*DISCLAIMER* No infringement is
intended. The characters from Scarecrow and Mrs. King belong to Warner
Bros.and Shoot the Moon. The characters from The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
belong to Twentieth Century Fox and David Gerber Productions. The plot is
mine.
AUTHOR: Kathy
TIMELINE: Pre-Amanda. 1964,
1976. GAMM: Four years before the run of the show and 6 years
after.
Rated PG for very mild language.
Archive: Just on Bromfield Hall.
Thanks to Susan and Denise.
SUMMARY: Carolyn Muir was a widow who
moved her family from Philadelphia to Maine to start a new life. She soon
discovered that her new home was haunted by the ghost of a former sea captain,
and life got very interesting. I always wondered how her husband
died, Lee and Billy gave me a great idea. It also helped understand
Lee a little bit better.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Billy Melrose took a deep breath and
said a fervent prayer that Robert would make it out. Peering out from his
hiding place, the agent searched in vain for any sign of his young partner. In
his seven years at The Agency, Robert Muir was the best agent Billy had ever
worked with. Of course, five years ago when he had been given the young rookie
as a partner, his thoughts had not been exactly kind.
"Why me?" he had complained
to Harry Thornton, head and founder of The Agency. "He's as green as they
come, Harry." Billy had lamented. "A college degree and a charming
smile don't automatically make a man agent material."
“You're right," Harry had agreed,
"it doesn't," not bringing up to Billy he was only a two-year man
himself, which some considered being still green. "But Robert's got a lot
going for him and you know it. He's intelligent, inventive and quick. He can
handle a gun better than half of you older guys and he's light on his feet. And
just because he's young doesn't mean a thing. Work with him, get to know him.
I guarantee that Melrose and Muir will be the best team, we have ever
produced."
"Come on, Bobby." Billy now
quietly cheered him through clenched teeth. It had started out as a routine
assignment. Three men were sighted at the docks late at night and when
questioned had been evasive
about their reasons.
Robert had been more than a little
curious. "I checked their records, two of them check out — names, birth
dates, occupations — but this fellow right here, this one bothers
me." He pointed to the surveillance photo. "I can't figure out
exactly what it is that bothers me, but it does."
Billy had learned after five years to
trust Robert's instincts and so they pursued it. It was a perfect night for a
little investigation; a nice breeze blowing, just enough moonlight to see but
not to hinder. Each at a listening
post, they had clearly heard the plans for taking out three of the top western
agents in an attempt to topple the government. It was the kind of evidence
Bobby was good at getting and Billy was good at plotting to stop. But their
luck had ended when an unscheduled ship had arrived off the pier and the moon
turned against them. The Soviets had come out with guns blazing and the
partners had
separated. Billy had managed to duck under a lifeboat, trying hard not to give
away his position. If he could manage to snake out over the portside, he knew
he'd be home free. But loyalty to his friend and partner kept him where he was.
Where the hell was Bobby?
It had been an hour since he had lost
sight of the young man. They had an agreement that the longest they would wait
for one another would be half an hour. Billy reminded himself of this
over and over. But if he left, Bobby would really be sunk. He had to get the
kid out.
There were only 5 years difference
between the two partners but Billy had always felt fatherly towards the younger
man. When Robert Muir had started with The Agency five years ago, he had been a
young 25 compared to Billy's thirty years. Two years into his marriage, with a
brand new daughter just three weeks after becoming an official agent, Billy had
felt responsible for his partner. Billy was a loner, always would be, but
Bobby, Bobby wasn't the kind of man who should be alone. And Carolyn was the
perfect woman for him. Young and blonde and ambitious, she had a sparkling
personality and an infectious laugh.
She always welcomed Billy with open
arms and a warm smile. Just last week he had been a guest at Candy's birthday
party - a precocious five year old and proud big sister to three year old
Jonathan.
"You ever find the other
one?" He heard a voice coming towards his hiding place.
"Never did. I'd say he's probably
gotten away but that's perhaps to our advantage. We don't have to tell pretty
boy that his friend is missing. We can make that one think that we've already
taken care of his pal and he's more likely to tell us what we want to
know."
"I wouldn't count on it." A
gruffer voice replied. "We've had him for an hour and he's not told us
anything. I think we should try a little persuasion."
“If you beat him any further, he'll
never talk."
