Title: "Anna and the King"
Rating: PG
Author: Argiope
Disclaimer: Several of the characters in this fanfic belong to
Warner Brother's and Shoot The Moon Productions, but the story is mine and may
not be redistributed without my consent. At this time I don't want the story archived
(except on this mailing list) because it is not completed. Once it is done I may submit
it for posting. A portion of this story was taken directly from the episode,
"Unfinished Business," and contains a section that is word for word from that episode.
This dialog was used to set up the story only. No infringement was intended.
The story takes place after "Unfinished Business"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lee and Amanda sat with their bodies entwined on the couch in his apartment. The past couple days had been very emotionally draining for Lee, and Billy had given him a few days off. He also ordered Amanda to make sure Lee was ok, so she had eagerly headed over to his place after filing some paperwork in Q bureau.
---------------------
"Amanda," Lee said.
Amanda laid her hands on the neckline of Lee's shirt and massaged the fabric with her fingers. "Yes Lee?" she replied.
"I have tried several times to continue reading what my mother wrote for me, but I would really appreciate it if you could read it to me … would you mind? I feel like my mother is here when you speak her words," Lee said as he caressed Amanda's chin with his thumb and index finger.
"Sure," Amanda said. She opened up the dusty black book to where she had begun to read his mothers words only a few days earlier. "Do you want me to start over or continue where I left off?"
"From the beginning," Lee replied.
Amanda shifted in the couch and took an upright position next to Lee.
"My dear son. There's so much I want to tell you when you get older, so I'm writing it all down, lest I forget. I'll start with your father. Everyone thinks we met in the states in 1949, but it actually happened during the war in London. I was walking down the street one night, minding my own business, when suddenly a cheeky yank walked up to me and asked me to walk with him. He said he was in trouble and asked for my help. I asked him what he wanted me to do. He pulled out an envelope and told me to deliver it to the Prime Minister's office immediately. He asked what my name was, then ran off before I could give much of an answer. But he did say it was a matter of life and death, so I did try to deliver the letter. Of course who would let me in 10 Downing Street, and I didn't think I should put it in the Post. Then one night, there he was … peering in the window of my basement flat."
------------------------
Amanda stopped reading and took Lee's hand. That is where she had stopped the other night and looked to Lee for approval to continue. He cupped her hand with his and urged her to continue.
------------------------
"He asked me why I had not delivered the letter, so I explained to him about my dilemma. That is when I learned he was a government agent. He explained to me that the contents of the letter apparently proved Russian scientists had been testing nuclear devices. He had been sent to London to meet a source, and the source had given him that letter. Before he even had a chance to read it, he noticed several people following him, and was forced to give the letter to me. I told him I had put the letter in my bank deposit box when I could not deliver it, and told him I would take him there in the morning.
The next morning he knocked on my window and we went to the bank. However, we soon found out that the letter was no longer in the bank box and he enlisted my help to track down the people who had taken it. The letter was eventually found and your father returned to the states.
Then in 1949 I was sent to Washington on business. Somehow he found me and I eventually became an agent just like him. We fell in love and were married. Soon after, we found out I was pregnant, and a few months later I had a baby girl."
----- end part 1 -------
Amanda stopped and looked at Lee. Lee did not look at Amanda, but grabbed the book from her lap and continued to read.
---------------------------
"We named her Anna and moved into a 3 bedroom house in a quiet suburban neighborhood in DC. Life was great for those first few months. We were living what others perceived as the American dream, but we were far from normal. I took a few months off, and your father continued to work as an agent. One day I decided to take Anna for a walk in the park, but what I did not realize was we were being followed. I sat on a bench to read a book and was grabbed from behind."
-----------------------------
Lee looked up to see a tear going down Amanda's face. She could only imagine how those last few sentences had hit Lee. His parents had died when he was 4, leaving him with only an uncle who had seemed to care very little for him while he was growing up. Could he have a sister? Amanda took Lee's hand and asked him if he wanted to continue. Lee nodded … he wanted to find out what had happened to his sister.
Lee picked up where he had left off.
