Scarecrow and Mrs. King
Dead Ringer

(A fancy foreign embassy in Washington. Lee and Amanda are at a party where waiters in tuxedos are serving wine on trays. Amanda and Lee walk around the room amongst the crowds of people, talking. Lee is especially wow in his tuxedo and leading Amanda.)
Amanda: You know, this is my first real embassy party.
Lee: Well, that's why Billy had me use you in this operation. You're unknown on Embassy Row.
Amanda: Well, you know, I have been to a couple of teas -- hello, hello (in the same breath, she postpones her sentence to greet a passing couple, then turns back to Lee) -- and maybe a reception or two but never anything like this -- hi. If I'd known, I would have borrowed a better dress.
Lee: Amanda, you're a messenger.
(Amanda's smile fades and she pulls ahead of Lee. She turns and looks at him in an empty corner of the room.)
Amanda: Oh, well, that's not exactly the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval.
Lee: Oh, come on, what's the matter with you?
Amanda: Nothing's the matter with me.
Lee: You look fine!
(Amanda looks around.)
Amanda: We're right back in the entryway.
Lee: I know it, I know it. It's almost . . . (he looks at his watch) nine o'clock.
Amanda: Look, you know, if you would tell me what she looks like, I could help you look for her. I mean, all I know is that she's Hungarian.
Lee: She's five foot seven, she has dark hair, she's wearing a black dress. (Amanda nods, but just then, two attractive women with dark hair and black dresses go walking by. Amanda watches them go, then looks at Lee, waving her finger as if asking him whether she should follow them or not. Lee smiles at her. She nods.) Excuse me.
Amanda: Sure.
(Lee walks away. The instant he does, an Italian ambassador makes his way to Amanda as if she were a long-lost friend, saying something in Italian. He takes her hand. She looks at him, surprised.)
Amanda: Hmm?
Ambassador: I see you across the room. I can't believe it!
(He says something else in Italian.)
Amanda: Uh, no, I don't believe we've met.
Ambassador: Ah. The same curve of the cheek. The same, uh, aristocratic bearing. (Amanda's eyes get wider and her smile slowly disappears.) A fourteenth-century masterpiece come to magnificent life!
Amanda (speechless): Ah.
Ambassador: I must know you.
(He charmingly kisses her hand while she stammers.)
Amanda: Huh. Hm.
Ambassador: I see this vision. My name is Ludovico Lupo. And you are?
(He kisses her hand again while she stammers even more.)
Amanda: Um . . . I'm, uh. . . .
(Lee appears and finishes her sentence, putting his arm around her.)
Lee: Engaged for the evening.
Amanda: Yes, I am.
(The ambassador detaches his lips from her hand and straightens his bowtie.)
Ambassador (mispronouncing the word): Excooses.
Amanda: You're excoosed.
Lee: Yeah. (He walks away. Lee briskly marches Amanda away, stonefaced. They duck behind a pillar. Only then does he let go.) Amanda, this isn't a social occasion!
Amanda: I didn't do anything!
(Lee sighs.)
Lee: All right, all right. (Lee looks around. Amanda raises her wine glass to her lips, but looks up and lowers it when Lee speaks like a birdwatcher who's just caught sight of a rare bird.) There she is. (Amanda and Lee both watch a slim, pretty woman with neck-length dark hair and a fancy strapless black dress disappear into the ladies' room. Lee turns to Amanda and she hands him her wine glass while he talks.) All right, you'll have to move fast. Follow her into the powder room and say --
(He is cut off by an attractive blond, one of his old girlfriends, who bounces up to him.)
Phyllis: Oh, I thought I'd find you here.
(Lee smiles, then suddenly remembers her name and points to her.)
Lee: Uh, Phyllis!
Phyllis: That's right. Phyllis. (Lee smiles and nods approvingly.) I'm back from Gstaad.
Lee: Ah.
Phyllis: You usually send flowers.
Lee: First thing in the morning, hm? Uh, Amanda? (Amanda looks at him.) Amanda King, this is Phyllis Pratt.
(Lee says her last name as if he's not sure of it.)
Amanda: How do you do?
(Phyllis nods politely.)
Lee: Uh, Amanda is just recovering from a nasty bout of Denghi fever.
(Amanda's eyebrows fly up. She stares at Lee. Lee looks from Amanda to Phyllis, who takes the bait.)
Phyllis: Excuse me.
(The instant she walks away, Amanda's smile turns into a confused frown.)
Amanda: Why did you tell her I had Denghi fever?
(Lee's smile vanishes, also.)
Lee: All right, Amanda, will you just listen to me, huh? Just listen?
Amanda: Yes. Yes.
Lee: Time is running out.
Amanda: I'm listening.
Lee: Follow her into the powder room, engage her in conversation. Ask her if she's ever been to the Botanical Gardens. She will say no. (Lee quickly glances to make sure no one is close enough to hear.) Tell her not to miss the display of Camptosaurus Risophyllus.
Amanda: What?
Lee: Camptosaurus Risophyllus. (Amanda nods.) Now, the display opens tomorrow at noon. You got that? Noon.
(They start walking to the powder room.)
Amanda: Yes.
Lee: All right.
Amanda: The Botanical Gardens, tomorrow at noon, she's got to --
(They suddenly get interrupted by a Soviet ambassador who obviously is making the same kind of remark about Amanda as the Italian one did, but this one is doing it in Russian. Amanda smiles, and when the man finishes, Amanda shrugs apologetically. Lee stares at the man through squinted eyes.)
Amanda: Oh, I'm -- I don't speak whatever it is you're speaking.
(Lee says something along the lines of "Get lost" in Russian. The man looks at him, then leaves. Amanda and Lee look at each other and say the last part of the instructions together.)
Both: Camptosaurus Risophyllus.
(Amanda nods.)
Amanda: Got it.
(Amanda sets off for the ladies' room. Lee watches her go, then exhales. He looks at the wine in his hand and drinks it.)

(In the restroom, Amanda walks in nervously. She approaches Magda, the Hungarian brunette at the counter.)
Amanda: Excuse me, I -- (Magda turns around and looks at her. She looks just like Francine with dark hair and brown eyes. Amanda gasps.) Francine!
(Magda takes her purse and stands up.)
Magda: I'm afraid you must be mistaken.
Amanda: Of course, I can see that. You have brown eyes and she has blue eyes and you have dark hair and she has light hair, but I'm telling you, the resemblance is just absolutely uncanny! You know, I had always heard that everyone had a double somewhere in the world but I'd always thought it was just an old wives' tale.
Magda: You will excuse me.
(She starts to go.)
Amanda: No! (Magda stops and looks at her, surprised.) No, I'm sorry, I just -- sometimes when I get excited, I babble. I just wondered if you had had a chance to see the Botanical Gardens.
Magda: No.
Amanda: Oh, well, they're having a wonderful exhibit of, um . . . Camptosaurus Risophyllus and you could probably catch it tomorrow around noon if you were interested.
Magda: Thank you, I will put that on my agenda.
Amanda: Yes.

