Estoccian Affair:  Part Nine

Thursday Evening

Scarecrow sailed through the air and tackled the merchant. The struggle didn't last long. The merchant hadn't put up much of a fight; apparently he had no experience in hand-to-hand combat. Scarecrow quickly wrestled the gun from the perpetrator's grasp and subdued him firmly on the ground before a single shot was fired. The local police arrived within seconds and provided handcuffs for Lee to place on the perp.

"Here," Scarecrow grunted as he snapped the handcuffs tightly on the wrists of the suspect, pulled him to his feet and pushed him towards the uniformed officer. Lee then bent back down and reached for the gun, inspecting it closely before turning it over to the officer. "Make sure this is filed as evidence as well."

"Yes, sir," the officer dutifully nodded as he grabbed the would-be thug forcefully and led him away.

Scarecrow inspected his injuries. There were a few scrapes on his hands and his pants had tears and rips on both knees. Other than that he was fine. "It could have been worse," he muttered as he glanced around, gladly noting that the crowd had started to disperse and were more inclined to follow the officer as they stashed the perpetrator in a waiting police vehicle or wander to where the fireworks would soon be shot off. His eyes continued to scan the scene carefully, not stopping until he saw his wife smiling at him. He smiled back and walked briskly towards where she and Joe were standing.

"Everyone all right? Where's the Prime Minister?" Scarecrow questioned in concern.

"We're fine," Amanda replied softly, answering for herself and Joe as she attempted to dust the dirt from Lee's now filthy suit. "Francine escorted the Prime Minister back up to the People's Hall for safe keeping despite his objections."

"Good," Scarecrow answered with obvious relief. "That's where you both should go until we determine that our gun toting merchant was working alone."

"Stetson, we're fine," Joe replied confidently. "The Prime Minister will be back out in a few minutes - once things settle down. He intends to enjoy the impending fireworks. We won't allow one incident to mar the festivities. That would be counter productive."

"What it would be is simple common sense," Scarecrow countered, annoyed and staring sternly at Joe and then to his wife. "I'm going up to the Hall to see if I can persuade the Prime Minister to watch from the vantage point of a window or the roof. Amanda, I suggest you both give that some additional thought as well. It'll be dark soon and that will give the advantage to the other side. If there was one incident there could very easily be another."

"It's better to err on the side of caution, Joe," Amanda agreed as she put her hand on his shoulder, encouraging him towards the People's Hall. "That could have been a diversion for something else…"

"We're staying out here," Joe reiterated as he pulled away, irked at the proposition.

"I'll be back in a few minutes," Scarecrow answered as he shook his head in disgust at Joe's refusal to cooperate. He gave himself one last inspection, trying to readjust his disheveled appearance from the minor foray, but knowing it would do little good. He was a mess. He then hustled up the stone stairs and disappeared into the People's Hall.

"Joe, maybe if you went inside the other Cabinet Members would follow," Amanda suggested making one last attempt to persuade her ex-husband to be sensible and take cover.

"Absolutely not! Amanda, there was one minor incident which Stetson already handled," Joe reminded her definitively. "If the other Cabinet Members choose to go inside then that's their prerogative. I want the people to know I'm with them."

"Lee's just thinking of your safety as well as the Prime Minister's," Amanda reminded him.

"He's covering his ass," Joe sneered.

Amanda rolled her eyes, realizing this was a battle she was never going to win. Whether Joe was being macho, naïve or just plain stupid, there was no sense arguing and further antagonizing him. "He's trying to save your ass," she muttered under her breath.

"Mr. Joe!" a shout came from the still growing crowd.

Joe's head turned trying to search for the familiar voice.

"Mr. Joe, over here," a hand waved in the crowd, matching the voice coming out of the darkness that had now overtaken the dusk.

"Amanda," Jamila called out from a few feet behind them.

Joe turned and smiled at the Justice Minister's wife. "If you'll excuse me, ladies, I think I see an old friend," Joe replied politely before he excused himself and walked to where the parade had just ended.

"Hi, Jamila, did you enjoy the parade?" Amanda asked her friend.

"I did until the very end. Too bad it had to be spoiled by that man with a gun," Jamila stated with a shiver.

"I'm glad it didn't escalate into anything more," Amanda answered, grateful for Lee's presence and quick thinking, "and the Prime Minister's safe up in the Hall."

"I've tried to convince my husband to go back into the People's Hall. They could have set up chairs on the balcony or something, but he refuses to budge as long as the other Cabinet Members remain outside," Jamila exclaimed in frustration. "He thinks that would be cowardly - men!"

"I've suggested the same to Joe as well, but without any luck," Amanda corroborated with equal frustration. "I guess they'll be starting the fireworks any minute now."

"You're probably right. How about we grab some seats with the others before they start," Jamila suggested eagerly.

"Save me a couple. I've got to find where Joe went to," Amanda answered as she scanned the crowd.

"See you soon," Jamila smiled excitedly before returning to her husband's side.

Amanda watched as her friend went to sit with the other dignitaries in the reviewing stands that had been set up specifically for the fireworks. The crowd had grown thick and darkness had filled the sky. Only a few minutes later the sizzling sound of a firecracker grabbed everyone's attention. They all watched as it shot up into the air with the thin trail of light following it. Amanda viewed in delight as it burst open with a resounding boom. The sparkling red colors first bloomed, then twinkled and glittered in the darkness before it faded and slowly dispersed like pixie dust before reaching the ground. The crowd cheered and applauded in delight and pushed tighter toward the area where they were shooting off the fireworks.

"Wow," Amanda chuckled, observing that fireworks brought out the same reaction with people regardless of their culture, race or religion. Then her thoughts turned back to Joe King - she had to find him. Her eyes anxiously scanned the darkness once again, knowing it would be difficult to locate her ex-husband in the crowd. Finally she called out to him. "Joe?"

She still didn't see him anywhere. She glanced back at the dignitaries who had taken up positions not far from where they watched the parade. She saw Jamila sitting next to her husband. Behind them was the Defense Secretary with his wife and family as well as most of the others, but Joe King wasn't there. She turned and looked towards the People's Hall, noting that the Prime Minister had not yet returned. Amanda hoped that Lee had convinced him to stay put where it was safe, but she knew Joe wouldn't go inside without her. Then she scanned the street where the parade had ended. There were fewer people milling about in that area. Now almost everyone was watching the fireworks. Another fireworks soared out of its cannon and burst into a lovely shade of blue. The light illuminated the crowd sufficiently and out of the corner of her eye she finally spotted her ex-husband talking to a tall man she'd never met or seen before. "Joe?!" she called out once again, trying to make sure it was him as she turned in the general direction.

"Over here, Amanda," he waved from where he was standing.

Amanda began to close the distance between them when she realized someone else was watching him intently from the edge of the crowd. She recognized the husky build of the man and his large piercing eyes. Amanda paused for a second, uncertain why he was observing her ex-husband so intently. Suddenly she got a sinking feeling in her stomach as the Finance Minister nodded to someone else in the crowd and then, smiled grotesquely.

Amanda turned to see whom he was nodding to, but again the darkness had enveloped the crowd. All she could see were the backs of heads staring up into the sky awaiting the next brilliant burst of color. She squinted her eyes hoping for them to adjust in the minimal light with no success. It wasn't until another fireworks exploded in the air and illuminated the crowd that she saw something being thrown out of the crowd and in the direction of Joe King and the unknown tall man. A quick glance back towards the Finance Minister and their eyes locked on each other for a brief second before he smirked defiantly. Amanda turned back towards Joe, sensing something was terribly wrong.

"Oh my gosh!" she screamed in fear as she recognized the object that was now rolling in the direction of her ex-husband. "Joe, look out! Get down!"

Joe looked up at her, totally perplexed by his ex-wife's sudden outburst. "Come on over here, Amanda. There's someone I want you to meet," he called back, calmly, unaware of the danger.

Amanda pointed at the ground. "Joe, run, get out of the way! Now! HURRY!!!" she shouted desperately as the grenade continued to roll towards him.

Joe didn't have time to react. He was pushed back brusquely by the tall man he'd been chatting with. The man dove at the grenade just before it exploded.

The explosion caused chaos as people from the crowd began to run and scream in terror…

The Prime Minister was just exiting the People’s hall flanked by Scarecrow and Francine when they heard the explosion. Like most of the people they assumed at first that it was another fireworks exploding in the air, but the noise wasn't followed by the typical burst of color in the sky. Instead, there was a muffled flash of white on the ground behind the main part of the crowd and within moments there were screams of agony, terror and people running in all directions.

"Oh my, God! Francine, get the Prime Minister back into the Hall," Scarecrow ordered before he started to run down the steps to where the explosion had occurred.

"I'll call for ambulances," Francine shouted as she hurried the Prime Minister back to safety.

Scarecrow ran as fast as he could, pushing his way through the panicked crowd as people were running haphazardly in all directions. Once he was on the street level it was difficult in the darkness to make his way to the point of impact, but through sheer determination he finally made it to where the explosion occurred.

The scene was surreal as people were moaning and crying from the wounds they'd received from the flying debris. Other people were shouting in fear or looking for children and other loved ones that they'd been accidentally separated from during the melee. Children wailed for their mothers and others were just running, trying to get away from the destruction and anarchy.

Scarecrow shouted to a uniformed officer who also managed to fight his way through the crowd. "Help me lift this stuff." The two men struggled valiantly to lift the debris from the area. A few others began to help them lift the larger, heavier chunks of concrete and metal. The process went on arduously and they continued to dig, slowly, with their bare hands until they got down to the smaller fragments of rubble.

They could hear the emergency vehicles sirens' coming closer as they combed through the wreckage in the darkness. Finally a police car arrived and used its headlights to illuminate the area. With the help of several strong men and the additional police officers, they removed the remaining debris and finally reached a body at the bottom.

"He's got to be dead," the officer remarked as he saw the bloody, twisted, mangled body.

Scarecrow grimaced as the sight of badly disfigured remains of an African male, probably in his early twenties. He reached down to the man's neck and felt for a carotid pulse. "There's no pulse."

"Damn," the officer swore, as he looked away, repulsed at the sight and smell.

"Come on, there must be someone still alive," Scarecrow indicated, unwilling to give up so easily.

The rescuers glanced around unsure where to start digging next. There was wreckage everywhere.

"Help me…" a voice called out in a whisper.

The men glanced around, frantically trying to locate where the voice came from. In the debris field, it was almost impossible to tell.

"Where are you? Keep talking to us, we'll find you," Scarecrow encouraged. A hush came over the crowd of men as they strained to hear the victims' response. They waited until finally they heard a faint reply.

