A Myriad of Emotions

(A/N: A special thanks to our fabulous Ms. Samella for inspiring the first part of this chapter. She was the one who gave me the idea for the Lee's 'theory' because I wasn't brilliant enough to think of it on my own! LOL)

.

Chapter 19

It was early afternoon at the Wellington Estate when Lee and Amanda took the discreet elevator up from Eunice's basement bedroom to the second floor where all of their bedrooms were located. The elevator doors popped opened and as they walked down the familiar hallway, Amanda noticed how Lee continued to be in a state of deep thought.

She was baffled as they walked down the hallway, passing a couple of closed doors. "Where are we going?" she asked.

Wait and see, his expression seemed to tell her.

"In here," he responded, when they had arrived at the intended door.

Amanda's brows furrowed, "Why?"

"Because I want to talk to you privately about a new theory regarding this case."

She peeked inside the room, "You want us to go inside the bathroom to talk?"

"Wellll, you don't want us to be seen talking in my room, nor do you want us to be seen talking in your room, so you tell me where we can talk without any interruptions."

"NOW you decide to listen to my opinion?"

"I always hear what you say, Amanda...I just choose to ignore the ones I don't like..." he then gave a decisive head nudge, "So, please, you go in first."

She entered the bathroom as Lee followed her in. When he switched the light on, the fan above them immediately began to whirl.

"At least the fan above will help drown out our voices from the outside," Amanda noted.

"And if that doesn't work, I could continually flush the toilet."

They both smiled as he then shut and locked the door. Then his eyes traveled over to the toilet seat. He casually placed the lid down and then asked in his most gallant tone, "Uh, care to sit down?"

Awkward.

Amanda's cheeks turned red, "Oh, gosh, Lee...no, but thanks..." then she spotted the toilet tissue holder located next to the toilet, "but wait, just a sec... before we discuss the investigation, I need to do something!"

Lee watched as she removed the roll of toilet tissue from its holder.

He looked stumped, "Amanda, what are you-"

"It's okay, Lee," she assured him as she turned the roll around, "Far be it for me to correct Isabella the maid, but a roll of toilet paper should always be hung over not under the toilet holder tube."

She then replaced the tube back to its holder so that the roll could be pulled from above, "There. That's better. You know what they always say when it comes to toilet tissue..."

"No I don't, but I can't wait to find out..."

She lifted her index finger, "You can take the housewife out of the bathroom, but you can't take the bathroom..." she scowled, "no, that doesn't sound right... doesn't sound appropriate, either."

Lee tried to hide his grin as they stood facing one another, "So are we ready to discuss my theory, or do you need to make other improvements in here, like re-screw the light bulb the other way?"

"That's impossible to do, Lee, but I'm sure there's a joke somewhere in there."

He smiled and then his expression became solemn again, "Anyway, I was going over in my mind whether it had been Olivia or McGuire in the library on the morning of the maid's murder. And then I got to thinking that there could be a third option as to who was actually in the library that morning!"

"A third option?"

He nodded, "Yeah, sooo ...what if they were BOTH in there at the same time? Not that they had planned to originally meet. However, once together, they got to talking and then that talking turned into venting, and that's when they both decided to off the maid! After all, the murderous act could be carried out easier when TWO people are involved, right?"

He looked proud that he came up with that theory.

"No. No way, Lee."

Lee's face fell, "What do you mean 'no way'?"

"I'm sorry, Lee. It couldn't have happened that way. Dean would never be involved in a murder."

"I figured you'd say that. But before you close the book on that idea, perhaps you should ask him."

She scrunched up her face, "You want me to ask Dean if he and his mother murdered Eunice?"

"No, of course not. You can just ask McGuire if both of them had been in the library at the same time that fateful morning. Gauge his reaction to see if he's lying."

"I...don't know, Lee," Amanda sounded doubtful.

"Why not? You're always good with reading people and you could tell me your impression before dinnertime."

Amanda wasn't ready to tell Lee about the breakup, "Actually, I won't be seeing Dean until dinnertime, alongside the rest of his family, so there'll be no time alone with him to discuss that."

"Oh? And why aren't you seeing him later this afternoon?"

"Um, he's busy," Amanda quickly interjected, not knowing if he was or wasn't, "Besides, I can't believe you would think Dean could do such a heinous act of strangling someone anyhow!"