(Magda briskly exits the restroom and walks away out of sight, passing a couple of men chatting, one of them Sandor, her assigned bodyguard. He follows Magda, a cold look in his eye. The two pass Lee, leaning against the wall, who watches them subtly out of the corner of his eye. He stands and walks to meet Amanda coming out of the bathroom. Amanda is grinning broadly.)
Lee: Well?
Amanda: She's putting it on her agenda.
Lee: Oh, great!
(They start to walk together.)
Amanda: You know, the funny thing is, that woman looks exactly like Francine?
(Lee's smile fades.)
Lee: Wait, you didn't say anything about the resemblance, did you?
Amanda: Oh, yeah, well, I mentioned it --
(Lee stops.)
Lee: Oh, dammit.
Amanda: What's the matter?
(Lee forces a smile and greets some passing guests.)
Lee: Hello.
Amanda: Hello. How do you do?
(Lee's smile instantly disappears.)
Lee: Was there anyone in there with you?
Amanda: Only the attendant.
Lee: What'd she look like?
Amanda: The attendant?
Lee: Yes, the attendant!
Amanda: Uh, um, I don't know, she was, like, medium height, medium build -- Listen, if I'm not supposed to say something, I really think you ought to tell me, I mean, I know you operate on a need-to-know basis, but I think I needed to know! Now, did I ruin everything?
Lee: I hope not.
Amanda: Oh, I'm sorry.
Lee: We can't afford to lose her at this stage of the game, everything is in motion.
Amanda: I'm sorry.
Lee: No, no, no, look, it's all right. You delivered your message.
Amanda: Yes, I did that.
Lee: Yes, you did, yes, and we will take it from there.
(Amanda sighs.)
Amanda: I'm really sorry.
Lee: Don't worry about it, all right?
Amanda: All right.
(Lee leads her away from the crowd.)
Lee: But, look. Amanda, in the future, just say what you're told to say, don't ad-lib.
Amanda: I won't.
Lee: All right?
Amanda: I promise.
Lee: Okay. Now, I will find you a cab --
Amanda: What? Are we going home?
(Lee stares at her, then he chuckles.)
Lee: Well, this isn't a date.
(He clears his throat and looks around. When he looks back at Amanda, they both chuckle nervously.)
Amanda: I know this isn't a date, of course it isn't a date.
Lee: All right.
Amanda: It's just, you know, I was wondering . . . (she looks down at her hands) what I'm going to tell my mother when I get back to the house half an hour after I left for a party. (She gestures to her clothes.) So.
(She turns and leaves. Lee sighs, then goes after her.)

(Amanda's house. Amanda is sitting on the kitchen counter with a glass of milk in her hands. She is still dressed up and she is listening to her mother, who has a stuffed-up nose. Dotty is out of sight.)
Dotty: I have absolutely nothing to say on the subject.
Amanda: You're angry.
Dotty: I am not angry. (Suddenly a cupboard slams and Dotty appears from underneath the kitchen counter.) Do you know where the vitamin C is?
Amanda: Upstairs in the medicine cabinet.
Dotty: No, it's not. I looked there first. I wish people wouldn't move things.
Amanda: You're angry because I won't tell you who I went out with tonight.
(Dotty resumes rummaging through things.)
Dotty: I'm not angry, dear.
(Amanda sets down her glass.)
Amanda: Well, then you're hurt, and that's even worse. Mother, I know that I've lied to you before. In the past I have. But I don't want to do it anymore, because it makes me feel just . . . awful.
(Dotty closes the drawer and looks up.)
Dotty: Of course it does. (She walks over to the cupboards.) It's totally against your nature. I mean, you were never a secretive child. (Amanda sighs. Dotty starts going through the cupboards.) You always came to me with your little confidences, (she pulls out a bottle of pills) and I always understood.
(She puts the pills back.)
Amanda: I don't think you'd understand this one.
(Dotty closes the cupboard and walks over to Amanda. She looks her in the eye. She chuckles.)
Dotty: Oh, but I already do. I mean, he is married to an impossible woman! They have not lived under the same roof for at least eight months. (Amanda's jaw is open and her eyes are wide.) Bud Marcher!
(She goes back the drawers, satisfied.)
Amanda: Bud Marcher?! Mother, Bud Marcher is a married man, do you think I went out with a married man tonight? This wasn't a date, this was business! (Dotty closes the drawer, straightens up, and stares at Amanda, who lowers her tone.) And I can't say anything else about it.
Dotty: Amanda, I am not pressing you, am I? I mean, that's just not my way! (She looks down, pauses, and looks back up.) If you say it's business, it's business.
(She keeps looking for the vitamin C. Amanda whispers.)
Amanda: I never dreamed things would get so complicated.
Dotty: Well, they usually do. I cannot find the vitamin C anywhere, so I am going to boil a grapefruit. (She picks up a pot and slams it down on the oven. Then she goes to the refrigerator to get a grapefruit.) That's what your grandmother always did.
Amanda: Mother, what is Denghi fever?
(Dotty closes the door to the fridge and whirls around with the grapefruit in hand, her eyes wide.)
Dotty: Oh, my God. Is that going around? I thought I was just getting a little head cold.
(Amanda jumps up and brings her glass to the sink.)
Amanda: No, no, no. I don't think it is, at least, I hope not, anyway. (She walks over to her mother.) Well, I'm going to bed. I hope you feel better. (She kisses Dotty good night.) I love you.
Dotty: Good night, love. (Amanda goes upstairs. Dotty watches her, then turns to the front.) Business. What kind of business is she in that she can't tell me about?

(IFF. Billy is talking with Francine and Lee as they walk out of the office into the hallway in a line, first Billy, then Francine, then Lee.)
Billy: This has to be timed down to the second. I don't want anybody to foul up.
Lee: Will you relax, Billy?
Billy: When we've got Magda Petrak, I'll relax. We won't get a second chance at this.
Lee: We're not going to need one.
Francine: Do you think she really has the information she claims? It could be a setup. I mean, say we help her defect and then she says, "Hey, guys, I really don't know what the Hungarian cultural mission was up to, I just answer telephones."
(They stop. Billy folds his arms. Lee answers for him.)
Lee: She is top level, Francine. Believe me. I checked all of that out when she first made contact with us. She's not going to jeopardize the safety of her mother and her sister, getting them out of Hungary. Relocating them was all part of the deal. She's looking forward to the good life.
Francine (annoyed): Just asking.
Billy: Are you sure you know exactly what you're going to do?
Lee: Ah, we've been over this a dozen times, Francine will be fine. Won't you?
(He walks away. Francine turns to Billy.)
Francine: I'll be sensational! I just love playing dress-up.
(She smiles coyly and starts out after Lee.)

