"You brought her here? Amanda whisper-screeched. "You can't bring her here! My mother is home!"
"What's the problem?" Lee asked breezily. "It's not like she hasn't met me. I think she even likes me. She does, doesn't she?" he added with a worried look.
"You know perfectly well she likes you," Amanda began to answer before the telltale dimple told her she'd been tricked into being sidetracked. "But it doesn't matter if she likes you," she went on. "You can't interrogate a communist defector in my living room in front of her!"
Magda's dark eyes went wide, a tinge of panic in her expression. "Interrogate?" she echoed. "You said nothing about an interrogation, Mr. Stetson!" She began glancing about as if she fully expected a contingent of agents to strap her to a chair at any moment.
Lee glared at Amanda a little bit, then turned to Magda, and put on his most charming, calming voice. "Mrs. King is exaggerating, Ms. Petrak. Of course, it's not an interrogation. You are here of your own free will. This is just a simple debriefing, a friendly conversation, nothing more."
"Amanda? Did I hear someone at the door?" Dotty dragged herself down the stairs, sniffling into a tissue. "Oh! Hello," she said as she spotted Lee and Magda standing in the foyer.
Amanda sighed and squared her shoulders, turning to face her mother. "Mother, you remember Lee Stetson, don't you? We work together."
"Mrs. West, hello!" Lee leapt forward giving Dotty his best thousand-watt smile. "How are you?"
"Amanda, I'm hardly likely to have forgotten him when he was just here at Christmas, am I? And Lee, you know I told you to call me Dotty," she smiled at him tiredly and lifted a tissue to her nose and sneezed. "Amanda," she croaked, "Do we have any vitamin C tablets? I simply cannot shake this cold."
"Vitamin tablets will do nothing for a cold," proclaimed Magda firmly. "You must take them as a preventative. Once you have the cold, it is completely without merit to take them. You should have begun taking them immediately after the autumnal equinox. It is too late now."
Dotty lowered her tissue and stared. "I'm sorry," she said, her voice a mix of uncertainty and annoyance, "Have we met?"
Amanda took a deep breath. "Mother, this is Magda -"
"Novak" Lee interrupted her smoothly. He ignored Amanda's confused look for the moment and continued. "She's helping us with a film we're doing about European cookery."
Now Magda was staring at him in confusion too.
"And we had a test kitchen all set up for her to use to demonstrate, but there was a problem with some wiring, and it burnt down." Dotty and Amanda's mouths both dropped open. "And then I thought, maybe I could ask Amanda if we could use your house for the interview, so we could see if they're easy to do in a typical American home."
Dotty's interest had been piqued. "Oh, you mean our house is going to be in a documentary?"
Amanda's head swivelled from her mother back to Lee, her eyes wide.
"No, no," he rushed to say. "We're just doing the interview here. Miss…uhhh," he scrambled to remember what name he'd just said, "Miss Novak isn't going to be on camera – she's just helping us with research."
Dotty looked disappointed for a moment, then turned her gaze back on Magda. "So, with all your cooking experience, do you have something that will cure a cold. Since apparently I'm too late with the vitamin C?"
Lee closed his eyes briefly, wondering how he always ended up in these situations around Amanda. Then he heard Magda's response.
"Of course," she answered, with a supercilious expression. "You do not live in a climate like Hungary without knowing how to overcome simple winter colds."
"Really?" asked Amanda and Dotty in unison.
Magda nodded. "Húsleves. It is a type of chicken soup. It only takes 4 hours to make. Very simple."
Dotty's face fell. "Are you going to be here for four hours?" she asked.
Magda turned a raised eyebrow at Lee while Amanda gave him a panicked look.
"No," he answered immediately. "No, she's not."
"Well then," said Magda. "I will leave you the instructions. And in the meantime, you must drink tea with honey. Do you have Hungarian honey? It is the best."
"No," said Amanda with a stony expression. "We have regular old American honey."
Magda sniffed. "Well, that will do I suppose. You will also require whiskey..." — Dotty perked up at this — "And the juice of a lemon," Magda continued.
Dotty's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "A lemon? But you said Vitamin C had no effect on a cold."
"It does not," Magda nodded. "But when it is warmed up, the citric acid will help your body cut through the… what is the English word? Flume?"
They all stared at her for a moment before Amanda understood. "Phlegm?" she offered.
"Yes, phlegm," Magda agreed as she rolled the word out slowly. "The citric acid breaks this up and the honey has medicinal properties as well as soothing the throat and chest."
"And the whiskey?" inquired Dotty.
"This helps you feel nothing," said Magda, baldly. "Of course, in my country, it would be palinka, not whiskey, but I do not suppose you have any of that either."
"You suppose correctly," agreed Amanda. "Since I have no idea what that is. And I don't think we have whiskey either."
"You don't?" Lee couldn't help asking. "What kind of liquor cabinet doesn't have whiskey?"
"The kind that doesn't exist," replies Amanda waspishly. "Why would we have a liquor cabinet?' she asked him. "For the cocktail parties we're throwing after the boys do their homework and before we do the dinner dishes?"
"Right," said Lee with a sheepish look. "Sorry."
Amanda nodded to acknowledge the apology, then turned back to her mother. "Now, Mother, don't you think you'd be happier tucked up in bed? I'll make you a cup of tea with lemon and honey and bring it up."
"That would be lovely, Darling," Dotty answered, the fatigue evident in her voice. Her face brightened momentarily as a thought occurred to her. "Maybe since we don't have any whiskey, you could just splash some Galliano into it? I'm sure the spices would help… And then, maybe after bringing me that tea, Miss Novak could give you the recipe to make that chicken soup – and you could pick up a bottle of whiskey while you were out picking up the ingredients for it."
Amanda smiled and put her hands on Dotty's shoulders to steer her back upstairs. "Mother, the tea with honey will be just fine – I don't think we need to be breaking out the hot toddies just yet. Your cold doesn't even seem that bad."
"But we should nip it in the bud," said Dotty, in a hopeful tone even as she let Amanda herd her toward the stairs.
"You know what colds are like, Mother – they pass in their own time and all you can do is try to be comfortable. And since I have no idea what rooms Mr. Stetson will be needing for this interview," she paused and glared at Lee, "you'll probably be most comfortable in your bed, away from all of this."
"I suppose so," Dotty sighed. "But it's just so boring up there. Are you sure I couldn't help with any of the cooking demonstration?"
"No, Mother," Amanda replied firmly. "Besides, you're probably contagious and you wouldn't want to infect anyone now, would you?"
Dotty sighed again. "You're right, Darling, I'll get out of your way." She turned around, somehow evading Amanda and turned back to the counter. "But I'll just take a little glass of something until you bring the tea up. You won't forget, will you?"
"I won't, Mother."
Dotty pulled out a glass and poured out a tumblerful of liqueur.
"Mother! That's too much!"
"Oh but it's medicinal, Dear," said Dotty. "Too much is just enough." She toasted her with a wry smile and headed back toward the stairs.
Amanda watched until her mother was out of sight, before wheeling on Lee with a cross expression. "Now explain to me why you've really come here? I helped with all the paperwork – I know you had a safe house all set up!"
"I wasn't kidding," said Lee. "It got burned."
"You mean like someone found out about it?" asked Amanda.
"No, actually burned. To the ground," explained Lee. "Faulty wiring or something."
"I thought wiring would be better in America," commented Magda sardonically. She looked around the front hall. "And that the houses would be bigger."
Amanda's expression became even more strained. "Well, it's got three bedrooms with a convertible den so it's exactly right for us."
"And your mother lives with you?" Magda went on.
"Yes," said Amanda through gritted teeth. "This is her home."
"That is good," said Magda to Amanda's astonishment. "Family is very important. In my country, we know that, but I did not expect to see that Americans were aware of this."
"Well, of course we-" Amanda began to splutter.
"Now, Ms. Petrak, you should know Soviet propaganda is just that," Lee interrupted smoothly. "And of course, Americans know that family is important – that is why we are helping your mother and sister come here as well."
