Written: March 2001-May 2001
 

SMK Time Frame: Wednesday, January 20, 1988
 
 
 

"I thought you were having lunch with your mother today?" Lee observed curiously as he looked up at his wife as she entered the Q Bureau.

"I am - or was. Sometimes I think Beaman just talks because he likes to hear himself. I didn't think he was ever going to stop. Has Mother called here yet?"

"No," he answered as he glanced down at his watch. "But if you don't get a move on it, she'll be calling any minute."

Amanda crossed the room and stole a quick kiss from Lee. "I'll see you at home tonight?"

"Yeah, I've got to get this report finished and to Billy before I head out of here and then make some discreet inquiries about the Linderoff incident, see if anyone on the street has heard anything," he answered.

"Be careful," she replied. "I worry about you."

"You worry about everyone," he chided with a good-hearted smile.

Amanda smiled brightly. "Yeah, well, I'm a mother and it comes with the job description."

The phone rang and interrupted their conversation.

"I'm out of here. If that's Mother, tell her I'm on the way…" Amanda said as she headed out the door before Lee answered the call.

*** *** ***

Amanda drove the few short miles back to her house in Arlington. She hated being late for an engagement, even if it was lunch with her mother. Dotty had been trying to make herself scarce around the house now that she and Lee were 'publicly married' giving them as much privacy as living in a small house could afford. Although Amanda appreciated the gesture, she didn't want to make her mother feel unwelcome in her own home. So she'd suggested this lunch, which her mother seemed pleased about. But now it was well after one o'clock. She reprimanded herself for her tardiness as she turned onto Maplewood Avenue. However, her thoughts changed quickly as she saw two police cars in front of her house.

"Mother?!" she shouted as the tires screeched to a halt. Amanda hastily put the car in park behind the police cars and ran from the car up to the gate.

"Amanda!" Dotty exclaimed with a trembling voice as she came around the side of the house.

They quickly embraced one another. Dotty's body trembled; Amanda wasn't certain that the cold January afternoon was the cause.

"Mother, what's wrong? I thought something happened to you," she questioned her mother as she looked her over quickly to make sure she was all right.

"I just went out to the market. I couldn't have been gone for more than an hour. I wanted to get some things for our lunch. I wanted…" Dotty shuddered again. "When I got back to the house, the door was wide open - someone got in. I could have sworn I locked the door, Amanda, but now, I'm just not certain. I went out the back door, so maybe I forgot to lock the front? I was so worried that someone or something happened to you…"

"I'm sorry, Mother," Amanda answered rapidly. "I got stuck in one of those meetings that never end…"

"I'm just glad you're all right. I called the police from Mrs. Anderson's house. I didn't know what else to do. The officers are still checking to see if anyone's inside," Dotty explained.

"You did the right thing, Mother," Amanda sighed nervously, wondering to herself what was really going on. Since she and Lee had come 'clean' about their profession Dotty respected what they had explained would be 'need to know' and 'national security' situations. Amanda was sure her mother was dying of curiosity, but Dotty's never ending barrage of questions had subsided. The look on her mother's face said it all quite plainly. Dotty was scared, not only for herself, but also for her daughter. Amanda tried to reassure her. "Everything will be all right."

They waited what seemed an eternity, but finally an officer exited the house and came over to them.

"It looks like whomever was inside is long gone," the officer explained.

"Thank you so much, officer," Dotty answered with relief.

"I suggest you go through the house and make a list of anything that's missing and damaged. You'll need it for your insurance company - for any of the insured valuables. You can give us a call when you have it done. I can come by later and pick it up," the officer indicated. "There were no signs of a forced entry though; you should lock your doors every time you leave and may we suggest turning on your security system."

Dotty looked down at the ground, obviously embarrassed.

Amanda smiled at the officer as he headed to his squad car. "Thank you, officer. We'll try to remember that; but hopefully there won't be a next time."

"Amanda, I'm really terribly sorry. I should be more careful; I should have set the alarm," Dotty scolded herself once the police officer had gone. "It just gets me so confused sometimes…"

"Mother, what's done is done," Amanda answered. "Come on, we've got a list to make and some cleanup to do."

Dotty nodded. "It's going to take a while…"

*** *** ***

Amanda walked into the house with her mother. She headed into the dining room to find the china, silver and most of other valuables had been left undisturbed. A vase that Lee had given her was broken and lay in pieces on the floor. A quick look in the family room revealed that the TV and VCR were still right where they should be, but several pictures had been knocked on the floor and papers from the desk were scattered about. The kitchen drawers had been rummaged through as well; she wasn't sure what, if anything, was missing.

Amanda headed upstairs and opened her bedroom door. Someone had been there as well. An eerie shiver ran down her spine. Even when she had to search a house as part of her job she found it distasteful. Now someone had rifled through her personal belongings, but what were they looking for? She and Lee had never brought home anything classified or work related. The robbers hadn't stolen the TV or VCR, which could easily be pawned for cash. She crossed into the room and heard the sound of broken glass crunching under foot. She lifted up her shoe to see what was left of a small crystalline figurine.

She moved over to her bed and sat down. A stray tear escaped her eye and dripped down her face. She felt violated. A feeling that something was terribly wrong suddenly overwhelmed her. She tried to push it out of her mind.

"Amanda, are you all right?" her mother asked as she peered into the room.

She wiped the tear off her cheek and put on a fake smile. "I just stepped on one of the figurines Lee gave me for Christmas," she answered as she nodded to the clump of glass that now lay crushed on the floor.

"This is all my fault," Dotty winced uncomfortably. "Lee's shown me how to work that security system a dozen times. I know how important it is."

"Mother, what's important is that nobody was hurt. All the things that are missing or broken can be replaced," Amanda reminded her mother, trying to put her at ease.

Dotty nodded unconvincingly. "They didn't bother my bedroom. I'll go downstairs and start cleaning up."

"I'll clean up this mess, check the boys' room and start that list for the insurance company," she answered as she got up off the bed.

Amanda meticulously made a list of what was broken. She wasn't certain, but she hadn't found anything missing. It only made her more suspicious as to what the intruder was looking for. She would double check with the boys and Lee when they got home to see if they could find anything missing. The boys' room was a disaster, but she ruefully wasn't sure what it looked like before the intruder had arrived. Tired and hungry, she finally headed downstairs to see if her mother was still cleaning.

"Mother, what time is it? With all that's happened, we never had lunch and I'm starved!" Amanda called out wearily.

Dotty was in the kitchen, putting the last of the broken glass from the broken pictures into the garbage. She looked at the clock. "You should be, it's after three."

"That late?" Amanda groaned, not realizing how long it took to clean the upstairs.

"How about we make a quick sandwich," Dotty suggested.

"Sounds good. We better make a couple extras. Phillip will be home any minute and Jamie won't be too far behind him," she commented as she got out the bread to help.

They sat and ate, neither of them in much of a mood for conversation. Dotty was still upset about causing the break-in in the first place. Amanda was worried about what the intruder was really after.

As they got up from lunch, Amanda looked at the extra sandwiches still sitting on the table and then at the clock. Phillip should have been home by now and Jamie was also late.

"Mother," Amanda began uncertainly, "Did the boys have special plans after school today that I didn't know about?"

Dotty thought about it for a few seconds, mentally going over the two active boys' schedules and then answered. "Not today."

Amanda's heart began to race. A knot started twisting in her stomach. "I'd better call the school."

"Could be the bus is running late?" Dotty suggested, noting the time.

"Both the high school and the middle school bus?" Amanda answered skeptically.

Dotty didn't answer. She knew as well as Amanda that it was highly unlikely. The boys knew they were supposed to call if they'd be late. When Amanda and Lee were publicly married and told them about their 'real' jobs in the fall, they'd explained the risks to the boys quite clearly. They'd understood and had been very good about calling if their plans changed.

Amanda picked up the phone. There was no dial tone. She looked at the phone line; it had been cut. She smiled faintly. "Maybe they tried to call. It looks like our intruder must have cut the line."

Dotty sighed in relief. "I knew it had to be something like that."

"I'll try the phone upstairs," Amanda called out; she was already out of the room. A minute or so later she was back in the kitchen. "That one was cut, too. I'll check the main line outside. With any luck he didn't cut that one."

A few minutes later, Amanda came back in with a box from the garage.

"What are you doing?" Dotty asked.

"I'm going to use the phones from Lee's old apartment. At least then we'll have phone service. They didn't cut the main line," Amanda explained as she rummaged in the box, pulling out one of his phones and plugged it into the wall. "Dial tone!"

Dotty listened as Amanda first called the high school and then the middle school looking for the boys. When that proved fruitless, she called the bus company, but the drivers were still out on their routes. When she hung up the phone the look on her daughter's face was of sheer panic.

"I'm sure it's just a big misunderstanding, Amanda," Dotty suggested trying to sound cheerful. "They probably went to one of their friends house, tried to call and couldn't get through."

Amanda nodded mutely, but knew it was improbable for each of the boys to go off on their separate ways on the same day. "The dispatcher promised to have the bus drivers call as soon as they checked in."

"Why don't you call Jack or Mark's house. Maybe they went there," Dotty suggested.

Amanda spent the next hour on the phone calling all of Phillip's and Jamie's friends. After more than a dozen phone calls the phone rang. Amanda grabbed it quickly.

"Hello," she answered frantically.

"Mrs. Stetson?" Jack asked.

"Yes," she gulped.

"It's Jack. My mom said you called looking for Phillip."

"Yes, have you seen him?" she asked, anxiously.

"He was in the last class with me, but I didn't see him on the bus coming home. His locker's on the other side of the building. Maybe he missed his bus?" the boy hinted.

"Thanks, Jack, but I already called the school and he wasn't on the late bus. If you see or hear from him, have him call me. We had some phone problems this afternoon and he might not have been able to get through."

"Sure thing, Mrs. Stetson," Jack answered agreeably and then hung up.

Dotty was standing right next to Amanda, waiting for an explanation. "Well?"

"He went to his last class but apparently didn't get on his bus," Amanda explained as she washed her hand nervously across her forehead.

"Maybe he's out playing basketball with some friends. You know how boys can get with time. He probably tried to call and…"

"Mother, I know you're trying to help, but you're not. They're both missing. If it was just one of them, then maybe. I've got to find them," Amanda yelled apprehensively.

Dotty didn't know what to say. She started to shake and tried to hold back her tears.

"Mother, I'm sorry," Amanda admitted, feeling more than ashamed at treating her mother so poorly. "I shouldn't have yelled at you. I'm just worried."

"I know, dear, so am I," she answered quietly.

*** *** ***

As the early January darkness began to fill the cold night sky, Amanda became more and more frantic. She had tried to reach Lee at the office, but he had gone into the field for the afternoon. He didn't answer his car phone, so she surmised he was out of range. Her phone calls to her sons' friends proved futile although she continued checking with both their new and old friends hoping one of them might know something - anything.

Each time the phone rang, Amanda pounced on it, but each call left her with an increasing sense of doom. She was on the phone with Jamie's bus driver when Lee finally got home. He could tell by the tone of her voice and the look on her face that something was terribly wrong.

He looked over at Dotty who suddenly looked ten years older than she had that morning. He didn't have to wait long for an explanation. Amanda hung up the phone and looked up at him, heartsick.

"Both of the boys are missing," she lamented fearfully.

Lee's face lost all expression. He knew he needed to remain calm because at the moment, it looked like both Amanda and his mother-in-law were close to falling apart. He swallowed hard, giving himself a few extra seconds to gather his wits about him. He crossed the room and wrapped Amanda in his arms; she tried to hold herself together, but in Lee's arms she found she could no longer hold back her tears. Lee held her closely until she quieted down, then he separated himself only slightly from his wife.

"When were they last seen, and by whom?" he whispered quietly, hoping he sounded more composed than he felt.

Amanda took a deep breath. "They both disappeared sometime after school, but before they got on their respective buses to come home."

"OK, who have you called so far?" he asked as he continued his line of questioning. He knew he needed to remain objective - to treat this as if it was just another case.

"Lee, I've talked to the schools, both of their bus drivers, every friend I could think of," she answered in a shaky voice, unconsciously wringing her hands.

"Have you checked the parks, the community center or the 'Y'?" he suggested, trying to think where two boys would go. He knew there were other alternatives - the police, the hospital and the morgue. But he wouldn't let his mind go there; objective, he needed to remain objective.

Amanda shook her head.

"Keep calling his friends; somebody must have seen where one of them went to. I'll go check the parks and gyms," Lee advised. "We're going to find them."

"I know we will," she answered, forcing a smile. She knew if anyone could find them, Lee would.

Lee hugged her tightly again and gave her a quick kiss. "I'll call you as soon as I find them."

"Amanda, you don't think this has anything to do with the break in?" Dotty interrupted anxiously.

"What break in?" Lee asked quickly.

"I almost forgot," Amanda started. "When I got home there were two police cars waiting here. Someone broke in around lunch time when mother went to the market."

"They didn't set off the alarm?" he asked in surprise.

"I forgot to set it," Dotty answered sheepishly, swallowing hard. "To be honest, I'm not even sure if I locked the front door. I went out the back…"

Lee ran his hand nervously through his hair. He took a deep breath. "Is there anything missing?"

"I don't think so; at least nothing of value," Amanda answered with a shrug. "A few things were broken and the place was a mess…"

"We'll worry about that later then. The boys come first," Lee replied. "Amanda, why don't you put the radio or TV on? It's too quiet in here."

She looked at Lee with wide eyes. The thought that the intruder might have 'bugged' the house had never dawned on her. "Yes, that's a good idea."

"I better get going," he said as he gave her a quick kiss goodbye.

"I love you," she whispered.

He reached down and lifted up her chin. "I love you, too."

He kissed her again and then turned and headed out into the cold January night, in search of his stepsons.

End Part 1
 
 
 
 

Moving Target        Part 2

Lee drove the neighborhood, but the chilly January evening had kept most kids inside. He went down to the "Y" and flashed the pictures he kept of the boys in his wallets, but nobody had seen either of them. He drove to the community center, but again, the boys hadn't been seen.

