Disneyland, CA
By: Rachel
Disclaimer: Aside from A. Mozy, Ronny, and Sam,
the characters are not mine, and are not being used for any kind of gain.
Rating: PG
Synopsis: An assignment without Amanda could be the last one
Lee ever gets.
Set During: Around The Middle Of Season 3
Author's Notes: I just wanted everyone to know that I made up
an alley next to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. There is no such alley that I
know of, but it was needed for the story. I promise I won't mess up any more of
Disneyland. I'm not exactly sure on the dates of when these rides actually came
into existence, so I'm kind of making it up as I go along. If you know for sure
that a ride wasn't there, or is there, I would be glad to know. As always,
feedback is welcome.
Part 1
"Is everyone ready to go?" Dotty yelled as she
hauled her stuff down the stairs.
Amanda looked at the phone, almost expecting it to ring as it had so many times
before. It seemed that whenever she tried to go somewhere with her family, Lee
always called, needing her help with a case. But this time it didn't ring, and
she stood staring at it until her mother loudly cleared her throat.
"Are you expecting someone to call?"
She turned, a smile pasted on her lips. "No. Are we ready to go?"
"The boys are all ready in the car."
"Well then, lets go!" Amanda grabbed her keys, coat, and a sack that
had almost been forgotten on the table, and headed out the door. As she got into
the car, she gave the house one last look, then turned to her sons.
"Ready?"
They nodded excitedly, and she started the car.
"Disneyland, here we come. . ."
*****
"You'll need a partner for this one, Scarecrow."
"I've got just the person Billy. I'm sure that-"
"Amanda's out of town."
"What?"
"She left a couple of hours ago, remember?"
"Oh that's right. Family vacation." Lee nodded.
"Take Francine."
"What?"
"You're taking Francine. Now go and pack your bags, you leave in the
morning."
"But Billy-"
Francine rushed into the room, bubbling with excitement. "Lee! Isn't it
exciting? A counterfeit ring. In California!"
"California's just like everyplace else, Francine."
"You know, we'll just have to finish the case a few days early, and have a
little fun," she smiled.
Lee sighed and started walking out the door.
Francine yelled after him. "Sunny California, here we come . ."
*****
"We'll begin our descent into Anaheim in ten minutes. Please return to your
seats, and make sure all belongings are securely fastened and ready for
descent."
Dotty groaned as she shifted in her seat. "I will be so glad to be on the
ground again."
Amanda smiled.
"Amanda, what is it? You've been acting moody ever since we left Arlington.
Now I know it's not my place to pry, but if you ask me, this is no way to start
a vacation."
"I'm just tired mother." Amanda replied, ignoring the real problem.
"Okay, I won't ask any more questions, but whatever the problem is, don't
let it ruin your entire vacation."
Amanda thought about it, and wondered just what her ‘problem' was. It was
almost as if she was disappointed the Agency hadn't called. She shook her head,
no, it was just a long night. She was tired, that's all.
Right?
Part 2
"I can't wait to get on the ground. It's going to be so
exciting!"
Lee groaned and tried to block out all sound. The whole trip, Francine had been
talking about how exciting it would be, and how much fun they would have once
they finished their case.
"Lee, are you listening to me? Lee?"
He turned towards her, "what?"
"Did you hear what I said?"
"Uh, . . it depends on what you said."
She rolled her eyes. "I asked if we could go shopping when the case
is done. Do you think we'll have time?"
It was Lee's turn to roll his eyes, "I doubt it, Francine."
*****
The Next Morning
"Can we go now, mom?"
"It's only 7 o'clock, Jamie."
"But we could go stand in line." He pleaded excitedly.
"We'll be standing in line all day, I think you can wait another half an
hour before we start that." Amanda smiled at her son.
"Oh, we might as well go now," Dotty broke in. "We're all up,
with nothing else to do. At least it'll give them something to watch for a
while."
Amanda glanced at her mother, then at her watch. If it was 7 o'clock here, that
would make it 10 o'clock in New York. Lee would already be at work, so now would
probably be the best time to call . . .
"So are we going to go? Mom?" Philip asked, just as excited as his
brother.
Amanda smiled at their enthusiasm. "Okay, go get in the car. I've gotta
make a quick phone call, and then I'll be right out."
The boys cheered and ran for the door, with Dotty following close behind.
