Disclaimer : The Pretender is sole property of NBC and MTM, is used totally without permission and will be returned is a similar condition to the one in which they were taken, save for a few bumps and scratches.

Title - Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder But Does Familiarity Breed Contempt?
Author - KB
E-mail address - gekbruce@melbpc.org.au
Rating - PG
Category - Drama
Series/Sequel - Nope
Spoilers - N/A
Summary - Miss Parker has been injured. Will Jarod help her?

"Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder But Does Familiarity Breed Contempt …?"
By KB

Jarod stood, shocked, as Miss Parker and several sweepers burst into his room. Miss Parker wore a satisfied smirk as she rounded him up, letting no-one else touch him. This would show her father just how important his son had been in the capture. Finally, after the long months which she had had to endure, working with her brother, she had won! The sense of triumph was all the greater because of the knowledge that Lyle, presently, was a long way away - too far away to interfere.

The group manoeuvred out into the hall and Miss Parker’s smile dropped from her face. Somehow Lyle had returned and now stood, flanked by several more sweepers, blocking the stairs to the roof, where the Centre helicopter was stationed. He leered at her.

"Hello, Sis. Thought you might need some help with Grease-Boy here. [to Jarod, who was carrying his case] Always slipping through our fingers, weren’t you? Well, that ends right now!"

"Who sent you? I thought you were - well I didn’t really worry but how did you -"

"Tut, tut Sis. Daddy sent me. For some strange reason he has doubts as to your abilities to keep a tight hold on our runaway. So I came to make sure you didn’t stuff up again."

"Well it was very nice of you to care and all that but I’ve got him now so if you’ll just get out of the way…"

"Sorry Sis. No can do. Daddy’s orders." Lyle moved towards Miss Parker and stood between her and Jarod. The argument was so intense that all of the sweepers had moved back behind Miss Parker and now stood silently as the twins faced each other. Jarod, on the other hand, took advantage of the tense atmosphere to try and edge away. As he reached the stairs leading to the roof, Miss Parker finally noticed him.

With a yell of fury, she lunged forward and aimed at him. Lyle moved to try and restrain her, reaching for his own weapon at the same time. However, during the course of the day, his gun holster had moved around his waist and, in trying to get his gun, he was thrown off balance. As Miss Parker pulled the trigger, Lyle stumbled into the path of the bullet.

At the same time Willie the sweeper aimed at Jarod’s retreating back and also fired. However the movement of another sweeper behind him knocked him off balance and he stumbled and fell. The bullet from Willie’s gun entered Miss Parker’s left lower leg as a red flower of blood appeared on Lyle’s chest. They both collapsed on the ground, Lyle silently and Miss Parker with a scream of pain. In the following momentary silence a helicopter could be heard taking off from the roof overhead.

One sweeper ran towards the roof while the others went to help Miss Parker and Lyle. However it was quickly obvious that little could be done for Lyle. He was covered in a sheet from Jarod’s bed and taken up to the other Centre helicopter, which had brought Lyle and the others to the lair in the first place. After almost half an hour Miss Parker, having been bandaged up, was also carried out to the waiting helicopter. She was laid on one of the three rows of seats and the chopper lifted off the roof.

***

That night Jarod called Sydney at his home.

"How is she?"

"She’s fine now but she needed a blood transfusion by the time they got her to the infirmary. The sweepers had no idea how to treat the wound and bandaged it too loosely. She was unconscious by the time they arrived. Do you know…Lyle’s dead?"

"Of course. Who do you think is doing the autopsy?"

"Jarod, for God’s…how did you weasel your way into that one?"

"I’m a Pretender, remember? Anyway, you always taught me to believe that I could do anything I wanted to. Besides, I had some things I wanted to find out. You’re in for some surprises soon. Enjoy."

Sydney was left holding the phone in stunned amazement as Jarod hung up on him.

***

It was midnight when Jarod entered the infirmary. Dressed in a white medical gown, the nurse on duty saw no reason to question him after asking him to sign the register. He complied and moved towards Miss Parker’s private room. She lay in the high, white bed. Although her eyes were closed, Jarod could tell that she was not asleep. He entered the room with his head bowed but her eyes flew open as he walked across the threshold and closed the door.

"You’ve got nerve, coming here like this" she hissed at him as he sat down beside her.

"I always have a reason for coming back and, tonight, my reason is you" he stated quietly.

"What do you mean?"

"Of course, you know Lyle’s dead."

"Well, I know I shot my brother, if that’s what you’re suggesting. But I feel absolutely no remorse. Anyway, it’s your fault! If you hadn’t been trying to escape, I wouldn’t have shot him."

"If you’re trying to find someone to blame then you do feel remorse. It’s a classic symptom. But you didn’t listen to me. I didn’t say you shot your brother. I said you shot Mr Lyle. They are not necessarily synonymous, you know."

"What do you…"

"This week I’m a coroner. I performed the autopsy on ‘your brother’. I also happen to know that your blood type…[Jarod moved to the end of the bed and pulled out Miss Parker’s medical file]…is B positive. Lyle’s, on the other hand, is A negative. Consequently…"

"We’re not…" In her excitement Miss Parker tried to sit bolt upright in bed but was firmly restrained by Jarod.

"Sudden movements are not healthy to a person in your state. Yes, Lyle is not your brother."

"Then does that mean…?"

Jarod spoke quietly. "Angelo…Timmy…is your twin brother."

Miss Parker sat silent for a moment, absorbing the information. Jarod once more took the seat beside the bed and waited for her to speak . The silence was eventually broken by Miss Parker.

"Were the tests wrong?"

"No. Not wrong. Tampered with. Lyle, wanting to get involved with the bigwigs from the Centre and have a regular source of income, got one of the many connections he has…had…here to make the swap. He needed money to pay of the Yakuza and, as he has tried to do in the past, wanted to sponge off the Centre. And so he got his foot in the door. The rest, as they say, is history." Jarod stood and moved towards the door. Then he turned and tossed a folder onto Miss Parker’s bed.

"There’s your proof. By the way, I wouldn’t show that to ‘Daddy’ without making a few copies if I were you. The information might suddenly ‘disappear’ before you can use it. ‘Daddy’s’ planning a big funeral to commemorate the wonderful life his ‘son’ lived."

Jarod slipped through the door and down the hallway before Miss Parker could think of a response. She lay back against the pillows and thought over what he had told her. Somehow it didn’t occur to her to question him - she accepted the information automatically. Carefully stowing the information into the only lockable drawer in the room over which she had control, she returned the key to its hiding place and lay down. Although she had doubted the possibility, sleep came quickly and she slept, undisturbed, until the breakfast trays rattled down the hall.

