Revealed

Monday, August 12, 2002

10:30 AM

Amanda's maroon Taurus was already in the driveway as Lee pulled up to
the house. The blue van-the same kind that he'd seen last Saturday
near Dotty's house-was parked across the street and it appeared to be
empty.

They haven't left yet, he thought. That meant there was still time.
But where was Amanda?

Lee parked behind the Taurus and got out, holding his gun ready as he
approached the house. The door was wide open. He closed and locked it
softly behind him as he entered. The TV in the family room was
blaring, some kind of game show.

"Maybe you didn't hear me before, Howard," the angry looking woman on
TV was saying to a man who looked as though he wished the earth was
swallow him whole' "Next time we do it my way." Lee scanned the
room-nothing out of place and no signs of struggle.

From upstairs he heard it- the sound of a thump followed by a muffled
cry. Heart pounding, Lee made his way slowly up the staircase and
down the hallway.

"-should know better than to try and fight me, little one," a
heavily-accented voice was saying. The voice came from Jenna's room.
"Maybe you need another lesson, eh?" The door to her room was
slightly open-through the crack Lee could see a very large dark-haired
man towering over his daughter, who was crouching on the floor, both
arms covering her face protectively.

"Please," Jenna said. "No-don't-" she gave a shriek as the man grabbed
one of her arms and yanked her roughly upwards, pulling her back
against him and holding her in a chokehold.

"Now," the man said, taking a syringe out of his pocket. "Some of
this and you won't be any trouble at all." Deciding he'd seen enough,
Lee kicked open the door.

"Alright," he said, leveling his gun at the man's head. "Let her go
now." But instead of letting go of Jenna the man pulled her closer,
tightening his arm against Jenna's neck until she gasped.

"I said to let her go!" Lee cocked his pistol.

"I wouldn't do that, Mr. Stetson," the man said. "You shoot me and
I'll crush her windpipe before I hit the ground. I might be dead but
so will she." His grip tightened. "Do you really want to take that
chance?"

Tears were running slowly down Jenna's face as she looked at Lee-an
angry looking red mark covered one side of her face.

"Drop it," the man said

"Daddy?" Jenna whispered. The pain and confusion in her voice tore at
him-this was all his fault. Slowly Lee lowered his gun.

"On the floor," the man said. "Kick it away." Lee did as he was told,
his eyes never leaving his daughter's face.

"Just let her go," he told the man. "Please. She's no threat to
you-she's got nothing to do with this."

"On the contrary," Franco Necci came into the room. He was holding
Amanda with her arm up behind her back and a gun to her head. "Jenna
is the one that we came for, Scarecrow, but it looks like we've got
the whole family as a bonus." Shoving Amanda towards Lee, he walked
towards Jenna.

"What happened here?" Franco said, touching the side of Jenna's face,
chuckling as she flinched.

"She fought me when I tried to drug her," Rudolpho said. "I had to
teach her a lesson."

"Well I don't think the drugs will be necessary anymore," Franco said,
smoothing Jenna's hair. Lee swallowed hard. "She's too frightened to
cause us any more trouble, aren't you?" Lee felt Amanda's hand slip
into his-he knew she was feeling the same thing.

"Get them into the back of the van and tie them up," Franco said. "We
don't have any more time to waste."

SMK SMK SMK SMK

The back of the van felt like an oven, the air very hot and close.
Ruldolpho pushed them inside. Franco followed his nephew, keeping the
gun trained on them. The floor of the van was covered by a dirty
mattress and a blanket. They had been planning to take Jenna, Lee
thought, drug her and keep her in here—he fought to control his
growing rage.

"Sit," Rudolpho said. "Over against the wall. I know it's hot but you
won't be in here that long." Lee and Amanda sat, Jenna in between
them, and Rudolpho proceeded to tie their wrists and ankles.

"Not giving me any fight now, are you, Jenna?" Ruldolpho said as he
tied Jenna's ankles, pulling the rope tight with a sudden yank. "Maybe
you did learn your lesson." Jenna said nothing. Lee could see that
her dark eyes were wide, the pupils slightly dilated and her breathing
slightly faster than normal.

"Did you learn your lesson?" Rudolpho asked, leaning closer to Jenna.
"Answer me!"

"Enough," Franco said. "We don't have time for this foolishness,
nephew. Time to go." The van doors closed, leaving them in semi-
darkness-the only light coming from a skylight just overhead.

"Jenna?" Amanda said. "Sweetheart I know how scared you must be, but
we will get out of this." Jenna said nothing in reply. Her silence was
really starting to frighten Lee.

"Munchkin, please just talk to us," he said. But instead of talking
Jenna closed her eyes and began a rhythmic rocking back and forth,
whispering to herself.

"My name is Marcie Ann Johnston, My name is Marcie Ann Johnston, My
name is Marcie Ann Johnston-"

Dear Lord- a flashback. "Jenna," Lee said, raising his voice over her
whispers. Dr Pfaff had taught him this technique after Jenna's
kidnapping a year and a half ago and he could only pray that he was
doing it right. "Jenna open your eyes. Please open your eyes-open
your eyes. Jenna!"

"Can't-" Jenna said. "I'll get hurt again. I don't want to get hurt-"

"You won't get hurt," Lee said. "Your Mom and I are the only ones here
right now. You won't get hurt. Just open your eyes and turn your head
to the left –look right at me-that's it," he said as Jenna looked at
him, her eyes focusing- "Just concentrate on breathing in and out-just
like me." He wasn't really sure how long they sat there doing this,
but after a while Jenna's breathing began to slow.