(Later, at the Botanical Gardens in Washington, a dark car pulls up. Sandor gets out and opens the back door. Magda steps out. She walks away from the car and up the steps, past a big plant. Sandor follows, well behind. Magda turns the corner, where Lee is waiting, reading a brochure. Magda walks up to him, but does not look at him.)
Magda: My mother and my sister?
Lee: Safe. Right now they're somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean in a U.S. military plane.
(Sandor appears around the corner. He looks around for Magda. Magda spies him. She turns to Lee.)
Magda: Excuse me. (Lee looks up.) Could you tell me where I might find the display of Camptosaurus Risophyllus?
(Lee understands instantly and plays along.)
Lee: Uh, yes, I believe they're right over there in that greenhouse.
(Magda looks where he is pointing.)
Magda: Thank you.
(She sets off for the greenhouse. Sandor slowly follows her, staying in the shadows. When he passes Lee, Lee watches him out of the corner of his eye. He turns away when Sandor stops to "admire" some flowers near him. Meanwhile, Magda continues walking. Billy walks toward her. In one smooth, practiced motion, he takes her arm and swiftly leads her behind the greenhouse, where another agent is waiting to help Magda.)
Billy: Give me the hat and the coat.
(Magda starts to remove her coat.)
Magda: Sandor is right behind me.
Billy: We have him covered.

(In the greenhouse, Francine, who has her hair pulled tightly back, looks up with one brown contact lens in and smiles.)

(Outside, Billy takes Magda's hat and coat and walks around into the greenhouse entrance. The agent takes Magda.

(Inside the greenhouse, Billy walks up to Francine.)
Billy: Come on, Francine, let's go! (Francine hands the compact to Billy and stares at her reflection while she places in the last contact lens.) Careful of the eye. Hurry up! (Francine places it in and blinks. Billy glances around.) Come on, get the wig on! Quickly! (Francine pulls a dark brown wig over her own hair.)

(Outside, Lee is waiting fairly patiently.)

(Back inside, Francine is putting on Magda's coat.)
Francine: Well, at least she has decent taste in clothes. I thought all those Iron Curtain women wore little cotton housedresses.
(The coat is on. Billy is becoming impatient.)
Billy: Come on! Here's the hat. (Francine takes it and puts it on. She fixes the wig and looks at Billy.) Looking good. Go!
Francine: Okay.
(She exits the greenhouse, looking exactly like Magda. She passes Sandor without a sideways glance. Sandor watches her. He walks after her. Lee watches subtly. Francine, with Sandor close behind, walks up to Magda's car. But instead of getting in, she breaks into a run and climbs into another car that just pulled up. Sandor and Magda's driver run after the car when it pulls out.)
Sandor: Vylos! Stop her!
Driver: Wait! Magda, wait! Wait!
Sandor: Don't let them get away!
(The car tires squeal as the Agency car pulls out of the driveway. Magda's car follows them. As the chase goes down the street, Francine's car turns a sharp left. Three more cars exactly like it are waiting. They pull out and join up with the first one. They drive in a line. When the Hungarian car appears, they see four dark cars weaving in and out.)
Driver: What's going on? Three cars, four cars. They all look alike.
Sandor: What do you think is going on? Which car is she in? The first, isn't it?
Driver: The left or the right, I don't know!
(As they follow the cars, confused, two cars break off and take side roads, one on each side of the main street. Another car does a crazy U-turn. The first keeps going. The Hungarian car stops in its tracks.)
Driver: Which one, that one?
Sandor: No, that one!
(They drive over the grass and straight onto the street beside them, blocking it. When the Agency car drives up, it has to stop. The brakes squeal and the car goes onto the grass. Sandor, holding his gun out, opens the door to the car. An elderly man reading a newspaper looks at him, bewildered.)
Sandor: Damn. Lost them.
(He stands up and looks at Magda'sdriver, who rubs his chin.)

(Amanda's house. Amanda is cleaning the living room, so the couch is littered with clothes. The doorbell rings. Dotty calls from upstairs.)
Dotty: Darling?
Amanda: Yes, Mother?
Dotty: Is that the doorbell?
Amanda: Yes, Mother!
Dotty: Will you see who it is?
Amanda: I'm going, Mother.
(She starts to walk over to the door with a baseball bat in one hand and two lacrosse sticks in the other. The doorbell rings again.)
Dotty: Amanda!
Amanda: I'm on the way, Mother! (Juggling her load, she opens the door. Lee and Magda immediately walk in. Amanda gasps.) Oh, wait a minute, you can't come in here! What are you doing?
Lee: We have to come in here!
Dotty: Is it the drugstore?
Amanda: Uh, no, Mother, it isn't! (She whispers fiercely to Lee.) My mother's home. She has a very bad cold.
Lee: Good! It'll keep her out of the way until we're finished.
Amanda: Finished with what? Just a minute. You cannot stay!
Magda: Is this your typical American house? I thought something larger.
(Amanda smiles.)
Amanda: Well, it's with three bedrooms with a convertible den. (Her smile fades when she turns back to Lee.) Phillip and Jamie will be home from school at three-thirty!
Lee: We will be out of here long before that. Now, look, Amanda, I wouldn't be here if I had any other choice. I need a safe house for Magda. The one we had arranged was burned. (Amanda grimaces.) Faulty wiring or something.
Magda: Uh, some coffee --
Amanda: No! I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude, (she turns to Lee and gestures with the bat) and you know that I don't mean to be uncooperative, and I'm sure what you're doing is very important, but I have to think of the safety of my mother and my children! I can't have you in my house!
Lee: Their safety is not being compromised, okay? Now, trust me, I have no place else to put her! I can't just drive around with her in my car!
Amanda: Well, what are you talking about, there are a bunch of Hungarians out there looking for her? They're going to find her here!
Lee: No, not here! Now, they're going to be combing the air terminals, train stations, hotels. They'll be combing the streets of Washington! But you're not going to find them cruising down a modest residential neighborhood.
Amanda: It's not that modest.
Lee: Amanda, now, we have made a deal with Magda. We're getting her mother and sister out of Hungary. We're giving them new identities, a whole new life. (Amanda sighs, as if to say, "Here we go again.") And she's giving us information, information that could be vital to the strategic defense of the United States.
(Amanda leans her forehead on the bat and shakes her head.)
Amanda: Ooh, I wish you wouldn't put it that way.
Dotty: Amanda?
(Amanda's eyelids fly open. She yells up the stairs.)
Amanda: Yes, Mother?
Dotty: Is anything wrong?
Amanda: No, Mother, everything's just fine!
(Lee grins and nods. Amanda turns back to him.)
Amanda: I am not going to lie to her anymore.
(Lee shrugs calmly.)
Lee: Tell her the truth. She won't believe you.
(Amanda straightens up and glares at him.)
Dotty: Amanda? (Amanda takes a deep breath and walks over to the stairs.) Who's there?
Amanda: Nobody special, Mother! Just a defecting Hungarian refugee! (Silence. Lee looks up. Amanda smiles weakly and looks at him.) She bought it.
(Lee raises his eyebrows and nods, amused.)

(Apartment in Washington. Brobich is standing in the room, scolding Sandor and the driver. He walks over to Sandor.)
Brobich: Magda Petrak must be found! How it happened that we adjust ourselves to what we have the luxury of time, and why it was not anticipated!
Sandor: Her Party record has always been impeccable, Comrade Brobich.
(Brobich walks over to his desk.)
Brobich: Exactly! Making her privy to the most highly classified information. She is in a position where she can compromise a network of operatives that has taken us months to put in place! (To make a point, he sits in his desk chair.) She is in a position where she can expose our cultural mission for what it is, an intelligence operation.
Sandor: With all respect, Comrade, no one could have foreseen such a thing.
Brobich: I could foresee it! You recall my objection when she was first proposed for this job. Those objections are still on the record!
Driver: We were with her constantly, Comrade, it should not have been possible for her to have made contact with the Americans.
(Brobich stands and jabs his finger at the table.)
Brobich: She was assigned to this project over my objections! You have allowed her to defect and you will find her, is that understood? You will find her.

