Chapter Nineteen – Return to Normalcy

Miss Parker locked the door to her house once inside. Taking her coat off and laying it on her sofa, she noticed the envelope on her coffee table. It bore her name in Jarod's distinct handwriting. She picked it up as the telephone rang. "What is it now, Jarod?"

He did not act surprised, although Miss Parker's intuition never failed to amuse him. "I just wanted to see how you were coping without me."

"Very funny," she said. "What's with the envelope?"

"Just open it," Jarod said unhelpfully.

She did as told, curious as to the contents, and found a check for $2500. "And this is for ..." she prompted.

"I thought I should pay for the time I spent at Chalet Parker," he explained.

"You make it sound like you came of your own free will, instead of drugged and unconscious," she remarked.

Jarod grinned, although Miss Parker couldn't see it. "I still got room service. Besides," he added, "you can get yourself something nice to wear. Six-inch heels are murder to wear and did you see blouse you wore on Thanksgiving?"

"So says one who thinks shirts and sweatpants match," she quipped.

"Ah, touché." There was a pause, and then Jarod asked, "How are things going with your father?"

Miss Parker sighed into the phone. "What kind of man hides his relationship from you for your whole life, and then expects to be part of your life? He called me his daughter yesterday."

"But you still hate him?"

"I don't know ... how could you possibly hate your father? ... I'm all mixed up inside."

"Your religion's falling apart, Miss Parker. What'll you do when there's no one left to hate?"

There was another pause, and another sigh. "I don't know. What'll you do, now that you know your mother's not dead?"

Jarod gave a small smile on his end of the phone. "Why does everyone have to know before I do?" he said, mocking Miss Parker with her own question.

"I found out at the same time Sydney did."

"Huh," the genius said. "I'll be searching, I guess. And you'll chase." He sighed. "It's our lot."

"That's just the Parker curse," she said, repeating the words he'd uttered weeks ago. "Everything else is up to us."

Miss Parker smiled sadly, and for the first time, hung up before Jarod did.

He smiled as well, put away his cell phone, shifted his Cadillac into drive, and raced down the highway.