"We are here today to celebrate the life of a very special woman.
One who had love and kindness in her heart. One who was beloved by many.
She wasn't with us long, but she made a lasting impression on us
all. Let us raise our glasses to Amanda King." Billy Melrose's
voice wavered slightly as he drank his own toast.
The crowd at Nedlinger's fell silent for a moment as they
remembered Amanda. Most eyes moved to look at her partner as he stared
deeply into his drink. "To Amanda." Lee murmured. He downed the
glass in a single draught. Lee mingled around the room and overheard
what people said about his partner. The impromptu gathering gave him an
opportunity to hear what his coworkers thought about her. He had to have
something to say at her official memorial. What was there to say about
Amanda? Sometimes he thought he knew her so well, then other times she
was a complete surprise to him.
"I'll miss her so much," Agent Parker told Sue
from the Steno Pool, "she was the one that encouraged me to try for
my EMS certification so that I could be a medic on operations. She told
me not to leave the Agency when I could do so much here for my country.
I wish I had been there when she needed me most." Lee saw that when
she looked up her eyes were red. "Oh Lee, I'm sorry about
Amanda."
"Thank you, Parker. I'm sure she was pleased to see
you taking the courses you need." The emotion clogging Lee's
voice made it sound deeper, huskier than normal.
"You know," Sue chimed in, "I was prepared not to
like her at all. I mean she just walked in and she wasn't a trained
agent. You didn't need us as much and, well quite frankly, we were a
little jealous." Sue blushed at her comment. "But, the first
time she brought in chocolate chip cookies to thank us for some work we
did for her, she won me over."
Lee moved around listening to others sharing condolences and
stories.
Fred Fielder talked about the Christmas fudge and advice she
gave him about his niece. Frank Duffy reminded him that she never forgot
anyone's birthday. Mark Williams loved the way she always found time
to say good morning, even when Scarecrow was in a hurry.
A familiar voice carried over the general din. "… I
don't care what anyone says, I loved Amanda King…." A
somewhat tipsy Francine Desmond was sobbing to Ephraim Beaman. The
usually tetchy blonde managed to drape herself over Ephraim's
shoulders to help her stand. "She was pure understanding and
happiness. I don't think anyone…"
Lee smiled to himself and tapped a small receiver in his ear
when he heard hysterical laughing through it. "Can it, will
you?" He whispered into the microphone hidden under his lapel.
"I can't concentrate."
The achingly familiar alto came across the receiver.
"Sorry, Lee, but she is going to hate herself in the morning."
He turned his back to the crowd. "Stop trying to make me
laugh. I'm supposed to be mourning you."
"Okay, okay. I'll be good." The voice sounded
contrite.
He turned back to face the crowd. Billy was making the rounds
on the other side of the room. His microphone and earphone set to
another frequency so that she could get clear input from both men.
Lee continued to mingle with his coworkers, listening and
waiting for his quarry to make a move that would give him a clue of why
Amanda was targeted. That is what was so frustrating with this
gathering. He knew the person he was looking for was with the Agency,
but he had no idea who had been stalking his partner.
Most people around the bar were telling Amanda stories. Lee
listened and was amazed at all that Amanda had done for people and how
they were affected by her. He knew the impact she'd had on his life,
but never realized how far the range of her influence extended.
Lee and Billy intersected to check in with each other and
Amanda.
"Amanda, have you heard the mystery voice yet?" Billy
asked.
"No, Sir." Lee heard her response so she must have
keyed both mics. "There is a lot of background noise so I am not
getting clear voice matches."
"Did you notice that there are people from every Agency department
here? Crypto, Documentation, Research, Personnel and Analysis all mixed
in with Field Section."
"See, Lee," Amanda's disembodied voice admonished,
"some people did…do like me." A smile threatened to break on
his face.
Jared Spenser and Elliot Cho walked over to offer their
condolences to Lee. Spenser was first to speak. "I'm sorry
about Amanda, Lee. I know she was fairly new and all. I have to say SHE
REALLY MADE AN IMPRESSION on me when she took on Station One a second
time. I was there for Tactical Team training and she wouldn't let
anyone stop her. I was watching from the sniper's perch above the
obstacle course. She was really beautiful too…" Lee felt the
muscles in his face tighten as Spenser spoke. He looked at Lee and
stopped. "I mean she was great."
Lee unclenched his jaw once he realized he had done it. What
was wrong with him? Why would he care that someone thought Amanda was
beautiful? She was, in her own suburban housewife way. The way her eyes
lit up when they talked or the smile that brought him to a stop when he
told her a joke or paid her the rare compliment. He shook his head. What
was he thinking? This was Amanda. His friend. His partner. He had never
heard such nice things about her. He appreciated her, most of the time,
but this gathering led to a deeper realization about her in his life.
Elliot Cho looked up from his beer and said, "She was a
nice lady."
Spenser looked at Cho and back at Lee. "From him, that was
a ringing endorsement."
Lee excused himself to continue walking around the room.
Several girls from the Steno pool were gathered around a clerk from
Personnel. The look on his face suggested he was devastated by
Amanda's loss.
"I don't understand what happened," he said dully.
"She was just there. She said she would have lunch with me
sometime."
Cheryl patted him on the shoulder. "It's okay, Greg.
Amanda was the kind of person who wouldn't want you to grieve for
her."
`Yes," Jennifer added. "Amanda was kind and
thankful for everything she had, including her friends."
Greg's voice got quiet. "I appreciated her more than
anyone else. She was more than just my friend." He looked up at Lee
staring at him with a sudden ferocity that made Lee take a step back.
The little clerk's voice suddenly became louder and more strident as
he launched himself at Lee. "You never appreciated her the way she
should have been. I could have taken care of her. It's all your
fault she's dead! Look at you! You're not even pretending to be
sad. You always treated her badly. You only thought of yourself. She
deserved better and now she's dead. Amanda's dead!" The
girls surrounded the shaking man and took him back to his seat.
A shocked silence descended on the room and Amanda's quiet
voice came over his earpiece. "I think we may have found him."
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.