"Over here…" a voice repeated. "I can… hardly breathe…"

The rescuers immediately rushed towards the voice and started the backbreaking work of sifting through the rubble once again. With sweat dropping off the men's faces and their hands now bloody from handling chunks of metal, glass and concrete, they continued on, silently hoping the next piece of debris would yield a survivor. It seemed like hours, but eventually they had most of the man's body free of the wreckage. Scarecrow wiped the sweat from his brow and squinted in the darkness. Only then did he recognize the clothing of the man lying on the ground, even with the blood and grime covering him. He knew the man they had just uncovered was none other than Joe King.

"Don't move, Joe," Scarecrow warned him as Joe tried to free up his legs from the rubble. "We'll have you out in a minute."

"Get a stretcher over here," the officer shouted out.

"I'm sorry, Lee," Joe mumbled as his face grimaced, obviously in pain. "I should have listened to you."

"Don’t worry about that now. Just take it easy," Lee answered professionally, but now he worried for his wife's safety. "Where's Amanda?"

"I don't know. She was nearby…" Joe paused, wincing in pain once again, "when it exploded…"

The ambulance crew arrived with the stretcher and carefully loaded Joe King, the Secretary of Food and Housing, onto it and they carried him towards one of the few ambulances available.

Lee Stetson stood up and thoroughly surveyed the area, searching for his wife in the crowd, but he didn't see her anywhere. He knew it would be difficult to find her in the chaos, but she had to be around somewhere. Joe had said she was nearby… "How nearby?" Lee questioned out loud, a few feet, a few yards, or was she in the stands with the other dignitaries? He knew that difference could very well mean whether his wife was alive or…

"Scarecrow, are you all right?" Francine questioned anxiously when she arrived at the scene and saw him covered in blood.

"Yeah," he nodded unconvincingly. "Have you seen Amanda?"

"No, I just got back down here. I'll help you look for her," she suggested.

Lee's face was filled with worry. "No, go with the ambulance. We just dug Joe King out of the rubble. He's in pretty bad shape. I'll catch up with you later."

"What about the other cabinet members?" Francine asked, unsure of their status.

"I think most of them were out in the viewing stands over by the fireworks. That should have been far enough away from the explosion to protect them from most of the shrapnel," Scarecrow surmised wisely.

Francine could read the worried look on her friend's face. "Amanda was probably watching the fireworks with them. She's probably fine. I bet she's helping with the other injured people."

Lee nodded, but he wasn't convinced. He knew that Amanda would've continued to work her cover and stayed close to Joe's side. If she hadn't been injured, she would've been the first person searching in the ruins for Joe. "You better get on that ambulance. I think they're ready to leave."

"I'll talk to you soon," Francine promised as she hurried towards the awaiting ambulance.

Scarecrow nodded and watched as Francine got into the ambulance, but he knew he needed to help locate the other survivors from the attack. He returned to assist the other rescue workers as they extricated one victim, then another not far from where Joe had been found. A young African woman's body was lifeless when she was dug out of the wreckage. The skinny teenage boy was luckier - other than a few cuts and bruises, he appeared to be fine. He dusted himself off, flashed a grateful smile and disappeared into the darkness.

The rescue process continued on through the night with the valued assistance of the local civilians and police officers. The crowd had trampled one older man to death and two children were badly injured as well. With emergency resources scant, most of the victims were treated at the scene for cuts and lacerations from the exploded debris. The throngs of people started to diminish as they were reunited with their loved ones; some were injured slightly, others with possible broken bones but eventually they all left heading back to what they called home.

"Amanda!" Lee screamed at the top of his lungs as his eyes scanned the vicinity. "Where are you?" There was no answer to his plea. The list of dead so far was minimal but was Amanda King among them?

End Part Nine
 
 
 
 
 

Estoccian Affair:Part Ten
 

Early Friday morning August 28th

Lee Stetson plodded up the steps to the People's Hall languidly. Before he entered the building he turned and surveyed the area once again. The crowd had dispersed, but there were a few people still wandering aimlessly. From where he was standing the scene looked shockingly tranquil. With a heavy heart he entered the building and sought out the Prime Minister.

"Is everyone all right in here?" Lee asked as he entered the room where the Prime Minister and other dignitaries had been waiting.

"Mr. Stetson, everyone here is fine," the Prime Minister answered cordially, "but rumor has spread that Joe King has been injured."

Lee nodded his head. "It's true, Sir, Mr. King was injured in the explosion. They took him by ambulance to the clinic, but I haven't heard anything about his condition."

"I'll have my secretary call over there and inquire. Are you all right?" he asked with concern as he noted Lee's hands were cut and bloody.

"Excuse my appearance, Sir, I really need to clean up," Lee answered self-consciously.

"You should do so immediately, Mr. Stetson. Then I suggest you get some rest. It's been a long and difficult night for us all. My security forces inform me that it's safe to return to my palace now. We shall talk more in the morning."

"Would you like me to escort you back to your residence?" Lee inquired.

"You've done quite enough this evening, Mr. Stetson, my security guards will make sure I return to my home safely," he answered. "Go, clean yourself up and get some sleep."

"Yes, sir, I will," he responded as he watched as several of the Prime Minister' security officers escorted him out of the room.

"Has anyone seen Mrs. King?" Lee questioned the remaining dignitaries, hoping for a clue as to his wife's whereabouts.

"I saw her a few minutes before the explosion," Jamila answered, walking over towards Lee. "I was saving her some seats for the fireworks."

"Where was she when you last saw her?" Lee inquired anxiously.

"She was walking in the direction of the street - where the parade had just ended; she was looking for Mr. King," Jamila explained and her face now appeared concerned.

"You're sure?" he worried knowing that was the area nearest the impact sight.

Jamila couldn't help but see how troubled her statement had made him. "Maybe she was helping with the injured. You should check the clinic to see if she's down there."

"Yeah, thanks, I'll do that," he answered before he left the room and went in search of a washroom.

Lee turned on the faucet and let a stream of cold water run across his chafed, filthy hands. The layers of blood and dirt slowly peeled off his fingers and palms. He soaped up his hands and scrubbed them together, scraping under his fingernails trying to get them clean. Once he was finally satisfied, he looked up at his face in the mirror. It, too, was covered in layers of filth. He cupped his hands under the cool water and closed his eyes as he splashed the water onto his face. He repeated the motion almost a dozen times before his skin again felt like it was clean. His shirt and pants were tattered, bloody and stained. He had long ago discarded his coat and tie. He could easily be mistaken for a victim from the explosion, but he'd been lucky. He was alive and well. Finally he patted a paper towel across his face to dry it then tossed in into the trash bucket.

Exhaustion overcame him and he leaned against the wall for support, but his legs could no longer bear his weight. He allowed himself to gradually slip down to the floor. He sat alone on the tile floor; his eyes struggled to stay open. His head kept nodding forward. He couldn't sleep until he found Amanda, yet he didn't have the strength to stand.

"All right, I'll just sit here for five minutes," he mumbled to himself as he allowed his body to rest.

Lee finally awoke some time later and wasn't sure how long he'd been asleep other than his body was now stiff and aching. Had he been lying there for that long or was it from the sheer physical exhaustion that his muscles were rebelling? He straightened his legs out carefully but painfully when he heard footsteps heading down the hall. When the door to the washroom opened Lee was standing. He nodded to the startled janitor before he rushed past him and went out the door.

****

Lee managed to hitch a ride to the clinic in an old rickety truck. He was surprised to see the place so busy considering it was the wee hours of the morning. He pushed his way into the door, despite the grumbling of those still waiting in line outside and made his way to the reception desk.

"Hello, I'm trying to locate Joseph King. He was one of the victims of the bombing," he explained.

The clerk nodded dutifully, then handed him a clipboard and smiled. "Fill this out."

"No, you don't understand. I'm not a patient. I don't want to see the doctor," Lee answered as he pushed the clipboard back to the clerk. "I'm trying to find out the condition of one of your patients - Joseph King, the Secretary of Food and Housing. He was brought in by ambulance a few hours ago."

"Fill this out to see doctor," she repeated once more in broken English.

Lee pushed it back once again and leaned further into the window area, hoping to find someone else who might be able to understand him. Unfortunately, the clinic appeared to be short on staff and nobody else was at the front desk area. "Francine!" he yelled loudly. "Francine, are you here?!"

The clerk gave him a bizarre look, not sure what he was doing, but a few minutes later, Francine Desmond poked her head into the waiting room.

"Scarecrow, when did you get here? You're a mess." she questioned as she inspected his injuries. "You need to have the doctor take a look at you, too."

"I'll be fine, Francine," he protested. "How's Joe?"

"Not good," she remarked as she nodded for Lee to follow her into the treatment area of the clinic. "They're trying to stabilize him. I've got an Army helicopter on standby. They're going to medi-vac him to a U. S. military hospital in Germany for further treatment. They just don't have the facilities here."

"How soon will that happen?" Scarecrow asked.

"Hopefully by daybreak," she shrugged. "How's Amanda?"

"I don't know, I still haven't found her," he answered somberly. "I was hoping she was here."

Francine shook her head. "I haven't seen her, but I've been staying with Joe and there are an awful lot of people here. She could be here somewhere."

"She would have found you," he answered, swallowing hard. The knot in his stomach was twisting and turning.

"Not if she was brought in as a patient," Francine reminded him, then almost immediately wished she hadn't. "Have you been back to the residence? Maybe she went back there?" Francine suggested logically.

This time Lee shook his head. "I haven't been there yet, but she would've tried to find me if…"

"Scarecrow, don't go there," Francine warned as she took Lee's hands into hers. She looked up into his eyes. "If something had happened to Amanda she would have been among the first victims that were sent here. She's not, so don't assume the worst."

Lee nodded, but the pit in his stomach wasn't easily swayed. "Keep an eye out for her, Francine. I'll poke around here and if I can't find her, I'll go back to the compound. Maybe you're right, maybe she did head back there…"

"I'll come with you," Francine suggested.

"No, stay with Joe. As soon as I find Amanda, we'll catch up with you in Germany."

"Lee," Francine hesitated nervously. "I know I was rather rude to you this morning about - you know, you and Amanda being married. You've been happier in the last year than you have been the whole time I've known you. I guess Amanda really is good for you and… well, I guess I'm happy you've found each other."

"Thanks, Francine, that means a lot," Lee answered as a lump formed in his throat at the thought that he might have lost his wife.

"Don't give up hope, Lee Stetson. You know Amanda, she has an amazing knack of getting herself out of trouble," Francine reasoned shrewdly.

"You're right about that," Lee chuckled, his mood lifting ever so slightly.

"I'll see you later, then." Francine announced. She hugged her friend tightly for a brief moment and returned to the room where Joe King was being treated.

