Twisted Timing

Chapter 1

Summary: Diane and Mac are twin sisters. Diane is not killed. The first chapter is background to explain the circumstances.

Disclaimer: I don't own what DPB and CBS have copyright on. I just like to take them out and play with them.

August 14, 1968

1430 Local Time

Yuma Marine Air Station

Yuma, AZ

Deanne Mackenzie was just a week over eight months along with twins. Her husband Marine Staff Sergeant Joe Mackenzie was serving his second tour in Vietnam. He was due to come home in four months when his year of deployment was up. While he was in Vietnam, his family was living at Base Family Housing at the Yuma Marine Air Station.

On this day Deanne was in her insurance brokers' office. She was getting ready to end her work day when her receptionist Donna called in saying, "Deanne there's a Navy guy and Marine guy her to see you."

Deanne frowned as she answered, "I'll be right out."

When she came out to the reception area she saw an African Navy Chaplain and a Caucasian Marine Colonel. She recognized the colonel as the base commanding officer as she saw him from the audience when he bid her Joe and the other debarking Marines farewell when they left for deployment almost 8 months ago. She got a sick feeling in her stomach.

She managed to keep her calm as she said, "Gentlemen can I help you?"

The colonel answered saying, "Mrs. Mackenzie, I'm Colonel Jackson this is Chaplain Turner. I have been informed by the Department of the Navy and I regret to inform you that your husband Staff Sergeant Joseph Mackenzie was killed in action three days ago."

At that Deanne collapsed onto the floor and let out a long wail. Donna witnessed the whole interaction and she rushed from behind her desk to assist Deanne.

As Donna helped Deanne into the chair that Chaplain Turner pulled over, she noticed that her red skirt was wet in the front.

Being six months pregnant herself Donna said, "Deanne I think your water broke."

Deanne calmed down enough to look. She took a precautionary sniff of her skirt to ensure that she didn't urinate on herself before she said, "I have to go to the hospital. Would you gentlemen please take me? I don't think I can wait for an ambulance."

"Of course Mrs. Mackenzie," Chaplain Turner said.

He and Jackson helped get Deanne up and walked her out to their car and they went to the base hospital. On the way Deanne started to have contractions and they were coming fast.

When she arrived at the emergency room the doctor had her brought into a private OB/GYN examination room. When he took his first look he said, "Oh boy this baby is already crowning. Get the OB resident down here stat. We don't have time to get her up to maternity."

The nurses set the room up into a birthing room soon the obstetrician arrived. Fortunately for Deanne he was her regular OB/GYN doctor who knew she was carrying twins.

As he washed his hands he said, "Hello Deanne, you're a bit early."

Deanne managed to grunt out between contractions, "I'm sorry Dr. Kelly. I just found out my Joe was killed."

"Oh I'm sorry to hear that. Okay we'll deal with that later, right now let's get your babies delivered." He set himself up at the foot of Deanne's table and started to give instructions with, "Okay people we have twins on the way."

The birth of the fraternal twin girls happened fast. In just over 30 minutes, it was over as Deanne was given first one beautiful girl and then the other.

"What are you going to name them?" a nurse asked.

When Joe and I found out I was having twins we still didn't know the sex yet. Still we decided to name them after our parents, all of whom have passed away. Now I'll name one girl Sarah Catherine after my mother and the other one Diane Teresa after his mother."

After Deanne was taken up to a private room in the maternity ward she sat and thought of her situation. 'I can't care for two infants alone. How am I going to do this? I have to make sure that they're cared for, but I don't want to give them up.'

A bit later she had her first visitor as she heard someone gently knock on her room door and say, "Knock, knock new mommy."

"Joanne!" Deanne said opening her arms to her cousin.

Joanne Schonke was married to Robert Schonke. Robert was also a Marine holding the rank of sergeant. He was in the same company of Marines as Joe. Deanne, Joanne, Joe and Robert grew up together in Brooklyn, New York. Robert and Joe joined the marines together. After boot camp the men married their sweethearts. Though they never asked for it the men were fortunate to be stationed and deployed together. Unfortunately the Schonkes were unable to have children due to a variety of medical reasons.

Now the two women shared a few sniffles on Joe's death and the new babies.

When they parted Deanne said, "Joanne I don't know what I'm going to do. With Joe gone, I can't take care of two infants alone.

Joanne answered, "Well I was thinking of that when I heard Joe was killed. Why don't you have one live with me and one with you. We live right next door to each other it won't be like you're abandoning one. We'll help each other out."

