Billy’s Case Files part 2
by Ermintrude
See part one for disclaimers
First Season
October 3, 1983—after The First Time
Billy looked at the papers in front of him. “Amanda West King DOB 6/6/51 address 4247 Maplewood Drive, Arlington VA. Graduated Arlington High School 1969. Graduated University of Virginia 1973, Major—English Literature, Minor—Photojournalism. Married 6/24/72 to Joseph Lewis King DOB 1/28/47, Son Phillip Carl King DOB 3/26/73, Son James Walter King DOB 11/28/75, divorced 9/7/82. Mother Dorothea Taylor West DOB 7/27/27, Father Carl William West 6/2/25-12/8/67 (heart attack) married 5/7/46. Unemployed, looking for work.
‘So this is the civilian that Scarecrow picked out of the crowd. She’s an average divorced housewife and mother. Her mother lives with her. She’s absolutely nothing like any of the other women in his life. They have nothing in common. Yet this is the woman who managed to crack the case and rescue Scarecrow. She went out of her way to help him. I wonder if she would be interested in working with our Scarecrow again? I’ll see if an opportunity comes up, whether she might be available.’
October 10, 1983—during There Goes The Neighborhood.
Francine left Billy’s office after her report on Frank Bodine and his wife’s disappearance. Something suspicious was going on in Betsy Ross Estates, and he needed a team in there to find out what. But who? The best cover would be a married couple, but Francine was out, she had already met Frank Bodine, and returning as a new neighbor would be suspicious, not to mention totally out of character for Francine. The woman was a consummate professional, but when it came to being a housewife… a housewife! That was it! He knew Scarecrow would be perfect to go in and look around, but Scarecrow needed a ‘wife’ as cover to move into the house with him, and thanks to the man himself, Billy had a genuine housewife available. Now, if only Mrs. King was still available …
October 17, 1983—during If Thoughts Could Kill
Billy got off the phone and sighed. He had been at his desk reviewing Scarecrow's reports on the Colonial Cookery and Connie Beth cases. He realized Amanda was integral in solving both cases. She saw Francine being questioned by Margaret Welch, and rescued Scarecrow. In a somewhat unorthodox manner, truth be told – actually they were both lucky they weren't killed in that helicopter.
And Connie Beth – Amanda figured out it was opening the boxes in the garage that got Betty Bodine killed – and her using hairspray to take out Bobby Bouchard was a great move. The women had amazing instincts, plus she was so good with people and seemed to be able to hold her own with Lee Stetson.
The way those two argued, Billy just knew Amanda had not succumbed to Scarecrow's charms, which was quite a feat in itself.
Billy had no illusions about Lee Stetson. The man enjoyed the ladies – most all ladies – and he was always putting out signals which most women responded to positively. “Love 'em and leave 'em Lee” was just one of the nicknames the steno pool used for him. Billy assumed Lee had made a play for Amanda, he probably couldn't help himself, and they spent most of several nights together in that house – with the one furnished bedroom – that was the setup they had ordered for the cover house in Betsy Ross Estates. Billy had overheard Amanda mentioning "The senior agent always gets the bed" that old saw. So he knew the ‘sleeping arrangements’ had been a topic of discussion during that assignment. But Billy was a good judge of character and he knew Amanda King was not the type of person to engage in casual sex.
He reviewed the background file on Mrs. King. Everything seemed to be in order, the background checks had turned up nothing questionable.
Billy's gut said she was just what Scarecrow needed. He noticed how Lee had hovered near Amanda during her debriefings in his office. The way he escorted her out of his office – Lee's hand in the small of her back – showed Lee felt protective of Amanda.
Then he had replayed the tapes of their meeting on the security cameras in the Georgetown foyer just before the Connie Beth case. She had handled Lee pretty well, even to pushing him into the elevator. She definitely was not intimidated by the man. But she also picked up on his signals. Lee had related how she had run with his "spying on the competition" line, and how she went on about being a Lovely Lady lady. And then she had sprayed the hair spray in Bobby Bouchard's eyes. So she can act as well as react. Good instincts.
After the altercation with Walt Kimball, Lee had landed in the hospital with a bad knee. And he was making everyone miserable about the annual physical. After the third call to Billy the hospital had threatened to throw Lee out unless something was done to keep him quiet and cooperative. Alec had ordered Lee to have the physical, and Billy needed Lee in the field, so Lee had to complete the physical. But Billy knew Lee needed a buffer between himself and the hospital staff. Someone more personable than Lee, someone cheerful and helpful.
