Lee Stetson was unaware how much time had passed. He had lost the ability
to track much of anything except the aching hole inside. Taking a deep
breath to calm his sobbing, a small voice in the back of his head said,
'Call Billy.' But Lee still wasn't thinking clearly. The small voice
repeated its request several times before the agent understood and pressing
his hands against the floor, pushed his way to a standing position. His
legs felt like jelly, and his head was swimming. It was like being
drugged, but he knew that that wasn't what had caused the reaction.
Making his way out of the warehouse, Lee spotted a payphone near the road, and walking slowly, made his way towards it. Dialing the Agency phone number, he waited while he was connected with Billy's office. "Melrose here," the familiar voice came across the line.
"Billy," Lee started, but then stopped, finding talking too much effort.
"Lee?" Billy's voice carried quite a bit of concern for his agent and friend. Lee did not sound like himself. "Lee, where are you? What's wrong?"
"She wasn't here, Billy," Lee told him, his voice rife with grief. "There was a television set broadcasting her. The note said she was in Paris. She looked so awful, Billy. Pale and tired. She was unconscious and having horrible nightmares, squirming around on the floor, trying to get away, but they had her tied to a pipe. And she was calling to me, Billy. She was calling for me and I couldn't get to her in time." Lee finished his description with a sob and Billy's concern rose that much more.
In an effort to bring Lee back to his senses, Billy barked at him, "Stetson! Calm down! You need to think like an agent right now, not a man! Now give me a status report!"
It seemed to do the trick. When Lee spoke again, his voice was a bit clearer. "There was a note and a television set. The note said she was in France and the television set showed her. It looks like they drugged her, maybe battered her around a bit." There was a pause while Lee recalled the way her open blouse fell off her shoulder, but decided not to mention that to Billy. It was an unimportant detail for now. "I went to leave and call you and heard this loud noise from the screen. When I turned around, I could see it, Billy. I could see the American Embassy in flames." As he finished, Lee's voice began to take on the lost, little boy aspect again.
Billy was worried, but more than that, confused. "In flames? But, Lee, the bombing wasn't successful. The FBI agents apprehended both Glaktov and Donsky leaving the building. They are being held in custody in France. Neither is willing to talk, but the bombs were found."
A small amount of hope took residence in Lee's heart, and with slightly more life to his voice, he said, "There was no bombing? So what did I see? Have they found Amanda?"
"No," Billy reported, sounding sad himself. "They haven't been able to locate her. They are still questioning Glaktov and Donsky and still looking though."
"She could have been in a different building. She could be anywhere, Billy." The plaintive note returned to his voice. 'She could still be dead,' the small voice reminded him.
Taking a deep breath, Billy said softly, "Lee. I want you to make your way to the airport. Call me when you get there. I'll have Francine book you on a flight to France. We'll have someone over to your hotel to get your stuff and send it back here. I don't like not knowing where Amanda is. I want you to talk to Glaktov and Donsky. But Scarecrow…" he started before Lee could even reply, "I need you to question them as an agent, not as Amanda's friend. Maintain your cool, Man."
Quietly, Lee replied, "I'm on my way," and hung up the phone.
**************************************************************************** **
Less than two hours later, Lee was again on an airplane, and again thinking of reciting his mantra. He wasn't even sure what he'd been doing the last three hours, it was as if his mind had shut down. When the plane landed in France, Lee exited and hailed a cab over to the embassy, still on autopilot.
Entering the building, Agent Ron Smith of the FBI approached him. "Hey, Stetson!" the man said happily, clapping Lee on the back. "Good to see you! What brings you here?"
Smiling slightly, Lee replied, "Hi, Ron. I'm here about the bombing."
Ron frowned, "That's what I'm here for. But you know we got the guys who did it and found the bombs?"
Taking a deep breath in an effort to maintain his focus, Lee said, "Yeah, but the guys who did this kidnapped an American and we haven't been able to find her. She has two kids and …" Lee's voice trailed off as he finished the sentence in his head, 'And I love her.'
"Wow! Sorry, man. I hadn't heard about that, but there's so many of us working on this, it's not surprising. I know there are still agents questioning them. How'd the lady get messed up in this?"
