**Disclaimer** Scarecrow and Mrs. King is copyrighted to Warner Brothers and Shoot the Moon Production Company.  The story, however, is copyrighted to the author. This story is for entertainment purposes only and cannot be redistributed without the permission of the author.

 

 

Title:    With or Without You

 

Author:  Mary

 

Date Written:  August/September 1999

 

Synopsis:  Six months after their marriage, Lee and Amanda deal with the reality of their secret relationship and a conspiracy that threatens to destroy what they have built.

 

Rating:  R

 

 

 

 

WITH OR WITHOUT YOU

 

 

PART ONE

“SLEEP NOT, DREAM NOT”

 

 

CHAPTER ONE

 

The dark haired man took one more look around the dimly lit room, taking a final inventory of its contents.  He smiled slightly, exposing a row of teeth discolored by too many cups of coffee.  Everything was set. 

 

“You ready?” his partner asked, throwing the last of his tools into a small black bag.

 

“Yeah, c’mon, let’s get out of here,” the dark haired man answered, moving quickly towards the door. 

 

As they left, he bent over to set the timer on the small, oblong device attached to the base of the furnace.  Straightening up, he smiled smugly to himself.

 

 “Show time,” he whispered softly, rubbing his hands together. 

 

“Let’s go. This gives me the creeps.”

 

“I’m right behind you. Did you clean up everything from the meeting?”

 

“Yeah,” his partner replied.  “Everything’s clean.”

 

“Okay, we’re outta here.” Making one final sweep with his eyes, the dark haired man moved as quietly and efficiently as possible across the room.  Still grinning, he followed his partner up the stairs and out the door. 

 

“Too bad we’re gonna miss all the fireworks,” he said as they furtively left the building. 

 

“Yeah, it should really be something.” His partner tossed him the car keys.  “Here, it’s your turn to drive.”

 

The dark haired man grunted, unlocked the door to the blue sedan, and slid behind the wheel. He waited for his partner to fasten his seat belt, then slowly he eased the car into the street, disappearing into the Washington traffic.

 

 

Lee Stetson woke to the smell of slowly cooking bacon.  Momentarily disoriented, he glanced around the room, briskly taking in his surroundings.  It took only a few short seconds to realize that he was in Amanda’s bedroom at 4247 Maplewood Drive.  Smiling, he recalled last night’s events – the sudden storm and their impulsive decision to stay at Amanda’s instead of making the drive to Lee’s D.C. apartment.  Glancing at the clock, he saw that it was only 7:30 in the morning…Sunday morning, at that.  Definitely too early to be up.  He could hear sounds of cooking emanating from the kitchen downstairs.  Lee smiled in resignation – even after six months of marriage, he was still unable to convince Amanda that he really was not much of a breakfast eater.

 

Stretching his long limbs, he rose from the bed, grabbing the robe he kept hidden in the back of Amanda’s closet.  It was becoming increasingly difficult to keep their “real life” and their “secret life” separate.  No matter how hard they tried, lately the lines just seemed to blur.  For convenience sake, they each now kept a supply of clothes at each other’s houses, sometimes with disastrous results.  Lee grinned ruefully when he recalled his conversation with Amanda’s mother a few months ago when his argyle sock had appeared in a load of Amanda’s wash.  Even harder to explain were the boxer shorts that turned up a few days later.  Luckily, Amanda had been able to intercept those before her mother found them. Not that Lee didn’t think Dotty couldn’t guess what was going on between them...it simply brought up a whole set of questions that neither of them were prepared to answer just yet.

 

Entering the kitchen, Lee paused a moment, surreptitiously watching his wife.  She was totally absorbed in putting the finishing touches on a breakfast tray and didn’t hear him come in.  Quietly, he crept up behind her, encircling her waist with his arms.

 

“Good morning, Mrs. Stetson,” he said, nuzzling her neck.

 

“Oh, gosh…Lee. You scared me.”  She turned to him with a smile.  “Although I should be used to it after all these years.”

