SMK time: Summer 1987

Amanda leaned up on her arm, cocked her head, but the noise had abated. She threw off the bed sheet and tip toed over to the window in her darkened room, opened the shade carefully and glanced up and down the street. She thought for a brief moment that Lee might have stopped by for a surprise visit, but his signature Corvette wasn't visible in either direction. Her neighborhood was serene, as it should be at this late hour.

"Relax, Amanda, you're becoming paranoid. The house is just settling," she admonished herself as she climbed back into her bed, pulled the sheet back up tight to her chin and took a long, deep breath.

Amanda turned on her side and her body slowly began to relax when she heard another noise. She sat up again on the bed, straining to hear what she thought were… footsteps? She'd just gone to bed five minutes ago and hadn't strayed from her normal routine. She locked all the doors and shut the windows before going upstairs. Amanda went into the boys' rooms and checked on them before she retired to her bedroom. Both her sons were sound asleep. Her mother was out of town visiting her aunt and wouldn't return until the following week. She knew whatever noise she'd heard it wasn't from a late night refrigerator raid by her sons, unless, of course, it was an unannounced visit… by her husband.

"Stetson, if this is your idea of a cute joke I'll shoot you myself," she muttered as she picked up the phone and dialed her husband's phone number.

"Stetson," a sleepy Lee mumbled into the receiver.

"Lee, you're home!" Amanda replied with surprise in her voice.

"Where else would I be at… Amanda, it's after midnight!" he advised her. "What's wrong?"

"I heard a noise downstairs… I thought it was you. It's probably nothing," she answered in a whisper, but then she gasped. "There it is again! Lee, I think there's a prowler in the house!"

"Hang up the phone and call 911. I'm on my way!" he demanded hastily before hanging up the phone.

Amanda swallowed hard. Her mouth was suddenly as dry as cotton. She dialed 911 in the darkness of her bedroom.

"911, what's your emergency?" the operator answered almost mechanically.

"I think I have a prowler in my house," Amanda whispered promptly.

"What's your address, ma'am?" the operator asked.

"4247 Maplewood Avenue, in Arlington. It's a two story, white house."

"What's your name?" the dispatcher questioned.

"Amanda, Amanda King."

"All right, Amanda. I have officers on the way. I want you to stay on the phone with me until they arrive," the dispatcher instructed.

Amanda was now certain that the noises she was hearing was a person downstairs in her family room. "Can you tell them to hurry?"

"They'll be there in a few minutes, Mrs. King," the operator promised.

Normally she was quite comfortable in her own home, but at the moment Amanda was so anxious that she was perspiring. She sat as still as a statue on her bed. The prowler wasn't rifling through drawers or pilfering the china. It was too quiet for that. He obviously wasn't trying to steal the television or stereo or even her new VCR. The only noise she could make out were of muffled footsteps and they seemed to sound closer to the stairs. "Oh my gosh! I think he's coming up the stairs…"

"Just stay calm, Mrs. King. Where are you calling me from?" the dispatcher asked.

"I'm upstairs, in my bedroom. My sons are sleeping across the hall," she answered apprehensively.

"Is your bedroom door open or closed?" the operator questioned.

"It's slightly ajar. I always leave it open so I can hear if the boys are sick," Amanda replied in a tight voice.

"How old are your sons, Mrs. King?" the dispatcher questioned.

Amanda's mind went blank. She couldn't remember how old her sons were. She realized the woman was trying to ease her nerves, but how could she not remember how old her own children were? "Phillip's my oldest, he's… um, he's fourteen. Jamie's, my baby, but he's already twelve."

"They sure do grow up fast, don't they," the dispatcher commiserated. "Do you have a night light on or is it dark in the house?"

"There's a night light in the bathroom, so there's a little light in the hallway. I've always worried that the boys might turn the wrong way in the dark and accidentally stumble down the stairs," Amanda explained to the woman on the other end of the phone.

"Do you have a dog or cat? Maybe that's what you heard downstairs?" the operator suggested.

"No, we don't have any pets," Amanda answered in a hushed tone, almost wishing the last time they'd past the SPCA that they'd stopped in and gotten a watchdog. She strained to hear another sound, but for the moment the house was silent and Amanda began to wonder if she had caused all this commotion for nothing. Perhaps it was just her over active imagination at work. The house was getting older. It was probably just settling or perhaps it was the wind outside. Amanda let out a long sigh of relief.

"You all right, Amanda?" the operator questioned.

"Yes. I don't hear any noises anymore…" She was starting to feel slightly embarrassed when she heard the banister rail groan as somebody gripped it. "Oh my gosh! He's at the base of the stairs," Amanda exclaimed in a panic-stricken voice. "Where are the police?"

"The officers will be there any minute now. They're running full code. You'll hear the sirens soon."

"All I can hear is somebody coming up the stairs… Where's my gun? I need my gun!" Amanda stated out loud.

"Mrs. King, Amanda, calm down. The police should be in your neighborhood any minute now," the operator assured her.

