Chapter Four 

Tuesday, December 26, 1989

Amanda walked into her office, carrying an amaryllis plant the boys had grown from a kit for her. The long Christmas weekend had been a little rough but, overall, it had been a wonderfully special time of celebration. Now, it was back to work for the rest of the short week and she was worried about Francine. Jonathan Stone was never the most stable character and Amanda knew that Francine was in for a difficult time.

As she set the plant down, she turned to look into Francine and Ephraim's office down the hall. She saw the light shining out into the hallway so she decided to walk down to see if Eloise Clare had agreed to a lunchtime meeting.

Amanda saw Francine leaned over her desk, writing furiously. She gave a couple of knocks, then greeted, "Good morning, Francine."

Francine looked up and smiled at her friend. "Good morning, Amanda."

Amanda walked in and asked, "Did you set up our lunch with Eloise Clare?"

Francine nodded. "Yes, she agreed to meet us at 12:30 at Emelio's. I told her you would be joining us, and she didn't seem to mind."

"Good. Lee went down to Billy's office to fill him in on what's been happening. Lee said he and Ephraim were going to see what they could find out about Ambassador Clare, as well as see what Jonathan's been up to lately."

"Knowing Jonathan, nothing good," Francine muttered. She shook her head and glanced at Amanda. "Why can't anything be simple in my life? Why couldn't I just have a nice Christmas with Ephraim? Is that too much to ask?"

"No, it's not," Amanda soothed. "So, why don't we spend this week taking care of Jonathan Stone? Then you can have a nice, simple New Year's with Ephraim."

Francine smiled and nodded. "OK, Amanda. That sounds like a good idea."

"It is a good idea. Francine, you know Lee and I are ready and willing to help you in any way we can. I can listen if you need that, too. We're going to get this harassment stopped."

"Thanks, Amanda," Francine said. "I'm really lucky to have a friend like you."

"Me, too," Amanda said. "I'll see you in a little while." Amanda walked back to her desk and thought for a minute about what her next step should be. Lee tiptoed up behind her, then kissed her cheek.

"Well, Billy gave us the green light on investigating Stone. He wasn't happy to hear that he was bothering Francine again. Of course, he said if something else comes up, we'll have to set it aside," Lee explained as he walked over to his own desk.

"Good," Amanda said. "Francine and I are meeting Eloise for lunch like we talked about."

Lee nodded. "I'm going to get word out that I want info on the Ambassador. There's something about all this that I don't like. I'm wondering if Jonathan has gotten himself in something sticky and thinks Francine can get him out. Otherwise, he wouldn't have walked away from old money like this."

SMK SMK

The morning passed quickly as Amanda and Lee tried to compile background information on the Clares. Ephraim and Francine were focusing on doing the same for Jonathan Stone. They'd set a meeting for the afternoon to share any information they could, including what happened at their lunch.

Around 12:00, Francine and Ephraim entered Lee and Amanda's office. "Are you both ready to head over to Emelio's?" Francine asked.

"Yep," Lee answered. "So, the plan is for Ephraim and me to sit at the bar, correct?"

"That's right," Francine responded. "And that's where you'll stay, unless something happens. Understood?" She gave Ephraim a knowing look.

"Understood," Ephraim chuckled. "Let's get going. I want to be set up before she gets there."

The two couples headed out the door and made their way out of the Agency and towards their destination.

Once there, Lee and Ephraim headed to the bar. The bartender was a member of Lee and Amanda's "family", so Lee planned on seeing if Lou recognized Eloise or the picture of Stone he'd brought with him.

Amanda and Francine headed to one of the booths, thinking one might provide the privacy that this meeting seemed to invite.

Not long after their salads were served, Amanda saw a young blond woman walk in. As the woman got closer, Amanda realized that the girl looked like she was barely out of her teens. She looked around, then saw Francine. She walked over and asked in a whisper, "Excuse me, ma'am, but are you Francine Desmond?"

Francine stared at the woman, a bit nonplussed at being called "ma'am". "Yes, I am. Are you Eloise?"

The girl took a deep breath and sighed, "Thank you so much for meeting with me. I just don't know what to do! Daddy is so angry with my poor Johnny!"

Amanda and Francine stared at each other, both caught on the phrase, "poor Johnny". Francine almost choked, thinking about Jonathan being called that- he'd always insisted that he be called Jonathan.

"Eloise, I'm Amanda Stetson. I'm so sorry that you've been having difficulties and Francine and I would love to be able to help you, but you've got us at a disadvantage. Why don't you tell us what happened from the beginning and help us understand why your father is so angry," Amanda soothed in that calm way she had. She was a master at soft interrogations, often able to get things out of people that no one else could.