(Amanda's house. Lee and Magda are in the living room, sipping coffee. Amanda is mopping the kitchen floor in the background.)
Magda: Brobich travels under a diplomatic passport, he cannot be arrested.
Lee: No, but we can sure as hell kick his buns out of this country and break up the information network he set up here.
Magda: It will be reestablished by somebody else. They never stop.
Lee: Neither do we.
(Dotty's voice comes in clearly from upstairs. Suddenly, Lee and Magda go silent.)
Dotty: Amanda?
(Amanda puts down the mop and runs to the living room.)
Amanda: Uh, yes, Mother? (She hisses at Lee.) She's coming down, you've got to get out of here.
Lee: What -- ?
Amanda: You've got to leave, now, quickly! (He picks up his things and gets up off the couch. He starts to walk over to the front door. Amanda picks up his coat, then grabs his arm.) Oh, no, no, not that way, not that way! Out the back door. Come on, quick, come on!
Lee: What about --
Amanda: Just go on, go on.
Lee: All right!
(Amanda literally pushes him out the door and throws his coat out after him. She turns to Magda.)
Amanda: Miss Petrak, Miss Petrak, please?
(She motions to the open door.)
Magda: I cannot go outside! I might be observed.
(Amanda closes the back door and runs over the couch. She sits across from Magda.)
Amanda: No, no, you don't understand. If you stay inside, you'll definitely be observed. You're a defector and your picture's going to be in the newspaper and my mother will see it and she'll know everything.
Magda: There will be no picture. My country never admits to things like defection, internal --
(Dotty walks down the stairs.)
Dotty: Amanda?
Amanda: Yes, Mother?
(She helps her mother into the kitchen.)
Dotty: I think I'll have that sandwich now.
Amanda: Yes, Mother, I'll make it for you.
Dotty: You know, I really feel that -- (She stops when she sees Magda staring curiously at her.) Oh! Well, I'm sorry, I didn't know you had company.
Amanda: Yes, Mother, this is Miss Petrak.
Magda: Magda Petrak.
Amanda: Yes, and this is my mother, Mrs. West.
Magda (uninterested, unimpressed): Oh.
Dotty: Well, aren't you two having a cozy time. I hope I'm not interrupting anything. (She sits across from Magda.) Are you plants or animals? (Magda stares at her. Amanda smiles, amused.) Plants, I'd say. You don't look like the animal type. (Magda looks away, clearly not caring. Dotty chuckles.) Amanda does have the most interesting clients. You are a client, aren't you?
Magda: No.
Dotty: Oh.
Amanda: Uh, Mother, I think you should probably get back in bed.
(Dotty waves her away.)
Dotty: Oh, it's all right, dear. (She chuckles again, then leans forward to Magda.) Well, I hope you'll forgive my appearance, I mean, I just have a head cold, I mean, I know they make you look and feel miserable. I mean, Amanda thinks that I might have Denghi fever, but I know it's just a cold. I was feeling absolutely wonderful yesterday, and then it just hit me last night.
Magda (calmly): Then you are contagious. You should confine yourself to your room for the good of the others.
(Dotty tries to pretend she's not hurt.)
Dotty: Oh. I suppose you're right. It's just so boring up there.
Amanda: Mother, this is your house, too, and you have a right to be anyplace in it that you'd like to be.
Dotty: Oh, thank you, dear.
(She looks at Magda as if to say, "See?" Suddenly the front door slams and Phillip and Jamie run excitedly into the living room, Phillip waving a red ribbon.)
Jamie: Hey, Mom, guess what, guess what!
Phillip: Hey, Mom, I won!
(Amanda bends down and takes the ribbon from him. Dotty applauds.)
Amanda: Oh, look at that, sweetheart! (She proudly shows the ribbon to Dotty.) Look at that, he won second place for his volcano!
Jamie: I helped!
Phillip: No, you didn't!
Amanda: Yes, he did. Okay, I'll tell you what, why don't you, uh, why don't you go upstairs and -- and you can watch television.
(Phillip nods and eagerly takes his prize back.)
Jamie: But I'm hungry.
Amanda: I'll make you a sandwich and I'll bring it up, room service.
(Jamie smiles. Phillip holds up his ribbon and shows Magda.)
Phillip: I won second prize! I probably would have won first, only Bill Giesman, he always wins it, ever since preschool!
(Amanda and Dotty chuckle.)
Magda: Winning can only be first place. They don't teach you that?
Phillip: We've got first place and second place.
Amanda: And we've got third place and runners-up and I think this is just sensational, sweetheart.
Magda: In my country, first place is winning. Everything else is losing.
(Phillip lowers his head. Amanda tries to console him.)
Amanda: Phillip. Hey, I am very proud of you, give me a hug. (Phillip hugs her, then she escorts the boys out of the room.) Okay, you guys get upstairs, and I'll be there in just a minute. Go on, scoot, scoot, scoot!
Jamie: Come on, Phillip, let's go.
(The boys go, Phillip looking at his prize with a long face. Dotty turns and looks at Magda, trying to control her anger.)
Dotty: I think I'll go to my room, too.
(She stands and leaves the room after the boys. Amanda stands still, staring at the floor for a moment, then she takes a deep breath and suddenly looks up, furious but speaking evenly.)
Amanda: How could you say that to a little boy?
Magda: One has a responsibility to children. They should be realists. You -- you don't want your son to be a winner?
(Amanda chuckles.)
Amanda: My son is a winner. (Magda stares at her.) Please excuse me.
(She walks away, leaving Magda alone with her coffee. Seemingly not guilty at all, she sips from her cup.)

(Outside, Lee is hidden behind a large potted plant, going over something in a notebook. The door to the house noisily opens. Lee puts his notebook away and peeks to see who it is. It is Amanda. She sees him and slowly, quietly closes the door. Tight-lipped, she walks over to Lee and looks him in the eye.)
Amanda: Do you know what she just did to Phillip?
Lee: Wha -- Are the kids home?
Amanda: They live here. Now, listen, Lee, you know that I will do anything that I can within reason to help my country, but this has gotten completely out of hand. Now, I was supposed to take a message to her and to bring you back the answer. All right, I did that. But now, not only is she in my home, she has firmly planted herself in my living room and she has driven my mother and my two small boys upstairs into their bedrooms!
(Although Amanda's voice rose to a shout at the last part, Lee keeps his voice down to a whisper.)
Lee: Look, I know she is a little abrasive, but she's -- she's under a strain!
Amanda: Who isn't? I had a happy home this morning.
Lee: Look, a few more minutes will wrap it all up and she will be out of your way.
Amanda: That's what you said when you first got here. Now, listen. I'm going to go upstairs and see what I can do about Phillip. I will give you ten minutes. (She whirls around and goes to the door. Before opening it, she stops.) And there can be no further complications, right? (Lee stares at her.) Nothing can go wrong?
(Lee chuckles and grins.)
Lee: Oh, Amanda. This whole operation has been like a walk through the park. What could possibly go wrong?
(Amanda doesn't fully buy it.)
Amanda: Up against the wall.
(Lee ducks back behind the plant. Amanda opens the door and walks inside. Lee sighs and shakes his head.)

