JAG Headquarters
Falls Church, Virginia
Thursday, October 2, 2003
1443 Hours (local)
Harm's phone was ringing as he stepped into his office. "Commander Rabb."
"Hey, Harm."
"Denise, what's up?"
"We are cleared for the undercover operation."
"Good. When do we start?"
"We'd like to start this weekend. We do have one problem, though."
"Okay…" Harm said as he sat down in his chair. "What's the problem?'
"We don't have anybody on the force available to do it right now. We need a younger female and none of them are available."
"Okay," Harm said, thinking he knew where this was going. "So you want to use one of ours?"
"It would also mean that they already know about the Navy, making the story more believable."
"I can check with the Admiral and see if he approves."
"Do you have anybody?"
Harm nodded as he spoke, "I believe we do. I think Petty Officer Coates would work very well."
Denise was silent for a moment. She had met the Petty Officer when she had visited JAG. "Would she be willing?"
Harm smiled. The Petty Officer had been a pretty wild kid in her past and he was pretty sure she could pull off acting like one again. "I think she'll be willing."
"Good."
"I'll check with Mac and the Admiral and get back to you."
"Okay," Denise agreed as she hung up.
Harm rose from his desk and walked over to Mac's. She was flipping through books, searching for something. "You got a minute?" he asked.
"Sure," she said, looking up. "What do you need?"
Harm sat down in one of the chairs in front of her desk. "Denise just called. They want to start the undercover op this weekend."
"Sounds good."
"But, they don't have anyone available, so they want to use some one from here. Plus, they would also be more informed on the Navy, making the story more believable."
Mac nodded. "Coates."
Harm raised an eyebrow. "Were you listening to me on the phone?"
Mac smiled. "No, but we are still thinking a lot alike." At least, some of the time, she thought.
"Shall we go talk to the Admiral?" Harm asked.
Mac rose to her feet. "Yes, we should."
Harm got to his feet as well and followed Mac out of her office. Coates sent them right in.
"What do you have?" the Admiral asked, without looking up.
"On the Catacombs case," Harm began, "the D.C. Police want to start an undercover operation this weekend. However, they don't have anyone available to do it."
Now, the Admiral looked up. "Have a seat." Both officers obeyed. "And you want to send someone from here in?"
Harm and Mac nodded.
The Admiral sighed heavily as he leaned back in his chair. "This changes things a little bit."
"We are aware of that, Sir," Harm spoke again.
"Would all three of you be there?'
"Yes, Sir," Mac spoke. "And she would be wearing a wire with another police officer outside the club listening in, somebody would always be watching the corner where the other murders have taken place. The club will be notified and prepared to provide any assistance that might be necessary."
"And who did you have in mind?" the Admiral asked.
"Petty Officer Coates," Harm answered.
The Admiral pondered this for a moment. He pressed a button on his phone and Coates was put on speakerphone. "Sir?" she said.
"Come in here for a minute," he requested.
"Right away, Sir," she said and a moment later, she joined them, standing at attention slightly behind and between Harm and Mac.
"At ease," he instructed. He looked over to the far side of his office. "Go grab that chair and have a seat with us," he said, indicating one of the chairs with wheels.
Coates did as she was instructed. "Sir?" She was curious as to what she was doing here.
"Petty Officer, have you heard about the murders at a club called Catacombs in D.C.?"
"Yes, Sir. Three women from the Navy have been murdered in the club in the last few months."
"Yes. The Commander and the Colonel have been working with the D.C. Police on the case and they now have a partial description and believe the man only kills when he has the opportunity. That means he may kill once, four months later, meet another woman in the Navy, kill her, and two weeks later, meet another one and kill her."
"Understood," Coates responded, still unsure of why she was there.
"The D.C. Police have authorized an undercover operation to send someone into the club to try and bait the killer into saying something."
Coates nodded.
"The only problem," the Admiral continued, "is that D.C. Police don't have anyone available, so they want to use one of our people."
Coates nodded again. She was getting the idea.
"The Commander and the Colonel felt that you might be the woman for the job. And I agree with them. You do not have to agree to do this. It is strictly voluntary and you have the right to turn it down."
"What would I have to do, Sir?" Coates asked.
"Commander, will you explain?"
Harm nodded. "All you have to do is dance with some people, meet a few guys. We have a partial description to help narrow down your selection field. We just want you to talk to these guys, see what they say, mention the fact that you are in the Navy, home on leave, and see where it goes. We believe our guy will be interested in the fact that you are in the Navy and this will incite some emotion in him. You'll be wearing a wire, you can walk away at any point if you feel uncomfortable. And the Colonel, Detective West, and myself will be there as back up. One of us will always have you within sight. All three murders have taken place in the same corner, so we will always be watching that corner."
