****************
Inside the waiting room on the sixth floor Lee and Billy were pacing until Amanda returned. "Listen, Billy," Lee began, "Amanda and I were going over the old case files of the murders last night and - "
"Oh, working late, good of you to sacrifice, Scarecrow,"
Billy said laughing with his eyes.
Lee gave him a sour look before continuing, "Yes, working. Anyway, I looked through every statement given of every murder and there was no evidence of distinctive movements like James mentioned."
"So?" Billy asked, "If I remember correctly, none of the other cases involved an eye witness."
"Exactly!" Lee said snapping his fingers, "So why suddenly get careless? And I know there were no other eyewitnesses, but in at least a couple of the cases there were shoeprints left in substances that fell to the floor during the attack. And in one case steps were tracked out the door in the victims blood."
"What's your point man? If you got all this from the files, what makes you think James couldn't?" Billy asked.
"The same thought went through my mind last night, but something about that James guy just rubs me the wrong way, so after I put Amanda to bed," at Billy's surprised look he paused then continued, "I slept on the couch - downstairs - " then he shook his head. "The point is, I called Records and found out that James just checked out the preliminary report. The full case report that he had pulled for the assignment packets was handled by Judy in Records and she verifies that he never saw it!"
"Scarecrow. So he had a secretary pull and copy the files for him. That doesn't mean that he hasn't looked at it since."
"But Billy," Lee pressed, "in the meeting yesterday he said the Bandit had claimed 10 victims, beginning in '76."
"So."
"There are only nine victims on record and the first one was documented in '77. That's the same in both the prelim and full case report."
"So he misquoted the facts, he got some wrong information."
"What if it's not wrong information, what if it's inside information."
"What?! Are you implying - "
"Think about it Billy. He states facts contrary to what we know and that whole demonstration with Amanda yesterday. I think the only reason for it was to unnerve her, which it did. She hasn't been the same since. She came into work yesterday looking great and smiling as usual. Then we went to the meeting and she's been looking over her shoulder ever since. She even admitted to being scared last night. Why do you think I spent the night?"
"Scared of what though?" Billy asked with a thoughtful expression.
"I don't know," Lee admitted as he ran his hand through his hair in frustration, not entirely sure he wanted to find out. "Oh, and there's one more thing," he said looking his boss in the eye again, his hand resting at the base of his neck, "when I showed up at Amanda's last night, Francine was there talking with Amanda. They didn't want to tell me about what, in fact I heard Amanda say 'I wouldn't tell Lee'. Francine hurried right off. Billy, I think she went to meet James."
"What time was that?" Billy asked suddenly giving Lee his full attention.
"About 10:00 I'd say."
"Well I want to look into that. Go get Amanda. I want to see how much of your theory she can corroborate."
"You got it," Lee said as he hurried out the door toward room 638.
****************
As Agent James had led Amanda to the elevators, she had been gripped by a sudden fear that she hadn't felt in years. She had mumbled an excuse, yanked her hand from his and run into the bathroom locking the door.
****************
Lee knocked on the door and called, "Francine, it's me. Okay to come in?"
"Come on in, Lee."
He opened the door to find Francine sitting up in bed eating chocolates. "Well, it's not too bad," Lee said tilting his head in examination of her, "looks like you went a little overboard with the eye shadow though," he said pointing to a purple bruise forming over her left eye.
"Ha-ha." Francine returned.
"How are you?" he asked seriously.
"Fine as I can be. I honestly don't remember too much. I had just come home and I hear a sound in the kitchen. It was Buttons. But as I was picking him up, someone hit me from behind. Apparently I hit my eye on the way down," she said touching it gingerly. "Where's Philip? I want to thank him for finding me."
"What?" Lee asked confused. "Philip . . ." The only Philip he knew was Amanda's son, Jamie's brother.
"Yes, Philip James. I could've sworn I heard him right before I blacked out."
Lee's face drained of color. "Philip . . . James . . ." he whispered.
"Lee? What's wrong?" Francine asked in a worried voice.
"Francine, where's Amanda? When'd she leave?"
"Amanda? She was never here. Well not inside anyway. I heard her earlier right outside the door. She said, 'Ouch.' Why?
Lee, what's wrong?"
"Philip James," he repeated, "the names of Amanda's sons, the demonstration yesterday, Amanda afraid, I don't know how yet, but it's all starting to make sense." He ran out the door, gun in hand.
****************
"Come on, Amanda, I don't have all day," James called, "I have to talk to you." She watched in horror as the knob began to turn and the door opened, revealing 'Philip James' smiling face, right hand holding up a lock pick. "Never leave home without it," he said smiling. He held out his hand to her, "Come on now," he coaxed with a toss of his head. She moved obediently towards him apparently having lost all free will.
Lee rounded the corner to see them entering the elevator. "Amanda!" he yelled desperately. James turned to see him standing there, gun drawn. His face contorted in rage and he turned toward Amanda, slapping her roughly across the cheek. The last thing Lee saw before the doors closed was Amanda falling to the floor in a heap.
" 'manda!" he yelled again, willing her to somehow free herself. His panic had left him immobile and too late, he lurched forward banging his fist against the barrier separating him from his partner. He looked up to see which direction the car was going and as soon as the 5 lit up he was through the stairwell door and taking the steps down two at a time. He stepped out of the stairwell to see the elevator continuing down. He ran down the next flight and stopped to check again. He continued this to the ground floor only to see it going one floor lower. As the doors opened in the basement, Lee cautiously approached, gun drawn but held close, as the doors opened he jumped out, weapon first.
Amanda lay on her side in the corner facing the wall. Lee stepped closer and looked around. The ceiling tiles had been removed, revealing James' escape route. Lee forgot about him the second as Amanda moaned, "Oooohh . . .," her voice faded away.
"Amanda," Lee called softly dropping to the ground next to her. He turned her towards him, holding her head in his lap. He heard her sharp intake of breath as he moved her. "Hold on, Amanda," he said, "I'm gonna get help." He leaned a little and pressed the button for the lobby. As the doors closed and they began moving, he took in her bloody nose and lip and the slight discoloration on her left cheekbone. He gently wiped the blood from her mouth with his thumb. He moved his hands down her sides feeling for any broken bones. Finding none, he moved to gently pick her up. When the doors opened, he stepped out into the lobby and walked carefully across the way to the emergency room. "A doctor," he called quietly but firmly, "I need a doctor. I'm a federal agent and I need a doctor."
