Chapter 3
The stately home of the French Ambassador was all ablaze with spectacular white miniature lights all over the building. In the center of the sprawling lawn was a lit fifty-foot Eiffel Tower that had red, white, and blue lights.
"The French sure do like their landmarks, '' Lee commented as he exited the 'Vette.
He gave a $20 bill to the valet and instructed him to keep the car nearby. Amanda stared at the large tower as she waited for Lee to escort her into the house. As they walked, Lee placed his hand on the familiar place along her back. Their eyes met in a loving gaze as they smiled at each other. Lee stopped and adjusted Amanda's wrap for her as she straightened his bow tie.
Lee commented, "Let's hope this is over soon!"
Lee gave the password to the guard at the door and they entered to the sound of French Ambassador Emmanuel Jacquin de Margerie addressing his guests.
"Please, enjoy the night! Happy New Year, everyone! There are plenty of drinks and food. We also have some of our wonderful French wine for you to savor."
Lee quietly instructed Amanda to give him her wrap, "I'll take this to the coatroom. You go ahead to the bar and I'll meet you there."
Amanda agreed and left to go into the main banquet hall, where there were some small tables set up along the edge of the dance floor. She could see an entryway on the right, leading to a smaller room where there was a bar and more tables. On the opposite side of the room were French doors that lined the wall to exit out onto a balcony which overlooked a beautiful garden. As she continued to find her way to the bar, Amanda could see out of the corner of her eye that there was a man following close behind her.
When she reached her destination, the man caught up with her and began to speak French to her. Oh no, not again, she thought, hoping this man would not be as aggressive as the Spaniard.
Her hopes were dashed when he took her hand, kissed it, and then began to place small kisses up her arm as he whispered French endearments.
"Mon Ange" (My Angel), "Mon Coeur" (my heart), "Mon Che`ri." (my darling).
Amanda tried to pull away without attracting attention. As the man was getting closer to her shoulder, he was planting more kisses on it, so she put her other hand up to shield his lips from her face.
"Please, sir, I am with someone and…"
"And that guy is going to knock your head off if you don't let go of her," Lee spoke in perfect French to the man as he showed him his fist.
"Lee, don't make a scene," Amanda begged quietly.
The Frenchman dropped Amanda's arm abruptly and disappeared into the crowd.
"A-MAN-DA. I am not making a scene! I'm gone maybe three minutes and…"
"Lee, the man just came out of nowhere. He must have mistaken me for someone else."
"Yeah, right! I told you earlier that I would have to beat men off you with a stick," Lee complained.
"Just don't leave my side anymore and we won't have a problem." Amanda smiled demurely.
Lee grinned and gave her a wink. "Gladly! I'm not leaving your side again!"
"Good! Let's get something to eat." Amanda pointed to a foyer that was off the room through some double doors where a buffet was set up.
After filling their plates, they went and sat at one of the small tables by the dance floor. As they ate, Amanda was certain she saw the Spaniard in the crowd but lost sight of him right away. She tried to tell Lee, but he pointed out that it was probably someone who just looked like him.
Amanda excused herself to go to the ladies' room. "I need to freshen up."
Lee got up to follow Amanda, not wanting anyone else to get fresh with her. She rolled her eyes at him, and when Amanda reached the restroom, she raised an eyebrow at Lee, then commented, "This is as far as you go, Stetson. Wait here!"
While in the ladies' room, as Amanda was applying more lipstick in the mirror, a woman in her late twenties with blonde hair approached her and in a German accent asked her, "Have you been to Paris in the spring?"
Caught off guard, Amanda looked around quickly to see who else was around and replied, "Yes! And the Eiffel Tower was delightful."
The German woman scanned the bathroom and whispered, "Come with me. My name is Hilda Schultz. I want to talk to you and your partner somewhere else in private."
Amanda agreed, "Sure, come with me. He's waiting outside."
As they exited the bathroom, Lee was now standing by a drink table, talking to Leslie O'Connor of all people. Amanda stopped cold, causing Hilda to bump into her from behind. Amanda noticed Leslie was standing a little too close to Lee to suit her, and Leslie kept touching Lee's arm as she laughed. That's when she heard through her earpiece, Leslie was inviting Lee to a dinner party with her.
