Beethoven's Tenth
by rankamateur
Scarecrow and Mrs. King (and August Riley Swan too, I suppose) belong to Warner Bros. and Shoot The Moon Enterprises Ltd.
Time - late second season - after D.O.A.: Delirious On Arrival
Thanks to Buffy for checking this out. All remaining errors are mine.
--------
A smiling Amanda King tapped on the office door. Billy Melrose and Lee Stetson both looked up and returned her smile. Billy motioned her in.
"Morning Sir, morning Lee."
"Morning," Lee said, quickly covering his obvious delight at seeing her again.
"Good morning Amanda. Please, have a seat. I was just about to brief Lee on your next assignment."
"Thank you Sir." Amanda sat down next to Lee and looked at Billy expectantly.
Billy then filled them in on the case he was giving them to investigate.
"Here's the guy's picture. His name's Robert Dumont. You can see he's in his late 20's. He's a genius in chemistry and worked at Fort Dix, the chemical warfare division. He formulated a gas, which he called UD-41. It's lethal, easily disseminated. It kills people and leaves the buildings and such. It dissipates in about 48 hours. It's the perfect weapon. Unlike the *neutron bomb*, there is no radiation to worry about - no lingering danger to *friendlies*."
"Sounds like something we don't really need," Lee said wryly.
"Well, his boss at Ft. Dix kind of agreed with you. And, because of political and other considerations, he wouldn't let Dumont continue with his experiments and certainly would *not* let him test the gas. It seems Dumont became obsessed with the idea of trying it out. His superiors didn't know what else to do with him so they terminated him, ahh, they fired him. It takes sophisticated lab equipment to manufacture the gas, so he can't just whip up a batch in his garage. BUT, Dumont managed to smuggle out six canisters of the stuff when he left. Now he's disappeared and everybody is a little nervous - well, a lot nervous."
"Yeah, I'll bet they are!" Lee concurred
After Billy finished summarizing the Dumont case, he handed Lee the folder. He skimmed the first few pages and then passed it over to Amanda, who, of course, began to study it in earnest.
Just then one of the phones on Billy's desk rang. "Melrose. Yes, he's right here. Just a moment. Scarecrow, it's for you. The DC Police need to talk to you about someone named August Swan."
-------------
Auggie couldn't believe the situation he was in. There he was, actually sitting across from the victim when the murder occurred. He should have run. Unfortunately, a patrol car had been parked directly across the street when the 911 call had been made. A very frightened and excited bartender was reporting what looked like a dead man, slumped over a table in his establishment, the "Chug-A-Lug" bar. The police were there, almost before Auggie could collect his thoughts. His first thought was, of course, where is the killer? Still in the bar? Outside waiting for him? Whoever the killer was, he couldn't know that Ritchie hadn't had time to tell Auggie anything important. Maybe he was safer talking to the cops, or at least being with the cops. As the questions became more personal - it was obvious that Auggie was high on the short list of suspects.
'These jerks!' Auggie thought. 'How could I have shot that dart into Ritchie's back when I was facin' him?' It was then that Auggie decided to play his trump card.
"Listen, officer, I work with The Agency once in a while and right now I need to talk to my contact over there. His name's Lee Stetson. Would you just let me call him?"
"No," said officer Higgins, looking very skeptical about Auggie's story. 'Good grief,' he thought. 'Why would any self respecting *Secret* Agent have anything to do with a guy who looks like a walking neon sign?'
"OK. Look, here's the number. You call him and tell him I've got somethin' really important for him. It could be a matter of National Security!"
-----------------------------
Officer Higgins had relented, made the call and now Auggie sat with Lee and Amanda, feeling a whole lot safer.
--------
Lee and Amanda exchanged a look of disbelief.
"Auggie," Lee said patiently, "There is no such thing. Beethoven only wrote NINE symphonies - not ten!"
"Hey, what can I tell you? One minute Ritchie is sittin' there, smilin' and sayin' he's got some really hot information. The next minute - he looks all pale and funny and he mumbles something about Beethoven's Tenth. Then he's face down on the table with somethin' that looks like a dart stickin' out of his back!"
"OK, OK, I believe you. He said the "Tenth" and now we have to figure out why. What else happened? Whoever killed Ritchie *must* have seen you. I wonder why the killer didn't take a shot at you when he had the chance."
"I don't know... Well, maybe...Now that I think about it - there was some kind of commotion right about the time Ritchie fell on the table. One of the bar-backs was bringin' in some cases on a dolly, and he bumped into some guy and the guy hollered like he was hurt. Maybe the dolly ran over his foot. Anyway, I think he ran out the back door while I was payin' attention to Ritchie."
