man as well. Yes they were a nice couple, kept to themselves mostly, think they worked from home. That Mr Lyle trying to tell me Jarod was a dangerous criminal!" She made a tutting sound at this and I quietly chuckled to myself for the second time that day, as I hear Broots almost choke on his drink. He really never believed Miss Parker was with Jarod.
"Mrs Noble, how long did they stay next door to you?" I ask as Broots finally quits coughing.
"Oh not long, Just over a month. As I said they kept to themselves mostly but once they heard about the park being demolished well, they jumped straight in. And were all thankful for it, especially the children. Lots of young families use those facilities. Shyed away from the publicity, though I can understand why now." If they were here for over a month that must mean that the other trails we've followed have been false. I begin to wonder if Jarod is calling in a few favours to get those leads set up.
"Mrs Noble thank you very much for your time", I say as I stand up. Broots follows my lead just about, I think he is still in shock.
"You're quite welcome Sydney. They wanted me to let you know, but only you mind." Mrs Noble sees us both to the door where we say our goodbyes. As it's such a fine day I suggest to Broots that we walk into the centre of town and pick up a cab there. He agrees with me half heartedly.
"I just can't believe she is with him. I always thought... well I mean she always gave the impression that..." Broots stops his stammering for a moment and gazes at me. I smile back at him. "You knew didn't you?" He asks.
We walk a few more feet before I reply. "No, I didn't know. I suspected that Miss Parker was in conflict, and probably denial, with her feelings. The act that she put on was a very good one and it kept her safe, though I don't believe it ever made her life any easier. But Broots, this stays between us, they obviously don't want The Centre to know."
"I know." We head down towards a park. "What do you think they will do? Miss Parker and Jarod - that's some combination."
Broots has a point. They are both extremely intelligent individuals, together they could be unstoppable. Part of me hopes that they won't attempt anything, that they will drop off The Centre radar for good and hopefully have the kind of life that they both deserve. Maybe that is what The Centre always feared. "I wonder indeed."
As we walk through the park I note the signs that have been torn down. This is the very park that they saved. Children are playing happily throughout, from the sandpit to the sports field. I am reminded of the pez dispenser in my pocket and pull it out for closer inspection. As I flip back the top there are no pez inside, but a folded piece of paper. I take it out and begin to unfold it.
"What does it say?" Aks Broots as we come to a halt. I can't help but smile as I recognise the writing, it's Miss Parker's. I read it out loud.
'Sorry I never got to say goodbye, but this isn't the end. Miss you both, MP.' We continue our journey back to The Centre, a little more apprehensively.
Chapter Three: Picking Up On The Nerve
I walk slowly around the small house. There are no personal belongings, no evidence that our elusive pretender was ever here, apart from the pez dispenser which I managed to sneak into my poacket before anyone else noticed. The sweepers are congregating outside the house while Lyle storms about. I walk upstairs and into the master bedroom. Again there are very few personal touches, just standard household furniture, though it is more upmarket than Jarod's usual haunts. Looking out of the window I can see Lyle is attempting to gleen information from the neighbours. His skills as an interrogator are sadly lacking without his threats of violence, and The Centre will not permit him to use such force with the general public. They have no qualms with him using them on members of staff though. I am confident that he will not gain any useful information, people Jarod has met are usually reluctant to offer any assistance to his whereabouts.
Broots follows me into the room and stands beside me. I know he saw me take the pez dispenser and he will probably be worrying about it. These past two months have been very unsettling for him, since Miss Parker disappeared. They have been unsettling to us all. Miss Parker just didn't turn up for work one day and neither Broots or myself could contact her by phone. We covered her absence that first day and even went round to her house. There was no sign of a struggle and nothing seemed out of place. It was as if she had just vanished into thin air. Of course we couldn't make up excuses forever and a couple of days after she had disappeared all Hell broke loose when The Centre realised exactly what had transpired. Rianes was furious, I don't recall ever seeing him so angry. Broots and myself were subjected to a T board but of course we had no idea what had occurred. It was enough to set Broots off onto a path of constant panic. And we had now been re-assigned to work with Lyle on bringing back Jarod which didn't help Brootsin the least. It was Lyle's belief that his sister was shacked up with Jarod, and had even been helping him all these years. However we have found no evidence to support his theory.
I tended to agree with Lyle, though I would not be admitting that to him or to anyone else at The Centre. Jarod had contacted me about a week after she had disappeared and though he never said directly that she was with him, the tone of his voice and certain terms he used led me to believe she was. And I was glad. I myself had urged Miss Parker to leave The Centre several times to no avail. I just hoped that they would be safe and stay away from The Centre - even if it meant I would no longer see either of them.
"Sydney, if Lyle or any of the sweepers had seen you..."
"You worry too much Broots." I chuckle to myself as he shakes his head. Broots does not believe that Miss Parker is with Jarod - he firmly believes she hated his guts. I, on the other hand, never bought that act. She let him go as many times as I did - she just made a better show of it. I believe it's wishful thinking on Broots' part, I think he still has a bit of a crush on her.
"Uh- oh."