(IFF, Billy's office. Billy is looking through some papers on his desk. He pushes the button on the intercom on his desk.)
Billy: Francine? (No answer.) Francine! (Still silence. Billy stands up and walks over to the door.) Has anybody out there seen Francine?
(An agent walks over.)
Agent: She's at lunch.
Billy: Well, I'm surprised she didn't eat anything. I mean, she must be really exhausted from taking all those bows.
(The agent laughs.)
Agent: She did good, Billy.
Billy: Yeah, she did very well. Unfortunately, we'll never hear the end of it.
(The agent laughs again. Billy goes back to his desk. The agent returns to his job.)

(Washington. The Hungarian car is patrolling the streets, still searching for Magda. Sandor is in the passenger seat, beside the driver.)
Driver: She's out of Washington by now.
Sandor: Probably.
Driver: Or undercover. I wonder which agency she sold out for.
Sandor: Military Intelligence. CIA. What's the difference? She was with us when it happened. You know where the blame will go.
Driver: How long do we keep up this charade? We're not going to find her, you know that. Comrade Brobich knows. (Sandor and the driver look forward. After a moment, the driver turns back to Sandor.) We'll both go to court.
Sandor: I know.
Driver: Are you hungry?
Sandor: No.
Driver: I eat when I'm nervous.
(He turns the car off the main road at the next light. After a few turns, they halt in front of a grocery store parking lot. The driver rolls his window down, staring outside, his jaw open.)
Sandor, look, look! It's Magda.
(They both stare outside. Francine is walking in their direction, her arms loaded with groceries.)
Sandor: Where?
Driver: There, there! Coming towards us, the blond! She changed her hair, she's changed her appearance, but it's Magda!
(Meanwhile, oblivious to the two Hungarian spies watcher her, Francine walks over to her car. She lifts the trunk and puts her groceries in. But before she can close it, Sandor approaches her. She whirls around and stares at him, surprised.)

(Brobich's office. Francine is sitting in the chair in front of him while he sits on the desk, looking at her. Sandor and the driver stand guard nearby. Francine is looking at Brobich coldly.)
Brobich: An extraordinary likeness. A wig, contact lenses, and you would be Magda Petrak.
Francine: Look, I don't know who Magda Petrak is. But I can tell you, you are in a great deal of trouble. Kidnapping is a federal crime.
(Brobich reaches into his pocket and pulls out a passport. He waves it in Francine's face.)
Brobich: Do you know what this is, Miss. . . .
(He looks to Sandor, who is holding a clipboard. Sandor glances at it.)
Sandor: Desmond. Francine Desmond.
Brobich: Do you know what this is, Miss Francine Desmond? It is a diplomatic passport. Do you know what it means? (He puts it away back in his jacket pocket.) It means that your laws on kidnapping, murder even, are of no concern to me. Whatever I choose to do to you, at the most, I will get deported. (Francine looks away.) With what agency are you affiliated?
Francine: Look, I don't know what you're talking about.
Brobich: The games that were played this afternoon.
Francine: The only game I played this afternoon was at the market. I'm having a few people over for dinner tonight and so I decided to take my lunch hour to stop to buy some rosemary, a couple bottles of blanc-de-blanc and (she sighs deeply) some fish. (She glares at Brobich.) Do you have any idea what is happening right now with that Dover sole in the trunk of my car?
Brobich: The games I'm talking about are those with the limousines. Very effective. Magda Petrak would not have arranged that by herself.
Francine: That's possible, but she didn't do it with my help.
Brobich: I called Budapest. Comrade Petrak's mother and sister have disappeared. It is presumed they left the country. That, too, could not have been done without help. Now, what agency are you affiliated with? (Francine looks away and stays silent.) We can get this information with or without your help. We know which of your agencies operate internationally, we have only to call them all.
(Francine looks up at him.)

(IFF. The agent that was laughing with Billy is not laughing anymore. His phone rings and he picks it up. He tries to hear with all the noise around him.)
Agent: Roger Bly. . . . They gave you the wrong extension. What? Hold on a minute. (He puts the caller on hold and covers the mouthpiece with his hand and looks around the room, shouting to nobody in particular as Billy walks by.) Where the hell is Francine? They're putting her calls through on my line.
Billy: Isn't she back from lunch yet?
Agent: No! There's some guy on the phone, he says it's important.
Billy: I'll take it. (He walks over to the agent's cubicle and picks up the phone.) Miss Desmond isn't in at the moment. May I help you?
(The person on the other end is Brobich. He speaks. At his words, Billy's face falls.)
Brobich: You have Magda Petrak, we have Francine Desmond.

(At his office, Francine is glaring up at Brobich.)
Brobich: Prepare to make a trade.
(He hangs up.)

(Later, Billy's car pulls up outside Amanda's house. He briskly walks up the path to the front door and rings the doorbell.)

(Inside, Amanda runs down the stairs to answer the door.)
Dotty (from upstairs): Doorbell, Amanda!
Amanda: Yes, Mother!
(In the living room, Magda and Lee look over at Amanda. Lee stands, ready to hide.)
Lee: Don't let anybody in.
Amanda (breathless): It's a little late for that, isn't it? (She unlocks the door and peeks out, then when she sees Billy, she straightens and lets him in.) Sir.
(Not bothering with small talk, Billy stalks in.)
Billy: I need Scarecrow, fast.
(Amanda closes the door after him.)
Amanda: Oh, yes, sir, I know, well, he and Miss Petrak were just leaving.
Dotty: Is it the drugstore?
Amanda: Uh, no, Mother, it isn't! (to Billy:) Maybe you can all talk in the car.
(She leads him into the living room. Lee sees his long face.)
Lee: Billy? What's the matter?
Billy: We just got a call. They have Francine.
Amanda: Who has Francine?
(Magda sighs and stands up.)
Magda: Brobich. How could you let this happen?
Billy: I didn't let it happen. Everything was working exactly according to plan. Francine got back to the office all right, then she went out to lunch. They must have spotted her on the street!
Magda: They want to make a trade, don't they?
Billy: Yes.
Magda: Well, that is completely out of the question.
Amanda (desperately): If we could all just lower our voices a little bit and explain to me what is going on?
(Lee starts putting on his coat.)
Lee: You mentioned Francine's resemblance to Magda last night?
Amanda: Yes.
Lee: She's a ringer for her.
Billy: Dead ringer.
Amanda: Oh, my gosh.
Lee (to Billy): How'd they leave it with you? Are they going to call back? (Billy nods solemnly.) We have some plans to make.
Magda: If you agree to this trade, they will kill me.
Lee: If we don't, they'll kill Francine. Now, you're going to have to trust me on this. I'm going to go back to the Agency with Billy. You stay put. You'll be safe here.
(Lee and Billy start to leave. Amanda stops Lee.)
Amanda: Uh, Lee, uh, could I speak to you for just a second please? (She goes after Billy.) Sir? (She grabs the door as he pulls it open.) Excuse me, sir, you can't go out the front. Mother can see you from her bedroom and she heard you ring the doorbell.
(Billy looks at Lee.)
Billy: I'll pick you up down the block.
Lee: All right.
(Billy turns to Amanda.)
Billy: Tell her I'm from the phone company.
(He starts to walk out of the door, but Amanda stops him.)
Amanda: Sir? I am not lying to her anymore.
Billy: Tell her I said I'm from the phone company. (to Lee:) Snap to it, Scarecrow.
Lee: Yep.
(Billy leaves. Amanda and Lee both look over at Magda. She gazes back. Amanda turns to Lee.)
Amanda: Could I see you in the kitchen for a moment, please?
Lee: Yeah.
(He turns and tiptoes over to the kitchen, careful around the stairs. Amanda follows after giving Magda a little polite excuse-us smile.)

