"Previously on The Pretender." "Have we met?" "Thomas Gates." "Friends call me Tommy." "I don't have any friends." "Everything that I've ever done or felt... it was wasted because you weren't part of it." "Thomas?" "I find it hard to believe... that somebody breaks into your house, shoots your lover point blank in the head." "Oh, my God." "At least I know how to protect the ones I love." "The man the police think killed Thomas" "Gates died of a drug overdose in his cell." "Daddy, this man was the last link in proving who killed Thomas." "I don't want any trace of Centre involvement." "They killed them all." "And for what?" "What will you do now?" "Find out who did this and make them pay." "Tell me about yourself." "What do you want to know?" "Everything." "Bridget seems like a nice person." "If it's making you this miserable, maybe you should stop spending time with them." "They're my family." "Maybe you should think about starting a new one." "There are places in me, Tommy." "Dark places." "If something is not right, we'll deal with it." "Together." "I'm a fix-it man, remember?" "I will make you a deal." "When I die, I'll leave you all my shirts." "Hey, hey, hey, hey." "I'm not goin' anywhere." "Parker?" "Tommy." "I love you, Parker." "Must be the 10th time I got her phone machine." "You left the address, didn't you?" "Maybe Miss Parker will meet us here." "Syd, she hates anyone to enter one of Jarod's lairs before she does." "It doesn't make sense." "Something's up." "Think back one year, Broots." "Thomas?" "Thomas?" "Today?" "It's a year to the day that she found Thomas murdered at her house?" "I'm such an idiot." "I left all those phone messages on her machine like it was just any other day." "It is just any other day." "Same clown." "Different side show." "I'm sorry, Miss Parker." "Thank you." "So, what's up with Jarod the jester?" "Well, Syd and I have barely scratched the surface, if you want to start diggin' in." "Have Clean-up crate everything." "If we can't figure out what Jarod's up to... we can donate this stuff to a two-ring circus looking to add a third." "We did find one thing." "The celebrity clown of a local kiddie show, Marco the Magnificent... was arrested yesterday on molestation charges." "Police found him locked in a lion cage... with raw beef strapped to his" "Anyway, well, it's all in there." "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I give you..." "Ringmaster Jarod." "What is it?" "It's" "It's Jarod's twisted little model... of my first meeting with Thomas." "Bastard." "I'm sure there's an innocent reason Jarod left it." "Right." "And O. J. was just chipping golfballs." "All I'm saying is" "It's bad enough he knows how Thomas and I met, but... the fact that he left it for me on this day is no mistake." "For once, admit he's tormenting me just to torment me." "And wherever he is, I just know he's laughing." "Hardly laughing." "There are Pretenders among us." "I was taken from my family." "Thirty-six hours and he's already demonstrating more talent than any of our others." "How many people died because of what I thought up?" "Since I broke out, I've spent every moment searching for my past." "He's a Pretender" "A genius who can become anyone that he wants to be." "The Centre wants him alive." "Preferably." "He defends the weak and abused." "Life's a gift." "You a doctor?" "I am today." "To houses skillfully turned into homes." "To empty hearts filled up again." "To new beginnings that might have been." "All left with you, my love." "Beautiful words." "What, no confetti gongs, joy buzzers, squirting flowers?" "None of this is a laughing matter." "Yeah." "No, you really caught me in a mood today." "I'm real tempted to put a cap in you... wipe the slate clean on my life and take off without ever looking back." "Your gun won't work." "I took the firing pin out last night." "I sleep with this under my pillow." "And you drool out of the left corner of your mouth." "What the hell are you doing here, Jarod?" "It's time to take care of some unfinished business... to find out who killed the man you loved and why... and to pay respects to a man like Thomas Gates... because he deserves it." "Just because you're a genius doesn't mean you know what he deserves." "Why are you tormenting me, Jarod?" "Why do you even c-care?" "Rumor 5-8-2-5-9?" "Yeah." "Standard Centre coding logistics." "In this case, "rumor" would be the code name of the operative in charge." "As far as the numbers, I'll