A Cure For What Ails Us
Part 4

Blue Cove, Delaware

He knew the secrets. All of them. They wieghed on him like invisible shackles, and the more he learned of them the greater the burden. It was an awesome charge. A knock interrupted the chairman's thoughts.

"Mr. Parker, " Cox spatt," He's gone."

"You're certain?"

"Yes, sir. Quite certain."

The chairman leaned forward in his black leather chair, his fingers steepled in front of his lips.

"Surveillance?"

"We lost him."

"Damn!" The chairman sank into his chair and, after a moment of stunned disbelief, banged his closed fist against the desk, furious that he hadn't given orders to secure Lyle in his cell in Renewal wing." We need to locate him. He's going to try and get that baby, hoping if he has him that it'll offer him some leverage with the triumvirate as well as me."

"Yes, sir."

"Keep me apprised of the situation. Anything else."

"We received notification that the good doctor and the computer technician are dead, as ordered."

"Good, the fewer the people my daughter has to turn to for help, the sooner we'll have her back, along with the baby."

"I take it that you don't want her terminated then."

"Not at the moment. With Jarod dead, she's become a valuable asset to the Centre."

"I understand, Mr. Parker. I'll let the sweepers know and issue an order of termination on Mr. Lyle."

"Good, very good," he waved a hand to dismiss his underling.

As Cox left the office, Angelo, who had heard every word of the conversation, made his way back down to his home in the bowels of the Centre. The two men, despite the absence of the baby, thought they had a lot to be proud of, and it made Angelo smile. Yes, he thought, they believed they had cut Miss Parker off from everyone who would help her, but it was only because they never thought of him as anybody. That made him happy, though. It meant Angelo was free to go to his computer and type the email that would soon reach Jarod and Miss Parker updating them on the status of the Centre's search and the news of Lyle's termination order. Sometimes, he thought, it was very good to be invisible.

Angelo typed in a series of letters and numbers, and when the computer came alive, he accessed the command, smiled, than sank back, waiting. Soon he was began frantically punching keys, answering a series of security probes that flashed across the blue screen. And when the final set of instructions was typed in, the screen suddenly went blank. Angelo stared, his heart racing, waiting for something, expecting the worst. One wrong prompt and he knew that the security system would pinpoint exactly where the break-in had occurred, bringing everything to a screeching end. But within seconds, a colored display flashed across the screen,

Relieved that he got in safely, he accessed the important information by pressing more keys and within seconds the computer sent the file.

Broots sat at the computer terminal, his eyes averted from the woman that stood behind him.

"You seem nervous about something, Broots," Parker said," What is it?"

"How did you know?"

"You're chewing on your bottom lip." She smiled.

"I don't like that I . . . ."

"That I made you break into FBI files regarding Rachel Burke," Parker responded, her smile turning into pursed lips. Broots's reply was interrupted by the "You've got Mail" and he slid his cursor to the open mailbox.

"You had better get Jarod, Miss Parker. Someone's sent us some rather classified files from the Centre," Broots swung back around to the computer terminal and resumed typing as Miss Parker left. She was professional enough to know that what she read required her to put aside her pettiness for now. She found Jarod with Benjamin and Sydney in the kitchen.

"Jarod?"

"You're talking to me," he brought a knuckle to his ear and rubbed.

"Broots just received classified reports from inside the Centre. It's important."

"Will you excuse us, Sydney?" Jarod asked, as he got up from his chair," This is so James Bond. He grinned.

Rachel's eyes tracked laserlike from one end of the street to the other, looking for anything that she didn't think belonged in the neighborhood. She knew that the hustle and bustle of the street would have made it easy for someont to follow her without being noticed. She started her car and pulled away from the curb. The sports car jumped forward, sped down the street, and turned the corner. Rachel cocked her head and listened as the gears shifted and the whine of the straining motor faded away. Not another vehicle was anywhere in sight, she noticed. She waited. If someone was going to follow, she thought, they would have done so by now. She was confident that no one could possibly out wit her. She just didn't know how wrong she was. As she took the corner, she failed to pick up the silver sports car that pulled away from the corner and preceded to follow her.

"Bailey, I'm on my way," Rachel squeaked into the car phone," Should be there in about forty-five minutes."

At his desk in the Centre, Mr. Parker pushed aside the repost on which he was working, rubbing his eyes, and again checked his Rolex. He tapped his fingers on the edge of the massive desk. he was tense, on edge. There had been no word on Lyle or his daughter. Years of risky work could come crashing down around him if the greatest acheivement the Centre had every created wasn't found. How did things go so wrong, he thought. Restless and concerned, he arose, clasped his hands behind his back, and paced across the floor to his wall of windows. The lake stretched into the distance like a silver crater in the final fade of sunlight. He looked right and left to veiw the sprawling, heavily landscaped complex that was the Centre, as if to reassure himself that it was all there.

