Being Sneaky
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Chapter 9
Back in Washington DC, the office was abuzz with people on the phone while the clickety-clack of typewriters could be heard. Inside Billy's office, however, it was quiet as he and Francine waited for the dreaded arrival of Lee.
And sure enough, it didn't take long.
Lee suddenly burst into Billy's office in a mood they would have never anticipated.
"Good morning everyone!" he announced, with a big smile on his face.
Once recovered from the shock, Francine smirked, "Well, well, look who's brought the sunshine with him for the first time!"
But nothing could stop Lee from feeling great as he took a seat without being asked, "Trust me, Francine, when I woke up this morning, I had no idea I was going to be this fantastic, but hey, look at me now...I AM that guy!"
Billy lifted a brow, "I suppose your cheerfulness has to do with your success earlier this morning in capturing the second bank robber, Blake Wiley."
"That just about sums it up!" Lee nodded, looking ever so proud, "Using my superior agent skill, I've managed to single-handedly capture the man whose face had been plastered on the FBI's most-wanted list! I've captured, jailed, AND got a full confession from the guy! Is there anything I can't do?"
"Do you want the full list now?" Francine sarcastically stated, folding her arms.
Billy gave Francine a look before addressing Lee, "Unlike Francine, I DO appreciate when justice is served!" he looked pleased, "Congratulations, Lee, on a job well done!"
Francine heaved a sighed, "Oh, alright...I suppose I should congratulate you as well!"
Lee looked surprised, "YOU, Francine, are actually congratulating ME?"
"Yes, yes," Francine stated with a bored tone, "Congratulations on your uncanny ability to take something that is NOT about you, and turning it into something that is ALL about you!"
"Even YOU can't dampen my great mood, Francine," Lee stated, still with a smile on his face.
"Then I guess I'll just have to try harder next time," she quipped.
But Lee didn't hear, as he was now looking out the office window, anxious to tell Amanda all about his adventures. But all he saw was her empty chair.
He turned back to Billy, "Amanda's not at her desk. Where is she?"
He noted how Billy and Francine exchanged unreadable looks.
"Hello? Amanda?" he impatiently repeated.
"Yes...Amanda, about that..." Billy cleared his throat "...you see, Lee, Amanda happens to be out...on a special errand..."
"A verrry long special errand..." Francine added, which only added to Lee's confusion.
"You mean..." he began slowly, "...she had to go to the other post office across town again?"
Oh boy. Francine rolled her eyes.
Billy adjusted his collar as if he were getting hot, "Uh, not quite, Lee…."
Lee was catching on, "I have a feeling I'm not going to like whatever the explanation is, but someone tell me, anyway! What the hell is going on? Where's Amanda?"
"Oh, just tell him, Billy!" Francine looked frustrated, "He'll find out anyway!"
Now Lee was getting REALLY concerned, "Find out what? Come on, Billy, out with it! Where's Amanda?"
#
Meanwhile, back in Tamasina, Mexico...
Someone was breaking into Amanda's motel room in the middle of the night.
Amanda instantly became awake, but did not stir in the bed. It was too dark to see anything. When the door slowly opened, a little light spilled in, and she felt a slight draft from the night air. Then she heard the faint click of the door closing and it was completely dark once more.
Tensely, she laid motionless in her bed, her ears attuned to the tiniest of sounds. Her curtains had been completely pulled shut so there was no light as she pretended to sleep. Soon a pencil-thin light shone briefly across the wall before it was directed at her suitcase.
A flashlight.
She next heard the slow, nearly soundless unzipping of her suitcase. In the darkness, she moved her head slightly towards the tiny light so she could see what was going on. The top of her suitcase opened as the thin ray of light disappeared inside the opened luggage. At one point, the thief aimed the light wrong and Amanda caught a glimpse of a man's profile as she tried not to gasp out loud.
OhMyGosh!
Agent Ramos!
She pushed aside her shock and fear so she could think logically. If he were going through her suitcase, there could be only one reason for that. He was intent on finding the informant identification packet!
Staying beneath her covers, Amanda looked away and continued to pretend sleeping. It was easier to listen with her eyes closed, since her concentration would then be exclusively listening for noises in the room.
But her eyes popped opened when she heard paper rustling. Then she realized that it was him kneading and feeling the wrapped package of clothes she had purchase from Miguel's shop.
Instinctively she moved her hand down to her waist to reassure herself that she still had her money belt on.
Luckily, it was there, safe and sound.
Having no luck, Ramos's next move was to tiptoe away to investigate the small bathroom.
But she wasn't free from him yet. Amanda figured once he discovered nothing in the bathroom, he would come looking for her purse. And that said purse was now casually slung over the wooden headboard, right next to her!
Should she try to move or hide the purse while he was in the bathroom? She wondered, Where could she put it? And what if she didn't move it? Should she feign sleeping and then attack him when he got close enough to the bed?
But what could she use against a trained agent? A fluffy pillow would not do the trick.
