Chapter 5

"Yeah, Billy, I'm on my way," Lee shook his head just before he hung up the phone. Across the room, Amanda waited for an explanation, one eyebrow raised. Lee smoothed his tie before he ran his hand through his hair nervously. "That was Billy. He needs me at the office."

"So I gathered," Amanda replied. "What's going on, Lee?"

Lee stood and tucked his shirt into his pants a little more. "Nothing… really. Sorenson was spotted again last night, so he wants all hands on deck," he explained.

Amanda shook her head, "No, Billy promised you weren't going to be anywhere near that mess."

Lee placed his hands on her arms and stated firmly, "I won't be. I'm just heading there to help out while everyone else is sent to search for him. It's becoming an all-out manhunt from what he just explained."

Amanda reached up and brushed her hand down the lapel of his jacket, "I don't like this, Lee. I don't like this one bit."

Lee leaned forward and pecked her lips in a brief kiss as he stated, "There's nothing to worry about. Believe me. I'm going to be down in the bullpen all day, pushing buttons and passing files around. That's it."

"You're sure?" Amanda demanded.

"Yes, I'm sure. Now, come on. Let's go downstairs. I'm sure the boys aren't awake yet. You, know, it's funny, not hearing them bickering in the morning before school, now that they are on summer break," Lee smiled.

Amanda slapped at his arm, playfully as she followed him to the bedroom door, "They don't fight all the time."

"I'm not saying they do, it's just most mornings, before school, they had a way of livening up the house with their antics," Lee teased. He waited until Amanda began her slow descent down the steps. "You okay?" he asked when she paused on one step.

"Yeah, just a twinge," she breathed before she continued down the stairs again.

The kitchen was quiet, just as Lee predicted it would be. He poured himself a cup of coffee and a glass of juice for Amanda. "Do you want me to make you something before I go?" he asked as he took a sip from the steaming mug in his hands.

Amanda shook her head, "No, I'll wait for Mother. The boys should be up soon since Joe is taking them golfing today. And I'm not really hungry right now."

Lee pursed his lips and pondered her statement, "Amanda, are you sure you're feeling all right? It's not like you to not be hungry in the morning. I mean, how many times have you reminded me 'breakfast is the most important meal of the day'?"

"Lee, I'm fine. I'm just not hungry right now. I'm just going to take my juice, lie down on the couch, and watch the news. That's it," she insisted.

"Okay, okay. Here, I'll get you settled," Lee bobbed his head as he lifted her glass and held out his hand. Amanda allowed him to guide her into the family room. She sat back against the pillows and lifted her feet up onto the cushions beside her. Lee tucked a pillow beneath her knees and brushed a kiss across her forehead before he stood up and headed toward the hallway to the garage. "I'll call you later."

"I'll be looking forward to it," Amanda called back with a smile.

Less than an hour later, Lee was in the closet elevator, heading to the bullpen. As he waited for the doors to open, the pager on his belt sounded out, chirping loudly in the small space. Lee closed his eyes, groaned, then looked at the number displayed. He was surprised to see it was Billy's office extension, not Amanda trying to contact him. The doors opened, and he quickly sidestepped the standing agents in the hall, talking. He made it to Billy's office, where he found Billy and Francine waiting for him. "What took you so long?" Billy snapped.

"What do you mean? I got here as fast as I could," Lee retorted.

"Sorenson called," Francine interjected. "He said he has a surprise for us."

Lee narrowed his eyes at her and shook his head, "What do you mean a surprise?"

Francine raised her shoulders, "I don't know. That's what he said. 'Keep your eyes open for a big surprise.' He called it in just after Billy got off the phone with you."

"This is a real mess. Sorenson could be anywhere right now, doing God knows what," Billy pursed his lips tightly. He slumped down into his chair and tapped his hand on his desk. "Francine, was there anything else in that message… background noise, a train going by, anything?" he questioned.

"Nothing. Relay picked it up, but he wasn't on long enough to triangulate the call. They couldn't even find a starting point," Francine explained.

Lee leaned forward onto his hands on the edge of Billy's desk, "Dammit. So we have no idea what he's planning? There haven't been any other clues, hints, anything left by him anywhere?"

Francine lifted her hand and pointed at Lee, "You are not involved in this. You are only here to help back me up, which means my desk is right out there, and you are going to stay there until Sorenson is found. I promised Amanda I would keep you out of trouble."

"You promised Amanda you were going to keep me out of trouble?" Lee gawked at her. "Maybe you should take your own advice and keep yourself out of trouble."

"No, I agree with Francine. You're not leaving this bullpen until this is over unless it's necessary," Billy agreed.

Lee shook his head, "Well, then, can I at least get my keys and the reports I was working on in my office and bring them down here? That is if you think it's safe enough for me to go upstairs and come back down again."

Billy pressed his lips tightly once more and stated, "Fine. But don't take all day. I need everyone out searching for him. I don't need to be worried about you traipsing around town too."

"Traipsing around… Billy, I'm not some freshman agent. Not to mention, I have a lot at stake right now. I'm sure as hell not going to go after Sorenson on my own if that's what you're thinking," Lee lashed back.

"Sorenson has me so twisted I don't know what to think!" Billy replied.

Lee nodded, "I get it. Okay. I'm just going to head up there, and I'll be back in ten minutes." He left the office and hurried to the elevator without waiting for Billy to reply. He smiled and greeted Mrs. Marston before he took the stairs two at a time. He hurried into the Q Bureau, where he collected the files he needed and headed back down the stairs.

"Oh, Scarecrow," Mrs. Marston stopped him before he disappeared into the elevator. "This was left for you on my desk this morning." She pushed a small package wrapped in pink paper, tied together with a pink bow. A handwritten tag hung off the ribbon that read, "Scarecrow" "Whoever left it, wrapped it beautifully," she added as she handed the gift to Lee.

"Thank you, Mrs. Marston," Lee smiled as he took the package and placed it onto the files in his hands.

"You have a nice day now," she smiled at him as he stepped into the elevator and closed the door. Lee found his way to Francine's desk and waved to Billy and Francine.

Francine opened Billy's office door and crossed the room to stand by Lee. "Oh, how sweet, another baby present," she teased.

Lee couldn't help but smile, "Yeah, it seems like we've been getting at least one or two a day, the last few weeks." He sat down in Francine's chair and looked for a card. When he didn't see one initially, he tugged on the ribbon and smiled at Francine once more, "Card must be inside." He gently lifted the lid and peered into the box. Immediately his face went white. "Francine, get Billy. Right now. I think I just found Sorenson's surprise."

Inside the box, Lee was staring at a small but powerful bomb, the timer slowly ticking down.