(In the kitchen, they walk over to the counter. Lee speaks first, forgetting and talking loudly.)
Lee: Amanda, I know I promised I would --
Amanda: Shh!
(Lee lowers his voice.)
Lee: I know I promised I would have her out of here, and I will. It won't be more than a couple of hours. (Amanda sighs.) See, the plan was to get her to a safe house, which turned out to be here, through nobody's fault! We were going to get her information, sneak her out of Washington, and relocate her with her mother and sister! But it's too hot to move her now.
Amanda: Now, look. It's not just that. It's this Brobich person. (While she speaks, she fixes Lee's tie for him.) If he's prepared to kill Magda and even Francine, then what about Jamie and Phillip? They're just little boys, and Mother has a cold, and we don't even have any protection here.
(She finishes with his tie. Neither of them seem to notice that she even fixed it.)
Lee: You don't need any. (Amanda sighs.) Amanda, would I leave you if I thought you were in danger?
Amanda: No, of course not, you wouldn't do that.
(She smiles. Lee reaches into his pocket.)
Lee: All right, if it will make you feel any safer --
(He produces a pistol. Amanda whisper-screams, startling him.)
Amanda: Put that away! I'd rather have the whole Hungarian army in my house than that, I don't even know how to use it.
Lee: Well, maybe it's time you learned.
(Amanda leans closer and looks him in the eye. She keeps her voice even and calm.)
Amanda: I don't want to shoot anyone.
(Lee slowly smiles gently.)
Lee: You won't have to. And that is a promise.
(He walks away to the back door, tucking his gun back into his jacket. When he closes the door behind him, Amanda sighs and shakes her head as if to say, "He did it to me again.")

(Brobich's apartment building. Lee, Billy, and another agent are searching Brobich's room, now empty except for the furniture. Lee walks in from another room.)
Lee: Cleaned out. They didn't forget a thing.
Billy: Well, it was a long shot. The location of these offices has never been a secret to us. And we know they're not stupid enough to have been here waiting for us.
Lee: They're certainly taking their damn time about making contact. You sure that beeper of yours is working?
Billy: It's working.
Agent: It's going to be one of those last-minute calls, no time for a countergambit.
Billy: We're supposed to be able to think and move at the same time.
Lee: Look, Billy. When they do call, I hope you can get them to put Francine on the line. I am not taking their word for anything. She has a temper, you know? I'm not saying she isn't a good agent, she's a terrific agent, but she has a temper.
Billy: She'll be all right, Lee.
Lee: We don't know that.
(Billy walks over to the door, which includes getting by the other agent.)
Billy: Like I said, they're not stupid -- excuse me.
(Lee and the agent follow him.)
Lee: I hope to God you're right.
(All three men exit.)

(Amanda's kitchen. Amanda is washing dishes. Magda slowly approaches her, coffee mug in hand. She sets it on the counter. Amanda stops washing. Without looking at Magda, she lifts her head.)
Amanda: More coffee?
(Magda looks up.)
Magda: No. (She walks over to the counter beside Amanda. Finally Amanda looks at her.) You have veal?
Amanda: Veal? (Magda nods. Amanda sounds incredulous.) Veal? You mean like veal, as in fourteen-dollars-a-pound veal? No. I'm sorry. We don't have any veal. That's a little rich for this household.
(She resumes her washing.)
Magda: Hungarians are very good cooks. You know, I could make, uh, veal paprikash for dinner.
Amanda: Oh, you won't be staying for dinner. (Magda turns away, insulted.) Well, I don't mean -- I just mean . . . that, uh, Mr. Stetson said, you know, one hour, maybe two, and you'll be. . . .
(Magda turns again, still hurt. Amanda just decides to change the subject. She walks to the middle counter and picks up a blender. She starts wiping it.)
Magda: I thought to have blender one day. Toaster oven. You have microwave?
(Amanda actually smiles. She answers sort of apologetically.)
Amanda: No.
Magda: I thought to have microwave one day. Things are very different here from what we have at home. Or what we don't have at home. (She gestures to he blender in Amanda's hands.) I like these things.
(Amanda looks at the blender, ashamed of hating Magda just a few hours earlier.)
Amanda: Oh. Well, where -- were they planning to send you back to Hungary?
Magda: Yah. I found out and, uh . . . I decided not to go. (Amanda nods.) I -- I like America. But now Brobich knows I've talked and he will be devising a proper way to kill me.
Amanda: Oh, no. No, no. That won't happen. No. Nobody's going to get killed around here. Mm-mm.
Magda: You don't know Brobich.
(Amanda whirls to face her.)
Amanda: You don't know Lee Stetson. (Suddenly Amanda remembers her family and lowers her voice.) Ah, we really shouldn't be talking about this with Mother and the children right upstairs, okay?
(She goes back to washing. Magda looks down, then watches her, a slight smile on her face.)
Magda: You have an admiration for Mr. Stetson, no? Perhaps more than an admiration.
(Amanda stops washing and puts her dish away. She smiles shyly, but avoids Magda's eyes.)
Amanda: Well, I don't know why you would say that, I mean, we have a prof -- a professional association and, uh, that was really just a fluke, it's only part-time, uh, you know, it's just a matter of being in the wrong place at the right time or in the right place at the wrong time or. . . .
Magda: He's very attractive, hm?
(Amanda turns to stare at her.)
Amanda: Huh?
Magda: You don't -- you don't find him attractive?
Amanda: Oh, uh . . . what, you mean feature for feature? (Magda nods, watching her curiously.) Uh . . . sure, well, yes, he's, uh, got nice hair, it's not great hair, but it's nice hair, he's tall. (The more she says, the more her voice softens.) Uh, straight nose, and uh, beautiful, beautiful, beautiful eyes. Pretty eyes, really. (Suddenly realizing what she said, Amanda's smile fades and she embarrassingly changes the subject.) You know, that phone is going to ring any minute. Any minute, that phone is going to ring. It -- I can -- I can feel it.