have to talk to Manny." "You know the mute guy down in" "Communications?" "He, the one without a tongue?" "Yeah." "I guess it'd be pretty pointless to play spin the bottle with a guy like that." "I mean, if I was a woman." "Anyhow, off hand I'd say these numbers might be a code... for a Centre audio phone tap file." "Find out from Manny the marble mouth which one." "Well, given the climate around here, Miss" "Parker, I don't think that's gonna be too easy." "Why?" "Oh, you haven't heard?" "Mutumbo's dead, as in "Ding-dong, the wicked witch is."" "Dead." "Triumvirate's crazy Zulu appears to have been murdered." "Two shots through the heart." "Small target." "And whoever put the bullets in Mutumbo also gouged out his eyes." "Like he saw something he wasn't supposed to." "Speaking of which, when was the last time you laid eyes on your father?" "When is the last time somebody checked for your pulse?" "Now, now." "I merely ask because family is the most important thing in the world." "My family." "Your family." "The Centre family." "Care to translate for Barney the dinosaur?" "The gun that was used to kill Mutumbo... was traced to the highest level of the Centre." "A level that includes you, Mr. Lyle, and dear old dad... who just happens to gain the most from Mutumbo's sudden... erasure." "You think my father killed him?" "Anyone could have." "After all, when we miss the ones we love and survival's at stake... we're capable of anything." "Tommy." "Talk to me, Parker." "There's something on your mind." "I can tell." "Yes." "I" "I" "It's okay." "In your own time." "Miss Parker." "The search for your father has and will continue to intensify... on my authority." "He will be found." "And when he is, those allied with him... could find themselves endangered species." "He was as much as accusing you of- hell, accusing me of participating in a coup." "The least you could do is pretend to listen." "Parker?" "Call me... when you're back with the living." "Do you believe in ghosts, Syd?" "I believe in an afterlife." "Second chances." "I'm talking about Thomas." "His... presence is all around me." "Sometimes I hear my mother's whisper of consolation... my father's laughter." "Those we love... are with us always... in life and death." "It's more than that." "I see him." "Almost touch him." "The anniversary of his death." "Your father's disappearance." "Now Mutumbo's assassination." "Understress, the mind is capable of many things." "It's not my mind playing tricks on me." "It is Thomas." "He's in the room with me... like-like he's waiting." "Maybe he is." "Maybe he's giving you that second chance to complete something... left unfinished." "Angel." "Daddy?" "Are you all right?" "Better than anybody, now that Mutumbo's, you know..." "You?" "Me kill him?" "If I had, he'd be missin' more than his eyes." "Daddy, they're looking for you." "Cox." "Let him." "My comeback plan's workin'." "One more piece, and everything will be back to normal." "You sound different." "Damn straight." "I'm gonna be a father again." "I haven't felt like this since you were born." "Listen, we need to hook up." "Where?" "I haven't decided." "Just keep your eyes open and your back covered." "And, angel?" "This turmoil?" "It's almost over." "The survivors will be together soon." ""Survivors."" "As Manny explained to me, this code" "You... had a conversation with a tongueless mute?" "No." "Not in so many words." "But I" "Broots." "Okay." "The phone tap... was on Thomas's phone." "All of it was routed to an operative, code name Rumor." "I still haven't figured out who that is yet, but I was able to unscramble part of the call." "And I-I-I downloaded it." "Play it." "Yeah." "Parker and I are goin'away for the weekend, so we'll talk when I get back." "Okay, buddy." "I'll see you again soon." "You take care, Jarod." "Tommy and Jarod... were friends?" "Talk to me." "Tommy?" "Tommy." "Angel." "Oh, geez." "I thought I was gonna have a tub birth there for a second." "You okay?" "Yeah." "You look like you just saw a ghost." "No." "I" "I'm so glad you're all right, Daddy." "I'm just fine." "It's Brigitte we need to worry about." "Yeah." "Carryin' a new life." "It's God's ultimate challenge." "How did you get here?" "I didn't see your car." "Uh, we, uh, hitched a ride, came up the back path and used the key you gave us." "Did I?" "I need a favor." "Anything." "I want to help." "Both of you." "Yeah, good." "We're gonna have to help each other." "I gotta have your