Chapter 10 Driving to Connecticut

Lee was outside parked a block down from Amanda's house at 8am when she went outside with her luggage to wait for him. He quickly drove the Porsche up to where she was standing and hopped out to help put her luggage into his car.

"Good Morning Lee" Amanda smiled and said.

"Morning Amanda. Wow, you sure packed a lot of stuff." Lee responded.

"Mr. Melrose didn't know how long this assignment would take. I never like going away without be prepared. After all, my Mother always said that a fox that was prepared to lose his meal, made sure to have a backup plan."

Lee stared at her for a minute processing this and then said "yeah" and finished putting her bags into the trunk of his car. It was a good thing that Lee didn't come even half that prepared because he wouldn't have had room for the luggage.

He opened the passenger door and helped Amanda into the car and then walked quickly back to the driver's side and got in.

"Any problem with explaining to your Mother about being away again?"

"No, I told her that an old school friend needed help baking in CT and asked me to come help. It wasn't quite a total lie."

Lee smiled and said "No, it wasn't totally a lie."

Lee shifted the car into first gear and turned it in the direction of the George Washington Parkway.

They were both quiet with their thoughts for a short time and then Amanda asked "So what can you tell me about this new assignment Lee?"

"Well you are going to love it Amanda. It is apparently a Halloween attraction so it's right up your alley."

"Are you trying to say I scare people?" Amanda teased.

Lee chuckled and said "No, I just know you are really good with kids and there will be a lot of them that attend this place. It is a working farm so there is a place to pet farm animals, there are amusement rides, a haunted house, pumpkin carving contests and nightly ghost walks. There is a kitchen that bakes delicious homemade goodies that are given away and sold to the public. Your job will be as one of the bakers that creates these treats because we both know you are good at baking. In the meantime, I will need you to be my eyes and ears around the kitchen and among the inside staff."

"What am I watching or listening for?"

"Well it seems that this little tourist attraction isn't exactly as it seems. It is a terrorist's network that is used like an underground railroad to smuggle terrorists into and out of the country without anyone being able to catch them. Our informant told us that he knows of several high profile terrorists that have used this network to enter the U.S. but he wasn't sure how many have remained."

"So we have to figure that out?"

"No, that would be pretty much impossible. No, we have to figure out who is running this and shut it down. We are very limited on time though as it seems that one of the most dangerous terrorists in the world today is going to attempt to come through this underground railroad and we feel that it will likely be during Halloween when things are already pretty crazy."

"Who is this man?"

"His name is Nico Orlov and he's extremely dangerous. Several of the airline hijackings have been traced back to him along with several disappearances including Prince Tapir of the Gregarian Islands. Orlov is not a nice man at all. In fact, I really did think Francine should be on this one instead of you Amanda because this is a really dangerous assignment. Billy thought you would be a better choice since you can bake and Francine only burns but if you want out Amanda, it isn't too late."

"Are you telling me to reject this assignment Lee?"

"It has to be your decision, Amanda"

"Then I'm in it to the end. How do we stop him?"

"I don't know yet. I need to go get a feel for the place and try to make friends with some of the staff and see if I can figure out how they are doing this without others realizing something is going on. I will do my best to keep you safe Amanda but I won't always be around. I need you to understand that."

Amanda looked serious as she answered "I do and I appreciate your honestly Lee but I'm sure I can be of help to you. I am really good in the kitchen and so no one will suspect me and maybe they will talk around me since they will think I'm just a baker. I just wish that Mr. Melrose would let me begin my agency training."

"I don't think training will help very much against Nico. Just make sure you stay around people and you should be safe. Thanks for agreeing to continue the assignment. Hopefully we can take care of this in plenty of time for you to be back home to celebrate Halloween with your boys."

Amanda smiled and said "I appreciate that."

"So tell me what they are dressing up as this Halloween." Lee asked in attempt to keep the conversation light.

Amanda smiled thinking about the costumes she had created for her boys. "Well Phillip is going as a Baseball player and Jamie is going as a Martian."

Lee smiled and said they were good choices. They both lapsed in silence with their own thoughts. The trip was about 6 hours so they stopped for lunch around noon at a little truck stop just outside of East Brunswick, NJ. Lee realized they were getting close to New York and he thought it might be a good idea to have lunch before they got there so they could drive through the state without any issue. The truck stop he picked was not much to look at on the outside; but the inside was clean and nicely decorated. When their waitress asked them what they wanted to order, Amanda asked her what was the favorite. The waitress told her that everyone seemed to like the roast beef sandwiches so both Lee and Amanda ordered one. As they waited for their meal, Lee decided to go back outside and use the gas station next door to refuel his car. The waitress meanwhile came back to their table to deliver the iced teas that they had ordered. As she sat them down, she said "Nice day for a trip. Where are you heading?"

"Oh, some Halloween attraction in Connecticut."

"Really? Is it Aunt Mary's Fun House Halloween Extravaganza in Falls Village?"

Amanda was amazed that anyone knew the place and couldn't hide her surprise. "Do you know this place?"

"I don't personally know it but I have an uncle who has worked for them for several years now. If you see Thomas Hanko, please tell him that his Niece Stacy said to say hi."

"Oh I will Stacy. What does your uncle do there?"

"He's one of the year round farmers. I think he helps grow the pumpkins and takes care of the animals. He always loved his job until a few years ago when he said that there were strange things happening and he wasn't sure what was going on. Hopefully things are better for him now. Anyway. I've got to get back to work. It looks like your sandwiches are up."

She went back to the kitchen and carried out the sandwiches just as Lee came in from the gas station. She smiled as she passed him and he couldn't help but check out the view as she walked by him. Amanda noticed the look he gave the woman's butt and when he got to the table, she asked him if he had liked the scenery. Without missing a beat Lee responded "Yes, October is such a beautiful month to be driving to New England."

"Oh, Lee, that isn't what I meant and you know it." Amanda said as she shook her head. She then told him about the conversation she had with their waitress. Lee couldn't believe that Amanda already had gotten information and they weren't even there yet. How did she do that? He told her that he would have to look up this Tom Hanko and see if he would share what he knew. Amanda was very pleased that she had found the first bit of information for their case. They quickly finished their lunch, Lee paid the bill and they returned to the car so they could continue their journey.

The rest of the drive was uneventful. Lee and Amanda both found that it was very peaceful driving through the small towns and being able to see the remains of fall foliage. The leaves were still in brilliant colors of orange, red and yellow through much of the area along the way. Amanda had been to some of these areas while on hiking trips but never in the fall. She wished that she had thought to bring a camera with her so she could share pictures with her family.

Lee looked over at Amanda several times during the drive, trying to figure out why she was so quiet. It seemed strange for her to be this quiet and he hoped she wasn't having second thoughts about coming. He didn't know if he would ever figure this woman out. He knew women were complicated but this one sure did confuse him. After they passed through New York, the towns became more decorative with Halloween stuff. Lee began wondering if Amanda was worried about not getting back in time to celebrate Halloween with her boys. He really hoped he could solve this case and wrap it up in time so she would be back in Arlington by Halloween Eve. He knew she would be okay if he couldn't but he sure would feel better if it all worked out.

After driving in near silence for over 2 hours, they finally pulled into Falls Village. Right away, they noticed a huge, old, white building in the middle of town that had a sign saying it was the Falls Village Inn. There were a few more Inns nearby along with an old building that said it was the bank, a Post Office, a library, and a Pizza place. Otherwise, there didn't seem to be much else in this little town. The Halloween attraction definitely was the only thing keeping this town on the map in more ways than one apparently.

TBC