Nine Days before Christmas
When dawn broke the next morning, Amanda found herself lying in Lee’s bed staring at the ceiling while the events of the night before played in her head. Lee and Mr. Melrose descended on her home with Elliot Cho and Jared Spenser. Cho and Spenser fanned out in her house and checked it for any listening or electronic devices.
Lee went with her room by room to make sure nothing else was touched. The idea that someone had been in her room and her house gave her shivers that were difficult to shake.
She’d managed to stop her family before they went into the house and told them that there had been a break in. Her mother naturally wanted to see to the silver and valuables. The boys wanted to see the police in action. She told them that they were going to head up to Aunt Lillian’s for the weekend and maybe a day or two longer until she was sure the house was safe for them. She had their bags packed already and her mother was ready to go, so she managed to get them to the station and on a train heading north and out of danger.
She eased her way out of bed and went to take a shower. Lee’s apartment was a last minute concession by Mr. Melrose who had wanted her to go to a safe house. Lee offered his room to her while he stayed in the living room on guard. She thought it was really rather sweet of him, and it was only for one night. She’d mentioned a hotel but that idea had been nixed and she knew a safe house would be best. But for now she needed get ready to go to work with Lee. Well, not really with Lee because she was going to drive her own car.
After opening the door to let the steam out, she began to put on her makeup, she saw Lee’s reflection heading for the closet in his robe. She hurriedly finished and cleared her throat so that Lee would know that she was coming out.
“Why don’t I make some breakfast while you get dressed?”
“I had some groceries delivered by an Agency approved store. They’re in the kitchen. I’ll only be a few minutes.”
Walking quickly through the bedroom, she made her way to the kitchen to see if there was something she could make for them. She started coffee brewing and she pulled eggs, bacon and fruit out of the box and set them aside for breakfast. Moving around the kitchen and putting things away as she emptied the box, gave her a strange feeling of contentment. She reached in the box and pulled out a smaller gift wrapped box with a note attached to the bow. Swallowing hard she called out, “Lee! Come here! Lee!”
Her hands shaking a little, she opened the note.
MY TRUE LOVE,
YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE HOME WAITING FOR MY PHONE CALL. I DON’T LIKE THE FACT THAT YOU ARE WITH ANOTHER MAN. HE IS NOT WORTHY OF YOU OR YOUR ATTENTION. YOU ARE MY TRUE LOVE. YOU WILL RETURN TO YOUR HOUSE AND WAIT FOR ME. IT WON’T BE VERY LONG BEFORE WE ARE TOGETHER FOREVER.
DON’T MAKE ME WAIT.
She leaned against the cabinets and hung her head. What was she going to do? She couldn’t stay with Lee. He might be in danger from this person. Woodenly, she walked to the bedroom door and knocked. When she didn’t hear a reply she entered, then she heard water running and opened the bathroom calling out, “Lee, there’s a problem.”
He poked his head and shoulder out the shower. “Amanda, what are you doing in here?”
She tried to keep her eyes from following the water droplets down his shoulder to his chest. “There was another present in the groceries.”
He turned off the water and started to open the curtain before he seemed to remember that he was naked. “Just give me a minute.” She nodded and waited by the sink. “Amanda? Outside.”
She blushed. “Sure. Sorry.” She backed out and closed the door.
He stepped out a few minutes later in his robe and headed to the kitchen. “How in the world did it get in there? How did anyone know you’re here? My apartment isn’t’ exactly a place where you hang out.”
“I don’t know, but if this is someone inside the Agency. They could have access to records.”
He opened the gift. “What is this?”
“Oh my gosh. It’s beautiful. She took it from his hands and opened the ceramic box. “It’s Limoges. Look, four calling birds on the lid. These are very expensive and hard to import.”
“Really, this could be a good lead.” He took the box again and placed it back inside the gift box. “Let’s call Billy and have some agents descend on the grocery. Someone there would have to know who dropped this box off.”
When Billy heard about the box, he ordered Amanda and Lee immediately into the Agency for protection. Lee argued that he could guard her well enough at his place, but Billy insisted that they come into the Agency then other arrangements would be made.
Lee dressed and Amanda made them something to eat before they left because it was the most important meal of the day and she wasn’t sure when they would be able to eat again.
When they left the apartment, Lee had his gun out and by his side. Amanda hurried to her car, Lee right behind her. He touched her hand before she closed the door. “Just be careful.”
