"Three hundred and forty-seven kids over a period of twenty-one years," Billy said. "At least, that's the latest tally." He shook his head. "It's a hell of a mess."

"That's way beyond the mortality rate that made Amanda suspicious in the first place," Lee said. He leaned against the closed door, arms folded. "How'd they get the rest?"

"Blind adoptions. The girls signed over their babies, Vanek forged the necessary documents, and that was that. The mothers never expected to hear from those kids again, so it was easy."

There was silence as the reality of it all sank in. More than three hundred people who would never know their true history, never meet their extended families, never be able to answer the questions their doctors would ask. Three hundred people who would never be able to say they had their father's nose or their mother's eyes or their Aunt Martha's sense of humor.

"What's going to happen to them?" Amanda asked. "The kids, I mean. They'll have families and friends, people who love them. Some of them probably don't even know they were adopted."

"I honestly don't know." Billy glanced through the window to the busy bullpen beyond. "We're turning the case over to State. Let them sort it out." He looked back at Amanda. "Best guess says they'll offer dual citizenship to all of them, and a plane ticket home for the ones who want it."

Francine spoke up from the chair beside Amanda's. She wore dark blue today, with chunky gold jewelry and heels that made Amanda's back ache just to look at them. "That's all very interesting," she said, "but did they get Dr. Kolar?"

Pragmatic as ever, Amanda thought. Francine never had been the warm and fuzzy type.

Billy nodded. "Missed Procházka, though. Somebody must've tipped her off. She's safely tucked away behind the iron curtain."

"At least we have Vanek and Benakov." Francine rubbed at her arm. "Vanek's quite the brute."

The grin Billy gave her had a hint of paternal pride to it. "From what I hear, you gave better than you got."

"You'd better believe it. Nobody hits Francine Desmond and gets away with it."

"What about the money?" Lee asked, shifting his weight and tucking his hands into his pockets. "Any word on what's going on there?"

"Not yet. We've got a team of forensic accountants going over everything, but it's going to take some time."

"He put it all back into the home." Amanda still didn't like thinking about that last conversation. "At least, he said he did."

"It would make sense," Lee said. "The nicer the home, the more choosy he could be about which girls he accepted into the program."

"Exactly." Billy shook his head. "He really is a piece of work."

"I think it's kind of sad," Amanda said.

Head tilted to one side, Billy studied her. "How do you mean?"

"Well, I mean, I assume those babies went to loving homes." It had been preying on her mind all night, though she'd said nothing to Lee.

"So?"

"So the girls he took them from, most of them anyway, gave up their babies willingly. Sure he sold them, but he placed them with good families and used the money to help others."

"So he could steal their babies, too," Lee said sardonically.

"You make it sound like he sold every baby that came through the home. He didn't. Plenty of those kids were adopted into stable, loving, American families."

"Right." Sarcasm heavy in his voice, Lee shook his head. "So we might as well open up the adoption process. Let mothers sell their babies to the highest bidder as long as they donate the proceeds to maternity homes."

Amanda rounded on him, anger stiffening her shoulders and tightening the edges of her voice. "That's not what I mean, and you know it. And what about what happened to Alex Benakov's sister? Is that any less wrong?"

"What happens in Czechoslovakia is their problem to deal with," Lee said, eyes hard. "Not ours."

"So I'm just supposed to forget about it?"

"All right, people." Voice raised, Billy waved them to silence. "You can duke this out on your own time."

Amanda swiveled back around and folded her arms across her chest. There wasn't really any point in discussing it, anyway. Lee saw it all in black and white, while she was all tangled up in the grays.

"What happens to Vanek and Benakov?" Francine asked, easing the tension with the change of topic.

"State will probably deport them. Politically, it's a powder keg. Vanek's a thug, but he hasn't actually killed anybody, and Benakov's telling our people everything they want to know. They'll have to tread pretty lightly if they ever want to get the whole thing untangled."

"It isn't enough." Amanda shook her head. "Those men played God with hundreds of lives, and all we're going to do is send them home?"

"Wait a minute," Lee said. "A minute ago you were defending them."

