Chapter 8

"Scarecrow!" Billy's voice bellowed across the bullpen as Lee stood in the doorway talking to Maria, the newest addition to the Steno Pool. Lee's head snapped in Billy's direction. Billy waved his hand before he closed his office door.

"Thanks, Maria. If I need any more copies made, I'll ask," Lee smiled.

Maria sighed, "You're welcome, Mr. Stetson."

Lee strolled across the bullpen, his hands buried in his pockets. He knocked on Billy's door twice before he pushed it open and stepped inside. "Hey, Billy. What's up?" he asked with a smile.

Billy lifted his head from the report he was skimming and took one look at Lee before he exclaimed, "What happened to you?"

Lee reached up and touched the bruise along his cheekbone, "Um, Stanley and I had a missed cue."

He pointed his pen at Lee's leg. "Is that why you're limping, too?" Billy questioned.

Lee pursed his lips and nodded, "Yes and no."

"Stanley got you good. Do you think you might be getting too old for this?" Billy teased.

Lee shook his head and replied sarcastically, "Actually, Stanley didn't hurt my leg. The phone, falling off the wall when he punched it, did."

"The phone falling…." Billy's voice sputtered out as he snorted and howled with laughter.

"Gee, thanks, Billy," Lee rolled his eyes. He waited several more minutes for Billy to get himself under control. "Now, was there a reason you called me in here or was it just to laugh at me?" Lee asked sarcastically.

Coughing, Billy finally replied, "Actually I was wondering how your meeting went this morning. I haven't seen Dr. Smyth yet and he's usually in my office as soon as the meetings are adjourned."

Lee sat down and tenderly rubbed his thigh, "Surprisingly, it went well. They've asked for a three-month followup and to alert them immediately of any changes. Other than that, it was business as usual."

"That's good news. Those meetings can be a crapshoot at best," Billy nodded. Switching subjects he asked, "How is Amanda feeling these days?"

Lee smiled, "Pretty good. Tired but I guess that's to be expected. She had another appointment the other day. The doctor said everything looks good, the girls are getting bigger and as long as Amanda follows directions, things should continue to progress nicely."

"Well, she looks great for a woman carrying twins. I remember when Jeannie was pregnant with our second daughter. She complained continuously about her weight gain and how she'd never get it all off," Billy laughed.

Lee tipped his head to the side, remembering his conversation with Amanda in the shower that morning, "Yeah, she's having a little bit of that, too."

"Well, I'm going to say, it's been nice having her help around here. She's organized all the files down here and she's even helped a few of the new agents get acclimated. She's a natural at that sort of thing. I'm sure going to miss her when she's on Maternity Leave," Billy stated with a smile. "Heck, she's even made friends with a few of the girls in the Steno Pool," he added.

Lee chuckled, "Well, I wouldn't exactly call them friends. I think she's managed to squash the rumor mill quite a bit though."

"Even on her limited hours, she seems to get more work done than anyone else around here. Why is that?" Billy pondered.

"Because it's Amanda and when she sets her mind to something, boy oh boy, she's going to finish it," Lee complimented his wife.

Movement in the bullpen caught Billy's attention and with a grin he nodded at the window, "Speaking of Amanda, here she is now."

Lee followed his line of sight and found Amanda sitting on the edge of Francine's desk, talking to her. "Yeah, she mentioned this morning that Francine asked her to help out a little with a new case she's working on," Lee stated.

Amanda leaned closer to peer at Francine's computer screen, "That's all you found in her journal?" she asked.

Francine exhaled, "The hopeless ramblings of a pregnant college student wasn't as interesting as I hoped it would be. Other than the last few entries where she stated she was going to give the baby up for adoption, it's all just homesick babble, if you ask me."

"Ok, so what can I do to help?" Amanda smiled cheerfully. She glanced down at the stack of pamphlets they collected at Maggie and Tuck's.

"I'm not sure where to go next. Kidnapping, murder and missing infants aren't typically my forte," Francine admitted. She tapped her finger on the keyboard before she asked, "What would you do?"

Amanda's eyes widened in surprise, "You're asking me for help?" Francine shrugged her shoulders and nodded. "All right. Well, I would start by finding out all the information I could about the companies listed in these pamphlets. Did she mention any of them by name in her journal?"

Francine skimmed the report on the computer screen. "No, I don't think so. It just says here she picked the one she felt she trusted the most, whatever that means," Francine summarized.

Amanda scooped up the colored papers and suggested, "Well, I'm not working on anything else right now, so why don't I take these up to the Q Bureau and see what I can find. I still have a few hours left today before I need to pick up the boys from school."

Francine looked up and smiled, "Amanda, you really are a lifesaver. Tell you what, while you work on that, I'll take Edwards with me. We can visit all the dump sites and see if we find any clues the police may have missed."

"A little divide and conquer? Sounds like a pretty good plan to me. Besides, I think I like my end of the assignment just a little better," Amanda teased. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Billy's door open and Lee stepping into the bullpen. She turned her head with a wide smile as he approached. "Hello, Sweetheart. How was your meeting this morning?"

"My meeting went quite well, as a matter of fact. What are you two chatting about?" Lee asked. He noticed the papers in Amanda's hand and raised an eyebrow.

Francine stood and straightened her skirt as she stated, "I asked Amanda to help me out a little on this case. Edwards and I are going to check all the sites where the bodies were dumped and Amanda said she'd find out information on the computer for me. Hopefully, we can get Katsaros some answers. You know, I actually felt sorry for the man. His wife died a few years ago, now his daughter is murdered."

"Francine, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you're getting soft," Lee teased.

Francine squared her shoulders and narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm not completely cold-hearted if that's what you think!" she hissed.

"I'm not saying that at all!" Lee retorted. "I know that under that tough exterior is a very soft, loving woman that is very good -" Beside him, Amanda cleared her throat as a small warning. "That is very good at her job," he quickly added with a tilt of his head.

"Well, thank you for noticing!" Francine snapped back. "Now, I'm going to find Edwards and get going."

Amanda shook her head in Lee's direction, "Don't worry, Francine. I'll leave what I find on my desk for you, for when you get back. And I'll take care of him, later."

"What do you mean, you'll take care of me, later?" Lee asked as Francine chuckled and walked away.