Chapter Three
Thursday Morning, September 17th
Lee stood next to Amanda in the crowded airport terminal; their hands entwined as they watched the passengers disembark from flight 369. Catching sight of the Bristows coming out of the walkway, he squeezed his wife’s hand and motioned with his head that their guests had arrived. Even if he hadn’t seen a picture of Jack Bristow, he would have known without a doubt that the man entering the terminal with the brown-haired girl was the man they were waiting for. To the average passerby, Jack Bristow didn’t really look that much different from anyone else. However, to the trained eyes of an agent it was obvious that the man walking towards them was acutely aware of his surroundings; his face was devoid of emotion, and his eyes held a distrust of everyone.
As the pair came closer, Lee reluctantly let go of Amanda’s hand. “Jack and Sydney Bristow?”
Jack grabbed his daughter’s hand and regarded Lee suspiciously. “Yes.” Sloane had mentioned that the Agency was sending a pair of its top agents to meet them at the airport. However, he was unable to obtain a picture of them. He knew their names, and that was all.
Something in Jack Bristow’s eyes reminded Amanda of the Lee she had met four years ago; his gaze was a mix of uncertainty and distrust. Although Lee had changed, he still had a tendency to act before thinking and the similarities between the two men could easily get out of hand if she let her husband make the introductions. Taking the initiative, she extended her hand towards the young girl. “Hi, my name is Amanda King.” She smiled as Sydney accepted her hand and gave it a small squeeze. Letting go, she nodded towards her husband. “This is Lee Stetson. I can’t tell you how pleased I am that you’ll be staying with us.”
Something about Amanda King made Sydney feel immediately at ease and she smiled tentatively. “It’s…”
Jack stepped in front of Sydney protectively; until he was sure that these two were who they said they were, they would be directing their conversation to him and not his daughter. “I apologize for the short notice. I appreciate your… well we appreciate you being able to take Sydney in. I realize that this must be a huge imposition for you.”
Amanda didn’t care for Jack’s tone of voice. Knowing what she did about the man in front of her, she could understand the need for walls and skepticism, but she would be damned if she’d let this innocent girl feel like an unwelcome guest. Feeling Lee’s hand on her shoulder, she knew he was having similar thoughts. Moving a step to the side, she regained eye contact with Sydney. “Nonsense.” Smiling, she inched closer to the brown-eyed girl. “I’m really looking forward to having Sydney stay with us. It’ll be nice to have another girl in the house. You see I have two boys at home. Phillip is fourteen and Jamie is twelve.”
Sydney’s eyes lit up. “I’m twelve, too.”
Amanda nodded. “I know, and I have a feeling you and Jamie are going to get along just great. How about we head on down to the baggage claim area and gather your bags. I can tell you more about my boys as we walk and you can tell me all about yourself. How does that sound?”
Sydney nodded and then, for some unknown reason, she reached around her dad and took Amanda’s hand in hers. That feeling of warmth and acceptance came over her again. For the first time, in a long time, she was actually looking forward to her father going away on his business trip.
Lee watched Amanda and Sydney walking hand in hand ahead of them. Although the girl’s hair was straight, anyone watching the pair would have thought they were mother and daughter. Not wanting to let his mind wander down that path, he cleared his throat. Looking to his left, he saw Jack watching them intently as well.
Never taking his eyes off his daughter, Jack slowed his pace and decided that now was as good a time as any to clear a few things up. “Would you mind showing me your ID? I don’t want to accuse you of not being who you say you are, but there’s a lot at stake and I can’t afford not to be extremely cautious.”
Lee opened his mouth to comment, but quickly closed it again. He realized that Jack had every right to be suspicious. He didn’t know them from Adam and putting himself in Jack’s shoes, he realized that if it were Phillip and Jamie who needed protecting, he would be doing the exact same thing. Reaching into his back pocket, he took out his credentials and handed them over to Jack. “As you can see, I am who I say I am and I can assure you that Sydney is extremely safe with Amanda.”
Jack nodded and, satisfied that Lee’s federal ID was real, he handed it back to the man in charge of his daughter’s life. He returned his gaze back on his daughter. “I don’t think I need to tell you how important it is that Sydney is kept safe.”
