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Scarecrow and Mrs. King is copyrighted to Warner Brothers and Shoot the Moon
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Title: If Looks Could
Kill
Author: Mary
Date
Written: October -
November-December 1999
Synopsis: Lee and Amanda deal with the
ramifications of their new working relationship. Sequel to "With or Without
You".
Rating: R
IF
LOOKS COULD KILL
CHAPTER
ONE
The
man and woman pushed their way through the throng of busy travelers. The frenzied scene at Dulles
International Airport was not unusual for the week before Christmas - the volume
of traffic was increased nearly tenfold by the nearness of the holiday. They both smiled pleasantly to the
harried customs official.
"Anything
to declare?" the official inquired routinely, already thinking ahead to the next
person in line.
"No."
The man replied in a meek voice, extending their passports with a tentative
hand.
The
official quickly glanced at the documents.
Pausing for only a fraction of a second, he passed them through the
checkpoint, pleasantly telling them to have a nice stay.
The
man and woman cast a sideways glance at the official before moving ahead in
silent acquiescence. Pulling a single teacup rose from his pocket, the man
fastidiously fastened it in his lapel as arm-in-arm they made their way through
the busy terminal.
* * *
* *
Tiny
flakes of snow began to fall as Amanda Stetson pulled into the driveway of her
new Rockville home. She quickly slid out from behind the wheel of her Jeep
Wagoneer, pausing for a moment to bask in the welcoming glow of the light
streaming from the windows. The
snow, combined with the twinkling red and green lights covering the bushes, lent
a decidedly festive air to the late December evening. Filling her lungs with the brisk winter
air, she sighed deeply as she took in the peaceful scene. The feeling of tranquility that
permeated the atmosphere tonight contrasted sharply with the turmoil of her life
only a few short months ago.
Last
August, her happy vision of a future with her new husband and her children had
splintered into a million pieces when Billy Melrose knocked on her door to tell
her Lee was dead. Suddenly, the
coming months loomed darkly before her, bereft of hope or happiness. Without
Lee, the days ahead filled her with an ever-mounting feeling of dread. But the
grim, forbidding future she'd envisioned dissolved instantly on that September
morning at the train station when she felt Lee's familiar touch once again. Now,
settled comfortably in her new home with Lee, her sons and her mother, she
eagerly anticipated their first Christmas together as a family.
She
leaned up against the car for a few minutes, her thoughts dwelling on the
conspiracy at the Agency that was behind Lee's apparent "death" last fall. They
were still feeling the aftershocks both at work and at home. She shuddered as
she recalled Dr. Smyth's suicide and Jamie's kidnapping by agent Mason. The
latter had resulted in the explosion that had destroyed her house on Maplewood
Drive. Despite the horror of those
bleak days, together she and Lee had put their life back on track. The joy of their reunion overshadowed
the events that had darkened their days last fall. It was as if they had been given a
precious gift - a second chance at a life together. This time, they would do it right. This
time, there would be no more secrets and no more lies. It seemed that everything had worked out
at last.
A
small, involuntary shudder suddenly passed through her and she fought the uneasy
feeling that accompanied it.
Sometimes, despite everything, Amanda felt irrationally frightened, as if
the pieces of her life had fallen too neatly into place. Now, standing here alone in her
driveway, she fought the sensation once again. As long as she and Lee were together,
they could face whatever curves life managed to throw them. With only the barest hint of a frown on
her face, she shook off her gloomy reverie and entered the
house.
"Mother,
boys, I'm home." Amanda
entered the kitchen where Dotty and the boys were just sitting down to
dinner.
"You're
just in time, dear." With a
cheerful smile, Dotty ushered her to the kitchen table. "Did you have a good
day?"
"A
long day." Amanda looked at the
table that was set for four. "Did
Lee call?"
"Yes. I'm supposed to tell you that he won't
be home until late. He has a dinner
meeting with Colonel ...Hefer?"
"Holstein."
"Oh. I knew it was some kind of
cow."
Amanda
smiled as she sat down at the table.
"How about you guys? Good
day?"
"I
made the junior varsity basketball team," Philip
volunteered.
