Chapter Three
Lauren carried the box of groceries into the kitchen, humming serenely and remembering fondly the first time she met Lee. She and Rod were living in San Diego and had been married for about a year when he invited one of his Navy buddies for dinner.
"So where did you two meet?" Lee asked in polite conversation.
Rod sat on the sofa with Lauren sitting closely, her arm hooked in his arm as they shared a drink before dinner.
"We found each other in the park, near the base," he said, patting her hand fondly. "I was in for a long recovery," he said cryptically, as Lee nodded fully aware of Rod's injuries on an ONI mission. His injuries were so severe that he had been taken off the ONI Active Agent list and had only returned to the field about four months ago. "I was barely getting around on my own, still in the wheelchair and I was terribly depressed. I thought my career was over," he recalled sadly, but then perked up. "If it hadn't been for Lauren here, I don't know what I would have done," he finished with a smile.
"That's great," Lee replied, clearly happy for his friend.
"Darling," Lauren said to Rod. "Why don't you fire up the BBQ while I pour Lee another glass of wine."
"Good idea, I'm starved," Rod replied. "I'll be right back," he said with a nod to Lee as Lauren reached for the wine bottle on the coffee table between them.
She could have poured the glass from her present position, but stood instead, walking around the coffee table to serve him. She lowered herself to retrieve his empty goblet, allowing her blouse to drop in the process and fully exposing the cleavage that had been peeking out all evening from her low-cut, silky blouse.
"I'm so glad you came for dinner tonight," she said, handing him the goblet, her voice having changed from her normal speaking voice of earlier to take on a decisively husky and seductive tone. She sat down the wine bottle, taking a quick look out the sliding glass door to make sure that Rod was still busy, before pretending to falter on her high heels. He stood immediately, instinctively reaching to keep her from falling as she allowed herself to fall into his arms, with her hand flat on his chest and making no effort to pull away once she was steady. Her eyes offered something more if he was willing; Lee made sure she was steady before stepping back to restore her private space.
"Thank you, Lee, how clumsy of me," she said offering silent anticipation in her quivering lips.
"No problem, I'll just help Rod with the steaks," he said, excusing himself and heading to the porch.
Lauren smiled at the memory; Lee had been quite the gentleman keeping his distance the rest of the evening, but she was sure he felt the fireworks as well.
VTTBOTS
"You've got to be kidding, Lee! Of all the stupid, idiotic, crazy..."
Lee opened his eyes and watched Lauren leave the bedroom. He didn't know where he was, other than a rustic cabin. He tried to rise, but found himself seized in pain as he curled tightly, trying to keep his distress from bringing Lauren back into the room.
"You were right, Buddy," he admitted in a whisper as he remembered Chip's heated response once he found out what he had done.
"You've got to be kidding, Lee! Of all the stupid, idiotic, and crazy stunts!"
"Sit down, Chip," Admiral Nelson ordered calmly, as Chip returned to the sofa in Harry's office.
"Okay, so explain to me again how seducing Rod's widow is going to close a national security leak," he said petulantly, dropping onto the sofa and folding his arms defiantly.
Lee blew a breath out, clearly uncomfortable with the mission, but not backing down in his resolve.
"First of all, Rod told me when he bled out in my arms that something was "off" with Lauren. He said everything was perfect at first, but that the last few months had been 'strange'. He begged me to help her before he died."
"Strange?" Chip questioned.
"His own word, he died right afterwards. I just thought they were having marital problems, until the med staff questioned how he had died of blood loss on a survivable wound. They found that his platelets were extremely low, which was why his blood didn't clot; but they couldn't find any physical reason why. I know this sounds like a lot of supposition, Chip, but it turns out that Lauren had been married before; her first husband was a Captain in the Air Force who died unexpectedly. Her second husband was a Lieutenant from the same base; he died in an auto accident only seven months before she met Rod. The circumstances are just too coincidental, and ONI needs to know what her angle is." Lee sighed disgustedly. "They're assuming Rod leaked information to his 'trustworthy' wife. ONI wants to know if she's a spy, and the only way I can clear Rod's name is to become husband number four."
