New Orleans. La June 28th
Rachel stepped out of N.O. International airport and hailed a cab. "I need a hotel near the New Orleans Police Department".
"The only thing is the Omni hotel, and it's EXPENSIVE!" said the cabbie. "I know" was all she said.
It was a long drive, especially because of the traffic. Rachel was relieved to to arrive at the hotel alive since the cabbie drove like a maniac. She actually wanted to arrest him for reckless driving.
Once inside her hotel room, she made a quick change of clothes, and was off to the police station.
She walked up the stairs of the old building. Inside, she showed her I.D. and asked for the officer in charge of Jarod's case. The desk officer told her to have a seat, that Sergeant Cole would be with her in a moment.
Thirty minutes had passed. Rachel walked to the desk and said "Excuse me-"
"Ma'am, Sergeant Cole will be with you when she's done".
Rachel sighed, and turned to walk back to her seat, but was intercepted by a tired looking blond, "Agent Burke" the woman said with her hand extended out for a hand shake. "I'm Sergeant Miranda Cole, please follow me".
Cole walked her back through a small hallway, leading to an office. Cole walked around her desk and sat down. Rachel sat across from her.
"What can I do for you Agent?"
"I'd like to know if you have charged Jarod Embry with these murders?"
"Not yet" Cole said.
"When are you going to release him?" Rachel asked.
"Why?"
"Jarod is a ....friend. I know him, he couldn't have done these killings" she said.
"You seem pretty sure of yourself, how long have you known the suspect?"
"Two years. Look, I know how this works, you can't hold him longer than 24 hours without charging him, and you can't charge him without proof. You have to cut him loose".
"We haven't finished our interogation yet" Cole told her.
"When was he taken into custody?"
"Yesterday, around 9:30 pm, why?"
"It's 7:30, you've been questioning him for almost 24 hours?"
"So?"
"So...has his story changed?" RTachel asked.
"No."
Rachel stared at the woman for a moment, then said, "I CAN get a lawyer..why don't you release him into my custody?"
"I don't want him leaving this city!"
"He won't" Rachel interupted.
Cole got up and left the office. So Rachel waited. She HAD known Jarod for two years, she just neglected to mention that she hadn't seen him in over 18 months.
The last time they had been together, he showed up on her doorstep to help with Joel Marks, a good agent turned bad. Jarod had promised to tell her everything about his past, but when she pressed him, he responded by saying he didn't want to talk. So they made love for the first time, and when she woke, he was gone.
The desk officer came in with a small stack of forms. Rachel signed all of the appropriate papers,then found herself fidgeting in the chair at the idea of seeing Jarod again.
By the time Cole returned it had been almost 45 minutes. "Agent Burke?"
Rachel turned around to see Cole. She had Jarod with her. "Remember what I said."
"I will!"
Rachel almost laughed at what Jarod was wearing. He had on gray sweatpants and a black Metallica t'shirt. She walked past him without speaking. He just turned and followed her out of the building. She was several steps ahead of him.
"Rachel.....RACHEL!"
Jarod ran to catch up to her. He pulled her arm and turned her toward him. He wrapped his arms around her. She didn't return the embrace at first, but she couldn't resist and finally wrapped her arms around his waist. They stood there for a moment.
"Thank you" he whispered in her ear.
"For what?"
"Coming to help me",
He let go enough for her to back away a few inches. His hands cupped her face, and he leaned down and kissed her softly. Rachel pulled away. "No, I...we can't just pick up where we left off. I mean, you left without saying a word to me. I haven't seen or heard from you in almost 2 years" she placed her hands on Jarod's chest. "Jarod, we need to talk. I need some answers, and I can't help you if you won't or can't trust me".
"I DO trust you."
"But not enough" she said.
"O.K., I'll tell you everything, I have a room at the Omni hotel, it's only a few blocks, come on"
"That's where I'm staying too."
They started walking toward the hotel.