"No I wasn't!" She loved him, but sometimes he made her so angry. "I was just pointing out that there wasn't an easy answer!"

"You're right, it isn't enough." Billy again, breaking up the argument before it could get started. He lifted his hands, dropped them again with a shake of his head. "Not much we can do about it, though. If we push too hard, Benakov's liable to clam up completely, and then we'll never get it all sorted out."

"What about Shannon Kelly?" Amanda asked, remembering the teenager's heartbreak. "Does she know her baby's alive?"

"I don't know what she's been told, but I do have some good news on that score." Billy shuffled through the papers on his desk, handed one to Amanda. "You were right about it being Shannon's baby that Procházka took with her that night. It doesn't look like she's been placed yet, but it's going to take some time to sort out the red tape. Good news is, the Czech government has agreed to send her home."

Amanda read the confirmation of his news with a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank God." At least something good would come of the whole mess.

"I imagine you'll want to be there when she's returned to her mother?" It was a rhetorical question, but she answered it anyway.

"Yes, sir. I'd like that very much."

"I thought so." He leaned forward, and there was a note of finality in the way he closed the file. "Well, that about covers it. Good job, all of you. And Mockingbird--" There was a warm smile in his eyes as he looked at Amanda. "I'd say you earned your wings on this one."

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir." She'd known it, of course, but it felt good to hear Billy acknowledge it in front of the others. "I did my best."

He nodded. "You always do." Directing his gaze at Francine, Billy gestured toward the door. "Francine, if you'll excuse us, I need to talk to Lee and Amanda alone for a minute."

"Sure thing," Francine said, getting to her feet. "I've got some paperwork to finish anyway."

She left in a swish of silk and a cloud of French perfume, the door closing quietly behind her. Amanda glanced a question at Lee, but he only shrugged and crossed to take the seat Francine had vacated.

"You screwed up," Billy said, as soon as Lee was seated. He didn't raise his voice, but it vibrated with anger. "And it almost cost you your lives and scuttled a major operation."

"Come on, Billy. Amanda all but tied this thing up with a bow," Lee said, and Amanda had to respect him for not shrinking from Billy's fury. She, on the other hand, was fighting a mortified cringe.

"Pure dumb luck." There was fire in Billy's eyes. "This whole thing could've gone down clean if I'd known about your marriage from the get go."

"You're right, sir." Amanda gave Lee a quelling look. He wasn't helping the situation by getting defensive about it. "We should've told you."

"Damn right you should have." But her agreement seemed to have taken the wind out of his sails. "I should put official reprimands in both your files."

Amanda glanced uneasily at Lee, but he was looking at Billy.

"Keeping our marriage under wraps was my idea," he said. "If there's going to be an official reprimand, it should go in my file, not hers."

She stared at him, fingers digging into the arms of her chair. No way was she going to let him take the heat for this alone. She spun back around to Billy. "I agreed to it, sir. I'm as much to blame as Lee is."

"Can it. Both of you." Billy glared from one to the other of them, drumming his fingers against the desk top.

As the silence lengthened it took on a life of its own, and Amanda began to feel like the walls were closing in on her.

Finally, Billy blew out a breath, his gaze zeroing in on Lee. "You've broken just about every rule in the book since you joined this agency, and I've always defended you because you're damn good at what you do." He glanced toward the busy bullpen again, shook his head, and looked back at Lee. "But this one takes the cake. Not only did you put yourself in danger, you endangered a rookie agent as well! That was damned irresponsible, even for you." Before Lee could respond, Billy rounded on Amanda. "And you! I brought you on board here to rein him in, not follow his lead!"

"Yes, sir. I know sir, but if you'll just let me explain . . . "

Billy cut her off with a sharp wave of one hand. "Don't bother. Lee already tried." Dropping his hand, he leaned back in his chair. He looked tired, as if the challenge of dealing with the two of them was wearing him out. "The question is, what are you going to do now?"

Amanda looked at Lee and found him watching her. She shrugged, turning the question over to him. There was a short, silent argument, which she brought to an end by turning away and folding her arms. She would've laughed at his quiet huff of annoyance if they hadn't been facing Billy's stony scrutiny.

"Well," Lee said, conceding defeat, "we thought we'd get married."