***

The next morning Miss Parker sat and stared out of the window. Her good leg was bent up under the bandaged one but painkillers prevented her from feeling the discomfort this caused her. A tap at the door made her turn fearfully to it and she sighed with relief when Sydney’s familiar face appeared above the large bunch of flowers he held. He smiled at her and, grateful not to see her father, she smiled back. Sydney walked into the room and placed the flowers on the tray over the bed. Then he sat on the seat which, the previous night, Jarod had occupied. The memory of that conversation made Miss Parker fidget uneasily in the bed.

"Good morning. How’s the patient today?"

"Good, Syd. How are you?"

"I’m well. How did you sleep, okay?"

"When I finally did sleep, really well. Syd, I have something to show you. Can you shut - and lock - the door?"

Sydney complied and sat down again. He waited for her to say something but, for once in her life, Miss Parker was finding that what she wanted to say wouldn’t come out properly. Eventually she reached over and, opening the drawer, took out the envelope that Jarod had given her and handed it to Sydney. In the silence of the room he eased it open and drew out the paper that it contained. The silence continued while he read what it said.

"How did you find out about this?"

"Jarod told me."

"He was here?"

"Last night. He…"

"I know. He told me to expect surprises and I figured they would occur here."

Neither person paid any attention to anything except their conversation and the window-cleaner, moving long, brown hair out of his face, grinned as he listened through the open window.

"I hate to say this Parker but it’s not normal for you to accept anything like this so quietly. I mean…"

The eyes of the window-cleaner lit up in amusement as Miss Parker struggled to think of an answer. He reached a hand out towards the window but stopped and drew back, deciding not to make them aware of his presence yet. However he did remove the cap he wore and the long locks went with it, revealing his customary, short hairstyle. He ran his fingers through his hair and continued to listen to Miss Parker.

"I understand what you mean but - the proof’s all there. I mean, that’s what he gave me last night."

"But even so…"

There was a lull which the person outside decided to put an end to. He opened the window and swung himself into the room, looking up to meet the startled eyes of the two occupants. He grinned at them as he settled himself on the ledge.

"Jarod, how did you…"

"Jarod, what are you…"

The two questions came simultaneously and Jarod put his hands up to cover his ears.

"Whoa, one at a time, please. But first, the civilities. How are we all this fine morning?"

Miss Parker opened her mouth in astonishment and closed it again. Sydney, on the other hand, jumped in to fill the gap.

"Jarod, what are you doing here now? I can understand you coming at night but it’s ten o’clock in the morning and broad daylight!"

Jarod spoke severely. "Shame on you Syd. You’ve never doubted me before! Why start now?"

"Oh, Jarod. You know I don’t doubt you, but…"

"Now you are!"

Sydney was silent and Jarod grinned, having won an argument with his mentor for the first time. Then he turned to Miss Parker who was looking at him.

"Why did you do this?" she asked him, confusion written on her face.

"Oh, I can never bear not to share information with people." he teased.

There was further silence which was abruptly broken by a sharp knocking on the door. Mr Parker’s voice could be clearly heard on the other side.

"Sweetheart, can you open the door? It seems to be stuck."

Miss Parker gasped and tried to sweep the paper back into the envelope but, in her haste, she dropped the whole package under the bed. Sydney bent down to retrieve it and, when the folder was finally back in the locked drawer, Miss Parker and Sydney looked around for Jarod. However neither were particularly surprised to find the room empty and the curtains swinging across the open window as Sydney moved across to open the door.

"Sorry, sir," Sydney said to Mr Parker. "The lock must have slipped."

Mr Parker strode into the room and laid a box of chocolates on the table next to Sydney’s flowers. He bent down and brushed her cheek with his lips, avoiding her attempt to hug him. He sat down and the three exchanged small talk for several minutes before Mr Parker rose, saying that he had to run…lots of work to do. Sydney and Miss Parker watched as he disappeared out of the door and then turned, both shrugging slightly at each other.

A gentle knock made them both turn. A man stood in the doorway, holding such an enormous bunch of flowers that both occupants of the room gasped. The person holding the flowers couldn’t be seen behind the roses and greenery. Sydney moved automatically to take the blooms and was astonished to find Jarod’s face behind them. Jarod immediately placed his finger on his lips and, as Sydney took the bunch, moved rapidly down the hall. Sydney turned, smiling, and extended the flowers to Miss Parker. She picked out the card and read it aloud.

"To Miss Parker. Get well soon. From her brother and Jarod."

Miss Parker smiled tightly as Sydney indicated the other objects on the tray.

"Didn’t you tell your father you’re on a diet?"

"Of course I did. Three times."

Miss Parker sighed as Sydney moved to the window. A figure below waved before getting into a car and driving off. Sydney smiled to himself as he imagined the phone call that was certain to come that night.

***

Jarod sat, staring at his computer, while he thought about the day. His cabin, set deep in the woods, gave him plenty of privacy and Jarod used it regularly as a sort of ‘holiday house’. He had to wait, he knew, until later before he could call Sydney and he was doing some basic background work for his current Pretend until then. He grinned as he pictured Mr Raines’ anger at the money which had been stolen from the Centre five days before and could be traced back to ‘Mr Lyle’ but had actually been taken by himself. Suddenly he froze. In the silence which normally surrounded the cabin, the sound of someone walking around outside was clear. However Jarod, as he silently rose, became slightly confused by the sound. This was no regular pattern of walking but a shorter and, possibly, more painful stride. He could, by straining his ears, hear small gasps which sounded like pain. Silently he pulled out his gun and moved towards the window of the next room. The curtains and the dark concealed him from anyone looking in and he could see, from his location, both the figure outside and the trapdoor in the floor which led to the escape tunnel he had dug several months earlier. He stood, silently, until the figure moved around the house and tried to climb the three stairs to the door. He waited, tensed, for the expected knock but, instead, heard a dull thud. Looking out, he saw a figure huddled on the doorstep. Suspecting a trick, he waited for several more moments but there was no movement.

Still suspicious he moved to another window and looked out. From this angle he could see the face of his visitor and he was only slightly surprised to see that it was Miss Parker. However what did concern him was the blood marks on her face and the stain of blood which flowed from underneath her previously uninjured leg. Waiting for several seconds longer he saw a figure detach itself from the shadows and move towards the door. He moved silently towards the trapdoor but halted when a well-known voice spoke from outside the cabin.

