Deception
 

Part 7       by Robin





Lee Stetson sat alone in the interrogation room.  The room was small and sparse, with only two chairs and a metal table.  There was no video camera that he could observe, and no mirror window.  He sat down in one of the rickety plastic chairs and waited impatiently.
 

Given the size of the custom’s building, he assumed Amanda wasn’t far away, but he was worried about her regardless.  Were they questioning her?  Had their cover been blown?  Were they looking specifically for Amanda King or were they just holding them because they could?
 

The minutes ticked by, turning into a half hour. Frustrated and anxious, Lee stood up and paced the small room for a while.  Eventually, he noticed that an hour had passed since he’d been separated from his wife. Sitting back down on the chair, Lee was beginning to really worry.  Finally, the customs officer opened the door, came inside, and sat down.
 

“What seems to be the problem, officer?” Lee asked politely in fluent Russian.
 

“Your paperwork is incomplete,” he snapped harshly.  “You cannot cross the border.”
 

 “I’m sure it’s just a mix up.  We can work things out.  My wife and I are on our honeymoon.”
 

“Why would you, an American, want to come to Romania for your honeymoon?” the guard asked Lee, obviously not believing him.
 

“You know, I asked my wife the same thing.  I wanted to go to Hawaii - skimpy bikinis, tropical drinks, and beautiful sunsets.  But no, she wants to travel abroad, see the Romanian Athenaeum and The Village Museum,” Lee shook his head and explained confidently and calmly.  “Keep the wife happy and everyone is happy, if you know what I mean!”
 

The officer laughed and nodded, then replied in English, “Women!”
 

“You’re married,” Lee asked him.
 

“Yes, although I know my wife would prefer a Hawaiian holiday,” the officer answered.  Then staring over at Lee, he asked, “What’s your wife’s maiden name?”
 

“West, Amanda West… why?”  Lee answered without missing a beat, but he already knew why he was asking.
 

“No reason,” the custom officer answered with a bored shrug.
 

“So what exactly is the problem?” Lee questioned innocently, hoping for a quick resolution to escape the Soviet Union and across the border to Romania.
 

“You don’t have the proper paperwork to leave the Soviet Union.  You also don’t have transit insurance for your vehicle.”
 

“Oh, so how do we go about resolving the problem?” Lee asked, having expected to have some kind of issue at the border.
 

“The rental car company should have given you additional paperwork.  You will also need to purchase transit insurance,” the guard answered.
 

“You know, when we picked up the car, I know we bought insurance.  Would you permit me to go back to our car and check?” Lee suggested, waiting for a response from the officer.
 

“I doubt you have the proper documentation, but you can look if you want,” the officer nodded for Lee to get up and they exited the small room.
 

While they were walking out of the edifice, Lee glanced around the building, noticing a few other doors in the short hallway.   He assumed that in one of the other rooms was Amanda.  As they walked back to the car, he wondered if she was still being questioned or was she sitting alone, worrying and waiting?
 

The officer observed patiently while Lee rummaged through the glove box and the console. Finding some paperwork from the rental car company he handed it to the officer.
 

“Is this what you need?” he asked.
 

“This is your rental agreement,” the man explained as he thumbed through the paperwork, “but I don’t see any transit insurance.”
 

Lee gritted his teeth in frustration, but then suggested, “Would you mind if we checked the trunk?  Maybe my wife stuffed it into her suitcase?  You know how women pack?”
 

The officer chuckled, but nodded his consent.
 

Lee opened the trunk where the suitcases with the vodka and cigarettes were inside.  Unzipping the bag, Lee pulled out a couple of cartons of cigarettes. Casually looking over his shoulder, he observed the officer and noticed the smile growing across it.
 

“Do you smoke?” Lee questioned coolly.
 

The customs officer nodded.
 

“Would a couple of cartons of these help with our issue?”
 

“What’s in the other bag?” the customs agent asked curiously.
 

Lee didn’t hesitate to answer.  “Vodka.”
 

The officer glanced around to see if anyone was looking before he nodded. “I’m sure we could work something out,” he answered.  “After all, we wouldn’t want to ruin your honeymoon.”
 

Lee grinned with relief.
 

