Chapter 39

Lee's head snapped in Billy's direction with a pointed glare as soon as Edwards spoke. Billy raised an eyebrow in response. With an idea in mind, Billy said, "Tom, why don't you stay here for a few minutes and rest. I need to talk to Ms. Desmond, Mrs. King and Scarecrow in my office. We shouldn't be long."

Francine looked at Billy confused but replied, "Yeah, Edwards, don't go anywhere or I'll shoot you myself."

In Billy's office, he waited until the door was closed tight before speaking. "Amanda, I understand there has been an issue with Edwards so I have a plan. We need to figure out why he continues to push himself onto you so I'd like you to go back into that conference room. It is completely wired with surveillance so Lee, Francine and I will be watching and listening. See if you can get him to talk, find out what's going on in his head."

"Sir, I'll do whatever you want me to do but he makes me feel….." Amanda began but stopped.

"What? What is it, Amanda?" Billy encouraged.

Taking a deep breath, Amanda replied, "He makes me feel uncomfortable. Like the grabber but without the touching."

Lee clenched his jaw again, the muscles dancing under his skin. Billy could see how Amanda's comments were affecting Lee so he made a suggestion. "Amanda, I'd like to get to the bottom of this, now. The only way we can do that is if you talk to him. If I send Scarecrow in there, he probably won't come out alive," he joked.

Amanda couldn't suppress the giggle that came out so she said, "Ok, what do you want me to do?"

Billy smiled at her, "Just talk to him, tell him he makes you uncomfortable and ask him why he keeps …." Billy stopped, not sure of the correct word he wanted to use when Lee spoke.

"Why he keeps hitting on her? Come on, Billy, you know Amanda's not going to ask him that," he said sourly.

"No, not like that but I can ask him why he wants to get to know me like he does," Amanda replied. Turning to Billy, she said, "Now, you're sure you'll be able to hear everything and see everything, right?"

Francine reached out and touched Amanda's shoulder as she said, "I'll break his legs if he does anything to you, don't you worry."

"Thank you, Francine, but I don't think that's going to be necessary. I'll give you all a minute to head to the observation room then I'll bring him some water," Amanda informed them. The trio left Billy's office and once they were out of Amanda's line of sight, she took a deep breath and headed toward the water cooler where one of the girls from the Steno pool was standing.

As she approached, the girl asked her, "Mrs. King? Is it really true that Tom Edwards has a broken hip after being shot?"

Amanda nodded and said, "Yes, he does. He's waiting in the conference room for us to drive him home." She leaned forward to fill a small cup of water.

"And you and Scarecrow… you're really getting married? This isn't some cover for an assignment?" the girl questioned her again.

Amanda smiled and holding up her left hand she replied, "Yes, October third we are really getting married."

The girl's eyes widened as she grabbed Amanda's hand to look at her ring. Then she looked at Amanda and studied her for a minute before leaning forward and asking, "Are you pregnant?"

Amanda pulled her hand back, pursed her lips and stated firmly, "Not that it's any of your business but the day has a special meaning for us." Looking around quickly, Amanda dropped her voice to add, "And, no, I am not pregnant!" Turning, she stormed off toward the conference room, her mood darker than before. Standing outside the room, she took a deep breath before opening the door and plastering a smile on her face.

Stepping into the conference room, Edwards was still sitting in the same chair they left him in, playing with a pen. "Amanda… I thought everyone forgot about me," he said, his face lighting up when he saw her.

Amanda sat down in a chair across from him, trying to decide what to say to him. Finally she had a thought, "So, Tom, where did you grow up?"

Tilting his head slightly, he looked at her confused before replying, "Um… well…. I was born in New Hampshire, and we lived right on Lake Winnepesauke until I was 13 before moving to DC. My dad was into local politics when I was a kid so he came here to try to move up, so to speak. He… he… was killed in a car accident about four years ago… a drunk driver…." Tom stopped talking, spinning the pen around in circles.

"Oh, I'm so sorry… I didn't know…. What about your mom? Is she still... " Amanda asked quietly.

"Mom moved back to New Hampshire. She said there were too many painful memories here. I was still in college. I had just moved into my apartment. You know, you remind me a lot of her," Edwards smiled.

"Your mother?" Amanda asked, surprised.

"Yes, she's beautiful too. Caring, loving, just like you… or at least the you I've seen. My mom doesn't have a mean bone in her body. Amanda…. You have a wonderful calming presence, you know that?" Edwards smiled at her again.

Amanda sat back in her chair, and folded her arms protectively across her chest. Biting her lip, she finally said, "Tom, those are very nice things you just said, but you know Lee and I are getting married in a few more weeks. I love him. You and I can never have more than a working relationship."

"Can I ask you a question? What do you see in him? I mean, yeah, he's tall… I guess you can call him handsome… he's a good shot but he's …. I don't know…. Arrogant…." Tom said slowly.

In the observation room, Lee was clenching his fists muttering, "I'm gonna kill him."

Billy simply shook his head before saying, "You're not going to kill him, Scarecrow. Just let Amanda finish this. You know she has the best Class C interrogations skills around. She'll get to the bottom of this."

"In the meantime, she's uncomfortable. Billy, just look at her. She looks like she wants to crawl into the corner right now," Lee said loudly as he thrust his hand toward the glass.

Back in the conference room, Amanda stood and walked around the table to stand beside Edwards. Putting her hand on his shoulder, she said, "Tom, Lee is a very caring man. He and I have been partners for four years and it's because of him I am the agent I am today. He's patient, kind, and has such a big heart. He used to be a lot like you but he's grown, changed. I think he needed to find the right partner to do that. You'll learn that too. But right now, you need to be careful how you talk to the other agents around here. You're still new and well, not everyone knows that. You're friendly, especially with the Steno pool."

"Yeah, that Mary down there… wow… I could tell you a story that would make your head spin…" Edwards sighed.

"I think I've heard a few 'Mary' stories so probably not. But listen, you and I… it's never going to be more than a working relationship," Amanda pulled the chair out beside him to sit down. "You have a lot to learn as an agent, Tom, but you'll get there."

Without warning, Edwards pulled her close and kissed her. Amanda tried to push him away but he wouldn't let go. She was still struggling when she felt him jerked away, Lee holding him tightly to the wall, his forearm pressed to his throat. Billy ran into the room behind Lee hollering, "Scarecrow! Scarecrow! Let him go! Dammit man, don't kill him!"

Francine was only steps behind Billy, immediately going to Amanda, "Are you okay? I knew this was a bad idea!"

Amanda was startled by all the confusion but finally managed to say, "I'm fine, Francine. Really." Standing, she moved to where Lee still held a struggling Edwards against the wall, placing her hand on his shoulder. "Lee, let him go. I'm fine…."

Looking at Amanda, Lee finally released his grip on Edwards who's face had gone white in panic. "If you ever touch her again, it will be the last thing you do!" Lee pointed at Edwards, his breath hot on his face.

"Amanda, what Edwards did is unexcusable and is borderline sexual harrassment. Do you want to submit a formal complaint?" Billy asked pointedly.

Amanda shook her head, "No. Because it's never going to happen again. Not to me, not to anyone else here. Tom, you have a lot to learn here and I think you just learned your first lesson. Don't ever mess with another Agent's partner or another man's soon to be wife."