Chapter Six
Friday Evening, September 18th
“I wonder if there’ll be a message on the machine from mother when we get home,” Amanda glanced over at her husband as he maneuvered the Wagoneer out of the theater parking lot.
Lee reached over and placed his hand on Amanda’s knee. “I’m sure there will be. You’re always telling me how Dotty worries when you don’t call. I’m sure she doesn’t want you to worry.” He gently squeezed her leg. “She’ll call.”
Amanda sighed and leaned her head back against the headrest. “I hope you’re right. It’s just…oh, I don’t know…something just feels wrong.” She saw the quick glance her husband threw in her direction. “Nothing like that. It’s just not like mother to decide to go off for a whole weekend at the last minute. I mean, maybe it is but I guess she’s always found a way to let me know. This time she just left me a note.”
Lee could hear the boys and Sydney talking about the movie and was glad that they weren’t paying attention to their conversation. “Amanda, how many times have you had to run out at the last minute for an assignment and just left your mother a note?”
Amanda leaned forward slightly and turned her gaze towards her husband. “That’s just it, Lee. It’s not that she left me a note, it’s the note she left.” She saw Lee’s eyebrows scrunch questioningly, as he quickly glanced at her, before turning his attention back on the road. “I can’t explain it, but the note seemed very impersonal.” She closed her eyes as the memory came back to her.
They had stopped by the house briefly to drop off Lee’s car, so they could all go to the pizza parlor in one car. While Lee had hung out in the car with Sydney, Jamie and Phillip, she had run into the house to drop off their back packs and to see if her mother wanted to join them. Of course if Dotty had wanted to come, they would end up driving over in two cars again and she was sure Phillip would have jumped at another chance to show up somewhere in the ’Vette. Upon entering the house, she had called for her mother, only to be greeted by an eerie silence. She had run upstairs, deposited the backpacks in the appropriate rooms and then headed over to her mother’s room. Knocking she had found it empty. Running back downstairs, she entered the kitchen and found the note.
“Amanda?” Lee reached over and gently touched his wife’s arm. “Amanda?” he called again.
Amanda shook the memory from her mind, as her husband’s voice registered. She turned her head in his direction. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I guess I got lost in thought.”
Lee nodded slightly. “I could tell. One minute you were talking and the next minute you were quiet and seemed a million miles away. You had started to tell me what was wrong with Dotty’s note.”
“I can’t quite put my finger on it, but it just seemed very short and impersonal. ‘Off to spend the weekend flying with Captain Kurt – Dotty.’ There wasn’t a ‘love Mother’, ‘I’ll see you when I get back’ or even a ‘have a great weekend’. Nothing.” Amanda sighed uneasily. “Maybe I’m just being silly.”
“Amanda, I know you,” Lee shook his head softly. “I don’t think you’re being silly. Your feelings and instincts are usually right on the money.” He reached over, took her hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze. “But…I’m sure Dotty’s fine. She probably just got a last minute invitation from Captain Kurt. You know how much she loves to fly. Some days, it’s all she talks about.”
Amanda looked lovingly at her husband. “I guess you’re right.” Any further comment was cut off, as the voices in the back seat suddenly grew louder. She turned around in her seat to watch the animated conversation. With their schedules so busy, they had been fortunate to find a theater still playing Mel Brooks’ new movie “Spaceballs.” Everyone had enjoyed it and, after the stress of the last few days, a comedy was just what the doctor had ordered.
“No, no, no. Dark Helmet confronts Lone Starr and says: ‘Before you die, there is something you should know about us, Lone Starr’.” Jamie mimicked Rick Moranis’ deep voice.
“Right, then after Lone Starr asks him what, Dark Helmet tells him: ‘I’m your father’s, uncle’s, brother’s cousin’s neighbor’.” Phillip waved his hand in the air, emphasizing his point.
Jamie shook his head excitedly. “No, that’s not what he said at all. He told Lone Starr that he was his ‘Brother’s, nephew’s, cousin’s, uncle’s roommate.”
“No, that’s not right either.” Phillip laid his head in his hands, his features showing he was deep in thought. “I think it was ‘I’m your father’s, uncle’s…”
“You’re both wrong.” Sydney jumped in, shaking her head and rolling her eyes. “The line was, and I quote: ‘I am your father’s brother’s nephew’s cousin’s former roommate’.”
Both boys stared at her, dumbfounded. “That sounds right, how did you remember that?”
