Part Two - Thursday Night...
 

The teakettle rested on the stove’s front burner on high.  Amanda was in the kitchen, staring at it, willing the water to boil.  However, the whistle had yet to announce it was ready.  She needed a soothing cup of chamomile tea, and she needed it now.

“Darling,” Dotty, who had moved back in with her daughter shortly after Lee’s arrest, called out from the family room, trying to comfort her daughter.  “Come sit down, you know a watched pot never boils.”

Amanda glowered at the pot one more time before she joined her mother in the family room.  She didn’t sit down; instead, she nervously paced in front of the sofa.  “Mother, why would Lee say the things he said today?  There’s absolutely no way he’s guilty of any of this. A double agent, Lee wouldn’t sell out, not even for a million dollars!”

“Sweetheart, sit down and try to relax.  You’ve got to take better care of yourself.  You’ve already fainted once today,” Dotty fretted, reaching for her daughter’s arm, but she pulled away.  Clearly frustrated with her daughter, she scolded her using a motherly tone.  “You’re not going to do that husband of yours any good if you end up in the hospital.”

“Mother, how can I relax?  A dozen news trucks are camped out in front of the house.  I can’t even turn on the television; every channel is covering it.  They’re making him out to be a monster.  They’re going to try to pin every blown operation for the last twenty years on him.  Mother, there's talk they might ask for… the death penalty!” Amanda gasped, her knees giving out, and her body dropping down onto the couch.

“Amanda, are you all right?”

“No, Mother, I’m not!” she choked out, almost in tears.  “Why would he say what he did?”

Dotty scooted over on the couch nearer to her daughter.  Placing her hand gently on Amanda’s arm, she patted it lovingly before she asked, “Are you talking about Lee admitting to being a double agent, or that he didn’t marry you for love?”

Tears fell freely from Amanda’s eyes now.  Dotty reached over to the box of tissues on the table, grabbed a few, and gave them to her daughter.  The months of separation from Lee since his arrest were playing a heavy toll on Amanda’s emotions.  For the longest time, she sat in the family room and sobbed.

“Don’t doubt what you two share, Amanda,” Dotty warned her daughter when her crying subsided.  “Sweetheart, when you fainted in the courtroom this afternoon, I yelled ‘Call a doctor’ or something and I looked around the room for help.  Do you know that Lee was bounding across the room faster than anyone,” Dotty remarked, shaking her head.  “It took two armed guards to restrain him from being by your side.  As I left the courtroom, I glanced back at Lee, still being subdued by those guards, the look on his face…” Dotty sighed heavily.  “That man has loved you from the day I met him.  I don’t doubt that for a second, and you shouldn’t either!”

“Mother, hearing him say that he didn’t love me in open court, really… hurt,” she admitted, swallowing past the lump in her throat.  “I do know he loves me.  What I don’t know is why he said he doesn’t.  Why would he admit to being a double agent?  There’s no way it could be true.  He’s trying to protect me, but from what?” she mumbled, shaking her head, and wiping the tears from her face.

“Or whom?” Dotty put forth with a raised eyebrow.

The teapot began to whistle, and Amanda started to get up.

“I’ll get it, darling.  You just sit there and unwind,” Dotty suggested in a soothing voice, patting her daughter’s arm.  Before she made it to the kitchen, the doorbell rang.  The tone in her voice soured.  “Those pesky reporters don’t give up easily.  I’m going to give them a piece of my mind.”

“I’ll get the tea, if you’ll get rid of them, Mother.”  Amanda got up to tend to the whistling kettle.

While she was pouring hot water into the teacups, she heard her mother casually talking with someone.  It couldn’t be a reporter; her mother wouldn’t dare let them set one foot into the house.  Turning to see who had braved their way through the crush of media out front, Amanda was shocked to realize it was Francine Desmond walking into her kitchen.

“Don’t bother with the tea.  I brought something stronger,” Francine remarked when she entered the room and pulled two bottles of wine out of a brown paper bag.  “I had to park three blocks away to find a parking space.  I don’t know how you can stand it.  Why don’t you call the police…”

“Given the current situation, the Stetson household isn’t the favorite residence for the Arlington police,” Amanda commented, as she reached for wine glasses.  “Half my neighbors aren’t speaking with me; the other half makes snide remarks when I pass by...”

