Part 3: In the Line of Duty (same day, 8 hours earlier)
Lee Stetson woke to brilliant sunlight streaming through his bedroom window. He groaned and turned his face away from the brightness, hiding his face in his pillow while he instinctively reached over to Amanda's side of the bed, searching for her. Finally, he was awake enough to remember that she was still on assignment. His eyes flew open as he recalled that she was due back that morning. He glanced at his watch and realized that she should already be back in DC. In fact, she might even be on her way to the apartment.
He leaped out of bed and raced to the bathroom where he had a quick shower. He shaved in such haste that he nicked himself in a couple of places and had to put little pieces of tissue on the cuts to stem the flow of blood. He shook his head and laughed when he looked in the mirror, thinking how Amanda would react to his tissue-dotted face. He dressed, picked up the clutter that had accumulated in the two weeks Amanda had been away, and threw the empty pizza box from last night's dinner into the trash. Checking out the kitchen, he was grateful that he had taken the time to wash the dishes the night before.
He went to the sofa and perched on the edge. He couldn't wait for Amanda to get back; since their marriage they had never been apart this long. He looked at his watch again, surprised to see that two hours had passed since he had woken up. Jumping up from the sofa, he started pacing. She should definitely be back by now. He was tempted to call the Agency to find out her status, but quelled his impulse.
He was getting nervous now, and it showed. This assignment wasn't Amanda's first solo, yet Lee was beginning to feel a sense of dread. Something was wrong, he just knew it. 'Calm down, man,' he thought to himself. Aloud he said to the empty apartment, "She'll be home soon and everything will be fine." He knew though that nothing would be okay until he could hold Amanda in his arms again, and reassure himself that she was safe.
The minutes kept ticking by and Lee had just glanced at the time again when he heard a knock on the door. Breathing a giant sigh of relief he crossed over to the door and threw it open. "Welcome back, honey. You don't know how much I've missed . . ." He stopped short as he realized he was addressing Billy. "Uhh, sorry, Billy, I thought you were somebody else."
Billy smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes, which Lee suddenly realized were filled with pain and sorrow.
"May I come in, Lee?" Billy asked in a subdued tone.
Lee shuddered. He knew that Billy's presence at his door meant only one thing. "Sure, come in, Billy."
Billy entered the apartment and walked toward the living area. Lee closed the door and rested his forehead against it, not wanting to have to hear what his boss, his friend, had come to tell him. He jerked around when he heard Billy call his name.
"Lee, I have bad news."
Lee heard nothing else but the sound of blood rushing through his ears. He looked at Billy and slowly shook his head. He didn't have to hear the words. He didn't want to hear the words. Somehow, Lee made it to the sofa where he sat down, his hands cradling his head. Billy was still talking, ". . . didn't suffer. If there's anything I can do for you, man, just tell me."