Lost and Found - tagalogue

Written by Brad Buckner & Eugenie Ross-Leming (excerpts from the episode belong to them)

Lee watched Eva climb into the police car and Dick follow beside her, certain that Eva never did love him, despite how much she assured him she had. If she really had, she never would have pulled the trigger. Thank God there were no bullets in the gun she had held.

Amanda ran up to him. "Hi."

"Hi. Come on." He put his arm around her as they began to walk. "You were the one who took the bullets from her gun, right?"

"Well, yes, you know how I feel about loaded guns in the house." She glanced up at him. "They're very dangerous."

"Mm-hmm." They stopped and he turned to her as she sat on the bumper of the nearest car. "I want to thank you."

"You're welcome."

"You know, Amanda, I'm really glad we had that talk last night. It helped."

"Good. I'm glad."

"I've been thinking a lot about what you said."

She raised her eyebrows. "Oh?"

"Yeah, remember when you said that, uh, when it's really over, I'll know when it's over?"

Amanda nodded. "Yeah."

"Well, guess what?"

She leaned in and smiled, as if she knew what the answer would be. "What?"

Lee smiled at her for a moment and didn't say a word. Then, he raised his fists into the air and shouted with a grin, "It's over!"

He saw Amanda laugh at his exhuberance, but he didn't care. He felt like a child who had just gotten out of the dentist's chair, celebrating that he no longer had to endure the torture. In a way, that was exactly what had happened. For two years, Lee had been haunted by memories of his time spent with Eva. Now, thanks to this case and Amanda's insight, he had discovered Eva's deception and knew that she never could have loved him and served Russia, as well as the KGB, at the same time. It was all a cover, and he felt a great weight lifted from him at this knowledge. He was free from the memories and free from the pain, all caused by her.

Recovering from his release of excitement, he looked again at the woman who was basically responsible for solving the majority of this case and for saving him from himself. All of a sudden, being with her brought a small measure of discomfort, and that was something he wasn't used to feeling around women. Realizing that she had noticed the change in his demeanor, he stammered, "Amanda, I ... uh ... I really do need to thank you."

"For what?"

"For realizing that Eva didn't really love Angelo, for helping me see that I hadn't gotten over her yet, for picking up on the little things about her that were suspicious." He paused and moved to lean against the car where she sat. "Do you realize that if it weren't for your observations and curiosity, not to mention your foresight in removing the bullets from Eva's gun, I and probably Angelo would most likely be dead right now?"

He knew she wasn't used to praise, especially from him, and he smiled when she tried to shrug it off. "Oh, I didn't do that much."

"Yes, you did. You were the one who noticed the bath beads and the gun, and even a tube of almost used lipstick." He shook his head in wonder. "I gotta hand it to you, Amanda. You know your lipstick!" He laughed.

She smiled. "Well, I couldn't help it. Maybe I was being a little nosey because I didn't trust her. I don't know what it was about her. Maybe it was her eyes, or her smug smile when she was talking about Angelo or you. She just ... she just ..."

"What, Amanda?"

"She bugged me!"

Lee burst out with a loud guffaw at Amanda's remark and couldn't help but shake his head as he leaned his back against the car and crossed his arms. Unable to resist teasing her after a remark like that, he continued, "So, tell me how you really feel!"

"I mean it, Lee. She acted so sure of herself, so sure of you, and so smug. And she even called me 'Mandy.' Have I ever told you how much I hate that name?" She gestured with her hands as she talked. "There were some kids when I was younger who insisted on calling me that, and I got so upset at them. I kept telling them that my name was not 'Mandy.' It was 'Amanda.' They wouldn't listen. I don't understand why people have to change your name all the time and come up with a nick name or a different name than the one you're given. Is it some memory lapse or something? It's not like Eva didn't know my name, so why did she insist on calling me something else? I just wanted ... I just wanted to smack her!"

More and more used to Amanda's rambling, Lee raised his eyebrows and looked directly at her. "Now that's something I would have liked to have seen!"

"You know, Lee, I'm glad you can laugh about this. It shows that you really are over her. I know how much she hurt you, and I'm sorry she did that, but at least now, you can move on and put the past behind you."

"Yeah." He shook his head. "I still can't believe how I fell for her. She was working for the KGB even when I was with her in Venice. Her entire relationship with Angelo was an assignment, and I was a convenient distraction." He paused and looked out across the junk yard. "You know when we first arrived here, she was actually going to kill me? If you hadn't emptied her gun, she would have shot me. I think that was the moment I knew the truth."

"Gosh, Lee, I'm so sorry." Her voice was full of empathy. "Angelo even told me the reason he was getting away was because he overheard Eva on the phone and realized she was revealing his whereabouts to the KGB. That was why he ran last night."

"It all makes sense, now. Everything. Damn it! How could I have been so blind?" This last remark was aimed more at himself, but the need to get his mind off of Eva was strong, so he turned and looked at Amanda. "How'd you know Angelo was here?"

"Oh, I just put two and two together. Last night, I mentioned that they go to Liberty Larry's for a car. After he disappeared and Eva was with you, I was in the kitchen of their house and saw the ripped newspaper clipping on the refrigerator. Angelo didn't know too many places, and he didn't have a car. If he was looking to get away, that would be where he would go. It made sense."

"Well, like I said, you did a good job."

She smiled. "Thank you."

Lee pushed himself up from leaning against the car and stood straight, then turned towards Amanda. "So, how does pizza at Carmine's sound?"

"I think it sounds like a good idea!"

Lee held out his hand to her to help her stand, then placed his arm loosely around her shoulders again as they began walking. He looked around at the cars, then smiled. "You know, Amanda, if you ever need a car while yours is in the shop for repairs, we could probably get you a great discount!"

She shared in his laughter, then retorted, "Just make sure it's not prone to getting stuck in a crushing device."

Lee felt her arm drape loosely around his back and grinned as they walked towards the entrance of the junk yard in companiable silence. Amanda really is something! He had always brushed off her observations as nothing more than ramblings, but after this case, he knew he wouldn't be doing that any more. She certainly had proven herself in this one, and he'd come away with a newfound respect for her abilities ... even if he wouldn't admit that to her.

(THE END)

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