Chapter 1
Lee Stetson exited his apartment building with a spring in his step and a soft whistle on his lips. Looking up at the bright greeting the radiant sky offered, he pulled his sunglasses from his jacket pocket and placed them over his eyes. Taking note of the doorman, Lee smiled. "Good morning, Floyd. Beautiful day, isn’t it?"
Floyd Fellows grinned at the unusually chipper man. "Yes, Sir. Quite beautiful," he replied, and nodded at the hand waving acknowledgement as the younger man walked towards his silver Porsche. ‘He’s especially happy for a Wednesday morning. Wonder who the lucky lady was this time?’
Lee’s dimpled grin increased in size at the look of happy confusion written on the older man’s face as he drove past him. Humming to the tune playing on the radio, thoughts of white beaches, exotic drinks, and beautiful women entered his mind. "Three more days till I’m outta’ here for two whole weeks of fun in the sun."
Pulling into I.F.F.’s parking lot twenty minutes later, Lee veered his Porsche into a parking slot directly in front of the building. "It must be my lucky day."
Checking his appearance in the mirror, he opened the car door and exited the vehicle. Continuing to hum the tune that ran through his head, he greeted the older woman at the front desk with one of his practiced, winning smiles. "Good morning, Mrs. Marston. I believe Felix is the choice word for the day."
As Mrs. Marston handed the handsome agent his badge, she narrowed her eyes in wonder at his happy tone. "Good Morning, Scarecrow."
Lee pushed the button for the elevator that led to the secret underground offices of the government agency for which he worked. To his surprise, the doors immediately opened and he stepped inside. ‘I need to call my bookie and make a bet on the races today,’ he mused.
As the elevator doors opened, he was greeted by Francine Desmond’s scowling face. "Good morning, Francine."
Francine grumbled something Lee didn’t quite understand as she brushed past him and entered the elevator. Ignoring her negative vibes, he continued down the corridor, determined not to let anyone, or anything, ruin the last three days before his vacation.
His step slowed slightly as he noticed the steno pools newest member walking towards him from the opposite end of the hall. She was around twenty-two or twenty-three by his estimate. Her soft blonde curls bounced on her shoulders as she walked towards him. Taking the opportunity to introduce himself, he opened the doors that led to the Bullpen. "Hello."
Blue eyes locked with hazel as a rosy blush crept into her cheeks, a direct result of his brilliant smile. "Hello."
His eyes followed the soft sway of the pink skirt that did very little to cover her legs. ‘What a set of legs! They don’t ever end. . ..’ Clearing her throat to drag his attention to her face, she extended her hand. "My name is, Kelly. You’re Lee Stetson…right?"
Lee accepted her hand and returned the handshake. "That would be me." His smile turned mischievous as gave her a quick wink.
The conversation was cut short as the voice of his superior boomed through the Bullpen. "Scarecrow! My office! Now!"
Lee’s smile never faded as he started to turn and head towards Billy’s office. "Maybe we can catch lunch together sometime?"
Her enthusiastic smile answered his question, and he decided to continue his flirtations all the way to Billy’s office. "I’ll catch up to you later on today, maybe."
She nodded her agreement and went to return the files to an agent whose desk sat at the back of the Bullpen. Lee couldn’t have been happier. ‘A new woman to "take out," three days till vacation. . .’ He stopped momentarily before entering the office as his keen eyes scanned the Bullpen, ‘and no Amanda King.’
Taking his nonchalant mood with him into his superior’s office, he closed the door and took a seat before his boss’s desk. "What’s up, Billy?"
Billy tried to maintain a gruff appearance as he noted the smug look on Lee’s face. He knew that what he was about to tell Lee would send that "happy go lucky" attitude right out the window. "I have an assignment for you."
Lee turned his head to follow the movement of the Section Chief. "Come on, Billy. You know that I start my vacation in three days." Holding up three fingers on his right hand, he counted them with his left index finger. "That’s one…two…three."
Billy coughed to hide the chuckle that formed in his throat, caused by the obvious worry on his young agent’s face. "It’s a milk run, and it won’t disturb your plans. You’ll still be able to be off in three days." He smiled. "All you need to do is attend the annual fundraiser for Senator Burton’s campaign fund tonight."