She nodded. “Right.” Starting her car she waited for Lee to get into his. Most of the traffic was done by this time and they made a smooth entry to the street. Amanda felt the car shift and sped up a little. She hit the cassette tape player to listen to a little Christmas music when the voice that had begun to haunt her dreams rang out loud and clear.
“Amanda. I told you to leave Stetson’s apartment, but clearly you couldn’t obey my wishes. Now, it is time for us to be together forever. If you look on the seat next to you, you will see five boxes. Each of those boxes contains a ring for the family and for me. It is my wish for you to wear that ring to symbolize our commitment and your rejection of anything Stetson could give you. Do it now and no one will get hurt.”
She came to a red light and looked over and saw the boxes. Her heart began to race. She had to find Lee. He had to know. Looking in the rear view mirror then turning around, she couldn’t see Lee’s car. Other cars had snuck between theirs. If she hadn’t been in such a hurry and distracted by the present and note, they might have noticed the boxes as she got into the car. She opened the box with her name on it and found a plain gold ring like a wedding band. Each of her family had one and the last box was marked ‘For Me’
The tape continued. “I want you to put the ring on my finger, My True Love. That is the only way we can truly be together.
The light turned green and she continued driving. She felt her car give a slight lurch and speed up. She stepped on the brake to slow down but nothing happened. Panic wanted to set in, but she refused to allow it to take over her. She thought about Station One and the driving course. She tried to throw the car into Neutral but it wouldn’t work. Her car kept speeding up and she had to dodge around other cars to keep from slamming into them. She tried to make a left hand turn onto a residential street where there was less chance of running into someone. There was one trick she could use and pulled a bootlegger’s turn and slammed the emergency brake. A tree loomed in front of her and she could do nothing to stop the car from hitting it. She wished she could have said goodbye to the boys, her mother and Lee. A horrible sound of metal scraping was the last thing she heard before all went black.
Eight Days Before Christmas
As the news of the crash and injuries and subsequent death of Amanda King filtered through the Agency, the traditional gathering of Agency personnel at Nedlinger’s was arranged. Amanda hadn’t been an agent, but she was still an active member of the Field Office. The bar was decked out merrily for the holidays with greens and bows. Lee looked around and thought Amanda would have liked it.
“We are here today to celebrate the life of a very special woman. One who had love and kindness in her heart. One who was beloved by many. She wasn’t with us long but she made an impression on us all. Let us raise our glasses to Amanda King.” Billy Melrose’s voice wavered slightly as he drank to his own toast.
The crowd at Nedlinger’s fell silent for a moment as they remembered Amanda. Most eyes moved to look at her partner as he stared deeply into his drink. “To Amanda,” Lee murmured. He downed the glass in a single draught. Lee mingled around the room and overheard what people said about his partner. The impromptu gathering gave him an opportunity to hear what his coworkers thought about her. He had to have something to say at her official memorial. What was there to say about Amanda? Sometimes he thought he knew her so well, then other times she was a complete surprise to him.
“I’ll miss her so much,” Agent Parker told Sue from the Steno Pool, “she was the one that encouraged me to try for my EMS certification so that I could be a medic on operations. She told me not to leave the Agency when I could do so much here for my country. I wish I had been there when she needed me most.” Lee saw that when she looked up her eyes were red. “Oh Lee, I’m sorry about Amanda.”
“Thank you, Parker. I’m sure she was pleased to see you taking the courses you need.” The emotion clogging Lee’s voice made it deeper, huskier than normal.
“You know,” Sue chimed in, “I was prepared not to like her at all. I mean she just walked in and she wasn’t a trained agent. You didn’t need us as much and, well quite frankly, we were a little jealous.” Sue blushed at her comment. “But, the first time she brought in chocolate chip cookies to thank us for some work we did for her, she won me over.”
Lee moved around listening to condolences and people sharing stories.
Fred Fielder talked about the Christmas fudge and advice she gave him about his niece. Frank Duffy reminded him that she never forgot anyone’s birthday. Mark Williams loved the way she always found time to say good morning, even when Scarecrow was in a hurry.
A familiar voice carried over the general din. “… I don’t care what anyone says, I loved Amanda King….” A somewhat tipsy Francine Desmond was sobbing to Ephraim Beaman. The usually tetchy blonde managed to drape herself over Ephraim’s shoulders to help her stand. “She was pure understanding and happiness. I don’t think anyone…”
Lee smiled to himself and tapped a small receiver in his ear when he heard hysterical laughing through it. “Can it, will you?” He whispered into the microphone hidden under his lapel. “I can’t concentrate.”