His intercom buzzed," Mr. White has arrived, sir."

"Good." He returned to his desk and composed his face. "Send him in."

Mr. White's features were expressionless.

"Did you find her?"

"My sources tell me they have driven north."

"My daughter and the baby must be heading for Maine."

"I've already been there. She's made no attempt to contact him, none whatsoever, I believe she's trying to reach Canada" the white haired man shook his head.

"Then stop her."

The white haired man acknowledged his orders and turned to leave the office in silence.

"Mr. White, I want her found before Lyle finds her. You do understand."

Mr. White nodded.

******

Lithonia, GA
(about an hour outside of downtown Atlanta)

Rachel pulls her car up in front of the small house at the end of the street. She carefully scans the area once again to make sure she wasn't followed. And once again, she misses the silver sportscar and it's inhabitant watching her from a distance. She walks quickly to the other dark government issue sedan on the street, knocking on the window lightly before being let inside.

"Anything yet?" she asks Bailey.

"No. The house has been quiet since we got here."

"I don't like it," she says, squinting her eyes, trying to get a mental image of the situation. "This was all a set up. I don't think we'll find what we're really looking for."

"Let's go in and see," Bailey challenges. They both step out of the car and with one motion of his hand, the entire lawn is littered with FBI agents descending upon the house. The sight inside was gruesome, but not entirely unexpected by Rachel. A man in his late thirties hung from a doorpost from an apparent suicide. But Rachel knew that nothing about this case was apparent. Scattered throughout various parts of the house were internal organs that she knew would match the ones missing from the young, murdered Asian women over the past few days. But something just didn't add up. It was just all too neat.

"This isn't the guy," she surmises. The scene around her just didn't add up with the profile of the killer she had in her head. "He led us here. Left us these clues to let us know he's just playing a game. I think he wants something from us."

Realizing there was nothing more for them to do, Rachel and Bailey leave. Bailey waves a final good-bye to Rachel before speeding off. As she's getting into her own car, a feeling in the pit of her stomach stops her in her tracks. She looks up and down the streets, but sees nothing. But she knows he's out there. She can almost see herself through his eyes. He's watching her. She uneasily gets into her car and starts the motor, heading for the office. Her home was the last place she wanted to lead that psychopath. Lyle smiles lustfully at the beautiful red head. So much like his sister, he thinks. Smart. Determined. And irresistible. No wonder Jarod liked her. This was going to be a fun game, he decides, his desires for Rachel momentarily clouding his true objective - finding Miss Parker and that baby.

"Parker before we head back into the study, I think we need to talk," Jarod said.

"About?" Parker responded," Those files are important."

"This power you have over me," he said.

"Well you seem to be trying to even the score," she spat back, holding up the folder that contained the information that Broots had gotten for her on Rachel. She was no longer making any attempt to keep her words rational or calm. Parker's emotions had taken over completely as she sensed herself being pushed into yet another of Jarod's intricate webs.

"You're going to split hairs about an old relationship," he demanded.

"If that's what you think I'm doing, then there's not much point in continuing this conversation, is there?"

His jaw tightened as he sensed her withdrawal from the argument.

"Oh, no you don't, Parker. You're not backing out of this that easily. I've always been truthful with you. You're throwing a tantrum because you can't find a way to reassure yourself that I don't have as much control over you as you have over me. That's all this is about, isn't it?" he asked icily.

"From the beginning you seem to have been manipulating me," she said, sighing." You've woven so many webs around me that I haven't been able to think straight. I suppose that's why you now assume I'm trying to reverse the process."

"I was, but not because I wanted to control you. I'm a man who believes in tying up loose ends" he explains as he catches her chin under his thumbs and lifted her mouth for a quick, hard kiss that conveyed the full scope of his feelings. Whatever her thoughts were, it was swallowed up in the depths of his kiss.

She hadn't expected this. Not in a million years. Not after what she'd put him through. She tried to laugh but found it to difficult to hold back the tears that pouring down from her eyes.

"This is a joke, right," she said," so what's the punch line."

Parker could not believe her life had come to this. That in less than a month, she gone from Centre darling and head hunter, her whole future ahead of her, to a fugitive with no guarantee that she'd ever be able to show her face again.