Amanda couldn't hear the sirens yet. She silently slipped across her bed and opened the closet door praying the door wouldn't make a sound. She felt around for the key to the strong box. She kept it on the top shelf out of reach of the boys. She pushed past the blankets and winter comforter and extracted the strong box, which she'd hidden in the back of her closet. Amanda placed the box on her bed. Her hands shook as she tried to fit the tiny key into the minuscule lock. Finally she managed to insert the key and opened it. She took out her gun and tried to quietly load the clip in it while she repositioned herself on the bed.

"Amanda, are you there? Mrs. King, are you still there? Pick up the phone, please," the dispatcher pleaded.

Amanda picked up the receiver. "I'm here. I've got my gun loaded."

"Mrs. King, don't do anything rash. The officers are only a few blocks away," the dispatcher reassured her.

Amanda strained to hear sirens, but she didn't detect the wanted sound of the police nearby. The only sound she heard a loud creak. She knew immediately that it was the second step from the top landing. Whoever was prowling around her house was only a few feet from her bedroom door. "I'm so scared I'm shaking. He's only steps from my bedroom door!"

"You should be hearing the sirens any second now, Mrs. King," the operator again advised her.

Her eyes were fixed on the door to her bedroom. The night light from the bathroom barely shined into her room and would give her a slight advantage. She'd be able to see the prowler before he'd be able to see her and from the footsteps that Amanda heard the prowler was only a few feet from her door. 'Would he come into her room, or would he go towards the boys' room?' Amanda's heart was now pounding so loudly she wanted to scream.
 

"Oh my gosh, he's got a gun," Amanda whispered into the phone as she saw the shadow of a man holding a gun just outside her bedroom door. She put the phone down on the floor and sunk down between her bed and the closet. Amanda carefully trained her gun at the prowler. She needed her other hand to steady her shaking arm.

The prowler pushed on her door and it started to open ever so slightly and the light from the bathroom started to permeate her bedroom. The man stepped inside her room. Amanda knew it would only be seconds before the prowlers eyes adjusted to the darkened room and her hiding place would be exposed.

"Mrs. King, I know you're in here," a sickeningly familiar voice called out antagonistically.

She couldn't recognize the voice taunting, because her head was pounding. 'Who are you?' she tried to scream, but nothing came out of her open lips. Her hands continued to shake, or was it her whole body?

"Let's make this easy on both of us - without involving your children…" he jeered.

Amanda swallowed hard knowing she'd do anything to protect her sons. Who would be sick enough to do this? Suddenly she knew who it was. Amanda knew she couldn't reason with him. He was too far mired in the depth of hated. If she didn't pull the trigger soon, would he? She tried to answer him once more, but she couldn't find her voice - and then a shot rang out and shattered the dark silence…

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

Lee Stetson slammed down the phone and jumped out of bed at the same time. He rummaged through his dresser drawer, grabbing the first pair of jeans he could find and threw a shirt over his back. In seconds he had his wallet and keys in his hands and was hastily unlocking his front door. He knew he had to hurry.

He didn't wait for the elevator to reach his floor. Instead her rushed to the stairwell. Sliding down the railing, jumping to the landing and repeating the process until he reached the first floor. He shoved the fire door, which opened onto the lobby of his apartment building.

"You shouldn't be alone right now. If anything happens to you, I'll never forgive myself," Lee muttered out loud as he dashed down the street for his Corvette. Moments later, the tires squealed as he floored the gas pedal and raced towards Amanda's house.

Although it was the early morning hours, traffic in and around Washington, DC was always present. The DC bar crowds were starting their trek home. He swerved like a drunk around the slower cars, changing lanes often. He honked his horn when the driver in front of him didn't respond immediately when the traffic signal changed from red to green or if he was driving too slowly. Finally Lee reached the Key Bridge and crossed from DC over into Arlington, Virginia.

Lee dialed Amanda's number on his car phone to check on her. The line was busy. "Maybe you're calling me," he surmised hopefully. "You're just a little paranoid because you're overtired and we've been doing surveillance all week. This is all just a silly mistake." Lee let out a long slow breath. 'You're probably on the phone with the police,' he mentally continued his line of thought, but then his thoughts turned dark. 'Or maybe the burglar cut the phone line?' He hit the redial button on his phone with no luck - the line was still busy. He tossed the phone onto the seat next to him in disgust.

"Hang on, Amanda, I’m coming as fast as I can," Lee called out as he continued his frantic race to his wife's home, but his conscience weighed heavily on him. If he had a normal married life, Amanda wouldn't be alone. He would have and should have been at home with her. He would have been there to reassure her that the noises she heard was just the bathroom pipes or maybe the trellis was loose and banging against the house. If there was a problem he could protect his wife and family.

His 'bright' idea of a mystery marriage to safeguard her and the boys was inconceivably illogical. Amanda worked for the Agency, too. She was at risk, not only because of him, but because she was an agent as well. A united front would have been a better solution. She was always reminding him that they worked better as a team. Lee swallowed hard.

"It's still your fault if something happens to her. You're the one who got her into this crazy life in the first place," Lee cursed himself out loud with a shudder.

'Did you suggest the mystery marriage to shield Amanda and the boys from harm or to protect yourself from committing fully to a wife and a family?' Lee's conscience dogged him. He never allowed that question to freely flow from his lips, but in all honesty he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer.