“Sorry,” she admitted, “I hadn’t considered that.”

“Francine, what are you doing here?” Amanda asked warily.  At this point, Amanda was suspicious of everyone’s motives.  Was her so called ‘friend’ here on a professional level - to spy on her, or a personal one – to be a friend.  “Is this Quentin Broderick’s bad idea or what?”

“Oh, please, Amanda.  I am not a lackey for that ladder-climbing S.O.B.  As far as I know, nobody knows I’m here,” Francine huffed, but continued, “Considering what happened today at the courthouse, I figured you could use a good drink.  You are OK, aren’t you?” she asked Amanda, and then glanced over at Dotty West.  “She is, isn’t she?”

“Oh, I think a drink or two would be excellent medicine,” Dotty West cheered eagerly.

“I’m fine, Francine.  It was rather warm in the courtroom and I skipped breakfast,” Amanda began to explain to her colleague, as she searched the drawer for the corkscrew.

“Amanda Stetson skipped breakfast!?” Francine gasped, jovially mocking her friend.  “I thought it was the most important meal of the day?”

“It is,” she answered, rolling her eyes, and then handing the corkscrew to Francine.  “The honor’s all yours, Francine.  I don’t have the strength.”

With relative ease, Francine worked the cork out of the bottle and began pouring the three of them a glass of wine.  First handing a glass to Amanda and then to Dotty, before picking up the remaining glass for herself.  Glancing around the room cagily, in a whisper, she asked Amanda a question.  “Have you checked for… bugs, lately?”

Amanda nodded.  “Yes, I swept the house when we got back from court.”

“Anything?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.

“No, we’re clean.  Nothing since just after Lee was arrested.  I can’t say the same for the phone.”

“You two act as if placing listening devices and tapping telephones were routine.  That’s an invasion of privacy,” Dotty protested, her eyes wide and angry at the idea.  “I think it’s outrageous!”

Amanda shrugged, having spent years with the Agency, she’d eventually gotten used to a new ‘norm’ of which, eavesdropping on peoples conversations was routine.  With each and every security screening over the years, she’d realized that privacy was a luxury that most agents lived without.  Observing others and constantly being watched was a requisite part of the job.  From the look on Francine’s face, the idea didn’t appear to bother her either, if it ever had.  To them, it was standard operating procedure.

“Since they already have Lee in custody, I doubt they’ll bug the house again.  You do talk on the phone?”

“Not nearly often enough,” Amanda admitted with an undisguised frown.

“I’d assume your phone is tapped.”  Without further comment, Francine swirled the liquid in the glass, then brought it closer to her nose and inhaled the aroma. Finally, she raised it to her lips, wetting them slightly before licking her lips.  A pleased grin grew across her face, she commented, “Lee would definitely approve; how about a toast - to Lee Stetson?”

Amanda raised her glass to her husband.  “I’ll second that.”

“Bottom’s up!” Dotty chimed in and the three women clanked their glasses together and drank to Lee Stetson who was incarcerated during the trial because the prosecutor convinced the judge that he was a flight risk.

“How about we go sit in the family room?” Amanda suggested.

Francine nodded her agreement, grabbed the bottle of wine, and followed Amanda.  It didn’t take long for Dotty to finish her glass.  Francine was about to pour her another, but she covered the top of the glass with her hand.

“No, thank you.  I did enjoy the wine, but if you two don’t mind, I think I’ll go upstairs and lay down for a while.  It’s been quite a day,” Dotty admitted politely.  “It was nice to see you again.”

“It was nice to see you, too,” Francine replied, finishing up her glass and pouring herself another drink and topping off Amanda’s.

“Thanks for coming over tonight, Francine,” Amanda remarked as she nervously tapped on her wineglass, observing the liquid inside.  “The wine was very thoughtful.”

Francine sipped at her wine before putting it down on the table.  “Amanda, I might not be the mother of the year, but I was raised with proper manners.  Now tell me, how are you doing – really?”

