Rating: G
Time Frame: Summer 1985, between
the second and third season.
Date Written: May-July 4th
2001
Disclaimer: The characters of Scarecrow and Mrs.
King are the property of Warner Brothers & Shoot The Moon Productions. This story however belongs to the author and
is for entertainment purposes only. No
infringement of rights is intended.
Summary: Visit Boston with Lee
and Amanda. They look up old friends
and prevent a threat to national security during the Fourth of July
week.
Feedback: Yes, please. Sandra_mirage@hotmail.com
Author's Note: With sincere thanks to a special friend, for her encouragement to write my second fan
fiction.
As well as the insight she provided by being
my beta reader.
Assignment
In Boston
The agents sat in the
conference room looking at photos of some of the most prominent cryptologist in
the nation. These men were responsible
for scrambling, coding and decoding all our communications systems from the
phones in the Oval Office to military maneuvers out in the field.
The Section Chief Billy
Melrose reviewed the facts with Lee Stetson and Amanda King. " One by one, they have gone missing for
days at a time, only to return with no recollection of where they were or who
they were with. National security may
have been compromised."
Lee returned the
photographs of the missing men and commented, " It' s a good thing that these
communications projects are so classified that no one person knows all the
algorithms that encrypt messages or has knowledge of all the decryption keys."
" The first two missing
men worked at the Pentagon. Our intelligence tells us the third man on their
team, a civilian, mathematician Dr. Jeffrey Ferguson, could be involved or be
the next target. He is currently a
professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology ."
Billy, feeling somewhat
uncomfortable, shuffled his feet and continued, " Amanda, this may be more
difficult than your previous assignments. The dossier on Ferguson had this
photograph in it." He placed the photo
before them of Amanda in full evening attire, with Dr. Ferguson in a tux, his
arms firmly around her waist. " Looks
like we're asking you to rekindle an old romance, if you' re willing to see him
again."
" I' m ready sir, what
do you want me to do?"
" I want you and Lee to
head up to Boston, and find out what Dr. Ferguson has been up to, where and who
he spends his time with, any suspicious characters that could be connected to
groups that would want to compromise national security."
Later that day on the
shuttle up to Boston, Lee stretched his
long legs in the aisle and wondered about
that intriguing photo and what
other surprises his partner had kept
well hidden.
" Well, Amanda, are you
going to tell me about your relationship with Jeffrey Ferguson?"
" No."
" What do you mean NO?"
" Let's just say, on a
need to know basis, you don' t need to know."
Flustered, Lee ran his
left hand through his hair and thought back to how Amanda had a knack of
attracting the most unlikely admirers, James Delano, David Benson, Alan
Squires, Bryce Topping, Byron Jordan, the latter resulting in her being
arrested for his murder.
" At least tell me how
you met him."
" Would you believe
standing on a train station platform?"
" Amanda, be serious, I
really want to know."
" When Jeff worked for
the Department Of Defense, he lived in Arlington, at 4245 Maplewood Drive."
" Oh, I see," he
paused, not wanting to sound too relieved and looking for the right words
before he continued.
" You two were never
involved then, you were just neighbors."
With that erroneous
comment from her partner, Amanda smiled sweetly content to let Lee believe what
he wanted. After all, he really didn't have a need to know.
She fondly remembered
the summer of 1982, three years ago, both she and Jeffrey being newly
single. She had just recently been
divorced and did not want to become involved in another relationship so soon. There were family outings with Jamie and
Philip and Jeffrey' s two boys. They
had been friends for years, and only
began to date when it was almost time for him to move on.
The sounds of the plane
landing brought both of them back to the present. Logan Airport may only be four miles from downtown Boston, but
traffic funneling through the Callahan and Sumner tunnels was always a
nightmare. They stood on line for a
taxi to head downtown towards Boston Common and the oldest continuously
operating hotel in America, the Parker House.
Lee commented, " Not much sense renting a car
in Boston. All the streets are one way in the wrong direction. Ever hear the expression ' You can 't get
there from here?' This is where it
originated."
Amanda chuckled, " For
a man who has proven his driving skills in LeMans and Monaco it just strikes me
kind of strange that you would not want to rent a car in Boston."
He lowered his voice to
be sure no one could hear him before replying,
" Agency manual, section 15, paragraph 6, A good agent assesses the
situation, and sets boundaries before proceeding with a scenario. I' ll leave
driving here to the professionals, the taxi drivers that know all the side
streets and how to get around these cow paths."
" Cow paths?"