Eloise looked at Amanda and smiled. "Oh, Ms. Stetson, it's been just awful!"

Amanda patted her on the hand, then replied, "I'm sure you would feel so much better if you could just get it off your chest." She gave Eloise a motherly smile, then continued, "And, please, call me Amanda."

Francine watched in fascination as Amanda soothed the young woman. Amanda really was a master at this, and it never failed to impress her whenever she watched her friend accomplish these kinds of meetings.

"Well, I met my Johnny about a year ago and we just fell in love at first sight. At first, we met in secret- I was finishing up my degree and Daddy wanted me to focus on my studies. After Spring Break, I convinced Johnny to meet Daddy and Daddy just loved him. He got Johnny a job at the State Department and it just got better and better from there. In June, we got engaged, and then Johnny got his promotion. The wedding plans took up a lot of my time, but I thought things were going well, especially since Daddy said he was working on buying us an apartment in New York. Johnny is supposed to be named as an attaché to the UN ambassador in January, so we thought a December wedding was perfect. I just don't know why Johnny called it off! We were so happy!" Eloise broke down in sobs as she finished telling her story.

Francine listened to the story, shaking her head at the gullibility of the young woman before her. It was obvious that Jonathan had used this poor child to get in at the State Department and work his way up- classic Jonathan Stone maneuvers.

Amanda patted Eloise on the hand, then soothed, "I'm so very sorry you're dealing with all of this. Did Johnny give you a reason for calling it off?"

Eloise stared at her, then shook her head, "No! He said he loved me, but that he just didn't think he was ready to get married and that it wouldn't be fair to ask me to wait for him. Then he just disappeared! Daddy was furious when he heard about it! He swears he'll kill Jonathan unless he comes back and marries me. That's why I called you. He told me about you, Francine. He told me how you had worked with him at the CIA and that you were just like a sister to him. I just know you can help me find him!"

Francine looked shocked. Jonathan had said she was like a sister? Obviously, somehow, this girl had found a picture or something of her and Jonathan had fed her a line. Could he fall to even worse levels than she'd believed? ‘Of course he can,' she thought to herself. She took a long drink of her iced tea and closed her eyes. Then, she opened them and calmly asked, "Why do you want my help?"

 "I just know he'll call you. If he does, please tell him to call me. Daddy says that, if he'll come back by New Year's, then we can still get married and he'll still get his job. If not, I don't know what Daddy will do."

"Do you have a number where we can reach you, Eloise?" Amanda asked. Eloise nodded, then handed her a card.

"Please help me find Johnny, Ms. Desmond!" Eloise pleaded one more time, then got up and rushed out of the restaurant.

Amanda and Francine looked at each other, then nodded, silently agreeing not to discuss it until they reached the Q Bureau. Quickly, they finished their salads and signaled for the check. It was definitely going to be an interesting afternoon.

SMK SMK

After lunch, everyone returned to the Agency. When Francine and Ephraim walked in to give the password, Mrs. Marsten stopped them. "Ms. Desmond, you received a package while you were out. If you'll wait just a moment."

The older woman returned a moment later with a small package. "Here you go," she said. "The gentleman who brought it said he would contact you tomorrow."

Francine took the package and followed Ephraim up the stairs, both knowing it had to come from Jonathan. When they reached their office, Ephraim gathered her into an embrace and whispered, "Do you want me to open it?"

Francine shook her head and sighed, "No, but stay close. I want you to see whatever it is he sent." She stepped out of the embrace and put the package on her desk. She unwrapped the package and saw a box of Godiva truffles. A note was attached to the top, saying,

Francine,                                                                                                                        I know you're still angry at me for what happened a couple of years ago, but I do still love you. I need you more now than ever before. Please meet with me tomorrow. I'll be in our special place, waiting at 11 tomorrow morning. Don't let me down.                       Yours,                                                                                                                    Jonathan

Ephraim took the note from her, then pulled her close. "This is all going to be over soon, beautiful. I promise." Francine buried her head in his chest and sighed.

A little while later, the two teams sat in their conference room with papers stacked in front of each of them.

"OK, I know all of this has been very personal and frustrating," Lee began. "However, I think that it's best that, from this point forward, we treat this like any other case, all right, Francine?"

"Fine by me," Francine agreed, looking at Ephraim, who nodded and squeezed her hand underneath the table.

