Wednesday October 7, 1987
 

Amanda arrived at IFF early the next morning as thick gray clouds were threatening rain.  Glad to find a close parking spot, she rushed up the stairs to the Georgetown entrance, chilled from the blustery wind.  This morning, there was no Lee Stetson to meet her at the steps.  Before entering the building, she glanced around the street looking for his Corvette.  However, it was nowhere in sight.  After greeting and giving Mrs. Marston the password, she clipped her badge to her blouse, and climbed the stairs.

The Q Bureau was empty.  Amanda turned on the coffee pot looking forward to a hot cup to rid the morning chill from her body.  She placed a plate of poppy seed muffins she baked last night right next to the pot.  Lee might not like to eat breakfast, but he normally made an exception for her fresh baked muffins.

The phone rang, and she grabbed it from Lee’s desk and answered it.

“Good morning, Q Bureau…  No, Mr. Melrose, Lee hasn’t gotten in yet...  The meeting with the Security Council this afternoon…” Amanda glanced at Lee’s calendar noting that it was marked for the day.  “Yes, it’s on his calendar.   Of course, sir, I will remind him as soon as he comes in…  Yes, sir…”

She leaned back in his chair, and wondered whether his recent assignment was related to him attending the Security Council meeting.  Dr. Smyth attended the Security Council meetings regularly; Billy occasionally attended them.  She couldn’t remember when, if ever, Lee Stetson sat in on one.  Maybe that was the reason Lee was so distant yesterday.  Lee Stetson absolutely hated meetings with bureaucrats and had to be dreading the upcoming forum.

Noticing that the coffee was done, she got up from her partner’s desk.  Before she could walk over to the pot to pour a cup of coffee, the office door opened.  Lee came walking in.

“Good morning,” he greeted cheerfully, looking refreshed and heading directly towards the coffee pot.

“Good morning,” she answered, pleased with his cheery disposition and expecting a long awaited kiss.  “Did you sleep well?”

“Yeah, I sure did.  What I need now, is a strong cup of coffee.”

“I’ll get it for you,” Amanda offered, expecting him to stop and kiss her.

“No, Mandy, allow me” he answered as he walked past her.  “After all, you made such a delightful dinner last night for me.  It’s the least I can do.”

Amanda stared at him, wondering if he was trying to be funny.  He knew full well how she felt about the nickname ‘Mandy’.  Maybe her mother was right; did he hit his head while he was out of town?  She observed him closely, but didn’t comment about the nickname.   Her mother had mentioned there were bags under his eyes; she noticed them clearly in the morning light.  He appeared tired; no, that wasn’t it. He actually looked… older?  What happened on his last assignment?

“Did everything go all right on your last mission?” she inquired, doubting he would answer.

“I um, can’t discuss that,” Lee answered as he grabbed both of their coffee mugs, pouring the hot black liquid into each of them.  Then he added milk to her cup, stirring it slightly and looking up at her for approval.  “How’s that?”

“A little sugar as well, please,” she smiled as he added a teaspoon of sugar and handed it to her.  She walked over to her desk as she sipped her coffee.  “I made poppy seed muffins last night.  Why don’t you have a couple and we can go over some of the paperwork you need to sign and catch up.”

“No, I couldn’t eat another bite,” Lee announced, putting in two teaspoons of sugar into his coffee mug.  Patting his stomach, he continued on, “I was too tired to shop at the market after supper last night.  Instead, I stopped at the ‘Pancake House’ this morning for breakfast and had sausage, eggs, bacon, and toast with marmalade.  It was absolutely delicious, but their coffee,” he paused for a moment, taking a big gulp from the cup he just made.  “Ahh, that’s much better.  The ‘Pancake House’s’ coffee was absolutely dreadful.”

Amanda smiled politely at the man standing in the room with her.  Who he was, she didn’t have a clue, but she knew who he wasn’t.  Lee Stetson never ate breakfast, and certainly not after having a big dinner at her house the night before.  Lee Stetson hated greasy spoons like the ‘Pancake House’ and certainly wouldn’t eat there for breakfast. There were too many oddities in the past 24 hours that didn’t add up.  In the five years that she’d known Lee Stetson, he’d never eaten a big breakfast and always drank his coffee black.

She studied the man a few feet across the room.  He was a handsome man, but now that she scrutinized him intensely, his eyes lacked the sparkle that Lee’s had.  His smile was bright, but… there were silver fillings in his back teeth, where Lee had none.  His hair was a perfect match, but a good haircut and dye job could do that as well.  The bags under his eyes made him look older, a few years older than Lee for sure.  Despite the minor differences, this man could easily pass as Lee’s brother.

Suddenly, Lee noticed her staring at him.  “Did I spill something on my tie?” he asked self-consciously.

“Uh, no,” Amanda answered, shaking her head.  She had to try to act normal and not tip off this, this… imposter.   “I never did thank you for taking those boxes down to Mr. Melrose for me yesterday,” Amanda forced out, trying not to stare and to keep her composure.

“It was my pleasure.  Now, I know I have a meeting this afternoon with the Security Council.  Was there something else I need to take care of as well?”

“Actually, since I didn’t expect you back yesterday, your schedule is clear.  You have some paperwork that needs to be done, but, uhh…”

“The paperwork can wait.  Something’s troubling you?”

“Well, umm, I hate to bother you with something personal, but, I was wondering if you could do a favor for me?” she stalled, trying to think up something to keep him occupied for a while.  Her Lee Stetson would come over to her desk, bend over, and steal a kiss and provide a supportive hug.  This imposter slumped by his desk and shrugged.

“As long as I can make that meeting this afternoon,” the imposter replied.

“Jamie asked for an extra credit assignment to help get his grade up in science class,” Amanda King Stetson began to lie.  The real Lee Stetson would know that Jamie was a scholar and excelled in science.  “I thought that maybe you could go downstairs and see if Leatherneck might have some old, beat up electronics that he might not need anymore that Jamie could use for his project.  I’d go to the electronic store, but it gets kind of expensive.  You know Leatherneck better than I do… Would you mind asking him?”

The imposter took the bait hook, line and sinker.  “No problem, Amanda.  In fact, we won’t even bother Leatherman.  I’d be happy to purchase the electronics for him,” the fraudulent man answered.  “What does he need?”