"Philip,
that's wonderful. See, you didn't
have anything to worry about."
Philip
shrugged his shoulders. "It was
just luck. Tim Michaels broke his
ankle in Saturday's game."
"That
doesn't seem too lucky for poor Tim," Dotty chimed in.
"Yeah,
well, there was an opening on the team.
The coach moved me up. He
said I would have been on the JV team all along if I'd tried out with everyone
else."
Amanda
smiled at her eldest son. "I know
it's been hard for you to change schools, Philip. I'm really proud of the way you've
handled everything. Both of
you." Amanda glanced over at Jamie,
who seemed uncharacteristically quiet tonight. "Everything okay,
sweetheart?"
Jamie
stared at his plate, methodically rearranging his food with his fork.
"Jamie?"
"You
were late for dinner. I was worried
about you, that's all." He shrugged
his shoulders as he stared down at his plate.
Amanda
sighed. Ever since Jamie had been
held hostage by Mason and discovered what his mother and stepfather really did
for a living, he worried about her excessively. The psychologist assured her this was a
normal reaction to the trauma he'd experienced and would lessen with time. The doctor suggested she encourage Jamie
to express his feelings.
Unfortunately, this was not as easy as it seemed. The problem was
compounded by the very nature of Amanda's job. The secrecy that was part and parcel of
working for the Agency precluded Jamie confiding in any of his old friends. And that didn't t even take into account
the normal stress of adjusting his mother's 'new' marriage, the upheaval of
their recent relocation to Rockville, and the strain of a new school and new
friends. The combination had made
for a difficult few months for her youngest son.
"I'm
sorry, Jamie, I was held up at work."
"Were
you catching a double agent?" Philip asked hopefully.
Amanda
smiled at Philip's overdeveloped sense of drama. "Nothing that thrilling - just
a mountain of files. When you get
older, Philip, you'll discover it's really paperwork that keeps our government
going."
"May
I be excused?" Jamie asked.
"Is
that all you're going to eat, Jamie?" Dotty inquired.
"I'm
not that hungry."
Amanda
sighed. "Sure, if you've had
enough." She watched him clear his
plate and head slowly up to his room.
"Mom,
can I go out and shoot a few baskets?"
"It's
snowing, Philip."
"I
know. That's half the
fun."
"Okay,
but just for a little while," Amanda called to the retreating figure of her
son. She turned to her mother. "I wish I had his
energy."
Dotty
looked at her daughter closely.
"You seem tired, Amanda. Are
you sure you're not doing too much?
I mean between your job and this house..."
"I'm
fine, Mother. Things are just a
little stressful at work. It takes
a while to adjust to working with someone new." She smiled sadly to herself. "I miss my old
partner."
"We've
all had a lot of things to adjust to lately."
Amanda
chose to ignore the slight edge to Dotty's voice. She knew her mother was still working
through some issues raised by the revelation of her 'secret life', as her mother
fondly referred to her job these days.
"Mother,
I'm worried about Jamie. He seems
so sad lately. I was hoping the
holidays might lift his spirits."
"He's
going through a rough period right now, darling. It's going to take some time, but he'll
be all right."
"I wish I could be as sure of that as you
seem to be." Amanda shook her head
sadly. "Have I told you how much
Lee and I both appreciate your staying here for awhile?"
Dotty
smiled at her daughter. "You know
I'm happy to help you, dear. But
when Jamie's feeling more secure about things, I'm going to get out of your
hair. The last thing newlyweds need
is a mother and a mother-in-law under foot."
"You're
not under foot. And you've lived
with the boys since they were both small.
Jamie doesn't need any more changes in his life right now. It's gonna
take his whole family to help him get over the trauma he went through last
fall."
"He'll
be fine. I'm a grandmother and a
grandmother knows these things. And
I also know what you need right now."
Amanda
tilted her head questioningly.
"You
need to take a long, hot bath and then crawl into bed and relax a little. I'll hold down the fort
here."
"You
make everything sound so easy."
"Amanda,
I'm a mother and a mother..."
"...knows
these things," they finished in unison.
Smiling, Amanda headed up the stairs.