(IFF, Billy's office. The phone rings. Right timing, wrong phone. Billy, Lee, and the other agent are leaning against the wall. When it rings they stand up and watch it.)
Lee: Got to be it, Billy. They're only ringing through for Brobich.
(Billy walks up, with Lee close behind, and picks up the phone.)
Billy: Hello.

(Somewhere in Washington. Brobich is at a pay phone.)
Brobich: The exchange will take place in exactly thirty minutes. You will bring Miss Petrak to the area reserved for private jets in Dulles International. Our plane will be on the runway. Miss Desmond will be returned to you at that time if you do not interfere with our departure. Should you interfere in any way, then Miss Desmond will be killed. In fact, many lives may be lost.
(He smiles and hangs up.)

(At IFF, Billy solemnly hangs up his end of the line. Lee looks at his watch. Without looking at him, Billy gives the information.)
Billy: Dulles Airport, thirty minutes.
Lee: Oh, that's impossible.
Billy: I know it's impossible.
Lee: It's half an hour from Amanda's to the airport, it would take us at least fifteen from the Agency to her house.
Billy: The only way this is going to work is if we go direct.
Lee: Without Magda? Come on. They'd have that plane off the ground and halfway to Hungary with Francine in it if we show up without her.
Billy: Amanda will have to bring her.
Lee: Amanda? Come on, Billy, she is not equipped for this kind of operation. I mean, it's bad enough we got Francine and Magda, but you throw Amanda into this equation, you're going to have a disaster.
Billy: I don't have time to argue with you, Scarecrow. This is the way it's going to be. (He points to his watch.) Now we have twenty-nine minutes. (Lee sighs.) Call her, or start thinking about what you're going to tell Francine's next-of-kin.
(Lee stares at him. Billy stares right back. Lee tries one more time.)
Lee: All right, how about we line things up right there on the runway? We come off the old road --
Billy: Don't get creative with me, Scrarecrow, just do what I tell you to do!
Lee: Billy, if we don't come up with a plan, Amanda's not going to have a prayer.

(Amanda's house. Amanda has gotten the call and is getting ready for a trip to the airport. Magda is is the living room. Amanda appears from another room with a couple of things. She hands Magda a gray shawl and starts putting on a blue coat.)
Amanda: Here, wear this. (She says this next part under her breath.) Over your head. (She continues in her normal tone.) Now, don't worry about a thing. Lee's very good at spur-of-the-moment planning.
Magda: He didn't mention any plans.
Amanda: Well, there wasn't time. Now, what I'm supposed to do is just take you in the station wagon out the, uh, old road to Dulles Airport. Now, there won't be much traffic this time of day and not very many people know about it, it's a shortcut. Along the way, an Agency vehicle will intercept us. That's it! (She runs over to the stairs.) Phillip! Jamie!
Jamie: Okay, Mom, here we come!
(Dotty appears at the top of the steps, cradling a tissue box.)
Dotty: Amanda, where are you going?
(Phillip and Jamie run past her to Amanda at the bottom stair.)
Amanda: Mother, I'm going to take Miss Petrak to the airport.
(Jamie whispers to Amanda.)
Jamie: She's leaving?
(Amanda whispers back.)
Amanda: Yes, she is, sweetheart. (She raises her voice.) Don't I get a kiss?
(Jamie and Phillip both kiss Amanda's cheeks in unison.)
Dotty: Amanda, I think we ought to change drugstores. I called first thing this morning and they haven't delivered the vitamin C yet.
Amanda: All right, Mother, we'll do that, we'll change drugstores.
(Dotty nods and disappears back into her room. Phillip, who has stayed quiet, speaks up quietly.)
Phillip: Mom?
Amanda: Yes, sweetie?
B: Second place isn't losing. You don't get a red ribbon for losing.
(Amanda smiles and strokes his cheek fondly.)
Amanda: You bet your life, sweetheart. (All three glance up at Magda as if to say, "See?" Amanda grabs their hands.) All right, you be good.
(She loudly and playfully kisses their hands at once.)
Boys: See ya, Mama!
(They disappear upstairs and Amanda and Magda disappear out the door.)

(Street to Dulles Airport. Amanda is driving tensely after being stuck in her car with Magda for over ten minutes. Magda is in the front passenger seat.)
Magda: Why do you risk your life for me?
Amanda: I am not risking my life for you. At least I hope I'm not. What about you? You don't even know Francine.
Magda: It is different. It was I who approached the Agency and asked for help. If I don't cooperate now, what would happen to my mother and my sister? They -- they might be sent back to Hungary.
Amanda: The Agency wouldn't do that. You really don't trust anyone, do you?
Magda: Oh, I know human nature.
Amanda: No, I don't think you do. I think you think you know human nature, the same way you think you know how to make coffee and you think you know how to make veal paprikash, which I'd like to see you do with that half-pound of hamburger I've got in the refrigerator.
Magda: You're angry.
Amanda: Yes, I'm angry, I'm sorry. (Magda faces front, then Amanda starts again.) I took you into my house. I didn't have to do that. In fact, I swore I never would. And I must have made enough coffee to keep the entire town of Buffalo awake for two weeks, and that's not even to mention the fourteen sandwiches, which I am told my sandwiches are very, very tasty, however, from you, I haven't heard "thank you," not once.
Magda: Thank you --
Amanda: And that's not the worst of it. I've made sandwiches for four and I've made coffee for four and I've done dishes for four. But what you did to Phillip was inexcusable. (Magda looks away.) That little boy worked morning and night for a month to make that volcano. Have you got any idea how much that meant to him? Hm? And it was perfect, too. Inside and out. And he won second place for it. (She looks at Magda and emphasizes that word.) Won! (Magda shifts her weight. Amanda looks forward again.) And I don't know what that means in Hungary, but in America, it's pretty darn good.
Magda: I am sorry. Our ways are different.
Amanda: I guess they are.
Magda: I have much to learn. If I have the time.
Amanda: Don't talk like that. You'll have the time.
(Amanda stops at a red light. The Hungarian limo pulls up behind her. Brobich, Sandor, and Francine are squished in the back, with Francine in the middle. Brobich leans forward and squints.)
Brobich: Who is that ahead of us?
(Although Francine recognizes Amanda's car, she pretends not to. Sandor looks at it.)
Sandor: The station wagon?
Brobich: Pull up, I want to see. (The driver backs up and pulls in beside Amanda. Sandor rolls down his window and all three in the backseat peer into Amanda's car. Magda looks over Amanda and gasps.) Magda.
Magda: Brobich!
(Amanda immediately peels away backwards. Brobich's driver does a sharp U-turn into the lane going the opposite way. Amanda's car goes over the dirt divider in the middle of the road and lands in the same lane as Brobich.)
Amanda: Hold on!
(She faces the right way and quickly gets out of there. Brobich and others follow. Amanda crazily turns onto a grassy park.)
Magda: What are you doing?!
Amanda: I haven't the faintest idea.
(Brobich's driver follows Amanda. Amanda navigates around benches and trash cans.)
Magda: They're following us!
Amanda: Still?
(She rams into a couple trash cans and drags them with her. She whirls around, leaving a cloud of dust.)
Magda: Watch out! Watch out, you're losing control!
Amanda: Miss Petrak, I'm doing the best I can, will you please stop telling me how to drive?
(With the limo right behind her, Amanda attempts to drive through some tall grass but gets stuck in a muddy ditch. She and Magda get out of the car.)
Amanda: Over this way! (She pushes Magda over the muddy grass. By the time Brobich arrives, the two are running with a good head start.)
Brobich: Go around quickly, they're getting away!
(The car turns around and gets back on the road, where it can go faster. At the same time, Amanda and Magda reach a wooden playground. The Hungarian car shows up right after them.)
Amanda: There they are! (They run behind the playground.) Over here. (She ducks down behind metal pole.) Come on, get down!
(Magda obeys. They hide there. The door to the limo swings open and Sandor jumps out. The driver gets out the other side.)
Sandor: Come on, Vylos! Let's get them!
Amanda: Ohh.
(Sandor and the driver slow down when the get to the playground.)
Sandor: They've got to be around here somewhere. Look over there.
(They run around with their guns, searching. Luckily, just then a helicopter appears in the sky. It flies straight for the two Hungarian men. They shout and make a run for shelter under the wood playground. Safe, they fire at the helicopter, but miss. Brobich gets out of the car to see better and pulls Francine with him. They both watch as the helicopter does a 360 spin to dodge the bullets. Then the helicopter arcs right over the car. We can see Lee leaning out of the copter with his own gun. Brobich and Francine duck. Instantly, Francine elbows Brobich in the stomach and flips him to the ground. Then she runs to the other side of the car, away from Brobich curled on the ground in pain, but where she can watch the helicopter drama. Still shooting and being shot at, the copter lowers to about a few inches above the ground nearby Amanda and Magda.)
Lee: Come on, come on!
(Amanda and Magda look at each other. Amanda nods, then watches Magda as she runs to Lee, risking being shot at. Lee helps her into the copter, then it rises again, gunshots going all the while. Amanda watches, biting her lower lip. After spinning and whirling through the air, it lowers again on the other side of the playground, near the car.)
Lee: Francine, come on! Come on!
(Francine makes a run for him. He lifts her into the copter, then they lift again. Amanda looks around her at the men tirelessly shooting at Lee. The copter flies in a big arc, then comes around again for its last passenger.)
Lee: Amanda! (Amanda looks up. He motions for her to run.) Come on, come on! (Amanda stands and runs. The copter lowers, but never slows. Lee crouches.) Amanda, hold on! Here we go!
(He reaches out his arm and snatches her up of the ground as the copter goes.)
Amanda: Oh! Oh, no!
(They fly up and up and up, Amanda's legs frantically kicking at air.)
Lee: Get us out of here!
(They speed up and fly off, Amanda screaming.)