“Oh my gosh, I don’t know… he wanted to build a transmitter or something like that.”

The imposter nodded.  “I think I could get him a good start on the supplies.”

“Thanks so much. I owe you,” Amanda smiled cunningly.

“Naw, consider us even,” Lee answered, gulping down the rest of his coffee, placing the mug next to the coffee pot.  Glancing at his watch, he announced, “There are a few electronic stores I could visit.  It’ll take me a couple of hours…”

“Take your time,” Amanda replied smoothly, “I’ll cover for you.”

“Thanks,” he nodded, “I’ll be back later.”

Amanda watched as the charlatan left the office.  She went over to the window, waiting for him to climb into Lee’s Corvette and drive away.  Then she sprung into action.  Eyeing the coffee mug on the table, she grabbed a tissue and carefully picked it up.

“We’ll see whose fingerprints are on this cup,” Amanda whispered to herself.  “I know for sure:  they’re not Lee Stetson’s!”

***   ****
 

Using her well-known poppy seed muffins as an enticement, she went down to the fingerprint department and asked a favor of a friend.

“Good morning, Lynda,” Amanda smiled glancing at the Lynda Franklin, a very able fingerprint technician who recently transferred from the CIA.  She was surrounded by samples, paperwork, and files.

“What do you have with you?” the woman asked eagerly as she eyed the foil wrapped plate.

“Freshly baked poppy seed muffins.”

“Hmm, sounds delicious.  What’s it going to cost me?” the overworked tech asked.

Amanda carefully extracted the coffee mug from a plastic bag and put it on the lab bench.  “I need you to run fingerprint analysis on this coffee cup, and I need it ASAP.”

“You and half the Agency wants everything ASAP,” Lynda groaned as she reached for the plate of muffins.  After unwrapping the foil, she carefully picked up one of the muffins, she smelled the delicious aroma.  “You know I can always be bribed by anything you bake.”

“Me bribe you, Lynda?” Amanda laughed half-heartedly.  “I know how busy and under appreciated you are down here.  I thought you could use an early morning pick-you-up to keep you going.”

“Any idea whose prints I might find on the mug?” she asked before she took her first bite of the muffin.

“You’ll find mine for sure, but you’ll have one other suspect.”

“Amanda, this muffin is pure heaven,” she mumbled with a delighted grin on her face.  After a few more bites, she replied, “OK, I’ll run the Agency data base and exclude your prints, and then I’ll see if the computer can identify anyone else’s.”

“Thanks, Lynda, I’ll be down in Mr. Melrose’s office waiting for the results,” she replied, leaving her friend the impression that this was an Agency sanctioned case.

Amanda knew that was the easy part of her task.  It would be extremely difficult to convince Billy Melrose that the man who showed up at the Agency yesterday morning was not Lee Stetson.  Taking a deep breath, she pushed the button for the elevator and waited for its arrival.

As she walked down the hallway, near the bullpen, she paused.  The fingerprints were crucial evidence.  Should she wait until she had proof?  There was no doubt in her mind that Lee Stetson had NOT returned from his mission.

“No,” she said out loud.

“Typical freshman agent, you’re talking to yourself, Amanda!” Francine teased as her fellow agent exited the bullpen.

“Francine, can I ask you a question?”

“You just did,” Francine wisecracked.

Rolling her eyes, Amanda allowed the jibe to pass and inquired, “Did you notice anything… different about Lee yesterday?”

Francine paused for a moment and then shrugged.  “Now that you mention it, he did appear to be in a world of his own.  Going down to the bullpen yesterday, he turned in the wrong direction.  It was like he had never been here before!” she laughed.  “I’m sure he’s just tired from his trip, Amanda.  Don’t worry, you two will be back to ‘normal’ in a day or two.”

“Thanks, Francine,” she called as the agent rushed down the hallway.

“That settles it,” Amanda whispered to herself.  “The sooner I tell Billy, the better.  Who knows when this charlatan stepped into Lee’s life, but the sooner I bring this to light, tne sooner we find Lee and the less damage control the Agency has to do in the long run.”

Amanda knocked on Billy’s door and heard an audible command.  “Come in.”

“Good morning, sir,” she greeted pleasantly.  “I really need to speak with you.”

Billy was busy with paperwork, and put his pen down for a moment.  “Any chance it can wait until tomorrow, Amanda.  I’ve got to get this report done this morning.”

“This is urgent, sir,” Amanda answered.

Billy let out a long slow breath, and motioned for her to have a seat.  “All right, Amanda, but make it quick.”

“Yes, sir,” Amanda acknowledged, taking a deep breath of her own, hoping that her supervisor would believe her.  Without mincing words, she blurted out the news. “Lee is missing.”

“Are you sure?  When did this happen?” Billy asked with an urgency of his own.

“That’s the problem, sir.  I’m not sure when it happened.  It could have been yesterday morning or sometime during his last assignment…”

“Wait a second, Amanda,” Billy interrupted, furrowing his brow, he was clearly annoyed.  “Lee was here all day yesterday.  So what do you mean yesterday morning?  I spoke to him personally…”

This time Amanda interrupted her supervisor.  “Sir, I know this sounds crazy, but whoever showed up yesterday morning at the Georgetown entrance was NOT Lee Stetson.  The clues were all there, and I had some doubts last night, but I didn’t put things together until this morning.”

“Did you two have an argument?” Billy surmised, rubbing his temple and glancing at the stack of unfinished paperwork on his desk.

“No, sir, he’s barely acknowledged my existence.  He’s treating me more like his assistant than his partner.”

Billy paused for a moment, choosing his words carefully.  “Lee’s been on a very important, highly classified assignment.  Give him a day or two to decompress and he’ll be back to his old self.”

“Mr. Melrose… Billy,” Amanda began, hesitating a bit before calling her boss by his first name.  “You know Lee and I are… involved.”

Billy nodded, trying to be patient, but clearly, his deadlines were causing him concern.

