Chapter 6

         Lee had pulled his car up to the curb and parked behind Stephanie.  Climbing out of the car, he immediately went around to the passenger side to assist his wife out.  As he reached her door, he stopped when the hairs on the back of his neck began to stand up, letting him know that they were being watched.  With his hand instinctively going to his gun, he turned slightly towards the duplex house behind him.  What he saw, made him remove his hand from his gun, but didn’t calm the feeling of unease he was feeling.  Standing in the doorway was an older woman with blue tinted gray hair and a slightly taller, slimmer woman with very East European features.  They both stood in the doorway, their hands clasped in front, watching them with extreme interest.  His body relaxed somewhat, when he realized that both woman resembled Stephanie in some way, and therefore were most likely her grandmother and mother; however, he sensed a very domineering presence from both of them and knew that they were women he wouldn’t want to cross.  Opening the passenger door, he assisted his wife out of the car.

         Stephanie waited for her guests to join her on the sidewalk before moving up the walkway with Francine and Amanda behind her, and Lee bringing up the rear.  She had watched Lee’s reaction when he had gotten out of his car and mentally chuckled to herself.  Men in law enforcement were all the same, they constantly felt the need to be on their guard, no matter how safe a neighborhood they were in. 

         Stephanie’s mom took one look at the serious looking people following her daughter and sighed. She loved her daughter dearly, but why couldn’t Stephanie have found a respectable job, something at the button factory perhaps.  She had heard from Mabel Dunworthy that they were still hiring, and they had good benefits, with the added benefit being that she would be able to sleep better at night knowing that her daughter had a safe, reliable job. She honestly didn’t know how much more her mental health could take if Stephanie continued to work for Vincent. If her daughter wasn’t chasing after delinquents all day, she wouldn’t have to constantly worry about her daughter being shot at or blowing cars and people up. “I wish you would have called to tell me you were bringing guests,” she shook her head disapprovingly at her daughter, once Stephanie had reached the porch, “I’d have kept the leftovers from dinner warming, and set out place settings at the table.”

         “We already ate.” Stephanie opened the screen door and stepped aside to allow the federal agents to enter her parents’ house ahead of her. “We actually came here to talk to Grandma.”

         “Oh, wonderful, and you’re just in time too.” Grandma swished her dentures around slightly in her mouth, “Bernie Moppin is being laid out at Stiva’s tonight and the funeral starts in just under half an hour and I need a ride.”

         Stephanie followed Lee into the house and shook her head apologetically. “I’m sorry Grandma, but I’m afraid I can’t.”

         “All I need is a ride over, you could drop me off and maybe I’ll get lucky,” Grandma’s eyes began to twinkle, “and find a studmuffin to drive me home.”

         Stephanie heard a faint mumbling coming from the living room that sounded very much like “oh, dear God,” and knew that her father had been the one to utter it.  “Hi, Dad.” She called out as she closed the screen door behind her.  Her father and grandmother had an on-going love-hate relationship, although neither one of them truly hated the other, they just didn’t really see eye-to-eye on anything.  She believed that on some level, way down deep, her father probably felt some affection towards her grandmother, but on the surface, he wished very hard that some great tragedy would befall the older woman.  Her grandmother had come to live with her parents shortly after Grandpa Mazur had gotten a free one-way ticket to heaven.   She knew that her father secretly wished that Grandma had joined Grandpa Mazur, rather than moving in with them and making his life miserable.  Personally, Stephanie loved her grandmother and viewed her as nothing short of a hoot, who enjoyed finding new ways to bug her father.  Turning towards her mother and grandmother, she began making the introductions. “Mom, Grandma, I’d like to introduce you to Lee Stetson, Amanda King and Francine Desmond.” She pointed to each one in turn. “They’re federal agents from D.C.” She then motioned with her head, “This is my Grandma, Edna Mazur, and my mother Ellen Plum.  The grumpy man in front of the television with his head stuck in the newspaper is my father, Frank Plum.”

         Before any of the agents could say anything, Stephanie’s mother who had paid very little attention to the rest of her daughter’s introductions, having focused only on the words ‘federal agents,’ made the sign of the cross and glared at Grandma Mazur. “What in heaven’s name have you done now?”

         “Grandma hasn’t done anything, mom.” Stephanie immediately jumped to her grandmother’s defense. “Lee, Amanda and Francine are here trying to track down Benjamin Adams.”

         Stephanie’s mom let out a deep sigh. “What a relief, I apologize,” she glanced briefly at the three strangers standing in the entranceway, “but when Stephanie said that you came to talk to my mother…” her expression grew serious once more as she looked directly at her daughter, “why did you and these federal agents come to talk to your grandmother then?”

         “Because, one of Vinnie’s skips resurfaced in D.C. and then gave everyone down there the slip. So Lee, Amanda and Francine came here hoping to keep the trail from going cold again by retracing the steps I took before when I was trying to apprehend Benjamin Adams. We came here because we think the best place to start looking for Benjamin is through his grandmother and I thought,” Stephanie glanced over at her grandmother, “that Grandma might know where we can find Mrs. Adams.” 

         “Poor Polly, I tell you if I had a no good grandson like that, I’d cut him off permanently. From what I understand she sent him a birthday card last month.” Grandma shook her head in disgust. “Not me, no way, if you ever had me evicted from my house, I’d cut you out of my will.  No good son of a female dog, I’ll tell you where Polly Adams is now, she’s homeless.”

         Stephanie’s mom closed her eyes and sighed. “She’s not homeless, mother.” She smiled apologetically at the three strangers standing in her hallway. “She’s living with her sister over on the other side of town.  Oh, please forgive my rudeness, won’t you have a seat?” She motioned them towards the living room.

         Stephanie shook her head. “We weren’t planning on staying long. We just wanted to find out where Mrs. Adams was.”