Magda sniffed. "Well, I could hardly defect and leave them behind, could I? You would do the same for your mother, yes?"
"I just made some coffee. Would you like some?" asked Amanda hurriedly, distracting Magda from Lee's reaction to her question.
Magda sniffed again. "I suppose I must get used to American coffee," she sighed. "It was my country that first embraced it, as I'm sure you know, and it is still superior."
Lee smothered a chuckle at the look on Amanda's face. "I'm sure that Amanda would enjoy learning about Austro-Hungarian cuisine some other time, but perhaps we should get on with our debriefing?"
"You'll need to do that in the kitchen," said Amanda. "Because if you're doing an interview about cooking, that's where Mother will expect to see you," she added off Lee's look.
"Good thinking," he agreed. He gestured for Magda to follow Amanda out of the foyer.
Magda surveyed the kitchen critically. "You do not have a microwave?"
"No," said Amanda. "I do not have a microwave, because I do not need a microwave. Just like I don't need a bigger house." She filled the coffeemaker and pressed the start button forcefully. "Would either of you like a sandwich?"
"That would be great," answered Lee in a voice that was just a shade too hearty. "Amanda makes great sandwiches," he said, turning to Magda. "Always just… uh… the right amount of mayo." He trailed off as both women stared at him.
"Anything in particular you'd like?" Amanda asked Magda. "Although you're limited to what's in my fridge."
"I have heard a lot about peanut butter sandwiches," said Magda immediately. "I have been in America for a few weeks now and I would like to try one."
"With mayo?" asked Amanda with a look at Lee.
"Is it a usual ingredient?" asked Magda, brows drawing together in confusion.
"No, it is not," answered Amanda. "I was just worried Mr. Stetson's comment might make you think it comes on all American sandwiches."
"I see. Then I will have it without," Magda nodded.
"That's great. Thank you, Amanda. Now, Ms. Petrak, if we could just get on with our debriefing?"
Magda glided gracefully to the kitchen table and sat down. Lee sat down opposite and pulled out his notebook.
"Alright, first off, please explain the real purpose behind the cultural mission."
"It was all the plan of Brobich…"
Amanda slid a plate of cookies onto the table, then straightened up. "There's more coffee in the pot and I'll leave these here although I'm sure you must both be full after three sandwiches each. Now, Lee, I have brought Mother another tea so she shouldn't be down to bother you again, but I have to go to the store and pick up cold medicine for her. I should be back before the boys get home from school, but if I'm not-"
"But you will be," Lee interrupted sounding slightly panicked.
"But if I'm not, please stop discussing Soviet secrets until I'm back. Just say you dropped by to say hello or something. They'll remember you."
Lee stood up and followed her to the back door.
"How do I explain our friend here?" he whispered.
"The same way you explained her to my mother!" she whispered back, exasperated. "You can't tell them two different things!"
"Oh. Right. I forgot," he said, sheepishly. "You'll be back though before that, right?"
"Yes, I'll be back before that. I just need to go to the grocery store, then the pharmacy for Mother."
"Don't forget the whiskey," he added.
"The whiskey?"
"For that hot toddy Magda recommended," Lee grinned at her.
"Well, maybe if I let her drink enough of them, she'll forget you were here with the flimsiest excuse I've ever heard," Amanda grumbled. She jabbed a finger in his chest. "Do not cause any problems while I'm gone, you hear me?"
"I hear you," he reassured her. "This whole thing'll be a walk in the park."
Amanda closed her eyes, sighed and shook her head. "I hate it when you say things like that."
Lee gave her a grin. "Amanda," he cajoled her. "How can anything go wrong? We're just sitting in your breakfast nook."
Amanda slapped his chest with her pocketbook, rolling her eyes. "I will be back in half an hour, Stetson, and this house better still be standing."
She slipped out the back door, Lee watching her go and giving a wave as she backed her car out of the garage. Magda came to stand beside him, sipping her coffee.
"You have an admiration for Mrs. King, no? Perhaps more than an admiration," she stated.
"What?" Amanda?" Lee turned to her, startled. "No! I mean, yes, she has a way of setting people at ease that makes everyone like her and she's been really helpful on a lot of my cases. We have a professional relationship that works well. I admire her for that."
"And she is attractive, hmm?"
"Attractive?" he gulped. "Amanda?"
"You don't find her attractive?" questioned Magda. "She's very pretty."
"I mean… yes?" Lee stuttered out. "Sure, she's very pretty… Some might even say beautiful… There's something about her eyes – they're very warm and kind – very pretty."
"She finds you attractive too," said Magda. "But of course, you know this."
"She does?" said Lee. "Did she – uh, say something about it to you?"
Magda surveyed him for a moment in silence, before shaking her head. "You are really the best American agent?" She made a tutting noise and turned back to the table, stopping to refill her coffee as she did so. "This coffee is better than I expected. But I still do not see the attraction of peanut butter." She sat back down. "Shall we continue?"
"What?" asked Lee, still off balance by the previous conversation. "Oh yes, right. Tell me more about the cultural mission's links to the Chinese."
Sandor had his gun resting on his leg and was tapping it nervously as they drove through the city streets. His driver, Laszlo, glanced over and winced.
"Comrade, can you please point that thing away from me? I do not wish to be in the line of fire when you accidentally shoot something."
"You assume it would be accidental?" sneered Sandor. "You are supposed to be helping look for Magda and all you are doing is whining about your growling belly."
Laszlo shrugged. "I eat when I'm nervous. And I'm nervous because I know it is impossible to find Magda by driving around American suburbs. And if we don't find her, Brobich will-" he shuddered. "So I am afraid of what Brobich will do and that makes me nervous. And when I am nervous-"
"Oh, in the name of Rákosi, stop your stupid chatter!" snarled Sandor. "We both know she's somewhere we can't find her, but as long as we are out here, Brobich can do nothing to us! Look, there is a grocery store up ahead. We will go get food and then continue looking for her."
The driver nodded and shifted lanes to turn into the grocery store parking lot. Sandor peered through the drizzle-splattered windshield.
"I don't believe it," he muttered. "There she is! The answer to our problem!"
"You see Magda?" said Laszlo.
"No – but I see that woman," Sandor pointed to the slim brunette crossing the parking lot. "She was at the party last night!"
"Half of Washington was at that party!" said Laszlo. "Even if she was, why would she know where Magda is today?"
"Just a feeling," answered Sandor. "Let's see where she leads us."
Dotty woke slowly and sighed at the sound of the ringing phone. "Amanda?" she called out. "Are you going to get that?"
The phone continued to ring as if to answer her question. Dotty pushed herself upright, letting the paperback she'd been reading before she dozed off fall to the floor, and picked up the receiver.
"Hello?"
"Mother, it's me."
"Amanda? How are you calling here?" she asked, her brain still fuzzy from being woken from her nap.
"I'm not at the house, Mother. I'm at the store. Remember, I told you I was going out to pick up a few things?"
"Oh yes," Dotty replied. "You haven't forgotten to go the pharmacy for me, have you?"
"No Mother," said Amanda in a tone of forced patience. "I'm going there next. But I just need to speak to Lee for a moment."
"Lee?"
"Mr. Stetson? He's doing that interview in our kitchen? Is he still there?"
"I think so," said Dotty. "I didn't hear them leave – but then again, I was deep in my book. It's this absolutely thrilling mystery about a woman who meets-""
"Mother!" Amanda interrupted her. "May I speak to Lee please?"
"Of course, Darling. What was it you wanted to speak to him about?"
At the other end of the line, Amanda closed her eyes and counted to five – she didn't have time to count to ten. "I just needed to ask him about an ingredient he asked me to pick up. For the film."
"Oh, how interesting!" said Dotty. "Is that Ms. Novak going to make something? You know-" She took in the frustrated noise Amanda had just made and stopped herself. "Of course, Darling, just a minute."
She walked to the top of the stairs and called down to Lee. "Mr. Stetson? Lee? Amanda's on the phone for you! Something about needing to clarify an ingredient."
