Meanwhile at the manor house in North Carolina where Amanda was being held two dark men were having a joyous celebration of the success of their plan. They did not know that their escape had been witnessed by a sharp-eyed zoo employee. The first man spoke with a heavy accented voice. “Jahir my cousin you have done very well. The kidnapping went exactly as I planned. Soon I will have Scarecrow exactly where I want him. Going crazy worrying about his lovely wife and partner. Not to mention his having to deal with her distraught mother and children. It is so much more satisfying than I ever dreamed!”

“How long to you plan to keep her here, Caris? The house is not used very often and will need to be staffed for along stay.”

“I think that you had better do that then my cousin. I hope to see Scarecrow twist in the wind for many weeks before I allow him to find us and witness the murder of our guest. However I want her healthy until then. I will not have a weak female mar my plans. Find a suitable staff to care for her. We will have to dispose of them all when this is over.”

“Lee, you have to rest! This nonstop pace is not going to get Amanda back. It is only going to make it harder for you to recognize the break when we finally get it.”

“Billy I can’t stop. Don’t you see? This is my fault. I let her go in there and by all indications this a plan to get me. These notes that Caris is sending are taunting me. He is trying to get revenge by slowly driving me crazy with helplessness.”

“And I would say it is working, Lee. Look at yourself. You aren’t eating, sleeping, or taking care of yourself in any way. I think you should go home and clean up. Rest awhile and then go check on Mrs. West and the boys. They need you now.”

With a resigned sigh, Lee left the office and went to his apartment to clean up before heading out to Arlington. There was no way he could rest or eat after reading the note that had arrived this morning by courier. The lock of Amanda’s hair in the envelope had nearly been his undoing. The forensics team had taken it to verify it was really hers but he could have told them it was. It felt just like her and it had smelled of her as well. The words of the note hung in his mind like a ghost message. SHE IS WELL FOR NOW BUT SO LONLEY I HEAR HER CRY AT NIGHT FOR YOU HOW LONG WILL YOU MAKE HER WAIT BEFORE YOU COME FOR HER? I WONDER WHY SHE LOVES YOU SO WHEN YOU SO OBVIOUSLY SO NOT CARE . SHE WONDERS AS WELL. Lee sent Amanda a message of love and hope in his mind. For some reason he always felt she could hear him and sometimes he felt he could hear her too.

He had arrives at the big white house where he had so many memories of Amanda and their times together. He walked slowly up the walk and around to the back patio where he could hear voices and the sounds of a basketball game. At the sound of his footsteps Phillip and Jaimie stopped the half-hearted game and looked at him expectantly. He could only pat them on the back and shake his head negatively. To his surprise Jaimie grabbed him in a quick embrace and said, “We know you are doing your best, Lee.” Phillips nod of agreement was followed by an equally surprising comment. “We know you love her and will bring her home as soon as you can.”

Lee could only swallow hard around the lump in his throat and nod his head. He proceeded into the house when the boys had informed him that their grandmother was inside. Before he went into the house he looked around to make sure that the Agency van that was protecting his family was in place at the end of the block. It was, so he went to find Dotty. He answered her silent question with a single word. “Nothing” She held out her hand and began to speak in s serious voice. “I want to apologize for the way I have been treating you. I can see that this is very hard on you. And that you are doing your best. I think at first I did not realize how much you love her. Or how much she loves you. But I found something this morning while I was cleaning her room.” She held out a silver framed portrait she had found in her daughter’s bedside table. It was a wedding portrait taken by the minister’s wife after they had said their vows. The love they shared shone from their eyes and was easy to see. Lee could almost feel her in his arms as he had when he kissed her after the ceremony.

Dotty continues in a strained voice, “I want to put this out for the boys to see. I think it will make them feel closer to their mother and their stepfather. They deserve to know that they have you in their lives now when they need you most.”

When he agreed, they called the boys in and told them that not only were Lee and Amanda partners in a very dangerous job but that they were married. Lee was their stepfather. They took the news very well. They were almost relieved to know that they would not be left without a parent anymore. After spending a few minutes answering what questions he could, Lee promised to come back tonight and spend the night so that the boys would not be so lonely.

As he walked back into the bullpen, Billy stormed out of his office and roared for someone to trace the call and picked up the phone line blinking red on Francine’s desk. “Melrose here. Scarecrow is not available at this time. May I help you?” At that moment he noticed Lee running toward him and said, “Wait a minute, here he is.” Briefly he explained to Lee that the call came in just a few minutes ago and that the woman on the other end claimed to know where Amanda was being held. Lee grabbed the phone and spoke “Scarecrow here. Who is this?”

The woman spoke quickly, “It is Carlotta Devay, Scarecrow. I have seen your lady partner. She is a captive in the house where my niece works. I filled in for her today and I saw Amanda in the upstairs bedroom. I have convinced my niece to take another day off tomorrow and I will try to contact her. I must go now. He is coming.”

Lee shouted into the phone, “Wait ! Where are you?” He slammed the phone down in disgust. “She hung up. Dammit, Billy did we get the trace? Where did Carlotta call from?” “We got it Lee. It is from a provencial area in South Carolina. They are making an exact determination now. Who was that woman? Do you trust her?”

“Yes, I trust her. That was Miguel Devay’s widow. She has been part of my Family ever since he was shot. Miguel was a damn good agent and a good friend. She said she wanted to continue his work by helping me if she could. She seems to have stumbled onto Amanda by accident while helping out her niece today at some job. She will try to contact her tomorrow and call back. If we get a location I am not waiting here until then. I am going tonight with or without you.”

Billy threw up his hands and said, “Of course we are going with you tonight as soon as we get confirmation of the address. Amanda is a damn good agent and we all want her back safe and sound. Now go inform her mother of the break and I will get that address from Francine. She should have it by now.