"A-MAN-DA!" Dotty exclaimed as she hurried from the kitchen. She appeared at the top of the landing. "Where have you b—". She stopped short when she saw Billy standing in the foyer with Amanda and Lee. "Well, well, well. Mr. Melrose. Why am I not surprised to see you here?"
"Mrs. West," Billy said with a nod.
"Amanda, some men took Phillip! I've been just frantic!
"I know, Mother, they told me at work." She looked around. "Mother, where's Jamie?"
"He's upstairs," Dotty replied, not taking her eyes off Billy. "I finally got him to go clean up and change clothes. He's very upset. And so am I." Finally she looked back at Amanda. "And just where have you been, missy? I've called all over looking for you! Do you have ANY CLUE what I've been through this afternoon? I call the police, they don't show up. I call back, they tell me they've been pulled from the case! I'm sure YOU have something to do with that," she added, glaring at Billy.
"Mother, we need to talk about a few things. Let's go sit down."
Dotty hesitated. She wasn't sure she wanted this Mr. Melrose's brand of help yet again. Amanda sensed her hesitation. She reached for her mother's hand. "Mother, please."
"Oh, okay. This day can't possibly get any stranger," Dotty bristled as they all headed toward the family room. She sat on the sofa and Amanda sat next to her. Lee and Billy settled into the family room chairs.
Amanda took a deep breath. The moment she had often thought about and had sometimes hoped for, but ultimately had dreaded, had finally come. "Mother, there are some things about me that you don't know. You see, I don't work for a film company. Well, not really. I mean, I do work for IFF but I don't have anything to do with film, well, not very much anyway, just the pictures we—" Lee cleared his throat, alerting Amanda to her ramble, then gave her an encouraging nod. "Well, Mother, I'm stalling because I don't really know how to tell you this, so I guess I'd better just come out with it. Mother, I don't work for a film company. I am a federal agent for the United States."
"Amanda, don't be ridiculous," Dotty dismissed the idea with a wave of her hand. "I'll admit, some odd things have been going on around this house for awhile, but you? A federal agent? I just refuse to believe it. You know, you tried a tall tale like this a few years ago, remember? That time you told me you were a spy? I'll never understand why you wanted the boys and me to leave for Vermont at the crack of dawn." She looked at Billy, who was seated across from her, and began explaining the story to him. "It was the CRACK of DAWN! Spouting off wild stories about spies, nuclear bombs, and hypnosis, of all things. Mr. Melrose, you work for the government. Don't you find that story just a little farfetched?"
"No, Mrs. West, I don't. In fact, I was involved in that operation. Amanda was telling you the truth that day, just as she is now."
"Mother, Mr. Melrose is my supervisor. I really am a federal agent. An intelligence operative."
Dotty grew wide-eyed. "Amanda, is that the same thing as a spy?" Amanda nodded.
Dotty looked down at the floor and said under her breath, "Amanda really is a spy. My daughter is a spy." She sat there for a moment, stunned. She then turned to Lee. "Well Lee, what's your story?"
"Mrs. West, I'm a federal agent also. A spy," Lee used the word with a bit of distaste. "Amanda and I are partners."
Dotty stared at Lee for a long moment. Then her attention snapped back to Amanda and in one long flurry, she exclaimed, "How long? How did you get involved in such dangerous work? How can you possibly protect yourself? And you didn't trust me enough to tell me?"
Amanda attempted to take her mother's hands in her own, but Dotty withdrew. "Mother, I do trust you. I know I've hurt you and that you're upset. I'm sure you have a lot of questions, but they're going to have to wait until after we find Phillip."
"Phillip!" Dotty exclaimed. "Do you have information about where he is? Does his kidnapping have anything to do with your work," Dotty gulped, "as a spy?"
Amanda sighed as she nodded. "We think so, Mother. We really need to talk to Jamie. He could have information that will help us find who grabbed them."
