Both men were in early the next day and working the problem.

"I've been wondering something all this time. How did they find you? How'd they find Francine?"

Beaman sighed, "I've lain awake every damn night since it happened wondering the same thing. Did I screw up somehow; miss a tag, a tail, anything and nothing. I don't know, Lee, but it eats at me."

"Me too; it has me looking over my shoulder. You said it didn't feel like anyone you had encountered before?"

"Yeah, it felt like a new player. And I have to tell you Lee; it's not those two clowns we have locked up. Somebody gave them the information."

"I agree. The fact that they're alive tells me they don't know this player by name or sight."

"I thought that too."

Lee stood and grabbed the dry erase pen on the board mounted on the wall. "So, what do we know? TP used to say that everything boiled down to organization. Let's organize what we know and see if we can't fill in the empty spaces."

"I miss TP; he spent a lot of time with me over the years."

Lee nodded. "Yeah, me too, he taught me that thinking outside of the box was good but that I had to keep the box in view to find the solution to the problem."

"I heard that more than a few times from him."

"Right now I'm feeling boxed in; I don't know how to find a way out of the box."

Sighing, Efraim leaned back in his chair and put his feet on his desk. "So we start at the beginning."

"The Uzi's."

"Yeah, the Uzi's. How many shipments had gone missing when you asked me to run that trace?"

"That was the third shipment in five months. You were in Turkey when the first shipment was lifted."

"So January, and when was the second shipment?"

"April, the third was the end of August."

Lee paced the room while Efraim tottered in the chair lost in thought. Efraim pulled his feet off the desk and grabbed a pencil and started to tap it on his computer.

"And all three shipments were taken from Washington Industrial? Why? I mean, why did Defense use them again?"

"Good question. It's one that no one has the answer to."

"I guess it doesn't matter at this point, it happened and the guns are gone." Efraim watched as Lee took the marker and put a slash through the GAO. He sat up and pointed the pencil at the board. "Wait, before you do that, was it the same clerk who approved Washington with each shipment?"

"I don't know," shrugged Lee. "I never looked into that. Like I said before, a typical governmental screw up."

"Seems that way, doesn't it?" Efraim made several entries on the computer, and then rested his head on his hand while the screen flashed in front of him.

Lee sat in the chair on the other side of the desk. "What are you thinking? That someone in the GAO is involved? Somebody higher than that?"

Beaman nodded. "Think about it--it has to be someone who has the authority to override the protocols in place that are supposed to keep something like this from happening. I mean, one shipment goes missing and that's supposed to be it."

"Yeah, I had thought about that. But everything checked out."

"So we have a typical government screw up… or how about a computer glitch?"

"Are you saying your ghost is with the government?" Lee pulled his hand through his hair as he whistled. "Damn, there is someone left after Quigley and Carlson."

Efraim swore. "We're talking big money, there's always somebody willing to go after big money. It would explain a lot of things."

"It does at that. Like how they knew who Francine was."

"Yeah, that makes sense from that angle."

With a stern look at Beaman, Lee shook his head. "We have to be sure."

"I know."

"No, I mean we have to be sure."

"What? No shooting up the GAO? Come on Lee."

Lee tossed the pencil at him. "Can you get into the GAO from here?"

With a nod, Beaman started working on the computer.

"If this guy was hitting your security before, how can you stop him from finding out that we're checking out this lead?"

"Because we aren't going to tell anyone what we're doing. Not Billy, not Dr. Smyth, not Amanda and not Francine. My security was a victim of bureaucracy, I'm sure of it."

"I'm not following you, Beaman."

"I hadn't been exactly delicate using governmental assets for my search. I was stepping on toes and rubbing their noses in it. Smyth went to the president to clear my use of any and all open governmental computer memory. The president doesn't just say 'okay' and it all miraculously happens--somebody writes…."

"….an order for it." Lee finished. "That's how they knew it was you. That's how they knew to grab Francine." The two men looked at one another.

"Son of a bitch!" they growled.

"I have to find where I was the days up to the John's birth, what system I was running though." He stood and grabbed his jacket. "I need my reports," Efraim stopped at the door, Lee running into him. "Sorry," Efraim declared when Lee gave him an exasperated look. "Dr. Smyth has those reports."