Lee shook his head. “No, you don’t. I know exactly how important it is. Her safety is as important to you as Phillip and Jamie’s are to both Amanda and myself. We will do everything in our power to make sure she’s safe.”
Jack took his eyes off of his daughter, briefly, to look in Lee’s direction. “The Agency made sure that no one knew she would be staying with you?” His tone was quiet, but demanding.
“Yes.” Lee’s response came out almost as a hiss. “Mr. Bristow, we know how to do our jobs.” Then, since he had read about Jack’s past and understood where the man was coming from, he took a deep breath to keep his temper under control. “Look, I’m sure you’re very anxious about all of this. However, as I’m sure you’ll agree, the airport is not the most secure place to be having this discussion.” Never taking his eyes off of his wife and their charge, he added. “How about after we stop by the house to drop off Amanda and Sydney, you and I can head over to the Agency and we can discuss all the specifics there.”
Nodding, Jack turned his focus back on his daughter. “What exactly have you told Amanda’s family about Sydney?”
Lee rolled his eyes and shook his head. Jack Bristow was clearly not a people person. He was obviously a man who was all business. “We told them you were a business associate who asked us to watch your daughter for you while you went out of town. Since Amanda’s family thinks we both work for a film company, it was better to be as vague as possible.” Turning his attention on Sydney’s father, he asked a question he was sure Amanda would have asked, if she weren’t already occupied, “Mr. Bristow, what did you tell Sydney? I mean how did you explain the fact that you were leaving her with total strangers in a city three thousand miles from her home?”
Jack clutched his carry-on bag a little tighter. “Actually, I told her that you were an old friend that I hadn’t seen in years. When you heard I was coming to town, you said you wanted to meet my daughter and had arranged for her to stay with a friend of yours.” Turning his attention towards Lee, he added, “Therefore, I think we should drop the formality and you should call me Jack.”
Lee nodded and sighed. This whole assignment was turning out to be nothing but a whole bunch of secrets and lies. First there was the secret of his marriage to Amanda. Then there were the lies attached to Sydney’s presence in the house. Add to the list the fact that he was staying at the house under false pretences and they had a recipe for disaster. If they managed to get through the next week or so without everything blowing up in their faces, it would be a miracle.
Jack returned his gaze on the pair walking a short distance in front of them. This whole situation was not one he was completely comfortable with. Even if Sydney thought that Lee Stetson was an old friend, they were still strangers; strangers who, in reality, had jobs not much different than his own. Amanda King seemed genuine enough and Sydney seemed quite taken with her. He wasn’t sure why the fact that his daughter was so accepting of this woman bothered him so much. He knew that Sydney was clearly in need of a mother’s touch and caring. He suddenly realized, as he watched his daughter talking animatedly with the woman next to her, that it wasn’t Sydney’s openness towards Amanda King that really worried him. What concerned him the most was how this mother of two boys could possibly be a good protector for his daughter.
When he had found out the names of the agents who would be responsible for Sydney, he had gained access to their Agency files. Amanda King had clearly not entered the world of intelligence by conventional means. However, her file indicated that she was a very resourceful woman. Then there was the matter of the man walking beside him, the ‘famous Scarecrow’. From what he had discovered in Lee Stetson’s file, the man was a huge asset to the Agency. Jack had found it interesting that Lee was a second-generation spy, especially since his file indicated that he had been orphaned at the age of five. Hopefully the fact that Sydney’s mother had died in a similar fashion to Lee’s parents wouldn’t affect the man’s ability to do his job. It was clear from the file that this was one agent who tended to act on impulse a little too often. It had unnerved Jack a little when he had read that the man known as Scarecrow didn’t appear to take direction from authority well and clearly broke rule after rule whenever it suited him.
Jack remembered reading somewhere that Lee had actually committed treason when he traded a Russian spy for his partner. Looking at the woman holding hands and chatting with his daughter, he realized that anyone willing to do something that bold had to trust his partner completely. ‘If that’s any indication of Lee Stetson’s loyalty, then I should feel a little better about trusting him with the one thing I care about more than my job and my country.’ Jack mused to himself.
