Written: Nov 2001 - Dec. 2002
 

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters copyrighted by Warner Brothers and Shoot the Moon Production Company. It's meant for enjoyment purposes only. I retain the right to the plot and not the characters. All characters in this story are fictional.  Do not copy or distribute this story in part or full without prior consent of the above author.
 
 
 

SMK Time: March 1988
 
 

Prologue…

"Scarecrow!" Billy called in a sharp voice as he stepped out of the elevator and walked briskly towards the bullpen.

"Where's the fire, Billy?" Lee joked as his supervisor hurried to catch up with him in the main hallway.

"Very funny, Scarecrow, follow me," Billy ordered as they hastily crossed the bullpen. "I need an update on one of your cases. How's the Hammerston detail coming?"

"The Hammerson detail?" Lee repeated with an unsettled look on his face as he stood apprehensively in Billy's office. "Uh, Billy, I'm sorry, but I'm not working on anything with that name."

"You are now," Billy answered sternly. "Close the door."

Lee complied and then sat down in the chair opposite Billy's desk. "So, what's up?" Lee inquired with concern. "And just who exactly is Hammerson?"

"Hammerston," Billy corrected. "With a 'T' and it's a what, not a who!"

"All right, I stand corrected. So what exactly is the Hammerston case?" Lee repeated with curiosity.

"I just got back from a meeting with Dr. Smyth," Billy began.

"Great," Lee replied sarcastically as he rolled his eyes.

Billy chuckled. It was common knowledge how Lee felt about Dr. Smyth. "Actually, it was a rather productive meeting, considering…"

"Considering what?" Lee inquired with an edge in his voice.

"That it's budget review time," Billy replied with a grimace as he fumbled through some files on his desk.

"So what do they plan to cut this year?" he asked dubiously.

Billy stood up, walked around his desk and stood in front of Lee holding a manila file. "Smyth has an idea to hopefully strengthen our position when we go in and fight for our budget requesting extra manpower," Billy started as he leaned against his desk.

"Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to like this?" Lee mumbled as he clenched his jaw.

"Actually, I think you might like this idea," Billy corrected quickly. "Smyth wants the Agency to play a game of 'Cat and Mouse'."

"Now, that sounds like fun," Lee answered sarcastically. "I get to chase one of Dr. Smyth's pet agents while Smyth puts him up in some cushy resort!"

"Like I said, I think you're going to like this," Billy corrected. "Smyth personally requested you and Amanda be the mouse or mice in this instance. He's willing to front you an untraceable expense account, but you can't leave the country. You'll get five hours lead time to get out of town and up to a week to stay hidden…"

Lee sat up straight in the chair, obviously intrigued. He gave Billy his full attention and motioned for his supervisor to let him see the folder he was holding in his hand. Billy nodded and gave it to Lee and watched in silence while he read it.

"You're serious," Lee replied in disbelief, looking up at his supervisor to get a read on his face. "The old man picked me and Amanda? What's the catch? If we get caught he finally gets to separate the husband and wife team?"

"No, that wasn’t even mentioned," Billy answered honestly with a shake of his head. "He wants to prove a point to the budget committee that we need more personnel. To do that, he needs the best of his agents out there in hiding. The longer you two stay under wraps, the more bargaining power he'll have to increase manpower, not decrease it. It's a new age. The cold war is pretty much over, but the intelligence game is more important now than it ever was."

"Great, no pressure," Lee mumbled unhappily. "If we don't stay hidden, he'll make my life a living hell. If we stay hidden, he takes all the glory!"

"Yeah, I wouldn't doubt that," Billy chuckled.

"So, when do we start?" Lee asked with a shrug.

"I'll leave that up to you, but the sooner the better. I don't want anyone to accidentally catch wind of this operation. You and Amanda will need some time to make arrangements for the boys. So, until five hours after you two skip town, 'Operation Cat and Mouse' doesn't exist," Billy answered with a stern look.

"Got it!" Lee agreed.

"Standard rules of engagement. Your only contact will be me and you'll report to me daily on my private line - unless of course, you're caught. Then you report immediately to me and we can credit who finally tagged you," Billy advised him. "I don't need to remind you how important this is, Lee…"

"I understand, Billy," he concurred.

"OK, I want you and Amanda in this office in the next 72 hours telling me when you're going to kick this thing off," Billy requested. "Until then, you're assigned the Hammerston detail."

"Let me guess, the Hammerston case is bogus," Lee surmised with a grin.

"To the rest of the Agency it's a questionable land deal you're investigating," his supervisor answered with a devious smirk. "I'll put your names up on the active duty roster as top priority. Not that anyone would be nosing around, but like I said…"

Lee interrupted him, his head nodding. "I know, Billy, it's top priority. I think I'll go find Amanda and we can start doing some initial legwork on the Hammerston case…"

Billy smiled as he watched Lee leave his office and head out into the hallway towards the elevators.

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

Amanda was in the vault and Lee took the opportunity to sneak up behind her, planting a kiss on her neck. She jumped slightly then turned to admonish her husband.

"Now, I thought Dr. Smyth made it clear that we could work together as long as there were no shenanigans at the office!" she reminded him as she pointed her finger at him warningly.

"Actually, this was Dr. Smyth's idea," Lee informed her with a grin.

"Yeah, right," Amanda responded, rolling her eyes at her husband's playfulness.

Lee reached for her hand and gently tugged on it. "Come on. Billy gave us a new case to work on. We need to do some preliminary research."

"Can't I finish this filing first?" she asked as she held up a dozen or more files.

Lee took the files from her hand and placed them up on the top of the cabinet. "When has filing been more important than a Priority One case?" he queried with a scolding glance. "Grab your coat and let's get out of here."

"Priority One! Why didn't you say so in the first place?" Amanda acquiesced and followed her husband as Lee was quickly heading out the door.

Lee's pace was steady and Amanda had trouble keeping up with him. She was almost winded when he opened the car door for her. She sat down and took a few deep breaths while she waited for Lee to get in.

"Lee, what's going on? I can't remember the last time you hustled me out of the office like that," Amanda commented breathlessly when Lee finally drove the car away from the curb. "Is something wrong?"

"No," he answered as he reached for her hand, gripping it tightly. "How would you like a late winter vacation?"

"What are you talking about?" she asked him point blank.

Lee watched his rear view mirror to be sure they weren't being followed. He was well aware that his wife was watching him. He knew it would only make her more suspicious.

"Our new assignment is 'Operation Cat and Mouse'," he explained calmly. "You and I are the mice and the rest of the agents at the Agency are the cats!"

"Did you have a fight with Dr. Smyth?" she queried cautiously. "Are you in some kind of trouble?"

"Now, why would you think that?" Lee asked innocently with a devious smile and a chuckle. "Seriously, I'm not in any trouble, but we do need to go someplace without ears and chat. 'Operation Cat and Mouse' is legitimate. It comes straight from Dr. Smyth's desk and he hand picked the two of us to be the mice."

Amanda swallowed hard. Lee could tell from the look on her face that she was still totally unconvinced this was on the level. She let out a slow, deep breath and asked another question. "What exactly is this cat and mouse game we're allegedly playing?" she inquired, the skepticism quite apparent in her voice.

Lee pulled off to a side road, then found a parking space. He had to chuckle at his wife's suspicious attitude. "Let's take a walk."

As they walked down the street Lee briefed her on the assignment.

"So let me get this straight," Amanda said after he concluded his explanation. She sat down on a bench, and pulled her coat tightly around her for warmth against the cold winter wind. "You and I have to disappear for a week and the Agency has to find us. The longer we stay 'invisible' the better?"

"Exactly!" Lee answered with a grin.

"Sounds too easy to me. The only restriction is that we can't leave the country?" she remarked in disbelief.

"Well, we can't do anything illegal either. It's kind of like a paid vacation. We deserve the time off. Just you and me, wherever we want to go, the Agency's paying for it…" Lee replied gleefully.

Amanda shook her head at her husband's giddiness. "So when do we start?"

"We need to make arrangement for the boys for the week and we need to make some 'vacation' plans," he answered her with a twinkle in his eyes. "Then we tell Billy when the countdown begins."

"We have five hours to get out of town?" Amanda asked incredulously.

"Yup, plenty of time to disappear. Amanda, this is going to be great!" he reiterated with playful exuberance.

"I guess we'd better head home to talk with mother. What exactly can we tell her?" Amanda asked.

"We tell her it's 'need to know' and that she doesn't need to know. We'll give her a cell phone number if there's an emergency, or she can always call Billy. We'll have to contact him daily with a status report," Lee answered calmly.

"You're really excited about this, aren't you?" she said with surprise.

Lee grinned at his wife. He turned to her and took both of her hands into his. "Amanda, I've never been on this side of the game before. I've always been hunting down the mouse. It's going to be a nice switch to be the mouse and watch the cats chase their tails!"

"How often does the cat win?" she questioned curiously.

"That's not important," Lee answered flatly. "This time we're the mice. I've got some ideas. They're not going to find us!"

Amanda shivered on the bench, then finally answered. "Well this mouse is going to freeze if we sit here much longer. How about we walk back to the car and you can share your ideas with me. I vote for a week in Hawaii!"

Lee reached out for her hand, and helped her up to her feet. He tightened his scarf to block the cold winter wind. "No, Hawaii's too obvious." Then the two of them walked back to the car, Lee whistled the entire way…
 
 
 
 

Cat and Mouse

The Game Begins…Day One:

"Hmmm, so I get to make the announcement right at the beginning of rush hour," Billy laughed looking at his watch. "You're really making this difficult on your fellow agents, aren't you?"

Lee and Amanda both had smug yet innocent looks on their faces. "Billy, it works out really well for us. My mother will watch the boys tonight and Joe's picking them up tomorrow from school and he has them until Monday..."