(Amanda's house, that night. Dotty is on the living room couch, reading a book, when Amanda, coughing quietly, walks into the kitchen all dressed up in a fancy dress and sparkling jewelry.)
Dotty: Have I said a word? Have I said a word about the condition of the station wagon after a simple trip to the airport?
(Amanda walks over to the couch and leans on the back of it.)
Amanda: No, Mother, you haven't said a word.
Dotty: And I won't. Although, if I were the type to ask questions, I might ask how a simple trip to the airport could result in at least eight hundred dollars worth of body work.
(Amanda puts her hand up to her mouth as if she is about to sneeze.)
Amanda: Mother, I thank you very much for not asking. Could you pass me a tissue, please?
(Dotty does so.)
Dotty: You're not getting my cold, are you?
(Amanda wipes her nose.)
Amanda: Oh, no, no, are you kidding? With my immune system? Mm-mm.
Dotty: I suppose I'm also not supposed to ask who Magda Petrak was.
Amanda: Mother, I don't want to lie to you.
Dotty: I know you don't want to lie. I have my own theories.
Amanda: Oh, you do?
Dotty: Yes, you see, I haven't read Agatha Christie for thirty years for nothing. I don't have one theory. I have at least six.
(Amanda smiles, amused. She leans in.)
Amanda: Good night, Mother.
Dotty: Good night, love. (Amanda smiles and walks to the door. Dotty looks up.) Give my best to Bud Marcher.
(Amanda stops and whirls around.)
Amanda: Mother!

(The embassy where Amanda first met Magda. It is another fancy party, with the guests in tuxedos and dresses, sipping wine. A waiter walks by with a tray of food, passing Amanda and Lee. They each have a glass of wine and Amanda has a tissue in her hand.)
Amanda: If they have these parties every night, it must get awfully expensive.
Lee: Yes, it does.
Amanda: You know, you really didn't have to bring me.
Lee: Oh, come on, I owe you one.
(They start walking.)
Amanda: Oh, you don't owe me anything. I mean, you know, I've -- I'm really glad that I helped Magda and -- and, well, I wasn't so glad at first, but I'm glad now that she has her freedom and her new identity and she's with her mother and her little sister and she has her. . . . (She stops and raises her tissue to her nose.) Excuse me.
Lee: Uh-huh. (Amanda lowers the tissue and goes right back to what she was saying.)
Amanda: New microwave, I think it's very nice.
Lee: Yeah. It worked. We were able to get Brobich and his Hungarian goon squad deported, too. You know, they set up quite an intelligence network here. (Amanda smiles. Lee changes the subject.) You know, uh, these things go on sometimes for hours.
Amanda: What things?
Lee: These embassy things.
Amanda: Oh.
Lee: Mm.
Amanda: Well, you really didn't have to bring me.
Lee: I -- I hustled you out of here in a hurry the other night and, uh, you'd said you'd never been to one and I guess, uh . . . (Amanda smiles at him, and he loses his nerve) you did have to put up with a lot from Magda.
Amanda: You know, I just wanted to ask you a question, and it really will have nothing to do with -- (she coughs) excuse me -- with our professional relationship, but --
Lee: What?
Amanda: Well, in the helicopter, first you saved Magda, then you saved Francine, and then almost as an afterthought you saved me.
Lee (defensively): It was not an afterthought!
Amanda: I just -- you know, I felt --
Lee: It was the first time that you were in the clear.
(Amanda grins and clinks glasses with his.)
Amanda: See? I knew you would explain it perfectly. (Lee chuckles.) How did you find us?
Lee: Well, I saw somebody try to drive a station wagon through a swamp.
(They both laugh.)
Amanda: And you knew --
Lee: I figured it'd be you, yes.
(They laugh some more, then Amanda becomes serious.)
Amanda: Lee, I know you think you owe me something, but, um . . . (she puts the tissue to her nose and sniffs) I think I'm catching Mother's cold, I want to go home.
(Lee's smile fades.)
Lee: Oh. (He coughs, then again more loudly.) Excuse me.
Amanda: You, too?
Lee: Yeah. (Amanda grins. Lee coughs again.) Excuse me.
Amanda: That's all right.
Lee: Guess what?
Amanda: What?
Lee: If it'll make you feel any better . . . Magda's got it, too.
(They both laugh out loud.)
Amanda: Heaven.
(They laugh, then cough loudly in unison. Freeze frame.)