Scene 4: Tee Time
Setting: 10th Green
Amanda putted in for a birdie and waited at the green for Jethro to arrive.
'Too bad he doesn't know how to play golf', she sighed. 'Only a couple more
minutes and he'll be here...'
Scarlett sauntered up to Amanda after putting in and drawled, "Oh, darling, I
just love your husband! He is gorgeous and so attentive!"
This was the part of Amanda's job that she disliked the most...lying. "Oh?",
she replied with a forced smile, "Well, he's a charmer!"
Scarlett winked at Amanda, "And sugar, he can't keep his hands off you!"
Amanda thought, 'You mean *won't*!'
"Hon-ey!", Jethro hollered to Amanda from the trees. "I think I'll take
another Mulligan!"
Barely stifling an annoyed groan, Amanda hollered back, "Okay sweetheart!"
Scarlett smiled at Amanda and said, "Isn't that so nice of your little old
husband to invite me to play this round of golf with you? My uncle is so
fond of Blue. What a coincidence for us to meet!"
Amanda smiled back at Scarlett while Jethro finally made his way to the green.
As she watched him approach, she noticed a funny-looking man staring at them
from the bushes. He wore a bright red neck scarf and a plaid beret. She
stared pointedly at Jethro to warn him but he was too busy flirting with
Scarlett to notice her 'look'.
Excusing herself, Amanda hurried over to the bushes and ducked behind a tree
in time to watch the funny-looking man run over to a golf cart and quickly
drive away. 'I wonder if he's that drug lord we've been looking for?' Amanda
mused. She was sure she'd soon find out.
Scarlett hollered over to her new friend, "Oh Amanda! Did you find one of
Jethro's wayward Wilson Hyper Titanium Maximum Distance golf balls?"
"Uh, no!" Amanda yelled back as she walked over to meet them at the eleventh
tee. "Just checking for...aphids..."
***
GNGH...Srhnk...HONK...gngh...SCRHNK...ghronk...Zzzz....gnhonk...rngk.....
Lee shook his head. "Why is she snoring?", he wondered as he tried to rouse
his 'partner' from what appeared to be a deep sleep. "Thank God we've got
double beds!" he practically yelled. Lee rubbed his temples and spat out,
"Doesn't look I'll be getting much sleep tonight. Here's to another evening
spent up close and personal with a closet...I hate surveillance!"
Lee tried to waken Conzuela one more time before he took off for the front
desk. He needed to find out when Roberto had checked in and obtain his room
number. They hadn't seen their man since they had arrived. Lee wrote
Conzuela a short note telling her that he'd be right back.
As Lee headed down the hall toward the lobby, he could hear voices. One voice
in particular was familiar....and welcome. Lee smiled as he rounded the
corner and saw Amanda standing there with Jethro and an attractive red head.
His smile soon faded though, when he noticed Jethro's arms around Amanda.
Lee wasn't sure why, but, something about Blue's nephew rubbed him the wrong
way.
Amanda's beautiful eyes sparkled when she saw Lee. He returned her gaze and
offered a sympathetic smile. He thought she looked quite uncomfortable and
wanted so badly to rescue her but he knew that would blow her cover.
"Hey there good buddy!", Jethro shouted. "How ya doin'? And Hector, where's
that pretty wife of yours?"
Amanda cringed when she heard Jethro say 'your wife' to Lee. 'Pretty?', she
thought, 'She's unique looking but I wouldn't go as far to say pretty!'
Lee was dying to tell Jethro that his 'wife' was snoring but opted to say,
"Well, she's uh, taking a nap."
Blushing, Amanda fought hard to *not* imagine Lee's room, 'Probably just one
bed!', she fumed as she turned away so no one could see her red face.
"Oh!" Scarlett interjected as she sauntered up to Lee and undressed him with
her eyes. "Married? That's too bad. You are a tall drink of water, uh,
Hector." She slipped her hand in the crook of Lee's arm and cooed, "And so
strong!" It didn't go beyond Amanda's notice that Scarlett was squeezing
Lee's biceps like Charmin.
Lee smiled approvingly at this attractive red head but happened to notice a
strange look on Amanda's face from the corner of his eye. He cleared his
throat and glanced at Amanda before saying, "Oh, yes ma'am, I'm definitely
...married."
Scarlett breathlessly suggested, "Well, I sure hope I get to see you tonight
at the ball! I'll bet your missus won't mind if I steal just one itty-bitty
dance."
Amanda rolled her eyes and glared at Lee before turning to Jethro and saying,
"Are we finished?" She could feel Lee staring at her so she decided to say
in her sweetest voice possible, "Jethro, honey, we really should get back to
our room. You know we've only got so much time to get ready for that ball."
Jethro raised his eyebrows apporvingly as Amanda put her arm around his waist
and thought, 'This King woman is finally catching on to my beauty and charm!
Eureka!' Lee cringed as he watched Jethro kiss Amanda lightly on the nose and
growl, "If we don't get distracted by, er, something else first pookie!"
