The Search Begins

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Chapter 13

After interviewing Dean, Lee noticed how forlorn Amanda looked as she sat in the large sofa, hands clasped in her lap. Lee knew this wasn't the time to make a derogatory remark about Dean, but he sure wanted to.

Instead, he sat down next to her to give an emotion he rarely displayed.

Empathy.

"Hey, you okay, Amanda?"

She didn't look up, "Dean looked so hurt when he found out I was doing the investigation with you, and then to add to add insult to injury was his humiliating reveal about his promotion." She sadly shook her head.

He sympathized, "I get what you're saying, Amanda. But McGuire brought it on himself by getting an undeserved promotion."

When her mood didn't improve, he reluctantly added, "And as far as McGuire being upset with you for helping with the investigation, he'll get over it, Amanda, because it's obvious he really cares for you."

He really hated saying that last part.

She nodded and murmured, "Yeah, you're probably right."

Finally, she was able to turn and look at Lee, "It's more than seeing Dean defeated that's bothering me, Lee. It's just that...I don't know how I feel about him. Before I worked at the Agency, I thought maybe...just maybe I could commit to him since the boys, and especially Mother liked him, but now...it's so different..."

Lee knew he had to tread carefully, "Why is it different now?"

"It's just...I've learned so much about myself these past few months," she admitted, "Just being around y- the Agency so much, it made me realize that I'm more than a housewife and mother. I could actually make a difference in the world!"

Lee gently added, "And you have, Amanda."

She tingled with warmth at his words.

"Thanks, I needed to hear that," she smiled, "Thank you for making me feel better, Lee."

Lee watched her carefully, "but you're still feeling bad."

"Well, it's just that all this talk has made me think about what I want from Dean," she sadly admitted, "He's really a great guy, but I think he's wanting to move forward with our relationship...and I'm not sure I'm ready. I care about him, I really do, and oh!" she looked distressed, "I don't know why I'm telling you all this...it's just so awkward!"

Lee really didn't know, either. He almost wanted to tell her that Dean was NOT the guy for her.

But then what?

It's not like he would step up and take the guy's place...he just couldn't.

However, for now, what he wanted most to do was to cheer her up.

But how?

His eyes suddenly lit up.

And he knew what to do.

"Amanda?"

"Hmmm?" she half-heartedly asked, still feeling down in the dumps.

"I know you must be feeling pretty low now, but I think there's a way I can cheer you up! I think you'll really like it!"

Curious, she wistfully tilted her head, "Really? What did you have in mind?"

Lee didn't answer, for he was already reaching down to retrieve his briefcase, which had been positioned right next to him on the floor. Opening it, he immediately began rummaging through it as Amanda's curiosity became stronger.

"What are you trying to find?" she wondered.

He stuck out his head above the opened lid of the briefcase, "Remember that time I was forced into a hospital and you were a candy striper there?"

"How could I forget," Amanda responded with a roll of her eyes, "You were at your all-time grumpiest!"

He continued rummaging while talking at the same time, "You'd be grumpy, too, if you had been brainwashed by a mad, vile doctor!"

"You were grumpy before that," she reminded him, "if I remembered correctly, you were grumpy because you hated being in a hospital."

"Do you blame me?" he asked from behind the opened briefcase, "I got poked with a needle more times than a pincushion!"

All Amanda could hear now were papers being continually shuffled. She tried to look left and right and over the briefcase to get a better look-see, but could not figure out what he was trying to find.

"Lee, are you purposely delaying finding whatever it is you're looking for? Because instead of feeling down now, I'm feeling very impatient!"

He smiled as he playfully poked his head over the side of the briefcase, "It'll be worth the wait, I promise!" he pledged, and then went back to searching.

Suddenly he paused, "Ha! I found it!"

Amanda's anticipation was high, "What? What? What is it?"

But Lee continued delaying her gratification, "Remember when I was having those bad dreams because of being brainwashed by Glaser, and you tried to cheer me up?"