He was suddenly struck by a sense of envy towards the Agency team. He had been watching them when he and Sydney had been entering the terminal and had noticed the apparent closeness the two seemed to have. Then there was Lee’s gentle hand of support on Amanda’s shoulder earlier. He had also caught Amanda mentioning that Sydney would be staying with ‘us’ and had caught the slight inflection of Lee’s voice when he had mentioned Amanda’s boys. There was definitely something familiar about their partnership. He remembered a time when he thought Laura was a loving wife, someone that he had trusted with his heart and soul and therefore had confided everything to and, although she hadn’t worked at the CIA with him, he had considered her his partner and equal. What a fool he had been. From what he had gathered from both Lee and Amanda’s files, they were an effective team and it appeared that Stetson was a more successful agent since the Agency had paired him with Amanda King. He could only hope that the team of Scarecrow and Mrs. King would be enough to keep his daughter out of enemy hands.
Jack’s train of thought was broken by the sound of his daughter’s voice. Realizing they were now standing at the baggage carousel waiting for the luggage to begin its trek along the conveyer belts, he caught the impatient demeanor of his daughter. “I’m sorry, Syd, what is that you wanted?”
Sydney approached her father and asked again, “Amanda was telling me,” she noticed the raised eyebrows of her father, “Mrs. King said that I should call her Amanda. She felt Mrs. King was too formal.” She watched her father’s features relax a little as she continued, “Amanda was saying that she might be able to talk to her son Jamie’s school and see if they would let me attend classes with him. That way I can stay on top of my studies. She said that the only thing she would need would be a written letter of consent from you.”
Jack saw the excitement on his daughter’s face. He knew how much she loved school and she had been very disappointed that she would be missing time from her regular schoolwork. “If Mrs. King…”
“Jack, please call me Amanda. Like I told Sydney, there’s no reason to be so formal.” Amanda gave him a warm smile.
Jack cleared his throat. “If Amanda thinks that she can arrange it with the school, I don’t see why not. Lee and I were planning on heading to his office a little later, I’m sure I can borrow one of their computers and create something formal looking.” He was taken aback when his daughter unceremoniously wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly.
Amanda watched the exchange and noticed Jack’s obvious discomfort at his daughter’s affections. She had stolen a few glances back in Lee and Jack’s direction when they had been walking towards the baggage claim. She was sure they had talked mostly business, but she had observed a softness in Jack’s gaze when he looked towards his daughter, so at least there was a little compassion in the man. It was clearly evident that Jack would do anything for his daughter. Nevertheless, she couldn’t help but wonder if Jack Bristow cared for Sydney more out of responsibility than out of love.
After reading Jack’s file, she had been struck by the similarities between her husband and Jack. They had both experienced significant losses and betrayals in their pasts. Those experiences had caused Lee to build walls around his emotions but he had never lacked compassion towards others. She had known that all Lee needed was the right kind of patience, love and understanding in order to be able to trust again. And she had been right, it may have taken three years to break down those walls but her persistence and friendship had gotten Lee to trust again. However, when she looked at Jack Bristow, she could see nothing but distrust in the man’s eyes. Unlike Lee, there was no little boy pleading to be loved; instead she could see only a man that wanted to keep the world at a distance, including his own daughter.
Watching Jack’s demeanor now, Amanda was suddenly struck by a strange thought. Jack reminded her more of Lee’s uncle the Colonel than of Lee. She suddenly wondered exactly how the Colonel would have managed if Lee had been a girl. During their walk to the baggage claim, she had been surprised at Sydney’s openness. Sydney was clearly a very smart, intelligent and caring young girl. She knew enough of Lee’s past to know he had given the Colonel an extremely hard time. Amanda was glad that Sydney’s past hadn’t turned her into a rebel. Looking at her husband, she was still amazed that despite the lack of love and affection he had received from his uncle, Lee had turned into the loving, caring and wonderful man he was today. She was going to give Sydney as much love and affection as she could during the girl’s stay.
