SMK Chapter 11 (Day 2)
Lee tried to shake off the dazed feeling as he lifted his head to look around. Debris was everywhere, and people were just getting to their feet. For a split second, he wondered where they had come from and why they were in the Georgetown Foyer. He whipped his head around to look for his wife. There. On the other side of the foyer.
Not even bothering to get to his feet, he crawled hurriedly across the floor to reach her. Fred had already removed the rag from her mouth and was cutting the ropes that tied her hands and feet together. Tears streamed down her face as he gently gathered her into his arms; she was shaking uncontrollably.
"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Lee whispered frantically and pulled away so he could see her. He didn't wait for her to respond to his questions but ran his hands over her body looking for bumps, cuts, and broken bones until he was satisfied there was nothing seriously wrong with her. Not caring that they were still sitting on the floor with people all around them, he pulled her back into his arms and cradled her head against his chest.
"I'm okay. I'm okay." She looked up and touched his face. "Are you?"
He heaved a great sigh and looked into her eyes. "If you're okay, I'm okay."
"I guess you should have pulled the blue wire." Amanda smiled shakily.
A short burst of laughter erupted from him. Her reference to the time three years ago when she'd correctly told him to pull the blue wire on a nuclear bomb that was only ten seconds away from detonating told him more than anything that she really was going to be okay. He shook his head and smiled softly at her. "Oh, Amanda..." Gently, he pulled her back into his arms and kissed the top of her head.
She buried her face into his neck and curled herself into the protection of his body. No, she wasn't really okay; but no, she wasn't hurt. Not too badly, anyway. All she could think about at the moment was how closely she'd just come to losing him.
He was a bloody Houdini! How did he always manage to escape these things? Both of them should be dead – at the very least, he should be. The man knew one of his accomplices wouldn't like the danger he'd put Scarecrow in, but the one he was most worried about was going to be livid that he screwed up.
And what was this public display of affection all about? Scarecrow looked genuinely shaken up. More shaken up than a man who was simply having a fling with a co-worker. Hell, he wasn't even trying to hide his feelings for her at the moment.
The man looked around the foyer. Everyone seemed a little shocked at Scarecrow's reaction, but they were pretending to not notice. Well, he noticed. Was it possible they'd misjudged their relationship? Oh, she must not be liking this at all! He looked over at her. She better get a grip on herself and learn how to hide that snarl.
So, was it back to the drawing board? Or could he use this as a springboard to tweak their plan? He wasn't sure yet. One thing he was sure of...Scarecrow and Mrs. King were not easy targets. But even the Great Houdini eventually got caught in a trap he couldn't escape.
Seeing them holding one another sent rage boiling throughout her body. This was not how things were supposed to go. He was going to get an earful from her, and soon. How dare he put Lee's life in danger! Mrs. King, she couldn't care less about; let her die in whatever way amused him. She just wanted the woman out of the way so she could be with Lee.
She heard the phone on Mrs. Marsden's desk ring. Mrs. Marsden answered it, listened, and handed the phone to Lee. After a moment, he nodded his head, spoke into the mouthpiece, and hanged it up. Then he gently lifted Mrs. King into his arms and spoke softly to Fred.
Fred clapped his hands several times to get everyone's attention "Alright, everyone. Show's over. Let's go around to the back entrance and get back to work."
When she looked back toward Lee, he was carrying Mrs. King up the stairs toward their office. Her head rested heavily on his shoulder, and her hands were fisted into the back of his dust-covered shirt. Sharp stabs of jealousy pricked her. This isn't the end, Mrs. King. One way or another, he'll be mine.
Suddenly, she felt eyes on her. She turned abruptly to find the source. Was it him? Or someone else? She gazed around the foyer to find him looking in her direction, but he quickly turned just as their eyes glanced off one another. What she didn't see was the other one who also turned away.
Billy had ordered him to the safe room, and for once he wasn't arguing. His first priority, after double-checking to make sure she wasn't too badly injured, was to just sit and hold on to his precious wife. That had been a close one. Way too close. Maybe it really was time to get out of this profession – while they still could.
His thoughts went dark as he approached their office. This was his fault. He'd gotten her into this business, had gotten her hooked on it, and then had married her. What the hell had he been thinking? He sighed. It was too late to put things in reverse. Besides, now that she was his, there was no way he would ever go back. He cradled her a little closer to his chest as he carefully bent his knees and finagled his hand down to unlock the door and swing it open.
"Lee, you can put me down, Sweetheart."
"Not on your life." He closed the door behind them, locked it, and proceeded through the vault and into their safe house. Once the doors sealed behind them, he gently placed her on the living room sofa and sat beside her.
She reached out and framed his face in her hands. "I'm okay," she promised. "We knew when we decided not to play his game that things would heat up."
The fact that she was still shivering didn't escape him. "Yeah." He sighed. "I guess I just didn't expect it to get so hot so fast." He reached up for her hands and brought them down against his chest. "Ah, Manda..." he shook his head; remorse filled his voice.
"Lee, don't." She softly placed a finger against his lips, but he moved it aside.