Lee narrowed his eyes towards the Section Chief. "And what am I supposed to do at this fundraiser?"
Billy took a seat behind his oak desk and picked up a folder that contained data on the informant. Opening the cover, he took out a picture and handed it to Lee. "You need to meet with this man. He’ll give you a cassette tape that contains vital information on the status of some of our undercover agents in Europe."
Lee studied the picture, of the man. He appeared to be around his age, with some graying around the edges of his black hair. "Is he French?"
Billy nodded as he began to tap his pen against the wood grain of his desk. "Is your tuxedo back from the cleaners?"
Lee nodded as he continued to inspect the picture. "Yeah. So," he hesitated in asking the next question, afraid that there was still more to this "easy" assignment. Taking a deep breath, he asked, "Is that all?"
Tossing his pen on the desk before leaning back into his leather chair, Billy crossed his arms and studied his agent. "You’ll need a date."
Lee huffed at the idea of having to try and find a date. His momentary lack of enthusiasm started to change as he thought about the young lady he had just met. ‘Perhaps I can take the young blonde…what was her name…oh yeah, Kelly, with me.’ He looked his boss in the eye and smiled. "I don't think that will be a problem, Billy."
Billy continued to softly rock back and forth in his chair. "No, it shouldn’t be. I’ve got just the person in mind."
Lee’s smile quickly disappeared as he stared questioningly at Billy, apprehension written all over his face. "Who?"
Billy uncrossed his arms and placed them on his desk as he locked eyes with Lee. "She’s a lovely lady, housewife, two kids—"
Lee openly cringed at Billy’s insinuation. "No way, Billy. What about Francine?"
Pushing himself back from his desk using his hands, Billy stood and walked over to the window that overlooked his employees. He thought about his earlier conversation with Francine and her obvious agitation of Amanda King going in her place. "Amanda has to go."
Lee stood and began his ritual of pacing in front of the large desk. "Why? She’s not trained, Billy. She’ll only get in the way. If anything goes wrong—"
Billy turned to face him. "She’s going—and that’s an order, Scarecrow. She’s the only one that," pointing to the picture Lee had thrown on the desk, "Donovan Boudinet said he’d give the information to. He’s a new to this double agent stuff, and wants someone he can trust. She’s it."
Lee stopped in his tracks as he listened to the words of his boss. "What do you mean she’s the only one?"
Crossing his arms, Billy leaned against the windowsill as he waited for Lee to calm down. "Apparently, Boudinet’s family visited the U.S., on and off, for a few years in the late sixties. His parents had him tutored at their home by one of the French teachers from Amanda’s high school and—"
"What’s that got to do with Amanda?" Lee asked, while rubbing his temples with his thumb and the forefinger of his left hand in an attempt to vanquish the headache he was sure to come.
Billy held up his right hand to stop Lee from interrupting him. "Let me finish, Lee." Seeing his agent curtly nod his head, he continued, "like I was saying, this teacher was able to keep Donovan caught up in his studies while they were here." Looking up to be sure he had Lee’s attention, Billy smirked. "Now, this is the part you’ve been waiting for."
"Well?" Lee asked, beginning to grow even more annoyed.
Billy’s wide grin didn’t go unnoticed by Scarecrow as he continued his explanation. "Donovan’s parents didn’t want the usual embassy tutors. They wanted their son to be exposed to some American culture. So Amanda went along with this teacher, from time to time, to help out. There you have it. Amanda just happened to be in the right place at the right time."
Billy ignored the grunt that Scarecrow expressed as he headed back towards his desk. "Oh, and before I forget, it seems he knows she does stuff for us from time to time--"
Lee took a step closer to his superior. "He knows what!?! How the heck did that happen?"
Sighing heavily at the characteristic impatience of the man before him, Billy continued, "to be honest, I don't know. There are so many intelligence officers running around D.C. with cameras in hand, taking pictures." Stopping to maintain his "I'm in charge" stare with Lee, he continued,
"she's probably been seen with you, and somebody put two and two together." Billy looked back to the Bullpen as he thought, "it's only natural for someone to assume she's an agent. She doesn't exactly match the description of the usual women you've been known to date.'