Billy's gaze flickered between them for a long, silent moment. Then he broke into a wide smile. "Well it's about damn time."

********************

********************

He was nervous. Honest to God nervous. Clammy hands, racing pulse, the whole nine yards. It was just lunch in the park--hot dogs, potato salad, lemonade. Hell, maybe he'd even toss a football around with the boys. No big deal, right?

He nosed the car into the curb in front of the house and turned off the ignition. Then he sat for a moment, his hand sliding into his pocket to close around her engagement ring. After today, she'd never have to take it off again. Because after today, the whole world would know how they felt about each other. It was a heady thought, but there was also a part of him that regretted the end of the secrecy. Once their engagement was out in the open, it wouldn't be just theirs anymore.

Annoyed with himself for indulging in pointless self-pity, Lee shook his head. He wanted this. He wanted to be part of a real family, with a home, and kids, and a wife who would be by his side all the time--not just when they could squeeze time from their busy schedules. He wanted to play ball with the boys, and work in the yard, and learn how to fix the plumbing when it broke. But most of all, he wanted to be a husband to Amanda. A real husband--not just a name on a piece of paper.

So he would propose to her this afternoon while Dotty and the boys looked on. And when she said yes he would slide the ring on her finger, and then he would take her in his arms and kiss her until she got that glazed look in her eyes that always made him want to kiss her some more.

Keeping that thought firmly in mind, he got out of the car and started up the walk. The front door opened as he reached the steps, and Amanda stepped out. Her warm smile went a long way toward helping him relax.

"I was starting to think you were going to stay out there all afternoon." She gave him a quick kiss, and it was all he could do not to sweep her into his arms right then and there.

He settled for bracketing her waist with his hands and returning her smile. "I thought about it," he confessed.

"Are you ready?"

She looked relaxed and happy standing there with the sun shining in her hair and her eyes laughing up at him. It was all the confirmation he needed that they were doing the right thing.

"Yeah," he said, and he couldn't resist kissing the corner of her mouth, stealing a part of her smile for himself. "I suppose I am."

"Good." She tucked her arm through his and pushed the door open. "We're all ready to go. Just let me grab the lemonade and we'll be off."

"Your mother and the boys?"

"Already in the car." She gave him a quick, apologetic glance. "Along with the football, two frisbees, the badminton game, and a set of horseshoes."

He stopped in his tracks. "Horseshoes?"

"Mother's favorite."

"Ahh." Shaking his head, he picked up the thermos of lemonade and tried not to feel like General Patton heading out to hunt pheasants in the German countryside. The only difference was that Patton hadn't had an inkling that his day might turn disastrous.

The car hadn't been parked out front, so he started toward the back door, then turned at the touch of her hand on his arm. Her eyes were serious, and from the look she gave him he suspected she had a pretty good idea what he was thinking.

"It's going to be fine, Lee. You'll see."

Four years together, and she could read him like a book.

He was damned good at his job. And he liked to think he was learning to be a decent husband. But he was still pretty clueless about how to be a parent or a son-in-law.

"Of course it'll be fine," he said, pasting on what he hoped was a confident smile. "Why wouldn't it be?" He started forward again, only to stop when he realized she wasn't coming with him. "What?"

Stepping close, she leaned in and pressed a kiss against his jaw. "I love you," she said.

Yeah. She knew him, all right. Grinning, he shook his head. "I love you, too."

"Good." She tucked her arm in his and picked up her keys. "Then let's go on a picnic."

***************

*** Epilogue ***

The white clapboard farmhouse had a deep front porch and a yard dotted with elm and maple trees. Its concrete walkway was cracked but free of weeds, and the simple white curtains at the open windows waved gently in the afternoon breeze. Lee would probably call it old and run down. To Amanda, it looked warm and homey. Lived in.

A good place for Shannon's little girl to grow up.

The social worker had agreed to wait by the cars for the time being, letting Amanda handle the initial meeting. Grateful for this simple gift from a total stranger, she snuggled the baby close as she walked. Such a tiny little thing to have already had such a grand adventure. Surely it meant she was destined for greatness.

