Original air date: May 6, 2000

Written by: Mark M. Dodson

Directed by: Steven Long Mitchell

While Jarod tries to find two women abducted while hiking in the mountains, Miss Parker follows his advice to continue ‘digging’ for information about her mother’s death.

Jarod’s Discoveries: Camcorders, Home Movies

Jarod’s Occupations: U.S. Marshal

Jarod’s Aliases: Jarod Wilson

Behind the scenes insights and the Creator’s Take

Official Synopsis

Clues from a videotape help Jarod track down a kidnapped daughter and mother.

Jarod discovers a disturbing videotape in a damaged camcorder that he purchases in a pawnshop.  A rock climber had just found the camcorder under a cliff near Koomer Ridge.   Part of the video shows Brooke Wright with her 16-year-old daughter, Leigh, climbing the cliff.  Their conversations reveal that their trip is a way for Leigh to learn about her family heritage.  Brooke grew up in the area on a ranch, where she and her husband, Ted, used to hike to a cave in the cliffs.  Brooke starts to return to the car for her “fanny pack.” The video reveals Leigh calling for her mother and getting no response.  Suddenly, Leigh hears her mother scream.  The camera jerks as Leigh moves closer to the sound.  The camera shows Brooke on the ground, bleeding.  Someone grabs Leigh from behind, and she screams.  The camera is kicked over the cliff.

Jarod rewinds the tape and watches the events that transpired with Brooke and Leigh before their abduction.  Brooke and Leigh are at Junior’s Service Station.  The rear of their red Mustang has been damaged as a result of an accident.  Leigh pans the area with Brooke pumping gas.  Leigh stops the pan on Deputy Adams, who is speaking with his brother, gas station attendant Kenny Adams.  The next scene shows The Waterford Inn.  Leigh pans the lobby as Brooke checks in with the inn owner, Raymond.  Later, in their presidential suite, a noise draws Brooke to the window.  Leigh is certain she saw someone.  Brooke looks out again with concern.  The video turns to snow.

Jarod travels to Junior’s service station and has Kenny check the blown radiator in his jeep.  Kenny tells Jarod the jeep won’t be ready until the following day.  Sheriff Ed Whalen eyes Jarod as he finishes gassing up his cruiser.  Kenny asks Jarod where he got the busted bumper on the front of the jeep.  Jarod tells him that two women in a red Mustang backed into him.  Kenny states that the two had been at the station but some bikers gave them a hard time, so they left quickly.  Subsequently, Jarod checks into the Waterford Inn and asks Raymond if he remembers two women with a red Mustang.  Raymond denies they ever stayed at the Inn and reluctantly gives Jarod his requested room, the presidential suite.  Jarod examines the ground outside the room and notices that it has been trampled.  Later, Jarod drives out to Koomer Ridge and finds evidence of a struggle.  He also discovers Brooke’s bloodied wallet.

Jarod sends a special message to Miss Parker concerning Edna Raines.  In the message, Jarod reveals that Edna knows things about Miss Parker’s mother.  However, time is of the essence, as an army of Sweepers are on Edna’s trail.  Jarod keeps repeating that Miss Parker must keep “digging.”  Miss Parker, Sydney, and Broots arrive at the Salvation Army and find Mr. Raines standing over a very dead Edna.  Miss Parker snarls at Raines about the mysterious convenience of Edna dying with all his secrets.

Jarod drives his repaired jeep to the Flagstaff, Arizona address on Brooke’s driver’s license.  Mr. Wright answers the door.  Jarod explains that when he had the car accident with Brooke and Leigh they exchanged information, but Jarod lost the name and number of the insurance company.  Mr. Wright says Jarod should send him an estimate, and he will send Jarod a check.  As Jarod exits, a frightened Mr. Wright immediately makes a phone call.  Jarod checks the insurance company and discovers that in the last year, large life insurance policies were taken out on Brooke and Leigh.

Jarod goes to Sheriff Whalen’s office, where he notices a hunting photo behind Whalen’s desk.  In it are the Sheriff, Raymond, and Mr. Wright.  Thinking that the Sheriff must be involved, Jarod drives into the mountains.  Another vehicle forces Jarod to crash.  When Jarod regains consciousness, he discovers Mr. Wright, Raymond, and Whalen standing over him.  Whalen interrogates Jarod about the whereabouts of Brooke and Leigh.  Whalen and Mr. Wright think Jarod is involved in their abduction.  But Jarod counters that the insurance policies on the women make it look like Mr. Wright and the Sheriff are conspirators.  The accusations fly until Jarod claims he is an FBI agent who stumbled upon the video while vacationing.  Mr. Wright and the Sheriff view the tape.  Mr. Wright tells Jarod that four days earlier he received a phone call from a man who stated that if he wanted to his see his wife and daughter again, it would cost him $500,000.  When Jarod started sniffing around, the trio figured that Jarod was involved.  Now, they believe otherwise.  Mr. Wright has been ordered to make a money drop in two hours.  As Jarod, the Sheriff and Mr. Wright prepare to leave, Deputy Adams enters.  Mr. Wright will make the drop, and Adams is to track the kidnapper.  After Mr. Wright places the money in a trash bin, a gunshot is heard.  Adams was unable to follow the kidnapper because he was shot in the leg.  Jarod again scrutinizes the video of the kidnapping.  He freezes a frame and sees a flash of an image in Leigh’s sunglasses.  The image: Deputy Adams stepping out of a cruiser.  Jarod tells the Sheriff, who concludes that Adam’s brother Kenny is an accessory.  The trio race to the cave where Brooke and Mr. Wright used to play.  Leigh escapes from the cave with the Deputy in pursuit.  Jarod, Mr. Wright and the Sheriff arrive and rescue Brooke.  Jarod finds the Deputy and Leigh on Koomer Ridge, where the Deputy is about to push Leigh over the edge.  Jarod explodes in a rage and beats the Deputy.  The Sheriff, Mr. Wright and Brooke pull Jarod off Adams.

Following Jarod’s insistent clues of  “digging” and “burial,” Miss Parker and Broots drive to Hillcrest Memorial Cemetery.  They stop in front of Catherine Parker’s grave and reluctantly start to dig.  Finally, they are able to open the top of Catherine’s coffin…which turns out to be empty.