'Something else nothin' pal!' Lee thought. He couldn't believe that Amanda
would put up with this lothario's shenanigans! 'Why, I oughta...'
Scarlett felt the tension in Lee's arm and wondered what could have made him
so upset. She looked over at Lee, who was watching Amanda, and marveled.
'She's so ordinary. What in the world has she got that I don't have?' Scarlett
wondered as she watched Amanda walk down the hall, arm in arm with Jethro.
She glanced at Lee from the corner of her eye and noticed that he didn't take
his eyes off that perky brunette even once until she stepped out of sight.
Satisfied that Amanda was gone, Scarlett turned her impudent face toward Lee
and coyly whispered, "I look foward to seeing you later...."
Lee smiled as he looked down at this pretty red head on his arm. He brought
Scarlett's delicate fingers to his lips and gallantly excused himself before
walking away. As he made his way toward the front desk to speak with the
concierge, Lee decided that he would *definitely* get Scarlett's phone
number before this case was over.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Scene 5
Setting: Grande Ballroom at the C.C. Inn
Amanda sat alone at the dining table, nursing a watered down drink and waiting
for her hapless partner Jethro to arrive. 'He's gotta be in the bathroom', she
figured as she looked at her watch. 'Should only take about another half an
hour...' Amanda put down her drink and looked around the room. She hadn't
seen the man with the red scarf and plaid beret yet. She hadn't even seen Lee
or Conzuela for that matter. 'I hope their case is going better than ours...'
she mused before being interrupted by a stately waiter.
"Hors d'oeuvre madam?"
Amanda looked up hoping to see Lee but an elderly gentleman stared back at her
instead. "Oh, no thank you", she replied with a bittersweet smile. Sensing
the waiter's disappointment, Amanda reached out and took a stuffed mushroom
from his tray. "Well, maybe I'll take just one."
The waiter smiled. 'Pity her date has left her,' he thought as he walked away.
'She looks absolutely stunning in that black sequinced gown. That man of hers
must be a fool!'
Amanda savored the delicious morsel before standing up and casing the room
one more time. No Jethro, no Lee, no......Amanda's jaw dropped. There was
Conzuela at the main entrance of the ballroom wearing a, wearing a....bright
yellow, orange, and red feathery confection. Amanda had never seen anything
like it. She wondered, 'How's she gonna stay undercover in that?' Amanda
shook her head in utter amazement and began walking toward Conzuela.
She passed several tables on her way over toward Lee's partner and nodded
politely to each couple. At least until she saw a familiar red head decked
out in gold lame and sitting with the funny-looking man! Amanda started to
rush over to where Conzuela had been standing to tell her to find Jethro but,
before Amanda could reach her, Conzuela was gone.
Unsure what to do, Amanda decided to sit at the table adjacent to Scarlett and
the man. She kept her back toward them the entire time but was able to follow
their conversation.
'Party?" Scarlett gushed, "Well, of course I like to party!"
The funny man reached out and grabbed Scarlett's hand, "Well then baby, you're
gonna love my stuff."
Scarlett stared at the man and looked him straight in the eye, "Stuff?"
Amanda could her the man say, "Yeah. Follow me to my room and I'll show you."
Being an adventurous woman, Scarlett allowed the man to guide her toward his
room. Amanda followed them from a distance. She was nervous but determined
as she followed them down the hall. 'Where's Jethro?', she wondered. She
knew Lee would never have left her in a bind like this. She wondered if it
would be worth it to stay at the Agency if she no longer would be paired up
with Lee. She was beginning to realize, the answer was no.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Scene 6
Setting: Room 13
Room 13. That's where the man stopped. He turned the knob and escorted the
lovely Scarlett into his room. Before it could latch, Amanda quickly and
quietly stuck the toe of her shoe in the door. She held her breath as she
slipped her tiny frame through the door and shut it.
She saw Scarlett and the man standing in his sitting room and talking. They
didn't notice their *guest*. Amanda watched the man as he showed Scarlett
baggies of some blue powdery substance and wondered, "What is that?".
She needed to find a safe place to 'spy' on her man and saw a large armoire
in the bedroom facing the sitting room. She decided that the armoire would be
the best spot to survey her subjects so she gingerly crept over to it and
backed up. She quickly slipped inside the closet door and almost screamed.
Another body that was already in there. Thankfully, it was a warm body that
happened to be wearing Lee's cologne.
A firm but gentle hand clamped on her mouth. Amanda could feel the heat of
Lee's breath in her ear as he whispered, "It's me Amanda, what are you doing
here?' Amanda nodded her head in a gesture to inform Lee that she was okay
and wouldn't scream. Lee tenderly took his hand away.
Amanda replied in a hush, "I'm going after that drug dealer." It was dark in
the armoire and Amanda couldn't see a thing. The closet was so narrow that
her body was shoulder to shoulder with Lee. She was beginning to feel dizzy
but continued, "Scarlett is the niece of Blue Leader's friend and Jethro was
assigned to guard her. You know, make sure she doesn't get hooked on drugs."