"Uh, huh," Billy replied with a knowing glance as Amanda and Lee stood up.

"We'll see you in a week," Lee said, shaking Billy's hand as they walked towards the door.

"Good luck," Billy replied before they opened the door and walked out of his office and through the bullpen. He looked at his watch again; the countdown had begun.

It was Thursday, March 10^th, 11:30AM.
 
 

*** *** *** ***
 

Amanda left the Agency first. She took a bus towards downtown and then walked a few leisurely blocks to the Library of Congress. As Lee had predicted, T.P. Aquinas was promptly waiting outside the front of the building.

"Good morning, TP," Amanda greeted their mutual friend cheerfully.

"Good morning to you, too, Mrs. Stetson!" TP greeted her enthusiastically with a hug. "So, how's your day going?"

Amanda smiled. TP Aquinas was the only person that knew of the impending 'Cat and Mouse' game. He was a delighted conspirator in the plan to help them disappear and hopefully deceive those looking for them.

"Things are going exactly as planned," Amanda replied confidently.

"Wonderful, wonderful," TP nodded his approval, then produced a set of car keys. "As we previously discussed, my car is parked in Bethesda, exactly where you and Lee requested."

"What would we do without you?" Amanda queried, pleased that their friend and confidante had come through for them. "You have the spare set of keys to our car, right?"

"Of course! And I have the directions from Lee as to which section he planned to park in," he replied assuredly as he patted his pants pocket. They both heard the familiar jingle of keys. "I probably won't be picking it up until the weekend. I have a renaissance festival I'm participating in. I won't be needing my car for a few days."

"I hope you enjoy the festival, TP. Thanks again, have a good week," she said, giving her friend a hug.

"I will, give my best to Lee," he called to her as they parted company.

*** *** ***

It was high noon when Lee walked out the Georgetown foyer, waving cordially to Mrs. Marston as he left. He walked down the street to his car keenly aware of the people around him. Most of them were civilians heading to lunch… people who didn't know or care that he was a spy. None of them knew how vital the next seven days could be to their safety and that of national security. Lee knew and he was taking every precaution.

He drove the streets of Georgetown for a few minutes ever mindful of a possible tail. There wasn't one; there shouldn't be one. Nobody would know for another five hours that they should've been watching him or Amanda. He then drove to National Airport, parked in the remote parking lot, grabbed his suitcase and waited for the shuttle bus to drive him to the terminal.

Inside the terminal Lee stopped in and bought a magazine in one of the shops, had his shoes shined and finally nursed a drink at the bar. When he finished his drink he picked up his suitcase and walked to the airport Metro Station. The platform was crowded as it often was at lunch hour. The blue line train was the first to enter the terminal. When it stopped, Lee picked up his suitcase and got on the train….

***

Amanda knew the plan by heart and kept an eye on her watch. She got on the Metro train and rode it to the Bethesda station. Then she walked out of the station and headed to the prearranged spot where TP had left his car for them to use for the week. They both knew that Lee's Corvette would be easily spotted. Although her Wagoneer was a little more inconspicuous they decided to trade vehicles with TP to give them an added edge. It wouldn't take the Agency more than a few days to realize they didn't have either car with them, but they planned to make use of every advantage.

Amanda drove from Bethesda back to Fairfax, Virginia where she would pick up Lee like so many other commuters coming home early on an average Thursday afternoon. She navigated the familiar roads as quickly as the afternoon traffic permitted. She found herself only a few minutes behind schedule when she finally pulled up to the train station to pick up her husband.

Lee spotted TP's car and unobtrusively walked over to the car and got in as she pulled up.

"Any trouble?" he asked as he sat down and Amanda pulled away.

"No," she smiled with relief. "Things are going as planned. How about you?"

"Picture perfect," he replied, glancing at his watch. "We're right on schedule."

"Actually I'm seven minutes late," she corrected.

"Well, I, um, figured in a ten minutes window of error due to female driving responses," Lee needled her.

She glared at him. "And just what's that supposed to mean?"

Lee laughed heartily. "Traffic, Amanda, I figured traffic might be a little heavy. So we're well within our time restraint."

"Hmmph!" she snorted in mock complaint as she began to drive away from the city.

First she drove west towards the Blue Ridge, then turned north on Route 15 and drove into and through the state of Maryland. Lee glanced at his watch as they crossed the state line into Pennsylvania.

"Zero hour!" Lee commented with a broad grin. "Billy should be telling the troops about 'Operation Cat and Mouse' right about now!"

Amanda sighed heavily. "I'm still not sure that staying so close to Washington, DC is a good idea. We're barely two hours north of the city, Lee."

"That's just it," he corrected her with excitement. "They're going to be searching the airports and passenger lists for us. They'll figure we've gone far away. Instead we'll be staying so close they could trip over us."

"How long before they find the car at National?" Amanda asked with a curious grin.

"I doubt they'll find it tonight, it'll be dark shortly. Maybe tomorrow," he remarked thoughtfully. "I made sure my presence was quite visible at the airport. I should be seen on a few of the surveillance tapes. That should keep them going for a while."

Amanda watched as the exit to Gettysburg neared. "You want me to drive past Gettysburg and backtrack?" she asked.

"No, I think we'll be OK tonight if we head straight into town. We don't have any dogs tailing us this evening," Lee reassured her.

Amanda nodded and followed the next exit into the historic town of Gettysburg. "So, are you going to tell me where we're going to stay this evening or am I too high of a security risk?"
 
 

**** **** ****
 
 

Billy poked his head out of his office looking for Francine. She was working dutifully at her desk. He walked over and cleared his throat to get her attention. "Francine, I want all senior agents that are in the building assembled in the conference room in the next five minutes."

Francine gulped. "Five minutes, Billy?"

"Just do it!" he snapped. "No excuses." Then he turned and walked back into his office and slammed the door without further explanation.

Francine immediately picked up her phone, called a few extensions and put the word out. The time flew by quickly but soon the agents began to trickle into the bullpen and gathered in the conference room.

Billy glanced at his watch. It was four thirty - zero hour. He picked up the folders on his desk and left his office walking through the bullpen into the conference room with his best poker face on. The game of 'Cat and Mouse' would officially begin.

"All right, people, settle down," Billy ordered in a stern voice as he heard several agents grumbling. "If you weren't on a priority case as of this morning, consider yourself on one now. 'Operation Cat and Mouse' began at 11:30 AM this morning."

"Operation Cat and Mouse?" Francine questioned loudly, trying to overcome the groaning din in the room by the other agents. "Who exactly is the cat and who's the mouse?"

"An excellent question, Francine, I'm glad you asked," Billy retorted intently. "I want you to take charge of this assignment. You're the cat and Scarecrow and Mrs. King are the mice. Everyone in this room is on your team. Anyone else who's available can assist you. Your assignment is to find them as quickly as possible."

"Billy, please tell me your joking," Francine complained bluntly.

Billy continued on despite the mumbling of discontent reverberating softly in the room. "Lee and Amanda left this office five hours ago. They're assigned to stay hidden from you until you locate them or until next Thursday afternoon at 4:30PM."

"Standard rules, Billy?" agent Patterson finally asked.

"Standard rules," he concurred, then looked around the room. "Are there any other questions?"

"Billy, can't you have someone else handle this?" Francine suggested meekly.

"Do you have another priority assignment that I'm not aware of, Francine?" he questioned tenaciously.

"Well, no, but…" she stammered.

"Good! Then I guess that's settled," he reiterated decisively. "I suggest you assemble your team. Keep me posted on your progress. I expect to be notified immediately as to who finds them and where. Good luck!" With that said, Billy turned and walked out of the conference room leaving Francine stunned.

The other agents turned towards Francine waiting to be given their respective assignments. She stared at them blankly. Finally she muttered. "Just wait here, I'll be right back…" and she stormed after Billy.

Billy had barely sat down in his office when Francine burst in. "Billy, I can't handle this case!"

"You've already told me that you don't have another priority case. That's the only viable reason to be excused from this assignment," Billy reminded her.

"You don't understand," Francine pleaded. "I have plans for this weekend."

"You'll just have to reschedule your plans, Francine. This case is your top priority."

"Billy, please," she appealed. "You don't understand. I have plans to go away for the weekend - just Jonathan and I. We've got tickets to 'Phantom of the Opera'! Do you have any idea how hard it is to get tickets to 'Phantom'? We've been planning this weekend for months…"

"I'm really sorry to inconvenience you, but I need you out there looking for Lee and Amanda," he answered definitively.

"I don't believe I have to cancel my plans so I can play cat and mouse while Lee and Amanda soak up some sun on a sunny beach somewhere while I freeze my…," Francine sulked.

"Sounds like you already have some ideas on where to look for them," Billy replied casually as he looked up at Francine, trying not to laugh at the outraged expression on her face. "Now, I will make a deal with you."

"Oh, Billy, I can't thank you enough…" she began with noted relief.

"Now wait a second. I didn't excuse you from this assignment," Billy corrected. "If you find them before Saturday evening, feel free to take the rest of the weekend off."

"Ooohhh!" Francine grumbled as she stomped out of his office furiously, mumbling. "Scarecrow, when I find you I'm going to shoot you myself!"

End Day One
 
 
 
 
 
 

CAT AND MOUSE… Day Two
 

Friday, March 11^th

"Did you check the train station? Good! How about the bus terminals? Good! Don't forget the Metro stations," Francine doggedly questioned her agent by telephone. "Yes, I know there are dozens of Metro stations around town, so you better get moving. I want you to flash their picture to every station manager, ticket taker and cleaning person in town!"

