Chapter 19 - Secrets
Amanda woke up at the crack of dawn feeling much more rested. She quickly made her way to the bathroom and managed to get in to take her shower before the rest of the floor woke up. As she emerged from the bathroom, she found Lee stumbling out of his room. If she didn't know better, she would think he had been out all night with one of those young girls he tended to date. She could tell he was going to need his coffee this morning.
A half hour later, they walked down the stairs together holding hands. Several of the men stopped to say hi to Amanda and she smiled at each of them and greeted them with a cheery "Hello".
Lee couldn't help but chuckle to himself because she usually talked about him drawing a crowd but she always seemed to be the one drawing the crowd in his eyes.
Lee quickly got himself a cup of coffee while Amanda filled a plate with blueberry pancakes and sausage and then the two of them sat down at one of the tables. As soon as breakfast was over, Lee headed out to the barn while Amanda helped with the normal clean up. As the ladies began preparing their baking areas, Angela told everyone that it was her turn to work with Amanda.
Right away, Amanda could sense something was different. Angela seemed very short with her and wasn't very friendly. Amanda decided to pretend that she didn't notice anything and began telling about how she hadn't had pumpkin cheesecake since she was very young and her Aunt Lillian used to make it for her. Angela was not to be distracted though and told Amanda that it was important for them to hurry and get the cheesecakes created since it would take 4 hours for them to chill in the refrigerator and then she reminded Amanda that she needed to make up a bunch of Pumpkin Pies since they were making enough of everything to last 2 days so they could all have the next day off. Amanda finally gave up with Angela and worked in silence. She could sense that things were awkward for Claire and Sara also.
Later when they were all on break, Angela said she needed to make a phone call and left them alone. Right away Sara said "Wow, is she in a bad mood!"
Claire frowned and said "I wonder what has caused it though. I know sometimes she gets antsy if her brother Johnny is around but I haven't heard of him coming to visit so this is strange behavior for her."
"Oh my Gosh, so this isn't directed at me?" Amanda asked.
"Oh for goodness sake no, Amanda. Don't take it personally; she can be this way at times. Hopefully her phone call goes well and the afternoon gets better."
Amanda excused herself and said she was going to use the little girls' room. As she walked down the hallway, she could hear Angela's voice and could tell she was irritated.
"So you let him get away? You still can't find him? I thought I told you to go back last night and find him? We can't afford to have him out there telling anyone whatever he thinks he knows we do here. I'm so disappointed that you brought someone new with you and told him so much. How do you know he isn't a Fed or something? Rusty, this is the biggest clients we have ever serviced. I'm relying on you not to mess this up anymore. Tomorrow is employee day and we have a lot of work to do to finish this mission by tomorrow night. I'm going to trust you not to mess anything else up.
There was silence as apparently Rusty responded to Angela's comments.
Then in an angry voice Angela said "What? You found who at the Falls? What did she say she was doing there? And you believed her? Oh my God, we can't afford this to go bad. Rusty, this is your last chance. I expect you to find Sam AND make sure he doesn't talk to anyone. In the meantime, I will take care of Amanda and her boyfriend."
Amanda quickly made her way to the bathroom. She recalled Lee's original comments that she should stay with people so that she would be safe. She took care of business and quickly made her way back to the kitchen and found that Claire and Sara were busy baking but were doing so with a much more relaxed atmosphere. Soon the three of them began singing as they worked. One of them would start an old camping song and the other two would join in. They kept it up until Angela showed back up a half hour later and suddenly the room became cold again. Amanda stayed as close to the other 2 ladies as possible without being obvious and was relieved when Lee walked into the farmhouse.
"Hi sweetheart. Looks like it was a hot, tough day out taking care of the cows?" Amanda said to him with more cheer than she felt.
"Yes, it is definitely a hot one out there. Care to join me and give me a massage?"
"I think that would be fun." Amanda said. Lee winked at the ladies who blushed and giggled.
Lee grabbed Amanda's hand and they made their way up the stairs. Once they were safely in the room, Amanda told Lee about Angela's phone conversation.
"Well I guess we have a pretty good idea who is in charge of this whole thing now. We have to set a trap though so we can make sure we have all of them."
"Lee, I can't help but wonder if her brother Johnny is in on it too. Sara and Claire mentioned that Angela always seems uptight when Johnny shows up."
"It could be. I just wonder who actually started it. Amanda, I can't even imagine all the bad people they have transported into our country through this place. It is so scary to think that this one place of fun is really a Hell place."