"Drugs!" Lee whispered loudly, "A-man-da, that man isn't a drug dealer! He's
an information broker named Roberto."
"Lee, I'm telling you, he's a drug dealer.."
"Amanda, there is no way he sells...."
"Drugs?" Lee heard Scarlett say. "These are drugs? Look, why are you inviting
me to your, uh, party Roberto?"
"C'mon baby, just try some."
Scarlett shook her head and resisted, "No, I want to eat first."
Amanda and Lee could hear Roberto grumble, "Okay baby, but we're coming back
here for dessert."
Lee couldn't see Amanda but he could feel her frame next to him. He gently
grabbed her waist and whispered in her ear, "Wait till they leave. We've
gotta get out of here and call Billy. Well, I need to find Conzuela and you
need to find Goober..."
Amanda whispered back, "You mean Jethro."
"Whatever."
Once they heard Roberto click the door shut, Lee commanded "Let's get out of
here." He placed his hand firmly on the small of Amanda's back as they
exited the armoire and filed out into Roberto's room. Lee stopped to pick up
the bag of blue powder from the table. Amanda thought Lee looked stunning in
his white tux.
"Hmm..." Amanda said as Lee threw the bag back down and walked over to open
the door to the hall. "Lee, it looks like we're both after the same guy."
"Maybe" Lee sighed warily, "Look Amanda, I want you to be careful out here.
Things could get hairy and I don't want to see you get hurt. We better find
your, uh, partner Bluto before we call Billy."
Amanda rolled her eyes, "His name is Jethro, Lee."
Lee smirked as he escorted Amanda up to her door. She turned to thank him
for his help and opened the door to step in. She blurted out "Oh my gosh!"
when she saw what was going on inside.
"What is it Amanda?" Lee yelled as he looked over her shoulder. Apparently,
Jethro and Conzuela found each other more intriguing than the cases they
were currently on. The two were, uh, locked in a compromising...position.
Lee grabbed Amanda to his side and slammed the door. "Look Amanda," he said
cautiously, "We may have to solve this case together." He was actually glad
that Amanda might be by his side for the rest of this case. He wouldn't
admit it but he had really missed her from the second he landed in Venezuela.
Lee looked admiringly into Amanda's eyes. He knew she had a good head on her
shoulders and he was beginning to appreciate the fact that this suburban
housewife was loyal and did think quickly on her feet. Compared to Conzuela,
she even listened. Yes, listened. He laughed to himself, 'I think I'd even
follow her blind through a....'
"Lee? Lee, are you okay?"
Lee sheepishly looked over toward Amanda. She was staring at him with a
concerned look on her beautiful face. With a grin, Lee grabbed her arm and
said, "C'mon partner, let's go!"
Amanda linked arms with Lee, the biggest grin on her face, as he led her
back to the dining area. They arrived just in time to see Roberto
manhandle Scarlett and drag her back toward his room.
"Amanda!" Lee shouted, "Go call Billy for back up. We'll have to explain
everything later."
"Lee", Amanda hollered, "If you're not back here in fifteen minutes, I'm
coming after you!"
Lee turned to look back at his partner, his hazel eyes flashing. He knew she
would never use a gun so he teased, "With what Amanda? Your purse?"
Amanda tilted her head in an exasperated fashion and grinned as she watched
Lee run away. She stood there for a while, lost in thought. She thought
about those hazel eyes....'Ah, he called me partner' she mused. After
several seconds, she finally came to herself and blurted, "I better go make
that call!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Scene 7
Almost done!
Lee crept down the hall toward Roberto's room. He could hear Scarlett's
voice through the door.
"No! You'll never get me to...ugh! No!"
Roberto smacked Scarlett, "What's wrong woman? Don't want to play? Take
these drugs or else...things will only get worse!"
Lee burst into the room just as Roberto tried to shove Scarlett's face
into a pile of the fine blue powder. "Hold it right there Roberto!" Lee
yelled.
***
Amanda leaned against the wall and relaxed after she hung up the phone. Mr.
Melrose had just thanked her for making the call and had told her that a
backup crew was on their way. Feeling proud of herself, Amanda smiled as she
pushed herself away from the wall. She glanced at her watch and started to
head back toward Roberto's room. Lee had been gone over 5 minutes.
She was glad that she had been able to help Lee in some small way with this
case and she looked forward to 'watching his back'. As she ambled down the
hall, she heard a familiar voice over the intercom.
"This is Conzuela. I am looking for my partner Lee Stetson. He is a Federal
Agent and I am waiting for him in the lobby. Paging Lee Stetson..."
Amanda's jaw dropped. She hoped she'd have enough time to hurry to the
lobby and stop Conzuela from making any further blunders. She began to run
down the hall when, out of no where, Roberto came crashing into her and
hurled her to the ground. Stunned, Amanda sat there and watched as Roberto
leaped up to his feet and quickly ran away. He was heading for the main
entrance to the Inn.