         “She might actually be at Bernie’s funeral.” Grandma grinned. “We could probably interrogate her about Benjamin at the viewing.”

         “There is no ‘we’ Grandma.” Stephanie glanced over at the three agents. “It might not be a bad idea, though, to check out the funeral and,” she looked back at her grandmother, “there won’t be any interrogating – we just want to ask her a few simple questions.” She turned her attention back to Lee and Amanda. “Even if Mrs. Adams isn’t there, a few of the other attendees might have seen Benjamin recently.”

         “Isn’t it extremely bad taste to crash someone’s wake and start interrogating the mourners?” Francine stared wide-eyed and slightly appalled in Stephanie’s direction.

         “Not really.” Stephanie laughed and waved her hand in the air, dismissing the whole thing. “Most towns have bingo parlors or rec centers for old folks to hang out, we have Stiva’s.  It may be a funeral parlor, but everyone goes there, not only to pay respects, but to pass along the latest burg gossip.  You’d be amazed at what kind of information you can uncover at a burg viewing.”

         “If we won’t be intruding, then it sounds like as good a place as any to start.” Amanda glanced over at Francine before turning her attention to her husband. “I, for one, am very interested to know where Mrs. Adams sent her grandson’s birthday card, especially if the authorities don’t have any leads on his whereabouts.”

         “That’s settled then.” Grandma looked at her watch. “We’d better get a move on though. I want to get there as early as possible. Bernie had a heart attack, but they had to do an autopsy on him so it’s a closed casket, but if I time it right, I might be able to get the lid up and sneak a peak before the crowd starts arriving.”

          Stephanie’s mom’s eyes widened in horror. “Wait! A closed casket.” She turned and glared at her daughter. “She’s your responsibility. I’m putting her in your care. Do not, I repeat, do not let her out of your sight.”

         “Mom, Con’s started nailing the coffins shut…”

         Stephanie’s mom shook her head adamantly. “No.  If anything happens tonight, I’m going to hold you personally responsible, and I’ll cut you off from anymore pineapple upside down cake.”  Her daughter gasped audibly and she fixed her with a pointed stare. “I mean it, Stephanie.  The last time they had a closed casket, nailed down or not, she got kicked out because she toppled the casket over trying to get a peak at Sal Vaducci.  Poor man had his brains blown out, and my mother had to see the empty skull.” She raised her hands in the air. “Why me? I have a daughter who hangs out with feds and shoots people, and a mother with an extremely morbid curiosity.”

         “You know what I need to get,” Grandma Mazur scrunched up her face in thought, “I need to get me one of those lock picking kits.” She looked at her granddaughter. “Do you think that handsome Ranger could get me one and then teach me how to use it?” She then glanced over at Lee. “You’re a fed.  Are lock picks hard to come by?”

         Lee, who had been exchanging bemused glances with his wife, stared unbelievingly at the older woman. “Um…well…”

         Amanda tried to hide her own amusement at her husband’s sudden speechlessness. “Actually, the kind of lock picking kit you’d want is not that easy to find and takes a lot of patience and training to use.”

         Stephanie reached up and tried to hide the nervous twitch of her eye.  She loved her family, but sometimes they were just a little trying. She was barely paying attention to the lock picking conversation, and was more concerned with the comment her mother had just made about her. “I only shot a guy once, and it was in self-defense.” She protested, more for her mother’s benefit than the benefit of the agents. “I rarely carry my gun…”

         “And that’s just one more thing for me to worry about. You chase down all types of criminals but don’t carry a gun.” Stephanie’s mom shook her head.

         “I hate the thing. No matter how hard Joe and Ranger try and convince me that I should keep it with me, I just don’t feel right carrying one.”

         Lee stifled a chuckle and glanced over at Amanda with a knowing grin. “I know exactly how they feel.”

         Amanda looked over at Stephanie. “I hate guns too.”

         Grandma began tapping her foot. “Time’s a wastin’. And you don’t need to worry about Stephanie’s lack of a gun. I’m sure this strapping young man has one. We’ll be well protected.”  She began moving towards the front door. “I want to ride in that silver sports car. When I get my license renewed, I’m going to get myself a sports car.”

         “Oh good Lord.” Stephanie’s mother made the sign of the cross and pointed at her daughter. “Remember, she’s your responsibility.” She started heading towards the kitchen, but stopped and looked directly at her daughter. “And make sure she’s not armed.”

         Stephanie sighed and as she moved to follow her grandmother out the door, caught the raised eyebrows of the three agents. “My grandma likes to carry a ‘big boy’ .45 millimeter.  She claims she’s gotten rid of it, and no matter how hard my mother searches we can’t find it.  We can search her till we’re blue in the face, and yet she still manages to pull it out of thin air, and at the worst times too.” She chuckled as she stepped out onto the porch and saw Grandma waiting impatiently next to the silver Corvette.  She turned towards Lee. “Do you mind letting my grandmother ride with you?” She turned towards Amanda. “You’re more than welcome to ride with me. In fact, it might make more sense if we left your car here too, Francine.  It’s not always easy to find parking at Stiva’s especially when there’s a closed casket involved.”

         Lee glanced at the excited face of the elderly woman and sighed. “I don’t think I really have much of a choice in the matter, and besides, I’d hate to disappoint an old woman.  How far is it to the funeral home?”

         “Not that far.” Stephanie replied as she moved down the steps towards the cars. “Don’t worry, Grandma’s not really that bad, and maybe you can get her to leave her gun in your car, after all you are a good looking man, she might listen to you.”

         Amanda grinned and patted her husband’s cheek affectionately as they reached the end of the walkway. “You are definitely a good looking man.” She leaned up and placed a kiss on his lips. “I love you.”