When Francine hung up the phone she felt as if someone was watching her. From across the bullpen she watched as Billy casually walked over until he was standing in front of her desk. "How's it going, Francine," he inquired curiously.

"Just fine, Billy," Francine smiled confidently. "I've got agents covering all the major exit ports around the city. I'm sure I'll have a line on them…soon. Once that happens, it's only a matter of time."

Billy nodded his consent. "It's going to be an interesting match, Scarecrow and Mrs. King vs. Francine Desmond and the Agency. Just don't underestimate them."

Francine grimaced at the validity of that statement. She was keenly aware of the daunting challenge that lay ahead of her. Scarecrow was indeed a talented and crafty agent, but teamed up with his wife and partner, Amanda King Stetson, that took the task to a higher level. As much as she hated to admit it, Amanda King had a way of thinking that she would never understand.

"Trust me, Billy," Francine remarked as she pushed a stray wisp of hair from her face. "I've learned never to underestimate Lee or Amanda."

"I'm impressed, Francine," Billy commented in a somewhat surprised voice. "I know you didn't want this assignment, but you're really taking control of things."

"I'm going to win this game of 'Cat and Mouse'," she vowed with determination.

Billy nodded his approval and returned to his office. Without hesitation, Francine picked up the phone to get an update from another agent.
 

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

Amanda tramped through the fields, climbed the paths and trekked after Lee all day trying to be cheerful at his idea of a 'fun day'. The wind had picked up noticeably; the light of the day was beginning to wane. The clouds had been thickening all afternoon and now the patches of blue sky were totally obscured by a dense gray mass of clouds. She had denied for the last hour that she was seeing snow, but now her mittens were catching the flakes before they floated down to the ground.

"Lee," Amanda called out to her husband who was ahead of her on the dirt path. "It's starting to get late. Don't you think it's time we head back to the car and hit the road?"

Lee looked back at his wife, a joyful grin painted across his face. "I just want to get to the top of 'Big Round Top'," he remarked as he waited for his wife to catch up. He reached out his hand for her and helped her up the time worn path.

"I thought we climbed that an hour ago," she questioned, trying not to show her frustration.

"No, that was 'Little Round Top'. I figured since we're here we should really climb both of them," he clarified quickly as he surveyed the Pennsylvania countryside sprawled out in front of him. "It's so beautiful. It's hard to believe that this town and these woods saw so much bloodshed."

Amanda observed the area as well. She couldn't deny the beauty of the surrounding countryside despite the gloomy weather, but she had visited Gettysburg battlefields several times with the boys and their various scouting troops and school trips. A cold, blustery day in March was not her idea of a fine time to visit the historic site. She finally found a large rock, pulled Lee off the path and gratefully sat down.

"It really is a magnificent place, the fields and forest, and so full of history," she conceded to her husband as she scanned the dusky horizon. Then she pulled off her glove and pushed up her sleeve to glance at her watch. "We've been hiking these woods all day. I don't mean to complain, but I'm cold and it's starting to get dark…"

Lee pulled his wife close to him, rubbing his hand up and down her arm in an attempt to warm her up a little. He chuckled. "You're right, I didn't realize how late it was getting. I'm just so fascinated by history."

"We could come back tomorrow and…" she started to suggest.

"No," he interrupted quickly. "We've got to move on. Can't risk staying in one place more than a day. It's harder to hit a moving target."

"We could come back in the spring when the weather's warmer and the flowers are in bloom," Amanda suggested. "It's not that far from the house."

Lee grinned. "You wouldn't mind?"

"Not if it was warmer out," she chuckled, shaking her head at his exuberance.

Lee stood up and reached his arm down for his wife. "Then consider it a date. In the meantime…" he paused as he too noticed the snow beginning to come down a bit heavily. "When did it start to snow?"

"About an hour ago," Amanda laughed as the two of them began to hike back down the path towards their car -  hand in hand.

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

"Melrose here," Billy answered his personal line.

"Good evening, Top Cat, it's Mighty Mouse," Lee announced jokingly when his supervisor picked up the phone.

"Very funny, Scarecrow, so how's your vacation going?" Billy teased.

"Just fine, Billy," he replied, not willing to take the bait. "Haven't seen any of your bloodhounds yet."

"It's only been a little more than 24 hours," Billy Melrose reminded his boastful agent. "Give them a chance."

"Not if we can help it," Lee remarked impudently. "So, what's the news up there?"

"There's not much to tell you. The team is proceeding as expected, although Francine's rather peeved at you," Billy warned.

"Why, what did I do?" he questioned in surprise.

"It seems that she had tickets to 'Phantom of the Opera' in New York City for tomorrow night that she's not going to be able to use."

"I'm surprised she could even get her hands on tickets to that show. It's a shame, I hope they don't go to waste," Lee remarked casually.

"Since just about everyone she knows is tied up looking for you, she can't even give them away!" Billy asserted. "Unless, of course she finds you in time to get to New York!"

"I wouldn't count on that, Billy," Lee answered back quickly.

"Don't be so sure of yourself, Scarecrow," his supervisor replied. "We've got some great people looking for you."
 

"I don't doubt that for a minute, but they're still looking for a needle in a haystack and I don't plan to be found," Scarecrow answered assuredly. "I'll talk to you tomorrow…"

"Goodnight, Scarecrow. Be careful and don't get yourself caught," Billy warned before he hung up the phone.

"So how are things back in DC?" Amanda inquired as her husband hung up the phone.

Lee didn't answer her immediately, lost in thought.

"Lee," she called to him again, then finally shouted, "LEE!"

"What?" he asked as she jostled him out of his reverie.

"Is there a problem?" she inquired in a slightly exasperated voice.

"No, not at all," he answered distractedly as a smile began to grow across his face. "But I've got a great idea!"

Amanda asked cautiously. "What is it?"

"How would you like to take a quick side trip to New York City?" he asked.

"New York? Why?" she asked curiously.

"Francine had tickets to 'Phantom of the Opera' on Broadway, but she can't go to the play since she's on this case," Lee explained.

"Oh, that's awful. That's supposed to be the best new musical of the year. Those tickets are really hard to get. I bet she's really upset," Amanda replied sympathetically.

"Peeved was the word Billy used," he commented. "Why don't we go up to the city and use the tickets ourselves?"

"Lee, that wouldn't be right to take advantage of her that way!" Amanda objected. "Besides, that's not part of your plan. Remember - 'Plan your work and work your plan.'"

"I also said we needed to remain flexible," he advised her. "We can drive up there tomorrow afternoon, have an early dinner, see the show and be out of the city before midnight."

"What about spending the day in Amish country? I was going to look for a handmade quilt for mother's birthday," she reminded him, slightly disappointed.

"We can spend a couple of hours shopping in the morning. New York's only a few hours away. Amanda, it'll be fun," Lee prodded her.

"I don't know, Lee," Amanda wavered uncertainly, clearly tempted.

"We already talked about going back to Gettysburg later in the spring. How about we plan a day here in Amish country as well?" Lee suggested with a pleading grin. "If we drive up to New York we could eat dinner at 'The Russian Tea Room'?"

"The Russian Tea Room?" Amanda repeated with interest. "I've never been there. All right, you win, but we leave for New York after lunch tomorrow."

Lee pulled his wife into his arms and gave her a rather sensual kiss. "I promise you'll enjoy yourself."

Amanda giggled then whispered. "You mean tonight or tomorrow in New York?"

"Both," Lee whispered huskily as his kissing began to run down her neck and his hands began to explore her willing body…

End Day Two
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

CAT and MOUSE… Day Three
 

Saturday, March 12^th

"Are you sure you didn't see her? She must be with Scarecrow! Did you double check…" Francine demanded angrily for the third time. "All right, start going over the passenger lists. See if we can track either of them down that way," Francine ordered before slamming down the phone in frustration. "Damn, they could be anywhere!"

Billy was walking to his office and heard her. He winced noticeably, then shook his head before calling out to his agent. "Francine, my office - now!"

"That's all I need," Francine muttered unhappily under her breath as she got up and followed her supervisor into his office.

"Francine…" Billy began in a warning voice.

"I'm sorry for the outburst," she interrupted hastily, trying to head off the inevitable lecture, "but they found Scarecrow's car at National airport early this morning so I thought we might have had a lead on them."

"That's great, Francine, so why are you so upset?" Billy prodded.

"Because I've had three people scanning surveillance videos from the airport and it clearly shows Scarecrow on several tapes, but Amanda's nowhere to be seen…" she grumbled. "So it's possible that the mice might have split up and we're looking for Scarecrow in one place and Amanda in another. That's just not fair! Whose bright idea was it to have two mice instead of one? This is impossible!"

"It's my game, Desmond," Dr. Smyth piped in as he stood at the open door, a cigarette clenched tightly in his teeth. "And frankly, I like it. Yes, I like it a lot."

"Sir, it's just… we could very well be searching for two people in two very different places…" Francine began hesitantly, not liking the gleeful look on Smyth's face.

"How many agents are currently looking for Scarecrow and Mrs. King?" Smyth demanded as he puffed on his cigarette.

"I've got six agents working full time and…" Francine started to answer.

"Seems to me that the odds are still in your favor, Desmond. You have the resources of the Agency behind you," Smyth smirked. "Billy, I'm heading out of town the rest of the weekend. If they do manage to track down our quarry, be sure to beep me. You do have my number?"

"Yes, of course," Billy answered respectfully. "You'll be the first person I call."

"Ta ta for now, children. Happy hunting," Smyth replied with a smug grin before turning and leaving the bullpen.

"Oooh, that man infuriates me!" Francine snarled angrily when Dr. Smyth was clearly out of earshot.

