Later Wednesday evening…
 
 

Far from the road, the building didn’t appear to be anything out of the ordinary.  There wasn’t a sign advertising who inhabited the edifice.  The vehicle turned off and drove down a long driveway.  From the road, nobody would notice the eight foot high, chain link fence or gatehouse, but soon it was in view.

When the car stopped at the gate, the driver provided an identification card to the sentry.  After the sentry scanned the card, the gate opened, allowing them access to the compound.  They drove to what appeared to be an oversized metal garage door; the driver opened his window again, pressing the buttons on the nearby keypad.  A few seconds later, the door opened, and the automobile disappeared inside the parking structure.

FBI Agent Bruce Parker and Lee Stetson exited the vehicle together.  Lee had never been to the location before, and carefully studied his surroundings.  It was well past normal business hours, yet there were an assortment of cars still inside the garage.

“This way, Scarecrow,” FBI agent Bruce Parker nodded, walking towards an elevator.  The FBI agent scanned his ID card, and punched a code into the keypad, before the elevator doors opened.  They went inside and soon continued their journey in the vast building.

When the elevator doors opened again, they were greeted by a brightly lit, yet eerily quiet hallway.  The only sound came from the heels of their shoes on the tile floor.  Lee dutifully followed the FBI Agent down the corridor, eventually stopping at a closed door at the end of the hallway with no number or markings on it.

Bruce Parker nodded his head.  “Make yourself comfortable, Lee.  Amanda’s waiting for you inside.  I need to check in downstairs and see if we have any updates.  It’ll give you a few minutes alone.”

“Thanks, Bruce,” Lee smiled appreciatively before he hurried into the room.  “Amanda, how are you?  Are you feeling all right?”

“Other than being sore and a whopper of a headache, I’m fine,” she answered, patting the couch where she rested.  “Come in and sit with me.”

Tired from the hectic day, Lee sat down next to his wife, reaching his arm around her.  He gave her a supportive hug and kiss.  Leaning his head against hers, he closed his eyes.  Despite trying to relax and unwind, his mind raced with the realization that she could have easily been killed earlier in the day.  It weighed heavily upon him.  Opening his eyes again, he surveyed his wife’s wounds.  Other than a big bump on the back of her head, she had only suffered minor injuries in the explosion.

“Are sure that you’re all right?” he asked again.

“Yes, sweetheart, I’m positive.  How are you?” she asked, studying his face intently.  “You look tired.  I watched the ‘breaking news’ report.  If I didn’t know it was fake, I would have bought the story like the media did – hook, line and sinker!”

“Did they get me from my good side?” he mocked, flashing her a bright smile.

“You don’t have a bad side,” she remarked with a raised eyebrow and an admiring grin.

Lee glanced around at the comfortable suite, pleased that the FBI had come up with secure accommodations for his wife to recuperate.  “Amanda, I’m not sold on this plan to flush out the culprit.  We could simply walk away from the Agency, and be done with it.  You could just as easily recuperate in a hotel room in Paris.  You’d be safe…”

“I’m safe right here.  Besides, when we go to Paris, I plan on seeing the sights.  I don’t plan on sitting in a hotel room.”

“Someone’s out there gunning for us.”

“Who’s to say they won’t continue even if we walk away?  Someone’s nervous, Lee, and we’ve got to see this thing through.  The FBI has made it clear that they intend to help us.  We’ve got a good cover.”

Lee studied his wife’s face, and saw her determined look.  He knew that look all too well.  With a heavy sigh, he agreed.  “All right, if you’re sure, but we’re proceeding cautiously.  Did you talk to your mother and the boys?” he asked, hoping they’d been warned before the media had broadcast the scene outside the hospital.

“Yes, Philip picked up Mother a while ago; she packed a couple of bags and will be staying with him until this plays itself out.  I spoke with Jamie, too.  They understand it’s a ruse and will keep tight lipped about everything.  Are you sure they’re going to be safe?”

“Bruce Parker confirmed on the ride over here that they’ve sent a team to cover both Philip and Jamie and their families.  If our stories hold, they should be safe.”

“Who at the Agency has been briefed?” she asked.

“Only Francine, since she knew you weren’t burned in the explosion.  She was to report to Abernathy at the Agency, before heading over here.  I still trust Leatherneck, but right now, the less people who know the truth, the better.”

“What about Francine?” Amanda added with concern.  “Maybe she should have protection, too.  I mean, she did testify on your behalf, and now she’s working with you…”

“I tried to talk to Francine while I was at the hospital.  I urged her to take a low profile, but she wouldn’t hear of it,” Lee explained, rubbing his tired eyes and trying to stifle a yawn.

“Have you eaten anything today?” she asked, nodding towards the small kitchen.  “I can fix you something.  The kitchen isn’t big, but it is fully stocked.”

