Thanks for all the great feedback. Next chapter should get better
Lines of Defense
It was just before 0900 when Mac finished handing off the last of her open cases to other judges. She had finished with a landmark case so nothing she had given out was major. She pushed herself away from her desk and was starting for the door when bud popped his head in door.
"Colonel, the Admiral asked me to check in with you about the the Commander's case. Have you got time?"
"Of course, Bud. I just cleared my docket and was about to get some coffee before I got started. Care for some?" Mac was glad to have Bud on board. No one was better at digging up hard to find information.
Before Bud could reply PO Tiner knocked on the door. "Ma'am, Mrs Burnett is on the line for you."
Mac looked puzzled "Mrs Burnett? Oh! Harms Mom!" She looked from Tiner to Bud. "Has she been notified?"
"Yes, Ma'am. The Admiral called her this morning before you arrived. She asked for you by name, Colonel." Tiner replied.
"Thanks, Tiner." she said as she started for the phone.
Bud followed Tiner out the door. "I'll get that cofffee, Ma'am" he said as he shut the door behind him.
Mac took a deep breath and answered the call. "Mrs Burnett, this is Mac. What can I do for you?"
"Hi Mac, call me Trish. I spoke to the Admiral this morning but he wasn't very forthcoming with information. Can you tell me what is going on with Harm?"
Mac could hear the tension in Trishes voice and felt her stomch tied in knots agan. "There isn't much to tell at this time. Harm is suspected of the murder of another officer," the was a gasp on the other end of the line. "Mrs...Trish, I'm not going to lie to you, Harm could be in a lot of trouble. He hasn't been very cooperative with the investigators and some of the evidence they have uncovered involves Harm. It gets complicated but I want you to know I am going to do everything in my power to help your son."
"I know you will, dear. I have great confidence in you and so does Harm. He always said you were like a force of nature on a case." the tremble in her voice was evident. "Mac, I want you to use any and every resource you need. Frank, suggested retaining a civilian lawyer, but I don't want to slight you in anyway." "That is entirely up to you and Harm, ma'am. Although you have to know that I don't intend to give up this case. I'll ask Harm about it for you, I'm going to interview him today. I'll let you know what he says."
"Thank you, dear. I want to fly out tonight, but Frank wants me to wait for a bit sonce this could be lengthy. What do you think?"
"I tend to agree with Frank, ma'am. I also think it would worry Harm to see you upset right now."
Trish sighed "All right, Mac. Give Harm my love and let me know if there is anything you need...and I mean anything."
"I will. I'll call you in a day or two. Goodbye." Mac hung up the phone as Bud came back in with coffee. She took the offered cup and drank half of it in one swallow. "Is everyting all right, Ma'am?"
Mac set cup on her desk and grabbed her briefcase and cover. "She's worried as any of us would be and are." She reached out and sqeezed his are. "I'm going over to the detention center now. I want you to dig up all the facts we have no matter how small."
"Yes, ma'am. I'll get right on it. Do you have anything for the others?" He opened the door for her.
"Others? You mean there are more members on the team?"
Bud smiled. "Only everyone in the officce. Right down to the janitor."
Mac smiled for the fist time in days. "You coordinate the, Bud. I'm off to call up a force of nature."
Mac tried to treat it as just another case but as soon as she saw Harm she knew she couldn't do that. The man sitting in the chair before he was her best friend. someone she would give anything for, including her life. Now looked like a stranger. Dark circles clouded his eyes and the air of confidence he usually carried was gone. Only when he saw her did she see a spark of the old Harm. She wanted to go to him and hold him but she knew the guards wouldn't allow it. Nor could she risk seeming unprofessional. Instead she reached out and took his hand."Hi Harm." It was all she could get out.
He gave her a half smile. It was nothing like his usually beaming grin that made her weak in the knees. "Looks like I'm in it this time."
"That's why I'm here, your own personal force of nature." She smiled back.
He gave her a confused look then smiled in understanding. "I see you've been talking to Mom. How is she?"
Mac bowed her head. "About as well as any of us could. Someone we love is in trouble."
She took a deep brath them sat down in the chair opposite him. "There is a lot of evidence against you. All of it circumstantial, but you know that. Do you know anyone you ticked off enough to get revenge this bad?"
"Only half of D.C." he shrugged "and maybe one or two people in Australia. But then you knew that." He changed the subject. "Don't let mom or Sergei come out here."
Mac knew he was trying to change the subject."We need to talk about this case. I need to know what you know and anything you suspect. Starting with the fetus. Was it Sergei's?"
Harm looked up sharply. "I don't know, but Sergei didn't do it."
"Does he have an alibi? They are still trying to pin down the time of death." She began jotting notes on a legal pad.
"Sergei is innocent!" Harm repeated.