It seemed apparent from the start that the kids didn't 'forget' to call. Both Phillip and Jamie were good, responsible kids. The boys understood completely why they had wanted to keep such close tabs on them and up until today, they had always complied. He was certain the boys weren't runaways, either. When Lee moved into the house on Maplewood Drive back in October, there were a few bumps along the way, but both he and Amanda were quite pleased with the relatively smooth transition. The holidays had been fun, and perhaps Lee had gone a little overboard, but kids don't run away for that. No, he was certain that something was wrong. Someone had taken the kids - but who and why?

Discouraged at his lack of success so far, he headed to the Agency. He had access to some of the most sophisticated equipment and computers in the world. He was going to use them and every contact he knew on the streets to find the boys and bring them back home - safely.

Lee hurried into the bullpen, nearly knocking Francine down as she came out of Billy's office.

"Well, excuse me, Lee," she snapped. Standing in the doorway with her arms folded across her chest in defiance. "I thought you went home. How did you put it? Oh, yes, you were having a 'quiet evening at home'; whatever that is."

"Phillip and Jamie are missing," he answered shortly, not in the mood for their usual banter; he pushed past her and went into Billy's office.

"What?! When did this happen?" Billy asked with grave concern.

Lee shook his head. "Sometime after school. Amanda's still trying to pin down the details. She's been on the phone for a couple of hours trying to locate them. Neither of them made their buses home," Lee explained.

"Do you think it's related to the Linderoff incident?" Billy asked worriedly.

"Kidnapping is not usually Linderoff's style. But if he wants his hands on the X-10 plans bad enough and the price is right…" Lee's voice trailed off. He didn't want to say what he was thinking - that the life of two kids from the suburbs meant little to an international thief when several million dollars were at stake. It was his worst fear - the boys used as pawns.

"Don't take this the wrong way, Lee, but maybe they ran away?" Francine volunteered hesitantly.

"Francine!" Billy snarled.

Lee shook his head. "I gave that some thought, too. But I really doubt it; things have been going pretty well at home. Not to mention it doesn't fit what we know right now."

"Well, what exactly do we know?" Billy asked sharply.

"The house was broken into earlier today. According to Dotty and Amanda, they hadn't noticed that anything was taken, but I gather the house was a mess," Lee explained.

"I thought you put in one of those elaborate security systems?" Francine commented.

"Yeah, well we did," Lee sighed heavily as he shook his head. "Dotty didn't set it before she went out. But I'm still not sure that the two are related."

"Well, let's consider that they are until we know better," Billy urged. "We'll get a team over there to sweep the house, check for prints…"

"Billy, no," Lee interrupted. "Amanda and Dotty have already cleaned the house up; she didn't suspect this might be Agency related I'm sure. Whatever evidence might have been is long gone. You know how Amanda is about cleaning. I'll sweep the house for bugs when I'm done here."

"What can I do to help, Lee?" Francine asked in a subdued voice.

Billy nodded his consent to Lee. "You've got full Agency backup.  Whatever you need. I'll put out an alert, make sure everyone else's children are accounted for."

"I'm going to run Amanda's and my old cases. Francine, can you call the hospitals and the, um… morgue," Lee asked with noticeable distaste. "I don't want Amanda to do that. Billy, how about a tap on the line at the house in case there's a ransom demand?"

"Consider it done," Billy said as he picked up his phone to get things started.

"Lee," Francine said softly, "I didn't mean anything personal about the boys being runaways. I just thought you ought to consider all possibilities."

"I know, Francine," Lee reassured her, patting her shoulder. "The thought crossed my mind, too, but Phillip and Jamie aren't the type to run away. My relationship with Amanda hasn't come between them. In fact, I think they come to me with their problems more than they do Joe."

"How's Joe taken all this?" she asked curiously.

Lee just cringed. With all that had gone on, he hadn't even thought about Joe. That was not a conversation he looked forward to. Joe was less than thrilled with Amanda's profession and had made comments about the boys' safety numerous times over the past few months. "I don't know if Amanda's even talked to him yet."

"We'll find them, Lee," Francine stated with certainly. "If they were at the hospital Amanda would have known by now. I'll help you run your cases when I'm done calling the hospitals. I'll meet you up in the Q Bureau as soon as I can."

"Thanks, Francine, I appreciate your help," he answered as he turned and left for his office.

*** *** ***

Lee called Amanda from the Q Bureau, hoping to hear some good news.

"Hello," she nearly yelled into the phone as she grabbed it on the first ring. The panic was quite noticeable in her voice.

"It's me; I'm at the office," he said calmly. "Have you heard anything?"

She swallowed hard, trying desperately to keep her emotions in check. "I talked to Jamie's friend, Mark. He seems to have been the last one to see him. They were walking out of the school together towards the bus line when Mark said that Phillip showed up."

"Phillip?" Lee questioned in surprise. "Was he sure it was Phillip?"

"He seemed pretty certain," she answered, frustration mired her voice. "Mark said Jamie went over to Phillip and that was the last he saw of him. Mark got on his bus home and didn't think any more about it."

There was silence on the other end of the phone while Lee tried to digest this latest piece of information. It was like trying to piece together a puzzle. "We need to see if the school has security cameras outside. Maybe they can shed some light on who they're with."

"Lee, this doesn't make any sense. If there were a lot of people around, why would either of the boys go with a stranger? They know better than most kids," Amanda lamented thinking back to the conversations they'd had with the boys just last fall.

"I don't know," he answered, equally frustrated. He surmised that she was thinking the same thing that he was. The boys were coerced with the fear of harm to either themselves or each other. His mind was reeling in numerous directions, none of which were particularly pleasant.

"At least they're together; they have each other," she conceded, desperate for something positive to hold on to.

"I'll call the school, see if they had operational security cameras working this afternoon," he answered, trying to stay upbeat himself.

"Pick me up on your way by," she pleaded.

"No, you need to stay home… in case one of them calls," Lee answered. "If they have a tape I'll bring it home. I'll grab whatever video equipment we need from here."

"You're right," she agreed reluctantly.

"I'll see you as soon as I can," he answered. "I love you."

"I love you, too," she whispered softly into the phone and then hung up.

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

Lee arrived home a short time later carrying a small case. Amanda recognized it as the equipment to sweep the house for bugs.

"No video equipment?" Amanda asked as he came through the door.

He shook his head. "I talked with the resource officer at the high school. They have a few cameras but none are pointed at the bus line. Even it they were, they use the same tapes over and over again so the quality would be almost useless. Only person at the middle school was the janitor and they don't have any security cameras at all," he explained ruefully.

Amanda shook her head in frustration. She was hoping they would finally get a lead.

He walked into the living room, spied Dotty and forced himself to sound positive. "How's everyone here doing?"

"Not very good, I'm afraid," Dotty answered weakly.

Lee nodded to the TV set, signaling Amanda to raise the volume. Then he whispered to them both. "I'm going room by room. If there's a bug, we don't want them to know we've found it. I'd prefer that they think it's broken. Got it?"

Amanda and Dotty both nodded and watched as he began his search.

Almost an hour later he came downstairs and turned off the TV set. "It's clean," he reported.

Dotty shuddered at the thought that someone might have bugged the house. "You say that so calmly, Lee," she noticed.

"It's part of the job," he answered.

"How do you ever get used to it?" she asked.

"Some things you never get used to, Mother," Amanda replied quickly.

Lee nodded as he began to pack the instruments up. "Amanda," he said softly, forcing himself to broach the inevitable. "Have you talked to Joe yet?"

She turned towards him. "I called him at the house earlier, but nobody was home. I left an urgent message for him."

"Is he out of town?" he asked, hopefully, knowing more times than not, that he was.

"I don't know. He didn't say anything to me when he dropped the boys off on Sunday night, but it's our weekend with them, so it could be that he just didn't mention it," she explained.

"Are there any friends that they hang around with by Joe's?" Dotty interjected.

"I doubt it, Mother. Joe and Carrie just moved into that neighborhood," she answered.

"She's got a good point, Amanda, ask Joe just in case," Lee suggested going to the couch in the family room and sitting next to his wife. Both Amanda and Dotty looked exhausted. "When did you two eat last?"

"We had a late lunch," Amanda answered, not really hungry.

"Why don't I make some sandwiches?" Lee suggested.

"No, not sandwiches," Dotty answered anxiously, thinking back to the leftover sandwiches that they had made for the boys earlier in the afternoon. "They're for the boys."

Lee looked at Amanda, confused by Dotty's sharp reaction.

"We'll save those sandwiches we made earlier for the boys, Mother. I'll heat up something else."

Dotty took a deep breath. "No, you sit and relax. I need something to do; I'll heat up some soup," she answered with a weak smile, then got up and went into the kitchen.

Lee pulled Amanda into his arms, trying to comfort her with his embrace. "Billy's putting a tap on the phone. Francine's been running your cases and comparing them to mine. Something will turn up. We just need to stay calm and follow procedures."

"If it's a kidnapping, why hasn't there been a ransom demand yet?" she whispered back.

"I don't know," he answered dejectedly, wishing he had the answer to that question. There were times he wished she was the naïve housewife he'd met at the train station. Unfortunately those days were long gone. She had changed so much over the last few years and she knew the answer to that question as well as he did.

The night dragged on slowly. The three adults took turns pacing the room, looking out the window and then returning to pacing. Overall, Lee was surprised at how well both his wife and mother-in-law were handling the situation.

"Dotty, there isn't anything you can do," Lee said finally after looking at his watch. "Why don't you go to bed and get some rest?"

"I don't think I could sleep," she admitted.

"Mother, Lee's right. Even if you just let yourself rest," Amanda suggested.

"You're both right. Maybe in the morning we'll have some good news," she hoped.

"I hope so, Mother, goodnight."

Lee watched his wife carefully. He knew she was equally as exhausted, but wasn't sure it would be that simple to get her to go to bed either. He heard the door shut to Dotty's room upstairs, then he looked over at his wife. "I don't suppose I could convince you to take some of your own advice?"

"I'm to nervous to sleep," she confessed.

"Then we'll just rest," he suggested logically.

Amanda smiled faintly. "I don't know, Lee. What if we were to miss a phone call…"

Lee looked at his wife. He knew she'd put up a fight. "I've repaired the cut cord in the bedroom. If anyone calls we'll both hear it. The phone's right on the nightstand. We both need the rest. We'll be in better shape to help the boys if we can think clearly."

"You're right," she nodded as she stood up and reached back for his hand.

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

Lee woke up hours later alone in bed. He looked around the darkened bedroom for his wife, but there was no sign of her. He grabbed his robe and got up putting on the hall light. It wasn't long before he found her. She was in the boys' room, but even with the light from the hall, he wasn't sure if she was awake or asleep.

"Amanda?" he whispered quietly, seeing her slender form on Jamie's bed.

"I couldn't sleep," she whispered back softly.

He walked over and sat down next to her. He pulled her to him, cuddling her close.

"I'm so scared," she finally uttered.

He kissed her forehead. "I know you are; I am too. But we're going to find them."

She finally couldn't hold back the tears any longer. Lee just held her until she finished. He knew that crying was sometimes cathartic. Finally she wiped her tears from her face.

"Feel better?" he asked sympathetically.

"A little, I'm sorry about that," she replied.

"For what?" he asked. "For loving the boys and being worried about them? Don't be. You're holding it together pretty damned well."

"I feel like I'm falling apart," Amanda answered, shaking her head.

"How about we go back to our room," Lee suggested.

She looked around her sons' room; it was as always a mess, but at the moment she didn't seem to mind. Phillip's basketball sat idle in the corner near the closet, his sneakers and the clothes he wore the day before settled nearby. On his dresser were trophies for baseball and basketball and his baseball glove. On the walls all sorts of sports posters. Jamie's side of the room was a little neater. On his dresser were books, his new camera and several rolls of film and some pictures he had taken over the Christmas holiday.

Lee watched as his wife scanned the room. He could only surmise what she was thinking.

"Amanda, don't do this to yourself. We're going to find them and they're going to be OK. You have to believe it," he urged as he got up off of Jamie's bed and extended his hand. "Come on."

She sighed heavily; he knew her too well. She nodded her head in silence and reached up for his hand. Together they walked out of the room. Amanda left the door slightly ajar as she always did so she could hear them if they needed her. Lee noticed and pulled her to him in a protective hug.

"Wherever the boys are, they know we love them and they know we're going to do everything in our power to bring them home," Lee reminded her.

She smiled. That was one thing she was certain of. Her sons knew how fiercely they both loved them and they would do anything to find them.
 

End Part 2
 
 
 

Moving Target              Part 3
 
 

The phone rang early Thursday morning. Having finally fallen asleep, they were both awakened with a start. With his heart beating loudly, Lee pounced on the phone.

"Stetson," he answered sharply.

"Scarecrow, it’s Billy," his boss said calmly, noticing the alarm in Lee’s voice. "I'm sorry about calling you this early considering everything, but we’ve had a sighting of Linderoff."

"Where?" Lee demanded.

"At the Washington Naval Yard. Apparently he was trying to sneak in, but the MP’s spotted him. He got away, but they got a pretty good shot of him on the surveillance video. He might try it again," Billy suggested.

"I’ll get right over there," Lee answered firmly.

"Have you heard anything on the boys yet?" Billy asked.

"No, but maybe this is the break we’ve been waiting for," he answered optimistically.

"I could get someone else to cover this for you," Billy offered.

"No," Lee declined, grateful for his boss' concern. "The two could be related. If they are I want first crack at him," Lee challenged.

"All right, Scarecrow. Keep me informed," Billy replied and then hung up the phone.

Amanda was sitting up in bed, waiting for an explanation.

"It’s Linderoff; he was seen at the naval yard but the MP’s spotted him before he could get in. I’m going down to check it out. He’s probably long gone…"

"You think Linderoff might have gone after the boys?" Amanda surmised from his conversation with Billy.

"It’s a long shot, but at the moment, it’s the best lead we have," he explained.

"It’s not his usual MO," she reminded him.

