Chapter 22
A.J. looked up in surprise as Lieutenant Roberts blew into his office, a sheaf of papers clutched in one hand. The young man's face was suffused with anger, something the Admiral rarely saw.
"What is it, Lieutenant?" A.J. asked as Bud came to attention in front of the desk.
"Ariel's guilty, sir, and Steiner knows it!" The words came out in a rush. Bud thrust the papers at A.J.
A.J. took the pile curiously, for the moment willing to overlook the breach of decorum, and scanned the top document.
"Sir, the one thing we didn't have was a motive for Ariel. Why would he risk felony charges just to get the Antonys out of the running?" Bud gestured broadly as he spoke, his motions as agitated as his voice. He pointed to the stack of papers in A.J.'s hands. "The answer's right there, sir. The Antonys were one of the last two couples on the ship, with only three days left in the cruise. Ariel's contract says he gets a rather sizeable bonus--" Bud's eyebrows arched in sarcastic emphasis, "--if there is one clear winner to the competition. Steiner had to know about it."
"Not necessarily," A.J. countered absently as he read. He found the details of Ariel's bonus and pursed his lips in a silent whistle. "Two million dollars?" He looked up at Bud. "That's quite a motive."
"Yes, sir. At Commander Rabb's request, I've been going through the testimonies from the reservists and Mrs. Antony about the notes they exchanged. It appears there was intent, at least, to engage in… well, whatever… between the three of them, but not until after the cruise ended. Mrs. Antony denies making the invitation that led to the incident, and claims she doesn't remember how she got to the stateroom where it took place. That's the only exchange between herself and the reservists that doesn't check out from both sides."
A.J. leaned back in his chair. "So you think Mr. Ariel simply took advantage of a pre-existing situation to get the Antonys out of the competition and thereby securing a two million dollar bonus for himself?"
"Yes, sir. He probably didn't think Mrs. Antony would bring rape charges, all things considered." Bud paused. "Heck, sir. He might not even have thought it was rape, if he knew about the plans they had."
"If she was drugged, then in wasn't consensual," A.J. reminded him.
Bud gave him an affronted look. "I didn't say I agreed, sir. Just pointing out that it's possible Ariel might not have recognized the crime he was committing."
A.J. sighed and laid the papers on his desk. "Well, the circumstantial evidence against Ariel is pretty compelling, but that's all it is-- circumstantial. We don't have anything but the various parties' word about what happened."
"As it stands now, do you think the reservists would be convicted, sir?" Bud asked.
A.J. shrugged. "It's pretty much a toss up. It would depend on whose story the jury believed." He laced his fingers together on the desk in front of him. "The problem is, whether they're convicted or not, the Navy is going to be damaged. Unless Ariel can be proven beyond any shadow of doubt to have orchestrated the entire incident, and the two reservists therefore exonerated of any malicious intent-- the Navy's reputation will still suffer."
"Do you think Steiner knows the truth, sir?" This time Bud's expression was troubled.
A.J. sighed. "Probably. Whether he was involved in the plot…" He met the lieutenant's gaze. "Does Steiner have a clause like this in his contract, too?"
Bud shook his head, looking disappointed. "No, sir. That was the first thing I checked. He does get a bonus, but it's based on a combination of net proceeds and the show's viewership."
A.J. digested that, finding himself more concerned rather than less. "Keep working on it, lieutenant. Let me know what you find out."
"Yes, sir."
A.J. handed the stack papers representing Tony Ariel's contract with the studio back to Bud. "Very well. Dismissed."
As Bud left, A.J. turned to stare out the window. Maybe it was time to have a talk with Daniel Steiner.
#
Mac sat bolt upright with a cry, her nightmare shattering. One moment she was fending off heavy hands that shoved her backward, pinning her with their weight, and the next she was in her own bed with sunlight streaming cheerfully through the windows. Disoriented, she looked around, trying to regain her bearings. Her gaze fastened almost immediately on Harm, who watched her with deep but wary concern from his own side of the bed.
"Mac?" He prudently didn't try to touch her.
Smart man. Mac had to smile at the wayward thought, the last vestiges of her dream fear slipping away. Taking a deep breath, she nodded.
"I was having a nightmare."
Harm's eyebrows arched eloquently. "Some nightmare." Now he did reach for her and Mac was more than happy to crawl into his arms. She laid her cheek against his chest.
"A man attacked me…" She shook her head. "You know how it is in dreams when you ought to be able to fight or run or scream, but you can't make your body work?"
Harm nodded. "I've had a few of those."
"It was like that. I knew he was going to hurt me, but I have no idea how or why or even who he was." She sighed. "It was strange."
"You think it has anything to do with how upset you were yesterday? About Boothe and Carmen, and… everything?"
Mac's lips twisted in a sour smile. "Delicately put, counselor." She looked up into her husband's face. "You don't have to tiptoe around the subject, Harm. It's hard and it hurts, but it's something I have to deal with."
Harm ran his fingers through her hair, cupping the back of her head. "We have to deal with. You're not alone any more, Mac." His solemn gaze bored into hers.
Mac smiled. "We," she repeated, accepting the admonishment. She sighed. "And on that subject, what are we going to do about Boothe?"
Harm shrugged. "Other than offering Carmen the services of two very good lawyers, I'm not sure what we can do. She has to be willing to stand up to him before the law can help her." He shifted to a more comfortable position. "There's a problem with us getting involved, though."
Only one? Mac didn't voice the thought. The room cameras were on. "I'll admit there's a conflict of interest--"
"A million of them, don't you mean?" Harm grinned at her.