 

Lee looked into her expressive eyes, then slowly touched his lips to hers.  “I missed you when I woke up,” he said huskily.

 

“I was going to surprise you with breakfast in bed,” she answered, leaning closer to her husband.  “You know, a special reward for last night.”

 

“You didn’t have to do all this…you know I’m not much of an eater in the morning.”

 

“Oh, I think you’ll like this breakfast. I’ve got bacon, toast, jam, strawberries…and whipped cream,” she finished playfully.

 

Lee looked over at the tray and then back into his wife’s brown eyes.  “What time are your mother and the boys due back?”

 

“Not until 11:00. We have almost the whole morning to be Mr. and Mrs. Stetson.”

 

“Well then, what are we waiting for, Mrs. Stetson?”

 

“Nothing at all, Mr. Stetson.” Picking up the breakfast tray, she started towards the stairs, adding innocently, “Oh, Lee….don’t forget the whipped cream.”

 

* * * * *

 

Lee and Amanda lay quietly together in her bedroom.  The rain that had come so suddenly last night had started again, making a soft patter on the roof.  Lee sighed contentedly, drawing Amanda tighter into the protective circle of his arms.  Amanda glanced briefly at the clock…not quite 10:00 a.m.   She pulled away slightly, starting to get up.

 

Lee held her back.  “Not yet,” he whispered.

 

“Mother and the boys…”

 

Reluctantly, Lee released her and rolled over, staring at the ceiling.  “Amanda, this is getting harder instead of easier,” he said sadly.

 

“What is?”.

 

“All this…you, me, your mother, the boys…living apart.  I don’t know…when I said we could make this a “mystery marriage”…maybe we were both just kidding ourselves.”

 

“You knew what it was going to be like, sweetheart. I know we haven’t been together much recently, but that hasn’t been entirely my fault.”

 

“What do you mean?” he asked with a slight edge to his voice.

 

“I realize how hard it is to hide our real relationship from mother and the boys and everyone else, but sometimes I feel like you don’t treat me like your partner at work anymore, either.”

 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

 

“These days, I get the feeling that you’re trying to keep me out of the loop…and lately it seems like you’ve been working with Francine more than with me.

 

Lee turned away quickly and began pulling on his clothes. “Francine has never been my partner, you should know that.”

 

Amanda chose her words carefully.  “Ever since I was shot in California, whether you realize it or not, you’ve been turning to Francine more and more at work. First, you refused my help on the Brody case…”

 

“Amanda, I don’t know….”

 

“Then you wouldn’t let me help you or Francine when you were set up in that Russian sting operation, even though what happened affected me, too.  And there’s that whole business with Harry Thornton and the Kruschev list.”  She paused momentarily, considering her next words. “And now, Senator Holstein’s cocktail party last night.”

 

“I promised Tom I’d stop for a minute and I didn’t want us both to get stuck there all night.”

 

“Lee, I know there was more to it than just catching up with an old friend. Was Francine there?”

 

Lee finished dressing and walked over to the bed, taking Amanda’s small hands in his larger ones.  He looked down to the third finger of her left hand, tenderly rubbing the place where her wedding band should have been. 

 

“No, Francine was not there.” He was silent for a moment. “You’re the only partner I’ve had since Eric…there’s no one I trust more than you. If I’ve been distant or distracted at work recently, it’s only because hard work seems to be the only thing lately that takes my mind off of our current living situation.”

 

“Lee…”

 

“I know we agreed to keep our marriage a secret to protect our family. But Amanda, no one but the two of us even knows it’s ‘our’ family. Sometimes I feel like I’m still just looking in at all of you from the kitchen window. I’m just not sure how much longer I can do this. I love you,” Lee said, cupping her face with his hands.  “And I’m tired of not knowing when we’ll be able to spend time together.  I’m tired of waking up alone most mornings. I’m tired of being a part-time husband.”

 

“I understand what you’re saying, but…”

 

“Amanda, are you home dear?”  Voices rang out from downstairs.

 

“Mother…” Amanda said, a note of panic in her voice.  “Lee, you’ve got to get out of here!”

