6:00PM
Orphanage
Moscow
"Nadine!" Amanda greeted the Russian woman warmly. Nadine Petrovitch embraced Amanda with a sad smile.
"It is so good to see you again, Amanda. I am so sorry it is for this reason." Nadine broke the hug but took Amanda's hands in her own, her eyes holding Amanda's. "We will do all we can for you and Scarecrow." She looked pointedly at Isaac. "Isaac agrees."
Across the room, two of the best agents in the Intelligence Community were uncomfortably attempting their own reunion. "Petrovitch." Lee nodded, sticking out his hand to the Russian.
"Stetson." Isaac returned with a similar nod, taking Lee's proffered hand and shaking it firmly. "We were disgusted to hear of what a comrade has done. These people have peculiar ways of showing loyalty to Mother Russia. Some do not want the change." He paused, then sighed sadly. "This is not the way to fix it." With a grim look on his face, he placed his other hand on Lee's shoulder and shook his head. "We will do all we can to help you find your son. I cannot imagine what you are going through."
"Thank you, Isaac." Lee released the agent's hand and looked away, not wanting Isaac to see the fatigue and desperation in his face. No matter what transpired between the countries, it would always be hard to totally trust their Russian counterparts. Lee felt certain that Isaac held the same opinion. Glancing over at Amanda, he realized the women definitely did not share their outlook. Nadine and Amanda were sitting on the couch talking quietly together. Lee shook his head and said to Isaac, "Looks like our better halves are already planning out something over there. They always were less stubborn when it came to working together. " He ran his left hand through his hair and let it rest on the back of his head for a moment. Isaac chuckled.
"You too, I see." He gestured to Lee's hand with his right and held up his left hand for Lee to see the ring there, now placed on the proper finger.
Lee brought his hand down and looked at the ring thoughtfully. "Yeah. Us too. Two and a half years, two publicly." He raised his eyebrows and grinned. "You?"
Isaac blushed slightly and cleared his throat. "Well, we have told no one," he said gruffly.
"1981." Nadine's voice came from across the room.
"Wow." Lee glanced over his shoulder at Amanda and grinned, "Told you."
"I never said I didn't agree, did I?"
"You knew?" Isaac looked at Lee suspiciously.
'Ha! Got ya!' Lee thought with smug satisfaction. "Of course. When we were in LA, I saw the rings the two of you were wearing, even though yours was on the wrong finger. You introduced Nadine without ever telling us her last name." Lee shrugged. "I'm trained to notice these things."
Francine cleared her throat. "I'm starting to feel like a broken record here, Stetson, but we really need to get on this. Isaac, what do you know about Yuri and Eva? And why is Butsayev so eager to turn them in?"
Lee and Isaac exchanged deliberate glances and both moved to sit in the wingback chairs across from their wives.
"Well, Yuri and Eva have been married longer than Nadine and I." Lee's jaw clenched and he felt his anger start to boil again. How could he have been so stupid? How could Angelo? Shouldn't an expert in ESP have known? Isaac continued, seemingly unaware of Lee's reaction to his information. "They were both very young when the KBG recruited them. Yuri was very radical from the beginning. He had strange ideas about how the KGB should run things and how Russia should be run. Eva was just a girl from Italy. No one really knows how she got involved in our country. But many were glad she did. She was a very good agent, before you put her in jail."
"She was very good at what she did," Lee bit out sarcastically. "A little too good for my liking. What are they involved in now?"
Nadine looked at Lee. "We are not quite sure. Yuri and Eva were working for Butsayev when they went after Spinelli. The KGB wanted him but Butsayev wanted him more. They were going to double cross us. After she got caught, Butsayev blamed everything on her and he and Yuri had a . . ." She stopped as she searched for the word.
"Falling out, I believe you say." Isaac offered. "Once Eva returned to the USSR, she and Yuri started to make life hard for Alexi. They sabotaged a few of his operations, staged a few things and set Alexi up for the fall; it is so childish, this feud between them. And it has nothing to do with Russia. All over Eva."
Amanda had been quiet up until this point. "What is it about her?" she asked, shaking her head. "There's really nothing special about her, is there? I just don't get it."