"Refuge. Jarod, for God’s sake open the door. There’s only us here, I promise. Please. We need your help. C’mon Jarod. Open the door."

Jarod, with his gun still at the ready, moved to the door and opened it slightly. Sydney stood there, his face pale and tense, with Miss Parker huddled at his feet. He waited for the inevitable group of sweepers to move out of the shadows but the only sounds were the hoots of several night-birds, hunting. This made him relax more than anything Sydney could have told him because he knew that, while the birds still hunted, there could be no other disturbances in the forest.

He threw the door wide and stood in the doorway. Sydney took one look at the gun in his hand and took a step backwards.

"Jarod, please. We’re not here to get you. We need your help."

"Why did you wait in the bushes?" The words were spoken quietly but with great meaning.

"Because, if you took Parker in straight away I was going to leave…"

"…And tell the others where I was."

"No, Jarod. Ever since Miss Parker killed Lyle, Mr Parker can’t forgive her. He ordered the sweepers to have her killed. Fortunately Broots heard the conversation and warned her but, as she was leaving the infirmary, she was shot at and hurt. I’ve got her here but I can’t do anything else." Sydney gave Jarod a pleading look. "I’m not a doctor."

"Neither am I." The words came sullenly - there was little that Jarod would not do for Sydney and Sydney knew it.

"Please Jarod. She might die without your help."

"She’ll die anyway. The Centre does things thoroughly."

"Jarod, just help me get her inside."

The two men lifted the still figure inside and onto the bed which Jarod had been using. As they lay her down Miss Parker opened her eyes and looked directly at Jarod. Recognition immediately dawned in her eyes but she said nothing. Jarod, ignoring her, turned to a box which lay beside the bed and opened it. Inside were rolls of bandages and various other pieces of medical equipment. Jarod took several pieces of gauze and held them to the graze wound on Miss Parker’s head. He then took a roll of bandage and, supporting her head with his hand, used it to secure the gauze onto the wound.

"Sydney, get a bowl of warm water. I need you to wash the blood away from her face."

As Sydney left the room, Jarod took the case and placed it, open on the bed next to Miss Parker. He firmly grasped her right leg, just below the knee, and straightened it. Miss Parker gasped at the pain and then fainted. Jarod paid no attention but instead tore the pants she wore to just below the knee, revealing the wound on her lower leg.

Sydney returned and, ignoring Jarod’s actions, began to wash Miss Parker’s face. Jarod, meanwhile, had washed his hands and his equipment and was involved in extracting the bullet from her leg. He then dressed and bandaged the wound firmly. For comforts’ sake he removed her shoes and stockings as well as her trousers. Sydney looked at him with a slight smile, despite the severity of the situation, but Jarod ignored him. His actions were medically precise, allowing none of his feeling for the woman who now lay, unconscious, on his bed, to affect his actions. After ensuring that there were no other injuries that he could detect, Jarod left the room. Sydney waited only several minutes more to ensure that Miss Parker was comfortable before following him out.

Jarod was standing and staring out of the window of the living room. He had turned off the computer and was silently concealed in the shadows of the darkened room.

"How are you Jarod?"

"I was just great Sydney." There was a bitter edge to Jarod’s voice which Sydney detected immediately.

"I’m sorry Jarod but there was no-where else to go!"

"It’s amazing, isn’t it, that you’ve been hunting me down for all these years and now, suddenly, you can find me the moment I can be of any use to you," Jarod spun around and faced Sydney. "Why is that? Are you so against the Centre that you’ll prevent them from getting to me?"

Sydney looked shamefaced. "Well, sometimes, knowing what I did it’s hard…but then…"

Jarod spoke, his voice heavy with sarcasm. "So suddenly you know exactly where I am and how to get to a place that most other people couldn’t find with a car and a road-map. Amazing, isn’t it?"

"All right, Jarod. I’ll be honest with you. I’ve always known about this place and I can pretty well predict when you’re here."

"And, therefore, Miss Parker also knows about it and is just biding her time. I’ll go back into that room to find a gun pointed at my head and…"

"No! Jarod, you’re wrong. She didn’t know about this place at all, and neither did Broots or anyone else connected with the Centre. You know you can trust me when I say this, don’t you?"

Jarod remained silent but his grim expression had softened somewhat. Sydney turned to him and took him by his shoulder, forcing his protégé to look straight into his eyes. "Jarod, I swear to you that I am the only person who knows about this place or how often you’re here. I know that you need a retreat sometimes. I knew that even when you were younger, that’s why I’d do things like disconnect the cameras for a while…"

Jarod turned back to the window, a wry smile on his face. "You never quite succeeded in that either."

Sydney looked at him, a pleading expression on his face. Jarod sighed. "All right. You can stay here until Miss Parker is walking again. Then go. I don’t want you here and I certainly won’t be here after that, you may be sure!"

"Even I figured that much!" answered Sydney wryly. Suddenly he smiled "But you aren’t going to leave us now?" Sydney felt safe in asking that for it was he who had taught Jarod never to leave a job unfinished and he smiled at his former student.

Jarod unwillingly returned the smile as he shook his head. "You know I won’t, but I can’t promise to stay beyond then." Jarod stuck out his hand and Sydney took it gratefully

"Agreed."

***

Several hours later Miss Parker groggily opened her eyes and looked around her. Vague memories assailed her, including inexplicable visions of Jarod and Sydney as well as fleeing through a forest and the agony of bullet-wounds. Sighing, she relaxed back into the pillows and wondered what she had been eating to cause such terrible nightmares. However she was almost immediately distracted by the strange room and bed in which she lay. Struggling to sit up, however she was gently but firmly restrained. Turning her head, a vision of Sydney swam into view.

"It’s all right, Parker. Just lie still. We’re all right."

"We? Syd, what in hell is going on? Where are ‘we’ and what happened?"

"Don’t you remember Lyle dying and the rest? Your father?"

"Was that real?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"And Jarod?"

"Right here Miss Parker." Jarod walked into the room and stood, leaning against the wall. "Nice to see you’re awake."

"What are you doing here?"

"Just my job ma’am."

"Are you a doctor?"

"I am today."

"Yeah, right. Come on Jarod! What are you really doing here?"

"Actually you’re not the one who should be asking that. This is my house!"

"Where is this, exactly?"

"If I told you, that wouldn’t be any fun, would it? Where’s the pursuit factor if I just told you where I was all the time?"

As Jarod spoke he moved towards the bed and Miss Parker instinctively shrank from him. He laughed as he moved in closer. "Now, now. The doctor must be able to examine his patient now, mustn’t he?"