" Sure, none of these
Boston streets line up. When this was all pasture, they built the streets and
buildings around the already established cow paths."
After checking in to
adjacent rooms, they agreed to meet in an hour for dinner and to plan a
strategy. They walked through the winding streets to the North End. Amanda
asked where they were going, and was surprised when Lee said he didn' t know.
" Trust me, Amanda, you
will know it when you see it or when you smell it."
Lee explained how the
North End had dozens of Italian restaurants.
" All we have to do is start walking down the street; whichever place
catches your eye, or pleases your nose, that' s where we will stop for
dinner." Each one looked inviting. Some had Italian melodies wafting through
the air. Some had men speaking Italian gathered around outdoor café tables.
Distinctive aromas filled the air and made the choice difficult. They passed
ristoranti, trattoria, patisserie, cafés. There were long lines to head
upstairs at Felicia's, and across the street Villa Francesca serenaded patrons.
Facing Paul Revere' s house was Mama Maria.
Some establishments like The European had been serving meals since
1917. Old world charm was found at
Lucia' s where they ultimately enjoyed a very fine dinner.
The next day, they put
their plan into motion. She took the
red line from Park Street four stops
into Cambridge. ' So this is the first
subway system in the country' she thought as the train headed outbound. They had researched and investigated leads
before Amanda called the professor to let him know she was in town. He had been delighted to hear from his old
friend. Her assignment would be to keep him occupied and distracted while Lee
swept through the professor' s home and office for clues.
With a youthful bounce
in his step and a glint in his eye, Jeffrey greeted Amanda at the " Out of
Town" news kiosk. With so many foreign exchange students, lecturers, scientist
and professors, this was a well-know spot literally in the center of Harvard
Square. Each country seemed well
represented here in print as well as in
person. They were surrounded by
numerous bookstores facing the square and coffee houses where students wearing
crimson shirts with " Harvard' printed across them could sit for hours. Only steps from Harvard University, this had
been a gathering spot since 1636, before there was a United States of America.
As they chatted about
what their families were doing these days, they meandered through the crowds up
Brattle Street, till they reached #56, the Blacksmith House Bakery Café. There was a six-month waiting list to attend
the cooking classes that were held here in the evenings.
Amanda looked at the
display case " Everything looks so good, so colorful, it makes it hard to
narrow it down to just one."
Jeff pointed to the
pastry. " Why don' t we split that raspberry Linzor Torte, and that chocolate
apricot concoction that you once attempted to make, the Sacher Torte." Amanda nodded in agreement and he
continued. " We can imagine ourselves
in Austria, surrounded by the sound of music. Let' s pick one of the outdoor
tables and you can tell me what brings you up to New England."
" So much has changed
in my life since you left Arlington. For the past two years I' ve been working
for International Federal Film. I' ve
been pretty lucky. You see this past year they sent me to Salzburg. I finally
got to see those hills and now,"
smiling and looking directly into her companion' s eyes she continued, " I get to look up an old friend and see
Boston too."
" Whatever it is you'
re doing in Boston, I' m just glad you're here. Tell me about the project you' re working on?"
" I'm in Boston for a
documentary celebrating the 100th birthday of the Boston Pops. I' m really
looking forward to seeing John Williams conduct the 4th of July concert on the
Esplanade. Last year I saw it broadcast live on TV- I never thought I would
actually get to see it in person."
They remembered taking
the boys to see " ET" back in 1982, and spoke of how John Williams had composed
that music, and the music for so many memorable films like " Star Wars," " Close Encounters of the Third Kind," " Superman," " Raiders of the Lost
Arc," and probably the most
recognizable music of all, "
Jaws". With 14 academy award
nominations and eight Grammy awards on his resume, last year Williams took over
the roll of conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra.
Jeffrey told her about
the all day event, the Harborfest. All the boats in the Charles River anchored
for hours ahead of time to get a good position. The parks along the Charles
River provided a place for joggers, skateboarders, bikers, and picnickers. It
was Boston's back yard. Outdoor concerts under the stars were scheduled throughout
the summer at the Hatch Memorial Shell. With ' Pops goes the fourth' being the
most anticipated event of all.
" I remember how much
you enjoyed all the stories I told
about the years I lived in Boston. Now
you get to see those places for yourself."
Sipping his coffee, he continued,
"You were an American Lit major in college, right?"
"I' m surprised you
remembered that."
" Amanda, that' s why I
wanted you to meet me in Harvard Square. This is the ' Village Blacksmith'
house that Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote about- that stone commemorates the
famous chestnut tree that once was."