"Don't try." Francine interjected. "It's not worth the effort. It'll just give you a headache." She looked at Amanda knowingly. "Trust me." She turned to Isaac and asked, "So how did Mironov fit into all this? Was he an associate of Alexi's or Yuri's?"
"He is Yuri's. The whole plan was to have Alexi captured. You just made it easier. But what I don't understand is why they took the child. They know that we have Alexi. That should have been enough. Maybe there is someone else they wish to be rid of?" Isaac looked thoughtful for a moment.
"It's us," Amanda offered quietly. "She's getting back at us."
"But how did she know what we were doing here? Where did she get her information and when? It certainly hasn't been going on for a while." Lee stood and began to pace in front of the fireplace.
"I know where."
The quiet voice had taken everyone by surprise. The agents all turned to see where the voice had come from and Amanda gasped when she saw Elena.
"Oh, my." Amanda whispered. She looked first at Lee and finding nothing registering in his eyes, she glanced over at Francine. She found Francine staring right at her, the recognition in her eyes as well. "How did I miss that?" Amanda asked. Francine shook her head wordlessly.
"Miss what? Elena, come in, please. Tell us what you know, anything." Lee gestured to the chair he had just vacated. Elena walked slowly to the chair, tears in her eyes. She wouldn't meet Amanda's eyes. A chill ran down Amanda's spine and she glanced again at Lee, wondering why he had not seen what she and Francine had.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Elena sat sullenly in the chair across from Isaac. She nervously fingered the edge of her sweater without looking at anyone.
"Elena, please, I'm sure whatever happened, we can work it out." Amanda leaned forward on the couch and pleaded with her.
"Eva came to me the day after you came here. She wanted to know everything. I tried to not tell her. I tried to make her leave." She looked up at Amanda with tears in her eyes. "She can be very convincing when she wants something. Especially from me. I'm so sorry. She said she would hurt the rest of the children if I didn't tell her."
Lee stopped pacing and stood infront of Elena. "How is it that you know her?"
Elena's head dropped to her chest and she started crying openly. "She is my mother."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Lee was again pacing around the sitting room, with Elena and Amanda sitting on the couch. "So, you're telling me that Eva and Yuri, your parents, left you here when you were a child?" Lee shook his head, he felt sorry for this girl; her parents had all but abandoned her for the last fifteen years. At least his parents had had no choice when they left. How could anyone do that to their own child? And more importantly, how could he have loved someone like that? He glanced at Amanda, who had her arm around Elena while she told them of her childhood and her parent's lives. Amanda was so compassionate, so in tune with others feelings, usually to the neglect of her own. He knew what she was enduring, comforting Eva's daughter while Eva and her husband had kidnapped the baby she and Lee had just adopted.
"Yes. When I was three, Yuri and Eva were sent to Siberia for the KGB. I was left here with Sister Nadya." She looked away from Lee sadly. "I knew they would not come back when I had my eighth birthday here. She has visited me but she does not love me like a mother loves a child." Elena's eyes met Amanda's and she continued. "She does not even love me the way you love Nikolai. I am sorry I have caused this trouble."
"Elena, it's not your fault. We know what she's like. While this was unexpected, it certainly isn't surprising." Lee stopped at the couch and knelt in front of Elena and Amanda. "Can you tell us where they are? Do you know where they live? Where they work? Anything?" His voice was calm and quiet, betraying the intense churning of emotions just beneath the surface. He took a deep breath as Elena started to talk again.
"She did not tell me where they were going. I think she knows I would tell you what she did." She looked away, anger showing on her face. "Eva knows I do not agree with her or what she does. I told her that when I was ten years old. But she does not care." She hesitated for a moment then looked back up at Lee. "She has an apartment. I do not know if she would take them there. It is closer to the park from here. I will show you if you like." Lee nodded and looked at Isaac, motioning the Russian agent to follow him. The two men walked solemnly from the room.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"I had heard of a child, but it was never confirmed. She and Yuri, they were good. They have gotten sloppy, though. We have been close to catching them for about three weeks. The Butsayev case was monitored thoroughly, although your involvement was not expected. When your associate contacted me it was quite a surprise. I had thought you would be on your way back home by now." Isaac leaned on the wall just outside the sitting room.