"Could you describe the guy?"
"No."
"Would you recognize him if you saw him again?"
"Well, maybe. Lee, I mean, I had other things on my mind at that moment!"
"I know Auggie, but he probably knows what you look like. Sitting there in that mauve polyester sport jacket with the cerise shirt - it would be hard *not* to notice you. And it would be helpful if we knew what he looked like."
"What about this Ritchie?" Amanda asked. "Do you know who he worked for, where he lived, anything else?"
"No. I just knew him from other deals. I mean, he's just a guy on the street who hears things. I don't even know if Ritchie is his first or last name. Ritchie is all I ever called him."
Lee sat quietly thinking about what Auggie had told them.
"Gee, Mrs. King, your hair looks real nice - I like it short like that."
"Thanks Auggie," Amanda said self-consciously. "I guess you're the only one who does. I'm lettin' it grow out again."
"Well, it looked good that way too...."
"Hey you two," Lee said with more than a touch of annoyance in his voice, "can we cut the fashion chatter and get back to the business at hand?"
"Sorry," Auggie and Amanda responded.
"Look, Auggie, Amanda and I are working on a very important case right now. We just started and we've got a lot of work to do. I don't know how much time we'll have to look into this thing you're involved with."
"Lee, I could be in some serious danger here. Please you gotta help me," Auggie pleaded with his words and with his eyes. He was very frightened.
"OK, OK. I'll arrange for you to be put up in one of our safe houses for the time being."
"Oh great! Thanks, Lee. I really appreciate it."
"I'll go call the office and ask Billy to authorize this."
"Don't worry," Amanda said, putting her hand on Auggie's arm, "it'll be fine."
Auggie smiled and nodded his head affirmatively.
After several minutes, Lee returned to the table. "I had to do some fancy talking, but I got Billy to agree to put Auggie in one of our safe houses for now. So, you have a car here?"
"Yeah. It's parked out back," Auggie said, nodding vaguely towards the back of the building.
"Good. You can follow us to the safe house. Let's go," Lee said reaching for Amanda's hand to help her up. "And when we get there, you just stay put until you hear from me."
"See you at the house, Auggie," Amanda smiled.
--------------------------------------
"Now that we've got Auggie safely tucked away, I want to go back to the Agency and do some checking in the Agency Database. See if we - if you - can come up with any leads on this Dumont thing."
"Right. And maybe we can do some checking into Auggie's problem?"
"I think that's gonna have to wait - at least until tomorrow. I want to get the autopsy report on whats-his-name..."
"Ritchie."
"Yeah, Ritchie. Then we'll go from there."
--------------
"Good morning Sir, morning, Lee." Amanda said in her usual cheerful manner.
Lee turned his full attention to Amanda. "Morning."
"OK you two," Billy said a bit impatiently. "Can I get your attention here?" He really wasn't impatient with Lee for taking the time to look at Amanda in that special way. That was something of which Billy heartily approved. It was just that he really wanted them working on the Dumont case, not the August Swan thing. "We got the autopsy and toxicology report on Auggie's friend. Cause of death was a synthetic Curarine."
"What's that?" Lee asked.
"Curarine is an extremely poisonous alkaloid substance derived from curare. Whoever put this together knows a lot about poisons and chemistry *and* has access to something more than your basic hobby shop chemistry set."
"So the dart they found in Ritchie's back was tipped with this poison?" Amanda asked.
"Must have been," Billy responded.
"And somebody just walked into the "Chug-A-Lug" bar with a blowgun in their hand and nobody noticed. Incredible!"
"Lee, the gun wouldn't necessarily been very big. Something ten or twelve inches long would have got the job done."
"Yeah, you're right. Just a little tiny blowgun........" Lee let the sentence hang in the air, unfinished. "Come on, Amanda, let's get to work."
--------------------------
Sitting at Lee's desk in the bullpen, they each picked up a report and began to read.
"The cryptology boys have been through everything with a Beethoven connection they can think of and nothing - zip - zero. No hidden messages in symphonies, sonatas, concertos....."
Amanda had been thoughtfully chewing on the end of a pencil for the last ten minutes. Finally -
"You know, mother was watching this old movie the other night. It was called *The List of Adrian Messenger* and - well, the important thing is - the way this man was saying what the dying man, Mr. Messenger, had said wasn't quite right and..."
"Amanda," Lee interrupted. "Does this *really* have anything to do with the case?"