Sydney shrugged her shoulders, noncommittally. “I don’t know. I’ve always been able to remember things. My dad sometimes jokes that I have a memory like an elephant, I never forget anything.”
“You mean you have a photographic memory?” Jamie looked at his friend, curiosity written all over his face.
Tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, Sydney tilted her head to the side and shrugged. “Maybe I do. I’ve always been able to remember phone numbers pretty easily without having to write them down.”
“This is all very interesting but can we get back to talking about the movie.” Phillip stared intently at his brother and Sydney. “I mean, I don’t know about you guys but I don’t think I’ll be able to eat pizza again for a week. That Pizza the Hutt, ugh, how disgusting.”
Jamie laughed good-naturedly. “Yeah and the worst part was that he ate himself to death.”
Amanda let out a deep-throated chuckle. “I think I’m cured from eating pizza for a while, myself.” As she turned her attention back towards the front, she caught sight of her husband deep in thought. Knowing that they were almost home and that he probably wouldn’t want to share those thoughts in front of the boys and Sydney, she decided she’d have to ask him later, when everyone was in bed.
Lee glanced in the rearview mirror. Phillip’s words echoed in his head. ‘Interesting indeed.’ His thoughts went back to his conversation with T.P. earlier that morning. He alternated his view from the road to the occupants in the back seat. He watched Sydney, sitting between Phillip and Jamie, her head gazing from one boy to the other, as they recited lines from the movie. Every now and then Sydney would interrupt to supply the correct line. A sudden thought occurred to him. ‘Jack Bristow wouldn’t be cold enough to use his own daughter as a test subject, would he?’ He quickly shook his head in an attempt to clear that thought from his mind.
As Lee maneuvered the Wagoneer onto Maplewood Drive, he caught sight of the Agency van and chuckled. His mother-in-law had been right, a phone company van, hanging out at ten-thirty at night was definitely suspicious, especially when it was parked in a neighborhood full of nosey neighbors. As he pulled the Jeep into the driveway, he remembered he hadn’t had a chance to pass the photos to the agents in the van, yet. He had passed the ones to Fielder before going to find Amanda at the middle school and had arrived early enough to pick up Phillip that he was able to signal Jones to meet him at his car before school had let out; however, he had been unable to stop by and talk to the Maplewood team earlier because everyone had hung out in the car while Amanda had run inside.
With the Jeep in park, everyone had started climbing out of the vehicle. Lee put his hand on his wife’s arm, successfully delaying her. “Amanda, I’ll meet you guys inside. I have a few things I have to get out of my car.” He subtly motioned towards the van with his head.
Amanda nodded in understanding. She mouthed the words ‘be careful’, before getting out of the vehicle. “Come on gang. What do you say, we go in, I’ll make some hot chocolate with marshmallows and you guys can rehash more of the movie before its time to hit the sack?”
“All right, Mom.” Phillip and Jamie shouted as they ran towards the front door.
Smiling shyly, her hands clasped behind her back, Sydney hung back a bit falling into step with Amanda. “That sounds great. I can’t remember the last time I’ve had so much fun. Phillip and Jamie sure do love to try and one up each other don’t they?”
Amanda wrapped her arm around Sydney’s shoulders and laughed. “You have no idea.” She removed her arm and reached into her purse to dig out her house keys.
They reached the front door to find both boys impatiently bouncing on their feet as they waited for their mother to unlock the door.
Lee watched as Amanda opened the door and stepped back to avoid being barreled over by her sons. Once they were all inside and his wife had closed the door, he exited the Jeep and walked over to his own car. Opening the trunk, he took out the last of the photos. Closing the lid, he headed towards the sidewalk. He then glanced up and down the street to make sure that no ‘nosey’ neighbors were keeping late night vigils. Assured that the coast was clear, he crossed the street and casually strolled over to the Agency van. Reaching his destination, he knocked on the driver side door.
Within a few seconds, Agent Miller appeared. Leaning over the driver’s seat, he rolled the window down. “Hey Scarecrow, give me a minute, I’ll go unlock the back door for you.”
Lee shook his head. “No, the van’s presence has already raised a few eyebrows this late at night. It’d look really strange if someone sees me getting into the back. I’ll just stay out here. We can talk through the window. This way if anyone asks questions, I can tell them I was inquiring to the nature of your business in our quiet little neighborhood this late at night. You know, concerned occupant of the neighborhood.”
Miller nodded in understanding. “I guess we should move from this spot and maybe make it look like we’re actually doing something to the phone lines.”