------------------------------
"Unfortunately we were never able to find Anna. Although we looked for years, even after I gave birth to you in 1951, we never saw Anna again. Your father had found me in the park, drugged, but Anna was nowhere to be found. We had no leads and although we questioned everyone in the park, nobody had seen a thing. "
-------------------------------
Lee threw the diary across the room and yelled, "I HAD A SISTER AND THEY NEVER TOLD ME! I want to look for her … I need to find out if she is still alive!"
Amanda hesitated, not really sure how to respond to such a statement. Finally she said, "Lee, you have nothing to go on … no clues. How could you ever expect to find her? You don't even know if she is still alive. Those men could have killed her to get to your parents. "
"But Amanda," Lee said, "it does not sound like my parents ever heard from Anna's kidnappers. There is a chance she could still be alive."
Amanda knew there was little she could say to convince Lee otherwise, so she agreed to help him. Amanda called Billy and explained what they had found in the diary. Billy told her that he and Francine would be over in 20 minutes.
As Lee and Amanda waited for Billy and Francine to arrive, Lee paced back and forth in front of the couch in his living room. "I had a sister," he mumbled. Amanda walked over and put her hand on his shoulder, but he just kept walking and her hand fell to her side.
"Lee," Amanda said as she grabbed Lee's arm and pulled him towards her. "You were 4 years old when your parents died. I am sure they were going to tell you when you got a little older and could understand what they did for a living. Please don't think that they intended to hide this from you forever."
"Oh, Amanda, I am just angry. Not at my parents, just at the irony that she could have been out there, all this time, and I never knew it. I could have had a family, Amanda. My life could have been different."
Amanda knew she would never know how Lee felt. She had a loving family while she was growing up and now she had Jamie and Phillip. Love had always been a part of her life, even after her divorce from Joe. She would always love Joe and he would always love her. But what could she do to help.
Amanda picked up the phone and called her house. "Mother … I won't be coming home tonight. I am at a friends and he is having a really hard time so I am going to stay with him, ok?" Amanda knew that explanation would open up all sorts of comments from her mother, but she didn't really care about that right now. She knew Lee needed her and wanted to be there for him. After her mother was through asking questions, Amanda said she loved her and told Dotty to kiss Phillip and Jamie for her, and to tell them she loved them.
Amanda hung up the phone just in time to hear a knock at the door.
----- end part 2 ------
She opened the door and Billy and Francine walked into Lee's apartment. "Hello Sir," Amanda said.
"Hi Billy, Francine, thanks for coming over," Lee said.
Francine hung back with Amanda as Billy walked into the bedroom with Lee. Amanda and Francine looked at each other and each could see the worry on the other's face.
"Can I get you some tea Francine?" Amanda asked.
"No thank you Amanda," Francine said.
As Amanda and Francine exchanged awkward pleasantries in the living room, Billy talked to Lee in the bedroom.
"My God Lee … where do we start?" Billy asked.
"Ahhhh … I don't know Billy. My parents couldn't even find her, what makes me think that I can?" Lee responded as he paced.
"Whatever support you need," Billy said," we are all here to help you if you need it. Let's go out in the living room and see if we can come up with some ideas."
Billy and Lee walked from the bedroom into the living room and everyone sat down to talk about the fact that Lee could have a sister.
"Tell us what you know, Lee," Francine said.
"Not much." Lee said to Francine. "My mother was walking Anna in the park and stopped at a bench to read a book. Someone grabbed her from behind and when she awoke Anna was gone. My parents looked for her and interviewed people from the park, but nobody saw it happen."
"Ok," Francine said, "we can start by finding out what cases your father was working on at the time your sister disappeared. "
Billy was very impressed with how Francine was taking charge of the situation and continued to listen to what she had to say.
"Amanda, could you help me go through their old case files? We should really start with the cases Lee's mother and father worked on together. We may be able to find something there," Francine said.
Amanda nodded at Francine. She would do anything to help Lee and everyone in that room knew it.
Francine turned to address Lee. "Lee, once we find out who your dad's contacts were, why don't you see if any of them are still living and go talk to them. It is possible that they heard something, either before or after your parents death."