" Oh, 'Under a spreading chestnut tree, The
village smithy stands' of course I remember.
Does that mean we're on the same street as Longfellow's house?"
" Not only Longfellow
but Julia Childs' house is just around
the corner. Did you know that she was a
spy?"
Amanda nearly choked on
her torte. " Sure Jeff, I knew that. Didn't she steel secrets from the world' s
greatest chefs?"
" Julia Child at 73 is
still making regular TV appearances for WGBH, the Boston PBS station that
produced ' The French Chef'. She
attended Smith College, and then worked in NYC for a few years. By 1942 she was ready to see the world, and
managed to secure a job with the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) in
Washington. During WWII, she was able
to get strategic information in and out of some pretty sticky places like
China. Who would have guessed that? Julia Child is the last person I would ever
suspect of being a government agent."
Amanda thought changing
the subject seemed the safest way around this turn of the conversation. " Tell
me about your work at MIT, are things working out the way you wanted them to?"
After coffee they went
up to 105 Brattle Street. Where the National Parks Service gave guided tours of
the home where Longfellow lived and wrote from 1843 till his death in
1882. They walked along the narrow red
carpet runners placed on top of the original carpets to protect them. On
display were the furnishings, and his treasured possessions.
The music room featured
a grand Steinway piano. In the library
the four walls were lined with bookcases displaying the complete works of all
his favorite authors. Busts were placed
above each bookcase to identify which author was contained within. The spreading chestnut tree that once
inspired him had been handcrafted into an impressive chair that dominated the
room. It had been a gift from the Cambridge schoolchildren. The bookshop offered his books and poems,
selling many copies of the "Midnight Ride of Paul Revere."
On the lawn, chairs
were being arranged for the " summer in the garden" series of concerts. They
enjoyed the featured cellist performing Don Quixote opus 35, and Schoenberg concerto
in D major. When they parted, Amanda
thanked him for a delightful and informative afternoon, and they made plans to
meet again the next evening.
Back at the hotel, Lee
and Amanda compared notes of what they
had learned that day. Jeff seemed oblivious to any possible dangers; there were
no new people in his life of whom to be suspicious. Lee had delivered film to the Boston office to be developed so
it could be analyzed. He did not see
any reason to tell her about Teri.
After all, if she got to spend time with an old friend, he should get
the same opportunity. Lee had decided
to look up an agent he had ' worked closely'
with when she was on a special assignment in D.C. Teri Ryan was originally from Boston. They
had not seen each other in two years but he remembered her inviting smile,
assorted freckles and long red hair vividly. He called her office number
earlier today and she agreed to meet him for dinner tomorrow night.
Lee and Amanda walked
through the narrow streets to Fanuiel Hall and the once abandoned Quincy Market
that had contained provisioning and meat packing buildings. Since the bicentennial celebration in 1976
this area had blossomed into the focal point of Boston nightlife. Three long
buildings now contained shops and
restaurants, pubs, comedy clubs, and still a meeting hall under the rotunda for
dissidents to proclaim their beliefs.
Crowds of all ages gathered at this junction. On the second floor of the center building they had window seats
in La Crepe.
Amanda tasted her
delicately stuffed crepe "This Veal Marengo is delicious, I' m glad we came
here. I always enjoy having window seats and watching the people go by."
" This area used to be
deserted, now it' s so active." Lee
remembered a recent article in the newspaper and continued, " Because of the
success of revitalizing the waterfront area here, other places like Baltimore
and Miami are devising plans to do the same thing with their harbor front
property."
They enjoyed a quiet
French dinner. Afterwards they walked
past Frog Lane, Crickets, Salty Dog, Black Goose, music filling the night air
from the from the piano bar. They
stopped to pick up some freshly baked cookies, they could see being removed
from the oven at the Boston Chipyard.
On the way back to the
hotel they walked past a clear glass-enclosed florist shop in front of the
market, which added a colorful flare of balloons and fragrant flowers. As they approached BOSTIX they checked to
see what entertainment was in town. One
could choose between ' A Chorus Line' and ' Cats' for proven Broadway
successes, or check out Broadway-bound ' A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To
The Forum' starring Mickey Rooney or ' Little Shop of Horrors' staring Audrey a fast-growing people-loving plant.
The next morning Lee
and Amanda headed over to the Aquarium to meet a contact. Near the front entrance, the harbor seal spoke to them in a deep
growling voice " Hello There." Amanda
looked around. " Did you here that? Who said that?" It was common knowledge among the natives that Hoover had been
taking visitors by surprise saying
'Hello There' for the past 14 years.