Billy scanned the scene in front of
him, assessing the situation. So Bobby was still alive but apparently had been
roughed up. There was still a chance. He heard more footsteps and the sound of
something heavy being dragged. The sight that met him filled Billy with anger.
A man they hadn't seen in any of their stakeouts was dragging the beaten body
of Robert Muir, throwing him onto a tarp. "Caught him trying to use the
radio. I don't know how far he got but I think we should get out of here right
away."
"The other boat is standing
by," the first man said. They quickly made their plans, Billy trying to
remember what he was learning and keeping an eye on his partner. Bobby was
slowly making his way to the hatchway, Billy praying that he would make it.
The sound of a helicopter cut through
the sky and searchlights lit up the area. General confusion reigned for the
next several minutes, which seemed like hours, shots ringing out. Assured that
the invasion were the "good guys", Billy worked his way out of his
hiding place and joined in the capture.
Handcuffing the biggest Russian, Billy turned just in time to see one of
the men pull out a gun, primed to shoot. Yelling out to alert those around him,
one of the rescue party lunged for the gun, the man pulling it back from his
grasp. The gun went off, Billy watching in horror as he saw Bobby Muir crumble
to the ground. Throwing the man he had in his custody against the lifeboat,
Billy ran to his partner, already uneasy about the amount of blood oozing from
his wounds.
"Quick, get a doctor." he
said into the air. He placed Bobby's head on his lap, trying to stop the blood
flow with his hands. He called once more for some one to get a doctor but knew
it would be useless. "Don't give it up, man." he encouraged. "We
will get you to a doctor; you'll be fine."
Bobby coughed, his body shaking with
the pain. "Billy," he rasped. "Please tell Carolyn that I love
her."
Billy nodded, now knowing this was no
time to ply Bobby with false promises of recovery. "I will, I
promise."
"Candy, Jonathan." His voice
was getting lower. "Grow up good and strong."
Billy nodded again, ashamed that his
eyes were filling with tears. Surely he was past that by now.
"Car, Carolyn. She's the best
thing that ever happened to me."
"I know."
Struggling, Bobby removed his wedding
ring, placing it in Billy's free hand. "Give this to her. I know you can't
tell her about this but please promise you'll give her the ring."
"I promise."
Bobby looked up into the night sky,
seeing something Billy knew was for him alone. "It's past midnight; she'll
be worried. Tell her I'll be home late."
Billy watched as his partner and friend
took his last breath, letting the tears fall unashamed.
***************************
Billy hugged the flowers he was carrying close against him, wishing he didn't
have to do this. He had had mixed feelings about not being the one to tell
Carolyn about her husband's death but Harry had thought it best to let the
police handle it. "You know as well as I do Billy that we can't tell her
the details of Robert's death. She thinks he works for a film company for
heaven's sake. The police will take care of it. I want you make sure she's okay
and then you are to head back to DC."
Billy had always enjoyed being an
agent, thinking he was making a difference in the world. But he hated this part
of it, he decided. Carolyn Muir was a
woman who had just lost her husband and would never really have the answer to
the question why. Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door of the Muir
home, a small but cozy place. In the tiny back yard, he saw the swing set that
he had helped Bobby put together three weeks earlier. The bicycle Candy had
gotten for her birthday was parked against it. It was strange knowing this
family as well as he did, and yet he was still a stranger.
Carolyn answered the door looking
impeccable as always, her lovely smile replaced with tear-stained eyes.
"Billy." She opened the door wider. "Please come in. It's good
to see you." She took the flowers, thanking him for his kindness.
"Come on out to the kitchen."
He walked through the living room he
had walked through many times before. At the sight of Robert's favorite jacket
hanging on the hat stand he almost lost it. He reminded himself that a good
agent never lost control of his emotions. But was he an agent or a friend?
"Can I get you a cup of
coffee?" She tried to play hostess, picking up a pile of papers off of a
kitchen chair for him to sit on. "I'm sorry the place is such a mess, I
just can't seem to get caught up."
She reached for a coffee cup,
misjudging the distance, and the mug fell to the floor in tiny pieces.
"I'm sorry," she apologized.
"I just can't seem to get a handle on things. There's so much to do
and so many plans to make. Bobby was always better at organizing than I am. He
always teases me about being detailed but not organized."
Billy watched helplessly as the young
woman clenched the corner of the Formica counter, her slim body shaking with
sobs. Getting up from his chair, Billy walked over to his partner's wife,
taking her in his arms and letting her cry.