"So, you're going to ruin your life with a farce marriage? I don't think taking Rod's widow to bed is what he had in mind when he asked you to help her, you know? And what if they're wrong about her, have you thought about that?"
"I don't think they're wrong," Lee said, keeping his cool even though Chip was ready to blow his top.
"What makes you think you can seduce her anyway?" his friend challenged, clearly unhappy with ONI's latest stunt involving Lee Crane.
"Because she already made moves on me, even before Rod died."
Lee's last statement caused Chip's brow to rise, urging him to continue.
"Several months ago," he explained, "it was subtle, but she made sure I knew she was interested. I stayed away after that. Rod's only been gone for two weeks and she's been calling me on the phone, needing someone to talk too," Lee continued. "I informed ONI and they came up with this plan."
"To put you on medical leave, and make it look like you're off your rocker?" Chip questioned sarcastically; not remotely mocking PTSD, only frustrated and lashing out.
"She connected with Rod when he was recovering from a bad mission; ONI wanted a reason for her to feel I was vulnerable, and if I were on medical leave, perhaps things would move along faster."
Chip leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Lee, are you sure about this? If she is a Black Widow then you won't be immune to whatever her angle is either."
"ONI knows that," Harry said, joining in the conversation, now that Chip had calmed down. "That's why this scheme is so elaborate. Pegging Lee with PTSD will ensure weekly therapy sessions with Jamie, which is how he will report. Distancing Lee from his friends will make his reliance on her more believable, and leaving the Institute will keep her from checking on the story of the crewman's death."
"So, Patterson is okay with being dead for the duration?" Chip asked with less emotion than before, and rolling his eyes at the irony of his last statement.
"Pat knows what's at stake and he's agreed," Lee answered.
Chip breathed out heavily, finally relenting to the stupid, idiotic and crazy stunt ONI had come up with to trap a Black Widow.
"When do you start?"
"I'm going to San Diego tonight to get the ball rolling; Pat's 'accident' will take place in two weeks. I'll start working my cover and see where it leads us."
"What can I do to help?" Chip asked, losing all his fire and showing only concern for his best friend.
"Nothing for the time being," Harry answered, "but you'll be joining us for the weekly briefings in Jamie's office. He'll be drawing weekly blood samples from Lee as a safety precaution and we'll play the mission as it presents itself."
Chip stood, reaching for Lee's hand and grasping it in a prolonged shake.
"I still think this is crazy, Lee."
"It's not just for Rod, Chip. It's also for the other two guys she may have killed, and who knows how many more before she's caught."
Chip nodded then pulled Lee into a brotherly hug.
"Take care," he said, releasing Lee and stepping back.
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Lee watched as Jamie drew another blood sample, watching with odd interest as the crimson liquid filled the vial.
"I bet you're getting tired of all the blood work," Chip asked casually.
"It's actually pretty comforting," Lee answered, as Jamie placed a cotton ball over the injection site.
"This one's going to bruise, sorry Lee."
"That's all right, Jamie, I've got a concealer kit that's been doing the job," he answered as Harry entered the room.
"Sorry I'm late, Lee."
"No problem, Jamie's just finishing up."
"Okay gentlemen, let's get started," Harry said, moving the briefing along.
"I don't know Admiral, it's been a month since we got married and she's been nothing but supportive. She's loving, kind, and giving… I can see why Rod was drawn to her."
"Whoa right there," Chip intervened. "You're not falling for her, are you?"
Lee glared a moment then softened as he considered his next words. "I haven't forgotten her history or how she made moves on me with Rod right outside on the patio; but yeah, I've had to really remind myself that if she's guilty, then winning the love and trust of her husbands is something she excels in," he admitted.
Jamie scowled, knowing how hard it was for Lee to live this lie, while interacting with Lauren as his wife in every way.
"It's only been a month," Harry jumped in, "perhaps we should add some drama and see how she reacts."
"Like what?" Lee asked.
"How about an argument pitting us against you and Lauren?" Chip suggested. "That should get under her skin and you can play up the vulnerability."
Lee nodded, but his face held little conviction.