****************
As he thought about what had gone wrong, he realized he had two problems. First of all, she didn't seem to want to go with him. He couldn't understand it. Hadn't he been everything she ever wanted. She was certainly all he ever wanted. Why couldn't he be enough for her. Why did she always want to change things. 'Stubborn,' he thought, 'she's just so stubborn.' Well he could change that. Especially now that he had leverage. He thought of his other problem. 'He's always around. How am I ever going to get her back if he's always around? I'm just going to have to . . . . get rid of him. I think I can handle that.'
****************
The intern Lee had sent after Billy pointed the pacing man out to the section chief before departing. Billy quickly crossed the distance and asked, "Lee, what's wrong?" Though on taking one look at his top agent's malevolent expression, he suddenly wasn't sure he wanted to know.
"Agent James," was the low, barely controlled response. He stood still now but for the constant clenching and unclenching of his fists that seemed to move in time with the clenching of his jaw.
"What?" asked the confused section chief, "I thought we were going to check with Amanda before going any further with this."
"Check with Amanda," he began in the same low threatening tone, "check with Amanda! You do that Billy!" Careful not to raise his voice too loud, he continued, "You go in there and ask her why James beat her in the elevator and then took off! You do that! Cause I sure as hell wanna know!" At Billy's shocked expression, he took a deep breath and exhaled slowly while looking up at the ceiling. "Aahh . . . Billy, I'm sorry. I don't mean to take this out on you, but when I think of how he HIT her . . . " he again clenched his jaw and dropped his head, leaving the threat unfinished, "Why, why would anyone want to hurt Amanda, Billy? She's the kindest, most loveable person I know . . . and he just - "
Sensing that he was picking up steam again, Billy knew that he had to distract him before he did something rash. He also picked up on the fact that Lee did indeed find Amanda 'loveable'. While tucking that bit of information away for later, he knew he had to handle first things first. "Lee, before I can help you or Amanda, and believe me, I want to, I need to understand the problem. I need you to start at the beginning."
Just then a doctor approached them. "Mr. Stetson?"
"Yes, how is she?"
"She's resting now. She's sustained no lasting injuries, a few minor cuts and bruises . . ." his voice drifted off at Lee's darkening expression. "Uh, if . . . you'd like to see her," he gestured towards the examining area. Lee was moving before the doctor had finished speaking, leaving Billy to answer any questions.
As he approached the curtain she was hidden behind, he could make out muffled murmurings and as he quickly drew back the barrier he found her tossing restlessly before she awakened fully, nearly coming off of the bed.
"Whoa, hey, easy. Amanda, easy, it's me, Lee," he told her soothingly quickly sitting beside her on the bed and rubbing his hands up and down her arms. She only nodded and closed her eyes, taking deep breaths before opening them to look reluctantly into his. He waited patiently.
She looked down again before saying in a near whisper, "I guess we need to talk, huh?"
"Yeah," he responded softly, "I think we do."
"Well, um," she paused to clear her throat, "do you think we could wait until Billy and Francine are with us? I only want to say
this once." She raised her eyes to his again as she waited for his answer.
Smiling sadly at the bruised woman before him, he nodded.
****************
Lee and Amanda had emerged from the examining area to find Billy putting out an APB on Agent James. The three had then made their way silently to Francine's room. Billy led the way, leaving Lee and Amanda to follow at their own pace. Though not a word was said, the comfort she sought and the support he offered were evident to all they passed. She walked next to him, her right hand in his left, her left softly gripping the same arm. His right hand comfortingly covered the hand she had placed on his arm. Leaving them with next to no space between their bodies as they moved down the corridors as one. He wondered if she consciously realized how close they were, and if she welcomed it as much as he did.
Upon entering Francine's room they found her up and dressed. She explained that she was just awaiting her release forms. Taking in the lack of enthusiasm for her release, she scanned the faces of the friends before her. When she came to Amanda's slightly bruised face, she sat down on the bed and silently waited for the explanation. Lee settled Amanda in a chair next to the bed, giving her hands a final comforting squeeze. He then moved away from her needing the physical space to reveal all that he'd informed Billy of just, what felt like hours earlier. After sharing all he'd learned, another silence followed. He looked to Amanda, his expression silently pleading with her to fill in what he couldn't, feeling sure deep down that what she had to say was tied to all he'd found out. She met his eyes briefly as she fought the panic within her. This wasn't how she wanted to do this. She'd never wanted to have to do this, never expected to and so was now unprepared for how to begin. As she stood with a shuddering breath, the other agents in the room tried to prepare themselves for what they were about to hear.
"We," she stopped as her voice failed. She cleared her throat and placed her palms together as she slowly began walking the length of the wall. The distraction of motion gave her just enough confidence to try again. "I...you know I was married before... to Joseph King." She'd reached the end and turned back in the pattern she was to follow throughout her narrative. "Uh, we were happy . . . I thought." She shrugged as if that thought didn't matter. "Philip was born, Joe started law school . . . that's when he started drinking. He - he wasn't a good drunk. He'd throw things. He broke a lot of stuff," she paused as though remembering it all. She breathed deeply before continuing, "He never hit me though. And we still had some really good times, when he was sober. He'd get mad at Philip a lot." She seemed to sense the tension from Lee and quickly added, "He never hurt him, just didn't seem to care for him much . . . his own son," she mused silently. "It was like he somehow blamed him for our lives changing. So when I found out I was pregnant with Jamie, I, well I wasn't sure how he'd react."
The slow pacing of the wall never stopped, though, now she was becoming more animated and gesturing with her hands every now and then. "I'd finally decided I had to tell him. I arranged for Philip to spend the night at a friend's house. I had a romantic dinner all planned . . . candles . . " she smiled softly at the memory and the pacing paused. She shook her head and stared at the pattern of floor tile before resuming her pacing. Lee knew the hard part was coming and tried to brace himself for it.
"He'd already been drinking...a lot. And I think he might've been using drugs. Because he was wild. He came in yelling. I don't remember about what. I just remember being glad I'd sent Philip away and - and afraid of what he was going to do to me. He started knocking things over. Chairs, tables, and he came at me . . . . I have never been so scared in my life . . . . not for me so much. I was afraid for the baby. It was almost as if he knew because he just started punching me. I don't - I don't really remember everything else. Then he was on top of me. Choking me." Her hands unconsciously moved to her neck, "Then all of a sudden, he just collapsed." Silence filled the room as she stood remembering the past.
"I was so stunned and out of breath. I just laid there until a hand reached down to help me up. It was my closest friend at the time, Julie. She lived next door. She'd stopped by to pick up Philip's blanket and had seen what was going on through the window. He'd left the back door open, so she ran in and hit him over the head with one of the silver candlestick holders I'd set the table with. They were heavy . . . and . . . that was that. There was blood all over . . . . head wounds you know . . . . I - we were in shock. Hysterical really. Julie told me to pack a bag and go . . . and I did. She said she'd take care of everything . . . and she did. I went and picked up Philip and left town. I went to Mother and daddy's and never looked back. I always thought Julie killed him that night when she hit him. But I never checked . . . and I never heard from her again."
