Chapter IX - Incident at Potomac Park
James Garrel had argued with himself the better part of the last few days about what had happened with Loren. What he had done was childish and he didn't blame her telling him to go away. At the same time he was sure she knew it was stress related and that he really had her best interests at heart.
So after weighing the pros and cons for the last hour, he finally summoned up his courage and went back to Bethesda.
Before he entered her room, he paused and exhaled slowly. When he was sure he was ready, he tapped on her door.
"Loren?" he said timidly as he slowly pushed the door open.
Loren had been waiting for him to show up. Why she was so nervous about this she didn't know. Maybe Dr. Mallard was right. Maybe she was developing feelings for him. Okay, they'd address that as soon as they cleared the air about what happened earlier today.
"Come in, Sergeant," she said in as normal a voice that she could manage.
Sergeant Garrel slowly came into the room. "I, uh, wanted to apologize, ma'am, for what, um, happened earlier-"
Loren held up her hand to stop him. "Mistakes were made, Sergeant, by both parties, agreed?"
"Yes, ma'am. Sorry, ma'am," he replied still standing by the door as if ready to bolt at the first sign of trouble.
She hoped she could allay his fears. "I think this is called…quid…pro quo…or something like that, Sergeant. Why don't we let bygones be bygones and leave it at that, all right?"
James Garrel relaxed just a little bit when he saw that she meant it. "Yes, ma'am, that sounds good to me as well, thank you," He replied. "How are you feeling this evening, ma'am?"
"Better than I did yesterday," she said dryly.
"That's good, Lieutenant," he said encouragingly as he came over to her bedside. She could see the hope in his eyes. "Are you starting to remember-"
"Anything about me, my past, who I was?" She shook her head sadly. "No, Sergeant, just more bits and pieces, but it's like an exploded jig-saw puzzle, and I don't have any guide on how to put it back together."
James sat down heavily in the chair next to her bed. "Sorry Lieutenant." He didn't know what else to say to her.
She held out a hand to him. "It's not your fault, Sergeant," she said gently. He could tell that she was reciprocating his concern. That made him feel good. Maybe they could work past what happened. Still, he felt badly about her not being able to help her remember more. Up to this point, all she could remember was a Russian named Sergei who lived somewhere in Moscow and that she had had some kind of relationship with him.
Other than that, all she had was mosaic of jumbled memory fragments without any association or structure at all, like a junk drawer dumped out on a bed.
He wished there was something more they could do. But Dr. Mallard had told him in all likelihood, time was the only thing that was going to help Loren Singer. Time and patience.
In the meantime, he resolved to make it his personal mission to help her remember as much of her past as possible.
Loren could tell he was deep in thought about this latest setback. She wanted to tell him it was okay. As long as she was otherwise healthy and her child was healthy, her memory loss really didn't bother her. She didn't know why…she should be concerned...alarmed…but all she felt was peace. And maybe that's why it was so easy for her to say what she said next to the Marine Sergeant.
"Sergeant…I've been thinking…truthfully, when you say, Lieutenant or ma'am… or my first name, Loren - it sounds like you're talking to someone else…" She hoped he would understand.
However, the Marine Sergeant was puzzled by this admission. "But—but, that is your name, ma'am, and you are a Lieutenant in the United States Navy," the Marine Sergeant reminded her as he continued to hold her hand.
Loren looked guiltily at him. It had been a mistake to let him know what she had been thinking. "I know, I know…but it just doesn't feel right. Do you understand?" She hoped he did. He was the one person she was connecting with right now. Or at least, that's what she thought.
She could tell he was wrestling with what she had just told him. It probably was something a doctor would discourage, but the more she thought about, the more this made sense. She hoped it would to James Garrel as well.
He sighed and gently tightened his grip on her hand. He wanted her to know that he was there for her. "I guess. Okay, then…um, what do you want to be called? Uh, I mean what name would you like to use?"
Okay, despite his vocal miscues, he was receptive to what she wanted to do. Now to press on before sanity raised its ugly head. "Well, I given it some thought, about all I really remember about my own name is that it begins with an L and if my fragmented memories are any indication 'Loren' wasn't a very nice person…."
That comment didn't sit well with the Marine. "You don't know that! Given your memory right now, you could be totally wrong about this," he warned.
She nodded in agreement. "That's true, but I can't help feeling I don't really want to know this person and I don't want to share a name with her either."