"Are you second guessing yourself, Lee?" Harry asked.
"I don't know, Admiral, there's a part of me that wants to believe that she's just had bad luck being widowed three times."
"But you don't really believe that, do you?" Harry probed as Lee rubbed a hand to his forehead wearily.
"No, I don't. I think she's very good at what she does, it's just so far I haven't found a motive for her marrying me, except her claims to being in love with me."
"I know this is difficult, Lee, but you've got to detach."
"I understand, Harry. I haven't lost sight of the mission," he assured as the Admiral nodded, accepting both his answer and the conviction in which it was rendered.
"Okay, Lee. You'd better be on your way, and make sure you make us look like interfering jerks trying to question your wisdom."
Lee smiled. "That part might be kind of fun," he jested before leaving.
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The argument had indeed caused drama, and Lauren had insisted on accompanying Lee on his next therapy session. The possibility had been anticipated and a ruse had been concocted that would be traumatic enough to discourage her participation in subsequent sessions. Lee had had to put on quite a show, reacting to the gruesome photos that ONI had doctored of Patterson's "disfigured" body. His breakdown had been quite effective, giving Jamieson the ammunition needed to insist that Lee come to the sessions alone, as Lauren had interfered just as the doctor was about to explore what he deemed a breakthrough in Lee's condition.
Lee continued with his sham marriage into the second month, easing back on his PTSD symptoms in an effort to show some measure of improvement. He was currently sitting in Jamie's exam room where the weekly briefings were held, watching Jamie pull another vial of blood from his arm.
"I don't know what her angle is, Admiral, but she doesn't want me to improve," Lee explained. "Up until now, I haven't had too much to go on to prove that something was off, but she took active steps to convince me that I'm going crazy."
"What happened?" Harry asked, as the tension thickened in the room.
"Well, first of all, Chip's phone call was the catalyst, I think."
They all nodded, it was agreed that Chip's calls from time to time would be a way to keep the tension from their strained friendships alive, as well as to serve as a point of contact should Lee need something from them prior to his next session.
"The next morning, we got up like normal; Lauren had been up before me cooking breakfast. She told me she left some coffee for me on the vanity, when I went inside the bathroom she had left a fin and face mask on the counter. The coffee cup was filled with something that looked like blood, it didn't smell like blood, but it was convincing. I spaced out, just like she expected me to, and made enough noise to get her attention downstairs. Then I acted out another flashback and let her settle me back on the bed. While I was 'incapacitated' she quietly went into the bathroom and removed the flipper and mask. She took them downstairs, I'm not sure where she hid them, but when she came back up she replaced the blood-filled coffee mug with a cup coffee. Did I tell you she had a shark's tooth floating in the blood?"
"She went to a lot of work to convince you that you had hallucinated it all," Harry noted with a shake of his head.
"Yeah," Lee agreed, dipping his head. "You know, Admiral, up until she pulled that, I could have almost believed she loved me."
Harry noted the betrayal in his friend's eyes, and knew he needed to confront it.
"And what about you, Lee?"
Lee delayed answering for a moment, swallowing back some emotion before raising his head to look Harry in the eyes.
"If you want to know if I was successful in completely detaching, then I guess the answer is no." He scoffed and shook his head. "Hell, how do you live with a woman as husband and wife in every way, and not feel something? But I'm not confused, Admiral, I'm furious at the thought of what she did to Rod. He loved her, and he believed in her to the very end. And that's what's scary, because Rod was a damn good agent, it would have taken a lot to pull one over on him."
"I'm sorry, Lee," Harry said, standing and pacing in his own frustration. "ONI has asked too much of you this time."
Lee stood, stopping the Admiral's pacing with his strong words. "We're not pulling the plug on this," he countered. "For the first time we've got something tangible, we just need to find out what she's after."
Harry searched Lee's eyes, finding complete clarity as well as determination.
"Are you sure, Lee?"
"I'm sure," he replied, bringing his tension down a notch.
"Then I think the next step is to disrupt her plans a little. If she wants to keep you ill, let's see what happens when Jamie suggests it's time to return to the Institute."
