Best Laid Plans
Chapter 8
Carrie came back into the living room and stopped abruptly, looking around. "Oh, did
Amanda leave already? I told you I'd take the kids to the movies so that you could talk,"
she pouted, venturing further into the room. Her fiancé stood with one hand on the
closed apartment door, immersed in his thoughts. "Honey?" she prodded, going to him
and laying a hand on his back.
Joe jumped slightly, startled. He gave her a half-smile and turned back into the room.
"Amanda left, she only had a couple of questions for me…about the boys' summer
vacation plans," he improvised. "You don't have to go to the movies. Let's all do
something together," he proposed.
Carrie narrowed her eyes slightly. "Come on, I've made plans to take the kids, now you'll
just have to join us." She rolled her eyes exaggeratedly and lowered her voice to a stage
whisper. "Why should you be spared the 'Revenge of T-Rex!' I swear I don't know
where they got their love of old dinosaur movies. Let's go," she wheedled.
Joe laughed and took her hand. "If you're sure…"
Carrie brightened and called out to Philip and Jamie. "All right, troops, your dad's
coming with us to the movies! We gotta move if we want to get popcorn! The show
starts at 11:30, and it's always a pain to find parking." The brothers charged into the
room and out the front door, whooping and hollering. Joe and Carrie followed more
slowly, and at the main entrance he held the door for her.
Carrie glanced across the street to the where the blue sedan lay in wait. Nodding almost
imperceptibly, she put on her sunglasses and held out her hand to Joe. "Let's take my car,
the kids really love to ride in it," she offered with a smile.
"That's it," snapped the man in the driver's seat. "She wants us to trail her," he
commented as he turned the key in the ignition. His partner remained silent, eyes
narrowed as he watched the little family tableau.
Finally he nodded. "Let's go," he said abruptly, flicking yet another cigarette butt out the
window. They waited until they saw Carrie's familiar red sports car pull out into the
street, then allowed a couple of vehicles to come between them before following.
After a short drive the theater came into view and the sports car pulled to the side,
allowing Joe King and his sons to alight. They watched as Joe ducked his head into the
passenger window momentarily, then step back as the car began to inch forward. It
pulled back out into traffic and sped up, taking the first right turn. As they trailed the car,
the stocky man in the passenger seat caught a glimpse of King as he stood in the ticket
line. They passed the theater and turned right at the next block, coming to rest behind
Carrie's car. The two men exchanged looks, and the passenger casually lit a cigarette.
"Rogers, stay in the car. I'll be right back," he ordered, swinging the door open and
stepping out.
He walked nonchalantly over to the sports car and got in the passenger side. As he
settled into the seat, he turned to Carrie and blew a cloud of smoke in her direction.
Carrie shot him a withering look. "I don't have much time here, Barrett. I overheard Joe
and his ex-wife discussing the arms deal. She must be working for the Agency – they've
been sniffing around for months. They don't have much to go on, but I'm pretty sure they
know my father is involved. They must have caught that idiot, Rhodes. Possibly he went
to them for help," she muttered in disgust. "I'll tell you one thing, this has got to end
soon. I can't take pretending to be the Happy Homemaker for much longer. I'm going to
die of terminal perkiness. The only kind of stepmother I'll ever be is the evil fairy tale
variety." She drummed her fingers on the steering wheel impatiently. "Do you have any
information for me?"
Barrett shrugged. "We just need a few more days at the most. The deal is almost done,
the last of the weapons are going to be delivered with the next shipment from the EAO.
Tuesday, I think. Just keep our boy in there happy until then," he smirked, jerking his
head toward the movie house. "After that, he's expendable."
Carrie frowned thoughtfully. "What about his ex? If they have Rhodes…"
Barrett cut her off. "Rhodes doesn't know any details. If they are protecting him, they
must think that he knows more than he's telling. He's not a danger to us. However, Mrs.
King could be trouble if she stirs up Joe's patriotic nature. He can't find out that you are
using him, Carrie." He gave her a dangerous look. "If you think he is becoming
suspicious, he has to be dealt with. Permanently."
"Okay, okay." Carrie glanced in the rear view mirror and adjusted her sunglasses. "I'd
better get back to being Susie Homemaker before they wonder what happened to me,"
she grimaced, getting out of the car. "I'll be in touch." She ran lightly around the front of
her car up onto the sidewalk and disappeared around the corner.
Barrett waited a few moments, then leisurely stepped out of the vehicle, adjusting his
jacket as he returned the blue sedan. He ground out his cigarette with the toe of his
polished oxford, and got in the car. "I have a feeling we're going to have a problem with
our dear Ms. Stockton," he drawled, keeping his eyes forward. "She doesn't seem to have
the guts for this job. Oh, and we'll have to keep an eye on Joe King as well. Anything
out of the ordinary and he has to be taken out of the picture."
Rogers grunted in assent and started the car. "I got a call from the boss. They traced Mrs.
King's car to the parking lot of IFF, some government film company."
Barrett chuckled, drawing a surprised look from his partner. "IFF is only a front for the
Agency. I guess Mrs. King just made the hit list."
