Chapter 25
Fri. Nov. 15, 1987 Stetson Household
Amanda had spent every free moment of the last two weeks searching airline surveillance pictures from every major airline. She knew Birol was in the area because she had spotted him a couple of other times. It was like he was toying with her. She had refreshed the instructions Lee had given the boys about the security alarm on the house. She lovingly reminded them that Lee would want them extra safe while he was away.
She had searched all through the Q-Bureau to see if Lee had hidden a European contact list there. She got in touch with all of Lee's contacts in DC to see if they knew any of his contacts in Germany, unfortunately they didn't. She had searched the Agency's database in hopes that Lee had hidden it in a file. So far she had come up with nothing. That's what had her home today. She had taken the day off to search their home office for anything that could give her a lead.
As she had been searching surveillance pictures and for a contact list, she had also been searching for Lee. She had found out that Lee had flown to McGraw Kaserne Military Base. She had talked with Major Spiels who last saw him on October 10th when he headed out on a convoy to Mannhiem, but he didn't know where her husband had gotten off at and the lead ended there.
For the past two weeks, Jamie had ridden the high of being courier of Lee's message. He had also thrown himself extra into his photography class and club. Senator Holcom's daughter, Desiree, and Jamie both shared the love of photography; they had started spending their after school time together working on some project. Jamie had told the family that the project would be a surprise; and they would find out on Wednesday November 20th when their school held the annual Fall Showcase.
Amanda thought back to last week when Philip had come home from school in more of a bad mood than normal. He had thrown his book bag on the table and stormed out to sit on the back patio. Amanda had started to go after him, but her mother had cautioned to let him have sometime alone. After a half an hour, Amanda had made some hot chocolate with marshmallows and went out to see her oldest. He readily accepted her offering of the hot drink and after a few minutes Amanda started talking, "I remember it was your tenth birthday and you had asked for a Captain Galaxy action figure. Well as your Grandmother and I was shopping she found a book that I liked as a little girl about horses and since you liked horses she got it for you, but unknowingly the shop keeper gave her a different book that these bad men wanted. The bad men broke into the house looking for it, but couldn't find it. I called Lee and he came, but couldn't find anything so he asked to take your presents back to the Agency. As they were searching through your gifts the Captain Galaxy action figure got broken, I was really upset because you really wanted it and it was the last one we could find."
"But, I got that figure for my birthday," Philip interjected.
Amanda smiled softly, "Lee showed up while your party was going on to bring it."
"How did he get it?" Philip asked out of curiosity.
"Oh, he found out where the toy was made and had it sent to a Naval Air Station in Guam and an Airforce transport brought it to Bulling Airforce Base," Amanda chuckled.
"Lee did that for me?"
"He sure did, and remember the time Pretzel the clown couldn't come for Jamie's party, but he finally showed up.
"Yeah," Philip said with a hint of anticipation in his voice.
"Well, Lee was able to get him to come for Jamie's party by threatening to get his IRS friend to audit Pretzel," Amanda chuckled again.
Philip actually laughed, "You know I could see Lee doing that!" Then he somberly asked, "How can you love someone and be so scared for them, but mad at them at the same time?"
Amanda moved next to her son and took him in her arms, "You pretty mad at Lee?"
"Yeah, he's just like dad!"
"How's that?" Amanda asked trying not to get defensive.
"He leaves us to go help around the world, except this is worse because he's missing!"
"Philip I know you hurt, but trust me when I tell you that Lee didn't want to leave us. Leaving was the hardest thing for him, but he didn't have a choice. Unlike your father, Lee was ordered and in our jobs you can't ignore orders. I know it's hard right now, but I know Lee and he will figure out a way to get home!"
Philip looked at his mom for a few moments and then asked in a small voice, "You really think Lee's going to come home?"
"Yes Sweetheart, I really believe that!"
"I hope so because I miss him so much it hurts!"
"I know! I know!" is all Amanda could reply as they cried together.
Amanda thought that their talk had helped even though Philip still had bad days. He had taken to going to Mr. Lee's a lot. He insisted that he needed to check on Ginger every day to see if she had had her puppies. It seemed to be a highlight of his day so Amanda just couldn't say no!
Amanda thought that her mother and Curt were getting closer, and wondered if she would get remarried. Curt had been a big help to them all with Lee gone. He even planned on going with her mother to Aunt Edna's for Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving! It seemed hard to believe it was that time of year again. This year for Thanksgiving the boys would be with their father at his parent's house in Pennsylvania. He had asked her to go with them, but she had graciously declined for in her mind it just didn't seem right.
Even though she was still sick and throwing up, Amanda hadn't told the boys about the baby. She knew she would have to soon because the waist line of her clothes were getting tight, which she took as a good sign that the baby was alright, even though she couldn't keep much down.