* * *
* *
Amanda
slowly closed the pages of her book and glanced one more time at the clock by
the bed. It was after eleven. Suppressing a yawn, she pushed her book
aside and leaned back against the pillows.
The logs in the fireplace had burned down, leaving only a few red-hot
embers, a silent testimony to how late Lee was again tonight. She left the warmth of her bed and
walked over to the window. Outside,
the snow was still falling steadily, a few inches already accumulating on the
grass and in the driveway. There
was nothing she'd like better than to be snowed in here in her new home with her
husband until after the holidays, Amanda thought with a smile. She leaned her
forehead against the window, closing her eyes and silently willing the snow to
continue.
"What
on earth are you doing?" Lee's
voice called from the doorway.
Startled,
Amanda spun around to face him, a guilty look on her face. "Gosh, Lee, you scared me. I didn't hear you come in. You shouldn't sneak up on me like
that."
"I'm
a spy - it's what I do." He sighed mournfully. "Or at least what I used to do. Glad to know my 'sneaking' skills
haven't gotten too rusty sitting behind my new desk." He smiled sadly as he took off his
jacket and tossed it haphazardly across the chair.
"Bad
day?"
"Typical
day. Meetings, meetings and more
meetings." He flung himself down on
the bed in exasperation. "There are
days when I wonder why I'm doing what I'm doing, sitting there in another
meeting, out of the action, trying to sort through the mess left by Dr.
Smyth."
"You've
got to give it some time. It's only been a few months - you can't expect to put
things back togethher over night."
She sat down beside him on the bed.
"How was your meeting with Colonel Holstein?"
Lee
shrugged. "Okay."
"Just
okay? That doesn't sound very promising."
"I
don't know, maybe I'm just tired.
But there's something about him...I can't put my finger on it." His words
hung in mid-air. "I miss
Billy."
Amanda
smiled wryly. "I'm sure Jeannie
feels the same way. How much longer will he be in New
York?"
"At
least until after the first of the year.
With all of Smyth's phoenix operatives dead or in jail, we're really
short handed. That's one of the
things we discussed tonight - speeding up the recruitment process to replace the
people we lost. As it is now, I'm constantly juggling our people here in D.C. to
fill in until we're up to full strength."
Amanda
looked at him pointedly. "If you're
so short on agents in the field, then why am I..."
Sensing
that the conversation was heading into dangerous ground, Lee quickly interrupted
her. "We said we weren't going to
bring the Agency home with us, remember?"
He reached out to tenderly stroke her cheek with his hand.
Amanda
hesitated for a minute, torn between her desire to clear the air and the warm
sensations created by the touch of his fingers on her skin. She knew exactly what he was up to -
trying to distract her from continuing their earlier conversation about his
overprotective tendencies. It had become an ongoing battle recently. When Lee assumed his new position as
Chief of Field Operations a little over a month ago, Amanda suddenly found
herself buried under a mountain of paperwork, "spring cleaning" file after file
of insignificant cases. He seemed reluctant to assign her to a permanent
partner, instead pairing her temporarily with Francine. She realized his actions stemmed from
his irrational anxiety about losing her the way he'd lost his parents as a small
boy.
Even
though she understood it intellectually, it still drove her crazy. She had hoped that with a little time
Lee would work through this fear on his own, but he seemed to be getting worse
instead of better. With every day
that passed, Amanda grew more and more tired of being kept "out of the line of
fire". Like it or not, she knew
they were heading for a confrontation on this issue. She turned to face her husband, sighing
deeply. But not tonight. Looking into his eyes, she saw only his
love for her and a reflection of her own mounting desire. She slowly let out the breath she'd been
holding and settled back comfortably into his arms.
He
held her tightly, brushing the top of her head with his lips. "How was Jamie
tonight?"
"I
was held up in traffic and a little late for dinner. He was worried
again."
Lee
held her closer, whispering in her ear.
"Give him some time. That's
what we all need, you know. Just a
little time to adjust to all the changes."
Amanda
turned to look at him closely, reading between the lines, her heart hearing what
he was struggling to put into words.
She could give him the time he needed to make his own adjustment. She ran her fingers slowly and
sensuously over his lips. "Did I mention today how much I love
you?"