Another traffic light halted his progress. "Damn it!" he shouted out the open window of his car as he poked his head out the side of the car to see past the vehicles in front of him. "I wish I had an emergency light so I could blow past this traffic."

Lee drummed his fingers on the steering wheel impatiently waiting for the interminable signal to change to green. There was no cross traffic, which only infuriated him even further. The light still hadn't changed and he pounded on the side panel of his door in frustration.

"Finally!" he cheered in relief when the signal changed to green and the vehicles in front of him began to edge forward. Again, Lee wove in and out of the traffic finally turning into the subdivision near Amanda's house. There were few cars driving this late at night in the quiet streets leading to his wife's cozy two-story home with the white picket fence out front. The cars were either parked in the driveway or safely waiting in the garage. Normal people were in bed, asleep at this hour, but his and Amanda's lives were far from normal.

"I'm almost there, Amanda. Hold on a few more minutes," Lee pleaded out loud as he turned onto Maplewood Avenue, but as he drove down the road his heart started to race.

The usually quiet and calm neighborhood was anything but at the moment and Lee's stomach was getting queasy. He gripped the steering wheel of his Corvette tightly and swallowed past the lump that had formed in his throat. People were standing on their front lawns, many of them in pajamas or bathrobes clamoring about, some of whom he recognized. Several police cars were parked haphazardly in front of Amanda's house, one in her driveway. Their strobing, neon lights penetrated the darkness and reflected and flashed off the windows of the homes nearby casting an eerie and uneasy glow.

Lee drove as far down the street as he could but was finally stopped by police cars that had obstructed the road. He parked his car at the curb several houses down from Amanda's and hurried towards her house.

"I'm sorry, sir, you'll have to stand behind the tape," an officer blocked Lee's path just after he ducked under the yellow crime scene tape near the sidewalk in front of the King household. Another siren could be heard in the distance impatiently racing closer.

"My partner called me a few minutes ago. She thought there was a prowler in her house…" Lee started to explain to the officer.

"Yes, there's been an incident," the officer confirmed as he led Lee back to the sidewalk. "Now, please, stay behind the tape."

An ambulance had arrived on the block. Its siren still blaring as it attempted to drive down the street crowded with police cars and onlookers. The officer Lee had just been speaking with went to help the ambulance maneuver through the crowd.

"What kind of incident? Is she all right?" Lee demanded, but the officer didn't answer him. Lee wasn't even sure if the man had heard him over the loud sirens. He seized the opportunity by stealthily making his way through the gate of the white picket fence and hurrying towards the front door.

Just before he arrived on the front stoop, the door opened. "Clear the way," a bulky EMT shouted as he rushed his gear to the front door and entered the house.

"Take your time. The victim's DOA," the officer at the door mentioned.

Lee stumbled forward, swallowing hard when he overhead the news. It couldn't be Amanda who was DOA. It had to be the prowler. "Please, God, let Amanda and the boys be all right," he whispered silently before he entered the house, but he was immediately stopped.

"Hold it right there! Who are you?" an officer demanded.

"Lee Stetson," he answered without hesitation trying to retain his composure. He had to find Amanda. She had to be OK. She needed him and so would the boys. He flashed his badge. "I'm with The Agency."

"Agency?" the officer questioned, in a sour voice. "Who the hell called you?"

"Mrs. King called me - she's my partner. Now where is she?" Lee demanded.

"She's upstairs," he replied with a nod as they both watched as the EMT was nearing the top of the stairs.

Lee's face drained of color and swallowed hard. It took him a few moments before he could speak, his voice clearly shaken. "Can you please tell me what happened?"

"There has been a shooting…"

End Part One

***

Prowler Part Two
 

"All right, guys," Lee informed the boys as they wearily trudged into his apartment, each carrying an overnight bag. "You two can sleep in my bedroom."

"Lee," Jamie asked with worry in his voice. "The police aren't going to arrest Mom, are they? I mean, she shot the guy, but he broke into the house and all…"

"They can't arrest her, can they, Lee?" Phillip answered emphatically. "It was self defense."

"Jamie, Phillip, I know you're worried about your mother, but relax. The police merely need to question your mother and get a statement. They're just following protocol," Lee explained, hoping to ease the frayed nerves of both of his stepsons, but his own nerves were shot and his head was pounding.

"Maybe we should call Dad? After all, he is a lawyer. He'll know what to do," Phillip suggested, his face was showing concern as well.

Lee tried to hide his grimace, but the last thing he wanted was to get Joe King involved. "Fellas, I promise you that things will be all right. I've got a few friends in high places who'll have your mother home, or at least over here before you two wake up in the morning. The sooner you head off to bed the sooner I can make some phone calls and get things rolling, all right?" Lee looked at Phillip first, then over at Jamie.

Phillip nodded. "Yeah, I suppose you're right. Dad's not a criminal lawyer anyway."

Lee noticed that neither of the boys were moving very quickly towards his bedroom. "You know, the only one who's going to be in trouble will be me if your mother finds out I didn't make you go straight to bed when you got here. You don't want me to get into trouble now, do you?"

