by Mike Ryan
“I was just in the bathroom,” Cole said. “Jeez, I don’t take my phone everywhere,” he quipped.
“How’s it going there?”
“Ehh, not so good.”
“What? Why?”
“Got to the hotel and Davis was gone.”
“How’d he slip out?” Parker wondered.
“Don’t know. Reviewed security footage. He went out a back exit into a waiting car.”
“Did you get anything on the car?”
“There were four cars there, all the same model and color, with the same plate. Plate came back as stolen. Tried to review some security footage with cameras in the area to see if I could pick up where all the cars were going, but no dice. It’s a dead end, he’s gone,” Cole replied.
“Great.”
“What about on your end? Get there in time?”
“Well, yes and no.”
“You wanna run that by me again?”
“I didn’t get here in time. The killers were here and they killed the person that was here. Problem was, it wasn’t Ryan.”
“Then who was it?”
“It was Mark, Ryan’s friend. He was waiting for Ryan to get home, they were gonna hang out, and I guess they didn’t realize he wasn’t the target they were sent there for,” Parker explained.
“That’s a raw deal. I hate it when there’s a wrong time, wrong place victim.”
“Yeah.”
“How’s Turner handling it?”
“He’s a little shook up.”
“I’m sure you can console him, if you know what I mean,” Cole said.
“Really, Cole? Now’s not the time for that.”
“Yeah, yeah, just figured I’d lighten the mood.”
“You tell Burnett about Davis?”
“Yeah. She’s working on it. Told us to just sit tight for a day or two.”
As she was talking she heard the beep signaling another incoming call on her phone. She checked and made the kind of face a kid makes when they get called in to the principal’s office.
“Cole, gotta go. Burnett’s calling,” she told him.
“Uh oh.”
“Yeah.”
“Yes, ma’am?” Parker answered.
“Did you really expect to get away with this?”
“Umm, away with what?”
“Don’t play games. When one of your aliases popped up on a flight headed to L.A. I was immediately alerted,” Burnett replied.
“Oh.”
“I explicitly told you to stay where you were and you deliberately ignored my orders.”
“With all due respect, your orders stunk,” Parker said, holding her ground and not seeming to care about the repercussions.
“Excuse me?”
“You were willing to let an innocent person die and I was not about to let that happen. Cole stayed on Davis. Me coming here did not compromise our mission.”
“I’m starting to get a little worried about you, Alex.”
“Yeah, well, there’s no need.”
“Ever since you met Turner it seems you’ve become a little more unpredictable and unstable. You’ve done the one thing you can never do in this business…you got attached.”
“I told you months ago that I needed a break. I needed time to recharge. That never happened,” Parker told her.
“Well, you wanted a break, now you got one.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means you’re temporarily grounded,” Burnett said.
“Grounded? Am I back in high school?” Parker sarcastically asked.
“Suspended!”
“For how long?!”
“Till I deem you’re ready to go back out,” Burnett angrily responded.
“You can’t do that. What about Cole?”
“I can and I will. He’ll get a new partner he can actually count on,” she said, hanging up.
Parker clenched the phone and made a fist, wanting to throw it down to the ground in anger. She slapped it against her leg as she looked around, wondering what she was going to do. Her mouth shifted to the left side of her face as she puckered up her lips, clearly still disgusted. As she was still steaming, her phone rang again, this time it was Cole.
“What’d she say?” he eagerly asked.
“I’m suspended.”
“Damn. For how long?”
“Until she feels I’m ready to go back out,” Parker replied.
“Oh. So what’re you gonna do now?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know where to go. I’ve never had time off before.”
“Yeah, well, I could probably give you a few suggestions.”
“I don’t need your suggestions,” she said, figuring out what he was implying.
“Well, I’ll do what I can for you.”
“I know. Thanks. Just don’t worry about it too much. No need for both of us to get into hot water.”
“Right. I’ll keep you updated on Davis if I get anything.”
“Thanks.”
As they hung up, Parker noticed Turner emerging from his apartment. He immediately saw her and began walking in her direction. She leaned up against the side of the hood of his car as she waited. Once he got closer he gave her a faint smile as he stood beside her, the two of them looking out into the distance.
“I just called Mark’s folks,” Turner said.
“How’d that go?” Parker solemnly asked.
“Outside of my mom dying, I think that’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, rubbing his shoulder.
“How do you do it?”
“Do what?”
“This. This kind of life. Death and killing. All of that,” Turner wondered.
Parker gulped before answering. “Unfortunately, when you’ve been doing this as long as I have, you kind of get used to it.”
Turner just shook his head. “Wow. I don’t think I could ever get used to something like that.”
“That’s cause you’re actually a decent person.”
“Well so are you.”
“That’s debatable.”
“So do you have to leave right away again?” Turner asked.
“Uhh, no. I have a little time. Cole’s out there on him right now.”
“How much time do you have?”
Parker shrugged her shoulders and threw her arms up. “Really don’t know.”
