Amanda was standing in the middle of an empty street. She didn't know where she was. She watched as Lee got out of a rental car and made his way toward a building that looked abandoned. She had a sense that there was something wrong. She tried to call out a warning, but when her mouth opened nothing came out. She tried to run toward him, but she felt as if she were a million miles away. She watched him open the door and felt the heat from the blast as she watched her husband's body go flying across the street.

Amanda awoke with a start. Something was wrong, she knew it. Dotty came running down the stairs.

"Amanda, Darling, what's wrong? You were screaming."

"Oh, Mother, I just had the most horrible nightmare. Lee was meeting a contact and there was an explosion and..." she broke down, sobbing. Dotty hugged her tightly.

"Amanda, it was just a dream, nothing more. I'm sure Lee is fine. You've got to get a hold of yourself. You've let this little fantasy of yours go too far. It's not healthy. Maybe you should go see Dr. Mitchell."

"I don't need a doctor. I need to know that Lee's ok."

"Don't worry, I'm sure he's ok. Why don't you go up to bed? A good night's sleep will make you feel better. And don't worry about Lee. If something was wrong, he'd call you, right?"

"Right." she said. If he was able to. she thought. No, don't think that way. Her mother was right. She needed more sleep. She was sure she'd hear from Lee tomorrow.

********

Billy was standing outside Amanda's front door with Francine by his side. He was dreading this. He was probably the only one who knew how Lee and Amanda truly felt about each other. He knew the news he was about to tell her. He looked to Francine for support. She knew this was going to be hard on him, but she also knew it couldn't be put off.

"Billy, one of us has to ring that doorbell."

"I know, but..."

"I know." She said. She knew that he and Lee had been close friends. She also considered herself to be one of his friends. This was as hard for her as it was for him. She decided she might as well be the one to make the first move. She pushed the doorbell, silently praying that this was one of the days that Amanda would be at one of her boys' ball games so she wouldn't have to face her. The door was opened by Dotty. Billy and Francine both flashed their badges.

"Mr. Melrose, what are you doing here?"

"Good morning, Mrs. West. This is my assistant, Francine Desmond. We need to speak to Amanda."

"What's this about?"

"May we come in, please?" She opened the door enough for them to pass.

Dotty was curious now. What did this man want with her daughter now? Wasn't it bad enough that he'd treated her like a common criminal three years ago? "What do you want with Amanda?" Her thoughts were going crazy. Maybe Amanda had been telling the truth last night. No. that was crazy, Her daughter being a spy? It was just to nits to imagine. "There's something very important we have to talk to her about."

"Hold on, she's in the back yard with the boys. I'll get her." She headed for the back door. "Amanda?" she called. "Mr. Melrose is here to see you." Amanda's face dropped. Billy never came to the house unless he knew for a fact that she'd be there alone. Her worst fears were racing through her mind. She knew that her nightmare wasn't just a nightmare. She quickly ran past her mother. Dotty and the boys followed, curious about why a spy had shown up at their house.

"Billy, what is it? What's happened to Lee? Where is he? Is he ok?" She had to know what had happened to her husband.

"Amanda, I think you should sit down." Phillip and Jamie exchanged confused looks. Why were Mr. Melrose and their mom calling each other by their first names?

"I don't want to sit down! I want to know what happened to Lee!"

"Amanda, there was an explosion. Lee...well...He..." He couldn't do it. He couldn't break Amanda's heart.

"Dammit, Billy. Tell me." The whole room was shocked. Amanda didn't swear very often, but when she did, look out. Francine could see Billy was struggling and knew she had to intervene.

"Amanda, Lee didn't make it. The blast from the bomb was so intense he was killed instantly." Amanda felt as if the room were spinning. Billy was too late to catch her before she hit the floor.