“Might not be a bad idea. Anyway, I came over here to pass these photos to you. We doubt that they’ll show their faces around here but we wanted you to have them just in case.” Lee handed the photos to Miller. As he watched Miller study the first one, he pointed at the face in the photo. “This is Issac Borsky, he’s not widely known around here, the KGB likes to keep him close to home. However, we have reports that he came through LAX about a week ago. We have no reason to believe he’ll be coming to D.C., but…” he shrugged, “you never know with the KGB. Our men at the airports are keeping an eye out for him.”
Lee watched as Miller flipped to the next photo. “That’s Sergei Romanovich. The KGB calls him the Magician.” He caught Miller raising his eyebrows speculatively. “I’ve run across him once or twice. He’s a tricky sort of fellow, uses a lot of slight of hand and other tricks to make things disappear right before your eyes. He’s the one we really have to keep a watch out for. Our reports from Dulles show that he just arrived in D.C. He’s staying at the Russian Embassy but we haven’t been able to uncover why he’s in town.”
“We’ll keep our eyes open. I’ll fill Johnson in,” Miller motioned towards the back of the van with his head. “We’ll be sure to pass this on to the next shift, too.” He studied the photo intently, trying to memorize the face. “You know,” he looked up at Lee, “we weren’t told why it’s so important to keep watch over Mrs. King’s house. Usually we get some sort of a reason. What’s the big secret and how come you get the cushy accommodations, Scarecrow?”
“Nice try, Miller. You know our motto ‘need to know’.”
Miller snickered. “I thought the Agency’s motto was ‘Service in the Shadows’.”
Lee glared at Miller, his demeanor indicating he was in no mood for the agent’s sarcasm. “Since when do you question directives, anyway?” He stared at him, his face showing no emotion, other than that of a seasoned agent giving orders. “Right now you just need to keep an eye out for anyone suspicious, especially these two. As for my accommodations, hey, I’m Mrs. King’s partner.”
“Right, I’m sure that’s the real reason.” Miller rolled his eyes and was just about to wish Lee a goodnight when he remembered something. Snapping his fingers, he turned to get out of the driver’s seat. “Hang on a minute, I have something for you, too.” He quickly disappeared into the back of the van.
Lee impatiently tapped his foot as he glanced up and down the street again making sure that none of the neighbors had decided to take a late night stroll. He didn’t have to wait too long before his fellow agent reappeared.
Miller sat down in the driver’s seat and then handed Lee two small devices that looked like mini phones. “These are from Leatherneck. He stopped by earlier but you were all out on your ‘family outing’.” He commented sarcastically.
Lee glared at Miller as he accepted the devices. He then looked down at the items, turning one over to inspect it. “What exactly are they?”
“Well, since neither you nor Mrs. King will be wearing communication links, Melrose had Leatherneck design those, he called them vibrators.” Miller tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, watching the other agent inspect the devices. “Melrose wanted to have a way for the teams to contact you and for you to contact us, in case of an emergency.” He handed Lee a piece of paper with a series of numbers. “If we need to contact you and you guys aren’t reachable by phone, we dial the number associated to one of the devices and it’ll vibrate. If it vibrates three times, it just means that something’s come up and you need to call in to the Agency as soon as you can. If it vibrates persistently, then you know it’s an emergency and to get in touch with one of the teams, or Melrose, immediately.”
Lee noticed a set of three numbers on the back of the device he had turned over before. Turning the other one over, he saw another set of three numbers. “I take it these are the identifiers?”
Miller nodded. “Yeah. Basically you dial 555-3 then the three numbers on the back to reach that one. If you then dial 333, you’re asking the other to just check in. If you dial the number and then 911 – it’s the sequence to alert the other person of the emergency.”
“So basically I keep one and give one to Amanda.” Lee watched Miller nod in acknowledgement. “So how do we contact the teams, if we need assistance?”
Miller reached out and turned one of the mini phones back over. “That’s the easy part,” he pointed to the numbered buttons, “You simply dial 1-911. Leatherneck wired them so that they will transmit a signal directly back to one of the vans and to the other vibrator. However, they only work within a ten-mile radius, so if you’re outside that range from either the teams or the other vibrator,” he raised his hands in front of him, palms up and shrugged, “then you’re basically on your own, unless you’re near a phone.”
