Billy’s Case Files part 4
by Ermintrude
See part one for disclaimers
After Saved By the Bells November 28, 1983
Billy sat at his desk, reviewing the Rostov file. It had been a very busy couple of days. Rostov captured, culminating a lengthy operation; Amanda kidnapped in Lee's place; Lee kidnapping Rostov to trade for Amanda; Lee and Amanda together finding the house where she was held and recapturing Rostov as well as three more enemy agents. In between Lee had been charged with treason and gone on the run.
Billy was amazed Amanda King could find Scarecrow when the rest of the Agency came up empty. Clearly she had come to know Lee very well to find him at the Athletic club. She had also learned a lot about the business to be able to find the house with Lee's help. Just to have pulled off the “impersonation” of Scarecrow to Zinoviev and Arkady was a big accomplishment. She did have the instincts.
And Lee's feeling of responsibility toward her. Billy had asked Lee if there was anything between him and Amanda. Lee's denial was definitive, Lee had no physical or romantic feelings toward Amanda it seemed, but the way he risked everything to save her... Sure, the circumstances brought up a whole lot of bad memories for Scarecrow: Dorothy, Eric, maybe others. But then there was the way Lee acted toward Amanda when she was around, the way he resisted working with her, their arguments. Billy knew there was an office pool about when Amanda would finally tell Scarecrow to go to hell and refuse to work with him anymore. So far several people had their deadlines passed up, and betting was still strong. Only a couple people were betting they would stay together, and they were considered crazy and a long shot.
Billy wasn't in the betting pool, he wasn't even supposed to know about it, but he would bet on the long run for this unusual partnership. And the reason was all about Amanda. How she managed to keep Lee in line was amazing. But more amazing was that Scarecrow seemed oblivious to it. Oblivious but not unaffected. Otherwise why would he risk everything to save Amanda?
That stunt took Billy by surprise, and that wasn't good. As section chief he needed to know all his agents so he could foresee such stunts and head them off. Now he had added Amanda King to the equation, things were a lot less predictable where Scarecrow was concerned. Or maybe not. Billy just needed to remember Lee's very active feelings of responsibility toward her, and his still massive survivor's guilt. God help them all if anything happened to Amanda again. But it was too late to break up that team. Only two months working together and they had a great success rate. And even working without Amanda, Lee was calmer and more cautious. The benefits really outweighed the potential problems. Billy just had to always keep Amanda in mind whenever Scarecrow was involved.
After Sudden Death December 5, 1983
Billy was reviewing the Pioneers/Lichtenstein case files. He had been pleased Scarecrow had managed to get into the Pioneer’s training camp as a draft pick from the Canadian Football League. The Lichtenstein matter was serious, and they were close to getting an inside look at the operation. But with Lee supposedly in training, it had been getting more difficult for him to get his information back to Billy. So Billy had arranged for a messenger to run the information from Lee to the Agency. Again, Billy was grateful Lee had picked her out that morning at the train station. He had picked up his phone, and called Mrs. King, yet again. She had minored in photojournalism in college, so posing as a sports reporter had been easy for her. This partnership was proving to be very advantageous for all concerned.
Unfortunately, Lee and Amanda managed to run afoul of a bookie who was blackmailing Bela Pravik to throw a few field goals to influence the spread. When they had disappeared, along with Bela, the man who could identify Lazlo, the assassin, things had gotten tense. Billy had sent people out looking for his team, but they had disappeared without a trace. When Bela had appeared the next morning, in time for the game, Billy had been relieved, but still worried that Lee and Amanda were nowhere to be found. Still, no bodies had surfaced, so he had every reason to believe they were still alive. Then, at the last minute, Lee had appeared and thwarted the murder attempt on Bela, and Amanda had stopped Lazlo cold. It turned out, they had been tied up all night in straightjackets in a bookie joint. They weren’t hurt, and managed to get their man and stop the assassination of the Prime Minister, so their solve rate was still the highest in his unit. And their luck was still holding. All in all, it had been relatively easy on all of them, and Billy was glad for that.
During The Long Christmas Eve December 19, 1983
Billy Melrose watched Lucas leave the bullpen. He went into his office, and shut the blinds. Then he sat down at his desk, and opened the bottom drawer. He pulled out a bottle of bourbon, and poured himself a stiff drink. These days were the ones he hated the most. Lucas had just told him a crack commando squad had been dispatched to the cabin in the hills where Ted Rudolph, codename Janus had holed up. The man was burnt out, and making demands. Billy had tried to defuse the situation by sending Scarecrow in with his partner Mrs. King, who was posing as Rudolph’s long-lost daughter, Karen. They were just supposed to make contact, and bring Janus in.
Who knew Janus was under active observation by the KGB? And now, all of them were about to be executed by the US military’s finest. Nothing personal, all in the interests of national security. Damn the oversight committee. They didn’t know any of the people they had just condemned to death. They had no idea they would be orphaning two young boys. And if they did, they probably wouldn’t care. “I'm sure you explained all the risks involved very clearly to her,” Lucas had said in his smug tone. The man had no heart. Damn him to hell and back.
Billy downed his drink in one gulp, and poured another. He prayed that somehow, a Christmas miracle would occur, and all his people would get home safe and sound. If there was a God, and he fervently believed so, then He couldn’t allow Amanda King to be executed for national security. She, and her sons, didn’t deserve that. Billy said another prayer, and prepared to wait for as long as it took. He owed it to them to be there when the news came down. God grant the news would be good, and everyone would come back alive. It would be a very long Christmas Eve for Billy, waiting for news.
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