Coates nodded. "I'll do it."
"You don't have to," the Admiral reminded her.
"I know. I want to. This needs to stop, Admiral, and if I can do something about it, I will."
The Admiral smiled. She had come a long way since they had first met her a few Christmases ago. He was now proud to have her serving under his command. "Good."
Harm looked to the Admiral as he said, "I guess we'll go call Detective West back and we'll arrange everything."
"I want a detailed plan written out and on my desk before you go in. I want to know what is going on."
"Yes, Sir," both Harm and Mac nodded.
"Dismissed," the Admiral said.
Harm, Mac, and Coates rose up out of their chairs and left the Admiral's office. Harm looked at Coates and said, "Come with me to my office. We'll call Detective West and see what needs to be done."
"Yes, Sir," Coates said as she followed him.
Harm smiled, "And while we are working on this, call me Harm. It wouldn't look very good to address me as 'Sir' in the club."
"No, Sir, I mean, Harm, it wouldn't look good," Coates said with an embarrassed smile.
"I think that goes for all of us," Mac said. "Just call me Mac."
"Yes, Ma… Mac. Sorry, force of habit."
Both Harm and Mac smiled, "That's okay. You'll get used to it."
Coates regarded both of them for a moment. "Then call me Jen."
Once inside Harm's office, Harm picked up the phone and quickly dialed Denise's number. She answered on the second ring. "Denise, I have both Mac and Petty Officer Coates, Jen, here. Is it all right if I put you on speakerphone?"
"Fine," Denise answered and a moment later, Mac and Jen could hear her as well.
"Denise, Jen is willing to go undercover for us."
"Great," Denise answered. "You know what is involved here, Jen?"
"Yes, Ma'am, it has been explained to me what is going on and what I need to do."
"Call me Denise. And you understand that if at any point in time you feel uncomfortable with this, you are free to back out?"
"Understood, Denise."
"Good. Have you ever been undercover before, Jen?"
"No, I haven't. But I was a pretty wild child and I used to sneak into clubs a lot in high school, so I am pretty sure I can act the part," Jen responded.
"Excellent," Denise replied, sounding very enthusiastic. "How about this? We get together tomorrow night, all four of us, and go over what needs to be done, how we are going to do it, and get everything set up."
Harm, Mac, and Jen all nodded. "Sounds good to us," Harm responded. "Where shall we meet?"
"How about there at JAG Headquarters, since we all know where it is?" Denise suggested.
Everybody agreed to that, so the plan was set.
xxxxx
Catacombs
Washington, D.C.
Sunday, October 5, 2003
0145 Hours (local)
Harm, Mac, Denise, and Jen had met the previous night and gotten everything straightened out. They had found an outfit appropriate for Jen to wear; dark and sexy, but not too revealing. And of course, the wire was hidden. A van was parked around the corner from the club with one of the guys from the D.C. Police inside, listening to Jen. Denise was wearing a pager, put on vibrate, so she could be notified should something of interest concerning the case be said. Mac and Jen were going to arrive at the club around 2300 together and Harm and Denise would show up at about the same time. The setting up of the pairs had taken some time, as it seemed natural for Harm and Mac to go together, and that had been the original plan, until Mac pointed out that Harm and Denise had already been to the club, so what if they were spotted again, this time with different people? So it was decided that Mac and Jen would show up together and Harm and Denise would show up together. Ideally, Harm and Denise would arrive first (Mac and Denise joked that they would set his watch five minutes fast without telling him), so when Jen arrived, she would have full back up.
Additionally, another problem was presented with Jen's cover story. If they didn't catch their man on the first try and Jen let it slip that she was home on leave, her story would be blown. They had wanted to have her home on leave from somewhere, as it would make it more consistent with the stories of the other girls, but there was a possibility that they would be there for several nights, in which case, she wouldn't be home on leave for several weeks. So, for the night, she was Ensign Jennifer Martin, normally stationed at Pax River, but comes home to visit family and friends on her weekends off.
Both parties had arrived on time. Harm and Denise set up station in the chairs around the dance floor so they could keep their eyes on the corner. Initially, Jen and Mac got some drinks, non-alcoholic, and sat in the back, talking. Harm bought drinks for him and Denise, also non-alcoholic, and chatted for a while. He and Denise got up and danced for a few songs, trying to blend in. Mac and Jen were catching the eye of a few guys. Finally, one approached them and Jen went off to dance with him. While Jen was their bait, Mac was also allowed to dance, but she had a story of working for a law firm and hanging out with Jen when she wanted to. And even though Mac was older, they still had a strong friendship. Should questions be asked, Mac had mentored Jen when she was in high school. And Mac's cover name was Mackenzie Rushmore.