"Yes," she sniffed, "it does - if you'll just listen for a minute."
"OK, sorry. Please continue," Lee said somewhat sarcastically.
"Thank you. Anyway, because the second man didn't get the words just right, the clue was lost for about half the movie. Now what if.....Auggie thought that this Ritchie said *BeethovensTenth*, but maybe he said *Beethovens.....Tenth*. Two different things. Maybe it's not the man, not the composer and his music. Maybe it's a place and..."
"Like a hotel Beethoven and the Tenth floor!"
"Right. Or maybe a Beethoven Restaurant and a table ten or something like that."
"Good thinking. Leave it to you...," Lee didn't finish the sentence but he smiled appreciatively at Amanda.
----------------
After checking the computer records for anything named Beethoven, Amanda came up with a Hotel Beethoven in Takoma Park, a city in Maryland, located near the Silver Springs airport. It was ten stories high and the top floor was a penthouse. Lee called the hotel and identified himself as a government agent. After a brief conversation with the hotel's manager he was informed that the penthouse was rented by a Professor Leland Michaels.
Amanda remembered something from the Dumont case file...his old college chemistry professor was Leland Michaels. The Dumont case had become Auggie's *Beethoven's Tenth*!
-------------
Robert Dumont hung up the phone and looked at the few notes he had made, almost unconsciously, while he was talking to Hal at *Monarch Choppers*..... $125.00 per hour to rent. Tomorrow between nine and ten AM is OK. Chopper available.
The weather forecast for the next day was perfect. Clear skies, light westerly winds. No matter what the fools in charge of the ChemWar department had said, he was determined to test the gas on a city. He had written something else on the pad, over and over again - Arlington.
------------
As Lee and Amanda pulled into the parking garage of the hotel, another car was being readied to leave. It was a dark colored, unobtrusive sedan, belonging to one Robert Dumont.
"Hey, look. There's special elevator just for the penthouse," Lee said as he pushed the UP button.
The elevator whisked them to the tenth floor. They got out and looked around.
"Nobody in the hall. Shall we just knock on the door?" Amanda asked.
"Let's knock on the door, but then you say you're the maid and you need to get in and clean."
Amanda knocked loudly, "Maid service. Professor Michaels I need to get in now," she called out. No answer.
"Try it again," Lee said.
She did. Still no response.
"OK. Let's just let ourselves in." Lee pulled out his lock picks and in a few moments, the door was open. "Check the dresser. I'll get the closet and the bathroom."
After quickly looking in the closet, Lee headed for the bathroom. "Looks like he's gone. His clothes and all his personal stuff are gone."
"The dresser is empty too. Look at this Lee," Amanda held up a notepad which had been left on the nightstand. "Wait a minute, I think I have a pencil in my purse. Yeah, here it is." Rubbing the pencil across the paper, she raised an impression. "Look at this," she said handing the pad to Lee.
*Chopper - $125 per hour - rent - tomorrow nine to ten AM OK*- and something else was written, again and again - Arlington!
"Oh No! Dumont's old boss, the one who fired him, lives in Arlington. Lee, if he releases the gas from those canisters while he's flying at a low level and with the wind blowing just right..... Oh my gosh! The gas will fall on the city - it'll kill thousands, including my family!"
They raced down the hall and punched the call button. The express elevator seemed to move in slow motion. Lee rhythmically clenched and unclenched his fists, while Amanda stood with her eyes shut tightly, as though she was willing the thing to move faster. They finally got downstairs into the garage and to the car. Lee started the 'vette and took off, barreling out of the parking garage and onto the highway.
"Amanda, get on the phone. Call Billy. Have him check helicopter places at Silver Springs airport and get back to us as fast as he can!"
After what seemed like an eternity, but was actually only a few minutes, the phone rang. It was Billy.
"OK, there are only two helicopter businesses and only one that does rentals - Monarch Choppers Inc."
"Thank you, Sir. Can you get us some backup out at the airport?"
"On it's way, Amanda."
"Thank you. Good-bye Sir. Lee - I want to get there more than anything, but I want to GET there. Please, don't let the tires on this car leave the pavement anymore."
"A...man...dah!"
"Well......"
As they pulled into the airport, Lee headed for a group of hangers. He soon spotted the one he wanted, a building with the name MONARCH painted on the front.
"Look, there it is and - there's Dumont standing by that helicopter. Lee, he's about ready to take off!"
"Oh no he isn't. Hang on, Amanda!"