"I agree, but I’m not leaving any stone unturned. I’ll give you a call as soon as I can," Lee said as he got out of bed. "If you hear anything, try to get a hold of me on the car phone then call Billy and Francine."

"I will, but be careful," she reminded him.

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

Lee searched the Naval yard after viewing the tapes and positively identifying Lars Linderoff. However, after several sweeps of the perimeter there were no additional sightings of him. Lee hoped that he hadn’t tried to get in again. He decided to call Amanda from his car phone on the way back to the Agency.

"Hello," Amanda answered on the first ring.

"Any news?" he asked.

"No, nothing. This is the first call we’ve had since Billy called at six."

Lee looked at his watch. It was well after nine. "Did you talk to Joe yet?"

"No, I called him at the office but got his voice mail instead. I’ve left another urgent message, but if he’s out of town, he might not check his messages until late in the day," Amanda explained worriedly.

"I’m heading back to the Agency. I’ll drop by the EAO on the way; they ought to know where he can be reached," he suggested.

"You sure you want to do that?" Amanda asked dubiously, knowing Lee and Joe were civil to each other, but neither man cared for the other.

"Yeah, it’s not a problem," he answered, knowing Joe’s reaction of the boys kidnapping would be volatile at best. He’d prefer to shield Amanda from any additional strain at the moment. "I’ll talk to you later."

"I love you," Amanda answered, and then hung up the phone.

*** *** ***

Lee drove down to the EAO, parked the car, then went in and spoke with the receptionist.

"I'm trying to locate Joe King," Lee said with a polite smile.

"I’m sorry, sir, but Mr. King is out of the office," the receptionist replied coolly.

"Look, it's important that I speak with him as soon as possible. Do you have a number where he can be reached?" he questioned anxiously.

The receptionist checked her computer then looked back up at Lee. "I’m sorry, sir, but you could leave a message with me and I’ll see that he gets it when he checks in."

Lee was getting frustrated. "Is Carrie King here?"

"Yes, Mrs. King is in. Do you have an appointment?"

With his irritation growing he growled, "No, I don’t have an appointment. Just buzz her office and tell her Lee Stetson needs to speak with her immediately."

The receptionist rang Carrie’s office and advised her that Lee wanted to talk to her. Moments later she hung up the phone.

"Mrs. King’s office is on the second floor, room 227. Upstairs, to the right," she informed him indignantly.

"Thank you," Lee smirked as he headed towards Carrie’s office.

A few minutes later he knocked on her door. Carrie called out, "Come in."

"Hi, Carrie, thanks for seeing me," he said with welcome relief, closing the door behind him.

"What can I do for you, Lee?" she asked politely.

"I’m sorry to bother you at work, but it’s really urgent that I talk to Joe," Lee explained, trying to keep his tone level and calm.

"Well, to be honest, I haven’t seen him for a couple of days."

"Is he out of town?"

"I'm not really sure," she replied uncomfortably, avoiding his gaze.

"I’m not following you, Carrie," Lee said in annoyance.

"Have a seat, Lee," she suggested and then sighed heavily. "We’ve been having some problems lately. Well, to be honest, we’ve recently separated."

Lee sat there, stunned. He definitely didn't want to have this conversation with Carrie and he wasn't sure if he'd want to talk with Joe either, considering the circumstances. "I’m really sorry. I had no idea…"

"It’s been brewing for a while now," she paused and then added, "I’m hoping for a reconciliation, but I haven’t seen him since Tuesday night when I walked out."

"Is he away on business? The receptionist said he wasn't in the office today," Lee asked uncomfortably, not wanting to pry into personal matters, but hoping they could reach Joe at least by phone.

"No, he left a message on my voice mail that he was taking a short leave of absence," Carrie answered, not wanting to get into details of her marital problems.

Lee washed his hand nervously across his face and groaned loudly.

"I take it you’re having as bad a week as I am," Carrie guessed finally noticing the anguish on Lee’s face.

"We’ve been trying to get in touch with Joe because the boys are missing. They have been since last night," he finally explained.

"Oh, God, no!" Carrie cried, aghast. "When? What happened?"

"We're not sure yet. The last anyone saw of them was after school yesterday, but they didn't get on their buses," Lee explained tersely. "I take it you didn't get the message Amanda left on your answering machine."

"No, I walked out on Joe Tuesday night and I haven't been back to the house since. I'm staying with my parents," she answered as she looked out the window.

"Carrie, I’m really sorry to bother you with this. If you hear from Joe, please have him call me or Amanda immediately," Lee asked as he got up and headed towards the door.

"Lee, wait," she called out before he opened the door, her face noticeably paler. "I’m not sure…"

"What?" Lee questioned, concerned as he looked at her ashen face.

She motioned for Lee to sit back down. She got up from her chair and looked out the window at the barren trees just outside of her office window. The drab gray winter sky suddenly looked much darker than it had a few moments before.

"Lee, I’m really… not sure," she started again but hesitated. Finally she turned and faced Lee.

"What is it, Carrie?" he urged.

"You probably didn't know, but I had a miscarriage in November," she began. Lee was about to say something but she put her hand up to stop him. "Joe and I’ve been trying to start a family together for some time now. We were both thrilled about the baby but then, almost as soon as I found out I was pregnant, I lost the baby. I won’t bore you with the medical details, but the chances are slim that I’ll ever carry a baby to full term."

"Carrie, I'm sorry," Lee mumbled, not knowing what to say.

"Lee, I’m not telling you this for your sympathy," she continued, swallowing back her tears. "The truth is, this has put a huge rift between Joe and me. I suggested to Joe that we start adoption proceedings, immediately. It could take a few years, but…" Carrie sighed heavily, but continued on. "Joe was totally against the idea. He doesn’t want to raise someone else’s child. We fought about it the other night for the umpteenth time. We both said some things that we shouldn’t have."

Lee sat quietly, not sure where she was going with the conversation.

"In my anger on Tuesday night I yelled at him that it took more than biology to be a father. I didn’t mean it the way he took it," she said with a look of horror in her eyes.

"Joe took it offensively," Lee replied.

She shook her head. "That set off a fight that you wouldn’t have believed. He started screaming that he’s always been a good provider for Phillip and Jamie. He went on and on after that. I tried to get him to calm down, but he wouldn’t listen. I've never seen him like that; it scared me. I told him if he didn’t calm down, I was going to leave. I finally packed a bag. I tried just one more time before I left to talk with him. As I walked out the door he yelled, ‘I’ll prove to you I’m a good father. My sons love me…’ I didn’t know what he meant. I swear I didn't! Maybe it’s nothing, but…"

Lee sat in silence for almost a minute. He was trying to digest the reality of what Carrie suggested. Finally he asked. "When's the last time you heard from Joe?"

"He was in on Wednesday morning, briefly, to put in for his leave of absence. I was trying to avoid him. I needed some time to think things through. He left the message on my voice mail at lunchtime. Other than that, I haven't heard from him," she explained, flustered.

Lee closed his eyes. He understood fully what Carrie had just told him.

"That would explain a few things," Lee finally choked out, half relieved but increasingly furious. Lee stood up. "Carrie, I don't know what to say."

Tears welled up in Carrie's eyes. She spoke softly, but defended her husband. "He really does try to be a good father to the boys, Lee. He just doesn't know them very well. It's hard to be a dad two weekends out of the month."

Lee remained silent. There was so much he wanted to say, but it wouldn't be fair to Carrie. Joe was the one who missed years of opportunity. Joe may have finally realized his past mistakes, but what mistakes was he making in the process? "I've got to go. Will you promise to call me if you hear from him?"

"I will," Carrie answered softly, glancing out the window again.

Lee shook his head in disbelief, got up out of the chair and silently left her office.

 End Part 3
 
 
 

Moving Target           Part 4

Lee drove to the Agency in a daze and headed up to the Q Bureau. He couldn't believe what Carrie just told him. Could it be possible that Joe King kidnapped his own children? He turned on his computer, waiting impatiently for it to boot and then he began a diligent search. After printing out several pieces of information on Joe King he sat down and studied them intently. He was so absorbed in what he was doing that he never heard Billy walk into the office.

"Scarecrow, I was expecting you to report to my office," Billy reminded him.

Lee jumped, startled. "Billy, I didn't hear you."

"I realize that. Information on Linderoff?" Billy asked curiously, nodding at the printed material in Lee's tight grasp.

Lee looked up at him blankly; his mind still not focused on the conversation. "Linderoff, no…"

"What happened at the naval yard?" Billy questioned, concerned for his agent's total preoccupation.

"The naval yard?" Lee repeated, forcing himself to concentrate. "Oh, Linderoff was long gone before I got there. We searched the perimeter. I checked the video. It was him, but the MP's scared him off. He might try to get in again tonight."

Billy reached his hand out to take the paperwork in Lee's hand. Lee held it tightly, not willing to relinquish it to his section chief.

"Do you mind?" Billy asked in a calm, but businesslike tone.

Lee looked up at his boss. "Billy, I think I better explain something to you…"

Billy grasped the paperwork tightly and pulled it from Lee's steady, yet yielding grip. He thumbed through the half dozen sheets, which included credit reports and bank records. His face looked down at his agent with concern.

"You better have a good explanation for this," Billy stated, anger building in his voice. "I don't like it when my agents abuse their security privileges. Financial records are private for a reason."

"Billy, would you please sit down? I'm still not sure I believe what's going on. I'm not sure I can explain it to you, let alone, Amanda," Lee sighed heavily. "I dropped by the EAO on my way back from the naval yard. Amanda left an urgent message for Joe last night, but he still hasn't called her back yet. She thinks he might be out of town, but nobody knows where. I spoke with Carrie King, Joe's new wife. It seems that they've recently separated," he began to explain.

Billy interrupted abruptly. "I'm very sorry to hear that, but I don't see how that gives you the right to scrutinize Joe's financial background. It's not classified, but it's still personal and being that he's your wife's ex-husband, I'd say it's OFF LIMITS to you!"

Lee got up out of his chair and began pacing. "I know this is going to sound crazy, but the idea wasn't mine - it was Carrie's."

"Carrie King asked you to run a credit check on her husband?" Billy questioned in disbelief.

"No, no, no!" Lee answered, more agitated by his lack of ability to explain what was going on. He ran his hand nervously through his hair, then grabbed back the papers and reorganized them. He leaned over his desk and began. "Look," Lee suggested as he pointed to Joe's credit card activity. "Joe uses his card almost every day. Lunch, gas, you name it, he uses it."

"He uses it for business no doubt," Billy replied, his composure waning.

"Billy, Joe King took a leave of absence yesterday for an undisclosed length of time," Lee tried to make it sound logical. "The man's left town without telling his wife, ex-wife or children where he was going. Nobody's seen him since Wednesday morning, yet he hasn't used any of his credit cards since Tuesday at lunch." Then Lee pulled out Joe's bank record and put it on top. "But he's been to the bank. He withdrew $10,000 from his checking account on Wednesday afternoon."

"Lee, this is very fascinating, but hardly criminal," Billy retorted suspiciously.

"Like I said… I had an interesting chat with Carrie King. It seems that their marital problems center on her recent miscarriage and her inability to have a baby. According to Carrie, they had a big fight Tuesday night and just before she walked out on him he said something to the fact that he would 'prove' he was a good father," Lee finally clarified. He stood leaning against his desk and watched as Billy finally understood what he himself had just put together.

"And the very next day, Phillip and Jamie disappear," Billy concluded reluctantly.

"Exactly!" Lee answered, glad to share this unusual burden with Billy.

"But why would Joe kidnap his own kids?" he asked, still having trouble with the concept.

Lee sat back down in his chair, equally frustrated. "I don't know, Billy. But that man's actions have always been a puzzle to me. Maybe it's a mid life crisis. Maybe he's finally realized what he missed out on all these years. Perhaps when he realized he couldn't have a family with his new wife he finally lost it. I'm guessing the reasons, but it would answer some of the questions Amanda and I have been asking ourselves for the past 24 hours."

"Such as?" Billy pressed.

"Phillip and Jamie are still missing. There's been no ransom demand and thankfully, their bodies haven't been found either. If this was Agency related, we would have heard something by now," he outlined to his boss.

"I'd have to agree with you there," Billy nodded.

"Amanda and I have explained to the boys the risks that our jobs bring to them. They know what to do and what NOT to do. Yet, it seems that they walked off from school with plenty of people around without even a shout for help," Lee continued on. "That would suggest they knew their kidnapper."

"But their own father?" Billy repeated in bewilderment.

Lee shook the paperwork in his hands. "He's smart enough to know we could trace his credit cards. A bank withdrawal is traceable initially, but we can't trace cash. With ten grand, he could go almost anywhere with the boys for weeks, even months if he was careful."

"Have you told this to Amanda yet?" he asked.

Lee allowed the paperwork to slide out of his hands, it fell onto his desk; his head dropped into his hands in frustration. He shook his head twice before lifting it up and looking at his boss. "No. Until I really explained this all to you I was having trouble believing it myself."

"You have his car registration?" Billy queried.

Lee sorted through his pile of information, pulling out the registration. "Yeah, it's right here."

Billy grabbed it. "I'll make a copy of this and put it on the wire. Wanted for questioning only - until we know for sure. I don't need to make any enemies at the EAO. But he has a right to know his children are missing."

Lee smiled appreciatively. "Thanks, Billy."

"Now, go on; get out of here. I'll take care of lining up extra patrols at the naval yard for Linderoff. We'll find him. Go find your stepsons," Billy urged.

Lee nodded. "How am I ever going to explain it to Amanda?"

"Look on the bright side," Billy offered, trying to sound positive. "If Joe has the kids, you know they're being well taken care of."

Lee looked at Billy skeptically as they walked out of the Q Bureau together, but he didn't say what was on his mind. In a way, Billy was right. Given the two scenarios, he'd rather see Joe with the boys than a terrorist like Addi Birol, but he was still very concerned with Joe's state of mind at the moment.

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

Lee drove back to the house in Arlington. His anxiety was growing on how his wife would take the news that it looked like her ex-husband had absconded with the boys. He was still trying to figure out how to explain it to her when he walked in the door.