         Grandma Mazur watched in amusement at the young couple. “Don’t worry honey, I’ll keep a very close watch on him.” She patted her shoulder bag. “He’s absolutely safe with me.”

         Lee shot Amanda a look that clearly said ‘please get me out of this,’ and when his wife just smiled and blew him another kiss as she walked towards Stephanie’s car, decided that he was going to find a way to get even with his wife, somehow.

         Amanda opened the passenger door of Stephanie’s gray Honda Civic and looked at the brunette over the hood of the car. “I gather that your mom isn’t crazy about your choice of careers?”

         Stephanie shrugged as she opened her own door and began to climb into the driver’s seat. “I didn’t have much of a choice.” She commented when Amanda had gotten into the car. “I was laid off from my job and needed something.  It’s not the best job, bounty hunting that is, but it’s better than nothing. Besides, anything ‘normal’ just doesn’t suit me anymore, and this way I can continue to be the black sheep of the family. It’s no fun being the good daughter.”  She waited till Francine was in the backseat with her door closed, and then double checked to ensure that her passengers were buckled in before starting her car and pulling way from the curb.  “My sister Valerie is the perfect one. Perfect hair, perfect husband, perfect children.”

         “How did you end up being a bounty hunter in the first place?” Amanda glanced over at Stephanie. “I hope you don’t mind my asking, that is.”

         Stephanie shrugged. “It’s not a secret really, in fact you could probably ask anyone in the burg, cops included, and they’d all be able to tell you.  I used to be a lingerie buyer for a company called E.E. Martin.  They went belly up and I got laid off.   When I had exhausted all my resources, doing temp jobs here and there, I finally admitted to my parents that I wasn’t working there anymore.  My mom wanted me to get a job at one of the local factories, in fact she secretly prays that I’ll still do that.  My dad, on the other hand, mentioned that my cousin Vinnie was looking for someone to do filing.”

         “Correct me if I’m wrong,” Francine leaned forward from her seat in the back, “but doesn’t filing deal with paper and filing cabinets, not guns and pepper spray?”

         Amanda turned around and gave Francine a sharp look.  She then turned her attention back on the brunette in the driver’s seat.  “So what happened, since you obviously aren’t in charge of keeping your cousin’s files in order?”  The last bit of her comment was directed more to the blonde than Stephanie.

         “Nothing really.  I got there to talk to Vinnie, and Connie, the office manager, said that they’d already hired someone to do filing, and no it wasn’t Lula, it was some other girl who didn’t end up lasting the week.” Stephanie let out a small, ironic laugh. “They never seem to, my cousin ends up chasing them off.”  She passed the already packed parking lot of Stiva’s and drove up the block looking for a place to park. “Anyway, Connie, after hearing me whine about my need for money, said that their usual apprehension agent was out of commission, burst appendix I think, and talked me into filling in for him.  Vinnie wasn’t so easy to convince, that’s why I used family blackmail to get him to hire me.” She pulled the Civic into an open spot two blocks from the funeral home.

         Francine let out a long drawn out sigh as she unlocked her seatbelt.  Climbing out of the car, she quickly caught up with her friend.  “I think I found your long lost sister, Amanda.” She smiled cunningly at the brunette’s questioning gaze. “She rambles almost as well as you, only unlike you, she stops to breathe every now and then.”

         “You know, I always wanted a sister.” Amanda smiled impishly at the blonde as they made their way to where Grandma Mazur was standing at the base of the stairs.

         “Where’s Lee?” Stephanie asked her grandmother, who was standing alone on the sidewalk, waiting for them.

         Grandma pointed down the street. “He dropped me off and then went to find someplace to park.  Said he didn’t want to have to make me walk too far.  What a charming man.” She looked over at Amanda. “If I were a few years younger, I might just try and steal him away from you. You’re one lucky woman, see that you hold on to him as long as you can.”

         Amanda tilted her head questioningly towards Grandma Mazur, then remembered that she and Lee weren’t hiding their feelings for each other from anyone anymore. in fact, Francine had said on more than one occasion how annoying it was that now that they were publicly engaged, they seemed to wear their hearts in their eyes. “Yes, Mrs. Mazur, I truly am and I don’t plan on letting go of him…ever.” Smiling, she noticed the slightly impatient look on the older woman’s face as her eyes were focused on the doors into the funeral home. “Look, why don’t you three head on in. I’ll wait for Lee and we’ll meet you inside shortly.” She chuckled at the hesitant look on Stephanie and Francine’s faces. “I know my fiancé, and he’ll probably be awhile.  He likes to try to find the safest, most out of the way place he can to park his car.”

         “Honey,” Grandma Mazur smiled as she put one foot on the step behind her. “If I had a sweet car like that, I’d want to keep it safe, too.” She then turned and began walking up the stairs towards the entrance.

         Francine watched Stephanie follow her grandmother up the stairs, and then turned towards Amanda, her eyes searching the unfamiliar neighborhood. “Are you sure?”

         Amanda nodded. “Yes, Francine, I’m sure.  Trust me, I’ll be fine.  There are plenty of people around, and despite what you and Lee seem to forget, I am a fully trained agent. I can take care of myself.  Besides,” she glanced to her right. “I see him coming now. Go on, Mrs. Mazur and Stephanie are already at the entrance, and one of us should stay with them.”

         Francine glanced briefly in the direction Lee was coming, then looked around and realized that it was a very well lit area and there were plenty of well-dressed people entering the funeral home and conceded that her friend was right.  “All right, I’ll go, but if Lee makes even the slightest comment about me leaving you alone, you have to promise that you’ll stop him before he gets more than one word out.”  She turned and headed up the stairs, not bothering to wait for a response from Amanda.