"She's my partner."
Ron laughed, "Your partner's a mother? Sorry, Scarecrow. Can't picture it."
Lee winced at the sound of his laughter. "Yeah, well, she's the best partner I've ever worked with, and if we don't find her soon, I may not get the chance to work with her again." His voice took on a harsh quality as he finished, and Agent Smith was reminded of why Lee was there.
"I'm sorry, Lee. We'll find her. Why don't we head down to talk to Glaktov and Donsky?"
Shaking his head, Lee gave a faint smile in thanks. "So, who do you want to talk to first?" Smith asked.
"Glaktov. He's the one who took her," Lee said, his voice taking on a cold undertone.
Leading the way into the room, Lee could see Glaktov through the one-way mirror. He was alone for the moment and seemed to be studying the ceiling.
"I'll wait out here," Smith offered, and Lee entered the room.
At the sound of the door clicking, Glaktov glanced up. Smiling at Lee, his eyes registered recognition. "So, Scarecrow. You decided to join the party. Did you enjoy the video in Kansas?" As with the most recent letter, Glaktov's voice held a note of friendliness that Lee found a bit chilling.
"Cut the crap, Glaktov. Where is she?"
Leaning back, Glaktov looked shocked, "Hey, I thought we were on friendly terms. Calm down!"
Grabbing the man by the collar, Lee unconsciously dropped his voice a little lower, "We are not friends, Glaktov. You took my partner. Beyond everything else you've done, that fact alone makes me your own personal enemy. And trust me, you don't want me to do hate you anymore than I do at this moment. Now, WHERE IS AMANDA?"
On the other side of the glass, Smith winced. Not at the anger in Lee's voice – he hoped that would get through to the terrorist, but at the pain that was clearly there. His eyes went back to Glaktov as the man replied to Lee's request, sounding only slightly shaken.
"Hey, didn't you see the video? I'm sorry, pal, but she's no longer with us. It's too bad, though," Glaktov gave Lee a toothy grin, "She sure was nice-looking," seeing Lee flinch, he pressed his advantage, "Even more so than I thought when I first saw her. All … covered up."
Something in Lee snapped, and he pushed the man against the wall, his arm against Glaktov's Adam's apple. Alarm showed in the man's eyes, and he gasped for breath.
Lee's voice got very quiet and even deeper than before, "If you touched one hair on her head, I will personally come back and rip each of you limbs off. Now, I will ask you one more time. Where is she?"
Glaktov looked around, weighing his options. If he ever made it out of this mess, Donsky's men would kill him if he gave anything away. On the other hand, he wasn't sure he wasn't going to die right now if he didn't give Stetson any answers. Finally, immediacy won out over probability. Donsky's men were more likely to hurt him, but right now, it was Lee who was making it difficult for him to breath.
"She's here. In a sub-basement. Donsky told me that you were going to see an explosion, but I don't know where he planted the bombs. It could have been in the sub-basement with the woman. I don't know. We were deep enough below the embassy that you may not be able to feel the effects here. But I didn't touch her, man. Just ripped her dress a little. Donsky told me to." Sadly, the man sounded more like a scared little boy than a terrorist at this moment. It made Smith smile.
But it had no such effect on Lee. In fact it was hard to tell what his reaction was at all. He removed his arm from Glaktov's neck and the man fell to the floor with a thud. However, Lee was out the door too soon to hear it.
Smith took in the frenzied appearance of his friend and decided he'd have to be the calm one. "Let's go see Manson. He has blueprints of this place."
Lee agreed, although what he really wanted to do was run through the building until he found her. But he knew, they'd find her faster if they were logical in their search.
Entering the office, Smith reported the news to Agent Manson. He didn't bother to introduce the two men, he didn't think Lee was in the mood to meet new people. Manson began looking through several papers to find the blueprints when the phone on his desk rang.
"Manson," he answered. "You Stetson?" he asked Lee after a moment of silence.
"Yes," Lee replied as he took the phone. "Scarecrow," he said into the receiver.