"No joke," he whispered as he looked deeply into her eyes," When we've ended this, I happen to know of this beautiful little place up in Maine. White picket fence, porch, nice church down the street to get married in, enough land for a couple of kids to run around on. Maybe not as exciting as traipsing halfway around the world, but----"

She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, knowing that she'd found the love she so desperately longed for ever since her life had ended that fateful day in April all those years ago. They stood facing each other, and in an instant they both realized that, more than anyone else, they would be responsible for creating a better world. They just hoped that the price they had to pay for it wouldn't be too high.

They entered what looked like a carelessly ransacked crime scene rather than the cozy study she'd left. Books and computer printouts were stacked one on top of another like leaning towers about to come crashing to the floor if anyone breathed too heavily. With hardly a clearing in sight, Jarod pulled a chair through and around the mess. He positioned it next to the desk and threw its contents aside.

"Sorry about the mess," Brrots apologized. " I've been trying to organize the files accoridng to importance, rather unsuccessfully, I might add."

"So tell me Broots, what did you find?" Jarod asked

"First off seems that Lyle isn't who he claims to be," Broots eyes turned to Miss Parker, as he handed Jarod a print out. Jarod's eyes widened as he scanned the page from top to bottom.

"This is incredible."

"This is what?" Parker, who'd been preoccupied rereading what Jarod had discarded, tore the paper from his finger's and stared at what not doubt was a copy of the original top-secret memo detailing Mr. Parker's approval of Lyle's impersonation as a Parker.

* * * * * * * * * Top Secret-Eyes Only
* * * * * * * * *

Copy One of One

SUBJECT: PROJECT CONSANGUINITY
DOCUMENT PREPARED: SEPTEMBER 1998

This document has been prepared as a preliminary briefing only. It should be regarded as introduction to prepare Mr. Lyle for his role as a Parker. Full operation to begin upon his return to the Centre to join the hunt for the missing pretender.

******

"Goddamn," Parker whispered," If I didn't see it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it."

"Believe it," Jarod said.

"He knew. He knew that Angelo was my brother all this time," Parker looked into dark chocolate eyes," We have to get him out of there, Jarod. We have too."

"We will Parker, believe me, we will. I promise, but without Angelo inside. . . "

"Then make him understand that Lyle lied, that he's my brother and I don't want anything to happen to him. Can you do that?"

"Of course I can," Jarod took hold of Parker's hand and brought it to his lips.

Jarod and Miss Parker stack the last of the files neatly in a corner of the room. There was so much to go through, but they managed to organize it all. The baby lets out a wail, alerting the whole house that he was awake from his nap. Luckily, Broots and Syndey were exhausted and sound sleepers because the child's cries didn't wake either of them. Jarod rushes to get him to keep him from waking the entire neighborhood, laughing silently to himself at the boys temperament, obviously inherited from his mother. When he gets back, he finds Miss Parker engrossed in yet another file.

"Your little girlfriend seems like she's a good agent," Miss Parker says, rolling her eyes. Jarod just gives her a disappointed look.

"Parker, don't start. She's good at what she does . . . "

"Yeah, if it's you that she's doing," she mutters. "What?" she asks innocently when she gets that look from him again. "Sorry. You don't have to be so touchy. What I meant to say was that even though she deals with some pretty freaky stuff, she seems to be able to handle it alright. Which is good since the Centre is just about as freaky as things get. If this stuff doesn't scare her, then the Centre shouldn't. Especially this latest case of hers. It sounds like something Lyle would do." She gives the file on top and flips through the newspaper clippings of city's latest Asian murder victims. She looks up at Jarod when he lets out a shocked gasp after reading the papers.

"That's because it is," he says quietly, his voice shaking a little.

"Somehow Lyle must have figured out about Rachel. And now he's here in Atlanta waiting for us."

"Are you sure it's him?" Miss Parker asks, not wanting to believe it.

"He left a calling card." Jarod drops a vivid picture of a snake eating it's own tail in her lap. He holds Benjamin tightly in his arms, not wanting to ever let him go. She leans closer to Jarod while he frees an arm to put around her too. But silently he wonders to himself how he was going to protect them all from someone like Lyle.

Rachel was only miles from VTC building, and a new working day. After viewing the crime scene, which let her feeling nervous and a bit paranoid, Rachel was eager to prove her point to Bailey that the suspect was not the killer of these Asian women. A quick glance at her watch, showed the time to be 10:45, god how she wished she was home but here she was stuck in traffic It was at that moment that a car caught her eye. It was silver, a Mercedes S-class, with tinted windows. It slowed and pulled up next to her. Turning her attention back to the traffic in front of her, Rachel did not see the slender pipe slide out of the darkened window next to her. The cars and trucks in front of her started to slowly move, as did Rachel Burke's sports car, it was within moments of that movement that Rachel hear the muted pop. Signaling to exit the road, she failed to notice that the silver car continued to follow at a safe distance. Pulling the car in to a rest area, Rachel opened the door and emerged from the car clearly frustrated at being delayed by a flat tire.

