Chapter 4

"Amanda, I need to see you in my office."

At her hesitation, Billy's eyes seemed to bug out of his head. "NOW!"

Amanda jumped up from her seat at the computer terminal, nervously grabbing at the papers she'd been working on. "Yes, sir, I just..."

"Mrs. King, if you cannot act like a professional this agency will no longer be in need of your services."

Amanda nodded, steeling herself for the walk across the room. "Sorry, sir," she declared, standing toe-to-toe with her boss. Her stoicism did not go unnoticed. Billy nodded approvingly and stood aside, ushering her in and slamming the door.

Several pairs of curious eyes watched eagerly as the female agent sat stiffly across from her superior's desk. Billy's voice was inaudible but his animated actions left no doubt that he wasn't exactly heaping her with praise.

Glancing out the window and watching several heads duck back down over their desks, Billy stomped angrily to the window, closing the blinds as he glared at the roomful of employees.

Once that was done, Billy crossed his arms. "You two are going to cause me to develop laryngitis, and then how am I going to yell at anyone else around here?"

Amanda smiled tightly, always polite.

"How are you holding up?"

Amanda's eyes fell closed. "Not very well."

"This is so hard," she murmured, turning back to face Billy. "Not that we can't break this case, sir, and I think we're making progress, but," she lowered her head, "it's just, I didn't expect it to be so hard."

The older man nodded wisely. "I thought the strain might be getting to you. If it makes you feel any better you're playing your parts beautifully. Your alleged break-up is the talk of the agency, and Lee is once again topping the steno pool's Ten Most Wanted List."

Billy perched on the edge of his desk. "I appreciate the hardship you two agreed to put up with."

Amanda shook her head. "It's our job, sir. Besides, it's a lot less hardship than Ellen Baer's family will have to deal with. Or Sara Lansing. They didn't deserve what happened to them. When we catch the man that killed them, maybe their families will have a little peace." she continued, repeating the conversation she and Lee had had when they'd decided to take this case.

"I know when I was first separated from Joe, I was very vulnerable, and to imagine that someone would have taken advantage of that, pretended to love me and care for me and then....I'm still very committed to this case, sir, if that's what you wanted to know."

"Oh, I already know that, Amanda. I fully appreciate the changes you've made in your lives to make this look real. You've kept zero contact outside work as well?"

"Yes, sir. My family thinks Lee is out of the country on assignment. He had only just started to come around, so it hasn't been that difficult. And I, well, we agreed no phone conversations or meetings. It makes it easier to keep up the appearance that we're not together. We were afraid we'd be seen, or forget and let something slip."

Billy shook his head, amazed, at the lengths they had gone to, together, to give the appearance of being separate. Even when they *weren't* working together, they were.

"I think you deserve a little break." Before she could respond, Billy had crossed the room and yanked open the heavy door. "STETSON!"

Lee's startled face peered up from the desk of yet another blond devotee. Blushing, he straightened his jacket. "Yeah, Billy?"

"My office, now."

The members of the bullpen settled back down to work, with the occasional murmur of speculation about the bloodshed that was probably now occurring in the adjoining office.

Total silence once again descended as the door opened again a few minutes later, Billy tossing a threatening warning over his shoulder. "You two will either figure out a way to work in the same building, or I will look into reassignment. For BOTH of you." With a satisfied smirk he turned the key in the lock, and walked away.