Lee and Magda exchanged a look. "An ingredient?" he repeated. "What ingredient?" He stood up and strode to the phone. "Thank you, Mrs. West," he called out. "I have it." He waited for the click of Dotty hanging up before saying "Amanda? Why are you calling?"
"Well, it might be nothing," she said immediately. "But you know sometimes you just get that weird feeling, the kind where the hair on the back of your neck stands up? And it might crazy, and I might be overreacting because you have a secret Hungarian defector hiding in my house but-"
"Amanda!" Lee interrupted her. "What's wrong?"
"I think I'm being followed," she answered.
"Followed?" Lee let out a disbelieving laugh. "At the grocery store?"
"Yes, at the grocery store!" she whispered vehemently. "There are two men – everywhere I go in the store, one of them is in the same aisle."
"Amanda," Lee put on his most soothing voice. "Maybe they're just shopping."
"Neither of them has a cart, but they do have grey suits that don't fit right and big bushy eyebrows and-"
"Amanda, bad eyebrows don't mean-"
"And one of them, well, I think I remember seeing him at the party last night," she finished. "And I think he has a gun."
Lee felt a stab of fear go through him. "Okay, you stay there, and I'm going to call Billy and get someone there right away."
"Can't you come?" asked Amanda in a small voice.
Lee raked his fingers through his hair in frustration. "If it is a bad guy, I can't bring Magda with me – and you don't want me leaving her here alone, do you?"
"And I can't come home – the boys will be back from school any minute and what if they follow me?" Amanda's voice was trembling slightly and Lee's knuckles whitened from his grip on the handset.
"Amanda, I won't let anything happen to your family, I promise," he said softly. "Now you go find somewhere crowded and public and try not to let them know you're on to them, while I call Billy."
"Okay," she whispered.
"And Amanda? If they try anything – anything at all – you scream and make a fuss, okay? They don't want any attention, okay?"
"Okay," she answered. "Please hurry."
The line went dead before he could respond. Lee closed his eyes and let out a long breath, praying that it had actually been Amanda that had hung up and not one of her possible stalkers. He slammed his finger down on the plunger switch to get the dial tone, then quickly dialled Billy's direct line.
"Melrose," came that booming voice, obviously on a speaker phone.
"Billy, it's Scarecrow," Lee said. "I need backup immediately at the Arlington Food Mart on Colonial Avenue."
"What are you doing at a grocery store?" asked Billy. "You're supposed to be interviewing Magda Petrak!"
"I am," Lee replied curtly. "It's Amanda – she went to the store and she says some of Brobich's goons are following her. Now are you sending backup or what?"
There was a pause and Lee could hear muffled shouting. "It's on its way," said Billy. "Francine heard you and went to do it as soon as you asked." There was a moment's pause and then he could hear Francine.
"Efraim was on his way to Amanda's to bring some files for Magda to look at anyway and has been radioed to re-route."
"Good." Lee heaved sigh of relief. "Make sure he knows not to leave a trail back to her house – we can't let those bozos anywhere near her family."
"Or Magda Petrak," added Billy drily.
"Right," said Lee, sheepishly. "But Billy, if the Hungarians are snooping around Arlington, we need to move her – they're too close for comfort."
"I'll get the wig on and come create a distraction," said Francine instantly. "It worked once, it'll work again. I'll be there in twenty minutes."
"I'll drive you and then you can get ready in the car," said Billy. "Scarecrow, we'll be there in fifteen minutes."
"Thanks Billy," said Lee in a heartfelt tone.
He hung up and turned to look at Magda. "You need to be ready to leave here at a moment's notice, but I don't think it will come to that," he said. "It should be fine as long as you stay out of sight inside the house."
"If Brobich's men are following Mrs. King, she might lead them back here," said Magda, curtly.
"She won't," Lee relied confidently.
"You can't know that," Magda answered, annoyance written across her face.
"I absolutely can," he said. "You don't know Amanda King."
"It's true," said Dotty from the top of the kitchen steps. "Amanda is like a terrier when she's given a job to do." She wandered over to the fridge to pour a glass of milk, then to where the bottle of Galliano was still sitting on the counter and upended another shot into her glass, before shrugging and adding some more. "I should have told her to get me some more milk too. I'm going through it much faster with these little –" she hiccupped, then carried on, "cure-all cocktails."
"You should not be having milk," said Magda curtly. "It just increases the phlegm." Her pronunciation of 'phlegm" appeared to hit every letter in the word and Dotty stared at her wordlessly.
"No milk?" she said.
"No milk," stated Magda.
"I guess that makes sense." Dotty peered into her glass, slammed back the contents and then ambled back to the bottle of Galliano, pouring another shot in.
"If one's good, two's better," she lectured the bottle, before turning back to face a stunned Lee and Magda. She swayed slightly in place, then smiled and headed back up the stairs.
There was a pause, then Lee bolted after her to make sure she didn't lose her balance on the way up.
"Oh Lee," Dotty turned and waved him off, sending his heart into his mouth as she wavered on the step. "Don't worry about me. It's just a little cold. Nothing to worry about."
"A lady should always have a gentlemen's escort," he said firmly, putting his hand at her waist. "Now let's get you back to that nice warm bed and you can just stay there until Amanda gets back with your medicine."
"That sounds lovely," said Dotty, stopping at the top of the stairs for another sip of her drink. "I'm already feeling much – hic – better. Thank you, Lee Dear," she went on, "but you should be getting back to your interview and I should be getting back to my spy novel." She reached over and patted his rear, making him jump. "I bet you'd look wonderful in a tux - just like James Bond. Now, off you go."
She gave him a little push then tottered in the direction of her room, leaving Lee staring after her, bemused grin on his face. Shaking his head, he turned to go back down the stairs. Magda was waiting at the bottom with a supercilious look on her face.
"I see everything we hear about American indulgence is true," she sniffed, and walked back into the kitchen.
Amanda circled the floral department, twisting and turning got look at the different bouquets while also trying to check surreptitiously if the two men had followed her.
"Very interesting," said a voice with a German accent right by her shoulder.
She squealed and whirled to find a friendly face peering at her through a shelf of ferns.
"Efraim!" she managed not to shriek at him. "You nearly scared me half to death!"
"I'm sorry." He did look contrite. "You looked so tense, I thought I'd try a little humor to make you relax."
"Well, Arte, I'd be laughing if it wasn't for those two guys with guns over in the dairy department watching me."
Efraim moved around the greenery and shot a sideways look at the men she had pointed out. "Oh yeah, those guys are definitely on our watch list," he grimaced.
"And they're between us and the door," she muttered, pretending to fiddle with the leaf of a dieffenbachia.
"Well, we just need to remove them as an obstacle," he murmured. "Now, let's enumerate our weapons."
"Efraim, you can't have a shootout in the middle of a crowded grocery store!" she hissed.
"Well, you can't, because you don't have a gun," he grinned at her, as she huffed at his inappropriate humor. "But I wasn't actually thinking of guns."
"Well then, what are you thinking of?" she asked with a look of doubt.
"Science," he answered. "Specifically, chemistry and physics."
"Physics? In a grocery store?" she said, brow furrowing. "I think throwing banana peels in front of them as we run only works in cartoons and the only chemistry I know is how to make a homemade volcano. Phillip had to make one for class this week," she explained, proudly. "He worked really hard on it and it was very good. I expect he'll get an A."
"You're on the right track," Efraim replied. "Now, let me think for a second."
Amanda stared at him as he gazed across the store with a calculating expression.
"The cleaning aisle would have bleach and ammonia," he muttered, "but that would be overkill…"
"Overkill?" Amanda ventured.
"Yes, as in, mixing them would create a gas cloud that would kill everyone in here," he answered absentmindedly.
"Don't do that," said Amanda, faintly.
"Okay," he said, finally. "Let me go collect a few things and I'll be right back."
A cold trickle of fear worked its way up and down Amanda's spine as she watched him stride away, grabbing her cart as he went. She glanced over at the Hungarians, whose eyes slid away as she turned, pretending that they weren't watching her at all.