Lee came flying down the hall soon after but paused when he saw Amanda
sprawled out on the floor. He yelled, "Amanda, are you alright?"
Amanda nodded affirmatively and smiled at Lee as she pointed down the
hallway and shouted, "He went that way!"
Lee smiled and nodded his head in thanks as he took off to pursue Roberto.
Scarlett trailed close behind and arrived just in time to watch Lee head out
toward the lobby. She saw Amanda on the ground and leaned over to help her
to her feet. She demanded to know, "What is going on here?"
Amanda raised her eyebrows and shrugged, "Uhm....".
Scarlett shook her head in dismay and sarcasticaly replied, "You and Hector
are quite the pair! He told me the same thing when I asked him about it in
Roberto's room! I can see that drugs are obviously involved and I think I
have a right to know what's going on here! My father *is* Senator Cherry
Redd and he does have connections. He is on the committee for National
Defense and he won't take this sitting down!"
Amanda nodded her head sympatheticaly and was about to explain what she
could to Scarlett. That was, until she heard more unwelcome sounds from the
speaker above.
"Paging Lee Stetson, Federal Agent, please come to the front desk. This is
your partner Conzuela, I'm waiting for you in the lobby....."
Scarlett's jaw dropped as she watched Amanda take off like a rocket toward
the lobby. She hollered as she raced after her, "Was it something I said?"
****
Amanda rushed over and grabbed the microphone out of Conzuela's hands. The
Venezuelan beauty yelled at Amanda, "What do you think you are doing? I need
to find my partner Lee..."
Amanda winced when Conzuela said 'my partner' and decided it was time to set
the record straight. "Look Conzuela, I realize that your government has put
you on this assignment but Lee is *not* your partner! Anyway, didn't you see
him? He just ran through here! He was chasing Roberto and I'm sure they
came this way...."
Conzuela shrugged, indifferent to the entire situation. She glanced at the
mirrored walls of the lobby and started to fix her hair. She then yawned
before straightening her skirt and fixing her lipstick. Amanda stared at her
in disbelief.
"Conzuela?" she asked. "I thought you were looking for Lee. Don't you want
to find him and help him apprehend Roberto?"
"Hmm? If I'm not Lee's partner, why should I care?" Conzuela absentmindedly
responded. She then became busy, filing her nails...
Exasperated, Amanda asked Scarlett to keep an eye on Conzuela and turned to
run out the front door. She was hoping to find Lee and Roberto...alive. She
knew Lee could blow up at times and might get carried away. She had just ran
past the threshold of the front door when gunshots rang out behind her. She
dove for cover then glanced over her shoulder.
There stood Jethro with gun drawn and still smoking in his hand. He cocked
the hammer of his pistol and was ready to shoot again when Amanda cried out,
"Jethro! Don't shoot! It's me! Amanda! Your, uh, your partner!"
Jethro squinted as he ran toward where Amanda was hidden, behind a bush. 'Oh!
Pookie! I didn't know that was you! What are you doing here? I heard Conzuela's
page and figured Lee might be in trouble but I haven't seen him. Do you know
where he is?"
Amanda allowed Jethro to help her stand up and replied, "I don't know Blut...,
I mean Jethro. Last I saw him, he was headed out this way..."
***
Lee fought for his life. He was in hand-to-hand combat with Roberto, who
happened to be a master black belt in tai qwan do. The two men struggled for
the upper hand as they rolled down to the ground.
Roberto shouted, "You'll lose, ugh, Scarecrow! Just, ack! Give it up! You'll,
unh! Never, huh, win!"
Lee strained to prevent Roberto from crushing his chest. With every fiber
of his being, Lee pushed against Roberto and hurled him off his torso. "What
were you doing Roberto?" Lee yelled, "Information brokering get boring?
What's the deal with the drugs? Huh? Unh!"
Roberto smiled when he saw that his right hook had cut Lee's lip and knocked
him back to the ground. Lee didn't take kindly to that and showed Roberto
his displeasure by leaping up and landing a sound roundhouse kick to Roberto's
side. Roberto fell to the ground with a thud. Lee quickly grabbed Roberto's
collar with his right hand while punching him in the nose with a left jab.
Unfortunately for Lee, Roberto just laughed and kicked him in the groin.
Lee doubled over in pain. Roberto was about to stomp down on Lee's head
when Amanda yelled out "Lee! Watch out!"
Roberto became distracted by Amanda's yell and looked up long enough for Lee
to kick Roberto's feet out from under him. The sudden fall caused Roberto
to 'thunk' his head on the pavement and knocked him out. He lay there
unconscious as Amanda came running up to Lee's side.
"Lee? Lee, are you alright?"
Lee shook his head and looked up at Amanda with a smile. She helped him gain
his footing as he leaned on her arm and stood up. She tingled at his touch
and was shocked when he suddenly grabbed her into his arms for a genuine,
heartwarming hug. Lee grinned, Amanda's arms felt like home.