Lee
smiled as he gently kissed her fingertips.
"Not that I recall. How
about if I throw another log on that fire you started and you can show me, Mrs.
Stetson?"
"Now
that's the best idea you've had all day."
Smiling, Lee brushed her lips with
his. "Keep my spot warm. I'll be right
back."
Amanda
watched him quickly place two small logs in the grate and expertly fan the
flames. She closed her eyes and
relaxed into the softness of the pillows, waiting expectantly for Lee to join
her. Even though they had been
together constantly since his miraculous return from the 'dead' in September,
Amanda still marveled at how wonderful it felt to live openly as husband and
wife. If it was possible, she loved
Lee even more at this moment than she had when they were married last
February. Now there were no more
secrets to keep them apart. She
heard him switch off the lamp by the bed and felt him silently slide in beside
her. Instinctively, she turned
towards him. He pulled her close,
holding her tightly in his arms, his lips brushing against her forehead. Amanda
rested against him, feeling his heartbeat through the thin fabric of his
shirt.
An
almost overpowering sensation of love washed over her and for a moment she felt
the tears spring to her eyes. This
same thing had happened the first time they made love after their ordeal last
fall. Everything they'd both been
through seemed to heighten every sensation and she'd shyly touched him as if
she'd never felt skin before. It
was as if their bodies had suddenly come back to life in a world where
everything was fresh and new. She
was certain Lee had felt it, too.
The
firelight filled the room with a romantic glow and she let go of all the
tensions of the day. The corners of her mouth turned up in a smile as she
fingered the material of his shirt.
"Aren't you a little over dressed?"
He
smiled sheepishly. "I guess I was
in a hurry." With an economy
of movement, he quickly shed the unwanted garment. "Better?"
Amanda
slid her hand over his smooth chest. "Uh-huh." She raised her eyes to meet his, seeing
in them all the feelings Lee still sometimes had a hard time putting into words.
He looked at her with the barest hint of a smile. "Amanda..." He whispered her name almost
like a prayer and his mouth captured hers with an easy naturalness that still
took her by surprise even after all this time. His touch flowed through her and
electrified her even as his voice still murmured her name. Sighing, she closed
her eyes and, for a time, the world and all its problems faded into the
background.
Afterwards,
when they lay contentedly in each other's arms, spent and happy, she quietly
whispered, "I love you." Smiling, Lee leaned in to kiss her once more. Amanda ran her fingers slowly over his
face, lightly tracing his eyebrows, down the straight line of his nose to his
lips. He lightly kissed her fingers
as they moved over his mouth, then reached out to take hold of her hand. Entwining his fingers with hers, he
faintly replied, "I love you,
too." With a happy smile, Amanda
snuggled against him and closed her eyes.
The
man emerged from the lobby of the Potomac Plaza Hotel and moved purposefully to
the car. The snow that had been
falling steadily for most of the night had tapered off to a few scattered
flurries. They clung tenaciously to
the petals of the sweetheart rose attached to the lapel of his overcoat. The
woman waited impatiently in the front seat, oblivious to the beauty of the world
of white surrounding her.
“What
took you so long?” she snapped as the man slid into the driver’s seat beside
her.
“It
took a few minutes to secure the correct accommodation,” he answered in a
faintly accented voice.
“You
were successful?”
“Yes. The suite should suit our purpose.” With a barely concealed smile, he handed
her the key to room. He pointed to the rear of the hotel. “We can go in through the
back.”
The
woman frowned slightly. “Good. Let’s get going. This weather has put us behind
schedule.”
Without
a word, the man started the engine and pulled slowly around to the back of the
hotel.
*
* * * *
The
persistent ringing of the telephone intruded jarringly on the peace and quiet of
the early morning. Somewhere on the
edges of consciousness, Amanda’s sleep fogged mind heard Lee answer and ask for
a status report. Reluctantly
opening her eyes, she saw that it was not quite six o’clock. Groaning, she snuggled down deeper into
the pillows, pulling the covers over her head. Normally a morning person, Amanda seemed
to be finding it increasingly difficult to get out of bed lately. She dimly heard Lee end the conversation
and rolled over to look at him.