"Damn. Do you think he filed them?"

Efraim sat back down and shook his head. "He had to; I had originally been working an eyes only project ordered by the President."

"You don't think Smyth screwed you, do you?"

"I don't think he did. I think he could, but he didn't."

"What happened in Turkey that makes you believe that?"

Beaman tried to rub the burn out of his eyes. "A hell of a lot happened Stetson, a hell of a lot. I'll tell you this much about Smyth, he is the spy master, don't ever forget that."

"Damn! I'd give a lot Beaman, to know what you know."

"No you wouldn't. You think you can't sleep nights now? Knowing what I know from Turkey will give you wide awake nightmares."

"It's that good, huh?"

"Yeah, it's that good," Efraim drummed his fingers on the desk, nodded his head and stood up. "Let's go, I need those reports that Smyth has and we're going to get them from him."

"I thought you said we can't tell Smyth?"

"We aren't going to tell him, so, we're going to blackmail him."

Lee managed to close his mouth when Beaman told him to hurry up. "You know, I'm in so much trouble with my wife as it is."

"You in?"

"Hell yes I'm in! Let's go!"

SMKSMKSMKSMKSMK

Lee paced the Fabrication Shop keeping an eye out for anyone paying particular interest to what Beaman was doing. The funny thing was everyone seemed to be avoiding them. They had stalked through the Agency and agents in the halls had ducked into open doors and elevators as they passed through. The secretary in Fabrication had nearly run from the department when they walked in.

If this was notoriety, Lee liked it.

Beaman filled Lee in as he worked on a blank file that he suspected that Dr. Smyth was the infamous Choir Boy of Agency fame in the 60's. When they had returned from Turkey, Geiger and Beaman had done some digging only to come up with the location of a sealed vault with Zulu Azure clearance from the White House.

Lee had been mildly miffed to find he hadn't been told about their suspicions, but he let it go. He'd heard the stories about Choir Boy; they made his antics look like child's play. If Smyth was the agent in those stories, not only had Smyth written the book; he had also lived it.

Finishing the seal on the file, Efraim smiled at his handiwork. He spun in the chair to show the file to Lee.

"A file is going to get us what we need from Smyth? Did you get your last CAT Scan, because that shot to the head in Romania has got to be interfering with your thought processes?"

"Read the file, Stetson."

Grabbing the file, he nodded at the workmanship. He had to admit, Beaman was damn good at this stuff. He read the coding on the file and laughed,

'CODE NAME: CHOIR BOY

ZULU AZURE VERBAL APPROVAL BY PRESIDENTIAL COMMAND'

"Tell me again why we just can't ask him for the files?"

"This is the man who talks in octosyllabic rhyme, you think we can just waltz in and ask him to hand over his classified files? Besides, he would have to report my request to the National Security Advisor. I'd rather we avoid that type of entanglement." Efraim began to enter code into the computer system.

"I'd rather play in rush hour traffic myself," Lee shook his head as he watched. "So the plan is to say nothing, get access to the files and keep Smyth out of the loop and walk away from this."

"That's the plan."

"And we have to be on time too?" he asked with heavy sarcasm.

"Timing is everything Stetson, you know that."

"Yeah, how much time do we have?"

"You have the strobes?" Beaman continued to work on the computer, his fingers flying across the keyboard.

"These things will keep the prying eyes at bay."

"Good. Hand signals only after Smyth leaves the office."

"Understood."

"Okay, we go black and the tapes are set to rewind in…." he looked at his watch and nodded to Lee, "in 30 minutes. Mark"

Both men left fabrication and headed to Dr. Smyth's office. Pushing through the doors of smoked glass, Lee thought how appropriate the tone of those doors was. He stopped at Smyth's assistant's desk and the thought crossed his mind that he was enjoying himself.

"The director is expecting you, gentlemen, please go in."

Beaman raised his eyebrows at Lee's grin. Beaman had called it right, they would have to be on their toes from here on out.

"Scarecrow, Boy Scout, how entertaining to see you; have a seat if you please."