"I'm sorry," she finally lifted
her head, her emerald eyes full of tears. "I hope your shirt isn't
ruined."
"You have nothing to be sorry
about, Carolyn." He handed her his handkerchief. "If there is
anything I can do, please let me know."
Wiping her eyes, she laid the
handkerchief down on the counter, allowing Billy to lead her to the chair he
had vacated. "What happens for you now, Carolyn?"
"The um, the Muirs want to bury
him in the family plot in Philadelphia, so we've made the arrangements. The
funeral will be
Tuesday and then I'll, I will um come back here and get things packed up and
put the house up for sale before I go back to Philadelphia to stay."
"Do you have family there as well?"
"Yes. I grew up in Philly and my parents are still there. They are
going to keep the children for me while I finish up the details here. I just
never thought..."
Billy cleared his throat, pulling out
the ring he had carefully carried in his pocket. He handed it to her,
noticing her eyes growing wide. "Don't ask me how I got this,"
he tried to smile. "Carolyn, you know he loved you more than
anything."
She nodded. "When I went to
the morgue to identify the body, he didn't have his ring. I thought maybe the
police had taken it as evidence or something. Thank you." Carolyn
reached up to give Billy a kiss on the cheek, clutching the ring so hard in her
hand it made her wince. "Thank you for being a friend to Bobby and to us.
He always thought highly of you, we all do. I know this must be hard for you as
well."
"He was a wonderful friend and partner."
Billy nodded, feeling like a hypocrite. "Did the police say how he
died?"
"Robbery, they think. I don't
understand it. Bobby rarely carried any money as you know and the credit
cards were all still in his wallet. I
don't know what he was doing down at the docks that time of night. He told me he had to work late editing some
film for IFF's new documentary. The
police kept asking me why he was at the docks, did he make a habit out of it,
did he have any known enemies, things like that. I just kept saying I don't know, I don't know. He was a filmmaker for God's sake. Why would
any one want to kill him?"
Billy wished he could tell her the
truth, but he couldn't. Giving her the
ring had been against policy but his promise to his partner had been more
important. "Please let me know if there is anything I can do,"
he told her again.
"Thank you for coming,
Billy." She kissed his cheek.
Letting himself out, he paused at the
family picture hanging on the wall by the door. "I'll miss you, man. But I
promise you this; I'll make your death worthwhile."
******************************
"Congratulations on your promotion," the young agent slapped
Billy Melrose on the back. "Big times huh? New office and
everything. And no more working in the field."
"I think, after all, this time he
does deserve a break." Steven Johnson, now the head of The Agency, agreed.
"How many years have you been
here?" Lee Stetson asked him. "15?"
"18, to be exact. You would think
after that many years, I'd finally get away from bozos like you." Billy
had great admiration for Lee Stetson AKA Scarecrow. He was young and brash and
headstrong but Billy had great affection for him. He was just like a son to the
46-year-old man. In ten years The Agency had hired many good agents and that
made Billy more confident that the world would be in good hands.
After Robert's death, Billy had taken a
good look at his own life. He loved his job and knew he could never leave it,
but perhaps he should enjoy life more. He met Jeannie Morgan through mutual
friends and they married in 1967. Vanessa was born the following year, with
Kari close on her heels and Robert three years later. Taking this promotion was
a natural step in progression . It paid more money and limited his time on the
field. And he got to work with fine agents like Lee.
"Well, Billy. Now that you are
firmly ensconced in your new office and have all these agents to do your
bidding, it's time I gave you some work to do." Steven laughed. He handed
the new division chief a thick envelope. "It's material that's been
de-classified. I need you to go through and make sure everything is up to date
and policy has been applied. You can get Stetson to help you."
"Thanks a lot." Lee grimaced.
He had injured his foot on his last assignment, and was on light duty. Billy
knew Scarecrow was not good at sitting around and wondered how the next few
weeks would go over.
Waiting until Steven left the office,
Billy threw half of the stack at him. "I know you think you're a big
hotshot agent after only two years, but since you need to stay off your foot,
you can help me with these."
"What am I supposed to do with
them?" He picked up his stack like they were contaminated.
"Make sure they are marked
de-classified if they should be and look for any inconsistencies."