Lee flopped down in the chair he had previously occupied. "So much for an easy three days before I leave on vacation."
Billy smiled as he watched Scarecrow accept defeat. "I’ve already called her and told her to come in this morning for a brief meeting. We can tell her then."
Rolling his eyes, Lee stood and started to exit. "I can’t wait."
Billy returned to his desk as he watched Scarecrow exit his office. Reaching into this breast pocket to retrieve the last of the roll of Rolaids he had started only that morning, Billy muttered under his breath. "I’m sorry, Amanda."
Amanda King entered the main foyer of I.F.F., and looked directly at Mrs. Marston. The seemingly nice woman always managed to unnerve her. "Um…the password today is…" Amanda faltered. Why is it she could never remember the simplest things. Seeing the picture of the man on the wall holding the cat, she remembered. "Oh, yeah, the password is Felix."
Mrs. Marston nodded in exasperation and handed her a visitor pass. She shook her head as she watched Mrs. King wait for the elevator. ‘She’ll never fit in around here.’
Riding down in the elevator, Amanda quickly overcame the flustered effects Mrs. Marston had had on her. As she exited the now opening doors into the busy hallway, she began to wonder why Mr. Melrose had called her in. Hopefully it was for some new assignment he needed her help with.
Peeking over the edge of the file Billy had thrown on his desk minutes before, Lee watched as the enthusiastic brunette entered the Bullpen. ‘Maybe she won’t see me.’
Amanda smiled her greetings to the still-unfamiliar faces as she approached Mr. Melrose’s office. Her eyes glanced towards the desk of the only agent she had ever worked with, and her smile faded. She had noticed him looking over his file when she had walked in and now he appeared to be hiding behind it. Tightening her grip on her purse, she walked, head up, toward Billy’s office. ‘I will not let his attitude bother me.’
Knocking softly on the door that led to her boss’s office, she smiled at the secretary that sat next to the phones. "Good morning."
The slight frown turned upward at the soft words of the kindly Mrs. King. "Good morning. Mr. Melrose is expecting you."
As the secretary returned her attention back to the phone lines, Amanda looked back to the office to see Mr. Melrose motioning for her to come in. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door, and entered. "Good morning, Sir."
Billy rose from his desk and pointed to the chair in front of him. "Good morning, Mrs. King. Please, have a seat. I’ll get Lee." Crossing the room and opening the door, he bellowed, "SCARECROW! My office, now!"
Lee reluctantly pushed himself from his desk and stood to answer his superior’s call. ‘This should be fun.’
Amanda sat wide-eyed as she listened to Billy’s explanation of her assignment. He had just finished explaining when Lee entered the room. "So, Mrs. King. Do you think you can handle it?"
Lee took a seat on the sofa at the back of the room, preparing himself the gush of excitement and questions he was sure she was about to come pouring out of her mouth.
Amanda reluctantly shook her head. "Sir, I’m sorry, but I can’t. I’ve made plans for tonight, and I can’t change them."
Billy eyebrows furrowed together as he listened to her refusal. Looking up at Lee, he found the agent’s mouth open slightly in surprise. "Mrs. King, this is very important."
Amanda looked at her boss, then turned around to look at Lee. "I’m sorry, but I can’t break these plans. I understand about Donnie, but he’s a great guy. Surely you can tell him that I just can’t do it."
Lee jumped to his feet at her declaration. "This is a matter of National Security, Amanda! You just don’t say no."
Amanda took a deep breath and brought her eyes to meet Billy’s. "Sir, I don't take things like this lightly, and I'm truly sorry. . . but I really can not do this. Not tonight."
Lee began to pace behind her chair, his hands repeatedly clenching into fists, and then unclenching. "Amanda, you don't have a choice. You've…"
Billy held up his hand to stop Lee’s tirade before he said something that he would regret later. "I understand, Mrs. King. I really do, but this is important. We have to get this information."
Amanda hung her head as she replayed the options in her mind. ‘If I go, I’ll break a very important promise. If I don’t, I’ll let the Agency down.’
Billy looked up from the quiet form of Amanda to give Lee a warning glance, demanding he remain quiet. "Is there anything we can do to help you with your problem?"