"What?!?!"

"Just lie still. It won’t hurt much!"

"That’s what my real doctor said to me before he set my arm in plaster when I broke it. He lied too."

"Just grin and bear it! It won’t hurt - much!"

As he spoke Jarod unrolled the bandage, revealing the gauze packing. The bandage was only slightly stained and Jarod nodded in satisfaction as he gently began to prise it away. Miss Parker groaned as he deftly finished pulling the dressing away from the wound. He then repeated the action on her other leg. Obviously the condition of the injuries pleased him because, having washed the wound again, he applied new dressings to both wounds and gently replaced the covers, having previously put a cage into the bed, in order to prevent the blankets pressing on her legs. Then he stood back and waited.

Miss Parker, although understanding what he had done, was unable to feel gratitude. After all, he was the cause of her being in this situation. She turned her head and looked at the wall until he had left the room.

"You know, Parker, he saved your life."

"Syd, if it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t be in this situation at all."

"No. You would have been murdered…like your mother was." Sydney spoke quietly but there was deep meaning in his voice which silenced Miss Parker immediately. He looked at her for a moment and then left the room, shutting the door behind him.

***

Later that night Miss Parker became aware of a heated discussion occurring outside her door.

"..I’m quite happy to take a spot on the floor. Being always on the go makes you used to a hard bed sometimes."

"Jarod, for God’s sake take the couch. I don’t want it!"

"Syd, I hate to point this out but you’re on the run now. You need to be as flexible as possible and, believe me, after a night on the hard, wooden floorboards, you won’t have a chance at that."

At this point Miss Parker decided to interrupt. "What’s the argument about?" Both men, hearing her voice, walked into the room.

"We’re just discussing," said Sydney, "who is going to sleep on the floor and who gets the couch."

"But Jarod could sleep in his own bed. He said that this was his place."

"I would Miss Parker, but my bed is somewhat occupied at present" Jarod said with a wry smile. "And so I’m going to take the floor while Sydney sleeps on the couch."

"Sounds like a very sensible arrangement to me."

"Now Parker, you know I could quite easily…"

"Syd, just take the damned couch!"

Jarod looked very amused as Sydney quietly submitted. The two men left the room together, Jarod switching off the overhead light, despite Miss Parker’s squawk of protest.

"I wouldn’t put it past her to get up and turn it on again."

"She wouldn’t get far. Neither of her legs will support her weight now that she’s rested for a while." Jarod laughed, somewhat maliciously, at the thought of his enemy being bed-bound and dependent on himself.

***

The next morning Jarod had no sooner entered her room than Miss Parker was demanding to get up.

"And I mean now." she finished.

"That’s not possible at this point in time but I can assure you that having you here is as distasteful to me as you being here is to you. You’ll be leaving as soon as possible."

Somehow, despite being exactly what Miss Parker thought she wanted to hear, the words were not altogether comforting. Miss Parker remained unsatisfied with what she had heard, a feeling which continued until both Jarod and Sydney appeared in her room, about half an hour later, Sydney bearing a tray. Jarod moved to the side of the bed and moved the blankets away from her. He then picked up several pillows and put them on top of her legs.

"Put your arms around my neck."

"Why?" she asked, suddenly suspicious. Jarod laughed. "Because you can’t eat lying down. Now do as you’re told."

Miss Parker did as he had told her and, as he slid an arm under her knees and another behind her shoulders, she waited for the pain to hit. However she was amazed to realise, as he laid her back onto the extra pillows, which he had put behind her head, that the whole process had caused her no pain at all. Jarod placed the blankets over her knees again and Sydney set the tray across them.

As the morning progressed Miss Parker could hear sounds of banging from the other two, all-purpose, rooms. Eventually, although she tried to ignore it, she could no longer restrain her curiosity. "What’s going on out there?" she called. The next minute she dissolved into laughter as Jarod appeared in the doorway with a dish-towel tied around his head.

"Well, we felt, having a female in the house, that perhaps the bachelor pad needed a tidy-up. So we’re doing it in order to pass your critical inspection later."

"Am I getting up?" Although she meant to sound disinterested, the question came out so eagerly that Jarod laughed in his turn.

"I thought even you, with your famous impatience, wouldn’t object to staying in bed for a day or two but, as your leg is healing so well, we thought you might want to get up and sit on a couch."

"But how?"

"Well, certainly not walking it, so don’t think that! I guess one or other of us will have to carry you…"

"Let Syd carry me and you’ll have a cardiac condition on your hands." Miss Parker laughed.

"It’s nice to know, Parker, that you have such faith in me!" Syd appeared in the doorway, similarly attired, but with a frilly apron around his waist, and Miss Parker burst into fits of laughter again.

"Really, just compare the…physical structure of the two of you! I hate to admit it but Jarod is, perhaps, a little bit stronger."

"Well, well, a compliment from the ice maiden! Now there’s something you don’t hear every day!" Jarod turned back to the other room. "Come on, Syd. We’ve got heaps to do!"

***

An hour later Jarod strode through the door of her room.

"About time. Wouldn’t it have been possible to brighten up your room a little, make a bit of effort around here? A few pictures or something? Even a t.v?"

"Oh, come on, Miss Parker - I’m a bachelor! And, anyway, I don’t spend that much time here!"

Jarod moved to the side of the bed and moved the blankets off her. As he bent down over her, she put both arms around his neck. Although she was aware of what he was going to do, she still gasped with surprise at the ease with which he lifted her off the bed. Looking into his face, as he took her out of the room, she remembered some of the teasing he had indulged in in the past and instinctively tightened her hold on him. Understanding, he smiled at her as he laid her down on the couch and then stood back, looking down at her.

"I wouldn’t drop you Miss Parker. After all, then I’d have to clean the floor again!" He turned, laughing, to Sydney. "And the first time was hard enough, wasn’t it?"

"I don’t think I’ve ever worked so hard in my entire life!" agreed Sydney with a smile.

"Oh, come on Syd. Do you mean that in the years of chasing…" Miss Parker’s teasing voice trailed off as she realised where she was and what she had been about to say.

Jarod laughed. "So, Miss Parker, what’s the new nick-name for the runaway this week?"

Miss Parker, realising that he was baiting her, turned her face away and refused to answer. Sydney grinned suddenly and Jarod turned, laughing, to the kitchen. He returned, carrying a large tray as well as balancing several other plates on his arms. Miss Parker looked at him in amazement.

"How are you…doing that?"

"I’ve been a waiter before. One of the tricks of the trade. Well, shall we eat?"