Amanda looked up from the sofa and saw apprehension marking his face. She assumed that he probably took a lot of heat from his conversation with Joe and was actually surprised that her ex-husband hadn't called her yet. She sighed heavily not sure she wanted to hear the details of their conversation. "From the look on your face, I'd guess you talked with Joe?"

Lee swallowed hard. Amanda always liked to get to the heart of the matter. He crossed the room and sat down beside her. "Actually, no. I talked with Carrie instead…"

"Joe's out of town," Amanda concluded after he'd trailed off in silence. "I should have known when he hadn't called me back that was why. Did Carrie give you a number where he can be reached? The sooner I call…"

"Amanda," Lee finally interrupted her. He put his hand on her shoulder and rubbed his other hand across his face nervously. He knew he couldn't stall any longer. She had a right to know. "Carrie isn't sure where Joe is at the moment. He's taken a leave of absence from work…"

"What? When did this happen? Why didn't he mention this to me…" she asked, typical Amanda style without letting Lee get a word in edgewise.

"Amanda, STOP!" Lee said loudly. "Please let me explain what I know and, to be honest, it's not much. It seems that Carrie and Joe are having some marital problems. She walked out on him the other night."

"Oh my gosh. When he finds out about the boys, he's going to go off the deep end!"

Lee shook his head. He was almost certain that her ex-husband had abducted their children and here she is concerned about him. "Amanda, will you please let me finish without anymore interruptions?"

She nodded silently, biting her lip.

"It seems that Carrie and Joe have been having problems for a while now. She had a miscarriage a couple of months ago and was told that she probably wouldn't be able to have children. It appears that Joe's taken this a little harder than she has. She suggested adoption, but Joe was vehemently against it. They had a big fight Tuesday night, Carrie made some kind of comment that it took more than biology to be a dad, and Joe went on a tirade. Apparently when Carrie was heading out the door, Joe yelled a threat at her. He said that he'd prove to her that he was a good father to his sons," Lee explained, then looked at his wife.

Amanda sat there silently for a few moments. "So what you're telling me is that we have no idea of where Joe is or how to reach him?"

"Well, partially," Lee answered nervously, realizing that Amanda didn't come to the same conclusion he did. He bit his lower lip in frustration, then ran his fingers nervously through his hair. "I guess what I'm trying to tell you is that there's a possibility that Joe's run off with the kids."

"What?" Amanda gasped in amazement. "That's ludicrous. Joe knows he can see the boys whenever he wants to. Why would he kidnap them?"

Lee reached into his coat pocket. He knew it would be hard for her to accept. His documentation was what convinced Billy he was right. He only hoped Amanda would see it as easily. But he worried that she might be too close to the situation and still somewhat emotional when it came to Joe.

"Look at this," Lee pointed to Joe's credit card activity. "Joe uses his Visa Card numerous times a day; there's a pattern here. Every day of the week he buys lunch and uses his credit card; gas, department store items, liquor, whatever, Joe charges it. But he stopped using it on Tuesday."

"Lee, I can't believe this! I'm sure Joe will be thrilled to know you're plowing through his financial records. Did you find out how much they paid for that new house too? Did you check on his mortgage rate? How much he put down on the house?" she yelled in a mixture of disbelief and shock.

Dotty hurried downstairs when she heard the commotion. "Is it the boys?"

"No, Mother, Lee and I are just having a disagreement. If you could give us some privacy," she snapped testily at her mother. Dotty nodded and retreated back to her room.

"Amanda, this wasn't entirely my idea. Carrie was the one who suggested it. The paperwork I have only confirmed her suspicions. It all makes sense when you think about it," he tried to explain, trying not to lose his temper. He'd never cared much for Joe.

"Carrie just walked out on the man! What do you expect her to say?" she protested.

"She also defended him, Amanda," he informed her coldly. "Think about the facts. The boys were seen at their respective schools and suddenly disappeared without a trace with hundreds of people around. That would suggest that they knew their kidnapper and didn't make any commotion when he lured them away," Lee tried to reason with her. He knew this wouldn't be an easy thing for her to accept, but he needed her help to find her ex and the boys.

"This is ridiculous, Lee!" Amanda retorted stubbornly. "If Joe wanted to spend time with the boys all he has to do is ask. I've never refused him. You know how many times we've rearranged our schedules to suit Joe's. It doesn't make sense."

"Amanda, if he wanted to take the boys on an extended trip say, for the next month or so, would you have let him?" he asked.

"Well, not if it took them out of school, but otherwise…" she started to reply.

"That's my point. Joe's trying to prove something. Maybe not to Carrie, maybe it's to himself. He's upset about not being able to start another family with Carrie. He wasn't around when the boys were little, and he only sees them every other weekend or for a few hours on the holidays. I'm not a shrink, but I think he's trying to find what he lost."

"I can't believe you of all people are trying to analyze Joe. Lee, this is preposterous!" she answered, starting to get to her feet.

Lee reached for her arm, and wouldn't allow her to leave his side. "Please, Amanda, hear me out." He reached again for the documentation on Joe. "I checked his credit cards and then on a hunch, I pulled his bank records."

Amanda rolled her eyes, anger still building inside of her.

"Try to look at this objectively for a moment," he pleaded wistfully.

"You should take some of your own advice! You've never been objective when it came to Joe. You're barking up the wrong tree, Lee. My boys are out there somewhere and we're losing precious time," she shouted, her voice beginning to waver.

He ignored her outburst. "Look at his bank records and tell me why a lawyer who always uses his credit card to itemize his expenses suddenly withdraws $10,000 from his bank account on Wednesday and then disappears without telling his wife, ex-wife or children where he's going or for how long! He hasn't used his credit cards in almost 48 hours!" Lee yelled back, hoping he could get through to his wife. "Damn it, Amanda, if this was anyone but your ex-husband you would have figured it out before I did!"

She sat silent for what Lee thought was for an eternity; then she shook her head in disbelief. She stood up. This time Lee didn't hold her back. She began to pace the family room. 'Could it be true?' she wondered. She stopped her pacing, looked out the window and closed her eyes trying to focus her thoughts; her mind was going in ten different directions at the same time.

"It can't be," she mumbled, but her tone had changed.

Lee knew she was coming around but didn't want to rush her. This was a tough moment for her and he knew it.

Amanda finally walked over to the bookcase and picked up a decorative African vase that Joe had sent her as an anniversary present many years before. She studied it for a moment and then without warning heaved it mightily at the wall and it smashed into a hundred pieces. "Damn you, Joe King!" she cried.

Dotty came running down the stairs again. This time she was not about to retreat as easily as she had before. "What's going on?"

Lee went over to his wife, holding her close and giving her much needed emotional support as the situation finally sank in. Amanda was too upset to speak. He looked up at his mother-in-law and said calmly. "It looks like Joe took the boys."

"Oh, no," Dotty exclaimed.

Lee only nodded as his wife's anguish continued. The emotional outburst was expected. He knew that she'd be irate. He needed to channel her anger into action. There'd be time to deal with the emotions later, but he needed her to help find the boys.

End Part 4
 
 
 
 
 
 

Moving Target             Part 5

Amanda spent the better part of the afternoon talking with Joe's parents, friends, and old college buddies, hoping that one of them might know where Joe had gone. Lee checked in with the Agency to see if anything had come from the APB that they put out on Joe's car, but so far nothing had turned up. They were both frustrated and neither of them were making any progress.

Amanda slammed down the phone after another useless phone call. "He could be anywhere!" her voice cracked in helpless frustration. "Half the people I talked with today haven't seen Joe in years. Most of them didn't even know we had two children let alone were divorced."

"OK, so he hasn't gone to see any friends or family. That could work in our favor," Lee suggested, trying to calm his wife's frazzled nerves.

"How do you figure?" she queried.

"If he's not staying with friends or family and he's not at the house, he's got to be spending money," he answered.

"Did you forget about the ten thousand dollars? He could rent a house for months on that," she argued.

Lee looked up at the ceiling in disgust at their lack of progress. How could an attorney disappear so easily with two kids he wondered?

"What I don't understand is why neither of the boys have at least called us. That's rule number one!" she said, sounding defeated. They had always told the boys to call and check in, no matter what.

Lee shook his head. "We don't know what line Joe gave them to get the boys to go with him. He could have told them we had to go out of town. Maybe they did try to call, but with the phone line cut they couldn't leave a message on the answering machine."

"Oh my gosh!" she exclaimed. "Joe was the one who got in yesterday. That's why the lock wasn't broken. Mother didn't forget to lock the door, Joe still has a key."

"Does he know the security codes too?" Lee asked bitterly, then, almost immediately wished he hadn't.

"Of course not!" she snapped back at him.

"I'm sorry, that wasn't called for," he apologized. He knew fighting wouldn't get anything solved.

"You were right," she shrugged, remembering the argument they had when they installed the security system. Lee didn't want Joe to have access to the house at all. Amanda wanted him to have a key. "I should have never given Joe that key."

"It wouldn't have changed the fact that he took the boys. He would have just had to buy more clothes for them right off the bat. Besides, we're getting off track here. We need to think where Joe would have taken them."

"That's just it. I don't have a clue. When we were married we didn't take big vacations - we didn't have the money. Then Joe went to Africa so vacation was time here at home. No, wait! We went to Nags Head for a week once when the boys were little, but nobody goes there in the middle of January," she replied with a defeated tone.

"I'll have Billy check it out just the same," he replied.

"You two need to eat," Dotty announced as she came in with some soup and sandwiches. "Starving yourselves won't find the boys. Besides, if I were trying to impress my sons, I wouldn't be taking them to see my old friends. You both seem to think Joe's trying to make a connection with them. So he'd take them somewhere fun, someplace that the kids would have a blast."

"She's right," Lee answered as he grabbed a sandwich.

Dotty smiled, happy to have been of some help.

"That still leaves a lot of ground to cover," Amanda replied, "but I think I know where to start."

Lee and Dotty looked at Amanda, confused.

Amanda stood up and headed for the closet. She grabbed her coat.

"Just where do you think you're going?" Lee asked with concern.

"I'm no longer the expert on Joe King. If anyone knows where he is, it'll be Carrie," she answered tersely.

"But I talked to her this morning. She didn't have any idea…" Lee replied.

"She's had all day to mull it over," Amanda explained. "I've got to try. Sitting around here is driving me crazy."

Lee stood up and shook his head in agreement. "You want me to go with you? She's not staying at the house, she's staying with her parents." Lee answered.

"No, stay here in case Joe or the boys do call. I can handle this alone. I'll see you later," Amanda said as she headed out the door.

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

Amanda knocked on the door and waited in the cold for someone to answer the door. A few moments later the light came on just seconds before Carrie opened the door.

"Amanda," she exclaimed with surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I need to talk to you," Amanda answered.

"I still haven't heard from Joe. I'm not sure that I'd be the first one he'd contact," Carrie explained, thinking back to the fight that they had just two nights ago.

"Can I come in?" Amanda asked, shivering in the cold.

Carrie nodded and stepped back, allowing Amanda to enter the foyer. She looked around and then pointed, "We can talk in the study."

Amanda followed her in. Carrie closed the doors behind her. "Have a seat."

"Thank you," Amanda answered uncomfortably. She was beginning to understand how Lee always felt around Joe.

"Can I get you something to drink, maybe some hot tea?" Carrie offered, clearly uncomfortable herself.

"No, thanks. I won't be staying long. I really need your help in finding the boys. Do you have any idea where Joe might have taken them?" Amanda appealed.

"I'm sorry, Amanda, but I don't have a clue. If I did, I would have told Lee this morning. The last I heard from Joe was a voice mail message he left at work. We haven't talked since Tuesday night."

"Had you discussed any vacation plans? Had he talked about taking the boys somewhere special?" Amanda pressed desperately, not knowing what else to do if this turned into another dead end.

"No, not really. Other than our honeymoon last June, we haven't really given vacations much thought, and I really doubt Joe would take the boys to Tahiti," Carrie answered almost apologetically. "As for taking the boys places, with Joe's schedule it's usually day trips… maybe to Annapolis, up to Baltimore or down to Kings Dominion, Busch Gardens in the spring, nothing out of the ordinary."

Amanda sighed loudly, the impact of the day's events weighing heavily upon her. "Do you have a travel agent that Joe might have called?"

"Joe never made his own travel plans. He wouldn't have a clue as to who we used for our honeymoon. I made those reservations. His secretary makes his business plans, I called her this morning after Lee left my office, but she hadn't heard from him either," Carrie explained solemnly.

"If you hear from him, Carrie, call me immediately. If you think of anything that might help, even if you think it's trivial, please, please call," Amanda appealed to her.

"I will, Amanda, but Joe will turn up with the boys soon enough. Just don't be too hard on him when he does," she cautioned, trying to keep the conversation polite but anxious for her husband.

Amanda's anger returned with a vengeance. She didn't want to alienate Carrie, as she could very well hold the key to finding her sons, even if it was unwittingly. With her teeth clenched, she answered. "Carrie, I realize you're married to Joe now, and you feel some sort of allegiance to him, but please don't tell me how to react to my ex-husband after he's abducted my children."

"They're his children, too. He just wants to spend time to get to know his sons, Amanda. That's not easy to do every other weekend," Carrie snapped defensively.

Amanda's temper continued to burn hotter. She tried to keep her voice low, but she was furious. "That was his choice, nobody else's. He's the one who went to Africa when the boys were still in diapers. He's the one who canceled weekends with the boys to go off to New York for a party or down to Miami to play golf. He's the one who forgot birthdays and was too busy for special events. He only chose to call the boys when it was convenient for him. In the past I've covered for Joe, but that stopped yesterday when he took the boys from me without a word. He has visitation rights to his sons, not custody. He doesn't have what it takes to be a full time father! Maybe he's known that longer than I have."

Carrie sat still; shocked by the verbal lashing she'd just endured. She wasn't sure what to say. What Joe did was wrong and she knew it. The reasons why he did it really didn't matter. She finally answered. "I know this is hard on you…"

"You know, this didn't affect just me," Amanda continued harshly. "When the boys came up missing, there was a full-scale alert at the Agency. Every agent with a child needed to make sure his or her children were safe and accounted for. This mess affected a lot of people," she harangued.

