Time in the Country 21

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While the boys sat in the waiting room, reading old magazines, Lee and Francine huddled in Amanda's room talking. Although she was supposed to be getting rest, she refused to so much as close her eyes unless they told her what was going on.

Lee agreed with her. She had been a part of this mess as well and on a need to know basis, she needed to know. Besides, he'd gotten used to having her input and insight on things. She often thought of solutions that seasoned operatives never would have.

"So our original theory about Stone or Stonati wanting that land in order to get access to that tower was right?" Amanda asked, trying to make sense of it all.

Francine nodded. "Yes, but so was your theory of him wanting to get revenge on Lee and maybe even you."

Amanda and Lee exchanged uneasy glances and Lee reached over taking her hand, squeezing it gently in reassurance.

"From what Richards told me, Stonati moved in here and started taking over several small properties as often as he could. At first, he made no threats or anything and when someone turned him down, he accepted it and moved on. Because he didn't create any problems, no suspicions were aroused when he bought property after property and no one noticed where he was buying the land."

"You mean land that surrounded Jess' place?" Lee clarified.

"Uh hum." Francine confirmed. "And that includes Richards himself. And by the way, he didn't lie about one thing. He did turn that bid in to the newspaper, before Stonati approached him. I double checked the dates. But what he didn't tell you was that when Stonati made threats, he lied to him and told him to back off because he had some private investigators coming to help him. That of course led Stonati to check into who you guys were and when he found out, he threatened not only Richards life but that of his housekeeper, Kathleen Jenkins as well, if Richards didn't help him take you. I still haven't figured out how he learned about your former Agency status but I will."

"I still don't get that." Lee shook his head. "I mean, I understand revenge. But he could've taken me out easy enough without even involving Jess." He paused when he saw the look of horror cross Amanda's face. "Sorry." He dropped his head.

"It's alright." Amanda said, swallowing the awfulness of that thought. "And I agree. But apparently he didn't want you dead. Maybe he didn't know that you weren't still with the Agency. Or maybe he thought you still had information that would be useful and figured he could get it from you."

"Those are possibilities." Francine agreed. "Of course, we won't know for certain until we catch him. When our people raided the place it was clean. Stonati and his men were already gone."

"That was awful quick, wasn't it?" Amanda asked with a frown. "I mean your people couldn't have gotten there too much after we left."

"You're right." Francine nodded; her expression troubled. "That means he got a tip that we were coming."

"Francine." Lee looked at her and then glanced at the door, where two county officers were waiting on the other side. "Who knew you were going to raid that place and when?"

Francine sat back in thought. "Well, when Billy called me about Stonati and I checked him out, I set up the raid right then and there, before I even left DC. Believe it or not, but we actually have a man down in this area. I called him and he rounded up some local cops he said he could trust…" She stopped as the realization of betrayal suddenly hit her.

"I'll kill him." She vowed; cold fury washing over her.

"Who?" Lee asked, noting the almost feral look on her face.

"Bob Abernathy." Francine said through gritted teeth. "He was assigned to this area because he'd screwed up everywhere else. I knew he was worthless but I didn't think he was on the take."

"Do you know where he's at now?" Lee asked. His own anger at the traitor showed all too clearly.

"No, but I will." Francine got up and practically ran out of the room to the office she'd been using.

"Amanda, I'll be back." Lee said as he hurried out behind her.

Amanda started to get up and follow but she was too weak. Once she got to her feet, dizziness overtook her and she was forced to lie back down. "Well," she sighed. "At least I'm not waiting in the car."

When Lee walked into the small room, he found Francine already on the phone. She glanced at him when he entered but said nothing as she silently sat with the receiver to her ear. After several moments, she slammed the phone down. "No answer." Picking it back up, she punched in another number. "Hello, Jane? It's Miss Desmond. I need you to find Bob Abernathy. I don't care if you have to use blood hounds, you find him. Alright, call me back here when you do."

"Who's Jane?" Lee asked, leaning on the door post, when she put the phone back down.

"My assistant." Francine answered, flipping through a book and then dialing another number.

"I thought your assistant was Pamela?"

Francine scowled at him as she placed the phone to her ear. "Where've you been? Pamela was four assistants ago. Oh, hello," she turned her attention back to the phone. "This is Francine Desmond. I'm in a place called Talihina, Oklahoma. I need priority-one assistance, now. NO! I will not hold. I said priority-one and I said NOW!"

Lee couldn't help but grin. When he'd left the Agency, Smyth could find no one else capable of taking over the reins other than Francine. And by all accounts, she was stellar in her job. Though tough and uncompromising at times, she always got the job done. Of course it taken a toll on her personal life but she seemed to thrive in it never the less.

When Francine finally set the phone back down, she looked over at Lee. "I have agents coming from several different areas to work on this. I have the airport watched as well as the bus station and roads and any other means of leaving this place. I also got someone to tap into Stonati's and Abernathy's bank accounts tapped. They try to get to any of their money and we'll know about it."

"Now what?" Lee asked, knowing all too well what she was going to say.

"Now, we wait. Not much else we can do."

Lee nodded, unhappy with not being able to go into action right then but knowing there was nothing else he could do. "Guess I'll go check on the boys and then sit with Amanda." He turned then stopped and looked intently his blond friend. "You find either of them, you'll let me know?"

Francine knew she shouldn't but she couldn't help herself. If it were her family that had been endangered, as his had, she would've asked the same. "I'll let you know."

Early the next morning, she nudged Lee awake. He had been sitting in a chair, his head on the side of Amanda's bed. The boys were asleep in the waiting room.

"Lee." She whispered. "Lee."

Instantly his head came up and looked blearily at her. "What? What happened?"

"Ssshh." She nodded towards a still sleeping Amanda. "Come out here." She whispered.

Getting up, Lee leaned in and kissed Amanda and then followed his friend from the room. "You find them?"

"We got Abernathy." She said quietly. "He was trying to get on a plane with a fake ID. But I sent those two county cops home, because I wasn't sure I could trust them. That means I'll have to go and pick him up. Wondering if you'd like to be my back up."

Lee didn't have to think twice. "Let me tell Amanda and the boys."

TBC