Sydney pulled a small coffee table closer to the couch and Jarod laid the tray down. He unloaded it and began to serve out the food.

***

As Jarod carried Miss Parker back to bed that evening she had leisure to notice more about him. Close to his face, she could see the deep brown of his eyes and could feel the strength of his arms as they held her. All too soon, he laid her on her bed and left, turning off the light. For several minutes, before she fell asleep, she thought about everything they had gone through during their lives.

***

Later that night, Jarod and Sydney were sitting on the porch, talking. Sydney face was illuminated by light, streaming out of a window, but Jarod’s face was in shadow.

"Now that she’s a fugitive too, what makes you think she wants to capture you again?"

"Because, somehow, she still wants to get back involved in the Centre. Therefore, if she can get me back there then she can be reinstated."

"As what?"

"I haven’t thought that far ahead yet, but something!"

Sydney laughed but Jarod remained silent.

"We’ll leave as soon as possible."

"You could leave now. It would be possible for you to return to work if you left now. I could manage to arrange things so that you could return."

"Could you do the same thing for Miss Parker?"
"Do you think she’ll want to go back?"

"Yes."

There was a moment of silence. Jarod then stood and paced up and down the porch.

"Can’t you arrange something?"

"Mr Parker won’t let her go back Syd, you know that!"

"Would Raines?"

"I’m…not sure. Perhaps. After all, Raines hasn’t been shamed by his ‘son’ like Mr Parker has!"

"But, if Mr Parker could go…"

"What would that do to Miss Parker?"

"She has the choice - it’s either her father or herself!"

Jarod stepped off the porch and stood, half concealed, in the shadows. He remained silent

"Please, Jarod. It means a lot to me…"

"That I come back to the Centre? That Miss Parker is reinstated? That we go back to the way we were? Do you understand what you’re asking me to do?! I can’t kill people! It’s not possible! Out of the question! That’s something you taught me and I remain loyal to your teachings as much as I can - you know that!" Jarod’s tone softened and he looked, pleadingly, up at Sydney. "And besides - if I came back - what happens to me then?"

"I don’t know, Jarod. I don’t know."

Sydney stood and walked back into the cabin. Jarod waited for several minutes until the light went off in Sydney’s room, then he returned to the porch and lay down on the outdoor lounge which stood there. He gave a deep sigh and turned on his side.

***

Sun shining through the window woke Sydney the next morning and he immediately looked over to where Jarod had slept the nigh before. The neat pile of bedclothes made Sydney jump, alarmed, off the couch. He searched rapidly through the cabin, including peeping into the room where Miss Parker lay, asleep. Suddenly remembering the previous night’s conversation, he glanced out of a window and sighed with relief to see a familiar figure sitting on the outdoor couch, with his head in his hands. Walking out, Sydney startled Jarod, who bounded, initially, to his feet.

"Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you."

"It’s okay Syd. I’m just naturally easily startled. Bad habits die hard."

"Have you decided?"

"Let’s do it now, before she wakes up."

The two men entered the cabin and Jarod started up the computer. As Sydney watched, he logged into the Centre’s computer system and then opened Raines’ files.

"How did you…?"

"I’ve always been able to do that! Broots taught me."

"Broots did? When?"

"Not long ago. However …"

Jarod concentrated for several minutes and Sydney eventually got up and went into the kitchen. After several more minutes Jarod turned off the computer and left the room as well.

The third day after Miss Parker and Sydney had been thrust upon Jarod’s protection, the weather was very hot. That morning Jarod and Sydney went out very early and, when they came back, their hair was damp and Jarod’s lay in waves all over his head. When he went into Miss Parker’s room she looked at him suspiciously.

"You’ve been swimming!"

"I’m not the only one!"

"You’ve both been swimming and poor little me is left to die here in this disgusting, hot, airless cabin?" In her agitation, she hoisted herself up in bed, regardless of the pain. Jarod immediately pushed her back against the pillows.

"If you get up to activities like that, I won’t take you there later."

"When’s later? And where is it?"

"It’s a pond not far from here. And I was planning to take you soon."

"And would you like to tell me how I’m supposed to get there? I can’t walk yet, remember?"

"Well, if you can put up with a bit of pain, I thought I might actually carry you there - that is, if you don’t mind…"

It was the answer that Miss Parker had been waiting to hear, but she didn’t show how eager she was.
"Good. Fine. I’ll be ready whenever you are!"

He left the room and she smiled gently as he left. The few days they had been together had taught her how useful he could be. If she didn’t have to take him back to the Centre, she could…But that was impossible, she knew that. No, she had to take him to the Centre as soon as possible. Then she could finally be free…

As Jarod and Sydney walked through the trees they eventually came upon the lake, which sparkled in the sunshine. Miss Parker’s eyes sparkled at the view and she sighed with pleasure at the cool breeze, which was so different from the heat of the cabin. She was wearing one of Jarod’s t-shirts and the breeze, blowing through the forest, swept her long hair loosely over his shoulder and down his back as he carried her. Jarod was wearing shorts and a t-shirt but Sydney was fully dressed.

"Are you going in, Syd?"

"Not this time. I went for a swim this morning!"

Miss Parker looked up at Jarod as he laid her on the bank. "How am I supposed to get down to the water?"

Jarod stripped off his t-shirt and looked down at her, laughing. "Just be patient for a minute! Right, here goes!" He lifted her again and stepped into the shallows. Then he slowly walked deeper and deeper into the water. As the first waves hit her dangling legs Miss Parker squealed and instinctively shrunk away. Jarod laughed as he ploughed further in. At chest height he stopped.

Miss Parker shrieked as he halted, the waves lapping around her waist. "Why are you stopping? Jarod…Jarod don’t you dare drop me! Don’t drop me!"

He spoke with mock severity. "Miss Parker, I wouldn’t dream of dropping you!" His tone lightened.
"But throwing you - that’s a different story!"

He threw her into the cold water. She gasped, breathed in a mouthful of water, and remerged coughing and spluttering. Pain flashed up from her leg but almost immediately faded to a bearable ache. She tried to stand but her legs buckled and she slipped under the surface. As she struggled to surface, a strong arm slipped around her waist and lifter her clear. She had not meant to give him the satisfaction of knowing that she was dependent upon him but, as he supported her, she could not help leaning against him as she got her breath.

"You dropped me!"

"On the contrary, madam, I threw you. There’s a big difference. Anyway, aren’t you much cooler now? So it was worth it, wasn’t it?"