Lee observed the various emotions playing across his wife’s features. The look of amusement at Jack’s discomfort had struck him as odd; he would have to remember to ask her about that later. What worried him now was her current expression, it was the look she always wore when she was thinking about her sons. Noticing that her attention was on Sydney, he could only begin to imagine what ideas were going on in Amanda’s mind. Then again, Sydney would probably enjoy a little mothering. Seeing Sydney point to three bags coming around the carousel, he bent down to assist Jack in removing them from the conveyer belt.
Once they had all the luggage accounted for, Amanda took Sydney’s hand again. “Shall we head on home? I’m anxious for you to meet my mother and the boys. I know my mother is going to enjoy having another girl in the house even more than I am. I wouldn’t be surprised if she hasn’t already dug out my old dollhouse and put it in my son Jamie’s room for you. And, even though I’m sure you’re too old for them, I bet she even managed to unpack some of my old dolls. I’m sure she thinks putting some of my old things around will make the room you’re staying in seem less boyish. My mother loves to do little things like that; it’s her way of welcoming you.”
Sydney’s smile could have lit up the darkest room. It felt wonderful to be so welcomed. She was sure she was going to remember this week for years to come.
SMK a SMK a SMK
Lee entered the Georgetown foyer with Jack right behind him. As he approached Mrs. Marston, he was suddenly struck with the sudden image of his youngest stepson’s face. The ever-present scowl on the guardian of the Agency’s face, reminded him of the look Jamie had shortly after seeing what his grandmother had done to his bedroom. They had arrived at the house on Maplewood and everything seemed to be going smoothly. Jamie had taken an instant liking to Sydney and trying to be a true gentleman, his younger stepson had gathered up Sydney’s bags, anxious to show her the room she would be staying in. He chuckled as he remembered the anguished cry he heard moments after they had ascended the stairs. Always on alert, he had instinctively reached for his gun, but had paused when he heard Phillip’s not so subtle ribbing. Jamie had run down the stairs and confronted his mother and grandmother. “I agreed to let her stay in my room, not take it over. It’s going to take me years to get the mental image of all those dolls out of my head. I may never sleep in that room again.”
Seeing Mrs. Marston’s annoyed expression now as she cleared her throat trying to get his attention, he realized that she was impatiently waiting for him to take his ID badge.
“Sorry, Mrs. Marston.” Lee took the offered badge. “Do you know if Billy is in?”
Mrs. Marston barely nodded as she handed Jack a visitor’s badge. “Yes, he’s here. But he asked me to tell you to meet him in his office. He said to tell you he might be a little late, due to a last minute meeting with the good doctor.”
Lee groaned. A last minute anything with Dr. Smyth was never a good thing. “You’re sure he wanted us to meet him in his office?” He cast a sideways glance in Jack’s direction.
Mrs. Marston closed her eyes and sighed. “Yes, Scarecrow. His exact words were, ‘tell Stetson to meet me in my office, no arguments’.”
“Okay, I get the hint.” Attaching his badge to his jacket, Lee started towards the closet. As he opened the closet door, he motioned for Jack to enter. It surprised him just a little when Jack didn’t remark about the fact that he was entering a room where coats were hung. Most people, upon entering the closet, usually had some kind of comment.
Jack noticed Lee’s curious glance as the elevator descended from the lobby. He had heard about the Agency’s secret underground office. Lee was probably wondering why he hadn’t said anything. He actually thought it was a great idea. No one would suspect that a closet was actually a means to enter a top-secret government facility. The idea had some merit. He didn’t think he’d ever have a need for anything like that in his future, but it couldn’t hurt to store away that idea for future reference.
As they exited the elevator into the hallway, Lee began to ponder exactly why Billy wanted them to meet in his office. He had every intention of bringing Jack to the Q-Bureau. He felt that Jack really didn’t need to see the inner workings of the Agency. It’s not like he had ever had a real tour of Langley and the CIA headquarters had a sign directing you to it form the George Washington Parkway; the Agency was supposed to be a top secret facility. He was going to discuss with Billy the fact that too many outsiders knew how to get down to the Agency by way of the Georgetown entrance.