 

She quickly drew on her robe, shooing her husband towards the window.

 

“Amanda, it’s still raining out,” Lee hissed.  “Besides, maybe it’s time we told your mother the truth.”

 

“Lee, I’m not about to explain to my teenage sons what you’re doing in my bedroom.”

 

He gave her a pained look.

 

“Please, just go. I’ll talk to you later.”

 

Lee and Amanda both heard footsteps coming up the stairs.

 

“Amanda, are you home dear?” Dotty’s voice came closer and closer.

 

With a grimace, Lee opened the window and carefully started down the trelice.   “We haven’t finished discussing this.”

 

Amanda quickly tossed the breakfast dishes under the bed, smoothed the rumpled sheets as best she could, and jumped back under the covers.  Her mother knocked once and slowly opened the door.

 

“Darling….”

 

“Yes, Mother?  I’m sorry, I was resting and didn’t hear you come in.  You’re back early.”

 

“After the rain last night, the campgrounds were all soggy. We were up to our knees in mud, Amanda.  So, we packed up and got an early start home,” she said, raising an eyebrow quizzically, “You’re sleeping awfully late this morning.  Are you all right?”

 

“I just have a headache,” Amanda lied.  “I’ll be up in a few minutes.  Did the boys have a good time?”

 

“They had a wonderful time, as always. Although, you know, I’m getting far too old for these overnight campouts.  I think I’ll take a nice hot bath and try to recover from the weekend.”

 

“That’s a good idea, Mother.”

 

Dotty gave her one more look, started to say something, then obviously thought better of it.  She shut the door with a small sigh, softly adding “Amanda, you’d better close that window, it’s raining in all over the carpet.”

 

Amanda lay back down on the bed, listening to her mother’s retreating footsteps.  She turned over slowly, hugging the pillow close to her.  She could still smell a hint of Lee’s aftershave on the pillowcase.  The morning, so happily begun, slowly disintegrated before her eyes.  She walked over to the window and looked out, searching the distance for…something.

 

 “Oh, Lee, I miss you, too. And I wish you’d tell me what you’re really up to.” She reluctantly headed to the bathroom to take a shower and begin the day.

 

 

CHAPTER TWO

 

The two men sat calmly in the car a safe distance down the street.  To the average passerby, they appeared to be two businessmen casually waiting for a friend to begin the morning commute.  The dark haired man spoke tersely into his car phone.

 

“No sign yet, Team Three.”

 

His partner scanned the street, cautiously checking the rearview mirror.  He looked over at the dark haired man, shaking his head.

 

“Okay, we’ll give it a few more minutes.  Phoenix Team Two-out.”

 

The two men settled down to wait.

 

 

Amanda Stetson walked into the kitchen where her mother and two sons were eating breakfast. 

 

“Good morning, Mother, hi, guys,” she said cheerfully. 

 

Philip and Jamie King smiled at their mother as she sat down at the breakfast table.  “Hey, Mom,” Jamie answered, sneaking a Coca-Cola out of the refrigerator.

 

“Jamie, sweetheart, you know you’re not supposed to drink soda with your braces,” Amanda said, starting to skim the morning newspaper.  “Besides, it’s too early in the morning for that junk.”

 

“Okay,” Jamie grumbled, putting the soda back in the ‘fridge with a bang. 

 

“You should see what he drinks at baseball practice,” Philip said, grinning.

 

“Shut up, jerk,” Jamie yelled, shoving Philip in the arm.

 

“You shut up, geek,” Philip pushed back.

 

“Boys, stop it and sit down and eat your breakfast,” Dotty ordered, breaking up the scuffle.  Jaime reluctantly obeyed, still glaring darkly at his brother.

 

“Amanda, is that all you’re eating this morning? You know breakfast is the most important meal of the day.”

 

“What did you say, Mother?” Amanda replied absently, her attention caught by an article buried in the back page of the paper.

 

“Breakfast?” Dotty glanced down at the newspaper article, reading over Amanda’s shoulder.  “’No clues yet to latest explosion’...what a world we live in.  It really makes you wonder sometimes.”