The officer nodded.  “Get in the car, I will drive it around to the back of the office and I can approve your transit insurance from there.”
 

Lee gladly got into the car, allowing the custom’s official to drive it behind the building.  Quickly and covertly Lee placed the bag containing the vodka and another bag containing the cigarettes into the officer’s personal vehicle before they returned inside to the customs office.
 

The official called out to the other officer in Romanian.  He nodded, walked down the short hallway and opened the door across from where Lee had been waiting. “You’re free to go.”
 

Moments later, Amanda Stetson stepped into the corridor.  “Thank you, so much.  I knew this was just a big misunderstanding.  All I want to do is to spend the day at The Village Museum and maybe get to see the Romanian Athenaeum,” Amanda chatted at the other officer.
 

“Amanda, darling,” Lee called out to his wife.
 

“Lee!” Amanda greeted him as she rushed to his side and gave him a kiss.
 

“Are you all right?” Lee called out to his wife.
 

“Oh, yes, I’m fine.  Is everything all right?”
 

“Yes, we found everything we needed.  You packed it in your suitcase,” he answered, knowing she’d understand.
 

Amanda put her hand to her face.  “Oh my gosh!  I’m so sorry I caused so much trouble.  We just got married, and we’re on our honeymoon.  My husband wanted to go to Hawaii, but I’ve always wanted to travel abroad…”
 

“Yes, yes,” the custom agent nodded and rolled his eyes. “You already explained.  Have a nice trip.”
 

Amanda reached out for Lee’s hand, and they kissed briefly.  Lee wrapped his arm around his wife’s waist and the strolled quickly towards the exit.
 

Before they left the building, they overheard the one custom’s officer remark, “I didn’t think that woman would ever shut up.  She talked incessantly!”
 

The other officer chuckled, “Honeymooners!”
 

Once they got to the car, Lee glanced over at his wife and winked.  Then, he started the engine, floored the gas pedal and drove across the border into Romania.
 

“Welcome to Romania,” Lee said to his wife, reaching for her hand and kissing it.
 

“Thank you.  I’m glad to be out of the Soviet Union,” Amanda exclaimed as she pulled off the blonde wig and let her brunette hair cascade down to her shoulders.  “For a little while, I thought we were in big trouble.”
 

“Yeah, when they asked me your maiden name, I thought we were done, but the cigarettes and the vodka clinched it,” Lee admitted with relief.  “Now we need to get a hold of Billy and update him on why we were delayed.”
 

“The sooner we get a flight out of Bucharest, the better.   Do you think we’ll have any problem at the airport?  You don’t think they’ll be looking for me in Romania?” Amanda worried.
 

“I doubt they’ll have anyone looking for you in Bucharest, but just to be sure, you’re going home as Mrs. Stetson, and don’t lose the wig.”
 

“What do you think about me staying Mrs. Stetson – permanently?  No more, ‘Mrs. King’ and no more lies about our marriage status…” Amanda Stetson asked with a raised eyebrow, glancing over at her husband to observe his reaction.
 

Lee smiled over at his wife with relief, having wanted to broach the subject himself.  “I think it’s a wonderful idea. When we get home we come clean to both our family and the Agency, but as for the wig…”
 

“Forget that, Stetson, the wig will be history as soon as we land in the good ole, USA, but it’s time to be a real family. I will still worry about the safety of the boys, but they’re older now and they need to hear the truth.” Amanda admitted softly.
 

“We come clean about the Agency to the boys; we need to take precautions, set up some ground rules.  Leatherneck and I can put in a security system. You have to admit, it would be safer for the family if we were living together,” Lee reminded his wife as they continued to drive to Bucharest.
 

Amanda reached over for her husband’s hand.  “First we need to get home.”
 

“We will, Mrs. Stetson,” Lee promised as they reached a small town.  Lee slowed down the vehicle, looking for a telephone.  Spotting one outside a store, he pulled the car into a parking lot.  “I better check in with Billy and update him on our progress.  We’ll be on a plane back to the States before you know it, and we can set the Stetson family future into motion!”
 

“There’s nothing I’d like more, Mr. Stetson.”
 

End Part 7
 

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