"Okay, I'll spill that in a couple of weeks. I don't think it should be too soon after this set-back she arranged."
"I agree. Do you have anything to add, Jamie?" Harry asked, noting the doctor's reticence.
"Yes, I do, Admiral. The fact that she went to a great deal of trouble to push Lee into another 'flashback' suggest to me that she's dangerous. Now, I know that's not news to you, but it scares the hell out of me."
"Thanks, Jamie," Lee replied, appreciating his concern, "but this is what I signed up for when I agreed to do this. You just make sure that blood work is clean, because you're my lifeline," he added sincerely.
"Aye Sir, you can count on me."
VTTBOTS
Two weeks later, Lee was back at his weekly session. Jamie was holding the now filled vial of blood up to the light as Lee buttoned his sleeve.
"What was her response to your returning to the Institute," Harry inquired.
"She pushed me against the proverbial wall, bringing up the fact that Ski said I froze out there, basically telling me it was my fault," he said, reciting the cover story for his PTSD and an accident that never occurred. "She kept pushing till she got what she wanted, so I played the game. When I came back to 'reality', she told me it had been for my own good, and that she was protecting me from having an episode in front of the crew."
Chip scoffed loudly from the corner, suddenly feeling the need to pace off his frustration.
"This is ridiculous, Lee. It's been almost three months and she hasn't asked you for one solitary thing concerning national security or anything Top Secret for that matter!"
"I know, Chip. But there's got to be a connection for what's she doing with me, and what she did with Rod and the others. If we don't play this out, she'll get away scot free with three murders and we still won't know what she was after."
"Gentlemen," Harry intervened, "I'm afraid we're just going to have to be patient. The earliest death of her late husbands was six months, but for all we know, she could have been spiking Rod with a drug that long, waiting for something catastrophic to take him," he said, knowing that ONI had long-since suspected the use of drugs, even though they couldn't prove it yet.
"I agree with you, Admiral. She's patient, and she apparently believes that she needs me completely vulnerable and dependent on her to get what she wants. All we can do is keep pushing the envelope to see if we can get her to make her move sooner rather than later."
"Now, that sounds like a good idea," Chip replied sarcastically, throwing his hands up into the air in frustration. "It sounds like you actually want her to make you deceased husband number four."
"You're missing the point, Chip. It's what she's gotten from her late husbands, prior to their deaths that we're after. And I'd truly appreciate it if you would all keep me from being deceased husband number four," he added in gallows humor.
Everyone chuckled lightly, but the weight of the mission was clearly a burden for all of them.
"I'll pass along the report to ONI, if no one has anything else to add, we'll adjourn," Harry suggested.
Jamie and Chip filed out as Harry stayed behind purposely to ask Lee one last question in private.
"How are you really doing, Lad?" he asked with an intensity in his eyes that told Lee he didn't want to hear "fine".
Lee paused and sighed. "I miss Seaview, Harry," he replied honestly.
"I could pull the plug on this, Lee."
"No, don't do that, Harry. We've made it this far, she's got to make a move soon."
Nelson nodded, his intense eyes offering both his concern and agreement as the two filed out.
VTTBOTS
"Hello?"
"Lee, don't hang up," Chip urged. "I know you said you didn't want to talk to me, but I've had it. I'm coming over."
"Then I'll leave," Lee countered.
"You've got to come home sometime," his friend warned stubbornly, producing a large expelled sigh from Lee.
"No. I'll come to your house," he said angrily, hanging up the phone as Lauren moved to his side, her concern etched deeply on her face.
"Lee, are you sure about this?"
He turned toward her, taking a deep breath and rubbing her arms in comfort. "I need to do this, Lauren; he's got to know that he doesn't run my life."
She nodded slowly; their whirlwind romance had been quite secret. It started out as Lee comforting her loss only two weeks after Rod's passing; but an accident aboard Seaview had propelled him into her arms shortly after. Rod had only been dead for two months, so no one expected their elopement almost three months ago; but Lee's estrangement from his closest friends had only driven them closer together.
"Do you want me to come with you?"