End chapter 8
Chapter 9
Lee leaned forward, bracing his hands on Amanda's desk. "You've got to be kidding me.
Joe's fiancée is Carrie Stockton? It can't be a coincidence. They must be using Joe's
connection with the EOA to ship those weapons to Estoccia. Joe sure knows how to pick
'em." He turned abruptly and pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and
index finger in vexation. "I can't believe we've been spinning our wheels over this for
months and she's been right under our noses." He spun back to face his wife, realizing
that she had been uncharacteristically silent. "Amanda?"
She looked up at him, eyes shadowed with fear. "Lee, they…they have the boys. That
woman has my boys!" She quickly slung her purse over her shoulder and made her way
around the desk, her face filled with determination.
Lee grabbed her arm as she passed by and tried to restrain her. "Amanda, where do you
think you're going?" he asked sternly, struggling to keep her from escaping.
She shot him a scorching look. "She has my children, Lee. I'm going to get them and
make sure they're safe," she snapped. "Let go of me or you'll find out just how well I've
been paying attention in 'Dr. Pain's' martial arts class, Stetson."
Lee dropped his hand and backed off slightly. "Amanda, they're probably safe. Carrie
doesn't suspect anything, so why would she hurt Philip and Jamie?" He saw her set face
and realized that he wasn't going to get anywhere with that argument. "All right, look,"
he said reassuringly, "you can't do this alone. I'm going with you," he declared firmly,
taking her elbow and escorting her out of the office. He had to lengthen his stride to keep
up with her hurried steps.
Amanda kept her gaze resolutely forward. "Fine."
"We should get back-up," Lee lectured, trying to slow her progress. "The Agency
manual says –"
Amanda laughed incredulously, cutting him off. "Oh boy, if that's not a case of the devil
quoting scripture! Since when do you follow Agency rules?" She came to abrupt halt at
the foot of the stairs, looking up at him where he stood on the first step. "Look, I'm going
to get my boys, with or without you, with or without back-up," she told him firmly. "Do
what you want." With that, she breezed through Mrs. Marsden's office and out the front
door.
Lee looked after her in astonishment. Rarely had he ever seen Amanda act with such
calm deliberation. He felt a moment of disquiet, reflecting that she didn't rely on him to
bail her out of scrapes like she used to. She had come a long way. He was galvanized
into action when the door to the elevator/closet opened and Billy appeared.
"Lee, there you are. What on earth did you do to Francine?" he smirked. "It sounds like
the clash of the Titans down in that holding cell. I was planning on talking to Rhodes
myself, but…" He gave an exaggerated shudder and laughed. "I think I'll keep my
distance."
Lee grabbed Billy's shoulders tensely. "I can't go into too much detail right now, but
we've found the link between Senator Hartford and those arms dealers in Estoccia. His
daughter, Carrie Stockton, is Joe King's fiancée. Amanda's sons are spending the
weekend with Joe and Carrie, and Amanda just flew out of here to pick them up." He
sent an agonized glance toward Billy and started for the door. "They were at the movie
theater on Massachusetts Avenue not that long ago. Get me some back up and meet me
there, I'm going after Amanda." He nearly tore the door off its hinges as he raced through
it, leaving the bewildered section chief in his wake.
Smiling innocently at Mrs. Marsden, Billy picked up her phone and punched in a few
numbers. "Francine," he barked, "leave a guard at the door of the holding cell and
assemble a backup team, ASAP. We've got a problem…"
End of Chapter 9
Best Laid Plans…
Chapter 10
Lee burst through the door, cursing as Amanda's car careened out of the Agency parking
lot, its tires squealing. He made an abortive attempt to chase her down on foot, then
checked himself, backtracking to his Corvette parked on the street. With short, angry
movements he let himself into his car and peeled away from the sidewalk, narrowly
missing an oncoming blue sedan. He knew that he had to prevent Amanda from getting to
the theater before him. In her state of mind, she could blow the whole operation, and
endanger her sons even more.
After several minutes, he noticed that the blue sedan was still behind him. He watched
with a frown as it trailed him through several turns. He considered trying to lose the tail,
but he wasn't sure if it was following him or Amanda…he was only a couple of cars
behind her now.
As luck would have it, Amanda found a parking space in the alley right next to the
theater. Lee parked illegally next to a fire hydrant a few car lengths past her and sprinted
up the sidewalk to intercept her. "Amanda, wait!" he called anxiously. She either didn't
hear him or just wouldn't acknowledge him.
*********
The blue car pulled up and parked across the street from the theater. Inside, Rogers and
Barrett were having an argument of their own.
"I say we should take her down now, Barrett," Rogers said eagerly.
His partner looked at him with disgust. "Patience, Rogers. Wait and see. I have a
feeling that we'll be able to kill several birds with one stone." Barrett absently ran his
thumb over the small black remote control in his hand. "All we have to do is wait until
she gets Mr. King back to her car," he admonished. "We can take care of Ms. Stockton
separately." Barrett tapped his cigarette into the overflowing ashtray and watched intently
as a man ran up to Amanda and grabbed her arm. "That's the guy in the silver 'vette that
almost ran us off the road in front of the Agency."
