September 10th - Late Wednesday morning…
 
 

“Hey, there,” Amanda called out, as she poked her head into Lee’s office where he was diligently working on the computer.

“Hi, sweetheart, come on in.  Is it lunchtime already?”  His eyes scanned the wall with the clock on it.

“I’m a little early.  I was hoping you’d give me a ride to pick up my car.”

“They’re finished so soon?” Lee asked with surprise.

“Yes, you were right, it was the brakes, but they only needed to replace the pads,” she repeated from memory what the mechanic had told her.  “Can we sneak out of here a few minutes early?”

“Give me a minute to finish this report,” Lee answered, holding up one finger before returning to what he called typing.  Glancing up at his wife, he smiled.  “I hate typing.”

“You need to find yourself a secretary.”

“Yeah, it’s on the ‘to do’ list, but there aren’t that many qualified typist with top secret security clearances.”

“Uh huh, I remember Billy used to have the same problem,” Amanda reminded her husband.

“I don’t suppose…”

“Don’t even ask, Stetson.  I have no intentions of becoming your secretary,” she vowed, shaking her head deliberately.  “What ever happened to your secretary, Gertrude?”

“She left after David Hinton took over.  From what I heard, he went through a half dozen secretaries.”

“I wonder what the problem was?”

Without looking up at his wife, he answered knowingly “He’s unorganized, scatterbrained, and a social buffoon.”

“I don’t suppose you could get Gertrude back?” Amanda suggested, sitting down in a chair near his desk.

Lee glanced up from his computer and frowned.  “I already tried.  Apparently, she’s enjoying retirement.  She bought a place on the beach in North Carolina to be near her kids.”

“Really?” Amanda remarked.  “I didn’t realize she was so close to retirement.”

“Close enough, I guess,” Lee mumbled, as his attention returned to his computer keyboard.  Eventually, he finished the report, saving the file.  “Done!  So where are we meeting for lunch today?”

“Some new place Francine found in Rosslyn, off of Wilson Blvd.”

“Oh, yeah, she emailed the name of the place to me earlier.  Why don’t we pick up your car after work?  There’s not a lot of parking around there.”

“I’ve got a meeting this afternoon in Springfield.  I was going to go straight from lunch, and I might not be back before the repair shop closes.  You know how traffic gets around there.”

“All right,” he nodded, getting up and reaching for his wife’s hand.  “Let’s get going.”

They walked to the Agency garage and got into Lee’s car.  Lee drove his car the few short blocks to the Agency’s auto yard. When he parked the car, Amanda started to get out.  He reached over to her and placed his hand on her arm.  “Amanda, why don’t you take my car down to the restaurant?”

“Because I’d prefer my car.”

“Yeah, I know you would, but I’m not totally convinced it was only the brake pads. We’re a few minutes early for lunch.  Let me go talk to the mechanic and give it a good test drive.  I want to be sure everything’s working top notch…”

“Men and cars,” Amanda said, rolling her eyes.  “Fine, give it a quick test drive, but Lee, don’t take too long.  Francine and I will be waiting.”

“Yes, dear,” he whispered, leaning over and giving his wife a kiss on the cheek.  “I’ll be there in twenty minutes.  I promise.”

“See you soon,” Amanda called out as Lee got out of the car, and Amanda got behind the wheel.  Waving to her husband, she pulled out of the repair shop parking lot, and was soon heading across the bridge towards Rosslyn, Virginia.

Lunchtime traffic was starting to build, and Amanda looked for street side parking near the restaurant, but didn’t find any.  She drove around the block twice, but still no luck.

“At least it isn’t raining,” she told herself.  One last lap around the block and she decided to find a parking garage.  She continued down the street a few blocks and pulled into the closest parking garage.  Slowly she drove Lee’s car until she found an empty space.  She parked the car, grabbed her purse, and got out.  Making sure she had the keys and the doors were locked, she started to walk towards the garage attendant booth.

Suddenly, there was a loud ‘BOOM’ behind her.  Debris and smoke went flying in all directions.  Before she could react, Amanda was struck her from behind, and was knocked immediately to the ground.  In an instant, she was unconscious.…
 

***
 

As luck would have it, when Lee drove by the restaurant, another car was pulling out.  Pleased with his good fortune, he quickly pulled into the parking space.  Locking his wife’s car, he hurried into the restaurant, knowing that he hadn’t kept Amanda or Francine waiting very long.