" This is a pretty big
place, where are we supposed to meet?"
" The note didn' t say.
We will just have to pretend to be tourist, until we are contacted."
They spent the next
hour going up through floors of exhibits and heading towards the ramp that
surrounded the four-story center tank.
Circling down they watched the divers feed the vast array of fish as the
tortoises and sharks swam by. They
descended to the Penguin habitat, which became quite noisy as they yelped at
one another. It was time to catch the
show on board the permanently anchored ' Discovery' ship. They exited the main building. The docks to the right were for harbor
cruises and whale-watching tours, and signs pointed to the Discovery ship being
docked to the left.
The center of the ship
had been converted into a huge tank; stadium-style seating had been created
facing the center from both ends.
Amanda tugged on Lee' s arm as he proceeded to head for the front
rows. " Lets go back up to the sixth row,
unless you want to get wet." He gave
her a questioning look, and Amanda explained " I' d like to get up close to the
dolphins, but some of these benches have water droplets. Looks like the first five rows are the
splash zone- that wouldn' t be good for the camera." The trainer appeared and within minutes the Dolphins were literally
jumping through hoops. In keeping with her cover, Amanda began snapping photos.
As the dolphins jumped
and played ball, Lee had to agree, " Looks like you were right. Those people in
the front rows are constantly being splashed." As the show ended the commotion of 400 people standing at once
blocked any clear views of one' s actions. The young man sitting on the other
side of Amanda told her " You dropped this" as he placed a roll of exposed film
in the outside pocket of her camera bag and continued to exit. Lee nodded his
acceptance before Amanda could respond.
Following his cue she quietly packed up the camera bag and they exited
as well.
" Oh my gosh, he was
sitting next to me that whole time and I never knew it."
" It' s ok, you were
never in any danger. That was a clean drop."
" What do we do next?"
I' ll take this over to
the Boston office to be developed, and pick up the prints from yesterday." Knowing Teri would be there he really didn'
t want to have Amanda tag along. "Why
don' t you take a few hours off before you meet the doctor? There must be something you want to see up
here that you haven 't seen yet?"
" I was wondering if it
was true what I heard about Filenes basement.
They get close-outs of famous designers at bargain prices. The price tag
has dates on it, and each week the price goes down. Anything not sold at 25% of
the original price is given away to charity. Nothing stays more than three
weeks. I saw it on a news show once."
" Yes Amanda it s true,
sort of a reverse auction, no guarantee you would ever see the same item
again. Women have been known to change
clothes in the aisles."
"I wonder if outlet
shopping will ever catch on around the rest of the country?"
The boys in the lab
told Lee the film would be ready later that day, and that he could pick it up
after four o'clock. He picked up the
first batch of prints and called Billy to give him a progress report. At four he picked up this morning' s photos
from the drop. Teri joined him as he looked over the prints. She recognized some landmarks in the photos
as being from Rockport. He recognized
the mathematicians that had been missing. It had been a productive afternoon,
and an enjoyable dinner, but it did not quite measure up to his
expectations. Somehow it just didn' t
feel as comfortable as it once had. He
made his excuses, and said good night.
At the hotel he made arrangements for a car to be available to head
fifty miles northeast in the morning.
Amanda was meeting
Jeffrey in the lobby of her hotel, the Parker House and dining in its 'Last
Hurrah'. They were seated at a corner
table far enough away from the band so they could continue to talk and catch up
on old times. He explained how this was
once the meeting place of the Saturday Club, a literary association that
included Ralph Waldo Emerson, Oliver Wendall Holmes, Henry David Theoreau,
Louisa May Alcott, Longfellow, and even Charles Dickens when he visited
America.
He told her " There' s
an old saying in Washington success is measured by one' s influence, in New
York by one' s wealth, in Boston by one's knowledge."
" That must be why
there are so many colleges and universities here."
" And authors, literary
giants have always been well-respected here."
The waiter left a
basket of the square Parker House rolls. Jeffrey told her how the rolls
originated here at this hotel, as well as Boston crème pie, which is really a
yellow cake with crème filling for the center, covered with chocolate. The " big band" music of the 40' s played on while Amanda and Jeffrey
reminisced.
" I' m flattered that
you remembered how much I enjoyed the old swing music, and my Harry James & Benny Goodman records."
" Amanda, your
impromptu gatherings with the old records playing, and Trivial Pursuit nights
were always a lot of fun, some of the better memories that I have of
Arlington."
" I learned a lot about
Boston on those nights. The nation's
first university is Harvard; the oldest public park is Boston Common. I always thought you would return, it was
just a question of when."