Jarod laid Miss Parker on her back in the water, with one of his hands in the small of her back until she was able to float independently. He then went off and swam towards the middle of the lake. Sydney sat on the bank, with his back against the tree and watched the two people playing in the water. He would so like to see them together, being the fitting union of the two people on whom he spent most of his time and money. He had laughed when Jarod had thrown Miss Parker in the water, having been able to hear her screams from where he was sitting, however he was somewhat concerned to see Miss Parker left alone in the water while Jarod went off, swimming. Soon, though, he realised that Jarod had given Miss Parker some time on her own and had gone away for the same purpose.

***

After an hour Jarod returned to Miss Parker’s side and lifted her, carrying her back to the shore. The weather had become cooler and, as they returned to the cabin, Miss Parker shivered.

"Sorry that I forgot to bring a towel with us but I usually run back and get warm that way. I’ll remember if we go again."

Miss Parker stayed silent, becoming confused by some of the ideas which she had considered while lying in the water. She knew the way she should feel about Jarod. He was, after all, the cause of most of her problems. But then, he hadn’t had to help her. Somehow, though, it had seemed natural to see Jarod when she had first opened her eyes in his cabin. Now she was confused as to what she felt about him - gratitude, of course, and appreciation for his kindness, but did it go any further? She didn’t know.

Jarod stood in the kitchen and looked at Miss Parker, lying on the couch, and Sydney, who was sitting in his armchair. He moved into the doorway and straightened his t-shirt.

"We need some things from the store."

"Are you coming back?"

"Syd, I said I wouldn’t go until Miss Parker could walk. She can’t and I won’t. I’ll be back."

He left the cabin and they could hear him walk away. Several minutes later came the sound of a motorbike engine starting up and Sydney and Miss Parker looked at each other with raised eyebrows.

"I knew this place was isolated but I didn’t know it was that far."

"I can’t even remember getting here!"

Sydney smiled. "You’ll remember leaving."

Miss Parker looked at him sharply. "Why?"
"Jarod said he would stay until you could walk, not until you could walk well! It’s my guess that he’ll take us on a trip one day and leave us somewhere."

"I think he’s more likely to just up and leave one day."

"You know, you might be right."

There was a pause of several minutes, which was broken by Sydney.

"What do you want, after this is all finished?"

"To go back to the Centre."

"What on earth for? I mean, they’re the ones that hunted you down in the first place. They, not Jarod, are the reason that you’re in this situation."

"Don’t worry. I don’t blame Jarod any more."

"This is a new development. Since when?"

"Since Angelo found a file, which he gave to me. Did you ever know that, after my mother…was killed…, there was an autopsy?"

Sydney shook his head. "No, there wasn’t. That was an official decision, made by Raines."

"The ‘official decision’ was overridden - by my father. Angelo found the file in my father’s desk and smuggled it to me, in the infirmary. They fingerprinted everything, including the gun. They also stored some of the DNA samples."

"Why? When your mother died, DNA testing wasn’t even an option."

"They were already experimenting then and stored the information away. Angelo found it, hidden by my father’s orders, and ran some tests. Angelo had some of Jarod’s DNA and compared it to those found on my mother. They didn’t match. The only person who actually matched the DNA, exactly, works at the Centre."

"Raines?"

"Right."

"So it wasn’t Jarod’s father that killed your mother?"

"Not possibly."

Sydney sighed with relief and Miss Parker smiled. She had always known that the information, whispered by Fenigor, had been as worrying for Sydney as for either of them. Sydney looked up. "Is that why you let him doctor you?"

"Pretty much. That and the fact that there’s no-one else."

"Do you feel anything for him?"

The question came out of nowhere and Miss Parker turned startled eyes on Sydney. Realising that he was serious, she gave the question careful consideration.

"Do I care for him, do you mean? I’m…not sure. Sometimes I think so but then, at other times, I’m not so sure. It’s so frustrating - he learnt the lesson of never showing his emotions so well that I can never tell what he’s thinking behind those big, brown eyes of his. All I know is that, regardless of what happens, he won’t stick around. Don’t forget, I’m still the cat and he’s still the mouse. Nothing will ever change that!"

The two occupants of the room fell silent and both heard the roar of the engine as the motorbike returned. Several minutes later Jarod walked into the room, carrying three bags from the store. He placed them on the table in the kitchen and unpacked them, putting things away in various cupboards.

"I obviously intruded on a secret conversation. I’ve never heard Miss Parker this quiet!"

The comment was so close to the truth that Miss Parker blushed but Sydney, knowing that Jarod was only making an off-the-cuff remark, jumped up.

"What a lot of garbage! We were enjoying the peace and serenity of your hideaway, that’s all!"

Jarod laughed and kept packing away the groceries. Sydney came over to help.

"I can put these away myself. You go and take Miss Parker to bed. It’s late."

Jarod laughed but submitted, moving out into the larger room. However he was slightly nonplussed when Miss Parker held out her arms to him as he approached.

"Why so eager to go to bed tonight? Usually you hate the idea of leaving ‘Fun Central’ out here and going into the boring bedroom."

"I don’t know - maybe I’m just tired or something!"

Jarod laughed as he swung her up into his arms. "Been walking around on the sly so that I don’t know, and tiring yourself out?"

Miss Parker laughed also but refrained from comment until he laid her on her bed and turned to leave the room.

"Thank you, Jarod."

"You’re welcome. Sleep well."

He left the room and turned off the light, closing the door behind him.

***

It was several days later that Jarod felt that Miss Parker could begin trying to walk. He spoke about it with Sydney before he went in to get Miss Parker up. She looked up as both men entered the room.

"What’s the occasion?"

Jarod looked at Sydney with laughing eyes "Why on earth does she think that any special is going to happen?"

Sydney laughed back "Maybe she’s psychic…"

"Not possible. If she was really psychic, she wouldn’t ask such stupid questions! Well actually, Miss Impatience," Jarod looked at Miss Parker "you’re going to try walking today."

"Really?"

"Really."

In her excitement, Miss Parker threw back the blankets and swung her legs off the bed. She had moved herself forward and was trying to stand before Jarod had quite grasped what she was doing. Just before she put all her weight on her legs, he stopped her.

"Keep doing that and you’ll end up in a heap on the floor. Just be patient for a minute. You’ll be standing soon but you can’t do so, on your own, yet."

