Chapter 20

Lee held the phone away from his ear as Amanda berated him loudly. "Lee! You know how important the Wagoneer is for our family! How could you be so reckless?"

"Amanda, just stop! I know, I know. Leatherneck is checking out the damage now and he'll let me know how bad it is. He's already got a car lined up for us." Lee rubbed his forehead with his fingers.

"Are you and Francine alright? You didn't get hurt, did you?" Amanda's voice softened.

Lee's mouth turned up into a small lopsided grin. "The only thing hurt is my pride. I thought I was a better driver than that, but the ravine came up so fast, I couldn't react."

"It's hard to pay attention to the road when you're being shot at," Amanda quipped.

Lee chuckled and bobbed his head. "That's for sure. I'll be home as soon as I can and once Leatherneck gets back to me, we'll figure out what to do next. I love you."

"I love you too, Sweetheart. And I'm glad you and Francine aren't hurt, but I am not happy about what you did to my car. We'll discuss it when you get home." Amanda's tone became icy, telling Lee he knew he was in trouble later that evening. He stared at the receiver in his hand when he heard the distinctive click of Amanda hanging up on him.

Francine stood in the doorway, holding a notepad, a sympathetic expression on her face. "Trouble in paradise?"

Lee exhaled as he dropped the phone receiver onto the cradle. "Something like that."

"Amanda's pretty ticked off," Francine confirmed.

"She'll get over it. I mean, it's not the first time we've had a car driven through a ravine, and it won't be the last, I'm sure. Heck, the first case we ever worked together, her station wagon was used by the bad guys." Lee paused and smiled, his face relaxing slightly.

Francine clicked her tongue several times before stepping deeper into the Q Bureau. "Well, we both know Amanda. She won't stay mad for long."

Lee shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. This is the first major problem we've had since we bought the house."

"No. Dotty drove the 'Vette into the basketball hoop right around this time last year, so maybe this is your new annual tradition?" Francine batted her eyes at him and grinned.

Lee narrowed his eyes and frowned. "That is not a tradition I care to uphold, thank you very much. I'm just hoping the damage isn't as bad as it looked and Leatherneck has some good news for me."

"You mean those metal things hanging from underneath and the fluid draining out wasn't a good thing?" Francine teased.

Lee dropped his head back and grimaced at the image of the car getting pulled out of the underbrush. "Enough about the car. What did you learn on your research mission?"

Francine held up the notepad she was holding. "Well, I did confirm with the warden that Brody has not had any visitors, made or received any phone calls or letters, nor does he actively socialize with anyone but his cellmate. He is getting us a list of the guards he has contact with, as well as anyone else in other areas of the prison as you suggested."

"Okay, what about the cellmate?" Lee dragged his hand down the back of his neck and stretched his head to the side.

"You okay?" Francine studied Lee's face. "You didn't get hurt earlier, did you?"

Lee lowered his hand and shook his head. "No, I'm fine. Just frustrated. So, what did you find out about the cellmate?"

Francine leaned against Amanda's desk. "Well, that's where things get a little juicy. Halal Al Saleed is a nationalist from Abu Dhabi. He worked under Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum until he was arrested here about eight months ago for conspiracy of espionage."

"For what though?" Lee leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest.

"All I could find was he had information about the Dubai Drydocks and how they were being used for more than just commercial ship repairs," Francine stated as she lowered her notepad.

Lee tapped his finger on his lips while he processed Francine's findings. "This might be a stretch, but maybe that's how Jonathan was involved."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, we know Jonathan's business was import/export, right? And he worked all over the world. So maybe, somehow, Jonathan crossed paths with Al Saleed or the Sheikh and uncovered something he was never meant to uncover," Lee surmised.

Francine nodded her head. "That's a possibility. But what does Brody have to do with all of this?"

Lee raised his hands and shook his head. "I'm not sure but we still need to check out Jonathan's place for that recorder or whatever it was."

Francine checked her watch and frowned. "It's getting late. I say we tackle that first thing tomorrow morning. Do you want me to pick you up?"

"Leatherneck promised me something out of the motor pool that will be big enough for DJ and Lily's car seats but I don't know what Amanda's going to want to do." Lee leaned forward to grab a pen when they heard a knock on the door. "It's open."

Leatherneck stepped into the office, a soiled rag in his hands. "Ace, what in the world were you trying to accomplish in that poor car?"

Lee grimaced. "That bad, huh?"

"Bad? It's like you took a cheese grater to the entire undercarriage. You snapped the rear axle, pulling the rear driveshaft out of the transfer case. Not to mention, you crushed the oil pan and blew the transmission. Brake lines are shot, and you're lucky you didn't puncture the gas tank. What the hell happened to the skid plates? It looks like an accordion," Leatherneck rattled off the damage.

Lee raked his hand through his hair. "Can you salvage it?"

Leatherneck tipped his head and stared at Lee. "Do I look like a miracle worker? I mean, I'm good, but I'm not that good. No, I have to say Mrs. Stetson's car cannot be resurrected. The only place that thing's headed to is the junk pile, my friend."

"Amanda's gonna kill me," Lee groaned as he leaned forward onto his elbows and dropped his head into his hands.

"Well, the good news is the Agency will cover the cost of the total since you had a buncha bullet holes in her too. Between that and what your insurance company should give you, you'll make out pretty good for a new car." Leatherneck glanced over at Francine who was covering her mouth, trying hard not to laugh. "You holding up okay?"

Francine lowered her hand and reached out for him. She captured his hand and squeezed it. "I'm thinking dinner tonight might be a good idea. What do you say? It's on me."

Leatherneck smiled. "Let me just head back down and get the paperwork done." He looked back at Lee sympathetically. "I'll put all the stuff left in the car in a box for you, Ace. You can pick it up anytime or if you want me to give it to Frannie later, I can do that."

Lee exhaled loudly as he lifted his head. "Thanks. I appreciate you taking a look, Leatherneck."

"Sure thing. There's a loaner down there for you too when you need it. I'll see you in about an hour or so, Frannie," Leatherneck replied before slipping out of the office.

"Soooo, what are you going to tell Amanda?" Francine drawled.

"The truth. If Leatherneck says it's toast, then it's toast. And now she and I get to go car shopping. I'm just hoping he's right about the Agency covering it." Lee paused, a grin forming on his face as he added, "Frannie."

"Don't!" Francine snapped, a finger pointed in his direction.