“Since Lee has been back, he hasn’t held my hand or even given me a kiss…”

“I’m sure he’s just anxious about the meeting today.  After the Security Council meeting this afternoon he’ll probably want to take you out for a nice dinner,” Billy tried to explain logically to his freshman agent.  “Now, if you’ll let me get back to my work…”

“Sir, that’s just it, Lee hates meetings, Security Council or otherwise.  But he’s actually looking forward to this meeting.  That’s not the Lee Stetson either of us know.”

“Maybe Lee’s finally realizing that meetings are essential to his career now that you two are as you put it ‘involved’.

“Sir, you’re not listening to me.  Yes, the Lee you and I know is changing.  I won’t argue that point, but whoever this person is, is NOT Lee Stetson!  You can’t seriously consider taking an imposter to the White House!  Who knows what his plans are,” Amanda shrieked, her voice cracking.

“Relax, Amanda, Lee’s a little stressed out.  I noticed yesterday that he was a little… preoccupied.”

“That’s because it’s not Lee.  He might look like Lee, and he’s trying his best to go through the motions, but it’s not my Lee.  Whoever showed up here yesterday morning is a fraud!” she spoke loudly, almost shouting.

“Amanda, I’ll talk to Lee personally after the meeting and see if anything is bothering him…”

“Mr. Melrose, you’ve got to believe me.  You can’t take him to that meeting this afternoon.”  Amanda pleaded, pausing for only a moment; she tried to calm down and began listing the ‘odd’ things about the charlatan.  “I should have known right away.  When we got into the Q Bureau yesterday morning, we were alone for a few minutes.  There was no kiss, no lingering hug; hell, he even called me Mrs. King!  He NEVER calls me that anymore, not even when he’s angry with me.   Then, when he came over to the house last night for dinner, he kept mixing up the boys’ names, and when he did finally get them straight he kept calling Phillip, Phil.”

“A-man-da…”

“There’s more, sir, you’ve got to trust me.  The boys asked him to play basketball last night, but Lee said he couldn’t because he was in his suit.  Lee keeps a change of clothes at the house for that specific reason.  Then when I got them out for him, he went towards the laundry room to change – as if he’d never been to the house before.   Then, Jamie beat him soundly playing basketball!  Jamie never beats him.”

“It’s a game, Amanda.  Lee was tired and it sounds like he didn’t want to play, but didn’t want to let the boys down, either,” Billy reasoned.

“I kept thinking that last night, too, but the sneakers he always wears were too big.  I washed them the other day, so if anything they should have been too small!  Lee’s feet certainly didn’t shrink.”

“I’m sure there’s a logical explanation for all this,” Billy replied obviously tiring of the topic.

“Yes, I’ve already told you, Lee Stetson is missing.  I’m absolutely certain,” Amanda declared adamantly.  “I tried to rationalize it myself last night.  I made excuses to both my mother and the boys for Lee’s odd behavior.  This morning, Lee came in, refreshed and cheerful.  For a moment, I thought he was back to his old self.  I made him some poppy seed muffins.  They’re his favorite morning snack.  It’s one of the few things he’ll eat in the morning.  You know how he refuses to eat for breakfast.”

“Amanda, can you stick to the details…” Billy suggested, losing his patience.

“That’s part of the details!  Lee told me he couldn’t eat another bite because he stopped at the ‘Pancake House’ for breakfast and had a big breakfast.  You know as well as I do, that Lee Stetson would never be caught dead eating at that greasy spoon dive.”

That information did cause Billy a bit of concern; he narrowed his eyebrow and reached for a bottle of antacid in his desk.  “That is rather out of character for Lee.  Maybe I should have the doctor take a look at him…”

“Sir, we don’t need a doctor, you need to lock him up in a detention cell and interrogate him on where the real Lee Stetson is!” Amanda demanded nervously.

“Maybe he hit his head during his assignment,” Billy pondered still clearly dismissing her claims.  “I’ll have the doc check him out.  It’s about time for his annual physical…”

“Billy, you’ve got to see that he’s not Lee Stetson,” she paused again, knowing if she confided in him about their marriage, it could put an end to their partnership and possibly get them both in trouble.  Despite the risks, first and foremost they needed to find the real Lee.  It was more important than anything else was, so she forged ahead with the truth.  “I know Lee Stetson better than anyone.  Lee and I are more than partners at work, we’re married. I know my husband.  Whoever that man is, he is not my husband. Lee Stetson is missing!”

“Married?” Billy repeated, totally taken by surprise as he stared at Amanda with wide eyes.

“Yes, sir,” she nodded swallowing hard as her supervisor gave her a disappointed look.

“You’re serious?” he asked, and she nodded silently.  “When did this take place?”

“Back in February.”

“When you two went to California?” he surmised.

“No, actually just before then.  We were on our honeymoon when I was shot,” she admitted, but quickly got back to the trouble at hand.  “Sir, I know this sounds crazy but there are too many little things.  He called me ‘Mandy’ this morning; Lee’s NEVER called me that before - EVER! Lee knows how I feel about that name.  He drank his coffee with sugar; Lee hates sugar in his coffee.  He hasn’t touched me, not to hold my hand, a hand to my back, a kiss, a hug… Lee would have. You know that.  He’s not my husband!”

“All right, Amanda.  I’ll call him down here and tell him to report to Doctor McJohn.  He can start a workup on Lee.  Maybe he’s been drugged and doesn’t know it.”

“He’s not here.”

“What do you mean he’s not here?”

“When I realized that Lee wasn’t really Lee, I lied to him.  I asked him to go to Leatherneck for some electronics for an extra credit science project to help Jamie’s grade in school – something else Lee Stetson would have known wasn’t true.  If either of my sons needed extra credit it would be Phillip…”

“Amanda, focus here…” Billy urged.

“Sorry, sir.  The fake Lee didn’t want to bother Leatherneck – probably because he doesn’t know who Leatherneck is,  In fact, he called him Leatherman or something.   I think he’s afraid that Leatherneck will realize he’s a phony.  The fake Lee volunteered to pick up some electronics in town for him.  He won’t be back for another hour, maybe two...”

Billy picked up the phone, “Is Lee Stetson in the building?”

“No, Mr. Melrose, he left about an hour ago,” Mrs. Marston replied.

“Call me the minute he returns.”

“Do you want him to report to your office?” the Agency receptionist asked.