In some weird way, that made sense. He nodded—she had him back on her side again. "Okay, so…. "
"So, I've decided I like the name Laurie. What do you think?" She looked at him, hoping for approval. She really had given this a lot of thought. If she was going to start over, as she and Dr, Mallard had discussed, she had to have a new name. She really wanted him to say he liked the idea.
James was cautious. He didn't dismiss it out of hand, though. He had always liked the name Laurie. He was going to suggest it to future wife if they had a girl. But he didn't dare tell her that because he didn't want to send any mixed signals. "I'm not sure. The doctors may not want you to do this…did you ask Dr. Mallard-"
Now Laurie asserted herself. "I'm the one having terrible visions and all of it seems to be associated with and due to this…this Loren!" She meant it – she really desired this transformation. She gave him a soulful look. "I really don't feel comfortable with being called Loren anymore. Call me Laurie, please?" And she wanted him to accept it too. It seemed very important to her that he agree to what she sought.
He could see that she really wanted this. So he relented, but conditionally. "Okay, when I'm with you, and only you, it's Laurie."
She'd take that as a victory. The next hurdle was Dr. Mallard and the other doctors. They wouldn't like this at all. But she was determined to make a change. A new start. "Good," she said, half-embarrassed at her forthrightness about this. "Thank you," she said earnestly.
And almost automatically he added, "And if it makes you feel better, you can call me Jimmy – when it's just you and me – almost all my friends do." A part of his mind screamed this was a dumb, dumb, dumb mistake. And there would be hell to pay.
But his admission, though, got him what he had secretly hoped for on a subconscious level. She smiled warmly at him. "Thanks, Jimmy." She said softly while looking at him.
1109 Local_1609 Zulu
Conference Room One
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church, Virginia
Legalman 2 Coates' eyes darted nervously from Faith to Jack as she sat down in front of the two JAG Corps investigators. She hoped that this went better than her interview Special Agents Gibbs and DiNozzo. But she knew her chances of that happening were slim.
When she had asked the Admiral if she could consult with Commander Turner so that her testimony would benefit Commander Rabb, the Admiral had nearly bitten her head off. She never stopped to think that doing anything like that would cause a problem. Only when Jason met her in the Library and told her about the legal ramifications about what she was asking did she realize what a mistake that had she had almost made.
Major McBurney started the interview. "Petty Officer Coates, you were present at Benzinger's the night Commander Rabb met with Lieutenant Singer? Is that right?"
"Yes sir, I was in the next booth," she replied calmly. So far, so good….
Faith Coleman looked at her with what Jennifer thought were cold eyes. "You overheard their conversation, Legalman?" Maybe it was just her imagination. She fought hard not to make any judgments about these two investigators.
"Yes ma'am," she answered.
The SJA Major asked the next question. "Do you recall what was said?"
Commander Rabb had always encouraged her to tell the truth. 'The truth is more important that people's feelings when it comes to the law, Coates' he had told her one day. She just hoped he would be able to forgive her for what she was about to do. "Not all the words, but the sense of it, sir. The Lieutenant was pregnant and the Commander thought his brother Sergei was the father."
Faith made yet another notation on her papers. "What did the Commander want the Lieutenant to do about this situation, Legalman?"
'The truth, Petty Officer, is more important….' She could hear her mentor saying. Jennifer Coates sighed in resignation. (Sorry sir…) "He wanted her to call his brother Sergei in Russia to give him a say in the child's future. Only Lieutenant Singer told the Commander Rabb the baby wasn't Sergei's."
Jack pressed her. "And did he believe her?"
Jennifer Coates shook her head, a sad look in her eyes. "No, sir, he didn't."
Faith continued with her questions, unaffected by Jennifer Coates' facial expression. "What happened then, Legalman?"
Jennifer remembered Lieutenant Singer standing. She had slung her bag over her shoulder and took a step to leave. Commander Rabb had grabbed her hand. "That's when Lieutenant Singer told the Commander she was giving the baby up for adoption…."
"And how did the Commander react to that?" the Marine attorney prompted.
She remembered the Commander dropped her hand. "This isn't over." There was a look of determination in the Commander's eyes Jennifer had never seen before. As she started to head out he had snagged her arm.
Loren Singer had narrowed her eyes in response. "That sounds like a threat." The Commander had let go of her arm as if it had become red hot. The Lieutenant turned and left the table. The Commander watched her for moment before going after her. Coates remembered watching the whole scene, her eyes wide in shock at what was taking place.