Jamie cracked a small smile. "She would be pretty mad at us all, I suppose."

"We'll see you in the morning, I guess," Phillip answered as the boys lingered at the bedroom door for another moment.

"We'll go out for donuts or something for breakfast," Lee hinted. "Now get back into your pajamas and get some shut eye. I'll make those phone calls I told you about."

"Good night, Lee," the boys replied in hushed voices as they closed the door behind them.

Lee waited a few minutes to make sure there wouldn't be requests for water, snacks or any other interruptions. He went over to his bedroom door, putting his ear to it he could barely discern a whisper. Content that the boys were going to sleep, he went back into the living room and picked up the phone.

"Melrose here," a sleepy voice grumbled into the phone.

"Billy, it's Scarecrow," Lee answered quietly.

"What's wrong?" Billy immediately asked.

"There's been a shooting at Amanda's house," Lee started to explain.

"Is she injured? What about her boys?" Billy asked quickly.

"She's doing all right and the boys are here with me at my apartment. The Arlington Police insisted Amanda accompany them downtown and give them a statement," Lee continued.

"What the hell happened?" Billy demanded.

"I don't have all the details yet, but she called me a little after midnight. She thought she heard a prowler. I told her to hang up, call 911 and I drove over there as fast as I could. Apparently the police didn't get there soon enough and neither did I. Amanda shot the prowler as he entered her bedroom. It's a clear case of self defense, but she's obviously going to be shaken up."

"Any chance this is Agency related?" Billed probed in a sharp voice.

"I don't know. They had the body covered when I got there," Lee answered, swallowing hard. He knew how difficult it was for Amanda to shoot a gun, let alone kill anyone. "They were waiting for the Coroner. I barely got to see Amanda; they wouldn't let me talk to her. She wanted the boys out of the house so I brought them to my place."

"I'm on my way now. I'll call you as soon as I have details," Billy promised.

"Thanks, Billy," Lee replied as he hung up the phone and started nervously pacing in his apartment.
 

*** ***

Billy and Amanda walked down the corridor of Lee's apartment building. She was exhausted, but relieved that her horrific night was almost over. Billy started to reach for the doorbell, but Amanda reached out her arm and stopped him.

"I've got a key," Amanda whispered to her supervisor with a worn out smile.

"Oh, of course," Billy replied with a knowing smile of his own.

Amanda slipped the key into the lock, opened the door and then led the way into Lee's apartment.

"Amanda!" Lee called out in an urgent whisper as he jumped up from the couch and rushed to her. He pulled her into a tight embrace, his lips kissing her forehead, then her cheek, before realizing Billy was standing near the door. He cleared his throat. "Are you all right? I've been so worried about you."

"Yeah, I'm OK. Just tired," she forced out as her eyes scanned his apartment. "How are the boys?"

"They're fine. They fell asleep a while ago," Lee advised her as his eyes darted towards his closed bedroom door.

"Would you both excuse me for a couple of minutes? I'm going to look in on them for a few moments," she replied, then hurried to Lee's bedroom door. She opened it as silently as possible and slipped quietly inside.

"I thought I asked you to call me?" Lee reminded Billy as he ran his hand nervously through his hair. "What's going on?"

"I'm sorry, Scarecrow, things got complicated when we identified the body," Billy admitted ruefully.

"What do you mean things got complicated? It was a clear case of self-defense! The police even told me they found a gun on him," Scarecrow snapped back at his supervisor.

"Relax, Scarecrow, that's not the problem. Amanda has been cleared of any wrong doing," Billy advised his agent.

"So what exactly was the complication?" Scarecrow snapped impatiently.

"It's who, not what! The prowler was an old nemesis of yours. Does the name Gordon Redding ring a bell?" Billy asked.

"Gordon Redding? I thought he was serving life for attempted murder of me and Amanda with no chance at parole!" Scarecrow snapped angrily.

"Well that's what we thought too, but when we identified the body, it's clearly or I guess I should say was - Gordon Redding," Billy Melrose answered.

"How the hell did he get out at all?" Scarecrow shouted angrily.

"Lee, shhh!" Amanda rebuked him as she stole out of the bedroom and closed the door. "You'll wake up the boys."

"I'm sorry," he apologized through a clenched jaw, "but will somebody please explain to me what happened?"

"I wish I could, but we don't have all the details yet," Billy clarified. "I'll have more answers for both of you later today, but I wanted to get Amanda out of the police department."

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

"Amanda, I know you're pretty wound up, but try to get some sleep," Billy suggested.

"Mr. Melrose, thanks so much for everything," Amanda croaked out in a hoarse voice.

"No problem, Amanda, now get some sleep - that's an order. I'll talk to you both in a few hours. The Agency will be taking the investigation over from the Arlington police," Billy answered, then offered a tired smile before he left Lee's apartment.

Lee pulled Amanda to him once more. "Are you all right? I didn't want to leave you alone with the police, but you were right - we needed to get the boys out of the house."

"I'm kind of numb right now," Amanda whispered before she pulled away slightly, tugging his arm towards the couch. "Do you mind if we sit down? I'm so tired, I'm not sure I can think standing up."