Lee agreed and Amanda went into the bedroom to get the Agency computer that Lee kept in his apartment for late night research. Francine patched into the agency computer to see if any of those old files had been entered into the system. Over the past several months a few people had been hand entering all the old files, but since Lee's father had worked as an agent before IFF was started, she was not sure if the files would be there. Just as she suspected they were not.
"Just what I expected, Francine said, "looks like we have to do this the old fashioned way … we need to go to the CIA's central library and that does not open until 8am."
Billy stood up and addressed Francine, Lee, and Amanda. "Why don't we all try to get some rest and attack this in the morning."
"But Billy ….," Lee said.
"That is an order Lee. We can't do anything until 8 tomorrow anyway, so why don't you just try to relax and get some sleep. Come on Francine, I will drive you home."
"Thank you Sir," Amanda said. "Francine, I will meet you at IFF tomorrow at 7, then we can head over together."
Francine nodded and headed out the door with Billy.
----- end part 3 -------
The next morning, Amanda woke up to find her and Lee had fallen asleep on the couch. She pulled at Lee's sleeve to wake him up. "Lee," she said. At first Lee did not want to wake up, but then he remembered what today was … the day he would start to look for the sister he never knew he had. He woke up with a start and went into the bathroom to get a shower.
Amanda picked out some fresh clothes from his dresser and closet, and knocked on the bathroom door. "Lee, I put a fresh change of clothes outside the bathroom door." Amanda walked from the bedroom out to the kitchen to fix some coffee and toast. Even though she needed to be at the agency in one hour to meet Francine, breakfast was the most important meal of the day and she was not going to miss it.
Lee got out of the shower, changed into the clothes Amanda had left outside the door, and walked into the kitchen. "Thanks for the clothes Amanda." Lee leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.
"Have some breakfast," Amanda said.
"You know I don't eat breakfast, but I will have some of that coffee when it is done." Amanda gave Lee a small peck on the lips and headed towards Lee's bedroom so that she could get a shower.
---------------------
Lee dropped Amanda off at the Agency and headed out on his own. He couldn't just sit and wait for Amanda and Francine to find something, so he decided to talk to some members of his "family." Although they would not know anything about his sister, he wanted to put the word out so they could keep their ears open.
Lee parked his Corvette and walked over to a picnic table in the park where a man was playing checkers. "Hello TP," Lee said.
"Lee my boy," TP said. TP motioned with his hand for Lee to sit down. "What can I do for you on this fine day?"
"I need you to keep your eyes and ears open for me TP," Lee replied. "I am looking for someone named Anna Stetson, although she probably does not go by that name anymore."
"Any relation?" TP asked.
"She just may be," Lee said. "That is what I want to find out. It is possible that I have a sister who was abducted in 1950 when she was 3-months old. Francine and Amanda are looking through my dad's old case files now. If we stir something up, word may get back around to you. I just wanted to warn you so that you could keep your ears open."
------ End Part 4 ------------
Amanda and Francine had pulled case files for Matthew and Jennifer Stetson from 1949 through 1955, when they were killed.
"Francine, look at this," Amanda said.
Francine moved her chair over and looked at the file Amanda had been reading.
"Here is the case file for Operation Trindle. Now, Matthew and Jennifer went to talk to a Howard Sayer in September 1949. You see that? Now here it says they talked to members of his family and they list Howard, his wife Janette, and his wife's mother Rose. They talked to them because Howard was a known member of "The Blue Tigers," a group trying to stop President Truman from ending racial segregation in the U.S. armed forces."
"Amanda, I don't understand. What does this have to do with Anna Stetson?" Francine asked.
"I am getting to that," Amanda said. "Now, here is another report from May 1950 where Howard Sayer was interviewed again because of his work with Senator Joseph McCarthy. That was after the Senator announced there were 205 people in the State Department who he believed were Communists. Do you see what it says here?"
Francine was getting a little annoyed at Amanda's rambling. She did not know how Lee could take it day in and day out, but she decided to play along. "No I don't … tell me," Francine said with a pang of boredom in her voice.