And that is what they did.

After Robert came back from Vietnam, his enlistment term was up. He accepted an Honorable Discharge from the Marines and the Schonkes and Deanne moved back to New York. They bought a two family house in the New York City borough of Queens. Each apartment of the house had two bedrooms, one for the adults and one for the children. Deanne took the upstairs apartment. Robert remodeled the double front door of the house to one foyer with one exterior door and two interior French doors.

Because Deanne received a substantial death benefit when Joe died in the line of duty, she was able to use it as a substantial down payment to help pay for her share of the house. They lived as an extended family; three adults raising two girls.

Robert was accepted into the New York City Police Academy. When he graduated he was assigned to the 101st Precinct in Far Rockaway, Queens. Also Deanne was able to get another job as an insurance broker in an office not far from her home. Between her work selling insurance and Robert's work as a police officer and Joanne being the stay at home mom, Sarah and Diane never wanted for anything

Just before Sarah turned five years old, Deanne met Donald Ragle, a widower with a son, Chris. Chris was the girls' age. Donald had just opened his own family themed restaurant down the street from Deanne's insurance office. They met when Deanne and Joanne went there to plan Diane and Sarah's 5th birthday party.

They got married after a year's courtship. Sarah, Diane and Chris looked cute as flower girls and ring bearer. Naturally they had the reception at Donald's restaurant. Donald and Chris moved out of their apartment above the restaurant and into Deanne's home. While Chris took over the upstairs juvenile bedroom, the girls settled into the downstairs juvenile bedroom.

September 12, 1978

Deanne and Donald lived happily for almost five years, but soon Ragle's bad habits started to show themselves. You see Donald was a recovering degenerate gambler. He liked betting on the horses and going to Atlantic City, the new gambling city on the New Jersey shore. When he met Deanne, he was just starting that new recovery phase in his life.

While his restaurant was doing well, he was always tempted to gamble. He finally gave in when he found out the real estate and stock investments he made with the restaurant's profits fell through. To try and make up the losses Donald tried to increase the little money he did have by going to a casino or to the nearest Off Track Betting parlor. Unfortunately he lost it all. He then went and asked for a line of credit against the restaurant, which was granted and he immediately exceeded it.

Soon he got a letter from the bank saying that due to his inability to pay the loans off, the bank was going to seize the restaurant and sell it off to pay his debt.

After reading the letter Donald had no idea what to do. He left the restaurant to go to Deane's office and speak to her.

When Donald got to Deanne's office, he found that she was out to lunch. The insurance agency's receptionist allowed him to wait in Deanne's office. While he was there he opened an envelope addressed to her from a strange bank. He read the document inside and almost cursed out loud.

He muttered to himself, "That bitch, she' been holding out on me."

The document was a bank statement showing that Deanne had almost $50,000.00 in a savings account. Donald put the envelope down and walked out.

"I have to go. I just remembered something I have to do."

That evening while Deanne was tucking the kids in bed, Donald was drying the dishes. When she came into the kitchen he said, "When were you going to tell me about your bank account?"

"I hoped when you got over your gambling urges," Deanne said defiantly.

Before Donald could answer that she continued, "I didn't want to tell you because I knew you would gamble it away at OTB or in Atlantic City or some other crazy get rich quick scheme."

"But we're in debt up to our eyeballs. I owe a lot of people a lot of money," Donald shouted.

"That's not my problem. You're in debt. Your restaurant is in debt. We as a family are paying the bills as we need to. Our children are being fed and they have nice clothes to wear. The mortgage and utilities are being paid on time. Why do you think I kept that account separate and your name off the deed to this house? If I didn't you would have put the money and the house up as collateral on loans for the restaurant and all that money and the house would be lost and we'd be out on the street. You're not getting that money. And don't you dare try to take a loan out against that account. Any loans against that account can only be approved by me," Deanne explained.

She stood there in fear as she waited to see what Donald would do. Fortunately for her Donald was not an overtly violent man. He just shook his head, got his coat and walked out of the house.

Deanne closed her eyes in relief. She was afraid that her husband would turn and hurt her. Still she waited up for him but she fell asleep on the couch. She woke up at 2:00AM to the sound of someone pounding on the front door. Robert was working the night shift so she hurried down the stairs to stave off the noise and keep Joanne and the girls from waking up. When she opened the she saw two police officers standing there.