“Problems?”
He
frowned slightly, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “Possibly. That was Johnson. Intelligence reports the Chameleon may
have entered the U.S. last night through Dulles.”
“The
Chameleon? The international
hit-man?”
“That’s
the one. I’ve got to get to the
Agency.” Lee reluctantly pushed the
covers aside and started to rise.
“Hang
on a few minutes and I’ll go with you.”
Lee
stopped and turned towards her.
“There’s no need, Amanda.
It’s early. Why don’t you
get a little more sleep?”
She
hesitated for a fraction of a second before replying. “You’re sure?”
“Believe
me, I wouldn’t be leaving this early unless I had to.” He leaned over and kissed her. “I’d much rather stay here with you.”
“Me,
too,” she murmured against his lips.
“I’ll
see you later at the staff meeting.”
“Okay.” She watched Lee head for the shower with
a sigh. It was definitely too early in the morning to jump back into their
running argument about work. She
lay back, snuggling down under the covers. That nagging feeling of worry began
to gnaw in the pit of her stomach again and she rolled over, hugging his pillow
tightly against her body. She wished that she could put her finger on what was
really bothering her. Maybe she just missed her husband. They seemed to have so
little time together since Lee started this new job. The break-up of Dr. Smyth’s
organization had created a gaping hole in the very fabric of the Agency that
they were now all struggling to close.
But
sometimes Amanda felt that there might be more to it than this. Since his
promotion, Lee seemed different somehow in a way that was difficult to
define. That almost imperceptible
change had begun to spill over into their intimate relationship as well. That’s not to say that it wasn’t
good. Their sex life was still
incredible, she thought with a smile, her mind dwelling pleasantly on the events
of the previous evening. It was
just different, in a way that was almost impossible to describe. Maybe she just needed to give things a
little time. Lee had implied as
much last night. She was worrying needlessly - everything would be fine. She closed her eyes and drifted back to
sleep.
*
* * * *
“Good
morning, boss.” Francine Desmond
fell into step with Lee as he made his way through the bullpen to his
office. “You’re here bright and
early. And I thought newlyweds were
chronically late for work. Of
course, you’re not really newlyweds, are you? We all just think you
are.”
“Don’t
start, Francine.”
“Hmm,
crabby, too. Trouble in
paradise?”
Lee
ignored her, opening the door to his office and sitting down behind
his
desk.
“I
didn’t get enough sleep last night.”
Francine
smirked at him from behind her pile of files.
“Don’t
say it, Francine.”
Francine
faced him with an expression of innocence. “I wasn’t going to say a
word.”
“I
had a late meeting with Colonel H and an early call this morning,”
Lee
stated
irritably. He groaned as he
indicated the stack of paperwork she was carrying. “Don’t tell me those files are all
for me.”
“I’m
afraid so.”
“What
happened to the administrative support Billy promised me?”
“You’re
looking at it.”
Lee
sighed in resignation. “Not
really. We’re too short
handed. I’m going
to
need you in the field.”
Francine
looked at him pointedly. “Speaking
of the field, there’s a problem
with
my new partner.”
Lee
raised his eyebrows.
“Or
should I say your old partner?
Should I call her that? I
guess it’s all a matter of semantics.”
“What
problem?” Lee was beginning to be
irritated by Francine’s teasing banter.
“Dr.
Kelford’s department called. Amanda
has canceled her agency physical twice this month. And you know, regulation twelve,
subsection two clearly states, ‘all field agents are required to submit to a
yearly physical to be considered on active field duty. Failure to comply will result in
suspension until...’”
“You
don’t have to quote the rules to me, Francine. I’ve read them.”
“Sorry. I was just trying to…”
“I’ll
take care if it. Any other pressing
business?”
Francine
flipped through the stack of files, handing him a thick report. “The latest status reports on the
Chameleon.”
Lee
reached for the file. “Thanks. I’ll
see you at the staff meeting at ten o’clock.”
“I’ll
be in the Q-Bureau if you need me.”
With
a backwards glance at Lee who was already absorbed in the file, Francine headed
out the door.