They sat down together, Lee pulled his wife close to him and Amanda quickly rested her head on his shoulder. She shut her eyes and took a long, deep breath.

"I tried to get to your place as fast as I could," he apologized as he gently stroked her arm. "This shouldn't have happened. You have no idea how sorry I am. I should have thrown that son of a bitch over the ledge when I had the chance two years ago. You shouldn't have had to do what you did…"

"Lee, shhh!" Amanda warned him as his voice grew louder once again. "What happened tonight wasn't your fault."

"Wasn't it?" he remarked bitterly. "Redding's been trying to get back at me for years. He tried to kill us both once before."

"Nobody's to blame but Gordon Redding and he's dead. Can we leave it at that?" Amanda replied repulsively, her eyes closed, but her wearied face reflected the scars of the evening.

"I just thought you might feel better if you talked about it," Lee mumbled, surprised by her callous comment.

"I'm really exhausted. We'll talk - I don't know when, but not now," Amanda pleaded as she squeezed his hand tightly in hers.

"Of course, it's just I feel responsible for what happened. Gordon Redding did this to you to hurt me," Lee reiterated.

"Lee, I realize what he tried to do tonight, but it didn't happen the way he planned and he won't be bothering us ever again," Amanda answered as her body shuddered.

Lee wrapped his arms around her. "You did what you had to do to protect yourself and the boys. It's going to be all right. We just have to figure out something to tell them."

Amanda leaned forward, her hand rubbing the back of her neck as if she was trying to wipe the tension from her head. "I don't know what to tell them this time," she sighed and glanced back at her husband on the couch.

"There'll be a story in the local papers, I'm sure," Lee pointed out. "I wouldn't count on Billy being able to suppress much about Redding's background."

"It was so much easier when they were little to make up plausible excuses. Nowadays… I'm not sure what to do. Not to mention half the neighborhood was gawking from the street," Amanda complained while shaking her head.

Lee rubbed his wife's back tenderly. "Maybe it's time to tell the family the truth?" he suggested with a shrug.

"That thought has been running through my head all night. I'd like to quit telling half-truths and lies," she admitted as she sat back on the couch, kicked off her shoes and tucked her feet underneath her.

They both sat silently for a few minutes before Lee replied. "So we tell them a carefully edited version of the truth," he suggested in a quiet voice.

"How much of the truth?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"All of it." Lee answered without hesitation and a resolved look of his face.

"I think we should tell them about our marriage, too," she whispered so low he barely heard her.

"I agree," he concurred.

She turned her head; her face wore a surprised look. "Are you sure you're ready for that?"

"Honestly, no," he replied with a shrug. He pulled his wife closer to him. His hand gently caressed her. "But as I drove over to your house tonight, the thought of never being part of your family ran through my head. If things happened differently tonight…"

"But they didn't," she reminded him in a reassuring voice.

Lee nodded his head. "I love you too much to be sleeping across the Potomac River six nights out of the week. We need to come clean to your family and at work. We can set down some ground rules for the boys, but I don't want another Gordon Redding waking you up in the middle of the night - alone. I should have been there and I will be if it ever happens again. I promise you that," he vowed as he pulled her to him once more.

Amanda rested her head back on Lee's shoulder. "I'm so tired..."

"Close your eyes and get some sleep," Lee whispered in a tender voice.

Amanda shifted on the couch to get more comfortable. Although the events of the evening were fresh in her head, she was drained. "You need to get some sleep, too, Mr. Stetson."

"Don't worry about me, Mrs. Stetson," Lee answered as he kissed the top of her head and held her in his arms. It took a while, but eventually he could feel the tension drain from his wife's body and she relaxed enough to fall asleep. Only then did he close his eyes and succumbed to exhaustion himself.

End Part Two
 
 

***

Part Three
 
 

Lee woke up as the warm summer sun began to amble across his living room floor. Amanda was still asleep in his arms, but he was sure that the boys would soon be awake and eagerly awaiting answers. He kissed his wife's forehead and gently brushed a wisp of hair from her face.

"Amanda," he whispered as she stirred slightly.

"Hmmm, what?" she mumbled, still more asleep than awake.

"Sweetheart, it's time to wake up. The boys will be up soon," Lee reminded her.

Amanda began to stretch, opened her eyes, then grimaced. "Oh, my gosh! Last night wasn't a bad dream, was it?"

"Afraid not," Lee answered softly as he massaged her neck tenderly.

"I really did kill Gordon Redding," she choked out in disbelief.

"It was self-defense, sweetheart," Lee quickly reminded his wife as he gave her a supportive hug.

"What have I done?" she whispered in a shattered voice as she pulled away from her husband.

"It wasn't your fault, Amanda," Lee encouraged. The mask she'd put on last night when she arrived at his apartment had disappeared. He knew this would be a difficult burden for her to accept.

Amanda dropped her face into her hands and shook her head. Her body shuddered at the awful memory. She stood up, walked over to the window and gazed out for a few moments. Finally she turned towards Lee, but she stared at the floor.