“No, but I want to be notified immediately upon his return,” Billy answered abruptly before hanging up the phone.

“Sir, there’s one more thing,” Amanda began to explain.

“What’s that?” he questioned letting out a long breathe and leaning back in his chair.

“After the fake Lee left, I took the coffee mug he was drinking down to fingerprint department.  They’re running it now.”

“You mean they’ll run it when they get caught up on the backlog.”

“No, sir,” Amanda glanced down for a moment.  “I um… told the tech it was a priority.  She should be running them as we speak…”

“You know, if you’re wrong, I could write you up on misappropriation…”

“I’m not wrong, Mr. Melrose.  You know I would never ask for favors for personal gain.  Sir, you can’t take this, this… imposter to the Security Council meeting this afternoon.”

“Yes, Amanda, I’m keenly aware of that, which is why I’m giving your unorthodox theory a chance.  If those fingerprints come back Lee Stetson, I don’t want to hear another word about this conversation – ever!  Understood?”

“Understood, sir,” Amanda answered in a small voice.

“I also intend to sit you and Lee down together and discuss your marital status as well,” Billy remarked, apparently angry with them both.  “Can you account for Lee’s whereabouts yesterday?”

“Not really,” she answered, shaking her head.  “He brought down those files you asked for yesterday morning.  I didn’t see him again until lunchtime.  I asked him to lunch, but he said he was too busy…”

“Start to track his whereabouts in the Agency yesterday,” Billy began when the phone rang.  He picked it up and bellowed angrily into the receiver.  “Melrose… Yes, she’s here.  Do you have the results of the prints?  Good, whose prints…  Amanda. King and a Leon Hamilton…  Send the file to me – ‘eyes only’.  Thank you Ms. Franklin.”

“I was right!” Amanda remarked with mixed emotions.

“Unfortunately, yes,” Billy replied, reaching into his desk and grabbing a few antacids.  Then he clicked a few keys on his computer and waited for the file to be uploaded.  Rubbing his stomach, he looked back up at his junior agent.  “We have two serious problems, Amanda; where is the real Lee Stetson, and who the hell is Leon Hamilton?”
 

******
 

Later Wednesday…

There was a knock on the Q Bureau door.  Billy Melrose walked in with Francine several steps behind him.  Amanda stared at the two of them.  Her supervisor’s face was grim, and Francine’s face matched.

“Oh my gosh, Lee’s not…” Amanda croaked out, expecting the worst, forcing out her greatest fear.

“There’s no evidence suggesting that anyone has harmed Lee,” her supervisor quickly reassured her.

A relieved smile crossed her face for a moment, but it didn’t stay for long.  There were still more questions racing through her head.  Taking a deep breath, she asked impatiently only as Amanda could.  “Did he tell you where Lee is?  When did they kidnap him?  Do we know what he’s after? Do we…”

Billy stopped her.  “Amanda, slow down.  We interrogated Leon Hamilton, but didn’t get much info and, no, we still don’t know where Scarecrow is.  We don’t think Leon’s in the loop on where Scarecrow is being held or what he’s after,” her supervisor answered, shaking his head.  Putting a comforting hand on her shoulder, he added, “Don’t worry, Amanda, we’re going to find Scarecrow.”

“What do we know?” Amanda inquired disappointedly, her face full of concern.

“Not a whole lot,” Billy answered, leaning on the edge of Amanda’s desk.  “According to the polygraph technician our imposter was being truthful.  According to his passport, Leon Hamilton is a British national. He flew into Dulles earlier this week.  We’re in the process of confirming the details.  He was born in January, 1946.”

Amanda nodded her head.  “I thought he looked older than Lee.  What else do we know?”

Francine continued where Billy left off.  “Based on his passport, his father is deceased, apparently died during the war.  Leon claims his father was an American GI who was killed in the last days of World War Two.  He alleges that his mother, also deceased was… Jennifer Hamilton.”

“Jennifer Hamilton?” Amanda repeated, as if her ears were deceiving her. Her head was shaking not believing it for even a second.  “As in Jennifer Hamilton Stetson… Lee’s mother?”

Billy didn’t say a word, he merely nodded.

“I don’t believe it.  It can’t be true,” Amanda argued, shaking her head vehemently, not buying the imposters story for a minute.  “Lee’s an only child.”

“Lee thought he was an only child,” Francine reminded her.  “His parents died when he was only five.  Having an older sibling that he didn’t know about is certainly… plausible.”

“Amanda, even you admitted, the resemblance between the two men is uncanny,” Billy remarked, “He claims to be Lee’s half-brother.”

Amanda thought back to when Lee found his mother’s diary.  After reading a good portion of the diary herself, she felt a certain connection with Jennifer Hamilton Stetson.  The woman was a devoted mother and a loving wife.  There was no way she would believe that his mother had hidden a child from Matthew Stetson.

“It’s too much of a coincidence.  No living relative to confirm or deny the relationship, Sir, it’s a set up.”  Amanda scoffed, her eyes as big as saucers as she glanced from Billy to Francine, wondering if they were buying the imposter’s claim.

“We will do DNA testing, Amanda, but that will take a few days,” Billy conceded, his face sympathetic to her, but it was obvious to Amanda, he wasn’t going to dismiss the claims altogether.

“It doesn’t make any sense.  Why would Jennifer Hamilton Stetson not acknowledge her first born child?”

“Perhaps she was afraid if she told Matthew Stetson about the child, he wouldn’t marry her?” Francine proffered, rationalizing the behavior.  With a shrug of her shoulders, she continued.  “His father was allegedly an American GI killed in action.  Amanda, I know it’s difficult to accept, but we’re talking about the 1940’s.  Things were a lot different back then.”

“I don’t believe it!  Lee’s mother wouldn’t do that.  Leon’s obviously lying,” Amanda shrieked her voice cracking as she disputed the imposter’s claims loudly and sincerely.  Every fiber in her being told her this was nothing more than an elaborate ruse.  “If I remember correctly, Jennifer Hamilton met Matthew Stetson during the war.  There was never any mention of her being pregnant.”

Billy nodded his head.  “We will investigate Leon’s background thoroughly, but it’s going to take time.  Allegedly, he was approached by a man a few months ago when he was in London.  This person showed him a picture of Lee and asked if he knew him.”