car." "He found a safe place for the birth." "Yeah, we gotta keep movin' for the baby." "And a doctor we can trust for the delivery." "Daddy." "Hmm?" "Tell me where you're going." "Please?" "I just" "I need to be a part of something positive right now." "I can't." "It's not safe." "Listen, just because Mutumbo's dead doesn't mean his order to kill us is." "You see, I think the hitter's real close." "I think it's Cox." "Well, it's a pro, that's for damn sure." "That's why you have to carry on business as usual." "Now, it won't be long." "I'm just one piece away from bein' back... runnin' the Centre." "I can get you that piece if you just" "No, no." "You can't." "I'll have it real soon." "Now, give me the car keys." "Come on." "There." "You take care of that brother or sister of mine." "I will." "Come on." "Let's go." "Daddy?" "Hmm?" "What is Rumor 5-8-2-5-9?" "Beats the hell out of me." "Rumor is a code name for the operative in charge of that file." "The rest sounds like a digital phone tap number." "Yeah." "See?" "We gotta help each other." "Come on." "Now remember, business as usual." "Remember, business as usual." "Rumor's a code name for the operative in charge of that file." "Talk to me, Parker." "There's something on your mind, I can tell." "It's time to find out who killed the man you loved and why." "What?" "Let's hope there's not a digital tap on this phone." "It didn't stop you and Tommy from becoming fast friends." "At least you've deciphered some of what Rumor means." "I'm just getting started." "So why not save me some time... and just tell me who killed him?" "I don't know." "You listen to me, Jarod." "The rules that you and I have been playing by- my indentured servitude to this house of horrors, you shaking your family tree... you just throw those the hell out the window when it comes to Thomas!" "He is not a game!" "I would never treat him like one." "Deception was never my goal with you and Thomas." "Your goal?" "What goal?" "Love." "Putting you two together was one of the most rewarding things I've ever done." "Putting us together?" "You're a liar." "We had a chance meeting in Blue Cove at a gas stat" "You didn't meet him after I did." "You knew him before?" "The way you felt about each other had nothing to do with me." "I just-I just lit the torch." "Miss Parker, are you there?" "Tell me about the Tommy you knew." "We met about a month before you did." "I was working construction for one of his competitors- a greedy contractor whose selfishness cost a young man both his legs." "Tommy helped you take him down." "Thomas was big on doing the right thing." "Yeah." "I... have to know who killed him, Jarod." "As soon as I find out anything, you'll be my first stop." "But until then, everything inside of me says Rumor murdered Thomas." "Follow that lead." "And, Miss Parker, be careful." "Rumors can kill you." "Parker?" "Tommy." "Time to trust now, Parker." "But" "No." "Trust Jarod." "Trust him." "That's funny." ""Centre Voting Booth." "Use handy lever to vote for most hated." ""One flush, Mr. Lyle." ""Two flushes, Mr. Raines." "Three flushes, Mr. Cox."" "Hey, I guess it's anybody's election." "I'm flattered." "But I'd hate to be the one to have to count the votes." "Wouldn't you, Mr. Broots?" "There are rumors going around, Mr. Broots." "Rumors?" "Well, you are a washer, I hope?" "Oh, yeah." "Always." "Before and after." "So, uh, what kind of rumors?" "It's funny-these dryers bring back fond memories of Father's mortuary." "We employed similar devices in the preparation process." "Oh." "He used to let me help after school." "If I was good." "I guess even the dead have to be clean." "Oh, yes, because..." "cleanliness is truth." "Here." "Please." "You believe in truth, don't you, Mr. Broots?" "Sure." "So, uh... about this Rumor thing, I can explain" "Cleanliness is truth." "But that-that's kinda hot." "Just like the crematorium." "Now, what rumors are you hearing, Mr. Broots?" "Oh!" "Oh, my God!" "Oh, that feels good." "So, Broots, what did you tell Cox?" "I screamed and told him that my hand was frying." "About Rumor!" "Well, as it turns out..." "Mr. Cox wasn't interested in the Rumor file at all." "He just kept coming back to your father." "His persistent interest in your father points to one thing." "Yes." "That Cox is the hitter hired by Mutumbo to kill Daddy." "And Brigitte, maybe, as well as the baby." "I'm running out of time." "So is Daddy." "Anything further on Rumor, Broots?" "Well, I