Jarod is driving on the highway in a Mercury Cougar, looking at the beginning of the tape as he drives.  He sees a portion where mother and daughter are entering Slade, Arizona and looks up to see that he has just passed that point on the highway.

At The Centre, Miss Parker has received a cyber-postcard from Jarod.   It shows Edna Raines, a picture of Mr. Raines, a picture of Catherine Parker, a picture of a building and a picture of Miss Parker as a child with Catherine.   Jarod narrates the post card - saying that now that Edna has escaped where her husband has kept her captive for so many years, she has something that she wants to tell Miss Parker about "Mirage" and that she will consider it her redemption to tell Miss Parker.   However, she can't "come home" because there are too many sweepers looking for her.   The message that Edna passes along is that no matter what happens, she wants Miss Parker to keep digging for the truth - the secret that her mother wanted her to find is buried out there.   (CLICK HERE  for a complete wav of the post card - it's long, so be prepared for a lengthy download)

The Deputy already knows about Jarod and offers to drive him to the Clearwater Inn, which is the only hotel in town, but Jarod tells him that he'd prefer to walk so that he can see the town.   The Deputy tells Jarod "not to blink" or he'll miss the town.   As he begins to walk away, the man making the straw doll says again that the "corn man a'coming."

Outside of the Clearwater Inn, Jarod reviews the video tape of the mother and daughter checking in.   The innkeeper gives them room #14, which he calls the "Presidential Suite."   When Jarod checks in, he mentions the mother and daughter, but Raymond, the innkeeper, claims that they were never there at all.   Having just watched the tape of them checking in, Jarod knows he's lying but doesn't confront him - only asks for room #14.   As Jarod walks up the stairs to his room, Raymond makes a phone call and tells the person on the other end that someone is asking questions and "even knows the room they stayed in."

Jarod goes outside and checks out the tree.   He finds a fresh cigarette butt there and doesn't realize that the Sheriff is watching him.   Jarod recalls a simulation that he did with Sydney while he was still being held captive at The Centre.   Sydney wanted him to "become the victim" of a crime - do what she did, feel what she felt - in order to solve the mystery of what happened to her.  Back in real time, Jarod retraces the steps that he knows the mother and daughter to have taken, by going to the creek.   He walks in the places that they did and does the things that they did.  He finds the mother's wallet by the rock where she was attacked and over by the tree where the daughter was attacked, he finds the straw-doll necklace that she was wearing in the video.

At the service station, the part has arrived.   The attendant tells Jarod that the service people have never heard of that particular part malfunctioning that way and Jarod says that he must have had some bad luck.   Knute tells Jarod that it wasn't bad luck ... he's a stranger in Slade and it's the curse.   Knute gives Jarod a straw doll to keep him safe, just like the one that the daughter was wearing when she was attacked.

As Jarod is picking up his car the Sheriff arrives and begins asking him questions about himself, but Jarod doesn't answer him ... just tells him that he kind of likes it around there and might hang around for a while.   Watching Jarod drive away, the Sheriff tells Knute that he isn't too fond of strangers and Knute responds with "hope the corn man don't get'em."

At The Centre, Miss Parker asks Broots if he's had any luck in finding Edna.   Listening to the audio part of the post card again, Miss Parker remembers that one of her mother's favorite charities was a half-way house in Harlem, called "Redemption Home."  They deduce that must be where Edna is and leave to check it out.

Using the information on license that he found in the wallet, Jarod goes to see Nancy Wright's husband in Flagstaff, AZ.   He is surprised to find that her husband claims to have spoken to his wife and daughter recently and is acting as though nothing is wrong.   As Jarod readies himself to leave, he overhears her husband making a phone call to someone, saying that Jarod was around, asking questions.   Jarod checks Ted Wright's insurance and sees that he has a 4 million dollar, double indemnity policy on his wife, Nancy and another one on his daughter, Lee.