Lee Stetson prowled around the clinic, searching for his wife, but it didn't take him long to realize that she wasn't in any of the treatment rooms or the waiting area. Finally, he stepped outside and walked down the long line of people waiting, hoping that his wife's would be among the sea of faces staring at him. Unfortunately, she wasn't there…

***

Lee arrived back at the Government Compound as dawn was beginning to break; he was near exhaustion. As he reached the door to the tiny shack they called the gatehouse he remembered that he'd moved his bags up to the main residence. He turned his head and looked across the forlorn courtyard at the palatial dwelling, wishing now he hadn't let Amanda talk him into moving into more comfortable quarters. What he really wanted was a shower, a couple of hours of sleep and some privacy. Realizing he had no other options as his clothes and suitcase were in the main house, he trudged wearily across the courtyard, planning to sneak in hoping to avoid the ever-present butler.

Lee opened the front door quietly and treaded silently towards the back of the residence. He had taken over the maid's quarters, which was the room that Francine had occupied. She most graciously agreed to take a larger room upstairs in the family's quarters. Lee was not quite into the kitchen when he was accosted.

"Mr. Stetson, are you all right?" Dobi questioned anxiously as he observed Lee's bloody and tattered clothes.

Lee stopped dead in his tracks and snapped angrily at the butler. "I'm fine. I just need a shower and a few hours of sleep."

"Are you alone?" the butler questioned as he glanced down the entrance hall anxiously. "I need to speak with you privately."

Lee gritted his teeth, wanting to remain polite, yet needing to ditch the annoying butler. He felt grimy, fatigued and desperately wanted to clean up and get some sleep so he could think straight. He had to find his wife. "We can chat after I've had a shower and some sleep. It's been a really long night and as you can see, I'm filthy and exhausted. Now, if you don't mind…" Lee tried to push past the lanky man.

"I'm afraid I must insist," Dobi answered, his face serious, his usual yellow toothed grin missing.

Lee eyed the butler suspiciously. His distrust for the man had been growing since they located the cache of weapons in the basement. Swallowing hard he finally answered. "I'd be more than happy to speak with you if you'd allow me a half hour at least to shower and change."

Dobi was shaking his head. "I'm sorry, Mr. Stetson, but time is of the essence."

"All right," Lee grumbled irritably. "What's so important that it can't wait?"

"Follow me, please," Dobi instructed as he turned and began to walk towards the back of the house.

"Hold on a minute," Lee demanded. "You said you wanted to talk - so talk!"

"I need you to come with me, please…" Dobi insisted in a low, but determined voice.

Lee was tired and upset - he lacked patience. Smelling a trap, he reached for his gun and drew it. He pointed it at the lanky butler. "I'm too tired for games, Dobi, I suggest you start talking!"

Dobi's eyes grew wide; he appeared to be alarmed. "Please, Mr. Stetson, put your gun away. We're both on the same side."

"Are we? How can I be so sure?" Lee challenged with a steady glare.

"I work for the Estoccian Government - I'm an agent with the Estoccian Security Agency," Dobi explained as he slowly reached into his pocket to retrieve his identification, handing it to Lee.

Lee eyed the man suspiciously, studied the ID carefully and finally put his gun away. "All right, what's so urgent that you needed to speak to me about?"

"Follow me, please," Dobi reiterated as he walked through the kitchen and opened the door to his room.

Lee stepped into the room. There were two women sitting on the bed, one was applying bandages to another. It only took a few seconds for Lee to realize who one of them was. "Amanda!" he shouted in relief.

Amanda didn't reply. Instead she sat motionless on the bed, propped up against the wall.

"Amanda, it's me, Lee," he repeated as he rushed to her side. The other woman moved away and allowed him to examine Amanda's injuries. "Why didn't you take her to the clinic? How long has she been unconscious?"

"She's been drifting in and out since we brought her here," Dobi explained.

"She needs to see a doctor," Lee argued as he began to scoop her up in his arms. "I'm taking her down to the clinic."

"Her life is in danger. It was too great of a risk to take her to such a public place," Dobi explained calmly. "This is my sister, Naja. She's a nurse. She'll care for her until we can make other arrangements."

Lee tenderly stroked his wife's face. Her eyes fluttered her and she became semi-conscious. "Amanda, are you all right?"

"Joe? Where's Joe? Is he all right?" she whispered in a weak voice staring through him with glassy eyes.

"Joe's down at the clinic," Lee informed her in a gentle voice, as he inventoried her wounds. "That's where we need to take you. Can you walk?"

"My head hurts... Everything's blurry," she mumbled as she rubbed her temples.

"Mr. Stetson, I'd have to advise you against taking her to the clinic," Dobi objected, shaking his head in alarm. "She's a witness to the explosion. She may be one of the few people who actually saw who was responsible for that heinous act of cowardice."

"Look at her! She needs medical attention," Lee argued as he put his hand up in front of his wife's face to try to get her attention, but her eyes couldn't focus. "She can't see straight. She probably has a concussion, she might need stitches…"

"She'll never make it out of the clinic alive," Dobi warned ominously. "I saw what happened when the grenade exploded - I was there. Mrs. King attempted to warn Mr. King. He knows she can identify him."

"Who knows?" Lee spat out in a furious voice. "Who's behind the explosion?"

"The Finance Minister. He's a very powerful man in this country and he controls the purse strings. People fear him and will do whatever he may ask them. How many did he kill last night? He won't hesitate to kill again to protect himself."

"The Finance Minister!" Lee repeated, as he nodded his head in agreement. "Amanda mentioned to me that he'd made some threats at the dinner reception the other evening."

"The Minister of Finance…" Amanda mumbled incoherently.

"He was very much against the Prime Minister bringing Joe King back to the country. The Finance Minister was worried, no doubt, that he couldn't buy Mr. King's silence. Instead, he attempted to eliminate him. His actions last night will not be his last," Dobi cautioned ominously, then added. "How is Mr. King?"

Still wary of Dobi, Lee decided he wouldn't share all the information he knew with him at this time. "They were trying to stabilize his condition."

"You need to make some kind of arrangements to get Mr. and Mrs. King out of the country until we can arrest the Finance Minister." Dobi stated authoritatively. "Do you have contacts that can fly them out of the country?"

Lee nodded, still not ready to divulge that arrangements to get Joe out of the country had already been made. "I'll make the arrangements immediately. Is the driver available this morning? Can he be trusted?"

"I don't trust the driver. He's a distant cousin to the Finance Minister. We'll need to smuggle Mrs. King away from the house and then get her to the airport under cover."

Lee ran his hand nervously through his hair. "How do you plan to do that? She's barely conscious and she doesn't exactly blend in with the locals!"

"We could dress her in traditional Muslim clothing," Naja suggested. "We could meet you at the open-air market."

"Hide Amanda behind a veil?" Lee questioned, wide eyed.

"My sister is right. It would help protect Mrs. King's identity. I doubt the Finance Minister would be looking for her at an open-air market dressed as a local." Dobi glanced at his watch anxiously. "If we wait here much longer I fear we will be found. He'll have lookouts at the clinic waiting for her arrival… It may be her only chance…"

"Amanda, this is very important," Lee declared, cupping her face with his hands and looking directly into her eyes. "You have to go with Dobi and Naja down to the market. I'll meet you there."

"My head hurts," Amanda mumbled once again.

"I know it does, sweetheart," Lee replied, his jaw muscle twitching. "If you go down to the market, I promise I'll take you to see Joe."

She perked up at that suggestion. "Joe's all right?" she questioned.

"He's waiting to see you, but you have to meet me down at the market, first." Lee replied as he swallowed hard.

Lee eased Amanda to her feet, and then Dobi and his sister stood on each side of her, aiding her to move forward. Her first few steps were very tentative, but then she seemed to find her balance.

"That's it," Dobi encouraged. "Take it slow."

"All right. Where and when will we meet?" Lee questioned as he looked over to Dobi to solidify plans to sneak his wife out of the country.

"We'll meet at the edge of the market in two hours," Dobi called over his shoulder. "That'll give you time to clean up and make the travel arrangements. I must warn you though - I'm not certain who you can trust…"

End Part Ten
 
 
 
 
 

Estoccian Affair:Part 11

Late Friday morning…

Lee used the two hours wait as best he could. First he'd showered, shaved and dressed, packing a small, unobtrusive bag of essentials. After that, he made arrangements with the US Army to fly him and Amanda out of the country as soon as they arrived at the Army base. Finally, he had finagled a ride to the open-air market. Lee arrived there in plenty of time to meet up with Dobi and Amanda. Although the shower had made him feel fresh, he was still quite exhausted, not having a chance for any sleep.

Even though it was only mid-morning at the open-air market, it was already sizzling hot and dusty. Most merchants had some type of canopy covering their booths: some used ragged cloth, others with old canvas and a few with thin plastic to shelter their stands. The patchwork of protection was colorful, even comical to the eye, but provided little protection from the ever-glaring sun that beat down upon them. When an occasional breeze picked-up, it sent clouds of dust and sand through the air, which could be blinding and made it difficult to breathe. The various odors in the air were pungent. Lee couldn't determine whether it was overripe fruit, spoiled meat, or just poor sanitary conditions, but the smell was nauseating.

Lee wandered through the various wares that the locals were trying to peddle attempting to pass the time before his wife arrived. The Estoccian currency was almost worthless, although US dollars were widely accepted. Many of the merchants bartered with the populace more efficiently than bothering with coins and worthless paper money. They traded an odd assortment of local fruits, vegetables, and meats. Sometimes a live chicken was traded for an animal hide or a hand woven rug. Some merchants offered potions which local custom or wives-tales were thought to bring them luck, strength or vitality.

Lee attempted to appear casual as he strolled through the market but he realized his appearance and attire drew attention to him. In order to blend in more with the locals, Lee purchased a loaf of bread from one merchant and a block of cheese from another. Pleased at his attempts to blend in even slightly, he glanced at his watch. It was now past the time for Dobi and Amanda to arrive. His eyes quickly scanned the busy marketplace.

"Where are they?" he asked out loud, as he scanned the area to the left and right, not sure in which direction they might appear from, squinting his eyes to fight the blinding sun.

"What are you looking for, sir?" a merchant with a broad smile asked, eager to help.

"Uh," Lee stuttered in surprise as he turned to see a young merchant standing only inches from him. "I'm looking for…um, some… um… cloth for my wife," he finally blurted out, not wanting the man to know he was looking for someone, not something.

"Yes, for a new dress, no doubt. You should try looking on the north end of the market," he kindly pointed out. "There are several booths with excellent choices of fabric."

"Thank you," Lee answered graciously as he turned and walked in the direction the merchant had suggested to maintain his cover. It didn't take long before he reached the end of the market place. Was this the edge of the market that Dobi had mentioned or should he be waiting at the other end? Amanda was no where to be seen. He glanced at his watch impatiently, but the seconds ticked by slowly.

As the merchant had told him, there was a man selling various colors and types of cloth. He paused a while at his table and mindlessly fingered the different pieces of fabric, hoping that soon his wife would appear and he could end his charade.

