Chapter 12

A/N This is a double post. Please read chapter 11 first. Thank you.

~o~

There was no wheelchairs available. Lee was still groggy from the strong dose nevertheless he was hauled to his feet and marched between two male carers. He didn't know where he was going, he wasn't told. He struggled to keep his eyes open and his feet under him. He stumbled to the ground and without a word they hauled him back up and pulled him down a flight of steps. He was brought through to an office and dumped down on a chair.

Through blurred vision he could see that someone in white was sitting behind a desk.

Someone spoke over his head.

"He tried to escape, we can't have another like that,"

The blurred image behind the desk nodded and wrote something down.

"The last one was gone for two days. Stupid night staff didn't notice. They found her dead two days later on the beech two miles away. We can't have that."

"I know about that, why do you have to remind me. Such trouble. We'll keep him down here, give him something to keep him calm. It won't happen again."

The carers who brought him down here left the office then. The person behind the desk did not speak to him. After a moment he got up and left the room. Lee tried to look up, tried to make sense of where he was. This wasn't familiar to him. Minutes later the person returned with two other male carers.

Without a word they hauled him up out of the chair and walked him out of the office. They marched him down a corridor. He could hardly see, his vision had no focus and everything was blurred. They turned right and he was thrown down on what felt like a bed. He tried to react as they began unbuttoning his shirt and belt but the heavy dose took all of his energy.

"It's an early bedtime for you," one of them muttered as he was roughly turned on his side and could feel someone pulling off his shirt.

~o~

Amanda was so glad to be having the boys home again. She missed them, she had too much time to think on her own. Dotty had gone back to her own place and it was up to Amanda now. She gave the house a good clean and there was a vase of fresh flowers on the table. Despite her depression she was determined to make their home coming special. It was a good thing she had cooked their favorite spaghetti and meatballs dinner, they came in starving and narky as hell after a four. hour bus ride in the sweltering heat.

"Come on, don't just drop your bags in the hall bring them to your rooms and I'll go through them tomorrow." She told them.

Before they could pass her she pulled them into her arms for a hug. Usually they would scoff at that but they missed her too. Over dinner they told her all about their adventures.

"We went fishing and Philip caught a large salmon,"

"I wanted to tell her that," Philip moaned.

Amanda quickly diffused the situation.

"That's great Philip well done you."

"Yeah mom and I won a three legged race, I ran it with another boy as Philip had hurt his leg."

"Is your leg ok?" Amanda asked the boy.

Philip began to frown and whined, "Maybe you should look at it later, it's nearly healed but maybe you should see it."

"Ok!" She smiled at the boy ruffling his hair.

"We had to earn merit badges like in the scouts by doing good deeds," Jamie went on.

"What good deeds did you do," Amanda asked taking a spoon full of spaghetti and wrapping it onto her fork.

"We had to make each others beds, clean up the local neighborhood, bake a cake and take it to a home full of old people."

"I don't know if I like the sound of that, I didn't send you there to work. And this care home...were they all old. I wasn't told about that in the brochure."

"Yeah it was ok mom, they were all old. They were nice except for one who got in a fight. The nurses took him off somewhere."

Amanda frowned, she still didn't like the idea. She paid good money for that summer camp and she hears that they visited a health facility and were put picking up papers in the local neighborhood.

"One of them was young," Philip went on.

"Hmm?" Amanda turned to him.

"One of them in the care home. He looked like your friend mom, the one who used to hang around in the garden."

"If he was prowling around in the garden he was no friend of mine," Amanda grinned as she poked through her salad with a fork.

"Yeah don't be an idiot Philip," Jamie snapped.

"He was her friend she used to talk to him."

"You're a dork,"

"So are you,"

"Now boys," Amanda was quick to intervene. "You're both tired after your trip. What say you get an early night."

"Aw mom," Jamie began to protest.

"No that's it now, you can tell me all about it tomorrow but once you finish up your dinner I want you to get your heads down."

"See what you did," Jamie growled at Philip.

Philip rested his head on his hand as he ate.

"He was moms friend, he used to talk to her. I was nice to him I gave him a balloon. His name was Lee." he muttered to himself.

The fork froze in Amandas hand.

"What...what was that Philip."

"You used to talk to him at the window. My room is above, I could hear. I heard you call him Lee."

"Oh my God,' she muttered.

~o~

Amanda called Dotty and then she called Billy. Dotty wasn't impressed. She talked of having Amanda committed. It was past eleven at night and she wanted Dotty to babysit so she could go driving off in the dark. Dotty shook her head in despair as Amanda grabbed her bag and keys and gave her mother a quick peck on the cheek.

Billy was out that night she left a message on his answering machine. She knew that he would be equally underwhelmed by this but she had to take this chance. She drove like a maniac little regarding her speed in her haste to get there. She held a map in her lap and a flash light trying to follow a tiny trail on the crumpled paper that led way out into the countryside.

Eventually just over two and a half hours later she pulled up into the Driveway of St Mary's care home.