Dotty's eyes darted from Amanda to Billy. Then Lee spoke up. "Mrs. West, I'm confident the men who took Phillip haven't hurt him. They are likely holding him for revenge or to trade information. He's only good to them if he's alive and well. Many times we just have to wait until we have more information before we can make a move."
Dotty glared at Lee, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Oh, well, it makes SO much sense now. Someone took Phillip, and tried to take Jamie, FOR REVENGE? OR FOR A TRADE? And MANY TIMES you just have to wait? How MANY TIMES has this happened? You're talking about this like we're discussing the weather or something!"
Billy glanced at Lee, who looked as though he had just been slapped. He decided it was time to intervene. "Mrs. West, this is the type of situation we handle on a regular basis. Believe me, we all take this personally and we are determined to find Phillip. All of us have just learned over the years that the best way to proceed is to stay calm and not panic. That way, we are smarter and more effective than our adversaries."
Dotty turned her vehemence on Billy. "And YOU, Mr. Melrose, all this time you've been coming to my house and telling me 'you're not at liberty to discuss anything' when you know more about my family…about my OWN DAUGHTER…than I do!"
"Mother," Amanda interrupted before Billy could respond. "I wish I could rewind the clock and make everything right with you, but I can't. And we really don't have the time to hash this out right now. Phillip has to be our first priority. But I promise, as soon as this is over, we'll all have a long talk, and Lee and I will tell you anything you want to know. No more secrets. Okay? I love you and the boys very much. This has been very difficult for everyone."
Dotty looked at Amanda for a long moment. Then she sighed. "I love you too Amanda. This is all just so unbelievable, and it has me a little rattled." She took Amanda's hand and gave it a squeeze.
Amanda smiled. "Thank you, Mother." Then, with a glance and a nod, she turned Dotty's attention toward Lee. He was staring at the floor, suddenly looking very small for such a tall man.
"Lee?" Dotty said softly. He didn't move. "Lee, look at me." He slowly looked up, tears welling in his eyes. "I'm sorry I spoke to you like I did. This day has brought me a lot to absorb in a little bit of time."
Lee gave Dotty a small smile. "I know, Mrs. West."
They all jumped as the doorbell chimed. Lee and Billy stood and moved toward the steps leading from the family room. Dotty gasped as she saw Lee produce a gun from under his jacket. Amanda placed her hand on Dotty's arm and said, "It's okay, Mother. It's just a precaution. But you and I should move out of the way." They stood and Amanda led Dotty toward the kitchen.
Billy stood behind the family room bookshelves and pointed his weapon toward the front door to provide cover for Lee,.
"Who is it?" Lee asked as he approached the door.
"It's Jordan, Scarecrow. The word is 'homebody'. I've got a visitor here, says he's Mrs. King's former husband. His ID checks out."
Lee holstered his weapon and opened the door. He nodded to the agent. "I know him. Thanks, Jordan."
Amanda heard the exchange and looked at Dotty. "Mother, did you call Joe?"
"Yes, Amanda, I couldn't find you and I was so worried. The police wouldn't come and I didn't know what else to do," she replied, a little defensively.
"Hello, Lee," Joe said as he extended his hand. They shook as Lee said, "Uh, hi, Joe, come on in.
Joe greeted Amanda with a brief hug as he said, "I'm glad to see you. I was worried when Dotty said she couldn't reach you." He then turned to Billy. "Mr. Melrose. I'm surprised to see you here." He looked uncomfortably from Amanda to Dotty and then to Lee, unsure what to say next.
"It's okay, Joe, Mother knows."
"You mean Joe knows you're a spy?" Dotty said, clearly stung.
"Yes, Mother, but only because Lee and Mr. Melrose were very helpful to Joe when he returned from Africa."
Just then, she heard Jamie coming down the stairs. "Oh, Sweetheart!" Amanda exclaimed, hurrying over to him. She took him in her arms and hugged him fiercely. She pulled back and looked at him. "Are you all right?"