"Of course I remembered that! Your solution was for me to get you a woman!" she exclaimed and then narrowed her eyes, "Um, you're not thinking of getting me a man to cheer me up, are you?"

Lee tried to keep a straight face, "No way! You have more than you can handle as it is! No, this is infinitely something better, at least according to you!"

Amanda was stumped, "According to me?"

"Yeah, you actually broke hospital rules in order to get it for me!"

They then both answered in unison, "A Chewy Chubby candy bar!"

He had already closed the lid of the briefcase and in his hand he held one Chewy Chubby candy bar.

And that did bring a smile to Amanda, "You remembered! But I didn't think you liked that brand of candy bar...you rejected it big time when I offered it to you!"

"I would've rejected GOLD bars during that time," he teased, "However, since that time, thanks to you, I've kept a secret stash of these bars stored away to cheer me up whenever I'm having a bad day. "

"I'm really happy to hear that, but..." Amanda waved it away, "I don't want to take your only bar!"

"Are you kidding? I've brought a bagful with me on this trip!"

Amanda's smile was gleeful, "You DID? So you have MORE Chewy Chubby Candy bars with you?"

"I most certainly do!," he smiled, as he opened the briefcase again, "AND believe me, there's more than one bar in here with your name on it!"

Amanda was touched, "Oh, Lee! Thank you! I think it will cheer me up!"

"Just give me a sec, here," he stated, as she heard a paper bag crinkling, "I've packed five others bars, so I'll just pull another one out and we can each have one and then --what the hell?" he cursed out loud as he interrupted himself.

Amanda became alarmed, "What is it, Lee?"

He pulled out the entire paper bag for her to see and turned it upside down.

Nothing fell out.

The bag was empty.

"They're gone!" he announced.

Amanda frowned, "Gone? How can that be?"

"I don't know...but they're not here!" he exclaimed.

"Could you have lost count and eaten them up already?"

"Who am I, Francine?" Lee sarcastically snapped, as he began frantically searching inside his briefcase again.

Evidently, he didn't meet with success, for he angrily shut the lid of his briefcase.

"Damn!" he cursed, "Someone had taken ALL of my Chewy Chubby Bars except this one!"

Amanda scowled, "Who would've done that?"

Lee's face had been filled with frustration, "I don't know! But whoever did, just ruined my day!"

"We can share that one candy bar if you'd just hand it over to me," Amanda compromised, "That way, it will cheer up both of us!"

He voluntarily handed it over to her.

Then he watched as she unwrapped the precious bar, tore off a piece and handed one to him before helping herself to a piece.

She took a bite and sighed with pleasure.

Lee, however, was not enjoying it as much as he complained, "If I ever find out who stole my other bars..."

"Oh, Lee, maybe we should let it go..."

"And let the thief get away with thievery? No way! I'm going to..."

Then he stopped.

She watched his face and concernedly asked, "Something wrong, Lee?"

"Amanda, I'm thinking that whoever stole the candy bars is probably the same person who stole the white scarf!"

"You think so?" Amanda worded her next question slowly to make sure she got it right, "So you're saying that whoever stole my scarf, killed Eunice with it, and then celebrated with a Chewy Chubby Bar?"

She handed him another piece and then popped a new one into her mouth. It gave both of them a little time to think.

After chewing the piece, he stated, "No, not quite as a celebration. I don't know the reason, but it would be rather strange if there were two thieves in this house!" Lee reasoned, "What are the odds of that?"

"I wouldn't put anything past the members of THIS house," Amanda commented back, "So what should we do now?"

He thought about it, "I say….we search all the rooms until we find the Chewy Chubby Bars!"

"You're kidding, right?" Amanda looked surprised, "Are you THAT desperate for a Chewy Chubby bar?"

Lee smiled, "I'd like to say yes to that, but no. You see, Amanda, finding the missing candy bars might help us find the killer because, as I've said before, it's likely that whoever took the scarf, took the candy bars, as well!"

Amanda handed him another piece, "But how could we ever use that evidence against the killer if we did an illegal search? It wouldn't stand up in court."