"Amanda, I'm sorry," she whispered in a small voice as the reality of everything finally sunk in. Of course Amanda and Lee would have thought that this was Agency related.

"I think I'd better go," Amanda said wearily, her anger spent. She got up and headed for the door. She already said more than she should have. Carrie wasn't at fault; she wasn't the one to blame. She was caught in the middle much like Phillip and Jamie.

"I'll call you if I hear from him," Carrie whispered anxiously, walking her to the door.

"Carrie, I didn't mean to put you in the middle of this," Amanda said by way of apology. "I shouldn't have taken my frustrations out on you, but we're talking about my children. I want them home where they belong."

With that said, Amanda walked down the steps and headed to her car. Carrie could only watch in silence as her car pulled away from the curb into the darkness. She thought of her husband, knowing he made a huge mistake. Joe had underestimated not only his ex-wife, but miscalculated what a mother would do for her children. She silently wished Amanda luck as she closed the door and turned out the light.

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

Amanda got back home to find only her mother there. "Where's Lee?" she asked, noticeably concerned.

"He got a call shortly after you left, something about the Navy?" Dotty shrugged. She tried hard these days not to pry and Lee and Amanda rarely gave many details.

"How did things go with Carrie?" Dotty asked inquisitively.

"It didn't," Amanda answered sadly, not wanting to go into any details.

Dotty didn't press the issue any further. The look on her daughter's face and the tone of her voice made that clear. "Would you like me to stay up with you until he gets home?"

"No, Mother. I'll be all right. I'll just watch Johnny Carson on the television. I know you're tired; get some sleep," Amanda replied.

"You need to get some sleep, too," Dotty suggested to her daughter, then she added a comment that she hoped would lift her daughter's sagging spirit. "You'll wish you had gotten the extra sleep when those boys come home."

It did bring a smile to Amanda's face. She knew her mother was right. "Don't worry, Mother, I'll probably fall asleep down here anyway."

Dotty nodded and gave her daughter a quick hug and a kiss before heading up the stairs to bed.

It was several hours later when Lee finally came home. Amanda was still watching the television; Johnny Carson was long over, but sleep had eluded her.

"You didn't have to wait up for me," he said quietly as he took off his coat and hung it up. "I'm sorry I wasn't home when you got back. You OK?"

She nodded mutely.

"How did things go with Carrie?" he ventured tentatively as he sat down next to her.

"I could have handled things better," she sighed as she rested her head on Lee's shoulder. "She doesn't have any idea where he went. I'm pretty sure she'll call us if she hears anything. How about your evening?"

"We caught Linderoff," he answered with a relieved smile. "He got a hold of an officer's uniform and tried to drive right past the guards. One of the MP's at the gate was really on the ball. Linderoff drove through the checkpoint, but we caught him hunkered down in one of the supply rooms. He never got anywhere near the X-10 plans."

"Well, at least that's taken care of," she sighed tonelessly.

Lee pulled her into his arms. He looked at his wife with a worried frown. "You need to get some sleep. You're exhausted."

"I didn't want to go to bed alone," she whispered hoarsely. "I've tried to fall asleep down here, but…"

"Too much going through your mind?" he suggested.

"Yeah. I just worry about where the boys are. What they're doing. I wonder what Joe told them to get them to go with him without calling," she answered wearily.

"You've got to stop that. Let's go with what we do know. We know that Joe will take good care of the boys. As for the where, that might take a few days, but we'll find him. I'm not sure how important the rest of the questions will be after that," Lee replied.

She looked up at him and grinned. "You're right, of course. How did you get so smart?"

"I've got a really clever partner, so I have to keep on my toes," he suggested as he gently caressed her face. "We'll both feel better tomorrow if we got some sleep. We can't do anything more tonight. Care to join me?"

"Yeah," she replied, resigned to the wait and see game they were unwillingly participating in.

Lee stood up and held out his hand to her. She reached up, allowing him to help her up. Together they headed for bed.

End Part 5
 
 
 
 

Moving Target              Part 6

Friday morning

 Lee was in the Q Bureau early the next morning working on his report on Linderoff's capture the previous night. The door squeaked open and Lee looked up.

"Scarecrow," his section chief greeted pleasantly. "I didn't expect you to be in so early. That report could have waited."

"OK, just what have you done with the real Billy Melrose?" Lee asked, trying to lighten his mood.

Billy had to chuckle. It wasn't often that he would offer an extension on a report, but with Phillip and Jamie still missing, his sympathetic nature was showing. "How's Amanda holding up?"

Lee pushed back his chair and stretched, taking a long, deep breath. He thought back to the tough discussion that he'd had with his wife. "As well as can be expected. It took some time yesterday to convince her that Joe took the boys. And if we don't hear from Joe or the boys soon, she'll be climbing the walls. She's afraid to leave the house in case she misses the call. But if this drags on for any length of time…"

Billy nodded. "Go down and talk to the wire tap boys. They can set up a telephone relay to your cell phone. I'll sign the authorization. They can have it set up by the end of the day."

Lee smiled, knowing it would be a great relief to Amanda, not to mention himself. He felt torn to leave home to go to work when she was sitting at home waiting and worrying. Dotty wasn't much emotional support; she was more nervous than his wife was.

"Thanks, Billy, I appreciate that," Lee replied.

"So, how close are you to having that report finished?" he asked with interest.

"I thought you just said it could wait?" Lee reminded him with a wry grin.

"Well, you are here," he answered with a shrug.

"If Amanda was here, she'd have it ready for you within the hour. With my typing abilities… you should have it by noon," Lee surmised with a deflated tone.

Billy nodded. "You did a good job last night. When you finish that report, bring it down to my office and you can clear out of here for the weekend. Hopefully by Monday this whole mess with Joe will be resolved."

"I'll do that. And thanks again for suggesting the phone relay. That'll be a great help," Lee replied respectfully.

"Anything I can do to help, Lee. Keep me informed," Billy responded. He needed and wanted his top team back in the field, together, at one hundred percent.
 
 

Lee spent the next few hours up in the Q Bureau struggling to concentrate on his report, but it was slow going. His mind kept drifting over to Amanda's empty desk and the picture of the boys that sat upon it. He was amazed at how important they'd become in his life. He enjoyed being part of the family. He still couldn't understand how Joe had taken his responsibility as a father so lightly. Lee struggled to push those thoughts out of his mind and returned to his report. It was almost noon when he finally walked into the bullpen with it.
 
 

"Right on time," Billy replied, accepting it from Lee and looking at his watch. He and Lee headed into his office.

"I don't guarantee that it'll make much sense. I can't type when I am concentrating." Lee answered jovially, trying to cover his own frazzled emotions.

Billy chuckled. "Well, I've got the paperwork started on the telephone relay. Should be done by late in the day."

Before Lee could comment Francine knocked at the door and then walked in. "Excuse me, Billy, but this just came in. I knew you'd want to see it."

Billy took the paper from her, scanning it briefly; his face frowned noticeably. Then he handed it to Lee as he advised. "They found Joe's car."

"Dulles?" he said with dread as he swallowed hard. "Amanda was right. They could be anywhere."

"Francine, get a picture of the boys and Joe and get over to the airport and flash it around," Billy ordered. Then he looked over at Lee and shrugged. "Maybe we'll get lucky?"

"Let's hope so," he replied with little enthusiasm, knowing how busy Dulles International Airport was. The likelihood of someone remembering two teenage boys was a daunting task to say the least. "I'll meet you at the airport, Francine. I need to tell Amanda about this," he paused and sighed. "I don't think this is something I want to tell her over the phone."

Francine nodded. "Amanda has a picture of the boys on her desk, right?"

"Yeah," he answered.

"I'll get it, Lee. You can get another picture of them from the house. I'll see you later."

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

"Amanda?" Lee called out as he entered the house.

"I'll be right down," she yelled back. Lee had barely gotten his coat hung up and put in the closet when she appeared at the top of the stairs.

"Kind of early for spring cleaning?" he questioned as he looked at his wife in an old sweatshirt and dungarees, a dirty rag in one hand a bottle of cleanser in the other.

"I've got to keep busy. When I'm nervous, I clean," she shrugged.

"Come on down here," he said shaking his head.

"I didn't expect you home so early. I would have made you some lunch. You should have called," she said nervously as she reached the bottom of the stairs and gave her husband a quick kiss. "Are you hungry?"

Lee shook his head no and reached his arm around her back and guided her to the family room. "How about we sit for a few minutes?"

Amanda stopped in her tracks. "You're heard something about the boys. What is it?"

"Come on, sit down," he urged, again gently guiding her towards the sofa. She quickly sat down and looked up at him.

"Just tell me," she anxiously appealed, her heart sinking.

"They found Joe's car about an hour ago," he began hesitantly.

Amanda interrupted. "Where? Were the boys with him? Are they all right?"

"Amanda," he sighed, "They found the car at the airport - Dulles airport. There was no sight of Joe or the boys. Francine's already heading over there to flash the boy's picture around. I'm going to meet her. I'll use their new school pictures, but do you have a picture of Joe?"

She sat there on the sofa silent, her eyes filling up with tears.

"Come on, it's going to be all right," he said to her reassuringly. "Your mother's hunch was right. Joe took them on vacation somewhere."

"Let me get cleaned up and changed. I'll go with you. The more people looking the better chance we have," she said, trying to keep her emotions in check.

"I hate to ask you to stay, but one of us needs to - for now. When Joe comes to his senses and realizes what he's done, he's liable to call here. I've got the Agency working on relaying the house phone to my cell phone, but that won't be done until later today," Lee said reluctantly, knowing how much she wanted to take an active part in the investigation. "In the meantime, I really need a picture of Joe."

She knew Lee was right; she didn't want to miss the call. Amanda got up off the couch, went over to the bookcase and pulled out a photo album. She flipped through the pages of happy memories of the boys at different holidays, various places, and special events. Finally she pulled out a picture. "This is the most recent one, last summer when the boys went camping with Joe. All the other pictures I have of him are at least five years old."

"No, that'll work," Lee said as he took the picture from her. He knew it was a long shot at best and time was of the essence. He wrapped her in his arms. "We're going to find them. You know that."

She nodded and he gave her a quick kiss, grabbed his coat and was out the door.

*** *** *** **

Lee came back home a few hours later exhausted and despondent. He hadn't expected to turn up anything at the airport, but deep down he secretly wished for a little good luck. Unfortunately, the only kind of luck they'd been having was bad.

"Amanda, I'm home," he called out as he threw his keys on the kitchen counter.

She came downstairs immediately. From the look on his face, she knew that the afternoon was less than successful. "Dinner will be ready shortly," she said, not wanting to broach the subject. She didn't want to hear the details that he and Francine had just spent three hours flashing snapshots to every porter, gate attendant and reservationist they could find without even a glimpse of hope. Another day shot with very little to show for all their efforts.

Lee wrapped his wife in his arms and held her tightly. He had one more question that he needed to ask his wife, but he was afraid of the answer. He separated himself slightly from his wife and then spoke very deliberately. "Amanda, do you have the boys passports?"

She looked up at him, her eyes wide with worry. "Oh my gosh! Where are the passports? I don't know! I never gave it any thought," she answered, her voice mired in fear.

"Where do you keep them? Upstairs in the strong box?" Lee asked.

"I usually keep them at the bank, in the safety deposit box," she answered in a high pitched voice.

Lee smiled with relief. "Good, then that's one less thing we have to worry about."

She pulled away from him and looked up to the ceiling as if she was saying a silent prayer. "You don't understand," she replied with a lump forming in her throat. "Joe and I opened the safety deposit box at the bank when we were first married. He has one of the keys and can still get in. It's one of those things I meant to change, but never got around to it…" her voice trailed off in despair.

Lee bit his tongue, wanting to scream. Her trust in Joe, however misguided, sometimes went beyond reason. He put his hand over his mouth, partially in frustration, partially to keep from saying something he knew he'd regret later.

Amanda looked back at Lee. She could see the anger in his eyes. She was sick to her stomach as she thought of how easy she'd made things for Joe. They had been divorced for over five years yet sometimes she acted like he was still very much part of 'her' family. He wasn't, she knew that. She had only tried to keep him close by for the boys.

She looked at the clock in the kitchen. It was almost five. "I'd better get to the bank. They close at six tonight and with rush hour traffic, it could take a half hour to get across town."

Lee nodded his agreement as Amanda ran upstairs to grab her purse. Like a flash she was back down and grabbed her coat out of the closet. "Drive carefully," he suggested as he gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

"Lee," she whispered, "I'm really sorry…"

He held up his hand to stop her. "Amanda, not now. When the boys are back home, we'll worry about this, OK?"

She smiled, pulled her keys from her purse and was out the back door.

End Part 6
 
 
 

Moving Target                       Part 7

"That last run was awesome, that powder out there is nothing like we've ever skied on in Virginia," Phillip boasted as they headed into the ski lodge.

"It must have snowed six inches today," Jamie replied with a shiver.

Phillip looked over at his younger brother and laughed. "You still look like a snowman. You'd better avoid the moguls from now on; you're such a novice."

"Phillip, enough," his father warned as he dusted the snow off his younger sons jacket. "You've fallen a couple of times today too. Why don't you two find a table and I'll get us some hot chocolate so we can all thaw out a bit?"

The boys exchanged dirty looks, but then headed off looking for a table without further insults to each other. Jamie started peeling off his wet ski gear and Phillip just plopped down in a chair, dumping his gloves and goggles onto the chair next to him.

After a few minutes, Jamie looked around then spoke in a quiet voice. "Phillip, don't you think it's weird that Dad's taken us skiing in the middle of a school week?"

"Hey man, I think it's pretty cool. These mountains are awesome; the snow is great. No school, no homework, just all this great powder…" Phillip answered with a broad smile.

"That's just it. Why didn't Dad give us any notice? We could have brought homework with us. We've already missed two days of school, and Dad doesn't answer me when I ask when we're going home. Have you noticed how he keeps changing the subject? Do you have any idea how much work we'll have to make up when we get back?" his little brother queried with concern.