He glanced over at the small kitchen, but shook his head.  “I’m fine.  I’ll eat something later.”

“Does the FBI have any leads?”

“Bruce was going to check in with his office.  They’ve had a few hours, so they might have some basics on the bomb from the forensic lab,” Lee answered, raking his hand through his hair, thinking about the explosion.  “It’s a good thing we went to lunch early; we both could have ended up dead.”

“And how often do we even go out to lunch together anymore…” Amanda paused and stared at her husband.  “Lee, who knew we were going to lunch together today?”

“You, me, and Francine of course.  Other than that, it can’t be a long list of people,” he shrugged, standing up, and starting to pace the room while he pondered the idea.  Following up on the thought, he asked his wife.  “Who knew your car was going to be in the shop?”

“I was on the phone with the mechanic when Francine came in and found the two bugs.  Whoever was listening in would have known.”

Lee stared across the room and out the window into the darkness.  “Great, that means it could be anyone at the Agency or the FBI.”

Amanda’s eyes got wide, glanced around the room suspiciously before she whispered, “You don’t think the FBI had anything to do with the explosion, do you?”

“No,” Lee shook his head.  “The FBI doesn’t have motive.”

“The FBI doesn’t have motive for what?” Bruce Parker asked when he came into the room.

“Your listening device was active when Amanda was on the phone with our mechanic on Monday.”

“So now you think the FBI planted the bomb in your car?” Parker asked with surprise.

He studied the other agent for a moment, contemplating if his instincts could be wrong.  Was the FBI really helping them out, or was it an elaborate smokescreen?  Lee sat back down next to his wife.  Both of their instincts couldn’t be wrong on this.  Finally, Lee decided to stick with his gut feeling.

“No, but I’m not sure who to trust anymore,” Lee answered in frustration.  “Whoever planted the bomb, must have known we were down to one car, and we were going to lunch together.”

“That’s not something you two do often?  I mean, you are married and work in the same building,” Parker asked with a shrug.

Amanda chuckled.  “I can’t tell you the last time we had lunch together since Lee took the promotion.  Normally we eat at the office.  Our schedules are so hectic, there are nights we don’t eat dinner together!”

“All right, that’s a lead we can work with,” Bruce replied, pulling mindlessly on his mustache.  “Who else knew you were going to lunch together?”

“We were discussing that when you came in,” Lee answered thinking over who else might have been aware of their plans.  He stood up and began pacing the room.  “Francine chose the restaurant from a review she read in the paper.”

“I got a call from the main gate.  Desmond has arrived.  She’ll be up here shortly,” the agent explained.  “You both seem to trust her implicitly, however… maybe we should be investigating her?”

“No,” both Lee and Amanda answered without hesitation.

“But if something happened to you, she is your second in command, isn’t she?” he probed.

“Yes, but I wouldn’t bet that Abernathy would automatically promote her into the position.  His preference would probably be to return David Hinton to the post.  He was acting Chief of European Operations while I was in custody.  Francine will dig until she gets to the bottom of this, but Hinton doesn’t have a clue, and doesn’t care.  Whoever’s behind this knows he won’t look for answers,” Lee explained calmly.

“Sounds like a great guy,” FBI Agent Parker remarked sarcastically.  “Should Hinton be on our short list of suspects?”

Lee shook his head.  “He’s an obvious choice, but I honestly don’t think the guy’s sharp enough to pull it off.  My guess is that’s why he was put into the position after I was arrested.  He didn’t ask questions or do any digging back then; I doubt he’d do anything now.”

Amanda piped in to the conversation, now looking at Agent Parker.  “You’ve been investigating this.  Do you have a short list?”

Pulling up a chair, he sat down near Lee and Amanda.  “Not yet.  Our presumption is it’s someone in a position of power within the organization.  Anyone have a grudge against you, Scarecrow?”

Lee chuckled.  “I’ve batted heads with administration for years, Parker.  Surely, you’ve heard the details from the trial.  I don’t always follow established protocol…”

Bruce laughed.  “Yeah, I’ve heard.   Whoever it is, their security clearances have to be high enough to not need a second signature when moving the money from that account.”

“That’s got to be a rather short list,” Amanda commented.

There was a knock at the door, and soon, Francine Desmond was escorted into the room.

“Thanks, Paul,” Bruce Parker called out before the other FBI agent left, closing the door on his way out.

Pausing for a moment, Francine perused the accommodations, and raised her eyebrow in approval.  “Not bad for the FBI.”

Bruce Parker rolled his eyes.  “How did your ‘debriefing’ at the Agency go?”