Amanda nodded and said "I know. Lee, I'm a little worried about staying here while you are gone tonight. Do you think Angela will try anything?"
"I think you need to stick as close to people as possible. It will look funny if I take you with me and besides, I have to try to meet Sam at some point."
"How are you going to do that without it being suspicious?"
"I don't know yet. I'm working on it" He smiled then to reassure her and his adorable dimples showed themselves. Amanda couldn't help but smile back when she saw them. "I'm sure the Senior Agent will come up with a plan."
Lee chuckled and said "Come on before they wonder what happened to us. After all, we are a couple that doesn't want to do anything before marriage so we can't take too long up here."
Amanda blushed and said "Very true"
As they walked hand and hand down the stairs, they noticed that Angela was watching them from the dining room doorway. When she saw that they had noticed, she turned around and found her way to Margaret and began talking to her. Amanda could sense that Margaret was uncomfortable with the conversation.
After Lee had eaten and headed out to his job, Amanda was helping clean up when Margaret asked Amanda if she could speak to her alone. She pulled her into a private room that the employees were not allowed to enter normally and closed the door.
Amanda looked at Margaret and could tell that something was wrong. She waited for her to speak.
"Amanda, you know I like you and Lee very much."
"You do? I'm glad, we like you too."
"It has come to my attention that you have broken some of our rules though."
"I'm sorry, I didn't realize that there were any rules. What rule did I break?"
"Well it seems that you and Lee took a van last night into town. You know, those vans are not for the taking. We are a pretty laid back place but you are lucky that we didn't notify the authorities and have you arrested. I'm afraid that it is a pretty big offense so I'm going to have to ask you to leave in the morning."
"Margaret, we were given the van by Bubba."
"YOU WERE? He didn't tell me. Hang on, let me go find him."
Amanda waited while Margaret went looking for Bubba. It was obvious that Angela was trying to get rid of Amanda and Lee the easy way so she had told the story about the van figuring she could make them quietly go away. Bubba walked into the room followed by Margaret and said "Sorry little lady, I should have told my dear Margaret that I gave the two lovebirds the van so they could enjoy a romantic evening in town. Since she and I have to do so much sneaking around, you would think she would understand but when the big boss tells her stories, there is no telling what will come out of her mouth."
"BUBBA! You shouldn't be saying those things and I can't believe you just told her about us."
"I think she needed to know if we are going to help her get this place cleaned up, don't you?"
Amanda had been listening and trying to take this all in and realized that what Bubba just said made it sound like he knew who she was. She decided that the best thing to do was to play dumb though.
"I think you are losing me. What did you say?" Amanda asked.
"Oh, little lady, let's stop playing games. First off, I'll tell you our secret. Let me introduce you to my wife."
Amanda looked from one to the other and said "You two are already married? Oh my gosh, that is wonderful. I knew there were sparks but had no idea."
Margaret blushed and said "And are you and Lee already married?"
It was Amanda's turn to blush as she said "Oh gosh no. We just work together. In fact, we barely know each other."
Margaret smiled at her with a knowing smile. "Give it some time dear" she said.
Bubba interrupted and said "Okay, let's get to your secret. You are an agent aren't you?"
"No" Amanda said truthfully. Bubba frowned at her and she went on to explain. "Lee is the agent. I'm just a civilian helper. Do you know what happens here?"
"Sadly yes we do. We just don't know how to quietly stop it. When you both arrived in that fancy sports car, I wondered right away if this was the couple that the agency had sent to check things out. You see, we were the ones who leaked the information to Doug who is a contact for the agency. He delivered the information we sent to an agent and then waited for you to show up. I wasn't sure what to think of you both when you first came in but you have done a great job of fooling the other guests and I think you seem to be onto something since Angela is trying to find a way to get you out of here."
"You even fooled me! Margaret exclaimed. "Bubba, you didn't tell me that you thought they were the agents."
"I know dear. I wasn't sure so I kept it to myself. Once Angela decided to convince you to throw them out though, it was all the proof I needed." Bubba responded.
Amanda trusted these two people very much but she wasn't sure if Lee was going to be upset with her for talking to them. She didn't want to upset them by saying anything though so she decided it would be best to wait for Lee to return to continue talking.
"Lee is really in charge of everything so we should really wait for him to get back. In the meantime, Angela is expecting you to throw me out. What will you tell her?"
Margaret answered "Oh, that's easy. I will tell her that there was some confusion because Bubba had in fact lent you the van and asked you to run an errand for him but suggested that you have a romantic evening out afterward."
