Chapter Six                                                                                          Thursday, December 28, 1989

At 6:00 a.m., Francine and Ephraim trudged up the stairs to the Q Bureau. Apparently, Lee had made good on Francine's threat and placed Jonathan in a holding cell for the evening, citing safety concerns, and set the meeting for the Q Bureau conference room.

Francine took Ephraim's coat from him and made her way into their office, while Ephraim went across to Amanda and Lee's office to fix them both a cup of coffee. As he entered, he saw Amanda already at the coffee pot, doing the same.

"Good morning, Ephraim," Amanda said with a sigh. She took a sip of coffee then moved out of his way.

"Morning...everything OK?" he asked with concern. Usually, Amanda was pretty cheerful in the mornings, no matter the time. Today, however, she looked exhausted.

"Oh, nothing to worry about," she said with a half-smile. "It was just a late night last night, what with Jonathan and everything. I'm ready to get this wrapped up."

"Well, at least you have the weekend to look forward to," Ephraim said with sympathy.

"Yes," she said, giving him a thoughtful glance. "I have a feeling we'll be done with Jonathan for good by then. Then, Lee and I can enjoy our weekend getaway..."

Ephraim gave her a glance and nodded. "I think Francine will be happy to have him finally be gone. She needs to catch a break." Amanda smiled in agreement. He finished fixing the two steaming mugs and she followed him out.

When they reached the conference room, they found Lee, Francine, and Jonathan arguing about the plans for the break-in.

"I can get in just fine! I still have the access codes and I know where the tapes are kept!" Jonathan insisted.

"I don't trust you to do this on your own! How do we know you aren't using the Agency to get something for yourself?" Francine demanded.

"Would both of you just shut up for a minute!" Lee exclaimed. When the two froze and looked over at him, he continued. "Now, Francine has a point, Stone. How do we know you aren't playing us?"

"I'm not. Clare and Llorado are out for my blood! I need to get the tape to prove this to you!" Stone explained with a whine.

"We need to set up a plan," Amanda advised. "I agree that Jonathan needs to go in...but not alone. One of us needs to go with him." The other three agents reluctantly agreed with her. "So, who will it be?"

"I think you and I should stay as the lookouts, Amanda," Lee put forth. "That way you can do your rambling thing if necessary." He smiled at her and she gave him a grin back. It had taken him a long time to admit it, but her "rambling thing" had gotten them out of a lot of sticky situations.

"I agree with Lee," Ephraim added. "And, as much as I hate to say this, I think Francine should accompany Jonathan." Francine gave him a surprised look and he continued, "You're the one who knows him best and can keep him in line. I'll wait at the back with the Agency van, running the mikes. That way I can grab everyone if we need to get out of there quickly."

Jonathan beamed at the plan and Francine shot him a look. He glanced at everyone and said, "So, what are we waiting for? Let's get going!"

Lee motioned for Jonathan to follow him and Amanda came behind the two men. Ephraim gave Francine a smile and whispered, "It's all going to be fine. The quicker we get going, the sooner all this is over. I really don't feel like beginning a new decade with Jonathan Stone hanging around, do you?"

She gave him a halfhearted smile and began, "I can't tell you how much I want him gone."

He nodded and pulled her close, murmuring, "I know, darling. It'll be over soon." Then, they walked out of the conference room together.

SMK SMK

A little while later, the Agency van pulled up behind a nondescript office building near the heart of DC. Jonathan and Francine slipped out and casually walked to the front door. He inputted the four digit access code and the door opened. Jonathan smirked at her and she whispered into her wrist, "We're in."

A few minutes later, Amanda and Lee slowly walked down the street, finding a bench in front of a nearby storefront. The spot gave them a good view of the front and side of the building.

Francine and Jonathan made their way through the quiet building, arriving in the elevator on the 6th floor where the Ambassador's offices were located.

"Piece of cake," Jonathan sneered as they arrived at the cabinet. He opened the door and saw dozens of tapes.

"Well?" Francine asked. "How do you know which tape it was?"

"Umm...let me see...these are the tapes for the month of December, and it happened a few days before the wedding," he said as he pulled his finger down the edges of the stacks in front of him. "I would say that it has to be one of these."

He pointed to about 15 tapes. Francine rolled her eyes and said, "You realize that they'll notice these are gone. I thought you knew which tape it would be!"

"I'm sorry! I can't remember the exact day. Come on," he urged. "Just grab the tapes and put them in this satchel!"

Francine complied and they quickly grabbed the tapes he'd indicated. As they were finishing up, Jonathan said, "Hey...here's one from the night of the wedding...wonder if we should grab it?"

"Just get it and let's go! The longer we're in here, the more likely it is that we'll get caught," Francine grumbled.

They closed the cabinet and headed back to the elevator. As Jonathan was about to press the button, Amanda's voice came into their earpieces. "We've got a visitor. They're heading to the elevator. You need to get out now."

Francine's eyes grew in alarm. "Where's the stairwell?"