Phillip rolled his eyes. "I can't believe that you're worried about that. Mom and Lee's trip to Europe was last minute so Dad probably thought it would be fun to go skiing. Quit complaining or I'll push you into a snow bank." Phillip smarted off and pushed his brother.

Joe was coming to the table and observed his older son's actions. "Phillip, don't push your brother," Joe yelled with frustration. "I was going to suggest one more run after we drink our hot chocolate, but if you can't behave we'll just call it a day."

Phillip looked at his younger brother. "We were just fooling around, Dad. Right, Jamie?" he stated as he looked his brother in the eye menacingly, and smirked.

Jamie nodded, not willing to rat out his brother, then reaffirmed. "We were just fooling around."

"OK, then, drink up. We'll have enough time for one more run before the lifts close for the day," Joe replied as he sipped his hot chocolate.

A few minutes later, Phillip sat anxiously waiting for Jamie to finish. He looked up at the clock on the wall. "Will you hurry up, Jamie? The lifts close in a few minutes."

Jamie looked up at his brother and father. Both looked anxious to make one last run. "I think I'll pass. Why don't you two make the last run without me?"

Joe looked at Jamie then over at Phillip. Phillip was eagerly zipping up his jacket. "You sure, Jamie?"

"Uh, huh," he replied as he looked at his soaked clothing. He'd had plenty of skiing for the day. He was cold, sore and tired.

"All right. We'll be back in thirty minutes. You wait for us right here in the lodge," Joe ordered.

Jamie looked at his half empty cup of cocoa and nodded. "Yeah, I'll watch for you to come back down."

Without hesitation, Phillip stood up and grabbed the rest of his gear. Joe was only a few feet behind him. Jamie watched as they grabbed their skis and headed off to the lifts. Then he pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and searched for his phone card. He'd seen phones downstairs near the lockers earlier in the day.

Grabbing his soggy gear, he headed downstairs to the pay phones. After plugging in the phone number and code, it began to ring.

"Stetson," Lee answered quickly.

"Lee?" Jamie asked with surprise.

"Jamie? Where are you? Are you all right?" Lee asked rapidly.

"We're in Colorado with Dad. What are you doing home? I thought you were in Germany or something," Jamie asked with sudden concern.

"Slow down, pal," Lee said, trying not to frighten his stepson. "Where exactly are you? Is Phillip with you?"

"We're at Breckenridge Ski Resort. Phillip's with me. Well actually, he's up on the mountain with Dad. They went for one last run, but I had enough for the day," Jamie explained, then asked. "Did your trip get canceled?"

"Trip? Jamie your mom and I have been here all week. There wasn't any trip. We've been worried sick trying to find you. Is everything all right?" Lee asked sharply.

"Yeah, sort of, but Dad told us that you and Mom had some kind of emergency you had to handle in Germany and Grandma was going to see Aunt Lillian," Jamie began to explain the excuses Joe had given him and his brother. "Then he said that his new house had some wiring problems so we couldn't stay there and that he'd arranged for us to take a ski trip."

"So everything's OK?" Lee asked again with a little relief, noting a bit of concern in Jamie's voice.

"Well," Jamie hesitated. "Dad's been acting kind of, I don't know… weird, I guess. We didn't bring any school work with us or anything."

"Does your dad know you're calling home?" Lee prodded gently.

"No, he and Phillip went for one last run. I just, well," Jaime stammered uncomfortably. "It's just that everything wasn't adding up. I felt like something was wrong and you and Mom always told us to call and, well, you know…"

"No, you did the right thing," Lee assured him. "Your Mom and I've been pretty worried about you. We didn't know where you were." Then, trying to keep the urgency from his voice, he asked calmly but directly. "Where are you staying?"

"I don't know," his youngest stepson responded. "We stayed at this motel down the road last night, but they're booked for the weekend and Dad didn't make reservations."

Lee gritted his teeth with frustration. He was wondering if that was the truth, or just another lie Joe was feeding the boys. He sighed heavily. "Jamie, I don't want you to mention to your dad that you called home, OK?"

"Lee, I can't lie to Dad," Jamie replied nervously.

"But if your dad doesn't ask you, you don't have to tell him, right?" Lee suggested, not wanting to put his stepson at any risk if Joe found out he'd called and he didn't want to tip off Joe that they were onto him either.

"Well, that's true," Jamie answered dubiously.

"Your mom and I are going to get the next flight out there, OK?" Lee replied, trying to reassure his stepson. "We'll probably see you tomorrow."

"Is Dad in any trouble?" Jamie asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Don't you worry about that," Lee answered quickly. A lot depended upon how far Amanda wanted to pursue the issue. Then he thought to himself, 'That's not for me to decide. If it was up to me, Joe would be moving permanently back to Africa.'

"So how are you going to find us?" Jamie asked curiously.

"What kind of car is your dad driving?" Lee questioned.

"He rented a four wheel drive," Jamie replied without thinking.

Lee sighed in frustration, running a hand through his hair. Jamie wasn't into cars like his older brother. Phillip would have described it down to the engine type. "What kind of car is it, Jamie? What make, color? Do you know the license plate number?"

"Oh, it's a black, Jeep Cherokee. It's got Colorado plates, but I don't remember the number," he answered.

"OK, if you can call us again, let us know where you're staying for the night and memorize the license plate number," Lee suggested.

"But if you're coming out here, how can I reach you?" Jamie asked.

"Call me on my cell phone; we'll have it with us," Lee suggested. "You have the number don't you?"

"Yeah, I've got it in my wallet. Hey, Lee, I really did think this whole trip was strange," Jamie started. "I guess I should have called sooner, but Dad made it sound like everything was cool, and …"

"You did the right thing, Jamie. Just do as your dad tells you, and we'll probably catch up with you tomorrow sometime," Lee reminded him, not wanting Jamie to worry anymore than he already was.

"Can I talk to Mom?" he asked hopefully.

"Sorry, pal. She's been at home hoping you'd call for the last couple of days, but she had to run to the bank," Lee explained, wishing that his wife was home. He could tell that Jamie was becoming a little nervous. "But if you call back later, she'll be available to talk with you - I promise."

"Tell her I love her and I miss her," he said, biting his lip.

"I will," Lee replied soothingly, "and Jamie, we miss you both and love you, too."

Jamie glanced over his shoulder apprehensively. "I better go. Dad and Phillip will be back in a few minutes."

"Remember, mums the word," Lee reminded him.

"Yeah," Jamie answered, his voice becoming a little more confident. He was excited about the secret he now shared. "I promise not to say a word to Dad. I'll try to call you later."

Lee wanted to say more, but he heard the distinct click of the phone. He shook his head and then looked up to see Dotty, eagerly waiting for an explanation.

"They're OK. You were right; Joe took them on vacation to Colorado," Lee explained quickly.

"Where did Amanda go?" she asked.

"To the bank. We wanted to make sure the boys passports are still in the safety deposit box," he answered.

"Well at least they're still in the country," Dotty answered.

Lee picked up the phone and started dialing. "Let's hope they stay in one place. Somehow I think Joe knows it's harder to find a moving target. I've got to make some arrangements."

"Let me know if I can be of any help."

"Thanks, Dotty," Lee replied. He needed to make airline reservations, pack and most importantly, he hoped that Amanda still had the boy's passports. It would be easy enough for Joe to head to the West Coast and out of the country if he had them. Lee said a silent prayer that Jamie wouldn't say anything to his dad.

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

Jamie listened until he could hear the shower water running. Then he looked over at his brother and said, "I'm going downstairs to check out the pool."

"The pool's closed, stupid. Besides you don't have a bathing suit with you anyway," Phillip snapped at his little brother.

"I just want to go check it out and they probably have a candy machine. I really could go for a chocolate bar," he replied with a shrug.

"Dad takes the world's shortest showers," Phillip reminded his brother as he nodded towards the bathroom. "And what are you going to tell him when you get back? He told us to stay IN the room."

Jamie looked downhearted. "Well, I'm not the only one who'll have some explaining to do," he snapped back at his know-it-all brother.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Phillip asked defensively, pushing his brother on to the bed.

"Nothing," Jamie said softly, sorry he'd said anything now.

"Spill it, short stuff," Phillip said as he stood over his brother with his one hand holding him down on the bed.

"It's a secret," Jamie objected. "If I tell you, you can't tell Dad. You promise?"

Phillip was now intrigued. He removed his hand from his brother and nodded. "Yeah, OK, what is it?"

"When you and Dad took that last run, I called home. Mom and Lee didn't go on any business trip and they didn't know where we were."

"Yeah, right," Phillip snorted in disbelief, rolling his eyes and pushing his brother back on the bed.

Jamie shrugged. "Don't believe me then. I don't care."

The water stopped in the bathroom. Phillip looked at the door then back at his brother warily. "Are you for real?"

"Uh huh," he mumbled quietly. "That's why I wanted to go down to the pool. There's a phone down there. I need to call Mom back. I told Lee we were in Breckenridge. So when they get there tomorrow, they're going to be looking for us in the wrong place."

"Geez," Phillip groaned loudly as he plopped down on the bed. "Dad's gonna be in a lot of trouble when Mom gets here."

"Shhhh!" Jamie warned and nodded towards the bathroom. "I told you he's been acting weird."

Phillip nodded agreement. "OK, so one of us needs to distract Dad while the other one makes the call."

"Yeah, well, now it's too late. We'll have to do it tomorrow," Jamie answered just as the bathroom door opened up and Joe came out.

End Part 7
 
 

Moving Target              Part 8

Amanda climbed wearily into their rental car. The cold Denver air did little to keep her awake. She fumbled clumsily with the map they'd gotten from the rental company. Lee tossed the suitcases in the trunk, got into the car and quickly started it. He'd barely turned onto the roadway, which would lead them to the interstate before Amanda made a comment.

"Lee, this map says Breckenridge is less than 100 miles away. We could be there in a couple of hours," she exclaimed eagerly, suddenly being more awake then she was a few seconds ago.

"Amanda, it's after midnight local time and we're both exhausted. You heard the rental agent; it's been snowing in the mountains on and off all night. We'd have to get through the Eisenhower Tunnel then hope we could find a place to sleep for the night. We still don't know where they're staying tonight," Lee reminded his wife. They had had this discussion several times on the plane ride to Denver.

"I know," she answered dejectedly. "It's just now that we're so close…"

Lee reached out his hand for hers, squeezing it slightly for moral support. "We'll spend the night in Golden. That's just shy of the mountains. Then, first light, we head up to Breckenridge." He stopped at the red light, waiting for it to turn green so he could access the interstate. "Besides, Amanda, I really am worn out."

"You're right," she answered, ashamed that she brought the subject up. They were both exhausted and she knew it. "We'll get some sleep and have a fresh start in the morning. I just wish that Jamie had gotten to call back. It will be so much easier to find them if we knew where they were staying."

Lee nodded his head in agreement. Finding the boys in a ski resort as large as Breckenridge was going to be almost impossible. With three other resorts within a short drive, the odds on finding them on the slopes would be close to impossible. Trying to find what hotel, motel, chalet or condo they were staying at wouldn't be any easier. Their best chance was to track down Joe's rental car, but they still didn't have a license plate and there were dozens of car rental companies that serviced the airport. He looked over at his wife who was waiting for a response and smiled. "Jamie will call us back tomorrow; I'm sure of it. Remember he told me to tell you he missed you."

Her face brightened with a warm smile. "You told him we loved him, right? That we missed him too?"

"You know I did. Your mother was my witness," he reminder her, again squeezing her hand. "Now try to relax. We'll be at the hotel soon. Look for the exit sign, it should be just a few miles up the road."

Amanda nodded and looked out at the bright lights of the city. With the cloudy sky, she could barely make out the silhouette of the impressive Rocky Mountains. She hoped that in the morning, among those magnificent peaks, she would be reunited with her sons.

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

They settled into their hotel room and got ready for bed. Lee turned down the covers and climbed in, exhausted. He fluffed the scrawny pillow trying to get it into a comfortable position and looked towards the bathroom as he waited for Amanda to come to bed.

She followed a few minutes later. As she climbed in next to him he pulled her into his embrace, giving her a much-needed hug. He held her tightly and waited for her stress-filled body to relax. "You OK?"

She shrugged. "I'm exhausted; but I'm not sure I'll be able to sleep. I'm worried about the boys; I know you said they were OK, but until I see them for myself, I'll worry." She let out a tired sigh. "When I see Joe, I'm not certain what I'm going to do. I'd like to strangle him for what he's put me through, but I don't want to upset the boys. We never fought in front of them, and I don't want to start now."

Lee nodded his understanding. He wasn't sure what action his wife would take against her ex-husband, or even how she felt about him at this point. He personally would like to strangle Joe himself. Realizing that she wasn't ready for sleep, he asked her, "So what do you want to do?"

"I'm not sure," she answered. "Actually, until we got here tonight, I hadn't let myself think that far in advance. But now I guess I'll have to," she answered with concern and anger mixed in her voice.

It was difficult for Lee. He'd wanted to offer his opinion, but she hadn't asked for one. So he didn't say a word, instead, he started to gently massage her shoulders.

"That feels good," she murmured, leaning back into Lee's strong, warm hands. "You know, I'm not even sure what my legal rights are at this point. I know what trust I used to have in Joe is gone. He doesn't have any idea what I, I'm sorry; we went through those first 24 hours. Didn't he think we'd worry? Is he really that clueless of what it takes to be a real parent?" Amanda demanded sharply, her voice getting louder with each question.

Lee wrapped his arms around her and she leaned back into him. "Shh, it's all right. Let's just concentrate on finding the boys. When we get them home to Virginia we'll worry about the legal ramifications of what Joe's done. We don't have to make any decisions now. What we really need to do right now is get some sleep," he answered as he loosened his arms from around her body.

"You're right." She kissed him on the lips and without further discussion or argument settled down onto the bed. "Did you set the alarm?"

"Six AM," he replied as he turned out the light.

"Good night, Lee," she whispered as she cuddled close to him. "I love you."