“I’m fine.  It’s Lee I’m worried about.”

“The look on his face this afternoon, he was more worried about you than he is for himself.”

“I should have gone back into the courtroom, instead of coming home.  I was just a little dizzy.”

“First of all, Amanda Stetson, you were out cold.  Secondly, you didn’t miss much because the judge called an end to the questioning shortly after your fainting spell.  They won’t reconvene again until Monday.”  Pausing for a moment, Francine eyed up her friend and offered a stern rebuke, “You need to take better care of yourself.”

Amanda put down her glass and rubbed her eyes.  The truth of the matter was she was exhausted.  She hadn’t been sleeping much over the last few weeks and emotionally she wasn’t sure how much more she could take.  “My mother told me the same thing, but how can I?  I’m worried sick about Lee.”

“Even after what he said on the stand today?” Francine inquired with a raised eyebrow.

Amanda shot up out of her seat and pointed at the door.  Her face was getting red and it was clear that she was furious.  “I think you’d better leave, Francine.”

Francine didn’t budge off the couch.  She reached for the bottle of wine, refilled her glass, and topped off Amanda’s once more.  “Calm down, Amanda.  I don’t believe for one minute that Scarecrow is now, nor ever was a double agent.  I also know for a fact that Lee Stetson loves you.    Hell, do you remember how many times I walked in on you two in the Q Bureau?”

“Those were wonderful times,” Amanda replied, not even attempting to create a cover for the amorous attention they occasionally shared together in the privacy of what was once their office. She glanced over at the fireplace mantel at a family picture taken just before Lee’s arrest.  In a wistful tone she added, “That seems like a lifetime ago.”

Francine followed Amanda’s eyes and noticed the photograph as well.  The love they had for each other was easily captured in the shot.  “I don’t know about that.  I remember you two last year.  If my memory serves me correctly, it was just before Valentine’s day,” Francine was quick to point out with a smirk on her face.  “Quentin Broderick might be able to sell the jury that Lee doesn’t love you, but I’m not a fool.  Lee Stetson loves you Amanda, and don’t let him, or anyone else tell you he doesn’t.”

Amanda sat back down in her seat.  A timid smile grew on her face.  “Is that the wine talking, or do you really mean that?”

“Hmm, we have made some good progress on this baby, haven’t we?” Francine commented, picking up the nearly empty wine bottle.  “I meant every word, Amanda.  Although, if we continue drinking at this rate, we’re going to need something to eat.  How about a pizza?  Doesn’t Dominion Pizza deliver?”

“Yes, but it would take them an hour to get here with all the media vans and satellite trucks,” Amanda replied.

“Perfect, dinner’s on me then!  They offer a thirty minute guarantee or it’s free!” Francine laughed gleefully.  “You call for the pizza and I’ll open up that other bottle of wine.”

Amanda grinned.  “All right, Francine, you’re on.”

***

There was no pizza left in the box.  The three women had eaten the entire pie.  Tipping the bottle of wine, Francine dripped the last couple of drops into her glass.

“I can’t believe we finished both bottles,” a slightly tipsy Francine chortled.

“I can’t believe the three of us demolished that pizza,” Amanda replied, rubbing her full stomach.

“I can’t believe you stiffed the reporter who brought the pizza to the door!” Dotty laughed heartily.

“That reporter is lucky I didn’t break his neck trying to sneak in here.  Besides, the pizza took longer than thirty minutes to get here,” Francine reminded Dotty, laughingly.  “So technically, it was free!”

Dotty and Amanda laughed harder after that statement.  Dotty stood up, gathered the crumb filled plates, and took her empty wine glass into the kitchen.  “Ladies, I’ve really enjoyed this evening, but I’m bushed.  I’m going to bed.”

Francine glanced over to Amanda.  “You should go to bed, too, Amanda, you look exhausted.”

She rubbed her brow.  “Oh, I am tired, but I won’t sleep.  You’re welcome to stay as long as you want.  I can’t remember the last time I laughed so much.”

“You do look a little less stressed than you did earlier,” Francine remarked.  “If you don’t mind, I will stay a while.  I need to sober up before I think about driving home.”