“I’m surprised you’re not going right back after Heath.”
“Well, like I said, Cole’s out there. He can handle things without me.”
Turner could tell something was wrong by how she was talking. Something in her voice sounded different, more carefree than usual. She always seemed pretty precise with a plan in place.
“Is there something else you’re not telling me?” Turner wondered.
“Like what?”
“I dunno. Something seems off with you.”
“Nope. I’m fine.”
“Guess I have to find a new place now.”
“Just for a couple days until they’ve finished processing everything,” she told him.
“I guess I could go to Vicky’s or maybe a hotel or something.”
“What about Marissa?”
Turner looked over to her and twiddled his thumbs, not sure about going into details about his relationship. “Uhh, well, you know, she’s got a lot on her plate right now.”
“Oh. Anything serious?”
“Well, uhh, to be honest we broke up a few days ago,” he revealed.
“Aww, I’m so sorry,” Parker replied, feigning unhappiness for him. “What happened?”
“We’re just at different points in our lives right now. I’m pretty much settled. She’s got school, a lot of school, then who knows where she’ll be after that when she gets a job. She was talking about moving, and as much as we liked each other, we just felt it was better to end things now before it got deeper and more complicated.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Well, we
left on good terms, so who knows? Maybe somewhere down the line.”
“Yeah, maybe.”
“Well, I guess I’ll call my sis and see if I can spend a couple days there. Where are you staying?”
“I’ll find a hotel I guess.”
“Where’s your car?”
“Oh, I grabbed a taxi here from the airport,” she told him.
Turner put his phone down like he was perplexed. “How am I gonna explain this to her? I can’t just tell her the truth. Can I?”
“Just tell her somebody broke in trying to rob the place and unfortunately Mark was there.”
“So lie to her? Just like that?”
Parker raised her eyebrows, “Uhh, yeah, just like that.”
“You make it sound so easy.”
“Well, in my job, most things are a lie so you get used to it.”
“You know, I just realized I haven’t said thank you.”
“For what?” Parker asked.
“For flying here at a moments notice to save me,” he said, looking into her eyes.
“You actually did thank me already.”
“Did I?”
“Yeah,” she smiled. “It’s OK though. There’s a lot going on.”
“My mind’s going already. But, I guess for the third time, thank you.”
“Well, I told you I’d always protect you,” she replied, giving him a slight smile. “I meant it. I just wish I could’ve protected him.”
Turner grabbed her hand. “Hey. It’s not your fault.”
“I guess not.”
“C’mon, since you don’t have a car I’ll take you to your hotel.”
“I told you I didn’t have one yet.”
“I’ll take you wherever you want,” Turner insisted.
“It’s probably better if you just go to your sister’s. I’ll grab a cab.”
“Trying to get rid of me?”
Parker smiled. “Of course not. I’m just not sure what I’m doing just yet.”
A concerned look came over Turner’s face. “Since when were you ever not sure about anything?”
“First time for everything.”
Turner grabbed both her hands and turned her towards him so he was looking directly in her eyes. “Hey. What’s going on? Something’s not right with you and it’s not just this. Something’s wrong. I can tell. You’re not as mysterious as you think you are you know. You give off clues just like everyone else.”
She looked into his eyes and sighed, knowing she might as well just give in as he’d eventually find out anyway probably. “I don’t have anywhere to go because I’ve been suspended,” she said, almost embarrassed to say the words.
“Suspended? Why? For how long?”
“When we initially learned of what was going to happen here we tried to get a team out here to stop it. Our request was denied.”
“And?” Turner asked, knowing there was more.
“And I was ordered to stay on Heath and forget about here.”
“And you didn’t.”
“And I didn’t. I deliberately disobeyed orders.”
“How long are you suspended?”
“I don’t know. Indefinitely as of now,” she softly stated.
“Wow. I can’t believe you’re suspended because of me.”
“It’s OK. It’s not your fault. I knew the risks when I came.”
“You risked your career for me.”
“It’s just a suspension. They’ll get over it…eventually.”
Turned leaned over and gave her a big hug, which she definitely needed. “I’m sorry. Maybe I can talk to someone for you…or something.”
“No. Definitely not. That definitely would not help,” Parker reiterated.
“Well I’ve gotta do something for you.”
“That’s sweet, but I’ll be fine. It’ll blow over.”
“At least come to my sister’s with me,” Turner said.
“No, no,” Parker responded, putting her hands up. “I’ll go to a hotel. I’ll be fine. Really. I’m a big girl.”
“I can’t believe you risked everything for me.”
“I told you I’d always protect you,” she said, looking down. “I guess it’s one of the few truthful things I’ve ever said.”
“Please just come to my sister’s.”
“I don’t really think that’d be appropriate. Besides, your friend just died. Mourn him.”
“You’re my friend too. I can’t just leave you all alone out here in the wilderness.”
“Wilderness? Really?”