"A very good weave, sir," the tradesman suggested.

Lee had noticed that it was, in fact, a tightly woven piece of material, but his interest in it was purely to keep his cover. "Yes, it is, but it's not quite what I'm looking for."

The tradesman, eager for a sale, picked out several other pieces of cloth that were also well made and placed it on the top of the pile for Lee to examine. "Is there something in particular you're looking for? A favorite color, perhaps?" he inquired earnestly.

"I'll know it when I see it," Lee answered cryptically, knowing he was speaking of his wife and the tradesman was speaking of the fabric. "But thank you just the same."

Lee wandered again into the crowd, not wanting to engage the zealous business people who desired to sell their wares. He wanted to keep a low profile, meet his wife and leave as quickly as possible. The day was getting hotter by the minute, and his shirt was now plastered to his back with perspiration. The minutes kept ticking on and still he couldn't find the face in the crowd that he so desperately wanted to see.

Lee meandered around, finally sitting down on the ground and leaned against a tall, thin palm tree at the deserted end of the business area. It provided little shade, but it was down wind from the stench of the shopping area. He'd walked the marketplace almost a dozen times and didn't want to appear suspicious by loitering. His watch told him that it had been three hours since he last saw Amanda and Dobi. He broke off a piece of the bread from the loaf and nibbled at it apprehensively.

"They should have been here an hour ago! Where the hell are they?" Lee growled in despair as his foot kicked some dirt. His mind was beginning to wonder if he'd been duped into trusting Dobi. He should have contacted the Prime Minister's office to confirm that Dobi really was part of the Estoccian Security Forces. Did Dobi deliver Amanda into the hands of the Finance Minister to make sure the attempt on Joe's life would remain an unpunished secret? Lee rubbed his temples, trying to push such black thoughts from his mind, but he knew it was a very real possibility. If the Finance Minister was behind this as Dobi had mentioned, wasn't it possible that Dobi was a double agent working on both sides the payroll?

"I'll kill him with my bare hands," Lee grumbled to himself as he stood back up, grabbed his things and dusted his clothes off. He hurried back to the market in a frenzy. This time Lee pushed his way through the crowd abruptly. He was convinced that he'd been duped by the rather convincing performance of Dobi and his alleged sister. He should have insisting on taking Amanda with him, instead of leaving her with Dobi. He could have driven out of the government compound to the Army base. If he had to he could have rammed the gate and shot his way out of the compound, if necessary.

"Mr. Stetson," a man's voice called to him.

Lee paused for a moment, not sure where the voice came from in the crowd.

"Mr. Stetson, over here," the voice called again.

Lee turned to his left and saw Dobi, standing alone, smiling at him. Lee's eyes burned with animosity and hurried to the slender man, grabbing him roughly by his shoulder almost lifting him off the ground. "Where is she? If you've hurt her, I'll kill you and your sister!" Lee snarled in a rage.

"Mr. Stetson, please, lower your voice," Dobi pleaded as he glanced around anxiously. "Mrs. King is safely waiting in the car on the edge of the commons," he nodded to an open field adjacent to the market where a few cars and pushcarts were stored.

Lee took a deep breath, trying to regain his composure. "Why didn't you bring her here?"

"She's rather… dizzy, making her clumsy on her feet. She's still having trouble walking. I was afraid she might collapse if I brought her this way," Dobi explained quickly. "I didn't want to draw any unwanted attention…"

"I'm sorry," Lee apologized as he tried to reign in his emotions. "You were late and I was afraid something might have happened. You did the right thing. I've made arrangements to get out of the country. Can you could give us a lift to the Army base?"

"The Army base?" Dobi repeated as he looked over his shoulder, obviously concerned. "That's all the way on the other side of town."

"Yeah, just past the airport. Is there a problem?" Lee countered anxiously.

"The car we used is my sister's husbands. It's quite old - not very reliable. I thought you'd make other arrangements for transportation," Dobi answered.

"You told me not to trust the driver. I didn't have much time to make other arrangements on two hours notice," Lee reminded the security agent/butler. "If I asked to take the car myself he might have gotten suspicious. He was slightly suspicious dropping me off here."

Dobi nodded his agreement. "Of course; you are right. We'll just have to take it slow and try to avoid the potholes in the road."

"Let's go," Lee encouraged, resolute to be out of Estoccia and he followed Dobi towards the parking area.

When they arrived at the car, there were two women sitting in the back seat of the car, dressed in Muslim attire, with only their hands and eyes uncovered.

"Amanda?" Lee questioned as he poked his head into the window.

"Lee, is that you? Where have you been?" Amanda asked, her voice sounding unsteady.

"Yeah, I'm right here," he answered reaching out his hand and taking hers in his. "How are you feeling?"

"My head… it's really throbbing. I'm so dizzy and tired…" she complained as her head bobbed slightly and her eyes struggled to focus on his form.

"Hang on a little while longer. We're going to take you someplace safe," he reassured her.

"Where's Joe? Is he safe?" she worried.

"Mr. Stetson, we need to leave. The longer we wait the greater the chance that you or Mrs. King will be located," Dobi warned nervously.

Lee nodded and got in the front passenger seat of the car. He turned once again towards the back. "Don't worry, Amanda, I promise Joe's safe. We'll meet up with him soon, but we've got to get you to safety as well," Lee reassured once again as the car lurched forward and started the long, bumpy drive to the Army base.

The road had almost no vehicular traffic, mostly people traveled on foot so the highway was clear. However, the car had little power and unlike the limousine they arrived in, it had no air conditioning. The windows were open to let the hot air circulate through the tiny automobile. There was no conversation in the car, as the loud rumble of the engine made it difficult to hear anything else. Dobi attempted to avoid the pot holes as best he could, but considering the poor condition of the roads and the age of the vehicle the ride was anything but smooth.

Lee noticed that Dobi was keeping an eye on the rear view mirror. The car didn't have a mirror on the passenger side, so Lee finally turned and noticed a car in the distance. "Is there a problem? Are we being followed?" he questioned with concern.

"We might be, but I'm not certain," Dobi answered with a shrug as he stepped on the gas pedal and the engine whined loudly in complaint.

The car behind them continued to gain ground. "Are you armed?" Lee Stetson queried in a tense voice.

"In the glove box," Dobi responded with a raised eyebrow.

Lee opened the glove box and out popped a small pistol. He looked at it with frustration before revealing his own gun. "We better hope they're just in a hurry to the airport. I've only got one extra clip on me."

It wasn't long before the car behind them caught up. Then, without warning, they were hit from the back by the other vehicle. The two women in the back flew forward from the jolt. Again the car behind them smashed into them. Dobi struggled to keep control of the small car.

"You better hold on tight," Lee suggested to Amanda and Naja as their lap belts were giving them little protection from the jarring assault from behind. "It looks like we're in for a nasty ride."

The car behind them was relentless. Dobi struggled to keep the car on the road and out of the soft sand where they'd be trapped for sure. The driver of the offending vehicle decided on a change of tactic. He pulled up next to the small car, smashing against the driver's side in an attempt to run them off the road.

"Hit the brakes!" Lee shouted to Dobi. "Let them get ahead of us. I might be able to get a clean shot at them."

Dobi jammed on the brakes and the other car was momentarily in front of them. "Shoot out their tires!" Dobi encouraged, wide-eyed.

Lee aimed at the tire, shooting twice. The second shot hit the back right tire. The other vehicle swerved wildly, almost out of control before it came to a complete stop. The right side of the car was half on the road and half on the sandy shoulder, which further hampered their attack. The driver attempted to escape, but only further dug a whole into the sand, sinking the backside of the car hopelessly into the soft shoulder of the road.

"Get us the hell out of here!" Lee shouted, again having a slight advantage.

"Hang on," Dobi yelled when he put the pedal to the metal the car pitched forward with a loud groan. The engine hissed and kicked, and the occupants of the car worried for a moment that the vehicle had trod its last mile. Finally, with one last cough, it started to gain momentum slowly. As they passed the other car, they had a clear look at the two occupants - both appeared to be locals.

"Duck down," Lee suggested to Amanda and Naja as they began to pass by the other car, worrying that the driver or passenger of the offending vehicle might attempt a shoot out. But it wasn't bullets that came flying into the open window. A live grenade landed with a distinct thud at Lee's feet.

"Oh no!" Dobi wailed anxiously as he jammed on the brakes once again. "Everyone get out of the car!"

"NO, keep going!" Lee countered as he fished down between his feet, trying frantically to reach the grenade. Within seconds Lee had a firm grasp on the grenade and threw it out the open window with a mighty heave, directing it behind their car.

The tiny car continued its struggle forward. Lee turned and waited for the grenade to explode. It all happened in a flash, but the grenade blew up only a few feet from the debilitated vehicle stuck in the sand. Their own progress was slow, but they steadily drove away from the still stranded vehicle in a curtain of dust, sand and oil fumes. The debris flew in the air which was exactly what they needed for Lee, Amanda, Dobi and his sister to make a safe get-away.

"Whew!" Dobi exclaimed in a mix of excitement and relief. "I can't believe you threw it back at them!"

Lee let out a long slow breath. "That was too close. How much farther to the Army base?"

"It's not far now," Dobi answered in a relieved voice. "You can see the airport off in the distance. It's on the far side of the airport."

Lee turned back to check on Amanda and Naja. Amanda's head was slumped over to the side, her face pale as the desert sand that surrounded them. "Amanda. Amanda!" Lee called out in alarm.

"She's fainted again," Naja remarked with a worried glance.

"Dobi, make this car fly…" Lee appealed as the color drained from his face as well.

End Part 11
 
 
 
 
 

Estoccian Affair: Part 12

Late Friday night…

Lee continued to pace at the end of the hospital's hallway in what was a drab and uncomfortable waiting room. He couldn't have chosen a less inviting place to be. Not only was he at a hospital, but on a military base to boot. There were several hard plastic chairs, none of which had been inviting and a plethora of out dated magazines scattered on the mismatched tables. Unable to otherwise occupy his troubled mind, Lee Stetson continued to pace through the night like a rat trapped in a maze.

"Scarecrow!" a familiar voice called from the end of the hall. "When did you get here?"

Lee turned and struggled to focus his weary eyes on the woman hurrying towards him. "About an hour or two ago, I guess," he blinked and rubbed his tired, bloodshot eyes when Francine reached the waiting area. His appearance matched his eyes, as he looked totally exhausted and consumed by worry.

"I just heard that Amanda was here. How is she?" Francine asked with concern.

Lee ran his hand nervously through his unusually messy hair. "I wish I knew. I haven't seen her since we arrived here and nobody will tell me what's going on!" he snapped angrily as he continued his frantic pacing.