“Would you like me to make some coffee?”

“Not right now, maybe later.”  Francine kicked off her heels, and leaned back on the couch.  “You know, Amanda, if it wasn’t for what I hear on the news, I wouldn’t know what the hell is going on.”

“Don’t believe everything you hear on the news,” Amanda shuddered, thinking about the regular updates on the case.  Every night there would be more speculation.  Very little of what was said had anything to do with the truth.

“You mean Lee wasn’t fleeing to mother Russia when he was arrested,” Francine teased, but the dark circles under her friends’ eyes was evidence of the strain.

“No, but they did pick us up at the airport.”

“They picked you up, too?”

Amanda nodded, realizing for the first time that Francine truly was in the dark about what happened.  “Oh my gosh!  You never heard the whole story?”

“No, I was in Tahiti for two weeks when everything went down.  I left my laptop at home, turned off my cell phone and actually relaxed the entire time.  When I got back to DC, I was stunned to hear the news.  Naturally, I’ve heard the media version, and of course, the water cooler version.  I read the very brief official Agency memo regarding the ‘incident’.  Somehow, I bet that version wasn’t any more truthful than what I’ve heard on television.”

“You’re right on that account,” Amanda laughed half-heartedly.  Other than her mother, she hadn’t unburdened herself to another soul.  She looked at Francine, wanting to believe that she was here to support her, and not be a watchdog for the government.  “So now you want to hear the truth?”

Francine looked away for only a second, but her need to know, outweighed her desire to be discreet.  She turned and nodded.  “Nobody at the office would talk about what really went down; all the files are sealed.  By the time I got back, you’d already been stuffed down in payroll.  You looked rather beleaguered when I stopped down to talk to you.  I’ve wanted to speak to you for a while now, but it never seemed to be the right time or place …”

Amanda rubbed her arms, suddenly feeling cold.   The months of isolation from her friends and the awkwardness with her co-workers had been a terrible strain.  Leaning forward on the sofa, she picked up her empty wine glass, staring at it reflectively.  Taking a deep breath, she began to explain.  “You knew Lee was planning a trip to the Paris office.”

“Yes, but I heard your flight was to Berlin.”

Amanda smiled and began to explain.  “Originally, I thought the innocuous change in plans was the catalyst to all the events that followed.  Unfortunately, that was a rather naïve assumption.  I know this is all a big mistake, a terrible mistake.  I know that with every ounce of being, but we lack any necessary proof to get Lee released, and the charges dropped.”

Francine gave Amanda a sympathetic look, but her face looked puzzled.  “Why the change in plans?”

“The security chief in Berlin’s flat caught fire.  He was asleep at the time and was seriously burned.  It was obvious he’d be out for some time.  Lee wanted to meet the staff in person before he appointed a replacement, so we adjusted our itinerary.  We were going to end the trip in Paris instead of starting it there.  I’ve never been to Paris,” Amanda sighed wistfully.

“Never?” Francine gasped.

“No, it was never a destination that my two sons ever had high on their agenda,” Amanda reminded her friend.  “Lee and I have been to several European cities, but never made it to Paris.”

“Such a beautiful city, and the shopping…”

“I was really looking forward to seeing it.  A walk on the Champs-Elysées, an evening stroll by the Seine,” Amanda sighed heavily.  “Lee had a couple of meetings in Paris.  I planned to get lost in the Louvre, sightsee, and shop.  The last two days were going to be time off.  No work, just the two of us.”

“What happened?”

“Damned if I know,” Amanda shook her head and shrugged her shoulders, but as cavalier as she attempted to be, the truth eluded and beleaguered her.  “They made an announcement to board our flight when two guys from Internal Affairs showed up and yanked us out of line.  Lee of course was furious, and things got a little testy for a few minutes.  There was a bit of a brawl before he ended up in handcuffs.  They grilled me for nine long hours, and I spent the night in a detention cell before they eventually released me.”

“I never heard about that!” Francine gasped.  “On what charges did they hold you?”

“Aiding and abetting the enemy,” Amanda replied with a pained face.  The thought of her husband being considered an enemy of the state was still repulsive to her.  “They eventually let me go later the next morning.  I thought for sure Lee would be home by dinner…”  her voice trailed off and tears welled up in her eyes.