"Mrs. Ragle?" one officer said.

"Yes officer. What can I do for you?" Deanne answered.

"Ma'am is Donald Ragle your husband?" one officer said.

"Yes why?" Deanne answered.

"Ma'am he's been arrested," the officer said.

"Arrested for what?" Deanne asked.

"On suspicion of arson ma'am, his restaurant was set on fire. The firefighters found him in the back. He smelled of gasoline and he was drunk," the officer explained.

Deanne closed her eyes and sighed. "Oh Donald what have you done?"

She woke Joanne and explained what was going on. Then she went to the police station and identified her husband.

When she arrived at the police station, a Detective Johnson interviewed her. Johnson said, "Donald's jacket sleeves were soaked with gasoline and he had a copy of the restaurant's insurance policy in his jacket. On top of that Donald practically confessed to setting the fire."

Deanne had her suspicions, but she still asked, "Did he say why?"

"Yes he said he needed the money and that you wouldn't lend him any." Johnson replied.

Deanne closed her eyes and sighed, "Oh Donald."

During the interview Donald was being processed for arrest. The officers led him out past Johnson's desk. Unfortunately Donald's hands were cuffed in front of him. Seeing Deanne talking to Johnson, Donald flew into a rage. He surprised the officer escorting him by stomping on his foot. When the officer recoiled in surprise, Donald grabbed his gun out the holster. He pointed it at Deanne shouting, "You bitch! This is all your fault!"

He was only able to fire two shots before the other police officers in the bull pen cut him down.

When the shooting stopped, there were two people bleeding on the floor. Donald was hit five times in his chest. One bullet passed through his heart, killing him instantly. Deanne was hit twice in her right lung. There was a froth of blood on her lips. As she lay dying she grabbed Johnson's jacket gasping, "My daughters… Call Robert Schonke… Policeman in the 101… Joanne's at home…" Then her eyes looked into infinity.

September 1978

To

December 1, 1996

After the funerals Donald's mother agreed to take Chris in. Then the Schonkes sold the two-family house and moved out to Gibson, Nassau County, one of the Long Island suburbs of New York City.

Deanne had never changed Sarah or Diane's last name from Mackenzie to Ragle. Deanne wanted the girls to know who her father was and that he died a hero. Besides, all of the girls' Social Security and school records were listed under Mackenzie. Robert thought that was fine and didn't bother to change Sarah or Diane's last names as well, even when he and Joanne formally adopted the two.

Sarah and Diane had a good life growing up on Long Island. The Schonkes were members of Sun Point Beach Club on the extreme western tip of Atlantic Beach. They were friendly with other club members, Raymond and Mary Larkin. The Larkins also lived across the street from the Schonkes in Gibson. The Larkins had three sons and one daughter. The middle son George Thomas or as his parents called him, Tom, took a shine to Diane. (Ray Larkin was a diehard Mets fan naming his second son after their 1967 rookie of the year) Tom was a month younger than Diane and Sarah born in September of 1968. They attended the same elementary and high schools together. If they weren't in the same class, they often gravitated toward each other during the breaks. It was inevitable that Tom asked Diane out to the senior prom, while Eddie Bell asked Sarah.

Before the Senior Prom, Diane was also Tom's tutor in Math. Tom excelled as a student, but the higher math concepts gave him no end of trouble. Diane was a whiz at math and was always there to help Tom along. He in turn helped Diane along with history and the sciences.

That was a good thing because Tom had a desire to go to the Naval Academy. Tom had all the right qualities as he was a excellent student, he participated in good extracurricular activities such as the Civil Air Patrol ~ achieving the rank of Cadet Colonel ~ was a star football player at wide receiver ~ acted in two of the school's drama club productions, playing Henry Higgins in "My Fair Lady" and Tony in "West Side Story ~ and was a volunteer at the nursing home where his mom was the Director of Nursing.

When Tom finally received the Naval Academy's acceptance letter, the first person he wanted to tell was Diane. Diane had been overjoyed to hear it.

Diane decided she wanted to be a police officer like her adopted father. So taking advantage that the tuition was free as Robert was working there as the Director of Security, she enrolled at *CUNY's John Jay College.

(*CUNY = City University of New York)

While in the NYPD, Robert worked his way up to lieutenant. Unfortunately he was injured in the line of duty. A drunk driver crashed his car broadside into the passenger side of a patrol car in which Robert was riding. He sustained a major shoulder injury as well as a broken hip. So while he was recovering he put in for terminal leave and after 20 years on the job he retired on full disability and accepted the position of Security Director when his predecessor retired.