Jack shared a concerned look with Commander Coleman. "Sounds like a threat to me too, Petty Officer Coates," he said gravely.
Faith though, wasn't ready to see Commander Rabb as their main suspect just yet. "Is there anything else you remember?"
Coates looked forlornly at both JAG Corps investigators. "No ma'am," she said barely above a whisper. It was either a very good act or the truth. But given the Legalman's questionable personal and professional background, she had to wonder.
Faith decided to see just how strong her feelings were toward Commander Rabb. "Legalman, has Commander Rabb ever displayed anger towards you?"
At this query, Jennifer Coates perked up. "No ma'am," she said resolutely.
The Navy JAG Commander was encouraged by what heard, but she had to quash any idea that Rabb could have done anything to Singer. Her judgment of Coates would come later. "Has he ever grabbed you or otherwise put his hands on you?"
Coates looked even prouder than she did before. "Absolutely not, ma'am," she replied confidently.
Jack though, tried a different tactic. "Petty Officer, ever see a man strike a woman before?"
The Legalman was silent for a moment. She looked at Faith with what looked like pleading eyes 'don't let him make me answer this ma'am'she seemed to be saying.
"Petty Officer?" Jack wanted an answer.
Coates seemed to deflate. Again, it was either very good acting or she really didn't want to say anything that hurt Commander Rabb. Either way, her answers made her more of suspect whether she realized it or not.
"Yes sir. I saw my father strike my mother," Jennifer Coates said wistfully.
"That night at Benzinger's, did you see that kind of anger in Commander Rabb?" It was a good question. Faith knew Jack was trying to hang this on Rabb. She though hoped that it showed that Legalman Coates could have just as easily gone after Loren Singer.
Legalman 2 Coates looked down at her hands. "Yes sir," she said quietly.
Now Faith saw her chance while she was off balance. "Legalman, despite what you just said, you seem to be very supportive of Commander Rabb."
"Yes ma'am," the Legalman looked up and affirmed that position.
"Why is that, Petty Officer?" Jack said chiming in. He wasn't going to be outdone by her.
"Because he saved me from myself and got me to recognize my own self-worth," Jennifer explained earnestly. "I'll always be indebted to him for that. And in spite of what you might have heard or learned about Commander Rabb in this investigation, he would never hurt a pregnant woman."
"What about you, Legalman?" Faith queried.
"What about me, ma'am?" Jennifer shot right back answering her challenge.
The SJA Major saw where she was going with this. "Would you hurt someone, if they were threatening the Commander?"
Jennifer seemed uneasy with the question. "I…I'm not sure I follow you, sir."
Jack rephrased the question for her. "Oh well, that's easy, Petty Officer. If someone was threatening the Commander, would you come to his defense? In other words, would you protect him?"
The question was insidious, but it had to be asked.
"I would come to the Commander's aid, but unless his life was threatened, I wouldn't do anything that would result in harm against that person, sir," Jennifer said looking at both of them.
"How about if his reputation was threatened?" Faith posited.
Jennifer paused for the longest of moments. "That's difficult to say, ma'am," she said finally.
That was enough for her. "Thank you, Legalman, for your honesty and candor. We'll contact you if we have any further questions." While the Commander reshuffled her papers indicating the interview was over, both the Major and the Legalman gave her a stunned look.
Jack finally began reshuffling his papers as well. "Uh, yes, Petty Officer, thank you for your time."
Jennifer Coates stood up and came to attention. "Sir, ma'am," and left the room.
"Are you going to tell me what the hell that was all about?" he said to Faith once he was sure Jennifer Coates was out of earshot.
Faith gave her partner an irritated glance. "The Legalman has strong case of hero worship. Push the right buttons, and I think she could have done this."
"Then why let her go?" There was a twinge of exasperation in his voice.
Faith Coleman fought the urge to roll her eyes. "Because we need more than just an interview with her to determine this. We need to find out more about her former associates and what they were doing that night." That was obvious to the Navy Commander. Why wasn't it obvious to him?
"You really think she could have done it?" he said thinking aloud, looking at the closed door she had just exited.
Faith resisted the urge to grind her teeth. Why was it that men always wanted to give women a free pass when it came to hostile intent? "She feels she owes the Commander. If she thought he was truly threatened or needed help, I don't doubt she would try to do so."
"Well, we still have the rest of the senior attorneys to talk to," Jack said defensively. "How about we finish with them first before we zero in on the Petty Officer?"