A few minutes later, Efraim returned to her line of sight, although the bad guys couldn't see him around the aisle endcap. The cart had a few more things in it and she wondered what he had gone to collect.
He gestured for her to begin moving toward him, which she did, shooting sideways looks to watch her bulky shadows.
Efraim began to back down the aisle as she got closer, emptying a bottle of something on the floor as he went. He paused and gestured for her to move around it and she realized he had left a narrow clear path for her. As she skirted the puddle of what she now saw was cooking oil, she heard him mutter "Okay, grab the cart and start moving fast."
She started to jog down the aisle, turning when she heard a strange sound like rain behind her and then angry shouts. Efraim was jogging toward her, and behind him the two men were sliding helplessly across a slick of oil and dried peas.
He grabbed two things out of the cart and then, "Keep moving," he said, unnecessarily as it turned out. Amanda had spent enough time with Lee to know to take advantage of getting to the exit as quickly as possible.
Footsteps and cursing told them that their friends were back on their feet and picking up the chase again.
Efraim slowed as he reached the top of the aisle, confused when he saw Amanda stop dead. She reached for something on the shelf then turned and ran toward the men screaming. As they pulled up, stunned, she lifted her arm and began spraying hairspray directly into their faces. When they screamed in pain and lifted their own hands in defense, she wheeled and ran back toward Efraim.
"That was brilliant!" he exclaimed. "How did you think of it?"
"Francine taught me a few tricks," she answered in gasping breaths, running past him.
"Of course! I should have recognized her style," he grinned.
They were halfway to the door when the goons rounded the corner and began pursuing them again.
"Keep going, no matter what," said Efraim.
"What are you going to do?" she asked, slowing down and turning toward him.
"Don't worry," he said. "But no matter what, just keep heading for the door."
Amanda nodded uncertainly, then picked up her pace, dodging the carts and customers closer to the registers. With only a few yards to go, the sound of gunfire exploded behind her and the crowd of customers close to her began to stampede toward the exit.
Despite Efraim's order, she whirled, letting the panicked shoppers push past her. Beyond them she could see Efraim, still standing with the Hungarians bearing down on him. His arms swung up and suddenly there was a cloud between him and his pursuers. A heartbeat later, it exploded into a fireball, sending the two men staggering backward, arms up to protect themselves. He turned and raced toward her, and together they ran out into the parking lot.
"Where's your car?" he asked.
She pointed across the lot.
"Mine's closer," he said pointing. "Let's go."
They began to run, zigzagging between cars that were peeling out of the lot at high speed as customers ran for their lives. They reached the Agency sedan and threw themselves into the front seats. A few second later, Efraim had managed to find a gap in the fleeing traffic and tore out of the lot, taking the first corner practically on two wheels and charging down the road, back toward Arlington.
"We've lost them," said Efraim, glancing over at Amanda "I'm just going to pull over for a second and radio Billy to let him know you're out of harm's way." He grimaced slightly. "And alert him that maybe it got a little crazy back there."
"I thought you said you weren't planning on using guns with all those people around," she turned accusing eyes on him.
"I didn't," he replied, looking smug.
"Efraim, I heard the gunshots," she said hotly. "Everyone heard the gunshots."
"No, you only thought you did," he said. "I paid a couple of teenagers $20 each to blow up a packet of birthday balloons and then pop them when they saw me coming toward them. Told them we were shooting a guerilla film and needed sound effects."
"And the explosion?" she asked.
"I threw flour in the air and lit it up with a lighter. Don't worry," he went on at her aghast expression. "It really just lights the powder – I doubt it caused any long-term damage."
Amanda dropped her face into her hands, groaning quietly. "I can never go back to that store! They'll have the police on me if I ever show my face in there again!"
"Amanda," Efraim began trying to reassure her.
"Do you have any idea how long it took me to get them to give me a check cashing card?" she wailed.
Efraim began to laugh; he couldn't help it, and only laughed harder when she turned her furious expression. "Amanda," he finally spluttered out. "They don't have any idea you were involved. As far as anyone saw, I did all the spills and fires and you were just running away, like everyone else in the store."
She stared at him, silently processing what he'd said before her expression turned hopeful. "Really? You think so?"
"I know so," he nodded. "And when the Agency sends in someone tomorrow to review security footage and placate the manager, I'll make sure they are clear about your complete innocence."
"That would be great."
"Except," his lips twitched. "You're not entirely innocent."
"Efraim! You just said I hadn't done anything wrong with all your distraction techniques!"
"And you didn't." His smile grew broader and he motioned to where she'd thrown her purse into the back seat when they got in the car, along with something else. "But you did steal that bottle of whiskey you were holding when I found you."
"Oh my gosh." Amanda slumped again then straightened up in a panic. "Oh my gosh! That was for my mother and she's still home alone with that woman and Lee - and the boys should be home any second now!"
"Guess Billy will have to wait for his update then." Efraim did a shoulder check and pulled back into traffic, considerably more slowly this time.
Amanda groaned again.
"What's the matter?" he asked.
"Just another person I have to explain to my mother," she answered.
"And Billy and Francine," he added. "He said they'd head to your house to help with Magda while I came to get you," he added when she turned to him in disbelief.
"My house is swarming with agents and my family is there?" she squeaked.
"Don't you think swarming is a bit of an exaggeration?" said Efraim. He glanced sideways at her as she glared. "No, of course it isn't," he soothed.
"Just get me home," she said through gritted teeth. "And make sure no one's following us."
"Okay," Lee announced, closing his notebook, and slapping it absent-mindedly against his hand. "I think I've asked you everything we need to know for now. This is really going to be helpful." He glanced at this watch. "And your mother and sister should be arriving at a private airport in about two hours."
"Excellent," Magda replied, standing up. "So, we can go now?"
"No, we can't," Lee said testily. "I promised Amanda I'd look after her mother while she was out, and the boys are due any minute now – and we don't even know if she's okay."
There was a knock on the front door just as he finished speaking. Lee rested a hand on his gun and peered through the window to look at the doorstep.
"It's okay," he announced. "It's Billy and Francine," He opened the door and ushered them in, glancing quickly up and down the street to see if anyone had watched them come in.
"All quiet here so far?" asked Francine, tucking the last blonde curl under her brunette wig.
"Yeah," said Lee.
"Any word from Amanda?" asked Billy.
"I was going to ask you the same thing," replied Lee, running his hand over his scalp.
"Efraim wasn't more than few minutes away from the grocery store when we called him," said Francine reassuringly. "I'm sure everything's fine."
"Amanda? I thought I heard someone at the door…" Dotty stood at the top of the stairs, peering down at the trio, swaying slightly in place. "Oh, are you leaving, Miss Novak? I thought you'd be here longer."
"No, no," said Lee, pushing Francine toward the kitchen. "Just Mr. Melrose. He's, um, someone from the phone company!"
Dotty squinted at Billy. "Is there something wrong with the phone?"
"Not at all," beamed Billy. "We're just visiting valued customers to make sure they're satisfied with our service."
Dotty nodded. "You could have just called."
Billy chuckled. "I suppose I could have, but we like the personal touch."
"I'm sure our bill would be less if they weren't paying you to make personal visits," she commented. "Maybe then we could afford a second phone line because I swear, my grandsons are on the phone more now than my daughter ever was when she was a teenager."
Billy's smile grew broader. "You know what? You're absolutely right. But since I'm here, do you have anything you'd like us to know about our service? Is your billing process clear? Is there anything about the payment system you'd like changed?"
Dotty stared down at him, disconcerted. "Oh, well, I'm not actually the one who pays the bill, that would be my daughter Amanda. This is her house."
"And is she home?" Billy asked, still grinning.
Dotty looked at Lee who shook his head. "Well, no, she isn't."
"Would you mind if I waited and talked to her?" asked Billy. "This multi-generational household is just the kind of thing we like to know more about."
Dotty looked at Lee again. "I suppose so," she said uncertainly. "She's just gone to the store – I'm sure she won't be long, but I'm a little fuzzy about how long she's been gone."
