0838
12 June 1988
Amanda and Lee were running late for work. They had gotten back rather late the night before and had slept in. Both hoped that they would make their meeting at nine o'clock. Their working vacation had been good. Amanda had three rolls of film that Lee had taken during their free time from the conference and another six rolls that her mother and sons had taken on tours and shopping excursions.
They arrived at Billy's office two minutes late, but no one seemed to notice. Billy motioned them in and asked for their report on the new technology.
"The DNA profiling process would be extremely helpful in terrorist cases and some sabotage situations. Currently efforts are being taken to set up standardized tests and methods to be used in courts. Unfortunately, many courts probably won't allow DNA evidence to be used for awhile," Amanda said, concluding their report.
"Very well, we'll keep an eye on each development that is made then. Other than that, did you two enjoy your weekend?"
"Yes, sir. Mother was disappointed that we couldn't have come out a week or two earlier for the Tulip Festival, but other than that it was quiet." Amanda paused for a moment as she debated to ask about one of the cases that they had left for Francine. "Did anything happen with the Brubaker case this weekend?"
"It was wrapped up on Saturday. Doctor Brubaker is on his way to an archaeological dig in northern France."
At this moment, Francine entered the office. She smiled at everyone in the room and cheerfully said, "Good morning, Lee, Amanda. Billy, here's the report you wanted." She stopped when she noticed that Lee's mouth was slightly open at her behavior. "What? Can't I be in a good mood once in a while?" She left before Lee could respond.
"Who was that?" Lee asked when he regained is composure.
Lee and Amanda's bedroom.
Lee sat on the bed looking at a large black and white object sitting on the floor. Amanda would be returning soon with pictures from this weekend. He doesn't hear Amanda come up the stairs.
"Are you going to introduce us?" she asked teasingly. Lee looked up and gave her one of those smiles that could melt her.
"You kept it?"
"Of course I did. Although, I had a devil of a time explaining its presence on my front porch to Dean." She smiled at him. "Do you remember what I said that day?"
"Hmm, I believe that it was something like, 'You could buy my affections with this.' You also told me that I was spoiling Alexei with all the stuff that I had bought."
Amanda nodded her head. She walked across the room and picked up the large panda bear. She asked, "So does this guy have a name or are we just going to call it 'Hey You'?"
"Uh. Well, I hadn't thought of name for him, but I thought you would
have. After all you've had him longer," he teased, pulling the panda
and thus his wife to him.
Francine opened her mailbox and pulled out several letters and a medium sized package. She sorted through the mail, saving the package for last, as she rode the elevator to her floor. In front of her door was a note from her neighbor and a larger package. She unlocked the door and picked up the package before entering. Depositing her keys and the bills on the kitchen counter, she debated which package she would open first. Both were postmarked from Switzerland and addressed to a Ms. F. E. Desmond and been sent overnight.
Tearing open the smaller package, she found an envelope and a small block
of cheese with a French name on it. She opened the letter and was greeted
by the words, "Hello F.E.D., agent 99!" She had to laugh. There
was no mistaking whom the letter was from. The man that she had met on Friday
night and said goodbye to at Dulles airport two days later, had dropped
her a line in less than twenty-four hours. The letter was a long one where
he just rambled on about what he hoped to find at the dig, what his plans
were for the rest of the summer, and why he was heading to Switzerland before
going to the dig. Toward the end, he suggested that if they could schedule
it, they could head to upstate New York and go camping. She reread the end
of the letter.
A card dropped out of the seven-page letter as she laughed. The recipe
was called Rich Iced Chocolate2. Francine
set down the letter and turned her attention to the other package. Inside
was a bottle of wine, a box of Swiss chocolates, two wineglasses and a
small card with a picture of the Swiss Alps on the back.
Francine put the wine in the wine rack and placed the glasses in the cabinet with her set of drinking glasses. Then she poured herself a glass of milk and made a brown sugar and peanut butter sandwich, which she had dubbed "The Brubaker Special".