Chapter 2

Entering the IFF building in Georgetown was surreal. Lee hadn't stepped through these doors in about ten years. The foyer looked the same, from the dark wood to the beige carpet, except for the empty reception desk which was new and empty. Not surprising for given the late hour. He waited patiently as he knew someone would need to come up and retrieve him. He turned when he heard the closet door open behind him, a smile sliding across his face.

"Well look what the cat dragged in," Francine drawled with a smirk. She had never forgiven him for abandoning her here.

"Hi, Francine," he said sincerely, "how have you been? You look good," he looked her up and down then placed a hand on her arm and kissed her cheek.

"Obviously not as…prosperous as you've been," she said with a smirk, she turned and he followed her back into the closet.

"You going to tell me what this is all about," he asked, side eyeing her.

Francine pursed her lips as she rolled her eyes over onto him, "Oh, I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise," she said cryptically.

He pinched his brows at her but said nothing. The doors opened and the pair made their way to the bullpen, he looked around as he crossed the room. Everything look exactly the same as it had when he left ten years ago. Billy Melrose stood in the doorway of his office waiting for them.

"Lee," Billy said warmly, as he held out his hand for Lee to shake.

Lee smiled, "Billy," Lee said greeting him the same.

"So," he said slowly, "Would somebody mind filling me in?" Lee asked, "What's going on?"

"Well, let's have a seat," Billy commanded, gesturing toward the chairs in front of his desk. The older man sighing heavily before he sat himself, "Lee simply…we need your help," he told him, Lee could see the strain in the other man's face.

"Well, I'm here aren't I? Look, Billy…whatever you need," Lee told him and he watched as Billy looked to Francine who nodded at him.

Billy held up a file folder, "For the last two years, we have been working on an operation called 'Spider-web', our objective was to receive three communist defectors from three different countries," Billy recited the mission's specs, "so far two of the three converts and one top agent have been gunned down before they could be even naturalized," he sighed deeply, dropping the folder on his desk, "it's been concluded that we have a major security breach…this operation has been confined to this field office…my unit so-"

"So you can't investigate yourselves," Lee interrupted with a nod of understanding and a slight chuckle.

"Correct," Billy said with a wry smile, "and I don't trust anyone else to do the job."

"Alright, so," Lee sat up straighter in his seat, "who do you suspect?"

Billy and Francine exchanged another uncomfortable look, Lee looked between them, "hey, if you want my help you have to tell me everything," he said harshly, he reached forward and picked up the folder from Billy's desk and flipped through it.

"Deputy Director Larner and I don't see eye to eye on this," Billy told him with a shake of his head.

"No," Francine injected, speaking slowly, "but the evidence-"

"I don't care what the evidence says," Billy said hotly, "I don't believe that Amanda King-"

"Amanda King?" Lee said in shock, "what the hell does Amanda King have to do with this?" That was a name from the past he never thought he'd hear again. He had met her once back in nineteen eighty-three, he passed her a package hoping she could complete a hand off for him but she'd botched it. Oh, he supposed it was wasn't entirely her fault but it didn't much matter. Billy suspended him and he transferred out of the DC field office to the foreign office after that. Then was quickly sent overseas where he spends most of his time.

"You may not be aware Scarecrow that I recruited Mrs. King not long after you left us for the foreign office," Billy explained, turning to smile at Lee, then he continued, "and she's proven herself to be a valuable civilian asset," he said with a nod, "two years ago, she completed her training and now works closely with Francine, mainly locally. At least until her youngest goes off to college. She's….saved both our lives a time for two," he nodded toward Francine indicating he was talking about the two of them. Lee's eyes widened in surprise. Francine gestured that Billy was telling the truth, "in fact just last week she was a part of the team that took down Addi Birol."

Lee's brows rose in surprise. That was impressive, "Uh, no…I was not…uh aware of all that," Lee said confused. He pinched his brows lost in thought, the last he'd seen her, he left her standing on the steps of the Jefferson Memorial. And that was a little over ten years ago.

"Through a…series of…unfortunate events, Mitch Larner now suspects Amanda as a double agent," Billy announced.

"What?" Lee asked in astonishment, he would have never believed it. Clean cut, den mother Amanda King?

"It's true," Francine pipped up, "I keep going back and forth on this. Sometimes it's ridiculous," she shook her head, "sometimes it looks like it has merit," she shrugged as she shook her head.

"Well, I would have never believed it but," he shrugged, the thought didn't feel right. He admittedly didn't know her at all other than their clandestine meeting at the train station years ago but he wouldn't have envisioned her capable of it, "what evidence do you have?"

"I admit…the evidence is pretty overwhelming," Billy told him, "but, I just can't buy it. We know Amanda and my gut is just telling me this is wrong."

Francine handed him another file folder but proceeded to summarize its contents, "Amanda was seen entering the Czech Embassy where she remained for forty two minutes and was seen leaving with a large manila envelope, contents unknown…later that same day was our first contact with a Romanian defector named Folescu. Despite not working on the operation, Amanda showed up at the location with one Bryce Topping," Francine said the name like he should know it.

When Lee made no comment, Billy picked up from there, "Bryce Topping is legal counsel for five US. Senators, three cabinet member and one very prominent defense contractor," Billy quirked an eyebrow at him. Lee just nodded, not impressed.

"There seems to be a gap in her whereabouts for a period of time also that has thrown up some red flags," Francine continued, "we have no record of her from November of eighty two through January of eighty three and it seems there was a large deposit into her account in February of eighty three…ten thousand dollars," Lee was flipping through the pages of the file but barely looking at them.

"Well, that is certainly disconcerting but it would be cleaner if she had a diploma from Moscow tech," he quipped, "has anyone actually talk to the woman? Gotten her explanation then double checked it against the facts?"

"Ironically, she had some scheduled time off starting today but she doesn't know anything about this. Like I said, she wasn't working on 'Spider-web'. Larner's barred anyone from talking to her," Francine told him, "after the electronics' shop," she shook her head.

"The what?" he asked, he quirked an eye brow at her.

"We were ordered to keep surveillance on her, code yellow. Tail, no contact," Billy explained

"Billy, I know what code yellow surveillance is," he said irritably.

Billy nodded contritely, "She was followed to a hobby shop where she purchased the components to make a radio transmitter and receiver."

"Like what?" he wanted to know exactly what they found.

"Oh you know resistors, capacitors….several small circuit boards…" Francine let her voice trail off.

"Look, what you have to understand about Amanda is that…she looks at things...unconventionally, her point of view is different than those of classically trained agents," Billy told him with conviction, "but she is solid."

"OK," he said with a nod of understanding, trying to stay objective, "then I think I need to start with her. I'll search her house first and see what I can come up with," he stood up, taking the file with him, he turned to leave.

"Scarecrow," Billy called, waiting for Lee to look back at him to make his point, "there's a few things I know about Amanda King…she's a good woman, honest, hard-working, loyal….please prove me right," Billy said with a pointed look.

Lee looked earnestly at his old friend and mentor before he nodded, "I will do my best," he said quickly leaving the way he came.