Amanda quickly came up beside Lee, hooked her arm through his, and announced, "I'm back, Lee!"
Lee smiled broadly, showing off his dimples. "Hey, Amanda. Do you remember Leslie O'Connor?"
"Of course I do. How are you doing?" Amanda smiled sweetly.
"It's so nice to see you again, Amanda. I think the last time I saw you was at Lee's apartment. Are you still working for Lee?"
Amanda looked at Lee curiously as he ducked his head.
"No, I'm not…actually we are—"
"On our way to another party. So nice to see you, Leslie." Lee guided Amanda away from Leslie, as Hilda followed behind both of them now.
"So, she was inviting you somewhere wasn't she?" Amanda cocked her eyebrow at Lee as he stammered a bit.
"Uh, well… I'm sure she was just being friendly, and I..."
"Did you tell her you were seeing someone?"
"Amanda, I couldn't tell her about us…But yes, I told her I was in a serious relationship."
Meanwhile, in the surveillance van, Abernathy and Fielder smirked and gave each other knowing looks.
"Yes, right, of course." Amanda pursed her lips and fell silent.
Hilda, still standing behind Amanda, cleared her throat and remarked, "Remember me? Can we please get back to why you are here?"
Amanda and Lee quit their discussion, looking rather embarrassed that their bickering had distracted them. Amanda pulled Lee closer as she pointed to Hilda. "We need to go talk out on the balcony with Hilda."
Hilda replied, "Okay, but we shouldn't be seen leaving together to go out there. I'll meet you in a few minutes."
They both nodded and walked out where the French doors led to the garden balcony. Lee tried to guide Amanda in his familiar way with his hand along the small of her back. But Amanda sidestepped Lee's gesture. As they proceeded outside, Amanda shivered in the cold night air. Lee took his jacket off and draped it over her shoulders. Amanda was silent as they waited to rendezvous with Hilda. Lee was feeling an icy distance from Amanda.
"Honey, look. I just want you to know I didn't say or do anything to encourage Leslie."
"Uh-huh."
"Really! And I can't believe you're jealous!" Lee stated dramatically as he pointed at her.
"So what if I am," Amanda stated defensively.
"Now you know how I feel!"
"This is much different, Lee!"
"Amanda, honey, please!" Lee reached to take Amanda in his arms as Hilda came up behind them from the shadow of a tree.
"I'm here," she loudly whispered.
Amanda jumped back out of Lee's reach upon hearing Hilda's voice.
The three stood in the dark as Hilda began to explain who wanted to defect.
"I am Hilda Schultz, and I work at the West German Embassy as a secretary. Anyway, my boyfriend, Klaus Vogel, is secretary to the East German Ambassador. I am pregnant with our child and he is going to be called back to East Germany soon, and he doesn't want to go...because we want to be together with our baby."
Amanda gripped Hilda's hand in support.
"I'm sorry. That's not a reason we can give you political asylum," Lee explained.
"Wait! There's more. I found out my boss, the Undersecretary has been selling information to the East Germans. Klaus knows a lot of the information the East Germans have been getting. It's because the East German Ambassador has had Klaus type up all the information. He has also sat in on some other meetings that the Ambassador has had with other Eastern Bloc nations, along with Russia. He is sure you would want the information he has.''
"How do I know for sure you're telling the truth?" Lee questioned.
"Here are some pictures of some of the notes from those meetings." Hilda took some papers out of her purse, and Lee and Amanda looked them over.
Lee stated to Amanda, "There are some very strategic defensive things in these notes that the west would give a lot for." Lee spoke directly into the wire, "Billy, are you reading me?"
"Yes, Scarecrow. It sounds legitimate. Go ahead and bring both of them in."
Addressing Hilda, Lee informed her, "My boss says we can accept you both. So, where is Klaus?"