"Why don't you come through to the kitchen, Mr. Melrose?" Lee seized the reins of the conversation. "We have some coffee made."
"Why thank you," said Billy. "And please, call me Billy."
Dotty brightened up. "Lee, dear, I'd love some tea. Maybe I should come down and-"
"No!" said Lee. "No, no," he went on more gently when Dotty stared at him. "You should be resting! How about I bring you up a cup in a minute?"
"That would be nice," said Dotty. "I think another little drop of Galliano would help with this sore throat too."
"Absolutely," said Lee. "I'll bring it right up. Now you go back to bed and look after yourself."
She looked at Billy. "He's such a sweet boy. He works with my daughter, you know. And so handsome, but does she ever talk about him? Not a word. It's a mystery to me. – I just don't understand her sometimes." She paused and hiccupped. "If he'd been around when I was her age, I certainly wouldn't have kept quiet about it."
Lee looked at Billy, who was having a hard time stifling his laughter. "She's pretty drunk," he muttered. "She's not normally like this."
"I'm sure Amanda would say otherwise," Billy whispered back. "I'll just go through to the kitchen," he went on at a more normal volume, as he stepped up the stairs and down toward the kitchen. "What a lovely home you have!"
Lee turned and looked back up at Dotty. "I'll be right up with that tea, Mrs. West."
"If you're going to bring me room service, I think you should call me Dotty, don't you?" said Dotty archly, an effect that was ruined slightly as she tipped slightly sideways.
"Yes, Dotty, absolutely," Lee said, bracing himself to race up the stairs and catch her. "Now how about you go lie down and I'll be right there."
"Thank you, Lee dear," she answered, turning away. "Don't forget the Galliano!" she called back over her shoulder.
"I won't," he called back. When he was certain she was safely back in her room, he shook his head and turned back to where everyone else had gathered.
"Wow, Lee, it sounds like you've made quite the conquest there," teased Francine as soon as he stepped into the kitchen. "You could be quite the suburban Casanova, cutting a swath through the blue rinse set."
"Button it," answered Lee, putting on the kettle.
"So domesticated," Francine continued. "Look at you, making tea for your future mother-in law! Or should I say wife? She seems quite taken with you."
Lee reddened but chose to ignore her. He turned to look at Billy. "So, what's the plan?"
"Well, once we hear from Efraim, we'll have a better idea of whether there's really a problem," Billy replied. "So, for now, we'll sit tight and assume Brobich is still in the dark."
"How would Brobich know where I am if he was not told?" asked Magda. "Do you think someone has betrayed you?"
"No," said Billy firmly. "We do not think that. If there is any possibility that you have been tracked here, it was a fluke. And we don't even know if that's happened until we hear from Agent Beaman and Mrs. King."
Magda gave a disapproving sniff. "In my country…"
"In our country, we don't have people going through crazy contortions just to leave!" Lee slammed his hand down on the counter. "So maybe, just for a minute, you can quit with the comparisons about how great it is back home?"
Magda looked taken aback and nodded. "You're right. I am being rude."
He slumped and gave a grimace. "No, I'm sorry – I was rude too. It's just that I'm a little tense about Amanda and wondering why there hasn't been word yet."
The kettle whistled and he turned to pour the hot water into Dotty's waiting mug. He stirred the bag for a moment, then added a large shot of Galliano and disappeared back up the stairs.
Magda exchanged a look with Francine. "He has been very tense all day. He is attracted to Mrs. King, I think," she said.
Billy snorted and turned away.
"I think so too," Francine agreed. "But he hasn't figured it out yet."
"Men," sighed Magda. "They can be so smart but…" she rolled her eyes, giving a slight smile when Francine nodded. She tilted her head and studied Francine more closely. "It is quite extraordinary," she said. "You really do look very similar to me."
"Well, I don't normally," Francine replied. "But it's amazing what a wig and dark contacts can do."
"Yes, I thought when they suggested we switch places that they had found someone who looked enough alike to fool Brobich for a few minutes, but it is much more than that. No wonder Amanda thought I was you at the party last night."
"We do both have excellent bone structure," Francine preened.
"Some day I would like to meet you without all this," said Magda. "Maybe I could change my look."
"Blondes do have more fun," quipped Francine.
"Why?" asked Magda, brow furrowing.
"It's just a phrase," Francine reassured her. "You won't have any trouble finding fun here in America, especially with the accent. American men love an accent."
"They do?" said Magda in surprise. "Are you sure?"
"Let's just say, I've been practicing my Hungarian accent at home for this mission and my boyfriend has made it clear he likes it very much." She waggled her eyebrows and Magda gave a rare smile.
"Interesting," she responded. "I look forward to testing this out for myself."
"Billy, we really need to track down Amanda and Efraim," said Lee, stepping back down the stairs. "Even Dotty is starting to wonder what's taking her so long and she's three sheets to the wind." He stopped as Magda and Francine both turned to face him. "Okay, that is just weird," he said. "I knew it was close, but now that I see you together, it's a little too much like The Shining."
Magda and Francine both lifted a brow and stared at him.
"Cut that out," he said plaintively. "It's creepy." His face creased in a sudden grin. "But I can't wait to see what Beaman says when he and Amanda get back."
Francine opened her mouth to make a comment but was interrupted.
"Mom! Mom! Guess what?" Phillip burst through the door, hotly pursued by Jamie. He skidded to a stop as four strange adults turned to face him. "Whoa," he said, rocking back on his heels as he caught sight of Magda and Francine. "Twins!" He continued to stare for a moment before turning to take in the rest of the group and recognized Lee.
"Oh hi, Mister… uhhh"
"Stetson," Lee reminded him.
"Right, Mr. Stetson," Phillip nodded. "You were here at Christmas! You had the cool car." He looked around the kitchen. "Where's my mom?"
"She just stepped out for a minute to get some cold medicine for your grandmother," Lee explained. "She should be back any second now." He glanced at his watch and grimaced.
"Well, I hope she didn't try and get it at the Food Mart!" Jamie was vibrating with excitement.
"Why not?" Lee asked with a sinking feeling.
"Our school bus just went past it and there's fire trucks and police cars and all sorts of stuff!" Phillip answered with great relish as Jamie nodded excitedly beside him.
Lee turned an anguished look on Billy.
"I'm just going to make a few calls," said Billy, heading to the phone.
"Who's he, anyway?" asked Phillip.
"He's from the phone company," said Lee, remembering what Amanda had said about telling the boys the same story he'd told her mother.
Jamie went pale. "It wasn't my fault!"
"What wasn't your fault?" asked Lee, completely confused.
"The phone bill! I thought it was a local call, honest! And now the phone company has come to the house and Mom's going to kill me! Mr. Stetson, could you loan me some money so she doesn't find out? I'll pay you back out of my allowance, I promise!"
Lee took in the trembling lip and the sheen of tears in Jamie's eyes and looked over at the two women helplessly. They both shrugged and looked as much at a loss he felt. Francine – at least he thought it was Francine – made a little shooing motion at him, encouraging him to deal with it.
Sighing, Lee drew Jamie over to the kitchen table, giving him a push to sit down.
"I'm sure whatever happened, it wasn't your fault, but would you like to explain it to me and maybe I can help explain it to your mother?"
Jamie gave a small sniff. "We had to do a story for class about what we want to be when we grow up, and I really like playing Little League so I thought it would be a good idea to write about being a professional baseball player."
"Okay," Lee nodded. "But how does that cause a big phone bill?"
"Well, I was looking up stuff in the school encyclopedia about baseball teams and there used to be a team in Washington called the Senators, but the book said they'd moved to Arlington before I was born."
"But Jamie, there's no pro team in Arlington," Lee pointed out.
"Yeah there is, just not the right Arlington," said Jamie miserably. "Anyway, I thought maybe I could ask Mom to get us for tickets for Phillip's birthday."
"Cool!" said Phillip. "That would be rad!"
"Anyway, I got the librarian at school to help me find the phone number for the ticket office and then I called them."
"Called who?" asked Lee, still at a complete loss.