Just then, a nurse entered the hallway. Lee stopped and stared, hoping for some news on his wife but the nurse eluded Lee and hurried in the other direction.

"See what I mean!" he growled in frustration. "They're avoiding me on purpose!"

"What kind of shape was she in?" Francine questioned uncomfortably.

"She has a head injury, a concussion I guess. I'm not sure what else. She kept floating in and out of consciousness," he answered in a quiet voice as he stared blindly out the window into the dark of the night.

"Why don't we sit down?" Francine urged as she reached for his arm and guided him over to a chair in the waiting room. She sat him down and took the chair next to him. "When did you eat last?"

"I'm not hungry," Lee grumbled, his nerves on edge. "For God's sake, Francine, she could be dying in there for all I know!"

"Scarecrow, stop it! Stop it right now! Don't jump to conclusions," Francine demanded, then changed her tone and asked in a soothing voice. "Exactly what happened?"

"Amanda was pretty close to Joe when the grenade blew. She saw the whole thing unfold and got caught in the explosion. That's why we had to get her out of the country," Lee summarized.

Francine's brow wrinkled, totally confused. "Slow down, Scarecrow, you're not making a whole lot of sense. What exactly did she see and who is the 'we' who helped get her out of the country?"

Lee took a deep breath to calm his nerves. So much was running through his head that it wasn't surprising that Francine didn't follow him. The last 24 hours had been a nightmare roller coaster ride. Gathering his wits about him he started his explanation once again. "Apparently Amanda was in the wrong place at the right time and saw who was behind the grenade attack. It was the Finance Minister; she'd suspected him from the start and she was right on target. We should have detained him or something," he grumbled as he started to stand and resume his pacing.

Francine grabbed his arm, not allowing him to get up. "We didn't have the authority, the manpower or any solid evidence, Scarecrow. Stop brow beating yourself," Francine reminded him firmly.

"Well we do now, but that doesn't do Joe or Amanda any good, now does it?" Lee snapped bitterly.

"Just be glad they brought her here. This is one of the best medical facilities in Germany. They bring all the combat wounded servicemen here. She's in good hands, Lee," Francine encouraged. "How about we go get a cup of coffee or something? You look like you're ready to collapse."

"Thanks, Francine, really. I know you're trying to help, but I just…" Lee started to refuse.

"I think that's a great idea, Francine. Would you mind getting us all something to drink? I'd prefer a soda," Billy interrupted.

"Billy, what are you doing here?" Scarecrow questioned in surprise.

"I heard there were some problems in Estoccia and someone needed to debrief Joe King so I decided I'd get out of the office for a while. I'm glad to see you and Amanda made it out as well. How is she?" Billy asked.

"I don't know. They're still examining her or treating her, or something!" Lee blew up angrily, his hands flailing wildly into the air as he glared at the nurses' station.

"Calm down, Scarecrow. This is one of the best medical facilities around," Billy answered reflectively. Then he turned towards Francine. "How's Joe doing?"

"He's out of surgery. They've moved him into intensive care, but at least he's stabilized," Francine reported. "He's still sedated so you probably won't be able to debrief him until tomorrow morning at the earliest."

"That's fine. Have you made accommodations for us all?" Billy inquired.

"Yes, they're putting us up in base housing. It's only a short walk from here," Francine replied competently.

"Great. How about you track down something for us to drink while I catch up with Lee," Billy suggested as he nodded for Francine to leave.

"Sure thing. I'll be back in a few minutes," Francine answered taking the hint as she quickly turned on her heels and went looking for a vending machine.

"When's the last time you had any sleep, Scarecrow?" Billy questioned in a concerned voice once they were alone.

"Billy, I'm fine!" Lee snapped at his boss.

"You need to bed down for a few hours or you'll be the next casualty," Billy countered in a harsh tone.

"I know what you're trying to do and I appreciate your concern, but I'm not budging from here until I know Amanda's going to be all right!" Lee pledged fervently.

"All right, Scarecrow, I hear you, but I'm going to hold you to that promise," Billy answered in a knowing voice. "In the meantime, why don't you give me a quick synopsis of what happened in Estoccia."

Lee nodded his head in agreement and took a deep breath. "Amanda was on the right track from the start. The Finance Minister opposed Joe's appointment because he knew from past dealings with him that Joe couldn't be bought. He threatened Joe via a conversation he had with Amanda, but neither Joe or Amanda backed down so I guess he decided to get rid of Joe - permanently."

"So he was behind the grenade attack that injured Joe?" Billy questioned.

"And Amanda! Apparently Amanda saw what happened that night, which is why he went after her next," Lee explained.

Billy gave Lee a puzzled look. "I'm missing something here. When did he go after Amanda?"

"Earlier today. Dobi, the butler who turns out to be an agent for Estoccia got her back to the compound after the explosion without being detected by anyone. I'm still not sure how he managed that," Scarecrow remarked, looking slightly perplexed.

"The butler?" Billy repeated, totally confused.

"Dobi, Joe and Amanda's butler," he repeated shaking his head. "He works for the fledgling Estoccian Security Bureau. If it wasn't for him, I don't think Amanda would have made it this far. His sister nursed Amanda until I got back to the residence. Later they helped smuggle her out of the compound so we could get to the Army base."

"Sounds like you've had quite a day!" Billy expressed with surprise.

"Yeah, and I didn't even tell you about our ride to the Army base. We were nearly killed by another grenade attack on our way there. Apparently someone was watching the road to the airport and the next thing we knew they were trying to run us off the road," Lee explained more thoroughly.

"When did the second grenade come into play?" Billy queried curiously.

"With some luck on my part and some rather fancy driving by Dobi, I managed to shoot out the tire of the other car. They ended up on the side of the road stuck in the sand. As we passed their car, they tossed a grenade at ours. It landed at my feet. I had just enough time to throw it out the window before it blew!"

"You're all lucky to be alive!" his supervisor commented.

"Tell me about it," Lee swallowed hard, his face haggard. "I just wish the damned doctor's would tell me something - anything! I'm so worried about her. She's been through so much this week."

"Let me see if I can shake down some answers. Once we have them you're heading off for at least eight hours of shut eye!" Billy demanded. He didn't wait for a reply or rebuke. Billy stood up and stalked down the hallway to the nurses' station, flashed his badge and disappeared into the corridors of the hospital.

*** ***

Lee had resumed his pacing and hardly realized that Billy had returned until he cleared his throat getting his attention immediately.

"Lee Stetson, this is Doctor Eaton. He's been treating your wife!" Billy stated gruffly.

Lee's face flushed and he swallowed hard. He couldn't miss the emphasis on Billy's last word - his wife. He knew he'd have a lot of explaining to do, but now was not the time, and this was not the place. Lee glanced at Billy for a split second before he turned his attention to the doctor. "How is she, doctor? Is she going to be all right?"

"Mr. Stetson, we've run numerous tests on your wife," the doctor began with the usual rhetoric. "She has a concussion, various bruises and cuts and she's seriously dehydrated. We've got her on IV fluids, but remarkably there are no broken bones or internal injuries. We're going to keep her here for at least the next 48 hours for observation. After that she needs bed rest and relaxation, but we expect her to make a full recovery."

"Really?!" he almost shouted in delight as a broad smile washed across his face. "She'll going to be all right?"

"Yes, I assure you she'll make a full recovery, given the time," the doctor reassured.

"Can I see her now?" Lee asked eagerly.

The doctor paused for a moment before he answered. "They haven't moved her to a room yet. She really needs some rest and from the look at you, you could use some as well. I suggest you retire for the night and meet with you wife in the morning. Now if you'll excuse me, I have other patients to attend to…"

Despite not being allowed to see Amanda, Lee was grinning from ear to ear relieved that his wife was all right. As the doctor walked away, Lee dropped down into the chair in a mixture of elation and exhaustion.

Francine finally returned with coffee and sodas. "Everything's all right?" she questioned eagerly.

"Yes, Francine," Billy replied with a nod. "Amanda should be up and around in a couple of days."

"That's great news," she responded happily as she handed a coffee to Lee. "I got you a cup of decaf."

"Thanks, Francine," Lee answered as he took the cup from her.

Billy reached for a soda then turned to Scarecrow. "Once you finish that coffee, I'm making the doctor's suggestion an order, Scarecrow. You need to get to bed. "

Lee nodded, not having the strength to argue. "You won't get an argument from me, Billy."

"Francine, you look like you could use a few hours sleep as well," Billy commented.

Francine nodded her head wearily. "It's been a long day."

"All right then," Billy answered as he took one last gulp from his soda before standing up. "Let's get out of here and get some rest. There will be plenty to do tomorrow." The three agents stood up and headed for the exit door. The long arduous day had finally come to an end…

End Part Twelve
 
 
 
 
 
 

Estoccian Affair: Part 13

Saturday morning - August 29th

Lee woke up early the next morning. His mood was much improved now that he'd some sleep and a hot shower. He was eager to take the short walk back to the hospital to see his wife. He whistled as he walked up the street in the cool, refreshing morning air. It was quite a contrast to the abysmal heat in Estoccia. He walked into the main entrance of the hospital and poked around until he found the gift shop where he purchased the largest bundle of flowers they had. Next he went to the information desk.

"Which room is Amanda King in?" he asked the woman on duty cheerfully.

"Amanda King?" the woman fumbled through the logbook then smiled back up at Lee. "Amanda King is in room 447."

"Thank you very much!" Lee answered as he pulled one of the carnations out of the bouquet of flowers and presented it to the woman. "For you, Frau."

"Danke," she replied as she watched Lee saunter off to the elevator.

Lee guessed that his wife might still be asleep. 'She'll probably sleep most of the day', he thought to himself. He remembered when he had a concussion and he could barely keep his eyes open. "At least she won't be alone when she wakes up," Lee said out loud as he patiently waited for the elevator doors to open.

The elevator finally arrived, and a few people wandered off but Lee was the only person getting on. He punched the button for the fourth floor. As it reached each floor the elevator 'dinged'. Finally, the doors opened on the fourth floor. The sign in the hallway indicated he needed to go to the left. He walked past the nurses' station and finally saw the number 447 on the door. He opened the door quietly, not wanting to disturb his wife. He stepped into the room as silently as possible but he found it empty.

"Amanda?" he called out softly, but there was no reply. Then he knocked on the bathroom door. "Amanda, are you in there?" Still no answer.

Lee opened the bathroom door but it was vacant. He crossed the hospital room and pushed the curtain aside to make sure she wasn't in the other bed or had fallen to the floor. The room was empty. His heart started to beat faster and his palms started to sweat. What could have happened to her? The doctor had assured him that Amanda would be fine. Where was she? Lee dropped the bouquet of flowers on the table next to the bed and hurried out of the room to the nurse's station.

"Excuse me," he spoke loudly. "I'm looking for Amanda King. She's supposed to be in room 447, but the room is empty. Has her room been changed?"