 

“It says this latest incident was at a friend of Senator Holstein’s,” Amanda thought out loud.

 

“Now you’d think that would light a fire under the police. I hope no one was killed this time.”

 

“They don’t say, Mother.”  She folded the paper and quickly changed the subject. “Fellas, what are you up to today?”

 

“We’ve got practice this morning,” Philip replied.  “Remember, our first play-off game is tonight.  You will be there, won’t you, Mom?” Philip and Jamie both looked at their mother expectantly.

 

“I wouldn’t miss it, sweetheart. Did you remind your father about the game?”

 

“Yeah, I called him last night,” Jamie said.

 

“Mom, do you think Lee will be able to come?” Philip asked, downing the last of his orange juice.

 

Amanda quickly turned her attention to the newspaper.  “I don’t know. I’ll be sure to ask him today.”

 

Dotty sat down at the kitchen table, stirring her coffee and staring thoughtfully at her daughter.  The ‘clink – clink’ of the spoon in her cup was interrupted by a honking horn. “There’s you ride, boys,” she said.  “Don’t forget your stuff, Jimmy’s mother said she’d drive you to practice from their house.”

 

“We’ve got it, Grandma,” Philip said, heading into the hall to get their baseball equipment.  Jamie hung back for a moment, watching his mother finish reading the paper.  “Mom, I’ll see you tonight at the game,” he said quickly.  “Dad said he’d be there.”

 

“Okay, sweetheart” Amanda answered.  “See you tonight.  Have a good day, stay out of trouble,” she called to Philip.

 

“Bye, Mom,” Philip answered. The sounds of the boys’ noisy departure filled the air for a few minutes before the front door closed with a bang and Dotty and Amanda were left in the relative peace of the late August morning.

 

“I guess I should be going, too,” Amanda said, hastily rising from the table.

 

“Is Lee picking you up this morning?”

 

Amanda hesitated by the stairs.  “No, not today.”

 

“Is everything all right with you and Lee?” Dotty probed.

 

“Yes, Mother, everything is fine.” She headed swiftly for the door.

 

“I don’t mean to butt into your life, Amanda,” Dotty continued, following her daughter through the hall.  “But you know I worry about you…”

 

“Mo-ther honestly, there’s nothing to worry about.”

 

“We haven’t seen too much of Lee lately.” Dotty watched her daughter guardedly.

 

“I told you, Lee’s been busy with some new projects for IFF,” Amanda lied glibly, grabbing her purse.  “I’ve got to get going or I’m going to be late for work. See you tonight.”

 

“Amanda, dear, I need to talk to you,” Dotty shouted to the retreating figure of her daughter.

 

“Later, Mother.”

 

“I need to talk to you about Jamie. That girl,” Dotty finished under her breath, “Run, run, run, run, run. I guess I’ll just have to corner her tonight.”  As she closed the door, Dotty failed to notice the dark blue sedan that followed Amanda’s Jeep Wagoneer down the street.

 

 

* * * * *

 

Lee Stetson sat at his desk in the Q Bureau, feet up, drinking his coffee and perusing the morning newspaper.  Placing his coffee cup haphazardly on his desk, he absently rubbed his right temple while he finished reading the small article that caught his attention.  Lost in thought, he didn't hear the door open or see Amanda watching him unobtrusively from the doorway.  Without warning, Lee sneezed loudly behind his newspaper. 

 

“God bless you,” Amanda said, walking over to her desk and putting her purse in the bottom drawer.

 

Lee abruptly removed his feet from his desk and stood up, hurriedly shoving the newspaper into the top drawer.  “Good morning,” he said, closing the distance between them. 

 

Amanda put a smooth hand on his forehead.  “You’re not coming down with something are you?”

 

“Well, I don’t know…someone did push me out a window into the rain yesterday.”

 

“I’m sorry about that,” Amanda began.

 

“Hey, I’m just kidding. I’m fine, Amanda, really.”  He smiled down at her.

                                           

“Can I make it up to you?” she asked, returning his smile.