"I was afraid at first. Then Jamie was born, and he was perfect. Then a year went by and no one came to put me in jail. Then two . . . and I never heard a word. Joe . . . didn't have any family. Time passed and daddy died and we moved and life got better and better and . . . . then there was the train station . . . . and," she shrugged, "here we are. I . . . I never planned on telling you any of this. I just wanted to forget."
She finally stopped pacing and looked at the faces of her co-workers. Instead of finding the expected ridicule and disgust, she saw only compassion and understanding. Francine moved to give her a hug, releasing her as Lee moved to do the same. Billy held back still processing all the information he was soon going to have to take action on.
"So, what you're telling me, Lee, is that you suspect Agent Philip James, is the Backyard Bandit. And Amanda, that Philip James is your ex-husband, Joseph King. Lee nodded and once again took hold of Amanda's hand as she answered, "Yes, sir."
****************
He was going to be ready this time. She wouldn't surprise him again. Neither would any of her friends. He'd surprise them. He knew they'd be looking for them. This was perfect, it was the last place they'd ever think to look for him. He'd been one of them for long enough to know how they thought. 'Hell,' he thought laughing, 'I even trained some of them how to think. Gave 'em all great insights into the criminal mind. If they only knew how 'criminal' my mind really was. Oh man, this is great. I can't believe everything's finally going my way.' With that final thought he began to ready his plans to put it all to an end.
****************
"I mean come on, Billy, think about it. It all fits," Lee stated emphatically.
"Believe me, Scarecrow, I'm on your side, not his. But I'm going to need to have hard proof to make this stick. And I mean hard! Unfortunately that's the one thing in short supply around here. All we've got to go on is gut feelings and speculations." Billy finished in frustration.
Francine cleared her throat, breaking the tense silence that followed Billy's statement. "Billy's right. We need to get proof so
we can put this bastard away, whatever his name is. I'm just wondering Amanda, why didn't you recognize him right off? I would say it's a safe bet he's disguised himself somehow. Was it plastic surgery, what? And why? Did he expect to run into you and not want you to recognize him-"
"Whoa-Francine, slow down. I don't think Amanda has the answers to these questions anymore than you do," Lee said. Then looking at Amanda's bowed head, he finished, "But we'll find out...first, though, Billy I want to get Amanda home. We know now she's a definite target and I'd feel better having the home court advantage on this one. I'd suggest you watch out too Francine. I think James was behind your behind your 'break-in' last night. Though I think it was more for show. I don't think he'll try anything else now that he knows we're on to him...just watch your back, huh?"
Billy nodded his agreement. "I'm with you on that, Lee." Then approaching the two he stopped in front of Amanda to offer his own comforting presence. "Amanda," he began, placing a hand on her shoulder, causing her to look up questioningly into his eyes, "I just want you to know, we're going to take care of this. You're going to be just fine. You're one half of one of my best teams. I'm not going to let that go without a fight. None of us are."
"Thank you, sir," she said with a slight crack in her voice.
She and Lee began moving towards the door when Billy's voice caused them to turn back. "Oh, and Amanda, I want you to know, what you told us here in this room today, stays here."
At the unexpected but not surprising show of friendship, Amanda felt the first real smile, since she'd dredged up the memories of the past, cross her face. She looked briefly from Billy to Francine's sympathetic face and was only slightly surprised to see her nod her agreement. Amanda turned back toward the door as she felt the comforting pressure of Lee's hand on her back. Together they walked silently from the room.
****************
Soon after Lee and Amanda left, Francine's discharge papers were brought up and signed. Together she and Billy headed for the Agency to find out what they could about Joe King, picking up where Amanda's knowledge stopped. After gathering all they could on that subject, they planned to begin the search for the beginnings of Philip James.
****************
As they headed towards the house in Arlington that Lee hoped would bring some comfort to his pensive partner, he could feel her tenseness increase by leaps and bounds. Not sure why the increasing proximity of her home seemed to be affecting her so negatively, he decided for the time being they could wait things out at a more neutral location and immediately changed course, taking them instead to his apartment. As they changed direction he could feel her begin to relax. Though he wondered if she realized it at all. Upon arriving he immediately went to help her out of the car.
"You know," she said, breaking the silence that had enveloped them since leaving the hospital, "Joe never did things like that."
Not knowing whether her mind was at the moment in the past or present, Lee had to ask, "Things like what?"
Looking off into the distance over his shoulder, she answered, "Oh, you know, open my door, hold my chair....hold my hand," she finished looking down to the hand that he now held firmly. Lee looked down also as she continued, "I don't know, maybe I should have taken it as a sign."
Lee looked up at her face again as she continued to stare at nothing. "Hey, come on," he said coaxing her towards the door to the building, "let's go inside. Maybe we'll even find something to eat. I think I may just have a thing or two in my kitchen after going
shopping with a very good friend of mine."
His attempt to lighten her mood did not go unnoticed or unrewarded. Turning to walk with him, she said with a smile, "Boy, you must really be getting desperate if you've stooped to accepting shopping dates. What would Francine think?"
Carrying on the light banter, Lee said, "Aww, I don't know, I think she might actually be starting to approve of this particular
partner." Only upon reaching his front door did he release her hand to let them into the apartment. Once inside, Lee directed Amanda to the couch where he propped up pillows for her and then instructed her to lay down while he went to prepare some lunch for them. Seeing that protesting was getting her nowhere, Amanda gave in and laid back to relax. She listened to him move around in the kitchen and allowed herself to be lulled into a light sleep. She knew the affects of the rush of adrenaline she'd experienced upon realizing who Philip was and the subsequent attack were beginning to leave her. The tiredness she felt was natural along with the aches and pains that were beginning to show up in the places where she'd been hit.
Lee returned in a matter of minutes with two well stacked ham sandwiches, chips, and wine. Hearing him approach, Amanda moved to sit up slowly. Taking in the contents of tray he carried she tilted her head and questioned, "Wine, huh? What exactly are we celebrating?"
"Well, when we went on that little excursion to the supermarket, we forgot to pick me up some 'normal people' beverages. So it's wine for now. Besides, I thought it was appropriate. If we're going to experience a little bit of the normal, I think we should also experience a little of me. You can't expect me to go normal cold-turkey, it could be detrimental to my health."
Amanda held her side as she shook her head and laughed at his reasoning and the fact that he was teasing her about something that had been a concern to her early on in their relationship. "Mmm...I didn't realize I was so hungry." After taking a bite, she sighed in appreciation, " This is really very good, Lee."