"I can accept that. His method would probably be to bore someone to death!"

Amanda wasn't in the mood to defend Dean, but she didn't appreciate Lee's comment about Dean, either.

"That was incredibly rude, Lee!"

"And it's also rude that you aren't taking my theory seriously!"

"Because it's preposterous! You just don't want to admit that you've had it out for Dean from the beginning!"

"That's not true, Amanda, and I resent you implying that I'm not acting professionally in this investigation!"

Her eyes flashed, "That's because a professional would also take into account other pertinent testimony as well! I know Dean better than even his own family, and I can tell you that he just isn't capable of doing such a horrid thing as committing a murder!"

Lee looked at her frustrated face. Just fifteen minutes earlier, they had been enjoying one another's company and now all the goodwill that they had built up throughout the investigation had gone down the drain. And Lee was annoyed.

"Okay, maybe my comment about McGuire was uncalled for," he admitted, "but you can't just rule him out because you're dating him!"

"I am NOT da-...I mean, I'm not ruling him out because of that! I'm telling you, Dean would not be involved in a conspiracy of murder!"

"I should have trusted my initial instincts on this investigation and not allowed you in on it! You're too close to the case! You can't see the forest through the trees!"

"That's because you're barking up the wrong tree! Seeee!...I can do an out-of-place idiom, too!"

"All I'm saying is that you need to be objective when it comes to this case! Don't be so stubborn!"

"And don't be so bossy!" Amanda insisted, "You already know that I tend not to take orders from you; I barely take suggestions!"

"I..." Lee, once again, was left speechless by Amanda and he knew he would get nowhere with her now that her mind is set, "Forget it! I can't do this now!"

Amanda could tell he was shutting down. That was what he always did. Yell, and then shut down. But she would not let him, not this time, "Do what? What can't you do?"

"This! THIS!" he stated pointed at her then himself, "We do this every time we're on a mission...we never agree!"

"What do you mean we never agree?" Amanda sounded defensive, "We agree... we agree...at times...or at least we eventually agree sometime during the mission...or maybe afterwards, or when Mr. Melrose forces us to or...you get my point! We agree!"

"But at what cost?" Lee questioned her as he looked down. He shook his head, "I shouldn't have to expend all this... this effort and energy...it's just too much..." he tiredly stated. Then looking up, he quietly asked, "You see why I like to work alone now?"

Amanda watched him with a hurt expression, "I guess," she admitted, as she backed down as well. Her voice was much calmer, "The last thing I'd want to do, Lee, is to make you miserable. Perhaps...just perhaps... I should drop out of this investigation..."

She felt like an arrow had pierced her heart when she said those words.

Lee didn't expect her to say that, but he had his pride to protect, "If...if that's what you want, Amanda."

"It's the only sensible thing to do, but..." she looked around, "but it makes me sad to end the partnership inside of a bathroom, of all places."

Lee managed to squeeze out a sad smile, "We could step out in the hallway, if you want."

She gave a wry smile, "I hate hallway breakups as well."

Lee softly asked, "We just-can't-get-it-right, can we?"

Amanda looked directly at him as hope sprung in her heart that perhaps he was referring to something else. But his face remained unreadable. She needed to stop thinking of Lee as anything but an agent.

Okay, so I guess I should go now..." she took a deep breath in, "but I just wanted to say one more thing to you."

"Ahhh...you wanting to get the last word in? Why am I not surprised?" he jested.

She ignored the teasing jab and continued, "...It's just this...if we are to work together in the future, which looks doubtful now, you need to consider me as an equal. Work alongside me; I shouldn't always have to fight for a spot..."

And with that, she headed towards the exit, her head held high. Opening the door, she turned the lights off behind her, leaving Lee to brood alone in the darkness.

####

Dinnertime was a strange time for everyone as they all sat around the table while Isabella served them a simple dinner of salad, Veal Marsala, oven-roasted vegetables, and garlic bread.

Looking around the table, Lee's attention was being diverted in all directions. Right now, Deidre was attempting to grab all his attention, but she was not successful. She could see he was distracted as he continued to observe what was going on around the dinner table.

Across from them, Dean was being unusually quiet with Amanda, who barely looked at him. There seemed to be a barrier between them as well. Lee was curious, but it was none of his business.