" Funny you could see
how much I wanted to return home, and my own wife could not." Jeffrey wistfully
remembered those days. He reached for
her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze before he continued. " All those years
living next door to one another, and we never knew how much we really had in
common. We pretended to be strong for
our families' sakes, but it was a very lonely time."
Nodding in agreement,
Amanda told him, " You never knew how much your divorce affected me. When you
had the courage to divorce Susan, I realized I was living in limbo too. There were no guarantees that Joe would ever
come home to stay. I realized my life
had been on hold. There had to be more out of life than waiting years to figure
out how I fit into someone else' s plans."
Slowly sipping her wine, collecting her thoughts she continued, " I kept wondering is that all there
is. When would it be my turn to
contribute, to make a difference, I wanted to be more then I was."
" It looks like your
new job came around at just the right time."
" Yeah, you could say
so, I was really ready for a change."
" How did you wind up
working for a film company?"
" I guess I was in the
right place a the right time when they needed someone."
" Amanda, you seem to
make a habit of being in the right place at the right time. When Susan left me to go ' find
herself' I had no idea how I would
manage being a single parent for two young boys. Having you there, along with your boys really did make a
difference."
" We did have some very
special times together didn' t we?"
Remembering a night when the four boys were camping out in the
backyard. It started to rain
heavily. Amanda came over to bring the
boys home, but they insisted she promised they could go camping that
weekend. So they set up a dry tent in
the empty dining room. While Amanda and
Jeffrey made themselves comfortable in his family room, eventually she fell
asleep. Amanda was surprised how
relaxed she felt when she woke up on the sofa to the sound of four boys playing
in the next room. ' This is the way a
family should be. Jeff is such a good
father to his boys, and always around when I need an extra hand.'
Even though her divorce
had been final for a few months, part of her still loved Joe. This was the morning when she realized she
no longer was in love with Joe. ' How
could I feel so comfortable with another man?'
There had been days at a time when she would not even think of Joe. Now she noticed it had been weeks without
any reminders of him at all. It felt
right to move on with her life, she was ready to begin dating again.
She finally understood
Amanda and Joe King were ancient history. It became quite clear that she was
attracted to Jeff, even though she knew there would be no future for them
either. He would be moving out of
state at the end of the summer. At
least they would have a chance to attend that charity event at the Kennedy
Center. There was a long black dress in
the back of her closet she had not worn in years. This would be a formal event
next weekend and she was looking forward to it.
Lee returned to the
hotel and watched the couple from a far.
At first he thought about going over to introduce himself as Amanda' s
producer and probably to join them.
Then his keen agent skills took over and he noticed the way they sat,
closer than they needed to be, the eye contact never broken between them,
Jeffrey' s hands were securely resting upon hers. They looked like a couple involved in an intimate situation and
no third party would be welcome. Lee
was mesmerized. 'What part did he play
in Amanda' s past, would he be content to stay in Amanda' s past?'
It sure looked as if
his intentions were for the present, a hopeful look of what might be. Lee
thought he must have been reading all these signs wrong. She could not be involved with someone else. What do I mean by someone else, we 're not
involved, we' re only friends and partners.
She can see anyone she wants.
After all, he had been out of her life for three years, there was
nothing going on, she was just playing her cover. All too well if you ask me.
Lee watched the couple,
as Amanda was pulled in close and they began to dance.
'I know how good that
feels, the last time we danced like that I wanted the music to play all night.
Everything seems so natural, and comfortable when I' m with Amanda. I don' t have to turn on the charm, she
would see right through it anyway. She
really is something else, smart and compassionate, and lovely to look at.' His own thoughts surprised him. 'I can't be thinking of Amanda like a woman!
I have to think of her as a partner.'
But it was only thoughts of her femininity and grace that occupied his
mind. He remembered how she fit
perfectly into his arms and how the loose wisps of her hair had tickled his
nose. How she glided across the dance
floor effortlessly and how stunning she looked in that black dress she wore to
the last embassy event they attended together.
Lee felt an urgent need
to get away, as far away as he could. He left the hotel and started walking
towards Quincy Market. Sounds of life,
laughter, music, and couples talking surrounded him. He watched as a mime entertained the crowd. Everyone seemed to
be in pairs. Lee felt out of time and out of place
Somewhere along the
line things had changed. The women he had found so alluring no longer held the
same appeal. Lee thought about his recent dates with Cindi, Margo and Jillian
they didn't seem so important anymore.