The nurse in charge was shocked to receive a visitor at this hour. She looked at Amanda as if she had just committed a murder.

"No, no visitors at this hour, it's past 1am. Come back tomorrow," the Asian girl said.

"This is an emergency, I'm here in connection with a missing person. His name is Lee Stetson,"

"No Lee Swanson here," the nurse yelled back.

"No Stetson," Amanda nearly screamed at her.

The door was banged in her face. Amanda looked about desperately. After a moment she headed back to her car. She found herself minutes later at the local police station.

The sheriff lived just across the street and he begrudgingly left his warm couch, his beer and The Pyramid Game to amble over to the station. Amanda quickly told him about Lee and how they had been searching for him for months and how the staff at the home wouldn't allow her admittance to make an identification.

"St Marys is an excellent institution. I know some of the workers there personally and they are fine upstanding citizens. You ask anyone here. They attend church once or twice a week and give generously to the church fund. We ain't never had any complaints about anything connected to that there home. And I defy you miss to find any wrong doing."

"I didn't say there was any wrong doing what I'm saying is that they may have a resident living there who is on the missing persons register. He's been missing for months.

"Look lady, why don't you come back tomorrow. I'm sure they'll be glad to help you out then. If he's up there he ain't going anywhere overnight. Come back tomorrow."

Amanda looked from one to the other. She was getting nowhere with these people. It was like a brick wall. Reluctantly she left the station. Even more reluctantly she headed back to her car and drove off towards the next town. She needed to find somewhere to bed down over night. She would return first thing in the morning.

First thing in the morning became two o clock in the afternoon. She had returned at 9am and they wouldn't entertain her. The receptionist had told her to return at visiting time, and so she was there at two o clock on the dot.

"Excuse me, that is the staff car park, you can't park there." Someone called out to her.

"I'll only be a minute," she called back as she hurried towards the entrance. She was happy to note other people were now coming and going from the building.

"No, we have no one here by that name," the prim looking young woman behind the desk told her. Amanda quickly rifled through her bag looking for a picture of him.

As she did another man rudely went in front of her.

"Excuse me. I've just been with my friend and I have some concerns. He has deteriorated since coming here. He has lost weight, he is unresponsive, can you explain this to me please. Has he even seen a doctor since his admittance?"

"I don't have a picture," Amanda called out desperately. "I'm sorry I don't have a picture. I forgot it. He's about six ft one inches, he has brown hair..."

"There is no Lee Stetson here," the woman snapped.

Amanda suddenly felt a shred of doubt for the first time. Maybe Philip meant that he saw someone who looked like Lee. In fact now that she thought about it, that's what he meant. Both the receptionist and the other man were staring at her now.

"I'm sorry," she muttered and she turned to go.

Out in the car park she struggled to keep the tears from her eyes as she headed back to her car.

"Ma'am, excuse me ma'am." Someone called after her.

"I know, it's the staff car park. I'm moving my car now." Amanda yelled back as she rifled through her bag looking for her keys.

"No eh, sorry I...you said you were looking for someone."

She looked up. It was the man who had been at reception.

"Hi, I'm sorry I couldn't help overhearing, My name is Dr Robert Neugent, people call me Bob."

He extended a hand and Amanda shook it.

"I...I have a friend in there, I'm trying to help him. He was homeless, now he is in the care of the state. He's in there. If I could just find someone who knows him who could make a clear identification then maybe I could get him the care he needs." Bob was grasping at straws he knew it but he was growing desperate. He couldn't stand by and let this man fall through the cracks.

Amanda stood staring at him, she didn't know what to say.

"All I know about him is that his first name is Lee. He's smart, he's compassionate, he doesn't belong in there, he belongs with people who care about him."

Bob put a hand in his pocket and fishing out a fresh Kleenex he handed it to Amanda as tears started in earnest.

When eventually she had gotten herself under control she looked at Bob.

"I need to meet your friend," she said.

~o~

Amanda was careful as they descended the rickety narrow staircase. She stared with wide eyes at the cracked paint and cobwebs clinging to every light fitting. Bob led her to a large gloomy, clinical looking day room. It was a massive room but it was nearly filled to capacity with residents. Some were sitting, some were aimlessly walking in a circle, some were crouched on the floor. Some were standing and just wailing. Amanda's heart went out to them. As she looked around she was shocked at the sheer number of people crowded in here. As her eyes scanned around they suddenly froze on one spot. A lone figure sat hunched in a chair looking barely conscious.

Lee," she whispered.

His breaths became hitched as he gazed up at her. Slowly she crouched down to his level and put her arms around him. She tried to hold back her tears as she took in his condition. She could feel his bones through the thin cotton shirt he was wearing. He broke from the embrace and looked back at her his breaths still hitching in his chest. He reached up and put a hand to her hair, gently touching a stray curl on her forehead.

"Your name is Amanda," he said between breaths. A single tear ran down his cheek.

"I...don't remember everything."