The two men watched the ensuing struggle as Mrs. King tried in vain to elude the other
agent.
*********
Lee shook his finger furiously in Amanda's face. "You are not doing this alone, Amanda
Stetson! Billy will be here with backup any minute," he shouted, his face reddening.
The look she sent him would have blistered the hide off of a less determined man. She
wrenched her arm out of his grasp and swept through the door of the theater, Lee hot on
her heels.
The dinosaur movie was just letting out, and Amanda found herself surrounded by the
light-hearted crowd that surged from the depths of the theater. She scanned the faces
anxiously, finally coming to rest on Joe and the boys. Carrie was nowhere to be seen.
"Joe!" she called urgently, waving an arm over her head. Lee appeared at her side and
took her other elbow none too gently. Amanda gave him a pointed look, then turned her
attention back to her sons as they ran up.
Joe looked at her inquiringly, a puzzled smile on his face. "Amanda, what are you doing
here?" he queried. He nodded in Lee's general direction. She cast her gaze furtively
around the foyer. "Joe, where's Carrie? I need to talk to you, alone." She reached out
and grabbed his hand in a fierce grip.
"She went to the ladies' room as soon as the credits came up," he explained. "We're
supposed to meet her out here."
Amanda closed her eyes in relief. "I can't go into details right now, but we need to get
out of here. My car is right around the corner," she said, gathering the boys close to her
sides.
Lee locked gazes with Joe for a moment, shaking his head slightly. "We'll explain
everything in the car." He shepherded the little group to the front entrance and stopped
abruptly as he caught sight of the car waiting on the opposite side of the street. "Wait a
minute," he began. He stepped close to Amanda and whispered urgently, "Not this way.
That blue car across the street tailed us here. There has to be another exit," he said
tensely, laying his hand in the small of her back.
Amanda spotted an exit sign toward the rear of the foyer. "Over there," she yelled, taking
her sons by the hand and struggling against the tide of movie-goers. Joe followed in their
wake with Lee right behind him.
*********
Barrett cursed and flung open his door. "They've spotted us! Come on, we can't lose
them…they may not take her car," he said, scrambling out and darting across the street,
Rogers close on his heels. Horns blared as several cars swerved to miss them. As they
gained the sidewalk and approached the door to the theater, Barrett nodded to Rogers and
drew his weapon, keeping it hidden inside his jacket.
*********
Lee had just caught sight of two suited men entering through the large glass front doors
of the building when Amanda's cry diverted his attention. "Lee! It's Carrie!" she shouted
hoarsely, breaking into a run and dragging Philip and Jamie with her. He saw the look
that passed between Joe's fiancée and the two men as they gave chase.
They hit the exit and burst through into the bright sunlight. "My car is right over there,"
Amanda said breathlessly, heading for the curb, the boys and Joe behind her.
Lee came through the exit and flattened himself against the exterior wall, drawing his
gun. His jaw tightened as he heard shouts from within and the pounding of several pairs
of feet approaching. The door flew open and the two pursuers rushed out, scanning the
alley for their quarry. Lee whirled toward them and lashed out with his foot, disarming
the man closest to him. The other attacker brought his weapon up. Lee knocked his arm
aside, driving his right fist into the man's stomach and following up with a left to his jaw.
The assailant dropped to the ground with a thud, unmoving.
The first man took a swing and missed as Lee ducked. Lee retaliated with a blow to the
man's midsection, which was diverted and countered by a jab to the agent's face. Lee's
head snapped to the side with the impact, and he tasted blood on his lip. Clenching his
teeth, he drew back his left fist and let it fly, sending the man spinning to the ground,
unconscious.
Lee ran the back of his hand across his split lip, glancing up to locate his wife. She stood
on the sidewalk near the car, Philip and Jamie clutched tightly to her side. Joe had taken
her keys and was headed around the front of the car to the driver's side.
Suddenly, Amanda's eyes widened. "Lee, look out!" she shouted.
Lee spun back to the two prone attackers. One was struggling to get to his knees, weakly
attempting to thumb the switch on a small black control box in his hand. "Amanda, get
DOWN!" Lee yelled harshly, diving for the cover of the dumpsters nearby. She pulled
her sons down into the stairwell of the adjacent building, stumbling down the last few
steps as an explosion rent the air.
Dazed, Lee shoved the dumpster aside and looked out at the burning remains of
Amanda's car. He pushed himself up and cautiously approached the flames, waving
Amanda back as she emerged from her hiding place.
"Lee," she whispered fearfully, "Joe was on the other side of the car."
Lee cautioned her to stay back. "I'll take a look. Don't come any closer," he told her
firmly, not wanted her to witness whatever scene lay in the street. He slowly rounded the
back of the car and found Joe sprawled on his back, inert. He glanced at Amanda and
tried to smile reassuringly. Lee went to Joe and felt for a pulse, feeling weak with relief
when it beat strongly under his fingers.
He stood up and called to Amanda. "He's still alive, but he's out cold. The blast threw
him nearly across the street, and he probably banged his head against the pavement. Go
inside and call 911," he instructed, "I'll take care of the two goons out here." He knelt
next to them and began to cuff their hands.