         Amanda just shook her head, knowing full well that if her husband even raised an eyebrow at seeing her left alone, she was going to put him in his place immediately, and she didn’t care who was around to witness her tirade.  Everyone seemed to forget that she was no longer the inexperienced housewife she was six years go, but rather a highly trained and skilled agent.  It was bad enough that she had to constantly remind her husband of that fact, but when her co-workers and friends felt the need to constantly watch over her, it made her just a trifle angry.  Two years ago, heck even a year and a half ago, she would have swept it under the carpet, understanding that they were just concerned for her because of what had happened to her out in California, but not anymore.  That was two years ago, and she had more than proven herself to be in top physical form since then, especially to her husband. 

         Lee noticed immediately, as he crossed the street on to the block the funeral home was on that neither Francine, Stephanie or Mrs. Mazur was waiting with his wife and safely assumed that Amanda had told them to go on ahead.  He was extremely relieved about that fact.  Grandma Mazur seemed like a nice enough older woman, but he had come to realize, on the five minute drive over here, exactly why Stephanie’s retired father started driving a cab.   Grandma Mazur, after going on about her interest in getting into law enforcement had made a side comment about her son-in-law taking up cab driving.  She said it was just an excuse he used so that he could drive one of his buddies down to the VFW hall and then stay to play cards all day.  Lee, on the other hand, suspected that it was merely an excuse to get out of the house and away from Mrs. Mazur.  He hoped that his relationship with Dotty remained close, because if Amanda’s mother ever got as bad as Mrs. Mazur, he knew for a fact that he’d go crazy. As he got closer to his wife, he noticed the slightly annoyed look on her face, and not knowing if he had done something wrong or if something had transpired, he approached her cautiously. “Everything okay?”

         “Yes,” Amanda let her features soften slightly, but watched him speculatively. “I sent the others inside.  Mrs. Mazur looked about ready to jump out of her skin if she didn’t get in there.” She pointed up the stairs, and then glanced back at her husband.  She had worked herself up and gotten ready for some sort of argument and was now slightly upset that she might not get her wish. “You aren’t mad that they went in ahead of us?”

         Lee caught the edge in his wife’s tone and had all the explanation he needed for the look on her face when he’d first arrived. Smiling, he shook his head. “Not in the least.  Aside from the fact that you’ve reminded me on more than one occasion that you are a trained agent and don’t need to be coddled, you’re standing in a brightly lit area, with lots of people and we’re not in the middle of some dangerous case at the moment, so you hardly need someone to watch your back.” He put his hand on the small of her back and began leading her up the steps. “Besides, I’m enjoying the intermission from Mrs. Mazur.”

         Amanda glanced over at her husband. “Now you’ve piqued my interest.  Mrs. Mazur seemed harmless enough, perhaps a bit unusual, but sweet.”

         “She’s a character all right but ‘sweet’ is not a word I would use to describe her.” Lee chuckled. “She wanted me to show her what the car could do and race you guys over here.  I tried to tell her that I didn’t know where we were going, and that it probably wasn’t a good idea.  She finally gave up on that and then started on other topics.  I thought old people were supposed to be somewhat reserved, even proper, but that doesn’t even come close to describing Mrs. Mazur. Not only does she have a colorful vocabulary, but there’s nothing that woman doesn’t talk about, body parts included.” His face turned serious. “Do you know she came right out and asked about our sex life.  She wanted to know that since we were both secret agents, if it was more exciting to have sex while being pursued by criminals than just normal everyday sex.  I thought nothing could shock me anymore, but that woman left me speechless.”

         Amanda stopped at the top of the stairs and looked at him, her expression half amused and half shocked. “She asked you a lot of personal questions?”

         Lee nodded. “She asked how serious you and I were, that’s what led up to the question about our sex life.  Not realizing where the conversation was going to go, I told her you and I were engaged, and to be honest, I think I would have told her even if we were keeping it a secret.  She gave me this look like she was sizing me up to be her next ‘studmuffin’.  It was scary.”

          “I guess we know which side of the family Stephanie takes after.” Amanda grinned as she remembered what Stephanie’s grandmother had said to her. “Oh, and,” she lovingly patted her husband’s cheek, “you were right, she was sizing you up. She told me that if she were a few years younger, I’d have some serious competition.” She laughed at the exasperated look on her husband’s face and began walking towards the entrance of the building, but stopped right outside the doors. “Lee, were you able to convince Mrs. Mazur to leave her gun in the car?”

         “Yes,” Lee nodded. “Believe me, that was no easy task.  I finally had to take out my federal ID and tell her that if she didn’t leave it behind, I was going to take her down to the local police station and have her arrested for illegal possession.”

         “I bet she loved that.” Amanda chuckled.

         “She said I was discriminating against her because she was old.” Lee opened the door for his wife so she could enter the noisy funeral home ahead of him. “I told her that I didn’t care about race, color, sex or age, the law is the law and I took an oath to uphold the law.”

         “I bet you put on your best Scarecrow face when you said it too.” Amanda laughed as she scanned the area looking for any indication of where Bernie Moppin was being laid out. “Who knew funeral viewings could draw this much excitement. I thought Stephanie was exaggerating when she’d equated coming here with a bingo parlor, but I’m beginning to think she was right. I don’t think I’ve seen one truly grieving person.  Everyone seems very chatty and happy, almost like they come here just to socialize.”

         Lee shrugged. “From the minute we stepped into the bond agency, I’ve felt like we walked into an alternate universe.  We’ve definitely met our share of interesting characters today.”

         “At least it hasn’t been dull.” Amanda pointed to a little black sign outside the main viewing room. “I guess we need to go in there.”  She walked over to the entrance to the room and began searching for any sign of Francine or Stephanie.  As her gaze fell on the area near the refreshment table, she grabbed her husband’s arm. “Lee,” she whispered. “I’m not a hundred percent sure, but from what I remember of his file, isn’t that Carlos Veranos.”

