CHAPTER 7

Lee slowed his wild pacing around Billy's office. He swore that he heard Amanda's voice call to him. She was asking for his help. She was scared. She needed him.

'Don't worry, Amanda,' Lee's mind reached out to her. 'I'm coming for you. I won't let anything happen to you.'

Billy's voice broke into Lee's thoughts. "People, listen up. From what Conrad tells us, we can assume that Gordon Redding has Amanda." Billy leaned forward in his seat as his eyes focused on Lee and Francine.

"Yeah, that's right," Conrad replied, squeezing his hands together. "I'm sure that the man's name was Gordon. He said that he hired a woman to look like Amanda."

The absolute terror that Lee felt when he almost lost Amanda on that ledge returned instantly. Deciding which Amanda was the real one was one of the hardest decisions he ever made in his life. He let out a deep breath and tried to rid his mind of the image of Amanda almost falling to her death.

Francine looked at the papers in her hand. "Our sources show that Gordon Redding escaped from prison about two months ago."

"It makes sense, Billy!" Lee exclaimed angrily. "He used Amanda to try and kill me once before. He's using her to get to me again." Lee threw his hands into the air in frustration.

"Yes, I agree with you," Billy calmly replied. "Now, we need to figure out who Redding was talking to and every possible location they could be hiding."

Lee let out an agitated breath and stared at Conrad. "Tell me again, Conrad. Tell me everything you heard."

"Well, Gordon was talking to someone at the store," Conrad replied, his eyes darting between Lee and Billy. "The other man was going to do the work, uh... the killing." Conrad swallowed and grimaced. "He had a large build and a mustache." He pointed to his head. "His hair was dark and wavy. And he had a mean little mouth."

Lee looked at Conrad intensely. 'A mean little mouth.' Those words echoed in Lee's ears. He remembered Amanda saying those exact words from a different case, a case from when he first started working with her. Lee put his hand against his forehead and closed his eyes, his mind working overtime as he thought about that exact description.

"We've come up empty with places Redding could be. He's a ghost. Nobody has seen him." Francine paused momentarily and shifted in her seat. "If we find out the person he is working with, it could give us a starting point on where to start searching."

Lee only half-listened to Francine. He squeezed his eyes together and clenched his hands, desperately searching his memory for a man with a 'mean little mouth'. He could see Amanda sitting at the agency, describing that man to the agency's sketch artist. A man who was hiding in her closet with a knife in his hand. 'Come on, Lee... Think!' he angrily told himself as he fiercely reached into his memory. Seconds later, the image of a birthday present for Amanda's son bolted into his mind.

Lee's eyes flung open. "Captain Galaxy!" he called out. He looked at the confused faces of the people around him. "Don't you see! Large build, mustache, dark and wavy hair, a mean little mouth." He slapped his hand against his thigh. "It's Carlo. It fits his description. It would be just his style to work for a thug like Redding." He paused briefly and said, "I'll bet my pension that Carlo is the man whom Gordon Redding hired to help him."

"Carlo?" Conrad asked, his eyebrows raised in confusion. "Who's Carlo?"

"A middle man. If you have the money, he'll do anything you want." Francine looked back at Lee. "It's not much to go on, Lee. But it fits Carlo's description. Mustache, dark hair, large build." She stood up and walked towards the door. "I'll see what I can find out."

Billy stood up from behind his desk. "Okay, Francine, get moving." Then, his eyes turned to Conrad. "Would you mind stepping outside for a few minutes. I'd like to talk to Lee in private."

Conrad quickly nodded his head, his eyes wide. He stood up from his chair, his hands still clasped together, and left the office.

Lee exhaled loudly as soon as Conrad left. He bent his head forward and abruptly ran his entire hand through his hair. Raising his head, his hazel eyes watched Billy as he waited for him to speak.

Billy pressed his lips together and walked up beside Lee. "I need to know, Lee," he said as he looked at the haggard agent beside him. "Is there something going on between you and Amanda?"

Billy had worked with Lee for many years, but never had he seen the agent so visibly upset. Sure, several cases at the Agency ended in complete disaster. Even though Lee would become angry, he always handled those cases with a sense of professionalism. That sense of professionalism completely vanished when it came to Amanda.

Caught off guard at Billy's question, Lee drew his eyebrows together and shook his head. "What are you talking about, Billy?" His mouth opened to utter the familiar words mentioned time and time again, that he and Amanda were just friends who worked together, but only complete silence followed.

For whatever reason, those words refused to leave Lee's mouth. He desperately tried to respond to Billy's question, but he didn't know the answer himself. 'Is there something going on between you and Amanda?' the words again echoed in his ears. Even though his mind clearly told him that he and Amanda were only friends, his heart didn't agree. It deeply ached for something more.

Lee didn't give Billy an answer to his question. Instead, he looked at his superior and firmly told him, "She's my partner, Billy. I'll do anything to get her back."

Nodding his head, Billy accepted Lee's response.

As Lee's thoughts returned to Amanda, he could almost feel her worry and fear. Guilt sliced into his chest. Oh Amanda, if only I didn't hand you that package. If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be in a mess like this. Lee shook his head, pressing his lips together.

"Do you think she's alive?" Lee asked, looking out the window at the bullpen.

"I don't think Redding will kill her, Lee. Not yet. He needs her alive." Billy briefly placed his hand on Lee's shoulder.

Lee knew what Billy was talking about. He knew exactly why they needed Amanda alive. He looked up at the ceiling as he finished Billy's thought. "They need her alive so that they can use her to... to get to me."

Conrad waited anxiously in front of Billy's office, his hands still clasped together. As soon as Billy opened his door, he quickly entered and sat down.

"I can't believe that these people have Amanda," Conrad said, his voice rising in fear. He turned to Lee with wide eyes. "We can't let anything happen to her. I mean, what do we do if they hurt her?"

Lee's eyes locked with Conrad's, his hands clenching into fists. "If they touch one hair on her head," he ground out, "they won't be going to jail."

TBC