As if she'd heard Amanda's thoughts, the baby's eyes opened, and she yawned, her tiny mouth opening wide. Would those eyes stay blue? Or would they change to match her mother's green ones? The little nose didn't have the faint upturn at the end that her mother's did, so maybe she got that from her father.

Beside her, Lee's expression was unreadable, but his hand was warm at her back, and he carried the small diaper bag as easily as he wore his gun. She didn't tell him it looked good on him, though. She didn't want to scare him.

Just then the front door of the house slammed open, and a girl about Jamie's age came flying out, only to stop in awkward confusion at the top of the steps.

"They're here!" she yelled back toward the house. "Shannon! They're here!"

Before Amanda could do more than smile, a flood of people came pouring through the opened door.

And right in front, picking her way slowly down the steps with a nervous smile, was Shannon.

Her dark hair was pulled back from her face in a pony tail, and the sprinkle of freckles across her nose made her look even younger than her fifteen years. She came to a stop in front of Amanda, her eyes wide as she studied her daughter's face for the first time.

"Hello, Shannon," Amanda said. "It's good to see you again."

Shannon tore her eyes away from the baby long enough to give Amanda a quick smile. "Yeah." She glanced back to where her parents stood as if only just remembering she wasn't alone, then swivelled back. "Is that . . . " She swallowed. Tried again. "Is that my baby?"

"Sure is," Amanda said. "Would you like to hold her?"

Eyes wide, Shannon nodded.

Carefully, Amanda settled the baby into Shannon's arms. "Easy now," she said. "Make sure you support her head. It'll be a while yet before she can do that on her own."

"She's so tiny," Shannon's voice was awed, and it made Amanda smile.

"She'll grow, believe me. Besides, you aren't all that big yourself."

The social worker stepped up beside Amanda. She was still young enough to be idealistic, and she smiled warmly as she touched Shannon on the shoulder.

"Miss Kelly? I'm Harriet. The social worker? We talked on the phone."

"Oh!" Shannon blushed. "Yes. Ms. Perkins. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be rude."

Harriet only smiled. "Under the circumstances, it's perfectly understandable." She gestured toward the house. "Do you mind if we step inside? There's a lot we need to talk about, and I've got some papers I need you and your parents to sign."

Recognizing the dismissal for what it was, Amanda stepped aside while Lee handed over the diaper bag. They watched the family move back down the walk, and Amanda was about to turn back to the car when Shannon stopped, said something to the social worker, and passed the baby to her mother.

"Mrs. King! Wait!" She came back down the walk, her pace slowed only slightly by the stomach muscles that hadn't fully recovered from surgery. "Thank you," she said, her arms coming around Amanda in a quick, tight hug. "Thank you for everything."

There were tears in Amanda's eyes as she held Shannon close for an instant, then let her go. "You're welcome."

And then she was gone, and it wasn't long before Lee and Amanda were alone in the deserted yard. He moved to her side, and she felt his touch at her elbow.

"Hey," he said softly. "You did a good thing here."

Amanda blinked. Sniffled. "Yeah." She gave him a watery smile. "I did, didn't I."

She wondered if she'd ever hear from Shannon again, then decided it would be okay if she didn't. Somehow she knew that Shannon Kelly and her tiny daughter were going to be just fine.

"Thanks," she said. At the other end of the street a group of little girls laughed over a game of hopscotch, and across the way, a boy rode past on his bicycle.

"For what?"

"For coming with me."

"Anytime." He lifted her hand, brushed a kiss against her knuckles. "After all--" With a wink and a roguish smile, he turned her hand so that her engagement ring sparkled in the afternoon sun. "What are husbands for?"

*** The End ***

A final note from the author: Many of my longer stories have at their heart a kernel of historical truth, and this story is no exception. Beginning in 1948 and continuing through 1962, communists in the former Czechoslovakia took more than six hundred babies from female political prisoners and gave them to new families or placed them in institutions. In 164 specific cases, these babies were given to the police, the secret police, and prison personnel. As far as I can tell, nobody was ever prosecuted for these crimes, and many of the children never even knew they'd been adopted. If you'd like more information, feel free to contact me by email and I'll gladly share what I have.