“He’s been held since then,” Francine finished the explanation for her.

“They refused to set bail.  Claimed Lee’s a flight risk and the judge agreed.  I tried to find out what was going on,” Amanda tried to continue, but she couldn’t.  Her voice was cracking and the strain was too much for her to continue.

Francine patted her shoulder in support.  She knew the rest of the story.  It was typical Agency.  “They busted your security clearances and stuffed you in payroll.”

“Yeah, now I spend forty hours a week processing expense claims from agents,” Amanda said with a forced smile.  “In a way, I’m thankful I still have a job, but the looks and whispers around the office are never ending…”

“Yes, the gossip mongers have had a field day over this.  Tell me, how can I help?”

“You can’t.”

“There’s got to be something I can do?  My security clearances are intact.”

“You already said the files are locked down tight.  Besides, if they caught you snooping around, you could be fired or worse…” Amanda reminded her.

“You’re right.  Abernathy would fire me if he found me digging through those files.  He’s more of a bastard than Dr. Smyth ever was.  I’d like to remind you, I haven’t been at the Agency all these years because I’m sloppy.  I’m good at my job!” Francine announced boldly.  “Besides, if they can pin this on Lee Stetson, they can pin this on anyone.  Amanda, you might be married to Lee, but I’ve known him longer.  I knew him during the early ‘Yushenko’ years.  There were a few blown operations, sure, but on one of them, his partner was killed.”

“Which is what the government will now use against Lee!  They’ll twist it around and make it seem like Lee set up his partner…”

“I don’t believe for a second that Lee would have set up Ron.  Those two were close… like brothers…” Francine paused for a moment.  “Did he ever tell you about Ron?”

Wringing her hands, Amanda answered.  “Over the years he’s told me most of the story.  It’s always been a painful subject for him to discuss.”

“Because he felt responsible,” Francine replied.  “You know they switched details at the last minute because Lee scored a date with some fashion model or something.”

“She was a lingerie model.”

“Yeah, that does sound right,” she agreed.  “Lee was a mess for the longest time.  Never wanted to work with another partner and he didn’t - until you came along.  Anyway, I tell you, Lee Stetson is no traitor; he’s certainly not a double agent!  Don’t you want to figure this mess out?”

“More than you’ll ever know.”  Amanda grinned, realizing for sure, that she had an ally in Francine.   However, she still didn’t want to risk her friend’s job.   “I’ll talk to Jacob Goldberg and ask him if there’s anything he needs.”

“It doesn’t have to be in an official capacity,” Francine warned her friend.  “Somebody has fabricated this whole story to cover up something deeper.”

“I know you’re right.  Unfortunately, I don’t have anything solid to go own.  Lee’s been tight lipped.”

“It’s his way of trying to protect you,” Francine provided.

“Yeah, at the moment, he’s the one who needs protection, not me.”

“It had to have started after he got the promotion.  Otherwise, he would have never been cleared to make the grade.  Who had the most to gain if Lee were out of the picture?”

Amanda shook her head.  “David Hinton has replaced him, but that’s too obvious.  Besides, weren’t you on the list for the job?”

“I did put my name in the hat, but I never made the short list.  I didn’t expect to.  They knew I would have spent too much time in the Paris office,” Francine joked.

“You would have been a good choice for the position.  Better than Hinton.”

“I won’t argue that point, but it doesn’t matter now.  What really matters is getting to the bottom of who framed Lee.”

“And fast,” Amanda added, shaking her head, still upset with Lee.  “After what he admitted to today, Quentin Broderick must think he has this trial in the bag!”

“Maybe Lee stumbled across something and didn’t even realize it,” Francine pondered aloud.

“Could be,” Amanda nodded her agreement.

“Why don’t you start making that coffee and we can plan some strategy of our own.”

“Francine, if they find out you’re poking around in this mess, it could get ugly for you…”

Francine raised an eyebrow, but a smile grew across her face and she commented haughtily.  “That’s why I don’t plan on getting caught!”

End Part Two
 

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