PART THREE: CONFRONTATIONS
Lee’s search for Amanda begins. He has very little to go on, but somehow, some way, he manages to find out who she is. Having got her name, now all he needs to do is find a way to speak to her. Then what seems to be the perfect opportunity presents itself. Disguised as one of the pirate servers, he ensures that he is at Moby’s Dock when Amanda brings her children to eat there after football practice. He approaches her under the guise of giving her a Gangplank burger, although at that moment Amanda is so busy trying to dish out the food she already has to the kids in the back that she doesn’t actually at first realise that it is Lee standing there in front of her.
When Lee flips his eye patch up with a cheeky flourish and a smile, Amanda is visibly shocked. He’s alive! He also seems to be unhurt which, although a relief, does little to dissipate her absolute astonishment at his sudden appearance. How did he manage to get away from those two men after they caught up with him on the train platform?
Not that Lee gives her the chance to even ask. In no mood to waste time and completely forgetting his manners in the process, he cuts straight to the very heart of the matter, his voice fairly dripping accusation.
“You didn’t do what I told you!”
His words are like touch paper to a flame. Suddenly the mood between them flares and before either of them knows it they are arguing. Lee may be angry with her for not doing what he asked, but Amanda’s not about to let him stand there hissing the odds without defending herself! In fact, she’s not at all happy about the fact that he seems to be blaming her. It’s hardly her fault that there were dozens of men in red hats on the train! How was she supposed to know which man she was supposed to pass the package to?
Their exchange is interrupted by Jamie, who, with a child’s inevitable curiosity, poses the one question that Amanda really doesn’t want to have to answer – and certainly not to her children. That, after all, could lead to a whole new set of complications!
But Lee’s not finished. He still needs her to hand over the package.
Amanda, thinking practically, tells him that she will drop it round to his house. That seems like the most logical thing to do, especially when she doesn’t actually have the package with her. That’s no good though. How can Lee, as an agent for the US government, just hand out his address to a complete stranger? He will happily hand over a package containing sensitive information, but his address is quite another matter!
His reluctance is the final nail in the coffin as far as Amanda is concerned. She’s had enough. They have obviously reached an impasse and there’s no way that she is going to continue speaking to him in front of the children. She’s leaving!
“Let go of my car,” she warns as she starts up the engine.
Her actions take Lee completely by surprise. He is definitely not expecting her to take off mid-argument nor keep driving while he is still clinging to her car!
“Wait! Wait! Hold it! Stop! I have to see you!”
Desperate to keep some contact with her in some way, he reaches into his pocket and only just manages to secure his card under her windscreen before she tears off, car wheels screeching.
What has Amanda got herself into? The simple passing on of what looked like a completely innocuous package has turned into something far more mysterious – even dangerous! However, she has a little card flapping about under her windscreen with Lee’s number on it so the ball is in her court to call him…
As for Lee, he has no idea how much the men who were after him know about Amanda’s involvement in the matter – if anything at all. He can only hope that she will heed his words to get in touch. After all, there must be a part of her that’s curious about all this? One thing’s for sure, his life has just become a bit more complicated. He not only has to solve the case, but he also has to make sure his actions at the train station do not ultimately put a suburban housewife and her children in any more danger than they might already be.
Scarecrow & Mrs King - Getting to Know You 