Chapter 5: The A.C.M. Kid

Dear Diary,

I thought I was going to have a little reprieve from Mr. T and his work but I was mistaken. Don't get me wrong, I like the paycheck because it really helps out a lot especially where our grocery bill seems to be going up and up.

First, Mr. T really needs to learn some phone manners. Don't say hello first. Don't ask how I'm doing. Just tell me you have a problem and expect me to help you because you don't know how to talk to a child. And don't get me started on the girls he dates. Seriously, are they even out of high school? But then don't explain why you need help, just hang up without a real explanation but demand I stay where I am. Who does he think he is?

The next morning, I went to Mr. T's apartment after dropping the boys off at school. I figured I was halfway there anyway and it didn't make any sense for me to go all the way back home then all the way back there again. Being in his apartment wasn't any better than the first time. Doesn't he ever clean up after himself? I swear, if I had an hour there, I could neaten things up in no time. And I learned Mr. T is not a morning person. And he doesn't keep any food in his refrigerator except some moldy cheese and a sleeve of crackers. Who keeps crackers in the fridge?

Before Mr. T went to the office for a few hours, I sent them to the grocery store. While they were there, I picked up the few things from the little boy's house that he asked for - no names… it'll be safer for him this way. He may be twelve but I swear he acts much older. I have to admit, it was pretty funny to hear him refer to Mr. T as the Fed. I mean… if it looks like a duck and acts like a duck, it can't be a chicken, right?

Mr. T gave me a little history on the boy and it's so sad what this boy has been through in his short life. He handed me a bunch of money and told me to take him out to have fun. Then Mr. T had to take it one step further and tease me. "Danger, excitement, intrigue." I couldn't believe I stood up to him and told him to "Shut up." I never say that! I tell the boys all the time how it's not nice to tell someone to shut up but for some reason, Mr. T got under my skin enough for me to say it.

While Mr. T went to the office, I took the boy to the mall. All he wanted to do was play video games. I tried my best to give him space but I caught him smoking several times! Now I know I don't know his family, but I'm pretty sure his parents wouldn't be letting him smoke either. I tried offering him a strawberry milkshake because my boys love milkshakes but he acted like milkshakes are for babies. As old as the boy tried to act, he sounded just like Phillip and Jamie when they want something too. I figured it wasn't my money he was spending, so I gave him another dollar to play a few more rounds. An hour later, I still hadn't heard from Mr. T so I brought the boy back to my house to keep an eye on him. The boys got along so well. I fed them dinner because Mother was out and I waited for Mr. T to come get him.

I think he forgot it was a school night because it was hours later when he finally called. Although some strange things happened just before. Mother explained to me how Dr. Bain said feet were erogenous zones and they determined she carried a lot of passion in her arches. I didn't need to know anymore and I have never been so thankful for the boys interrupting when they did. And I hate lying to Mother about the Big Sister program but I knew I had to explain it somehow, especially when Phillip told her the boy was under protective custody by the feds and Jamie lost his bike to him in a crap game.

I made the boys a healthy veggie smoothie which I knew they would love, although Phillip complained it smelled bad. Mr. T had perfect timing as usual when he called to tell me he needed me to keep the boy overnight. I wouldn't send him back to that hell-hole Mr. T calls his apartment, especially alone, so I said I would keep him.

The boy put on his tough guy act when it was time to get ready for bed, so I sat him down and reminded him how Peter Pan and Tinkerbelle were there for each other. He said I was talking to him like he was a baby again so I firmly told him he was going to go to bed and in the morning he was going to give Jamie his bike back. I was so happy when he told me I was tougher than Mr. T. Somehow, I need that in writing. I headed to bed and figured it would all work out in the morning. Boy was I wrong.

While I was doing the boy's laundry I chatted with Dean. I am so proud of him. Tri-city weatherman of the year. And a trophy too! But then I noticed the boy's sweatshirt had a rip in it which I was sure he didn't have at dinner. And Mother was so upset one of her rose bushes was trampled. I knew it couldn't have been a coincidence so I managed to track down Mr. T at some bar. The only way I was going to get to talk to him was face to face so I asked Mother to keep an eye on the boy while I went over there.

Mr. T did not look happy to see me, even though I tried to tell him there might be a problem with the boy. He must have been in the middle of something important because he whispered for me to meet him at his apartment later but then told me to do some fun acting. Let me just say, it gave me great pleasure. "You stink!" Toss his beer in his face. And my personal favorite line. "And frankly, Ricky Joe, sex with you was always a major disappointment!"