Amanda nodded, telling her sons to stay put. When she opened the emergency exit door,
she came face to face with the barrel of a Smith and Wesson pistol.
"The party isn't over yet, Mrs. King," Carrie smirked. "Back outside," she said,
motioning with the gun. Amanda closed her eyes grimly and backed out of the doorway.
Carrie followed her out, keeping the gun trained on her. "Well, well, Mr. Stetson," she
called in a sing-song voice. "I see that they were no match for you," she said
disdainfully, prodding Barrett with one toe. "Good help is so hard to find."
Lee stood up slowly, hands raised in the air. Amanda looked at him helplessly. She
suddenly had a very clear image of herself in "Dr. Pain's" class, being catapulted over his
head. She remembered that it was a situation just like this, with herself as the aggressor.
Taking a deep breath, she briefly closed her eyes, then executed the maneuver she had
been taught. Carrie went sailing over Amanda's head, landing flat on her back, the breath
knocked out of her. The gun had been jolted from her hand when she hit the sidewalk.
Lee quickly seized it and took aim at the disgruntled woman lying on the ground.
He looked at Amanda in amazement and smiled proudly, keeping the pistol pointed at
Carrie. Amanda returned his smile shyly.
Suddenly they were surrounded by agents with drawn weapons. Lee lowered his gun and
stepped aside as Carrie was hauled to her feet by Agency personnel. The wail of sirens
split the air as Billy and Francine shouldered their way through the crowd that had
gathered.
Lee looked at his section chief in disgust. "Nice of you to make it, Billy," he snapped
sarcastically. "You, too, Francine. I guess we'll just leave the two of you to clean this
up."
An ambulance and fire truck had arrived, dispersing some of the onlookers. Billy smiled
calmly. "Now, Lee, you told me Massachusetts Avenue. There's more than one theater
on this street! It took a little fancy footwork to get here at all. Now, would you mind
explaining to me what the hell happened here!" he ranted, his voice escalating.
Lee smiled sheepishly and glanced over at Amanda where she stood talking quietly with
someone from the ambulance team. "Amanda found out that the connection between the
Estoccian arms deals and Senator Hartford was his daughter, Carrie Stockton. She was
engaged to Amanda's ex-husband, apparently for the express purpose of acting as go-
between." He ran a weary hand through his hair. "Somehow they tailed Amanda to the
office, I don't know. They probably attached some sort of an explosive homing device,
with a switch that triggered that blast. We'll probably find an identical one on Joe's car.
When Amanda raced out of the office, they followed her here."
Billy grunted in agreement. "Thank goodness Joe was the only one near the car," Billy
said belatedly. They watched the medics strap him to a stretcher, Amanda hovering over
him and holding his hand. As they closed the ambulance doors, she stood briefly with
her fingertips pressed to her lips in anxiety, then turned and joined them on the sidewalk.
Lee took her hands and gave them a gentle squeeze. She raised haunted eyes to his and
nodded slightly. She squared her shoulders and turned to face Billy. "Mr. Melrose, Sir,
I'm going to take the boys and go to the hospital, just to make sure Joe's going to be
okay," she informed him quietly. "Can I borrow an agency car? Lee's is too small for the
three of us, and..."
Billy raised encouraging eyebrows. "Say no more, Amanda. I can get a ride back with
Lee," he assured her, dropping the keys into her hand. "Don't worry, Amanda, they'll
take good care of him."
"Thank you, Sir," she said gratefully. She touched her husband's shoulder lightly and
smiled warmly up at him. "I'll meet you back at the office later." Amanda took a deep,
bracing breath and turned to locate Philip and Jamie.
The boys were frightened and disbelieving of what they had witnessed. Lee could hear
her murmuring to them comfortingly as she herded them up out of the stairwell and to the
car. He shook his head slightly at the irony of having his family exposed to a danger that
wasn't directly brought about by Agency trouble. He shook off the last vestiges of panic
and turned to his co-workers. "Francine, how did you get away from Rhodes?" he asked
in amusement.
Billy chuckled, the sound building on itself until he nearly had tears in his eyes. Lee
smiled mischievously and took Francine's elbow lightly to direct her to her Agency car.
Francine was almost frothing at the mouth, muttering under breath. "You two are worse
than the KGB. At least once their torture is over, it's over, unlike with you…am I going
to have to keep reliving this nightmare for the rest of my life?" she griped as she settled
into the back seat of the car. Lee could still hear her ranting after he shut the door. He
grinned at Billy unrepentantly across the roof the car before getting in the driver's seat.
Her grousing continued unabated during the ride to the Agency, culminating in a final
barb as they reached the parking lot. "I don't want to hear about this ever again, do you
understand?" she asked fiercely. "I can make both your lives a living hell, don't think that
I won't!" she threatened, fleeing from the car as if pursued.
Billy and Lee shared a conspiratorial grin as they entered the Agency through the
Georgetown foyer. Billy sobered slightly, laying a hand on Lee's shoulder. "Come down
to my office after you've written your report," he said mildly.
Lee nodded and took the stairs to the Q Bureau two at a time.