"No, her room hasn't changed. She must have ducked out of her room to go visit Mr. King," the nurse informed him with a cross face. "I'll send an orderly up to his room to check on her."

"Mr. King?" Lee repeated.

"Yes, Mr. King's a patient as well. He's up on the fifth floor. Seems they were both injured in the same explosion, but he caught the worst of it," the nurse advised. "Is there a message you'd like to leave for her?"

"No, no message…" Lee answered flatly as he turned and wandered back to the elevator very dejected. When the doors opened up, there were two other people inside. Lee stepped in, walked to the back and leaned against the wall never bothering to hit the button to return him to the lobby. He hadn't realized the elevator was going up until it stopped and the doors opened on the fifth floor. He followed the people off and made his way to the nurse's station. Lee stood there for a while, not sure of what to do when the nurse glanced up.

"Can I help you?" she asked politely.

"Um, yes, what room number is Joe King in?" he asked unexpectedly. He really didn't want to go visit Joe.

"Mr. King is in room 513. Down the corridor, last door to the right," she answered in a cheerful voice.

"Thank you," Lee responded in a monotone. He drifted down to Joe's room, still hesitating on whether to go in or not.

His curiosity eventually got the best of him and he pushed gently on the wide door just enough to glance into the room. He heard various noises of the machines that were hooked up to the monitors. Lee pushed the door open a little further and could see part of a man lying down on the bed. He assumed it was Joe King but the curtain obscured his view. Lee stepped further inside the room wanting to confirm that his wife was there. Stealthily, he edged towards the bed, leaning around the curtain expecting at any moment to be greeted by Amanda's warm voice. However, his curiosity quickly turned to jealousy. His eyes flared with rage as he saw his wife sound asleep in the chair pulled up closely next to the bed. Amanda's head was resting only inches from Joe. Her hand was holding Joe King's hand lovingly between hers.

Lee back pedaled out of the room, his emotions raw and wounded. He stumbled into an orderly, knocking both him down and an empty wheelchair completely over.

"Are you all right?" the orderly questioned in concern.

"I'm sorry," Lee stuttered anxiously. "I'm really sorry." Quickly Lee turned, now embarrassed on top of his anguished state and hurried to the elevator. He pressed the call button a half dozen times, but the car didn't arrive soon enough to suit his need for escape. Finally the door began to open and without waiting for anyone to exit Lee Stetson pushed his way in.

"Whoa!" Billy cried out after having nearly being knocked over. "What's the rush? I thought Amanda was on the fourth floor?"

Lee stared blankly - consumed by his jealousy. He ignored Billy's comment, pushed the button for the lobby and continued to stare at the doors.

"What's wrong, Scarecrow?" Billy questioned.

"I thought she was over him…" Lee whispered, barely audibly. He ran his hand anxiously through his hair. The elevator reached the lobby, the doors opened up and Lee quickly exited.

Billy hurried after him and grabbed his arm. "Scarecrow, what are you talking about?"

"Amanda, she's upstairs - with Joe," he gulped as he spoke the awful words and shook Billy's hand from his arm.

"I'm sure she was only checking on his condition," Billy answered reasonably.

Lee could hear Billy pick up his pace as he followed him down the hall. "I'm not so sure, Billy." Lee paused for a second as he looked for the exit then hurried in the direction of the door.

"Scarecrow, slow down for just a few seconds. Why don't we go somewhere quiet and talk?" Billy suggested.

"What's there to talk about for God's sake?" Lee argued impulsively as he shrugged Billy hand off of his arm.

"How about your marriage for starters," Billy answered sternly.

"What marriage? It's a sham! She's with Joe. Doesn't that tell you something?" Lee snapped.

"Come on, Lee," Billy replied. "I think it's time we had a chat."

Lee didn't have a chance to respond before his supervisor had a strong grip of his arm and led him out the hospital door.

*** *** ***

The two men sat silently in a corner booth of a local coffee shop. Billy waited for the waitress to leave the table after she delivered their coffee. He sipped at it, hoping Lee would open up to him. The silence continued and Billy finally started a conversation. "So do you want to tell me when you two found the time to tie the knot?" Billy broached the subject carefully.

Lee stared at the dark liquid in his cup and he sighed heavily before speaking. "Back in February. You remember when Amanda was shot in California?" Billy nodded. "We were on our honeymoon."

"Talk about bad luck…" Billy admitted ruefully.

"I should have taken it for a sign of things to come," Lee mumbled angrily.

"Wait a minute, Scarecrow," Billy warned seriously. "What makes you so sure Amanda wants Joe King - because you found her sitting in his hospital room? Don't you think you're jumping to conclusions? If it had been you, or even Francine injured, she would've been there too. I seem to remember her being in your hospital room round the clock when you had a concussion a year or so ago "

"Well… maybe, but…"

"No, buts, Scarecrow. Remember she was married to Joe King for several years and they had two children together. I don't think that necessarily means she wants him back. It might mean that she's concerned and hopes he recovers quickly. Maybe she didn't want him to wake up alone in a strange place in a strange country?" Billy continued his stern lecture.

"But she should be in her own room recovering from her own injuries… not sleeping in a chair in his room!" Lee answered defensively.

"All the more reason to give her a break! Quit allowing your insecurities to get in the way here. It's going to be a couple of days before she's thinking clearly again. She's had a nasty head injury. Did you ever consider that once she went to check on Joe she found herself too tired to make her way back to her own room?" He stared across the table at Scarecrow and wasn't surprised when the younger man looked down. Billy continued his diatribe. "Did you give any thought to waking her up and helping her back to her room or is it just easier for the old Scarecrow to hide behind his feelings and let jealousy ruin the best relationship he's ever had?" Billy shouted a little louder than he had meant to, but he wanted to get his point across to his friend.

"It's been a hell of a week for me too, you know," Lee snapped defensively.

"Yes, it has," his supervisor agreed, his voice changed its tone. "And I'm guessing you're not thinking as logically as you could be either. When you quit being such a fool I'll be more than happy to be supportive, but for the time being someone's got to talk some sense into you."

"I guess I should go back up and see if she's returned to her room?" Lee answered with a raised eyebrow.

"Finish your coffee first. How about getting something to eat as well?" Billy suggested, glad to see the scowl on Scarecrow's face subside. He eyed the menu the waitress had left on the table.

"You know I don't eat much for breakfast," Scarecrow reminded him.

"Scarecrow, what, if anything, did you have to eat yesterday?" Billy questioned with a stare.

"All right, you win. I'll eat something," Scarecrow relented with a scowl and picked up the menu that sat on the table.

Billy picked one up as well. "Good, that will give you some time to explain why you've been married for the last six months and you two are still living apart and taking such great pains to keep it a secret," Billy mentioned as he casually peeked over the menu at his agent.

The waitress came and took their order. Billy continued to stare at him even after the she'd left.

Lee finally broke the silence. "I guess I do owe you an explanation," he answered with a heavy sigh.

"I thought we were friends. You knew I approved of your relationship with Amanda. Why did you keep this a secret from me and for so long?" Billy asked in a hurt voice.

"You knew we were 'involved' but I don't think even you realized at the time how involved we were," Lee confessed, thinking back to the conversation they had once shared. "We weren't sure what the Agency itself would do if we were married."

"I'm sure Dr. Smyth will have a vocal opinion on the subject," Billy Melrose concluded somewhat humorously.

"Smyth!" Lee replied, rolling his eyes. "And you're wondering why we're having this conversation?"

"You know I'll do whatever it takes to keep you and Amanda together as a team," Billy reminded his agent.

"I know," Lee nodded, then continued with his explanation. "At first we were both chicken to even get married. We're each coming in with a lot of baggage and I guess, in a way, we're both afraid of failure."

"I can understand that. Amanda already had one failed marriage and you've never had a real relationship with a woman let alone marry someone with a family," Billy responded.

" I don't have much experience with kids," Lee agreed as he stared at his coffee cup on the table. "I guess I was overwhelmed and afraid to take the plunge without a safety net to fall back on."

"You don't know what you're missing," Billy suggested.

"Actually, over the last year I've noticed what I'm missing, but we had other considerations as well. I think the clincher was when Khai's son was kidnapped."

"Both you and Amanda were worried it could be Phillip or Jamie," Billy finished his sentence for him.

Lee shrugged. "We both know it's a possibility."

"Lee, isn't that a possibility regardless of your marital status or living arrangements? Isn't it true that it would be easier for you, Amanda and the Agency to protect the boys if you were all under one roof?" Billy questioned sensibly.

"Yeah, I think we both came to that conclusion in Estoccia the night before the inauguration, but there's still the problem of telling her family the truth about our marriage and our jobs," Lee answered with a frown. "We lied, stretched the truth and fabricated stories for almost five years now. I don't want to ruin the relationships I've developed with Amanda's boys, but we can't continue living apart."

"I can take the blame for you and Amanda hiding your true professions. Mrs. West has never been too fond of me ever since the Stemwinder incident," Billy confessed as he sipped his coffee.

Lee chuckled. "That's an understatement. She despised you for the longest time, but when you helped out Harry she softened a little."

"Have you ever suspected that Mrs. West might have some idea of what you really do for a living and just hasn't mentioned it?" Billy inquired. "She appears to me to be a rather remarkable woman."

"I've often wondered," Lee admitted as he scratched his head. "I mean, Amanda's given her some rather lame excuses over the years. I've just never pressed the issue. Maybe Dotty does know more than she's admitting to. Maybe I've known that for a while now."

"How do you think she'll react to you two being married?" Billy pondered.

Lee chuckled again. "She's been dropping hints to both of us for the last few months. I'm just not sure she'll be too pleased that we eloped."

"Why not have another wedding, or actually, a real wedding and keep the one you had back in February a secret?" Billy shrugged. "You can have the worlds shortest engagement!"

"That might not be a bad idea," Lee answered just as the waitress came back with their breakfasts. "I'll have to run that by Amanda right after breakfast."

Billy nodded as he picked up his fork. "Lee, in the future, if you have questions or problems, don't keep them secret for six months, all right?"

"You've got it," Lee nodded as he and Billy started to eat.

*** ***

Lee returned to Amanda's hospital room, but as he'd surmised earlier, she was asleep. He pulled up a chair close to her bed, picked up her hand and held it tenderly in his. Several hours passed before she stirred.

"Hi there," Lee whispered as his wife eyes fluttered open.

A warm smile grew on Amanda's face. "Hi."

"How are you feeling?" he questioned with concern.

"Tired," she replied with a yawn. "You kept your promise."

Lee cocked his head slightly, not sure what his wife meant. "What promise was that?"