"No," he said, pulling her close to place a kiss on her forehead. "This is something I have to deal with myself."
"Are you sure, Darling?"
He pulled her into an embrace and kissed the top of her head. "I'm pretty sure it's going to get ugly, and I don't want you there. I'm going to set Morton straight, once and for all."
"I'll be waiting, Darling," she said, reaching up to kiss him enthusiastically, and making sure to offer him something to look forward to upon his return.
He returned her kiss passionately, before stepping back. "Hold that thought," he said with a wink and a smile that faded at the uncomfortable, but necessary confrontation that Chip Morton was forcing.
VTTBOTS
Chip opened the door inviting Lee in, not surprised at all to find both Harry and Jamie there as well, even though their cars were discreetly parked a block away.
"I came over as soon as I could," Lee said, clearly concerned with Chip's hidden message that he needed to see him right away. "What's going on?"
"Your last blood work came back with an anomaly," Jamie stated.
"A drug?" Lee asked.
"The tests were inconclusive, and we couldn't identify it, so we need another blood sample," he explained, opening his doctor's bag.
Lee reached for his sleeve and unbuttoned it, rolling it up and taking a seat on the sofa.
"I don't understand? Why can't you identify it?"
"It was a trace amount and we didn't know what we were looking for; the sample was tainted with testing fluids. I'm going to take three vials this time and ONI is going to send a Toxicologist to work with me," Jamie replied, inserting the needle and drawing his first vial of blood.
The sudden ringing of Chip's phone added even more tension to the room as he moved to answer it quickly.
"Hello? Okay… got it." He hung up as the apprehension in the room ratcheted up another notch. "That was Kowalski, Lauren is on the move and it looks like she's headed this way."
"All right, Jamie, we're going to need to cut this short."
"Almost done, Skipper."
He pulled the last of Lee's blood through the vial as Lee, stood quickly buttoning his sleeve.
"This doesn't look good, Lee," Chip noted, not happy with the latest turn of events.
"She's making her move, Chip, she must be ready to go for what she wants," he said, focusing his best friend on the mission.
"She just pulled up outside, two houses down," Harry said, peeking discreetly through the window from the side.
"All right, Chip, let's make this look good on your front porch."
Chip nodded as Lee threw open the front door and stormed out.
"That's it, Chip! We're done!"
"Be reasonable, Lee," the blond countered back just as loudly.
"Look! I'll spell this out so even you can understand," he yelled, getting into Chip's face. "You stay out of my business and leave me and my wife alone. You got that?!"
Chip put on the darkest scowl he could as he heard Lauren's car leaving the curb quietly, but obviously trying to beat Lee back home.
Lee winked, then put back on his face of fury and stormed to his car for affect. He peeled out of Chip's driveway, leaving black rubber behind on his driveway, and headed back, careful not to overtake Lauren on the way home.
VTTBOTS
Lauren made it into the house only minutes before Lee, turning in the living room in a 360-degree circle in a frantic, lost state, while considering Lee's resolve to meet with Chip. Up until now he hadn't left her home alone, with the exception of his weekly therapy sessions, and the few times he had to visit the Institute to take care of paperwork for their marriage. He was becoming too confident; too sure of himself, and the thought terrified her. She turned in a circle hypnotically, in deep thought, and almost a nervous wreck until she stopped and regained her composure as a surreal smile spread across her face. She headed into the kitchen calmly, and pulled down two wine goblets hanging from their rack then opened the refrigerator, selecting the red wine to hide the possible cloudiness of the white powder. She heard the garage door lowering and quickly prepared the glass, emptying the entire contents of the envelope then raised it to the light and smiled approvingly.
VTTBOTS
Lee walked into the house wearily, sinking onto the sofa and tilting his head back to appear weary from the explosive exchange he and Chip had manufactured.
"Darling?" he heard from the kitchen.
"I'm in here, Lauren," he called, putting on a face of mixed emotions; angry, but trying to work through it for her sake.
"I thought you might need a little something," she said, offering the goblet to her husband.