End of chapter 10
Chapter 8
Carrie came back into the living room and stopped abruptly, looking around. "Oh, did
Amanda leave already? I told you I'd take the kids to the movies so that you could talk,"
she pouted, venturing further into the room. Her fiancé stood with one hand on the
closed apartment door, immersed in his thoughts. "Honey?" she prodded, going to him
and laying a hand on his back.
Joe jumped slightly, startled. He gave her a half-smile and turned back into the room.
"Amanda left, she only had a couple of questions for me…about the boys' summer
vacation plans," he improvised. "You don't have to go to the movies. Let's all do
something together," he proposed.
Carrie narrowed her eyes slightly. "Come on, I've made plans to take the kids, now you'll
just have to join us." She rolled her eyes exaggeratedly and lowered her voice to a stage
whisper. "Why should you be spared the 'Revenge of T-Rex!' I swear I don't know
where they got their love of old dinosaur movies. Let's go," she wheedled.
Joe laughed and took her hand. "If you're sure…"
Carrie brightened and called out to Philip and Jamie. "All right, troops, your dad's
coming with us to the movies! We gotta move if we want to get popcorn! The show
starts at 11:30, and it's always a pain to find parking." The brothers charged into the
room and out the front door, whooping and hollering. Joe and Carrie followed more
slowly, and at the main entrance he held the door for her.
Carrie glanced across the street to the where the blue sedan lay in wait. Nodding almost
imperceptibly, she put on her sunglasses and held out her hand to Joe. "Let's take my car,
the kids really love to ride in it," she offered with a smile.
"That's it," snapped the man in the driver's seat. "She wants us to trail her," he
commented as he turned the key in the ignition. His partner remained silent, eyes
narrowed as he watched the little family tableau.
Finally he nodded. "Let's go," he said abruptly, flicking yet another cigarette butt out the
window. They waited until they saw Carrie's familiar red sports car pull out into the
street, then allowed a couple of vehicles to come between them before following.
After a short drive the theater came into view and the sports car pulled to the side,
allowing Joe King and his sons to alight. They watched as Joe ducked his head into the
passenger window momentarily, then step back as the car began to inch forward. It
pulled back out into traffic and sped up, taking the first right turn. As they trailed the car,
the stocky man in the passenger seat caught a glimpse of King as he stood in the ticket
line. They passed the theater and turned right at the next block, coming to rest behind
Carrie's car. The two men exchanged looks, and the passenger casually lit a cigarette.
"Rogers, stay in the car. I'll be right back," he ordered, swinging the door open and
stepping out.
He walked nonchalantly over to the sports car and got in the passenger side. As he
settled into the seat, he turned to Carrie and blew a cloud of smoke in her direction.
Carrie shot him a withering look. "I don't have much time here, Barrett. I overheard Joe
and his ex-wife discussing the arms deal. She must be working for the Agency – they've
been sniffing around for months. They don't have much to go on, but I'm pretty sure they
know my father is involved. They must have caught that idiot, Rhodes. Possibly he went
to them for help," she muttered in disgust. "I'll tell you one thing, this has got to end
soon. I can't take pretending to be the Happy Homemaker for much longer. I'm going to
die of terminal perkiness. The only kind of stepmother I'll ever be is the evil fairy tale
variety." She drummed her fingers on the steering wheel impatiently. "Do you have any
information for me?"
Barrett shrugged. "We just need a few more days at the most. The deal is almost done,
the last of the weapons are going to be delivered with the next shipment from the EAO.
Tuesday, I think. Just keep our boy in there happy until then," he smirked, jerking his
head toward the movie house. "After that, he's expendable."
Carrie frowned thoughtfully. "What about his ex? If they have Rhodes…"
Barrett cut her off. "Rhodes doesn't know any details. If they are protecting him, they
must think that he knows more than he's telling. He's not a danger to us. However, Mrs.
King could be trouble if she stirs up Joe's patriotic nature. He can't find out that you are
using him, Carrie." He gave her a dangerous look. "If you think he is becoming
suspicious, he has to be dealt with. Permanently."
"Okay, okay." Carrie glanced in the rear view mirror and adjusted her sunglasses. "I'd
better get back to being Susie Homemaker before they wonder what happened to me,"
she grimaced, getting out of the car. "I'll be in touch." She ran lightly around the front of
her car up onto the sidewalk and disappeared around the corner.
Barrett waited a few moments, then leisurely stepped out of the vehicle, adjusting his
jacket as he returned the blue sedan. He ground out his cigarette with the toe of his
polished oxford, and got in the car. "I have a feeling we're going to have a problem with
our dear Ms. Stockton," he drawled, keeping his eyes forward. "She doesn't seem to have
the guts for this job. Oh, and we'll have to keep an eye on Joe King as well. Anything
out of the ordinary and he has to be taken out of the picture."
Rogers grunted in assent and started the car. "I got a call from the boss. They traced Mrs.
King's car to the parking lot of IFF, some government film company."
Barrett chuckled, drawing a surprised look from his partner. "IFF is only a front for the
Agency. I guess Mrs. King just made the hit list."