 

“What did you have in mind?”

           

“Well..."

 

They were suddenly interrupted by the sound of footsteps outside the office door and parted, slipping back into their professional personae.

 

“Lee, I finally got those figures you’ve been waiting for,” Francine Desmond said, forcefully entering the Q- Bureau office.

 

“Thanks, Francine,” Lee responded hastily, motioning towards Amanda with his eyes.

 

“Oh, Amanda. I didn’t notice you there.”

 

“Good morning to you, too, Francine,” Amanda caustically replied.  “What figures are those?” She looked speculatively at Francine and her husband.

 

“Oh, nothing, really.” Francine casually closed the folder and passed it off to Lee.  “Just some follow-up notes for the case Lee and I wrapped up last month.”

 

“Uh-huh. Whatever you say.”  Amanda sat down abruptly at her desk and opened the top drawer, pulling out a thick manila folder.  She busied herself by flipping through the pages of the first report.

 

Lee dropped the folder on his desk.  “Thanks, I guess this will just about take care of it.” He abruptly ushered Francine to the door of the Q-Bureau.

 

Desmond looked at him closely.  “It was no trouble, Scarecrow. I’ll see you at the meeting.”

 

“Meeting?”

 

“Remember, we have that senior agent staff meeting for this morning?  Ten a.m. sharp?” Francine prodded.

 

“Yeah, I guess it had slipped my mind. I’ll see you there,” Lee replied, closing the door on Francine. He walked over to Amanda’s desk and perched nervously on the edge.

 

“Free for lunch?” he asked her casually.

 

“I don’t know,” she said, her eyes still on the folder.  “I’ll have to check my calendar. I think there’s a freshman agent staff meeting today.”  There was an unmistakably sarcastic tone to her voice.

 

“Amanda...” He looked longingly at the unbending figure of his wife.  He silently returned to his desk, retrieving the newspaper and the file. “I’ve got to go…I’ll check back with you about lunch.”

 

Amanda said nothing, purposefully studying her report.  Lee hesitated for a moment, then headed out the door.

 

 

CHAPTER THREE

 

The dark haired man swept the contents of the room with a small electronic box, paying close attention to the constant ‘beep-beep’ it emitted. 

 

“All clear,” he said to his partner, carefully packing the instrument away into the small black bag. 

 

His partner checked the last of the windows. “All clear on my end, too.  We’d better make our status report.”

 

The dark haired man took out a small transmitter/receiver and quickly dialed a number.  “Phoenix One,” a familiar voice replied.

 

“Phoenix One, this is Phoenix Team Two.  Everything is set for tonight.”

 

“All clear on both fronts?” the voice asked.

 

“She doesn’t appear to be involved in this, Phoenix One.  We’re convinced he’s working alone.”

 

“Convinced or certain?”

 

The dark haired man nervously glanced at his partner.  The man shrugged, as if to say “Your call.”

 

“Certain…” the dark haired man replied.   “Although, there is the matter of Desmond.”

 

“Don’t worry, Desmond knows nothing.  He’s our  problem...a  problem easily taken care of.  Phoenix One out.” 

 

The dark haired man stared for a moment at the lifeless transmitter in his hand.  Talking to Phoenix One always unnerved him.  Unconsciously, he shivered.  Placing the transmitter neatly in the black bag, he turned to his partner. “It’s time,” he said brusquely.  “Let’s get out of here.”

 

With one final check of the small, black device on the furnace, they secured the area and left unobtrusively through the basement window.

 

 

Amanda sat in the bleachers at the ball field next to her ex-husband, Joe King.  She twisted uncomfortably on the hard bench, trying to concentrate on Philip and Jamie’s game, but her thoughts were elsewhere.  Lee had never returned to the office after his meeting.  Unsatisfied with the way they parted this morning, she waited as long as she could for him to return to the Q-Bureau or at least check-in.   Finally, unable to delay any longer without disappointing her sons, she scribbled a quick note on a pad on his desk, left a message on his machine at home and headed for the park.  She endeavored to put it out of her mind, but Amanda was vaguely uneasy about what Lee was up to.  Although he hadn’t wanted her as backup lately, she couldn’t help but worry when she wasn’t there to ‘watch his tail’.  Lost in thought, she didn’t hear Joe trying to get her attention.