Amanda looked down at her fingernails thoughtfully, until an idea came to mind. "You said that Donnie wouldn’t give this information to just anyone. It had to be somebody he trusts, right?"
Lee sighed heavily as he placed his hands on the back of her chair. "Yes, Amanda."
Amanda ignored his agitation and looked back to Billy. "What if someone else he knows goes instead of me? Do you think you could clear it with him?"
Lee went to lean against the corner of Billy’s desk and stared at her. "Amanda, if there were someone else, don’t you think we would have used them first?"
Amanda turned hurt eyes towards him, and he immediately regretted his words. "I’m just—"
"That’s enough, Scarecrow." Turning his attention to Amanda, he continued, "Did you have anyone in particular in mind, Mrs. King?"
Amanda nodded. "The woman that tutored Donnie while he was in the States now works in the Internal Affairs office part time. She retired a few years ago from the school system and shortly thereafter, started working for them. I met her for the first time in, gosh, I don't know how many years. We used to be so close and then after college we seemed to drift apart. You know, I got married and had the boys, and she always stayed busy helping other kids out, as well as doing a lot of traveling." Seeing the large eyes of her boss, she quickly concluded her response, "Well, I just happened to run into her last week when I was running those errands for Lee."
Billy looked up at the sheepish smile Lee had on his face. He hadn’t authorized any courier missions for him in the last month. He was going to have a nice long talk with Scarecrow about this, but not now. They had other problems to deal with at the moment.
Amanda tugged at her lower lip with her teeth as she glanced back and forth between the two men. Stopping to look at the Section Chief, she smiled. "Donnie should know her enough to trust her, and she has a clearance level with the Agency."
Billy began to mull over her suggestion in his mind, deciding that the idea might work, he put on a stern face and turned to face Lee. "Sounds like a plan." Looking back to Amanda, he asked, "What’s her name, Mrs. King?"
Lee stood from his relaxed position at the thought of going out with one of Amanda’s retired teachers. "Before anybody makes any plans, shouldn’t they talk to me about it first."
Amanda refused to look at the scowling face, so she concentrated on the calm features of Billy instead. "Her name is Nancy Gultch."
Billy nodded his agreement. "I know her. She’ll do just fine. I’ll give her a call." Returning to his desk, he picked up the phone to get the connection needed to reach her. "Thank you, Mrs. King."
Lee turned to face Amanda. "Gultch! Like in the Wizard of Oz, Gultch?" Waving his arm in exaggeration, he looked at Billy. "You've got to be kidding."
Amanda stood and placed her hand on his arm, trying to make him realize how important her previous engagement was to her. "Oh, Lee, she's a sweet woman. You'll be fine. You know I would go if I could, but I just can’t."
Lee looked down at where her hand touched his sleeve, then gazed into her pleading eyes. He softened a bit at the concern that shone in them. "I guess if your prior commitment is that important to you, I suppose I can manage to deal with the old lady."
Amanda smiled warmly at him and gave his arm a slight squeeze. "She won’t bite you, Lee." Looking up at the slight smile forming on Billy’s lips, she continued, "I hope this won’t affect you using me in the future."
Billy grinned as she heard Lee’s muttered disgust in the background. "Not at all, Mrs. King. We all have personal lives that we have to attend to now and again."
Amanda smiled her thanks as she twisted her purse straps in her hands to release some of her own tension. "Just let me know." With a forced sweet smile on her lips she turned to look at Lee. "Oh, Lee. Please be sure to tell Donnie I said 'hi.'" With that said, she left the room.
Lee watched her leave without uttering a word until he heard the door click shut. "I just can’t figure her out. One minute she wants to get all the work she can, and the next, she’s refusing to help."
Billy noticed Scarecrow's deep concentration of the woman who was now exiting the Bullpen. "Maybe she really does have something more important to take care of?" Billy couldn't help the smirk that appeared on his face as his eyebrows raised questioningly towards Lee. "You were looking for a way to get out of going with her, weren't you? Nancy Gultch should work out just fine."
Lee turned a appalled look towards his boss. "Something more important than Agency business!?!"
Billy rolled his eyes at the comment as he waited for the connection to Ms. Gultch. "Some people do have lives, Scarecrow."