"Mom?" Jenna said. "Where's Mom? Is she here?"

"I'm right here, sweetheart." Amanda said. Jenna turned her head,
looking at her and then back to Lee again. Her eyes suddenly filled
with tears again, spilling down her cheeks.

"It's okay to cry," Lee said. "I'm sorry you got mixed up in this-it
never should've happened."

"What am I mixed up in?" Jenna said. "What's going on? That other man
called you Scarecrow -Are you gangsters?"

"No munchkin, we aren't gangsters," Lee said. "This isn't exactly the
way we wanted you to find out the truth-we should've told you long
before this."

"Before what?" Jenna said. "I don't understand. You've always told me
that you worked for IFF making movies."

"No IFF is just a cover," Amanda said. "What we really do is work for
the federal government, gathering intelligence."

"Intelligence?" Jenna repeated the word. "Do you mean that you and
dad are spies?"

"Well we don't actually say the word spy," Lee said.

"But that's what you are, isn't it?" Jenna said. "You and Mom?"

"Yeah, that's basically it," Lee said. Jenna said nothing for a few
moments, staring straight ahead, and for a moment Lee was worried that
she was having another flashback. If he and Amanda could only hold
her, he thought, they might at least be able to give her some comfort.
But the ropes around his wrists didn't seem to be budging no matter
how much he struggled.

"Sweetheart?" Amanda said. .

"I'm okay," Jenna said. "Well maybe not -okay but-I mean I knew there
was something going on since I was little because so many strange
things kept happening-I guess I never thought about spies. That's what
this is all about?"

"Yes it is," Lee said.

"And that's why that man Augie came to the window Friday night," Jenna
said.

Lee nodded.

"Why didn't you tell me before?" Jenna said. "I kept asking you
questions and you never said."

"Oh Jenna I really -I don't know," Lee let out his breath in a whoosh.
"There were so many times we were going to tell you but then you were
kidnapped, there was the trial, Dennis Johnston- and the thing with
your leg- we didn't think you needed to be burdened with any more stuff."

"Wait- that had nothing to do with spies, did it?" Jenna said. "The
kidnapping?"

"No not at all," Amanda said. "But the agency we work for-they helped
us to find you."

"You rescued me," Jenna said. "But what about now? Who are these guys?"

"Franco and Rudolpho Necci are terrorists," Lee said. Even in the dim
light he could see Jenna's face grow paler. "A group called Red
February. Augie was going to sell them some plans that they could use
for an attack, but he decided to sell them to me instead."

"Sweetheart when you followed your father to the school you must have
been spotted," Amanda said. "That's why they came after you."

"How did you know I followed him?" Jenna said.

"I found your notebook this morning with your laundry-I must have
picked it up by accident." Amanda said. "That's why we came back to
the house."

"So I guess walked right into this," Jenna said, her voice trembling.
"Pretty stupid, huh?"

"Not stupid," Lee said. "No, if we'd told the truth you wouldn't have
had to follow me. I always thought the less you knew the safer you'd
be, but I was wrong." He paused. "Jenna. I'm so sorry."

At that moment the van came to a halt.

"What are they going to do to us?" Jenna said.

"I don't know," Lee said. "But your mom and I won't let anything else
happen to you, not if we can help it."

"But how can you stop them?" Jenna whispered. Right now that was one
question that Lee had no answer to.

The sound of footsteps crunching on gravel came closer. The door to
the van was flung open, sunlight spilling in.

"Have a pleasant trip?" Rudolpho said. He climbed into the van. Lee
noticed how Jenna's body tensed and she shrunk back against the wall
as the man came closer.

"You didn't answer me, Jenna," Ruldopho knelt, untying their ankles.
"It's not polite to ignore a man when he asks a question. Your father
should have taught you that. Did you have a pleasant trip?"

"No," Jenna said.

"It's also not polite to be rude," Rudolpho yanked Jenna up by her
bound arms, causing her to cry out. Still holding her arms he lifted
his hand. "Maybe you do need another lesson after all."

"No!" Amanda cried out.

"Don't you touch her again," Lee said, his teeth gritted, struggling
to his feet. Rudolpho laughed.

"And what are you going to do about it?" He said, running his hand
roughly across Jenna's already bruised cheek and down her neck.

"Come over here and find out," Lee said. "Unless you're afraid to take
on someone your own size."

Franco entered the van. "I keep telling you, Rudolpho, there's no time
for these games. Take the two women inside the house now-they can
keep our Mr. Swann company."

"Dad?" Jenna said.

"It's okay, munchkin," Lee said. "I'll get us out of this." His eyes
met Amanda's, seeing love there, and the faith that she had in him. .
Lee watched mutely as his wife and child were led from the van.

"As for you, Mr. Stetson," Franco said "If you ever want to see them
alive again you're going to retrieve those plans for me."

"What do you want me to do?" Lee said.

"We're about ten miles outside of Bethesda," Franco said, untying
Lee's wrists. "You're going to take the van and go to your office."
He took a card and the keys from his pocket, handing them to Lee.
"Once you have the items in your possession contact this number and
I'll give you instructions on how to proceed from there. Follow my
instructions to the letter and both Jenna and Amanda will remain
unharmed."

"You better hope so, Franco," Lee said, "Because if anything happens
to either of them-there won't be any place where you or your nephew
can hide. I just want you to know that."