"Francine, don’t let him get under your skin," Billy warned wisely. "He's trying to rattle you. This game hasn't even been running for 48 hours yet, so give yourself a chance. You've got a great team assembled, just keep on top of them. You've got the skills and the resources to find them, so quit feeling sorry for yourself and use them."

Francine stood up and walked to the door, but paused and turned back towards her supervisor. "Thanks, Billy. I'm going to find them…" she advised before heading back to her desk. She mumbled under her breath… "Then I'm going to shoot them myself!"

*** *** ***

"Hi, Top Cat, Mighty Mouse here again," Lee joked to his supervisor.

"You better be careful who you say that to, Scarecrow, or the nickname just might stick," Billy warned.

"Yeah, you're right about that," he replied, shaking his head at the thought.

"So how's it going?" Billy asked.

"Having a wonderful time, glad you're not here," Lee answered cheerfully. "Haven't seen any bloodhounds yet. I guess our trail's cold."

"I don't know about that, Scarecrow," he answered. "The team located your car this morning."

"Ah, yes, I do miss my car, but that means your team's almost 48 hours behind us," Lee boasted.

"Just don't get sloppy out there, Scarecrow," Billy warned. "Francine's assembled a damned good team to find you. Some of them you helped train."

"I still have a few tricks up my sleeve," Scarecrow advised. "Sorry to cut the call short, Billy, but I have plans for the evening."

"Keep your head down, Scarecrow, and I'll see you next week," Billy replied before hanging up.

"How's everything back in DC?" Amanda queried when Lee put away his cell phone.

"They found my car this morning, so they know we're not driving the 'Vette'," he advised his wife.

"So you think Francine's pouring over the flight lists out of National?" she inquired.

"Probably," he admitted with a nod, "but she's smart enough not to put all of her resources in one basket."

"Let's hope that it keeps her busy for a while," Amanda reflected.

"It should, but in the mean time, we'd better get a move on it. The theater is a few blocks from here," he answered. "Are you ready to go?"

"Sure am," she replied with an eager smile as they left the restaurant and walked down to the theater in the cool, crisp night air. There was a slight breeze blowing and again flurries filled the air. A crowd mingled outside the theater and they maneuvered through them to get to the doors. They waited in line at the 'Will Call' window until finally it was their turn.

"Tickets for Francine Desmond," Amanda asked politely but covertly, feeling somewhat uncomfortable about using Francine's tickets without her knowledge. Moments later the clerk handed over the two tickets and they walked into the theater.

"Tenth row orchestra seats," Lee remarked, slightly impressed. "Not bad. Francine must be cutting back on her clothing allowance…"

"It could have been a gift from Jonathan," Amanda presumed.

"I guess," Lee admitted with a noncommittal shrug, then his arm protectively wrapped around his wife's back. "We'd better get to our seats. The curtain's going up in a few minutes."

Amanda nodded and walked toward the orchestra seating. The theater seemed to be at capacity with most of the patrons already in their seats. The attendant looked at their tickets and showed them to their seats.

"Not bad, even if we're on the aisle," Lee mentioned as he got settled in his seat.

"Lee, these seats are wonderful. We'll have to thank Francine when we get back," Amanda remarked.

"I don't think we ought to mention this to Francine - considering she's missing this performance because she's out searching for us," he reminded her.

"You're right," Amanda whispered as they dimmed the lights and the orchestra began to play. "But we should really repay her for the tickets. Maybe surprise her with tickets for this show later this spring."

"All right. Remind me to check with the box office during intermission," Lee answered as he stole a quick kiss from his wife just before the curtain came up…

*** ***

They sat enchanted, delighted by the play and the music. Before either of them realized it the first act was over and the lights came up for intermission. They followed the crowd into the lobby.

"I'm going to visit the powder room, why don't you go to the box office and see if you can get some tickets for Francine to replace these?" Amanda suggested once again.

"Yes, dear," Lee chuckled without argument and headed towards the box office.

After waiting in the long line for what seemed forever, he purchased two tickets for Francine then walked back into the lobby and started to look for his wife. Finally he noticed her skulking in a corner. He decided to sneak up on her.

"Hey, there, gorgeous, care for a drink?" he teased as he came up to her from behind.

She jumped and scolded him. "Lee, you know I hate it when you sneak up on me!"

"I could have easily been one of Francine's bloodhounds, you know," he taunted, jokingly.

Amanda looked at him with a serious face. "We may have a bigger problem then that! I think I just saw Dr. Smyth."

"Shell shock," he answered, rolling his eyes.

"Lee, I'm serious," she answered furiously. "I really think I saw Dr. Smyth."

"Amanda," Lee placated gently. "If we were at the Fords Theater, maybe or even the Kennedy Center, but here in New York City, for God sakes? I really doubt it. Besides, I hardly think Dr. Smyth is the musical theater type…"

"Well, regardless of what type you think he might be, he's over…" she glanced around the room furtively but she couldn't find him anywhere. "Lee, I know who I saw and I tell you he was right there a minute ago!"

"Maybe you could use a drink to relax," Lee suggested as he too scanned the room but didn't see anyone he recognized or even someone who looked remotely like Dr. Smyth.

"Don't patronize me," she snapped angrily as she pulled away from him.

"I didn't mean to upset you," he said apologetically. "Did you get a good look at him?"

"Well, no," she admitted reluctantly. "I only saw him from across the room. I'm pretty sure he didn't see me…"

"So it's probably someone who looked like him, that's all. What are the chances that Dr. Smyth went out of town to New York this weekend?" Lee inquired with a casual shrug. "My guess is he's sitting ominously at the Agency carefully watching Francine run around in circles. Now, would you care for a drink before the show continues or…"

Before she could answer the house lights were dimmed several times to advise the patrons that the show was about to resume.

"I guess we better get back to our seats," Amanda replied with a frustrated sigh.

Lee reached around his wife's waist and followed the crowd back into the auditorium. His eyes continued to scan the room and he noticed that Amanda was doing the same. When they sat down the orchestra began to play and Lee rested comfortably in his chair, dismissing his wife's claim that she'd seen the vexatious Dr. Smyth. The curtain had yet to rise when his wife squeezed his hand tightly to get his attention. He leaned close to her to see what she wanted.

"Three rows in front of us, seven seats in from the aisle…" she whispered into his ear with alarm.

Lee's eyes darted to the seat his wife had isolated. He squinted in the darkened theater to make out the features of the man. He watched the man intensely. When the curtain went up, the light from the stage began to permeate the theater allowing him a better view of the man in question. The height was about right, the haircut was distinguishable but the profile was the clincher. Lee swallowed hard. He should've known better than to doubt Amanda's word. Dr. Smyth was sitting just three rows in front of them.

"Do you see him?" Amanda hissed.

He nodded stoically, but didn't reply.

"I tell you, it's Dr. Smyth!" she whispered pressingly. "We need to get out of here!"

Lee squeezed his wife's hand then turned to her and whispered a reply. "You said he didn't see you and he's sitting three rows in front of us. It's all right, really. He won't see us here."

Amanda looked at him in disbelief. "I said I didn't think he saw me, but I'm not sure."

"Just sit back and enjoy the rest of the show. We'll leave as soon as the curtain comes down," Lee replied calmly.

"Lee?"

"Amanda, relax and enjoy the evening. How often do we get to New York to see a first class play with orchestra seats to boot?" he asked her. "He can't call anyone from the auditorium. The ushers would throw him out if he even tried. If he leaves for any reason we'll sneak out behind him. Once we're out in the city streets, it'll be tough to find us."

"Are you sure?" she asked him one more time.

Lee nodded and kissed her cheek tenderly. "Just sit back and enjoy the performance. We'll clear out of here as soon as the final curtain comes down."

With that said, Lee's attention returned to the stage and the performers on it. He did, however, keep a watchful eye on the seat three rows in front of them…

End Day Three
 
 
 

CAT AND MOUSE…Day Four
 

Sunday: March 13th

"It couldn't be, could it?" Francine questioned out loud to herself as she drove her car onto Wisconsin Avenue. Just two cars in front of her was a silver Corvette. It took her a few minutes before she maneuvered her vehicle so her car was right behind it, but the angle of the morning sun made it difficult to read the license place. She followed the sports car for several blocks before she was certain that it was, in fact, Lee Stetson's car. "I don't believe it!" she chuckled proudly. "I'm going to nail him within blocks of the office! Billy's going to kill him!"

She honked the horn on her car, then signaled with her arm for him to pull over. She was quite surprised that the driver didn't even bother to elude her. Luckily there were a few parking spaces on the side of the road and Francine pulled in right behind Lee's Corvette and got out of the car. She walked up to the passenger door and glanced inside only to be extremely annoyed at herself. "I should have known that Lee would never be caught so easily," she groaned loudly once she realized neither Lee nor Amanda was behind the wheel.

"Good morning," T.P. Aquinas greeted her cheerfully as he sat smiling back at her as he proudly wore his full renaissance festival period garments. "I'm certain I wasn't speeding."

"What… no, this is not a traffic stop…I don't believe it!" she snapped angrily. "What are you doing driving around in Scarecrow's car?"

"Quite a lovely morning for a ride don't you think?" he commented evasively, obviously enjoying this charade. "I was going to walk, but it might rain this afternoon and I didn't want to ruin my costume."

"Why are you driving Scarecrow's car?" Francine coaxed pleasantly, hoping he'd inadvertently help her find Scarecrow and Amanda.

"Miss Desmond, isn't it? I believe we've met." T. P. asked, evading her line of questioning. "T. Percival Aquinas at your service."

"Yes, Francine Desmond," she reminded him, trying to hold her temper in check. "I work with Lee and Amanda, you remember?"

"Ah, yes, I knew you looked familiar," he answered brightly.

"You didn't answer my question," Francine replied trying vainly to reign in her frustration. "When did you pick up Lee's car?"