"The Rangers!" wailed Jamie.
"The Texas Rangers?" Lee asked, light beginning to dawn.
"Yes! I called before school one morning to ask how much they were so I could tell Mom, but the recording said I should press 1 to talk to somebody so I did and then it rang some more but nobody answered and then the recording came back and said I should press 1 again, so I did and the same thing happened, so I just kept trying until it was time for the school bus."
"So you called Arlington, Texas?" Lee prompted him.
"Yes! But I thought it was here!" Jamie wiped his nose, tears still threatening.
"Well, no one answered because Texas is in a different time zone," said Francine, helpfully. "It would have been hours until there was someone there. You should have called after school."
Lee and Jamie stared at her in disbelief. "I don't think the time zone was really the problem, do you?" Lee asked her.
"I suppose not," she admitted.
Billy hung up the phone and walked to the table. "I haven't been able to get the full story, but it doesn't look like Amanda was involved."
"That's what I was just saying!" Jamie blurted out. "It was all my fault, not Mom's! Please don't get her in trouble!"
"It's okay, Jamie," said Lee, shooting a look over his head at a perplexed Billy. "No one's in trouble." He dropped a hand onto Jamie's shoulder. "In fact, I bet Mr. Melrose here can help with this – since he's from the phone company and all."
"I can?" said Billy. "Oh, I can, I'm sure I can!" he went on, as Lee glared at him. "What's the problem exactly?"
Jamie began to sniffle again, so Lee took up the story. "It seems Jamie here might have run up a bit of a long-distance bill by calling Arlington, Texas – he was just trying to get his brother something nice for his birthday, you know how it is - and I thought maybe we could help him take care of that."
"Oh, I see," answered Billy, light dawning in his eyes. "Well, young man, I'm sure we can do something if you promise never to do that again."
"I promise," Jamie said fervently.
"Well, how about you go find me the number you called and I'll look it up on our records and see what I can do."
Jamie tore off out of the kitchen and Lee sagged against the counter. "What else could go wrong?" he asked. "And you're sure the- " he paused and looked around realizing Phillip was still there – "you're sure the you-know-what isn't anything to do with you-know-who?"
"Oh, I'm sure you-know-who was there," chuckled Billy. "But they're not there now. But apparently the head of the Hungarian Cultural mission has been called, so you-know-who wasn't wrong about you-know-what. It was a good thing she's observant or she could have led them right back-" he paused, glancing at Philip "to you-know-who."
"Wow, you guys talk just like my mom and Grandma when it's nearly Christmas," said Phillip.
Lee turned to Phillip with a long-suffering look. "Hey Chief? How about you go help Jamie find that phone number for a second?"
"So you mean I should go help you-know-who find the you-know-what so he doesn't get in trouble with you-know-who over you-know-what?" asked Phillip with a grin.
Lee put his hand up and massaged his forehead. "Yes. Please. Thank you!" he called after him as Phillip jogged up the stairs and out of the family room. He turned back to Billy, barely under control now. "So, what's happening at that store?"
"If the witnesses are to be believed, it was the shootout at the OK Corral," Billy began, but went on hurriedly at Lee's expression. "But the local cops say there's no sign of anything just a huge mess and no one was hurt, except for a few bruises and a serious lack of eyebrows on our Hungarian friends. They also said most people in the store took off running and left, and Amanda isn't there."
Lee studied him for a moment and said "But?"
Billy grimaced. "Well, her car is still there."
Lee tossed his hands up in despair. "Then where is she?"
"Well, she's probably with Efraim," Francine interrupted him. "Since I assume there's no sign of him anywhere either?"
"No," confirmed Billy. "But if either of them calls in, it will be routed here."
"Damn it! I should be out looking for her!" Lee exploded. "I'm a highly skilled agent and I'm stuck here babysitting two small boys and a Hungarian defector!"
"Don't forget the drunk grandmother," quipped Francine.
"Don't remind me," said Lee, rubbing a hand over his face. "We really can't leave the boys alone with Dotty in her condition."
"What condition?" asked Phillip, bounding back into the room with impeccable timing, Jamie hot on his heels.
"She has a very bad cold," said Magda. "She is no doubt very contagious and you must avoid her until she is better."
"Wait a minute," said Phillip. "Do you guys have different accents?" he pointed a finger between the two women. "One of you sounded American before."
"What? No, not at all," said Francine hurriedly in her best accented English. "You must have misheard. We are sisters from Hungary."
Phillip stared at them through narrowed eyes, but before he could say anything else, the back door blew open and Amanda burst in, carrying a bag of groceries and a bottle of whiskey.
"Oh my gosh!" she squeaked, looking back at the faces staring back at her. "So, funny story.." she started but got no further before there was a babble of voices.
"Amanda, are you okay?"
"Mom – were you at the grocery store? Were you there when the cops got there?"
"What took you so long to get back here?"
Amanda held her hands up to get everyone to quiet down which meant that everyone heard Jamie's question ring out.
"Who are you?"
Everyone looked at Jamie, then followed his gaze to stare at Efraim who had followed Amanda inside.
"Oh!" Amanda exclaimed. "This is, uh, the man… uh.. from the phone company." She paused, confused by the crack of laughter from Billy and the way Lee dropped his head into his hands.
"Yes," said Billy, getting his laughter back under control. "This is my associate Mr. Beaman. We'll just step outside and consult about the phone number you wanted to give us." He snapped his fingers at Jamie, who handed him a piece of paper, with a sidelong guilty look at his mother. Billy glanced at it, gave another chuckle and stepped past Amanda and out the back door, gesturing for Efraim to follow him.
"Boys, can you take this cold medicine up to your grandmother?" said Amanda reaching into the bag. "Tell her I'll be up in a minute to check on her."
"Sure Mom!" they chorused cheerfully and headed upstairs.
As their thundering footsteps faded away, Amanda turned to the remaining audience of Lee, Magda and Francine. "Let me just put this down," she said, heading to the kitchen with the bag.
"You stopped for groceries?" hissed Lee. "Was that really your priority?"
"Yes, I stopped for groceries!" she whirled on him. "I told my mother I was going out to get groceries and I needed to come back with groceries because she might have been standing here waiting for me, not knowing that I just spent the last hour being followed by men with guns and having to run for my life out of my regular store!" Her voice cracked on the last word and she turned back to the bag, busying herself with emptying it out.
Lee snuck a look at Francine and Magda, who were giving him identical disappointed looks. "You're right, I'm sorry," he said, running his hand over his scalp and letting it rest on his neck. "I was – we were all worried about you!"
Amanda's shoulders dropped and she turned to face him. "I'm sorry too," she said. "I know you were worried and it was very scary that this happened in my neighborhood, and then we had to make sure we weren't being followed, and then there were all these police road closures to go through and I knew the boys would be home soon…" She gave a long sigh. "I hope it was peaceful here at least."
Lee exchanged another look with Francine, who smirked. "Only the tiniest of domestic dust-ups, dear, nothing to worry about."
What kind of dust-up?" Amanda asked. "Did the boys do something?"
"No, no," said Lee soothingly. "Everything's fine."
"On the other hand, your mother is drunk," teased Francine. "So even if she gets over that cold, her hangover tomorrow will be epic."
"My mother is drunk?" Amanda turned to Lee with an accusing glare. "What did you do to my mother?"
"Hey, I didn't so anything," he replied defensively. "She just kept coming down to see if you were back and she kept refilling her glass with Galliano and the next thing I knew…"
Amanda turned and looked at the bottle that was now three-quarters empty. "She drank all that?"
"Oh no," Magda interjected. "The bottle was not full when she started. She has had maybe half the bottle, that is all."
"That is all?" echoed Amanda in disbelief. Her eyes suddenly went wide. "Oh my gosh – I just sent the boys up with cold medicine for her! She shouldn't be taking that if she's been drinking!"
"She'll be fine," said Francine. "Unless you think she's going to be operating heavy machinery."
Amanda shot her a fulminating look. "Francine, after the day I've had, I wouldn't even be surprised if my mother ended up having to fly a helicopter to escape the Russians!"