was able to reach the end of the phone tap archive." "And?" "Nothing but a text message telling me the identity of Rumor is in a hard copy file." "Let's find it." "No, no." "I-I'm working on it." "It's, uh, the file's called a Z3 File." "Z3?" "Yeah." "Designates contract killings for hire." "Makes it a lock." "Thomas was murdered by someone inside the Centre." "Thanks for lending me your car, Broots." "No problem." "Do you want me to stick around and keep you company for a while, Miss Parker?" "Mmm, thanks... but I don't feel alone." "It must be pretty hard still, though, huh?" "Why does somebody have to die for us to realize all the things we never said to them?" "Well..." "I guess it's 'cause we kinda treat life like a bug on the sidewalk." "All we see is a bug, not a miracle." "And no matter how hard we try... we usually end up stepping' on it... instead of takin' it into our hand." "And the living are... left with all the unfinished business." "Until we finish it, yeah." "You know, between Thomas... and everything that's happening with your father..." "I just want you to know that..." "I'm here for you, Miss Parker." "I-I mean, if you need someone." "I-I mean, a friend." "Miss Parker?" "The Z3 Rumor file?" "How did it get in here?" "It's not how it got here that matters." "It's who it says is Thomas's killer." "Who?" "Revenge?" "You should think about this, Miss Parker." "Think about what?" "Tommy was murdered." "And his killer's gonna pay." "Thinking completed." "Miss Parker." "God help us all." "Be careful, Parker." "Tommy." "Open up, Bridget!" "Angel." "It's 4:00 in the morning." "Where's Bridget?" "Oh, God, now where did she go?" "Don't try to cover for her!" "Where the hell is she?" "She was here when I fell asleep." "We had to leave our last hiding place." "Decided to sleep in the car." "How did you find us?" "The car has a tracking system." "Damn it." "She's been actin' nuts the last couple of weeks, disappearing for hours at a time." "Oh, my God, angel." "She could be havin' the baby." "Angel, what's happened?" "Why are you here?" "Thomas." "Rumor 5-8-2-5-9." "Oh, God." "Brigitte's Rumor." "You knew nothing about this?" "Of course not!" "She must have been followin' Mutumbo's orders." "She killed Thomas." "I'm so sorry." "She's carrying my baby." "Daddy, think." "Where would she go?" "Now that Mutumbo's dead, she's not safe anywhere." "No, everybody has a safe place." "Think." "What?" "Well, there was a place." "Let's see, it was in the country, I think." "I never knew where." "But she kept a spare keying her desk at the Centre." "I'll find it, and I'll find her." "Then what are you gonna do?" "Think about my baby!" "What the hell are you doing here?" "Searching." "Why?" "Because you're not the only one." "With Triumvirate pressure, Cox has cranked up his search for Dad." "And if they find any link to Mutumbo's death..." "Parker will not be the safest surname to have around here." "So, when did your boy Cox turn on you?" "Like I tried to tell you before... any link between Cox and me is a lie." "I intend to stay out of his crosshairs." "And I suggest you do the same." "Miss Parker?" "Broots!" "Mr. Cox and a team of Sweepers are" "I heard." "I need you to find something for me." "A key." "A key?" "Yeah." "A piece of metal with teeth on it." "You know, those of us that have evolved beyond fire and wheels use it to unlock doors." "Where is it?" "Bridget's office." "Brigitte?" "What?" "It was your eyes." "What was?" "Where Thomas felt at home." "Did he tell you that?" "Yes, he did." "Do you think he ever knew what I really did?" "I don't know." "But he knew who you were." "And to him, that was love." "He said the first time he ever experienced that feeling was when he looked into your eyes." "Miss Parker?" "There were so many times I wanted to tell him, to say it to him." "But I" "Tell him what?" "It's too late now anyway, Jarod." "Never underestimate the importance of completing unfinished business." "Oh, don't you worry." "Bridget will know the importance of that real soon." "So, Brigitte is the one that pulled the trigger." "Like you didn't read the Rumor file you left in my home." "Miss Parker, I didn't leave you any file." "Whether it's love or revenge... don't let unfinished business finish you." "You found it!" "Yes." "And what it opens, I think." "You see, I realized that if Brigitte was intercepting Thomas's calls... she had to have them forwarded somewhere." "So I went to see Manny to