Billy’s Case Files part 3
by Ermintrude
See part one for disclaimers
During Magic Bus October 24, 1983
Billy reviewed the paperwork on the TWU, Total Weaponry Unit, nicknamed The Vigilant, that his department was in charge of guarding until it went out on the road with the Army escort. He needed a place to hide it overnight, while the mockup was being readied for air shipment. He needed somewhere out of the way. Somewhere nobody would suspect a secret military project would stay before being driven from DC to Arizona.
But where could he park it? The motor pool was too obvious, an RV would stand out there. Hiding it on the lot of a real RV dealer would be a security nightmare. It needed to be in a place where a person might expect to see an RV, but a place where it could be guarded easily. Not on the street, in a garage. Well that was silly. How many garages could hold an RV? But a driveway in suburbia would be perfect. Maybe his own house? No, that would be too obvious. He was too plugged in, and people might suspect. He needed someone connected to the Agency, who was not known, yet totally trustworthy. Someone in the suburbs who might want to buy an RV, and test one out for a weekend. Someone with a family, kids… Of course! Mrs. King had the two boys, and her mother. Just the perfect family unit to buy an RV. He would arrange for it to be delivered this afternoon, after their tour, and stay at her place overnight. He’d station a couple of guards to watch over the place, and nobody would be the wiser. And he’d have Scarecrow let her know about the arrangements. After all, what’s the good of being the boss, if you can’t delegate once in a while?
During The ACM Kid October 31, 1983
Billy sat in his office and waited a few minutes before leaving for the night. It was late, and he thought back to the ‘debriefing’ of Alexi. What a disaster. He had daughters, and was somewhat used to kids, but Alexi was a real hard case. That kid was way too old for his years. He supposed trying to get him to cooperate with a lollipop was somewhat naïve, but he didn’t think bourbon was really appropriate, and that was all that it seemed would work after that.
And Lee Stetson, swinging bachelor, man about town, was going to bring the boy home with him and try to get him to talk. When pigs flew… Billy had been surprised when Lee volunteered to take the boy, when the alternative had been the local juvenile facility. Apparently Billy had hit a nerve with that one. He wondered just what Lee had against juvenile facilities, but thought on the whole it was probably best that he not find out. That man’s childhood was bleak enough without all the gory details.
Lee had mentioned he had called Amanda earlier, and planned on having her come by in the morning to watch Alexi while he went to work. Now that was someone who had a chance of being able to communicate with the tight-lipped boy. Mrs. King had two boys of her own, and seemed to understand people, far better than Lee could. Billy had readily agreed to her help. After all, it was cheaper than having another agent watch the boy. And she would be a more normal influence than any of the regular Agency people would be. Once again, Mrs. King’s normal housewifely skills were coming in very handy in their shadowy world of espionage. And, wonder of wonders, Scarecrow had called her on his own. Of course, he had been desperate, and totally out of his element, trying to debrief a twelve-year-old, but the fact that he had thought to call his partner was encouraging to Billy. It showed the man was beginning to rely on her for help when he needed it. Granted, it was something of a no-brainer in this instance, but he did initiate the contact, so hopefully it would become a habit for him. Only time would tell…
Before Always Look a Gift Horse in the Mouth November 7, 1983
Billy reviewed the itinerary for Prince Rheza Khan of Zaquir and his wife for their diplomatic visit to the US. Most of the stops were already planned, but a few details had yet to be nailed down. The Princess wanted to visit an elementary school, and tour the facilities. Something about helping establish a good educational model for the children of their country. There were many schools that would be appropriate, but arranging security… And then there was the matter of an escort who was appropriately screened, but a member of the PTA, and not some trained agent. Who could he get? Wait, of course! He accessed the correct file. Yes, it was all there. Not only was she a Bedside Bluebell, but she was a member of the PTA as well. For many years. So it would look entirely natural to have Amanda King escort the Princess to the school her boys attended. And then if the Princess decided to run off, hopefully Mrs. King would be able to alert the Agency, or better yet, possibly tag along. That way the Princess would be under Agency observation, and yet not become suspicious as she might if her minder was a trained agent.
If Billy were lucky, Mrs. King might even be able to become somewhat friendly with the Princess, and help gain some insight into the couple and their politics. Billy knew Zaquir was an American ally, but it always helped to have as much information about those in power as was possible. And Mrs. King was charming and personable and probably would befriend the woman anyhow. It was like her to do that.
Then there was also the added benefit of making Scarecrow work with his partner once again. The more they managed to work together, the better it seemed to be for both of them. Certainly Scarecrow was benefiting from the unusual partnership, and he hoped Amanda was also.
After Service Above and Beyond November 14, 1983
Billy left the hospital and drove home. He was feeling guilty. When Mrs. King had asked about classes, and mentioned it probably wouldn’t compromise her usefulness if she stayed alive, he had not imagined that statement would become ironic so quickly. She was certainly lucky. Muscaline was a nasty poison. She was fortunate Delano knew what it was, and that she had gotten the antidote quickly. Otherwise she would have been facing a lengthy and painful recovery. If she had survived, that is.
So Billy was feeling very relieved that he had authorized classes for her the previous week. She had even started some. Training tapes, or something like that. He did consider her Scarecrow’s partner, but she was also a civilian, and not trained like the rest of his people were. And he had encouraged Lee to use her by getting close to Delano and get Lee into the party as her chauffeur. If he had known what exactly Delano was involved in, he would have used Francine or another trained agent. Or would he? Really, in the situation, Mrs. King was the logical choice. And Billy used whatever resources he had to best advantage. Which meant that, on occasion, people got hurt. Or were killed.
That was definitely the downside of his job. He didn’t dwell on it too often. If he wasn’t the section chief, someone else would be, and that someone might not be as understanding or willing to go the extra mile for his people as he was. Everyone, even Mrs. King, had volunteered to do the jobs they did. Nobody was a conscript or draftee. In the armed services, there were many people who ended up fighting even if they didn’t want to. He had seen a lot of that during his tour in Korea, and certainly that was the case with Vietnam as well. It was one of the exigencies of war. Well, Billy’s people waged another type of war, but this one was in the shadows, and in this one, everyone was a volunteer. Even the civilian auxiliaries. But few civilian auxiliaries were out in the field partnered with a trained agent. Billy would have to make sure Amanda had as much training as he could provide. Yes, he thought her usefulness definitely would not be compromised if she managed to stay alive. And he was glad she had pulled through this one. Hopefully, he wouldn’t have to worry about her like that again for a long time, if ever. Some agents could go years without any close calls. But Scarecrow seemed to court danger, so it was probably inevitable Mrs. King would have a few more close calls in the future. Hopefully her luck would hold, because he needed her with Lee.
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.