Part Two
Memphis NAS
Millington, TN
1150 Local
As they entered the base, Tyler looked over at Mac. "Where to, ma'am? I can take you to the VOQ first, if you prefer."
"Why don't you take us to Headquarters, Tyler? We need to make our manners with the post commander. Afterwards you can drop us at the military police CP and I'd appreciate it if you would take our bags to our quarters. Then go get yourself some lunch."
"Yes, ma'am." He paused and then asked, "Colonel? Would you like me to bring you and the Lieutenant something to eat when I come back?"
"Thank you Ensign. I may take you up on that." Mac said as they pulled into a parking space in front of the Headquarters building. Tyler jumped out and hurried around to open doors for the two officers. He watched them stride into the building and leaned back against the fender to wait.
Mac saw the yeoman pop to attention as she approached his desk, "As you were, Petty Officer. Lt. Col. MacKenzie and Lt. Singer to see Admiral Crowley, if he has a moment."
"Yes ma'am." As the petty officer reached for his phone, the door to the Admiral's office opened. All three came to attention as Admiral Crowley and another officer walked into the outer office.
Admiral Crowley stopped and looked at them. "As you were," he said. "You must be the JAG officers from DC."
"Yes sir," Mac replied, "Lt. Col. MacKenzie and Lt. Singer. We were just reporting in."
"I see," the Admiral turned and gestured to the other officer, "This is my chief of staff, Captain Koslov. We were just on our way to lunch. Join us, won't you?"
"Thank you, sir." Mac glanced back at Singer, who gave a minute shrug. It hadn't been a request.
O Club
Memphis NAS
1215 Local
After they were seated, the four officers gave their lunch orders to the waiter. The Admiral and Captain Koslov both ordered bourbon with their meals. Crowley raised his eyebrows when Mac asked for water. "You'd better be careful, Colonel. You'll damage the reputation of the Corps... or was that some sort of backhanded criticism of myself and Captain Koslov for drinking on duty?"
Mac shot him a quick look of surprise and then said carefully, "No sir, all it means is that I don't drink."
"I see," the Admiral said. He sat and looked at her, then continued abruptly. "I understand you're Admiral Chegwidden's chief of staff. I'm surprised AJ could spare you from your duties." He smiled and indicated Captain Koslov, "Eric barely has time to turn around. You two should get together and compare war stories about dealing with irascible old men."
Mac nodded and gave a small, wary smile. Beyond the inference that she was somehow remiss in her duties, there'd been that edge to his voice again. The Admiral definitely had a burr under his saddle about something. She wasn't sure if it was resentment on his part for the invasion of his turf or a problem he had with her personally. Either way, she planned to tread lightly.
Lt. Singer sat back and watched with a certain amount of glee. Finally, someone who was less than impressed with the high and mighty Col. MacKenzie. This could work to her advantage.
The food arrived and they all devoted the next few minutes to eating. Then the Admiral dabbed at his mouth with a napkin and remarked, "I believe I saw you on CourtTV last year, Colonel. You made quite a spectacle of yourself."
Mac froze for a second and then said calmly, "It wasn't by choice, Admiral." She wondered what the hell was going on, this was remarkable behavior for a superior officer.
"Of course, Colonel," he said smoothly. "You certainly manage to find yourself in all sorts of situations, don't you? I understand you were right in the middle of this debacle involving that allegedly illegal covert operation." Ignoring the look on Mac's face, he continued, "It was quite a blow to hear about Charlie Jacobs' death. We went back a long way, he and I were roommates at the Academy. My two boys are... were his godsons. He was fine man and an outstanding officer. It's reprehensible how his name is now being dragged through the mud, don't you think?"
Mac sat perfectly still, not trusting herself to speak. She was still having nightmares because of that bastard. They'd gotten so bad that she had started going to a therapist that Emma Fine had recommended. Only Admiral Chegwidden had been aware of it. She had decided he needed to know in case he felt it necessary to replace his possibly unstable chief of staff... . Finally, Mac carefully folded her napkin and placed it on the table. She stood up and came to attention, "If you'll excuse me, Admiral, that's an ongoing investigation. I'm not at liberty to discuss it."