They just wanted to have some of that Stetson charm to make them feel
beautiful and wanted. It was all a game
he was getting tired of playing. He realized now that calling Teri had been a
big mistake. ' What was I thinking?'
Sure she remembered the good times they shared, but she wasn' t
pretending there was anything more to their relationship than what it was, and
it was in the past not the present.
When Lee returned to
the hotel he was pleased to see Amanda was no longer dancing. 'Good, I' ll get
a chance to tell her about tomorrow' s drive up to Cape Ann, and check up on
how this evening went.' When he reached
her room he heard laughter, first hers, then Jeffrey' s! She was not alone !!!
The next morning Lee
called Amanda to let her know the car would be delivered at 9, they would be
checking out some leads on the north shore.
About a half hour later as they drove past exits for Marblehead and
Salem, he finally brought up the subject that had bothered him all night.
" Gee, you know it' s
funny in all the conversations we' ve had, you never once mentioned Jeffrey."
" Lee, Do you have any
idea how many things I have never mentioned to you?"
" Several thousand?"
" No."
" Close though."
" Yeah."
" I just thought that
maybe you know, in one conversation or another you would have mentioned him, I
mean, you used to mention Dan."
" You mean Dean?"
" Yeah, well, I just
didn' t picture that you had a hidden past to conceal. You two looked pretty close last night."
" You saw us?"
His temper starting to
get the better of him. Clenching his
jaw, Lee continued, " You could say that, I saw the two of you dancing when I
stopped at the bar."
"That' s not what's on
your mind, you' ve seen me dance at plenty of events, there' s something you'
re not telling me."
" Amanda, if you want to entertain men in your hotel
room, that' s up to you, it' s really none of my business."
" You're right, it's
really none of your business."
" Look, I'm sorry for
the way that sounded, let me try again."
Amanda looked at him sternly, unwilling to give an inch or make this any
easier for him. " Your assignment was to
keep the doctor occupied, how you choose to do that is really up to you. I just wouldn' t want things to get out of
control."
" Just what do you
think happened last night in my room?"
Lee tried to hide his
thoughts and was at a loss for words. Amanda realized what he must have been
thinking about her. Annoyed with him, she would have walked away had they not
been in the car.
" You think I would
have an affair with a man that had been out of my life for the past three
years!"
" Well why not? He's tall and handsome, you' re an
attractive woman with those big brown eyes I bet you could melt any guy that
you wanted to."
Flustered and
complimented at the same time, that Stetson charm was beginning to wear her
down. ' He thinks I'm attractive, and even noticed my eyes, it was so hard to
stay mad at him.'
" I saw the way he
looked at you. He couldn't get enough
of you."
" Did you see the way I
looked at him?"
" Well, not really."
" Maybe you should have
before jumping to all the wrong conclusions."
Deciding she really had nothing to hide, Amanda continued, " If you must know, I was showing Jeff the
latest pictures of the boys, the photo album was too big to fit in my purse."
Relieved Lee commented,
" Oh, I see now, there really was nothing going on between you two."
" You sure sound like a
jealous person to me."
" How could I be a
jealous person, there is nothing going on between us, we' re just friends and
partners, right?
Amanda thought ' One of these days he is going to have to
face the truth, but not today'.
In Gloucester they
passed the Fisherman's Memorial for those sailors lost to the sea. The hour
drive ended when they reached the northeasternmost point in Massachusetts, the
fishing village of Rockport. This quaint seacoast town of 5,000 people swelled
on weekends and was a thriving artist colony. The peninsula known as Bearskin
Neck was filled with galleries and offered a panoramic view of the Atlantic
Ocean dotted with fishing boats and a weather-beaten red lobster shack that had
been painted by thousands of artist earning the name ' Motif #1.'
Amanda looked puzzled,
" I' ve seen this before, but that can't be, I have never been here
before."
" A few years ago
they filmed part of Robin Cook's bestseller "Coma" here, you know the
one about the Boston doctors that stumble into a scheme to harvest human
organs, when too many people were dying from minor surgery?"
"Oh, Michael
Douglas was in that movie, you're right, and I remember seeing it again in
Disneyworld, at the Eastern Airlines pavilion
"The Wings of Man" they showed highlights from all over the United
States and this was one of them."
All around them were
galleries and paintings of beaches, lighthouses, fisherman and lobster traps,
and the rocky coastline. Behind them was a quaint little seaside village with
cottages and window boxes that were filled with flowers. Time seemed to have
stood still here. Amanda looked around
and said, " If I didn' t see this town
with my own two eyes, I probably wouldn' t believe that such a place could
still exist in 1985."