With that, Lee hit the brakes and yanked the steering wheel, causing the back end of driver's side of the Corvette to spin into the back rotor of the chopper. He winced as he heard the sickening sound of fiberglass and metal smashing together and then bouncing apart. 'Thank goodness it's a small bird - an old Mark-1-BLG model - or this never would have worked,' he thought.
"He can't fly with a busted rotor," Lee said, as he quickly climbed out of the car with his gun drawn and aimed at the crazed chemist. "All right, my friend, hands on your head. Do it now or I'll blow your head off!"
Dumont did as he was told.
Lee looked at the dent in his beloved car. He was tempted to shoot Dumont anyway.
Amanda got out of the car and walked around to the driver's side.
"Are you OK," Lee asked softly, as he kept his eyes on the prisoner.
"Yeah. That was a close one, huh?" she said, briefly resting her forehead against Lee's back.
"But it's all over and the good guys won! Come here," he said, putting his free arm around her shoulders and giving her a little squeeze. He released her as he heard the sound of screeching brakes and saw several Agency cars pulling up.
Agents Larson and Kelly got out of the first car and quickly handcuffed Dumont. Duffy and Bacon got out of a second car.
"Hi Scarecrow. Good job."
"Thanks Frank," Lee said, holstering his gun and walking around the car to join the others. "Ahh, could you do me a favor and call *Elmo's Body Shop* and have 'em come over here and pick up my car as soon as they can. And then would you take us," he gestured to Amanda who had just walked up beside them, "to the Yard so I can pick up an Agency car. Looks like that's what I'll be driving for a while."
"Sure," Frank said. "Hop in the back. Oh, Billy said not to worry about the UD-41. Some people from Fort Dix are on their way to pick it up."
"Good. Come on Amanda. Let's get in the car and relax."
As Lee opened the car door, Marty, the owner of Monarch Choppers Inc, came running over. "What have you done to my chopper? It's wrecked. And it's a classic! Who's gonna pay for the damage?"
Lee grinned. "Don't worry buddy. The U.S. Government will pick up the tab. Your tax dollars at work."
It was, as Lee said, all over. Well, except for getting the car fixed, letting Auggie out of the safe house and all those pesky reports that would have to be written......
------------
TAG
Lee, Amanda and a beaming Auggie Swan stood in the living room of the safe house.
"Hey, you guys are the *greatest*," Auggie said, relief written all over his smiling face. "Listen, let me buy you dinner."
"Oh, I'm sorry Auggie, but I really have to get home to my family," Amanda said, regretfully.
"How about a drink then. Please. We could meet at the Hampton House. Come on, please?" Auggie wheedled.
"Oh, all right," Amanda relented. Lee, could you take me back to IFF so I can pick up my car and then I'll meet you there. And Auggie, it'll be just long enough for one quick drink."
Fifteen minutes later the three of them were sitting in the very plush bar of the Hampton, enjoying a very nice champagne that Auggie had insisted on buying.
Amanda took one last swallow and put her glass down. "I really have to be going. I'm sure glad everything turned out so well."
"I'll walk out with you," Lee said standing up and stretching.
"Me too." Auggie left a few bills on the table and they headed for the parking lot.
"Ahh, Amanda, I'll see you in the morning, right? I mean you are going to come in and help me write the report on this case?"
"Oh sure. I'll be in bright and early." Amanda got into her station wagon. "Bye, you two. Take care," She drove off as her two companions waved.
"Boy, that Mrs. King sure is a nice lady."
"That she is Auggie."
"Ya know, she's beautiful on the outside and on the inside too."
"You're right," Lee said, somewhat surprised that Auggie was capable of such insight.
"Lee, ahh, do you and Mrs. King have.... anything goin'?"
"Anything going?"
"Yeah, ya know. Are you dating or - or - you know...."
"No, we're not dating or *you knowing*. She is my friend and sort of my partner and I feel responsible for her. Why?"
"Oh good. Then it's OK if I ask her out."
"Ask her out. You mean on a date?"
"Yeah."
"No."
"No?"
"NO, Auggie, not in my lifetime or yours. You are not her type."
"How do you know?"
"Trust me, I know."
"But...."
"No buts Auggie. You stay away from Amanda, or..."
"Or what?"
"I'll shoot ya."
"Are you serious?" Auggie asked incredulously.
"Deadly," Lee smiled.
"All right. Sheesh!" Auggie walked over to his car and got in. Looking out the open driver's side window he called to Lee - "You know what you are Stetson? You're a dog in the manger!"
"A what?"
"You heard me...arf, arf." With that, Auggie drove away.
