Ch. 2 MENDING FENCES
The next day the guard came to him telling he had a visitor. He was escorted to the interrogation room and left alone for awhile until his visitor came into the room. His visitor took a moment to observe him before stepping forward and taking a seat at the table.
At first glance AJ might look like his usual calm self but if you looked closer you detect a slightly haunted and lonely look. Like there was nobody left cared about what happened to him or could be trusted. This made the visitor decide he had made the right decision by coming here.
"Admiral, why did you ask your attorney to call me?" AJ had expected this question; you can't ignore the elephant in the room.
"Because despite what you may think I trust you and I should have handled the situation better. It was a selfish action in hopes you would reconsider without revealing the true reasons behind it. And I hope you can forgive me for that."
Saying that out loud helped lift a weight he didn't know he carried even if it might still be too little too late.
His apology seemed to be accepted with just a slight nod and they started talking about the charges he was facing and what led up to them.
"I had just wanted to spend some time not thinking about work and enjoy it in good company. At the office there was no one left who seemed to want to spent time with me outside working hours so I had to look somewhere else. That is when I met Clare, she said she wasn't in DC very much but we enjoyed spending time together when she was."
His visitor was just listening intently letting him tell his story in his own pace and without interruptions.
"That day some intelligence reports from Iraq and Afghanistan had come in. It was already late but the next day I would have number of appointments and I didn't want to wait too long in case there was something that needed quick action so I took them home with me so I could have dinner and start to go over them. A few hours later Clare suddenly showed up. I hadn't expected to see her since she hadn't said she would be in DC for a while. I knew she shouldn't see the files so I stored them in a drawer of my desk before letting her in. We were having some wine and an enjoying conversation. The next thing I know I woke up in bed the next morning and Clare was long gone."
Often when recalling something you forget to mention details that don't seem important or you don't remember details until something else reminds you of it. By asking the right question you can get most of this information unless of course the person answering is consciously changing his story.
"How many glasses of wine did you have that night?"
"A bit too much I think, I was getting drowsy and switched to soda because I didn't want the night to end yet, we were having a good time and she was going to leave town again the next day."
"So you where slightly drunk?"
"I thought so, but I only felt sleepy and not hung over the next morning. I just couldn't remember what happened after I switched to the soda."
"Who brought the wine?"
"She did, it was quite an expensive one too."
"How much did she drink from it?"
"Not too much, she said she still had to drive her car but that two glasses wouldn't hurt."
"Where were the bottle and glasses the next morning?"
"The bottle was empty; she rinsed it together with the glasses."
"Did you leave her at any moment during that evening, even for a minute?"
"Once to go to the toilet but that was the only time that I recall."
"Where the files still in the same place you left them next morning?"
"Yes"
"They didn't seem to be disturbed?"
"Not at first sight, but I wanted to take them back to the office so I put them in my briefcase without getting a real good look"
"Was there a lock on the drawer?"
"No"
"Do you mind if I take a look in your house?"
"No, not at all."
"Have you seen any drugs recently? From someone in the neighborhood or confiscated during an investigation."
"Not in the last few months until that NCIS agent with what he claimed was cocaine."
"Do you want to tell me anything else or call someone?"
"Just find out what happened and use you discretion on who you tell."
"What about your attorney?"
"I don't think he really cares, or he just thinks it is too much trouble when the facts look clear, or both."
"Well I see what I can do; the trial is in two weeks right?"
"Yes"
"Ok, I have got to go know. Good luck and keep faith."
His attorney hadn't been able to arrange bail for him, since he was accused of treason AJ hadn't expected to. The preparations went slowly and when they did meet AJ had the feeling his case wasn't on the top of the list to invest time in. When they disagreed again on the right strategy to use AJ had had enough and decided to defend himself.
AJ just didn't want to put his faith in the hands of someone who wasn't really considering he might be innocent. His attorney looked almost relieved even though it wasn't a very smart move to defend yourself with the charges he was facing.