He simply smiled and nodded his thanks as for the next few minutes the two friends concentrated on eating and relaxing. As they neared the end of their meal, Amanda caught Lee staring intently at her looking as though he wanted to say something but was afraid. It was the same look Philip or Jamie got when they were about to ask for something they really wanted but were afraid she'd say no to.
Finally she couldn't stand it anymore and asked, "Lee, is there something you want to say?"
He took a deep breath and let it out as he shook his head with wonderment at the fact that she seemed to be reading his mind. "It's just...well, Amanda," he tried again. She waited patiently as she saw him struggling with what he wanted to say, not sure why it seemed to make him so uncomfortable.
"Well what I want to say, is...we're friends, right?" He looked up and waited as she nodded. "Well, I just wanted you to know that. I -you-and well, if you ever needed anything..."
He let the thought hang as he looked down before looking at her face to gauge her reaction.
"You're the first one I'd go to," she said placing her hand on his.
He smiled broadly as he responded by patting her hand and saying, "Good, good. And if there's ever anything you need to talk about. Anything at all. You can tell me, I can handle it."
She smiled shyly at him before looking down, trying to gather her thoughts. "I've never told anyone about Joe before. Other than the fact that I was married and had two kids and my ex-husband works abroad. The truth is...I-I never wanted you to know. At first, I was afraid you'd think I was weak," as he began to protest, she held up her hand to stop him.
"I know that's not true, now. But as time went on, I just wanted to forget. And after meeting you, I almost did. Oh sure, I mean, something would bring it to mind every now and then-"
"Like me hitting you," he growled in self-disgust. "Oh, Amanda, I am so sorry. I never meant it to get that out of hand, I-"
"Hey, hey," she interrupted, reaching out to place a hand on his cheek. As she did, he closed his eyes and leaned into it torturing himself once again with the memory of the case he'd been on when he'd forcefully struck Amanda across the face while undercover.
"I forgave you," her voice interrupted. He opened his eyes to see her staring straight into them, "Now I need you to. Lee, if
you never do anything for me again, please do this one thing. I need my friend, my partner, no regrets. Can you do that? Will you do
that for me?"
Looking into her sincere brown eyes, he saw that they held nothing but admiration. No fear, no contempt. Just....
He suddenly looked away and cleared his throat as he thought he saw something he wasn't quite ready to deal with yet. He wondered briefly if she was able to see the same thing in his eyes. Deciding to move to any other topic, he settled on the first one that came to mind, suddenly wishing he hadn't. "Did you love him?"
Her initial shock at his blatant question showed momentarily on her face before she hid it. "Wh-I-," she stumbled looking for
words.
"I'm sorry," Lee immediately broke in. "That's not what I meant." He sighed, "It's just that I need all the facts to have any chance at catching James-er-Joe. I didn't mean to pry." He looked down at his shoe, suddenly finding it very interesting.
Amanda sat back into the couch cushions as she thought about his question and the reason behind it. She knew he did need certain information considering the turn the case had taken, but would knowing that really help? She didn't know. All she did know was that she trusted the man sitting across from her, studiously peering at his tennis shoe from all possible angles, with her life. Why not her heart? To a certain degree. 'Don't give too much away, Amanda, don't scare him off just yet. Not now when it's just starting to get good.'
Amanda's deep breath brought his eyes back to hers. He could see her struggling with just how much to reveal to him. "I was in love with him." She nodded her head slowly as though trying to convince herself of that fact now. She shrugged, "He's the father of my children...you have to understand, Lee, I remember a time when he was good." She shook her head. "Before whatever, happened, happened. I'm not saying I want to go back..."
Again their eyes met and the desire was evident to each as the room suddenly seemed to glow from the rush of electricity between them. "No," she repeated softly, reaching out unconsciously to wrap his hand in hers. "I don't want to go back."
His slightly self-conscious smile was all the confirmation she needed to see that he understood her meaning and did indeed feel the same way. As he looked down at their intertwining hands, he recalled something she'd once told him. Something about people in love wanting to touch each other. 'It's true,' he thought, 'our bodies know it even if they haven't let us in on the secret. Although, I'm beginning to get the picture.'
Suddenly she was afraid to let the quiet intimacy they were sharing last another second. Worried he might back out, giving her the standard line, she decided to speak first and move them back to safer grounds than the heart. "I think that's why, though."
Her voice brought him back to the present away from his thoughts and he realized he had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. Wanting to get in on the conversation before it was completely lost to him, he asked, "Why, what?"
"Why I wanted to help him when he asked me in that meeting. I recognized something in his eyes...and now I know what," she finished. I didn't recognize him physically. He's changed his appearance somehow. I couldn't tell you how right off hand. Only that he did, but he couldn't hide his eyes."
As she looked deep into the eyes of her partner she thought to herself, 'And neither can you, not for much longer anyway, but I'll back off for now, to give you the time you need. Just don't wait too long.'
****************
At the Agency, Billy and Francine were wading through file after file. Their first attempts to garnish any information were met with futility, in that all they came across was what they already knew.
Francine was the first to point out their lack of progress. "Billy, this is ridiculous. It's almost as if he fell off the face of the earth at the point where Amanda's knowledge of the situation stops!"
The Section Chief sighed in frustration before replying, "I can see that, Francine. But where else can we look? We've searched the obituaries, police reports, and even the newspapers for anything suspicious around the time that Amanda left with the kids....nothing."
Shaking her head in disgust at their apparent dead end, Francine opened her mouth to reply when she suddenly snapped her fingers and said, "What about the neighbor?" At Billy's blank look, she elaborated, "You know, the one Amanda said was babysitting for her. The one who hit Joe with the candlestick....what was her name?"
Billy's face suddenly registered understanding. "Julie. That's right. It's worth a shot. We're not getting anywhere going in the direction we're headed."
"I'll go see if I can get a last name from our computers. I really don't want to have to bother Amanda with any of this unless it's absolutely necessary." She stopped at the door before opening it and turned back to face her boss with an unreadable expression on her face.
"I know I haven't always treated Amanda with...well I haven't...oh let's face it, I've been a world class witch. But all that stops from here on out. She doesn't deserve that kind of treatment. She never did, I guess I was just...jealous."
Billy smiled at his assistant before softly replying, "I can't tell you how happy I am to hear you say that, Francine. And I bet there are a couple of other people who will appreciate it as well."
"You...won't mind keeping this little confession just between us, will you Billy? I mean, I'm going to lose enough dignity as it is, without those two knowing I've been wrong all along. Can't we just chalk this up to feeling guilty about what she's been through?" Francine asked in desperation.
Billy's face showed the genuine happiness he felt as he managed to say with all the seriousness he could muster, "Just between us."