"Only if you stop zeroing in on Commander Rabb," she shot back.
She made her point. "Okay, fine, I admit it. I think he looks more guilty than the others-"
"Even Legalman Coates? Or Lieutenant Sims?" she interrupted.
She had him. Even if she was wrong about Sims. But she was right that on the surface both women at this point looked a heckuva lot more guilty than Commander Rabb did. "You got me there-okay, no more hammering at Rabb till we finish the interviews with the other senior attorneys."
She couldn't see him mentally crossing his fingers when he said that.
She felt she had made her point. "Good. Now let's see what Commander Turner has to say."
xxixxx
Loren could see it happening again. Was she was rustling around inside someone's car? In her hands was a file folder. Was it hers? She felt as though it wasn't her car and that she had to be careful…why, she didn't know…then she placed the folder on the passenger's seat…she had to hurry and get out before someone found out…!
Her eyes popped open. Loren took a deep breath. What was in that file? Why didn't she want to be discovered?
In a way, she wished she could remember, but in another way, she was glad she didn't. She didn't like this dream and very few of the others she had had lately.
There was a knock at her door. Loren hastily swiped at her tear streaked face.
"Uh, enter," she called out.
Sergeant James Garrel stuck his head in. "Are you up to receiving company, ma'am?"
Loren's face broke into smile. "Jimmy!" She motioned at him, "Come on in! And please stop calling me ma'am, all right? You make me feel like an old lady." She was really glad to see him – if one thing could take her mind off her troubles, it was his visits.
James Garrel made his way into the room. "Sorry ma'am," he said somewhat sheepishly, "But you are a Lieutenant, and I'm only a Sergeant, I don't want there to be any appearances of impropriety."
Loren blew out a frustrated breath and rolled her eyes, "Fine. Sergeant Garrel, at ease. Please come in and sit down." Her voice was tinged with a mock aire of official-ness
James Garrel threw her a shy grin as he sat down in the chair beside her bed. He knew it was wrong, but he liked that Loren didn't seem to mind spending time with him. It was like they were old friends. Right now he needed that kind relationship. His sister still was in a coma and the doctors had told him that they didn't expect her to pull through. But with all that had happened to Loren, he wasn't about to unload on her about that or what had happened in Afghanistan.
Sergeant Garrel looked at her face for long moment. It was too long for Loren. She felt the heat rising in her cheeks. "What?" she said as she looked shyly away from him.
"You've been crying again, ma'am, haven't you?" he asked in a serious voice.
Loren started to deny it, but she just couldn't lie to the Sergeant for some reason. Maybe it was because he had rescued her from certain death. But another part of her fractured mind told her it was something else, though she wasn't ready to admit that yet. She looked into his gorgeous blue green eyes.
"Yes," she said in small quiet voice.
"You had another one of those dreams, didn't you?" His voice was gentle. He wanted to help.
Loren simply nodded. No words would come to her.
"I'm scared, Jimmy," she finally said honestly, suddenly taking his hand in hers. "I see myself doing awful terrible things to other people. Is this the kind of person I am?"
He sought to comfort her. "They're just dreams, ma'am. They may not mean anything."
But Loren was deeply disturbed by what she saw and him calling her 'ma'am' didn't help. "I've been to these places, Jimmy, and I know, or did know, these people. I feel like I know what happened in those places."
She didn't care whether it was violation of protocol or not. He was the closest thing she had to friend right now. No one had come to visit her. Oh sure, that kind old Admiral, the JAG, had visited and talked with her. But it wasn't the same. She felt like Jimmy Garrel was the only one on her side.
Sergeant Garrel was torn. He knew it was wrong what he was feeling. Maybe it was because she didn't seem to have anyone else. None of her family had appeared, so maybe it just that he was being sympathetic. After all, she was pregnant, nearly six months pregnant, with someone else's child, but no one, not even the father, had shown up to check on her. Yeah, they had given her an assumed name, but by now they would have located them, and they would have contacted her, right?
So was that it? Was it pity? No. That's not what he felt when he saw her. He liked the way her face lit up when he came in to see her. He liked her teasing; it was like talking to a girl he had known in high school. At the time he had been thick enough to think she was just trying to be one of the guys, but later he found out [after she married] how big of crush she had on him. He had been shocked by her admission.
Now though, every time he got into a friendship with a member of the opposite sex, he wondered, was he sending signals when he didn't mean to? Or was it all in his head? He didn't want to pity her, but he didn't want her to think he was trying to do anything that could be problematic. He just wanted to be there for her as a friend.