'Hah,' Lee thought. 'Dog in the manger. Why would he even say such a thing?'
end
by rankamateur
Scarecrow and Mrs. King (and August Riley Swan too, I suppose) belong to Warner Bros. and Shoot The Moon Enterprises Ltd.
Time - late second season - after D.O.A.: Delirious On Arrival
Thanks to Buffy for checking this out. All remaining errors are mine.
--------
A smiling Amanda King tapped on the office door. Billy Melrose and Lee Stetson both looked up and returned her smile. Billy motioned her in.
"Morning Sir, morning Lee."
"Morning," Lee said, quickly covering his obvious delight at seeing her again.
"Good morning Amanda. Please, have a seat. I was just about to brief Lee on your next assignment."
"Thank you Sir." Amanda sat down next to Lee and looked at Billy expectantly.
Billy then filled them in on the case he was giving them to investigate.
"Here's the guy's picture. His name's Robert Dumont. You can see he's in his late 20's. He's a genius in chemistry and worked at Fort Dix, the chemical warfare division. He formulated a gas, which he called UD-41. It's lethal, easily disseminated. It kills people and leaves the buildings and such. It dissipates in about 48 hours. It's the perfect weapon. Unlike the *neutron bomb*, there is no radiation to worry about - no lingering danger to *friendlies*."
"Sounds like something we don't really need," Lee said wryly.
"Well, his boss at Ft. Dix kind of agreed with you. And, because of political and other considerations, he wouldn't let Dumont continue with his experiments and certainly would *not* let him test the gas. It seems Dumont became obsessed with the idea of trying it out. His superiors didn't know what else to do with him so they terminated him, ahh, they fired him. It takes sophisticated lab equipment to manufacture the gas, so he can't just whip up a batch in his garage. BUT, Dumont managed to smuggle out six canisters of the stuff when he left. Now he's disappeared and everybody is a little nervous - well, a lot nervous."
"Yeah, I'll bet they are!" Lee concurred
After Billy finished summarizing the Dumont case, he handed Lee the folder. He skimmed the first few pages and then passed it over to Amanda, who, of course, began to study it in earnest.
Just then one of the phones on Billy's desk rang. "Melrose. Yes, he's right here. Just a moment. Scarecrow, it's for you. The DC Police need to talk to you about someone named August Swan."
-------------
Auggie couldn't believe the situation he was in. There he was, actually sitting across from the victim when the murder occurred. He should have run. Unfortunately, a patrol car had been parked directly across the street when the 911 call had been made. A very frightened and excited bartender was reporting what looked like a dead man, slumped over a table in his establishment, the "Chug-A-Lug" bar. The police were there, almost before Auggie could collect his thoughts. His first thought was, of course, where is the killer? Still in the bar? Outside waiting for him? Whoever the killer was, he couldn't know that Ritchie hadn't had time to tell Auggie anything important. Maybe he was safer talking to the cops, or at least being with the cops. As the questions became more personal - it was obvious that Auggie was high on the short list of suspects.
'These jerks!' Auggie thought. 'How could I have shot that dart into Ritchie's back when I was facin' him?' It was then that Auggie decided to play his trump card.
"Listen, officer, I work with The Agency once in a while and right now I need to talk to my contact over there. His name's Lee Stetson. Would you just let me call him?"
"No," said officer Higgins, looking very skeptical about Auggie's story. 'Good grief,' he thought. 'Why would any self respecting *Secret* Agent have anything to do with a guy who looks like a walking neon sign?'
"OK. Look, here's the number. You call him and tell him I've got somethin' really important for him. It could be a matter of National Security!"
-----------------------------
Officer Higgins had relented, made the call and now Auggie sat with Lee and Amanda, feeling a whole lot safer.
--------
Lee and Amanda exchanged a look of disbelief.
"Auggie," Lee said patiently, "There is no such thing. Beethoven only wrote NINE symphonies - not ten!"
"Hey, what can I tell you? One minute Ritchie is sittin' there, smilin' and sayin' he's got some really hot information. The next minute - he looks all pale and funny and he mumbles something about Beethoven's Tenth. Then he's face down on the table with somethin' that looks like a dart stickin' out of his back!"
"OK, OK, I believe you. He said the "Tenth" and now we have to figure out why. What else happened? Whoever killed Ritchie *must* have seen you. I wonder why the killer didn't take a shot at you when he had the chance."
"I don't know... Well, maybe...Now that I think about it - there was some kind of commotion right about the time Ritchie fell on the table. One of the bar-backs was bringin' in some cases on a dolly, and he bumped into some guy and the guy hollered like he was hurt. Maybe the dolly ran over his foot. Anyway, I think he ran out the back door while I was payin' attention to Ritchie."