"I need to talk to you about Eva without my wife around," Lee said quietly.
Isaac nodded. "I think I understand. But I also think you underestimate your partner. She is a very good agent. Maybe it is her the KGB should be wary of more than the Scarecrow?" he commented with a grin.
Lee laughed, thankful for the light moment. It passed very quickly. "Will Eva let us have him back? Will she kill them?" His last question was barely a whisper. "I thought I knew her, once. But I'm beginning to understand just how little I knew. Is she capable of destroying my life?" He looked up at Isaac, angry with himself for the emotion he was showing to the Russian but somehow unable to stop the flood that had been released. "It almost happened once, I struggled for two years because of her."
Isaac nodded. "Da, I have seen her in action. You are not the only one, my friend."
Lee felt suddenly that he had a strong ally in Isaac Petrovitch – at least in this matter. "Then she came back, telling me she didn't really love her husband, that she'd always loved me. But she tried to kill me and almost let Amanda die as well, and I realized I was just part of an assignment. Then I just felt deceived. But with Amanda's help, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It was over. I was free from everything Eva put me through." He stopped and sighed, looking up at Isaac with a pained expression. "If she so much as makes him cry, she'll pay dearly. If she breaks my wife's heart, I'll kill her." Isaac nodded with understanding, his lips pursed tightly.
"They will not get away with this, Scarecrow. I do believe she is capable of what you asked. And if she feels you are responsible for her imprisonment and is bitter about your wife, she will not hesitate to act. But, we will not allow it. You will have the full cooperation of the KGB in this matter, and Nadine and I will be with you the whole way." Isaac stuck his hand out to Lee, who accepted. After a brief shake, Isaac gripped Lee's hand even tighter. "We will bring her to justice, or death. I promise you." Releasing his hand abruptly, the Russian turned and entered the sitting room again leaving Lee to lean against the wall.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Orphanage
Moscow
"Nadine!" Amanda greeted the Russian woman warmly. Nadine Petrovitch embraced Amanda with a sad smile.
"It is so good to see you again, Amanda. I am so sorry it is for this reason." Nadine broke the hug but took Amanda's hands in her own, her eyes holding Amanda's. "We will do all we can for you and Scarecrow." She looked pointedly at Isaac. "Isaac agrees."
Across the room, two of the best agents in the Intelligence Community were uncomfortably attempting their own reunion. "Petrovitch." Lee nodded, sticking out his hand to the Russian.
"Stetson." Isaac returned with a similar nod, taking Lee's proffered hand and shaking it firmly. "We were disgusted to hear of what a comrade has done. These people have peculiar ways of showing loyalty to Mother Russia. Some do not want the change." He paused, then sighed sadly. "This is not the way to fix it." With a grim look on his face, he placed his other hand on Lee's shoulder and shook his head. "We will do all we can to help you find your son. I cannot imagine what you are going through."
"Thank you, Isaac." Lee released the agent's hand and looked away, not wanting Isaac to see the fatigue and desperation in his face. No matter what transpired between the countries, it would always be hard to totally trust their Russian counterparts. Lee felt certain that Isaac held the same opinion. Glancing over at Amanda, he realized the women definitely did not share their outlook. Nadine and Amanda were sitting on the couch talking quietly together. Lee shook his head and said to Isaac, "Looks like our better halves are already planning out something over there. They always were less stubborn when it came to working together. " He ran his left hand through his hair and let it rest on the back of his head for a moment. Isaac chuckled.
"You too, I see." He gestured to Lee's hand with his right and held up his left hand for Lee to see the ring there, now placed on the proper finger.
Lee brought his hand down and looked at the ring thoughtfully. "Yeah. Us too. Two and a half years, two publicly." He raised his eyebrows and grinned. "You?"
Isaac blushed slightly and cleared his throat. "Well, we have told no one," he said gruffly.
"1981." Nadine's voice came from across the room.