The achingly familiar alto came across the receiver. “Sorry, Lee, but she is going to hate herself in the morning.”
He turned his back to the crowd. “Stop trying to make me laugh. I’m supposed to be mourning you.”
The voice sounded contrite. “Okay, okay. I’ll be good.”
He turned back to face the crowd. Billy was making the rounds on the other side of the room. His microphone and earphone set to another frequency so that she could get clear input from both men.
Lee continued to mingle with his coworkers, listening and waiting for his quarry to make a move that would give him a clue of who and why Amanda had been targeted. That is what was so frustrating with this gathering. He knew the person he was looking for was with the Agency.
Most people around the bar were telling Amanda stories. Lee listened and was amazed at all that Amanda had done for people and how they were affected by her. He knew the impact she had had on his life, but never realized how far the range of her influence extended.
Lee and Billy intersected to check in with each other and Amanda.
“Amanda, have you heard the mystery voice yet?” Billy asked.
“No, Sir.” Lee heard her response so she must have keyed both mics. “There is a lot of background noise so I’m not getting clear voice matches.”
“Did you notice that there are people from every Agency department here? Crypto, Documentation, Research, Personnel and Analysis all mixed in with Field Section.”
“See, Lee,” Amanda’s disembodied voice admonished, “some people did…do like me.” A smile threatened to break on his face.
Jared Spenser and Elliot Cho walked over to offer their condolences to Lee. Spenser was first to speak. “I’m sorry about Amanda, Lee. I know she was fairly new and all. I have to say she really made an impression on me when she took on Station One a second time. I was there for Tactical Team training and she wouldn’t let anyone stop her. I was watching from the sniper’s perch above the obstacle course. She was really beautiful too…” Lee felt the muscles in his face tighten as Spenser spoke. He looked at Lee and stopped. “I mean she was great.”
Lee unclenched his jaw once he realized he had done it. What was wrong with him? Why would he care that someone thought Amanda was beautiful? She was, in her own suburban housewife way. The way her eyes lit up when they talked or the smile that brought him to a stop when he told her a joke or paid her the rare compliment. He shook his head. What was he thinking? This was Amanda. His friend. His partner. He had never heard such nice things about her. He appreciated her, most of the time, but this gathering led to a deeper realization about her in his life.
Elliot Cho looked up from his beer and said, “She was a nice lady.”
Spenser looked at Cho and back at Lee. “From him, that was a ringing endorsement.”
Lee excused himself to continue walking around the room. Several girls from the Steno pool were gathered around a clerk from Personnel. The look on his face suggested he was devastated by Amanda’s loss.
“I don’t understand what happened,” he said dully. “She was just there. She said she would have lunch with me sometime.”
Cheryl patted him on the shoulder. “It’s okay, Greg. Amanda was the kind of person who wouldn’t want you to grieve for her.”
‘Yes,” Jennifer added. “Amanda was kind and thankful for everything she had, including her friends.”
Greg’s voice got quiet. “I appreciated her more than anyone else. She was more than just my friend.” He looked up at Lee staring at him with a sudden ferocity that made Lee take a step back. The little clerk’s voice suddenly became louder and more strident as he launched himself at Lee. “You never appreciated her the way she should have been. I could have taken care of her. It’s all your fault she’s dead! Look at you! You’re not even pretending to be sad. You always treated her badly. You only thought of yourself. She deserved better and now she’s dead. Amanda’s dead!” The girls surrounded the shaking man and took him back to his seat.
A shocked silence descended on the room and Amanda’s quiet voice came over his earpiece. “I think we’ve found him.”
Lee turned his back to the room and began to walk away. “Are you sure?”
“I think so. His voice seems to drop in pitch when he’s mad. It sounds awfully like him.”
Lee and Billy met in the middle of the crowded floor. After the disturbance everyone seemed to get back to their conversations with furtive looks to Greg and checks of weapons under coats or sweaters. Lee looked behind his back and saw Greg staring at him with an expression of pure hatred.
“What do you think?” Billy asked.
“I think we should put a tail on him and check him out.” Lee whispered. He turned so that he could keep the man in his peripheral vision. “Uh oh, he’s on the move.”
“Lee, you can’t go after him. He’ll notice you.” He nodded to Matt Duffy and tipped his head in the direction of the door. Matt nodded and said his quick goodbyes and followed at a discrete distance. “Matt will track him. I kept him in the loop just in case someone went after you next.”