“Got it.” Lee pocketed the vibrators, one in each of his back pockets. He then folded the instructions and tucked it in his left back pocket along with one of the devices. He was amazed at how easily the vibrators fit into those pockets. “The things Leatherneck comes up with. I wonder if Billy will let us keep these for future cases. They could come in handy.”
“Oh, wait. Leatherneck said these come with the vibrators. They attach to the rungs on the back.” Miller handed Lee two little clip-like pieces. “Just in case you want to clip it to your belt, instead of putting it in your back pocket.”
Lee glanced at his watch and realized he’d been out here longer then he had planned. “Thanks, Miller. Have a good evening.” Tapping the van door with his hand, he turned towards his house.
“You too, Scarecrow,” Miller laughed as he rose from his seat and headed into the back of the van to share the information on the two KGB agents with his partner.
Lee rolled his eyes, doing his best to ignore the agent’s insinuating tone. He knew it would only add fuel to the office gossip if he reacted to Miller. Besides, he didn’t care anymore. Let them talk, soon the cat would be out of the bag and the office gossips would have some real information to pass around at the water coolers, not just speculation.
As Lee reached the sidewalk, he changed course a bit. Instead of heading towards the front door, he decided to go around back. His initial reasoning was that if any of the busybodies had seen him at the van, it would give them something to really talk about if they saw him enter Amanda’s front door. In reality, he was feeling a bit nostalgic. He’d been going in the front door for quite some time now and, he admitted to himself that he kind of missed lurking in the shadows of Amanda’s backyard. Upon reaching his familiar lurking spot, he paused and gazed in the kitchen window. He watched as his wife brought two mugs into the den and gave one to each of the boys. She then turned around and gathered a third one from the counter and, returning to the other room, passed it to Sydney. He smiled as he listened to his stepsons mimicking more lines from tonight’s movie.
Amanda turned back around and headed back into the kitchen. She took the kettle off the stove and moved over to the sink to refill it. As she put the kettle under the faucet and turned on the water, she looked out the kitchen window and caught her husband’s gaze. She smiled lovingly at him, and he winked at her before he headed in the direction of the back door. There were times when she missed the old days. Gone were the days when she would be pleasantly surprised to see Lee’s face peering at her through her kitchen window or hear his unexpected knock on her back door, inviting her outside for a secret rendezvous. Turning, she put the kettle back on the stove and turned on the burner. Her thoughts were still on those precious memories from the past, unaware that Lee had actually entered the house, until she felt his arms around her waist. “You were gone for quite a while.” She turned in his embrace.
“Had to make an ‘exchange’ so to speak.” Lee winked at her. “I’ll…”
Amanda smiled knowingly and whispered, “I know, you’ll fill me in later.”
“So, did Dotty call?” Lee looked in the direction of the answering machine.
“Yes. She said she’d arrived safely and that she’d see us sometime Sunday.” Amanda sighed, a hint of worry evident as she stared at the phone.
Lee placed his finger gently on her chin, and turned her face to look at him. “You’re still worried that something’s wrong, aren’t you?” He put his arm back around her waist.
Amanda nodded as she gazed into his eyes. “It’s just a feeling really, I can’t help thinking that there’s more to mother’s sudden trip than just an opportunity to spend some time with Captain Kurt. I mean, she didn’t say where she was going to be and she didn’t leave a number where we can reach her. It’s almost like…”
Lee’s eyes widened and a grin spread across his face as a thought occurred to him. “I bet I know what she’s up to. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it earlier.” He pulled her into a closer embrace. “I bet you anything she’s trying to give us a chance to spend a weekend as a real family. You know, just you, me, the boys and…well…Sydney, too.”
Amanda’s face beamed. “You’re absolutely right, Lee. It makes perfect sense. I don’t know why that thought never occurred to me. I wouldn’t put it past my mother to do something like that. She’s been throwing enough hints around about us getting married.” She leaned up and kissed him gently on the cheek. “You always know just how to make everything all right, thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Lee leaned down and placed a kiss on her lips.
“Oh come on, can you at least wait till we’re upstairs and asleep to make out?” Phillip’s voice floated into the kitchen.
They broke their embrace and looked into the den. Phillip was grinning from ear-to-ear, amusement sparkling in his eyes. Sydney’s head was turned away from them, her eyes focused on the blank television screen. Jamie’s head was moving ever so slightly back and forth, as he suddenly found the floor interesting, his shoulders shaking slightly, evidence that he was clearly laughing.