He sat her firmly back on the bed and sat beside her. "Now put your arm around my shoulders. Move your legs in the order that I tell you. Now. Slowly slide forward until you’re sitting on the edge of the bed. Slowly, slowly. We’ve got plenty of time. Syd, go around to her other side, in case she loses her balance. Now, Miss Parker, slowly stand…"

Miss Parker gasped as the pain shot up both her legs, but, by hanging tightly onto Jarod’s arm, she slowly moved one foot and then the other until she had advanced quite a distance from the bed. As she became used to the pain, she could enjoy the freedom of being able to move freely. However, as she neared the couch, she began to realise just how far she had come. It was with a sigh that she lowered herself onto the seat and relaxed back into the cushions. She turned to say something to Jarod but he had already left the cabin. Turning, she could see him striding through the forest towards the lake. She turned to Sydney.

"What’s up with him?"

"I don’t know…"

"Will he come back?"

"He has to. That wasn’t proper walking."

"You said yourself that he would leave once I was walking, not walking well."

"Is his case here?"

"I can’t see it, but the laptop is. He wouldn’t leave that behind…Hey, there’s a note on it."

Sydney moved over to the computer and opened the letter which was attached to it.

‘Dear Syd. When you have a chance, look at the file which will open first. Jarod ’

Sydney opened the computer and, immediately, it started the opening sequence. The Centre insignia appeared on the screen and a folder opened. Broots’ head appeared on the screen.

"What’s going on?"

"It’s a recorded message that Broots left for Jarod, or for us…"

The voice started immediately.

"Miss Parker, Sydney, this is Broots. Look, I don’t know where you are but things have cooled down here now. Angelo found some stuff that said Lyle has been responsible for heaps of things, even when he was working at the Centre, as well as the tests which show that Lyle was no relation to Mr Parker. However we weren’t able to tell him. Mr Parker, I mean. He apparently got offered money to go and work in Asia, for a group that works in competition to the Centre, and so he’s gone. Raines wants you guys to return to the Centre and help in the capture of Jarod. We haven’t heard or seen anything of him since you disappeared. We don’t think Mr Parker can return to the Centre. Raines is so disgusted by his abdication that he’s ordered him shot on sight. So it’s now he, and not you, that’s in trouble. Come back when you can."

The file closed down and the computer shut off as well. Sydney put down the screen and then turned and faced Miss Parker. "Well, what now?"

"We can go back."

"Do you still want to?"

"If we don’t, Raines is going to hate us as much as he does Jarod."

"But for a different reason."

"Of course, but the reason doesn’t affect the outcome. We’d still be dead."

"True."

Both people fell silent for several minutes, then Miss Parker spoke.

"Why is he being so nice to me? I mean, every other time we’ve met, I’ve stuck a gun in his neck. Why doesn’t he reciprocate?"

Sydney laughed. "He tried to."

"What?!"

"Well, not exactly, but, when I got you here, he opened the door with a gun in his hand."

"I see, but to get back to the original question…"

"I think it’s because Jarod can’t hold a grudge. Even if it were Raines in the same situation, Jarod would probably still try to help him. Jarod reacts differently in different situations, but he doesn’t hang on to bad memories, or even try to pay people back. He steals from the Centre to help other people. If he wanted to take money for himself, he could have set himself up in a fancy mansion somewhere very far away and lived off Centre funds for the rest of his life and we’d have no idea where he was. But he doesn’t do that. He tries to help people, even people like you."

Silence returned and lasted until Jarod returned.

"We found the file."

"I kind of figure you would. It was there to be found."

"Is that why you went?"

"One of the reasons."

Jarod moved towards the kitchen and came back with a jug of iced water and several glasses. He poured the drinks and then turned to Miss Parker.

"What now?"

"Syd just asked me the same question."

"What’s the answer?"

"I want to go back."

"I think I can guess why, but can you elucidate?"

"I know the Centre, I’m familiar with the way it works. I don’t know about anything else." Her eyes grew misty. "I couldn’t live out here. It scares me."

Sydney couldn’t speak but Jarod nodded. "I understand what you mean. I felt the same way, but now I don’t. You could get used to it…"

"I don’t want to get used to it! I just want everything to return to normal! With me at the head of things. Trying to…" She fell silent.

Jarod lay back on the floor and laughed. "Seems a kind of strange thing to say under the circumstances, doesn’t it?"

Miss Parker looked around and unwillingly laughed as well. Then, abruptly, she stopped. "How about some more walking practice?"

"I’m ready if you are."

By the time the sun set, Miss Parker was walking more freely, although she still had to depend on Jarod or Sydney for support. Jarod went into the kitchen, after dinner, to make coffee. He returned, carrying two cups, as Sydney reached to turn on the radio. Music penetrated the silence of the cabin as Jarod returned with his own mug. Miss Parker sat in the one chair and Sydney was sitting on the couch, so Jarod took a space on the floor. Jarod swallowed his coffee at one gulp and then stood and, stretching, moved outside for a breath of fresh air. However he did not walk far and, through the open window, could hear the conversation that followed.

Sydney gulped down his coffee and set the mug on the table. He swung his legs up onto the couch and picked up the newspaper that Jarod had got from the shops that day. Miss Parker had drunk about half of her own coffee when she noticed that Sydney’s eyes were closing and that the paper was dipping down into his lap. His head, too, lolled slightly forward every couple of minutes. Miss Parker spoke over the peaceful music that came from the radio.

"Syd, are you okay?"

Sydney’s mouth opened in a yawn as he tried to speak and he stretched himself out onto the couch. He turned glazed, sleepy eyes on her. "I’m fine, Parker. Just…just tired, that’s all. I must’ve done more’n I thought…today…I’ll be…okay…in a…few minutes. I…I…didn’t realise how…how…t…tired I w…was…un…until…" His voice trailed off and his eyes shut. With a deep sigh, he relaxed into the cushions and was instantly asleep. One arm slid off the couch and dangled down toward the floor and his head lolled back onto the cushions, which acted as pillows during the night. Immediately following this, Jarod walked back into the cabin. Miss Parker turned to him, frantically.

"Look Jarod, he’s asleep already!"

"What’s wrong with that?" Jarod spoke calmly and soothingly and Miss Parker felt herself relax at his tone. Jarod moved over to where Sydney lay and moved him so that he was lying properly on the couch. As he did so, he spoke quietly. "He’s just tired, poor thing. You know, Miss Parker, he’s worried about you. But there’s no need to worry. You’re quite okay again now…" Jarod’s voice trailed off as Miss Parker yawned in her turn. She turned glazed eyes on him and he moved to kneel beside her chair, so that her eyes were on the same level as his. He took her head in his hands and continued to talk in a lulling monotone. She felt herself almost drifting away as he spoke. She struggled back to consciousness.