***
(tag next)
Setting: 10th Green
Amanda putted in for a birdie and waited at the green for Jethro to arrive.
'Too bad he doesn't know how to play golf', she sighed. 'Only a couple more
minutes and he'll be here...'
Scarlett sauntered up to Amanda after putting in and drawled, "Oh, darling, I
just love your husband! He is gorgeous and so attentive!"
This was the part of Amanda's job that she disliked the most...lying. "Oh?",
she replied with a forced smile, "Well, he's a charmer!"
Scarlett winked at Amanda, "And sugar, he can't keep his hands off you!"
Amanda thought, 'You mean *won't*!'
"Hon-ey!", Jethro hollered to Amanda from the trees. "I think I'll take
another Mulligan!"
Barely stifling an annoyed groan, Amanda hollered back, "Okay sweetheart!"
Scarlett smiled at Amanda and said, "Isn't that so nice of your little old
husband to invite me to play this round of golf with you? My uncle is so
fond of Blue. What a coincidence for us to meet!"
Amanda smiled back at Scarlett while Jethro finally made his way to the green.
As she watched him approach, she noticed a funny-looking man staring at them
from the bushes. He wore a bright red neck scarf and a plaid beret. She
stared pointedly at Jethro to warn him but he was too busy flirting with
Scarlett to notice her 'look'.
Excusing herself, Amanda hurried over to the bushes and ducked behind a tree
in time to watch the funny-looking man run over to a golf cart and quickly
drive away. 'I wonder if he's that drug lord we've been looking for?' Amanda
mused. She was sure she'd soon find out.
Scarlett hollered over to her new friend, "Oh Amanda! Did you find one of
Jethro's wayward Wilson Hyper Titanium Maximum Distance golf balls?"
"Uh, no!" Amanda yelled back as she walked over to meet them at the eleventh
tee. "Just checking for...aphids..."
***
GNGH...Srhnk...HONK...gngh...SCRHNK...ghronk...Zzzz....gnhonk...rngk.....
Lee shook his head. "Why is she snoring?", he wondered as he tried to rouse
his 'partner' from what appeared to be a deep sleep. "Thank God we've got
double beds!" he practically yelled. Lee rubbed his temples and spat out,
"Doesn't look I'll be getting much sleep tonight. Here's to another evening
spent up close and personal with a closet...I hate surveillance!"
Lee tried to waken Conzuela one more time before he took off for the front
desk. He needed to find out when Roberto had checked in and obtain his room
number. They hadn't seen their man since they had arrived. Lee wrote
Conzuela a short note telling her that he'd be right back.
As Lee headed down the hall toward the lobby, he could hear voices. One voice
in particular was familiar....and welcome. Lee smiled as he rounded the
corner and saw Amanda standing there with Jethro and an attractive red head.
His smile soon faded though, when he noticed Jethro's arms around Amanda.
Lee wasn't sure why, but, something about Blue's nephew rubbed him the wrong
way.
Amanda's beautiful eyes sparkled when she saw Lee. He returned her gaze and
offered a sympathetic smile. He thought she looked quite uncomfortable and
wanted so badly to rescue her but he knew that would blow her cover.
"Hey there good buddy!", Jethro shouted. "How ya doin'? And Hector, where's
that pretty wife of yours?"
Amanda cringed when she heard Jethro say 'your wife' to Lee. 'Pretty?', she
thought, 'She's unique looking but I wouldn't go as far to say pretty!'
Lee was dying to tell Jethro that his 'wife' was snoring but opted to say,
"Well, she's uh, taking a nap."
Blushing, Amanda fought hard to *not* imagine Lee's room, 'Probably just one
bed!', she fumed as she turned away so no one could see her red face.
"Oh!" Scarlett interjected as she sauntered up to Lee and undressed him with
her eyes. "Married? That's too bad. You are a tall drink of water, uh,
Hector." She slipped her hand in the crook of Lee's arm and cooed, "And so
strong!" It didn't go beyond Amanda's notice that Scarlett was squeezing
Lee's biceps like Charmin.
Lee smiled approvingly at this attractive red head but happened to notice a
strange look on Amanda's face from the corner of his eye. He cleared his
throat and glanced at Amanda before saying, "Oh, yes ma'am, I'm definitely
...married."
Scarlett breathlessly suggested, "Well, I sure hope I get to see you tonight
at the ball! I'll bet your missus won't mind if I steal just one itty-bitty
dance."
Amanda rolled her eyes and glared at Lee before turning to Jethro and saying,
"Are we finished?" She could feel Lee staring at her so she decided to say
in her sweetest voice possible, "Jethro, honey, we really should get back to
our room. You know we've only got so much time to get ready for that ball."
Jethro raised his eyebrows apporvingly as Amanda put her arm around his waist
and thought, 'This King woman is finally catching on to my beauty and charm!
Eureka!' Lee cringed as he watched Jethro kiss Amanda lightly on the nose and
growl, "If we don't get distracted by, er, something else first pookie!"