Amanda decided she had had enough of walking down memory lane for now and got up from the table. She rinsed her bowl out, put it in the dishwasher, and headed down the hall to their office. She unlocked the door and swung it open. She hadn't been in the office since Lee had left, and she wasn't prepared for the feelings that hit her for this room, more than any other room, was a reflection of Lee Stetson. The faint smell of his cologne still hung in the room. His ram's head horns adorned the shelf along with a collection of old books. His roll top desk set against a wall with papers strewed all over the top. Against the opposite wall sat a table with a 1930's German clock on top of it. Next to it, she noticed was his mother's diary. Against another wall sat a 1930s radio on a table. One picture stood out in particular on the wall, the one Emily had sketched of the two of them, but she hadn't known that he had gotten it framed. She went over to look at it again. She was intently searching for the letters in her and Lee's names, which Emily had hidden in the drawing; that she didn't hear her mother come in.
"There's a young man at the door for you," Dotty said causing Amanda to jump. "I'm sorry dear. I didn't mean to startle you." Her mother apologized.
Amanda took a deep breath and replied, "It's okay. Did he say who he was?"
"Sounded like a last name….McMillan."
"Oh, okay," she replied and headed down the hall with Dotty close behind her.
"Micah! What can I do for you?"
"First of all, Mrs. Stetson, I have those photos pulled for October 17th from Dulles you wanted," he replied as he handed the manila envelope to her, "Secondly, Douglas and I want to stakeout the bookstore on 22nd street."
Amanda arched her eyebrow and asked curiously, "The bookstore?"
"Remember we were telling you our suspicions about those Russian dancers which are being smuggled in, who in turn we think are really spies?" Micah was explaining and Dotty was listening with adept attention. He continued, "Douglas got a tip that another dancer would be arriving today and if we could get close enough we could get a tracker on her to see if she can lead us to the rest."
Amanda thought for a moment and consented, "Okay, see what you can find out, but just remember to be inconspicuous. We don't want to tip them off."
"Yes, ma'am! I have a plan thought through," he said excitedly and was out the door.
"Amanda, why did he ask you for permission?"
"Because I sort of got a promotion," she brushed her mother's question off, "I need to get to work!"
"A promotion! That's wonderful dear, but I thought you took the day off?"
"I did, but to concentrate on looking for Lee!" Amanda explained as she receded back to the office.
"I wonder how she's going to look for Lee," Dotty muttered. She decided that maybe she could sneak back down to the office and do a little stakeout of her own.
Fri. Nov. 15, 1987 Ramstein Air Force Base, West Germany
Lee had been unconscious for the last two weeks because of the medication the doctor was giving him. " With the extensiveness of his injures," Dr. Emery explained, "He needs to be as still as possible." The Colonel had talked Rachel into going home with the promise of getting her when Lee woke. The Colonel had taken to coming every day to sit and talk to his nephew. He told Lee about all the regrets and things he should have done different while raising him. Colonel Clayton couldn't believe the things he shared, but it was easier to share your feelings when a person couldn't really hear you.
Today, Dr. Emery had decided to start weaning Lee off of some of the medication. Colonel Clayton decided to come so he could be with his nephew when he woke. Dr. Emery cautioned that it could possibly be a while before he came out of the coma.
Hours passed with no difference in Lee, when Colonel Clayton noticed his hand moved slightly. He thought that his mind was playing tricks, but then he saw the hand twitch again, but then Lee went stil. Colonel Clayton upped his talking in the hopes it would help his nephew come out of his coma, but he ended up going to bed disappointed that Lee hadn't come to. He left instructions to get him if there was a change in the night.
Same Day Stetson Household
Amanda had made her way back to the office and threw the envelope on Lee's desk. She sat down in his chair and rested her chin in her hand while her elbow rested on her knee. She was so deep in thought that she didn't realize her mother was peeping in the hall.
Balling up her left hand into a fist she hit it into the palm of her right hand and muttered, "Okay, I've checked all over the Q-Bureau and through the Agency's databases without any luck. Where would you have hidden that list?" If he even made a list, she thought to herself. "Of course he has a list, since he has the Barnstorm list for the states, I'm sure he has one for Europe!" she said a little more loudly and with confidence. She started eyeing the office again. She got up and looked into the ram's horns, but sighed when it came up with nothing. She started pulling back all the old books, but no secret compartment opened. She stopped, squinted her eyes, and then spied the clock, "Of course!" she exclaimed.