"Yeah, Mom, I'm okay."
Jamie went to Joe and they hugged. "Hi, Dad," he said in a choked voice.
"Everything will be okay, son." Joe gave him a squeeze and let him go.
"Jamie, we want to talk with you about what happened this afternoon," Amanda said as she led Jamie to the couch. Billy and Lee returned to the chairs, while Dotty and Joe remained standing. "Do you remember Mr. Melrose? I think you met him when Lee and I were involved in that security mix-up last year."
"Yeah, I do." Jamie looked at Billy uncomfortably.
"Jamie, he's really a very nice man. He might want to ask you a few questions, but don't be scared. Can you tell us what happened this afternoon?"
Jamie recounted the kidnapping, ending with his escape from the car. As he wrapped up the story, Amanda realized she had been holding her breath. She let it out as she said, "Jamie, you were very brave, and I'm very proud of you."
Lee asked, "Jamie, you said you and Phillip were asking the men questions. What did you ask, and what did they say?"
"Phillip asked where they were taking us. The man in the front seat told Phillip to shut up. Then the driver said something about you, Mom."
"What did he say, Sweetheart? Can you remember?"
"He said something like, 'Our plan worked and we have the King boys. Mrs. King and the Scarecrow will do anything to rescue them.' Then we asked them how they knew us, and you. And what 'the Scarecrow' meant. Mom, what does that mean? Scarecrow?"
Amanda looked at Lee, not sure what to say. She finally answered, "Oh, Jamie, that's kinda complicated but it's sort of a…uh…a nickname for Lee. Did you get any of their names?"
"Yeah. I don't know exactly, but it sounded like Par Low and Gary Coughed. I know those aren't real names, but that's the best I can remember."
Lee cast a questioning look in Billy's direction. Billy shook his head. He mouthed the words 'sounds Russian'. Lee nodded. Billy said, "Jamie, do you remember what the men looked like?"
"Yeah, the one who grabbed me was Par Low. He was shorter and older. Kinda fat. He didn't have much hair. The man who grabbed Phillip was younger and looked like he had a lot of muscle. He had blonde hair."
"What about the driver?" Billy asked
"I didn't really see him, but he must have been tall because the drivers' seat was pushed way back. Like how Lee keeps the seat in the 'Vette. Phillip used the seat to push his feet against and attack the Par Low man."
"Jamie, is there anything else you can remember?" Amanda asked.
"No, that was pretty much it. I wasn't in the car very long."
An uncomfortable silence fell on the room. Jamie looked at Lee and said, "Lee, can I ask you a question?"
"Sure, Jamie."
"Well, Phillip and I were talking last night. I told him that I don't think you work for the film company. You don't, do you?"
Lee looked around the room, unsure how to proceed. Then he decided he couldn't lie anymore. "No Jamie, I don't."
"Then are you some kind of a cop?"
Lee glanced around the room, his eyes finally resting on Billy, who gave a reassuring nod. "Well, no, not exactly, Jamie. I'm a federal agent."
Jamie's eyes widened. "Like a SPY?" Jamie asked.
"Well, yeah."
Jamie looked back at Amanda. "Mom, if Lee doesn't work for the film company, then where do you work? With the film company, or with Lee?"
"Sweetheart," Amanda said as she pulled Jamie closer. "I know you have lots of questions but right now we have to concentrate on finding Philip. Are you sure there's nothing else you can remember?"
"There's nothing else, Mom, really. Like I said, it happened so fast."
Billy said, "Good job, Jamie. Your details will help us find your brother."
Joe stepped forward. "Hey, son, why don't you go pack a few clothes and come stay with me for a day or two? I think your mom and Lee are going to be busy for a little while."
Jamie looked at Amanda. "Mom, will that be okay?"
Amanda smiled. "Sure, Sweetheart. We'll talk some more after you pack, all right?"