"Right." Lee grunted, taking
them to his desk in the Bull Pen. "Do the taxpayers know we spend their
money doing paperwork?"
"Go now, Stetson." Billy
roared. He burst out laughing after he shut the door. "Young pup, thinks
he knows everything."
"Billy?" Lee stuck his head
in the office two hours later. "I think I found something."
"What is it? Bring it on in here
and we'll take a look."
Lee came into the office, shutting the
door behind him. "It's a file on the death of an agent. Are these ever
declassified?"
"Really depends on the
situation." Billy didn't look up from his own papers.
"According to the file, it was an
accidental death in the line of duty. Let's see, the ‘agent was on routine
investigation and a gun was discharged accidentally by a member of the Soviet
subjects.'" Lee read.
Billy saw the entire scene play
thorough his head for the first time in years, remembering Bobby crumble to the
deck of that ship. "What else does it say?"
Lee looked up at the older man,
thinking his voice almost had a hint of tears in it. "It says his body was
released to his wife and agent was buried in Philadelphia. No honors."
"No honors!" Billy sputtered.
"He died defending his country. He was one of the best damn agents this organization
has ever known."
"Sounds like there is a story in
there somewhere." Lee stated, sitting down on the chair in front of
Billy's new desk.
With slow words full of hurt, Billy
told the young man about his early days at The Agency and his partner, Robert
Muir.
"Did she ever suspect?" Lee
asked, even his rough-toughness affected by the story.
"I don't think she ever did. They
were so young and so much in love.
Bobby was a fine photographer and it made sense to her that he would
work for a film company. I remember she did ask me why anyone would want to
kill her husband but she seemed to accept the robbery angle the police
presented."
Lee looked the file over with a
critical eye. "What about her pension?"
"What do you mean?"
"Her government pension. According
to his file, Robert Muir worked for The Agency from August 1960 to August 1965
as a full-fledged agent. It's probably
not much but it would be something and she's not been collecting it for the
last 11 years. And what about his Agency life insurance?"
"Good point." Billy muttered.
"Maybe we should look into that."
*************************
Carolyn Muir rubbed her nose in concentration as she stared at the blank paper
in front of her. ‘The Captain yelled', ‘No" she shook her head. ‘The
Captain bellowed at his men', "Still not right." ‘The Captain and his
men'. "I really don't know what the Captain did nor do I care." She jerked the paper out of the typewriter
and crumpled it into a ball.
"Temper! Temper!" Captain
Gregg's rich voice filled the room followed seconds later by his form.
"Story not going well, dear?" He looked over in the direction of her
overflowing wastebasket.
"Not well at all," she shook
her head. "I think I've been trying too hard. After all the praise I
received on the last article I did for the New Yorker, I guess I'm afraid of
messing up."
"Just take your time, it will come
to you. It always does."
"I wish I had the confidence in me
that you do, Captain." she smiled, her emerald eyes shining as she looked
up into his rich blue ones.
"Perhaps a walk in the fresh air
would be helpful. It's a lovely day with a hint of fall. Such a perfect day for
thinking up a sea tale or two."
"I wish I could, Daniel," she
said reluctantly. "But there is so much to do."
The resident specter of Gull Cottage
dematerialized from the room with a huge sigh, which made her laugh. Maybe he
was right, a walk by the ocean always was good for bringing up ideas and
refreshing the mind.
The sound of a car pulling in front of the house caused Carolyn to go the
French doors and walk out on the balcony. It was very rare that cars made
it up to Gull Cottage unless they were expected. The road was still
unpaved and increasingly full of pot holes, which the county just never seemed
to get around to fixing. The car was one of those red sporty things that
tourists tended to drive and getting out of the passenger seat was a young
man. A very good looking young man, she couldn't help but notice.
He was probably lost, she reasoned.
Going downstairs, she opened the door
of Gull Cottage, pulling the door closed behind her. "Can I help you
with something?" she asked the man politely.
He was tall and handsome, his suit
showing that he wasn't a typical tourist, if he was one at all. "I'm
looking for Mrs. Robert Muir." he told her, walking towards the
gate. "I was told in town that she lives around here
somewhere."
It had been so long since anyone had
addressed as such, she almost failed to recognize it as herself.
"I'm Carolyn Muir." she walked over to the gate and opened it
for him. "How can I help you?"