The idea of moving the purse was moot, anyway, for Ramos's search of her bathroom had been brief. All her muscles tightened when he had entered the main part of her room again.
Squeezing her eyes shut again, she listened as he dropped to the floor on his hands and knees to begin his stealth approach to her bed.
Oh-my-gosh, what do I do?
He felt so close now. A sweat dripped down Amanda's forehead, but she dare not wipe it away. When Ramos eventually stood, he was right up to her bed; so close that if she turned and reached up, she could touch him without stretching her arm much.
She needed a plan. And quick.
YAWN!
She was desperate. Maybe yawning might surprise Ramos into leaving.
It HAD startle Ramos, who immediately dropped on all fours again so that he was low to the ground. She needed to delay him more.
YAWN!
She tossed and turned in the bed and suddenly felt a jarring of her bed from below.
BUMP!
"Ooomph!..." she heard a man's voice groan.
She figured Ramos must have been so surprised by her yawns that when he was flat on the floor, he had lifted his head up,thus bumping it against the bed frame. She smiled silently to herself when she heard him whisper out a cuss word.
Unfortunately, it was not enough to deter him. Slowly he rose again and she heard his fingers grasping her purse and softly opening it. Daring to be brave, she opened one eye and witnessed again the pinpoint thread of light, as he examined the contents of her purse.
Finding nothing, he let out a frustrated moan and returned the purse to its original location. Amanda held her breath, wondering what he planned to do next. She breathed again once she felt Ramos was no longer at her side and was departing. A moment later, the door opened and silently he closed it behind him.
When she heard retreating footsteps out in the hallway, Amanda sat up at once. She knew Ramos would be in a bad mood in the morning, but he wouldn't be the only one. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became over the entire situation.
Then a different feeling came over her. It was determination. She had thought she was being clever by pretending she was sleeping, but then a new realization finally hit her: Ramos now knew she had not hidden the packet in her bag, the purchased packages of clothing, or her purse. Therefore, he would have figured out that the packet would have to be on her person.
She needed to do something about the packet to make sure Ramos never got his hands on it.
Reaching over, she lit the candle that was on her nightstand. Amanda sat on her bed, in deep contemplation. She couldn't believe that Agent Ramos had the gall to break into her room...perhaps he DID have something to do with Miguel Esteban's murder!
But why?
Maybe Ramos was a double agent! After all, he HAD been so insistent on getting hold of the ID packet AND working alone. Could it be because he had planned to get RID of all the informants?
OhMyGosh, If that were all true, poor storekeeper Miguel Esteban never stood a chance and bus boy Paco Ramirez's life would be next! And the other informants' lives were at stake as well!
Her mind was racing a mile a minute. So many thoughts. So many ideas.
Calm, I must remain calm, she told herself as she took one deep breath in and then out, I must deal with all this one step at a time.
She thought about the packet in her money-belt. Reaching in her nightgown, she removed the money-belt from her body. By candlelight, she took out the last three pictures and once again memorized everything by heart. Over and over again she studied the pictures, the locations, and the informants' occupations until it was seared into her memory bank.
When she was confident she knew every detail, she took the candle, grabbed all the pictures and rushed into the bathroom. She suddenly found herself breathing fast and hard at what she was about to do next. It was like she couldn't get enough air in her lungs as she threw all five pictures into the bathroom sink.
From the stack she picked them up one by one, for a last thorough look. Closing her eyes, she silently whispered the names, occupations, and towns of the last three informants.
When she was sure she had them completely memorized, she opened her eyes and threw the photos back into the sink. Then using her candle, she set the pile on fire, watching them slowly curl under the heat.
She knew this was the only way to make sure Agent Ramos never got his grubby hands on them.
When all five burnt pictures were reduced to ash, she ran the faucet water full-force, and saw the remains of the photos washed down the basin pipes.
With that completed, she carried the candle and money bag back to bed with her. Then she quickly blew out the candle. The room was instantly enveloped in darkness, which allowed her to think clearly what she must do next.
First things first, she must force herself to try and get some rest, for tomorrow (or actually today, since it was the early morning hours) would be a busy day, she thought as she got under the covers.
Amanda had already planned to meet Agent Ramos at the usual time of 8 am at the restaurant El Pujol, which also served breakfast.
Unfortunately the informant #2, Paco Ramirez, could possibly be at the restaurant as well, working the morning shift. Dread filled her head as she thought of a scenario where Paco might recognize her and say something to her, putting his life at risk.
She must warn the busboy of the danger.
Yes, Amanda decided, her first course of action would be to protect Paco Ramirez. She would, therefore, go to the restaurant before it opens.
Amanda forced herself to shut her eyes to rest, hoping she was doing the right thing. After all, Agent Ramos could be completely innocent of Miguel Esteban's murder. Perhaps all he wanted was the possession of the packet so he could ID the informants, which was his job. The murder part was completely unrelated. It's possible, right?
And before she fell into a restless sleep, she had one wistful plea that she knew would be left unanswered.
Oh, Lee, how I wish you were here!
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