Chapter 4
"You've got to be kidding me!" Lee exclaimed as he waved his ticket at the clerk standing behind the ticket booth. He'd been standing in line with Dr. Muinepe for almost two hours trying to get another flight back to DC. The clerk informed him they'd just missed a flight to Dulles and the next available flight wasn't for another eight hours. Dr. Muinepe simply shook his head, as he tried to contain his own frustration. "Fine, two seats, first class, please," Lee stated as he shoved his credit card toward the clerk.
The two men walked away from the desk with new tickets in hand. "So, why don't we find someplace here to get some decent food," Dr. Muinepe suggested as he looked around. "Over there," he pointed toward a small food court, "I bet we can find a good meal and a cold beer."
Lee smiled, and the two men walked together slowly. They decided on a small cafe in the corner and once the two men ordered, they sipped their beer and relaxed. "I should probably call my wife and let her know what time our flight's landing," Lee stated.
"Will she be worried?" Dr. Muinepe asked as he adjusted his leg up on the chair beside him.
"No, she's used to expecting the unexpected," he replied. Lee couldn't help but notice that the doctor was uncomfortable. As the waitress approached the table, Lee asked if they could possibly get a small bag with ice. A few minutes later, she returned with their sandwiches and the ice. Dr. Muinepe accepted the ice appreciatively, and he placed the bag on his injured ankle.
"From everything you told me on the plane, your wife sounds like a wonderful woman," Dr. Muinepe replied between bites.
"She must be wonderful, she puts up with me," Lee teased knowing how true that statement really was. He'd been thinking about the time when they first met and the first year they'd worked together. It dawned on him how rude he'd been most of the time, how often he'd dismissed how valuable she truly was, never looking past who he thought Amanda was to who she really was inside.
The men ate slowly, chatted between bites about everything and anything it seemed. Lee was amazed at Dr. Muinepe's knowledge on almost any historical subject and they even managed a spirited debate on who really shot down the infamous Red Baron, Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen, during World War I.
Two hours later, they finally paid their bill and headed toward the gate they would depart from. Once Lee had Dr. Muinepe seated and comfortable, he found a row of payphones to call Amanda. He tapped the top of the payphone as he listened to the phone ring on the other end. "Amanda, hi," he breathed when she finally answered.
"Well, hello stranger. Are you back so soon? I didn't think you were landing until…" Amanda began, but, Lee cut her off.
"I'm not back in DC, not yet. We had a delay on the flight to LAX. There was a hurricane off Hawaii. Now we need to wait another six hours for the next flight," he explained.
"Oh, Sweetheart, you're not going to get back until late!" she exclaimed after mentally calculating the flight time.
"Late? Try early tomorrow morning. I'm telling you, Billy owes me for this. He has something up his sleeve for next week, but if it requires me flying halfway around the world again, I'm going to tell him to just forget it," Lee lamented. He shifted his position at the phone to get a better look toward where Dr. Muinepe was sitting.
"Lee, you don't think this isn't going to interfere with our weekend, do you? The boys are so excited, I'd hate to disappoint them," Amanda asked sadly.
Lee shook his head and pursed his lips before he replied, "No, I'm going to make sure of it. Even if it means you drive and I sleep the ride there, we will be taking the boys to the Neptune Festival this weekend." Before he could continue, he noticed a teenage boy walking slowly past Dr. Muinepe. The boy leaned over and snatched the duffle bag off Dr. Muinepe's lap. The strap snapped easily, and as the boy ran toward Lee, Dr. Muinepe yelled, "Mr. Stetson! Mr. Stetson!"
"Amanda, I gotta go!" he yelled as he slammed the phone in place. He took three steps to the right before the boy barreled into him. Using his size as an advantage, he managed to roll over and pin the boy down, holding one hand behind his back. "You picked the wrong man to try to lift," he growled as he pulled his gun from his shoulder holster. Immediately people in the surrounding area began running and screaming, "That man has a gun!"
He struggled to hold onto the boy as Airport Security ran up to him, their own guns drawn. "Drop the weapon!" one officer yelled.
"You don't understand, I'm a fe…" Lee started but another officer yelled again, "He said, drop the weapon!"
Dr. Muinepe hobbled over to the scene. He hoped he could help explain what had happened. "Mr. Stetson was just trying…" he began, but an overzealous officer pushed him away.
"Sir, you're going to have to stand back."
"Oh, for crying out loud!" Lee exclaimed. He held his gun in two fingers then gestured toward his coat pocket. One officer looked at the other, confused. Lee rolled his eyes and shook his head as he holstered his weapon and withdrew his badge, never releasing his hold on the teen below him. He handed his badge to the closest officer and stood up as he pulled the teen with him.
"I'm sorry, Agent Stetson. We just panicked when someone yelled you had a gun, sir. We're not exactly trained for situations like that, you know?" one officer stated.
Lee pulled the teen to his feet when he heard someone yell from across the terminal, "US Marshals, identify yourself, sir!" Lee rolled his eyes again and handed his badge to the first Marshal. He was taller than Lee, a sharp military haircut and ice blue eyes. "Agent Stetson, sir, you'll have to come with us to clear up this matter. We will need to fill out a full report as you have drawn your weapon in a crowded terminal, sir," he informed Lee.
Lee checked his watch and looked at Dr. Muinepe. Pursing his lips, he replied, "With all due respect sir, we cannot miss our flight. The Smithsonian is expecting Dr. Muinepe tomorrow morning. I would hate to leave them waiting when they have the premier historian on ancient cultures arriving to examine the contents of that bag."
The Marshal looked at Lee then at Dr. Muinepe and nodded, "Understood, sir. We will not keep the good doctor or yourself any longer than necessary. We just need you to fill out a simple report. This boy here has been running this pick and grab routine for the last few weeks, so we appreciate your help apprehending him. Now, if you would just follow me, we can resolve this matter quickly."
Lee walked slowly with Dr. Muinepe as they followed the Marshals . After just a few minutes, one of the Marshals called for a wheelchair which Dr. Muinepe gladly accepted. The group was led to a small conference room where Lee sat at one end of the table, Dr. Muinepe at the other. Both men were asked to write out in detail what had occurred. Lee nervously checked his watch every few minutes as he wrote. Once his report was complete, he called to the Marshal who gladly accepted it. Dr. Muinepe was finished a few minutes later and handed his to the Marshal as well. Lee looked at the man and asked, "Can we go now?"
The Marshal shook his head, "Not yet, sir. Please have a seat until my superior returns." He then left the room leaving Lee and Dr. Muinepe alone.
Lee paced the small space as he waited for the Marshal to return. He checked his watch every few minutes as they waited. When he finally heard the click of the door close to an hour later and the Marshal walked into the room, Lee let out a sigh of relief. "I'm sorry to keep you so long, Agent Stetson, Dr. Muinepe. We waited for the boy's mother to come pick him up. You're free to go," he explained.
Lee shook his hand and replied, "Thank you. Now, I believe we have just enough time to get back to our terminal before boarding."
Dr. Muinepe climbed back into the wheelchair and laughed, "If you drive, we'll make it."
Lee couldn't help but laugh loudly drawing an odd look from the Doctor. As he pushed him toward their gate he said, "I'll explain it on the plane."