Mac stood up abruptly throwing the chair she had been sitting in backward. Her eyes were boiling as she stood over Harm inches away from his face ."Damn it, Harm, I know that! And I know you didn't do it either, so stop protecting him!" She slammed both palms down on the table that separated them. "If you don't stop this and start helping me they will hang you and possibly Sergei, too. Then the real killer will be free. Is that what you want?" She stood back and reached for the chair and uprighter it again. She stood leanng on the back rest with her shoulders slumped.
"Maybe you shouldn't be here, Mac. I think this is a no-win situation." His voice was little more than a whisper.
Mac looked at him tearfully. "I'm sacred to lose, Harm. If I lose this case I lose you and if I lose you, there's no hope for me." She stood straight again and wiped her eyes. "Think about everything. If you want your mom to hire civilian counsel, I'll understand, but I'm not backing away from this." She walked around to him and placed her hand on his cheek. "I'm not going to lose you. I'm on your six, flyboy."
Before Harm could react she stepped to the door and called the guard.
Mac fougt back the ears as she walked back to her car. She couldn't understand this new side of Harmon Rabb. Why was he fighting her? It was almost like he didn't want to be defended. She knew one thing; if he didn't cooperate soon there might not be much of a defense. She was almost to her car when she saw it. A note was tucked neatly under her drivers side wiper blade. She scanned the parking lot but saw no suspicious looking persons. She removed the note carefully so as not to destroy any prints and read it. It's message was very simple:
This is the first. Revenge is mine.
The note would likely be useless as evidence. There was no signature and it was a photocopy of a computer generated message. Mac felt her blood run cold as she reached for her cell phone.
Harriet Sims couldn't shake the sinking feeling. It had started when she had seen the Colonel this morning and prevailed all day. She had never seen the Mac so shaken and lost. Up to that point she had been able to tell herself that everything would turn out and The Colonel and Commander would find a way to beat the odds again. Looking around the bullpen now she saw a lot of lost faces mindless ly perfoming their duties. She felt the most for Bud. He was lost trying to understand the circunstances that had led to the Commander's arrest. She felt bad for Mac, she felt bad for Bud, she just felt bad. She reached for her cup and was headed for the break room when she saw the Clolnel come out of the elevavator. Harriet picked up the the mail and followed her into her office. "Your mail, ma'am." Mac took the stack from Harriet and threw it on her desk without a glance. "Thanks, Harriet. Assemble the Commander's defense team and have them meet me in the conference room in 10 minutes."
"Yes, ma'am. How is the Commander?"
"Uncooperative, very uncooperative." Mac replied as she threw herself into her chair and started rumaging through her desk for asprin.
To be continued...
Lines of Defense
It was just before 0900 when Mac finished handing off the last of her open cases to other judges. She had finished with a landmark case so nothing she had given out was major. She pushed herself away from her desk and was starting for the door when bud popped his head in door.
"Colonel, the Admiral asked me to check in with you about the the Commander's case. Have you got time?"
"Of course, Bud. I just cleared my docket and was about to get some coffee before I got started. Care for some?" Mac was glad to have Bud on board. No one was better at digging up hard to find information.
Before Bud could reply PO Tiner knocked on the door. "Ma'am, Mrs Burnett is on the line for you."
Mac looked puzzled "Mrs Burnett? Oh! Harms Mom!" She looked from Tiner to Bud. "Has she been notified?"
"Yes, Ma'am. The Admiral called her this morning before you arrived. She asked for you by name, Colonel." Tiner replied.
"Thanks, Tiner." she said as she started for the phone.
Bud followed Tiner out the door. "I'll get that cofffee, Ma'am" he said as he shut the door behind him.
Mac took a deep breath and answered the call. "Mrs Burnett, this is Mac. What can I do for you?"
"Hi Mac, call me Trish. I spoke to the Admiral this morning but he wasn't very forthcoming with information. Can you tell me what is going on with Harm?"
Mac could hear the tension in Trishes voice and felt her stomch tied in knots agan. "There isn't much to tell at this time. Harm is suspected of the murder of another officer," the was a gasp on the other end of the line. "Mrs...Trish, I'm not going to lie to you, Harm could be in a lot of trouble. He hasn't been very cooperative with the investigators and some of the evidence they have uncovered involves Harm. It gets complicated but I want you to know I am going to do everything in my power to help your son."
"I know you will, dear. I have great confidence in you and so does Harm. He always said you were like a force of nature on a case." the tremble in her voice was evident. "Mac, I want you to use any and every resource you need. Frank, suggested retaining a civilian lawyer, but I don't want to slight you in anyway." "That is entirely up to you and Harm, ma'am. Although you have to know that I don't intend to give up this case. I'll ask Harm about it for you, I'm going to interview him today. I'll let you know what he says."
"Thank you, dear. I want to fly out tonight, but Frank wants me to wait for a bit sonce this could be lengthy. What do you think?"
"I tend to agree with Frank, ma'am. I also think it would worry Harm to see you upset right now."
Trish sighed "All right, Mac. Give Harm my love and let me know if there is anything you need...and I mean anything."