“See, sir, I knew there was more to the story…”

Francine continued explaining what they knew to her.  “Leon contends that the man offered him 50,000 pounds to impersonate Lee.”

“Oh my gosh!” Amanda gasped anxiously. “That’s a lot of money!”

“Apparently Leon has a gambling problem.  Quick and easy fix to solve his financial problems,” Francine added with a raised eyebrow.  “We’re trying to confirm his story with British intelligence, but we don’t have all the answers yet.”

“What did he want Leon to do?” Amanda asked.

“We’re not sure yet,” Billy answered grimly.  “We’ll need to run through all of Lee’s cases and see if there’s anything obvious.”

“I’ll look into it right away,” Amanda offered.  “What about the man who approached Leon?  Do we have a description?”

“Nothing solid.  Man in his mid 40’s, about the same height as Leon, weighing about 230 pounds.  We’ll run that down, and figure out the true relationship between Lee and Leon.  Our primary objective right now is finding Lee,” Billy reminded Amanda.

“Absolutely, sir,” Amanda agreed whole-heartedly.  Although her anguish was obvious, she needed to think and act like a professional.  Lee had taught her well, and would be counting on her now.

Billy turned towards Francine.  “You need to pull flight manifests from when Leon Hamilton came into the US.  He claims he landed on Monday.  Check it out; get someone to review the airport surveillance tapes from Monday and from yesterday.  Lee was supposed to land at Dulles Airport yesterday morning.  Maybe we can see if they nabbed him at the airport.  If so, we could get lucky and see who abducted him on tape.  Also, contact MI-5 and get them to help us.”

“Right,” Francine nodded.

“Sir, what else do you want me to do?” Amanda asked, worried that he would keep her on the sidelines of the investigation.

“Did you track Leon’s whereabouts yesterday?”

“Yes, I ran Lee’s ID card to find out where he was most of the day.  He helped Francine, sorting the files yesterday morning.”

“Which I now have to go through again since he obviously didn’t know what he was looking at,” Francine snorted angrily.

“Be glad there wasn’t anything sensitive in there, Francine,” Billy replied.

“He met with you for an hour, hung out in the steno pool for a while, and then came up here for a few minutes before lunch.  He ate lunch in the commissary, which Lee never does.  Then he headed out of the office for two hours.  According to Mrs. Marston, he returned after four, and he spent an hour down in the accounting office.  He tried to get an advance on his paycheck; he was approved for a short-term loan, but by the time he was approved, the cashier’s window on level six was closed for the day.  He didn’t attempt to log on to the computer at all, and I was in the Q Bureau until after five.  I locked up before I left, so he didn’t have access to any computer files.”

“Good, that is one less problem we have.  Pull Lee’s phone records from his apartment.  Maybe the kidnapper called Leon while he was staying at Lee’s apartment.  It’s a long shot, but worth a try,” Billy suggested.  “Go through everything Lee’s been working on the last… let’s go back about six months for starters.”

“Any idea on what they were after?”

“Not yet, and Leon claims he had no further instructions other than to impersonate him,” Billy explained, putting a comforting hand on Amanda’s shoulder.  “We’re lucky you figured out this guy was in imposter as soon as you did.  ”

“Sir, Lee’s mother kept a diary – I’ve seen it.  In fact, I believe there was a family tree inside.  It could help resolve some of these family questions.  I’m sure Jennifer Hamilton knew Matthew Stetson before the war ended.  I’m convinced that Jennifer Hamilton is not Leon’s mother,” Amanda explained, trying to think more like the agent she was instead of worrying like a wife.  Her instincts were telling her that there were a lot of holes in Leon’s story.

“Do you know where Lee keeps his mother’s diary?”

“He keeps it in his apartment.  I have a good idea where.”

“We’ll need to work that angle, too.  Keep an open mind on what Leon is telling us.  You don’t know Jennifer Hamilton Stetson.  She could very well be Leon’s mother.  Not to mention that Leon might be telling what he believes is the truth.  It doesn’t mean he wasn’t lied to,” Billy reasoned.

“I’ll check the phone records, pull all of Lee’s active cases, and see if any of his projects might be a good target,” Amanda replied, then paused for a moment.  “Sir, his last assignment… It could be the reason for all this, but I’m not in the loop.”

Billy sighed heavily.  “You have enough to do for now.  If nothing pans out, I’ll consider reading you in on his last assignment.”

“Yes, sir.   I’ll head over to Lee’s apartment after work and see what I can find.”

“Keep me informed if you find anything, Amanda, and I mean anything!  Because of this, I missed a Security Council meeting.  Dr. Smyth is going to demand answers, and I will need to have some,” Billy insisted before getting up and leaving the Q Bureau.
 

***

Amanda was sitting at her desk, papers and files stacked on top of it as she worked diligently in the Q Bureau.  The afternoon wore on, but the room felt emptier than usual.  Without Lee sitting across from her, the office seemed less comfortable and she felt extraordinarily lonely.

Without any clues to solve Lee Stetson’s disappearance, dark thoughts kept filling her mind as the hours ticked by and there was no word from Billy.  How long before they would have something solid to find him.  A loud knock jolted Amanda from her reverie.

“Come in,” Amanda called out.

“Any leads?” Francine asked when she walked into the office.

“Not yet,” she answered dourly, her face showing frustration, worry, and disappointment.  “The phone records were useless.  There haven’t been any calls in or out since Lee left town.  I’ve put the word out to Lee’s ‘family’ that he’s missing, but nobody has heard anything about where he’s being held or by whom.  Did you come up with anything?”

“So far everything Leon has told us, has panned out,” Francine explained to her fellow agent.  “He arrived at Dulles on Monday from London.  He was seated next to an elderly couple who were returning from a European adventure to celebrate their 50th anniversary.  We’re still going over the manifest to see if any of the other names on there might have a connection, but so far – nothing.”

“Damn it!  The longer Lee’s missing, the less likely…”

“Amanda, stop it.  They need Lee alive because Leon doesn’t know Lee well enough to pull this off alone.  They’ll probably drug Lee to get answers, but they need him alive,” Francine reminded her fellow agent.  After her brief lecture, she got back to business.  “We’ve reviewed the tapes from the airport yesterday morning.  Lee was visible on two cameras, one inside the terminal, the other as he hailed a taxi, just outside the terminal.  Apparently someone got into the taxi with Lee.”

