Secret Admirer
Amanda entered the Georgetown Foyer and saw Mrs. Marston sitting primly at her desk. For once, she didn’t have to stop and think about the password. The moment she’d heard it she knew she wouldn’t forget. Besides, it seemed appropriate, considering the date.
“Good morning, Mrs. King.”
“Good morning.” Amanda noticed a beautiful rose in a vase. A small card with a red HEART leaned against the vase, and a candy bar in an identically decorated wrapper sat next to it. “Why, what a lovely rose.” She wanted so much to know who had sent it, but she didn’t want to be nosey and resisted the urge to ask. It was nice that the woman had someone who thought of her on this special day.
“Thank you.” Mrs. Marston opened her desk drawer and pulled out a badge.
“Oh, you want to know the password?”
“Please.”
“Today’s word is ‘love.’”
“Thank you, Mrs. King.” She handed Amanda her badge.
Amanda clipped it onto her blouse pocket and headed to the elevator. After pushing the coats to the side, she stepped inside and turned around. “Happy Valentine’s Day.” She barely completed the holiday greeting before the doors closed.
The Bullpen was abuzz with activity. Telephones rang, and typewriter keys clicked. Agents congregated around the coffeemaker, filling their cups with the eye-opening liquid and choosing the donut needed to jumpstart their day. Another typical morning at the Agency.
She walked toward her desk and stopped at Francine’s. She could barely see it. Five large vases, filled with roses of all colors, sat on the floor in front of it. Several more were on top of the desk, along with what looked like enough chocolate-filled candy hearts to last the blonde a year. There were even a couple of small stuffed hearts and cupids among the gifts. One red rose, with a small card, and a candy bar lay in the center of the desk.
“Can you believe it?” Francine walked up to her desk carrying another vase of flowers and set it on top of a file cabinet. “I’m running out of places to put them all.”
Amanda wanted to tell her it wasn’t the quantity of flowers but the quality of the person who sent them. How many of the gift givers really cared for Francine as a person and not as an object? She bit her tongue; she didn’t want to exchange acid barbs this morning. “Looks like you’re popular today.”
“Well, of course. I’m always popular.” She patted her hair, making sure not a strand was out of place.
“Another delivery for you, Miss Desmond.” A guard handed Francine a small bouquet of flowers.
“Thanks.” She looked at the bouquet and frowned. “Here.” She handed the flowers to Amanda. “I’ve run out of room on my desk. Besides, they aren’t roses.”
“Thanks.” Amanda inhaled the delicate scent of the daisies. There wasn’t anything wrong with daisies for Valentine’s Day. In her mind, any flower would be appropriate. It was the thought that counted, not how much a man spent on an arrangement. But Francine expected only the most expensive and exotic flowers.
Amanda turned to go to her desk. She had a small vase in the bottom drawer that would be perfect.
“Wait.”
“What?” Amanda figured she’d changed her mind and wanted the flowers back.
“I forgot to take the card.” Francine pulled the little white envelope from the bouquet. “I need to know if this is someone I need to properly thank, even though they aren’t the right arrangement to send. Come to think of it, if this person really knew me, he’d know better than to send me such a small arrangement with the wrong flowers. I can dispense with this entirely.” She tossed the unopened card into the trash.
Amanda couldn’t think of a proper retort to her statement. Instead, she continued to her desk and laid the bouquet down. A single red rose, a small card, and a candy bar sat in the middle of the blotter. Exactly the same items she’d seen on Mrs. Marston’s and Francine’s desks.
Looking around the Bullpen, she noticed the same things on every desk occupied by a female agent or co-worker. Who had sent the roses, cards, and candy BARS? Only one way to find out; she needed to open the card.
She pulled it out of the envelope and immediately glanced at the signature.
‘Your Secret Admirer.’
She tapped the edge of the card on her desktop. Who could it be? Maybe Mr. Melrose, since he was the director of the unit.
Just then he passed by her, carrying a donut and coffee mug.
Amanda rose from her chair. “Thank you, sir,” she called to him.
He stopped and turned around. “Did you say something, Amanda?”
“Yes, sir. I was just thanking you for the lovely rose, card, and candy.” She pointed to them.
“They’re not from me.”
“They’re not?”
“No. Don’t you know who they’re from?”
“No.” She picked up the card and handed it to him. “See. All the women in the unit have the same things on their desks.”
“Is everyone’s signed ‘your secret admirer?’”
“I don’t know.”
Billy walked over to Jennifer’s desk. “Did you get a card like this?” He handed it to her.
“Yes, and I don’t know who to thank. It’s signed ‘your secret admirer.’”
From the look on Mr. Melrose’s face as he returned to her desk, Amanda knew she was no closer to finding who sent the gifts.
“I wish I could take credit. I have to admit I let this holiday get away from me. The reason I’m late is because I had to do some last minute shopping for Jeannie. She’d never let me live it down if I totally forgot. Maybe someone will fess up later. I need to make some phone calls.”
Amanda sat back down. It wasn’t Mr. Melrose. Who else could it be? She glanced around the room and studied all the agents. She loved puzzles, and she would figure out this one. In the meantime, she should probably do some work. Several cassettes that needed to be transcribed were on her desk. She popped one into the recorder and pulled her headphones out of the top drawer.
Just as she was about to put on the headphones, Lee strolled into the Bullpen. That was it. She’d bet anything he was the secret admirer. He loved women, and he wouldn’t want anyone to think he was playing favorites. So he’d gotten something for everyone.
When he stopped to pour himself a cup of coffee, Amanda saw her chance to talk to him. She picked up the rose and card and went over to the coffeemaker.
“Thank you for the flower and candy.”
Lee took a sip of his coffee. “What flower and candy?”
“This one.”
“I didn’t send it.”
“You didn’t?” She twisted the stem between her fingers, and a thorn pricked her thumb. “Ouch.” A bead of BLOOD appeared, and she sucked on it.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. So you’re not our ‘secret admirer’?”
“Our? Secret admirer?”
“Yes, all the girls in the office have the exact same things on their desks. Even Mrs. Marston received them. I thought it was you.” She handed him the card. “Look.”
“It’s not me. I’m INNOCENT. Besides, I hate the smell of roses. I’d never send them to anyone.”
Something flickered in his eyes, but it was gone so fast she wasn’t sure she’d seen it. A memory. She didn’t want to pry; she had a terrible feeling that whatever made him hate roses had been deeply traumatic.
“Lee, you have a delivery,” Francine called out, as she opened the doors to the Bullpen. “Where do you want them?”
“On my desk.”
Amanda stood there, astonished. Instead of a bouquet of flowers, a cart laden with flowers, boxes of candy, and heart-shaped balloons was wheeled in.
Lee groaned and threw up his hands. “I HATE this day.”
*****
A day later, Amanda and Francine watched the security tapes to see if they could discover the identity of the secret admirer. All they could see were several figures dressed from head to toe in black. The only conclusion was that “secret admirer” had been a team effort. Maybe one day the culprits would make a mistake and reveal their identities. Until then, it was a mystery.
The End
Story Notes:
Disclaimer: Scarecrow and Mrs. King and its characters belong to WB and Shoot the Moon Productions. No infringement is intended. This is written for entertainment purposes only. Please do not redistribute or reproduce this story without my permission.
Note: This story takes place during season two. Also, this story is in answer to the February challenge, in which the following words had to be used: BLOOD, HEART, INNOCENT, HATE, BARS.
Note: This story takes place during season two. Also, this story is in answer to the February challenge, in which the following words had to be used: BLOOD, HEART, INNOCENT, HATE, BARS.