Twenty minutes later, Lee and Billy were racing down the highway toward Pointville, South Carolina. The exact location was an old plantation house found in the countryside surrounding the small city. Billy had directed that all calls be forwarded to his car phone. They did not want to risk missing any contact made by Carlotta until they had set up a temporary command post outside of the estate. They pulled up to the crew that had been sent ahead when the first general location had been discovered just as the sun rose over the trees.

Lee silently vowed to have Amanda home and in his arms before night fell again. Inside the plantation home Amanda awoke with a jerk and cried out for Lee. She had heard his voice again telling her he was coming and that he loved her. She crept out of bed and went to the window looking out over the courtyard and began to cry. She would have lost all hope had it not been for those silent messages from Lee. She just knew he was close now and would come for her anytime. She turned quickly when she heard the door open. Caris Saeed’s form filled the doorway.

“My dear Amanda, you are already awake. Surely you are not pining for that fool Stetson again. I had hoped that you would have realized that he has no further use for you now that you are captured. He does not love you. He never did.” He smiled and tried to touch her face.

Amanda jerked away and said, “I am not your dear and Lee does love me and he will be here soon. You will be sorry you ever left Russia when he is through with you”

Caris snarled in anger at the spirit and loyalty to Scarecrow that she continued to show despite his efforts to break their bond with time and distance. He grabbed her and struck her across the cheek with his hand. A bright red mark showed immediately on her pale face. As she fell across the bed, he stormed out of the room with instructions to the maid outside to make sure that their guest was made presentable for he had a new plan in mind.

As Caris left the room the defiant look on Amanda’s face crumpled into one of despair. She held her throbbing face and sobbed aloud. The maid quickly entered the room and crossed to the bed. “Come my dear let’s get you into the tub so you can eat breakfast. You will feel much better then.” She led the sobbing Amanda by the hand to the bath next door. She sat the disconsolate agent in the chair in front of the vanity and turned on the bath water full force. She closed the door and kneeled in front of Amanda and spoke softly. “My name is Carlotta Devay. Your Lee is a very good friend of mine. He likes to call friends like me his Family.” She paused as she waited for what she had just told Amanda to penetrate the fog surrounding her mind. When Amanda’s grew wide with recognition she continued, “I spoke with Lee last night. I suspect he is on his way here now even as we speak. I am sure he traced my call to the Agency. You must hold on. Be strong.”

Amanda replied with s strong hug and a whispered “Thank you. Can you get in touch with him again? Did you tell him where we are?”

Carlotta shook her head in the negative. “I was fearful of being discovered. But do not underestimate Scarecrow. He will find you and all will be well. Now let me help you into the tub. If today is the day you want to be ready for anything. A hot bath and a good meal together will help clear your mind.” She turned to the tub to adjust the water temperature and turned in time to see Amanda hold both hands over a now slightly protruding lower abdomen. Carlotta gasped and said, “I see now why Lee is so very frantic to have you back. I could hear it in his voice on the phone. He was terrified for you and now I see why. How far along are you ?”

Amanda answered with a tired smile “Almost five months now. It is a good thing I do not get very big or Caris would have another weapon at his disposal to taunt Lee with. We were so excited about the baby and telling everyone the truth. We married about six months ago and no one knows at home. I don’t know how Caris found out.”

“Well that is only one more reason for you to be careful and not anger him again. H could do more than bruise your face next time.” With that advice Carlotta left the room and went down the stairs to see Caris and Jahir walk out the door and drive away together in the same car that had brought Amanda three weeks before. That left only the guard outside the bedroom and the two patrolling the grounds. She felt it was safe enough to try and contact Lee once more. The loyal maid crept into the study to use the only phone once more. Outside in the surveillance van nearly half mile away the phone connected to the Agency line rang. Lee snatched it up and barked, “Scarecrow .”

He nearly dropped to his knees in relief when he heard Carlotta say, “Did you trace the call last night? Are you here?”

Lee answered, “We are about one half mile away from an old plantation estate in Pointville. Are we in the right place?”

Carlotta breathed in relief. “Yes. We are inside the house. Amanda is being kept in the upstairs bedroom. The third floor, in the back corner. You must hurry. She angers him by not betraying you. I fear for her safety.” A sudden crash was heard and then the phone line went dead.

Lee looked up at an expectant Billy. “This is it. She is on the third floor. But we were cut off. I think Carlotta may have been discovered.”

Indeed that was just the case. The maid had been found by the returning Caris and Jahir. A flat tire had forced them to return to the house and they had caught the woman in the study. Now a gun was to her head and she was being forced to give the pair the number to contact Lee. She was then tied to a chair and gagged. Jahir went to the third floor to bring down their reluctant guest. Amanda had barely dressed and left the bathroom to eat the breakfast the cook had sent when he entered the room and dragged her down the stairs. It was the first time she had been out of the bedroom since they had taken her from the zoo.

Once in the study with Caris, she saw Carlotta and tried to go to her aid but was roughly jerked back by Jahir. Caris smiled cruelly and said “So the rescue is thwarted before it even begins. I am very surprised that he even attempted to rescue you, my love. Perhaps his feelings run deeper than I supposed. But that is even better. The more he loves you the more pain he will feel when you betray him with me.”

“I would never betray him for you or anyone else and he knows it. You will never convince him.” She sounded much braver than she really was. She had no way of knowing how close Lee was. And the capture of the brave maid who had been so kind to her had taken the small glimmer of hope so recently seen.

“ We will see about that. With those words he crossed the room to her and ripped off her jacket revealing the sleeveless shift beneath. He forced her to put her arms around him and then cruelly kissed her lips. She did not protest for fear he would harm the baby she already cherished. She became aware of a camera flashing away across the room. He was taking pictures! Jahir had a camera with a zoom lens attached taking pictures of the apparently passionate embrace. “Now we will see if Scarecrow remains steadfast in his devotion when he sees that you have taken comfort in my arms over his apparent desertion.” He roughly pushed her away and left the room. The guard tied her arms and legs and left her lying on the floor next to Carlotta.