Amanda cleared her throat to speak, but Lee beat her to the punch. “It wouldn’t be as much fun if we didn’t have an audience.” His wife’s eyes grew wide as a pink flush invaded her cheeks. Her eye’s squinted in annoyance and she elbowed him in the stomach. He doubled over slightly and grimaced.
Laughter erupted from the den. Phillip and Jamie were clearly enjoying their mother’s discomfort and Sydney was smiling, clearly enjoying the familial show.
Amanda cleared her throat again. “I think we’ve had enough fun for one night.” Looking at the clock, she realized how late it really was. “Time for you three to head on up to bed.” She moved away from Lee and headed towards the den. Reaching the couch, she put her hands on her hips and gave them all her best ‘don’t even think of arguing with me’ stare.
Phillip, still chuckling softly, rose from the couch. “Yeah, I guess I better get some sleep.” He covered his mouth to hide a yawn. “I have football practice in the morning.”
“That’s right. So while the rest of the house gets to sleep in, you and I have to get up early.” Amanda turned towards her husband. “While I’m taking him to practice, maybe you can read through the paper and find something fun and exciting we can all do later on, once practice is over.”
“Sounds like a plan to me.” Lee grinned, thinking not for the first time, just how right this all felt. Being around every night for bedtime, waking up every morning in his house with his family and getting a chance to be a part of the everyday routines was something he didn’t want to ever give up. When this assignment was over, things were definitely going to change. There was no way he was going to go back to heading home to an empty apartment every night.
Phillip walked over and placed a kiss on his mother’s cheek. “Goodnight, Mom.” Then turning towards Lee, he winked. “Goodnight, Lee.”
Lee brought a fisted hand to his mouth, trying to hide his amused grin with a cough. “Yeah, same to you, Phillip.”
Jamie got up from his spot on the couch. “Yeah, goodnight and 'May the Schwartz be with you'.” He waved his hands jerkily in the air, trying his best to imitate the character of Yogurt.
Sydney had already left her position on the armchair and was heading towards the landing. She turned and gave Amanda an amused smile, as she watched Jamie head around the corner. “Goodnight, Amanda. You make really good hot chocolate.” She then turned in Lee’s direction. “Goodnight, Lee.”
“Goodnight, you three.” Amanda called out after them. “I’ll be up to check on you in fifteen minutes.”
“Yes, Mom.” She heard Jamie and Phillip holler back. Their laughter mixed with exchanges of ‘May the Schwartz be with you’ floating down from the upstairs hallway.
“They all really seemed to have enjoyed that movie.” Lee leaned against the counter, his arms casually crossed across his chest. “I’m glad we were able to find a theater that was still showing it.”
Amanda nodded in agreement and walked around the couch. She gathered up the three empty mugs and headed back into the kitchen. “I am too. I know the boys had wanted to see it when it first came out, and with our schedules we just never got around to taking them. My mother had already said that it wasn’t she wanted to see and she was right it wasn’t something she would have enjoyed.”
Lee watched his wife place the mugs into the sink. “I wonder why they didn’t bug Joe to take them.”
Amanda shrugged her shoulders. “I’m glad he didn’t, though. It gave us a chance to take them.”
Lee had moved away from the counter and came to stand next to his wife. “I’m glad too. I enjoyed that movie, almost as much as the boys did. I only got to see Star Wars when it came out on video. It’s fun experiencing things like movies through the eyes of our sons.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek.
Amanda gave him a warm smile, as she emptied the little bit of cocoa from each mug. “I was glad to see that Sydney seemed to enjoy it, too. I was afraid that she might feel a little out of place hanging out with two boys but she seems to have adapted quite nicely.” Pouring some dish soap over the dirty dishes, she turned the faucet on. “In fact, she seems to have no trouble at all putting them in their place.” A warm smile crossed her face, her thoughts from earlier coming back to mind. She wondered how Phillip and Jamie would treat a sister of their own. Her thoughts were interrupted when the kettle began to whistle.
Lee moved over and turned the burner off, moving the kettle to one of the other burners. “Making tea?”
Amanda shook her head. “No, I was going to make myself a cup of hot chocolate and was just about to ask you if you wanted one?” She shut the water off and began washing the mugs.
“Actually, a cup of hot chocolate would be great.” Lee took down two more mugs from the cabinet. “I was thinking coffee might be a good idea but then that might keep me up and, after today, I need some sleep.”