"I'm so sorry." He shook his head and regret filled his eyes. "Doing what I do..."
"What we do..."
He leaned his forehead against hers. "...what we do isn't worth losing you."
"Well, I don't really want you to lose me, either." Amanda ran her hand gently over his chest. "But I also don't want to lose you, you know?"
He wrapped his arms around her and pressed her head against his shoulder. She tucked her face into the space just below his jaw. He could feel her soft, warm breath rhythmically feather across his neck as her arms reached around his waist. Wanting to shut out everything but the feel of her, he closed his eyes. "Ah, Manda. I love you so much."
She squeezed his waist for a long moment. "I love you, too." She leaned back just enough to be able to look up into his eyes. They wandered over her entire face, then settled on her lips. Her heart skipped a beat, and her stomach did that weird flip-flop thing.
Slowly, he lowered his head toward hers, not in an "asking permission" sort of way, but in a confident, "sustaining the moment" move. The moment their lips touched, fire ignited in her belly. She slid her hands up his chest and around his shoulders, burying them into the back of his hair. His deep groan reverberated through her.
Releasing her, he pulled away just a fraction of an inch and gazed at her. The same fire that was quickly spreading through her was an unmistakable inferno in his eyes. There was no teasing when his mouth descended again to capture hers.
Somewhere in the fog of desire, a beeping sound infiltrated his consciousness. Oh, right. He'd totally forgotten where he was. He brought his hands up to gently grasp either side of her head and forced himself to break off their kiss. He felt like he'd just climbed a steep hill; it took a moment to catch his breath.
She leaned her forehead on his chest, a bit surprised to find she was nearly lying on top of him. "Wow," she whispered against his chest.
"No kidding," he chuckled. "Too bad we're not at home..." He gave her a little squeeze and planted a kiss on top of her head.
"Lee!" Billy's voice came through the surveillance monitor. "Are you okay in there? Answer me!"
Oh, right. He'd already forgotten again.
Amanda jumped out of his arms, and they sprang to their feet. She gasped and grabbed the arm of the sofa as a sharp pain shot up her left leg. Lee frowned and shot out a hand to steady her. "You're not okay..."
"No, really. I am okay. Just a twinge from the fall." She laid a comforting hand on his bicep.
"I thought Fred caught you."
She reached down to rub her hip. "He did, but it was a long way down, and I think the momentum caught him off guard." She patted his arm. "A twinge is better than the alternative."
"Scarecrow!"
"Billy sounds annoyed. I better open the door." Lee crossed to the access door, ready to lay his palm on the scanner.
"Hold on, Romeo. Don't you think we'd better straighten ourselves up before we let him in?"
"I don't really give a damn what Billy thinks about how we look right now." But he reached up and smoothed his hand over his hair. "With everything we've been through since, well, even before we got married, I think we deserve medals of valor...and the rest of the summer off so we can enjoy being together like a normal newly married couple."
"We've never been normal." She reached up to straighten his collar, and he walked over to the vault door to let Billy in.
Billy charged in, Francine in tow. "Damn it, Scarecrow, why didn't you answer? We were worried about you."
"Sorry, Billy." Lee rubbed the back of his neck. "I was just checking Amanda over to make sure she's okay, and I didn't hear you." He went over to his wife and put a protective arm around her shoulders.
"Are you okay, Amanda?" Francine's concern looked genuine.
"Yeah, I think so." Amanda looked down and patted her left leg. "Just a twinge going up my leg. I must have twisted it somehow in the fall." She looked back up at Francine. "Are you okay? That guy really barreled into you coming down from the ceiling."
"Yeah," Francine touched the bump that had formed on the side of her forehead. "Doc McJohn says I've got a slight concussion, and my shoulder is bruised. Other than that, I'm fine." Francine smiled. "I'm just glad all of us are alright."
Billy motioned to the living area of the safe room. "Let's sit."
"Have you found out anything yet?" Lee sat on the sofa with his arm around Amanda.
"Not much. Whoever came into the elevator was heavily disguised."
Lee looked at Amanda and rubbed his hand up and down her arm. "Did you get a look at him, Sweetheart? Did you see anything, feel anything that could be identifying? Did he say anything?"
"Well, he was tall," Amanda thought for a moment. "But not as tall as you. Definitely taller than me, and I had heels on." She paused. "Maybe six feet?"
Amanda stood up and started pacing until the twinge in her leg made her wince. "Ummm..." She rubbed her leg and tried to picture herself back in the elevator. "He didn't look particularly muscular, but he wasn't scrawny either. I'd maybe put him around 180?"
"Did he say anything to you, Manda?"
"Yeah." She nodded her head slowly, trying to recall the exact words. "He had a gun pointed at my head almost immediately after knocking down Francine. He told me that if I cooperated, he'd let her live. I wasn't going to take the chance, so I did what he said." She looked over at Francine and shrugged her shoulders. "What else could I do?"
"No, you did exactly what you should have done," Lee reassured her.
