Lawyers and Spies

The Other Sides of Every Coin

Amanda sat still in the ambulance, watching the paramedics lifting Lola's body. The firefighters managed to put the fire out – still, the lake house was nothing more than an eyesore. Amanda allowed the medics to examine her while Elijah surveyed the scene. "You were lucky," he said, approaching the van. "For all, I know they wanted me dead," Amanda whispered. "Who? Patrick's killer?"

"I don't know....maybe...." she trailed off, looking down at her palms. Her eyes squeezed tightly as she recalled pulling Lola's body from the fire. "She was going to tell me who paid her to testify against Philip, and then she was shot...right in front of me." Amanda chuckled lowly, "...right in front of me...like someone was watching." She turned to Elijah sharply, "do you know someone was in my house....killed my cat and now this...." Elijah reached for Amanda's hand and gently squeezed, "it is okay...Philip will be here soon."

A frustrated groan escaped her lips; Amanda stared at the detective with disbelief, "you called him?"

"I did." Elijah retorted warily, "well, he is your boss, and this is about him." Elijah added. Amanda scoffed, looking away, "I guess so...."

"Amanda!" Philip's loud voice resonated around the woods. "He is here..." Elijah said in a low voice; he turned, walking towards Philip. "Philip, we came as soon as possible. She is alright...." Philip rushed past Elijah, heading towards Amanda. Upon reaching her, he pulled her into his arms. "Oh god, Amanda, what were you doing here all alone?"

Amanda remained silent; she allowed him to hug and said nothing. She didn't know who to trust as far as she was concerned.

******

Amanda stood in her living room, feeling like a stranger as Elliot did a bug sweep of her flat. "You should get a security system installed...living alone as a young lady...it is important."

"I am sure," she answered stiffly. "You can stay at my place," Philip suggested, "for the night at least." He added, seeing Amanda and Elijah's facial expression. "I think that is a good idea, Amanda," Elijah added. She nodded and allowed Philip to guide her out. "Don't worry, I will take care of you," He assured her.

It was the second time Amanda was entering the Oz mansion. The golden chandelier and wallpaper felt sort of like home. 'Mr. Patrick died here,' a voice said in her head. She shivered, definitely not home, she concluded, following Philip into the house. "Do you want anything?" He asked. "Um....," Amanda choked out, looking away.

"Amanda, you are safe here." He said with a reassuring smile. Amanda let out a small scoff eyeing Philip. "Of course..." Philip murmured, looking down at his feet. "My dad died here, right where you are standing," he added, shaking his head. "I don't know what to say, Amanda." Amanda took a step forward with a sigh, hoping to escape the supposed place Patrick Oz had died. "I would like to rest." She murmured. "Sure," Philip agreed.

Amanda allowed Philip to escort her through the halls into one of the rooms. As soon as she was alone, Amanda settled on the king-size bed – her fingers making a mess of the red velvet spread. Flashes of Lola's glassy eyes filtered through her mind. She blinked, digging her fingers into her pocket and fishing out the card Lola had shown her earlier. Amanda rolled over to the side of the bed and turned up the dim bedside lamp. She stared down at the black plastic card, tracing the white crown figure drawn on its surface. There were a series of numbers Amanda suspected to be coordinates written in a gold text at the back of the card.

A knock from the door caused her to jump. She shoved the card into her pocket. "Yes, come in."

Philip unlocked the door, causing Amanda to stiffen. He eyed her warily as she scratched at her hair and then looked anywhere from him. "I thought you might need something to sleep in." He said. "Thank you." She murmured. Philip then walked into the room and placed his old sweats at the edge of the bed. He turned to go and then paused. "Amanda, what were you doing at Lola's lake house?" He asked. Amanda remained silent. Seeing she wasn't ready to talk, Philip continued, "it was very careless of you....i mean, there's a killer out there..." he said.