"It doesn't have to," Lee reasoned, as he began pouring them each a cup of tea, "Once we find the chocolate bars, then you could use your intuitive kindness and cheerfulness to get a confession out of the killer during the interrogation instead of my method of manhandling them!"

She took a sip, "Do you really think I would be able to get them to confess?"

Lee confidently stated back, "I do. You're very good about getting people to open up."

"I don't know about that..." Amanda contemplatively thought, and then came up with an idea, "You know, Lee, another approach we could try is that I could be the one to play the bad cop instead of the good cop! Remember how Dean was totally thrown for a loop when I bluntly asked him what Eunice was blackmailing him about? The element of surprise might work in our favor! What do you think?"

Lee gave her a berated look, "Amanda, if you were to go back and forth with being a good cop, then a bad cop, and then being a good cop again, everyone might mistake you for split-personality cop!"

They shared a smile.

"I actually feel better now after sharing that candy bar!" Amanda happily commented.

"Me, too!" Lee piped in.

Suuuure it was the candy bar that cheered them up!

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"So whose room do we search first?" Amanda asked.

"Deidre's," Lee suggested, "I just happen to know that she's gone this afternoon. She went into town to buy a dress for dinner tonight."

Amanda gave him a look, "I assume that's to impress you."

Lee didn't deny it, "You know, Amanda, Deidre's not all that bad."

Amanda didn't look convinced, "Okay, if you say so."

"I'm serious. It's just a show she puts on," Lee explained, "She's actually an Ivy League graduate and presently is the CEO of Dee's Nail Polish."

"Really? Dee's Nail Polish? Oh gosh, I know that company!" Amanda exclaimed, "They're in all the high-class beauty salons!"

"So I've heard," Lee verified, "Anyway, are you ready to go on a Chocolate Bar Safari Hunt?

"I can hardly wait!" Amanda joyously proclaimed.

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After sneaking upstairs and checking the hallway, Lee and Amanda slipped inside Deidre's bedroom and silently shut the door behind them.

Then they quickly assessed her cluttered bedroom.

"Wow," Lee stated, as he in took the messiness of the place, "Her room looks like it's been ransacked by a hurricane!"

Clothes were strewn everywhere. Make-up and nail polish bottles covered the entire desk while shoes, purses, and fashion magazines surfaced the entire floor.

"Tiptoe lightly," suggested Amanda, "Not because we shouldn't make noise, but because there's not a lot of cleared floor to walk on!"

As Amanda surveyed all the designer clothing, shoes, and jewelry, she began to actually feel sorry for Deidre. The woman had so many designer clothes and accessories, that it was obvious that she has defined herself by her luxurious trappings. After treading carefully, they each picked a side of the room to do their searching.

Amanda made it over to the dresser. Authentic and costume jewelry were discarded haphazardly everywhere on top of it.

So Amanda did what came instinctively to her. She began sorting the tossed earrings into matching pairs. Then she gathered all the bracelets together and tackled the untangling of some of Deidre's necklaces.

Lee was on the other side of the room, but when he glanced her way, he asked, "Amanda, what are you doing?"

"Just tidying up a bit," she cheerfully told him, "I think it might help Deidre get ready sooner if her room were more organized."

Lee looked flummoxed, "We're here to search for evidence, not do housecleaning!"

"For heaven's sake, Lee, it'll only take a second!"

Lee will never understand how Amanda's mind works. For instance, she's willing to help someone she does not personally care for.

"Need I remind you, Amanda, that Deidre will notice the difference in her room if you clean it up. She will know someone was up here."

"Not in all this mess, she won't," Amanda stated, untangling the last necklace. Besides, I'm only tidying up this small area. Like I've always told my boys, 'You never know what you have until you've clean up the mess around you!'"

He shook his head and stated facetiously, "Amanda, you should get help for this kind of problem."

"You're right, I should," she admitted, "So I suggest you help by grabbing one of those shirts on the bed and start folding!"

There was a slight pause in the room and then they both laughed out loud.

And now they knew for sure they didn't need a candy bar to cheer them up.

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