"Could you describe the guy?"
"No."
"Would you recognize him if you saw him again?"
"Well, maybe. Lee, I mean, I had other things on my mind at that moment!"
"I know Auggie, but he probably knows what you look like. Sitting there in that mauve polyester sport jacket with the cerise shirt - it would be hard *not* to notice you. And it would be helpful if we knew what he looked like."
"What about this Ritchie?" Amanda asked. "Do you know who he worked for, where he lived, anything else?"
"No. I just knew him from other deals. I mean, he's just a guy on the street who hears things. I don't even know if Ritchie is his first or last name. Ritchie is all I ever called him."
Lee sat quietly thinking about what Auggie had told them.
"Gee, Mrs. King, your hair looks real nice - I like it short like that."
"Thanks Auggie," Amanda said self-consciously. "I guess you're the only one who does. I'm lettin' it grow out again."
"Well, it looked good that way too...."
"Hey you two," Lee said with more than a touch of annoyance in his voice, "can we cut the fashion chatter and get back to the business at hand?"
"Sorry," Auggie and Amanda responded.
"Look, Auggie, Amanda and I are working on a very important case right now. We just started and we've got a lot of work to do. I don't know how much time we'll have to look into this thing you're involved with."
"Lee, I could be in some serious danger here. Please you gotta help me," Auggie pleaded with his words and with his eyes. He was very frightened.
"OK, OK. I'll arrange for you to be put up in one of our safe houses for the time being."
"Oh great! Thanks, Lee. I really appreciate it."
"I'll go call the office and ask Billy to authorize this."
"Don't worry," Amanda said, putting her hand on Auggie's arm, "it'll be fine."
Auggie smiled and nodded his head affirmatively.
After several minutes, Lee returned to the table. "I had to do some fancy talking, but I got Billy to agree to put Auggie in one of our safe houses for now. So, you have a car here?"
"Yeah. It's parked out back," Auggie said, nodding vaguely towards the back of the building.
"Good. You can follow us to the safe house. Let's go," Lee said reaching for Amanda's hand to help her up. "And when we get there, you just stay put until you hear from me."
"See you at the house, Auggie," Amanda smiled.
--------------------------------------
"Now that we've got Auggie safely tucked away, I want to go back to the Agency and do some checking in the Agency Database. See if we - if you - can come up with any leads on this Dumont thing."
"Right. And maybe we can do some checking into Auggie's problem?"
"I think that's gonna have to wait - at least until tomorrow. I want to get the autopsy report on whats-his-name..."
"Ritchie."
"Yeah, Ritchie. Then we'll go from there."
--------------
"Good morning Sir, morning, Lee." Amanda said in her usual cheerful manner.
Lee turned his full attention to Amanda. "Morning."
"OK you two," Billy said a bit impatiently. "Can I get your attention here?" He really wasn't impatient with Lee for taking the time to look at Amanda in that special way. That was something of which Billy heartily approved. It was just that he really wanted them working on the Dumont case, not the August Swan thing. "We got the autopsy and toxicology report on Auggie's friend. Cause of death was a synthetic Curarine."
"What's that?" Lee asked.
"Curarine is an extremely poisonous alkaloid substance derived from curare. Whoever put this together knows a lot about poisons and chemistry *and* has access to something more than your basic hobby shop chemistry set."
"So the dart they found in Ritchie's back was tipped with this poison?" Amanda asked.
"Must have been," Billy responded.
"And somebody just walked into the "Chug-A-Lug" bar with a blowgun in their hand and nobody noticed. Incredible!"
"Lee, the gun wouldn't necessarily been very big. Something ten or twelve inches long would have got the job done."
"Yeah, you're right. Just a little tiny blowgun........" Lee let the sentence hang in the air, unfinished. "Come on, Amanda, let's get to work."
--------------------------
Sitting at Lee's desk in the bullpen, they each picked up a report and began to read.
"The cryptology boys have been through everything with a Beethoven connection they can think of and nothing - zip - zero. No hidden messages in symphonies, sonatas, concertos....."
Amanda had been thoughtfully chewing on the end of a pencil for the last ten minutes. Finally -
"You know, mother was watching this old movie the other night. It was called *The List of Adrian Messenger* and - well, the important thing is - the way this man was saying what the dying man, Mr. Messenger, had said wasn't quite right and..."
"Amanda," Lee interrupted. "Does this *really* have anything to do with the case?"