Mac rolled her eyes. Neither of them cared in the least about the prize-- even if they "won", they wouldn't be able to keep it. "I can't just sit by and not at least try to help. No woman deserves to live in that situation."
"I wasn't advocating doing nothing, Mac." Harm's hands were warm against the exposed skin of her back. "We just have to be careful what we say. There are some pretty big ethical pitfalls that could hurt Carmen as well as us. Plus, we don't know for sure that Boothe is guilty."
Mac tensed. "It was in her eyes, Harm."
"Maybe," he conceded. "And maybe she made it up. The longer we stay on this boat, the crazier people seem to get. It's like all of the normal rules of proper societal behavior have been suspended here and people are beginning to test the waters-- if you'll excuse the pun-- to see how far they can go without repercussions."
Mac mulled that for a moment. He had a point, as much as she hated to admit it. Carmen probably had an ulterior motive, though whether it was to further her chances of winning or was a plea for help escaping an abusive relationship, Mac couldn't guess.
Mac sighed. "I'll talk to her. Maybe Boothe was stupid enough to do something on the cruise. Then we'd have proof."
#
"Have a seat, Mr. Steiner." A.J. speared the producer with one of his sharper stares as the other man walked in.
Steiner raised an eyebrow as he settled in one of the chairs fronting A.J.'s broad desk. "Something on your mind, Admiral?"
A.J. folded his hands in front of him. "As a matter of fact, there is. Tell me about the bonus the network will be paying you based on the success of the show."
Ariel's expression never changed, but something wary sprang to life in his eyes. He smiled. "It's a percentage bonus, based on Temptation Cruise II's net proceeds and a fairly complex combination of our Nielson ratings and viewership numbers from the network."
A.J. kept his own expression to one of polite interest, though an ex-SEAL Admiral's polite interest was a little more intense than most people's. "How much did you get for the original Temptation Cruise?"
Steiner didn't look very comfortable in his chair. "That's a matter of public record, Admiral."
A.J. flashed him a hard smile. "Spare me the effort of looking it up."
Steiner sighed. "4.2 million."
"And how much are you likely to make off the current show? In addition to your negotiated hourly rate, that is."
Steiner gave him an ingratiating smile. "I have no idea. The show's only halfway through. I don't have good numbers to use." He spread his hands in a gesture of helplessness.
A.J. silently ground his teeth, careful to keep his expression neutral. "Will it be more than the first Temptation Cruise, do you think? Or less? Surely you know that much."
Steiner uttered another sigh. "Oh, more, most definitely. Those investigators of yours have gone and made my show. Which I resent, by the way. If it works, I want to be able to take credit for it." He shrugged. "Who would've thought adding a Cops element would be so successful? Here we've gone and re-invented reality television, and I can't even claim the idea as my own." He ran a hand through his lanky hair, seeming irritated.
A.J. studied his guest. He suspected he was being carefully stonewalled, and didn't much care for it. "How about Tony Ariel? What will his bonus be like this time around?"
The wary expression came back to Steiner's eyes. "I'm not privy to the details of Tony's contract. It's probably the same as last time, though. Two million."
"And I suppose you're going to tell me you don't know the conditions under which Mr. Ariel receives his bonus."
A.J. saw the sudden flash of recognition on Steiner's face before the other man buried it. "No."
"You realize that if I can prove you did, you might be charged with conspiracy."
"Conspiracy to what? Rape? I absolutely did not have anything to do with encouraging those two men to hurt Jessica Antony. I think it's abhorrent." Steiner glared at him.
A.J. was surprised to hear a small ring of truth in his words. Did the man actually have some moral standards, albeit low ones?
"But you can't deny that having one clear winner to the competition is a good thing for you, in terms of your success with the show."
Steiner gave him a credibly puzzled look. "Of course not. But what does that have to do with anything?"
A.J. kept his disappointment to himself. It was too much to hope for to catch Steiner operating on information he claimed not to possess. Still, it had been worth a try.
"Did you ever encourage Mr. Ariel to make sure there was only one couple left by the end of the cruise?"
Steiner gave him an appraising look. "Ecourage? Of course. That was the stated goal of the production team. Tony and his people were supposed to do their best to see to it that all of the couples were given every possible opportunity to… give in to temptation, let's say. There was no way to be certain there'd only be one couple left by the end of the six weeks, but what would be the point of making a reality show if everyone knew ahead of time how it would end? As the number of couples in the competition dwindled, the heat on each of them obviously increased, so it seemed reasonable to expect we'd be down to one by the end. To be honest, I was a lot more concerned that the competition might end early and leave us unable to fill all our time slots."
"So you never told Ariel to make sure there was a clear winner?"
Steiner met A.J.'s gaze. "No, I did not."
A.J. switched subjects. "What have you been telling him this time around?"
Steiner cocked his head. "About?"
"My officers, in particular. Are you certain their identities are being kept confidential?"
Steiner nodded. "Yes." He leaned back in his chair, resting one elbow on the back. "And given how popular the Rabbs have become, it hasn't been easy. We have to do everything twice-- once with real information for ourselves and the network, and once for Ariel with the Rabbs popularity scrubbed from the data." Steiner's fingers drummed on the hard wood of his chair. "Assuming Ariel is fixing the results, we want to make sure your people become his target, which they won't be if they're the clear favorites."
A.J. studied Steiner as understanding dawned. "You want him to be guilty."
Steiner flashed him a wolfish grin. "Don't you? The Navy's getting great press out of this."
A.J. forced himself to stay calm. "Is he guilty, Mr. Steiner?"
Steiner's expression never wavered. "I guess we'll find out, won't we?"