"It says," Amanda continued, "Howard Sayer and his wife were interviewed while his wife's mother, Rose, watched the 2-year old. See what I mean? Where did the 2-year old come from? In September 1949 they did not have a child, but in May 1950 they had a 2-year old. I think we may have something here … I need to get this information to Lee."
Amanda grabbed her coat and ran out of the library towards the door.
"It is called adoption Amanda," Francine said under her breath and went back to her stack of files.
--------------------
Lee had contacted many of his "family" and was on his way back to the Agency when he saw Amanda pass by in her Wagoneer. He pulled over to the side of the road and waited for her to turn around.
Amanda had noticed Lee's car and continued on to the next side street so that she could turn around and go back to where she had seen him. She pulled up to the curb behind Lee's Corvette.
Amanda started to explain to Lee what she had explained to Francine.
"There is something missing here … I can just feel it," Amanda said.
Lee was not sure what point Amanda was trying to make but continued to listen as she went onto the next report.
"Do you see what I mean" Amanda asked?
Lee hesitated for a minute before finally understanding what Amanda was trying to say. "You think Howard somehow obtained that child illegally? What about adoption, Amanda?"
"Lee, someone with his status in society would not be approved for an adoption. That child came from somewhere and it was not from an adoption agency. They wouldn't do that."
"Let's go see an old friend," Lee said as he took Amanda's arm and helped her into his Corvette.
-------------- End Part 5 -----------------
Lee got out of his car and opened the door for Amanda. They walked hand in hand up the walk of Birchwood. They needed to talk to Rupert Simpson … "He may know something about this Amanda," Lee said.
Rupert was waiting for Lee and Amanda in a golf cart on the walkway at the top of the hill. They explained the discrepancies in the files to him and asked if he could remember anything that may help the investigation.
"I don't know Lee," Rupert said. "I don't see how I can help you with this one."
"Rupert," Lee said, "you were involved in Operation Trindle … the same case my dad was working on. I realize you never worked with him directly, but there is something missing here and I was hoping you could remember something." They walked towards a bench and sat down.
"You know Lee," Rupert said, "that was a long time ago and times were very different. Can you leave the file with me so I can read it over later? It's 10:00 … time for my Bridge game against Janice. If I don't show up for this game she wins the tournament. I can get back to you later today, if that is alright."
Lee sighed and looked at Amanda. Her eyebrow moved up as he looked at her, and he realized she was just as annoyed as he was that Rupert was more interested in playing Bridge than helping him find his sister.
"Ahhhh … ok Rupert," Lee said. "Call me at the agency."
---------------------------
Lee and Amanda were in Q Bureau when Francine walked in with some news.
"Glad I caught you two," Francine said. "I have been looking over these old case files and I found something that may interest you. Amanda, I thought about what you said and looked into the old adoption files to see if I could find any record of Howard and his wife adopting a child. Well guess what … there was no record. So I did a little more research. About 1 year after your parent's death, Lee, a kidnapping ring was broken up. There were a total of 360 kids rescued, but 15 of the youngest kids were never identified. These kids were given new names and adopted by families all over the United States."
Lee stood up and took the papers Francine had in her hand.
"Lee," Francine said, "Anna could have been one of those kids."
Lee looked over at Amanda and then back to Francine. "Is there any more information than this?" Lee asked Francine.
"Yes," Francine said while passing another piece of paper to Lee that she had folded neatly and put in her pocket. "This file lists the children's new names and the families they were given to. I am sure if we all split up we may be able to come up with something."
Lee said, "That is a good idea Francine. Let's go down and show Billy what you and Amanda found."
-------- end part 6 ------
Billy looked out his office window to see his three best agents walking towards his office from the bullpen. He was happy he had insisted early on that Lee work with Amanda. Although the first year was rough, they had really become great partners and he noticed many changes in each of them.
Francine always had some axe to grind with Amanda because she got to work with Lee on some of the best cases, but lately he had noticed her opinion of Amanda changing. One minute she would be nice to her, and the next she would be making some off the wall comment about the agent housewife. He was sure it was just for show though.
Lee knocked on Billy's door and then opened it for Amanda and Francine when Billy waved them in.
