“The door is locked, Tony!” Kate said for the fifth time in the last few minutes. She sat hunched over in defeat on the porch of Seaman Havener’s house not far from Norfolk as Tony continued to fiddle with the doorknob.
“Do you have a hair pin?” He asked, examining the lock.
Kate sighed. “No! Besides you can’t pick a lock with a hair pin, Tony.”
“Fine,” he said, finally giving up and sitting down beside her. “What do you suggest we do?”
“Find an open window, like I said twenty minutes ago.” Kate got up and stood back on the front lawn, looking at the upstairs windows for a sign that one of them was open. When nothing jumped out at her, she quickly headed for the back yard. “Come on! Let’s go around back!”
Tony jumped up and followed her, grinning madly. Kate looked back and eyed him suspiciously.
“What are you so happy about?”
“Nothing...just glad I have my smart little partner to figure out what to do...” he trailed off at Kate’s glare but his Cheshire cat grin stayed in place.
The two agents made their way around the back of the house and carefully examined all the ground floor windows. When none was found open, they moved their eyes upward and spotted a wide-open window on the second floor.
“Gimme a boost,” Kate said. As she turned around to face Tony she caught his quick arm pump and mouthed “Yes!”, and finally understood what he was so happy about.
“Tony!” she yelled and smacked him on the head. “Don’t even think about it!”
“What?” Tony said, and tried his best to put on an innocent face.
“I know the moment I let you boost me up there you’ll look up my skirt!”
Tony laughed. “Aww, come on Kate, I wouldn’t do that.” Kate just glared at Tony’s response. “Okay...uh...maybe I would, but what do you propose we do about it? We need someone to get up to that window.”
“I’ll boost you up,” Kate answered.
Tony faltered, he was pretty sure Kate couldn’t lift him an inch off the ground let alone a few feet, but he didn’t want to get smacked for disagreeing with her again. “Sure,” he said apprehensively. “Or maybe we could just try that whole hair pin in the lock thing again...”
“You don’t think I can do it, do you?” Kate said.
“No...I...well...I’m not exactly light, Kate...”
Kate shook her head defiantly and kneeled down on the grass beside the house. “Come on!” she said.
Tony stood in place, looking very hesitant. He didn’t want Kate, or himself, to get hurt.
“Come on! What, you scared I’m going to show you up?” Kate said, knowing a threat like that would urge him forward.
Tony scoffed and marched over to Kate. He kicked his shoes off and placed on foot on Kate’s left shoulder.
“God Tony! Your feet stink!”
“Hey, you know we could always go back to the front if you can’t take it,” Tony said with a laugh as he wiggled his foot in her face. Despite Kate’s threat, he still didn’t want to do this.
“No! I’m fine. Let’s do this.”
“Okay, then.” Bracing himself on the side of the house Tony quickly transferred his weight into Kate’s shoulder as he raised his other foot to her right shoulder, then cringed as he waited for the inevitable fall. But all that came was a slight groan from Kate as she slowly pushed herself up to a standing position with Tony on her shoulders.
“Can you reach the window yet?” Kate asked, her voice strained under the weight she carried.
“Go left!” Tony called down to her and she shuffled left slowly.
“You really should get some foot deodorant or something, Tony, you’re feet are rancid!”
“Foot deodorant! So unmanly,” Tony said with a smirk before continuing to direct Kate toward the window. “Just a little bit more left and I can reach it.”
Kate shuffled left again as Tony reached out for the windowsill, throwing his weight on her left side. “Wait, Tony! Don’t lean so far...”
Kate didn’t finish her sentence, as seconds later both agents came crashing to the ground, Tony on top of Kate.
They lay face to face for a second, unsure of what to do, until Tony broke the silence. “Sorry, are you okay?” He said, rolling off her, standing up and holding out a hand to her. Kate winced a little but nodded and took his hand. Tony braced himself for the inevitable smack and lecture but was surprised when she apologized too.
“No, I’m sorry. It was a stupid idea. You can just give me a boost up.”
Tony nodded, too surprised by her apology to remember to be happy about the change in plans. He knelt down and Kate placed one foot on his shoulders and paused.
“Tony?” she asked.
“Yea?”
“If you so much as glance upwards you will rue the day you were born,” Kate threatened before placing her other foot on his right shoulder.
As he stood up, Tony forced himself to stare at the side of the house, knowing Kate would go through with whatever she threatened. Within minutes, he felt his shoulders lighten as she climbed through the window.
“I’ll meet you out front,” Kate called down before disappearing into the house.
The two agents carefully searched the downstairs of the house, going through opened mail, bills, and various documents, trying to find anything that could connect Havener to the victims.
“I’m going to start upstairs,” Kate said, after half an hour of searching.
Tony nodded. “Okay, I’ll be up a minute once I finish with this stuff.” He gestured to the last few papers they had found in the office. He listened as Kate’s footsteps echoed in the foyer and then faded as she headed upstairs.
He felt his body relax the moment she was gone. His guard could be let down. Since the kiss and the argument he only felt tense around Kate, unsure of what she was feeling, thinking. Although Tony knew it would hurt to talk about it, he felt a need to clear the air between then completely. Quickly, he rifled through the last few papers and then made to follow Kate’s path upstairs, intending to talk as they worked. However, his intentions were quickly diminished when a sharp scream came from above him. Instinctively, Tony drew his gun and rushed to find Kate.
Chapter End Notes:
Another chapter! Enjoy and maybe review?