Lee took a few steps and flopped into the waiting chair. "I’ll just bet this Ms. Gultch is a real winner." Staring out at the Bullpen, he imagined gray hair, thick glasses, support hose, and wedged heels as he listened to the sickening tone of politeness Billy expressed over the phone. ‘I just hope she can fit in the Porsche. Who am I kidding? I’m taking an Agency sedan for this one.’
Frustrated with the turn of events, he frowned that he wouldn’t be able to spend his evening discovering Kelly. Lee left the Agency around three-thirty, his steps dragging, a stark contrast to the brisk ones he’d walked with that morning. His earlier good mood was no longer present as he bee-lined it to his apartment, barely acknowledging Floyd. If he was going to be forced to do this assignment with someone he’d never met, he might as well go home early and "get ready." He had been told to meet Ms. Gultch at seven-thirty at her house. He should have known that she would live only a few blocks down from the Agency. He had arranged for an Agency sedan to be waiting for him there, where he would swap cars, and head over to Ms. Gultch’s house around seven o’clock.
He still couldn’t get over the fact that he, a seasoned, trained agent, commonly referred to as the "Great Scarecrow," was going to a fundraiser with someone whose name was synonymous with the Wicked Witch of the West. "I just bet she’s an old hag." He shook his head at the irony of it all as he went into the bathroom to take a shower.
Twenty minutes later, Lee stood before the mirror in his bedroom, knotting his tie. As he maneuvered his fingers to try and adjust the black fabric, he sighed at his inability to correctly finish it. ‘If I was going with the "fundraising queen" herself, she could be doing this for me.’ Looking at his own reflection in the mirror, he laughed. "Did I just think that? I must be going nuts."
Adjusting his tie the best he could, he headed towards his liquor cabinet for a quick drink to relax his nerves before heading out. After pouring the amber beverage, he took a seat on his couch and swirled the ice and liquid together in the glass. His thoughts turned to the events in the office. He knew he had treated her badly, but heck, he was the agent. ‘Why does Billy always want to pair me up with Amanda, the housewife? I know. It’s some silly notion Billy has. He thinks I'll see her sweet, good-natured ways, and maybe learn something from her over-eagerness to do a good job. He thinks she’ll rub off on me. He thinks she’ll…’ Stopping at that thought, another laugh rumbled from his chest. ‘Billy thinks she’ll be good for me. Billy’s judgment is slacking off in his old age. Yeah, Amanda would make a wonderful partner. NOT! She’s the type of partner who’ll get me into more trouble than I could on my own.’
Thoughts of Amanda suddenly made him wonder exactly what would have been so important to her that she would so easily turn down Agency work. Looking at the clock he noticed that it was only six o’clock. "I think I’ll just head out a little early and take a quick trip to Arlington to see what our little housewife is up to." Emptying his glass, he slammed the glass back on the table before him. "It must be something big for her to turn down working with me." Grabbing his keys from the table next to the door, he left his apartment in a rush to find out what that big thing was.
The gold, yellow, and red rainbow of leaves fluttered down around her as she filled the last black trash bag with them. Wiping the sweat from her brow, she looked down at her watch. It would soon be time for John to pick her up. Lugging the heavy bundle to the gate at the front of the house, she smiled approvingly at the mound of bags. "I must have picked up at least ten bags of this stuff. Next year it’s the boys turn."
Amanda swiveled around on her tennis shoes as the shrill voice of her mother called from inside the house.
"Amanda, John just called. He’s on his way."
Closing the gate behind her, she walked with a spring in her step. Tonight would be a very important reunion for her. She was reuniting with a part of her life that she had neglected for many years, until an old friend had reminded her recently, of just how important that part of her life had been. A soft smile played on her lips as she thought about how it was going to be a very important start for another young life as well.
Story Notes:
Disclaimers: Scarecrow and Mrs. King is copyrighted to Warner Brothers and Shoot the Moon Production Company. This story, however, is copyrighted to the mentioned author. This story is for entertainment purposes ONLY. If you would like to add it to an archive, please just let me know. Some of the buildings mentioned are fictitious, created only to enhance the story.
Timeframe: Mid-First Season
Timeframe: Mid-First Season