Inside the waiting room on the sixth floor Lee and Billy were pacing until Amanda returned. "Listen, Billy," Lee began, "Amanda and I were going over the old case files of the murders last night and - "
"Oh, working late, good of you to sacrifice, Scarecrow,"
Billy said laughing with his eyes.
Lee gave him a sour look before continuing, "Yes, working. Anyway, I looked through every statement given of every murder and there was no evidence of distinctive movements like James mentioned."
"So?" Billy asked, "If I remember correctly, none of the other cases involved an eye witness."
"Exactly!" Lee said snapping his fingers, "So why suddenly get careless? And I know there were no other eyewitnesses, but in at least a couple of the cases there were shoeprints left in substances that fell to the floor during the attack. And in one case steps were tracked out the door in the victims blood."
"What's your point man? If you got all this from the files, what makes you think James couldn't?" Billy asked.
"The same thought went through my mind last night, but something about that James guy just rubs me the wrong way, so after I put Amanda to bed," at Billy's surprised look he paused then continued, "I slept on the couch - downstairs - " then he shook his head. "The point is, I called Records and found out that James just checked out the preliminary report. The full case report that he had pulled for the assignment packets was handled by Judy in Records and she verifies that he never saw it!"
"Scarecrow. So he had a secretary pull and copy the files for him. That doesn't mean that he hasn't looked at it since."
"But Billy," Lee pressed, "in the meeting yesterday he said the Bandit had claimed 10 victims, beginning in '76."
"So."
"There are only nine victims on record and the first one was documented in '77. That's the same in both the prelim and full case report."
"So he misquoted the facts, he got some wrong information."
"What if it's not wrong information, what if it's inside information."
"What?! Are you implying - "
"Think about it Billy. He states facts contrary to what we know and that whole demonstration with Amanda yesterday. I think the only reason for it was to unnerve her, which it did. She hasn't been the same since. She came into work yesterday looking great and smiling as usual. Then we went to the meeting and she's been looking over her shoulder ever since. She even admitted to being scared last night. Why do you think I spent the night?"
"Scared of what though?" Billy asked with a thoughtful expression.
"I don't know," Lee admitted as he ran his hand through his hair in frustration, not entirely sure he wanted to find out. "Oh, and there's one more thing," he said looking his boss in the eye again, his hand resting at the base of his neck, "when I showed up at Amanda's last night, Francine was there talking with Amanda. They didn't want to tell me about what, in fact I heard Amanda say 'I wouldn't tell Lee'. Francine hurried right off. Billy, I think she went to meet James."
"What time was that?" Billy asked suddenly giving Lee his full attention.
"About 10:00 I'd say."
"Well I want to look into that. Go get Amanda. I want to see how much of your theory she can corroborate."
"You got it," Lee said as he hurried out the door toward room 638.
****************
As Agent James had led Amanda to the elevators, she had been gripped by a sudden fear that she hadn't felt in years. She had mumbled an excuse, yanked her hand from his and run into the bathroom locking the door.
****************
Lee knocked on the door and called, "Francine, it's me. Okay to come in?"
"Come on in, Lee."
He opened the door to find Francine sitting up in bed eating chocolates. "Well, it's not too bad," Lee said tilting his head in examination of her, "looks like you went a little overboard with the eye shadow though," he said pointing to a purple bruise forming over her left eye.
"Ha-ha." Francine returned.
"How are you?" he asked seriously.
"Fine as I can be. I honestly don't remember too much. I had just come home and I hear a sound in the kitchen. It was Buttons. But as I was picking him up, someone hit me from behind. Apparently I hit my eye on the way down," she said touching it gingerly. "Where's Philip? I want to thank him for finding me."
"What?" Lee asked confused. "Philip . . ." The only Philip he knew was Amanda's son, Jamie's brother.
"Yes, Philip James. I could've sworn I heard him right before I blacked out."
Lee's face drained of color. "Philip . . . James . . ." he whispered.
"Lee? What's wrong?" Francine asked in a worried voice.
"Francine, where's Amanda? When'd she leave?"
"Amanda? She was never here. Well not inside anyway. I heard her earlier right outside the door. She said, 'Ouch.' Why?
Lee, what's wrong?"
"Philip James," he repeated, "the names of Amanda's sons, the demonstration yesterday, Amanda afraid, I don't know how yet, but it's all starting to make sense." He ran out the door, gun in hand.
****************
"Come on, Amanda, I don't have all day," James called, "I have to talk to you." She watched in horror as the knob began to turn and the door opened, revealing 'Philip James' smiling face, right hand holding up a lock pick. "Never leave home without it," he said smiling. He held out his hand to her, "Come on now," he coaxed with a toss of his head. She moved obediently towards him apparently having lost all free will.
Lee rounded the corner to see them entering the elevator. "Amanda!" he yelled desperately. James turned to see him standing there, gun drawn. His face contorted in rage and he turned toward Amanda, slapping her roughly across the cheek. The last thing Lee saw before the doors closed was Amanda falling to the floor in a heap.
" 'manda!" he yelled again, willing her to somehow free herself. His panic had left him immobile and too late, he lurched forward banging his fist against the barrier separating him from his partner. He looked up to see which direction the car was going and as soon as the 5 lit up he was through the stairwell door and taking the steps down two at a time. He stepped out of the stairwell to see the elevator continuing down. He ran down the next flight and stopped to check again. He continued this to the ground floor only to see it going one floor lower. As the doors opened in the basement, Lee cautiously approached, gun drawn but held close, as the doors opened he jumped out, weapon first.
Amanda lay on her side in the corner facing the wall. Lee stepped closer and looked around. The ceiling tiles had been removed, revealing James' escape route. Lee forgot about him the second as Amanda moaned, "Oooohh . . .," her voice faded away.
"Amanda," Lee called softly dropping to the ground next to her. He turned her towards him, holding her head in his lap. He heard her sharp intake of breath as he moved her. "Hold on, Amanda," he said, "I'm gonna get help." He leaned a little and pressed the button for the lobby. As the doors closed and they began moving, he took in her bloody nose and lip and the slight discoloration on her left cheekbone. He gently wiped the blood from her mouth with his thumb. He moved his hands down her sides feeling for any broken bones. Finding none, he moved to gently pick her up. When the doors opened, he stepped out into the lobby and walked carefully across the way to the emergency room. "A doctor," he called quietly but firmly, "I need a doctor. I'm a federal agent and I need a doctor."