She took hold of his hands. "It's alright now Lee, you're safe. we found you." She tried to control her voice as tears glistened in her eyes.

Lee suddenly gave her a dimpled smile. Amanda had to choke back a sob as she hugged him again.

~o~

"Excuse me, what are you doing," the receptionist came around her desk as they breezed past her.

"Mr Stetson will be checking out today," Bob told her as he hurried past her bringing Lee with him. Amanda ran ahead to open the car.

She stopped short as Bob and Lee came up behind her.

"They've clamped the car," she told them.

"It was in the staff car park," the receptionist told her curtly.

Two senior male nurses came and stood directly in their path.

"Excuse me, would you mind moving please, we wish to leave," Amanda said.

"You can't take him unless you are registered as his next of kin. He has no kin so that means he stays here."

"I am taking him out of here today and you are not going to stop me. There is no way he is going to spend another night in this place," Amanda told them. She looked to Bob but he looked less certain. Technically a patient could not be removed from a care facility without the permission of next of kin and Bob knew that.

"We'll just see what the Sheriff has to say about that," One of the senior nurses grinned. "You know of course that this is attempted kidnapping, you could find yourselves in serious hot water."

The color seemed to drain from Bob's face, just then he could see his career as a doctor dissolve before him.

As if on cue a black and white cop car appeared through the gates and wound it's way up the drive towards them.

"Here's the Sheriff, now we'll see," the nurse grinned as his old friend Sheriff Tucker approached. His smile faded somewhat as four large land rovers with tinted windows followed behind the cop car.

The Sheriff got out practically before the car stopped and waddled towards them.

"Oh you found him, this is him I presume. I'm so glad lady. That's great." The Sheriff babbled.

Behind him Billy emerged from the first Land Rover followed by several other agents. A medical team emerged from the last car and quickly took charge of Lee checking his vital signs. As he was surrounded by medical staff he looked over at Amanda, she gave him a reassuring smile. He knew then that he could trust them.

"Well done Amanda," Billy put a hand to her shoulder.

"How did you know," she asked.

"You left a message on my answer phone remember."

"I told you I was heading to St Mary's, I didn't say where it was," she reasoned.

"Amanda, I've been in this business a while. If we can't find a care home out in the sticks I don't think we're in the right business do you."

"Probably not sir," she smiled.

~o~

Lee and Amanda entered the office together, judging by their smiles Billy judged that their case was going well.

"I take it you've bagged Feldman," Billy said as he leaned back in his chair.

"Just about," Lee answered. "He's due to fly out on the 9.30 flight to..."

"Geneva," Amanda put in quickly.

Lee nodded his thanks.

"We have a team waiting at the airport. He will have the coke sewn into a compartment in his carry on luggage. He has hired a young girl to take drugs through customs. She will be caught, that will create the diversion and he then thinks that he will cross through without incident."

"But we'll be waiting," Billy smiled.

"We'll be waiting," Lee nodded.

"Who's the girl?" Billy asked.

"She's just some kid they hired to ferry drugs for them. Of course she doesn't know she's been duped. We've been following for the last two and a half weeks. Her name is Mary..."

"Preston, she's from Nevada," Amanda finished for him.

Billy smiled "Well it seems you have it all sewn up. Scarecrow can you talk to the technical team. They want to double check that everyone concerned is wired and ready.

Lee frowned. "Of course they're wired and ready," he muttered as he left the office. "What do they think we're doing here."

Billy then turned to Amanda.

"Clever," she smiled.

"How's things going?" He asked.

"Good, I'd say things are very good. He is getting fewer headaches. I won't lie to you his short term memory is still a little hazy but he manages. He's excelling," Amanda nodded, quick to diffuse any negative comment.

"He's excelling as he has you as a partner," Billy smiled warmly. "I wanted to talk to you alone because I didn't want to upset him. I know the St Marys case is close to your heart Amanda. We have sent an undercover team in this week to assess the situation there and gather evidence. Hopefully with our findings the place will be closed down and the residents will be housed in more suitable accommodation."

"That would be very welcome sir," Amanda grinned.

"As for the other case the trail has run cold. We know that Lee was running with a gang. He had the head injury at that point but how he sustained the injury will I think forever be a mystery."

"I suppose it could have been any one of the felons we come across," Amanda noted.

"Comes with the job Amanda. You take care of yourself out there too."

"I will sir,"

~o~

Lee met Amanda in the outer office and gazed at her suspiciously.

"What was all that about?" He asked her, a trace of fear in his eyes.

"Never you mind, if I want to suck up to the boss I at least deserve some privacy."

Lee had to give her a smile at that.

She linked arms with him.

"Come on, I'll treat you to lunch. They do a great lasagna and garlic bread at the Bistro across the road."

As they left the building and stood to cross to the other side of the street a young girl in a school uniform suddenly caught Lees eye. He had the strangest de ja vu feeling that he's seen her before.

Jessica recognized him immediately as the man who nearly died in the old house. She stopped and blew him a kiss before going on her way. She never gave him another moments thought.

The End.