"So what have you found people," Billy said.
Francine put the paperwork on Billy's desk and said, "After Amanda found something strange in a few of the Stetson files, I did a little research. About one year after the death of Lee's parents a kidnapping ring was broken up. Out of 360 kids, 15 of them were never identified because all traces of their life had been erased. The kids were too young to remember where they came from, and they were never matched with missing children reports. These 15 kids were given new names and placed with families throughout the United States. "
"Good work Francine and Amanda," Billy said. "Now for the bad news. I talked with Dr. Smyth and he said, unless this ties in with some unsolved case somewhere, we are not to continue this search. So all work must stop from this point on."
Francine, Amanda, and Lee all looked at each other. They were shocked that Billy would say such a thing. Just then Lee looked at Billy and Billy tossed Lee a wink. He knew that Billy was only saying this because he had to, and that he was telling them to continue … but quietly.
"Yes sir," Amanda said.
"Thanks Billy," Lee replied as he, Amanda, and Francine walked back into the bullpen.
----------------------------
It was 11:30 now and they decided to grab a quick lunch at Monk's before continuing. That would give them a chance to discuss the facts without worrying about Dr. Smyth overhearing their conversation. They asked to be seated at a booth in the corner and started to look over their menus.
"After lunch why don't we see what information we can gather on the 10 girls on this list. Maybe we can narrow it down even further by finding out their ages. If they are too young or too old to be Anna, then we can just eliminate them from the list," Lee said.
The waiter came back to the table to take their orders.
Lee said, "I will have the Shrimp Scampi and a Beer … do you have Harp?"
"Yes we do sir," the waiter responded.
"Good, I will have that," Lee said.
Amanda was next. "I will have the chicken sandwich and a water please," she said.
Lee looked at Amanda and she suddenly decided to change her order.
"Scratch that," she said. "I will have the Shrimp Scampi also."
Lee and Amanda both shared a laugh while Francine just looked at them with disgust. She would never forget that incident for as long as she lived. But enough about that … it was her turn to order.
"I will have the Fettuccini Alfredo and a side salad please … and a white wine."
"Thank you," the waiter said as he gathered their menus. Amanda, Francine, and Lee made sure he had left before continuing their conversation.
After lunch, Amanda, Lee, and Francine went back to Q Bureau to see if they could find anything on those 10 girls. Francine started to read the women's names on the list to Amanda, while Lee sat on the corner of the desk.
"Sheridan Conrad," Francine said.
Amanda hit a few keys on the computer and Sheridan's information was displayed on the screen. "This person is 38 years old and lives in Maine. She has 1 daughter and 1 son and has been married for 5 years. She is too old to be Anna, Lee."
"Next," Francine said. "Cindy Nadine."
Amanda called the information up on the screen. "This person is the right age Lee, 36. She lives in Burbank, California, was never married, and does not have any kids. She does have a record though. She was arrested for bank robbery and spent three years in prison."
"Let's hope that is not her, but we will check it out anyway," Francine said.
"Next," Amanda said.
"Drew Rivermore," Francine replied.
Amanda did not type anything but looked at the paper Francine was holding. "Are you sure?" she asked.
"Yep, Drew Rivermore," Francine replied. "Why, what's wrong?"
"I went to a school with a Drew Rivermore … in fact we were best friends up until I was in 8th grade," Amanda said.
Amanda typed the name into the computer and Drew's information came up on the screen. "She lives in St. Louis, Missouri, is married to Dan Ciders, and has one boy … about Phillip's age," Amanda said. "She is the right age Lee."
"Next?" Amanda asked.
"Melinda Strout," Francine said.
Amanda typed the name into the computer and then just froze.
"What is it Amanda?" Lee asked as he looked over at the computer screen.
"Lee, this woman is the right age," Amanda replied. "She is married, has one son about 13 years old …."
Amanda paused.
"What is it Amanda!" Lee asked in a loud tone.
"Lee, she is married to a King. She is a Queen," Amanda replied.
------ End part 7 -----
Lee was not sure how to take that information, but decided there seemed to be enough possibilities here, that his Anna may not be Melinda Strout. "Let's continue with the list Francine, we will come back to Melinda later."