Jonathan grabbed her hand and pulled her down the hallway. She shook her hand loose and flung the door open. As the door closed, they heard the ping of the elevator. "Run!" he insisted and they flew down the stairs.

"Meet us in the back," Jonathan said to his wrist mike.

"Affirmative," Lee replied.

As they reached the bottom level, they heard shouting above them, "They're downstairs! Hurry before they get out!"

Francine pulled on the door and wrenched it open, then raced to the van. Jonathan jumped in behind her, just as the same two goons who'd been in the park the day before reached the alley. Ephraim gunned the engine and they sped away, as bullets began to fly in their direction.

"How did they know we were there?" Francine yelled at Jonathan.

"I guess they could tell by my access code..." Jonathan shrugged, giving her a sick grin.

"You used yours?" Lee said incredulously. "You basically invited them to come after us, you idiot! You could've gotten us all killed!"

"I'm sorry! I couldn't remember any of the others. I didn't think they would be monitoring it this morning!" Jonathan admitted sheepishly.

"Great! Just great!" Francine grumbled. "This better have been worth it!"

"Oh, come on, Frannie," Jonathan whined. "It wasn't that bad, was it? I thought we made a pretty good team back there!"

"Quit calling me Frannie!" Francine blew up. "You know I hate being called that! We didn't make a good team back there! We never made a good team! You are still the same old slimy jerk you've always been! I just hope that you haven't made this situation worse! You better pray that we get good information off one of those tapes!"

Jonathan stared at her and Amanda put her hand on her shoulder. "Francine, why don't you go sit up front with Ephraim? We'll be back at the Agency in just a few minutes."

"Fine!" Francine said, giving Jonathan as deadly a look as she could muster. She climbed around Lee and moved into the front seat, folding her arms in front of her.

Amanda turned around and glared at Jonathan. "You and I are going to have a talk when we get back to the Agency, Jonathan. Understand?"

Jonathan withered at the glare and nodded his head. Lee shook his and turned to keep from laughing at the look on Stone's face.

SMK SMK

When they arrived back at the Agency, they all agreed to meet in the conference room after lunch to watch the tapes. Ephraim blocked Jonathan from Francine's view and allowed Amanda to lead him away. Once they were gone, Ephraim pulled her close. "Let's go somewhere for lunch. What would you like?"

"I'm not hungry!" Francine grumbled. "I just want this over with! I'm sick of Jonathan Stone. This was supposed to be a nice holiday week and he's...he's...he's just ruined everything!"

"He hasn't ruined anything," Ephraim soothed. "We had a wonderful Christmas, and I, for one, am looking forward to New Year's. We have the tapes, so we'll be able to finish this soon. But, you need to get away from him for awhile, so let's go to Monk's and get something, all right?"

"All right, but I don't want to be gone long," Francine acquiesced.

Ephraim smiled and they made their way to his car.

Up in the Stetsons' office, Jonathan sat on the couch. Amanda gave Lee a look and he went to sit behind his desk.

"Jonathan," Amanda began, "This harassment of Francine ends now. Whatever you had between you before has been over for a long time and she has moved on."

"Amanda," Jonathan insisted, "I really don't think you know what's between us. I've known her longer than any of you have."

"You may have met her before any of us, but you don't know her...not really. Isn't it time for you to move on? She has...and she's happy. She's finally happy with her life and she doesn't want you anymore. You need to accept that."

"And who are you to decide what France wants?" Jonathan scoffed. "She's taken me back every single time I've returned. What's so different now?"

"She is," Amanda explained. "She isn't the co-ed that fell for your line, and she isn't the young girl you left at the altar. She isn't even the woman you drugged the last time you came back. She's matured and she's found a man who loves her for who she really is, not for what she can do for his career."

"Really?" Jonathan stood up, impatient with Amanda's lecture. "It seems to me that the last time I was around, Ephraim Beaman wasn't a part of your little circle, but rather a pipsqueak computer geek who fawned all over Francine. She didn't even give him the time of day. Yet, here he is...a member of your little ‘elite team', as her partner...and her lover. Now, tell me he isn't using her to get ahead."

"You wait just a minute," Amanda put her finger in his face, anger lacing her voice. "Ephraim earned his place here, just like the rest of us. What exactly have you earned, Jonathan? Because, for the life of me, I can't remember the last time you did anything worthwhile. Instead, you've spent your life hopping from job to job, bed to bed, always looking for the big score, and expecting everyone else to clean up your messes...just like now. Well, we're going to clean up this mess for you, but don't expect to ever get our help again. You are on your own from this point forward. And," she glanced over at her husband who was leaning back in his chair with a huge grin on his face, "if you try to mess with Francine any longer, you will deal with us." She pointed at Lee and herself.

Jonathan sat back down on the couch, flabbergasted at the speech that had spewed from the angry woman in front of him.

"Fine," he mumbled, glancing at Lee, who gave him a knowing look. He had heard stories about Lee Stetson and had seen his anger firsthand. He was definitely not someone to mess with.

