Original air date: November 8, 1997

Written by: Tommy Thompson

Directed by: Joe Napolitano

Jarod impersonates a safecracker to help an ex-con blackmailed into committing a robbery and Mr Lyle and Brigitte discover Jarod stole 15 million dollars from The Centre and donated it to charity.

Jarod’s Discoveries: Wheel-O

Jarod’s Occupations: Safecraker

Jarod’s Aliases: R.H. Cross

Behind the scenes insights and the Creator’s Take

Official Synopsis

Jarod impersonates a safecracker to help an ex-con being blackmailed by a thief.

Mr. Lyle and Brigitte learn that Jarod stole fifteen million dollars of the Centre’s funds and donated it to charity.  Lyle concludes that Jarod is much more dangerous than he originally believed.  Meanwhile, Jarod enjoys a banana split at an ice cream shop in Middletown, Delaware.  He overhears a conversation between the shop’s fry cook, Scotty Boyd, and two thugs, Nick Avani and Dewey Martin.  Avani threatens to do Scotty bodily harm unless he helps pull off a robbery.  Fearful that his ten-year-old son, Shawn, will grow up fatherless if he doesn’t cooperate, Scotty reluctantly give in.  Avani explains that a one-arm safecracker, R.H. Cross, with whom he has never worked, will participate in the heist.

Jarod intercepts Cross at a train station and convinces him that the location of the heist has changed to Indianapolis.  He hands Cross paperwork containing the details and sends him on his way.  Moments later, Jarod, impersonating Cross, rendezvous with Avani.

Jarod, Scotty, Avani and Dewey rehearse the robbery using an old warehouse.  Jarod, moved by the bond between Scotty and his little boy, begins experiencing flashbacks.  He recalls giving Sydney a handmade card on Father’s Day.  But Sydney tossed the card on the ground, insisting he was not Jarod’s father.

Meanwhile, Detective Harold Evans begins surveilling the group, photographing them from afar.  He instructs an assistant to put Jarod’s photo on the Police Net, certain someone will come forward looking for him.

Mr. Lyle and the others examine a surveillance photo taken of the real R.H. Cross as he robbed the Centre’s satellite office in Indianapolis of a quarter of a million dollars.  Left behind at the scene was a red notebook containing information about an upcoming rendezvous between Cross and Jarod at a hotel in New York City.  Lyle instructs Brigitte to go to New York and find Cross.

Jarod, Avani and Cross break into a high rise and put their plan in motion.  A security guard arrives earlier than expected, forcing Jarod to crack open the safe in very little time.  As Avani prepares to shoot the unsuspecting guard, Jarod opens the safe.  Avani spins in Jarod’s direction—and sees him holding Scotty’s fake revolver.  Jarod squeezes the trigger, causing a small flame to leap from the gun barrel, triggering the sprinkler system.  The threesome make their getaway in the confusion.  Afterward, Jarod realizes that what they stole was an electronic card key.  Avani reveals that the key opens the Federal Diamond Depository in Willmington, where twenty million dollars worth of uncut stones await.  When Scotty insists he will not participate further, Avani has Dewey kidnap Shawn.

Broots, Sydney and Miss Parker discover Jarod’s photo on the Police Net—and are puzzled as to why he has joined a group of high-tech criminals who target diamonds.  The threesome decide to keep their findings a secret from Lyle and Brigitte.  Parker pays Detective Evans a surprise visit.  She blackmails him into revealing where the thieves will strike next.  Afterward, Miss Parker realizes Lyle had her followed.  She tells Lyle and Brigitte that Evans thinks the group will rob the diamond depository.  Lyle and Brigitte clash with Sydney, Parker and Broots over the proper course of action.  Brigitte decides it is best to allow the robbers inside the facility, and once they’ve pulled off the heist, and are lulled into a false sense of security, they can be easily taken into custody.  Lyle places Broots in charge of handling the depository’s security system.  Later, while examining a photo of the outside of the depository, Jarod spots Parker and the others exiting a town car.

Now aware that the Centre is plotting a trap, Jarod acts accordingly.  Meanwhile, Parker and the others take their places inside the depository’s security room.  At Brigitte’s insistence, Jarod and his team are allowed to break into the depository.  Once inside, Jarod locks Avani inside the vault room.  Avani draws a gun and fires… only to see a small flame pop out of the barrel.  Using a cell phone, Avani reluctantly instructs Dewey to release Shawn.  Jarod then uses his laptop to override Broots’ control of the security system—locking Broots and the others inside the security room while unlocking all of the other doors.  Jarod and Scotty make their escape, and find Shawn safe and unharmed.