"Wow." Lee glanced over his shoulder at Amanda and grinned, "Told you."
"I never said I didn't agree, did I?"
"You knew?" Isaac looked at Lee suspiciously.
'Ha! Got ya!' Lee thought with smug satisfaction. "Of course. When we were in LA, I saw the rings the two of you were wearing, even though yours was on the wrong finger. You introduced Nadine without ever telling us her last name." Lee shrugged. "I'm trained to notice these things."
Francine cleared her throat. "I'm starting to feel like a broken record here, Stetson, but we really need to get on this. Isaac, what do you know about Yuri and Eva? And why is Butsayev so eager to turn them in?"
Lee and Isaac exchanged deliberate glances and both moved to sit in the wingback chairs across from their wives.
"Well, Yuri and Eva have been married longer than Nadine and I." Lee's jaw clenched and he felt his anger start to boil again. How could he have been so stupid? How could Angelo? Shouldn't an expert in ESP have known? Isaac continued, seemingly unaware of Lee's reaction to his information. "They were both very young when the KBG recruited them. Yuri was very radical from the beginning. He had strange ideas about how the KGB should run things and how Russia should be run. Eva was just a girl from Italy. No one really knows how she got involved in our country. But many were glad she did. She was a very good agent, before you put her in jail."
"She was very good at what she did," Lee bit out sarcastically. "A little too good for my liking. What are they involved in now?"
Nadine looked at Lee. "We are not quite sure. Yuri and Eva were working for Butsayev when they went after Spinelli. The KGB wanted him but Butsayev wanted him more. They were going to double cross us. After she got caught, Butsayev blamed everything on her and he and Yuri had a . . ." She stopped as she searched for the word.
"Falling out, I believe you say." Isaac offered. "Once Eva returned to the USSR, she and Yuri started to make life hard for Alexi. They sabotaged a few of his operations, staged a few things and set Alexi up for the fall; it is so childish, this feud between them. And it has nothing to do with Russia. All over Eva."
Amanda had been quiet up until this point. "What is it about her?" she asked, shaking her head. "There's really nothing special about her, is there? I just don't get it."
"Don't try." Francine interjected. "It's not worth the effort. It'll just give you a headache." She looked at Amanda knowingly. "Trust me." She turned to Isaac and asked, "So how did Mironov fit into all this? Was he an associate of Alexi's or Yuri's?"
"He is Yuri's. The whole plan was to have Alexi captured. You just made it easier. But what I don't understand is why they took the child. They know that we have Alexi. That should have been enough. Maybe there is someone else they wish to be rid of?" Isaac looked thoughtful for a moment.
"It's us," Amanda offered quietly. "She's getting back at us."
"But how did she know what we were doing here? Where did she get her information and when? It certainly hasn't been going on for a while." Lee stood and began to pace in front of the fireplace.
"I know where."
The quiet voice had taken everyone by surprise. The agents all turned to see where the voice had come from and Amanda gasped when she saw Elena.
"Oh, my." Amanda whispered. She looked first at Lee and finding nothing registering in his eyes, she glanced over at Francine. She found Francine staring right at her, the recognition in her eyes as well. "How did I miss that?" Amanda asked. Francine shook her head wordlessly.
"Miss what? Elena, come in, please. Tell us what you know, anything." Lee gestured to the chair he had just vacated. Elena walked slowly to the chair, tears in her eyes. She wouldn't meet Amanda's eyes. A chill ran down Amanda's spine and she glanced again at Lee, wondering why he had not seen what she and Francine had.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Elena sat sullenly in the chair across from Isaac. She nervously fingered the edge of her sweater without looking at anyone.
"Elena, please, I'm sure whatever happened, we can work it out." Amanda leaned forward on the couch and pleaded with her.
"Eva came to me the day after you came here. She wanted to know everything. I tried to not tell her. I tried to make her leave." She looked up at Amanda with tears in her eyes. "She can be very convincing when she wants something. Especially from me. I'm so sorry. She said she would hurt the rest of the children if I didn't tell her."
Lee stopped pacing and stood infront of Elena. "How is it that you know her?"