"First thing this morning. Like I said, I planned to walk but there's a chance of…"

"I know, I know," Francine interrupted, her anger now apparent. "It might rain and you didn't want to ruin your costume. Why didn't you take your car?"

"It's in the shop." He simply lied like an accomplished thief.

"In the shop, huh?" she repeated with a lack of belief, frustrated by the fact that T.P. was muddying up her investigation. "I'll bet I know who's working on your car?"

"Oh, you use 'Capital Motor Repairs', too?" T. P. quickly suggested, careful not to betray the secret that he held for his good friends. "They're a little slow, but they do a great job."

"So when do you think you'll have your car back?" she asked in a tight voice, not buying his story for a second.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe a few days or so?" he implied with a shrug.

"Somehow I bet it'll be on Thursday?" she hinted in exasperation.

"Was there anything else you needed?" TP prompted in a slightly anxious voice. "I hate to be rude, but I don't want to be late to the festival."

"No," Francine remarked as she rolled her eyes. "I certainly wouldn't want you to be late for your performance…"

"Oh, I'm not performing," T. P. corrected proudly. "I'm in charge of the refreshments. I must make sure the ovens are working properly. It the temperatures aren't set just right the bread…"

"Never mind, T. P.," Francine interrupted in disgust as she threw up her hands and then promptly covered her ears as she stalked back to her car. She didn't want to hear the details. She only wanted to find Scarecrow and Mrs. King.

*** ***

Lee and Amanda were still curled up in bed together. They were both awake, but peacefully listening to the pitter-patter of rain that cascaded down their hotel window.

"Well, so much for skiing today," Lee finally commented as he broke the silence in the room.

"Just as well," Amanda sighed in contentment as she snuggled against her husband. "I didn't bring any ski clothes."

"I can't believe we drove until the wee hours of the morning to get to the Poconos and it's raining instead of snowing. When we're in Gettysburg two days ago it starts to snow, it snowed last night in New York, but now that we're in ski country, it's raining!" Lee griped as he sat up in bed and stretched.

"It's the middle of March," Amanda reminded him thoughtfully, as she rubbed his back tenderly. "Kind of late in the season for good snow anyway. Besides, I hate renting ski boots. They never fit as well as my own and I end up with terrible boot burn."

"So what do you want to do all day?" he asked his wife, clearly disappointed.

"What time's check-out?" she questioned with a devious grin.

"It doesn't matter?" he chuckled with a childish grin of his own. "We're on an untraceable expense report?"

"What happened to not staying in one place more than a day?" she reminded him.

"Oh, sure, now you're actually listening to me!" he exclaimed in surprise. "Remember I said we needed to be flexible?"

"I can be very flexible," Amanda whispered suggestively as she pulled her husband back down on the bed next to her. His lips met with hers as she leaned towards him.

He closed his eyes, enjoying the delicate pressure of her lips on his. "So, maybe we ought to find out just how flexible the two of us can be?" he mumbled as his lips pulled apart just enough to survey his beautiful wife.

The warmth of his hands and the touch of his skin on hers made Amanda's body quiver.

"Are you cold?" he inquired in concern as he noticed her body shiver despite the pleasant temperature of the room.

"No, Mr. Stetson," she whispered reassuringly, as she stole a quick kiss. "Your touch makes me… tingle."

"Tingle, huh?" he grinned.

"Among other things," she rustled in a sultry voice as her dark chestnut eyes encouraged him silently to continue on.

His hands resumed their leisurely exploration of her body, first touching her through the thin nightgown she was wearing. He knew the gentle curves and crevices by heart. He enjoyed watching her face as his hands touched and aroused her. He tenderly kissed her again on her lips, then her face. He started to trail his kisses down her neck before his cell phone annoyingly rang sharply. He clenched his teeth and waited for it to stop, but it rang again.

"It's a conspiracy!" he snapped angrily.

"You better answer it," Amanda warned, equally frustrated. "Not too many people have access to that number."

"All right," he finally mumbled with intense displeasure as he pulled away from his wife. He got out of bed and searched around the room for the noisy intruder, finally locating his phone near his suitcase and picked it up.

"Stetson," he barked into the phone.

"Lee, my boy," T. P. greeted apprehensively. "I hope I didn't interrupt…"

"No, no," Lee replied quickly, hoping to put his good friend at ease. He tried to calm his attitude immediately. "Is something wrong in DC?"

"I'm afraid so," T. P. admitted, sheepishly. "I hadn't planned on picking up your car until this evening, but we're expecting rain later today so I picked it up this morning. I was heading to the Renaissance Festival when one of your colleagues spotted it and pulled me over."

Lee grimaced and then sat down on the edge of the bed. "Who was it?" he questioned.

"Francine Desmond," T. P. advised. "I'm afraid she didn't buy my story that my car's in the shop. I think she'll put two and two together and realize we switched cars. I hesitated in calling you, but I thought this was important enough to warn you…"

"I appreciate your call. You did the right thing," Lee encouraged with a sigh.

"How's everything else going?" T. P. asked.

"Things are going just fine. The dogs haven't tracked us down yet," Lee advised his good friend. "Hey, T. P., you remember where we asked you to park your car the other day?"

"Of course," he answered confidently.

"Would it be too much trouble to drop it off in that same neighborhood sometime tomorrow?" Lee requested.

"You want to switch our cars back?" T. P. surmised.

"That should keep them guessing for another few days," Lee implied. "Keep them confused."

"It'll be there first thing in the morning," T.P. agreed without hesitation.

"No rush," Lee stated calmly. "We probably won't need it until afternoon."

"Never the less, it'll be there for you bright and early," T. P. replied confidently. "I'm sorry to have troubled you. Say hello to Amanda for me."

"Will do, T. P.," Lee concurred. "We owe you dinner - anywhere you like when we get back."

"I always look forward to an evening with my favorite couple. I'll see you in a few days," T. P. announced before ending the call.

Lee clicked the button and ended the call on his end as well then placed it down on the table.

"Problem?" Amanda questioned anxiously.

"Probably not," Lee answered as he pensively walked back towards the bed. "Francine spotted T. P. in my car this morning and pulled him over. She's probably guessed that we switched vehicles."

"So there's probably a BOLO for T. P.'s car already," Amanda surmised.

"No doubt about that," Lee answered in a deflated voice.

"You're not seriously thinking about switching back cars again are you?" she inquired skeptically.

Lee shrugged, then gleefully shared his plan with his conspirator. "Why not? They'll be looking for T. P.'s car. It'll probably be a day or two before they find it back in DC… even IF they find it. Remember his car's a dime a dozen where the 'Vette stands out like a sore thumb. The last place Francine will be looking for us will be in my car now. It'll be the perfect cover!"

"I don't know, Lee," Amanda replied incredulously, then teased. "You've worked with Francine's a lot in the past. Maybe she knows how your devious mind works."

"I assure you nobody knows how devious my mind works?" Lee stated in a defensive voice.

"Nobody, huh?" Amanda asked innocently as she cocked an eyebrow and gave him a sly grin.

"Well, nobody outside this room, anyway," he confessed.

"You really are enjoying this game, aren't you?" she laughed.

"Yeah, I am. It's reassuring to know that IF we do get caught, they won't be firing real bullets at us!" Lee reminded his wife.

"Won't that be a switch," she agreed, heartily.

"But as much as I'm enjoying this particular version of 'Cat and Mouse', I'd actually prefer the other game we were playing before the phone rang and interrupted," he admitted honestly in a deep voice.

"Oh, really? I thought you'd forgotten all about that," Amanda teased as she pulled the sheet back on the bed, silently encouraging her husband to return. "I think I remember exactly where we left off…"

"Oh, do you?" Lee whispered huskily as he came back to the bed and positioned himself close to his wife's body.

"Uh, huh," she mumbled as Lee's lips captured hers.

Without any further delay he carefully helped his wife from her nightgown and surveyed her soft, delicate body. He reached down and began to intimately caress her.

"Oh, Lee, that feels wonderful…." Amanda murmured lovingly.

This time, nothing would interrupt their lovemaking.
 

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

"Good morning, Francine," Billy greeted cheerfully as she stormed into the bullpen.

"Not anymore, it isn't," she grumbled furiously.

Billy turned to question his agent. "What's wrong now?"

"I just pulled over Scarecrow's Corvette on Wisconsin Avenue," she snapped bitterly as she booted up her computer. "Seems that Scarecrow switched car with his good friend, T. P. Aquinas!"

Billy tried to hide the chuckle on his face, but clearly he wasn't surprised by Francine's latest findings. "Francine, in this game, that's more than legal."

"OOOHHHH!" Francine groaned loudly as she sat down at her desk waiting for a prompt on her computer. "I swear he's running me in circles. Amanda's car is parked at the house on Maplewood so we're out looking for his car. When we finally find it at the airport we waste half the day going over surveillance tapes. Now I find out that he probably didn't even fly anywhere, which explains why we haven't seen Amanda on any of the airport surveillance tapes."

"Maybe that should have been your first clue?" Billy indicated with a stern look.

"Nice of you to mention that now," she lamented, obviously distraught over the situation. "You probably know where he is and what he's doing!"

"My office, now, Francine!" Billy demanded as he pointed the short his finger towards his office.

Francine got up from her desk without further comment and walked briskly into her supervisor's office and plopped down in the chair across from his desk.

Billy followed her shaking his head as he closed the door and took his time to sit down at his desk. He was trying to formulate what he was going to say to Francine. From the look on her face, she was expecting to be reprimanded, but Billy wasn't about to brow beat her when she was down. He took a deep breath before starting a much-needed pep talk.