Francine crossed the room and sat in an empty chair nearest the small group.  Placing her briefcase next to her, she took a deep breath, and began to update her friends.  “As soon as I got to the Agency, Abernathy summoned me to his office.  He was visibly upset.  I thought he would wear a hole in his desk he was drumming his fingers so furiously.  He was totally in the dark about what happened and was irate that the FBI wasn’t sharing any information.”

“The FBI is in charge of the investigation.  Nobody has been given any details of the fire or explosion.  We’ve kept a tight lid on all information that has been released,” Bruce Parker clarified with satisfaction.  Then glancing at Amanda, he continued.  “As we discussed before you left the hospital, no information has been shared with the Agency about your condition.  Through several anonymous sources, we’ve leaked some information - all of it false.  Consequently, the media got wind of the story and the circumstances have taken on a life of its own.”

“I’ll say!  Everyone at the Agency is buzzing with gossip.  A half dozen people asked how Amanda was doing, and at least three others ask me whether Lee was arrested.  All that before I got on the elevator to Abernathy’s office,” Francine commented.  “I barely sat down in his office before Lucinda Suttan stormed in.  She was more concerned about whether the bomb caused any damage other than Lee’s car.  It figures that she’s more worried about a lawsuit from the bomb exploding, than Amanda’s injuries,” Francine paused for a moment, turned towards Amanda Stetson, and asked.  “By the way, Amanda, how are you feeling?”

Amanda smiled, “I’m all right, Francine.  Thanks for asking.”

Lee’s mouth opened, but not a word came out.  It was clear he was still pondering what Francine said.  Lee stared at Francine for a second, and then turned his head towards Bruce Parker.  Scratching his head, he asked, “Exactly what information did you leak out?”

“Since the Fire Department had to respond to the scene, we released info that there was a fire.  If asked, the Fire Department will concur with that assessment – but nothing more.  We also released that Amanda was injured in the fire – hinted that she was burned.  The rest the media has embellished,” Bruce replied, obviously pleased with his handiwork.

“Was any Agency personnel, other than the three of us given information about what really happened?”

“No,” Bruce shook his head.  “Like I already said, we’re keeping a tight lid on everything.  The forensics investigators and lab teams working on the case are under lockdown – all with implicit instructions to only report to me or my superiors.”

“What about the garage attendant?” Lee persisted doggedly.  “Did he report the explosion?”

“No, I called it in and told him to get out for safety reasons.  At the time, I wasn’t sure if it was a terrorist act, or what.  I didn’t know if there were more bombs.  He never saw what happened.  He heard the explosion and smelled smoke – nothing more.  Like I said, other than the four of us, and the lab personnel working the case, nobody knows the true details.”

“Somebody does!” Lee corrected, shaking his head.  “Francine, you said that Lucinda Suttan knew there was a bomb, and she knew it was my car – not Amanda’s as someone might suspect given she was the one injured.”

Francine’s eyes opened wide.  “Lucinda knew both those details from the moment she walked into the office.  Either someone’s talking…”

“Or she knew what was going to happen!” Lee finished her sentence.

“Oh my gosh!” Amanda gasped.

“Lucinda Suttan?” Bruce asked, curiously.  “Who the hell is she?”

“Chief legal counsel for the Agency,” Lee quickly explained as he continued to think aloud.  “She’d certainly have a high enough security clearance and probably enough clout not to require additional signatures to access that account.”

“She was a defense attorney in Baltimore before she landed the job at the Agency,” Francine added from memory of what she knew of the woman.  “She’d know a lowlife or two who could have made and planted the bomb.”

“What’s her motive?” Amanda asked.

“Money, I bet!  She’s a greedy little bitch!” Francine quickly piped in.  “Have you ever noticed how she dresses?  I’ve never seen her in the same suit twice.  She always wears designer clothes, and her jewelry – necklaces, earring, bracelets, you name it, she’s got it!  She’s got very expensive tastes.”

FBI Agent Bruce Parker glanced from one face to another.  They were all shaking their heads in agreement.  “So it’s unanimous?  We have a suspect?”

Amanda shrugged.  “She could have been tapping my office phone.  She would have known that my car was in the shop today.”

“Come to think of it,” Francine added, “the day I left your office, after finding the bugs, she came off the elevator when I was getting on it.  She must have been listening in when we silenced them.  It would have taken her a few minutes to get to your office from hers…”

“Do you think she’s working alone?” the FBI agent asked.

“Suttan and Abernathy are rather tight,” Amanda commented.

“I don’t think Abernathy knew, if that’s what you mean,” Francine answered, shaking her head.  “He truly appeared to be in the dark about the whole ordeal.”

“Unless he was in on the original set-up and not aware of the bomb,” the FBI agent surmised.

“I’m not a big fan of Abernathy, but I doubt he’s involved.  It was partly from his recommendation that I got the promotion to Chief of European Affairs.  It doesn’t add up,” Lee deduced.