         Lee looked at his wife and then followed her gaze.  Sure enough, standing by a small table with cookies and coffee was Veranos.  He appeared to be deep in conversation with another man, who reminded him of someone who belonged in one of the Godfather movies. “Well, what do you know? Maybe your suggestion to Billy that we come here to check out the missing guns wasn’t just a ruse after all. What do you say we go over and have a little chat with him, see what he’s doing in Trenton? We’ll just act like two people paying their respects to Bernie Moppin.”

         “Sounds like a perfect plan to me.” Amanda linked her hand through her husband’s arm and began walking towards the refreshments.  Suddenly a thundering crash came from the front of the room, and, along with everyone else in the room, she turned towards the area where the casket was displayed.  The first thing she noticed was that the bier was empty, a clear indication that the noise that had echoed through the room, was a casket falling, and from what she had heard at Stephanie’s parents’ house, she had a sinking feeling that she knew exactly who had caused the disruption.  Her suspicions were confirmed when she caught sight of a familiar blonde head racing in their direction. As Francine got closer, Amanda noticed the gun in one hand and a small frail arm attached to the blonde’s other hand. 

         Lee caught the unabashed look on Mrs. Mazur’s face and then saw the slightly horrified look on Stephanie’s face as she quickly followed the other two up the aisle.  He glanced back towards the refreshment table, but Carlos Veranos was no longer there, and everyone was standing up and crowding around the toppled casket in the front of the room.   He was now extremely torn.  Every fiber of his being was telling him to try and find Veranos in order to find out why and how long he was going to be in Trenton, but the menacing look he saw on the face of one of the older men in the crowd told him that he should probably stay with his wife and their entourage, if for no other reason than for their safety.  Running a hand through his hair in frustration, he followed his wife and the others out into the lobby.

         “What were you doing?” Francine turned towards Stephanie, her eyes blazing.  “Didn’t your mother tell you to watch your grandmother?”

         Stephanie put her hands on her hips. “I was trying to find out if Mrs. Adams was around and confirming where she was living now.  My grandmother’s a grown woman.  I can’t watch her every second and ask questions too.”

         “What happened?” Lee asked the minute he had caught up with them in the lobby.

         “Grandma tried to pick the lock on the casket.” Stephanie knew she should be mad at her grandmother for disrupting yet another viewing, and she was pretty sure that Constantine Stiva was going to find a way to legally ban Grandma Mazur from ever stepping into his funeral home again, but for some reason, she couldn’t find it in her to be even the slightest bit annoyed.  Perhaps it was because these incidents were so common, that they didn’t phase her anymore. “By the time I realized what she was doing, it was too late and the casket was on its way towards the floor.” She looked at her grandmother curiously. “What exactly were you using to pick the lock?”

         Grandma opened her palm to show them the bobby pin in her hand. “I found it in my purse.  One of my curls had come undone and was bugging me. I was about to pin it back up when I realized I could put it to better use. I’d seen that hunky MacGyver use one once and thought I could test my own lock picking skills. I’ve seen it done a zillion times on all those detective shows on T.V., and they make it look so easy, so I figured why not try my hand at it? I guess I was concentrating so hard, that I didn’t realize how hard I was leaning on the casket till it started to topple backwards.  Apparently I don’t know my own strength.”

         “Uh oh, Con’s coming this way. We better leave now, before he has us thrown out.” Stephanie grabbed her grandmother’s arm and began dragging her towards the door.

         Amanda glanced back at the man who was now walking towards them, his expression determined and definitely not happy. “Who’s Con?”

         “He’s the owner of the funeral home and definitely not one of our biggest fans.” Stephanie raced down the stairs as fast as she could without causing her grandmother to fall.  “He kind of blames Grandma and me for starting a fire that killed his son about a year or so ago.” She paused when she reached the bottom of the stairs. “It wasn’t really our fault.” She commented when Amanda and the others had caught up to them. “Spiro, Con’s son, had locked Grandma and me in the basement and then the fire somehow started and anyway, that’s really a story for another time.  I think we should get Grandma home.”

         “Since you weren’t watching your grandmother, did you at least find out anything useful about Mrs. Adams?” Francine asked as they made their way towards Stephanie’s car.

         “She’s definitely living with her sister. I figure we can drop Grandma off at home, you can pick up your car,” Stephanie glanced at Francine as she unlocked her car door, “and then we can head over to Joe’s house.  I’ll get Amanda and Lee settled in there, and then you and I can head over to my place.” She caught the unmistakable look of a woman getting ready to protest and quickly continued, “I’m sure you’re anxious to find Benjamin, but it won’t do any good to bother Mrs. Adams tonight.  We’ll have better luck if we wait until tomorrow.” She glanced over at Lee and Amanda. “Joe can bring you over to my place in the morning and we can set up a plan of action then.  I’ve had a pretty exhausting day, and you guys did have a long drive up from D.C. I think we could all use a good night’s sleep, don’t you agree?”

         “You really can’t argue with that logic, Francine.” Lee said as he took his wife’s hand in his. “I’m pretty sure I know how to get back to your parents’ from here,” he glanced over at Stephanie, “it wasn’t all that difficult, so Amanda and I’ll just meet you there.” He then began walking quickly in the direction of his car, dragging his wife along with him.  He wanted to put a few car lengths between him and Mrs. Mazur, before she decided that she needed one more ride in his ’Vette.

*****  *****

         Lee glanced around the guest bedroom and noticed the slightly yellowing, old, but cared for, curtains on the window. “This house has a definite female touch to it, and somehow I don’t think it was Stephanie who decorated it.” He commented as he placed their luggage down on the bed.