'Something else nothin' pal!' Lee thought. He couldn't believe that Amanda
would put up with this lothario's shenanigans! 'Why, I oughta...'
Scarlett felt the tension in Lee's arm and wondered what could have made him
so upset. She looked over at Lee, who was watching Amanda, and marveled.
'She's so ordinary. What in the world has she got that I don't have?' Scarlett
wondered as she watched Amanda walk down the hall, arm in arm with Jethro.
She glanced at Lee from the corner of her eye and noticed that he didn't take
his eyes off that perky brunette even once until she stepped out of sight.
Satisfied that Amanda was gone, Scarlett turned her impudent face toward Lee
and coyly whispered, "I look foward to seeing you later...."
Lee smiled as he looked down at this pretty red head on his arm. He brought
Scarlett's delicate fingers to his lips and gallantly excused himself before
walking away. As he made his way toward the front desk to speak with the
concierge, Lee decided that he would *definitely* get Scarlett's phone
number before this case was over.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Scene 5
Setting: Grande Ballroom at the C.C. Inn
Amanda sat alone at the dining table, nursing a watered down drink and waiting
for her hapless partner Jethro to arrive. 'He's gotta be in the bathroom', she
figured as she looked at her watch. 'Should only take about another half an
hour...' Amanda put down her drink and looked around the room. She hadn't
seen the man with the red scarf and plaid beret yet. She hadn't even seen Lee
or Conzuela for that matter. 'I hope their case is going better than ours...'
she mused before being interrupted by a stately waiter.
"Hors d'oeuvre madam?"
Amanda looked up hoping to see Lee but an elderly gentleman stared back at her
instead. "Oh, no thank you", she replied with a bittersweet smile. Sensing
the waiter's disappointment, Amanda reached out and took a stuffed mushroom
from his tray. "Well, maybe I'll take just one."
The waiter smiled. 'Pity her date has left her,' he thought as he walked away.
'She looks absolutely stunning in that black sequinced gown. That man of hers
must be a fool!'
Amanda savored the delicious morsel before standing up and casing the room
one more time. No Jethro, no Lee, no......Amanda's jaw dropped. There was
Conzuela at the main entrance of the ballroom wearing a, wearing a....bright
yellow, orange, and red feathery confection. Amanda had never seen anything
like it. She wondered, 'How's she gonna stay undercover in that?' Amanda
shook her head in utter amazement and began walking toward Conzuela.
She passed several tables on her way over toward Lee's partner and nodded
politely to each couple. At least until she saw a familiar red head decked
out in gold lame and sitting with the funny-looking man! Amanda started to
rush over to where Conzuela had been standing to tell her to find Jethro but,
before Amanda could reach her, Conzuela was gone.
Unsure what to do, Amanda decided to sit at the table adjacent to Scarlett and
the man. She kept her back toward them the entire time but was able to follow
their conversation.
'Party?" Scarlett gushed, "Well, of course I like to party!"
The funny man reached out and grabbed Scarlett's hand, "Well then baby, you're
gonna love my stuff."
Scarlett stared at the man and looked him straight in the eye, "Stuff?"
Amanda could her the man say, "Yeah. Follow me to my room and I'll show you."
Being an adventurous woman, Scarlett allowed the man to guide her toward his
room. Amanda followed them from a distance. She was nervous but determined
as she followed them down the hall. 'Where's Jethro?', she wondered. She
knew Lee would never have left her in a bind like this. She wondered if it
would be worth it to stay at the Agency if she no longer would be paired up
with Lee. She was beginning to realize, the answer was no.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Scene 6
Setting: Room 13
Room 13. That's where the man stopped. He turned the knob and escorted the
lovely Scarlett into his room. Before it could latch, Amanda quickly and
quietly stuck the toe of her shoe in the door. She held her breath as she
slipped her tiny frame through the door and shut it.
She saw Scarlett and the man standing in his sitting room and talking. They
didn't notice their *guest*. Amanda watched the man as he showed Scarlett
baggies of some blue powdery substance and wondered, "What is that?".
She needed to find a safe place to 'spy' on her man and saw a large armoire
in the bedroom facing the sitting room. She decided that the armoire would be
the best spot to survey her subjects so she gingerly crept over to it and
backed up. She quickly slipped inside the closet door and almost screamed.
Another body that was already in there. Thankfully, it was a warm body that
happened to be wearing Lee's cologne.
A firm but gentle hand clamped on her mouth. Amanda could feel the heat of
Lee's breath in her ear as he whispered, "It's me Amanda, what are you doing
here?' Amanda nodded her head in a gesture to inform Lee that she was okay
and wouldn't scream. Lee tenderly took his hand away.
Amanda replied in a hush, "I'm going after that drug dealer." It was dark in
the armoire and Amanda couldn't see a thing. The closet was so narrow that
her body was shoulder to shoulder with Lee. She was beginning to feel dizzy
but continued, "Scarlett is the niece of Blue Leader's friend and Jethro was
assigned to guard her. You know, make sure she doesn't get hooked on drugs."