“Do we have a description of the person?” Amanda asked with a hopeful voice.  For the first time all day, she felt optimistic.

“Not a very good one, I’m afraid,” Francine lamented.  “Male, Caucasian, in his early to mid forties.  Approximately 6’ 3” tall and weighing about 230 pounds.”

“That’s it?” Amanda groaned in dismay.  “So we’re no better off than we were this morning.”

“It’s a start, Amanda.  We’ve found people with less than that and it is consistent with the description Leon gave us.  Besides, Billy wants to see you.  He has an idea to try to flush the kidnapper.”

Putting down the files that she had in her hand, she looked up at Francine and asked, “Great, what’s the plan?”

“Come on; I’ll let Billy explain it,” Francine advised, and Amanda got up immediately and followed Francine out of the office.

A few minutes later, Amanda and Francine were knocking on Billy’s door.  He motioned them to come in.

“Have a seat, Amanda, Francine,” Billy requested, handing over the file with the picture of the unknown man getting into a taxi with Lee.  “This is the photograph we got from the airport.  I don’t suppose you can identify this man?”

Amanda reached out and took the photograph.  Her hand shook slightly as she studied it.  The picture provided only a silhouette of a man.  Her eyes squinted, examining the photo intensely, but eventually she put the picture back down on Billy’s desk and shook her head sadly.  “I have no idea.  Have you called the cab company?”

“We’re tracking down that lead now, but I’m not counting on it.  I’ve discussed this idea with Francine, but I’ll let you make the final decision on this plan, Amanda.”

“Whatever it is, I’m all for it.  I just want to find Lee.”

Billy nodded, knowing her true connection to Lee Stetson.  “Since the kidnapper hasn’t set a ransom for Lee, we’re assuming he wants Leon to infiltrate some part of the government, or get his hands on something.  Our problem is we can’t figure out what that is with Leon in custody.”

“You’re not going to let Leon go?!” Amanda exclaimed anxiously, her heart started to race.  Without Leon, they had no connection to Lee.  “Sir, I don’t trust him.”

“If we release Leon, he will be under constant Agency surveillance, using both agents and tracking devices.”

“We’re concerned that whoever is behind this will know something is wrong if Leon doesn’t show back up at Lee’s apartment this evening,” Francine added.

“He’s probably watching him,” Billy reminded his junior agent.  Billy’s face was sympathetic, knowing that Amanda wouldn’t like the plan.  Unfortunately, he had a job to do and this option might achieve the desired objective.

“I could head over there now, and slip into Lee’s apartment undetected,” Francine continued explaining the plan as she broke the uncomfortable silence in the room.  “I’ll plant some bugs, in case we get some company.  Then, you, being his partner could accompany him home a little while later.  Together we’re watching Leon’s every move, every call…”

“It’s clear that Leon is a pawn in this case, Amanda.  He was in it for the money,” Billy reminded his freshman agent.  “They will have to contact Leon either by land based telephone or in person.  When they do, we’ll be there to catch him.”

She hated the idea.  Allowing Leon to go back to Lee’s apartment and assume his life.  It wasn’t that easy.  Leon Hamilton, whoever he was, was no Lee Stetson.  Although there was a strong physical resemblance, Lee had morals, ethics, and a strong belief in country.  Leon sold out to get himself out of gambling debt.

“Sir, there’s got to be another way,” she pleaded to Billy, but deep in her heart she knew that his plan might work.

“I’m open to other ideas, Amanda, but we all agree, time is of the essence,” Billy answered with sincerity.  “All I’m asking you to do is to think about the plan, Amanda…”

Amanda sank down in the chair across from Billy’s desk.  In her heart she knew that was the best shot of finding Lee quickly and alive.  There was no choice in the matter.  The plan would draw out those responsible for Lee’s abduction.

“As long as he’s always under surveillance,” Amanda whispered her unenthusiastic approval.  “It would give me time to read through Lee’s mother’s diary.  There’s no way I’m buying that he’s really Lee’s half brother, but as Francine already said, the resemblance is… uncanny.”

With his usual calm and efficiency, Billy nodded over to Francine.  “Francine, head over to Lee’s apartment, but keep a low profile in case someone is watching the place.   Plant the listening devices in each room.  I’ll have agents posted in front and behind his building before Amanda leaves with Leon.  The tap on his phone line should be complete soon, if it’s not already.  Leon will be wearing a watch that will track his every movement.”

“I’m out of here,” Francine replied as she stood up.  “See you soon.”

“Go through Jennifer Stetson’s diary, Amanda.  If you come up with anything call me on my direct line,” Billy urged as he stood up and walked his junior agent to the door.  “Be careful, Amanda.  I’ve got one missing agent, I don’t want another.”

“Yes, sir, I’ll be careful.”
 

***

Wednesday evening October 7, 1987

Amanda and the imposter walked up to Lee's building.  The doorman opened the door, nodding courteously to them both.  Amanda smiled politely to him, but inside wanted to scream.  She wasn’t sure how long she could put up with this charade.  They took the elevator up to Lee’s apartment, and using her key, Amanda opened the door, glad to have the pretense over.

“Follow me,” Amanda ordered, grabbing Leon’s arm and walking him over to the dining room chair.  Reaching into her purse, Amanda pulled out a set of handcuffs and began to handcuff his one hand to the table leg.

“Amanda!” Francine gasped as she came in from the kitchen, “What are you doing?”

“In case he tries something dumb…”

“What happens if his contact comes to the door?  If he finds Leon handcuffed to the table leg, he’ll know something’s wrong.”

Shaking her head, acknowledging her mental lapse, she replied.  “You’re right, Francine, I wasn’t thinking.  I just want to make sure he doesn’t escape.”

“He won’t escape,” Francine reassured her friend and fellow agent as she opened her jacket enough for both Leon and Amanda to see she was armed.  Then turning to him, she addressed Leon specifically, “Don’t try anything stupid, Leon.  I’d love an excuse to shoot you!”