Francine looked back at the piece of paper and read the next name. "Susan Margollis."
"According to this, Susan is 35 years old, divorced, no kids. Too young to be Anna, Lee."
"Ok," Francine said, "the next name on the list is Sandy Neversfield."
"Sandy is 39 … too old," Amanda said, not wanting to waste time on the details for someone who was too old to be Anna. "Next."
"Now this is interesting, " Francine said. "I did not notice this before."
"What?" Lee asked.
"The next name on this list is Amy King," Francine said.
Lee grabbed the paper out of Francine's hand. "Amanda, how do you do it? First you know one of the people on this list, then one of them has your last name."
Amanda shrugged her shoulders and said, "I don't know, just lucky I guess." Amanda typed in the name. "Believe it or not, Lee, she is 36 … lives in Virginia."
"Let's just move on," Lee said. "We have a lot to do."
Francine read off 3 more names, but none of them were the right age.
"So where does that leave us?" Lee asked.
"Well," Francine said while looking over the list. "We have 4 possibilities here. Cindy Nadine – the bank robber from Burbank, Drew Rivermore – the woman Amanda knows, Melinda Strout – the one married to the King, and Amy King – the one from Virginia."
"Ok, Good," Lee said. "That at least narrows the list down some. Amanda, what country is Melinda Strout in?"
"It says here she lives in Siaria … never heard of it, but it is apparently in Africa."
"Let's save that one for last. We don't want to go to Africa if we don't have to," Lee said. "Why don't we split up on the last 3 and meet back here tomorrow night? Amanda, you take Amy King since she is the closest, I will take Cindy Nadine in Burbank, and Francine you take Drew Rivermore in Missouri."
"Oh I want to see Drew, Lee. It has been so long," Amanda said.
"Amanda!" Lee exclaimed. "You take Amy … she is closer. You will get into less trouble that way."
------- End part 8 ------
Amanda walked into the Q Bureau the next night to find Lee and Francine waiting for her. "Lee … Francine," Amanda said.
"What did you find out Amanda?" Lee asked.
Amanda pulled out a notebook and a pencil. She had a lot of important information to share and she did not want to forget anything.
"Well, I went to her house but she was not there," Amanda said. "I talked to her next door neighbor and he said he had not seen Amy at all that day. He thought this was strange because she usually worked all morning in her garden. He said she is very proud of it and was actually written up in Better Homes and Gardens a few years back."
"What about you Lee?" Francine asked.
"Well, I don't think there is any way Cindy Nadine is my sister, Francine," Lee said. "She is of Asian descent."
Francine laughed and said, "No, I guess not Lee."
"What about Drew?" Lee asked Francine.
"Well, she did remember Amanda. They did go to school together until she moved to Washington State when Amanda was in 8th grade … just like Amanda said. We talked for a couple of hours about her life, her hobbies, … anything that could have given me some clues."
Francine was interrupted when the phone rang.
"Lee Stetson," Lee said after he picked up the phone. "Thanks TP, we will be right there."
"What is it?" Francine asked.
"Come on," Lee said. "TP has some information for us. He is meeting us at the Capital Building,"
-------- End part 9 -------
"Hello TP," Amanda said.
"Amanda, it is so nice to see you," TP replied.
"What do you have for us?" Lee asked.
"Well," he said, "You were right my boy. It seems when you three started investigating into Anna's disappearance you woke up a few people."
"What do you mean?" Lee asked.
"It seems a dead man came back to life Lee," TP said. "Have any of you heard of Howard Sayer?"
Lee and Francine both looked at Amanda.
"Amanda came across his name in a couple of files for cases my father worked on … why?" Lee asked.
"Well, the government thought he was dead. Must be in his 60's by now. Anyway, nobody has seen him since the mid 1950's … the government figured he was dead and forgot about him," TP said. "Apparently he made a lot of enemies in Washington and nobody cared that he was suddenly missing. This morning he was spotted in Richmond, Virginia. One of my sources believes he was responsible for that big kidnapping ring that was shut down in 1951, but he was never charged with it."
