CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Accompanied by the police, Jarod and Miss Parker took the children to San Pedro Children's Hospital, which considering the size of the town, was not very large. They told MacLean to watch for Lambourni and the bunch. They would be coming in later today and afterwards, they'd all take off for Los Angeles.
The Sedonas called their director and then told Miss Parker,
"He's agreed to do the torture scene in Los Angeles just before the Regetta takes off," said Anna.
"That's very reassuring."
"It's not so bad. I just pretend that I'm trying to keep from screaming. It's not like in those video games where she sounds like a poor little girl being beset by older brothers instead of a woman who can take on the world."
"I'd like to see the movie when it comes out."
"As long as you don't let the children see it, Lady Angela."
Jarod read the names, noticing that one of the doctors on staff was a Dr. Colby alias Dr. Cox, but he did not want to inform Miss Parker's not yet. Besides, he was concerned about the children. Lady M would have made sure that she cut an artery when she slit Jeremiah's and Adrian's throats.
They stood aside as the police brought in Lady M's body along with John who made a credible testimony as to "this crazed woman trying to kill the children and when she thought she succeeded, she turned on me. I had to defend myself."
Since Lady M did look as if she was going after the photographer, her eyes crazed with what they assumed was insanity, that explanation took, although they could not explain those teeth marks and cuts until Miss Parker said, "the children were trying to defend themselves. You know how children that age bite. Some of you have kids in nursery school or in daycare."
The nurses whispered among themselves and one of them recalled an incident when the day care provider called her to say her daughter bit another playmate and she did not believe it then, but now on considering, it was probably true.
"The doctor will see you now," she said and led them into the examining room where the pediatrician on duty checked each child over careful, shining a light in their eyes to test for their reaction, using a small rubber hammer to see the speed of their reflexes, and asking them simple questions. The tests came up positive. They were normal five year olds and two year olds (or so it seemed to them and neither, Miss Parker and Jarod were going to tell them their real ages.).
It did not matter that Miss Parker and Jarod told them their marriage date. Couples often lived together, according to him, for some years, before tying the knot.
He said, "Count yourself lucky. It's a miracle the younguns survived." The doctor was one of those unsophisticated country types that Jarod was usually around on his runs and who usually started to talking to the Three Sto— Miss Parker and Company about "Jarod would just stare at the TV set for hours at a time" or other such nonsense. "The knife must've slipped. Anyway, they're young and kids that age heal quickly. I remember—"
"We'd like a second opinion," said Jarod who looked sideways at Miss Parker who was reaching down to take off one of her high heels. .
"And we'd like to see Dr. Grayne," said John and told the parents, "He's one of us."
"Well Dr. Grayne doesn't handle that sort of thing. He's a neurosurgeon."
"Or perhaps a Dr. Colby. He's an obstetrician and he could help," said Jarod.
The doctor's eyes widened as he pointed his right index finger in the air. "Ah so he's your children's doctor. Just a minute, I'll see if he's in."
Jarod did not want to correct him.
Ten minutes later, Cox rushed in, having heard most of the story. "Mrs. Angela," he said, looking at his watch, "You missed your appointment yesterday."
"The flight was late. We didn't get in until this morning and we were just about to call you when —they tried to kill the kids."
"Some crazy woman. Luckily two of the police were there," said the main doctor, "The Angelas figured since you're their doctor, but I don't understand, you've only been here less than a month."
"We knew one another back East," said Jarod.
"Ah so you looked him up and he agreed. I already examined the kids, Colby, what more can you do?"
"I'll have to see if there's is a slightest case of brain damage and for that, I'll need an expert in that field."
Dr. Grayne took all the children in, closed the door, and did various tests to determine their mental capacity. He did not permit the parents to come in, since the woman would not understand. Meanwhile, Miss Parker and Jarod paced or sat in the waiting room, while John got on his cell phone, trying to find a way to Los Angeles and his sister washed off her makeup since the torture scene would have to be done later.
"If the children are harmed in any way," said Jarod, "I'll make sure they pay." He glared at Sam who just stood there, not saying a word and probably thought, he looks strong enough to have taken on Raines and Mr. Parker single-handed, so why didn't he? Of course, Jarod knew the reason. Raines made sure there were plenty of sweepers around him and Mr. Parker had been guarded in the Tower.
John and Anna were not cordial towards Sam either. However, their reasons, especially John's was not because of Sam being a Centre Sweeper, but Sam just happened to mention on the drive to the hospital, that he went to work for Miss Parker after he left the Army and part of John's cover as a chameleon was to join the Air force. The photographer considered the Army just cleaned up things after the Air Force finished bombing out the opposition.
"I wonder what branch of the service Lambourni belongs to?" asked Miss Parker, "I presume the Air Force like your father."
"I checked his records. He's a Navy pilot, Top Gun. I found out that when I investigated that cop he's friends with. He was in the Navy as well, but quit to join the force, Miss Parker. Usually when you join a particular branch of the service, you enter an exclusive club. The Air Force does things a bit different then the Navy, the Navy than the Marines. Although I heard once that one of John's brothers or sisters did marry into a Navy family."