Either way, Lee hoped that Billy’s meeting would end soon, but not too soon. He hadn’t heard from T.P. yet and now that they were in a more work-related atmosphere, he was anxious to get a few answers about Project Christmas from Jack. For some reason the car ride to the Agency didn’t seem like the right time or place to have that particular conversation. After leaving Sydney at Amanda’s, Jack had steered the conversation onto his daughter’s current accommodations. Jack had commented, and it was true, that Amanda’s house was the perfect place for Sydney to stay. Since no one in Amanda’s family knew that she was a federal agent, Sydney would be totally oblivious to the fact that she was under government protection. That was another thing he was anxious to get to the bottom of: why exactly did Sydney need protecting. He was anxious to know what the young girl’s connection to Project Christmas was but hadn’t approached that subject in the car either, knowing that Billy would want to be present for that conversation. He had just entered the bullpen ahead of Jack and was heading towards Billy’s office, when his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Francine’s voice.
“Lee, aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend?” Francine approached and sidled up to Jack. She had been watching the two men as they were walking down the hall. She knew who Lee’s companion was but had decided to have a little fun. Jack Bristow wasn’t bad looking. He was stocky and definitely took care of himself, but he appeared to be way too serious.
Lee coughed in order to hide his amusement at the look of indifference Jack shot in his direction. He didn’t think Jack was a prude, but he knew that look; it was a look that said, ‘Is she for real?’ Jack may have been hurt by his wife, in such a way that he wouldn’t trust another woman again, but he was pretty sure the man beside him was no stranger to taking comfort in the arms of a woman. Heck, he had done it himself many times in the years before he had met and fallen in love with Amanda. Clearing his throat, he made the introductions. “Francine Desmond, this is Jack Bristow. Jack this is Francine, she’s Billy’s assistant.”
Francine shot him a look that would wilt a flower. “I do more than just assist Billy. If it weren’t for me, you’d never get any of your expense vouchers reimbursed. I honestly don’t know how you managed before Amanda came into your life. She makes it so much easier for me to push your paperwork through. Before she started doing your typing for you, it would take me hours to decipher your handwriting.”
“Fran-cine,” Lee drew out her name in annoyance. “Look, I introduced you to Jack so now, if you don’t mind, we have business to attend to.” He pushed past her and made a beeline for Billy’s office door. As he opened it, he allowed Jack to enter ahead of him. Before entering the office, he turned and called after the blonde, “Do you have any idea what the old man wanted to see Billy about?”
Francine shook her head and moved closer to him. “I'm not sure, but the way Billy stormed out of here, it definitely can’t be good.”
“How long ago was that?”
Francine glanced at the clock on the wall. “I’d say that was about thirty minutes ago.”
“Great,” Lee mumbled. “Well hopefully he’ll be down soon. We don’t have a lot of time to waste.”
“You might want to make yourself comfortable; it could be a long wait.” Francine smiled. “I could always come in and keep your friend company if you have other things you need to take care of.”
“No, that won’t be necessary.” Lee turned and entered the section chief’s office, closing the door on Francine. He moved to stand against the window with his back to the bullpen and folded his arms. “You might as well have a seat. We may be here a while.”
“Bureaucratic meetings never change, no matter which agency you’re with. This Dr. Smyth of yours sounds like a real winner.” Jack moved and sat on the couch against the wall. At Lee’s raised eyebrows, he explained, “I don’t know much about your operation but I have heard of Dr. Smyth. I know that when he says jump, he expects everyone to say ‘how high’. We’ve got a couple of self-righteous directors over at the CIA, too.”
Lee nodded. “Well, we may not like the man but he has his ears in all the right places, so we tend to get information we normally wouldn’t get.” Pushing off the window, he moved towards the chairs in front of Billy’s desk. Turning one around so it faced Jack, he sat down. Stretching his legs out, he clasped his hands behind his head and relaxed. He was no stranger to Class ‘C’ interrogations, but one thing he had definitely learned from Amanda was that if you showed you were at ease, it was easier to get information; a rigid stance or threatening demeanor was never going to get blood from a stone. “Jack, I’ve been wondering, what can you tell me about Project Christmas?”