"Lee. Glad I caught you," Billy said. "We just got word from the Parisian police. There was an explosion in an empty warehouse this morning right around the time you called me. There were no human remains found. I'm guessing that's what you saw."
Lee smiled into the phone, "Oh, that's great, Billy. Amanda's here. Glaktov said she's in a sub-basement and I'm waiting to see some blueprints of the embassy."
When Billy replied, Lee could hear the smile in his voice, "That's wonderful news, Lee. Call me once you find her."
"Will do," Lee said before placing the phone on the cradle.
"We found it," Smith told him as Lee hung up the phone, and the two men headed for the door. "Good news?" Smith asked, seeing that Lee looked calmer now.
"Yeah. They had sent me on a wild goose chase for her and when I reached the destination they had set up a video camera so I could see her. Then I saw an explosion, so I wasn't even sure if she was okay when I got here. But we just got word that there was an explosion in an empty warehouse earlier today."
"I was wondering what Glaktov was talking about," Smith said as they reached the door to what he and Manson had assumed was the sub-basement Glaktov had talked about. Opening the door, and walking inside, his breath caught in his throat.
Lee entered right behind him, and seeing Amanda he brushed Smith aside in an effort to reach her. Kneeling on the ground next to her, Lee wasn't even sure what to do. She didn't seem much different than she had this morning. Still unconscious and writhing on the ground. His elation at her being alive was quickly replaced by the pain at seeing her like this. He felt almost paralyzed with indecision. Should he untie her, or hold her until the nightmare passed? Finally deciding on the former, he reached for the ropes holding her legs to the pipe. Her ankles were bloody from fighting them, and her wrists, when Lee freed them, were in a similar shape. Placing his arms under her, Lee lifted Amanda into his lap, holding her close, and whispering what he hoped were soothing words into her ear. It was of no use, and soon out of words to use, Lee's whispers moved from soothing words to soothing noises.
He was so focused on calming Amanda down, he forgot all about Smith. Ron took in the scene with interest. This was a side of Scarecrow he'd never seen before – warm and caring. It was nice. But right now his concern was not for his old friend, but for the woman in his arms, who did not seem well by any measure.
"Lee," he said quietly, and took a step back in surprise when their eyes met. Lee looked … well, he didn't know, but more upset by this than he would have expected even having seen him try to comfort his partner. "I think we should get her to a hospital."
Lee nodded in agreement, and stood up, still cradling Amanda in his arms. He carried her upstairs, continuing his efforts to soothe her. Smith ran ahead so he could call an ambulance.
The ambulance arrived quickly, and placing Amanda on a stretcher and taking her vital signs, the EMTs placed an IV in her arm. Lifting the stretcher into the ambulance, they started to close the door, when Lee jumped in. He didn't even bother to ask if it was okay. As far as he was concerned, there wasn't a choice in the matter.
He held her hand the whole way, still whispering soothing sounds. Meanwhile the EMT drew blood, so that it could be analyzed as soon as they reached the hospital.
With his free hand, Lee brushed Amanda's hair back from her forehead. "You're going to be okay, Amanda," he whispered, "You're going to be fine. You have to be fine." A tear fell from his face onto hers, and brushing it aside, he whispered, "You need to be fine, Amanda. Philip and Jamie love and need you. … I need you, Amanda. … I love you."
He continued to hold her hand and brush her hair with his fingers, but his speaking slowed as he began crying again. She didn't seem to be much better now. She had stopped struggling, but they had given her something for that.
They reached the hospital and Lee found himself pushed aside as the staff began taking care of Amanda. He stood in the emergency room staring at the floor, when a doctor approached him.
"Mr. Stetson?" the doctor asked, and smiled when Lee nodded, "Mrs. King is going to be just fine. She was given a rather strong sedative, but she is already showing signs of coming out of it. She's vaguely responsive now. You can go see her if you'd like."
Lee followed the doctor to Amanda's room, and sitting next to the bed, he took her hand in his. "She's going to be fine," the doctor repeated. "We will need to keep her a couple of days to make sure she's okay. The sedative they used is experimental and we aren't completely sure of the effects, but we have no reason to think there will be any problems. You can stay as late you'd like tonight," and with that the doctor left them alone.
Rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb, Lee smiled down at her, "Hear that, partner. You're going to be fine. I told you." He felt her squeeze his hand slightly and he smiled. She knew he was there.
To Be Continued…
Making his way out of the warehouse, Lee spotted a payphone near the road, and walking slowly, made his way towards it. Dialing the Agency phone number, he waited while he was connected with Billy's office. "Melrose here," the familiar voice came across the line.
"Billy," Lee started, but then stopped, finding talking too much effort.
"Lee?" Billy's voice carried quite a bit of concern for his agent and friend. Lee did not sound like himself. "Lee, where are you? What's wrong?"
"She wasn't here, Billy," Lee told him, his voice rife with grief. "There was a television set broadcasting her. The note said she was in Paris. She looked so awful, Billy. Pale and tired. She was unconscious and having horrible nightmares, squirming around on the floor, trying to get away, but they had her tied to a pipe. And she was calling to me, Billy. She was calling for me and I couldn't get to her in time." Lee finished his description with a sob and Billy's concern rose that much more.
In an effort to bring Lee back to his senses, Billy barked at him, "Stetson! Calm down! You need to think like an agent right now, not a man! Now give me a status report!"
It seemed to do the trick. When Lee spoke again, his voice was a bit clearer. "There was a note and a television set. The note said she was in France and the television set showed her. It looks like they drugged her, maybe battered her around a bit." There was a pause while Lee recalled the way her open blouse fell off her shoulder, but decided not to mention that to Billy. It was an unimportant detail for now. "I went to leave and call you and heard this loud noise from the screen. When I turned around, I could see it, Billy. I could see the American Embassy in flames." As he finished, Lee's voice began to take on the lost, little boy aspect again.
Billy was worried, but more than that, confused. "In flames? But, Lee, the bombing wasn't successful. The FBI agents apprehended both Glaktov and Donsky leaving the building. They are being held in custody in France. Neither is willing to talk, but the bombs were found."
A small amount of hope took residence in Lee's heart, and with slightly more life to his voice, he said, "There was no bombing? So what did I see? Have they found Amanda?"
"No," Billy reported, sounding sad himself. "They haven't been able to locate her. They are still questioning Glaktov and Donsky and still looking though."
"She could have been in a different building. She could be anywhere, Billy." The plaintive note returned to his voice. 'She could still be dead,' the small voice reminded him.
Taking a deep breath, Billy said softly, "Lee. I want you to make your way to the airport. Call me when you get there. I'll have Francine book you on a flight to France. We'll have someone over to your hotel to get your stuff and send it back here. I don't like not knowing where Amanda is. I want you to talk to Glaktov and Donsky. But Scarecrow…" he started before Lee could even reply, "I need you to question them as an agent, not as Amanda's friend. Maintain your cool, Man."
Quietly, Lee replied, "I'm on my way," and hung up the phone.
**************************************************************************** **
Less than two hours later, Lee was again on an airplane, and again thinking of reciting his mantra. He wasn't even sure what he'd been doing the last three hours, it was as if his mind had shut down. When the plane landed in France, Lee exited and hailed a cab over to the embassy, still on autopilot.
Entering the building, Agent Ron Smith of the FBI approached him. "Hey, Stetson!" the man said happily, clapping Lee on the back. "Good to see you! What brings you here?"
Smiling slightly, Lee replied, "Hi, Ron. I'm here about the bombing."
Ron frowned, "That's what I'm here for. But you know we got the guys who did it and found the bombs?"
Taking a deep breath in an effort to maintain his focus, Lee said, "Yeah, but the guys who did this kidnapped an American and we haven't been able to find her. She has two kids and …" Lee's voice trailed off as he finished the sentence in his head, 'And I love her.'
"Wow! Sorry, man. I hadn't heard about that, but there's so many of us working on this, it's not surprising. I know there are still agents questioning them. How'd the lady get messed up in this?"
"She's my partner."
Ron laughed, "Your partner's a mother? Sorry, Scarecrow. Can't picture it."