“Let’s get back to Amanda,” Lee said. “I don’t like leaving her alone.”
Lee and Billy managed to get through the crowd and exit out the back. As they moved through the alley and out to the street, Lee heard a shouted “On your six!” Twisting, he saw a knife aimed for him coming out of the black of shadows. Matt came pounding up behind them as Billy and Lee grabbed for the arm holding the knife. Lee managed to twist the arm until the knife was dropped with a muted clatter on the street.
“I’ll kill you for what you did to her,” Greg shouted at them, foam flecking around his mouth, and his eyes dilated with fury.
Between Billy and Matt, they managed to get Greg into handcuffs. He continuously fought them as they got him into the back of an Agency car.
“Lee!” Amanda shouted from the fire escape in the building next to Ned’s. “Are you okay? I’ll be right out.”
“Amanda, stay there,” Lee shouted. “Make sure he’s gone first.” But she had already ducked back into the apartment and disappeared from sight. A few moments later, she appeared at the door of the apartment building. Lee thought that she must have transported down the steps. She ran to him and checked to make sure that he wasn’t harmed. ‘Audience be damned.’ He thought and took her into his arms for a hug. Her arms went around him in comfort and friendship. “It’s over,” he whispered. “Let’s go back to the Agency.”
Amanda looked over to the car which held her stalker. His face had transformed from the fury and manic energy, to shocked recognition, then calm acceptance and joy, when his eyes fell on her. She shook her head as Lee put his arm around her and walked her away from the scene.
Seven Days before Christmas
Amanda watched with Lee in the observation room as Matt Duffy and Billy questioned Greg.
“She’s watching me, isn’t she?” Greg asked trying to smooth down his hair. “We are going to be married in a few days. She just needs to understand that I’m her true love.”
“What did you do to her car?” Matt asked trying to get Greg’s attention back.
“I love her and she loves me,” Greg said. “I would never hurt her.”
“But you did.” Billy added. “She was hurt when her car ran into the tree.”
“I didn’t do that.” Greg added. “He did that. Stetson. He didn’t like the idea that we were going to get married and she was going away from him.”
“We found a remote control in your car, Greg, and a cutter that you used on Amanda’s brake lines and steering control.” Matt moved in for the kill. “I think Amanda wants you to tell the truth.”
Greg looked down and away. “I want to talk to her. I need to see her. She was dead. My love pulled her back from death. She is going to be my wife. We are going to live happily ever after. That’s what she wants.”
Turning the volume knob to low, Amanda exhaled slowly and moved closer to Lee. She looked at him and shook her head. “I don’t understand. How could this have happened? What did I do?”
Lee turned her away from the scene and grasped her shoulders. “You didn’t do anything. He fixated on you because you were nice to him. He had a shrine to you in his bedroom. His mother thought that you were dating and that he was going to marry you.”
“This is too much. What’s going to happen now?”
“We’re going to see that he is put somewhere safe from you and me. He will get help Amanda. I promise you that.”
“Should I go talk to him?”
“I wouldn’t. That may just set him off again. C’mon. Let’s get you home. You have time to call your family and tell them the coast is clear and that they can come home.”
“I’m not so sure that is a good idea,” Amanda said as they walked out the door.
“Why?”
“Well, this is prime shopping and wrapping time. I could get a lot of things done in the next couple of days if they stay there. I was thinking of making some chili tonight and sitting in front of the fire watching Christmas movies.” She was on the verge of asking him to join her when he began to speak.
Lee rocked on his heels. “That sounds great. I phoned Maggie, you know my date from the other night, and rescheduled our date for tonight. You know I had to cancel it when…”
“Yeah, well…” Amanda smiled. “That sounds like fun.”
Lee smiled back. “So, I’m glad we caught him.”
“Me, too. Thanks for letting me spend the night.”
He shook his head. “Not a problem. Oh, Billy is going to keep a team on your house for the night. Just to make sure everything is okay. As a matter of fact, they’ll follow you home from the motor pool.”
“Oh, great. If you see Billy thank him for me,” Amanda said taking a step back from Lee. “I guess I better get to the motor pool before Leatherneck leaves.”
“I guess so.” Lee agreed.
“I guess so, too.” Amanda agreed. They stood for a moment in an awkward silence. “In case I don’t see you. Merry Christmas, Lee.”
“Merry Christmas, Amanda.” He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead.
They stared at each other for a moment then in one movement walked away in opposite directions.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.