"Russians?" exclaimed Magda.
"She was joking," Lee turned to reassure her. "There are no Russians anywhere near here."
He shot Amanda an inquiring glance and she nodded.
"Lee's right. It was a joke," she confirmed.
"Russians are never a joke," said Magda.
"Well, they are today," said Lee, "since we nabbed you right out from under their noses and got a lot of useful intelligence."
"Hey Mom," said Phillip, bounding back into the room. "Grandma says she's feeling better, but did you remember the whiskey because she wants to make a hot toddy next to really kick this bug in the ass."
"Phillip! Language!" scolded Amanda.
"Sorry Mom," said Phillip with a cheeky grin, "but I'm just repeating what Grandma said."
"It's true," Jamie added with a solemn expression. "She's really funny when she's had cold medicine."
Amanda dropped her head in her hands.
Billy opened the back door and stuck his head in. Seeing the boys," he paused and then said "Mrs. King? Could we have a chat outside?"
Jamie paled. "I'm so sorry, Mom. I didn't mean to do it."
"Oh no, no, no," exclaimed Billy. "It's nothing to do with you, young man. In fact, your problem is all taken care of – nothing to worry about there."
"Really?" asked Jamie.
"Really," Billy nodded. "But you have to promise me to explain it all to your mother and to never do anything like that again, alright?"
"I promise," said Jamie fervently.
Amanda looked back and forth between the two of them. "Is there something I should know?"
"Jamie will explain it to you later," Billy promised, "but there's nothing to worry about. But for now – outside please? All of you?" he added, nodding at Magda and Francine as well as Lee.
Amanda gave Jamie one last look before following Billy out the door, followed by Lee, Francine, and Magda.
As the last two trailed out, Efraim's arm snaked out around the waist of the closest brunette, dragging her in and dropping a light kiss on her lips. "Hey Toots," he teased. "I've missed you today."
"What are you doing?" she responded, her Hungarian accent thicker in her surprise.
Lee snorted with laughter as Amanda gasped. "Oh Efraim! That's not-"
"Oh hello," said Efraim, ignoring them and reaching out a hand to the other brunette. "You must be Miss Petrak. I've read a lot about you in the mission files. Such a pleasure to finally meet in person."
"Thank you," she replied in a confused tone as she shook his hand. "Is this how all agents greet each other in this country?" She stayed back a little, obviously worried that he would answer in the affirmative.
"No," said Francine, dropping the accent. "Only the ones who are dating." She wriggled out of Efraim's embrace and turned to glare at him. "How did you know which one was me?"
"What? Like it's hard?" he asked, nonplussed.
"Yes!" chorused Lee and Billy.
"I mean, I'd put it down to my eidetic memory," he shrugged, "but honestly, I just know which one is which. I mean, I've been staring at you for a year now – I guess I just know which one I love. Although, of course, you're equally pretty," he added, with a grin.
"Nice save," Francine deadpanned.
Lee shook his head. "Can we get back to the matter at hand? Beaman, Amanda – what happened at the store?"
"They were definitely Miss Petrak's bodyguards," confirmed Efraim. "We just pulled a little razzle-dazzle to get them off our trail."
"You keep saying that, but the way I hear it from the police reports, you almost burned the store down," Billy glared at him through narrowed eyes.
"Nothing of the sort," responded Efraim airily. "Just a bit of stage magic. No one was ever in any danger. We distracted them, we left under the cover of everyone else running out of the store, and we came back here. Easy-peasy."
"According to the boys, your easy-peasy has half the Arlington police force and five fire engines out, so I'm going to need more detail than that," said Lee.
Efraim quickly sketched out the story again as he had for Billy a few minutes before, aided by Amanda adding her point of view and accompanied by whistles of amazement and laughter from their listeners.
"But what I want to know is, why did you take so long getting back here?" asked Lee, when they were done. "The boys were back telling us all about the fire engines at the store long before you got here!"
"Oh well, we had to stop at the pharmacy and then a different store for Amanda's groceries," grinned Efraim. "And then we had to take care of Brobich."
"Brobich?" said Magda. "You saw him? He is here?"
Oh no," said Amanda soothingly. "He was in custody when we last saw him. Nothing to worry about there."
"In custody?" asked Billy. "How did you manage that? He has a diplomatic passport!"
"Does he?" asked Efraim with a mischievous look. "He really should be better about carrying that around."
"What did you do?" asked Billy. "Am I going to have to clear up a diplomatic mess?"
"Oh, nothing like that," Efraim answered. "We just happened to notice him – I saw his picture in the mission file so of course, I remembered him-" he paused as they all nodded "And he was stopped at one of the police barricades they'd thrown up around the area and he was out of his limo shouting at the cops to let him through."
"He was very angry," Amanda commented with a demure look.
"Anyway, I took a chance and pulled over," Efraim went on.
"I bent down so he couldn't see me," said Amanda. "Since I didn't know if he'd seen me last night as well."
"And I went over to the cop who wasn't arguing with him and had a quiet word," Efraim continued. "Flashed my badge, suggested that maybe they should check his passport because we'd had reports of some fake ones and that perhaps, they should just hold him for a while until they could confirm that he was who he said he was. Well, you know how much the DC police hate guys with diplomatic plates and the way they get away with stuff, so he was perfectly happy to give that a shot."
"But you said he was in custody?" asked Billy.
Efraim nodded, a grin lighting up his face. "Turns out Comrade Brobich had come out without his passport on him, and didn't have his diplomatic driver's licence on him either since he wasn't driving."
"That's so devious," said Lee in awe.
"Isn't it?" said Amanda. "And when the policeman pointed that out to Brobich, he went crazy swinging at him and they had to subdue him." She blushed a little. "I peeked at that point since I doubt he was paying too much attention to us anymore."
"But he does have diplomatic immunity," interrupted Magda.
"Yes," he does," agreed Billy. "They won't be able to keep him in custody, but he'll have attracted all sorts of bad attention starting a fight with the cops, so I doubt the Embassy will let the Cultural mission continue under him." He turned to Efraim. "Good work, Beaman. And you too, Mrs. King."
"Thank you," she dipped her head in embarrassment. "Mr. Melrose? Before we go back in – what was going on with Jamie?"
"Nothing serious," Billy chuckled. "I'll let him tell you the whole story, but rest assured, everything's fine and I didn't even have to pull any strings. He was worried he'd made an expensive phone call and when I said I was with the phone company, he thought I'd come to collect. Turns out the number he called was a toll-free line and didn't cost a penny." He gave another chuckle. "That's a good kid you have there, Amanda. He stepped right up when he thought he'd gotten you in trouble."
"Thank you, sir," Amanda replied. "But I already knew that."
"So we can leave now?" asked Magda. "And go pick up my mother and sister?"
"Yes, we can go now," confirmed Lee.
"I'll take Miss Petrak to meet her family," said Billy. "Francine, you can go back to the Agency with Beaman, and Lee, I expect to see your debrief report on my desk by noon tomorrow."
Lee grimaced. "Sure thing, Billy."
"I'll help you," Amanda promised.
"Thanks," he answered, obviously relieved.
"But for now – I don't want to be inhospitable, but my whole family is home now and…"
"We'll get out of your way," said Billy. "Thank you again, Amanda. Today could have gone quite differently without you."
"Don't you mean because of me?" she teased, turning to head back inside.
"Things always seem to work out better because of you," Billy complimented her. "We'd still be dodging Brobich if you hadn't blown up the grocery store."
"Well, let's not discuss that in front of the boys," she answered.
Billy grinned and they all followed her in and through to the front foyer.
"Thanks again, Mrs. King," he began.
"Oh Amanda, there you are," said Dotty from the top of the stairs. "I was just calling you. The boys didn't know if you'd remembered to get the whiskey while you were out."
Efraim muffled a snort of laughter as Amanda schooled her expression to look up at her mother. "Yes, I did, Mother. But don't you think maybe you've had enough to drink today?"