"Poor Miss Parker. All this walking has tired you out. Never mind. You don’t have to stay awake. It’s time for you to go to bed anyway. You don’t have to worry any more."

Miss Parker tried further to resist Jarod’s hypnotic tones but she couldn’t. Her eyelids fell in spite of themselves and her head fell onto his shoulder, as he had planned. She vaguely felt Jarod lift her out of the chair. His voice continued, speaking quietly, as he carried her out of the room. "Well, we’ll just put you to bed now and, in the morning, you can walk some more. Every day will be the same, with more walking, until you’re back to normal again. Now, here’s your nice, warm, soft bed. We’ll lie you on it and take off your shoes so that you’re comfortable. And here’s a nice, woolly rug so that you don’t get cold. Let’s cover you with that and let you go to sleep."

Jarod stopped talking and looked down at Miss Parker. She, still with her eyes shut, sighed deeply and moved her head slightly on the pillow. Then she was still. Jarod nodded in satisfaction as he left the room, turning off the light. In the moonlight he moved back to the bed and bent over Miss Parker, gently kissing her on the forehead. Then he left again, closing the door.

***

The next morning a ray of sunlight fell across Sydney’s eyes, waking him. He stretched, feeling more relaxed than he had for a long time. He slowly sat up and looked around the room. However his relaxed state dissolved as he realised that Jarod was not in the room. Remembering that other night, when Jarod had slept outside, Sydney moved to the window. Seeing no-one on the couch, he spun around and looked carefully around the room. He noticed that Jarod’s computer was missing and that there was a piece of paper on the table

"Dear Syd. You don’t need me any more, except as a victim of pursuit. There’ll be a car here from the Centre to pick you both up at midday today. I’ll see you around. Jarod."

A voice could be heard from the bedroom several minutes later. "Isn’t anyone going to come and get me up today?"

Sydney moved to the doorway and stood, looking down at Miss Parker. "He’s gone."

"Gone? How could he be?"

"He just is."

"But how could he go without one of us hearing him?"

"Obviously by using the oldest trick around. There was something in both our coffees last night. That’s why I, at least, slept so well. You too?" Miss Parker nodded soundlessly. Sydney continued. "He had it all planned out, down to how he was going to get away. He wrote a note," Sydney waved the piece of paper at Miss Parker, who looked stunned, "which says that a Centre car will come and pick us up at noon today. You see, he planned everything."

Miss Parker sat, silent on the bed. Then her eyes hardened. "So, the game starts again."

"It would certainly seem so" said Sydney, as he left the room.

Two hours later a black sedan pulled up outside the cabin. Broots jumped out of one of the rear doors and moved gingerly up to the open doorway of the hut. He knocked and then quickly pulled to one side of the doorway where he couldn’t be seen. A sweeper emerged from the driver’s seat and stood, with his gun drawn, against the car. Sydney appeared from the bedroom and moved out onto the porch.

"Sydney?"

"Hi, Broots. Perfect timing."

"So it was you that sent me the email!"

"No, that would have been Jarod, but never mind. I need you to give me a hand with Miss Parker."

Sydney shut the door after ushering Broots inside. Within ten minutes the door reopened, showing Miss Parker leaning on Sydney’s arm, with Broots following behind. Slowly they moved to the car and Broots opened the rear door. He helped Miss Parker in and shut it after her. Then he walked around and got into the front passenger seat. The driver, having put his gun away when Sydney showed up, also got into the car. Sydney walked up the stairs and firmly shut the cabin door. He stood for a moment on the steps, looking around the forest, then, with a sigh, got into the car, which roared down the road.

As the car moved away and out of sight, Jarod appeared from surrounding bushes. He waved to the car with a cheeky grin on his face and then re-entered the cabin. He took a final look around and checked that the cupboards and fridge were empty. Then he firmly shut the door behind him and, fixing his helmet onto his head, started up the bike and drove off.

***

Later that night Sydney was fixing himself a hot drink when the phone rang. He leapt for the receiver and answered it before the first peal had finished.

"This is Sydney. Jarod, is that you?"

A laughing voice answered him. "How did you guess?"

Sydney tucked the receiver under his chin and carried his drink to the couch. Sitting down, he sighed with relief. Jarod laughed.

"All right, don’t blow me away!"

"I’m glad to hear from you."

"Obviously. Did you think I’d been kidnapped by the Centre while you weren’t watching?"

"We had little choice about the watching part of it, or listening either, if you come to that!"

"Oh, that was just a little bit of fun!"

Sydney spoke sarcastically. "It would have been great fun if you’d mixed up the doses. We could be sleeping yet!"

"Oh, c’mon Syd. I know my stuff too well for that to happen. I just needed some time to myself…"

"…to escape. I know. Miss Parker’s somewhat upset that you didn’t stay to say goodbye."

"She’s annoyed at me, huh?"

"Just so’s you’d notice."

"In other words, she doing everything except stamping around the halls of the Centre, which she will do as soon as her legs will let her."

"Spot on. Except that it’s around the halls of the infirmary. Raines ordered her there straight away. Did you know that Mr Parker went over Raines’ head when he ordered Miss Parker to be killed?"
"Of course I knew. You’d be surprised how much I know!"

Sydney and Jarod laughed together, remembering the number of times that Jarod had stunned the Centre personnel with his knowledge.

"I guess now you’re going to have to find out the location of my new holiday house."
"What? You’re not going to stay at the same one?"

"How safe would it be, now that Miss Parker knows where it is? You might decide to keep it a secret, but she’s mad at me, remember? She’ll be trying to get a hold on me again as soon as possible. You know that as well as I do!"

"True. Very true. Sadly true."

"But I suppose you won’t tell me when you’ve found it. You’ll just waltz in on me whenever you need my help again. Well, I’ll be looking forward to it. But, if possible, can you avoid bringing me Raines to doctor? I don’t think he’d be the passive patient Miss Parker was!"

"True. He’s neither passive nor patient."

"Very funny, Syd."

Sydney took a long drink of his coffee and Jarod laughed. Sydney laughed also, in perfect comprehension.

"At least this won’t put me to sleep against my will!"

"I could do something about that, if you’d prefer it."

"That would be somewhat difficult…unless…"

Sydney rose quickly and went to the window. As he did so, he could hear laughter from the other end of the phone.

"Nice try, Syd. Nice try, but wrong window! Besides, if you saw me it would end the fun, wouldn’t it? I’ll go now. Bye."

Jarod hung up abruptly and Sydney walked over to the only other window in the room. He waved and smiled in amusement as a figure on a motorbike waved back and then roared off into the night.

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