Questions

Saturday, August 10, 2002

11:30 AM

"Mom you're not answering my questions," Jenna said.

Amanda placed the laundry basket on top of the washing machine, taking
the clothes out of the dryer. "Sweetheart, I'm answering all the
questions that I can," she said. "I can't tell you what I don't know."

"So why didn't we call the police?"

"Because the man was an associate of your fathers'," Amanda said. "He
didn't mean any harm, I told you that. He was very sorry."

"So if he hadn't been an associate we would've called them?" Jenna said.

"Yes of course we would call them," Amanda said. They left the utility
room and Amanda placed the laundry basket on the family-room sofa,
folding the clothes as she spoke. "Jenna if anyone had been trying to
hurt or frighten you know we would've done everything necessary to
protect you."

"I know that," Jenna said. "But you and dad make movies, right?"

"Right," Amanda said.

"So that man works on movies too," Jenna said. "Right?"

"Sort of," Amanda said.

"Well why couldn't he just phone, then?" Jenna said. "I still don't
understand why he went up the ladder to the window to give Dad some
information."

"Sweetheart the –movie business has some very strange people in it and
that man is one of them," Amanda said, struggling for the right words
under her daughter's piercing gaze. "I can't explain why he does what
he does. I don't understand it myself. I'm not even sure I want to
understand it. But that's all I can tell you. Okay?"

"I guess so," Jenna muttered.

"Why don't you go upstairs and clean your room?" Amanda said.

"Fine," Jenna said. Amanda could hear her daughter muttering something
as she went upstairs.

Once Jenna was gone Amanda sank down on the sofa, looking at the TV.
The news was on-something about an attack on the Metro early this
morning but Amanda's head was too full of thoughts to concentrate.
They were going to have to tell Jenna something soon, she knew. They'd
been putting it off now for far too long. Just then the telephone
rang, the caller ID indicating the name and number. Turning the volume
down on the set Amanda picked up the phone. "Hello Lee," she said.

SMK SMK SMK SMK

Francine opened the door of the Q Bureau. Lee was on the phone, his
feet on top of the mess of his desk.

"I finished the debriefing, Amanda," Lee said. "Just catching up on
some paperwork but I should be home soon. How's Jenna?" There was a
pause, and then Lee's voice rose several octaves. "He did what?"
Another pause. Francine watched as Lee's expression hardened.

"That son of a-" he said, his fist clenching. "Don't worry, Amanda,
I'll deal with him. I love you. Tell Jenna I love her too, okay?
Bye." He hung up the phone.

"I brought you these additional dossiers," Francine said, placing them
on the desk.

"Thanks," Lee said, standing up and putting on his jacket. "I'll look
at them later, Francine-I've really got to go.

"Everything all right at home?" Francine asked.

"It will be," Lee said. "Once I've dealt with a certain individual."

SMK SMK SMK SMK

"Fine," Jenna said again to herself as she pushed open the door to her
room. "I'll just go and clean up my room like a good little girl and
not even ask questions about this-or the 15000 other things in my life
that no one else will ever explain." The room really was kind of a
mess though-mom was right on that. Jenna made her bed, arranging her
stuffed animals and her throw pillows. She knelt on the floor,
gathering up some stray papers and books. Jenna opened one of the
drawers to stuff them in there and that's when she saw it. The other
books and papers fell from her hands, forgotten, as she reached into
the drawer and pulled the object out.

It was a small composition book-the cover carried a picture of The
Washington Monument. Jenna had bought it with some of her pocket money
on a school trip last year. The pages were all blank except for the
first page where she had started to use it for English class. The five
parts of a story were written there: Exposition, Rising Action,
Climax, Falling Action and Resolution, along with a little graph that
Jenna had drawn. She tore out that page and threw it in the wastepaper
basket staring at the blank page that sat in front of her. A purple
gel pen was lying on her dresser-Jenna reached up and grabbed it,
bending over the notebook. In her best script she wrote one word
across the top line:

Secrets

Underneath that word Jenna started a list:


1. Dad & Mom both very good at fighting.
2. Dad with a gun? ?

Jenna crossed out number two –lots of people had guns-that wasn't
unusual.

3. Weird trips taken.

Weird trips? Jenna thought. Maybe she should cross that one out
too-after all, filmmakers probably had to make trips to all kinds of
places.

But not in the middle of the night after a weird phone call, Jenna
thought of the few times that had happened. Maybe she should leave it
in after all.

4. Being there to rescue me when I was kidnapped.
5. Being there to rescue me when I was locked in the locker room.
6. Shooting at the people when I was shot.
7. Fighting someone with a sword during The Nutcracker
8. Dr. Pfaff (film company with a psychiatrist)
9. Not EVER able to go to work on Take Your Daughter to Work Day.
10. Able to open a locked door? Without key?
11. Rescuing me from Mr. Frere (Dennis Johnston).
12. What kind of person would climb in a window to give Dad
information instead of calling or knocking on the door?


Jenna stared at her list. Was there really something there, she
wondered, or was she just kidding herself and letting her imagination
run away?

"Freeze!"

It was dad's voice-loud enough to be heard even with the window
closed. Jenna went to her window, carefully pushing the curtains
aside as she watched the scene playing out below. Dad was standing in
the backyard, facing another man-tall with dark hair that seemed kind
of familiar. Trying not to make a sound, Jenna carefully eased the
window open.

SMK SMK SMK SMK

"Lee," Augie said as he turned around. "Just the man I wanted to see."

"After the way you frightened my daughter I very much doubt that," Lee
said, watching in satisfaction as the other man's face paled. "Come
back for an encore, Augie?"

"Lee that was an accident, I swear," Augie said. "Just a
misunderstanding. I didn't mean to do anything."

"Maybe not," Lee said, walking forward until Augie was flattened
against the wall of the house. Lee grabbed the front of the man's
shirt. "But if you ever have another accident like that again you'll
regret it. Understand?"

"I understand," Augie croaked.

"Good," Lee smoothed out the front of Augie's shirt and straightened
his tie. " Now what was the information you needed to give me?"

"I'm going to need some cash," Augie said.

"Don't push it," Lee said.

A soft noise from above made Lee look up-he could see that Jenna's
bedroom window was partially open. Was Jenna there, listening? Lee
couldn't tell, but he couldn't afford to take any chances. He looked
at Augie.

"I'll meet you somewhere later," he told the informant. "We can talk
then."

SMK SMK SMK SMK

"Oh my gosh," Jenna whispered. "Oh my gosh oh my gosh." Her heart
was pounding wildly and her hands were shaking. She took deep breaths
but they didn't seem to help.

Had Dad seen her? She didn't think so but she couldn't be sure. And
what had just happened? Jenna had no idea, but she was going to try
her best to find out. Under her list in the notebook Jenna wrote out
one more word:


Investigate.