Jack had been expecting this question and keeping his expression neutral, he looked Lee directly in the eye. “Absolutely nothing.”
Lee tensed immediately and sat up straight. “What do you mean…nothing?”
“You’ve obviously read my file otherwise you wouldn’t even know the name.” Jack understood Lee’s need to know about the project in order to protect Sydney properly, but there was no way he was going to give out any information; the project had already been compromised enough. “So when I say nothing, I’m saying I can’t tell you because you don’t have clearance to know anything about it.”
Lee took in Jack’s demeanor. The man was cool, composed and was clearly not going to budge. Running a hand through his hair, he rose and began pacing; he did not like being told ‘no’. “You’ve got to be kidding. We take your daughter in, agree to protect her and you can’t even tell me what it is we’re up against.”
Jack shook his head. “I didn’t say I wouldn’t tell you what we were up against. I just said I couldn’t tell you what Project Christmas is.” He leaned forward in his seat, his back straight and his expression neutral. “Look, we’re in the business of keeping secrets. You should know that better than anyone. I know your parents were in this business, too. ”
Lee stopped in his tracks, his back to the door, and looked pointedly at Jack. “Don’t you dare mention my parents!” He hissed through clenched teeth. “My parents’ need to keep secrets was what got them killed and wrongfully accused of being traitors.” He knew all too well what it was like to be kept in the dark about things he had a right to know about. He remembered the CIA’s blacked out files on his parents. Even though he had cleared their names, it still stung a little to know that the CIA had so willingly considered them traitors. The more he thought about his parents, the more his blood boiled. “I don’t give a damn about you CIA agents and your ‘top secret’ crap. Apparently Project Christmas isn't so 'need-to-know' because the KGB managed to get their hands on it. However, you're unwilling to share the information with your own government. I don't buy it. I want answers and I want them NOW!"
“Scarecrow! That’s enough.”
Lee spun around and came face-to-face with his section chief.
“I’ve had to deal with more than my fair share of tirades today and I don’t need to deal with yours, too.” When he saw Lee opening his mouth to protest, Billy slammed the door shut. “I mean it Stetson. I need you on this case, not off of it, and I will suspend you if you don’t get your ass in gear right this minute. Now, sit down!”
Lee slumped down in the chair he had been occupying earlier. With a scowl on his face, he avoided eye contact with either of other the two men in the room.
If Billy hadn’t been in such a foul mood after sitting with Dr. Smyth, he would probably have laughed at Lee’s obvious boyish acquiescence. Turning the remaining chair in front of his desk around, he sat down and looked from Jack to Lee. “Now, what is it that has you so bent out of shape?”
Before Lee could answer, Jack took charge of the conversation. “Lee was just voicing his opinion on being kept in the dark about Project Christmas.”
Billy nodded. He understood completely. He had told Lee that it wasn’t going to be easy and that if Lee couldn’t get anything from his sources, he was pretty sure Jack wasn’t going to divulge anything either. “Well, Dr. Smyth confirmed that, too. He told me that Project Christmas is strictly hands off.”
Lee’s head shot in Billy’s direction and he glared at his boss. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Billy put up his hand to stop any further protest. “Those were his direct orders. Now, I suggest we drop this subject and get on with the other topic, Sydney.” Turning his attention on the other man in the office, he extended his hand. “In all the uproar, I didn’t get a chance to introduce myself properly. My apologies. I’m William Melrose, Lee’s supervisor.”
Leaning forward, Jack shook the offered hand. “Jack Bristow. I appreciate your Agency assisting me with this.”
“Well its not every day that the CIA asks us to help them with anything.” Billy leaned back in his chair. “You guys really like to keep to yourselves.”
“That’s an understatement,” Lee mumbled.
Billy shot Lee a stern look. “I mean it Scarecrow. I can find someone else to assist Amanda.”
Lee shook his head adamantly. “Don’t even try it, Billy. She’s my partner and you are not assigning anyone else to this case.”