"I love you too, Amanda…"

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

It was late Saturday afternoon. Amanda sat impatiently in the ski lodge, heartsick. She'd hoped to spot one of the boys or even Joe. But the lodge became less and less crowded as most of the skiers were calling it a day and heading to the local bars, restaurants or their hotel rooms. She'd spent most of the day people watching, hoping to spy the familiar face of her sons or her ex, but it had been an extremely frustrating day. On several occasions, she had spotted some boys, whom in ski gear resembled her children only to be disappointed when their hats and goggles came off.

By the time Lee made it back to the lodge, the lifts had been closed for over a half-hour. He too looked aggravated by their lack of progress.

"Where've you been?" she asked dejectedly when he sat down in the chair beside her.

"Been over to Keystone and then up to Copper Mountain," he explained, shaking his head.

"It's like looking for a needle in a haystack. I think I've see them; I've rushed out of here a half dozen times today only to be given a weird look by somebody else's teenagers," she sighed hopelessly, closing her eyes. "And why hasn't Jamie called?"

Lee wished he had answers for his wife. He was wondering about that same question. She had put so much faith in finding her sons today; he knew this was going to be quite a blow to her emotionally. "I don't know, sweetheart. Maybe Joe's keeping a tight rein on them and Jamie can't get away long enough to call."

"So what now?" she asked, disheartened.

"I'll call Billy. See if they have a lead on Joe's license plate yet. Then I guess, find someplace to stay ourselves tonight and some dinner," Lee answered as he got out the cell phone and started to dial the Agency's number. Lee waited but he didn't get a response. He looked up at Amanda. "I think the mountains are blocking the signal. Maybe that's why we haven't heard from Jamie."

"Oh my gosh!" she moaned. "You mean they have no way of contacting us out here?"

"Looks like it," he lamented. "I saw some pay phones downstairs, I'll call Billy from there. Keep an eye out. You never know…"

Amanda nodded, but her spirit was dwindling. She knew it would be hard to find the boys, but she'd expected and looked forward to Jamie's phone call. But with this latest development… the mountains blocking the cell phone signal was just another crushing blow to their search. "I'll be waiting," she answered morosely.

Lee wasn't gone long when Amanda saw him reappear at the stairs. He had a smile on his face.

"We've got a plate number on his rental car," he grinned.

"Did they put out an APB out on it?" she asked hopefully.

"Yeah, for questioning only," he nodded. "Come on; let's get out of here; we need to find some place to stay for the night and get some real food."

Amanda nodded mutely. Getting Joe's license plate number would be helpful, but the waiting game was more than testing her nerves. She wanted this game to be over; she missed her sons and wanted to see them safely back home to Virginia.

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

They ate dinner in a family restaurant hoping against hope that Joe might come in with the boys. Their dinner conversations had lagged as Amanda poked at her food. Lee didn't know what to say to encourage her. She usually was upbeat, but tonight she looked about as down as he'd ever seen her. They sat silent and helpless as yet another night dragged on by. As the waitress served them coffee after their meal, Lee scanned the room one more time, but it was all too apparent their bad luck hadn't ended. The crowd was thinning and Joe and the boys were nowhere to be seen.

He looked out the window at the parking lot and noticed that it had begun to snow again. "We'd better get out of here. It looks like that storm they predicted has arrived."

Amanda glanced out the window listlessly. It was snowing steadily. The cars in the parking lot had already been covered with a fresh blanket of snow. The roads, even with the traffic of the cars passing were snow packed. The sight was quite serene, but only made her more concerned for her sons. She prayed that wherever they were, they were safe and warm.

The short ride back to their motel was silent except for the wind, which had begun to howl. The snow was swirling in circles, making visibility difficult, but luckily traffic was light. Lee glanced over at Amanda who sat fixed like a statute staring out the window at the snowstorm. He was relieved to get back to the motel, but he knew the storm only increased her anxiety.

"I'll give the Agency a call," he said as he opened the door to their room and followed his wife in. "Maybe they've come up with something."

"Let's hope, we could use a break," she answered somberly as she watched him dial the phone and listened into the one sided conversation.

"Billy… yeah we just got in…the weather? Another snowstorm just started. We're supposed to get another eight to ten inches tonight… Where? Yeah, that's not too far from here… First thing in the morning then… Thanks, Billy, I'll talk to you tomorrow."

Amanda stood impatiently at his side as he ended his phone call with their superior. "What is it? Did they find them? Are they all right?"

"They spotted Joe's car earlier in the day at Winter Park Ski Resort," Lee began.

Amanda interrupted. "Let's go then. I heard you say it's not far."

"Amanda, slow down," he answered gently as he led his wife to the bed and sat her down. "I know you want to find them, but the weather outside is getting pretty bad. We'd have to drive back towards Denver, through the Eisenhower tunnel again and then go up and over Berthoud pass. In good weather, it would take two hours. In that storm," he said nodding toward the door, he shook his head, "it's just not safe. We'll head out first thing in the morning."

She stood up. "That's all I hear from you, 'first thing in the morning'," she fumed angrily as she paced the room nervously. "We're chasing a moving target and we're always a day behind. We've got to stop playing it safe. I want to find my sons!"

Lee looked at her, hurt apparent in his eyes. He felt like he let her down. Was he playing it too safe? Would anything have changed if they'd gotten to Breckenridge earlier in the day? Would they find the boys any sooner if they drove tonight over a mountain pass in a near blizzard? He thought about it for a minute and then answered her.

"I want to find them, too," he began cautiously, not wanting to set her off. He saw how close to the edge she was. "You know that. I'd do anything within reason to make that happen. But I won't risk your life going over a snowy mountain pass in a rental car in a blizzard," he replied in a decisive voice. "If something happened to you, what do you think will happen to Phillip and Jamie?"

Amanda stopped her pacing and stared out the window as his words sank in. She looked down at the almost deserted interstate highway. Other than an occasional snowplow and sand truck, it was desolate. Only a few brave souls in four-wheel drive vehicles dared to drive the treacherous road in these weather conditions.

"I'm sorry, you're right," she whispered softly as she turned to him.

"You're right, though. We always seem to be one step behind. It isn't easy pinpointing a moving target," he answered with frustration mired in his voice.

Amanda went over to her suitcase and pulled out the map. "Show me where Winter Park is. Joe keeps the boys moving. Maybe we can anticipate his next move."

Lee smiled. That's the Amanda he knew, quick thinking with a positive attitude. He spread out the map on the bed and they began discussing their plans for the morning…

End Part 8
 
 
 
 

Moving Target                 Part 9

Joe got up early and gazed out the window at the freshly fallen snow. It looked like the day would be great for skiing. But the serene scene came to a screeching halt when he saw a police car drive slowly through the parking lot. Perhaps it was just a normal patrol, but his heart started to beat a little faster as he looked over at the bed where his sons still slept.

"Come on boys," he called out, trying to cover his nervousness. "Time to get up."

Phillip and Jamie groaned sleepily.

"Let's get a move on it," Joe encouraged. "You'll perk up after you get some breakfast."

Phillip got out of bed and headed for the window. "WOW! Look at all that powder. It's going to be awesome skiing today." Then he glanced back at his brother who was still nestled under the covers. "Come on, Jamie."

"I'm getting up, just give me a minute," he answered groggily as he searched for his glasses on the nightstand.

After dressing, they walked down to breakfast and ate heartily.

"Look at that sky. There's not a cloud anywhere," Jamie stated as he gaped out the window of the restaurant. "I really wish I had brought my camera with me. I could get some awesome shots. Just look at it all…"

"You won't need goggles today, but you'll need sunglasses for sure," Phillip commented excitedly.

Joe stared out the restaurant's window but didn't notice the crisp blue sky or the shimmer of the sunlight off the almost blinding snow. He scanned the area for the police car he had seen earlier. But for the moment, it was quiet.

"You can get sunburn on a day like today, right, Dad?" Phillip asked, but there was no response. He called again to him, this time louder. "Dad?"

"Yeah, we'll have to pick up some sunscreen," Joe mumbled, but his mind was obviously on other things.

Jamie looked at Phillip and they both shrugged. Neither of them were sure what was going through their father's mind. They had tried calling their mother yesterday but couldn't get through to her cell phone.

Joe finally turned his attentions back towards his sons. He looked at their empty plates and noticed the waitress had left the bill. "You guys ready to go?"

"Yeah," they both answered eagerly. "Let's hit the slopes."

Joe followed the boys back to their room. While the boys were animated and excited about the day ahead, Joe seemed to be worlds away.

Phillip and Jamie bounced into the hotel room and headed straight for their ski gear; however, their enthusiasm was derailed by their dad's surprise announcement. "Guys, we're going to head up to Steamboat Springs today."

"Where's that?" Phillip asked annoyed.

"Steamboat Springs is a couple of hours from here," Joe replied.

Phillip balked. "Can't we ski here today?"

"You'll like Steamboat better. It'll be less crowded…"

"Dad, this place is great," Phillip interrupted, not wanting to go someplace else. "It's not crowded and we've got all this fresh powder…"

"Yeah, Dad. Why can't we just stay here?" Jamie chimed in, wary about his father's pattern of moving someplace different every day.

"You'll love Steamboat. It's a real western town," Joe defended as he tried to coax his sons.

"Can't we go tonight or tomorrow?" Phillip pleaded. "In a few hours all this powder will be packed down."

"No," Joe snapped decisively. "Pack up your things. The sooner we leave, the sooner we can be on the slopes at Steamboat."

"We could be on the slopes here in a few minutes," Phillip appealed angrily as he looked out the window at all the new snow. "They've got all this fresh powder. I don't want to sit in the car half the day."

"Phillip, you'll do as I say," Joe ordered crossly.

Jamie glanced at his brother, concerned about the recent change of plans. Phillip shrugged, not knowing what to do. Then Jamie looked over at his father. Despite a chill in the room he noticed his father was sweating. He'd looked nervous all morning. His dad had been acting strange since the trip had begun, but today he seemed really out of sorts. "Dad, I agree with Phillip. Why don't we go to Steamboat tonight? Why can't we stay here and ski? The weather is perfect."

"Because I said so!" Joe yelled. "Now I want both of you to pack up your things and let's get going. I want to be out of here in ten minutes."

Phillip went over to his suitcase and began to throw his clothes in with obvious disgust.

Jamie went to his suitcase, but didn't start packing immediately. He swallowed hard and then stared his father in the eye.

"I'm not going," Jamie answered as he glared at his father with rebellious scorn.

Phillip gawked, mouth wide open at his brother in disbelief. Joe glared at his youngest son.

"Start packing that suitcase, young man," Joe bellowed as he pointed to the suitcase.

Jamie slammed the suitcase closed. Phillip stopped his packing at sat down on the edge of the bed. He wasn't sure what was going to happen next. His brother never spoke back to anyone and certainly not his own father.

"No, I want to go home," Jamie answered defiantly as he crossed his arms across his chest and leaned against his suitcase.

Joe took a deep breath. He needed to stay calm and reassure his son. He was letting his own nerves unnerve his son. "Jamie sit down," Joe invited calmly. "We can't go home yet. Besides, you two are really going to love Steamboat. If you don't, I promise we'll come back here in a few days…"

"I don't want to sit down; I just want to go home," he repeated stubbornly.

Joe sighed heavily and pulled the chair from the desk and sat down near where Jamie stood. "OK, guys. I didn't want to tell you this, but I guess I'll have to. You remember about a year and a half ago when your Mom and Lee got in trouble with the government?"

Both Phillip and Jamie nodded uncertainly.

"Well, it seems that Lee did something again. Now I don't know what he did, but he's in some kind of trouble. Since your Mom is married to Lee, she's in trouble too. I thought it would be better for you guys to be out of the line of fire until the government sorts all this out," he lied. "You remember how it was last time with all those federal agents crawling over the house."

Phillip's eyes were fixed on his father, not sure what to believe, but Jamie saw through the deception. "You're lying, Dad," Jamie choked out; his usual calm demeanor was waning.

"I know it's hard for you to accept, Jamie, but it's true," Joe stated with empathy. The expression on Jamie's face showed he still wasn't convinced, so he expanded on the lie. "Your Mom and Lee didn't go to Europe, they're on the run."

"Stop it! Just stop it!" he yelled angrily as he moved towards the window, needing to put some distance between himself and his father. His face reddened as his father kept adding to the pack of lies that he had already told them.

Jamie thought for a few moments before he turned and faced his father. "You treat me like I'm still a baby. I'm not! And I'm not stupid, either," Jamie exclaimed, he glared at his father with aversion. "There's something wrong all right, but it's not with Mom. I called home the other day. I talked to Lee. Everything is fine at home, except nobody there knew where we were!"

"Jamie, you don't understand…" Joe mumbled uncomfortably, suddenly feeling like he was suffocating in the small room. He didn't know what to say. He had never expected his younger son to doubt his word or to call home.

Phillip stared at his father who looked bewildered, then at his brother who was adamant. He sided with his brother. "I want to go home, too, Dad."

"But you both were having such a good time… Steamboat is really a great resort… We could go horseback riding or go up in a hot air balloon…" Joe answered choppily, but he was grasping at straws. He knew he was caught in a lie, and there was no escape.

"No, Dad! You're having a good time." Jamie started his diatribe again. There were things that he'd wanted to say for some time now, but never had the courage. At the moment, Jamie's temper was in command and it was rising.

"When it's convenient for you, you try to be super dad. You take us to fancy places, like this ski resort and buy us expensive stuff. Have you ever really asked what we wanted to do?" Jamie's voiced dropped as he choked back the hurt behind the words. "All I've ever wanted was a dad to play catch with, go to the father/son picnic, or show up at the art show and see my picture that won first place in the photography contest. But for the stuff that's important to me, you're always too busy."

"Jamie, you knew I was doing very important work in Africa," Joe began defensively.

"Yeah, I know, but you've been back for a while now," Jamie said derisively. "Your job has always been more important than we were."

"Now wait a minute," Joe rebutted. "Did your mother, no wait, has Stetson been putting these ideas into your heads?"