In May 1990 Diane graduated John Jay with a Bachelor's degree in Forensic Psychology and Criminal Justice and went into the NYPD Police Academy.

Sarah also went to CUNY on Robert's tuition benefit. She attended Queens College. She also joined the school's Marine ROTC program. Also in May of 1990 she graduated Queens College with a Bachelor's degree in History and Political Science.

Sarah was commissioned a 2nd lieutenant in the Marines and sent on her first billet to Okinawa. Avoiding all romantic entanglements, she does well and was recommended to become a lawyer based on the fact as the base Public Affairs Officer she mediated many disputes between the marines and the local Japanese population. Sarah chose to attend Duke University Law. After Sarah graduated 4th in her law class, her first billet in JAG was in Naples Italy.

Tom graduated the naval academy in May of 1990 along with his classmates Harmon Rabb, Sturgis Turner, Luke Pendry and Jack Keeter.

It was convenient for the Larkin and Schonke families that Queens College and John Jay College had their graduation ceremonies on consecutive days in the middle of May while the Naval Academy Graduation was the Friday during the Memorial Day weekend.

Tom and Diane got married in October 1990, the autumn after their college/academy graduations. They had a baby girl, Kathryn ~Katie or Kate~ Marie in March, 1992.

After serving his first billet on a destroyer, Tom became a SEAL just after Katie was born. In May 1993 he was a full Lieutenant and commanding his squad in SEAL Team 4, when on a training mission, his helo crashed in the California desert after developing engine trouble. In the crash he ruptured two discs in his back and tore two ligaments in his left knee. It took a few surgeries and four months for him to recover. It's during his recovery the Navy doctors tell him that the injuries to his back and knee prohibit him from continuing his career as a SEAL. So, after going over the options that his career counselor recommended for him and speaking about it with Diane, he decided to become an attorney. After he recovered and passed the Navy's Physical Readiness Tests in September 1993, Tom enrolled in Fordham University's Law School. He graduated 10th in his class in May of 1996. After completing the Navy Justice School's 10 week Basic Lawyer Course at Newport, RI in August 1996, Tom was assigned his first billet as an attorney at JAG HQ in the Washington, DC Navy Yard. By then Tom was a Lt. Commander

After graduating from the Police Academy, Diane served with distinction and worked her way up to Detective 1st Grade after 5 years. In July 1996 she worked a murder case where a Female Navy Lieutenant was raped and killed while walking in Manhattan's Central Park. NCIS became involved. She and the Team leader, one Leroy Jethro Gibbs, worked together and solved the case. After the case was over, Gibbs offered her a position at NCIS as a Major Crimes Investigating Team Leader based on the fact that she was a Team Leader in her 14th Precinct Detective Squad.

Diane accepted because it would allow her to base her work office in the same city as Tom and his assignment to JAG HQ.

In September 1996 after she completed her one week training course on the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) and other matters relating to her legal responsibilities as an NCIS Agent, she was assigned her team and her first case. Because of her and Tom's hectic schedule working their different cases, she and their daughter Katie don't complete their move into Tom's two bedroom apartment in Georgetown until the weekend before that year's Thanksgiving and spend that and their Christmas holidays in DC together.

Saturday, October 15, 1996

0925 Hours

Pier Seven, Norfolk Naval Base

Norfolk, VA

Diane Larkin was driving and she was thoroughly pissed off. Some homicidal maniac had spoiled her weekend plans to spend it with her husband and daughter. She received the notification on her cellphone at 0400 that morning. She hadn't much sleep as they had only completed a satisfying session of love making and fell asleep in their post coital exhaustion at 0300.

When her phone went off, Tom said from his half sleep, "That's yours hon."

"Yeah I know." Diane sighed becoming more awake. To answer it she had to wiggle out of her husband's arms where he was holding her while they slept.

"Hello, Larkin," she grumbled.

"Hello Diane, it's Mike Quinn," said Michaela Quinn to her team leader.

"Yeah Mike, what's up?" Diane said getting more awake.

"We have a report of a homicide at Norfolk Navy Base. There is a dead female lieutenant. Her corpse was left in a car that was parked near where the carrier USS Seahawk is berthed. Oh yeah the lieutenant has a bullet hole in her chest."