Amanda gave her husband a smile, then turned to the man she'd just berated. "Now, would you like a sandwich?" Jonathan stared at her incredulously. "No? Well, then I guess Lee and I will eat without you."

SMK SMK

When Francine and Ephraim returned from lunch, she appeared much calmer. Amanda smiled at her, then at Ephraim. "Are you feeling better," she said to Francine.

Francine nodded, then whispered, "I'm just ready to be done with this." She glanced at a subdued Jonathan who sat at the conference table. "What did you say to him?"

"Oh, I just did my best to convince him to leave you alone. I don't think you need to worry about him anymore," Amanda shared. She looked over at Ephraim, then said to Francine, "I'll be back in just a minute." She walked over to her other friend and motioned for him to follow.

Francine walked over to Lee and said, "What's going on?"

"No idea," Lee said. "Let's get the tapes in some kind of order, then start viewing. Who knows how long this will take. Amanda and Ephraim can join in when they return."

Lee pulled the TV cart over to the table, then motioned for Jonathan to pick a tape. "Put one in and let's see what we can find out."

Thirty minutes later, they'd finished with one tape as Amanda and Ephraim reentered the room. Lee raised his eyebrows at Amanda and she gave him a wink. He grinned at her and said, "Jonathan figured out this wasn't the right tape. We're moving on to the next one."

The afternoon continued on endlessly as they ran one tape, then another through the machine. After about five tapes, Lee was getting agitated. "I'm beginning to think you dreamed this whole thing up, Stone."

"I didn't...I promise. Let me look at the remaining tapes...it's got to be one of these!" Jonathan pulled the tapes closer and picked one up. "Let's look at this one- it's dated December 20, which was the date of the wedding. Maybe it has something on the tape."

Amanda nodded and said, "Couldn't hurt. I imagine Ambassador Clare was pretty upset. If he went back to his office, there's a good chance he had a meeting with Llorado. Let's see."

Stone put the tape in and they watched with anticipation. After a few minutes, they saw an angry man, sitting at his desk. Not long after, a younger man entered the office and sat in front of him.

"I can't believe that bastard abandoned my daughter!" the Ambassador yelled. "What are you going to do about it?"

"Ambassador, please, you must calm down," the younger man insisted. "We will take care of Mr. Stone. He just needs to be...reminded...of his responsibilities."

"He embarrassed my daughter!" Clare yelled.

"I understand," the man insisted. "and he will be...punished...but, first, we need to...convince...him to return. Our plans must go forward. We must have someone in place at the UN before February."

"And just how are we going to convince him, LLorado?"

"I have my ways. It's best if we don't go into too much detail, if you understand," Llorado continued. "Have your daughter contact him and tell him that she forgives him and still wants to marry him. If he returns by the 31st, all will be as before. If not, then, well, let him know that I will be most displeased."

"And if he does return?" Clare asked.

"Well," Llorado shrugged. "When his usefulness is at an end, well, we both know how tragic accidents can be."

Clare nodded and the tape stopped.

Lee looked at Jonathan and asked, "So, Clare makes these tapes of any meetings he thinks might be of value?"

"Yes, Eloise told me that her father likes to have the upper hand in all of his dealings," Jonathan revealed. "She was pretty upset that she had told me so, of course, I never let on to him that I knew."

Ephraim said, "Well, this proves that Jonathan is right about them wanting to kill him, although it would be better if we could find the tape with the details of the blackmail and drug scheme."

"But this is enough to take to Dr. Smyth," Francine admitted. "We've got a former Ambassador dealing with a suspected drug lord."

"The problem is," Lee argued, "that they know Jonathan was there this morning and, by now, they know we have some of these tapes. They've cleaned house by now."

"Let's finish going through the tapes we've got," Amanda suggested. "Hopefully, we've got the right one."

SMK SMK

At eight o'clock, they hit pay dirt, finding the tape with Stone's fateful meeting. Jonathan crowed with glee, "I knew I'd grabbed the right one! Now you know I'm not making this up! Where do we go from here?"

"Well," Lee said as he stood and stretched. "Let's bring Billy in." Amanda nodded and went to call their Section Chief. A few minutes later, Billy walked in and asked for the tape.

"We'll send agents over to bring the Ambassador and Llorado in," Billy said. "I suggest that you, Mr. Stone, enjoy the hospitality of our holding cell for tonight as we want to make sure of your...safety."

He motioned for Jonathan to follow him out. When Stone had left the room, Billy turned to look at his favorite employees. "Good work, people. Now, go home. We'll finish everything up tomorrow."

The two couples looked at each other and grinned.

"Looks like we've got it all wrapped up," Lee said. "Now, let's head home. Hopefully there won't be any snags and Stone will be gone for good by this time tomorrow."

"Amen to that," Francine said with a smile.

Both couples went to their respective offices and said goodnight. It had been a long, exhausting day, but in the end, it had all been worth it.