"Be quick Amanda. I don't think I can control them for long."
Amanda grabbed the phone, and entered the area code, and the familiar number.
She barely had to look at the keys, her fingers had typed them so many times
before that they practically sprung into position.
"IFF, how may I direct you call?"
"Lee Stetson's office, please."
"One moment, please."
Amanda waited impatiently, glancing at her watch every couple of seconds. She
was sure that the boys were about ready to run to Disneyland if they had to.
"Hello?"
"Uh, hello, . .Lee?"
"No, he's out of town, this is Fred Fielder."
"Fred, it's Amanda, can I talk to Mr. Melrose?"
"Amanda! Hi, how are you? I thought you were on vacation. Although, you've
been really secretive. Nobody can figure out where you went. There's even some
betting-"
"Fred! Mr. Melrose, please?"
"Oh, sure. I'll transfer your call right now."
"Thank-you Fred." She looked at her watch again, and groaned.
"Melrose, here."
"Mr. Melrose, it's Amanda."
"Amanda? Is everything okay?"
"Yes sir, I was just calling in to make sure everything was alright
there."
"Everything is fine here, Amanda."
"I was a little surprised to hear that Lee was out of town, though."
"He's on assignment in California. I can tell him you called, if you'd
like. Do you want to leave a message for him?"
Amanda hesitated when she heard California, but shook it off as a coincidence.
"Uh, just tell Lee to be careful, okay?"
"Sure . . . Amanda, in case of emergency, is there a number where I can
reach you?"
She hesitated, not willing to tell him that she too was in California.
"Amanda?"
She quickly decided, and hung up the phone. "I'm sorry Mr. Melrose,"
she muttered as she ran out the door to the car.
Part 3
"Hey, I'm going to go call Billy and then we'll head out to do some
investigating." Lee walked towards the phone.
"I can't believe you signed us up as ‘brother and sister'." Francine
muttered.
"What did you say?" Lee asked pretending he didn't hear her.
She smiled a fake smile. "Nothing."
Lee grabbed the phone and dialed Billy.
"Melrose, here."
"Billy, it's Lee. We've made it to California and are going to go explore
the sites."
"Affirmative Scarecrow. Have a nice day. Oh, and I almost forgot. Amanda
said to ‘be careful'."
"You talked to her?"
"She phoned in this morning to make sure everything was going okay. The
strange thing is, is that when I asked her where she was, we somehow got
disconnected. It was like she didn't want to answer the question."
"I wouldn't worry about it. She probably just doesn't want to be bothered
during this trip. Knowing Amanda, she'll call again." He looked over at
Francine to see her roll her eyes and point to the door.
"Lets go!" She mouthed.
He held up a finger, then turned his attention back to the phone.
"She probably will. Lee, I want to hear from you too. Once in the morning
before you leave, and once when you get back at night, no matter what the time
is. Understood?"
"Billy-"
"I'm not kidding, Scarecrow."
He sighed. "Got it. Talk to you later Billy."
"Tell Francine I said hi."
"Uh-huh." He hung up and looked at Francine who was waiting
restlessly.
"Are we gonna go, or what?"
Lee motioned towards the door. "Lets go."
* * * * *
"Now where?" Amanda asked intently studying her map.
"How about ‘it's a small world'?" Dotty suggested.
"Yeah, that one sounds really cool." Jamie agreed.
"That ride is for little kids and old people. Jamie, you're such a dweeb."
Philip objected.
"Philip, do not call your brother a ‘dweeb'. I think ‘it's a small
world' is an excellent choice."
Philip groaned, but walked behind his mother as they headed for Fantasyland.
Soon the two boys were talking about the last ride they had been on, "Space
Mountain".
Amanda glanced at her mother. Dotty had wisely stayed on the ground, waiting for
them, while Amanda allowed herself to be dragged along. She shivered, even
though she wasn't cold. The ride had reminded her a little too much of Lee's
driving.
"Mom, come on!" Jamie yelled from the back of the line.
She looked up and realized she had lagged behind, thinking too much. She hurried
forward, and joined them.
Part 4
"We're not going to find anything here Lee. Why are we even
stopping?"
"Because, Francine, this is where the paper on Arnold's desk told us to go.
We have no other clues!" Lee sighed and looked at the house.
"Then we should go back to Arnold's office and look again. We're not going
to find a thing here." Francine insisted.