"Something I didn't tell you. He was originally at the Spanish Embassy hiding on the grounds. But the guy who was dancing with Amanda is a Soviet KGB agent named Vladimir Kozlov. He followed us there, so that is why Roger Atkinson from MI6 stepped in and intercepted Amanda. This was our Plan B. So we need to go to the British Embassy. He will be waiting there with Roger."
Amanda gave Lee an 'I told you so' look and stated, "See, not my fault!" She then turned to Hilda and suggested, "Ok, so why don't you come with us. Lee, why don't you take Hilda to the car while I get my wrap."
"Oh no, I'm not leaving either of you alone. We'll go around to the front from the outside to make sure no one sees us."
Speaking in his wire to the agents in the van, Lee made sure they heard where they were going next.
"Abernathy and Fielder, did you read where our next destination is?"
"Affirmative, Scarecrow. We will meet you at your car to pick up the package."
"Copy that. Billy, what's your location?"
"I just left Francine at the hospital. She has a mild concussion, so I'm on my way to the British Embassy. We have arranged for a safe house."
"Ok. Thanks, Billy."
The three proceeded cautiously around the grounds, ducking behind statues and plants until they got to the front. Amanda went in hastily for her wrap, and Lee was able to get to his car quickly. He gave the valet another $20 because he'd followed instructions and parked the 'Vette where he could leave swiftly.
The van pulled up behind Lee's car and Hilda got in. Lee helped Amanda into the 'Vette and began to follow the van. The silence between the two was very evident before they finally both broke the silence with, "I'm sorry."
"Amanda, what are you sorry about?"
"For thinking the wrong thing…I know you wouldn't purposely lead Leslie on. Sweetheart, I was jealous. I admit it."
Lee flashed her a smile and affirmed, "I love you, Amanda! Only you. I don't care about any other women. And I'm sorry for giving you trouble about those other men. Especially since that Spaniard turned out to be a KGB agent. I can't blame the French guy for thinking you are gorgeous and desirable since I feel that way also!" He reached for her hand and kissed her palm.
"I love you too, Lee!" Amanda cooed softly as she lovingly grazed her hand down the side of his cheek.
Soon after, Lee noticed there was a tail on them.
Lee addressed the agents in the van, "Ok, guys. We have a tail. Just speed up a little, then turn at the next corner, and we'll see if we can lose them."
Fred answered, "Ok. Copy, Scarecrow."
As both vehicles turned, so did the third one, which Lee had suspected was tailing them. The car tried to catch up, and a shot rang out barely missing them. One of the agents returned fire.
Lee announced, "I'm going to do a bootlegger, so we can have whoever it is between us, and then we can have the upper hand."
"Copy, Scarecrow. We'll be ready."
The van sped up to give Lee space for his maneuver, and as they did, he jerked the 'Vette 180 degrees.
Amanda gripped the sides of her seat and closed her eyes as she moaned, "Oh my Gosh!"
The bootlegger move took the driver of the third car by surprise, causing it to slam to a stop between the van and the 'Vette. All three agents jumped out and aimed their guns at the other car. Amanda bent low in her seat to keep out of the line of fire, should there be a gunfight. Lee shot out two tires and yelled for the driver to get out of the car with his hands up. Slowly, the KGB agent, Kozlov, exited the car.
Lee ordered him to lie down on the pavement. Kozlov obeyed, as Abernathy, with his gun drawn, slowly approached the passenger side to make sure there was no one else inside. Finally, he yelled, "Clear!"
Lee approached the KGB agent and slapped the cuffs on. Lee lifted him up, searched him for any weapons then snatched Kozlov's gun from his shoulder holster. Fielder found another gun on the seat of the car. He hastily gave it to Abernathy and ran into the nearby bushes to puke.
Lee looked perplexed and gave a questioning sign of a shrugged shoulder with one hand raised palm up at Abernathy.
Abernathy gave a chuckle. "That's the most action Fielder has ever seen."
In the meantime, Amanda went to check on Hilda, who was sitting stunned in the van behind the recording equipment.
"Everything is all right now, Hilda. We've captured Kozlov and you're safe."