Lee winced at the sound of his laughter. "Yeah, well, she's the best partner I've ever worked with, and if we don't find her soon, I may not get the chance to work with her again." His voice took on a harsh quality as he finished, and Agent Smith was reminded of why Lee was there.
"I'm sorry, Lee. We'll find her. Why don't we head down to talk to Glaktov and Donsky?"
Shaking his head, Lee gave a faint smile in thanks. "So, who do you want to talk to first?" Smith asked.
"Glaktov. He's the one who took her," Lee said, his voice taking on a cold undertone.
Leading the way into the room, Lee could see Glaktov through the one-way mirror. He was alone for the moment and seemed to be studying the ceiling.
"I'll wait out here," Smith offered, and Lee entered the room.
At the sound of the door clicking, Glaktov glanced up. Smiling at Lee, his eyes registered recognition. "So, Scarecrow. You decided to join the party. Did you enjoy the video in Kansas?" As with the most recent letter, Glaktov's voice held a note of friendliness that Lee found a bit chilling.
"Cut the crap, Glaktov. Where is she?"
Leaning back, Glaktov looked shocked, "Hey, I thought we were on friendly terms. Calm down!"
Grabbing the man by the collar, Lee unconsciously dropped his voice a little lower, "We are not friends, Glaktov. You took my partner. Beyond everything else you've done, that fact alone makes me your own personal enemy. And trust me, you don't want me to do hate you anymore than I do at this moment. Now, WHERE IS AMANDA?"
On the other side of the glass, Smith winced. Not at the anger in Lee's voice – he hoped that would get through to the terrorist, but at the pain that was clearly there. His eyes went back to Glaktov as the man replied to Lee's request, sounding only slightly shaken.
"Hey, didn't you see the video? I'm sorry, pal, but she's no longer with us. It's too bad, though," Glaktov gave Lee a toothy grin, "She sure was nice-looking," seeing Lee flinch, he pressed his advantage, "Even more so than I thought when I first saw her. All … covered up."
Something in Lee snapped, and he pushed the man against the wall, his arm against Glaktov's Adam's apple. Alarm showed in the man's eyes, and he gasped for breath.
Lee's voice got very quiet and even deeper than before, "If you touched one hair on her head, I will personally come back and rip each of you limbs off. Now, I will ask you one more time. Where is she?"
Glaktov looked around, weighing his options. If he ever made it out of this mess, Donsky's men would kill him if he gave anything away. On the other hand, he wasn't sure he wasn't going to die right now if he didn't give Stetson any answers. Finally, immediacy won out over probability. Donsky's men were more likely to hurt him, but right now, it was Lee who was making it difficult for him to breath.
"She's here. In a sub-basement. Donsky told me that you were going to see an explosion, but I don't know where he planted the bombs. It could have been in the sub-basement with the woman. I don't know. We were deep enough below the embassy that you may not be able to feel the effects here. But I didn't touch her, man. Just ripped her dress a little. Donsky told me to." Sadly, the man sounded more like a scared little boy than a terrorist at this moment. It made Smith smile.
But it had no such effect on Lee. In fact it was hard to tell what his reaction was at all. He removed his arm from Glaktov's neck and the man fell to the floor with a thud. However, Lee was out the door too soon to hear it.
Smith took in the frenzied appearance of his friend and decided he'd have to be the calm one. "Let's go see Manson. He has blueprints of this place."
Lee agreed, although what he really wanted to do was run through the building until he found her. But he knew, they'd find her faster if they were logical in their search.
Entering the office, Smith reported the news to Agent Manson. He didn't bother to introduce the two men, he didn't think Lee was in the mood to meet new people. Manson began looking through several papers to find the blueprints when the phone on his desk rang.
"Manson," he answered. "You Stetson?" he asked Lee after a moment of silence.
"Yes," Lee replied as he took the phone. "Scarecrow," he said into the receiver.
"Lee. Glad I caught you," Billy said. "We just got word from the Parisian police. There was an explosion in an empty warehouse this morning right around the time you called me. There were no human remains found. I'm guessing that's what you saw."
Lee smiled into the phone, "Oh, that's great, Billy. Amanda's here. Glaktov said she's in a sub-basement and I'm waiting to see some blueprints of the embassy."