 

“Amanda, I said Jamie’s on base,” Joe chided, gently shaking her arm.

 

“Sorry, Joe. I must have been daydreaming. Did he get a hit?”

 

“No, he walked.”

 

Amanda smiled to herself.  Philip was the athlete in the family.  Although the boys had been very close as small children, sharing an interest in the same activities, their different talents had become quite apparent in the past year.  These days, Philip seemed consumed with sports, cars, and his latest girlfriend.  This past spring he had seemed disinterested in academics, preferring to concentrate on the social aspects of school.  She would have to find the time to talk to him about that since he was going to be starting high school in a few weeks.  Jamie, on the other hand, was her “A” student.  Quiet and sensitive, reading and photography appeared to be taking up more and more of his time. These days he preferred more solitary activities. Since the fourth of July, he had been lobbying to turn a corner of the basement into a small darkroom.  His social skills seemed to be hampered suddenly by his glasses and his new braces.  Amanda knew he had only stayed with the baseball team this summer due to Philip’s urging.

 

“Good for you, Jamie.” Amanda stood proudly cheering on her son.  Jamie smiled shyly at her, seemingly embarrassed, but secretly pleased that his parents were at the game.

 

She sat back down on the hard bleacher seats.

 

“Amanda,” Joe King asked tentatively.  “Is something bothering you?  You seem a million miles away tonight.”

 

Amanda smiled to herself.  ‘No, not a million miles,’ she thought, ‘just a few miles away with Lee – wherever in D. C. he happened to be.’ She took a deep breath, changing the subject. “I know Jamie’s glad you could make it to the game tonight, Joe.”

 

“I was glad to be here…It’s been hard for me since Carrie and I broke up.” He cast a sideways glance at Amanda.  “I appreciate being able to spend so much time with you and the boys. It’s helped.”

 

“I’m happy to be able to help, sweetheart.  You know you’ll always be family.”

 

“Amanda...” Joe began, but was interrupted by the cheering crowd.  They jumped to their feet to watch Philip head towards second base with a stand-up double.  Jamie held up at third. 

 

“Way to go, Chief,” Amanda heard a familiar voice call out.  She saw Philip give an enthusiastic thumbs-up sign from second base.  Turning, she watched her husband leave the backstop and walk over to the side of the bleachers where she was sitting with Joe.

 

“Hi, Joe,” he said, extending his hand affably. 

 

“Good to see you, Lee,” Joe returned, leaning across Amanda to shake his hand.

 

Lee turned to Amanda and said, “Care to stretch your legs?”

 

Amanda silently put her hands on his shoulders as he helped her jump down from her seat in the stands. They walked over to the relative privacy of a large, shady tree, keeping an eye on the game from there.  The next batter hit a long fly-ball, which was caught by the center fielder.  Jamie, his gaze focused on Lee and Amanda, wasn’t paying attention when his third base coach signaled for him to head for home plate.  Late in leaving the bag, he was caught in a run-down between third base and home and tagged out. 

 

Dejected, the team returned to the bench.

 

“I can’t believe you did that, Moron,” Philip told his brother as he came in from the field. 

 

Walking over to the boys, Lee and Amanda caught the end of the exchange. 

 

“Philip, there are still two more innings,” Amanda reminded him.

 

“Your mom’s right,” Lee added.  “It’s not over yet.”

           

Jamie stared at the ground, digging a hole in the dirt with his shoe.  Joe joined them at the fence.  “Good try, Jamie,” he said sympathetically.  Not much of an athlete himself, he identified with what his younger son was going through.  “No matter what happens, how about, after the game, we all go out for pizza?”

 

“Great idea,” Amanda seconded.  “Lee?”

 

Joe glanced at him out of the corner of his eye.