"You promised to get me and Joe to safety and I knew you'd do it. I went up to his room this morning," she answered, her voice weak. "I wanted to see for myself that he was still alive…"

"I heard," he answered, not mentioning that he'd been up to Joe's room and saw her there. "It's going to be a while before he's back on his feet," Lee admitted contritely. "But he's alive and he's safe."

She nodded and closed her eyes. "His stubborn nature almost got him killed."

It took great restraint for Lee not to add that Joe's stubbornness almost got her killed as well, but he merely nodded. "The important thing is that you're both alive and out of danger."

"Did they get the Finance Minister?" she questioned.

"Don't worry about that for now," Lee whispered as he delicately stroked his wife's face.

"I'd sleep better if I knew," she answered honestly.

Obligingly Lee answered, understanding her need to know. "According to Billy, Dobi picked him up for questioning this morning."

"Dobi - the butler?" she questioned in disbelief, not sure if she heard right.

Lee chuckled. "I'll tell you all the details when you're feeling a little better, but it turns out that he was one of us good guys after all. He's really working for the Estoccian Government."

Amanda nodded thoughtfully, but didn't answer. She was struggling to keep her eyes open. "I'm so sleepy..."

"Then close your eyes and get some rest," Lee suggested lovingly. "We can talk more tomorrow."

"Will you stay with me until I fall asleep?" she asked in a small voice.

"You bet I will," Lee promised, leaning over to give her a kiss on her forehead. Amanda gave him a weary smile and allowed her eyes to close.

End Part Thirteen
 
 
 
 
 

Estoccian Affair:  Part 14

Monday August 31st

"Well, you've got to hand it to Billy. He promised he'd have us home in a week," Lee teased his wife as the airplane began to make its final approach to Dulles International Airport.

"Never mind, Billy," Amanda responded anxiously. "We'll be home in less than an hour. What are we going to tell my mother?"

"Relax, Billy already took care of that," he answered calmly as he watched out the window of the plane.

"WHAT?!" she gasped in shock, then swallowed hard. "Exactly WHY did Billy tell my mother anything?"

"It's a long story," Lee chuckled softly and turned his head towards his wife who nervously tightened her seat belt in preparation for the plane's landing. He took her hand in his. "Billy and I had a couple of long talks. He's a smart guy, don't you think?"

Amanda glared at her husband. "Spill it, Stetson!"

"He had to notify your mother that you and Joe were injured since some of the news stations carried a few blurbs on the inauguration and the incident during the fireworks," Lee suggested in a non-chalant voice.

"Oh my gosh! It was on the news?" Amanda exclaimed with a wince.

"Unfortunately, that's why he really didn't have a lot of choices once that happened. Your mother knew we were in Estoccia to cover the inauguration," Lee explained to his wife.

"You're right," Amanda frowned. "Go on…"

Lee could see the anguish in her face and squeezed her hand gently. "We both know that your mother detests Billy."

"I wouldn't say detests…" Amanda quibbled as she squirmed in her seat anxiously. Lee studied his wife's face for a moment before she broke into a smile. "All right, I'll concede that Mother dislikes Mr. Melrose."

"As I was saying, Billy knows your mother dislikes him so he volunteered to take the blame for hiding our real professions from her. He insinuated that he was pleased with your assistance and that your undercover work helped to foil a larger plot…"

"My mother knows we're spies?" she gulped, her eyes wide as saucers. "You're sure?"

Lee nodded. "I was in the room when he had her on the phone. She knows."

"Oh my gosh!" she blurted out.

"Amanda, are you all right?" Lee questioned in concern as his wife's face lost all its color. "I thought you'd be relieved that she knew. Now all we have to do is explain everything to the boys and set some ground rules…"

"What did she say?" Amanda finally asked.

He shrugged. "That was the funny part. After that she didn't say much at all."

"Did he tell her that we're married, too?" she questioned, her eyes wide with concern.

"No, but Billy did have a suggestion. Since we'll still have to explain our jobs to the boys, and, I'm sure your mother will have a lot of questions to ask us when she sees us, Billy suggested we omit the truth about the nuptials in February."

"And get married again," Amanda finished his thought.

"Considering everything, it might be the easiest solution. We could announce our engagement later this week and have a small, family wedding," Lee concluded.

"A small wedding?" she repeated, looking at him incredulously.

"Yeah, you know - your mother, the boys, Billy, Francine. Nothing fancy…"

"Some spy you turned out to be!" Amanda scoffed. "You'd think after all this time you'd know my mother better than that, Scarecrow! She's going to want to plan a big church wedding with gold foil invitations, flowers of every color, rent a large hall or, at least secure a caterer, a half dozen bridesmaids, flower girls, ring bearer and all the trimmings!"

Lee didn't flinch, but instead he gazed into his wife's eyes. "Is that what you'd like?" Lee asked her plainly.

She shook her head and responded with a soft but firm. "No."

"What would you like?" he asked evenly as his thumb gently caressed his wife's hand.

"I wouldn't mind having a church wedding this time, but nothing big and nothing fancy, just the family and a few close friends. Maybe a nice dinner afterwards," she started to explain.

"And don't forget the honeymoon. Billy promised us a few day off for another honeymoon!" Lee advised her.

"What about you, though?" she asked thoughtfully. "Would you like to have a big, catered affair? This is your wedding, too!"

"No, thank you. I just want to simplify our lives and live under one roof as one big, happy family," he answered.

"You need to come back to reality then," Amanda teased with a smile. "You're going to have two rather inquisitive pre-teens under foot at all hours of the day and night - not to mention one very nosy and opinionated mother-in-law."

"I never thought of your mother as being opinionated," he corrected with a Lee Stetson smile. "I always thought she was just rather articulate."

She rolled her eyes, but smiled. "I guess another wedding would be the easiest solution to our problem. So, when are we going to announce our engagement?"

"You just leave that to me," Lee said with a wink as the plane's wheels touched the ground…

*** *** *** ***

Friday, September 4^th

Lee Stetson stood on the front porch of Amanda's house. It had been a few days since they'd discussed with the boys and Dotty the uniqueness of their jobs and the danger it imposed on them. The whole discussion had gone remarkably well, although Dotty seemed a trifle miffed that they'd lied to her for so long. Now, as he'd promised Amanda, he was setting the stage for an expeditious wedding. He held the box that contained Amanda's engagement ring in his hand, glancing at it once again before he tucked it back into his pocket. With a bright smile on his face, he rang the doorbell and waited for an answer.

"LEE!" Dotty greeted affably. "What are you doing here this afternoon? Amanda's at the hairdresser. She's not expecting you until seven tonight."

"I know, I just swung by the salon to make sure she was occupied. I wanted to speak to you - privately," he advised Dotty as he waited patiently for her to let him into the house. She had been clearly surprised by his unexpected arrival.

"Oh, really?" she asked, intrigued. "Where are my manners, Lee? Please come in!"

Lee chuckled silently as he followed a red faced Dotty into the family room he had become quite familiar and comfortable with. "I thought since we'd kept the secret about our jobs for so long, that I'd share something special with you."

"Something special?" Dotty inquired with a raised eyebrow.

Not wanting to frustrate her, Lee quickly got to the point by extricating the velvet box out of his pocket and opened it up for Dotty to see. The diamond ring glistened almost as brightly as the grin Dotty now wore on her face. "Now that everything's out in the open, I don't see any reason why we should wait any longer. I'm going to ask Amanda to marry me tonight," Lee confided with a devilish grin of his own. "That is, as long as you don't have any objections."

"Objections?" Dotty gasped excitedly. She stood up, crossed the room and hugged him. "I've been wondering for months what the hold up was… Of course, now I know! I couldn't be happier for the two of you!"

Now Lee Stetson raised his eyebrow. "Dotty, there's something that I've been wondering for a while now."

"What's that?" she asked innocently as she sat down again next to him on the couch.

"Over the years, Amanda has given you some rather odd explanations and pretty lame excuses. Then there was the incident last September when we disappeared and the Feds camped out in the house for days on end," he reminded her as he watched Dotty admire the ring.

"Yes, that's something I'll never forget!" she announced with a shiver. "Not to mention her coming and going at all hours of the day and night, and frequent disappearances without any explanation."

"How long have you known the truth?" Lee asked point blank.

"What… what do you mean?" Dotty stammered uncomfortably.

"Dotty, you're a rather intelligent woman. I see a lot of you in Amanda. That's why I don't believe you're as gullible as you might like me to believe," Lee stated honestly. "So when did you find out the truth?"

Dotty blushed a bright shade of crimson, then she stood up silently and walked into the kitchen. She attempted to change the subject. "Would you like something to drink, Lee?"

Lee put the ring box back into his pocket and followed her closely, not allowing his quarry to escape. "Whatever you're having would be fine."

"A glass of iced tea, perhaps," she suggested.

Lee watched his mother-in-law curiously. First, she opened the refrigerator and removed a pitcher of iced tea. Then she got two glasses down from the cabinet and poured them each a drink. Handing one to him, she drank thirstily from hers. Her smile had given her away though. Billy had been right after all. Now he wondered if she also knew about their secret marriage. He pressed her again. "So, when did you figure it out?"

Dotty finished her glass of iced tea and placed it on the counter. "I've had my suspicions for a long time," she finally admitted. "At first, I thought Amanda was having an illicit affair - you know, with a married man…all that secrecy and running around."

Lee almost choked thinking that she was alluding to their marriage.

"I know," Dotty laughed. "Amanda would never do something like that. Then I thought that maybe she was involved in something illegal, but we both know that she just isn't that kind of person."

"I could see how it could appear that she might be doing something illegal," Lee acknowledged ruefully.

"Yes, all the unexplained, or should I say, poorly explained incidents over the past few years. The clincher, as you mentioned earlier was last September when the Feds swarmed in. I wasn't sure who or what to believe. Even after you and Amanda were exonerated, I still didn't think either of you shared the whole truth."

"She was under obligation of national security not to divulge the true aspects of that incident. We still can't," Lee reminded her with a serious glance.

Dotty nodded. "I understand. I don't like it, but I do understand. It was after that incident that I spoke with an old friend of mine who works for the police department. He's a detective. We dated briefly before we decided to just be friends. I asked him if he could 'check you out' for me. So he did."

"So what exactly did he tell you?" he questioned curiously.

"He got back to me a few days later. He assured me you had… how did he put it… no 'wants or warrants' and that I should relax. So I did…" she answered with hesitation.

Lee could tell from her face that wasn't the end of the story. Dotty had a far away look in her eyes. "That's all he told you?"

"It was all he told me until last February. After Amanda was shot in California I started having major doubts about you again. I mean, when you think about it, who wouldn't? I was worried that you had gotten Amanda into something dangerous - something that she couldn't get out of - by choice. I always liked you, but I was worried for my daughter and my grandsons," she answered in the protective tone of a mother.

"In a way you're right. Our profession can be dangerous at times," he responded uncomfortably. "I promise that we'll do anything and everything to protect all of you."