He groaned, but had to agree. The whole search was hopeless. This guy, Arnold
Mozy was good at what he did. He had been counterfeiting money and it had
finally been traces back to him, but no further. He had to be the one, Lee could
feel it.
"Look, you can stay in the car. I'm just going to look around for a
minute."
"Fine. I'll stay in the car."
"Good." Lee got out of the car and after looking around, quickly
walked up to the door. After another glance around, he pulled out his little box
and began to unlock the door.
*****
"Hey! Arnold!"
Arnold Mozy turned around quickly. "Sam, what are you doing here? I told
you never to talk to me in public."
They were standing in a small alley next to the ride Big Thunder Mountain
Railroad, with hundred's of people swarming around and by them.
"I just thought that you should know that there is some guy snooping around
the office, while his lady friend waits in the car."
"He's there right now?"
"Uh-huh."
"Okay, take Matt, and Ronny and ‘detain' them until I can get over
there."
Sam smiled. "Okay boss. Yes, sir." He then headed towards the nearest
exit.
*****
"Come on Arnold, where are the plates? The ink and paper? Anything."
Lee muttered to himself while searching.
"Did you find what you're looking for?"
Lee spun around finding himself staring right into the face of a mean looking
man. "Uh, well you, Uh, I-"
The man pulled out his . "I think we need to take a walk."
He nodded to another man with him, who quickly searched Lee, finding his . He
then calmly walked back to his place by the door.
Lee sighed, but walked before the men down a long hall, through a door, and down
a flight of stairs. In about 20 seconds, Amanda would be running through the
door, coming to the rescue. Only one problem, . . . Amanda wasn't here . . .
Part 5
"Mom, can we go on Pirates of the Carribean, next?"
"Again? Philip we've been on it 4 times already." Amanda looked
briefly at her son before returning to her map. "Why don't we go on Big
Thunder Mountain Railroad."
Jamie looked at her oddly. "We've gotta save something for tomorrow
mom."
She threw up her hands in mock surprise. "Now why didn't I think of
that?"
"I'd like to go shopping. I saw some nice little shops on Main
Street."
"Please mom, Pirates of the Carribean?"
They all started clamoring about why they should go this way or that, until
Amanda couldn't stand it anymore.
"Enough!" She sighed. "Look, you two are old enough to know what
is right or wrong-"
"Mom-" They both groaned.
"No, listen to what I have to say. Mother wants to go shopping, and you two
want to go on the same ride for the 5th time. Why don't we split up?"
"Split up!" Dotty looked shocked.
"Yes, we'll all meet right back here in, let's say 3 hours?"
"All right!" The two boys took off running.
Dotty shrugged, then headed for the stores.
Amanda watched them go and sighed in relief. Then she smiled to herself, and
took off to find this ride she had just read about in her guidebook.
*****
"Look, I think you ave made some kind of mistake. I - Lee!"
Lee looked up from where he sat, and groaned. "Francine."
"I told you she was a part of this." The big goon growled to his
partner.
The other guy shrugged. "Tie her up."
After she was firmly tied and sitting next to Lee, the bigger goon nodded to his
partner and stepped angrily towards them. "Who are you?"
Lee groaned again. "I've told you 3 times all ready. My name is Lee
Stetsman, and I have an appointment with Mr. Mozy."
The smaller of the two goons took his turn. "You are?"
"Francine Detsmon. I'm his secretary."
Their eyes narrowed and the bigger one pointed at the smaller guy." Ronny,
go tell Mr. Mozy about his guests, Mr. Stetsman and Ms. Detsmon. We'll see if
they really were invited."
Ronny nodded and left the room leaving Francine and Lee to give each other
uneasy looks. This was not going well.
*****
Amanda took one look at the line for the roller coaster and decided not to go.
"After all," she thought to herself, "there's always
tomorrow."
She pulled out her guidebook, and began studying her map, unaware of the two men
in the alley with her until they began talking . . .
Part 6
"Mozy!"
"How many times do I have to tell you, Ronny? Never talk to me in
public!"
"We caught the two people sneaking around the office."
Arnold sighed, and shrugged his shoulders in exasperation. "So?"
"They claim," Ronny grinned, "to have an appointment with
you."
That comment caught Arnold's interest. "Oh really?"
"They claim that their names are Mr. Stetsman and Ms. Detsmon. Do their
names ring a bell?"