Hilda let out a long sigh of relief. "Thank God! It's all over. I was so afraid my baby and I were going to die!"
Lee jumped into the van and replied, "Let's hope it's all over. I'm surprised Kozlov didn't have anyone backing him up. We still need to be cautious going to the Embassy. By the way, are they having a party there?"
Hilda responded confidently, "No, it's at the British Ambassador's house. That's why we chose to go there."
"Ok, let's go."
Abernathy returned with Kozlov as Fred headed to the driver's seat.
The two vehicles arrived at the British Embassy without further incident. Billy was there to meet them.
Looking at Abernathy and Fielder, Billy informed them, "Take Kozlov back to the agency for debriefing. Scarecrow, Amanda, let's take Miss. Schultz inside the Embassy. "
As they started to walk into the embassy, Abernathy pulled Lee aside.
"Uh, Scarecrow, there are some things on the tape that you may not want on record at the agency." He pointed to the tape machine, smirking. "I could erase some of your personal conversations with Mrs. King for a trade."
Lee's eyes looked like a deer caught in headlights as he thought about their private conversations caught on tape. Lee sighed in defeat, "What do you want in exchange?"
Abernathy suggested, "How about the next five stakeouts I'm assigned to, you go in my place. And I say nothing."
"You got it!" They shook on it.
Lee followed the others inside where Klaus and Roger Atkinson were waiting. Hilda ran to Klaus, and they emotionally embraced.
"Mr. Atkinson, thank you for your help at the Spanish Embassy," Amanda acknowledged.
"My pleasure, Mrs. King!"
Lee shook his hand and asked, "How did you get involved?"
"Originally, I took part in a joint operation with the German government on another matter. After which, Hilda contacted me to ask for help. I, in turn, contacted our mutual friend, Emily Farnsworth, and she suggested you and Mrs. King for the job."
"Oh, how wonderful of Emily to help!" Amanda happily stated as Lee nodded.
"Now, I need to contact the heads of German intelligence and inform them of the German Undersecretary's treason." Turning to Billy, Atkinson said, "I can save you some time and mop things up on the other end."
"Appreciated." Billy shook hands with Atkinson, who turned and, shook hands with Lee and Amanda.
"Now to make some calls." The agent turned and sprinted up the stairs of the embassy.
Billy concluded, "Well, Scarecrow, Amanda, I will take it from here." Chuckling, Billy added, "Enjoy the rest of your New Year's…together. You don't have to come in until the third for your debriefings."
"Thank you, sir!" Amanda looked at Lee. "We have thirty minutes left!"
Lee grabbed Amanda's hand as they hurried and jumped into the 'Vette. Lee sped as fast as he dared in the cold, frosty winter night to Amanda's house.
They arrived at ten minutes to midnight, Amanda grabbed Lee's hand and dashed into the house.
"Hurry, we can just about make it!" Amanda loosened his tie. "Take off your tie and shoes and get comfortable."
Lee wiggled his eyebrows. "Anything else you want me to take off?"
"Hold it, Stetson. Don't get any funny ideas! I'll be back down in a flash!"
Within a few minutes, Amanda came bounding back downstairs in a sweatshirt and cozy flannel pants. She wore some blue slippers and gave Lee a pair of Philip's green ones to put on, which barely fit. She ran and got some noise makers from the cupboard, then took the champagne out of the fridge along with two wine glasses. Amanda pushed Lee down on the sofa and turned on the TV as Dick Clark was counting down to midnight.
"Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, ONE! HAPPY NEW YEAR!"
Amanda and Lee shook their noise makers as Lee then curved one arm around Amanda's waist, pulling her face toward him with the other hand. He gave her a deep passionate kiss that left them both breathless. Amanda gave him two small additional kisses as they remained in one another's arms.
Amanda grinned and commented, "Now you know how normal people in the suburbs celebrate New Years."
Lee poured some champagne into their glasses and they toasted to the new year. He then took Amanda's glass, set it down on the coffee table, and took her back into his arms as he nuzzled her ear, whispering, "I'm looking forward to many New Year's Eves like this one with you, like a couple of normal people."
The End