"Drugs!" Lee whispered loudly, "A-man-da, that man isn't a drug dealer! He's
an information broker named Roberto."
"Lee, I'm telling you, he's a drug dealer.."
"Amanda, there is no way he sells...."
"Drugs?" Lee heard Scarlett say. "These are drugs? Look, why are you inviting
me to your, uh, party Roberto?"
"C'mon baby, just try some."
Scarlett shook her head and resisted, "No, I want to eat first."
Amanda and Lee could hear Roberto grumble, "Okay baby, but we're coming back
here for dessert."
Lee couldn't see Amanda but he could feel her frame next to him. He gently
grabbed her waist and whispered in her ear, "Wait till they leave. We've
gotta get out of here and call Billy. Well, I need to find Conzuela and you
need to find Goober..."
Amanda whispered back, "You mean Jethro."
"Whatever."
Once they heard Roberto click the door shut, Lee commanded "Let's get out of
here." He placed his hand firmly on the small of Amanda's back as they
exited the armoire and filed out into Roberto's room. Lee stopped to pick up
the bag of blue powder from the table. Amanda thought Lee looked stunning in
his white tux.
"Hmm..." Amanda said as Lee threw the bag back down and walked over to open
the door to the hall. "Lee, it looks like we're both after the same guy."
"Maybe" Lee sighed warily, "Look Amanda, I want you to be careful out here.
Things could get hairy and I don't want to see you get hurt. We better find
your, uh, partner Bluto before we call Billy."
Amanda rolled her eyes, "His name is Jethro, Lee."
Lee smirked as he escorted Amanda up to her door. She turned to thank him
for his help and opened the door to step in. She blurted out "Oh my gosh!"
when she saw what was going on inside.
"What is it Amanda?" Lee yelled as he looked over her shoulder. Apparently,
Jethro and Conzuela found each other more intriguing than the cases they
were currently on. The two were, uh, locked in a compromising...position.
Lee grabbed Amanda to his side and slammed the door. "Look Amanda," he said
cautiously, "We may have to solve this case together." He was actually glad
that Amanda might be by his side for the rest of this case. He wouldn't
admit it but he had really missed her from the second he landed in Venezuela.
Lee looked admiringly into Amanda's eyes. He knew she had a good head on her
shoulders and he was beginning to appreciate the fact that this suburban
housewife was loyal and did think quickly on her feet. Compared to Conzuela,
she even listened. Yes, listened. He laughed to himself, 'I think I'd even
follow her blind through a....'
"Lee? Lee, are you okay?"
Lee sheepishly looked over toward Amanda. She was staring at him with a
concerned look on her beautiful face. With a grin, Lee grabbed her arm and
said, "C'mon partner, let's go!"
Amanda linked arms with Lee, the biggest grin on her face, as he led her
back to the dining area. They arrived just in time to see Roberto
manhandle Scarlett and drag her back toward his room.
"Amanda!" Lee shouted, "Go call Billy for back up. We'll have to explain
everything later."
"Lee", Amanda hollered, "If you're not back here in fifteen minutes, I'm
coming after you!"
Lee turned to look back at his partner, his hazel eyes flashing. He knew she
would never use a gun so he teased, "With what Amanda? Your purse?"
Amanda tilted her head in an exasperated fashion and grinned as she watched
Lee run away. She stood there for a while, lost in thought. She thought
about those hazel eyes....'Ah, he called me partner' she mused. After
several seconds, she finally came to herself and blurted, "I better go make
that call!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Scene 7
Almost done!
Lee crept down the hall toward Roberto's room. He could hear Scarlett's
voice through the door.
"No! You'll never get me to...ugh! No!"
Roberto smacked Scarlett, "What's wrong woman? Don't want to play? Take
these drugs or else...things will only get worse!"
Lee burst into the room just as Roberto tried to shove Scarlett's face
into a pile of the fine blue powder. "Hold it right there Roberto!" Lee
yelled.
***
Amanda leaned against the wall and relaxed after she hung up the phone. Mr.
Melrose had just thanked her for making the call and had told her that a
backup crew was on their way. Feeling proud of herself, Amanda smiled as she
pushed herself away from the wall. She glanced at her watch and started to
head back toward Roberto's room. Lee had been gone over 5 minutes.
She was glad that she had been able to help Lee in some small way with this
case and she looked forward to 'watching his back'. As she ambled down the
hall, she heard a familiar voice over the intercom.
"This is Conzuela. I am looking for my partner Lee Stetson. He is a Federal
Agent and I am waiting for him in the lobby. Paging Lee Stetson..."
Amanda's jaw dropped. She hoped she'd have enough time to hurry to the
lobby and stop Conzuela from making any further blunders. She began to run
down the hall when, out of no where, Roberto came crashing into her and
hurled her to the ground. Stunned, Amanda sat there and watched as Roberto
leaped up to his feet and quickly ran away. He was heading for the main
entrance to the Inn.