****************
As he thought about what had gone wrong, he realized he had two problems. First of all, she didn't seem to want to go with him. He couldn't understand it. Hadn't he been everything she ever wanted. She was certainly all he ever wanted. Why couldn't he be enough for her. Why did she always want to change things. 'Stubborn,' he thought, 'she's just so stubborn.' Well he could change that. Especially now that he had leverage. He thought of his other problem. 'He's always around. How am I ever going to get her back if he's always around? I'm just going to have to . . . . get rid of him. I think I can handle that.'
****************
The intern Lee had sent after Billy pointed the pacing man out to the section chief before departing. Billy quickly crossed the distance and asked, "Lee, what's wrong?" Though on taking one look at his top agent's malevolent expression, he suddenly wasn't sure he wanted to know.
"Agent James," was the low, barely controlled response. He stood still now but for the constant clenching and unclenching of his fists that seemed to move in time with the clenching of his jaw.
"What?" asked the confused section chief, "I thought we were going to check with Amanda before going any further with this."
"Check with Amanda," he began in the same low threatening tone, "check with Amanda! You do that Billy!" Careful not to raise his voice too loud, he continued, "You go in there and ask her why James beat her in the elevator and then took off! You do that! Cause I sure as hell wanna know!" At Billy's shocked expression, he took a deep breath and exhaled slowly while looking up at the ceiling. "Aahh . . . Billy, I'm sorry. I don't mean to take this out on you, but when I think of how he HIT her . . . " he again clenched his jaw and dropped his head, leaving the threat unfinished, "Why, why would anyone want to hurt Amanda, Billy? She's the kindest, most loveable person I know . . . and he just - "
Sensing that he was picking up steam again, Billy knew that he had to distract him before he did something rash. He also picked up on the fact that Lee did indeed find Amanda 'loveable'. While tucking that bit of information away for later, he knew he had to handle first things first. "Lee, before I can help you or Amanda, and believe me, I want to, I need to understand the problem. I need you to start at the beginning."
Just then a doctor approached them. "Mr. Stetson?"
"Yes, how is she?"
"She's resting now. She's sustained no lasting injuries, a few minor cuts and bruises . . ." his voice drifted off at Lee's darkening expression. "Uh, if . . . you'd like to see her," he gestured towards the examining area. Lee was moving before the doctor had finished speaking, leaving Billy to answer any questions.
As he approached the curtain she was hidden behind, he could make out muffled murmurings and as he quickly drew back the barrier he found her tossing restlessly before she awakened fully, nearly coming off of the bed.
"Whoa, hey, easy. Amanda, easy, it's me, Lee," he told her soothingly quickly sitting beside her on the bed and rubbing his hands up and down her arms. She only nodded and closed her eyes, taking deep breaths before opening them to look reluctantly into his. He waited patiently.
She looked down again before saying in a near whisper, "I guess we need to talk, huh?"
"Yeah," he responded softly, "I think we do."
"Well, um," she paused to clear her throat, "do you think we could wait until Billy and Francine are with us? I only want to say
this once." She raised her eyes to his again as she waited for his answer.
Smiling sadly at the bruised woman before him, he nodded.
****************
Lee and Amanda had emerged from the examining area to find Billy putting out an APB on Agent James. The three had then made their way silently to Francine's room. Billy led the way, leaving Lee and Amanda to follow at their own pace. Though not a word was said, the comfort she sought and the support he offered were evident to all they passed. She walked next to him, her right hand in his left, her left softly gripping the same arm. His right hand comfortingly covered the hand she had placed on his arm. Leaving them with next to no space between their bodies as they moved down the corridors as one. He wondered if she consciously realized how close they were, and if she welcomed it as much as he did.
Upon entering Francine's room they found her up and dressed. She explained that she was just awaiting her release forms. Taking in the lack of enthusiasm for her release, she scanned the faces of the friends before her. When she came to Amanda's slightly bruised face, she sat down on the bed and silently waited for the explanation. Lee settled Amanda in a chair next to the bed, giving her hands a final comforting squeeze. He then moved away from her needing the physical space to reveal all that he'd informed Billy of just, what felt like hours earlier. After sharing all he'd learned, another silence followed. He looked to Amanda, his expression silently pleading with her to fill in what he couldn't, feeling sure deep down that what she had to say was tied to all he'd found out. She met his eyes briefly as she fought the panic within her. This wasn't how she wanted to do this. She'd never wanted to have to do this, never expected to and so was now unprepared for how to begin. As she stood with a shuddering breath, the other agents in the room tried to prepare themselves for what they were about to hear.
"We," she stopped as her voice failed. She cleared her throat and placed her palms together as she slowly began walking the length of the wall. The distraction of motion gave her just enough confidence to try again. "I...you know I was married before... to Joseph King." She'd reached the end and turned back in the pattern she was to follow throughout her narrative. "Uh, we were happy . . . I thought." She shrugged as if that thought didn't matter. "Philip was born, Joe started law school . . . that's when he started drinking. He - he wasn't a good drunk. He'd throw things. He broke a lot of stuff," she paused as though remembering it all. She breathed deeply before continuing, "He never hit me though. And we still had some really good times, when he was sober. He'd get mad at Philip a lot." She seemed to sense the tension from Lee and quickly added, "He never hurt him, just didn't seem to care for him much . . . his own son," she mused silently. "It was like he somehow blamed him for our lives changing. So when I found out I was pregnant with Jamie, I, well I wasn't sure how he'd react."
The slow pacing of the wall never stopped, though, now she was becoming more animated and gesturing with her hands every now and then. "I'd finally decided I had to tell him. I arranged for Philip to spend the night at a friend's house. I had a romantic dinner all planned . . . candles . . " she smiled softly at the memory and the pacing paused. She shook her head and stared at the pattern of floor tile before resuming her pacing. Lee knew the hard part was coming and tried to brace himself for it.
"He'd already been drinking...a lot. And I think he might've been using drugs. Because he was wild. He came in yelling. I don't remember about what. I just remember being glad I'd sent Philip away and - and afraid of what he was going to do to me. He started knocking things over. Chairs, tables, and he came at me . . . . I have never been so scared in my life . . . . not for me so much. I was afraid for the baby. It was almost as if he knew because he just started punching me. I don't - I don't really remember everything else. Then he was on top of me. Choking me." Her hands unconsciously moved to her neck, "Then all of a sudden, he just collapsed." Silence filled the room as she stood remembering the past.
"I was so stunned and out of breath. I just laid there until a hand reached down to help me up. It was my closest friend at the time, Julie. She lived next door. She'd stopped by to pick up Philip's blanket and had seen what was going on through the window. He'd left the back door open, so she ran in and hit him over the head with one of the silver candlestick holders I'd set the table with. They were heavy . . . and . . . that was that. There was blood all over . . . . head wounds you know . . . . I - we were in shock. Hysterical really. Julie told me to pack a bag and go . . . and I did. She said she'd take care of everything . . . and she did. I went and picked up Philip and left town. I went to Mother and daddy's and never looked back. I always thought Julie killed him that night when she hit him. But I never checked . . . and I never heard from her again."