"Yes," she sniffed, "it does - if you'll just listen for a minute."
"OK, sorry. Please continue," Lee said somewhat sarcastically.
"Thank you. Anyway, because the second man didn't get the words just right, the clue was lost for about half the movie. Now what if.....Auggie thought that this Ritchie said *BeethovensTenth*, but maybe he said *Beethovens.....Tenth*. Two different things. Maybe it's not the man, not the composer and his music. Maybe it's a place and..."
"Like a hotel Beethoven and the Tenth floor!"
"Right. Or maybe a Beethoven Restaurant and a table ten or something like that."
"Good thinking. Leave it to you...," Lee didn't finish the sentence but he smiled appreciatively at Amanda.
----------------
After checking the computer records for anything named Beethoven, Amanda came up with a Hotel Beethoven in Takoma Park, a city in Maryland, located near the Silver Springs airport. It was ten stories high and the top floor was a penthouse. Lee called the hotel and identified himself as a government agent. After a brief conversation with the hotel's manager he was informed that the penthouse was rented by a Professor Leland Michaels.
Amanda remembered something from the Dumont case file...his old college chemistry professor was Leland Michaels. The Dumont case had become Auggie's *Beethoven's Tenth*!
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Robert Dumont hung up the phone and looked at the few notes he had made, almost unconsciously, while he was talking to Hal at *Monarch Choppers*..... $125.00 per hour to rent. Tomorrow between nine and ten AM is OK. Chopper available.
The weather forecast for the next day was perfect. Clear skies, light westerly winds. No matter what the fools in charge of the ChemWar department had said, he was determined to test the gas on a city. He had written something else on the pad, over and over again - Arlington.
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As Lee and Amanda pulled into the parking garage of the hotel, another car was being readied to leave. It was a dark colored, unobtrusive sedan, belonging to one Robert Dumont.
"Hey, look. There's special elevator just for the penthouse," Lee said as he pushed the UP button.
The elevator whisked them to the tenth floor. They got out and looked around.
"Nobody in the hall. Shall we just knock on the door?" Amanda asked.
"Let's knock on the door, but then you say you're the maid and you need to get in and clean."
Amanda knocked loudly, "Maid service. Professor Michaels I need to get in now," she called out. No answer.
"Try it again," Lee said.
She did. Still no response.
"OK. Let's just let ourselves in." Lee pulled out his lock picks and in a few moments, the door was open. "Check the dresser. I'll get the closet and the bathroom."
After quickly looking in the closet, Lee headed for the bathroom. "Looks like he's gone. His clothes and all his personal stuff are gone."
"The dresser is empty too. Look at this Lee," Amanda held up a notepad which had been left on the nightstand. "Wait a minute, I think I have a pencil in my purse. Yeah, here it is." Rubbing the pencil across the paper, she raised an impression. "Look at this," she said handing the pad to Lee.
*Chopper - $125 per hour - rent - tomorrow nine to ten AM OK*- and something else was written, again and again - Arlington!
"Oh No! Dumont's old boss, the one who fired him, lives in Arlington. Lee, if he releases the gas from those canisters while he's flying at a low level and with the wind blowing just right..... Oh my gosh! The gas will fall on the city - it'll kill thousands, including my family!"
They raced down the hall and punched the call button. The express elevator seemed to move in slow motion. Lee rhythmically clenched and unclenched his fists, while Amanda stood with her eyes shut tightly, as though she was willing the thing to move faster. They finally got downstairs into the garage and to the car. Lee started the 'vette and took off, barreling out of the parking garage and onto the highway.
"Amanda, get on the phone. Call Billy. Have him check helicopter places at Silver Springs airport and get back to us as fast as he can!"
After what seemed like an eternity, but was actually only a few minutes, the phone rang. It was Billy.
"OK, there are only two helicopter businesses and only one that does rentals - Monarch Choppers Inc."
"Thank you, Sir. Can you get us some backup out at the airport?"
"On it's way, Amanda."
"Thank you. Good-bye Sir. Lee - I want to get there more than anything, but I want to GET there. Please, don't let the tires on this car leave the pavement anymore."
"A...man...dah!"
"Well......"
As they pulled into the airport, Lee headed for a group of hangers. He soon spotted the one he wanted, a building with the name MONARCH painted on the front.
"Look, there it is and - there's Dumont standing by that helicopter. Lee, he's about ready to take off!"
"Oh no he isn't. Hang on, Amanda!"