End chapter 8
Chapter 9
Lee leaned forward, bracing his hands on Amanda's desk. "You've got to be kidding me.
Joe's fiancée is Carrie Stockton? It can't be a coincidence. They must be using Joe's
connection with the EOA to ship those weapons to Estoccia. Joe sure knows how to pick
'em." He turned abruptly and pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and
index finger in vexation. "I can't believe we've been spinning our wheels over this for
months and she's been right under our noses." He spun back to face his wife, realizing
that she had been uncharacteristically silent. "Amanda?"
She looked up at him, eyes shadowed with fear. "Lee, they…they have the boys. That
woman has my boys!" She quickly slung her purse over her shoulder and made her way
around the desk, her face filled with determination.
Lee grabbed her arm as she passed by and tried to restrain her. "Amanda, where do you
think you're going?" he asked sternly, struggling to keep her from escaping.
She shot him a scorching look. "She has my children, Lee. I'm going to get them and
make sure they're safe," she snapped. "Let go of me or you'll find out just how well I've
been paying attention in 'Dr. Pain's' martial arts class, Stetson."
Lee dropped his hand and backed off slightly. "Amanda, they're probably safe. Carrie
doesn't suspect anything, so why would she hurt Philip and Jamie?" He saw her set face
and realized that he wasn't going to get anywhere with that argument. "All right, look,"
he said reassuringly, "you can't do this alone. I'm going with you," he declared firmly,
taking her elbow and escorting her out of the office. He had to lengthen his stride to keep
up with her hurried steps.
Amanda kept her gaze resolutely forward. "Fine."
"We should get back-up," Lee lectured, trying to slow her progress. "The Agency
manual says –"
Amanda laughed incredulously, cutting him off. "Oh boy, if that's not a case of the devil
quoting scripture! Since when do you follow Agency rules?" She came to abrupt halt at
the foot of the stairs, looking up at him where he stood on the first step. "Look, I'm going
to get my boys, with or without you, with or without back-up," she told him firmly. "Do
what you want." With that, she breezed through Mrs. Marsden's office and out the front
door.
Lee looked after her in astonishment. Rarely had he ever seen Amanda act with such
calm deliberation. He felt a moment of disquiet, reflecting that she didn't rely on him to
bail her out of scrapes like she used to. She had come a long way. He was galvanized
into action when the door to the elevator/closet opened and Billy appeared.
"Lee, there you are. What on earth did you do to Francine?" he smirked. "It sounds like
the clash of the Titans down in that holding cell. I was planning on talking to Rhodes
myself, but…" He gave an exaggerated shudder and laughed. "I think I'll keep my
distance."
Lee grabbed Billy's shoulders tensely. "I can't go into too much detail right now, but
we've found the link between Senator Hartford and those arms dealers in Estoccia. His
daughter, Carrie Stockton, is Joe King's fiancée. Amanda's sons are spending the
weekend with Joe and Carrie, and Amanda just flew out of here to pick them up." He
sent an agonized glance toward Billy and started for the door. "They were at the movie
theater on Massachusetts Avenue not that long ago. Get me some back up and meet me
there, I'm going after Amanda." He nearly tore the door off its hinges as he raced through
it, leaving the bewildered section chief in his wake.
Smiling innocently at Mrs. Marsden, Billy picked up her phone and punched in a few
numbers. "Francine," he barked, "leave a guard at the door of the holding cell and
assemble a backup team, ASAP. We've got a problem…"
End of Chapter 9
Best Laid Plans…
Chapter 10
Lee burst through the door, cursing as Amanda's car careened out of the Agency parking
lot, its tires squealing. He made an abortive attempt to chase her down on foot, then
checked himself, backtracking to his Corvette parked on the street. With short, angry
movements he let himself into his car and peeled away from the sidewalk, narrowly
missing an oncoming blue sedan. He knew that he had to prevent Amanda from getting to
the theater before him. In her state of mind, she could blow the whole operation, and
endanger her sons even more.
After several minutes, he noticed that the blue sedan was still behind him. He watched
with a frown as it trailed him through several turns. He considered trying to lose the tail,
but he wasn't sure if it was following him or Amanda…he was only a couple of cars
behind her now.
As luck would have it, Amanda found a parking space in the alley right next to the
theater. Lee parked illegally next to a fire hydrant a few car lengths past her and sprinted
up the sidewalk to intercept her. "Amanda, wait!" he called anxiously. She either didn't
hear him or just wouldn't acknowledge him.
*********
The blue car pulled up and parked across the street from the theater. Inside, Rogers and
Barrett were having an argument of their own.
"I say we should take her down now, Barrett," Rogers said eagerly.
His partner looked at him with disgust. "Patience, Rogers. Wait and see. I have a
feeling that we'll be able to kill several birds with one stone." Barrett absently ran his
thumb over the small black remote control in his hand. "All we have to do is wait until
she gets Mr. King back to her car," he admonished. "We can take care of Ms. Stockton
separately." Barrett tapped his cigarette into the overflowing ashtray and watched intently
as a man ran up to Amanda and grabbed her arm. "That's the guy in the silver 'vette that
almost ran us off the road in front of the Agency."