"I was afraid at first. Then Jamie was born, and he was perfect. Then a year went by and no one came to put me in jail. Then two . . . and I never heard a word. Joe . . . didn't have any family. Time passed and daddy died and we moved and life got better and better and . . . . then there was the train station . . . . and," she shrugged, "here we are. I . . . I never planned on telling you any of this. I just wanted to forget."
She finally stopped pacing and looked at the faces of her co-workers. Instead of finding the expected ridicule and disgust, she saw only compassion and understanding. Francine moved to give her a hug, releasing her as Lee moved to do the same. Billy held back still processing all the information he was soon going to have to take action on.
"So, what you're telling me, Lee, is that you suspect Agent Philip James, is the Backyard Bandit. And Amanda, that Philip James is your ex-husband, Joseph King. Lee nodded and once again took hold of Amanda's hand as she answered, "Yes, sir."
****************
He was going to be ready this time. She wouldn't surprise him again. Neither would any of her friends. He'd surprise them. He knew they'd be looking for them. This was perfect, it was the last place they'd ever think to look for him. He'd been one of them for long enough to know how they thought. 'Hell,' he thought laughing, 'I even trained some of them how to think. Gave 'em all great insights into the criminal mind. If they only knew how 'criminal' my mind really was. Oh man, this is great. I can't believe everything's finally going my way.' With that final thought he began to ready his plans to put it all to an end.
****************
"I mean come on, Billy, think about it. It all fits," Lee stated emphatically.
"Believe me, Scarecrow, I'm on your side, not his. But I'm going to need to have hard proof to make this stick. And I mean hard! Unfortunately that's the one thing in short supply around here. All we've got to go on is gut feelings and speculations." Billy finished in frustration.
Francine cleared her throat, breaking the tense silence that followed Billy's statement. "Billy's right. We need to get proof so
we can put this bastard away, whatever his name is. I'm just wondering Amanda, why didn't you recognize him right off? I would say it's a safe bet he's disguised himself somehow. Was it plastic surgery, what? And why? Did he expect to run into you and not want you to recognize him-"
"Whoa-Francine, slow down. I don't think Amanda has the answers to these questions anymore than you do," Lee said. Then looking at Amanda's bowed head, he finished, "But we'll find out...first, though, Billy I want to get Amanda home. We know now she's a definite target and I'd feel better having the home court advantage on this one. I'd suggest you watch out too Francine. I think James was behind your behind your 'break-in' last night. Though I think it was more for show. I don't think he'll try anything else now that he knows we're on to him...just watch your back, huh?"
Billy nodded his agreement. "I'm with you on that, Lee." Then approaching the two he stopped in front of Amanda to offer his own comforting presence. "Amanda," he began, placing a hand on her shoulder, causing her to look up questioningly into his eyes, "I just want you to know, we're going to take care of this. You're going to be just fine. You're one half of one of my best teams. I'm not going to let that go without a fight. None of us are."
"Thank you, sir," she said with a slight crack in her voice.
She and Lee began moving towards the door when Billy's voice caused them to turn back. "Oh, and Amanda, I want you to know, what you told us here in this room today, stays here."
At the unexpected but not surprising show of friendship, Amanda felt the first real smile, since she'd dredged up the memories of the past, cross her face. She looked briefly from Billy to Francine's sympathetic face and was only slightly surprised to see her nod her agreement. Amanda turned back toward the door as she felt the comforting pressure of Lee's hand on her back. Together they walked silently from the room.
****************
Soon after Lee and Amanda left, Francine's discharge papers were brought up and signed. Together she and Billy headed for the Agency to find out what they could about Joe King, picking up where Amanda's knowledge stopped. After gathering all they could on that subject, they planned to begin the search for the beginnings of Philip James.
****************
As they headed towards the house in Arlington that Lee hoped would bring some comfort to his pensive partner, he could feel her tenseness increase by leaps and bounds. Not sure why the increasing proximity of her home seemed to be affecting her so negatively, he decided for the time being they could wait things out at a more neutral location and immediately changed course, taking them instead to his apartment. As they changed direction he could feel her begin to relax. Though he wondered if she realized it at all. Upon arriving he immediately went to help her out of the car.
"You know," she said, breaking the silence that had enveloped them since leaving the hospital, "Joe never did things like that."
Not knowing whether her mind was at the moment in the past or present, Lee had to ask, "Things like what?"
Looking off into the distance over his shoulder, she answered, "Oh, you know, open my door, hold my chair....hold my hand," she finished looking down to the hand that he now held firmly. Lee looked down also as she continued, "I don't know, maybe I should have taken it as a sign."
Lee looked up at her face again as she continued to stare at nothing. "Hey, come on," he said coaxing her towards the door to the building, "let's go inside. Maybe we'll even find something to eat. I think I may just have a thing or two in my kitchen after going
shopping with a very good friend of mine."
His attempt to lighten her mood did not go unnoticed or unrewarded. Turning to walk with him, she said with a smile, "Boy, you must really be getting desperate if you've stooped to accepting shopping dates. What would Francine think?"
Carrying on the light banter, Lee said, "Aww, I don't know, I think she might actually be starting to approve of this particular
partner." Only upon reaching his front door did he release her hand to let them into the apartment. Once inside, Lee directed Amanda to the couch where he propped up pillows for her and then instructed her to lay down while he went to prepare some lunch for them. Seeing that protesting was getting her nowhere, Amanda gave in and laid back to relax. She listened to him move around in the kitchen and allowed herself to be lulled into a light sleep. She knew the affects of the rush of adrenaline she'd experienced upon realizing who Philip was and the subsequent attack were beginning to leave her. The tiredness she felt was natural along with the aches and pains that were beginning to show up in the places where she'd been hit.
Lee returned in a matter of minutes with two well stacked ham sandwiches, chips, and wine. Hearing him approach, Amanda moved to sit up slowly. Taking in the contents of tray he carried she tilted her head and questioned, "Wine, huh? What exactly are we celebrating?"
"Well, when we went on that little excursion to the supermarket, we forgot to pick me up some 'normal people' beverages. So it's wine for now. Besides, I thought it was appropriate. If we're going to experience a little bit of the normal, I think we should also experience a little of me. You can't expect me to go normal cold-turkey, it could be detrimental to my health."
Amanda held her side as she shook her head and laughed at his reasoning and the fact that he was teasing her about something that had been a concern to her early on in their relationship. "Mmm...I didn't realize I was so hungry." After taking a bite, she sighed in appreciation, " This is really very good, Lee."