Lee came flying down the hall soon after but paused when he saw Amanda
sprawled out on the floor. He yelled, "Amanda, are you alright?"
Amanda nodded affirmatively and smiled at Lee as she pointed down the
hallway and shouted, "He went that way!"
Lee smiled and nodded his head in thanks as he took off to pursue Roberto.
Scarlett trailed close behind and arrived just in time to watch Lee head out
toward the lobby. She saw Amanda on the ground and leaned over to help her
to her feet. She demanded to know, "What is going on here?"
Amanda raised her eyebrows and shrugged, "Uhm....".
Scarlett shook her head in dismay and sarcasticaly replied, "You and Hector
are quite the pair! He told me the same thing when I asked him about it in
Roberto's room! I can see that drugs are obviously involved and I think I
have a right to know what's going on here! My father *is* Senator Cherry
Redd and he does have connections. He is on the committee for National
Defense and he won't take this sitting down!"
Amanda nodded her head sympatheticaly and was about to explain what she
could to Scarlett. That was, until she heard more unwelcome sounds from the
speaker above.
"Paging Lee Stetson, Federal Agent, please come to the front desk. This is
your partner Conzuela, I'm waiting for you in the lobby....."
Scarlett's jaw dropped as she watched Amanda take off like a rocket toward
the lobby. She hollered as she raced after her, "Was it something I said?"
****
Amanda rushed over and grabbed the microphone out of Conzuela's hands. The
Venezuelan beauty yelled at Amanda, "What do you think you are doing? I need
to find my partner Lee..."
Amanda winced when Conzuela said 'my partner' and decided it was time to set
the record straight. "Look Conzuela, I realize that your government has put
you on this assignment but Lee is *not* your partner! Anyway, didn't you see
him? He just ran through here! He was chasing Roberto and I'm sure they
came this way...."
Conzuela shrugged, indifferent to the entire situation. She glanced at the
mirrored walls of the lobby and started to fix her hair. She then yawned
before straightening her skirt and fixing her lipstick. Amanda stared at her
in disbelief.
"Conzuela?" she asked. "I thought you were looking for Lee. Don't you want
to find him and help him apprehend Roberto?"
"Hmm? If I'm not Lee's partner, why should I care?" Conzuela absentmindedly
responded. She then became busy, filing her nails...
Exasperated, Amanda asked Scarlett to keep an eye on Conzuela and turned to
run out the front door. She was hoping to find Lee and Roberto...alive. She
knew Lee could blow up at times and might get carried away. She had just ran
past the threshold of the front door when gunshots rang out behind her. She
dove for cover then glanced over her shoulder.
There stood Jethro with gun drawn and still smoking in his hand. He cocked
the hammer of his pistol and was ready to shoot again when Amanda cried out,
"Jethro! Don't shoot! It's me! Amanda! Your, uh, your partner!"
Jethro squinted as he ran toward where Amanda was hidden, behind a bush. 'Oh!
Pookie! I didn't know that was you! What are you doing here? I heard Conzuela's
page and figured Lee might be in trouble but I haven't seen him. Do you know
where he is?"
Amanda allowed Jethro to help her stand up and replied, "I don't know Blut...,
I mean Jethro. Last I saw him, he was headed out this way..."
***
Lee fought for his life. He was in hand-to-hand combat with Roberto, who
happened to be a master black belt in tai qwan do. The two men struggled for
the upper hand as they rolled down to the ground.
Roberto shouted, "You'll lose, ugh, Scarecrow! Just, ack! Give it up! You'll,
unh! Never, huh, win!"
Lee strained to prevent Roberto from crushing his chest. With every fiber
of his being, Lee pushed against Roberto and hurled him off his torso. "What
were you doing Roberto?" Lee yelled, "Information brokering get boring?
What's the deal with the drugs? Huh? Unh!"
Roberto smiled when he saw that his right hook had cut Lee's lip and knocked
him back to the ground. Lee didn't take kindly to that and showed Roberto
his displeasure by leaping up and landing a sound roundhouse kick to Roberto's
side. Roberto fell to the ground with a thud. Lee quickly grabbed Roberto's
collar with his right hand while punching him in the nose with a left jab.
Unfortunately for Lee, Roberto just laughed and kicked him in the groin.
Lee doubled over in pain. Roberto was about to stomp down on Lee's head
when Amanda yelled out "Lee! Watch out!"
Roberto became distracted by Amanda's yell and looked up long enough for Lee
to kick Roberto's feet out from under him. The sudden fall caused Roberto
to 'thunk' his head on the pavement and knocked him out. He lay there
unconscious as Amanda came running up to Lee's side.
"Lee? Lee, are you alright?"
Lee shook his head and looked up at Amanda with a smile. She helped him gain
his footing as he leaned on her arm and stood up. She tingled at his touch
and was shocked when he suddenly grabbed her into his arms for a genuine,
heartwarming hug. Lee grinned, Amanda's arms felt like home.
***
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