The two men watched the ensuing struggle as Mrs. King tried in vain to elude the other
agent.
*********
Lee shook his finger furiously in Amanda's face. "You are not doing this alone, Amanda
Stetson! Billy will be here with backup any minute," he shouted, his face reddening.
The look she sent him would have blistered the hide off of a less determined man. She
wrenched her arm out of his grasp and swept through the door of the theater, Lee hot on
her heels.
The dinosaur movie was just letting out, and Amanda found herself surrounded by the
light-hearted crowd that surged from the depths of the theater. She scanned the faces
anxiously, finally coming to rest on Joe and the boys. Carrie was nowhere to be seen.
"Joe!" she called urgently, waving an arm over her head. Lee appeared at her side and
took her other elbow none too gently. Amanda gave him a pointed look, then turned her
attention back to her sons as they ran up.
Joe looked at her inquiringly, a puzzled smile on his face. "Amanda, what are you doing
here?" he queried. He nodded in Lee's general direction. She cast her gaze furtively
around the foyer. "Joe, where's Carrie? I need to talk to you, alone." She reached out
and grabbed his hand in a fierce grip.
"She went to the ladies' room as soon as the credits came up," he explained. "We're
supposed to meet her out here."
Amanda closed her eyes in relief. "I can't go into details right now, but we need to get
out of here. My car is right around the corner," she said, gathering the boys close to her
sides.
Lee locked gazes with Joe for a moment, shaking his head slightly. "We'll explain
everything in the car." He shepherded the little group to the front entrance and stopped
abruptly as he caught sight of the car waiting on the opposite side of the street. "Wait a
minute," he began. He stepped close to Amanda and whispered urgently, "Not this way.
That blue car across the street tailed us here. There has to be another exit," he said
tensely, laying his hand in the small of her back.
Amanda spotted an exit sign toward the rear of the foyer. "Over there," she yelled, taking
her sons by the hand and struggling against the tide of movie-goers. Joe followed in their
wake with Lee right behind him.
*********
Barrett cursed and flung open his door. "They've spotted us! Come on, we can't lose
them…they may not take her car," he said, scrambling out and darting across the street,
Rogers close on his heels. Horns blared as several cars swerved to miss them. As they
gained the sidewalk and approached the door to the theater, Barrett nodded to Rogers and
drew his weapon, keeping it hidden inside his jacket.
*********
Lee had just caught sight of two suited men entering through the large glass front doors
of the building when Amanda's cry diverted his attention. "Lee! It's Carrie!" she shouted
hoarsely, breaking into a run and dragging Philip and Jamie with her. He saw the look
that passed between Joe's fiancée and the two men as they gave chase.
They hit the exit and burst through into the bright sunlight. "My car is right over there,"
Amanda said breathlessly, heading for the curb, the boys and Joe behind her.
Lee came through the exit and flattened himself against the exterior wall, drawing his
gun. His jaw tightened as he heard shouts from within and the pounding of several pairs
of feet approaching. The door flew open and the two pursuers rushed out, scanning the
alley for their quarry. Lee whirled toward them and lashed out with his foot, disarming
the man closest to him. The other attacker brought his weapon up. Lee knocked his arm
aside, driving his right fist into the man's stomach and following up with a left to his jaw.
The assailant dropped to the ground with a thud, unmoving.
The first man took a swing and missed as Lee ducked. Lee retaliated with a blow to the
man's midsection, which was diverted and countered by a jab to the agent's face. Lee's
head snapped to the side with the impact, and he tasted blood on his lip. Clenching his
teeth, he drew back his left fist and let it fly, sending the man spinning to the ground,
unconscious.
Lee ran the back of his hand across his split lip, glancing up to locate his wife. She stood
on the sidewalk near the car, Philip and Jamie clutched tightly to her side. Joe had taken
her keys and was headed around the front of the car to the driver's side.
Suddenly, Amanda's eyes widened. "Lee, look out!" she shouted.
Lee spun back to the two prone attackers. One was struggling to get to his knees, weakly
attempting to thumb the switch on a small black control box in his hand. "Amanda, get
DOWN!" Lee yelled harshly, diving for the cover of the dumpsters nearby. She pulled
her sons down into the stairwell of the adjacent building, stumbling down the last few
steps as an explosion rent the air.
Dazed, Lee shoved the dumpster aside and looked out at the burning remains of
Amanda's car. He pushed himself up and cautiously approached the flames, waving
Amanda back as she emerged from her hiding place.
"Lee," she whispered fearfully, "Joe was on the other side of the car."
Lee cautioned her to stay back. "I'll take a look. Don't come any closer," he told her
firmly, not wanted her to witness whatever scene lay in the street. He slowly rounded the
back of the car and found Joe sprawled on his back, inert. He glanced at Amanda and
tried to smile reassuringly. Lee went to Joe and felt for a pulse, feeling weak with relief
when it beat strongly under his fingers.
He stood up and called to Amanda. "He's still alive, but he's out cold. The blast threw
him nearly across the street, and he probably banged his head against the pavement. Go
inside and call 911," he instructed, "I'll take care of the two goons out here." He knelt
next to them and began to cuff their hands.