Elena's head dropped to her chest and she started crying openly. "She is my mother."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Lee was again pacing around the sitting room, with Elena and Amanda sitting on the couch. "So, you're telling me that Eva and Yuri, your parents, left you here when you were a child?" Lee shook his head, he felt sorry for this girl; her parents had all but abandoned her for the last fifteen years. At least his parents had had no choice when they left. How could anyone do that to their own child? And more importantly, how could he have loved someone like that? He glanced at Amanda, who had her arm around Elena while she told them of her childhood and her parent's lives. Amanda was so compassionate, so in tune with others feelings, usually to the neglect of her own. He knew what she was enduring, comforting Eva's daughter while Eva and her husband had kidnapped the baby she and Lee had just adopted.
"Yes. When I was three, Yuri and Eva were sent to Siberia for the KGB. I was left here with Sister Nadya." She looked away from Lee sadly. "I knew they would not come back when I had my eighth birthday here. She has visited me but she does not love me like a mother loves a child." Elena's eyes met Amanda's and she continued. "She does not even love me the way you love Nikolai. I am sorry I have caused this trouble."
"Elena, it's not your fault. We know what she's like. While this was unexpected, it certainly isn't surprising." Lee stopped at the couch and knelt in front of Elena and Amanda. "Can you tell us where they are? Do you know where they live? Where they work? Anything?" His voice was calm and quiet, betraying the intense churning of emotions just beneath the surface. He took a deep breath as Elena started to talk again.
"She did not tell me where they were going. I think she knows I would tell you what she did." She looked away, anger showing on her face. "Eva knows I do not agree with her or what she does. I told her that when I was ten years old. But she does not care." She hesitated for a moment then looked back up at Lee. "She has an apartment. I do not know if she would take them there. It is closer to the park from here. I will show you if you like." Lee nodded and looked at Isaac, motioning the Russian agent to follow him. The two men walked solemnly from the room.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"I had heard of a child, but it was never confirmed. She and Yuri, they were good. They have gotten sloppy, though. We have been close to catching them for about three weeks. The Butsayev case was monitored thoroughly, although your involvement was not expected. When your associate contacted me it was quite a surprise. I had thought you would be on your way back home by now." Isaac leaned on the wall just outside the sitting room.
"I need to talk to you about Eva without my wife around," Lee said quietly.
Isaac nodded. "I think I understand. But I also think you underestimate your partner. She is a very good agent. Maybe it is her the KGB should be wary of more than the Scarecrow?" he commented with a grin.
Lee laughed, thankful for the light moment. It passed very quickly. "Will Eva let us have him back? Will she kill them?" His last question was barely a whisper. "I thought I knew her, once. But I'm beginning to understand just how little I knew. Is she capable of destroying my life?" He looked up at Isaac, angry with himself for the emotion he was showing to the Russian but somehow unable to stop the flood that had been released. "It almost happened once, I struggled for two years because of her."
Isaac nodded. "Da, I have seen her in action. You are not the only one, my friend."
Lee felt suddenly that he had a strong ally in Isaac Petrovitch – at least in this matter. "Then she came back, telling me she didn't really love her husband, that she'd always loved me. But she tried to kill me and almost let Amanda die as well, and I realized I was just part of an assignment. Then I just felt deceived. But with Amanda's help, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It was over. I was free from everything Eva put me through." He stopped and sighed, looking up at Isaac with a pained expression. "If she so much as makes him cry, she'll pay dearly. If she breaks my wife's heart, I'll kill her." Isaac nodded with understanding, his lips pursed tightly.
"They will not get away with this, Scarecrow. I do believe she is capable of what you asked. And if she feels you are responsible for her imprisonment and is bitter about your wife, she will not hesitate to act. But, we will not allow it. You will have the full cooperation of the KGB in this matter, and Nadine and I will be with you the whole way." Isaac stuck his hand out to Lee, who accepted. After a brief shake, Isaac gripped Lee's hand even tighter. "We will bring her to justice, or death. I promise you." Releasing his hand abruptly, the Russian turned and entered the sitting room again leaving Lee to lean against the wall.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*