*
* * * *
Amanda
entered the room and took her place at the mahogany conference table. With a pleasant nod to the other agents
already seated around the table, she leafed absently through the papers at her
place. Francine came through the
door in a rush, walking over to Amanda and sitting down beside
her.
Amanda
groaned inwardly as she saw her approach.
Even though she had been partnered with Francine more and more lately,
she feared they would never have the same easy working relationship she’d shared
with Lee. With Francine,
Amanda felt like she was back at square one, having to prove herself as an agent
all over again. She sometimes
thought Francine would never see her as anything more than the simple housewife
from Arlington whom Lee had indulgently worked with from time to time. In reality, her life was far from
simple. Amanda knew she had already
proved herself in the field on more than one occasion and so did Francine.
That’s
what made this entire work situation so frustrating. They had forged the beginnings of a good
working relationship when they were investigating the circumstances surrounding
Lee’s ‘death’. Then, when she and
Lee returned to work after their leave of absence, Francine had done an abrupt
about face. Since then she had become more and more puzzled by Francine’s
reaction to her. She wondered
briefly if something else was going on in Francine’s life to cause this sudden
animosity.
Her
thoughts were interrupted by Lee’s sudden entrance. She caught his eye as he took his place
at the head of the table. Amanda
thought he looked tired. He smiled
over at her in brief acknowledgement before addressing the
group.
“We
have a top priority problem this morning so I’ll get right to the point. We have reason to believe the
international gun-for-hire known as the Chameleon came through Dulles
International sometime last night.
Our intelligence is good – it comes from a former associate who saw our
target recently in Europe. I don’t have to tell you what this means – he’s
presently number three on the Agency’s most wanted list, with a bullet. Until
he’s apprehended or we have confirmation that he’s left our area, I’m afraid all
vacations and days off are canceled until further notice.”
A
murmur of disgruntled voices greeted this statement.
“I
know - I am aware that the holidays are almost here, but that gives us all an
added incentive to wrap this up as quickly as possible.” Lee consulted his notes. “The problem is, there could be any
number of targets right now in D. C.
We need to figure out his game plan, get some idea of who he could be
after – ASAP. All we really know
right now is how much we don’t know.
The man is a master of disguise, able to assume many different identities
to accomplish his job - hence the name ‘Chameleon’. And once he’s assumed a disguise, we
might as well throw our description of him out the window. This man could literally be anyone. That’s why he’s proved so elusive to any
number of international agencies, including this one.”
Lee
paused and looked out on the solemn faces of his agents. He really hated to have to do this just
a few days before Christmas. He
glanced briefly at his wife sitting next to Francine, her hands folded quietly
in her lap. She’d been looking
forward so much to their first holiday together. He had even promised to take a few days
off to enjoy the season this year. And, for the first time, he’d really been
looking forward to Christmas, too. He knew it wasn’t fair to her, but then
again, when had this business ever been fair? He reluctantly turned his attention back
to his report.
“The
man has a monumental ego. He marks
his kills by leaving a sweetheart rose at the scene – that’s his trademark. And we have reason to believe that the
Rose Tuxedo Shop on M Street is one of the Chameleon’s known drops here in
D.C. We will have round the clock
surveillance beginning now.
Johnson, you’ll coordinate the teams. Use everyone but Francine and
Amanda.” Francine began to protest,
but Lee cut her off. “I need you
both to run down a list of possible targets. Our first priority is to get an idea of
who the Chameleon could be after.”
He turned back to Johnson.
“You can use them as back-up, but only in an emergency. Okay, status reports as soon as you have
them. That’s all.”
The
other agents filed out, while Francine and Amanda lingered.
“Scarecrow,
I thought you said you needed me in the field?” Francine demanded crossly.
“Right
now, I need you to take care of this, Francine.”
Francine
looked over at Amanda. “Uh-uh,” she
said knowingly. “We’ll be in the
Q-Bureau if you need us for anything more than busy-work.”
Francine
left in a huff and Amanda wordlessly began to follow.
Lee’s
voice called her back. “Amanda, I
need to see you for a minute.”