"Okay." Jamie stood and walked toward the steps. Lee stood as well and called out, "Jamie?" He walked over and knelt down to eye-level with the boy. "Don't be scared. I'll find Phillip and bring him home safely. I promise."
Jamie smiled. "Okay." They hugged. Lee patted Jamie on the back and said, "Go on upstairs."
Lee stood and ran his hand through his hair. Amanda leaned back into the couch. She closed her eyes and said, "Sir, did any of that ring a bell with you?"
Billy apologetically replied, "No, Amanda, it didn't."
Dotty spoke up. "Amanda, when Jamie was talking I remembered something that happened earlier today. You got a phone call. I wrote it off as just another one of your rude film friends."
Amanda sat up and turned to face Dotty. "Who was it, Mother? Did they leave a name?"
"Yes he did. It was a man. He told me to tell you that Gregory called. He said you had what he wanted and you'd know what it is."
"Gregory!" Amanda, Lee and Billy exclaimed in unison. Billy said, "Well, now we know the two who grabbed Phillip and Jamie. Parolow and Gavrikov. Gregory's KGB muscle."
"KGB!" Dotty said, shocked. "You mean the KGB has my grandson?"
Billy replied, "No, Mrs. West. Gregory was a field supervisor for the KGB, sort of my counterpart for the Russians. He was disgraced and ousted from the organization last year. Parolow and Gregorov are two of Gregory's former agents. When their operation went bad, those two were out as quickly as Gregory."
Lee exclaimed, "Billy! The Matryoshka List! Brewer must have been working for Gregory! He wants the Matryoshka List. He's desperate to find some information to give the KGB and return to their good graces. Brewer doesn't show up at the drop, and Gregory finds out that Amanda caught him. They're holding Phillip as leverage for the list."
Joe asked, "What's the Matryoshka List?"
Lee and Amanda looked at Billy, unsure of how much they should tell. Billy hesitated, and then replied, "It's a list of Soviet civilians that work for the KGB but feed information to the United States."
Dotty asked, "So what would the KGB do with such a list?"
Lee replied, "They would arrest the civilians for espionage. The lucky ones would end up in a Russian prison. The others…"
"Mother," Amanda broke in, "did Gregory say anything else? Did he give a number to call? Or a time he would call back?"
"No. He just told me to tell you he called."
Jamie appeared on the landing, an overnight bag in hand. Amanda walked over and sat on the top step. "Jamie, I want to talk to you before you go."
"Okay, Mom," Jamie replied as he sat next to his mother. She put her arm around him.
"Jamie, you know I love you and your brother very much. And you also know I'm a big fan of the truth. So first, I want to apologize to you. I haven't been truthful to you or Phillip, or to your grandmother. There are just some things I promised I wouldn't tell anyone. But I'm not going to lie to you anymore. I don't work for a film company. I know you're probably angry with me, and I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me. But above all, it's important that you mustn't tell anyone about any of this, including the fact that Phillip is missing."
"I'm not angry, Mom," Jamie replied. "I'm a little confused, but I'm not angry. I heard what you guys were talking about while I was upstairs packing. It sounds like a lot of people's lives are in danger because of that list, huh?"
"Yes, if they had gotten away with stealing the list."
"And you're the one who stopped the man who was trying to take it?"
Amanda blushed and looked at Lee and Billy. They both smiled. "Yes, I caught him."
Dotty jumped into the conversation. "Well, Jamie, it sounds like your mom was doing the right thing. We might be a little upset with her, but we're proud of her, aren't we?"
Jamie smiled at Amanda. "Yeah, we are." They hugged. Amanda pulled back and said, "Thank you, Sweetheart. I love you very much. We'll talk more when Phillip's home, deal?"
"Deal."
"Okay, go with your dad. I'll give you a call later on tonight."
Amanda stood with Jamie. She walked over to Joe and they hugged. "Thank you, Joe. I'll keep you posted."