see if he could backtrack the calls." "He owes me a favor 'cause I loaned him my karaoke machine." "Follow the bouncing ball, Broots." "Well, all the calls were transferred to a cabin less than 20 miles from here." "Here's the address." "Be sure and tell Manny the mute that I said..." ""Thank you."" "I knew you'd come." "I'm havin' the baby." "I heard a little rumor about you." "It's true." "Pull the trigger if you want." "God knows I deserve it." "You... have no idea." "Just answer one question." "Why did you kill Tommy?" "Orders." "Who ordered it?" "Tell me who!" "Oh, God!" "How far apart are your contractions?" "Let's just say it won't be long before you're a sister again." "Do what you want with me." "Just please let my baby live." "Oh, you've always had a knack for stating the obvious." "The truth is, it doesn't really matter anyway." "This baby will even the score for you." "The baby?" "I have a disorder called placenta previa." "I'll bleed to death as the baby is born." "I'll get help." "There's no signal out here." "Hold on!" "I'll get help!" "The land line went dead after I spoke to your father." "You spoke with Daddy?" "He said you'd find the doctor and bring him." "Why did you run?" "I knew it was just a matter of time before you found out I was Rumor." "And with Mutumbo's hitter there, I ran... hoping to keep the focus away from your father." "Despite what you think, I love him very much." "God!" "Oh!" "Oh!" "Oh!" "Thank you." "Thank for not making me do this alone." "Putting in overtime?" "I'm salary." "So is your friend, Manny." "The tongueless one?" "The poor man drools when he speaks." "Sp-Speaks?" "About you, Mr. Broots." "Me?" "Now, you have an opportunity to tell me where Brigitte went." "Now, if you choose not to accept that opportunity... you could find yourself having more in common with mute Manny than just karaoke." "Shall I sing you a torch song?" "Hmm?" "Stay with me, Bridget." "I'm here." "I'm sorry... for Thomas." "For all the pain I caused you." "You never answered my question." "I don't know who." "But it wasn't the Triumvirate." "It came from inside the Centre." "They thought that you were losing your focus." "Oh, God!" "Something's happening inside!" "Where's Daddy with the doctor?" "Stay with me now." "I'm gonna faint." "No, you're not." "No." "Oh, I can see the head." "You need to push." "The head is blue." "I can't." "You can." "Push." "The baby needs oxygen." "Push!" "How bad am I?" "Uh" "Uh, there's a lot of blood." "I'm not gonna make it." "Yes, you are, damn it!" "I came here to kill you!" "I'll be the one who decides whether you live or die!" "Now push!" "Push!" "Hold on!" "Help's here!" "Brigitte?" "Brigitte!" "I see I'm too late for the Lamaze." "But not too late to die." "No, no, angel." "He's on our side." "Uh, Dr. Cox is here for the baby." "Doctor?" "OB-GYN, Harvard '93." "Mmm." "This seals it." "The last piece." "Here you are, Nurse." "Don't forget the placenta and cord blood." "Daddy, what's going on?" "Mr. Cox has been my inside man for months... watching out while I planned my return." "There's only one reason for you being here, angel." "Did she admit to everything in the Rumor file?" "Damn lucky thing, that file showing' up." "She's gone." "Did you" "Kill her?" "No." "She died in childbirth." "Aren't you even concerned about your wife?" "Till death do us part." "What" "She was nothing more than a vessel for the baby, for your legacy." "Did you leave the Rumor file in my house?" "Now, why would I do a thing like that?" "Let me guess." "The gun that killed Mutumbo." "Found on her body." "Just clears everyone of everything." "She planted it in my stuff!" "It was a setup." "Rumor was tryin' to ruin both of us." "When are they gonna learn they can't whip a Parker, huh?" "Make it all go away." "Daddy?" "What?" "Don't you even want to know?" "Know what?" "If it's a boy or a girl." "I thought that getting revenge for" "Tommy's death would somehow bring me peace." "But even if I had been able to, I know now it wouldn't have." "That isn't the unfinished business that needs finishing." "You said the other day that you wish you had told him." "Told him what?" "I never" "I never told Tommy that I loved him." "And now your heart and your mind are raging a war against each other." "I would trade everything for one minute with him." "Just to say those words and have him hear them." "Tell him." "Let your heart win the war." "I love you, Tommy." "And I love you, Parker."