"No, I don't think they do. Listen, I get off," Arnold looked at
his watch, "ten minutes ago. Why don't we go meet them, and show them some
of our California hospitality?"
Ronny laughed and followed after his boss. Things could get fun.
*****
Amanda watched as they walked away and let our a shaky breath. She might be
able to dismiss the fact that Lee and Francine were in California, and she could
dismiss the fact that two people got caught, but she could not ignore their
names.
‘Stetsman and Detsmon. They never were very creative with names, she
thought wrly to herself. She snapped out of her thoughts when she realized the
two men were almost out of sight. She quickly grabbed her backpack, and ran
after them.
She followed them out of the park, and into the street where they hailed a
taxi, and drove away. She groaned and looked around quickly. She saw a taxi, but
somebody was already getting into it.
"Wait!" She ran over to them, and the woman getting in looked at
her strangely. "Please. There's an emergency, I need this taxi!"
"Get your own, lady." The woman glared, and set one foot in the
car.
"Please!" Amanda begged, "it's an emergency! I wouldn't ask
you if it wasn't."
Amanda looked down the street, and almost burst into tears when she saw the
other taxi turn the corner. "Please!"
The other woman finally sighed and got out. "Take it."
Amanda smiled and jumped in. "Go!" She yelled to the driver.
The lady who got left behind sighed and looked at her watch. "If I'm
late for my plane . ."
The car took off at a speed well above the limit. "Where are we going
lady?"
"Turn right, here!" She yelled and began praying that the other car
hadn't turned again.
"It's gonna charge you extra for this, lady." The driver yelled
back to her.
Amanda said nothing, she just kept her eyes on the road. She was about to
give up hope, when she saw a taxi up ahead and the two men going into a building
nearby.
"Stop!" She yelled at the driver, and bounced forward as they
screeched to a halt.
"I'm gonna need new tires after this," the driver muttered.
Amanda ignored him, thinking only of Lee and Francine. She jumped out of the
car, handed the driver a bill, and ran for the bushes surrounding the building
the men had gone into.
"Hey lady! Ma'am!" The driver yelled at her, looking at the one
dollar bill he held in his hand. He sighed as she ran and hid from view. He
debated on whether or not he should chase after the strange woman, but shook his
head, and decided to chalk it up as community service.
‘One dollar. She only gave me one lousy dollar.' He thought as he pulled
away from the curb. ‘I never want to see her again."
Part 7
Amanda walked carefully around the building looking for a way to get in
unnoticed. She spotted an open window and smiled. ‘Perfect!'
She glanced into the room, and seeing that it was empty, quickly pulled
herself up.
*****
"Any luck?"
"If I had any luck Francine, I wouldn't be sitting here with my arms
behind my back." Lee snapped.
She recoiled. "Sorry."
He looked at her and sighed. "I shouldn't have said that. I'm
sorry."
She nodded, but didn't say anything for a couple minutes. "Do you think
we're going to get out of here?"
"I don't know. Our cover story won't last a minute when Mozy shows
up."
She nodded again, and fell silent, working insistently at the ropes tying her
hands. There had to be a way to get the off, and some way or another these ropes
were going to come off!
*****
After getting into the room, Amanda took a look around. It was an office of
sorts, but only had a desk, one chair, and a portrait of the guy named ‘Mozy.'
She opened the desk drawer and was surprised to see that it was full of metal
plates of some kind. She grabbed one, and stuffed it into her pocket. She then
walked over to the door and quietly opened it. It led to another room, and as
the door shut behind her, Amanda was surprised to see that it had no door knob
on the outside, and that when it was completely shut, it looked like the rest of
the wall.
"Something really strange is going on in this building," she
muttered quietly, then headed for the door.
About to open it, she jumped when she heard voices coming towards her. She
looked around, and seeing that it was the only available spot, dove for the
cover of the desk.
*****
Francine gasped in pain as the rope cut into her hands.
"Are you okay?" Lee asked.
Francine nodded, trying to blink the tears away. "Fine!"
"I don't believe you." Lee grunted as his ropes tightened.
"Why can't I get these loose?"
She shrugged and said nothing. ‘This might be the last job we ever
have."
The thought made her shudder.
Part 8
"I want you, and Sam to go down and get started on the printing. I want to
be rich by the end of the day."