"How did you find me?" he asked
"George came across it while reviewing arrest records".
Jarod stopped walking. "DAMN IT!"
Rachel turned back to him. "What's wrong?"
"We have to find another hotel. or I do".
"Jarod, you have to stay where the police department can find you".
"You don't understand, they'll find me. I have to go".
He started walking quickly towards the hotel. "Jarod... WAIT!" she yelled. He stopped and waited for her to catch up.
"You can check out of your room and move into mine, but I want you to tell me everything."
"I know, I will" he promised.
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PART THREE
Jarod knocked on her door. She opened it and stood aside to allow him to come in. She saw that a large silver case, and a duffle bag was all he carried.
"You changed clothes?"
"Yeah, those weren't exactly my style."
She laughed as she closed the door. "I noticed. Where's you get them?" she asked.
"It's what they left me to change into after they allowed me shower, right before they brought me to you."
"They left you in those bloody clothed to remind you of what you did, their way of trying to break you" Rachel said.
"You know I'm innocent don't you?"
"I wouldn't have come if I thought you were guilty".
Jarod reached down and took her by the hand, and lead her to the sofa. He pulled the coffee table closer to them, and sat the DSA reader on it. As he was opening the cast, he started his story.
"When I was child, I was taken from my family...."
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Blue Cove, DE June 28th
Broots busted into Miss Parkers office. "Miss Parker!!" he said breathlessly, pointing back over his shoulders. "I found Jarod!" She was about to annihilate him for scaring her, busting through her door like that, but since he had good news, she'd let him live at least one more day.
"Where?"
"New Orleans. Miss Parker, he was arrested for murder, he's the only suspect in three homicides."
She picked up her phone, dialed. "This is Parker, get the jet ready!" She snapped her finger in Broots' face, pointed at the door. "GO!" she commanded.
___________________________________
"So, that's my life" Jarod said with a sigh. Rachel put her hand on the side of his face. There were tears in her eyes. She grabbed him and pulled him close to her, and held him tightly. It felt good to be in her arms again. She pulled back from the embrace, and kissed him. Jarod leaned forward, pushing Rachel down on the sofa. Her hands were already pulling his shirt out of his jeans. She pulled it off over his head, and dropped it to the floor.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Jarod asked as he lightly stroked the side of her face.
"As long as you'll be here when I wake up". Jarod picked her up and carried her to the bed.
____________________________________
Miss Parked stomped down the stairs of the police department, Sydney and Broots close behind. "Morons!" she shook her head, then threw her arms up in the air, and stated."I'm surrounded by complete and total idiots!"
"Miss Parker," Sydney said in his 'I'm disappointed in how you behaved tone'.
"Save it Syd, I'm looking for a reason to shoot someone." Broots hailed a cab. A station wagon taxi pulled over to pick them up. Broots opened the door and stood aside for Miss Parker to get in first. "Now I know I'm in hell."
"Where to Miss?" the hispanic driver asked.
As she got in she said, "The Omni hotel Paco, and make it quick!"
"Miss Parker" Broots started, "Do you think Jarod already left the city?"
"I'd bet your Bob Denver collection he did" she paused fo a moment and them said, "I've never seen such tight lipped assholes in my life, all they would tell me was that he was released and instructed not to leave the city, but if I know our little lab rat, he already scurried away."
"Jarod will stay here until he finds out who is responsible for these crimes" Sydney said.
The cab pulled over at the Omni, Miss Parker and Sydney exited the cab leaving Broots behind to pay for the quick ride.
They got a three bedroom suite, which didn't make Miss Parker very happy, she liked her privacy. A few days in the Big Easy with Dr. Freud and Gilligan wasn't exactly her idea of a good weekend.
She walked out of her room and into the sitting area. Broots was working on his laptop, and Sydney was standing at the window, looking down at the people walking the dark streets of the French Quarter.
"Syd, do you really think Jarod is still in town?"
"Yes, I do. It's in his nature to find this killer."