"Amanda," Lee said. "Where does Amy King live?"
"Richmond," Amanda replied.
"Who is Amy King?" TP asked.
"Amanda noticed something in a few of my dad's files, TP. Howard Sayer did not have a child in 1949, but had a 2-year old in 1950. Francine did not find Howard's name on any of the adoption records so she did a little more investigating," Lee said. "That is when she discovered the kidnapping ring. Along with that file was a list of 15 children's names who were placed with new families because their original families could not be located. We narrowed the list down to 10 girls then 4 women based on their ages. Amy King was one of those 4 people."
"Lee," Amanda said hesitantly. "There was something else I did not tell you about Howard Sayer. He was being interviewed in 1949 because of his involvement in "The Blue Tigers."
"The group formed to stop President Truman from ending racial segregation in the U.S. armed forces?" TP asked.
"Come on," Lee took Amanda's arm with one hand and Francine's with another. "We have a lot of work to do. Thanks TP."
------ end part 10 ------
Back at the Q Bureau, Lee had Amanda look up anything the Agency had on Howard Sayer.
"He must have been enough of a threat for them to keep close tabs on him Lee," Amanda said. There are pages and pages of information in here, but all records stop in 1953."
"That must be when he disappeared. What else does it say?" Lee asked.
"Well, the same property is mentioned several times over and over Lee, an old maze house in east DC. He must have spent a lot of time there," Amanda said.
Francine walked into Q Bureau just as Amanda was telling Lee about the maze house and said, "I know exactly where she is talking about Lee. A travelling circus set up in that spot from the 1950's to the 1970's. That building is still there."
"Let's go check it out," Lee said.
------------------------
Francine was right, the maze house was still there. Francine, Lee, and Amanda had just stepped into the building when the lights suddenly came on. It was a house of mirrors. Amanda gasped. When Lee turned to look at Amanda she had one hand over her mouth and the other pointing straight ahead. In one of the mirrors you could see a woman tied to a chair, rigged with explosives.
"That is Amy, Lee," Amanda whispered.
"Ok, what do you want Howard. I guess that is who you are," Lee said.
"Congratulations Lee, I never expected you to figure this out, I underestimated you," the man said.
"Come out and show yourself!" Lee exclaimed.
"What, and miss all the fun?" the man said.
Lee was not sure why Howard was doing this, but he was determined to get to the bottom of it. "What do you mean?" Lee asked.
"Behind you is a paper with some instructions on it. If I were you, I would not move from that point you are standing on right now. The floor is rigged with triggers, one false move and you will find pieces of your sister from here to New York," the man said.
Amanda flinched … how could a man be this angry.
After taking the taped piece of paper off the wall behind them Lee said, "Why did you do it Howard?"
"Well," the man said, "I had already begun the kidnapping ring when your father got involved in it all. I believed in my cause, and would use any means necessary to keep those people out of the military. They did not belong there."
Lee knew the man was talking about Truman's work on ending racial segregation in the military.
"Did you take my sister?" Lee asked.
"Your father got in the way. When I heard his wife was pregnant I acted fast. He had to be stopped. Yes, I took their child that day. I drugged the woman and took her child … nobody ever found out. After your parents died I knew there was no way she would ever be found … until you started snooping around," the man said with heavy anger in his voice. "If you follow the directions on that paper correctly, you get your sister back … if you make one mistake, she will be blown to pieces."
Suddenly, the mirrors moved and Amanda, Lee, and Francine could no longer see Amy. They did not know it, but Howard left the building.
Lee opened the folded paper and started to read. He could not believe that his sister's life was in his hands. One false move and he would loose her forever.
------- end part 11 -------
Nervously, Lee said "Amanda, don't move."
"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere," Amanda said.
Lee looked at Francine and she gave him a nod. She was not going to move either.
Lee read the first instruction. "Walk 2 steps forward." Lee knew this was not going to be good. What size step was he supposed to take? "Why couldn't he have given the directions in feet?" Lee cautiously walked one, then two steps forward.
Amanda sighed … nothing had happened.