He simply smiled and nodded his thanks as for the next few minutes the two friends concentrated on eating and relaxing. As they neared the end of their meal, Amanda caught Lee staring intently at her looking as though he wanted to say something but was afraid. It was the same look Philip or Jamie got when they were about to ask for something they really wanted but were afraid she'd say no to.
Finally she couldn't stand it anymore and asked, "Lee, is there something you want to say?"
He took a deep breath and let it out as he shook his head with wonderment at the fact that she seemed to be reading his mind. "It's just...well, Amanda," he tried again. She waited patiently as she saw him struggling with what he wanted to say, not sure why it seemed to make him so uncomfortable.
"Well what I want to say, is...we're friends, right?" He looked up and waited as she nodded. "Well, I just wanted you to know that. I -you-and well, if you ever needed anything..."
He let the thought hang as he looked down before looking at her face to gauge her reaction.
"You're the first one I'd go to," she said placing her hand on his.
He smiled broadly as he responded by patting her hand and saying, "Good, good. And if there's ever anything you need to talk about. Anything at all. You can tell me, I can handle it."
She smiled shyly at him before looking down, trying to gather her thoughts. "I've never told anyone about Joe before. Other than the fact that I was married and had two kids and my ex-husband works abroad. The truth is...I-I never wanted you to know. At first, I was afraid you'd think I was weak," as he began to protest, she held up her hand to stop him.
"I know that's not true, now. But as time went on, I just wanted to forget. And after meeting you, I almost did. Oh sure, I mean, something would bring it to mind every now and then-"
"Like me hitting you," he growled in self-disgust. "Oh, Amanda, I am so sorry. I never meant it to get that out of hand, I-"
"Hey, hey," she interrupted, reaching out to place a hand on his cheek. As she did, he closed his eyes and leaned into it torturing himself once again with the memory of the case he'd been on when he'd forcefully struck Amanda across the face while undercover.
"I forgave you," her voice interrupted. He opened his eyes to see her staring straight into them, "Now I need you to. Lee, if
you never do anything for me again, please do this one thing. I need my friend, my partner, no regrets. Can you do that? Will you do
that for me?"
Looking into her sincere brown eyes, he saw that they held nothing but admiration. No fear, no contempt. Just....
He suddenly looked away and cleared his throat as he thought he saw something he wasn't quite ready to deal with yet. He wondered briefly if she was able to see the same thing in his eyes. Deciding to move to any other topic, he settled on the first one that came to mind, suddenly wishing he hadn't. "Did you love him?"
Her initial shock at his blatant question showed momentarily on her face before she hid it. "Wh-I-," she stumbled looking for
words.
"I'm sorry," Lee immediately broke in. "That's not what I meant." He sighed, "It's just that I need all the facts to have any chance at catching James-er-Joe. I didn't mean to pry." He looked down at his shoe, suddenly finding it very interesting.
Amanda sat back into the couch cushions as she thought about his question and the reason behind it. She knew he did need certain information considering the turn the case had taken, but would knowing that really help? She didn't know. All she did know was that she trusted the man sitting across from her, studiously peering at his tennis shoe from all possible angles, with her life. Why not her heart? To a certain degree. 'Don't give too much away, Amanda, don't scare him off just yet. Not now when it's just starting to get good.'
Amanda's deep breath brought his eyes back to hers. He could see her struggling with just how much to reveal to him. "I was in love with him." She nodded her head slowly as though trying to convince herself of that fact now. She shrugged, "He's the father of my children...you have to understand, Lee, I remember a time when he was good." She shook her head. "Before whatever, happened, happened. I'm not saying I want to go back..."
Again their eyes met and the desire was evident to each as the room suddenly seemed to glow from the rush of electricity between them. "No," she repeated softly, reaching out unconsciously to wrap his hand in hers. "I don't want to go back."
His slightly self-conscious smile was all the confirmation she needed to see that he understood her meaning and did indeed feel the same way. As he looked down at their intertwining hands, he recalled something she'd once told him. Something about people in love wanting to touch each other. 'It's true,' he thought, 'our bodies know it even if they haven't let us in on the secret. Although, I'm beginning to get the picture.'
Suddenly she was afraid to let the quiet intimacy they were sharing last another second. Worried he might back out, giving her the standard line, she decided to speak first and move them back to safer grounds than the heart. "I think that's why, though."
Her voice brought him back to the present away from his thoughts and he realized he had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. Wanting to get in on the conversation before it was completely lost to him, he asked, "Why, what?"
"Why I wanted to help him when he asked me in that meeting. I recognized something in his eyes...and now I know what," she finished. I didn't recognize him physically. He's changed his appearance somehow. I couldn't tell you how right off hand. Only that he did, but he couldn't hide his eyes."
As she looked deep into the eyes of her partner she thought to herself, 'And neither can you, not for much longer anyway, but I'll back off for now, to give you the time you need. Just don't wait too long.'
****************
At the Agency, Billy and Francine were wading through file after file. Their first attempts to garnish any information were met with futility, in that all they came across was what they already knew.
Francine was the first to point out their lack of progress. "Billy, this is ridiculous. It's almost as if he fell off the face of the earth at the point where Amanda's knowledge of the situation stops!"
The Section Chief sighed in frustration before replying, "I can see that, Francine. But where else can we look? We've searched the obituaries, police reports, and even the newspapers for anything suspicious around the time that Amanda left with the kids....nothing."
Shaking her head in disgust at their apparent dead end, Francine opened her mouth to reply when she suddenly snapped her fingers and said, "What about the neighbor?" At Billy's blank look, she elaborated, "You know, the one Amanda said was babysitting for her. The one who hit Joe with the candlestick....what was her name?"
Billy's face suddenly registered understanding. "Julie. That's right. It's worth a shot. We're not getting anywhere going in the direction we're headed."
"I'll go see if I can get a last name from our computers. I really don't want to have to bother Amanda with any of this unless it's absolutely necessary." She stopped at the door before opening it and turned back to face her boss with an unreadable expression on her face.
"I know I haven't always treated Amanda with...well I haven't...oh let's face it, I've been a world class witch. But all that stops from here on out. She doesn't deserve that kind of treatment. She never did, I guess I was just...jealous."
Billy smiled at his assistant before softly replying, "I can't tell you how happy I am to hear you say that, Francine. And I bet there are a couple of other people who will appreciate it as well."
"You...won't mind keeping this little confession just between us, will you Billy? I mean, I'm going to lose enough dignity as it is, without those two knowing I've been wrong all along. Can't we just chalk this up to feeling guilty about what she's been through?" Francine asked in desperation.
Billy's face showed the genuine happiness he felt as he managed to say with all the seriousness he could muster, "Just between us."