         Amanda shook her head as she moved over to the bed and opened her small suitcase. “Stephanie said that Joe inherited this house from his Aunt Rose.”  She pulled out her bag of essentials and then began searching for something to wear to bed.  She had brought along a very sexy nightgown hoping to have at least one romantic evening with her husband, but since they were staying at Joe’s house, a practical stranger, whose house only had one bathroom, she didn’t feel comfortable wearing something that revealing.  It had been wishful thinking on her part, and knew that there was no hope of that now.  Catching sight of the lacy fabric, she kept it hidden inside her bag, not wanting to give her husband any ideas that they definitely wouldn’t be able to act on now, not when Joe might be able to hear what was going on.

          “Joe probably hasn’t had a chance to really make this house his own yet, although I have noticed a few areas where he’s started making changes.” Lee sat down on the bed and began removing his shoes and socks. “Speaking of Joe, I want to talk to him in the morning…,” he paused and glanced up at his wife, “you know what, I think I’m going to start calling him Morelli. Joe makes me feel like I’m talking about your ex.”

         Amanda raised her eyebrows archly as she stared intently at her husband. “And that’s a bad thing…”

         “No, not bad, just…weird.” Lee glanced at his wife with a serious expression. The subject of Joe King had always been a sensitive one between them.  He knew that Joe was going to be around, after all, he was the boys’ father, and no matter how happy Joe appeared to be with Carrie, he still felt a little jealous of all the years that Joe King had shared with his wife.  It didn’t matter that, despite reassurances from Amanda that she no longer felt anything but brotherly affection towards Joe, and the fact that he knew in his heart that the bond between himself and Amanda was very special and unbreakable, he knew he’d always feel that little bit of jealousy towards her ex-husband. “Anyway, I want to talk to Morelli about Veranos.  He might be able to give us some insight into why Veranos was in town. Who knows, maybe we’ll get lucky and not only track down the stolen Army weapons, but find Benjamin, too.”

         “Someone’s doing a lot of wishful thinking.  Are you going for some agent of the year award that I don’t know about, or just trying to make this trip last longer and thereby jinx our chances of getting home in time for the wedding.” Amanda paused and, taking a breath, looked at her husband curiously. “Why do you think Joe might know?” She noticed the slight wince her husband made when she said Joe, and fixed him with a look that clearly said ‘you’ve got to be kidding.’ Shaking her head she let out a small sigh. “I didn’t realize, when you said you were going to refer to Joe as Morelli that I had to as well.” She caught the pleading look on Lee’s face and rolled her eyes. “Fine, why do you think Morelli might be able to give you information about Veranos?” She asked, shaking her head with mild amusement as she made her way out of the bedroom and towards the bathroom. 

         “Because he’s a cop, and not just any cop, he works in Vice. They always have their ear to the ground.” Lee shrugged as he stood up.  He pulled his jeans off and placed them on the bed beside his suitcase.  “And call it a hunch, and maybe I’m being a bit prejudiced, but he is Italian, and perhaps he’s got some connections.” He opened his bag and dug out his toothbrush and then placed his pants into the suitcase. 

         Amanda chuckled as she stepped out of the bathroom dressed in a pair of pajama shorts and a loose fitting t-shirt. “You sound like someone who’s watched too many mob movies.”  She stood in the doorway of the guest room and watched as her husband took off his shirt. She shook her head lightly to clear her mind of dangerous thoughts as she watched the smooth ripples of his hard muscled body come into view.  Thoughts like those were exactly why she had changed in the bathroom.  She didn’t want to tempt her husband by undressing in the same room. She pushed off the frame and sighed as she made her way back into the room; it really was a shame they weren’t staying at a hotel, a little privacy would have been very nice.

         Lee slipped his t-shirt over his head and then moved his luggage to the floor at the foot of the bed. “It might be a little bit of that, mixed in with a lot of years in the spy business.” He turned and made his way towards the bathroom, smacking his wife’s bottom playfully as they passed each other.

         Amanda moved over to her suitcase and pulled out a bottle of lotion.  Walking over to the bed, she sat down on the mattress and began to rub some of the creamy liquid on her legs. “What do you think of Stephanie?”

         Lee poked his head out of the bathroom. “What do you mean?” His tone was slightly suspicious.

         Amanda shrugged her shoulders. “Francine commented that she and I could be sisters.  I guess we do look alike, but what I was really getting at was, well, she doesn't really fit the picture of what a bounty hunter should look like.”

         Lee finished brushing his teeth and then rinsed his mouth. Grabbing the nearby hand towel, he quickly dried his face. “Oh and what do you think a bounty hunter should look like?” He asked as he made his way back towards the bedroom.

         Amanda shrugged her shoulders again. “Sort of menacing, with an air of self-confidence and definitely someone who carries a gun. Someone kind of like... well... like Ranger.”

         Lee leaned against the doorframe and watched his wife as she continued to apply lotion to her silky skin.  He was extremely tempted to take over, but he had a feeling that it might lead to something else, something very enjoyable, but inappropriate considering their current accommodations.  Joe Morelli seemed like someone who probably had a healthy sex drive, but that didn’t mean he’d want to come home to find two strangers going at it in his house. He mentally sighed as he continued to watch his wife. “Some people didn't think a divorced housewife with two little boys and a live-in mom could be a counter-intelligence agent.”

         Amanda tilted her had and smiled. “Touché. Anyway, you didn’t answer my original question…what do you think of her?”

         Lee shrugged his shoulders slightly. “Honestly, I don’t think she’s cut out to be a bounty hunter.  I do think she’s a very determined and stubborn woman, and from what I could gather, she’s managed to get her man, or woman.  I don’t think she does it with any great skill though, I think she manages to get very lucky…” he flashed her his most charming smile, “not unlike someone else I know.”

         Amanda closed the lid on her lotion bottle and put it back in her suitcase. “Did I marry a spy or a comedian?”