Bubba scowled and said angrily "I can't believe she thought she could get away with using such a silly reason for getting you out of here."
"It's okay dear, it didn't work. "Margaret said.
Amanda noticed the way that Margaret touched Bubba and it calmed him down right away. She could tell they were really in love so that part of the story was definitely true.
They agreed to wait for Lee to return and then to meet back in this same room at 11pm. Bubba explained that this room was actually sound proof. Mary had wanted a room where people could strategize and not worry about their ideas being stolen by people walking by so she had this room built. It was exactly what they needed to make sure Angela didn't hear their plans.
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Meanwhile Lee was finishing up his tour for the night and was supposed to head back to the bus for the trip back to the farm. He needed to meet with Sam again though so he had to come up with a good reason why he couldn't return. As he was walking back thinking, he met up with one of the other hosts named Chris.
"You know, I could really use a beer" Lee said to Chris.
"I know what you mean. Too bad the farm doesn't have a bar huh?" Chris replied.
"Well there is the pizza place in the center of town. I'm sure they serve beer. Want to tell the bus driver that we are staying in town for a while to have some pizza and a beer?"
Chris smiled at Lee "Sounds like a great idea but how will we get back?"
"I'm not sure but we should be able to get some local guy to help us out, don't you think?"
Chris slapped Lee on the back and said "Sounds great, let's do it!"
They found the bus waiting for them so they let the driver know that they would be staying in town and would find a way back later.
Lee asked the driver "Can you let Amanda know that I stopped for a beer. I should be back before 11pm. Thanks."
The driver told them to be careful and headed the bus back to the farm with the other hosts on board.
Chris and Lee headed into the pizza place and ordered a Pepperoni pizza to share and a pitcher of beer. Lee was relieved that he had found a way to stay in town but now what should he do about Chris?
"So are you married Chris?"
"Nah, not me. I like being alone. No commitments, a different girl every night, and no one harping on me about how messy my apartment is. You on the other hand have got yourself one hot looking lady." Chris responded.
"Amanda? Yes, she isn't bad."
"Not bad? Dude, those legs alone are to die for. You should marry her before some other guy grabs her."
Lee chuckled and said "Well I'm not really the marrying type either."
At that moment, a pretty blonde came up to their table and ran her hands through Chris's bright red hair. "Hi handsome, do you know that blondes and redheads make very pretty fireworks when you mix them?"
Chris smiled up at her and said "I have never mixed them before but I'm willing to take a chance on the explosion if you are."
"Oh sugar, let's get out of here then. I have a place down the street."
Chris winked at Lee and said "Sorry dude, guess you are on your own." He threw down a $20 bill and said "Dinner is on me."
Lee shook his head as he watched Chris put his arm around the blonde and walk out the door with her. Even he didn't move that fast and usually at least got the girl's name. It definitely solved his problem though as he asked the waitress for the bill.
After paying, Lee headed out the door and began walking as if he wasn't sure where he was going. He kept an eye out to make sure he wasn't being followed and walked into the Manor at Falls Village which was a few blocks down from the Falls Village Inn. He walked up to the desk clerk and asked for a room. He was given the key to Room #216 and signed the register as Lee Simpson. He then made his way to his room and once safely inside, he called Sam and told him where to meet him.
About 20 minutes later, Sam arrived wearing a black wig over his blonde hair and sporting a full beard which wasn't there before. He walked up to Lee's room and quietly knocked. Lee let him in and then closed the door and laughed "What a great disguise."
"Do you like it?"
"Yes, it is great!"
Lee and Sam quickly got down to business and soon had a plan that they both agreed on. It had to work or else Nico would be able to move freely around the country and no one would be safe.
"Now, we need to get you back to the farm." Sam said to Lee. "I have an idea." He quickly filled Lee into his idea and then said goodbye and left.
A short time later, Lee stumbled down the stairs while yelling and carrying on the whole time. When he reached the desk clerk, he made sure to slur his words and tell him that this place was a dump and that it should be condemned. The clerk asked him to keep his voice down while advising Lee that he was drunk.
"I'm not drunk. You are a kid. You don't know what drunk is! If I was drunk, I would just tear this crap hole down. No Siree, I am not drunk at all" Lee shouted.
The desk clerk quietly picked up the phone and pushed a button that had been programmed into the phone's memory. When the person on the other end asked if they could help him, he reported that he had a drunk guest. It was less than 5 minutes later that a Police car showed up and an officer came inside, handcuffed Lee and walked him out to the cruiser.