"Okay call Turk. You and he take the truck there with Dr. Mallard and Gerald. I'll drive directly there from home. If you get there before me, start to photo, sketch and tag," Diane instructed.

"Got you boss," Mike said.

Now fully awake Diane threw the bed covers off her and strutted naked into their en-suite bathroom. Tom propped himself up on his elbows to watch her.

"Hmm, hmm pretty woman, walkin' cross the room. I might just take you back to bed," he said admiringly.

"Easy does it George. You know how this works. You saw it those three years in law school when you were home all the time and I had to run out on every new case. Make yourself useful and put the coffee on." She had another thought, "How come your phone isn't ringing. I'd have thought that you would be assigned to this case."

"Rabb and Austin have the duty this weekend. Remember we were going to pick up Katie from the shuttle this morning after your folks put her on the plane."

"Yeah you're right. I can't wait till we're all finally moved in. This long distance parenting is wearing me out." Diane grumped from under the shower.

"You're not kidding. Remember the goal is the weekend before Thanksgiving. That's when I'll have leave and we can make the round trip to move her bedroom down."

"You're right I just miss not seeing her every time I come home," Diane said.

She came out of the shower and combed her short dark hair straight back to squeeze out some water. Then she toweled it until it was half dry. She liked to keep her hair short because it was easier to fix in moments like this. She combed it into the do that it would settle into when it became fully dry. Then she dressed into a comfortable black pants suit. She had a white fashionable tee-shirt and took her holstered Sig-Sauer-9mm from the gun safe and clipped it at her usual place on her belt. Then she put her badge wallet in the inner breast pocket of her suit coat.

Tom had her coffee in a travel mug, made just the way she liked it, ½ spoon of sugar with a drop of milk waiting on the kitchen table. He was waiting at the door with her go bag. She put her jacket on and her overcoat over her arm. She kissed her husband, grabbed her go bag and was out the door.

Diane arrived at the pier three and a half hours later, thanking her lucky stars that it was Saturday morning and the traffic on the highways around DC and Richmond was almost non-existent. She pulled her Crown Vic up and parked behind the NCIS Truck. She got out and showing her ID to the MP on duty securing the scene, walked under the crime scene tape.

From the opposite side of the truck she overheard Turk say, "Well looky, looky here comes, JAG.

When she got around to the other side Diane saw a tall dark haired man and a tall blonde woman speaking with a balding middle aged man that was slightly overweight and wearing an NCIS Wind breaker and ball cap. The tall man was a lt. commander and the woman was a lieutenant. They were dressed in the peanut-butter issues of Navy uniform. They were looking her way and at the agent that was speaking. Turk was Agent Brian Turque. He preferred that you pronounced his last name "Tur-kay, but just about everyone pronounced it like the bird, Turkey. Turk's irascible nature hid a keen analytical mind. That's why Diane brought him with her to NCIS from the NYPD.

Right now he was arguing with the Navy officers about the evidence sharing rules. Diane walked up behind her agent and smacked the back of his head saying, "Play nice Turk."

Turning to them and flipping her ID for them to see, she introduced herself to the JAG officers. She saw the looks of amusement that were plastered on their faces.

"Hello Lt. Commander Rabb and you must be Lt. Austen, I'm Special Agent Diane Larkin, NCIS," Diane said shaking their hands.

"Harm please and this is Meg," Harm replied offering his half of the introductions.

Harm was at a loss to remember where he met Diane. Diane saw that and said, "You graduated the Academy with my husband Tom Larkin. I was at the graduation with my twin sister Sarah. You two also work in the same office at JAG HQ."

"Oh yeah I remember you still have the short hair while your sister's was longer, at the time," Harm said.

"That's right. Getting back to this case, did either of you know the victim?" Diane asked.

"No we got the call probably just about when you did," Harm explained.

"How about you lieutenant, did you know the victim?" Diane asked Meg. She didn't like anyone using their rank to stifle a junior officer.

"No ma'am, I don't even know her name yet. Your agent was more interested in marking his territory than furnishing it to us," Meg answered regaining the upper hand for JAG.

Diane just turned and said in a reprimanding tone, "Turk?"

"Lt. Sarah Williams age 28, she was one of the Seahawk's cryptologists. After Mike gets done with the bagging and tagging, we're going to start interviewing the crew. Though it'll be the skeleton crew as most of the others jumped ship as soon as it docked a day and a half ago," Turk explained.

"What was the time of death?" Diane asked.