Billy stared him down. “Then I suggest you let us get down to the business at hand.” He was extremely glad when Lee showed signs of reigning himself in. He didn’t want to tell Scarecrow that pulling him off the case wasn’t just a threat. It was one of the things he had gone around and around with Dr. Smyth about not twenty minutes earlier. For some reason, the old man didn’t like the idea that Scarecrow and his partner would be ‘playing house’. Dr. Smyth had apparently heard the water cooler gossip and was pretty sure that the pair had developed a relationship that was way more than just partners. Dr. Smyth didn’t want this case to give them any harebrained ideas.
Jack watched the exchange with extreme interest. He had read that Lee Stetson was hotheaded, but seeing it first hand, put a new spin on things. The man was obviously very passionate when it came to his partner. He couldn’t help but notice the brief show of jealousy at the mention of anyone else being assigned to work with Amanda. He wasn’t sure if Lee’s attitude during the past few minutes was something he should worry about with regards to Sydney or if it meant that his daughter really was in good hands. Having been introduced to Amanda’s family and hearing her boys call Lee their mom’s boyfriend, had only confirmed what he had suspected at the airport; the relationship between Lee and Amanda was much closer than that of partners. Lee’s reaction when Mr. Melrose threatened to take him off the case, made him realize that Lee would probably do anything to protect his partner and her family, and right now that included Sydney.
Glancing at his watch, Jack realized that he needed to check in with his superiors soon. “Just what are your plans for protecting Sydney? I assume you realize the importance of keeping her whereabouts as quiet as possible.”
Billy saw the muscle in Lee’s jaw tense and realized that this was probably something they had already discussed. “Mr. Bristow, I can assure you that only five people know anything about Sydney.” At Jack’s questioning look, he continued, “You obviously know about Lee, Amanda and myself. The other two are Dr. Smyth and my assistant Francine Desmond.”
Jack nodded. “Yeah, we ran into your assistant briefly. Not to get off topic, but someone should tell her not to come on so strong. She’d probably get a lot more dates that way.”
The tension in the room dissipated as Billy let out a deep, belly laugh.
“I wouldn’t want to be the one to tell her that though. Francine can be mean when she wants to be.” Lee felt the tension leave his own body as he joined in the laughter.
As his laughter subsided, Billy wiped a tear from his eye. “Anyway, we’ve assigned a twenty-four hour surveillance team to watch over Amanda’s house. To answer the next question I’m sure you want to ask, the members of the surveillance team only know to keep watch over Amanda and her family, they don’t know the specifics. Also, to put your mind at ease, Lee will be going anywhere Amanda goes; therefore Sydney will have a full-time bodyguard.”
Lee watched Jack nod, before chiming in with his own set of questions. “Okay, I won’t bring up Project Christmas again but I think you owe us an explanation as to why Sydney’s safety is so important. What exactly is this ‘leak’ that has us watching your daughter and not one of your own?”
Jack leaned back into the couch and closed his eyes. “This is where it gets tricky.” Opening them, he looked in Billy’s direction. “I’m sure you read about my wife, which means you know that she was after Project Christmas. Let me just say that some of Irina’s former associates would love to get their hands on a prototype and they believe Sydney is the key.”
Lee watched Jack suspiciously. “What do you mean by key?”
“They would love to use Sydney to get to me. Perhaps they didn’t get enough information from Irina’s reports to perfect their own version of Project Christmas. I need to go over to Russia and do some investigating of my own.” Jack knew he wasn’t being completely honest with the men in front of him, but he couldn’t be without divulging the truth about Project Christmas. Too many lives were at stake for that. However, knowing that Mr. Melrose and Lee weren’t rookies, he needed them to believe what he was telling them. Making eye contact with Mr. Melrose, he continued, “We believe that someone within the CIA might be feeding them information and if they know I’m not in the picture, they might go after Sydney. Everyone I trust in our L.A. office is currently out on assignment. The timing of their sudden missions couldn’t be more suspicious.”
“That does sound a little too convenient. It’s almost like someone high up is in on the game.” Lee was beginning to get a really bad feeling about all of this.