Amanda nodded, telling her sons to stay put. When she opened the emergency exit door,
she came face to face with the barrel of a Smith and Wesson pistol.
"The party isn't over yet, Mrs. King," Carrie smirked. "Back outside," she said,
motioning with the gun. Amanda closed her eyes grimly and backed out of the doorway.
Carrie followed her out, keeping the gun trained on her. "Well, well, Mr. Stetson," she
called in a sing-song voice. "I see that they were no match for you," she said
disdainfully, prodding Barrett with one toe. "Good help is so hard to find."
Lee stood up slowly, hands raised in the air. Amanda looked at him helplessly. She
suddenly had a very clear image of herself in "Dr. Pain's" class, being catapulted over his
head. She remembered that it was a situation just like this, with herself as the aggressor.
Taking a deep breath, she briefly closed her eyes, then executed the maneuver she had
been taught. Carrie went sailing over Amanda's head, landing flat on her back, the breath
knocked out of her. The gun had been jolted from her hand when she hit the sidewalk.
Lee quickly seized it and took aim at the disgruntled woman lying on the ground.
He looked at Amanda in amazement and smiled proudly, keeping the pistol pointed at
Carrie. Amanda returned his smile shyly.
Suddenly they were surrounded by agents with drawn weapons. Lee lowered his gun and
stepped aside as Carrie was hauled to her feet by Agency personnel. The wail of sirens
split the air as Billy and Francine shouldered their way through the crowd that had
gathered.
Lee looked at his section chief in disgust. "Nice of you to make it, Billy," he snapped
sarcastically. "You, too, Francine. I guess we'll just leave the two of you to clean this
up."
An ambulance and fire truck had arrived, dispersing some of the onlookers. Billy smiled
calmly. "Now, Lee, you told me Massachusetts Avenue. There's more than one theater
on this street! It took a little fancy footwork to get here at all. Now, would you mind
explaining to me what the hell happened here!" he ranted, his voice escalating.
Lee smiled sheepishly and glanced over at Amanda where she stood talking quietly with
someone from the ambulance team. "Amanda found out that the connection between the
Estoccian arms deals and Senator Hartford was his daughter, Carrie Stockton. She was
engaged to Amanda's ex-husband, apparently for the express purpose of acting as go-
between." He ran a weary hand through his hair. "Somehow they tailed Amanda to the
office, I don't know. They probably attached some sort of an explosive homing device,
with a switch that triggered that blast. We'll probably find an identical one on Joe's car.
When Amanda raced out of the office, they followed her here."
Billy grunted in agreement. "Thank goodness Joe was the only one near the car," Billy
said belatedly. They watched the medics strap him to a stretcher, Amanda hovering over
him and holding his hand. As they closed the ambulance doors, she stood briefly with
her fingertips pressed to her lips in anxiety, then turned and joined them on the sidewalk.
Lee took her hands and gave them a gentle squeeze. She raised haunted eyes to his and
nodded slightly. She squared her shoulders and turned to face Billy. "Mr. Melrose, Sir,
I'm going to take the boys and go to the hospital, just to make sure Joe's going to be
okay," she informed him quietly. "Can I borrow an agency car? Lee's is too small for the
three of us, and..."
Billy raised encouraging eyebrows. "Say no more, Amanda. I can get a ride back with
Lee," he assured her, dropping the keys into her hand. "Don't worry, Amanda, they'll
take good care of him."
"Thank you, Sir," she said gratefully. She touched her husband's shoulder lightly and
smiled warmly up at him. "I'll meet you back at the office later." Amanda took a deep,
bracing breath and turned to locate Philip and Jamie.
The boys were frightened and disbelieving of what they had witnessed. Lee could hear
her murmuring to them comfortingly as she herded them up out of the stairwell and to the
car. He shook his head slightly at the irony of having his family exposed to a danger that
wasn't directly brought about by Agency trouble. He shook off the last vestiges of panic
and turned to his co-workers. "Francine, how did you get away from Rhodes?" he asked
in amusement.
Billy chuckled, the sound building on itself until he nearly had tears in his eyes. Lee
smiled mischievously and took Francine's elbow lightly to direct her to her Agency car.
Francine was almost frothing at the mouth, muttering under breath. "You two are worse
than the KGB. At least once their torture is over, it's over, unlike with you…am I going
to have to keep reliving this nightmare for the rest of my life?" she griped as she settled
into the back seat of the car. Lee could still hear her ranting after he shut the door. He
grinned at Billy unrepentantly across the roof the car before getting in the driver's seat.
Her grousing continued unabated during the ride to the Agency, culminating in a final
barb as they reached the parking lot. "I don't want to hear about this ever again, do you
understand?" she asked fiercely. "I can make both your lives a living hell, don't think that
I won't!" she threatened, fleeing from the car as if pursued.
Billy and Lee shared a conspiratorial grin as they entered the Agency through the
Georgetown foyer. Billy sobered slightly, laying a hand on Lee's shoulder. "Come down
to my office after you've written your report," he said mildly.
Lee nodded and took the stairs to the Q Bureau two at a time.
End of chapter 10