I glance at what Broots has seen and notice Lyle making his way back to the house. Some of the sweepers have already retreated back to the cars, it is obvious that the trail is cold. Lyle does not appear too happy. Broots and I make our way back downstairs and meet Lyle in the hall. "Any information on Jarod?" I ask hopefully. We all have appearances to uphold, after all.
"Nothing of any use, Jaord was here but he left a couple of days ago. Did his usual do gooder act by stopping a park being turned into a shopping mall. Let's go, the trail is dead." He snarls out his words and begins to head back to his car.
"Broots and I should stay behind and talk to the people he met - they may be able to help us." I want to talk to the neighbour myself. With this house being at the end of the road there is only one house close enough to this one to have noticed anything.
Lyle stops and turns back around to stare me down. "Fine. You can make your own way back. I want you both back at The Centre tomorrow and your report on my desk by 10 am." He walks back up to me until he is only a few inches from me. " I am not my sister, don't think you can pull one over on me. I want to know whatever you discover", with that he glares at me a while longer and then leaves. We watch the cars leave. I fear Lyle is feeling the pressure from Raines more acutely now that he has the sole responsibility of bringing Jarod back. And of course this obsession with finding his sister is adding fuel to that fire.
Broots gives me a withering look, I know he humours me at times but lately he lets me know I am pushing my luck. That we have to make our own way back to the airport will only add once more to his concern. I hope that by speaking to the neighbour I can put his mind to rest on one point. I knock lightly on the door, conscious of the fact that Lyle has already made a bad impression. The elderly lady answers the door and eyes us both suspiciously, I can only imagine what she thought of Lyle.
"Can I help you?" She asks nervously.
I put on my best 'concerned' face - though it's not much of a stretch, never has been. "Hello. My name is Sydney, this is my colleague Broots. We're trying to locate our friends." I take out the photos of Jarod and Miss Parker - the one I took from her Centre ID card. As the old lady scrutinises the photos Broots gives me another one of his looks, the one that tells me he does not think this will be worthwhile.
"I told your other colleague that Jarod left a couple of days ago", she finally answers as she hands the photos back over to me.
I smile at her, "Madam I do not care for my other colleague or what Jarod asked you to tell him. Quite frankly I hope he never catches up with either of my friends. I only want to know that they are together and that they are happy."
The old lady smiles at us both, as if we had passed some test. "Come on in. Jarod said you may come by, and that I could trust you both." She steps aside to let us in. "I just wanted to be sure myself that's all. Jarod was right about that Mr Lyle though, nasty piece of work. My name's Mrs Noble by the way", she continues as she follows us in to her house.
We sit ourselves down and politely accept her offer of refreshments. "So you want to know that they were happy? Well they seemed so to me. She's a beautiful lady that's for sure, though Jarod is a very handsome man as well. Yes they were a nice couple, kept to themselves mostly, think they worked from home. That Mr Lyle trying to tell me Jarod was a dangerous criminal!" She made a tutting sound at this and I quietly chuckled to myself for the second time that day, as I hear Broots almost choke on his drink. He really never believed Miss Parker was with Jarod.
"Mrs Noble, how long did they stay next door to you?" I ask as Broots finally quits coughing.
"Oh not long, Just over a month. As I said they kept to themselves mostly but once they heard about the park being demolished well, they jumped straight in. And were all thankful for it, especially the children. Lots of young families use those facilities. Shyed away from the publicity, though I can understand why now." If they were here for over a month that must mean that the other trails we've followed have been false. I begin to wonder if Jarod is calling in a few favours to get those leads set up.
"Mrs Noble thank you very much for your time", I say as I stand up. Broots follows my lead just about, I think he is still in shock.
"You're quite welcome Sydney. They wanted me to let you know, but only you mind." Mrs Noble sees us both to the door where we say our goodbyes. As it's such a fine day I suggest to Broots that we walk into the centre of town and pick up a cab there. He agrees with me half heartedly.
"I just can't believe she is with him. I always thought... well I mean she always gave the impression that..." Broots stops his stammering for a moment and gazes at me. I smile back at him. "You knew didn't you?" He asks.
We walk a few more feet before I reply. "No, I didn't know. I suspected that Miss Parker was in conflict, and probably denial, with her feelings. The act that she put on was a very good one and it kept her safe, though I don't believe it ever made her life any easier. But Broots, this stays between us, they obviously don't want The Centre to know."
"I know." We head down towards a park. "What do you think they will do? Miss Parker and Jarod - that's some combination."
Broots has a point. They are both extremely intelligent individuals, together they could be unstoppable. Part of me hopes that they won't attempt anything, that they will drop off The Centre radar for good and hopefully have the kind of life that they both deserve. Maybe that is what The Centre always feared. "I wonder indeed."
As we walk through the park I note the signs that have been torn down. This is the very park that they saved. Children are playing happily throughout, from the sandpit to the sports field. I am reminded of the pez dispenser in my pocket and pull it out for closer inspection. As I flip back the top there are no pez inside, but a folded piece of paper. I take it out and begin to unfold it.
"What does it say?" Aks Broots as we come to a halt. I can't help but smile as I recognise the writing, it's Miss Parker's. I read it out loud.
'Sorry I never got to say goodbye, but this isn't the end. Miss you both, MP.' We continue our journey back to The Centre, a little more apprehensively.