Amanda put the clean mugs in the drain board and then dried her hands on a nearby dishtowel. She then moved over to the counter and began fixing the hot chocolate. “Would you mind going up and making sure that your sons are getting ready for bed. I’m sure Sydney’s already in bed, but I know Phillip and Jamie. They’re probably re-enacting some duel from the movie.”
“Not at all. I’ll meet you in the den once I make sure everyone is safely tucked into bed.” Lee leaned over and kissed her cheek.
Amanda smiled warmly as she watched Lee head for the stairs. Lee Stetson, once known to the world as Scarecrow the loner, was now a family man. She wished she had a camera, or video recording device. No one would believe her if she told them. Picking up the kettle from the stove, she poured hot water into the mugs. Once the mugs were topped off, she placed the kettle back on the stove. Picking up both mugs, she headed into the den.
As she placed the mugs on the coffee table to let them cool, she sat down, her eyes scanning the photos on the bookshelves. She smiled tenderly at the images displayed. Only a year ago, most of the pictures were of just the boys or Phillip and Jamie with her mother. Now the shelves were adorned with pictures of Lee with the boys. There was even one of Lee and her standing outside near the gazebo, their arms wrapped around each other, as they gazed lovingly into each other’s eyes.
Amanda remembered back to the day when Jamie had taken it. They had just come back from work and had decided to steal a few minutes to recoup from the stress of the day before facing her family. A simple milk run had gone bad and they had ended up being separated. When she had finally found her husband, he was being held at gunpoint. She had managed to create a diversion but the bad guy had managed to get off a shot in Lee’s direction. She had heard her husband shout out in pain and her heart had stopped, thinking that her distraction hadn’t worked as planned. She had been extremely relieved when he rose and, after a lengthy fistfight, had subdued the criminal. She found out later that he had cried out because in his effort to dodge the bullet, he had misjudged his proximity to the crates beside him, and had managed to hit his head on one of them. When they had arrived at her house, she had once again, as she often did after a rough case, sought comfort in his arms to reassure herself that he was, indeed, okay. Unbeknownst to either of them, Jamie had been rounding the corner, his camera in hand and had snapped the photo.
Amanda treasured the photo and the fact that, after Jamie and Lee had developed it, Jamie had insisted it find a place of honor. It was just another example of how much a part of the family Lee had become. As she stared at the picture, a chuckle came to her throat. It seemed that lately milk run assignments, at least for them, were becoming anything but simple.
“What’s so amusing, dear wife?” Lee leaned down and whispered in her ear.
Amanda jumped at the sound of his voice, coming close to bumping heads with her husband. “That’s not funny. You know I hate it when you do that.”
“Well then stop making it so easy for me to sneak up on you.” Lee chuckled and moved around the couch to sit beside her. “What was it that had you so deep in thought that you didn’t hear me come up behind you?” He leaned forward and picked up one of the mugs of cocoa. Sinking back into the couch, he propped his legs out in front of him and laid his arm along the back of the couch.
“As my mother would say, I was just wool gathering.” Amanda moved forward and picked up her own mug, before snuggling against her husband. “I take it everyone is in bed?”
“Yep, snug as bugs in a rug. Of course, you were right. I got up there and Phillip and Jamie were using their toothbrushes as Schwartz-sabers.” He moved his arm down, placing his hand on her shoulder and pulled her closer to him. Taking a sip of the cocoa, he swallowed. “Sydney’s right. You do make really good hot chocolate.”
“Well thank you. It’s an old family recipe.” A feeling of warmth spread through Amanda as she sipped her own cocoa. She wasn’t sure if it was just from the warm brew or if it was due to the warm feelings of contentment she was experiencing, wrapped in her husband’s loving embrace.
Lee tried to suppress a yawn. “You know, it still amazes me that, after four years of knowing you, I still manage to learn something that makes me truly appreciate the ‘stamina’ of the average housewife.” He smiled as his wife leaned forward slightly and turned to look at him, her eyebrows raised questioningly. “I never realized exactly what you had to deal with on a day to day basis. I mean you’re always talking about this charity or that, or some school function that you were helping with and yet you still managed to find the energy to help me out, you still do. I never fully appreciated all the responsibilities that you have to juggle until I got to witness some of it first hand.”
“All in the life of a mother, I guess.” Amanda shrugged and leaned back into his embrace. “You did really well at the school today.” She lovingly patted his leg. “I was pleasantly surprised to see you still there when I got back. I thought for sure you’d have run screaming.”