         “You wanted an answer, so I gave you one.  What’s your impression of her then?” Lee pushed off the doorframe and walked towards his wife, his expression slightly challenging.

         Amanda chuckled. “Okay, I see your point.  Despite the fact that she doesn’t look like a bounty hunter, she does appear to have a pretty decent track record, at least that’s what I gathered from some of the stories Stephanie told us at dinner, and from the little bit of dialogue Ranger contributed to the conversation, before Morelli arrived.” She closed her suitcase and began to move it to the floor beside her husband’s.

         “I have to agree with you though, most people's perception of a bounty hunter would be the Ranger type, but I guess bounty hunters come in all shapes and sizes.” Lee watched as his wife made her way to the head of the bed and began pulling the covers down.  Remembering that they weren’t in a hotel or at their apartment, he quickly turned and closed the bedroom door.  “By the way, you stay away from that Ranger, I didn't like the way he was looking at you.”

         “Lee,” Amanda glanced at her husband with an amused glance, “I think you’re being blinded by that little green monster.  Anyone with brains in their head can see that Ranger only has eyes for Stephanie.”

         Lee stood in place and stared at his wife with an extremely baffled expression on his face. “I thought that she was involved with Morelli.”

         “I didn’t say that Ranger was involved with Stephanie or that she wasn’t involved with Joe. What I said was that Ranger seems to have a thing for Stephanie.  I noticed the concerned looks he gave Stephanie the minute she entered Mr. Plum’s office and the intensity of his gaze during dinner, all directed at Stephanie.  He barely knew I was alive, unless I actually said something to him.” Amanda sat down on the bed and slipped her legs under the covers. “I also sensed a battle of some sort going on when Ranger and Joe looked at each other.  I have a feeling that if Joe weren’t in the picture, Ranger would jump at the chance to be with Stephanie.”

         Lee shrugged his shoulders and made his way towards the bed. “If you say so, but if you don’t mind, I think I’ll keep an extra eye on him and you, just to make sure he doesn’t try and invade my territory.”

         Amanda sat up straight in the bed and, crossing her arms, glared at her husband. “Your territory?”

         Lee winced at the slight edge to his wife’s voice. “Okay, I admit, bad choice of words,” he noticed his wife’s eyes beginning to grow wider and threw up his hands in defeat. “Ah hell, you know what I mean.”

         “There’s that little green monster again,” Amanda relaxed her features and patted the bed beside her. “Honestly, Lee, you have nothing to worry about where Ranger’s concerned.”

         Lee climbed into bed and slid under the covers. He turned and lay on his side, bending his elbow, he propped his head up with his hand. “You’re too trusting, Amanda.  I may not have to worry about him making advances towards you, but there’s definitely something about the guy that screams danger.  He’s too cautious and reserved.  And besides,” he rolled over onto his back, “I think I was more concerned with the looks you were giving him, than the way he might or might not have been looking at you.”

         Amanda began to chuckle and, lying down, placed her head on his shoulder. Sighing contentedly, she began to trace lazy circles on her husband’s chest. “You can’t deny he’s good looking.  And there’s nothing wrong with me looking, after all, what’s good for the gander is good for the goose.”

         “What’s that supposed to mean?” Lee asked his wife cautiously.

         Amanda chuckled harder. “Oh please, I’ve seen your eyes wander when a gorgeous supermodel-like woman walks by.”

         Lee looked over at his wife with a very shocked expression. “I do not.”

         Amanda laughed as she reached over and turned out the bedside lamp. “Yes you do, and it’s perfectly normal, I’d be worried if you didn’t look, just as long as you don’t touch.”

         Lee reached out and slipped his hand into his wife’s hair. “The only woman I want to touch is you.”  Pulling her to him, he caught her lips with his.

         Amanda brought her hand up and placed it tenderly on his cheek, deepening the kiss. As she felt her husband respond, she quickly remembered that they couldn’t continue any further down this path of intimacy, and she reluctantly pulled her lips away.  “And you’re the only man I want.  However, until our accommodations are a little more private, I think a good night kiss is the only touching we should do tonight.”

         Lee let out a reluctant groan, “I hate it when you’re right.” He leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips. “Goodnight, I love you.”

         “I love you too, and I know this is difficult, but at least we get to share a bed. Besides, it won’t be too much longer until we’ll get to fall asleep together like this every night, and we might as well get used to the idea that we are going to have others down the hall from us.” Amanda rested her head on his chest.

         “Hmm…” Lee smiled as a thought occurred to him. “You know what, you’ve just made a very valid point. Maybe we can use Morelli’s house as a test run, see how well we do in keeping our love making quiet.” He whispered and then began to nibble on his wife’s ear.

         Amanda lightly swatted her husband’s stomach. “As tempting as that sounds, maybe we should wait until we get to know this Morelli a little better before we use his house as a field test.” She deftly maneuvered herself so that her husband no longer had easy access to her ear, or neck.  Snuggling deeper into his warm body, she slid her arm across his chest. 

         Lee sighed reluctantly as he tightened his arm around his wife’s shoulders. “I love you.”

         “I love you too.” Amanda brought her free hand up to cover her yawn. “Get some sleep, Lee.  We’re most likely going to have a very long day tomorrow.”

         Lee breathed in the flower scent of his wife’s hair and sighed happily. He couldn’t believe that in a little less than two weeks, he’d be able to fall asleep with his wife in his arms every night for the rest of his life.  However, as thoughts of tomorrow began to creep into his mind, a feeling of fear started to grow in the pit of his stomach.  With so much to look forward to, and the fact that Veranos was in town left a very big opening for things to start going very wrong.  Add to the mix the fact that everyone seemed to delight in making a point of Stephanie’s luck for disaster; he decided he needed to take a few precautionary steps now. “Amanda…”

         Amanda sighed and rolled her eyes. “Lee,” she managed in a very exhausted voice, “we really need to get some sleep.” Sensing the sudden tenseness in her husband’s body, she realized that unless she let him tell her what was on his mind, neither one of them would be getting any rest. Raising herself up slightly, she looked into her husband’s worried face. “Sweetheart…what’s wrong?”