Lee looked at the paper again to get his next instruction. "Walk two steps to your left," Lee said. Lee walked one, then two steps to his left. As he touched the floor with his left foot a dart shot out from the wall towards Amanda and Francine. Lee looked back.
"We are alright," Francine said. "Just take your time."
"Turn towards the wall opposite the entrance and take one step forward," Lee said as he made the step.
"So far so good," Amanda said.
Lee read the next set of directions. "Take 3 steps to your right."
As Lee put his left foot on the floor gas was released from several vents in the room.
"What is that?" Amanda asked.
"I don't know, Amanda. I hope we get out of here before we find out," Lee said.
"Lee," Francine said. "Try taking smaller steps … maybe Howard is shorter than you."
"Turn towards the wall opposite the entrance and walk one step forward," Lee said.
"Lee, I am starting to feel light headed," Amanda said.
"Just hold on Amanda!" Lee exclaimed. "Whatever you do Francine, don't let Amanda fall. You may be by a trigger."
Francine nodded and grabbed onto Amanda's arm.
"Ok," Lee said, "the next instruction is to take 2 steps to the right."
Lee finished his steps with no problem.
"Take one step towards the wall with the exit," Lee said. "Wait a minute … I am going back to where I started."
"Just stay calm Lee," Francine said.
"Face the wall opposite the exit and take 2 steps to your left," Lee said.
Francine said, "Wait Lee! That was where you set off the gas … it is a trick."
Lee was not sure what to do. He took one step to his left and nothing happened. But he knew the next step would be the gas. His only option would be to go around it somehow.
"Lee, you know the next step to your left after the gas is safe because you were on that spot already," Francine said. "Why don't you go back to that spot and then adjust your moves with the next set of instructions."
Lee did exactly what Francine suggested by taking one large step back to where he knew it was safe. "Ok," Lee said. "Take two steps toward the wall opposite the entrance."
Lee knew he had to adjust his movements because he was not where he was supposed to be. He took one diagonal step, and then one step forward. As he stepped on the spot he heard something come over a loud speaker.
"Ten, nine, eight, …"
"GET OUT!!!!" Lee exclaimed. "GET OUT NOW!!!"
Amanda and Francine exited the building. Just as Lee made it through the entryway an explosion took place in the building. Lee, Amanda, and Francine were thrown about 4 feet in the air and landed on the ground about 30 feet from the building.
------- End Part 12 ----- THE END
------- EPILOGUE -----
Ok I lied … it was really 13 parts. I just wanted to make sure everyone was awake. And now for the real ending.
------
"Lee, I am sorry things did not work out for you," Billy said.
Lee and Amanda had been in the Q Bureau when Billy came in to give his condolences.
Amanda had her hands on Lee's shoulders and was giving him a massage to calm him down.
"I almost found her Billy. I was so close to having a family," Lee said.
"But you do have a family Lee," Amanda said. "Us … we would do anything for you and you know it."
Just then the phone rang.
"Lee Stetson," Lee said as he answered the phone. There was a pause while he listened to what the person on the other end of the line had to say. Lee hung up the phone and looked at Billy. "That was Augie … he said he had some information that I would really want. He wants us to meet him at the mud wrestling bar."
"Oh no, not again," Amanda said.
"Well, don't wear a white sweater this time," Billy said with a smirk on his face.
"Ok Augie … come out, I am here," Lee said as he walked into the back room. Amanda had come but had stayed out in the bar. She did not know what this meeting was about and did not want to get in the way.
"Amy was not your sister Lee," Augie said as he stepped out into the room.
"What?" Lee asked with surprise.
"She was really working for Howard Sayer … it was just a plot to make you think your sister had died. She left the building with Sayer before it blew. He figured he would either get you to stop looking for your sister, or you would die in the process. Either way he won," Augie said.
"But how do you know?" Lee asked.
"Well, he made the mistake of hiring me as his middle man. After our conversation the other day I could not do that to you Lee," Augie said. "You were really excited about having a sister. I just couldn't do that to you."
Just as Augie finished his sentence a woman walked out of the shadows.
"Lee, this is your sister … Drew Rivermore."
------- THE END (THE REAL END !)