"Don't be silly," Dotty drew herself up and glared at her. "I've only had a few sips of Galliano." She made her way down the stairs, Lee holding his breath until she reached the lower landing. "Your cooking friend said whiskey and honey and lemon would be just the thing."
She peered around blurrily until her eyes fell on Magda – and Francine standing right beside her. She closed her eyes and opened them again one more time, trying to make the double vision disappear before giving a sigh before saying, "Yes, well, maybe the cold medicine is enough for now" and starting to walk down the stairs to the family room.
"Mother, where are you going?" squeaked Amanda.
"To make chicken soup," sighed Dotty. "This cold has definitely hit me harder than I thought."
"Oh, do you think that's a good idea?" Amanda asked. "Cooking when you're obviously not feeling up to it?"
"Oh Amanda, I've been cooking for years," Dotty answered. "I'm sure it will be fine."
"Looks like you were right about your mother operating heavy machinery," said Francine under her breath, earning herself a scorching glare from Amanda.
"I'll be right in to help you, Mother!" Amanda called after her. "Please don't start without me!"
"That's our cue to go," said Billy. "Thank you again, Amanda."
"Yes, thank you," said Magda. "This was a very interesting introduction to life in America."
"Mom!" Phillip burst out of the family room to stand at the top of the steps, brandishing a bright red ribbon "I didn't get a chance to tell you! I won!"
"You did?" she exclaimed.
"Yeah, for my volcano! I got second place!"
"In my country, second place is not..." Magda began.
Lee and Amanda both whirled and glared daggers at her.
"Something to be ashamed of," she finished feebly. "But you will learn from this and get first place next time."
"Yeah!" said Jamie. "When I get to fifth grade, you can help me build one that's even bigger and better!"
"Yeah!" replied Phillip. "Let's go start designing it!"
They dashed off back to the kitchen, talking loudly about how to make an even bigger lava explosion that Phillip's had had.
"Goodbye Amanda," said Billy, steering Magda toward the front door. "Scarecrow, I'll see you in the office tomorrow."
"Sure thing, Billy."
Billy led Magda outside, followed by Efraim and Francine.
"Well, I hope Magda will be happy in her new life here," said Amanda as they stood in the front doorway, watching everyone leave. "As long as it's far, far, far away from me."
"Aw, come on, she wasn't that bad," Lee protested, laughing, leading her back inside.
Amanda swivelled to stare at him. "Not that bad? Everything I did was wrong, every snack I made was not as good as 'in my countreeeee', she turned her nose up at anything American, and heaven forfend, I don't even have a microwave in my tiny house."
"I know, I know," he replied. "She was a bit hard to take, but I think maybe she was a little nervous."
"Nervous?" said Amanda, in a tone of disbelief.
"Well, you know, she only defected this morning, she was completely dependent on us to save her and her family, she didn't know where she was or where she was going next, so maybe she was a little nervous and maybe that made her a little prickly."
Amanda contemplated him for a moment. "That's surprisingly insightful of you, Lee."
"Hey! I can be insightful!" he objected.
"You can," she acknowledged, "but you're usually more tough as nails guy."
He gave a self-deprecating chuckle. "Yeah, well, I spent a lot of years being the new kid in a lot of schools, so maybe I can sympathise with her a little."
Amanda tilted her head. "But if you were at base schools, weren't there always new kids? It wasn't like my school where the same group of kids hardly changed for years."
"Yeah," he agreed, "but I was the new kid with no parents. That made me weird."
"Oh, Lee," she murmured. "I'm so sorry."
"Now come on, don't look like that," he cajoled her. "It was years ago and I survived. But yeah, I think maybe we could cut Magda a break for how she was today. She really risked a lot to come here."
"Well, all that might be true," said Amanda, grudgingly, "But don't even try to tell me she wasn't about to tell Phillip that second place wasn't good enough! Do you know how hard he worked on that volcano?"
"Okay, I give in" said Lee, dimpling. "She was definitely a jerk."
"Right?" said Amanda. She made a face. "And now I feel bad about thinking that way about her when she was so afraid of those goons coming after her. They were really creepy."
It was Lee's turn to grimace, as he pulled her into a hug, then stepped back, reaching for her hands. "I'm sorry you had to go through that and I'm really sorry I couldn't come to help you myself."
"Oh," said Amanda softly, starring down at their linked hands. "It's okay. Efraim did a great job and I know you had to stay and guard the asset."
Lee chuckled and gave her hand a squeeze. "Okay, first of all, I'm very impressed with how you and Efraim gave them the slip and secondly, I didn't stay here just to protect Magda."
"You didn't?" Amanda sounded disappointed.
"No, I didn't," he replied. "You had given me a very important job before you left and I couldn't break that promise."
Amana gave him a quizzical look.
"You left me in charge of protecting your family," he said. "I couldn't go and leave them with or without Magda. The boys came home, and Jamie was terrified he'd caused a huge dent in your finances and your mother…" he paused to bark out a laugh. "Your mother was completely pie-eyed. I had to help her back upstairs at one point and you wouldn't have any way of knowing this, but your mother is a very handsy drunk"
"Oh my gosh!" Amanda dropped her head in her hands. "I am so sorry!
"Don't be," he grinned. "It was pretty entertaining seeing a whole new side of your mother."
"That was Magda's fault too," said Amanda darkly. "Mother never would have started that cure without her suggestion!"
"Well, she certainly embraced it with enthusiasm," grinned Lee. "Even if her cold is gone by tomorrow, I think she'll still be feeling pretty miserable in the morning. "
He paused and took a deep breath. "Anyway, I'm sorry I couldn't come and get you myself and I'm really, really glad you're okay." He took her hand and pressed a kiss on the back of it.
She glanced around to make sure there was no one lurking before saying "Thank you for looking after Mother and the boys," and leaning in to press a return kiss on his cheek.
They stood staring at each other for a moment, before Amanda broke the silence with a laugh.
"What?" Lee asked with a grin.
"I was just thinking that you've managed not to end up on the floor like usual," she teased him.
Lee gave off a bark of laughter. "Your mother might be the one who takes that prize this time. She's managed to stay upright so far, but now that she's added whiskey to her cure…"
"Don't remind me," Amanda groaned. "I better go get started on that soup or she'll be doing all her drinking on an empty stomach."
"Amanda!" Dotty called from the other room. "Where's the cleaver? I want to make this chicken into smaller pieces!"
"Oh my gosh!" Amanda exclaimed, darting into the kitchen, Lee on her heels. "Mother, why don't you let me do that? You probably shouldn't be breathing cold germs into the food anyway."
"I suppose you're right," sighed Dotty. "And I am feeling little dizzy." She lifted a glass that Amanda hadn't noticed up until now and drank its contents in one gulp.
"Mother is that the whiskey I brought home?" asked Amanda.
"Yes," said Dotty. "But I think for the next one, I should remember the lemon and honey. And you know, if we had a microwave, I could heat it up."
Amanda gave Lee a subtle thump to his arm as he struggled to control his laughter.
"Dotty, why don't you come sit with me in the family room and let Amanda make that soup for you," Lee asked. "I'm sure rest is the best part of the cure for such a bad cold."
"I suppose you're right," sighed Dotty. "I am feeling a little – hic! A little dizzy – hic!" She took a deep breath, then let out another hiccup. "Oh dear, now why have those started?" She peered up at Lee. "I don't suppose you know a good cure for hiccups, do you, Lee?"
"Well, as a matter of fact…" Lee shot Amanda a mischievous grin and waggled his eyebrows.
Amanda's expression warred between laughter and outrage. "Absolutely not," she hissed at him.
"Absolutely not what?" asked Dotty.
"Well, I have a foolproof hiccup cure," said Lee, "But we'll need to get comfortable for it to really work."
"Now that sounds very interesting," said Dotty. "Tell me more."
She linked her arm in his and began drifting toward the family room. Lee's grin widened and he gave Amanda a wink over his shoulder as they passed. "Handsy", he mouthed at her.
"Lee?" said Amanda. "Lee?" She started after them, laughing. "Lee! Don't you dare!"