         “Nothing…yet.” Lee wrapped a curl around one of his fingers and absently began to play with it.  “It’s just I have so much to look forward to, moving in to the house, becoming a full-time husband, waking up with you in my arms every morning…”

         Amanda gazed at her husband intently and then, as if being able to read his mind, she began to understand his concern. “And you think that something with this Benjamin case is going to happen that’s going to change that.” When her husband nodded his head slowly, she leaned forward and placed a tender kiss on his lips. “We’re not even sure Benjamin’s here.  This is merely a fact finding mission, and a way to keep an eye on Francine.”

         Lee shook his head. “Amanda, you know as well as I do that none of our cases ever end up being simple.  Just look at tonight, and the fact that a man we were supposed to investigate a week ago, turns up in the very place we need to start the search for Benjamin Adams. You even joked about it earlier, and if we don’t report Veranos’ whereabouts to Billy, and he finds out, or worse Dr. Smyth finds out, he’ll have our heads.  So now we have two cases to deal with, and we have to wrap them both up in time to get home and exchange our vows in front of everyone.”

         “First, nothing is going to keep us from our wedding, it didn’t the first time and it won’t now; and second I don’t see the Veranos thing as a problem, I see it as an opportunity.” Amanda laid her head back on her husband’s chest and began tracing lazy circles. “You said yourself that you wanted to see what information Morelli could provide on Veranos, so tomorrow, instead of all of us trying to be in two places at once, we split up.”

         “That’s kind of what I had in mind. The problem is,” Lee cleared his throat, “the best way to do that is for us to split up, and I’m referring to you and me.” He pulled back a little and rolled over on his side, so that he could look into his wife’s face. “One of us has to stay with Francine, while the other goes to the station with Morelli.”

         “That’s easy, I’ll go to the station with Morelli, and you can keep an eye on Francine.” Amanda replied teasingly. “Now, that that’s settled, I really want to get some sleep.” She kissed his cheek and then rolled over on her side, with her back to her husband.

         “Seriously,” Lee felt almost relieved. If Amanda would willingly go with Morelli, spending the majority of the day under the close supervision of an entire police force, he could definitely sleep better. However, he knew his wife better than that. “Wait, you’re joking with me, aren’t you?”

         Amanda rolled back over to face him. “Yes, of course I was. You don’t really want to spend the day with Francine and Stephanie, do you? Nor do you and that jealous streak of yours really want me to spend the entire day with Joe Morelli.” As she noticed, in the dim light of the room, the solemn expression on her husband’s face, her own expression turned serious. “Wait a minute…you do want me to spend the day with Morelli.” She instantly sat up in bed. “Oh, ho, no way buster.  You are not putting me on the sidelines. You think that if you surround me with policemen, that I won’t manage to get into any trouble.  Well let me remind you that I’m a fully trained, qualified agent and I do not need you finding ways to protect me any more.”

          “Amanda,” Lee rose and was now sitting up, facing his wife. “This has nothing to do with your capabilities as an agent.  I just don’t want you being paired with someone who seems to have the same luck as you do when it comes to finding trouble.  Face it, you two are very similar in a lot of ways.  You both kind of stumbled into your current jobs, in a manner of speaking, plus the way that Vincent Plum and everyone else we’ve met today, Morelli and Ranger included, enjoyed joking about her little mishaps…”

         Amanda let out a long deep breath.  “Lee, you need to stop worrying.  Nothing bad is going to happen.  If you ask me you’re getting pre-wedding jitters, which isn’t uncommon in most men, except you and I have already done the whole marriage thing before.  This wedding is just a formality so that we didn’t have to tell everyone that we’d been lying to them for the last two years.” She smiled and moved closer to her husband. “Although your second marriage proposal was a lot more romantic than the first.” She placed a kiss on her husband’s cheek. “Now, tomorrow, I will go with Francine and Stephanie to talk to Benjamin’s grandmother, and you will go to the police station with Morelli.” She then scooted back down under the covers and patted the pillow, inviting her husband to join her.

         “There’s no way I’m going to change your mind is there?” Lee asked with a skeptical tone as he lay back down and raised his arm, allowing his wife to take up her earlier position in the crook of his arm.

         “Nope,” Amanda rested her head on his chest and smiled. “there really isn’t. Besides, I know you well enough to know that you wouldn’t enjoy talking to an old woman, let alone spending the day with Francine, who’s hell bent on making anti-male comments every chance she gets.  Face it, she’d take out all her frustration with the male gender on you.”

         Lee sighed and realized that no matter how much he disliked the idea, his wife was right, but he wasn’t about to let her know that. “I think you’re just using Francine as an excuse so that you can enjoy some good old fashioned female bonding.”

         Amanda laughed. “So what if I am? And you know what, it might do you some good to do some male bonding of your own…with someone who isn’t under the age of fifteen.  When was the last time you hung out with ‘the guys’ and I’m not talking about Mr. Melrose and the occasional Friday night steak and beer at Randy’s.”

         “Okay, I get the point.” Lee placed a kiss on his wife’s forehead.

         “Good, now, can we get some sleep please?” Amanda let out a yawn, further letting her husband know just how tired she was. “I love you.” She whispered as she felt her eyes drifting shut.

         “I love you, too.” Lee tightened his arm around her shoulders. “Goodnight.” He whispered as he heard her breathing start to even out.  Closing his eyes, he hoped that Amanda was right and that nothing was going to happen to keep them from walking down that aisle and spending the rest of their lives, publicly, as man and wife.