Miss Parker, Sydney and Broots arrive at the Redemption Home in Harlem, New York and find that Edna is in room 24.   But the man who gave Broots the room number told him that he was the second person to have asked about Edna in the last hour.   Miss Parker goes in with her gun drawn and finds Mr. Raines drawing a sheet over his wife's head.   Miss Parker asks him what he is doing there and he says that Edna was his wife ... Broots says "was?"  Sydney attempts to take Edna's pulse and finding none, proclaims her dead.   Mr. Raines gives Miss Parker an empty prescription bottle and claims that Edna took her own life.   Miss Parker doesn't believe it, but knows there is nothing she can do about it.   Raines tells Miss Parker that he kept Edna in that institution to protect her and Sydney says that Raines never protected anyone but himself.   Miss Parker tells Raines that he can bury his wife and her secrets again - then leaves him there.

At The Centre, Sydney is telling Miss Parker that he was Edna Raines' therapist and he knows for certain that she wouldn't have taken her own life.   Miss Parker listens to the end of Jarod's post card again and makes Broots go back into Raines office again to see what he has "buried" there.

In the Sheriff's office, Ted is ready to go with the cash drop - they are just waiting for the kidnapper to call.   Jarod has a voice analyzer hooked up to the phone and tells Ted that he should make sure that he gets to personally speak with his wife during the call.  Ted does talk to Nancy  when the kidnapper calls and the arrangements for the money drop are made.

Jarod, the Sheriff and Raymond are stationed around the area where the drop is made, trying to catch the kidnapper.   Over an hour passes, but finally, a motorcycle approaches Raymond's position.   Just as he is trying to tell the others about it, a gunshot rings out.   The Sheriff and Jarod realize that Raymond has been shot and as Jarod dresses the wound in Raymond's leg, he determines that Raymond was shot from behind.   That can only mean one thing.   There are two kidnappers!

Back at The Centre, Broots is telling Miss Parker that he will never burgle Mr. Raine's office again.   Miss Parker doesn't care about that, she only wants to know what he found.   Broots tells her that he found nothing ... just a communique from Edna to Miss Parker that references Section G14-6.   Miss Parker tells Broots that Section G, Row 14, Plot 6 is her mother's grave and Jarod's e-mail said to keep digging to find the answer.  Broots tries to dissuade her, saying that surely Jarod doesn't want her to dig up her mother.   Miss Parker is having none of it.   She tells Broots to "get shovels" because they've got work to do.

At the Sheriff's office the three men are trying to think of what to do next ... before the kidnappers kill Nancy and Lee, which they certainly will, since the women saw who it was that abducted them.   Jarod remembers the sim with Sydney again and looks for something that he missed before - anything at all.   He realizes that there is a reflection in Lee's sunglasses just before she is accosted - enhances the image and is rewarded with a very clear picture of the Deputy, Adam.   Jarod assumes the second kidnapper is his brother Kent, from the gas station.   Jarod listens to the audio part of the phone conversation that took place between Nancy and Ted and realizes that the term she used, saying that she and Lee were a "little ground up" was really a clue to where they are being held.   They are at the old mill!

Arriving at the cemetery where Catherine Parker is buried, Broots complains that this is the worst thing that Miss Parker has ever made him do.   Before they start to dig, Broots asks Miss Parker again if she is sure that this is something she wants to do.   Miss Parker thinks it over briefly and then tells Broots that Jarod has done a lot of twisted things, but he would never lead her there just to torment her.   Then she tells Broots to start digging.

At the mill, the Deputy and his brother are going to kill Nancy and Lee, but Nancy works the ropes loose and attacks them, giving Lee the chance to run out the door and away.   Just as Nancy is about to be shot by Kent, Jarod, the Sheriff and Ted arrive and Jarod knocks him out.   Then Jarod takes off after the Deputy, who has gone in pursuit of Lee.   Jarod arrives as the Deputy is trying to drag her to the creek to kill her, beats the Deputy up and saves Lee.   The Wright family is reunited.

the screen fades to black.

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This episode of The Pretender starred:
Michael T. Weiss as Jarod, Andrea Parker as Miss Parker, Patrick Bauchau as Sydney, Jon Gries as Broots, Richard Marcus as Mr. Raines, Ryan Merriman as young Jarod and Alex Wexo as young Sydney

Guest Stars:
Dean Norris, Katie Mitchell, Erika Christensen, John Furey, Jeff Wolfe, Johnny Moran and
Zelda Rubenstein

Also starring:
Jeff Cooperwood as Raymond;  Christopher A. Ray as janitor;  Dan Wilson as Bennie

"Corn Man" was written by:
Mark Dodson
and Directed by:
Steven Long Mitchell

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