"Amanda, when this is over, you and I need to have a talk as well."
"I know, Joe."
Lee walked up. "Uh, Joe, we're going to send a security team with you. You'll see a cable TV van parked outside your house. That's their cover. Just pretend you don't notice them. They'll take care of your family and notify you of any problems."
"Thanks, Lee."
Dotty interjected, "Is THAT why that cable van has been outside our house so many times over the past year or so? For security?"
"Yes, Mother. Everyone's safety has always been a priority."
Lee walked with Jamie and Joe to the front door. "Don't worry, Joe, we'll get Phillip back."
"Lee, I've seen you work. I know you will. Good luck," he added as they walked out. Lee closed and locked the door. Just as he was walking back into the family room, the phone rang.
"Amanda, you should answer," Billy said.
She lifted the receiver and managed a tense "Hello?"
"If it isn't the charming Mrs. King. It has been too long, my dear lady."
"Gregory! I want to talk to my son. Put him on the phone NOW."
"Not so fast, Mrs. King. First, you have something I want, and I think you know what it is. I want it tonight. I don't plan to kill your son, but I will if I don't get what I want."
"I will help you any way I can, but before I talk to anyone about what we might work out, I want to hear Phillip's voice. Put him on the phone."
"Very well." There was some shuffling on the other end of the line. Lee moved next to Amanda and tilted the phone's handset so he could also hear what was happening. "Say something," they heard Gregory order.
"Mom? Mom, are you there?"
"Yes Phillip, I'm here! Are you okay?
"I'm okay Mom. They want some list you took from them, but I think they're gonna do something bad with it so you shouldn't-HEY!" Amanda and Lee heard a struggle, then the sound of flesh hitting flesh. Amanda cringed. Lee grabbed the receiver from her hand. "Gregory, you bastard, you hurt that boy and you'll wish you never started with us."
"Well, Scarecrow, so nice you've joined the party. I want a fair swap this time, Stetson. The Matryoshka List for the boy. And don't try to double cross me with a fake list. I know some of the names that will be on it, and I will know immediately if it is not genuine. I will call at 8 o'clock with instructions." The line went dead.
"Dammit!" Lee cursed as he slammed the phone down.
"What does he want?" Billy asked.
"I was right. He wants the list. He said he would call back with instructions at 8 o'clock. He's afraid of another double cross like we pulled with Francine and William Towne. The more last-minute instructions he gives us the harder it is for us to formulate a plan."
"Now what, Sir?" Amanda asked, clearly shaken.
"At least we know who has Phillip, and what he wants in exchange. Let's head back to the Agency. On our way, I'm going to call Francine and get a line patched from here to the Agency so when Gregory calls we can take the call from there and hopefully get a trace. Then we try one more time to break Brewer. We have him for-" Billy consulted his watch, "—two more hours."
"Then we'd better get moving," Lee said.
6:25PM MONDAY, OCTOBER 26, 1987
Lee glanced in the Wagonneer's rearview mirror, observing the scene playing out in the back seat. Dotty had spent most of the ride staring out the side window. Amanda was lost in thought, staring out the other side. Billy was in the passenger's seat using Amanda's car phone to coordinate the line patch with Francine.
Finally, Amanda broke the silence. "Mother, I can't tell you how sorry I am."
Dotty looked over, smiled, and patted Amanda's hand. "Amanda, I'll admit, I'm upset with you. But I'm putting that aside for now. Our first priority is getting Phillip back home and safe. Lee, who is this Brewer you want to talk to?"
"Well, Mrs. West—" Lee began.
Dotty held up a hand. "Please, Lee. Enough with the formalities. Just call me Dotty."
Lee smiled. "Okay, Dotty. He's a thief who stole the list for Gregory. We think he knows a lot, but no one has gotten him to say much more than the most basic information. If we can get him to tell us more, we might be able to figure out Phillip's whereabouts and coordinate a strike team to get him."