She went over to the clock and picked it up to examine it. Closely inspecting it she saw that two keys where needed to wind the clockworks. She searched underneath the table for the keys, but didn't find them. She slowly stood up and looked around the room again. As her eye fell on Emily's sketch, she tilted her head and wondered aloud, "at this angle does it look like two raised areas in the picture?" She walked over and took the picture off the wall and laid it face down on the desk. She quickly removed the back of the frame and found two keys taped to the back of the sketch. She carefully removed them and went back to the clock to insert them. Turning one key clockwise and the other key counterclockwise a secret compartment opened to reveal a slip of paper. She extracted the paper and opened it to find the numbers 3-15-25. "A combination. Now where would you have a safe?" She muttered again as she stuck the paper into her pocket.
Dotty was watching her daughter in amazement. She was so excited about what she was observing that she wanted to go in and dance around, but she knew that Amanda would scold and besides she didn't want to break her daughter's concentration.
Amanda looked around the room again and her eye fell on the 1930s upright radio. She walked over to the radio and tried to lift it, but it wouldn't budge. "It's heavy enough to be a safe," she said. She slowly studied the radio and noticed the back didn't look quite right. She quickly went back to the desk and got the letter opener. Going back to the radio she started prying at the seam and after a few minutes she was able to get the opener in it. She worked at prying all around the seam until it finally popped loose. Amanda stopped a moment to catch her breath and to look at the safe in front of her. Pulling the paper from her pocket she used the combination to open it. Inside was a stack of things so she pulled them all out and took them to the desk. Before she sat the contents from the safe on the desk she quickly pushed the current papers to the floor. She started sorting through the stack. Finally, she found what she was after, a list of German names. "Glad you made this easy on me, Stetson!" she muttered and sighed as she sat back in the chair to look over the list. "Now, who do I start with first on this list," She wondered out loud.
Picking up the phone, she dialed a familiar number and waited for an answer on the other end. She quickly said into the phone, "T.P. this is Amanda. We need to meet. Is there any place safe?" Hearing this made Dotty shudder and a moment later she heard Amanda continue, "You could come here." She paused and replied, "Okay, see you in about thirty minutes." She hung up the phone, got up from the desk, and hurried from the room to put water on for tea. It was as she rushed from the room that she tripped over her mother in the hall.
"Mother, what are you doing?!" Amanda asked in amusement.
Dotty, feeling like a little girl who had gotten caught with her hand in the cookie jar by her mother, replied, "Oh nothing dear, I thought I dropped my earring." She paused as if she had found something and continued as she held up the imaginary lost object, "Oh, look there it is!"
Amanda knowing differently chuckled and held out her hand to help her mother up.
Almost a half an hour later, the doorbell rang and Dotty said, "I'll get it," and headed to the door before Amanda could stop her. Amanda followed closely behind and was in the foyer when her mother opened the door and said, "Hello, you must be here for Amanda!"
"Yes ma'am, I am," T.P. replied. When he saw Amanda standing behind her mother he said, "Hello Mrs. King," he shook his head, "I mean Mrs. Stetson!"
"Hello T.P., come on in."
"Mother, I would like you to meet T. Percival Aquanis, T.P. I would like you to meet my mother, Dotty West."
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. West," T.P. replied by taking Dotty's hand and giving the back of it a kiss.
Dotty laughed and smiled, "You can call me Dotty, Mr. Aquanis."
"T.P. is fine with me," he returned the invitation. Turning his attention to Amanda he asked, "Now my dear, what can I do for you?"
"It's down in the office, but I've brewed some tea if you would care for some."
"Tea sounds lovely."
"I'll get it for you dear and bring it to the office," Dotty interjected.
"Oh, thank you mother," Amanda acknowledged. She took T.P. by the arm and replied, "It's down the hall here."
Dotty met them in the office as T.P. exclaimed, "This is brilliant Amanda!" as he took in the disarray of the room. He went and picked up the clock, this is an original Gustav Becker made in the 1930s. It was made especially to hide information from the Nazis. So let's see you found the keys in the frame, opened the clock and found the combination for the safe which was hidden in the radio. It does my heart good to see when a pupil applies what they are taught. You should be commended also my dear for figuring it out!"
Amanda smiled with pleasure, but her mother was about to burst with pride.
"I found this list of German names and I was hoping they were Lee's contacts, but I didn't really know where to start," Amanda explained handing the sheet to T.P. "I was hoping you would have a suggestion," She continued.
T.P. perused the list for a few moments and finally replied, "I know of a couple of these people, but I would recommend Father Hirsch. I really think that's where Scarecrow's note came through."
"The Agency doesn't think it is from Lee," Amanda said dejectedly.
"Doesn't surprise me if it wasn't in an established code, but I think it was brilliantly written for you. Birol's here you know."
"I know I've spotted him a couple of times. I think he's playing with me."
This made Dotty shudder again. As she poured T.P. some tea she thought, maybe Curt is right about not wanting to know so much. Amanda was still talking, "The Agency doesn't believe me because of my past history and that there has been no evidence of him coming through the airports."