"Hi Lee, I'm Officer Harvey but you can call me Stan. Sam told me you needed a ride back to the farm. Let me take those cuffs off." Lee handed them to him and said "I already did"
They both laughed and Stan headed the car to the farm. Once they arrived, Stan pulled Lee out and walked him into the office. Bubba was there and looked surprised but quickly recovered and asked "Is there a problem officer?"
"This gentleman says he works here. He had a few too many drinks in town tonight and caused a bit of a ruckus. I figured I would bring him safely back and let him sleep it off. Will you vouch for him?"
"Yes, of course" Bubba agreed. They shook hands and Stan winked at Lee and left.
Bubba laughed at Lee and said "Man, you are going to be in trouble with that pretty girlfriend of yours. I think she needs to talk to you so why don't you go to your room."
"Thanks, I will do that" Lee slurred back and then proceeded to wobble as he walked away. Bubba was dying laughing knowing that it was all a staged act but he knew that Amanda needed to tell Lee who he was before he complimented him on his great acting job.
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Lee went to Amanda's room and knocked. "Amanda, are you in there? It's me, Lee. Open up."
Amanda cautiously opened the door and found it was really Lee and let him in.
"I have news for you" They both said together. "What?" They said together again.
"Amanda? What is your news?"
"Bubba and Margaret are married!"
"Oh, okay. So?"
"So? Bubba and Margaret know who we are and in fact were the ones who gave the agency the information so we would be sent."
"Oh Amanda! You didn't tell them who we are, did you?"
"I didn't have to, they knew. Well they thought I was a full agent but of course we know that I'm not an agent. In fact, I'm just a civilian for right now but someday I hope to be a full agent. In any case, they asked for agents to come investigate and here we are. Now they want to meet with us so we can discuss a plan to end all this."
"How do we know they are telling the truth?"
"Is the contact that told the agency the information named Doug?"
"Yes, that is one of our "family" who gives us information."
"They gave the information to Doug to deliver. They want to meet with us Lee. There is a sound proof room near the dining room and they have asked us to meet them at 11pm so we can put together a plan so we can stop all of this. Please come meet with them" Amanda then filled Lee in on what Angela attempted to do and Lee sighed. "Okay, maybe they are telling the truth. I was able to meet with Sam and we put together a plan but more people would make it easier to complete this mission."
"Good!" Amanda said. There was less than 30 minutes before they would need to go to the meeting room so Lee said he would go take a shower. He told Amanda to lock the door behind him.
After taking a refreshing shower and dressing, Lee returned to Amanda's room and escorted her down the stairs. The downstairs appeared to be deserted so they were easily able to make their way to the meeting room.
Amanda quietly knocked on the door and the door was opened by Margaret who ushered them both into the room.
Bubba spoke first. "Lee that was a great acting job with the officer. You really are a great agent. I was worried about who they would send up to investigate all of this since it is a farm and most agents have likely never been near a farm in their life but you have rolled with all the punches and have done a convincing job. I must say it was fun watching you learn to milk a cow though." Bubba laughed.
Lee smiled and said "Yes, you definitely got me with that. Thanks for the compliments. I would like some assurance though that you are not involved and just setting us up."
"Well Lee, I don't know what I can do to prove that. I told Amanda already that Margaret and I are married and no one else knows. That is a huge secret that I need you all to keep."
Amanda interrupted and asked "Why are you keeping it a secret?"
"We figured that until we could stop the underground Terrorists activities, it would not be safe for our families if it was common knowledge that we got married. They could easily take a family member and hold them to pretty much get us to do anything they wanted."
Amanda nodded and then asked "Couldn't they do that anyway?"
"Yes, but at the time it seemed like it would be more dangerous if our marriage was in the open. Looking back now, we realize that it likely would have been safer to stay together and let our families know to be on alert but it was too late to change things. We hope to renew our vows on our first anniversary and let everyone think we are getting married then."
Lee decided that he had little choice but to trust them so he quickly filled them in on the plan that Sam had helped him come up with. They were both relieved to hear that Sam was okay and that he was actually a Police Officer.
Bubba said "We haven't heard from Tom Hanko for a few days now."
"Oh no!" Amanda said. "Do you think they killed him?"
Margaret responded with tears in her eyes "There is a very good chance. He is just a sweet dear man and has always been a good friend. I hope he is okay but I'm worried we will probably never see him again."
Before they parted ways, Lee asked them if there was anything else they knew that hadn't been said yet.
Bubba said "Nothing that I can think of. Hopefully this plan works"
"Yes, hopefully" Lee echoed.
TBC