Putting his hands up in surrender, Leon answered in a nervous voice, “I won’t be trying to escape.”

“Good, then sit down, don’t move, and be quiet!” Francine ordered.

“Everything in place?” Amanda asked.

Francine walked over to Amanda and in a voice certain Leon wouldn’t be able to overhear, listed everything that had been done.  “Taps on the phone, listening devices in each room, agents front and back.  For added measure, we have video monitors at the building entrance, as well as near the elevator on this floor.  If anyone tries to come by, or call, we’ll nab them.”

A short sigh of relief rushed out of Amanda’s mouth.  Then nodding towards Leon, Amanda scowled in disgust, “I’m going to find that diary and see if I can figure out who he really is.”

“Let me know if you find anything,” she replied, watching as Amanda shut the door, disappeared into Lee’s bedroom alone.

Although Amanda knew exactly where Lee kept his mother’s diary in his bureau, she sat down on his bed.  Allowing herself a moment alone, her eyes began to moisten and she let a few tears fall.  Worry wracked her entire body, but she wouldn’t permit it to cloud her current mission.  Wiping the tears from her face, she got up.  Lee was counting on her to find him, and she didn’t intend to let him down.

Standing back up, she went to the bureau and retrieved the cherished diary.  She took it over to his desk and sat down with it.

Amanda poured over the journal knowing the truth lay somewhere in the pages.  As she focused on the handwritten notes, she felt like a part of Jennifer Hamilton was with her.  With each page read, she became increasingly convinced that Leon Hamilton was not Jennifer Hamilton’s first-born child.

Jennifer Hamilton’s diary went back to 1943, before she first met Matthew Stetson.  Even as a young woman, barely twenty she was very meticulous in her daily writings.  According to the diary, by the end of the war in Europe on May 7, 1945, Jennifer and Matthew had become ‘quite close’.  Matthew Stetson stayed in England until the end of November 1945, until he was redeployed to Germany.

Amanda put a piece of paper marking the page.  Surely, if that was the case, there would be no way she could hide being pregnant.  She continued reading the journal hoping to find more information to debunk Leon’s outrageous claims.  Page after page, Amanda scoured the journal.  There no absolutely no reference to a baby or a pregnancy in 1945 or 1946.

Almost an hour past when Amanda emerged from Lee’s bedroom.  Holding the diary in her hands, she was sure there was enough information in Jennifer Hamilton Stetson’s diary to convince both Francine and Billy that Leon’s claims were false.

“Francine, come take a look at this,” Amanda whispered to her fellow agent, holding out Lee’s mother’s diary.

“Lee’s family tree?” she guessed with a shrug.

“Uh huh,” Amanda nodded, looking suspiciously over at Leon whose eyebrow had risen slightly.  She wasn’t sure, but her harsh glare at him might have convinced him not to ask any questions or even move a muscle.

“We’re going to need more than a family tree to resolve this… problem,” Francine warned.

“I realize that,” she whispered confidently, not wanting Leon to be able to overhear.  “There’s plenty of evidence here to refute his claims.  I don’t believe for a minute that he’s Lee’s half brother, but they are probably related.”

“Huh?” Francine asked, confused.

“Take a look at this,” Amanda pointed to the family tree. “Jennifer Hamilton had an older sister, Juliet Hamilton.  She was thought to have been killed in the London Blitz back in 1940, during World War II.”

“Yeah, so…”

“The Hamilton’s never did identify her body.  What if Juliet wasn’t killed?  What if she’s Leon’s mother?” Amanda suggested.

“It really doesn’t make a difference, does it?”

“Maybe not to you or me, but it will when we find Lee.  Remember, Jennifer Hamilton Stetson was an agent.  It would be rather difficult, even back then to hide giving birth to a child.”

“I see your point,” Francine admitted.

Amanda continued with a whisper. “Jennifer Hamilton made reference to her older sister on several occasions in her diary.  Jennifer claimed that her older sister, Juliet had been a ‘wild child’ and was often in trouble.  Perhaps Juliet Hamilton took advantage of the bombing and disappeared.  Maybe she wanted a chance to start over.”

“That does make some sense and would account for the likeness – first cousins,” Francine logically concluded.  “You better call Billy and let him know what you found.  He can get someone to do a genealogy search on Juliet Hamilton and see if it connects with Leon.”

Amanda reached for the phone, but before she could pick it up, it started to ring.  Amanda’s eyes flew open wide and her head snapped over towards Leon.

Francine picked up the phone and carried it to the dining room table.  “Answer it as you were instructed, Leon,” Francine ordered harshly.  “Try anything stupid, and trust me when I say you’ll regret it.”

Leon swallowed hard, but didn’t say anything to Francine.  He appeared truly frightened of her.  The phone continued to ring.  Francine picked up the receiver and handed it to the man forcing him to speak.

“Hell-o”, he croaked out anxiously.

The voice on the other end of the phone was that of a man.  “Why aren’t you alone?  Get the woman out of the apartment - now.”

“My partner is making dinner for me tonight…” Leon answered anxiously as both Amanda and Francine watched him and listened to the call.

“There isn’t time to play house or try to get lucky.  Get the woman out of there.”

“I’m not sure I can… without it looking suspicious,” Leon replied in a whisper.  Without looking up at Amanda, he continued the conversation with the caller.

“I’m paying you a lot of money, so think of something.  She’s trouble,” the caller reminded Leon.  “Get rid of her now or I'll do it for you.  Do you understand?”

“Yes, I um, I understand,” Leon answered, glancing over at Amanda and appearing genuinely frightened.

“You better or the deal is off and you’ll be on the next flight back to England.  I’m sure your ‘friends’ will be waiting to pick you up at the airport to collect your debt.  Feign a headache, have a fight, but get rid of the woman!”

“I will, give me a half hour,” Leon replied.

“You’ve got ten minutes!” the caller yelled, and then they heard a ‘click’ as the caller hung up the phone.

Leon stared at Amanda, with a voice that was clearly intimidated he choked out, “He wants you to leave, but you better be careful.”