“Over here,” Francine waved her hand to get Lee’s attention.

He smiled and immediately headed over to the table where Francine sat alone. Pulling out a chair and sitting down, he glanced around the new restaurant.  Although it was barely after noon, the bistro was already getting crowded. “Nice place.”

Francine smiled and eagerly shared, “The restaurant got four stars for both food and service in the Post’s restaurant section last weekend.  It’s only been open for six weeks.  Their head chef came from the CIA.”

It took a few moments before Lee got the joke.  He laughed, “The Culinary Institute of America, huh, I’m impressed.  So where’s my wife?”

Francine shrugged.  “I thought you two were coming together?”

“No, she left before me,” he replied, his voice instantly concerned.  He put down the menu and glanced around the restaurant.  “Seriously, where is she?”

“I honestly haven’t seen her,” Francine admitted, a worried expression now crossing her face.

“She should have been here at least fifteen minutes ago.” Lee reached for his cell phone, and called her number right away.  It kept ringing and ringing.  He hung up and dialed it again - still no answer.

“Maybe she got stuck in traffic or had a fender bender?” Francine suggested.  “I heard some sirens a couple of minutes ago.”

“I took the same route she would have.  There weren’t any car accidents.”

“Maybe she had to park at the garage down the street.  This time of day, it could take a while to find a spot.  I’m sure she’ll be here any minute.”

“You’re probably right.  I’ll leave her a voice mail.”  Lee called her number yet again, planning to leave her a message.

However, he didn’t get her voice mail.  Instead, a man’s voice answered the phone. “Hello…”

“Who the hell is this?” Lee barked into the phone uneasily.

“Stetson, is that you?” the unknown man asked.

“Who’s asking?” Lee snapped, now confused, and concerned.

“It’s Bruce Parker, from the FBI,” the man explained calmly.

Lee remembered that they’d met a few years ago on a joint FBI/Agency mission. With his anxiety level rising steadily, he asked, “Bruce, why are you answering my wife’s cell phone?”

“Lee, there’s been… an incident,” the other man started to elucidate.

“What are you talking about?  Put Amanda on the phone.”

“She can’t come to the phone right now,” the FBI agent tried to explain.  “Do you know the parking garage near the Marriott Hotel?”

“Yeah, sure, the one on the corner…”

“She’s here….”

Lee interrupted the agent, knowing something was wrong.  “I’ll be right there. I’m down the block from you,” Lee said, hanging up the phone, and getting up from the table.  “Francine, something has happened to Amanda.”

Grabbing her purse, she followed Lee out of the restaurant and down the road.

Lee ran swiftly down the block, dodging pedestrians on the sidewalk.  When he turned the corner, he observed a fire truck and an ambulance near the entrance of the parking garage.  Running all out, he rushed into the garage, immediately detecting the smell of smoke.  Almost instantly, he was stopped by local police.

“I got a call from the FBI.  I’m Agency,” Lee snapped, pulling out his Agency ID and flashing his badge.  Pushing past the local law enforcement personnel, he rushed down the aisle of the parking garage, observing debris all around a burned out car.  That’s when Lee froze.  His eyes struggled to focus through the haze and the annoying flashing red lights from the ambulance.  The paramedics were diligently working on someone on the ground.  He rubbed his smoke filled eyes, hoping they were deceiving him, but they weren’t, it was Amanda lying on the ground.  Ducking under the yellow police tape, Lee tried to get to her side.

“Whoa, Scarecrow,” Bruce Parker called out as he grabbed him; the tall, muscular and much younger FBI agent had all he could do to restrain him.  “Let them do their job.  You can only get in the way.”

Lee gritted his teeth, having heard that line years before, on his honeymoon when Amanda was shot.  Instead, he stared powerlessly; watching the paramedics put a neck brace on his wife, and then carefully place her on a backboard.  Once they had her secured, they tried to establish an intravenous line.

“How bad is she hurt?” Lee asked aloud.

“They’re being cautious, Scarecrow.  They’re following protocol.  I’m sure it looks a lot worse than it really is.  She was breathing on her own when I got to her.  The debris from the explosion must have knocked her out.  She’s got a big knot on the back of her head and lots of little cuts from the debris and rubble.”