She
reluctantly turned to face him. Her
latest assignment had left her in no mood to talk to him right now. After witnessing the exchange with
Francine, she was beginning to suspect that the cause of her new partner’s
animosity was standing right in front of her.
“Yes?”
Lee
waited until the room emptied before he spoke. He felt the anger simmering behinds her
polite facade. “Don’t start,
Amanda. It’s been a brutal
morning.”
She
pursed her lips, struggling to keep her temper in check. “Maybe it wouldn’t be quite so brutal if
you would let me out from behind my computer screen.”
Lee
looked at her sharply. “Well,
you’re not really giving me much choice in the matter.”
“Me?”
He
ran his hand nervously through his hair.
“Doc Kelford’s department officially informed me that you’ve missed your
last two appointments.”
“Gosh,
Lee, I’ve been so busy filing lately that I just haven’t had a chance to get
there.”
Lee
ignored the sarcasm in her voice.
“You are now officially overdue for your agency physical. I have no
choice except to suspend you if you miss the next one.”
“Isn’t
that a little extreme? Or maybe
that would solve all your problems – you wouldn’t have to invent reasons to keep
me at my desk.”
“That’s
not what I’m trying to do.”
“Really?
You could have fooled me.”
“Amanda,
as agents we live with certain rules and regulations. And, unfortunately, as your chief, I’m
now in the unenviable position of making sure they’re
followed.”
“This
from the man who taught me that rules were made to be
broken.”
“Yeah,
well, the view seems a lot different from behind this
desk.”
“Lee…”
She started to speak, then thought better of it. Looking away, she merely added, “Don’t
worry. This won’t be a problem. I’ll take care of it.”
Lee
glanced at her uncomfortably. “I
know you will. I made an
appointment for you at three o’clock this afternoon. You need to keep it or I’ll be forced to
ground you.”
“Great,”
she replied stiffly. “Anything
else, sir?”
“Amanda,
honey…”
She
rolled her eyes at his use of the endearment and walked quickly away. Lee started to follow her, then
reconsidered. Instead, he remained
by the podium and followed Amanda with his eyes, watching her unbending form
move determinedly thought the bullpen and disappear down the hall. Abruptly, he sat down at the conference
table and glared at the mountain of files piled in front of him. Sighing, he admitted that maybe Amanda
had a point – he had always balked at regulations himself. Unfortunately, in his new position he
seemed buried under a mountain of nit-picking little rules. ‘Administration One’, he thought in
frustration. He’d always sworn it
would never happen to him. After
almost two months of being forced to walk in Billy’s shoes, he had to admit that
they were beginning to feel a little tight. Maybe he hadn’t been entirely fair to
Amanda. He’d give her a little time
to cool off, then stop by the Q-Bureau and try to mend his fences. He quickly gathered his files and headed
back to his office.
* * * *
*
Amanda entered the
Q-Bureau and sat down behind her desk with a sigh. She was still seething from her
conversation with Lee. She glanced
quickly over at Francine, who now occupied Lee’s old desk by the window. Her new
partner appeared to be having problems of her own. Her face to the wall, Francine was
speaking heatedly into the telephone.
Feeling the awkwardness of the situation, Amanda tactfully moved into the
vault, pretending to pull some files.
It didn’t help, though, as Francine raised her voice, forcing her to be
an unwilling witness to this latest fight with Jonathan.
She sighed
involuntarily. This was just
another example of the subtle little differences in her working environment
these days. Lack of privacy had never been an issue when she and Lee had shared
the Q-Bureau. The only thing they
had to worry about were people walking in on them at an inopportune moment. Amanda smiled softly, remembering the
day Lee had locked the Q-Bureau door and kissed her. This office had played a
major role in furthering their relationship. It seemed strange now to see Francine’s
face whenever she looked up from her work. She missed Lee’s presence in the
office, missed the easy give-and-take of their partnership.
The sound of the receiver
being slammed into its base broke into her reverie. She self-consciously emerged from the
vault, settling herself behind her desk without a word. Francine turned her face away, staring
aimlessly out of the window. Amanda nervously cleared her throat before
speaking. “Everything all right,
Francine?”
She took a few minutes
before she answered. “Yes, I’m
fine.”