"First of all, Francine, the only contact I have with Scarecrow is a daily phone call. I have absolutely no idea where he is. Secondly, Scarecrow's one of the best agents this department has ever had; finding him is NOT going to be simple! Lastly, I'd like to add that I have a damned good agent in charge of tracking them down, wouldn't you agree?" he asked logically.

Francine nodded mutely and finally replied. "Yes, Billy, but…"

"No 'buts', Francine. You're one of the top agents in this section," Billy reminded her. "But Lee's one of the best. This assignment wasn't meant to be easy. Why do you think Scarecrow was chosen to be the mouse in this game? With Amanda by his side, those two are a dynamic duo."

"Great," Francine mumbled. "Maybe I should call Commissioner Gordon to put Batman on the case to even things out a little."

"Enough of the sarcasm, Francine," Billy warned his agent with a stern look. "Dr. Smyth also suggested you to be the cats' team leader so start acting like one! Smyth didn't assign you that task because he wanted to make it easy for Scarecrow. You of all people should know that."

"You're right, Billy," Francine admitted sheepishly as she stood up and walked towards the office door. "I just need a few minutes to regroup. I'm going to track them down yet."

"Then get out of my office and get back to it," Billy encouraged and Francine headed for her desk.
 

End Day Four
 
 
 
 
 

CAT AND MOUSE…Day Five
 

Monday: March 14^th.

Billy returned from lunch and glanced across the bullpen. He was surprised to see Francine's desk empty. She'd barely left her desk since last Thursday, running the case and the agents ragged from her telephone.

One of the agents on Francine's team was nearby and Billy called out as he wandered by. "Where's Francine?"

"She just left. She's checking on an alleged sighting of Scarecrow down in Fredericksburg, Virginia," the agent advised.

"Something solid?" Billy asked with interest.

"I doubt it," he shrugged. "We've had sightings of him everywhere from New York City to Atlanta and out west to Los Angeles."

Billy's allegiance was torn. He didn't want to see either party loose, but he knew how important it was for Agency funding that Lee and Amanda stay hidden. "Keep on the trail. Something will turn up," he encouraged before walking towards his office.

"I hope so," the agent answered back. "But to be honest, I think she needed to get out of the office for a change of scenery. She's been working day and night without a break."

"I know," Billy agreed before he was interrupted by his phone ringing. Before he answered it,  he reminded his agent once again. "Keep the heat on, you never know which lead will pan out…"

The other agent nodded and Billy picked up his phone and turned his attention to other Agency business.

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

"It's a good thing we stopped for lunch," Amanda commented as she looked at her watch. "With all the traffic and construction in Pennsylvania, it's going to be every bit of a four hour ride just to switch cars."

Lee shook his head in disagreement. "Let's just hope we can get out of the city before we end up getting caught in rush hour traffic. We should have left the hotel earlier."

"You're the one who decided to join me in the shower this morning…" she reminded him.

"You didn't seem to mind at the time," he advised her.

Amanda blushed, then changed the subject. "So where are we heading towards after we pick up the car?"

"I thought we'd drive down and check out the civil war battlefields around Fredericksburg. There's quite a few of them down there that I've never been to," Lee explained eagerly.

"Lee, there's dozens of battlefields down there. Just how many of them did you intend to visit?" she asked with trepidation.

"I thought since the weather has finally improved that we'd visit the Wilderness Battlefield or maybe even the Bloody Angle in Spotsylvania and, of course, we wouldn't want to miss Chancellorsville, where Stonewall Jackson was shot and…"

"No, we wouldn't want to miss that," Amanda repeated sarcastically. "Lee, enough with the Civil War!"

"I thought you liked history," he questioned with a hurt look on his face.

"I enjoy history, really I do. The battlefields are great places to take the boys on the weekend for a family outing," she answered honestly. "But I can think of other places I'd rather go when it's just you and me."

"Such as?" he prompted curiously.

"Oh, so you're finally asking my opinion now?" she quipped, raising her eyebrow slightly.

"I guess I really haven't asked for your input on this assignment much, have I?" he admitted guiltily.

"No, other than the one morning you allotted me for shopping in Amish Country," she answered with her hands firmly planted across her chest in silent protest.

"I'm sorry," he replied, but Amanda didn't let him off the hook that easily. He shrugged passively and then pointed. "Hey, there's my 'Vette!"

There was another parking space available a few spots up and Lee parked T. P.'s car there, knowing he'd easily spot it when he picked it up in the evening. After grabbing their bags and putting them into the Corvette, Lee double checked to make sure T. P.'s car was locked and then got back into his own car. Within a few minutes he was driving down the roadway once again.

"It feels good to be behind the wheel of my own car again," Lee announced cheerfully as he accelerated onto the beltway, almost caressing his steering wheel.

Amanda couldn't conceal her laugh, knowing her husband's attachment to his sports car. "Just remember to thank T. P. for lending us his car. It kept Francine and the bloodhounds off of us for a few days."

"Yeah, you're right and he took good care of the 'Vette. Not a scratch on it," Lee advised his wife as he patted the dashboard affectionately.

"Did you think he was going to take it to the demolition derby?" she wisecracked, rolling her eyes.

"No, of course not," he muttered in false disgust. "It's just, you know, how important a car is to a person."

"Must be a 'guy thing'," Amanda surveyed then asked one more time. "Are you sure it's a good idea to switch back to the 'Vette?"

"No offense to T.P., Amanda, but if we do run into anyone from the Agency, I'd rather have my own car," he explained sensibly. "I know what this car is capable of doing. It's got a lot of power and great suspension. I can maneuver out of just about anything with the 'Vette."

"I hope you're right," she conceded just before Lee jammed on the brakes.

"Damn!" he swore loudly as the traffic in front of him came to a complete halt. "There must be an accident ahead. It's too early in the afternoon for traffic to be this slow."

"Well, you just said you could maneuver out of anything," Amanda teased.

"Very funny!" he grumbled.

Amanda reached into the glove compartment and pulled out a map. "Where exactly did you want to stay this evening?"

"I was planning on driving down I-95 to Fredericksburg, but with this mess I'm not so sure," he stated with frustration as they inched along on the beltway. "Any suggestions?"

"We could take the Dulles Access road to the airport and fly someplace warm where there's no traffic," Amanda suggested with a wide grin. "I'm thinking the Florida Keys or maybe to Arizona. You're always wanting to go to a dude ranch…"

"Francine will have spotters at all the major metropolitan airports in the area," he warned his wife. "You wouldn't get down the jet way before she'd be parading us in front of Dr. Smyth!"

"You're right," she remarked, deflated. "It's just that we seem to be going nowhere fast. The weather's been too cold or too warm…"

"Or too rainy. I know, I know," Lee conceded with frustration.  "The weather hasn't been cooperating, but look on the bright side. It's been just the two of us outside of the office for a few days, alone together without having to worry about being shot at by the bad guys."

She laughed. "Yeah, you're right. That’s always a bonus!"

"How about we head west on I-66 and go out to the Blue Ridge," he suggested as he managed to inch over into the right lane. "I'm sure we could find something out there that we'd both enjoy doing. How does that sound?"

"I kind of liked what we did yesterday morning," she reminded him.

"I'm sure we could find some time for… Amanda, get down!" Lee demanded sharply.

Amanda ducked down in the seat, but peered up at her husband and whispered. "Why? What's wrong?"

"You won't believe this, but Francine's in her car in the lane next to us," he warned.

"Please tell me you're kidding," she begged as she tried to sink lower to the floor of the car.

"I wish I was," he answered as his jaw muscle twitched anxiously. "In this traffic she could get out of her car and walk up to this one and this game will be history!"

"I told you coming back to DC to switch cars was a bad idea," Amanda mumbled in a small voice as sat scrunched down in the front seat.

"Just stay down," he repeated as he watched Francine inch her car forward. Lee didn't move his car for a few moments and the car behind Francine switched lanes, pulling in front of the Corvette. "All right, we've got a little distance between us now. Hopefully she won't look back."

"Can I get up now?" she pleaded.

"No, stay down. If she looks in her rearview mirror and sees just one person in a silver Corvette she might not get suspicious," he worried. "If she's see a man and a woman…"

"Lee, you've got to think of something. I can't stay in this position much longer or you'll need a crow bar to get me out of here tonight," Amanda warned as she grimaced at her present predicament.

"All right," he lamented as he looked down at his wife's rather uncomfortable position, but at the moment he had few options. Finally he answered. "Hold on; we're out of here!"

"Oh my gosh!" Amanda exclaimed in alarmed as Lee yanked the car onto the shoulder of the road and drove feverishly up the highway. He was cautious to watch the traffic ahead of him as well as keep an eye on the traffic behind him.

"Did she follow us?" Amanda asked from her cramped position on the floor of the passenger seat.

"Not yet," Lee answered. "You can get up now; I think it's safe."

"Do you think she saw us?" Amanda wondered as she tried to stretch the kinks out of her back and neck.

"I don't think so, but I'm not sure," Lee replied as he kept a steady eye behind him as he continued up the shoulder of the road.

Amanda turned to look behind them. "I don't see her car."

"She was in the middle lane. In this traffic it would take a minute or two to make it over to the shoulder of the road. Luckily some cars ducked behind me trying to get out of this disastrous mixing bowl. If she did see me that'll slow her down a little, but she could call ahead and we could have a nice surprise at the exit if we don't get out of here soon," he complained as he honked his horn in frustration.

"That's not going to help things," Amanda warned. "You'll just draw more attention to the car."

"I'll be damned if I get caught by 'the cat' this close to the office. Francine will never let me forget it," Lee snapped.

"You won't have to worry too much about Francine," Amanda suggested knowingly. "Dr. Smyth will have us both transferred to Iceland!"

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," he muttered as he struggled to maneuver his car up to the first available exit.