"He taunted me," she hissed with a grimace on her face. "He threatened to shoot Phillip and Jamie…"

"That bastard!" Lee snapped, unable to control his emotions. "He was sick enough to do it, too."

"What are we going to tell them?" she asked with hesitation in her voice.

"We'll tell them the truth. That Redding was a sick man who had a death wish. That we've tangled with him before and this time his luck ran out," he answered unwavering.

"Lee, I'm scared. I don't know how to tell the boys everything…" she stopped, fighting back tears, but losing the battle. "I killed a man last night."

Lee stood up and went over to his wife, pulling her into an embrace. "You had no choice. He would have killed you and left Phillip and Jamie without a mother," Lee wisely reminded her. "What you did last night was a decision I wish you never had to make, but you made the right choice."

"Did I?" she wondered aloud. "There must have been something else I could have done."

"There's no doubt in my mind that he would have killed you, maybe even killed the boys as well. Amanda, I know this isn't going to be easy to get over, but eventually you will and I'll be here every moment of every day to help you - I promise," Lee vowed in a hoarse voice, choking back his own tears.

Before they could continue their discussion the bedroom door opened. Phillip and Jamie grinned with relief the moment they spotted their mother.

"Mom, you're here!" Phillip and Jamie shouted happily as they greeted her with a big hug. "We were so worried about you."

Amanda held her sons in her arms for a long while before they started to pull away. She wiped her eyes as best she could. "I'm fine, really. Just a little shaken up over what happened," she explained, trying to remain calm for her son's sake.

"I told you'd she'd be home before you woke up," Lee reminded the boys.

"I guess you really do have friends in high places," Phillip replied. "Thanks, Lee, you're the best."

"I just sped up the inevitable. You're mother acted in self-defense," Lee reminded them, hoping Amanda would remember that as well.

"So you were never actually arrested, were you, Mom?" Jamie questioned.

"No, sweetheart," she answered in a tired voice.

"When did you get a gun?" Phillip questioned eagerly.

"Did the burglar have a gun, too?" Jamie added.

"What kind of gun do you have? Where do you keep it?" Phillip asked.

"How did the burglar break in? Through a window downstairs?" Jamie questioned.

"Maybe he picked the lock?" Phillip suggested.

Lee watched as Amanda turned her head from Phillip then to Jamie, then back again, obviously not knowing whose question to answer first and where to start. Her head was starting to swoon. He knew he had to say something and fast to give his wife a chance to catch her breath.

"Whoa!" Lee shouted. "Slow down, fellas. I know you're both anxious to find out what happened, but the truth is we don't have all the answers yet. Besides your mother is exhausted. She's only had a few hours sleep."

"Yeah, you're right, Lee. You do look kind of tired, Mom. What time did you get here?" Jamie questioned with concern.

"It was rather late," Amanda admitted, the dark circles under her eyes were a dead giveaway.

"Why don't you go into the bathroom and freshen up a bit. Maybe even take a shower," Lee suggested to his wife. "I can start filling the boys in on what details we know about last night."

Amanda hesitated for a moment. "I don't know…"

"Amanda, you'd feel a lot better if you would at least freshen up," Lee urged one more time.

"Go ahead, Mom," Jamie replied with concern.

Phillip nodded his consent as well. "Lee can fill us in."

"All right," she relented. "It'll only take a few minutes."

Lee waited until Amanda had left the room. "How about we all sit down."

Phillip and Jamie quickly found seats on the sofa. Lee pulled up a chair and sat down in front of his two stepsons. He ran his hand nervously through his hair, still not sure where to start and how much to tell them. He had no idea on how to sort through four years of lies, half-truths and deceptions to explain this complicated mess without totally alienating them. The truth was almost too far fetched to believe. He chuckled and shook his head.

The boys glanced at each other with confusion at Lee's reaction. "What's so funny, Lee?" Phillip asked nervously.

"I'll be honest with you two, I really don't know where to start," he answered with a shrug.

"Grandma always says to start at the beginning," Jamie advised him in an innocent voice.

"One thing at a time," Lee replied with a canny face. Knowing that starting at the beginning with the whole truth would take more than a brief conversation and he was not willing to handle that conversation alone.

"Well?" Phillip questioned impatiently.

"The man who broke in last night came in through the back kitchen door. He broke one of the panes of glass. He had a gun and threatened your mother. Basically she had a life or death decision to make and she made the right choice. The man she shot had a criminal record."

"Why would anyone want to hurt Mom?" Jamie asked as he shook his head incredulously.

Lee took a deep breath. This was the best transition he was probably going to get. "The man who broke in was trying to get back at me, through your mother. A couple of years ago I, um, accidentally killed his brother."

"You killed his brother?" Phillip repeated in amazement, his eyes opened wide and his mouth hanging open. "Why?"

"You, you… killed somebody, too!  How?" Jamie stuttered in stunned disbelief.

Lee ran his hand through his hair once again, hoping that Amanda would come back into the room. Suddenly he felt like he was losing control of the conversation. The words that came out of his mouth were all wrong. "It was a few years back," Lee finally gulped out, still not sure of where to go with his explanation.

"Did you shoot him?" Phillip asked point blank.