"I haven't known you that long, ma'am, but I can't believe you did these things you think you did."
Loren sat up in bed upon hearing what he said. "Really?"
James nodded, "Yes ma'am. You couldn't have done whatever is being shown to you in those dreams." It made him feel good to see her believe him. He wanted that, for her, of course.
1309 Local_1809 Zulu
Commander Sturgis Turner's Office
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church, Virginia
Faith Coleman and Jack McBurney sat across from Sturgis Turner in his closed office. He had just come back from Norfolk in investigating an Empty Quiver situation. He really hadn't expected to talk to Major McBurney and Commander Coleman right after he got back but with all the was going on right now, he wasn't too surprised to hear they wanted to interview him.
"Commander, you and Lieutenant Singer don't always see eye-to-eye, do you?" Jack began.
"The Lieutenant has her way of doing things, I have mine, Major," Sturgis said evenly. "Differences in approach to different courtroom situations are not uncommon."
Jack shot a sidelong glance at Faith. He hated prompting her. She, though, maintained her silence, so he started to continue the questioning. But before he could get his next question out, Faith spoke up.
"But you in particular didn't agree with her methods on the Corporal Mars case, is that true?"
The son of Chaplain Turner sighed heavily. She had apparently hit the mark. "The Lieutenant did something that I myself wouldn't do. It does not mean that what she did was wrong, but it was something I didn't approve of."
"You personally, or would a board of inquiry find this to be troublesome as well?" Jack wanted to ask him what Lieutenant Singer did that he found so reprehensible, but Commander Turner had made it clear when they began this interview that unless it helped figure out who assaulted her, he would not talk about her courtroom conduct.
"Me personally. Consider my family background, Major," Sturgis replied. Jack McBurney nodded his understanding.
Faith, though, didn't see that asking questions about her behavior as something that couldn't be done. After all, it was this behavior that might have led to the near fatal assault on her.
"Commander with all due respect," Faith Coleman said earnestly, "in light what happened to her, maybe you should tell us what happened between you and the Lieutenant. You know, of course, we would keep in strictest confidence anything you told us."
Sturgis Turner studied the Faith for a moment before answering. "The Lieutenant represented herself to the court and to the defendant as being of Jewish descent."
'And she's not?' The SJA Major wanted to ask, but the Commander seemed sufficiently intrigued by this story that he was going to let her continue for the moment.
"And at the conclusion of the case?" Faith knew from Commander's Turner's foreshadowing what the answer was, but she wanted to hear it from him so she could gauge his answer against a possible motive.
Sturgis Turner gave her exactly what she wanted. "And at the conclusion of the case she admitted to me that she wasn't – that it was a tactic she used to try and win."
"And you didn't like that, did you, Commander?" Jack could now see where she was going with this…maybe the righteous got a little too incensed with Loren Singer's tactics.
"I told her I would request that we never be partnered again," Sturgis said simply.
"But because she was assigned to the Seahawk, that became a moot point." Faith noted as she made a notation on her notepad, and then looked back at him.
Again Sturgis studied her for a moment before answering. It was as if they were sizing each other up.
"It did," he finally said.
Jack was curious about the interplay between these two, but right now he was more interested in seeing if he could see any cracks in his blasé façade. "Why did her tactic bother you so?"
Sturgis spread his hands in supplication. "Commander, Major, we're all lawyers, and we'll use subterfuge if we need to, to smoke out a guilty party, but what the Lieutenant did was do this without letting anyone know the truth."
"Anyone, meaning in particular, you, her partner, right, Commander?"
"Maybe I'm a bit straight-laced, Major, but what she did didn't sit well with me," Sturgis rumbled.
"Enough that your needling of her about it might have led to a bigger argument that resulted in you throwing her off that bridge in Potomac Park?" If she hadn't been an investigator, one would have described her question as offensive.
Sturgis Turner obviously felt that way about her questioning as well. He stood. "My 'needling' as you call it, Commander, was an attempt to get her to recognize what she did was wrong," the former submarine officer explained. "When she didn't, I let it go. Ask Lieutenant Roberts. It is not in my nature to fight with fellow officers. Argue yes, but that is as far as I take it."
Faith Coleman exchanged a knowing glance with Jack McBurney. Another suspect scratched off the list.
"Well, thank you for your time, Commander, we'll let you get back to work," Faith said as she and the SJA Major stood to leave.
-TBC…