Lee noted that as soon as they sat down, Beaman hit his watch function; the clock was now running.

"Dr. Smyth, I need to get into your files."

Smyth raised his eyebrows and grinned. "That sounds remarkably like a proposition, gentlemen."

"Yes sir."

"Ah, Boy Scout! You're running this shake down, are you?"

"No sir, not a shake down, just a glance, my eyes only."

"And the Scarecrow is here for?"

"He didn't have anything pressing and he thought he'd come along for the ride."

"I thought so. What are you looking for Boy Scout? I'll give it to you."

"I can't ask the man who wrote the book to do that, sir."

Smyth steepled his fingers when Beaman referenced the rules of engagement book and stared at the agent across from him for a moment. "Then we are at an impasse," he pronounced.

With a glance to Lee, Beaman handed Dr. Smyth the file he had fabricated. Both men noted the slight look of surprise which Smyth quickly covered.

"I see you've put the time you've spent together to good effect."

"No sir, I have."

"I see. And you believe this will get you unfettered access to my files?"

Beaman nodded, "It was a shot in the dark, sir." Both men were suddenly thrust back to a night in Turkey when fateful shots did ring out in the shadows.

With a toss of the file back to Beaman, Smyth leaned back in his chair and studied the two men across from him. Suddenly Smyth laughed. "How much time do you need, Boy Scout?"

"One hour."

Another crack of laughter rang in the room. "Come now Beaman, that's not a glance, that's an expedition. Ten minutes."

"Thirty."

"Fifteen."

"Twenty."

"Done." With an amused look at Lee he asked, "And what have you learned from this session, Scarecrow?"

"To take Turkish lessons."

Smyth ambled to his door, his hand on the knob when he turned back to Lee and Beaman. "Twenty minutes from the close of this door. It's been a pleasure, gentlemen!" With that, the door closed.

Beaman flashed his hand three times to signal fifteen minutes. Both men gloved and Efraim headed straight to the bookcase while Lee strategically placed the strobes around the room.

Handing Beaman a set of special goggles that matched the ones he now wore, he flicked a switch and the room was flooded with intersecting strobe lights. Turning back to the bookcase, he stepped back as it swung open.

Quickly, they pulled out their lock picks and went about opening the files. Beaman found the file cabinet that housed the work authorized by the White House and looked through the files. He found and pulled the file he needed and taking a pen from his pocket, he rolled a pen scanner across the pages, copying them as quickly as he could.

Lee watched the time, tapping Beaman on the shoulder and giving the sign for six minutes. Beaman nodded, closed the file and replaced it. He re-locked the files, stepped out and closed the vault and bookcase. With a nod to Lee, the strobes went off and they both raced to collect them. Beaman pointed to the incinerator housed in the wall that would destroy anything placed inside of it. In went all of the gear they brought with them as well as the bogus file, Lee pulling the goggles off of Beaman's head at the last moment and tossing them inside as the door closed. Beaman pushed the activation button and sighed when he heard the unit kick in.

Lee gave him the one minute sign and both men went to the door and left. The outer office was empty as they hurried to the stairwell. They climbed the stairs, taking them two at a time and made good time to the Q Bureau, closing its door behind them just as the lights in the Agency flickered and went out.

Pulling the pen he had made the copies with, he stuck it in the cup on Amanda's desk that held a collection of pencils, pens and markers. Lee sat in his chair; Beaman dragged another one over, kicked it back and put his feet up on Lee's desk.

The sound of boots running up the stairs caused smiles to break out in the Q Bureau. Lee tossed a pencil to Beaman and he grabbed a marker and went to the board on the wall and quickly set up an outline of their organizational theories. With glances at their watches, they picked up the threads of a conversation they would have been having had they been in the office all morning.

"We should put 'unknown' in that box."

"Agreed, and here?"

Beaman never got the chance to answer as the door swung open and Dr. Smyth followed by Billy and several armed guards crowded into the Q Bureau.

"Well, well, well, I see you made good time gentlemen. Excellent attempt Boy Scout, but no cigarillo!"

"I'm sorry Dr. Smyth, did you need something?" Beaman shot back.

"Search them!"