"Lee, other than you, who has questioned Brewer so far?" Amanda asked.
"Francine has done most of it. Also Beaman took a crack at him, because he wanted to try an experimental approach. It didn't work. Then they brought in Tedlow, but he struck out too."
"That's too bad. Tedlow is one of our best interrogators," Amanda said.
They were nearing the Agency, and Lee checked his watch. "It's almost 6:30. Do you think Mrs. Marston is still at her desk?"
Billy replied, "Yes. She's waiting for us to arrive so we can enter through the Georgetown foyer."
Lee pulled the Wagonneer up to the curb in front of IFF. He got out, then stepped back and opened Amanda's door. He offered her his hand. She took it and gave it a brief squeeze before joining Billy and Dotty on the sidewalk.
As they walked up the steps, Dotty stopped Amanda and gestured to the IFF sign. She whispered, "You said you don't work for them!"
"It's our cover," Amanda whispered back. "Who we are and what we do is secret, and we really shouldn't be discussing it out here."
Once inside, Billy said, "Good evening, Mrs. Marston. Thank you for waiting for us. The word is 'jackknife', and I can confirm the identity of everyone with me."
"Thank you, Mr. Melrose," Mrs. Marston replied as she handed Billy his ID badge. She handed Amanda her ID along with Lee's.
"Thank you. Mrs. Marston, I'd like you to meet my mother, Mrs. West."
"Hello," Mrs. Marston said with her usual blandness. She handed Dotty a visitor's pass.
"Nice to meet you," Dotty replied as she took the pass and looked around doubtfully. If this was one of the headquarters of the nation's security, maybe the United States wasn't as safe a place as she had thought.
Billy led the way to the stairs. As they started up the steps, Mrs. Marston said, "Mrs. King, I'm sorry to hear about your son. I hope you find him and capture the men who took him very soon."
Amanda was touched by the stern woman's kind words. "Thank you Mrs. Marston. We will."
Lee unlocked the door to the Q Bureau and the small group entered. Dotty took in the Film Library, still disappointed by the unimpressive surroundings. Where were the other agents? The sophisticated computer systems? The listening posts and interrogation rooms? She had read enough adventure novels to know what a spy headquarters was supposed to look like, and this certainly wasn't it. Her quizzical eyes met Billy's. He said, "This is the Q Bureau. Lee is the agent in charge of this section, which handles our most puzzling cases."
"Where is everybody else? It's practically a ghost town around here!"
"They're in other parts of the building, Mother."
"But where?" Dotty asked as she continued to look around doubtfully.
Amanda asked, "Sir, could I try talking with Brewer? Maybe I can get him to open up."
Lee responded, "You could, but you're not trained past Class C. The foundation of Class C relies on building instant trust, which won't work on someone you took out with a crowbar."
Dotty's mouth dropped open. "A-man-da! You hit him with a crowbar?"
Amanda winced and gave an embarrassed half-smile. She looked down at the floor and said, "It was an accident, Mother."
Billy sighed and said, "Well, it looks like we'll have to consider Plan B."
"Which is?" Lee asked.
"Francine has a TAC Team ready to mobilize. We wait until Gregory calls then we plan a strategy around his instructions."
Lee replied, "Billy, I'm not very comfortable with that scenario. We don't know enough, and too much could go wrong. Amanda, why don't we review Brewer's file again, in case we missed something."
Amanda walked into the vault to retrieve the file. Lee gestured toward the couch and said, "Mrs…uh…Dotty, would you like to sit down?"
"Yes, thank you."
Amanda emerged with the Brewer file and sat down at her desk. She opened the file and began to re-read the pages. Lee moved in behind her, leaned on the back of her chair and looked over her shoulder. Billy sank into the chair across from them. The room settled into thoughtful silence.