Not only were paintings
on display other craftsman were practicing and selling their trade in the
various shops. There was a woodworker carving the same scenes that had been
depicted on canvas. They passed a
silversmith, a glassblower, two leather shops and several jewelers.
In one shop Amanda was
admiring a painting of Motif # 1 and struck up a conversation with the shop
owner. He told her " Technically it is really Motif # 2. When we had the big one, the blizzard of 78,
we had tides that were 18 feet above normal, combined with hurricane force
winds of 93 miles per hour. Five feet of snow was left behind. Boats were
flipped over; parked cars were washed away into the Atlantic. The ocean overflowed into all these shops,
basements full of stock and supplies were flooded. When it was all over there
was no sign of Motif #1-it had been destroyed and washed away."
" Oh my gosh!"
" About a year before
that happened, one fella went over and documented the measurements, and the
exact barn red paint, so that it could be refurbished when the time came, you'
re looking at Motif #2."
Outside with a gentle
ocean breeze blowing in her hair, Amanda asked " This is a very quaint little
town that I would gladly spend all day exploring, but Lee, it would help if you
told me what we are looking for."
" These photos show the
missing men had been held here in Rockport.
The information retrieved from them had been incorporated onto these
blank canvases, which an artist would later camouflage. That way it could be safely moved out of the
country without anyone knowing top secret codes were being transported."
Amanda picked up where
Lee had left off. " So if we find the canvas, or recognize the artist from the
finished paintings, we have found our traitor."
" Exactly."
He placed his hand on
the small of her back as he led her from shop to shop looking for likely
suspects. After all they were
pretending to be a couple on vacation, and this was a much more natural
position. After a half dozen shops once
again Lee removed the photos from his jacket pocket and matched up the pictures
in his hand to the paintings in the gallery windows. " I could use your black belt in confusion right about now.
I' m going in through the bulkhead and check out the storage area, you go in
the front door and keep the guy' s attention in the showroom, ready?" This next part came naturally to Amanda, she
kept the owner busy for 15 minutes when Lee walked in with the evidence that
would prove his involvement in the theft of secret communication codes and
deciphers.
Lee had called the
state police for backup, to hold the suspect till arrangements could be
finalized to take him to D.C.; nothing was available for tomorrow since it was
Independence Day. Arrangements would be
made to return on the 5th.
The suspected paintings were also confiscated from the basement as
evidence. Lee was pleased with the way
it had all turned out. " Looks like this operation has been stopped before they
had a chance to ship out the canvases.
That's good for us-our job up here is finished."
Lee asked,
" Would you like to celebrate with some fried clams, clam chowder,
lobster or all of the above?"
" Lobster sounds good
to me."
At Ellen's Harborside
they ordered lobster. The waiter
presented plastic bibs along with the necessary nutcrackers to break the
shells. Lee told her " Lobster always taste best in New
England. I never order it anywhere
else, I know it won' t be the same."
They went to work on
breaking apart the shells to reach the treasure inside, dipping the tender morsels into the drawn
butter. Nothing either had ever tasted
before could compare to the way the lobster seemed to melt in one' s mouth.
An older couple was
seated at the next table. They looked
as if they had been married fifty years.
Amanda smiled as she watched the husband hold the chair for his
wife. He sat down to the left of her so
that they took up a corner of the table and reached for her hand. When the waiter appeared, they told him they
did not need menus and to bring on two boiled lobsters with all the
trimmings. When the waiter returned
with the bibs, the husband gingerly stood up and placed the bib on his wife and
securely tied it at the back of her neck before doing the same for
himself. Amanda thought how enduring
love could be, some fifty years later to still be so attentive and caring. That' s the way it is suppose to be. You
fall in love, get married, have children, share a family together, grow old
together, and take care of each other.
Lee tried to observe
the expressions, the tenderness the couple shared and thought how lucky they
were to have someone special to share their life with. He wondered if anyone would ever care for
him that way. At that moment Amanda
reached out and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "Isn' t that the sweetest thing, they act more like a young
couple in love than anybody in this restaurant."
He did not want to
break the connection, as he felt the softness of her caress, he wanted more
than ever to take her in his arms, but that would have to wait.
The next morning was
the 4th of July. At 10 a.m. they
attended a reading of the Declaration of Independence from the balcony of the
Old Statehouse. At 11 a.m. they watched
the USS Constitution, the oldest commissioned warship afloat, sail into Boston
Harbor. At 12:00 there was Twenty-one gun salute off Castle Island.