“Believe me when I tell you that the thought had crossed my mind more than once. In fact, I almost ducked into the library a few times. But after a while, I just remembered my Agency training.” Lee took another sip from his mug.
Amanda shook her head slightly and smiled. “Oh really? And which training was that?”
“I just pretended I had infiltrated an enemy camp and that I had to do my best to blend in or get caught.” A pleased grin spread across Lee’s face.
Amanda smacked his leg. “Lee, those weren’t KGB agents, they were mothers.”
Lee shook his head and chuckled heartily. “Amanda, those PTA mothers are worse than the most terrifying KGB interrogators. Every five minutes another one was coming up to me trying to get me to give them all sorts of juicy tidbits about our relationship. How we met, how long we’d been dating or what my hobbies were. Fortunately, we were busy enough that at the same moment a question was asked, we had a customer interested in purchasing something.”
“I guess some of the PTA mothers can come on a bit strong sometimes.” Having finished the last of her cocoa, Amanda bent forward and placed it on the table. She then turned, pulling one leg up underneath her and leaned back against the corner of the couch. “So, I’ve been dying to ask you this all day. What did you find out from T.P?”
Lee moved to place his mug on the table and then reached into his back pockets, pulling out the vibrators and instructions Miller had given him earlier. He then settled back against the couch. “A lot, actually but, before I forget, Leatherneck brought these by and left them with the guys in the van. He called them vibrators.” His wife raised an eyebrow, an expression of amused disbelief on her face. He caught the look and gave her a wicked grin. “You know, I never made that connection till just now.”
They both laughed, and in unison said, “Only Leatherneck.”
Still grinning, Lee continued his explanation, “It’s our way to easily communicate back to the vans if anything goes wrong.” He handed her one of the devices.
“They look like mini phones.” Amanda turned it over in her hand, inspecting it. “How does it work?”
“Miller gave me a list of instructions.” Lee handed the paper over to his wife. “It seems simple enough. Basically, it allows the teams to secretly contact us and we can get back in touch with them if necessary. It also allows us to instantly alert them if we need backup and can’t get to a phone.”
Amanda read the detailed instructions. “Wow, the things Leatherneck comes up with. I’m keeping this. Mr. Melrose can’t have it back.”
Lee smiled, shaking his head. “That’s exactly what I said. We should probably remember each other’s vibrator ids.” He let out a chuckle. “I don’t think I’ll be able to call them that without laughing.”
Amanda nodded in agreement, a knowing smile on her face as she pocketed the device. “So…now that that’s out of the way, are you going to keep me in suspense all night or are you going to tell me what T.P. was able to find out?”
Lee ran his hand through his hair and sighed. “It took a while for the impact of what he told me to sink in but, the bottom line is, Project Christmas is a program that the CIA or, more importantly, that Jack developed to basically program children to become spies.”
Amanda’s mouth opened, then closed, as her eyes grew wide. “What? Do you mean to tell me that the CIA is recruiting children into this business? That's... that's downright inhuman.”
Lee shook his head vigorously. “It’s not quite like that. Apparently a study was done that showed that five and six year olds have the ability to develop strong spatial relation skills faster than any other age group. They thought that they could teach these kids certain skills and then, as T.P. put it, ‘reset their memories’ giving them no knowledge that these skills had been acquired. Then, years later, the CIA would find a way to reawaken those skills and,” he snapped his fingers, “instant spy.”
Amanda stared at him, still flabbergasted. “You mean they plan on training these children to be sleeper agents?”
“Exactly and that’s why the KGB sent in Irina.” Lee ran a hand through his hair. “It’s hard enough to swallow the idea that our own government could do something so unspeakable but can you imagine the KGB creating their own set of sleeper agents? And the KGB is just bold enough to do something like that all over the world.”
Amanda shuddered. “I don’t want to think about it. No wonder the CIA doesn’t want anyone to find out the true nature of the project; not only because of what it really is but because they let the KGB get their hands on it.” She looked at him with a furrowed brow. “You said reset, earlier. What exactly does that mean? How can you reset someone’s memory?”
“Well its a little like forced amnesia or forced repression done under hypnosis.” Lee saw his wife watching him, her eyebrows still furrowed in confusion. “It’s like tricking the mind to think that nothing out of the ordinary occurred, basically wiping away certain memories. The Agency experimented with it after the war in Vietnam. There were a few agents who were so traumatized by what they witnessed over there that they couldn’t effectively function as field agents anymore. So the Agency had a few of the shrinks erase the more painful and disturbing memories.”