"All right," Lee continued. "The situation appears to be this- Francine is being harassed by Jonathan Stone, her former fiancé. He is currently being pursued by his former fiancée, Eloise Clare, and her father, Ambassador Clare. We are unaware of why Stone is pursuing Francine and why the ambassador is pursuing Stone. Does that sum it up?"

The other three nodded. Amanda smiled, then said, "We've figured out that Eloise appears to be clueless as to what the true nature of Stone's interest in Francine is. Also, it appears that Jonathan began a relationship with Eloise in order to advance a career in the State Department, and that it was working. Which makes it curious as to why he would end the relationship when it was obviously profiting."

"Very true," Lee said. "It doesn't make sense. Jonathan isn't stupid- ticking off an ambassador isn't exactly a brilliant  career move. Yet, that's exactly what he did. Why? According to Eloise, he was in line to be attaché to the UN ambassador. That's a pretty high level job, something I can't see Jonathan walking away from...yet he did."

Francine nodded. "Jonathan wouldn't walk away from that kind of thing- it's exactly what he's been working towards. There has to be a reason. Also, Eloise is exactly the kind of girl he would want to marry. She is obviously in love with him and he has her completely snowed. She comes from old money and appears to be the only child of a doting father. Jonathan would end up with a lot of cash. There has to be something major for him to, not only walk away from her, but try to come back to me. We need to figure out what it is."

"According to what I found out, Ambassador Clare is a widower and Eloise is his only living child. His wife and son were killed in a plane crash ten years ago in Andorra while Clare was with the American consulate there. He was ambassador to Colombia in the early 80s, then was assigned to Panama. He's been back in Washington for a couple of years, working as a consultant to the State Department, but word is he's bucking for a new ambassadorship," Ephraim shared.

"Pretty clean bio there," Lee muttered. "Any dirt? Lana seemed to think he was a tough character. I put a call into her, but haven't heard back."

"Where do we go from here?" Amanda asked.

"You and I are going to visit some ‘family' today, starting with Lana. Francine, I want you to see what you can get out of your contacts over at State. Find out what Jonathan was doing there, what people thought of him, you know the drill. Ephraim, see what more you can get on the Ambassador. Maybe talk to some of the embassies where he's been assigned," Lee discussed. "We'll meet first thing in the morning to share our findings. Francine, I think you should keep this meeting in the morning. It will be a good opportunity to see what you can get out of him. In the meantime, if he contacts you again, don't brush him off, but stay safe, OK?"

Lee gave Ephraim a look and Ephraim nodded. Amanda grinned at Francine, who rolled her eyes.

"Lee, let's get to work," Amanda said, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him up.

"All right, Amanda, I'm coming," he muttered, then, seeing the look on her face, gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Let's go."

Francine laughed as they walked out the door. She smiled at Ephraim, who leaned over and kissed her on the cheek as well. "Come on," she said, "we've got work to do as well."

SMK SMK

That night, Ephraim sat on the couch in Francine's apartment. They had argued before leaving work about where she would be staying that evening. Ephraim had argued in vain for her to spend another night at his place. Francine had pointed out that they needed to get information out of Jonathan, and the only way to do that was to be at her apartment in case he tried to contact her. The compromise was to go straight to Ephraim's apartment to get Francine's things and to get some things for him and then to go back to her place.

Ephraim watched as Francine brought coffee to him. She looked exhausted and frustrated. "What's on your mind?" he asked, taking the mug from her.

"All this...usually I can figure out why Jonathan's doing something. It's not like it's difficult," she muttered. "This is different. This is weird. I think he's gotten into something pretty bad."

"Are you worried about him?" Ephraim asked.

"No," Francine responded. "I'm worried about what he's bringing into our lives."

"Well, there's nothing we can do about it right now, so I want you to relax," Ephraim soothed. He turned her around and leaned her back against him. He started rubbing her shoulders and whispered, "Please relax."

"Mmm..." she muttered as she closed her eyes. "That feels really nice."

He continued to massage her shoulders until he could feel her melt into him. He glanced around her and saw that she'd fallen asleep. He settled himself with her in his arms and allowed her to sleep. This case was not an easy one for her and he knew she wasn't going to get any decent rest until they'd gotten Jonathan out of the picture for good.

Eventually, he maneuvered her so he could carry her into the bedroom. He carefully undressed her, trying not to wake her, then pulled a nightgown over her head and pulled the covers over her. He stood and watched her sleep for a moment, thinking to himself how vulnerable and utterly beautiful she looked as she slept. He then went to the bathroom and prepared for bed himself. Minutes later, he eased himself into bed on the opposite side. He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. "Goodnight, sleeping beauty," he whispered as he turned out the light and went to sleep himself.