T.P. snorted and let out a huge puff of air as Amanda continued, "I've been searching surveillance pictures, but I've found nothing yet. I just got a new batch, but I haven't had a chance to look at them."
"I say we plan a message back to Lee and then look at these pictures," T.P. replied as he took a sip of tea and sat down at the desk.
"Sounds like an excellent plan," Amanda agreed as she pulled a chair up next to T.P.'s and got a cup of tea for herself.
Dotty got her own cup of tea and took a seat on the couch thoroughly enjoying watching her daughter work.
Three hours later, Amanda looked at yet another surveillance picture through her magnifying glass when she thought a face looked familiar. She put that glass down and picked up the lumiloupe to get a better look. When she saw the magnified face she let out a gasp.
Amanda's gasp resonated through the quiet room and roused T.P. and Dotty's attention, "Did you find something?" he questioned.
"Look at the face of this woman," Amanda instructed.
T.P. looked closely and turned to Amanda, "It's him alright," he shook his head in disbelief, "he came disguised as a woman!" he incredulously replied.
"Hopefully they'll listen to me now! Interesting he came through a month ago and he hasn't made an act. What do you think he's up too?"
"Does he know what happened to Scarecrow? It's like he knows he has time and if Lee was still on his tail…Sorry, Amanda, I don't mean to add to your worry."
"It's okay, I was thinking the same," Amanda patted her friend on the arm and continued, "I wonder how much time we have?"
"Probably not much since he's been here a month, I'm sure he's a ticking time bomb."
Dotty suddenly felt cold to the bone!
Sun. Nov. 17, 1987 Ramstein Air Force Base
Colonel Clayton was again setting by his nephew's bed. He had his hands clasped looking down at his feet wondering for the thousandth time since they had brought Lee in, what had gone wrong? Maybe I should contact the Agency! He thought. No, I still think it's best for his safety for not many people to know where he is. When we are on our way back to the States then I'll call the Agency, he thought determinedly.
It was while Robert Clayton was having this inward battle with himself that he heard a moan from the bed. He quickly looked up to see Lee starting to arouse. Lee moaned and was trying to mouth something, but couldn't around the breathing tube.
"Skip, it's the Colonel," he replied as he reached out to touch Lee's arm.
Lee's eyes fluttered open, but quickly shut against the light as he tried again to mouth something.
"Don't try and talk, Son!" Colonel Clayton stopped short and for the first time as tears formed in his eyes he truly felt this man lying in the bed before him was his son!"
Lee slowly opened his eyes and tried to focus on the person in front of him, but he thought his eyes were playing tricks; he tried mouthing, "Colonel," and closed his eyes again.
"Let me get the doctor. I'll be right back," he said as he went to find Dr. Emery.
Dr. Emery came right away to look at Lee. He checked his eyes, pulse, and the breathing tube. "His eyes look good, his pulse is rapid but understandable. The tube looks good and the pneumonia is slightly better."
Lee started to frantically pull the tube out. He wanted some information and he couldn't' get it he reasoned with this thing in.
"No! No! You can't take that out!" the doctor replied and grabbed Lee's hands. With the little bit of strength he had left Lee tried to fight the doctor. Dr. Emery tried to explain," You need this tube to breath. It's for your own good!"
Lee with all his energy spent from fighting the doctor clasped back onto the bed unconscious.
After a moment, Dr. Emery finally let go of Lee's arms. Turning to the Colonel he explained, "He can't pull that tube out. Are you going to be here? Because if you're not we need to restrain him."
"I'll stay," the Colonel replied as he looked down on the man in front of him. This man in the bed was a shell of the man, Lee Stetson, once was for his injures and sickness had made him so weak.
"Good! He's a fighter! That'll help him too! Call me if he wakes up again," and Dr. Emery left the Colonel alone with Lee.
A few hours later, Lee started to arouse again and this time Colonel Clayton took hold of his nephew's hands and started speaking, "Son," he stopped as emotion caught in his throat from that one little word. He started again, "Son, it's me the Colonel. You're hurt very badly and in the hospital. You have a breathing tube in so you won't be able to talk."
Lee slowly opened his eyes focusing more clearly this time. He took in the concerned look of his uncle and he started glancing around the room. He tried mouthing, "Amanda."
"I'm sorry, Son, I can't understand."
Lee started to get agitated again and the Colonel tried to calm him, "Give it some time. Right now you just need to rest. Close your eyes and go back to sleep. I'll be here when you wake up."
Lee did feel sleepy and maybe if he closed his eyes for a while he would wake up from this nightmare and be home with Amanda. With thoughts of Amanda he drifted off to sleep.