Lee smiled. "Sounds good," he replied, careful to hide his concern about eating or drinking anything from Lauren's hand, but reasoned that she was poisoning him slowly and by morning Jamie would know what he was up against. He took the glass she offered and sipped, but Lauren took a healthy swallow and he knew he'd have to as well. They were so close; whatever she had killed three other military husbands for while targeting him as number four, would soon be disclosed. So, he took two more rather large swallows, drinking half the glass, which apparently placated her needs as she seductively took his goblet from his hand and placed it on the coffee table then climbed into his lap. The move was obviously designed to set him at ease as she offered a passionate, domineering kiss, which he responded to as any man would to his wife's offer.
She kissed him wildly, obviously trying to distract him until he gasped at the sudden pain, and his arms dropped limply to his sides.
VTTBOTS
Lauren leaned back and watched his eyes as the drug she had spiked his wine with began to take full effect.
"What's wrong, Darling?"
"Lauren…"
She climbed off his lap, watching him writhe in pain, as he doubled over on the sofa. His pain had no effect on her as she picked up the wine goblets and carried them into the kitchen, taking the time to wash and dry them, before returning them to their place, completely ignoring the soft grunts of pain from living room.
VTTBOTS
Lee realized immediately that Lauren had stepped up the game, giving him a full dose of her drug instead of the small dose that Jamie couldn't even identify in his blood sample earlier.
"You can do this, Lee," he encouraged himself, not a stranger to pain at an interrogator's whim, and waited for Lauren to disclose what she wanted from him when she returned to the room. He had reasoned that she sold information of various sorts as her first two husbands had been Air Force; one a 1st Lieutenant with limited Top Secret exposure. Rod was Navy and being ONI, his information would have been much more lucrative. They had kept Lee's association with ONI a secret, but he was the captain of the most powerful nuclear submarine to sail the seas. Somewhere in the mix, was either a common thread to all four officers, or perhaps she ferreted out anything she could sell to her contacts.
A sudden rush of pain interrupted his thinking; he stopped to concentrate on coping just as she returned to the room.
"Are you ill, Lee?" she asked, innocently and with all the concern of a loving wife.
Lee figured that until she made her move to expose what she wanted from him, he'd need to play the part of an unsuspecting victim, knowing that in a normal relationship one would not immediately suspect they had been poisoned.
"My stomach," he complained with both arms wrapped tightly around his mid-section. "Need to go to Med Bay," he suggested, hoping that being completely incapacitated would hurry her plans along. He didn't have to act that part out; her drug was powerful and was wreaking powerful cramps that seized him in excruciating pain.
She responded by helping him into a sitting position.
"Of course I'll take you to Med Bay, Darling. Just help me get you to the car."
Lee found himself lost in the pain, obeying her instructions to walk to the garage, but if he had had his way, he would have dropped as dead weight. Lauren was petite and in no way, could have carried him, forcing her to extract her information right here, where Harry and Chip could keep an eye on him. But this was the break they had been waiting for; perhaps she was taking him to her contacts, the ones who specialized in extracting information. So, he continued to play the game, allowing her to take him to the car and even throwing in more pleas to take him to Med Bay.
She left him in the car, promising to return after retrieving her purse, but he lost track of time as the drug worked havoc throughout his body. He briefly shuddered at the thought of what would have happened had he downed the entire glass of wine, before leaving the disturbing image to deal with the ongoing pain.
The sound of the automatic garage door woke him, as he slowly rolled his head her direction.
"It's okay, Lee. You're going to be okay," she recited almost clinically, before backing out and heading for the highway.
VTTBOTS
The memory faded as Lee's face contorted with the pain, immediately giving way to another memory.
"You've got to be kidding, Lee! Of all the stupid, idiotic, and crazy stunts!"
Chip's words came to mind once again as Lee lay on the bed in the rustic cabin, incapacitated by an unknown drug and hobbled by a broken leg, both courtesy of his "loving" wife.
"Yeah Buddy, you were right," he repeated, wondering when Lauren would get on with the interrogation.
He grunted again, burying his face into the pillow to muffle his distress, taking comfort in the blood sample Jamie had collected earlier, and banking on the doctor's ability to identify the drug in time to treat him.