With his arm
protectively around Amanda they strolled over to the Esplanade. The waterfront along the Charles River came
alive with 300,000 people anticipating the evening' s events, celebrating the
100th birthday of the Boston Pops. It
was sunny and clear in the 80's, excitement filled the air as the crowd passed
the time with picnics, board games, Simon says, cribbage, all sorts of
amusement until the sun would start to set and John Williams would grace the
stage conducting the Boston Pops for the second time. Preparation for tonight' s show began 364 days ago. Traffic had been suspended from Storrow
drive, no more boats were allowed along the Charles it was filled to capacity
as if it were rush hour on the expressway. A safety zone was kept cleared around
the barges that would provide tonight's fireworks.
They spoke of what it
really means to be American, the freedoms most people take for granted. The freedoms our nation has fought wars for,
and government agents have risked their lives for. There is so much to be proud of, and so much to be grateful
for. The announcer began "We
celebrate two birthdays tonight America is 209 years old, and The Boston Pops celebrates 100 years. Let'
s wish them a happy birthday."
As the sun was
beginning to set, John Williams took the stage and began the evening' s
performance with his ' Olympic Fanfare ' that he wrote for the LA Olympics the
previous year. This was followed by
some works of Leonard Bernstein. The
next half hour provided a medley of music from Walt Disney. The first hour of the show ended with the
theme from "Superman" and its love song ' If You Could Read My Mind.' Amanda wondered sometimes if Lee would ever
be able to read her mind.
During the intermission
Amanda looked over the festive crowd and commented " All these people celebrating America's birthday and all the
freedoms that we were granted over 200 years ago..."
Lee continued her
thoughts, " That we protect each and every day. This is why we do what we do.
So that people can choose how they want to live there lives each day
without restrictions, the freedom to choose."
" The freedom to gather
on Boston' s Esplanade on the Fourth of July, peacefully waving flags and
enjoying the music, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, to openly assemble
and join clubs….I'm really grateful for that one."
Looking a bit confused,
Lee questioned her, "Freedom to assemble I' m all for, but what makes joining
clubs so important to you?"
" The way I see it, if
we didn 't have so may clubs and organizations, there would be no need to
distinguish between them with insignia pins
or little red hats."
A dimpled grin replaced
Lee' s questioning look as he realized where this conversation was headed.
" If I didn' t walk
onto a trainload full of Shriners, I would have missed the past two years of my
life."
Stepping closer and
giving her a wink, " Ah Amanda, adventure, danger, intrigue, and me."
" Well I wouldn't have
put it in that order."
Teasingly acting
surprised he replied, ' Ah, but I do make the list."
Her brown eyes sparkled
as his arms found their way around her and she admitted, '" The top of the
list."
With what seemed like
an invitation to proceed, he leaned
forward and gently placed a kiss on her lips.
"Amanda, I'm glad you
didn't miss the last two years too."
Intermission ended as
darkness deepened over the Esplanade, the first notes of the Star Spangled
Banner began and 300,000 people stood up and started singing our national
anthem. Programs had been distributed
which included the words for ' This Land Is Your Land' ' America, the Beautiful' ' Yankee Doodle Dandy' and ' You're A Grand Old Flag.' As that last song played, a gigantic flag
the width of the stage was unrolled from the ceiling of the Hatch Shell. Not a person remained seated in the
joyous crowd, many waving miniature flags, as they sang along praising
America.
The grand finale was
approaching, as the first strands of Tchaikovsky' s '1812 Overture' filled the air and the crowd applauded with
anticipation. Real cannons shot into
the night air, with bells ringing from a nearby church steeple as the fireworks
exploded.
Amanda and Lee ooo'd
and ahh'd along with the crowd. Coordinated with the music emanating from the
Boston Pops orchestra Golden palm trees erupted above, later Roman Candles, One
Circle Shells. These shells had names like " Battle in the Clouds," " Gold Spider Web," " Blue Diamond," " One Hundred Bees," "
Brocade Chrysanthemum with Double Pistils".
Triumphantly Red White and Blue Chrysanthemum and Peony shells erupted
simultaneously and filled the sky.
Tomorrow would be back
to the routine of DC, but tonight the music soared, the sky was ablaze with
light and color and the booms and roar of the fireworks. It was a good
old-fashioned Fourth of July. One that
created memories of an assignment in Boston that Lee and Amanda could look back
on proudly. They solved another case,
protected America against threats to national security. Their friendship was
tested and progressed one more step.
Amanda wondered just what was in store for them, knowing whatever it
was, they would discover it together.