"I will. I'll call you in a day or two. Goodbye." Mac hung up the phone as Bud came back in with coffee. She took the offered cup and drank half of it in one swallow. "Is everyting all right, Ma'am?"
Mac set cup on her desk and grabbed her briefcase and cover. "She's worried as any of us would be and are." She reached out and sqeezed his are. "I'm going over to the detention center now. I want you to dig up all the facts we have no matter how small."
"Yes, ma'am. I'll get right on it. Do you have anything for the others?" He opened the door for her.
"Others? You mean there are more members on the team?"
Bud smiled. "Only everyone in the officce. Right down to the janitor."
Mac smiled for the fist time in days. "You coordinate the, Bud. I'm off to call up a force of nature."
Mac tried to treat it as just another case but as soon as she saw Harm she knew she couldn't do that. The man sitting in the chair before he was her best friend. someone she would give anything for, including her life. Now looked like a stranger. Dark circles clouded his eyes and the air of confidence he usually carried was gone. Only when he saw her did she see a spark of the old Harm. She wanted to go to him and hold him but she knew the guards wouldn't allow it. Nor could she risk seeming unprofessional. Instead she reached out and took his hand."Hi Harm." It was all she could get out.
He gave her a half smile. It was nothing like his usually beaming grin that made her weak in the knees. "Looks like I'm in it this time."
"That's why I'm here, your own personal force of nature." She smiled back.
He gave her a confused look then smiled in understanding. "I see you've been talking to Mom. How is she?"
Mac bowed her head. "About as well as any of us could. Someone we love is in trouble."
She took a deep brath them sat down in the chair opposite him. "There is a lot of evidence against you. All of it circumstantial, but you know that. Do you know anyone you ticked off enough to get revenge this bad?"
"Only half of D.C." he shrugged "and maybe one or two people in Australia. But then you knew that." He changed the subject. "Don't let mom or Sergei come out here."
Mac knew he was trying to change the subject."We need to talk about this case. I need to know what you know and anything you suspect. Starting with the fetus. Was it Sergei's?"
Harm looked up sharply. "I don't know, but Sergei didn't do it."
"Does he have an alibi? They are still trying to pin down the time of death." She began jotting notes on a legal pad.
"Sergei is innocent!" Harm repeated.
Mac stood up abruptly throwing the chair she had been sitting in backward. Her eyes were boiling as she stood over Harm inches away from his face ."Damn it, Harm, I know that! And I know you didn't do it either, so stop protecting him!" She slammed both palms down on the table that separated them. "If you don't stop this and start helping me they will hang you and possibly Sergei, too. Then the real killer will be free. Is that what you want?" She stood back and reached for the chair and uprighter it again. She stood leanng on the back rest with her shoulders slumped.
"Maybe you shouldn't be here, Mac. I think this is a no-win situation." His voice was little more than a whisper.
Mac looked at him tearfully. "I'm sacred to lose, Harm. If I lose this case I lose you and if I lose you, there's no hope for me." She stood straight again and wiped her eyes. "Think about everything. If you want your mom to hire civilian counsel, I'll understand, but I'm not backing away from this." She walked around to him and placed her hand on his cheek. "I'm not going to lose you. I'm on your six, flyboy."
Before Harm could react she stepped to the door and called the guard.
Mac fougt back the ears as she walked back to her car. She couldn't understand this new side of Harmon Rabb. Why was he fighting her? It was almost like he didn't want to be defended. She knew one thing; if he didn't cooperate soon there might not be much of a defense. She was almost to her car when she saw it. A note was tucked neatly under her drivers side wiper blade. She scanned the parking lot but saw no suspicious looking persons. She removed the note carefully so as not to destroy any prints and read it. It's message was very simple:
This is the first. Revenge is mine.
The note would likely be useless as evidence. There was no signature and it was a photocopy of a computer generated message. Mac felt her blood run cold as she reached for her cell phone.
Harriet Sims couldn't shake the sinking feeling. It had started when she had seen the Colonel this morning and prevailed all day. She had never seen the Mac so shaken and lost. Up to that point she had been able to tell herself that everything would turn out and The Colonel and Commander would find a way to beat the odds again. Looking around the bullpen now she saw a lot of lost faces mindless ly perfoming their duties. She felt the most for Bud. He was lost trying to understand the circunstances that had led to the Commander's arrest. She felt bad for Mac, she felt bad for Bud, she just felt bad. She reached for her cup and was headed for the break room when she saw the Clolnel come out of the elevavator. Harriet picked up the the mail and followed her into her office. "Your mail, ma'am." Mac took the stack from Harriet and threw it on her desk without a glance. "Thanks, Harriet. Assemble the Commander's defense team and have them meet me in the conference room in 10 minutes."
"Yes, ma'am. How is the Commander?"
"Uncooperative, very uncooperative." Mac replied as she threw herself into her chair and started rumaging through her desk for asprin.
To be continued...