“That’s why we came to you. I have no idea how long I’ll be gone and I need to feel confident that Sydney won’t be whisked away to Russia the minute my back is turned.” Jack looked at his watch again. “Look, I can’t tell you anymore than I already have, because, frankly, I don’t know much more myself. The only thing I can tell you is this, the man who might be behind the threats to Sydney is Valery Kholokov. He’s a prominent member of the KGB’s psych ops division. I’m telling you this so you can run your own background search on him and keep an eye out for anyone you have on record who might be associated with him.”
“I wonder if Kholokov had any connection to Serge Krutiov.” Lee looked towards Billy. His section chief just shrugged.
“I’ve heard of Krutiov. He’s called the Puppet Master, right?” Jack watched as Billy nodded.
“Yes, up until recently he was considered Moscow’s number one brain bender. He may very well have been connected to Kholokov. After all, Krutiov did manage to mess up a lot of people’s minds with his psychological warfare before he was captured.” Lee stood and began to pace.
“I understand you and Amanda helped put Krutiov away.” Ignoring Lee’s surprised look, Jack added, “however, from what I’ve heard about Kholokov, he likes to use psycho-active drugs. Krutiov used other methods. But they both appeared to have worked in the mind control division of psych ops, so who knows.”
Lee stopped his pacing and moved to stand in front of the window. Leaning his back against it, he folded his arms and gazed in Billy’s direction. “You know, we might want to pull some files on Krutiov, too. Cross-reference them with anything we come up with on Kholokov.”
Billy nodded in Lee’s direction. “Good idea.” He then looked back towards Jack. “Is there anything else?”
Jack nodded and glanced in Lee’s direction. “Actually there is, I made a promise to my daughter earlier. Is there a computer I can use?”
Lee uncrossed his arms and pushed off from the window. “That’s right. You need to give her permission to attend school with Jamie.” Turning towards Billy, he asked, “Do we have any standard school forms around here?”
“Actually steno has a variety of forms. I’ll get Francine to bring them up. I’ll also have her bring some standard guardian forms, in case something should happen to Sydney.” Being a father himself, Billy knew anything could go wrong. “I recommend you give Amanda temporary guardianship just in case of an emergency.”
Jack let out a small sigh. “I’m so used to everything being in order back home and I’ve been too wrapped up in trying to get a lead on this leak, that it totally slipped my mind.”
Lee turned towards his boss, concern evident in his eye as he realized the need for extra security. “Billy we’ll want to arrange for a team at the middle school, too.”
Billy caught the look of concern on his agent’s face. “We’ll arrange one for the high school, as well. I’m sure it’ll make Amanda feel much better.” A knowing grin crossed his features as he watched Lee relax, and he knew that Amanda wasn’t the only one who would feel better with the added security team. Turning, he headed towards his office door. Opening it he shouted, “Desmond!” Then, walking in her direction, he intercepted his assistant.
As Lee watched Billy giving Francine instructions, Jack’s earlier comment came back to mind. “You know, your comment about Francine wasn’t entirely off base. She can come on a bit strong sometimes.” He watched as his friend headed out of the bullpen. “However, she’s a damn fine agent and I wouldn’t be surprised if she was just having a little fun with you earlier.” Before he could elaborate, Billy reentered the office.
“I sent Francine down to retrieve the necessary forms and I’ve asked her to have research start pulling what they can on Kholokov and Krutiov. If research pulls anything on them while you’re still here, Jack, I’d like for you to look through it. Perhaps you’ll recognize someone we might need to keep an watch out for.” Billy motioned for Jack to follow him back out into the bullpen. “Meanwhile, I’ll set you up at one of the desks with a typewriter and you can call into your office. As soon as you’re done, Lee can take you where you need to go.” He turned towards his agent. “Scarecrow, I want you to head up to the Q-Bureau and see if we have any files on Kholokov. You might as well pull the Krutiov files, too. But be back as soon as you can, there are a few things I need to go over with you,” he moved a little closer to Lee and, in a fairly quiet voice, added, “privately.”
Lee nodded and sighed before heading out of the bullpen. He wasn’t entirely looking forward to the upcoming conversation with his section chief. He had a bad feeling it had to do with Billy’s meeting with Dr. Smyth and his gut was telling him that he had been the main topic of conversation.
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