Dotty took in the scene before her. First, Mr. Melrose, looking tired and, to her surprise, a bit worried. When he was leading the investigation into Lee and Amanda's security mix-up, he showed no feelings at all. But he must have done a good job of hiding them, because the level of concern he now showed for Amanda and Lee could only come from a person who cared very much about two people he had known for a long time.
'A very long time,' Dotty thought. Just how long had Amanda been involved in this spy business? And how long had she really known Lee? Amanda had led Dotty to believe she and Lee had known each other for just a couple of years, and had only started seeing each other socially within the past eight or nine months. She knew they had become close, and Dotty had thought rather quickly. They were so familiar with each other, the kind of familiarity that only comes from spending a lot of time with someone. She watched as Lee absentmindedly placed his hand on Amanda's shoulder. Amanda smiled and reached up to take his hand with her own. She pointed something out to him in the file. He shook his head and softly said, "We've asked him about that." Billy chimed in with an opinion, and then they all fell silent again. Watching them work together, many of the pieces of Amanda's life Dotty just hadn't been able to fit together were starting to fall into place. Then Dotty thought of something.
"Have you tried to play 'good-cop bad-cop' on this Mr. Brewer?"
They all looked over at Dotty. She sensed she'd said the wrong thing, shrugged and said apologetically, "Well, it always works on Cagney and Lacey."
Billy smiled. "It's all right, Mrs. West. To answer your question, yes, we tried a variation of that technique."
Amanda continued to read the file. Under Personal Information it said Brewer was divorced, and had one daughter, who was eight. She thought of her own sons, and looked up from the file to their pictures on her desk. Jamie's picture was on the left, and Phillip's on the right. They were last year's school pictures, and it made her heart hurt to realize how quickly they were growing; the pictures already looked much younger, especially Phillip's. In just a year, he had transformed from a little boy to a young man. Suddenly Amanda had an idea. She looked around the room at nothing in particular, piecing a plan together.
'One daughter. School pictures. Cagney and Lacey.'
She reached for Phillip's picture and turned it over on her desk. She started working on the back of the frame as she said, "Sir, I want to talk to Brewer."
"Amanda, I just can't allow you to do that."
"Sir, please."
7:30PM MONDAY, OCTOBER 26, 1987
The MP was escorting Brewer to be processed for transfer when Amanda exited the elevator. She strode confidently up to them and said, "Excuse me, they sent me from upstairs to ask Mr. Brewer a few more questions before we move him."
"Ma'am, I'll need to see a release form, signed by Mr. Melrose or Dr. Smyth."
"Officer Davis, I barely had time to get down here. Mr. Melrose sent me down specifically to ask just a couple of questions that I have in this folder. It won't take long…you understand. He and I can just step in this room here. It won't take but a minute," Amanda said with a smile.
"Well, okay Mrs. King," Officer Davis reluctantly agreed.
She and Brewer entered the interrogation room. Amanda stuck her head back out and said, "Thanks, we'll just be a second," and then shut the door.
Brewer sat down on one side of the table, Amanda on the other. She said, "Hello, Mr. Brewer, I'm…"
"Yeah, yeah. I know who you are. You're the crazy broad that threw the crowbar at me. And I'm not answering any questions. My time is up here. You people will have to charge me within the next hour. And I don't think you have much of a case," Brewer said smugly.
"I didn't come to interrogate you," Amanda said quietly as she sat down across from Brewer and placed a thin folder on the table. "In fact, I've been ordered by my superiors not to talk with you. If they find out, I'll probably be arrested. But I'm risking it because I'm desperate."
"Desperate? About what?"
"You have a child, don't you, Mr. Brewer?"
"Yeah, one daughter. And I only own up to it because you know it already. What does that have to do with anything?"
"Well," Amanda said nervously, looking over her shoulder at the door, "I have two boys." She opened the folder and removed the pictures. "This is Jamie, and this is Phillip."
"So you have a couple of kids. What difference does that make to me?"
"Well, I was hoping you could help me, you know, parent to parent. We know you stole the Matryoshka List for Gregory."
