The ringing of the phone almost caused him to jump out of his skin. He stared at the ringing phone, but didn't answer it.

"Daddy? Daddy, aren't you going to answer that?"

Broots looked at his daughter and swallowed. "Well, sweetheart, I'm just tired of being on the phone is all, and it is dinnertime..."

"Daddy..." Debbie picked up the phone. "Hello?"

There was silence for a moment, then a man's voice she didn't recognize. "Hello Miss Broots, is your father there?"

"Yes, just a moment please."

She handed the phone to her father who smiled unenthusiastically. "Hello?"

"Mr. Broots..."

"Are you crazy calling me here?" Broots noticed that his daughter was listening to him with great interest, so he moved into another room as he spoke. "What if this line's bugged?"

"I've taken care of any traces on my end. Look, Sydney's in trouble."

"Yeah, I know."

"You know what?"

"They planted a camera in Sydney's house and caught your conversation from last night with him on a digital feed."

Jarod frowned. "How did you find out about it?"

"There's this guy in fiber optics, his name's Gelil, he's this old guy who has a wooden leg..."

"A wooden leg..."

"Yeah, anyway, I was talking to him, and he happened to mention that some psychiatrist got nailed talking to a Centre fugitive after Gelil went to his house and laid out some lines. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who he was talking about..."

"Mr. Broots, I need your help. I need to get Sydney and Miss Parker out of the Centre, and I need to move tonight."

"Look, Jarod...I think the world of Sydney and Miss Parker..."

"But?"

Broots sighed deeply. "But I have a little girl who depends upon me to take care of her, and I'm going to pack her up tonight and leave town. So I'm really sorry, but I can't take a chance that they'll come after me or Debbie next."

Jarod pursed his lips, thinking, then said, "I do understand Mr. Broots. You're right to get out while you can."

"Will you be able to help them anyway?"

"I don't know, Mr. Broots, but I'm going to try."

Broots nodded and swallowed hard. "Jarod...if you get them out...well, when you get them out, tell them I'm sorry I couldn't stay, but I have to think of Debbie."

"I'll be sure and tell them."

"Good luck, Jarod."

"And to you, Mr. Broots."

Broots hung up the phone and wondered if Jarod would still want to help Sydney once he realized that Sydney sold him down the river to save Miss Parker. Broots then allowed himself to feel remorse over not helping Jarod for about ten seconds, then he went into the kitchen to get Debbie busy on the chore of packing.

Meanwhile, in his motel room across town, Jarod answered the second Centre email he had received, and hoped that Angelo would read it sooner rather than later...


Mr. Parker was tired, and thoroughly sick of the African climate. He couldn't help but wonder how long these damned Zulus were going to keep asking him the same damned questions over and over. In addition to feeling utterly bored, he couldn't stand the idea that Raines was back at the Centre, running things in his absence. He couldn't trust the man when he was right down the hall, much less half a world away. He knew that it had to have been Raines who put the doubt in the mind of the Triumvirate in the first place, because they kept asking him about his loyalty and the loyalty of his family to the Centre. It was preposterous really, that they could even question his loyalty at this late date in his service; but here he was, answering questions about the chase for Jarod, and defending his "misjudgment" in having his daughter and Sydney on the search team. Deep down Mr. Parker had a sinking feeling that he didn't have all the pieces to this little puzzle, but he also knew he wasn't going to have them any time soon.

His cell phone rang for the first time in days, and it startled him. "Yes?"

"Mr. Parker..."

"Jarod? Jarod, you've got some nerve calling me!"

If he hadn't been so pressed for time, Jarod would have at least laughed at the bellowing tone of Parker's voice, but time was of the essence. "I'm in Blue Cove, and we've got a big problem."

Parker almost dropped the phone. "And you expect me to believe you?"

"Yes. And if I were you, I'd be on the next flight back if you want to save your daughter, in addition to your own ass..."

Parker gripped the phone tighter. "What in the hell are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the fact that Lyle is holding Miss Parker against her will at the Centre, and Sydney too. Raines is well on his way to a coup d'etat."

He could feel Parker's body tense through the phone line. "Ridiculous. I would know about such a thing. One of my Sweepers would have called me if my daughter was in danger."

"I had to circumvent the block that the Centre's put on your incoming cell calls...I'm guessing I'm the first call you've had all week."

"That son of a bitch."

"I think you're beginning to get the picture..."