"He told me to climb up onto the top of the elevator car. He gave me a boost up, then shoved me up over the edge." She looked over at Lee as the scene continued to roll in her mind. "When we got up there, I saw the rope. He climbed up, then told me to hold onto it so he could pull me up, too." She looked down at her hands as pain registered for the first time. "I think I slipped a little. I was so scared I was going to fall, that I guess I held on tighter than I thought I could."
Lee popped up from the sofa, strode over to her, and grasped her hands to look at her palms. "Oh, Manda. Why didn't you say anything?"
She looked up at him, shock registering on her face. "Honestly, I just now noticed."
He led her over to the sink and started luke-warm water running gently over her hands. "Francine," he looked over his shoulder.
"Yeah, Lee?"
"There's a first-aid kit under the counter there," he pointed with his chin. "Would you get it for me?"
"Sure; I know right where it is." She moved to do as he asked while he gently patted Amanda's hands dry with a clean towel.
"Amanda," Billy continued. "Was there anything distinctive about him? Anything in his manners, his speech?"
She tried to think as Lee opened the first-aid kit and removed the antiseptic and burn cream. Yeah, that was gonna feel real good... "Uh…It's hard to remember. But yes, I remember thinking that his voice sounded famil..." Pain ripped through her hand as the antiseptic washed over it. She snapped her eyes shut and drew in a sharp breath.
"Sorry, Sweetheart," Lee grimaced.
"Scarecrow," Lee turned his head at the sound of his name. "We pulled the security footage from the cameras."
"Already? That was fast."
"We haven't looked at it yet." Billy handed the video tape to Francine. "I thought if we all watch it together, maybe we'll see different things."
"If there's anything noteworthy to see," Francine cautioned.
Amanda took another steadying breath as Lee finished wrapping gauze around her hand. The cooling gel he'd applied was beginning to numb the pain already. "Well, it's worth a look anyway. It's not like we've got a lot to go on yet." He looked up from her hand. "How's that feel?"
"Mm-hmm."
Lee guided her back to the sofa, careful of her hands and her leg. "Do you need an icepack for that leg, Sweetie?"
"Actually, that might not be a bad idea. Thank you." She squeezed his hand as he walked away to get the pack from the freezer. "It's amazing how well this place is supplied, Sir," she turned toward Billy. "I think you thought of everything."
"Thank you, Amanda." He smiled at her. "But that was all Francine."
Lee returned and pulled up a footstool for Amanda's leg. "Where do you think you need this pack, Amanda?"
"Knee..." she grimaced as she shifted to a more comfortable position.
Francine walked over to the television and popped the tape into the VHS player. "I'll just go ahead and get this started." She pushed the "play" button. "It looks like this tape is picking up just before the elevator doors open."
"Yeah, there I come pounding on the doors."
"I didn't even think about it at the time, but wasn't there an unusual number of people into the Georgetown Foyer after the bomb went off?"
"You know, Amanda's right." Francine turned to look at Billy. "Those people don't normally come into work from that entrance."
They continued watching as the elevator doors opened and Lee squeezed between the doors just as soon as physically possible.
"Who all is coming in?" Lee let go of Amanda and leaned forward with his forearms on his knees.
"Well, Mrs. Marsden was already there," Francine pointed out. "But here comes Fred, and there's Frank."
"And there's Leatherneck," Billy added. "And Mark, and Judd..."
Amanda grabbed Lee's arm. "Isn't that June at the edge of the picture?" She pointed at the T.V. "There? On the left?"
He stood and walked toward the T.V. "Yeah, I think it is. She's only partially in the view of the camera, so it's difficult to tell, but she looks angry."
Francine hit the pause button. "What was Leatherneck doing there?"
"I'd just talked to him about watching June." Lee answered without turning. "He must have been just a few minutes behind me."
Francine started the tape again, then pointed at the screen. "Look. Fred's stepping into the elevator."
"Wait a minute," Amanda drawled out. "Francine, would you rewind that just a bit?"
"What? Do you see something, Sweetheart?"
Amanda's brow lowered and her eyes squinted. "I'm not sure. Francine, can you play it again and pause it just as Fred starts into the elevator?"
"Sure." She rewound it, played it, and hit pause.
Amanda pointed at the screen. "See there?"
"What are we looking for, Amanda?" Billy scooted forward.
"Well, I'm not sure if it means anything..." Amanda glanced away from the T.V. and looked at Billy. "…but Fred just came on the scene, right?"
"Yeah…"
"Well, he didn't see Lee climb up onto the top of the elevator car because Lee's already up there when Fred shows up." Amanda noticed they were all just looking at her. "He's looking up," she pointed out matter-of-factly.
"I don't think we're quite following you, Sweetheart."
"Look," Amanda set aside her ice-pack and stood. "If I'm going into an elevator to check out what's going on..." she took a large step to physically act out what was on the T.V. Screen, "...and I don't already know the action is on top of the car..." she pointed at the ceiling. "...what's the first thing I'm going to do?"
Billy smiled as understanding began to dawn. "You're going to look around inside car."
Amanda pointed at him. "Exactly."
Lee stared at her as the genius of her insight started to make sense. "So, you're saying he already knew there was stuff going on above the elevator car?"
Amanda shrugged her shoulders. "I'm saying it's a possibility worth looking into."
