Disclaimer: I don’t have rights to the Pretender, someone else does. I’m just borrowing the characters, that’s all. Thank you for not suing. AUTHOR’S NOTE: I know, you must think I’m desperate or something. I really just miss the show A LOT! If you all are getting sick of my stories, please let me know and I’ll put a halt to this. Or I could just send to interested folks. Please tell me. This is another piece to the Jarod/Miss Parker Adventure Series.
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"Mr. Lyle is looking for you. He’s right behind me and he’s not happy," Sydney warned as he entered Miss Parker’s office. Broots scurried to stand next to her, mainly for protection. He doesn’t like Mr. Lyle--actually, he’s afraid of him.
"When is he ever happy?" Miss Parker asked uninterested, continuing to straighten out the papers on her desk. She gave Broots an annoyed look for standing too close to her.
Lyle burst in and slammed the newspaper on her desk. "Have you seen this?" He growled. Miss Parker glanced at the picture on the paper briefly and continued her shuffling of papers. She was so calm, Broots and Sydney got nervous.
"Yes," she said without looking at Lyle.
"Then why aren’t you out there to get him?" he gritted out.
Miss Parker looked up slowly and saw Lyle fuming. "If you don’t calm down, you’re going to lose your hair. But that would be an improvement. You could look like my Brootsie," Miss Parker said, turning to Broots and giving him a wink.
Broots smiled nervously, wishing she would keep him out of it.
"Well?" Lyle asked impatiently.
"Did you see the date on the paper?" Miss Parker asked calmly, "It was dated yesterday."
"Exactly. And it said they were going to this little town the next day, meaning today," Lyle pointed out, tapping his index finger on her desk.
"Don’t you think he would have seen this paper? And if he saw it, don’t you think he would have thought we would see it, too? Then he would think that we would go after him, but then he’ll think that we would figure that he would be gone by the time we get there, so we might not think of going in the first place. So, he would think that since we won’t be coming, he would go ahead to this little town, thinking we have given up the chase. But he’s not realizing that we can think like him. We’re going to this little town tomorrow and find him because he’ll think we thought he wouldn’t be there. You following me?"
Lyle looked at her wide-eyed in total confusion. Broots and Sydney narrowed their eyes, trying to process what she just said.
"You coming with us?" She asked, lacking sincerity.
"No. I hate small towns and I hate the circus."
Broots’ face lit up. "The circus?" he asked excitedly. Miss Parker shot him a glare and he backed away. Lyle walked out of her office in a huff. "This time, don’t screw up," he threatened before shutting the door behind him.
"He really should fix that wedgy that’s irritating him," Miss Parker commented about Lyle as she picked up the newspaper. Broots and Sydney chuckled, shaking their head at her care-free attitude.
She stared at the picture, smiling adoringly. "Doesn’t Jarod look good in his Ringmaster Uniform?"
"You think he looks good in any uniform," Broots said. "So? Are we really going?" he asked, trying to hold in his excitement this time.
"Pack your bags, clowns, we’re going to the circus!" Miss Parker announced.
"What is Jarod working on, Miss Parker?" Sydney asked.
"Something about drug dealings and using the circus as a carrier."
"Hmmn," Sydney muttered.
"What’s that ‘hmmn’ for, Sydney?" Miss Parker questioned.
"I’m getting too old for this and I get worried for all of you."
"Thanks for the concern, Syd, but we can handle it."
"Yeah, we can handle it!" Broots piped up, "Another pretend! The thrill! The danger! The victory!"
"Sure, Broots, you’re just excited about meeting a trapeze girl," Miss Parker joked.