"That would cause a lot of problems," said Miss Parker.
Jarod sat down, feeling rather low, and probably being very lonely which, considering how the Centre had raised him, was only natural. You did not come from being isolated most of your life with just one person in charge of you, a person who told you that he would take care of you, but you definitely was not his son. And if an organization made you feel your only purpose was to serve them, even without saying anything, you were more inclined to help people than having the proper balance.
"So what's wrong with you, Jarod?"
"What do you think?"
"You do know the situation. As soon as we get back, I'll arrange it so your father and your sister come to see us. However, it appears your kind have a very strict sense of social behavior and your father did not have that mark on him. It might have been developed later."
"Probably they tattooed them and tattoos can be removed or perhaps they felt the Neogeneis would be enough." He was starting to feel a little better, knowing that he would see his father, Major Charles and possibly the clone that it appeared everyone called Gemini or Gem for short. "Gemini should have a name."
"By the time Gemini was created, my mother had helped the others escape so being only one Pretender supposedly, the Centre thought naming him would be irrelevant. But," she thought for a moment, "that doesn't explain Gino, Giuseppe, Mark, and the others.
"Well," said Jarod with a smile, "the Centre had to keep their visitors from knowing that they did not get a wage or salary and I don't think Gino would have liked it if Cox hollered, 'Hey you, drive me to the hospital and step on it.'"
The door opened. "Ah here's the doctor now."
"No permanent brain damage," said Grayne. "The shoe polish will come off with this." He handed a tube to Miss Parker. "And the hair will grow out."
Patricia did look a little funny
They left the hospital and went to the police station where they made their report. It was a good thing that Sam was a witness and it was a good thing that John and Anna kept a close eye on him so he told the truth.
"Lady M or Margaret that's what we call her," he said as the desk sergeant filled out the report.
"Her full name please."
"I don't know."
"It's probably in her purse," said Jarod pointing to it.
A policewoman picked it up and taking out the driver's license handed it to the sergeant who filled in the information and then called in the detectives who separated each one of them so they would not try to alibi each other.
"You realize," said Jarod, "that Sam's going to lie."
"I don't know that. Besides I will tell the truth. I doubt that Sam would tell about the Centre without implicating himself."
"In here Ma'am," said a detective and took Miss Parker in another room.
Jarod got up from his seat, and went over to the woman who was looking after the children. She made a motion to tell him to get back, but he refused.
"Daddy," said Patricia and the others started fussing. Jeremiah was yelling at the woman, calling her a child stealer. .
Jarod grabbed them from her arms and said, "Don't you dare take them to Protective Services."
The woman went over to the desk sergeant who told her that Detective Andrews was still questioning their mother and "We have to put them somewhere."
"It's your own fault," he said, "thinking every child is in trouble." He bent down and said to the children. "How'd you like to go with Officer Smith and Officer Valquez?. They'll bring you back after the nice Detectives talk to your Daddy."
Office Smith was a pleasant looking woman with rather mousy hair and a nice smile while Office Valquez looked as if she would not take any nonsense. The children studied her, studied Smith, and probably figured that they had better be careful.
"I don't want any running off, no breaking things, no hiding. There are very bad people in here and they hate little children. Understand?"
Five little faces nodded severely and followed them to the room where they kept toys and books to keep little visitors occupied.
Five minutes later, a Detective led Jarod to one room and heard his story.
"I was just coming back from the Theater Company where I met some acquaintances. I started to go past this house, Dr. Colby's, although I did not know it at the time. I recognized a young woman, his wife, someone I knew back in Delaware."
"Go on."
He told how he talked to Dr. Colby, how when he left, someone threw something on the porch, and the police mistook him for the culprit. He told how he rushed in just in time to see Patricia on the floor. The detective listened, and as the other detectives did with the others, tried to trip him up, getting him to say the story again.
"All right what story do you want me to say and don't say the truth, because that is exactly what happened. I'm not going to lie to you and say that I shoved Lady M against my own children so that she took something, a hat pin and attacked them by mistake." Jarod got up from his chair, went over to the locked door. It was easy for a Dominant to break the lock inside and that is what he did.
No one believed the detective that this man broke the door, stating that it needed repairs and the locks were defective.
The chief of detectives came to Jarod's interrogator and after talking for a while, said, "You're free to go except you." He pointed to Sam. "I don't want any more opinions. I want the facts."
An hour later, they were on their way. "I told you he'd lie," said Jarod.
Miss Parker nodded and went over to Sam, giving him the goods on the change of the Centre, telling him that Jarod was no longer a problem. The Centre had made a mistake in keeping him isolated after he became a teenager, and that the Centre wasted thousands of dollars (or did she say one hundred thousands of dollars) grabbing those children when they could have produced their own Pretenders. In other words, he would not have tried to escape (which was a lie, but she did not tell Sam that.)
Jarod assumed she kept the part about the destroyed embryos a secret. No! She's going to tell him.
Sam did not say a word, but got into the driver's seat. "Where to?"
"The airport," said Miss Parker, "we've got to get to Los Angeles. Adrian stop fighting with your brother!"
"Okay."
It looked like it was going to be a long drive.