Meanwhile, at the end of the table, Daniel was affectionate as ever with his wife, smiling and giving her all of his attention. Lee never thought about it before, but now he could see how stiff and contrived their displayed affections seemed to be with one another.

Any one of these family members could be a murderer because they each had a motive, Lee miserably thought.

Clink!Clink!

Matriarch Olivia, who sat at the head of the table, lightly tapped her fork on her baccarat crystal glass, "Attention, everyone, I'd like to make an announcement, please."

Everyone stopped their chatting or eating.

When it was quiet, Olivia continued, "Earlier this afternoon, Police Chief Johnson had contacted me. He feels that the case regarding Eunice's murder isn't progressing as fast as it should be," she then gave Lee a disapproving look before addressing her family again, "Therefore, he plans to return here in two days to take over the case himself." She then turned back to Lee, "Agent Stetson...and I suppose to a lesser degree, Amanda,...please be prepared to hand over your notes to him regarding the case."

"No! I'm not ready to turn over the investigation to him!" Lee furiously objected, "I'm too deep into this investigation now, and believe me, it's going to break wide open very soon!"

Olivia gave a lecturing look his way, "You are not the one making the important decisions regarding this investigation, Lee. Always remember your station in life. You are my employee, after all."

Daniel interjected, "I think it's good that the Police Chief will be taking over. Perhaps he will be able to solve this case, and then we can be on our way!"

"I agree!" his wife Liz chimed in before addressing Olivia, "Although we have thoroughly enjoyed our time here, Mother Olivia, we are most anxious to return home to our own wonderful lives!" she gave a loving smile to her husband, although the smile didn't reach her eyes.

Lee wondered if Amanda had noticed the fake endearing expression Liz gave her husband. He glanced her way, but Amanda ignored him. Dean, however, was glaring at him.

"As for me," Dean reacted, as he continued staring at Lee, "I can't believe some people are incompetent in doing the one job they were assigned to do."

Lee pursed his lips, but forced himself to stay in control.

"My, my, Dean, you certainly are in a mood tonight," noted Deidre in her snootiest of tones, "Did Amanda refuse to give you a back rub or something?!"

"Lay off, Dee," Dean told her, "You're just jealous because Amanda and I had something really special!"

"'Had,'" repeated Deidre, with a smirk, "You said 'had'."

"Did I?" Dean remarked, looking confused.

Amanda did not want to see Dean be humiliated by his family.

"Yes, Dean and I had something special," Amanda agreed as she lightly patted Dean's hand, "and then it took off and blossomed into something very wonderful!. Your brother gave me the strength and encouragement I needed when I was at a low in my life. I don't know what I would do without him during that period."

Lee's jaw instantly clenched.

Deidre shrugged, "Dean, an inspiration? I wouldn't give him that much credit, Amanda."

Dean leaned in closer to Deidre, "And I, dear sister, only want to give you one thing...my disdain for you!"

CLINK!CLINK!

Olivia was now clinking the crystal glass even harder than before, "-Enough, everyone!" she insisted, "Why are you all in such a snit? This is NOT how a true Wellington acts!"

Daniel drolly stated, "You mean we're not acting all entitled and snobbish like Wellingtons tend to do, Mother?"

"Don't even joke about that, Daniel!" Olivia chided.

"Who's joking?" Liz murmured.

###

Dinner was quiet after that until Lee decided to bring up the investigation again, "Olivia, you can't let the Police Chief take over the case. I feel that Amanda and I have made so much progress with the investigation!"

Olivia was decisive, "I've held the Police Chief off as best I could, Lee. Our lives have been disrupted enough. We should allow the local authorities to do their jobs!"

Amanda was watching the entire scene play and she was feeling frustrated. She saw the desperation in Lee's eyes and despite them being on awkward terms, she wanted to help him.

The meal was quickly drawing to a close.

She needed to do something. And do it fast.

Suddenly, a plan burst into her head.

Not a brilliant plan, she surmised to herself, but she would do it for Lee, even if it cost her everything with this family.

As she turned towards him, she saw that he was scrupulously watching her from across the table. He could sense something was up with her.

When she returned his gaze with a look he didn't recognize, he tilted his head as if to say, 'Amanda, what are you up to?'

Her pleading look back to him seemed to say, 'Please forgive me, Lee.'

Lee's eyes widened as Amanda slowly rose from the dinner table, intent on making her big announcement to the entire family.

.

.

Please review.