“Amanda, we need to call Billy.  Set up a protection detail for you…” Francine suggested.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Amanda replied defiantly, folding her arms across her chest. “We’ll wait here, at the apartment.  We’ve got Leon, we’re both armed…”

Francine encouraged wisely.  “Let’s follow along with his demands and see if we can trace the call or follow him.  It will lead us right to Lee.  We’ll get someone to follow you home, in case he goes after you first.”

“That leaves you here alone.  What if there’s more than one of them?  What if…”

“Amanda, I can handle myself, and we both know I’m not alone…” Francine reminded her.  Before their argument could continue, the phone rang again.

They stared at Leon and nodded for him to answer it.

“Hello?” he gulped.

“Let me talk to Agent King.”

“It’s for you,” Leon replied with relief, handing the phone over to Amanda.

“Hello?”

“Amanda, I want you to wait about five minutes and then leave,” Billy Melrose instructed his agent.  “I’ve got agent Castillo rolling now. He’ll be swinging past Lee’s apartment shortly.  You know his car, don’t you?”

“Yes, he has a white Ford Bronco.”

“Right,” Billy concurred.  “He’ll be following you in his Bronco and he’ll be watching your house.  Take the long way home.  Make sure you don’t get back to your house until Castillo is tailing you.  If you spot another tail, head back to the Agency instead.  Is that understood?”

“Yes, but wouldn’t it be better if I hung around and helped draw this guy out?” Amanda argued, not wanting to be on the sidelines.

“No, Amanda, I’ve got one agent missing, I don’t need two.  Go home and stay put.”

“Go home?” she challenged in disbelief.

“As soon as you’re sure that Castillo is your only tail, go home.  That’s an order.  Keep a watchful eye on your family.  I don’t think whoever this is has the resources to go after them, but I’d rather have you there if there’s a problem,” Billy ordered, and his temperament made it clear that any discussion was over.

Amanda swallowed hard.  She hadn’t thought about the risk to her family.  “All right, sir, I’ll be leaving here shortly.  You’ll call me as soon as you hear something.”

“You know I will.  Get a move on it and be careful,” Billy demanded before he hung up.

Amanda sighed heavily, and glanced over at Francine.  “You promise me that you’ll stick to him like glue, Francine.”

“Trust me, I won’t let him out of my sight,” Francine nodded, “If things go well, we will find Lee before the night’s out!”

“If you do, make sure you call me.  I don’t like the idea of sitting at home when I should be out looking for Lee.”

“Lee would want your family to be safe.  Did Billy put ‘eyes’ on your house?”

“Yeah, Castillo will be following me home,” Amanda replied, her mind racing.

“You better get going,” Francine nodded towards the door.  “I’ll talk to you soon, and remember, be careful.”

Reluctantly, Amanda gathered her things in silence including Lee’s mothers’ diary.  She looked back at Leon and Francine one last time before she went out the door and headed out of Lee’s apartment, then his building and was soon sitting in her car.

As instructed, Amanda took the long way home. Before she crossed the bridge into Virginia, she spotted Agent Castillo’s white Bronco a few cars back.  To make sure she wasn’t being followed by anyone other than Castillo, Amanda drove a loop past the high school and the junior high before turning down Maplewood and pulling into her driveway.  Although she was glad to be home, she didn’t like being on the outside of the operation to find her husband and partner.

“Hello, Mother, where are the boys?” she asked as she swallowed her fears and put on a big smile when she walked in through the kitchen door.

“Jamie is upstairs doing homework, and Phillip is at Megan’s house working on a big science project.  Personally, I think he’s more interested in Megan than he is in science,” Dotty remarked knowingly.  She glanced at her daughter for a moment before continuing on. “You’re home early.  Is everything all right?”

Amanda placed her purse on the counter and shrugged.  “Just a little tired, Mother, thought I’d make it an early night.”

“I thought you’d be having a quiet night with Lee now that he’s back in town,” Dotty questioned with a raised eyebrow.

“As nice as that sounds, Lee’s tied up tonight,” Amanda remarked, although she hated to lie, it could be true.  Somewhere in the Washington DC area, Lee Stetson was being held against his will by someone.

“Did you have dinner already?”

“No, I’m not very hungry,” Amanda answered.  In fact she was sick to her stomach with worry.  Not wanting the third degree by her mother to continue, she grabbed her bag calling over her shoulder as she left the room.  “I’m going to see how Jamie is doing with his homework.”

The evening dragged by slowly, and Amanda stared at the phone willing it to ring, yet it remained stubbornly silent.  Phillip came home from his study date with a dreamy smile, kissed his mother goodnight and went to bed.  Dotty put on the news, and Amanda listened mindlessly as the anchorman talked about nuclear armament, politics, and the stock market.  She didn’t care about the upcoming baseball playoffs.  All she cared about was whether Lee Stetson was safe.  Why hadn’t she heard something from Billy, or Francine?

“Amanda, I’m going to bed; do you want the television on?” Dotty asked her daughter, but she didn’t answer.  “Amanda, dear why don’t you go to bed?”  Still no answer.  “Amanda!”

“Hmm, what did you say, Mother?” Amanda finally asked as her mother stared at her.

“I suggested you go to bed.  You’re obviously not watching the news.  You said you were tired.”

“Yeah, I will in a little while,” she promised.

Her mother smiled at her, looked like she wanted to say more, but for once held her tongue.  Dotty handed Amanda the remote control for the television, bent down and kissed her daughter on the forehead.  “Good night, sweetheart, don’t stay up too late.”

“Good night, Mother,” Amanda replied, as she watched her mother leave the room.

Amanda channel surfed for a few minutes before giving up any hope that the television could distract her.  Getting up from the couch, she headed for the kitchen and puttered around, putting away the dishes, when the phone finally rang.

“Hello?” she whispered tentatively, not wanting to alarm her mother or wake the boys.

“Amanda, it’s Billy…”

“Did you find Lee?  Is he all right?” she blurted out instantly.

“We found Lee and his kidnapper is in custody,” he answered, “Lee’s been drugged, and he’s still unconscious.  The doctors are working on him now.”

“Where is he?”

“Georgetown Medical Center.”

“I’m on my way…” Amanda declared and without further discussion, hung up the phone, grabbed her things and left the house…

End Part Two
 

Go to:  Part Three

Back to:  IFF FILM LIBRARY

Go to:  Robin's Stories