“There’s always been something I couldn’t place about Lucinda Suttan,” Amanda remarked.  “I think we focus on her.”

Glancing over at the FBI agent, Lee asked, “How soon can we get a search warrant for Lucinda Suttan’s house?”

“Hold it, Scarecrow,” Bruce said, holding up his hands as if to stop him.  “We’re going to need something solid before we can ask a judge for a search warrant on an Agency attorney.”

Lee got up and started to pace the room.  “Bruce, we don’t have a lot of time.  If we’re right, and she finds out that I haven’t been arrested or that Amanda’s not in a burn unit, she’s going to know we’re closing in on her.”

“So we force Ms. Suttan’s hand,” Bruce answered, a smile forming across his face as he stared at Amanda.  “Francine, how about you leak some information at the Agency that Amanda’s making a remarkable recovery and wants to talk to you about a lead…”

Lee narrowed his eyes and shook his head deliberately.  “Absolutely not!  Amanda is recuperating from a head injury.  Don’t even think for a second about using my wife as bait!”

“Lee, I’m fine,” Amanda countered.

“No, you’re not.”

“At least let’s hear Bruce out before we make any decisions,” she replied.

“No, Amanda” he reaffirmed as he returned to his wife’s side.  “We’re finally back together.  I’m not risking your safety for any reason.”

Amanda patted her husband’s arm lovingly, but ignored his protests and turned towards Bruce Parker.  “Exactly, what do you have in mind?”

“I said no!” Lee argued heatedly.  “Amanda, we’ll find another way.  You’re not 100% which means you’re on the sidelines, and that’s not negotiable.”

“Do you have a better suggestion?” Agent Parker bristled, now glaring crossly at Lee.

Lee took a deep breath, and closed his eyes.  “Leak that the FBI is releasing me from custody.  Let me go back to the Agency and drop some information of my own…”

“I don’t think I like that idea anymore than you liked the other one, Lee,” Amanda warned him.

“Amanda, we’re talking about setting up an attorney, not a terrorist.”

“That attorney almost had you convicted of treason with a death sentence looming over your head.  You’re underestimating her, Lee,” Amanda reminded him.  “We’ve overlooked her for months, sweetheart.  I think we need to rely on the FBI.”

Lee and Amanda stubbornly stared at each other, neither willing to give in.

“The FBI obviously has someone inside the Agency.  Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to place the bugs in your offices,” Francine stated in an attempt to diffuse the situation.  “You’ve got a world class forensic team.  Let’s see what they can come up with.”

Amanda and Lee shot glances at each other.  They appeared to like where Francine was going with her idea.

“What do you want them to look for?” Agent Parker pressed.

Lee got up and started to pace the room again and he began to formulate a plan.  “Get your agent back into our offices.  You want further proof for a warrant; find the evidence that Suttan planted the bugs the FBI didn’t.  There can’t be many fingerprints under our desks.  If hers are there, given Suttan already knew my car was bombed and not Amanda’s, I’d bet a judge will sign off on the warrant.”

The FBI agent was already dialing his phone.  “Get O’Conner back inside the Stetson’s offices at the Agency.  Have him dust… hang on a second,” he looked over at Lee and Amanda, “Where exactly were the other bugs?”

“Under the desk, behind the middle drawer, way in the back, under where the phone sits,” Francine answered, having been the only one who had seen the location of all the listening devices.

“Dust for prints under each of their desk.  Sweep the room for anything else – hair, clothing fibers and anything else that you find.  I want those prints run before midnight!  Got it?  Good!” Agent Parker flipped his cell phone shut and looked back up to the group.  “You better hope we come up with something, Scarecrow, or we’re going back to plan A!”

“Get that damned search warrant and I’ll gamble my paycheck that we’ll find something incriminating,” Lee countered determinedly.

“Make sure to include all her financial records in that search warrant,” Francine added.

“Francine’s right; the woman has expensive tastes, and my bet it’s not all coming from her paycheck,” turning towards Francine, Lee continued, “by the way, when’s the last time you spoke with that computer geek of yours?”

“Before lunch, he had a few leads, but he didn’t go into detail,” Francine answered.  “Since then things have gotten a little complicated.”

“I’ll say,” Lee agreed, shaking his head at all that had happened since they left for lunch.  “Call him, right now, and get an update.  We need everything he’s got.  I don’t care how insignificant it seems, I want it.”

“You got it, Scarecrow,” Francine replied, picking up her cell phone and making a phone call.

“This might work,” Amanda replied with a hopeful smile.

“It better work,” Lee said, glancing over at his wife earnestly.  “There’s no way I’m going to use you for bait.”

End Part Twelve
 

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