I headed back home and tried to keep the boy out of trouble for the rest of the day. I brought him to Mr. T's apartment but he wasn't there yet. Thank goodness for his doorman. I managed to convince the boy to take a bath while I made a completely unhealthy dinner for him and Mr. T. I even found a few minutes to straighten things up, toss some old newspapers, and dust.

Mr. T came in carrying a whole bunch of bags. One had this giant stuffed panda and it was gorgeous! Reminds me of when I was a little girl and Mother used to call me Panda. He also had a video game system and a bunch of games. I teased he was trying to buy his affections with all those bribery things.

But then Mr. T had to turn the tables and make fun of the reading material Bill gave me.

And I think I may have finally found a crack in Mr. T's big tough guy armour. He talked about how some kids act tough because they're really scared inside and when I asked if he had some experience he asked me if he ever told me about his childhood. Of course I couldn't lie and I said no and just like he always does, he found a way to change the subject.

I did tell Mr T. I think the boy knows more than he's saying and maybe he was trying to get in touch with his parents. Mr. T agreed. I checked on the boy one last time before I headed home.

There are times I am so thankful Mother is very understanding. I had the boy most of the next day and Mr. T called AGAIN to tell me I needed to keep him overnight. Mother overheard part of our conversation and I had to lie to her once more. But I did ask her if she knew how to get through to a kid like him. He has the tough exterior that's hard to get through but she assured me if I just let him know I trusted him and he could trust me, then everything would be okay.

I called him downstairs and had a nice conversation with him to let him know I really liked him and I trusted him. Later on, I went to work on my monthly bills. I hate bills but they are a necessary evil I guess.I heard a door close and knew he was sneaking out. He left the door open so I think he did it on purpose so I would find him. I told the guards outside he went around the block and right after they drove away I saw him running across the street. He definitely didn't look twice because he almost got hit by a car. I ran after him and saw a man putting him in another car. I should have known to be more careful because before I knew it, another man with a gun showed up and it was the same man Mr. T was talking to at the bar.

I knew we were in big trouble.

They tied me up in the backseat and drove us to some secluded spot in the woods. My heart sank when I saw Mr. T coming up to the car. They tied him up too and he was not happy about our situation. He tried to blame me but I insisted it wasn't my fault.

Those men brought us to the mall and the arcade where the boy and I had been. The nice old man that ran the arcade was working for the Russians! Mr. T and I were tied to a pipe in a closet together. The boy came in to apologize to us and I did my best to try to convince him to help us escape but he was too afraid those men were going to hurt his parents. I even told the boy Mr. T was one of the top agents in the country and said he would help save his parents but the boy pointed out that if he was so hot, what was he doing tied up in a closet? He's not wrong. And I knew it was a little too much as soon as I said it.

While the boy did his best to buy us some time, Mr. T and I worked on the knots. I probably shouldn't say this but I am so impressed with what that man can do with his mouth. He managed to untie all those knots with his teeth without biting me once!

Before we knew it, the boy was letting us out of the closet and telling us where he heard his parents were. We heard the third man come back and the boy had some quick thinking when he flipped on the machines. In the middle of all of the chaos, the boy disappeared and that nice old man held a gun on me while Mr. T fought with the other two men. I was forced outside, into his car and he tried to drive away but Mr. T showed up on a motorcycle like a knight on a white horse… only this horse was bright red and orange. Mr. T managed to get the old man to crash his car into some barrels. I grabbed the keys and tried to escape but Mr. T wiped out on the bike and the man pointed the gun at me again.

I really hate guns.

Anyway, as I started to get back in the car, Mr. T appeared out of nowhere and leapt over the hood and tackled that man. I hope he didn't hurt him too bad. The boy ran over to see if we needed help but Mr. T had it all under control. After all, he is one of the top age… I can't say it again.

That night, Dean came over and I was giving him a nice shoulder massage. He started telling me all about the spies at the mall. He heard the boy and his family were going to be all right.

You'll never guess what happened next. The doorbell rang and when I opened the door, that gorgeous panda was sitting on my front steps. I didn't see Mr. T but I heard the rumbling sound of his car a few doors down. I knew I had to think quick on my feet when Dean asked me who it was so I just said it was a delivery and it was a thank you gift from the Big Sister program. I guess even tough guys have a soft spot, too.

