Breakpoint

Saturday, August 10, 2002

Swann's Mud Wrestling Bar and Grill

6:35 PM


"I'm Elsie Little," the blond woman spoke in a soft voice. "Augie's
fiancée. It's nice to finally meet you, Mr. Stetson. Augie's told me
so much about you."

"He has?" Lee said, raising his eyebrows.

"Of course," Elsie said. "Augie says that you're one of his closest
friends."

"Well that's certainly one way of putting it," Lee said. "This is
Amanda-she's my wife and partner."

"Nice to meet you, Elsie," Amanda said.

"Can I get you anything to eat or drink?" Elsie said. "It's on the
house."

"Thanks for the offer," Lee said. "But what we really need to do is
speak to Augie-it's kind of urgent."

"He's not here," Elsie said. "I was sort of hoping you knew where he
was, Mr. Stetson-I haven't seen him since this morning and I can't get
an answer on his cell phone."

"Can you think of where he might have gone?" Lee said.

Elsie shook her head. "No, but I hope he gets back soon-we're supposed
to have dinner tonight with my parents at nine-they're flying in for
the occasion."

7:45 PM

"Maybe Augie got cold feet and ran off," Lee said as they turned onto
the street heading for Dotty's house. "It's happened before-I can't
tell you how many fiancées of his I've met in the past."

"Maybe," Amanda said. "Except this time he made her a business
partner-I don't think he'd do that to a woman he was planning to dump."

"No you're right," Lee said. "Which leaves only one option-that Red
February found out he sold those plans to someone else."

Amanda nodded. "So what then?"

"Hard to say," Lee said. "Franco Necci's seventy-five years old but
from what I hear he still rules that organization with an iron fist.
He'll do anything to get those plans back."

"Meaning?"

"I don't know," Lee said. "But he's bound to try something soon-we
need to keep our eyes and ears open."

There was a blue van parked across the street from Dotty's house-it
pulled away just as Lee pulled into his mother-in-law's driveway.
Something to worry about? Lee didn't think so, but he noted the make
and model just in case.

"What are we going to say to Jenna?" Amanda said.

"Just tell her that we know she's lying," Lee said, running one hand
through his hair. "If she wasn't sneaking out to see Lisa, I want to
know exactly who she was sneaking out to see."

"It sounds crazy," Amanda said, "but I'm almost afraid of what the
truth will be."

Lee's hand squeezed her own. "Amanda whatever it is we'll deal with it
together. Right?"

"Right," Amanda managed a small smile. Hand in hand they went up to
the house.

SMK SMK SMK SMK

Lee decided to start the questioning off slowly –if he caught Jenna
off-guard she might tell him the truth instead of another lie. Looking
at his daughter's sullen expression in the rearview mirror he wasn't
too sure it would work. The Agency had published at least 15 manuals
on interrogation; not one of those explained how to interrogate your
teenage daughter. Maybe when this was all over Lee would write that
manual himself.

"Did you have a nice time at your grandmother's, munchkin?" Lee said.

"It was okay," Jenna said.

"What did you do?" Lee said.

"Just watched a movie and a dancing show, ate some popcorn." Jenna said.

"Sounds like fun." Lee said.

"I guess," Jenna said.

"Your mother tells me that you left the house without permission
today." Lee said, watching Jenna's facial expressions closely as he
drove. "That you went over to Lisa's house? "

"Yes," Jenna said. "I'm really sorry-but I hadn't seen anyone all week
and I was lonely."

"Jenna that's a lie," Amanda said. "I spoke to Lisa's mother and she
says you were never there."

There was a long silence.

"But I was there," Jenna said. "Maybe Lisa's mom didn't see me but I
was there, Mom. I swear-"

"Don't make things worse with another lie," Lee said. "Just tell us
where you went."

"Sweetheart wherever you went- we can handle it," Amanda said. "Please
tell us."

Another long silence.

"I can't," Jenna said.

"You can't?" Lee said. "What do you mean you can't? Of course you
can. Do you want to be grounded for two more weeks instead of one?"

Jenna shook her head, her dark eyes brimming with tears. "I'm sorry,"
she said.

They pulled up to a red light. Another car pulled up behind them. A
blue van. Lee couldn't tell exactly but it looked like the same make
and model as the one that had been in front of Dotty's house. He and
Amanda exchanged glances; he knew she'd seen it too.

"Jenna get down," Lee said. "Lay down flat on the seat."

"But why?" Jenna said.

"Don't ask why. Just do it," Lee snapped. Thankfully Jenna did as she
was told. At that moment the light changed. Lee gave an inward sigh of
relief as the blue van turned in the opposite direction.

Maybe I'm becoming paranoid, he thought to himself.

"It's okay," he told Jenna. "You can get up now."

"What was all that about?" Jenna said.

"Just someone we were trying to avoid," Lee said as they turned onto
Maplewood Drive.

"Who?" Jenna asked.

"It's kind of hard to explain right now, sweetheart," Amanda said.

"You always say things like that," Jenna said as they turned into the
drive. " My whole life, every time I ask a question, and it's not
fair." Her voice was shaking now. "I don't think I'm the only one
keeping a secret. Am I?"

To that Lee and Amanda had no reply.