*** *** ***

"Hi, Billy," Lee greeted when his supervisor picked up the phone.

"Scarecrow, calling a little early this evening. So how's it going, 'Mighty Mouse'?" Billy teased.

Lee wanted to know if Francine had spotted him earlier in the day, but didn't want to come out and ask him. "I don't know, Billy, why don't you tell me?"

"Been kind of quiet around here today. Francine decided to follow up on some leads on her own," Billy answered. "She's been working day and night and up until today has barely left the office. I think she'll be glad when she finds you."

"You mean IF she finds us! Besides, Francine better get a move on it," Lee reminded his supervisor. "We're past the half way point!"

"Yes, Dr. Smyth was quite pleased when he got back to town this morning, but I wouldn't count out Francine and the bloodhounds yet," Billy advised cautiously.

"Don't worry, we won't let our guards down," he reassured his boss with false modesty. He didn't want his supervisor to know how close he came to blowing the entire operation this afternoon. "I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Keep your head down, Scarecrow," Billy warned before ending the call.

"So Francine didn't spot us this afternoon?" Amanda asked as Lee gently tossed the cell phone into his suitcase..

"Apparently not," he replied with a relieved sigh. "We got lucky today. We should've been nabbed. Coming back to DC and switching cars probably wasn't the best idea."

"The important thing is we didn't get caught and now we're a couple of hours away from the city and as you reminded me earlier today, it's just you and me," she answered seductively.

Lee grinned. "Sounds like you're starting to enjoy this game."

"I like the perks that come with it," Amanda with a smile.

"You mean you're enjoying the good food and the beautiful scenery," Lee queried as he looked out the window of their hotel room. "It was a good idea to spend the night in the mountains…"

"Well, yes, the foods been wonderful and the Shenandoah Mountains are really pretty this time of year as the trees and flowers begin to bloom, but those weren't the only perks I was talking about. I've really been enjoying the company," she suggested with a wink.

"I really like the perks myself," Lee chuckled huskily before he pulled his wife into a warm embrace…

End Day Five
 
 
 
 

CAT AND MOUSE…Day Six
 

3/15 Tuesday
 

Billy opened the door to his office and was surprised to find Francine sitting in his chair shouting at one of the agents on her team.

"I don't want to hear another one of your hunches," Francine berated the agent angrily. "So far every one of them has run into a dead end! I want results. You're not the only one tired of this game. Take two aspirins and get your sorry butt back in the field."

Billy winced as she slammed the phone down. "I guess when this case is over we'll need to send you to anger management classes," Billy suggested, trying hard not to smile.

"It's Patterson! He wanted to work from home today. Seems he's tired and has a bit of a cold," she complained loudly. "I've got less than 48 hours to find Scarecrow and Mrs. King and he wants to watch the game play out from the bleachers."

Billy stared at Francine patiently. It took her a few seconds to calm down before she stood up and allowed her supervisor to take his place behind his own desk.

"Francine, I realize trying to motivate agents can be a difficult task," Billy began calmly. "I have found, however, that screaming at them and slamming the phone down on their ears is not the most effective way of inspiring them to get out of bed. Now, a good bottle of Scotch is an excellent inducement for Patterson."

"I'll keep that in mind for the future," she gritted out trying not to sound as frustrated as she felt.

"I don't want you or anyone else on your team to give up!" Billy ordered as Francine started to leave. "Forty eight hours might not seem like much time to you, but to Lee and Amanda it might seem like an eternity."

"Yes, sir," Francine answered then mumbled under her breath as she stalked back to her desk and threw a file on it. "I think I'll shoot Patterson right after as I shoot Scarecrow and Mrs. King. "

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

"I've always loved Charlottesville. It's such a quaint little town," Amanda admitted with a sigh as she munched on her lunch as they sat in the dining room of the historic 'Virginian' restaurant. "This town is so beautiful with the mountains and it has so much history. I can't believe you've never really visited here before."

"I've only been to Charlottesville a couple of times," Lee shrugged. "I'm really glad you suggested coming here today; Monticello is quite a Presidential estate. The house is incredible, but I really liked that 'Great Clock' in the entrance. Who would have conceived a clock so large that the weights would be in the basement! That really was something else."

"The house is enchanting, but I prefer Jefferson's plantation. I just loved the flower gardens, especially since they're starting to bloom. It's been a long winter. They have such a lovely mix of colors and scents, but the trees and the vegetable garden are impressive too," she reminded her husband. "My Mother would love a garden like that."

"Your mother has a lovely flower garden," Lee commented.

"Yes, it's been doing much better since you stopped trampling on the geraniums at the kitchen window!" she teased.

"Just don't mention to your mother that it was me who stomped on them," he suggested with a laugh.

"Don't worry, I don't plan on it," she concurred with a bright smile.

"So, did you want some dessert?" he asked as he looked around the room for the waiter.

"Oh my gosh, no!" Amanda gasped as she raised her hands in defense. "After all I ate for lunch I should drag you back up to Monticello. I'm sure we missed a flower or two…"

He shook his head in silent protest. "I'll get the check, then."

"While you're taking care of that, I thought I'd run into one of the shops down the street and pick up a couple of UVA sweatshirts for the boys," she explained as she reached for her purse. "I'll meet you back at the car?"

"How long is that going to take?" he chided her.

She rolled her eyes as she got up from the table. "I'll just be a couple of minutes!"

"All right," Lee laughed as he watched his wife exit the restaurant.

A few minutes later, he paid the check and then walked out of the restaurant back onto the street. The morning had been cool, but the afternoon sun had long past taken the chill out of the day. For the middle of March it was almost warm except for a bit of a cool breeze blowing through the trees. Lee began to make his way towards his car, which was parked around the corner on the side street when he heard the distinctive sound of a gunshot. He hustled around the corner, desperate to locate his wife and confirm that she was safe.

"Amanda!" he called out in concern as he saw her drop to the ground.

She turned toward him in pale disbelief.

Lee scanned the road, but didn't see the shooter. There weren't many people on the streets, spring break had the left the town unusually quiet. He raced across the road to check on his wife.

"I thought you told me in this game they didn't shoot real bullets!" Amanda complained as she dusted herself off. She noticed a bullet hole ripped through her newly purchased package as well as the sweater she was wearing. "That was awfully close."

"They're not supposed to be using real bullets," Lee protested as he helped his wife up and pulled her against the building for some protection. "Are you all right?"

"I'm just a little shook up," Amanda sighed nervously. "I guess Caesar was right… beware of the 'Ides of March.'"

"Very funny," Lee replied with a shake of his head. "Did you see who shot at you?"

"I didn't see anyone," Amanda replied as she began to calm down.

"Let's get in the car for added cover then I'll call Billy," Lee snapped angrily as he checked the street again, then hurried towards his Corvette. He dialed his supervisor's number as soon as they were safely inside. "If this is Francine's idea of fair play, I'm going to give her a piece of my mind."

"Melrose," Billy answered on the second ring.

"Top Cat, this is Mighty Mouse," Lee replied with an angry yet urgent tone in his voice. "Amanda was just shot at…"

"Is she all right?" Billy interrupted.

"She's a little shaken up and there's a rather large bullet hole in her sweater," Lee admitted harshly. "Just what the hell is Francine up to?!"

Billy glanced out his office into the bullpen but didn't see Francine. "Scarecrow, I'm sure Francine isn't the one shooting at you. Where are you?"

Lee paused and gritted out a reply. "I thought that was supposed to be confidential."

"Scarecrow, if there's somebody out there shooting at you I think it this game of 'Cat and Mouse' is the least of your problems," Billy reminded him. "So, where the hell are you?"

"We're down in Charlottesville, Virginia," he hesitantly admitted.

"Hang on, Francine just walked into the bullpen," Billy answered and called out to her. "Francine, get in here!"

"What's wrong, Billy?" she asked as she walked into Billy's office.

"Do you have anyone in the Charlottesville area looking for Scarecrow?" Billy demanded.

"Virginia? No, should I?" she asked with a shrug.

"Amanda was shot at a few minutes ago," Billy advised Francine. "I think it's time we put this game on hold. I want to know who's taking pot shots at my agents. Get on the phone and put the Agency chopper on alert. I don't like the sound of this."

"I'll get right on it," Francine promised and hurried from his office.

"Scarecrow, we're on the way. We should be there in a little over an hour. I'll call you from the airport," Billy advised.

"We'll be canvassing the area," Lee advised. "The shooter might still be around."

"Just be careful," Billy warned before hanging up the phone.

Lee put the phone down and reached for his wife's hand. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I should have trusted my instincts," she admitted. "I had a feeling in the shop I was being watched. I thought I was being paranoid…"

"Let's take a look around the block," Lee suggested as he put the car in gear and started down the street.

They drove around the block and observed railroad tracks on the next block over and noticed muddy footprints leading up to the fence. Lee parked the car nearby and got out and checked it out. "There wasn't any rain today, was there?"

"No, I don't think it's rained around here since… Sunday I guess," Amanda remarked.

"Those prints are still wet. Looks like someone was in a hurry to get away," he observed with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, let's go check it out," she answered as she was about to jump over the puddle in front of her.

"Amanda, you'll get mud all over you. Stay with the car," Lee requested.

"Lee," she began to interrupt.

He held up his hand. "Don't make me quote you the Agency Manual. Besides, there's probably nothing to find, maybe some kids or something. Keep the phone on in case Billy tries to call back. I'll be back in five minutes."

"Five minutes," she replied with a heavy sigh, biting her lip in frustration.