After nearly three hours, lots of dancing and several drinks later, they were no closer to getting their man. At one point, Jen had been near the back corner, talking to a guy, and Harm and Denise had been dancing. They had taken a break and decided to sit for a few minutes. They had kept their eyes on the guy, and he in turn, was keeping his eyes on the two of them. So, improvising for a moment, Harm pulled Denise up and backed her up against the wall to kiss her. He had told her to watch the guy, but do it discreetly. And for several minutes, this worked, until Jen walked away from him and found Mac at one of the tables, glaring in the general direction of Harm and Denise.
Jen eyed Mac's glare and saw Harm pressing Denise up against the wall. "He is hot, isn't he? Too bad he apparently has someone."
"Huh?" Mac jumped. She had seen Jen walk away, but she hadn't noticed her grabbing the seat next to her.
"The guy, over there, he's hot, isn't he?"
Mac turned to Jen and studied her for a moment. There was laughter in her eyes. Mac relaxed and said, "Yeah. Too bad all the good ones are taken."
Jen laughed.
"So, what did that guy want?" Mac asked.
"The same thing they all do: to take me home." Jen had done an excellent job conforming to the role, easily slipping back to something resembling her wilder days. And she was enjoying it, the chance to be someone else and be a little crazy.
Mac took a sip of her drink. Harm and Denise had backed off and were wandering back through the crowd to the bar. Glancing down at her watch, not that she needed to, she said, "You ready to head out for the night?"
Jen glanced around the club for a moment before nodding. "Yeah."
The two ladies rose from the table and headed up the stairs. As she went, Mac caught Harm's eye, making sure he knew where they were headed, and offered him a flirtatious smile, more for appearance's sake than herself or Harm. Harm smiled broadly back at her and winked. They needed this to look good.
xxxxx
Mac's Apartment
Georgetown
Washington, D.C.
Sunday, October 5, 2003
0247 Hours (local)
They had all agreed to meet back up at Mac's apartment afterwards so they could discuss the events, or the lack thereof, that occurred at the club. Mac's apartment had been chosen because it was the closest to the club and everybody but Denise knew where it was. By the time Harm and Denise arrived, Mac and Jen had already rinsed off in the shower and slipped into more comfortable clothing. Mac was in a white pajama set, with little stars and moons on it, for the night and Jen was in a pair of black pajama pants and a long-sleeve t-shirt. The two of them were sprawled out on Mac's couch when Harm and Denise arrived.
Denise sank into the chair near the couch and Harm went into the kitchen to get two bottles of water. He handed one to Denise when he passed and he dropped down to the floor, stretching his legs out in front of him and leaning back on his elbows.
"Okay," Mac began, her eyes closed, "if anyone wants to stay here tonight, you are welcome to it. I will point you into the direction of blankets and pillows, but you'll have to get them yourself because I don't think I can move."
"Sounds tempting," Harm said as he lay back on the carpet.
Denise yawned before she spoke, "Then, let's make this quick. Jen, did you get anything from anybody?"
"Nope," Jen mumbled.
"What about that guy you were talking to near the end?" Denise questioned.
"Same old song. He just wanted to take me home. Very persistent." Jen yawned. "Too bad for him, I wasn't interested. But I did talk to him; let him down gently, made him feel good about it. No use in making enemies."
Mac spoke, "So, do we get to…" she trailed off as a yawn escaped, "do this again next weekend?"
"Appears that way," Denise said. "Unless something comes up. We checked the corner as we left at closing time and there was nothing."
For a moment, nothing more was said. Finally, Harm got to his feet. "Come on, I'll take you back to my place for your car," he said to Denise.
Denise dragged herself out of her chair. "How about next time, we all meet here beforehand? Then I'll have my car here and Harm won't have to do any extra driving."
Mac nodded. "Whatever. Can I go to sleep now?"
Harm let out a small laugh. "Go to bed, Marine."
"Go home, Sailor. Drive carefully."
"I will," Harm said as he led Denise out of the apartment.
A minute later, Mac turned to Jen, who like her, had her head leaning back on the cushion of the couch, her eyes closed, "Seriously, if you don't want to drive home, you can stay. I have an extra toothbrush."
Jen turned and looked at Mac. "You sure?"
"You never know when you'll need a spare toothbrush," she said, smiling.
Jen smiled back, "Thanks."
"It'll be like old times," Mac said with a smile.
Jen giggled. "I guess it will, except I'm not your prisoner now."
"No," Mac agreed, "you're not. You've come a long way, Jen. I'm proud of you."
"Thank you," Jen responded, almost blushing.
Mac stayed where she was for a moment longer before getting to her feet. Jen got up as well and followed Mac into her bedroom. While Jen brushed her teeth, Mac laid out some sheets and blankets on the couch and set up a pillow. Mac said goodnight to Jen and collapsed into her own bed.
