Chapter 2
Amanda was washing dishes when Lee tapped on her kitchen window at about 7:30; she came out immediately, smiling and happy to see him, and he suddenly felt a bit nervous - something he wasn't accustomed to feeling, especially around a woman as 'wholesome' as Amanda.
They made uncomfortable conversation for a minute or two, and then she excused herself, saying she had to 'help Jamie with his fractions', but right before he left, she asked, "How'd you get me out of there?"
"I carried you," he said, and then he was gone.
"Carried me," she murmured. She stood outside for a few moments more, just trying to take it all in, but then the mood was broken by the rising volume of a squabble between her boys.
"I'll bet Victoria Greenwich never has to break up fights," she thought wistfully, "just like she never has to do dishes." She sighed and went back inside to settle the dispute.
For the next couple of days, she heard nothing from Lee, which was a bit unusual, since he'd called her or contacted her in some other way every week for almost two months. On Thursday, she was putting green frosting on two dozen cupcakes and decorating them with candy pumpkins when the phone rang.
Quickly, before Dotty could answer the phone, she reached for it, sure it would be Lee.
"Hello?"
"Amanda, this is Billy Melrose. How are you?"
"I'm fine, sir."
"No residual ill effects from last Saturday night?"
"No, sir, like I told Lee on Monday, I'm fine. If you have a job for me, I can do it, but I have to finish a batch of cupcakes first, and tomorrow there's a Thanksgiving feast at the elementary school -that's why I'm making the cupcakes."
"It won't take long; it's just a simple courier assignment. Come into the Agency, Mrs. Marston will buzz you through, and come on down to the bullpen to pick up the item and get your instructions. Can you come in this afternoon?"
"Oh, yes, I'm almost finished with the cupcakes, and the boys don't get out of school until three. Do I need to dress up for this assignment?"
"No, no, you're going to a supermarket. Dress as you would for a trip to your local market."
"A shopping trip. Right. I'll be there at one o'clock."
"Thank you, Amanda."
She cradled the receiver and went back to her decorating. Dotty, who had been watching her favorite game show, 'Stump the Stars', came into the kitchen and said, "Who was on the phone, Amanda?"
"Just one of my walk and water clients, Mother, wanting to know if I could go over this afternoon and feed their fish. They have to go out of town unexpectedly – government business."
"Why this afternoon? Can't they feed their fish before they go?"
"The fish have to be fed at a certain time, they say. If they feed them too early, it upsets their schedule."
"Fish on a feeding schedule? That's a new one."
"Yes, well, they're very expensive, very special fish."
"Very spoiled fish, if you ask me. All right, at least I hope these people are paying you for your time and trouble?"
"Oh, yes, Mother."
"Good. I'm going upstairs to lie down; I feel another migraine coming on."
"I'm sorry, Mother."
Amanda hugged her and Dotty waved tiredly before heading up the stairs to her room.
At a few minutes before one o'clock, Amanda walked into the Georgetown Foyer. "Hello, Mrs. Marston. Mr. Melrose is expecting me."
"Yes, Mrs. King. Here's your guest pass."
Amanda clipped on the pass and headed for the 'coat closet' elevator. When she emerged from under the coats a few seconds later, Billy was waiting to greet her.
"Hello, Amanda. Thanks for coming in on such short notice."
Amanda expected to see Lee at his desk, but it was empty, and he was nowhere to be seen in the bullpen. She followed Billy into his office, where he handed her a large can of ground coffee.
"You're going to take this to the Jiffy Market on Washington Boulevard in Arlington and go to Customer Service. Tell them you bought it and realized when you got it home that it was past its expiration date."
"Without a receipt? They'll never take it without a receipt. I mean, I have a Jiffy Market grocery sack in the car, but without a receipt, it's going to look very strange."
"They don't need to see a receipt; just give them the coffee can."
"They're going to ask me for a receipt."
"Well, do you have an old one you could show them?"
"Let me check. "She rummaged in her purse, found several receipts, and finally located one from Jiffy Market. "There's no coffee on this receipt."
"No, there doesn't have to be. Just go into the market, show them the coffee and a receipt, any receipt, to make it look like a normal transaction, and hand over the coffee. They will give you another can of coffee, just like this one, which you will bring back here."
"Is there a message in the can they're giving me?"
"No, it's just to make it look like a normal transaction. Just bring it here."
"Go to the Jiffy on Washington, return this can of coffee because it's expired, get another can of coffee, bring it back."
"That's all. You can even wait until tomorrow to bring the new can in."
"No, I'll have to bring it back today; if Mother sees it, she'll wonder why I bought this brand; it's the most expensive stuff on the market."
"Bring it back today, then."
"I will. Oh, sir, I haven't seen Lee today."
"He's away, Amanda."
"Oh. I understand. Need to know and all that."
"Exactly."