Chapter 35 - Rattling Cages

Rachael was pacing around quarters when Lee arrived.

"A bigger cage is still a cage, huh, Red?"

Rachael sighed. "Any hope, Lee? I'm so tired of being confined."

"It's been a long time, I know."

"Guess you would. How the hell can you stand being on a submarine for weeks or months at a time?"

"Months are hard on everyone. Weeks are much more manageable. Seaview has some advantages over Navy subs, however. It has windows to the outside, larger corridors, more spacious cabins. I can't claim it doesn't get to me sometimes. No truthful submariner could."

"How do you handle it?"

"Do my job. Fill in any extra time with activity."

"If Roger hadn't been sent back here with me, I'd have gone completely bonkers."

"Red, you are completely bonkers."

"No, seriously. Roger was the only one allowed to take me off base."

"Or buy you the occasional white pizza?"

Rachael nodded. "Any progress?"

"I think so. Specifics are murky, but we think it was the ex-boyfriend and Mel's cousin Randall working together."

"The gay one?"

"What do you know about him?"

"Not much other than that."

"Was it that obvious, because I didn't know that from a casual meeting with him?"

"Not at first. At the shooting range the day before the wedding, he asked me some questions about handling the Sig. He said he'd never handled a handgun that size. I, uh, tried to show him some technique."

"Why don't you show me exactly what you did?"

"I don't have a gun."

"Use an imaginary one."

Rachael assumed a stance with her arms stretched out as if she held a gun. "Now come behind me and put your arms around mine. Closer." When Lee didn't come in tightly enough to her body, Rachael pushed back into his body. Her intended point of contact couldn't be missed as she rubbed up and down a little.

"Jesus, Red, tell me you didn't!"

"When he didn't react, I went for this move." Rachael swung her free hand behind Lee and cupped his tush. "No reaction to that one either. Gay."

Lee pulled away from Rachael. She turned toward him.

"Maybe he just wasn't interested in you?"

"Certainly not like you appear to be at the moment, sailor!" Rachael eyed Lee's privates, before she moved in to make further advances. Lee offered no protestations.

Lee was dozing with his arms around Rachael when she whispered to him. "I'm gonna' miss you, Curly."

"Huh?" Lee prised his eyes fully open. "What does that mean?"

"This. I'm gonna miss it. Wish we'd done it sooner."

"Where exactly do you think you're going?"

"This is going to end soon, one way or another. You'll go back to your ship."

"Boat. Subs are boats."

"Boat then."

"I do come off it occasionally."

"Of course."

"Where do you expect to be?"

"Elsewhere. Where is out of my hands."

"I'm not following."

"If I'm not cleared, you know." Rachel mimicked shooting herself in the head. "If I am cleared, it's up to Johnson."

"You could walk away. You should."

Rachael shook her head.

"You want to explain your relationship with Johnson to me?"

"It's complicated."

"I can handle complicated."

Rachael shook her head.

"You've slept with him?"

Rachael looked straight ahead. She didn't answer.

"I won't think any less of you if you say yes."

"Why not?"

"I'm well aware of the pressure put on women in the service by their superiors, from the intended to the unintended pressure."

"Johnson's not a bad guy, Lee. You know he lost his whole family in a car crash fifteen years ago. He's just lonely and afraid of being alone, if you can believe that."

"That seems a stretch. How did it start?"

"Panama Canal. We were both pretty toasted. The next morning was more than a little awkward."

"I imagine so. How long ago was that?"

"Five years. It's not a regular thing."

"Just when he wants it, right?"

"He's the one with the stars."

"You could have resigned. Why didn't you?"

"As I said, it wasn't that regular a thing. Besides, I got things out of it."

"Like what? I know you earned your rank."

"Yes, I did. Maybe twice over!"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to demean you."

"He's been my advocate and protector. Hands off, Johnson's watching! It wasn't a bad tradeoff to avoid some of the scum out there."

"Someday it will change, I hope." Lee wrapped his arms around Rachael.

"For women. For Roger. God, I hope."

"He used the threat of exposing Roger to keep you in line, didn't he?"

"Not exactly. I threw myself on that land mine years ago."

"And again recently?"

"Why should Roger go down for being kind to Melanie?"

"No, I don't mean that. You know about the letters Johnson got, don't you?"

Rachael shrugged.

"What does Johnson want from you?"

Rachael shrugged again.

"Tell me. Maybe I can help."

"Lee Crane, Commander Goody Two Shoes. You don't spend enough time in the espionage business anymore. The hats are all shades of grey now. No more black and white. Not me, not Johnson."

"This is black and white, Red." Lee caught his bad phrase and laughed. So did Rachael. "I bet Admiral Johnson can't do this for you." Lee caressed her. "When you're ready to get out, you will let me know?" Lee tried his best to ignore images of Johnson in his head as he began to kiss Rachael.

The next thing Lee knew, Roger was bursting into the bedroom. "Jesus, you two. Did you not hear me pounding on the door? Could you not answer the damn phone? Apparently not! Too busy screwing each others brains out?" Roger crossed his arms over his chest and huffed. Then he cracked up. "Put some damn clothes on and meet me in the living room!"

Embarrassed (Lee was at least, Rachael not so clearly), they complied with Roger's demand.

"Is there any leftover pizza?" Rachael yawned.

"It's your damned freedom, Rach, and you're thinking about pizza?"

"I'm hungry."

"What's up, Roger?"

"Confirmation of Randall Mattingly's involvement. The Land Rover tracks matched. They even pulled out mud and vegetation matching Palomar Mountain's from the tires."

"That's it? Muddy tires are supposed to excite us? I'd prefer pizza."

"How laissez faire we've become, Rach. Has something changed that I should know about?"

Lee shook his head 'no' behind Rachel. Roger took the hint and backed off.

"I already confessed. Absent a better confession, none of this matters."

"Your confession won't hold up. We've got a list of psychiatrists who can testify to your mental state and confusion."

"I won't let it get that far. I'd still be locked up and your career would be wrecked."

"Stop with that already. Not once have I ever asked you to sacrifice yourself for my benefit. If I'm tossed from the Navy, then screw it. I'm a big boy, Rach. I'll manage. What I can't cope with is you committing suicide or going to jail to protect me. Read my lips closely. I will not allow you to martyr yourself. Why don't you start thinking about some of the things you want out of life? I know it hasn't gone like we expected, but you can work around nearly anything. Next to this bozo, you are the most resourceful person I ever met."

"Excuse me? Exactly how is Lee more resourceful than me?"

Roger hesitated a moment. "He can fly this yellow saucer thing."

"The Flying Sub."

"It's the craziest thing you've ever ridden in," Roger smiled.

"No, it isn't, because I never have."

"I can fix that, Red."

"Can you teach me to fly it?"

"Uh, not so much."

"Why not?"

"It's not mine. You'd have to change jobs, train, and um, well, we don't exactly have any women on the Seaview on a regular basis."

"Chauvinist pig."

"Navy regs. I'd change them. For you at the very least."

"Yeah, so I could live at sea with a hundred plus horny sailors trapped in tin can. No, Navy got that one right. Now, can we do something about some lunch?"