Case Notes / 2nd Journal Entry

The case started off with a simple stakeout from a tip about Clemens getting caught with his hands in the cookie jar at the ACM Plant. Clemens had information about the Satellite Surveillance Project.

But simple didn't last too long. Let's just say it all went to hell in a handbag real quick. Agent Dane and I observed two men dragging a man and a woman out of the house. We were in pursuit of the men when we decided to split up. I went into the house while Agent Dane followed the car.

I found Clemens dead and heard a noise in the closet. Upon opening the door, I found a boy. Did I mention hell in a handbag yet? What was I supposed to do with a boy?

The next thing I knew I was on the phone with Mrs. King. She would know what to do with a young boy, right? I mean, she has two of her own. I was trying to explain my situation and I turned around and the boy was gone. I took after him and found him quickly.

He was all tough at first and then he started almost whining and acting all scared. I told him I just wanted to help him and he surrendered. I turned my back just for a second and he was gone again. I hate kids.

I caught him again, and we exchanged childhood tragedies, before he finally agreed to give me a chance. I took him back to the Agency and tried to see if Francine could get through to him. After all, she is a woman. Women are supposed to know how to handle kids right?

I quite enjoyed watching Francine struggle just as much as I did with Aleksei. He even pointed out a few things that I didn't even catch at first. Then Billy walked in with a huge lollipop. Really, he's not two and he obviously is a smart kid the way he was handling everything. It was late and I didn't want him to have to stay at a shelter. So I offered to take him home with me. I mean, I could keep a better eye on him if we were together.

The next morning Mrs. King showed up at my apartment before I even had my coffee. She's a little perky in the morning for my taste. I just needed her to babysit the boy while I do some work to figure out what is going on. But first I needed to get some food while Mrs. King went to Aleksei's house and grabbed a few of his things.

Why am I rambling on? We met back at my apartment. Mrs. King took over and I went to the Agency.

Billy explained that Clemens had a gambling problem and an ex wife. We figured that he was being blackmailed so I went undercover at the dive bar to see if I could catch some attention from the ACM guys.

I got the attention I was looking for when I saw one of the ACM guys taking down my planted license plate.

The next day I was laying it on thick and was reeling him in. Then I saw her. Mrs. King was standing in the entrance of the bar. I played it up and was able to convince him she was my ex-wife. I asked her to adlib so my cover wouldn't be blown. She did a good job but in my opinion went a little too far. What a ham.

After I made the drop with the bogus personal files I used the money they gave me to get a few things for Aleksei and headed back to my apartment to relieve Mrs. King. A few games and a giant stuffed Panda. Mrs. King was especially intrigued with the panda. I could tell she liked it.

I moved the panda out of her way and noticed what she did to my apartment. She cleaned it. I mean I'm thankful but she moved everything. Oh my, I'm getting off point again.

I stopped by the bar to keep up my cover and ran into the ACM guys again. They took me into a back room and asked for the entry code book for the Satellite Surveillance Project. I played scared pretty well if you ask me. But, why do the bad guys always have to sucker punch you?

I headed back to the agency to pick up the fake code book with a tracker in it and went over the plan with Francine and Dane as my back up. I then gave Mrs. King a call to let her know what the plan was.

I went to the meeting place to drop off the fake code book. I leaned in the car and noticed Mrs. King in the back with Aleksei. They tied me up but found the tracker and removed it. We were on our own.

The Russians locked us up in a closet in the mall. Aleksei came into the closet but wouldn't untie us because he was scared that they would hurt his parents. Mrs. King tried to talk him into helping us but I think she may have went a little too far.

Later on, when Mrs. King and I finally were able to get untied, Aleksei came back and unlocked the closet. He found out where his parents were being held. A fight occurred while we were trying to escape.

I was able to disable the two lugs from the bar, but the leader captured Mrs. King. There was a motorbike in the arcade as a prize. I commandeered the bike and took off after Mrs. King. The car lost control and I was able to apprehend the leader and save Mrs. King.

Later that night I was cleaning up my apartment and was trying to figure out what to do with the panda. Then it hit me. A few minutes later I found myself ringing a doorbell and then I took off.

I sure hope she likes it.

Lee Stetson - Codename: Scarecrow