"I know you will," Dotty answered with a trusting smile. "I imagine your jobs can be very perilous, but she's trying to do something good - to make a difference. My guess is she could've walked away from that job at any time, but she wouldn't. That's our Amanda. She's stubborn," Dotty stated.

"That she is, and yes, she could have walked away at any time. When we first met, I urged her to do so, but like you mentioned, she can be stubborn," Lee laughed, but realized that he'd interrupted her explanation. "But you were saying..."

"Where was I?" Dotty asked out loud before she smiled and continued on. "Oh, yes, I remember now. It was when Amanda came home from the hospital in February I called my friend again. I told him what happened and that I needed to know everything about you. I guess he could tell by the sound of my voice that I wasn't going to be satisfied until I knew the truth."

"So what did he tell you?"

"He told me he'd get back to me. A few days later he invited me out to dinner. That's when he told me that you were one of them - that you were a Fed," she smiled at him.

"You didn't say anything to me or to Amanda. Why?" he asked curiously.

She shrugged. "It's Amanda's life, not mine. I assumed you two had your reasons for all this secrecy and she seemed happy. I figured sooner or later you two would finally get up enough nerve to come clean."

"I wish we'd done it sooner," Lee affirmed with a heavy sigh.

"Better late than never," Dotty suggested. "I'm so excited you two are finally getting married. What do you think about a spring wedding? Or even a winter wedding would be nice - just before Christmas! Oh, no, we'd never be able to pull something off that soon."

"Hold on a second, Dotty, you're getting way ahead of yourself. She hasn't even said 'yes' yet!" Lee reminded his mother-in-law with a chuckle.

"Lee Stetson," Dotty exclaimed indignantly. "Of course, she's going to agree to marry you! She's head over heels in love with you!"

"All right, but you need to keep in mind one rather important detail," Lee hinted.

"What's that?" Dotty asked.

"For security purposes, we need to keep this a rather low-keyed affair, nothing elaborate or fancy and certainly not a lot of people. Amanda and I have talked about this and neither one of us wants a big wedding," Lee started to explain. He was determined to keep the wedding small and he intended to have it soon.

"How small are we talking?" Dotty questioned apprehensively. "Certainly you'd want to invite your family, some friends..."

"Other than my uncle I don't have any family and he's in the military. I'm not sure where he's stationed at the moment. It's entirely possible he won't be able to attend," Lee explained.

"All right, so it will be a small affair, but we still need to reserve the church, contact the florist, and find a suitable place for your reception," Dotty answered logically. "Then I guess a winter wedding is quite possible - I'm not sure if the church is still available on the Saturday before Christmas…"

"Hold it, one second, Dotty!" Lee interrupted. He definitely did not intend to wait until Christmas to get married. He had to push Dotty's timeline up considerably without annoying her. "I'm not thinking Christmas, I'm thinking much sooner than that. It's not the wedding that matters. It's the love and commitment of the people who are getting married that's important."

Dotty looked disappointed. "I suspect that Amanda wouldn't want another elaborate wedding, either. Perhaps, you could have an October wedding. We could have the reception in the backyard. It'll be beautiful with all the leaves turning colors."

"I like your idea about the backyard reception," Lee interjected, wanting to encourage his mother-in-law's suggestion, "but your timing is still off. I'd really like to get married as soon as possible. Maybe next weekend if Amanda's feeling up to it." Lee had softened the blow as much as possible, but Dotty was clearly flabbergasted. Her mouth hung open, but no words came out. Her eyes were wide and she shook her head as if she hadn't heard him right.

"Next weekend?" she finally repeated. "Aren't you rushing things a bit?" she argued, clearly distressed.

"The way I look at it, Dotty, we've already wasted a lot of time. I want to spend the rest of my life with your daughter and I don't want to wait another month or six months to do it," Lee reasoned rationally, giving Dotty one of his disarming grins. "I honestly think the sooner we move forward the better and I'll do whatever it takes to make this transition as smooth as possible. I know things are happening fast and my moving in will be a strain on the family routine…"

"Lee, you're going to be part of this family. Don't you worry about upsetting the household routine," Dotty reassured him in a warm voice and a friendly pat on the hand. "Who knows? Maybe things will actually settle down if you two both lived in the same house. You'll fit in here just fine."

"Thanks, Dotty!" Lee replied bashfully.

"I'll start making some calls this afternoon," Dotty avowed. "A week! You have no idea how many things need to be accomplished!"

"That's very considerate of you, Dotty," Lee responded, relieved that his mother-in-law was going along with his plan.

"Whatever you and Amanda decide upon for a wedding date, I'll be happy to help in any way. It's your wedding - I just want it to be special."

Lee embraced his mother-in-law and kissed her on the cheek. "How could it be anything but special, Dotty? I'm marrying Amanda. She's the most wonderful woman in the world."

"You better get out of here. Amanda will be back any time now," Dotty warned him after a quick glance at the clock.

Lee nodded and out of habit headed for the back door. "I'll see you later - but mum's the word!"

"Lee, you don't have to sneak out the back door!" Dotty laughed as they walked to

the front of the house. "By the way, where are you taking her tonight?"

"1789 Restaurant in Georgetown," Lee said with a nervous smile.

Dotty smiled back at him. "I've heard that place is exquisite."

"You heard right," Lee answered as he hurried out the front door and out the gate to his car…

End Part Fourteen
 
 

*** *** ***
 

Estoccian Affair:Conclusion:
 

Later that evening at 1789 Restaurant

Fresh cut flowers stood bright and colorful in a tall glass vase at their quiet corner table. The tranquil lantern on their table flickered softly adding to the romantic ambiance as pleasant music played in the background. Two champagne glasses waited patiently to be filled as the waiter popped the corked with minimal fanfare and poured them each a glass of Dom Perignon, vintage 1973, then discreetly departed allowing the loving couple much wanted privacy.

Lee raised his glass. "To the most beautiful woman in the world." His wife blushed at his toast but raised her glass to his. Their wineglasses chimed and they each sipped the effervescent spirit.

"Oh, Lee, this is delightful," Amanda acclaimed with an amorous smile.

"I'm glad you like it," he answered as he indulged in another sip.

"This place is quite enchanting. It reminds me of an old country inn, but it's classically elegant," Amanda observed.

Lee grinned, pleased that his wife approved of his choice. He watched as her eyes scanned the décor of the room and the numerous pictures and antiques that decorated the walls. "I wanted tonight to be special," he whispered huskily, then he sighed heavily. "So much has happened over the last year."

Amanda interrupted and nodded in agreement. "It's been a hectic year, but I think life will get simpler now that mother and the boys know about our real jobs."

Lee, frustrated by his wife's interruption, tried to continue on. "I'm not sure if our lives will ever get simpler until we're living under one roof…"

"You told me to leave that to you," she reminded with a stern glance. "I'll try to be patient."

"If you'd just be quiet for a moment, Amanda," he rebuked. Then he reached for her hand, held it gently in his.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize I was interrupting you," she apologized. "What did you want to say?"

The touch of his wife's hand, her soothing voice always sent sparks of desire through his body. He laced his fingers with hers and relaxed. A pleasant smile washed across his face. "I wish I was better with words, Amanda. It's much easier for me to show you how much I love you than to tell you," he started with a nervous edge to his voice. Then, as if he couldn't stand to wait another moment, his left hand reached into his suit jacket, fumbling for a moment before he removed a familiar small velvet box. "My first proposal to you wasn't very romantic. I wanted this time to be different. I wanted everything to be perfect. An excellent restaurant, superb champagne, an enchanting evening for a new start with a clean slate." He cleared his throat to make sure the words would come out clearly, then took a deep breath and once again uttered five very important words. "Amanda, will you marry me?"

Amanda blinked back tears. "Oh, Lee! Of course I'll marry you again!"

He could see her eyes sparkled with tears of joy. The smile on her face grew even brighter than it had a few moments ago. Lee took her diamond engagement ring out of the box and held her left hand with his. Both of their hands trembled slightly in excitement as Lee nervously, but delicately, slipped the ring onto her finger. "How would you like to get married next weekend?"

"Next weekend? You're serious?" Amanda gasped, then chuckled. "Only if you agree to tell my mother!"

"Then it's settled," Lee answered smugly. "Unless, of course, you've changed your mind and want a big, fancy wedding?"

"No, I just want us to be together, in the same town and under one roof," she admitted. "The wedding's not important to me. Although I'm not sure my mother will approve."

"I'll let you in on a little secret," Lee whispered, hearing the frustration in her voice. He glanced discreetly around the room, then leaned over the table and whispered softly. "I spoke to your mother this afternoon. I expect she'll have most of the plans arranged before I get you home tonight!"

"You did? You're kidding me?! You got mother to agree to a small wedding next weekend? I don't believe you!" Amanda replied, her dark eyes appeared to grow bigger in disbelief at his last statement.

Lee chuckled heartily. "I have to admit it wasn't easy. I've had Russian spies put up less argument than she did. In the end she conceded to a quiet, small wedding. She wants us to be happy."

"You really did take care of things! I guess there's nothing left for me to do," Amanda replied sullenly.

"Don't worry about that," he reassured her after noting the disappointment in her voice. "I'm sure your mother will put you to work. She made it quite clear that it would be a large burden to handle all the wedding details in just a weeks' time."

"I'll have to find a new dress for the occasion," she answered thoughtfully. "And new shoes to match…"

"Of course," Lee grinned as he saw the familiar sparkle return to his wife's eyes and more than a little relieved that he'd only have to endure a week of such decisions. "Whatever you two decide will be fine with me. I'll take care of the honeymoon plans."

Amanda raised her eyebrows. "A second honeymoon! I like it already. So where might we be escaping?" she inquired curiously.

"I figured that you had enough of the hot desert with the last week in Estoccia," Lee hinted as his wife admired her engagement ring on her finger.

"Yes, someplace where it's not HOT!" Amanda agreed.

"How about we keep it simple? Maybe we'll get in the 'Vette and drive up the East Coast. Spend a few days on Cape Cod and then continue up towards Maine. The weather shouldn't be too warm. Nice cool, ocean sea breezes, rocky beaches, fresh lobster… What do you think?"

"Sounds very tranquil," she sighed dreamily. "Some nice long walks on the beach. Waking up with a view of the sunrise over the ocean. I think that's a wonderful idea. Besides, as long as we're together, it really doesn't matter where we go."

Lee leaned across the table towards Amanda, stole a quick kiss and caressed his wife's face with his hand. "I love you, Mrs. Stetson."

"And I love you, too, Mr. Stetson," she whispered back.

They held hands, gazed into each other's eyes and silently cherished the gifts of love they had each found. The didn't know what the future had in store for them, but they'd finally get to enjoy it together as a couple and a family…

The end…

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