Thanks you all who reviewed previously but do review the last chapter!
Undisclosed location
The same time
"Commander Lindsey?!" Meg exclaimed, her eyes widening and her muscles tightening against her bonds. "It's you…you did this! Release me at once!"
"Oh I won't do that; it will spoil my plan," the ex-JAG officer said, his full frame still blocking the light. "In fact, you are the major part of my plan."
"Plan? What plan? I heard scuttlebutt you were behind bars for something."
"Ah yes, the pain in life, getting caught for your actions. But that wasn't really and evil act; just a spur-of-the-moment move regarding a beautiful junior JAG."
"Well, whatever the heck you did, you're now adding kidnapping to the list of crimes. Let me go!"
"Aw, don't you want to hear the full details. So I served some time but guess what, I got out early, like really early. Magic eh? Now who would I want to first meet? Naturally, it would be the old JAG people, the ones who served under me. I especially want to meet…"
"Me? Tying me up isn't the way to…" Meg's reply was cut off as the ex-JAG and convict pasted a long piece of duct tape over her lips. "You were always the talkative one, Austin. I didn't grab you just to see you. You're just the bait for Commander, now Captain..."
Mac's residence
Georgetown
Some time later
"Hi, this is Meg, I can't take your call right now but if you leave a message, I'll get back to you," the voice message repeated itself to Harm's ear for the umpteenth time.
"Meg, it's Harm, where are you? Call me at this number or at my JAG office at..." Harm gave his office number and the main JAG switchboard. Where could she be? Harm double checked his personal email and logged into his personal and work email but saw no messages from Meg, even in his spam folders. Damn Meg, where are you?
Harm couldn't stand this bout of anxiety further and yanked on his uniform. Just as he unlocked the door, Mac was there in a sleeveless dress. "Hey, sweetheart," she greeted him with a kiss, "going back to the office now?"
"Just checking in on stuff there," Harm lied.
"I thought you cleared all your full office and handed over everything to Turner and the other stuff," Mac protested.
"Just double checking."
"Oh ok, do hurry back. I made some arrangements at Tono sushi in Adam's Morgan. Thne we still have some other wedding arrangements to cover."
"Don't worry, I'll be back," Harm gave a short answer and downstairs he instinctively reach for the nearby car. Oh damn, he remembered, I don't have a personal vehicle any more. Flagging down a taxi, he instructed, "Dulles International, please." Harm was back in the airport and immediately spotted the ground staff he talked to earlier. "Stacey," he called.
"Oh, hello again, I didn't know you were a Navy officer," the attendant replied. "Did you locate your friend?"
"No, that's why I'm back. I was wondering," Harm tried to form his thoughts into a request. "I was wondering if, uh you could let me view the CCTV or the arrivals for the last few hours?"
Stacey stared at him in disbelief for a few seconds before given the generic answer. "Sir, you know I can't simply let you view that. I mean, I'm not part of the security team and I can't allow anyone to just access that recording."
Harm thought quickly. "Well, you see I'm a JAG—US Navy lawyer and she's not only a friend but a key US Navy officer with top secret information. It's important that I check that she did arrive."
"Oh ok, but I believe as a lawyer this would require some sort of warrant?"
"Well, no I'm not requesting entry into a property. Just a casual look. I see your going off duty," he noted her packed handbag. "Look, I'll buy you a drink and give you a high rating for customer service." Harm gave her one of his signature smiles.
"Very well, sir, let me see what I can do. It's both our asses on the line anyway. By the way, I'm off caffeine for this week." Twenty minutes later, Harm was ushered into a dimly-lit room. The security supervisor also peppered him with questions but finally the recording was played back of Harm. It only took a couple of 'fast forwards', 'hold ons', until Harm finally spotted Meg. "There, wait, can you rotate the picture?"
"This ain't satellite, Admiral," the security guard deliberately mistook Harm's rank. Flipping to another camera, the picture of Meg and the mysterious man with the misspell sign was evident. "Can I have a copy of those couple of minutes of video?"
"Buddy, we've shown you more than we would allow anyone else and we'll break more laws if we do that." Harm's skill wording however finally changed their views and he left Dulles with a CD of the footage. "Where to sailor?" the taxi driver asked.
"I'll direct you, don't worry, I'll direct you."
Mac's apartment
Georgetown
1835 local
Where can he be? Mac wondered. How long can it possibly take to double check that everthing's been cleared at JAG? Nearly at her wits end, Mac called the JAG office.
"Legalman First Class Coates speaking."
"Coates, is Harm, is Captain Rabb there? He said he had to clear things up."
"No ma'am, he wasn't here, unless I didn't see him. Anything wrong?"
Yes, my fiancé lied to me. "No." Mac cut off the call and now slightly furious she dialled Harm's cellular. Instead of hearing a ring or a voice message she received an engage tone. Great, lying to me and now keeping off contact? What could he be up to?
CIA Headquarters
Langley, Virginia
The same time
"Rabb, you have no business coming to me," CIA agent Clinton Longstone said trying to walk away from the JAG. "You not in the company anymore, you're in Navy uniform and that's it. We're not having this conversation."
"Longstone, I served the Company on dangerous missions, one with your faulty data and I still bailed you in my after action report. And before that, I helped the CIA in many missions that I didn't wish for, including blowing up Stinger missiles..."
"Stop, Rabb, you're way out of line there. That operation is still heavily classified," the CIA video analyst finally turned around to face the lawyer, although that wasn't exactly possible given the difference in height. "And now you think we owe you a favour and you can ask us to check some silly CCTV footage?"
"I'm not asking the CIA, I'm asking you. Unless of course, you want to see a report of yourself in he papers over Operation Show Stopp..."
"You trying to blackmail me Rabb? I can call security..."
"Ok Clint, your choice. Oh, I remember you did tell me over drinks you're seeing that..."
"Get in here!" After buzzing through several keycard-locked doors, the analyst finally opened his special programme and digitally enhanced the footage. Just as he clicked one more option on his screen, the screen turned red with the letters, "SUSPECT FOUND."
To Be Continued.