'Rich?' Amanda thought, then almost gasped when she realized what was going
on. The plates, they had to be for counterfeiting money. -
"What are you going to do, Mozy?"
"I'm going to go meet our guests. Where are they?"
"They're down the hall, in the basement."
"Make it real."
"Of course."
The two men laughed as they left the room, and after a minute, Amanda crawled
out from under the desk. She tiptoed over to the door, then slowly opened it.
After making suer the hallway was empty, she headed for the basement.
"Please let me find a way to help them," was her silent plea.
*****
"Lee, I think I -"
Lee's head snapped up when they heard the door open, and someone begin to
descend into the basement.
Arrnold Mozy finally came into view. "Mr. Stetsman and Ms. Detsmon, I
presume."
They glared at him.
"I just heard from my partners, that you have said you have an
appointment with me. Tsk, tsk," he smiled in amusement. "My secretary
must have forgotten to put it on my agenda. So sorry to leave you so . . . tied
up."
"Look Mozy," Lee growled. "We know who you are."
"A business man." His grin widened. "A business man who
doesn't like to be bothered by unwanted guests."
Francine had said nothing but worked on the ropes tying her hands, trying to
get them loose. A knot had finally given way when Arnold had come in, and
finally, after working on them for what must have been hours, they came loose,
and fell off. Now she just had to wait for the perfect opportunity.
*****
Amanda took a deep breath before slowly and silently creeping down the
stairs. She heard voices, which began to get louder. She managed to figure out
what they were saying - Lee was confronting Arnold Mozy about the whole scam,
and Mozy was confirming it all. That was never good.
She got to a corner and peered around it. Francine and Lee had their backs to
the wall, with Arnold facing them. Amanda looked to see what was holding them
back, only to see that Francine's ropes lay on the floor. It looked like she
just needed the opportunity.
Just then Arnold pulled a gun. "You know, I think I've had enough of you
two. I have work to do. So, who wants to go first?"
Amanda hesitated only a second before rounding the corner. "Excuse me, I
think I'm lost . . ."
Part 9
Francine jumped forward, knocking the gun from his hand. He jumped after it, but
was stopped when he tripped over Amanda's leg, and was knocked against the
floor. They quickly tied his hands behind his back with the rope that Francine
no longer needed. After hearing the noise, the other two goons rushed down the
stairs, only to have Francine's fist, and a gun held in their faces.
Amanda and Francine tied them up, and ed them with some cloth they found.
Then Amanda ran over to untie Lee.
He looked at her in shock, "Amanda! What are you doing here?"
She smiled, "Remember how I said I was going on vacation?"
He nodded.
"Well, the boys have been begging to go to Disneyland, so finally I had
saved enough to finally come. Then I called Mr. Melrose to find out that you and
Francine were here in California. Well I just brushed it off as coincidence, but
when I heard those two men talking in the park about Stetsman and Detsmon I knew
it had to be you, so I followed them here, snuck in the window, and here I
am!"
Francine and Lee laughed and Amanda finally got the ropes off. "There,
you're free."
Francine shook her head. "I don't know how you do it Amanda, but I'm
really glad to see you."
Amanda sighed in relief and smiled. "Do you think I could go now? Mother
and the boys will be worried if I'm late."
They called for some backup, then called her a taxi. When it finally got
there, Amanda hurried to it.
"See you back in D.C.!" She called as she got in, then waved at
them.
The other two agents waved back before starting their reports on what
happened.
"So, where do you want to go?" The driver asked.
"Disneyland, please."
The driver looked startled as he glanced at the back seat, then groaned.
"Not you again."
Part 10
"Welcome back." Billy smiled, "I heard that you got caught by
Arnold's goons. How did you get out?"
Lee hid his smile. "It's all in the report, Billy."
He glanced at Francine who was openly grinning. They shared a knowing look,
then glanced out at the bullpen at Amanda who had just arrived.
Billy saw who they were looking at, and after a moment of confusion, he
walked over to her. "Amanda!"
"Hello, sir." Amanda smiled at her boss.
"How was your trip?"
"Uh-" She noticed Lee and Francine coming over and her smile
widened. "It was busy."
"Where did you go?"
"I was in California. Disneyland actually."
He looked shocked. "Really? That's funny. Francine and Lee were in
Anaheim. That's where Disneyland is located, right?"
"Uh-huh." The three shared a grin. "What a coincidence."
The End!