Lee watched as his wife reluctantly returned to the car, then he jumped the gully of mud and climbed the embankment towards the fence and scaled it. He proceeded to follow the tracks of footprints until they disappeared. He hadn't walked far when he came upon an old ramshackle shed that he assumed was long abandoned by the railroad. He walked towards it and was curious when he realized that despite it's rickety appearance it had a shiny new lock on the old door. He began to inspect it further when a voice called out to him.

"Are you looking for this?" a man with a patch over his eye called out to him.

Lee quickly turned his attention to the man who stood about twenty feet away from him. In his one hand was a key which he assumed was to the old dilapidated shed. In his other hand was a gun trained directly at him. "Jake, isn't it?" Lee replied as he cautiously reached for his weapon.

"Don't try it! Slowly now, drop the gun on the ground," Jake ordered abruptly, then waited for Lee to comply to his last directive.

"So when did they let you out?" Lee inquired with a skeptical look as he dropped his gun onto the ground.

"I must admit that 'let' would be an inappropriate term," Jake explained with a smirk. "Perhaps AWOL would be a better term."

Lee shook his head. "No, AWOL would suggest you had the capabilities to get into the Armed Services. You'd never make the grade."

"Doesn't really matter, now, does it. Your Armed Services don't pay enough anyway, but you already know that," Jake taunted as he heard a train whistle blow off in the distance. "On the tracks, Stetson."

Lee didn't move.

"Walk slowly towards the tracks," Jake repeated in an icy voice, shooting off a round from his gun, aiming at Lee's feet.

"You really don't think I'm going to stand on the tracks and wait for that train to come plaster me all over Charlottesville, now do you?" Lee asked sarcastically as he stood his ground.

"You were stupid enough to follow me down here without any backup," Jake shouted back as the sound of the train began to get louder.

"Who says I came down here alone?" Lee badgered.

"Your lady friend's not about to climb that fence to save you," Jake laughed.

"Probably not," Lee called back trying to be heard over the sound of the oncoming train. "She's pretty resourceful; my guess is she'd find another way around the fence. So why don't you put your gun down before anyone gets hurt."

"No way, Stetson," Jake laughed heartily at the preposterous option.

"I'm warning you for the last time, Jake," Lee replied calmly.

"I can either shoot you now and let you slowly bleed to death or you can step in front of the train and have it over with in a split second," Williamson insinuated.

"I choose option number three," Lee answered confidently as he nodded to Amanda.

Jake never saw Amanda creep up behind him. The oncoming train had provided her sufficient noise to cover her footsteps in the gravel. The patch over his eye hindered his sight of view so he was surprised when the broken bottle crashed over his head just above the patch on his eye.

She quickly took cover on the ground as Jake fell forward dropping his gun on the gravel. Lee reacted quickly and reached for his gun, which, was only a few feet in front of him and had it immediately aimed at Jake Williamson. He walked over and picked up Jake's gun. Amanda quickly arrived by his side.

"Let me guess," Lee teased his wife. "I was gone for more than five minutes."

"You know how I hate to wait in the car," Amanda reminded him with an innocent smile.

Lee hugged his wife and laughed with relief. "I'm glad you still haven't learned to follow orders."

End Day Six
 
 
 
 

CAT AND MOUSE…DAY SEVEN (Conclusion)
 

Thursday March 17^th
 

Francine's phone rang and she quickly picked it up. "Desmond."

"Are you aware of what time it is?" Dr. Smyth asked without a formal greeting.

She didn't have to look at her watch; she was well aware that it was past the 4:30PM deadline to find Scarecrow and Mrs. King. "Yes, sir," she finally admitted sullenly.

"Have you located Scarecrow or Mrs. King?" he interrogated directly.

"I know they left Charlottesville after they booked Jake Williamson into the local county jail and spent the night in Richmond. Lee's Corvette was found parked at the Richmond airport on Wednesday night," she explained quickly, hoping for a reprieve, but not expecting him to grant her one.

"But that's not the question I asked, Desmond," he piped up quickly.

"Well, no, I'm not sure where they went to from there," Francine answered, obviously dejected.

"Very well, then. This phone call will formally conclude the exercise of 'Cat and Mouse.' I'll expect a full report no later than noon tomorrow explaining to me - in detail - of how you lost," he answered curtly then promptly hung up the phone.

Francine put the receiver back into the cradle and rudely mimicked Dr. Smyth's last sentence. "…a full report…of how you lost…" She let out a long breath, then she stood up walked across the bullpen and knocked on Billy's door.

"Come in," he called out to her.

"I just got off the phone with Dr. Smyth. 'Cat and Mouse' is officially over," she responded dejectedly.

"Don't take it so hard, Francine. Finding Lee and Amanda was a formidable challenge," Billy empathized.

Francine nodded, but remained silent.

"You did the best job you could. You located Lee's car, not once, but twice at two different airports, and found T.P. Aquinas driving the Corvette as well."

"That's not much," she reminded her boss.

"That's something," he corrected. "Make sure you include those details in your report."

"Yes, sir," she admitted reluctantly. "Have you heard from them today or are you expecting them to walk through the doors at any minute?"

"I don't have a clue as to where those two disappeared to after they nabbed Jake Williamson, but I expect to hear from them soon," Billy answered honestly. "They might be back in town… I really don't know."

Francine replied with a heavy sigh. "I better get working on my report. Dr. Smyth wants it by noon tomorrow. I guess I should be thankful he didn't want it by the end of today!"

"I'll let you know when I hear from Scarecrow," Billy advised.

Just as she went to turn the knob on the door there was a rather sharp knock. Francine and Billy glanced at each other.

"Come in," Billy called out.

The door opened and in walked an Agency courier. "An urgent message was just delivered for you."

Billy took the envelope from the courier and dismissed him. Then he carefully opened it up. Inside were two envelopes, a thick one addressed to Billy, another thinner one address to Francine. Billy recognized Amanda's neat handwriting. He opened up his letter and read it.

'Dear Billy,

You should receive this letter shortly after 4:30PM on Thursday. Obviously, Lee and I have successfully avoided Agency detection for the past week. Enclosed you will find our detailed report as to where we've been over the last seven days. Now that 'Operation Cat and Mouse' is officially closed, Lee and I will be diligently working on the 'Hammerston Detail' as previously assigned to us by you. We anticipate that we'll complete that assignment by Sunday, March 20^th and expect to be back in the office no later than Monday morning.

Respectfully yours,

Lee and Amanda AKA: The Mighty Mice'

Billy chuckled heartily at the letter. He glanced briefly at the report that was attached, but didn't read the details. Then he handed over the other envelope to Francine. "It's from Lee and Amanda," he remarked.

Francine opened the envelope and read her letter.
 

'Dear Francine,

Please realize that the last week wasn't easy on any of us. We offer our sincerest apologies that you missed 'The Phantom of the Opera'. It was a wonderful performance as I'm sure Dr. Smyth would concur. Luckily for us, he didn't see us at that Saturday evening performance. Luck continued to be with us throughout the week, despite a few close calls, and we have successfully avoided detection by the Agency.

For your troubles and aggravation, please accept these two tickets to an upcoming performance of 'Phantom of the Opera' as a token of our respect and gratitude. We're certain that you'll enjoy the play as much as we did.

See you next week,

Lee and Amanda'
 

"What's that?" Billy asked curiously.

"I can't believe those two…." Francine's face was so red she couldn't speak.

"Francine, what is it?" Billy asked again.

"They went to New York last Saturday and used my tickets to see 'The Phantom of the Opera!" she exclaimed in disbelief.

Billy chuckled loudly. "So, what are you holding in your hand?"

"They bought me replacement tickets," she mumbled. "How did they find out I had tickets to the play…Billy, you were supposed to be neutral in this investigation!"

"Francine, let me assure you that I was totally neutral. I did, however, mention to Scarecrow that you were quite upset that you were going to miss your weekend trip to New York to see that play. I had no idea that they would use your tickets," Billy explained, then continued on. "Just be glad things worked out as well as they have. Not only did your tickets not go to waste, but you get to see the play soon."

Francine nodded. "You're right. I better not look a gift horse in the mouth."

Before Billy could answer his phone rang. He looked up at Francine and reminded her one last time. "Remember, I need your report by tomorrow noon."

Francine nodded and left the office, closing the door behind her.

"Melrose here…" Billy answered.
 

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

Meanwhile…

"And you said Hawaii would be too obvious," Amanda cooed softly as she sat on the beach chair and applied suntan lotion to her husband's back.

Lee stretched his neck, enjoying his wife's warm hands massaging the tanning oil onto his neck and back. "Obviously I should listen to my wife's advice more often."

Amanda laughed as she put the bottle of suntan oil down in their beach bag that sat next to their lounge chairs. "Yes you should," she concurred in a soft voice.

Lee glanced around at the white sandy beach and the beautiful blue waters of the Pacific. "I still think it would have been a rather obvious choice if we started here, but at least we'll have a few days here, in Hawaii, before we have to go home," Lee advised his wife as he gently leaned forward and kissed her on the lips.

"And for once, the weather's perfect," she commented with a relaxed smile. "I do need to buy something for the boys while we're here."

"Just make sure it's not a sweatshirt," Lee teased.

"Good idea." Amanda squinted as the bright sun shined in her eyes, so she searched their bag for her sunglasses. "What time is it back in DC?"

"Almost five o'clock in the afternoon," he answered with a boastful grin after glancing at his watch. "Well past zero hour! Hopefully our package was delivered by Agency courier a few minutes ago."

"I guess you'd better call Billy to be on the safe side," she reminded him.

"Yeah, you're right," Lee answered as he searched through the beach bag looking for his cell phone and dialed the familiar number.

"Give him my regards," Amanda grinned as Lee waited for the call to connect. "This Hammerston case is really a tough one."

Lee shook his head then heard a familiar voice pick up the other end. "Hi, Billy, it's Scarecrow…"

The end

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