"Can I help?" the voice came from behind her, looking up she noticed a dark haired, watery blue eyed man, his smile disarmingly deceptive.

"Only if you can help me change a flat?" she returned the smile, ignoring the feeling that danger lurked nearby.

"Sure, not a problem. Open the trunk and get the spare and jack out, please." Rachel watched the man shrug out of his suit coat, which he tossed into his car. Walking to the back of the car, Rachel missed the glint of light off of a small glass tube as the stranger that offered to help her flicked an air bubble out of the liquid it housed. The needle hit the upper flesh of Rachel's arm, a silent Oh dying on her lips.

"Sweet, sweet Rachel," the man whispered into her ear as she slumped against him, his gloved hand caressing her cheek. The unconscious form was seatbelted into the waiting silver car and a small placard was placed on the front seat of Agent Burke's car. A closer inspection revealed a drawing of a snake eating its tail.

The aroma of freshly brewed coffeee wafted through every room in the house, stirring Parker from her slumber. Her eyes closed, she arched her back and unconsciously rolled across the flannel sheets to the empty side of the bed. Then, forcing her eyelids open, she momentarily panicked at finding it empty.Then she remembered that Jarod had talked her into a small nap. Parker's eyes were drawn to the sudden flicker of something that had caught the incoming rays of the setting sun. She jumped out of bed, walked over to the dresser, and, snapped open the latches on the brief case. Inside she found a small gold-embossed photo album. When she opened it, she found herself staring down at some old photographs of her and her mother. She flipped quickly to the next photo, then the next, and the next one after that, her fingers seemingly forced into turning the pages and making her relive a time in her life when everything was perfect. And then, as though her subconscious would not allow her to forget how much she still missed ehr, the sense of loneliness she thought would have left her by now was suddenly overcoming her and, as happened so often whenever those thoughts of her mother would drift into her mind, tears began to well in her eyes.

"Parker, you awake?" Jarod asked from outside the bedroom door, startling her.

Parker swung around at the sound of Jarod's deep voice, as she stood there in the oversized tee shirt that Jarod had given her last evening. She clutched the photo album in her trembling hands, pressing it to her chest so tightly she could feel the outline of the hard leather against her soft breast.

"He said that he threw them away," she hesitated, then looked him in the eyes.

"He tried, but Angelo found it and sent it to me a long time ago. I'm sorry if it brought back memories for you."

"Don't be," her hand reached out to cradle his cheek," These mean more to me than you could ever imagine. I want this for Benjamin so much."

"Me too," he brought his hand up to cover her's," You know that the only way is to bring the Centre to its knees."

She nodded.

"We'll also need to deal with Lyle as well, once we find him." As he pulled her closer to him.

By 10:05, the night sky above the house had grown as black as new coal, and as Parker gazed out the window, trying hard to visualize the outline of trees to the east, she rehearsed over and over in her mind exatly how their next two hours would be played out. She knew there'd be no room for error, that it had to be nothing short of perfect, and that any mistake by either of them could cost them their lives. The thought of that sent a wave of cold nausea through her fatigued body.

"Parker," his voice was soft and his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her toward him.

"Is it time?"

"We have a problem," he replied, as he tightened his grip on her waist, his lips brushing her temple.

"What? She won't help," she turned in his embrace, looking into troubled eyes.

"She's missing. Abducted, earlier this morning."

"Lyle?"

"None other. He even left a calling card."

"He wants me and the baby, you know that, don't you?"

"Well he can't have you. I won't let it come to that. Sydney and Broots will take Benjamin to the Sisters as I had orginally planned. We have no choice, Parker. I also sent a message via the web for my father, he's to contact Syd at the convent."

"And what am I to do?"

"We set are own little pretend for Lyle. That is if you trust in yourself enough to do it?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"You always have a choice. You can go with Sydney and Broots and take care of our son."

"I'm not running away. Not anymore." She tenderly brushed her lips against his, then pulled away slightly," Let's go tell our son goodbye, for the time being."

Writers:
Michele
Niceole
Trish
Shannon
Michele
Nicky
Trish
Shannon
Michele
Nicky
Trish
Shannon
Michele

TBC....