 

“Sure,” he replied, ignoring Joe’s look. 

 

Philip exhaled loudly, turning his full attention to the game.  “At least we have last ups,” he muttered, still glaring at his brother.

 

 

* * * * *

 

Lee and Amanda followed the boys into Amanda’s house.  Dotty sat at the kitchen table, studiously working at the computer on her latest simulation assignment for her aviation class.

 

“Mother, we’re home.”

 

Dotty glanced up at the solemn faces of her grandsons.  “Did you lose the game? Oh, hi, Lee, I didn’t see you there,” she said with surprise as she saw Lee follow Amanda into the kitchen.

 

“Hi, Dotty. Still working on that pilot’s license I see.”

 

“Yes, and I’ve crashed twice into Lake Michigan on approach to O’Hare. At the rate I’m going, it will take me three times as long to become a pilot as it took me to get a driver’s license.”

 

She looked quickly from Philip to Jamie.  “Don’t look so sad, boys, there’ll be other playoffs.”

 

“Their team won, Mother.”

 

“Yeah, no thanks to Jamie,” Philip grumbled.  “I still can’t believe you got tagged out!”

 

“Well, I didn’t ask to be on this team,” Jamie said sourly.  “You’re the one who forced me to play.”

 

“Yeah, well, I didn’t realize what a stupid idea that was,” Philip shot back.

 

“Boys, enough,” Amanda said, trying to play peacemaker.  “You won the game - that’s all that matters. Let’s not rehash every play. Now, both of you, it’s late.  Hit the showers and get to bed.”

 

“Okay,” Jamie said, his voice still subdued.  He headed up the stairs without a word.

 

“Goodnight,” Philip said, starting to follow.

 

“Philip,” Amanda said, walking over to her oldest son.  “Cut your brother a little slack.  Even the best player can have a bad game, you know.”

 

“But Mom, he never pays attention to what’s going on.”

 

“Maybe if you worked with him a little bit it would help. You know he looks up to you.”

 

“I think he’s hopeless,” Philip muttered under his breath.  Catching his mother’s look, he said, “Okay, I’ll try. Night, Grandma, ‘night Lee.”

 

“Goodnight,” Lee said, watching him head for the stairs.

 

Dotty looked subtly from Amanda to Lee. “I think I’ll call it a night, too.  Staring at this screen is giving me a headache. Goodnight, Darling.” Smiling at Lee, she followed her grandsons up to bed.

 

Exhausted, Amanda headed for the sofa. She silently extended her hand to Lee.  He crossed the room and dropped down bedside her, pulling her close.

 

“Better?”

 

“Much.”  They sat quietly for a few moments, holding each other close and enjoying the peace.  Finally, Amanda pulled away slightly and looked at her husband.

 

“What?” he asked apprehensively, seeing the look in her eyes. 

 

“I missed you at lunch today. I thought you said you’d check in.”

 

Lee sighed and ran his left hand absently through his hair.  “Do we really have to talk about this now?” he said, trying to pull her back beside him.

 

“I guess not,” she said, relaxing back into his embrace.  They sat quietly together for a few minutes. “I just thought it was curious that the house where Senator Holstein held his cocktail party on Saturday night was burned to the ground yesterday.  And I was thinking that maybe it had something to do with the mysterious case you’ve been working on with Francine.”

 

Lee released her and sighed. Slowly, he left the sofa and began pacing the room.

 

“And disappearing for hours on end and forgetting to check in is starting to become chronic with you.  That is, assuming Francine doesn’t know where you are.”

 

“Amanda, for the last time, I’m not working with Francine.”

 

“You can tap dance around this all you want, but I didn’t buy your little performance in the office this morning for one minute.”

 

“Performance?”

 

“You, Francine, the meeting that so conveniently slipped your mind?  Since when do you forget staff meetings?”

 

“Francine was just getting some figures for me, nothing more.”

 

“That used to be my job, you know.”

 

“I think you’ve got your hands full now right here,” he said, trying to change the subject.

 

“You mean with Jamie. Why is it everything suddenly seems so complicated?”