"I'm Lee Stetson," he
introduced himself. She took the hand he offered, appreciating his firm
grasp. He couldn't have been more than 24 or so, she thought, and his
eyes were a nice hazel that held his emotions. "I'm here to talk to
you about your husband."
"My husband?" her voice
cracked slightly. "I'm sorry, Mr. Stetson, but my husband has been gone
for a number of years now." He could hear the trace of tears in her
voice.
"Yes, ma'am, I know. Which
is why I'm here. I need to talk to you about the circumstances of his
death."
If he hadn't had such a serious face,
she would have sent him away, but something about his manner caused her to want
to listen.
"Who is he?" she saw Captain
Gregg at her side. "What does he want here?"
"Be quiet, please, Daniel"
she whispered to the ghost. "I want to know what's going on
here."
"That's what I'm here to tell you,
Ma'am." Lee stated, trying not to get irritated.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. Stetson."
she realized he had heard her last remark to the Captain. "I'm just
nervous. Please come in."
She led him into the house and through
the door to the front room indicating that he should sit on the couch.
"Can I get you something to drink, Mr. Stetson? You must be tired
from your trip."
"Yes, thank you, that would be
nice. A glass of water would be fine."
She nodded, heading for the kitchen,
the Captain following directly behind her. "Find out what the man
wants and send him on his way. I don't like the looks of him."
"He looks fine to me." she
said, then wished she hadn't, knowing that the seaman would take it the wrong
way. "I mean, he doesn't look possessed or anything. He looks
like a normal person. But I am nervous about what he must want. He says
it's about Robert."
"Your late husband?"
Even with the Muirs living in Gull Cottage for the past 8 years, the Captain
knew very little about the man who had shared a part of their former life.
"Yes." she nodded,
picking up the glass of water. "Daniel?"
"Yes, Carolyn?"
"Please stay close by."
"I'll be right here. I
promise."
"Here you go, Mr. Stetson."
She handed the man his water, taking the chair beside the fireplace. She
looked down at her faded jeans and white untucked blouse, wishing that she at
least looked a little better. If she could have read Lee Stetson's mind,
she would have blushed to know what he was thinking about the beautiful
creature sitting across from him, wondering if he should give older women a
try.
"Mrs. Muir, like I said, my name is
Lee Stetson and I'm here on behalf of The Agency, a government organization,
that defends the freedoms this nation was built on."
"So, you're like the FBI or the
CIA? " she tried to place what he was saying in perspective.
"Well, yes, only better." he
couldn't resist. "We have worked with both of those organizations
but unlike them, we do our work in secrecy."
"Are you trying to tell me that
you're a secret agent?" her eyes were full of amusement.
"Like James Bond?"
He tried not to laugh at her statement,
thinking how close she was to the truth and yet not even close to it. For
an answer, he handed her his badge letting her peruse it at her leisure.
"But, I don't understand, Mr.
Stetson." she handed his credentials back to him. "My husband
was a photographer and a film editor. He worked for a government film house
that produced documentaries. What has that got to do with spies and
such?"
Lee ran his hands through his hair and
sighed, wishing he was anywhere but where he was. How did you explain a
thing like this and have it make sense? He handed her a thick manilla
envelope he had in his brief case. "This should explain everything
better than I can."
She thanked him and taking the papers, starting to read the one on top.
Captain Gregg peered over her shoulder at the document and she held it up
slightly so he could read it as well. "I, my glasses
areupstairs." she smiled at the young man.
Lee nodded, feeling in the way. As
she read, he looked around the room, marveling over the sailor's treasures he
saw there. It was fantastic, the antiques in this room alone that were
from all over the world. And they were just sitting around as
knicknacks. They should by all rights be in a museum, he thought.
Studying the portrait over the
fireplace, he wondered what kind of captain the man in the picture must have
been. He glanced over at Mrs. Muir who was still avidly reading, seeming
to confer with herself ever so often. She looked over at him once or
twice and gave a wry smile. Lee returned it.
"Mrs. Muir, could you point me in
the direction of the restroom?"
"Up the stairs, the door on the
right."
"Thank you." he got up and
walked out of the room.
She watched him walk up the steps
before going back to her reading. The documents she were reading were
somewhat unsettling and she didn't feel like going on. According to what
she was reading, InternationalFederal Film was all a facade, it existed in name
only. "But I remember watching all those boring documentaries."
