I dug in my handbag for my cell phone and called Broots. When he arrived,there was a reproachful expression on his face, one that I knew so wellthat sometimes I wondered way I tolerated it. I knew why, because my motherdid.

"Wipe that expression off your face, Broots. I'm fine, no need to alarmyourself. It was a long flight and I had not eaten since I left Heathrow.Now to the matter at hand, the whereabouts of the sweeper known as Sam."

"He's living at Greenbriar Estates," he said as he cleared his throat,that look still upon his brow.

Having discovered the whereabouts of Sam, I made arrangements to meethim.

He had a small cottage in the middle of Greenbriar that looked out overthe duck pond. Broots, at my request, accompanied me as far as the door.I wanted this to be informal and when he answered the door, his expressionchanged rapidly from shock to pure joy.

"Sam? I am Caitrin Parker, the daughter of Miss Parker, who you usedto work with at the Centre. From what I understand you knew my father,as well as the other members of my family."

The statement, was wordy, but it was intended to put him at ease anderase the bewilderment that crossed his face, and it vanished the momentI mentioned my mother's name. His face all smiles as he asked me into thehouse, Broots declined the invitation and told me to call him when I wasready to return to the cottage.

Sam offered me a seat in one of the chairs that sat in front of thelarge bay window. He took residence in the other.

"My god, the resemblence is uncanny, but I suppose you have heard thatas often as your mother did in her lifetime.  My condolences on yourmother's passing. She was a good woman, your mother. If it wasn't for her,I would have nothing to show for years of loyalty to a place that didn'tdeserve it."

"Excuse me, sir," his statement startling me.

"She arranged for me to leave the Centre. Alive, I might add. Somethingrarely done. I live comfortably, thanks in part to a trust fund she establishedfor me and my family. However, my life's story is not why you are here,is it, Caitrin?"

I shook my head and grasped the arms of the chair, then settled intoit.

" She sent me on a quest, a quest to discover the truth about my fatherand the relationship that the two shared."

"It's a strange and long story. I am only a part of it. There are othersthat could help you, such as Broots, Sydney and Angelo. There is also yourcousin."

"Cousin?" I leaned forward with excitement." Mother always lead me tobelieve that all of her family had passed on."

" Not true, Jarod wanted her to believe that. He sacificed his freedomfor her's, at the time, I never knew why. . .  but seeing you, itbecomes clear.

You may look like the Miss Parker I knew, but you are also his daughter,as well."

"Thank you, " I said softly. A candid opinion that didn't come attachedwith any strings regarding my father. " This cousin of mine that you mentioned.. ."

"Your uncle's boy."

"Mother's brother, Lyle. She had made mention of him only briefly andthat was when Sydney had informed her of his death. How he died I don'thave a clue? I was around three, I think. I didn't know he married. Motherwould have said something about a child."

"Your mother was lead to believe that Lyle's son was her brother," Samsaid,  taking hold of my hands.

"The little boy that she regretted leaving behind," I murmured," I wouldcatch her crying, every first week of May. When she saw me, she would wipeaway the tears and tell me that they were caused by memories of long ago."

"It was Jarod. Four months after coming back to the Centre, he learnedthe truth and smuggled the boy out. I saw to it with Sydney's help thathe found a good home. He comes to see me, he's a good man. Married withtwo children."

"She was told that the little boy died, complications of a rupturedappendix, he was just four years old."

"Yes, it was Jarod's way of getting the boy out of the hell he was livingin. Jarod swore that no one would tell Miss Parker. She never knew thathe was her nephew and not her brother."

"The family that raised him, it was a good one?" my mind reflectingupon my childhood, one that I would have gladly shared," She would havetaken him in a heartbeat."

"I know that now, but your father did it the way he did, so that noone at the Centre was allowed to believe that your mother or the boy wasstill alive. Only five of us knew." I knew the five that he referred to----Sydney,

Broots, Angelo, the man sitting with me and my father.

He sighed deeply and gazed out the bay window. I looked at him and afeeling of delicious anticipation swept over me. Part of my quest was tobe filled with revelations that not even my mother expected.

I was amazed that he seemed so inclined to trust and confide in me.Maybe it was because he was reminded of my mother, or he felt the needto unburden himself of a story every bit as remarkable as my mother andfather.

"I remember the day that your mother brought him back to the Centre,"Sam said, settling back in to the armchair.  " What a day it was;everyone from sweepers to the Chairman was there because it was somethingthat no one ever believed they would see."

"She waltzed in, the pretender in handcuffs; demanded her freedom, justlike that," he snapped his fingers,"She didn't even wait for the Chairmanto okay it, she just waltzed back out, never looking back." He looked atme with pain-filled eyes, "Sorry."

"It's all right, Sam," this time it was my hand the took hold of his,his eyes taking in the square silver ring on my left hand, my mother's,"Please continue."

"I tell you, Caitrin, my blood froze in me when I heard those wordsescape her lips, yet there was this strange almost triumphant look uponthe pretender's face as he stood there in the middle of all this. It wasSydney that took it hardest, he stood there in the shadows and the lifeseemed to have gone out of him and, instead of the invincible doctor therewas an old man standing there. She was so cold, none of us were preparedfor that. Then word of the crash and her death nearly shocked the Centreto its foundation.

The only one that seemed to celebrate your mother's death was Lyle.He saw it as his chance to shine but your grandfather pushed him fartheraway, he never was the same after your mother's supposed death. It wasthe death of the boy that did him in. He just seemed to grow older in frontof us. That was the beginning of the end of the Centre that I knew. Rainestried to wrest control from the old man but Mr. Cox proved more powerful.Raines lost, and Lyle switched sides so many times even the sweepers lostcount."

"My father?" I asked with held breath.

"He continued to work with Sydney and minded his own business. Thenthe holidays rolled around and Sydney went away for a convention in Switzerlandfor three weeks. I was left to watch over your father, I even offered tohelp him escape. He wouldn't hear of it. Murmured something about stayingput until Sydney returned. For three whole weeks, he paced up and downin the SIM lab like an expectant father. Little did I know, that was onesecret they keep from me. When Sydney returned, Jarod was upon him andhe didn't have a moments peace. I couldn't understand what was so excitingabout a convention of shrinks."

His eyes twinkled with warmth and a small laugh left his throat as heinformed that my father did celebrate my birth, granted after the fact.I was a New Year's baby. Mother and I celebrated our birthdays together, her's being on the third.

Night was starting to settle upon us when I rose reluctantly from mychair, and said my goodbyes. I knew that if I lingered any longer thatBroots would start to worry. Once a mother hen always a mother hen.

Sam made me promise to return once my quest was completed. I agreedand left the old man content and what seemed happier than he'd been ina long time. Perhaps his soul had been purged of the demons that plaguedhim. Again, I agreed to return and meet this cousin of mine. Mikhael Stamatis.
 
 
 
 
 
 

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Part 3