"Yeah, it was an accident of sorts," Lee answered, frustration growing in his voice. He took a deep breath and hoped he could clear up the situation. "I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me start over. You both know we work for IFF, right?"

"Yeah, International Federal Film," Phillip answered promptly.

"Jamie, have you ever wondered why even though you're great with the camera and interested in film that your mother has never taken you for a tour of IFF?" Lee asked.

"Well, I know you two are really busy. I was kinda hoping maybe later this summer…" Jamie replied slowly.

Lee shook his head. "IFF isn't quite what you think it is. I'm not really a film producer and your mother isn't my assistant. IFF is a secret government agency that's involved with intelligence gathering."

"As in spies and secret agents?" Phillip quickly surmised, now sitting on the edge of the sofa leaning towards Lee eager to hear more.

"Something like that," Lee answered honestly, letting a long slow breath out. Perhaps now he was making some progress.

"So you're a spy," Jamie remarked, his eyes wide with wonder. "And that mean that Mom's your secretary then, huh?"

"I'm not Lee's secretary," Amanda corrected as soon as she walked into the room. "I'm his partner."

"You're both spies!" Phillip repeated in a loud gasp, his mouth hanging open, totally astonished.

"We prefer to call ourselves 'Intelligent Operatives'," Lee corrected in a calm voice. "The intruder last night, Gordon Redding, was an escaped convict serving a life sentence."

"But, Lee, you said you killed his brother," Phillip reminded him. "So why was he in jail?"

"Gordon Redding owned an electronics company that did business for the government. Business was going well, but he got remarkably greedy. He started selling highly classified technology to the highest bidders," Lee began to explain.

"To the Russians, I bet," Jamie interjected.

"That was one of the parties involved," Lee admitted in a serious tone. "When we finally went in to arrest them, the bust went down rather hard. Shots were fired and one of the casualties was Redding's baby brother. Gordon vowed to get me back…"

"So the slime went after Mom!" Phillip concluded with a repulsive shudder.

"Yes, and it wasn't the first time, either," Amanda remarked. "He tried to get to Lee through me a couple of years ago. That's one of the reasons we've always hid what we do for a living from you. It can be dangerous."

"Wouldn't it have been better for us to know, so we can be on the look out for trouble?" Jamie surmised.

"Now that you two are older, yes," Lee agreed with a nod. "Your mother and I have been discussing for a while now that you needed to be told about our jobs. We were going to tell you about it on our beach weekend next month. Unfortunately, last night's incident changed all that."

"Have you ever shot anyone before, Mom?" Phillip asked, intrigued by the circumstances.

Amanda's face lost all color once again and quickly walked to the sofa and sat down. "No, sweetheart," she choked out. "Last night was the first time, and hopefully the last."

Jamie scooted over on the sofa and gave his mother a hug. "Thanks, Mom. That must have been a tough decision to make."

Amanda face looked a little less pained. She returned Jamie's hug, then hugged Phillip as well. "I'm just glad nothing bad happened to either of you. I love you both so much."

Lee noticed that the color started to come back to his wife's face. He glanced over at Jamie and gave him a thankful smile. "You know, sharing this information with you both is a huge responsibility. You can't discuss this with any of your friends."

Phillip and Jamie glanced at each other, then nodded and a serious look came upon each of their faces. "We understand."

"You know, I've been worried about telling you boys the truth, but I can see that I didn't have anything to worry about at all. You two have grown up so fast," Amanda remarked to her sons and hugged them both again.

"I agree. You've made us both very proud," Lee asserted as well.

Phillip and Jamie were now both blushing and acting a bit edgy. "Hey, Lee, didn't you promise us some donuts this morning?" Phillip asked, trying to change the subject.

"You're right and I'm kind of hungry myself. How about we go out and pick up some donuts and danish?"

"I want a chocolate covered donut with cream inside," Phillip answered eagerly.

"I want a chocolate frosted one," Jamie added with a grin. "How about you, Mom?

"I'll settle for some coffee!" Amanda cheered wearily.

"I'll second that!" Lee nodded as he found the car keys out on the counter. "Let's get a move on it."

End Part Three
 

***


Part Four
 
 

Lee put the last suitcase into the back of the car then got into the driver's seat. Dotty sat in the back seat with Phillip and Jamie on each side, but Amanda was still not in the car.

"Where's your mom?" Lee asked in frustration as he leaned forward glancing out the windshield towards the house.

"Last time I saw mom she was wandering from room to room in the house, shaking her head," Phillip volunteered.

"Lee, she's lived in this house for a long time. It's not going to be easy for her to walk out that door and never come back," Dotty counseled her son-in-law.

"It's just that we've been through this a hundred times this week. She said she was looking forward to moving into the new house," Lee reminded his mother-in-law.

"I'm sure she is ready to move into the new house. She's just not ready to leave this old one yet. You've only been married two weeks, Mr. Stetson. You have a lot to learn about women. Surely you understand she's sentimental about a lot of things."

"Two weeks! It seems like we've been married a lot longer than that," Lee chuckled, knowing Dotty wouldn't get the joke. They decided not to tell the family they were already married, thinking that would be too much for the boys to handle after the shooting. Instead, they announced their engagement and had a small backyard wedding.