Amanda watched him with renewed interest. “They didn’t…I mean…well I guess you wouldn’t know if they did or didn’t would you?”
Lee shook his head adamantly. “No. It was never done to me and yes you’re right I wouldn’t remember if they had. I remember a lot from my time in ’Nam, so I’m pretty sure the memories I have are complete. Besides, the unit I was in, well we were there to gather intelligence, not necessarily join in the fighting. They really couldn’t afford to wipe any of my memory clean, too much classified information up here.” He tapped his head a few times and grinned at her. “Additionally, if they had, I probably wouldn’t be able to tell you anything about the procedure. See I knew a few agents who had it done to them. They knew going in what was going to happen but when they came out, they were unaware that anything was done to them and have no knowledge that the procedure even exists.”
“The problem with the process, though, is that it had a few drawbacks.” Lee saw the question in his wife’s eyes. “See you can’t really erase a memory, at least not completely. You can remove it from a person’s consciousness but the memory remains in the subconscious. All it takes is one thing to trigger bits and pieces of the memory or even the entire repressed memory. One or two of the agents who had their minds reset talked about feeling like they were forgetting something but couldn’t figure out what. After awhile, bits of the memory started coming back to them in brief flashes but not enough to make any sense. As far as I know, they still don’t remember everything, but I couldn’t tell you for sure since I’ve lost touch with most of them.”
Amanda nodded in understanding. “I think I know what you mean. Back when I had amnesia, it’s like I remembered most of my life but I still felt like something was missing or that a part of me was. It wasn’t until I was on that plane and my entire life flashed before me, that it all came back to me. I guess you could say that the possibility of death was the trigger that brought everything flooding back to me.”
“Precisely. Well the Agency saw that it really didn’t work and stopped using the technique. However, I’m pretty sure the CIA used it back then and from what T.P. told me, I’m guessing they’re still using it. I guess they’ve found away to perfect the technique.”
“But to use the technique on children…that just seems so…wrong.” Amanda shook her head in disbelief.
Lee leaned his head back. “Yeah, well that’s not the worst part.” He turned his head to see his wife watching him with renewed interest. “After Irina’s death, Jack decided to put his theories to a test and found himself a test subject. T.P. couldn’t find out the name of the test subject, the CIA just listed the subject as a Jane Doe.”
“I can’t believe anyone…” Amanda paused, her eyes growing wider. “Wait, T.P. said Jane Doe, which means that the child was a girl.” She sprung up off the couch and briskly walked over to the landing. Peeking around the corner, she glanced up the stairs. Reassured that everyone was safely in their rooms, she walked back into the den and glanced at her husband briefly before looking up towards the ceiling. “You don’t think…” She lowered her gaze and locked eyes with Lee, a chill running down her spine.
Lee shrugged. “I don’t know but that thought crossed my mind, too.” He rose from the couch and closed the distance between them.
Amanda wrapped her arms around her husband and leaned her head against his chest. “That’s what you were thinking about in the car on the way home, wasn’t it? You were wondering if Sydney’s correction of the movie lines and her mentioning her knack for remembering numbers might be indications that she was Jack’s test subject.” She shook her head trying to chase away those thoughts from her mind. “No, I don’t want to believe a father could do that to his own child. How could anyone want to take away his own child’s choices in life like that? Plan her future for her?” She shook her head again. “No, I refuse to even think that Jack could do something like that. Maybe she’s just gifted. Remember Zhmed Doorlof, he had a photographic memory.” She pulled back to look into her husband’s eyes.
“I don’t want to believe it either. Maybe you’re right; maybe she’s just a very bright, gifted young girl. Look,” he bent down and placed a kiss on her forehead, “how about we try not to think about it anymore, at least not for tonight. What do you say,” he wiggled his eyebrows up and down, “we move back to the couch, and take Phillip up on his suggestion.”
Amanda grinned mischievously. “You mean...you want to make out?”
Lee’s dimpled smile spread across his face. Grabbing her hand, he led her to the couch. “That’s exactly what I mean, Mrs. Stetson.” He plopped himself down on the cushions and pulled her down with him.
Amanda laid her legs across his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I like the way you think.” Leaning in she initiated a very passionate kiss.
Lee pulled her closer and returned the kiss, intent on removing all disturbing and negative thoughts from her mind. As the kiss deepened, all coherent thoughts were wiped away from both their minds.
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