“Just come with me for now. You can use her computer to book a hotel and I’ll drive you over there later if that’s what you want,” he insisted. “I can’t just leave you standing here.”
“I’m supposed to protect you, not the other way around.”
“Yeah, well, you gotta let me have a few moments here and there.”
“OK. If Vicky’s OK with it, then I’ll stay for an hour or two.”
“I’ll call her right now.”
Turner called his sister to let her know about Mark and the two of them talked for several minutes. Most of it was Vicky wanting to make sure that her brother was all right. She told him that he could stay there for as long as he wanted to. Vicky was just about to make dinner and would hold off eating until he got there since it’d been a long day for him. As soon as he got off the phone with his sister, Parker had some more words for him.
“Uhh, I couldn’t help but hear that you didn’t mention anything about me coming,” she told him.
“Oh, I forgot. Please, she’ll be fine. Don’t worry about it.”
They got in Turner’s car and headed straight for Vicky’s. She was only twenty minutes away. It was a quiet car ride. Both of them had their minds on other things. Turner was thinking about his friend. Mark paid the price for the situation that he got involved in. He didn’t know how he could ever forgive himself for that. He was somebody that outwardly appeared fine, but on the inside was crumbling. He didn’t deal with loss very well. Parker was thinking of Turner’s friend, but also about her future, or if she even had one. Once she had some time to calm down, she realized her suspension would probably be a short one. She knew she was one of the best agents the CIA had and likely wouldn’t want her on the sideline for very long. But she was also scared, not that she’d admit it to anybody. What if her suspension lasted weeks, or months? For months she’d been clamoring to have a normal life. Now she was about to have one and it worried her. What would she do with herself? What would happen if she had a few months off and really enjoyed it and then they wanted her to come back? Would she be able to? Would she be the same type of agent she was before? Parker was staring out the window, not even noticing that Turner had pulled up to his sister’s house and stopped the car. Turner noticed that Parker’s mind seemed to be in another place and put his hand on her arm to break her trance. Parker jumped at the unexpected touch of his hand.
“Are you OK?” Turner asked.
“I’m fine.”
“I never saw you like this before.”
“Just have a lot on my mind,” she replied, trying to put him at ease with a fake smile.
They got out and walked to the door, it opening as the two of them approached.
“I saw you pull up and figured,” Vicky stated, emerging from the opening. She stopped in mid-sentence once she saw Parker walking behind her brother, the shock throwing her train of thought away.
“Look who I found?” Turner said, smiling.
Parker smiled and put her hand up to wave. “Hi.”
“Well this is a surprise,” Vicky said, giving Parker a hug. “When’d you get back in town?”
“Just today.”
“Well you certainly picked a heck of a day for it.”
“Yeah,” Parker sorrowfully said.
“Well c’mon in; I just put some steak sandwiches on the stove.”
They spent the next hour eating, and talking about Mark, Turner telling some of
his favorite memories with him.
“He was a good guy,” Vicky stated. “A little unusual at times, but a good guy.”
Turner nodded his head.
“I only met him a couple times, but he seemed nice,” Parker chimed in.
“So what’s going on with you, Alex?” Vicky asked. “What brings you out here?”
“Well, I had some time off so I didn’t really know where else to go.”
“Where are you staying?”
“Umm, well, uhh…,” she stuttered.
Turner jumped in to save her. “Well we were hoping she could borrow your computer to look for a hotel room.”
“Of course. Anything you need.”
“Thank you,” Parker replied.
The wheels were turning in Vicky’s brain that something wasn’t adding up. She looked at both of them with a quizzical look. “You know, it seems a little strange that you’d come back here so suddenly and not have something booked already.”
“It was a last minute thing,” Parker said.
“Something seems fishy here.”
“No. Everything’s fine.”
“Absolutely not. No problems at all,” Turner quickly replied. “Everything’s good.”
“So how many bags did you bring with you?” Vicky wondered.
“Bags?” Parker asked, knowing she was on to them.
“Bags. Suitcases. Things you bring with you on trips.”
“Oh. Umm…I dunno. Two or three. Why?”
“So if I go out to Ryan’s car, how many bags will be there?”
“Uhh..”
“I’ll just go out and look.”
Vicky got up from the table and started for the door, but was stopped as Turner grabbed her by the arm before she could get past him.
“Just sit,” he told her.
Vicky complied with his wishes. “Somebody please tell me what’s going on.”
Parker looked at Turner before answering, trying to come up with something, before she decided to tell part of the truth. “The truth is I came out rather suddenly to check on Ryan to make sure he was OK.”
“OK?” Vicky wondered. “Why wouldn’t he be OK?”
“Well,” Parker started, looking at Turner.
“Well, I uhh…I didn’t want to tell you, but after Marissa and I broke up I emailed and called Alex. I guess I sounded kind of depressed and she got worried and came out here all of a sudden,” Turner lied, wiping the sides of his face.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Vicky asked.