Billy reviewed Amanda's file again – it was right here. She volunteered as a Bedside Bluebell. It wasn't really fair – to her – but it was something she did well. And Billy needed Lee to complete the physical. He also needed another test to make sure Mrs. King was indeed the right partner for Scarecrow.
Billy knew how difficult Lee could be when he was a patient, and having the injured knee in addition to the tests would make him impossible to live with. If Amanda King could handle Lee during his hospital stay, and still remain cheerful and helpful, well she surely was a gift from heaven. And Billy was not one to refuse such a gift.
Scarecrow would be resistant to Amanda's presence, but Billy could make it an order. Or better, present it as an assistant. Lee would like that, an assistant to help out while he was in the hospital.
Third time's the charm. If Amanda King would work with Scarecrow, put up with him and get him through the three days of tests – she would become his official unofficial partner. Lee would fight it all the way, but with a few well-placed orders and letting him work cases on his own in between, maybe it would grow on him. He did seem protective of her. And she was certainly enthusiastic about the work. Maybe she could help out with Lee's reports and other clerical duties – get her transcribing tapes, too. It would keep her busy and keep her around so Lee would get used to seeing her in the office. And if she was around, then she could be pulled off the clerical duties if Lee needed her help on a case.
‘Yes, if she works out at the hospital, we've found Scarecrow's new partner for sure. He won't know what hit him!’
After If Thoughts Could Kill October 17, 1983
Billy was at his desk once more, tying up the loose ends from Scarecrow's latest case. Who was he kidding? This one was all Amanda. He paused and sat back in his chair. Poor Walt Kimball. His wife and family would get the death benefits, but the man should still be alive. How Ted Glazer managed to brainwash several of his agents–right under his nose... Billy managed to supress a shudder. This time HE had been the target. He was saved from Walt's attack by a fluke. And as he stood at the podium, he saw that Lee was fully intending to kill him–coldly and without remorse–but for Amanda.
When Amanda barged into the room, wearing her Bedside Bluebell uniform and carrying that weird stuffed duck, he thought it was some sort of practical joke Scarecrow had dreamed up. But then he saw the desperate look in her eyes, and how she was focusing solely on Sacrecrow. Somehow she was able to get through to Lee. She was able to get past Glazer's training and conditioning, and reach Lee. She broke the training, finally getting the duck to talk. But she had reached him before that. It was a close thing. Too close.
Billy allowed a shudder to go through his body. Then he deliberately repeated his mantra and allowed himself to relax fully. Since he had been out of the field for several years, he hadn't been entirely ready for how tense things could get in the heat of the moment. He had stood there at the podium, not moving, hoping and praying that Amanda would be able to get through to her partner. That sort of rapport and trust only developed after years of partnership–not after two weeks. Of course, she had been thrown into close contact with the man on the last two cases, so she had more time with him than a mere two weeks might indicate. Apparently she has some amazing ability to get under people's skin. She had certainly gotten to Scarecrow–Billy wondered if Eric would have been able to break such rigorous training. And she had gotten to Billy as well. Even if he didn't owe her his life, he would have made the decision to permanently partner Mrs. King with his best agent. Scarecrow delivered the goods, but the man needed a partner to keep him grounded and more cautious and rational. And he had come up with his new partner all on his own.
Billy once again thanked whatever guardian angels looked out for Scarecrow–and himself. He knew that success in the field was built on knowledge, skill and training, but he also knew that luck was a factor as well. Sometimes, only luck was what saved you from a fatal end. And that was something a good agent never counted upon, but nonetheless realized was a help and a necessary component of a successful career. And apparently, he and Scarecrow both had more than an average amount of luck. And it seemed Amanda King was their new good luck charm.
So Billy was determined to keep her around as much as possible. She has good secretarial skills, and hopefully she would take to transcribing and doing the other secretarial tasks around the Agency. Because Billy would not let her go, no matter how desperate and trapped Scarecrow felt. He would have to balance things–allow Scarecrow some solo cases–maybe overseas–to give him breathing room. Because Billy could see–Amanda King was the type of person that got under your skin, and couldn't be forgotten or dismissed easily. The woman was devoted to Stetson–he saw that as she desperately tried to stop him from taking that shot. And Stetson was not going to like that sort of devotion in his new partner. Hopefully, she'd eventually tone it down. But she had seen Lee at his worst–and was planning on doing it again. And she still came back for more. So she was fully committed to their partnership. Now all he had to do was convince Scarecrow that it was a good thing. That would take time. A long time. Weeks? Not likely. Months, for sure. A full year? Possibly. But like it or not, Scarecrow had a new partner, and as long as Billy was section chief, the partnership would stand.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.