Lee wasn’t so sure and he rubbed his forehead in frustration.  Initially, he didn’t want to return to the Agency.  Relieved that he was free and back home, he wanted nothing more than to retire and enjoy life with his wife and family.   Now he worried that his worse fears were coming true.  Trying to reign in his emotions, Lee swallowed hard and choked out, “Exactly, what the hell happened?”

“Her car exploded,” the FBI agent answered emphatically.

“That’s not her car,” Lee remarked distastefully, glancing at what was once his vehicle, now nothing more than charred remains of metal.  He shook his head, and raked an anxious hand through his hair.  “It’s mine.  Her car just got new brakes and I wanted to test drive it…  That was meant for me…”

“That wouldn’t surprise me,” Agent Parker replied, letting out a long breath, “Considering all that has happened recently, Scarecrow.”

Lee turned and grabbed the agent by the lapels on his suit jacket. Snarling suspiciously, he demanded, “Exactly what is that supposed to mean?”

In a low voice, barely above a whisper, the FBI agent confided with Lee.  “Calm down, Scarecrow, I’m here to help you.  Or did you think it was a coincidence that I happened to be here in the parking garage moments after the car blew?”

Grabbing his lapel even tighter, Lee seethed, “How do I know you’re not the one who blew it up?”

“Think about it, Scarecrow.  The FBI, the Agency, and the Justice Department forensics teams will be all over this garage the rest of the afternoon.  I would have to be a fool to hang around, pick up her phone, and answer your call,” the FBI agent reminded him.  “Since the proof came out about you being a triple agent, the Justice Department ordered an investigation…”

“Exactly who are you investigating?”

“We’ll talk… later,” Bruce Parker glanced around cagily.   “Not here, not now.”

Considering everything Lee Stetson had been through the past few months, he wasn’t sure if he was willing to trust the man.  “I noticed some company Monday night on my way home from the office.  I assumed it was Agency, but now I’m betting it was you.”

“I had a feeling you made me on Monday,” the younger agent admitted sheepishly.  “You gave me the slip this afternoon when you two split up.”

“I suppose the bug that was in my phone was yours, too?” Lee asked, circumspectly.

With a weak smile, the FBI agent answered.  “Didn’t expect you to find it so quickly.”

Lee let go of the agent’s jacket, although he wasn’t totally convinced he was on the level.  “Well you’re not very good at your job considering…”

“Lee, what happened?” Francine asked half out of breath, finally catching up to him.

“Ask our friend, Bruce, here,” Lee nodded towards the FBI agent.  The paramedics began to roll the stretcher with Amanda on it, towards the ambulance.  Lee followed them closely.  Turning back towards Francine, he pointed at the FBI agent.  “And Francine, don’t let him out of your sight.  I want to be fully briefed on exactly what you’re investigating and everything you find out!”

Climbing into the ambulance after they loaded Amanda, Lee pointed at the FBI agent again, and nodded towards Francine.  She nodded back, moments before they closed the door to the ambulance, and with its sirens blaring, raced to the hospital.
 

***
 

It was hours later when Lee Stetson emerged from the hospital – Amanda was not with him.  This time FBI Agent Bruce Parker had a firm grip on Lee’s upper arm.  Once again, Lee found himself in handcuffs being led to a waiting car.

Despite the local police trying to keep order, the media swarmed them almost immediately after they left the building.  Flashbulbs blinded the two men as photographers took their pictures for the late night news and morning newspapers.  Reporters instantly began peppering the two men with questions.

A reporter shoved a microphone in front of Lee’s face.  “How badly was your wife burned, Mr. Stetson?”

“What’s your wife’s condition, Stetson?” one reporter yelled, hoping for a response.

“Mr. Stetson, is it true that you tried to kill you wife?” another reporter shouted out.

“No!  I didn’t try to kill my wife,” Lee called out over his shoulder as the FBI agent pushed him forward.

“Move it, Stetson,” Agent Parker snapped, shoving Lee roughly to increase their pace, trying to reach the waiting car swiftly as the chaos with the media ensued.

Another reporter directed his question to the FBI agent, “Is Lee Stetson under arrest?”

“What are the charges against Lee Stetson?” yet another reporter shouted.

“No comment,” Agent Parker shouted as he ducked into the car after Lee got inside.  The vehicle's siren blared.  The crowd of reporters reluctantly moved away from the vehicle even as the photographers chased it.  Finally, the vehicle disappeared into the night...

End Part Eleven
 

Go to:  Part Twelve
 

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