With that, Lee hit the brakes and yanked the steering wheel, causing the back end of driver's side of the Corvette to spin into the back rotor of the chopper. He winced as he heard the sickening sound of fiberglass and metal smashing together and then bouncing apart. 'Thank goodness it's a small bird - an old Mark-1-BLG model - or this never would have worked,' he thought.
"He can't fly with a busted rotor," Lee said, as he quickly climbed out of the car with his gun drawn and aimed at the crazed chemist. "All right, my friend, hands on your head. Do it now or I'll blow your head off!"
Dumont did as he was told.
Lee looked at the dent in his beloved car. He was tempted to shoot Dumont anyway.
Amanda got out of the car and walked around to the driver's side.
"Are you OK," Lee asked softly, as he kept his eyes on the prisoner.
"Yeah. That was a close one, huh?" she said, briefly resting her forehead against Lee's back.
"But it's all over and the good guys won! Come here," he said, putting his free arm around her shoulders and giving her a little squeeze. He released her as he heard the sound of screeching brakes and saw several Agency cars pulling up.
Agents Larson and Kelly got out of the first car and quickly handcuffed Dumont. Duffy and Bacon got out of a second car.
"Hi Scarecrow. Good job."
"Thanks Frank," Lee said, holstering his gun and walking around the car to join the others. "Ahh, could you do me a favor and call *Elmo's Body Shop* and have 'em come over here and pick up my car as soon as they can. And then would you take us," he gestured to Amanda who had just walked up beside them, "to the Yard so I can pick up an Agency car. Looks like that's what I'll be driving for a while."
"Sure," Frank said. "Hop in the back. Oh, Billy said not to worry about the UD-41. Some people from Fort Dix are on their way to pick it up."
"Good. Come on Amanda. Let's get in the car and relax."
As Lee opened the car door, Marty, the owner of Monarch Choppers Inc, came running over. "What have you done to my chopper? It's wrecked. And it's a classic! Who's gonna pay for the damage?"
Lee grinned. "Don't worry buddy. The U.S. Government will pick up the tab. Your tax dollars at work."
It was, as Lee said, all over. Well, except for getting the car fixed, letting Auggie out of the safe house and all those pesky reports that would have to be written......
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TAG
Lee, Amanda and a beaming Auggie Swan stood in the living room of the safe house.
"Hey, you guys are the *greatest*," Auggie said, relief written all over his smiling face. "Listen, let me buy you dinner."
"Oh, I'm sorry Auggie, but I really have to get home to my family," Amanda said, regretfully.
"How about a drink then. Please. We could meet at the Hampton House. Come on, please?" Auggie wheedled.
"Oh, all right," Amanda relented. Lee, could you take me back to IFF so I can pick up my car and then I'll meet you there. And Auggie, it'll be just long enough for one quick drink."
Fifteen minutes later the three of them were sitting in the very plush bar of the Hampton, enjoying a very nice champagne that Auggie had insisted on buying.
Amanda took one last swallow and put her glass down. "I really have to be going. I'm sure glad everything turned out so well."
"I'll walk out with you," Lee said standing up and stretching.
"Me too." Auggie left a few bills on the table and they headed for the parking lot.
"Ahh, Amanda, I'll see you in the morning, right? I mean you are going to come in and help me write the report on this case?"
"Oh sure. I'll be in bright and early." Amanda got into her station wagon. "Bye, you two. Take care," She drove off as her two companions waved.
"Boy, that Mrs. King sure is a nice lady."
"That she is Auggie."
"Ya know, she's beautiful on the outside and on the inside too."
"You're right," Lee said, somewhat surprised that Auggie was capable of such insight.
"Lee, ahh, do you and Mrs. King have.... anything goin'?"
"Anything going?"
"Yeah, ya know. Are you dating or - or - you know...."
"No, we're not dating or *you knowing*. She is my friend and sort of my partner and I feel responsible for her. Why?"
"Oh good. Then it's OK if I ask her out."
"Ask her out. You mean on a date?"
"Yeah."
"No."
"No?"
"NO, Auggie, not in my lifetime or yours. You are not her type."
"How do you know?"
"Trust me, I know."
"But...."
"No buts Auggie. You stay away from Amanda, or..."
"Or what?"
"I'll shoot ya."
"Are you serious?" Auggie asked incredulously.
"Deadly," Lee smiled.
"All right. Sheesh!" Auggie walked over to his car and got in. Looking out the open driver's side window he called to Lee - "You know what you are Stetson? You're a dog in the manger!"
"A what?"
"You heard me...arf, arf." With that, Auggie drove away.
'Hah,' Lee thought. 'Dog in the manger. Why would he even say such a thing?'
end