Amanda backed away from the door and looked around for something to use as a weapon. On the desk, to her immediate right, was a letter opener. 'It's not much, but at least it's something,' she thought. She crept towards the door and quickly opened it holding the letter opener like a dagger. "Hold it right there, Buster!" She looked around the office and didn't see anything amiss. Suddenly the chair behind Billy's desk turned around to reveal the intruder, laughing.

"You!"

"Hello, Amanda." There before her eyes was T.P. Aquinas. "I was wondering when you would get here."

"You were?" Seeing the unspoken question in his eyes she quickly explained, "I decided to take one of the notes literally and take time to reflect on what has lead me here."

"Ah. Well, are you ready for your last clue?" Amanda nodded. She was very excited as to where this next clue would take her, but she was also starting to suspect 'Someone's' involvement in this treasure hunt. T.P. rose from the chair, came over to her side of the desk, and handed her a wrapped package and another card. Then he said, "'The lunatic, the lover, and the poet. Are of imagination all compact.' Congratulations, Amanda."

Amanda watched T.P. leave her alone in Billy's office. His quote and congratulations slowly sunk in. 'Does he know?' she thought wildly. She slowly sat herself down in one of the chairs in front of the desk almost numb with nervousness. After a while, her brain started to function again.

She turned the package over in her hands. It was beautifully wrapped. The red tissue paper was kept firmly in place with gold and silver ribbon. Amanda gently shook it near her ear. 'It doesn't rattle. Hmmm,' she thought. Deciding to hold off on the package she opted to open the card. The card was beautiful, unlike the blank cards with block letters that she had received throughout the day.

The front of the card simply said 'To someone very special'. Underneath the words was a sketch of Dorothy and the Scarecrow walking along a golden path, only instead of woods in the background there was the Jefferson Memorial, the Washington Monument, and the Reflecting Pool. Inside the card were a couple of quotes from Shakespeare written in the most beautiful calligraphy she had ever seen. 'It must have taken them hours to write this,' she thought in amazement. The quotes described her relationship with Lee so well that it could have come from only one person; her Lee.

"Oh Lee," Amanda said softly. She didn't understand the last sentences written in the card but she recognized some of the words as Italian. She gently placed the card down on the desk and turned her attention to the object in her lap. She gently pulled the ribbon off and carefully undid one end of the inch-thick package. She tilted the gift and a simple black case slipped out. Amanda slowly opened the case part way and gasped.

Lying on a plush black velvet pillow, she saw the most beautiful set of fresh water pearl necklace and matching teardrop earrings. The dark background offset the cream coloring of the pearls just right. Between each pearl was a small royal blue stone that shone brightly when the light hit it. "These are so beautiful," she whispered. She barely reached out her hand to touch them when she noticed a gold plate attached to the underside of the lid.

The plate was inscribed with six lines:

Ti amo
All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players.
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts
His acts being seven ages.

There were no other clues. "'All the world's a stage.' I recall thinking that a while back. Now where was I?" Amanda sat in the chair and thought for a couple of minutes. "Of course!" She carefully closed the lid to the jewelry case and picked up the card before heading out for her next destination.

1600

Amanda raced up the stairs to the Q-Bureau where Francine interrupted her and Lee a little over two years ago. She opened the door to a dark room. The moment she stepped into the room the lights came on and she was greeted by a loud, "SURPRISE!"