She turned towards the Captain. "I was proud of them because I knew
Bobby had worked hard on them, and now it looks like what he was doing was
millions of miles away from that."
"It certainly seems like it,"
the seaman rubbed his beard with his forefinger. "The mere mention
of assassination attempts and coups and enemy agents would suggest that.
It seems that Mr. Muir was involved in the world of espionage."
"Bobby was a spy? That's
ridiculous!" she didn't want to believe it. Her sweet, unassuming
husband who couldn't stand up to his own father had brandished guns and defend
the country from the enemy?
Carolyn watched as Lee Stetson sat down
on the couch once more, reaching for his water glass. "I'm almost
finished, Mr. Stetson." she told him.
"Take your time." he tried
not to sound impatient. The worst part of this assignment wasn't even
started yet.
He heard her breath catch and a cry
escape her throat. Looking up he saw tears streaming down her lovely
face, old memories creeping into her eyes. "I don't
understand." she wiped hastily at her eyes, tears rolling unheeded down
her cheeks. "My husband was murdered by a Soviet agent?"
She shook her head, not wanting to believe it.
"Actually, it was ruled as an accident."
Lee said gently. "Which is why it's being de-classified after only
11 years."
"De-classified?" she looked
confused as she handed the envelope back to him. "The police told me
it was an attempted robbery. I always thought it was a little strange
though. I kept telling myself that I was being silly and the police knew
what they were talking about." She was trying hard not to cry
further, and not doing a good job of it. Lee felt sorry for her, not sure
what to do. He hated to see a woman cry.
"It all makes sense." she
said quietly, at last. "The late nights, the mysterious phone
calls, the gun I found in his briefcase, the sudden trips out of town
..."
Lee looked at her, trying to figure out
who she was talking too. It wasn't to him and she didn't seem to be
talking to herself. Of course, she was trying to get through a big shock,
he reminded himself.
After he thought he could move on, Lee
told her about the pension and the life insurance policy apologizing that she
had not been receiving them through the years. "The paperwork must
have gotten messed up, because you should have been the recipient."
"My superior, William Melrose, is
looking into that for you right now."
"Billy? Of course, Billy was
his partner. That's how he got Bobby's ring."
"Yes, ma'am. He was with
your husband when he died." He handed her a card, with a phone
number emblazoned on it. "You can call him if you want, just dial
that number."
Long after Lee Stetson had gotten back
into his car and driven down Bay Road, Carolyn Muir leaned against the ship's
wheel on the balcony off her bedroom trying to put everything in perspective.
"Mom, are you all right?"
Sixteen year old Candy padded out on the balcony in her robe and
slippers. "You seemed kind of distant at dinner."
"I'm fine, sweetie."
Carolyn put her arms around her daughter who was now taller than she was and
hugged her close. "I just had some thinking to do."
"Well, if you need
anything..." Candy kissed her mother. "I love you."
"I love you, too."
Carolyn watched her go, wishing she could tell her children the truth about
their father.
"Need some company?" Captain
Gregg materialized beside her, placing his hands on either side of her.
"Or would you rather be alone?"
"No, Daniel, please stay."
she begged. "I don't want to be alone."
"This day must have been quite a
shock for you. I can't imagine the memories it must be conjuring
up."
"Many." she nodded.
"And at first I was angry -- angry with Bobby and angry with our friend
Billy who never told me and even angry at that nice young man that had to
deliver the news, but I'm not angry anymore. I realize that Bobby loved
something so much he died for it. And that something wasn't just his
country or his government but me and the kids
and his parents and the people in the street. It was what he
wanted."
They stood there for several minutes,
the only sound the songs of the jar flies and the ocean in the distance.
For the first time in years, Carolyn felt free. She hadn't realized
before what the shackles were that had held her in place but now she
knew. Turning to face the Captain, she thought about how much she loved
him and how he had given her what had been missing from her life.
Peace. Finally Robert Muir was at peace and so was she.
(For Lee Stetson there was no peace, just an unsettled feeling he couldn't
shake. This was the first time he realized that this was a serious
business that involved more than just the agent but also those around
him. As he drove down the lonesome Maine roads on his way to
Boston, he had plenty of time to think about the events of the day. That poor woman living all these years,
never knowing the details of her husband's death, just having to accept
it. He swore then that he would not put any woman through that. No
one should ever have to suffer because of him. It would be a long time
before he would think
differently.)
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