When Billy replied, Lee could hear the smile in his voice, "That's wonderful news, Lee. Call me once you find her."
"Will do," Lee said before placing the phone on the cradle.
"We found it," Smith told him as Lee hung up the phone, and the two men headed for the door. "Good news?" Smith asked, seeing that Lee looked calmer now.
"Yeah. They had sent me on a wild goose chase for her and when I reached the destination they had set up a video camera so I could see her. Then I saw an explosion, so I wasn't even sure if she was okay when I got here. But we just got word that there was an explosion in an empty warehouse earlier today."
"I was wondering what Glaktov was talking about," Smith said as they reached the door to what he and Manson had assumed was the sub-basement Glaktov had talked about. Opening the door, and walking inside, his breath caught in his throat.
Lee entered right behind him, and seeing Amanda he brushed Smith aside in an effort to reach her. Kneeling on the ground next to her, Lee wasn't even sure what to do. She didn't seem much different than she had this morning. Still unconscious and writhing on the ground. His elation at her being alive was quickly replaced by the pain at seeing her like this. He felt almost paralyzed with indecision. Should he untie her, or hold her until the nightmare passed? Finally deciding on the former, he reached for the ropes holding her legs to the pipe. Her ankles were bloody from fighting them, and her wrists, when Lee freed them, were in a similar shape. Placing his arms under her, Lee lifted Amanda into his lap, holding her close, and whispering what he hoped were soothing words into her ear. It was of no use, and soon out of words to use, Lee's whispers moved from soothing words to soothing noises.
He was so focused on calming Amanda down, he forgot all about Smith. Ron took in the scene with interest. This was a side of Scarecrow he'd never seen before – warm and caring. It was nice. But right now his concern was not for his old friend, but for the woman in his arms, who did not seem well by any measure.
"Lee," he said quietly, and took a step back in surprise when their eyes met. Lee looked … well, he didn't know, but more upset by this than he would have expected even having seen him try to comfort his partner. "I think we should get her to a hospital."
Lee nodded in agreement, and stood up, still cradling Amanda in his arms. He carried her upstairs, continuing his efforts to soothe her. Smith ran ahead so he could call an ambulance.
The ambulance arrived quickly, and placing Amanda on a stretcher and taking her vital signs, the EMTs placed an IV in her arm. Lifting the stretcher into the ambulance, they started to close the door, when Lee jumped in. He didn't even bother to ask if it was okay. As far as he was concerned, there wasn't a choice in the matter.
He held her hand the whole way, still whispering soothing sounds. Meanwhile the EMT drew blood, so that it could be analyzed as soon as they reached the hospital.
With his free hand, Lee brushed Amanda's hair back from her forehead. "You're going to be okay, Amanda," he whispered, "You're going to be fine. You have to be fine." A tear fell from his face onto hers, and brushing it aside, he whispered, "You need to be fine, Amanda. Philip and Jamie love and need you. … I need you, Amanda. … I love you."
He continued to hold her hand and brush her hair with his fingers, but his speaking slowed as he began crying again. She didn't seem to be much better now. She had stopped struggling, but they had given her something for that.
They reached the hospital and Lee found himself pushed aside as the staff began taking care of Amanda. He stood in the emergency room staring at the floor, when a doctor approached him.
"Mr. Stetson?" the doctor asked, and smiled when Lee nodded, "Mrs. King is going to be just fine. She was given a rather strong sedative, but she is already showing signs of coming out of it. She's vaguely responsive now. You can go see her if you'd like."
Lee followed the doctor to Amanda's room, and sitting next to the bed, he took her hand in his. "She's going to be fine," the doctor repeated. "We will need to keep her a couple of days to make sure she's okay. The sedative they used is experimental and we aren't completely sure of the effects, but we have no reason to think there will be any problems. You can stay as late you'd like tonight," and with that the doctor left them alone.
Rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb, Lee smiled down at her, "Hear that, partner. You're going to be fine. I told you." He felt her squeeze his hand slightly and he smiled. She knew he was there.
To Be Continued…