Lee held his hands up and Beaman stood and joined him. The youngest of the guards was pushed up front to frisk them. Lee managed to contain his smile when he saw the young man was actually shaking. "You know, when you search someone, you should make sure your firearm is secure. You don't want someone to grab it and use it on you, do you?"

Beaman coughed to cover his laughter, sobering when he saw the look on Billy's face. They let the young guard take their service pieces which they quickly retrieved when the young man set them on Lee's desk and retreated behind the other men.

"Why don't you just ask us what you're looking for, Dr. Smyth?" Lee asked. He was back in his territory now and he'd dictate the conversation.

"Where's the file Beaman brought to my office and I want any files you took from my office. Now Scarecrow, before I lose my patience with you both."

"Lee…." Billy warned.

"We didn't take any files from your office. And anything we had, we left there."

The phone rang and Lee reached for it slowly, not taking his eyes off of the guards or Dr. Smyth. "Q Bureau…yeah, just a minute." Lee handed the receiver to Dr. Smyth.

"Smyth….right….are you sure?" He handed the phone back to Lee and turned to Billy and the guards. "William, take these nice young men for a walk, I'll catch up shortly."

He watched as Billy gave his agents a look that conveyed both warning and threat and then followed the guards out.

"That phone call was security telling me there is no tape of either of you approaching my office, leaving my office or even entering the building this morning. My personal security has been white washed by the untested strobe units from R&D, which by the way can't be located. I have no proof that either of you entered my office today. Cards on the table boys, this hand is over."

"It has to do with Francine's kidnapping."

"And my missing Uzi's."

"Do the two of you dare to tell me you think I had anything to do with either?" Both agents had seen Smyth annoyed, Beaman had seen him angry before, but neither had seen the searing fury that the director displayed now.

Beaman hurried to explain. "No, we don't think that. That's not what this is about."

"Then what and you have 30 seconds to explain it to me!" Smyth blasted them.

"We need operational security; we can't have our actions and requests reported outside of this office."

"Why didn't you just explain that?"

"Would you have listened to that explanation? Without us giving you more information?"

"No."

"That's why."

Smyth sat on the edge of Amanda's desk. "And when did you find out about the Choir Boy designation."

"The code name? Turkey. Who it was assigned to? About 20 minutes ago."

Smyth laughed. "Excellent. And why did you feel the need to hold it over my head?"

"It was the only way I could think to corner you into giving us the access we needed without reporting what I wanted to see. By the book, Dr. Smyth. I wasn't going to put anyone in the way of getting the information we need to find who took my wife and Lee's weapons."

"Like Turkey," Smyth nodded at the agent who had shared that late night operation in the souks of Istanbul with him, the night he had stepped in and executed the order meant for Beaman to fulfill. An order he hadn't told the agent of to protect him. "Do you have what you need?"

"I'm not sure I'm following you Dr. Smyth."

The chuckle wasn't lost on either Lee or Beaman who knew that the spy master understood they weren't about to confirm anything.

"Has he told you about Turkey, Scarecrow?"

"Just that telling me would cause me some hellish nightmares."

Climbing off the desk, Smyth regained his normal unflappable composure. "It might, it just might at that. Good day kiddies, do continue to play nicely with one another."

When the door closed on Dr. Smyth, both Lee and Beaman sat down. With raised eyebrows, Lee leaned on the desk. "That was damn close."

"It was."

"You don't have to confirm this, but the reason we're still sitting here is you shot Carlson in Turkey?"

"Carlson was shot in the souks while out for a late evening walk. I know better than to travel the markets of Istanbul at night and alone."

"You're not going to even give me that, are you?" Lee nodded, secrets were secrets and some secrets even stayed that way.

"Lee, even if I could tell you what happened, you wouldn't believe it. I'll leave it at this; none of us are what we seem to be."

With a laugh, Lee grabbed the marker and stepped back to the board. "Do we want to finish this here, or are we headed to your place?"

"Let's go to mine, we've set things in motion here that I don't want to deal with today."

"Think Smyth will play games?"

Laughing, Beaman found his pen in Amanda's cup and headed toward the door. "I'm counting on it, Stetson, I'm counting on it.