"Never the less, I think you're going to have to coax her out of that house rather gently and you might need this," Dotty wisely advised him, handing him a tissue.

"Thanks," Lee replied with a frustrated sigh.

"Good luck," Jamie encouraged him from the back seat of the car.

"Yeah, I'm gonna need it," Lee mumbled as he got out of the car and deliberately strode up the path to the front door. He thought that Amanda was ready to leave the house and the memories - good and bad behind. She'd spent several sessions talking with Dr. Pfaff. She'd been cleared to return to fieldwork when they got back from their honeymoon. He turned the knob on the front door and disappeared into the house.

"Amanda?" he called out once he was inside. The sound echoed in the now empty house.

"In here," a soft voice replied from the kitchen.

"Are you all right?" Lee questioned tenderly when he arrived in the kitchen to find his wife standing by the sink, staring aimlessly out the window.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she nodded.

Lee wrapped his arms around her, tilted his head and kissed her on the cheek and presented her with the tissue. "Thought you might need this."

Amanda sighed heavily, took the tissue and dabbed her eyes. "Thanks."

"Maybe we should have given you more time to get past the shooting? The last month has really flown by and so much has changed," Lee suggested, but he wasn't quite sure what to do at the moment.

Amanda shook her head. "No, I'm ready."

"Let Redding go, Amanda," Lee advised. "You did nothing wrong; he brought it on himself."

"I know that - really," Amanda replied matter-of-factly. "It was rather naïve of me to think I could do this job for so long and not have to face the fact I might have to shoot someone someday."

"Unfortunately, the possibility comes with the job description," Lee reflected as he rubbed her back gently.

"I'm learning to live with it. It's just hard to leave all these memories…"

"That's all you can do. It's been a tough few weeks for you," he remarked.

"You've been really there for me through this whole ordeal," she smiled.

"I promised you I would. So leave the shooting behind. It's excess baggage and the car's already full," Lee suggested to his wife.

"It's not that memory I'm sad about. It's all those cookies and cakes I baked in this kitchen - the Thanksgiving turkeys, the Christmas goose. The boys' first Christmas and the lopsided tree we cut down ourselves one year…" she stopped and sighed.

"Don't forget the Beef Wellington," Lee teased in a husky voice.

"Yes, that's one meal I won't forget either," Amanda blushed. "But if I remember correctly, we didn't eat that dinner here."

Lee grinned devilishly at the memory. "We'll have new memories and traditions in our house. They'll be our family memories," Lee indicated as he leaned next to his wife against the kitchen counter.

"Our wedding was beautiful, wasn't it?" she asked dreamily as she glanced at the gazebo in the backyard.

"Yes, it was and the boys are handling the transition rather well," he observed with relief.

"I think it was a good idea to have another wedding than try to explain our way out of our secret marriage," Amanda confessed.

"Yeah, our secret marriage was not one of my better ideas. Although, by having another wedding it did give a second chance at a honeymoon," Lee remarked with a boyish grin.

"Yes, that was much better than our first honeymoon," Amanda asserted as she rested her head on her husbands shoulder.

"So are you ready to move on to our new house with OUR family?" Lee asked as his hand tenderly caressed his wife's face.

"I'm looking forward to that," she said in a choked whisper. "The new house really fits you."

"And the boys, and your mother," he answered as he thought about the spacious house the whole family had agreed upon. "Everyone has their own room; plenty of bathrooms, a full basement, a gorgeous kitchen. It'll be our place."

"I will miss one thing, though," Amanda fussed.

"What's that?" he asked in surprise as he cocked his head. He thought the house was perfect.

She nodded towards the kitchen window. "No more midnight visits from my knight in shining armor," she teased as she turned towards him and nuzzled against his chest.

"Yeah, but the poor neighbor's dog won't get in trouble anymore for destroying your mother's garden!" Lee laughed then lowered his voice to a whisper. "If your mother ever knew…"

"That's one secret that I promise never to tell," she pledged.

"I'm holding you to that promise," Lee declared, sealing it with a kiss.

Amanda glanced around the barren room. All her personal touches that made the house their home were already packed. The house was empty for a new family to start their lives, their memories. "So many memories…" she whispered, but this time she smiled.

Lee knew she was finally ready to move on. "Shall we go make some new memories, Mrs. Stetson?" Lee asked his wife as he held his hand out for hers.

Amanda clutched her old house key tightly. It was still shiny silver, but it was well worn. Finally she put it on the counter next to the sink and reached out for his hand, gripping it tightly and started walking to the front door. "I'm ready to start some new traditions, Mr. Stetson."

Together they walked out of Amanda's old house on Maplewood Avenue. Lee opened the car door for her and once she was settle went over to the driver's side. He backed the car out of the driveway and pulled away. He glanced over at his wife and was relieved when he saw a bright smile on her face. He reached over, squeezed her hand and gave her a quick wink as they began the short ride to their new home to begin a new life together as a family…

The end.

Back to:  IFF FILM LIBRARY

Go to:  Robin's Stories