In response she heard a man with a Scottish accent speak up from behind her. "According to her liver temperature the poor girl was killed about 2200 last night." Dr. Donald ~Ducky~ Mallard explained. He continued, "Also the lividity is rather strange."

"Why's that doctor," Harm asked.

"Well it's on the right side of her body. You can see it on her arms and face. Come I'll show you," Ducky said moving over to a black body bag on a stretcher.

When he opened the zipper, everyone saw a light skinned African American woman. She was dressed in Navy Whites, the front of which was blood stained around a bullet hole right over the heart.

Ducky pointed to the face and arm saying, "See the purple bruises. When the heart stops beating, the blood begins to flow or pool to the lowest point of the body. If she were shot while sitting up, all her blood would be in the bottom of her torso and legs."

"So that tells us that she was killed elsewhere and then propped up here," Diane said.

"It seems so. Also there were no bullet holes anywhere on the car," Ducky said.

Okay where's Mike," Diane asked.

"Right here boss," said a young woman from behind her.

Diane and the other turned to greet a petite Caucasian female of 27 years. She had red medium length straight hair that was gathered in a pony tail. She was wearing an NCIS ball cap backwards. Mike was holding a digital camera in her hands with the strap looped around her neck.

"I finished photographing the lieutenant before they took her out of the car. I just called our flatbed to come and take it back to DC for processing," Mike explained.

"Good work Mike," Diane said.

Just as Diane finished her compliment, another black Crown Victoria pulled up.

"Uh oh here comes trouble," Harm muttered to Meg.

Meg turned and saw that another female officer in peanut butters was getting out of the car. "What the hell is Krennick doing her?" She asked Harm.

Krennick was Commander Diane Krennick. She was Caucasian about 5'-6" with short blond hair and a shapely figure. She had a haughty air about her.

Ignoring Diane, Krennick approached Harm and Meg, who had snapped to attention, and ordered, "Tell me what's going on here."

Diane stepped and showing her ID asked, "Excuse me commander you are?"

Krennick turned around and sneered at Diane saying, "I'm Commander Krennick JAG Corps (She bent to read Diane's ID) Agent Larkin. I'm here to take charge of this investigation."

That brought Diane up as she firmly stated, "No commander you're not. NCIS is in charge of this investigation. What do you know of Lt. Williams' murder?"

"Only what I was told by Admiral Chegwidden, the Navy's JAG," Krennick stated still attempting to piss on her territory.

"What does Admiral Chegwidden know?" Diane pressed on.

"After Lt. Commander Rabb and Lt. Austen left JAG Headquarters he received a call from the Navy's Sexual Harassment Hotline about allegations Lt. Williams was making against an unspecified member of the Seahawk's officer compliment. I was sent here to take charge of the investigation based on that."

"Well you've just lent motive to the homicide of the lieutenant. That will give me another line of questioning to use when I interview the crew still left aboard."

"I told you agent that I was in charge of this investigation. I will be interviewing the crew," Krennick said menacingly. She added for good measure, "And you will address me as commander or ma'am."

She had no idea that that weapon was not loaded as Diane said, "Well let me tell you something lady, I don't have to ma'am you or respect any rank you hold. Check your regulations. They will show that NCIS has all authority to investigate all criminal cases. My boss does not answer to your admiral. He answers to the SECNAV, your boss's boss. So I suggest you call your admiral and inform him that you will be on the sidelines and I will be doing the interviews of the crew. So if you do anything to hinder my investigation, I will lock you up and charge you with obstruction."

Krennick stood toe to toe with Diane trying to stare her down. Diane stared back, confidently defiant as she was the taller of the two.

The staring contest ended when Harm intervened saying, "Ladies, if I may make a suggestion."

The two women turned as one to look at him with Diane saying, "Yes Commander?"

"Why don't we have a joint investigation and team up agent-to-officer? "

"Sounds good we can get more done that way. Then we can prepare notes later. Mr. Rabb you're with me, Mike you take Lt. Austen and Turk you can take Commander Krennick," Diane instructed. She immediately started walking away.

Harm hesitated a moment before Krennick almost shouted, "You heard the agent Rabb, get going."

Harm turned and had no trouble catching up with Diane with a few long strides. Breaking the verbal ice Harm asked, "Who do we speak with first?"

"We start with the highest officer still on board." Diane answered.

The both looked at each other and silently agreed that saying anything about Krennick's insulting breach of protocol was non-productive.