"How do you know that?"
He kidnapped my son Phillip this afternoon." She pushed Phillip's picture forward and put Jamie's to the side.
"You messed up his plan, lady. Just give him the list back and you'll get your son."
Amanda nodded. "He's contacted me, wanting to trade the list for Phillip. But the thing is," Amanda said as she scooted forward and leaned in conspiratorially across the table, "my superiors have decided not to make the trade. So it's likely that something bad will happen to Phillip. Have you ever been kidnapped, Mr. Brewer?"
Brewer shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "No."
"Well, I have," Amanda said softly, her voice cracking. "I knew why I was taken, but I was still very frightened." She pointed at the picture of Phillip once again. "But Phillip, he's just a little boy. He doesn't even know what my job really is. He doesn't know why someone took him." Amanda looked down at the desk at Phillip's picture, her mind back in the room where she was held by Addi Birol. "I'm afraid he's cold and hungry. I know he's scared. He doesn't know what's going on, and he knows that no one knows where he is." She looked back up at Brewer. "What if it were your daughter, Mr. Brewer?"
"Mrs. King, I feel bad for you, but…uh…I have to look out for myself here."
Amanda's eyes filled with tears. She whispered, "Please help me, Mr. Brewer, I'm almost out of time. If I get caught…"
Suddenly the door flew open and Francine stormed in. "Amanda! What in the hell are you doing in here? Billy gave you a direct order to stay away from Brewer," she exclaimed, slamming the door for emphasis.
"Please Francine, please don't make me leave, you know I have to find Phillip!" Amanda said, trying to hold her emotions together.
"WHAT is THIS?" Francine asked as she gestured to the pictures on the table. "Are you using your SONS to gain information?" She snatched up the picture of Phillip from the table, bending the corner of it in the process.
"FRANCINE, PLEASE don't damage that picture!" Amanda practically yelled as she lunged for the picture in Francine's hands. She grabbed it, and they started to struggle.
But Francine was not letting go. "Amanda, you need to get OUT of here!" Francine gave a final tug at Phillip's picture and it ripped in half.
"NO!" Amanda shrieked. "You tore it!" Tears began streaming down Amanda's face.
Francine said, "Well, you might as well quit crying about it, what's done is done. You need to leave, Amanda, before we arrest you."
Brewer watched the confrontation with growing horror. Just as he had suspected, the blonde was truly heartless. But once the photograph of the young boy tore in half, and Mrs. King started to cry, his resolve crumbled. This was no way to treat a distraught mother doing everything she could to save her son. Even if she did take him out with a crowbar, he decided to intervene with this cruel woman on Mrs. King's behalf.
Brewer stood and glared at Francine. He yelled, "You bitch, what is wrong with you? Her little boy is in trouble! You clearly don't have kids, because if you did, you'd understand what you've just done. You might as well have torn her heart out of her chest!" With cuffed hands, he slid the now empty folder across the table and grabbed a pen. He positioned his hands and started writing. "I'm probably as good as dead giving you this, but I'm not letting your little boy die in my place." He slid the folder back toward her. "Here you go, Mrs. King, I think your son will be there. It's a makeshift office Gregory has been using since he was removed from the KGB. There's an office downstairs and a room upstairs that the KGB used to use for off the record interrogations. Your son is most likely in that room."
Amanda smiled gratefully at Brewer. "Thank you," she whispered. She then cleared her throat and said, "Mr. Brewer, how many people will I be up against?"
"Amanda! That's enough!" Francine demanded.
"There's just the three of them, the ones on the outs since you Agency people tricked the KGB. Gregory, Parolow, and Gavrikov. Good luck, Mrs. King." He cast a withering glance at Francine. "If I were free, I'd help you get the boy back myself."
Francine opened the door and said, "Officer Davis, please take Mr. Brewer back to his holding cell." The MP entered, and took Brewer away.
TO BE CONTINUED