Phillip finally piped in abruptly. "Mom and Lee have never said anything bad about you. They didn't have to," he exclaimed angrily. "Jamie's right, Dad. You were always too busy for us. It was bad enough when you were in Africa, but you live right across town now. When was the last time you made it to one of our ball games?"

"Guys, I thought you understood," Joe replied, but he was clearly shaken. His thoughts were interrupted by a sharp knock at the door. He yelled at what he thought was the maid. "We'll be out in a few minutes."

To his dismay, the doorknob turned and the door opened. His ex-wife stood there, lock pick in hand with Lee right behind her. Her eyes scanned the room quickly. She flashed a reassuring smile to both Phillip and Jamie before scowling at her ex-husband.

"Are you fellas all right?" she asked pleasantly, masking her anger.

Phillip and Jamie both nodded mutely, somewhat startled by their mother's sudden intrusion.

"Amanda, I can explain," Joe began weakly.

Amanda put out her hand to stop any further comments. "Lee, would you please take the boys downstairs to the car?"

"Sure," Lee nodded, as much as he'd like to stay around, this was Amanda's battle and he knew the boys didn't need to be within earshot.

Phillip grabbed his mostly packed suitcase and gladly left the room. Jamie stuffed his belonging into his and began a hasty retreat. Just before he got to the door, Jamie paused and glanced back at his father for only a few seconds.

"We meant what we said, Dad," Jamie said matter-of-factly and then shaking his head is disgust, he followed his brother out the door.

End Part 9
 
 
 

Moving Target  - Conclusion

Amanda waited until Lee and the boys were at the elevator and then closed the door. Joe remained motionless on the chair. She looked at her ex-husband with a mix of bitterness and loathing. She'd realized some time ago how much she'd changed since she'd met Joe in college, but Joe had changed too. Back then he had promised her so much, but when it came down to it, he gave her very little. First it was law school, then his career. She always seemed to come in a distant second. She needed more and her sons deserved better.

Joe was uncomfortable with the silence that permeated the room. He looked up at her again and tried to explain. "Amanda, I just wanted…."

She immediately interrupted. "That's been the problem from the beginning, Joe. It's always been what you wanted. You never did take the time to find out what was important to the people who loved you."

She glanced away momentarily, but as she turned back the look on her face and the bite to her words let him know that he had badly underestimated her. "No amount of money can replace what you've missed out on…or more importantly what those boys missed out on. Pictures and videos just aren't the same as being there. Time's a precious commodity, Joe. Once lost, it can never be replaced."

"I thought… we were…" Joe stammered nervously, but he didn't know what to say.

"You really have no idea what you put me through these last few days, do you?" she harangued loudly. "You take the boys without my knowledge or consent and scare me half to death. What exactly did you tell them to get them to leave without as much as a phone call?"

"I just told them you were going out of the country…" Joe mumbled almost inaudibly; he didn't want to mention his lie from this morning.

"How could you lie to your own sons? What kind of example is that?" she shouted in a rage. "Luckily the boys know right from wrong."

"You lied to them about your job for years," Joe reminded her, hoping to turn the tables on her.

Amanda didn't fall for that trick. Agency training had taught her how not to get tripped up during an interrogation. She regretted the lies she told her mother and her sons when she started working with the Agency. But how could he compare kidnapping his own children to protecting them from terrorists?

"I did what I had to do to protect the boys. Even they understood that when we explained everything to them this fall. There is NO excuse for what you've done. How can I ever trust you with the boys again?" she snapped venomously.

"Amanda, they're my sons. You wouldn't take away my visitation rights?" Joe begged when he finally realized she was no longer easily manipulated. The woman who stood in front of him now was quick thinking, confident and most of all, furious at him.

"Maybe you should have thought about that last week. It's a little too late now! I'm taking them back home - where they belong. If you ever try to see them again without my knowledge and permission, I promise you'll regret it. IF the boys want to see you, I won't stop them, but from now on, the choice will be theirs - not yours. It will be at their convenience, not yours. Over the last five years, I've defended your actions, covered for you. That's over. From now on I'll let them see the real Joe King, although I think they already have. You know anyone can father a child, but it's quite apparent that a dad is something that you'll never be."

Joe sat there dumbfounded. First his own sons rebuked him and then his ex-wife castigated him as well. He didn't know what to say. This trip was supposed to prove he was a good 'dad'. He swallowed hard; his mouth was dry. What had he done?

"Amanda, I promise, things will change…" he whispered hoarsely.

Amanda had heard that line too many times before. She wanted to say more, but venting her anger on Joe would be useless. For ten years of marriage she tried to get Joe to realize what he was missing. Now that Phillip and Jamie had Lee in their lives, it was easy for them to rely on him instead. Lee shared interests with the boys. Lee loved the boys, not because they were his children, because they weren't; Lee loved his stepsons because of who they were, not what he wanted them to be.

"You're right about that, Joe, things will change! My lawyer will be in touch with you," Amanda finally said. Then without waiting for a response from him, she turned and left the room, slamming the door loudly.

She headed down the hallway, pushed the button for the elevator and took several deep breaths. She needed to calm down before she saw her sons. Amanda leaned against the wall and looked down the corridor. She started to feel calmer and oddly, a sense of finality seemed to come upon her. Her divorce from Joe had been very amiable; most of it was done by mail. Deep inside she always hid the hurt that being abandoned by Joe had caused. The pain went deeper than she'd realized, but today she felt cleansed. When the elevator doors finally opened and Amanda walked inside she knew that the ghosts of her first marriage would never haunt her again.
 

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

Lee wearily put the boys' suitcases inside the trunk and slammed it shut. He leaned against the car and listened with amusement as the boys told him of their recent skiing adventures until Amanda came out of the building. When she reached the car, she gave Phillip and Jamie each a big hug.

"I missed you both so much. Did you have a good time skiing?" she asked with a smile.

"Yeah, it was cool," Phillip replied. "I've never seen moguls like they have out here."

Amanda smiled, relieved that their time with their father wasn't all running and hiding. She looked over at Jamie who hadn't answered her question yet. "I bet you wished you'd brought your camera. You would have gotten some pretty great shots out here, huh?"

"That's for sure," Jamie answered candidly. "You can see for miles when you're at the top of the mountain - if it's not snowing!"

"Well maybe we'll come out here again sometime for vacation and we'll be sure to bring it," Amanda suggested.

Lee smiled at his stepson and then looked around at the breath taking scenery before giving Jamie a wink and suggesting, "Maybe next time you'll have a panoramic lens. A regular lens just wouldn't do this place justice.

"That would be really great," Jamie replied with a genuine smile.

"So we can really come back here sometime, Mom?" Phillip asked with a hopeful voice. "The snow out here is awesome."

"You bet," she answered, then added. "I'll race you both down the mountain."

"I can ski better than you, Mom," Phillip boasted. "But I'm sure you can still beat Junior here."

"I got a lot better the last couple of days, Mom," Jamie confided as he made a face at his brother. "I took a couple of lessons. But to be honest, I think I've had enough skiing for a while."

"You fellas ready to go home?" she asked, relieved that neither of them had brought up subject of their father.

They both nodded and Amanda opened the back door for them to get into the car.

Jamie looked up at his mother. Although for the most part he'd enjoyed the impromptu ski trip, he knew what his father did was wrong. Before he got in the car he asked. "Mom, is Dad in a lot of trouble?"

Amanda sighed. How could she have thought that neither would've asked? "Sweetheart, I don't want you to worry about your Dad. I promise everything will work out eventually," Amanda replied, hoping that answer would suffice for the moment.

"We should have called you sooner, Mom," Phillip said almost apologetically.

"How about we talk about all of this when we get home? The important thing right now is that you two are both safe, and healthy. No broken bones," Amanda teased reassuringly as she tussled up their hair.

That seemed to break the tension as the boys laughed and Amanda hugged them each yet again.

"Now hop in the car and we can get going," she said as she nodded towards the car. "We still have a long day ahead of us, and you both have to go to school tomorrow."

"Aw, Mom, do we have to?" Phillip whined as he got into the car.

"Yes, sweetheart; you've already missed two days of school last week. You don't want to get too far behind," Amanda reminded him.

Jamie followed his brother into the car and gave Phillip an 'I told you so,' smirk. Phillip was about to jab his brother in the ribs, but a quick glimpse over his shoulder at his mother, made him decide against it.

Lee glanced at his wife; she looked remarkably calm despite everything. Her training as an agent had helped her mask her emotions. When the boys shut the car door he came over and whispered to her.

"You all right?" he asked with concern. Part of him wanted to go back upstairs and give Joe not only a piece of his mind, but also a large portion of his fist. However, with the boys in tow, he knew better and deferred to allow his wife to handle the situation.

"I feel better than I have in days. I've got my family back, and like you said the other day, the rest really doesn't matter right now," she answered as she reached over and pulled Lee into her embrace. "Thank you for all your help, your patience and most of all, your understanding. There will be no more covering for Joe, no more rearranging our plans to suit him. It's been a long time coming and I think I owe you an apology more than anyone. I promise, things will be different from now on."

"Let's just get things back to normal again," Lee suggested as he returned the hug.

"When is anything that happens to us normal?" she asked with a sigh.

Lee kissed her gently on her lips. He was curious as to what she said to Joe upstairs, but he knew she'd tell him later, when they were alone. "So are you ready to go home, Mrs. Stetson?"

She smiled up at him and sighed heavily. "I can't think of anything I'd like more, Mr. Stetson."

Lee looked down at her face with a glint in his eyes. "Nothing, Mrs. Stetson? Hmmm, I guess I'm losing my touch!"

She shook her head and chuckled softly, "I don't think you'll ever have to worry about that."

"Maybe we can talk about that when we get home?" he suggested slyly as he opened the car door for her.

"I think we'll do more than just talk," she whispered quickly in his ear and then got into the car.

Lee closed the door. As he walked around the car he glanced in and couldn't suppress a smile. He too was glad to have his family back.

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

The following week…

Amanda checked the security system, shut the lights off downstairs and ascended the stairs. A quick peek into her sons' bedroom confirmed that they were both asleep. She opened the door to the master bedroom and walked in. Finally alone with her husband she smiled. "I've got something for you."

Lee was sitting on the bed and kicked off his shoes. He grinned playfully. "Oh, yeah? I like it already."

"You're incorrigible," she answered, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, but you love me anyway," he answered wryly as he got up off the bed, and wrapped his arms around her. He began to nibble on her neck.

Amanda enjoyed the sensation and didn't immediately pull away. If felt good to relax in his arms. The past week hadn't afforded them much private time. With a noticeable sigh, she pulled back. "Enough for now. I really need to talk to you."

Lee moaned in frustration. "Can't we talk later?"

"I promise this won't take long," she suggested as she crossed the room and opened her dresser drawer. She pulled out a small envelope and handed it to him.

"What's this?" he asked as he opened it up and saw two keys.

"The locksmith was here today and re-keyed the locks. I've already given Mother and the boys theirs. The smaller key is to the new safety deposit box at the bank. I'll need you to sign some signature cards, but I removed everything from the one I had with Joe," she explained.

Lee smiled and commented. "You've been busy."

"Yeah, it's been quite a week and I'm glad it's over," she answered thoughtfully. She had spent more time talking to her lawyer than she had working. "I always took it for granted that I could trust Joe. Don't ask me why."

"Maybe because he's the father of your children and you had every reason to expect you could," Lee answered, sensing Amanda was still blaming herself for some of the things that had happened last week.

"Maybe I let Joe get off too easy. I don't know…" she shrugged and turned away. She took a deep breath.

Lee realized she was still searching for answers that just weren't black and white. Part of him had wanted her to throw the book at Joe. He'd like nothing better than Joe King out of their lives permanently, but she hadn't severed his visitation rights for the boys' sake. She always put the boys' best interest first and he admired her for that. He closed the distance between them, and turned her so she could face him.

"You made the decision that was best for Phillip and Jamie," Lee reminded her as he lifted her chin and gently kissed her. "It wasn't made to go easy on Joe."

"Last week was a wake-up call for me," she admitted honestly, her voice very low. "I've had to face facts about Joe and my first marriage that I never wanted to deal with. But I have and they're where they should be - in the past. Things are going to be very different from now on. The new custody agreement won't allow Joe any overnight visits with the boys and only supervised visit at his parents' house or here for at least the next few months. That will cut into our private time, I know, but…"

"Hey, that's OK, at least now I get to wake up beside you every morning," Lee reassured his wife as his hand gently caressed her face. He thought about the last few months since their 'autumn wedding' and more recently when the boys were gone. "And to tell you the truth, I'm getting used to having the boys around. I think they kind of like having me around as well. I really enjoy being part of this family."

Amanda smiled brightly and nodded her agreement. Her boys had taken very well to Lee. Better than she had expected. Lee had hit it off with Phillip without any problems, but now even Jamie was coming out of his shell. "You have no idea how happy that makes me. You've done so much for the boys these last couple of months. More than Joe has in a lifetime."

Lee grinned at her. "They really are good kids. I couldn't love them any more if they were my own. They've got a lot of their mother in them. Joe doesn't know what he missed out on."

"Well, enough about Joe. Mother and the boys are in bed, the house is locked up tight, so I think it's time for just you and me," she whispered seductively as she gently played with the buttons on Lee's shirt.

"Hmmm, I really like that idea, Mrs. Stetson. Perhaps an early anniversary celebration," Lee suggested as began to kiss his wife.

"How about practice for our anniversary celebration, Mr. Stetson," she answered as she returned his kisses.

"You know, maybe we could ask your mother to watch the boys for Valentine's weekend. Nobody will ever know it's really our anniversary weekend. I'd bet she wouldn't mind," Lee murmured, as his kisses became more passionate.

"Well, I wanted it to be a surprise, but Mother actually suggested just that," she whispered between kisses. "We just have to figure out where we want to go."

"Anywhere you'd like, Mrs. Stetson," he replied as he carefully guided his wife to the bed, gently lying her down upon it. Then without leaving her side, he leaned over and switched out the light.

Life would be different from now on. This was no longer the King household; it was the Stetson's…

The end
 

Go to:  Robin's Stories

Back to:  IFF FILM LIBRARY