Amanda regarded her
sympathetically. She knew
first-hand what it felt like to be at odds with the special person in her
life. She turned a friendly eye on
Francine.
“I know we’ve never been
the best of friends, but if you need to someone to talk to, I’ll be happy to
listen.”
“Not really. Everything’s
great.”
Amanda turned away,
busying herself with the new computer sitting on her desk. She felt rather than saw Francine pacing
up and down across the room.
“Jonathan’s angry because
I told him I may have to cancel our holiday plans,” Francine blurted out
suddenly. “He just doesn’t make any
effort to understand my work.”
Amanda smiled at her
kindly. “All relationships are
complicated, Francine.”
“At least Lee understands
your job.”
Amanda rested her chin on
her hands. “Oh, yeah, he understands all right. He understands so well that he won’t
give me an assignment that requires anything more dangerous than
typing.”
Francine returned her
smile. “I’ve noticed. As your new partner, I’m being tarred
with the same brush. The only thing
getting any exercise around here is our fingers on the keyboard.” Francine looked at Amanda
searchingly. “What are you planning
to do about it? That is, if you
still plan on having a career as a field agent and not a glorified
secretary?”
“Don’t worry, Francine, I
intend to take care of it. In my
own way.”
“Well, I hope it’s
soon. My personal life may be on
the rocks, but I’ve worked too long and too hard to let my career end up there,
too.”
“And I have no intention
of either of them ending up there,” Amanda muttered under her breath. With a final look at Francine that
stated in no uncertain terns that the subject was closed, she turned her
attention once again to her computer screen.
The
clerk looked up from his book as the ringing bells signaled the arrival of new
customers at the Rose Tuxedo Shop. He smiled congenially at the man and woman
who entered the shop, acknowledging them with a nod. The man ignored him, glancing casually
around the room, fingering the small flower in his lapel, while the woman began
to flip through the racks of dress shirts.
Leaving
a bookmark to note his place, the clerk closed the novel and politely addressed
his new customers. “May I help
you?”
“I’m
looking for something in a burgundy silk,” the woman replied, her voice rising
as she spoke.
“Burgundy
silk? I’m not sure if we have
anything in that shade. If you could give me a
minute….”
“I’ll
take care of this,” his boss interjected, appearing suddenly at his side. With a solicitous smile at the couple,
he motioned to the dressing rooms in the back. “If you’ll step this way, I think I have
exactly what you’re looking for.”
The
man and woman followed the owner to the rear of the shop. The clerk started to return to his book,
then suddenly snapped his fingers as he headed to a rack in the corner of the
store. Retrieving a few samples, he
followed the trio to the dressing rooms.
“Mr. Rose, you forgot these new…” The
clerk stopped, puzzled. “What are
you…?”
His
words hung in midair as he stared wide-eyed at the body of his employer lying in
a heap in the corner of the shop.
He wore the same expression seconds later as the bullets caught him in
the chest and the head.
The
man looked at the woman with an air of detachment. “We won’t be using this drop again,” he
said, his faint accent becoming slightly more pronounced. “Pity.”
The
woman smiled as she adroitly removed the silencer from the gun. “They were on to
it anyway. Time to move on.” Retrieving a packet of documents from beneath a
bench in the dressing room, she expertly concealed it among her purchases and
proceeded to deftly remove the small flower from her companion’s lapel. She
stepped over the clerk’s body, dropping the flower, and headed nonchalantly out
the front door.
*
* * * *
Amanda
absently rubbed her eyes as she stared at the computer screen. Sighing loudly, she glanced over at
Francine.
“Any
luck?”
“You
know, Amanda, I never realized how many state functions, receptions and parties
there were on the week before Christmas.
Although I guess I should have remembered, since I’ve certainly attended
a number of them in the past.”
“Well,
‘tis the season…”
“Yes,
to be working overtime.” Francine
let out an exasperated sigh. “I’m getting nowhere with this. It’s going to be next to impossible to
cover every event – there are just too many of them.”
“Let me take a look. Maybe we can narrow the list a little bit.” Amanda walked over to her desk and peered over her shoulder. “Look at this, Francine – the reception for Colonel Holstein tomorrow night.