She turned to leave when the Admiral's icy voice stopped her in her tracks. "I don't recall dismissing you, Colonel." Reluctantly, she turned back and came to attention again. He eyed her for a moment and then said, "You're a loose cannon, Colonel. I don't know how you've managed to survive this long in the military, but I won't stand for it on my base. You will toe the line and to that end, I will be overseeing all facets of your investigation while you're here, is that understood?"
Mac was silent and then said in a tightly controlled voice, "With all due respect sir, the Lieutenant and I answer to the Judge Advocate General. You have no jurisdiction over a JAGman investigation. It will be my privilege to keep you informed of our progress and I hope to have your cooperation, but you do not have the authority to intervene." She paused and looked him in the eye, "Permission to withdraw, sir?"
White-faced with anger, Admiral Crowley gave an abrupt nod.
Mac turned and marched out of the O Club. Singer followed a minute later. She found the Colonel standing at the curb, talking to a chief petty officer. After he had saluted and left, Mac looked at Singer, "Well Lieutenant, this is going to make our job a little more difficult. The MP's post is about a mile from here. Ensign Tyler isn't due back here for another thirty-eight minutes. You can wait or walk." With that, she headed down the street.
Singer watched the Colonel walk away. MacKenzie had to be insane if she thought for one minute Lauren would consider walking a mile anywhere. And that scene with the Admiral... admittedly he was out of line, but to spit in his eye like that was certifiable. Singer's eyebrows rose and a slow smile crept across her face. '... Yes, it must have been the terrible stress of the last few months. It's not surprising that poor Colonel MacKenzie might begin to crack... '
Mac settled into an easy stride. She intended to walk off her anger before she got to the MPs. She'd been here one hour and forty-six minutes and things had already gone to hell. Had Chegwidden known about Crowley's relationship with Jacobs? She thought about it and dismissed the idea. The Admiral wouldn't have done that to her without some sort of heads-up. It would be difficult, but not impossible to work around the irate post commander. Mac didn't truly expect a lot of help from Singer, but some sort of ambush wouldn't be out of the question. She smiled sourly to herself, there was nothing quite as invigorating as being beset by allies as well as enemies.
Military Police
Memphis NAS
1305 Local
Mac walked into the lobby and up to the front desk. The lance corporal came to attention as she approached. "As you were, Corporal," Mac said, "I'm here about the case involving Cmdr. Brighton. Is Capt. Perez available?"
"Let me check, ma'am." The corporal scanned through a paper on his desk. He looked up, "Yes ma'am, would you like me to have him come down?" He reached for the phone as he spoke.
"No thank you, corporal." Mac said. "If you would tell me how to find the captain's office, you can call and let him know I'm on my way up." After listening to his directions, Mac made her way to the elevators. Several minutes later, she stood in the open doorway, "Capt. Perez?"
A short, heavily-muscled young man came to attention and then smiled, "Col. MacKenzie? Please, come in and have a seat." They shook hands and Mac settled down in a chair. The captain picked up a folder and handed it to her. "This is the report about the bust, ma'am. I don't know how familiar you are with the details."
Mac accepted the folder and opened it up. "I've read the case report. How did you find out about Cmdr. Brighton?"
Capt. Perez sighed, "Actually, the FBI contacted us. They had an operation in place that they'd been working on for the last six weeks or so. When they realized they had some military personnel, they brought us in to coordinate the arrests."
"How many others besides Cmdr. Brighton?"
"Four, ma'am. Two petty officers, a staff sergeant and a seaman recruit. Would you like some coffee?"
She shook her head, "No thanks." She read through the report, "Well, Captain, everything seems to be pretty straightforward. You and your people did a good job. I suppose now I need to head for the JAG office, is it far from here?"
Capt. Perez beamed, it was nice to be complimented once in a while. Normally, what they heard while doing their job wasn't printable. "No ma'am, it's not." He hesitated, "Colonel?" Mac looked at him. "I'm sorry ma'am, I just remembered - when Cmdr. Brighton heard that JAGs from Headquarters were coming, he asked if he could speak with you. He's here in the brig."
Mac raised an eyebrow, "Very well. Would you take me to him?"
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church
1335 Local
Admiral Chegwidden glanced at his phone as Tiner's voice came over the speaker, "Admiral? Lt. Singer is on line three. She'd like to speak to you."
"Thank you, Tiner." The Admiral sat for a second, then sighed and picked up the phone, "Chegwidden."
"Admiral, I'm sorry to bother you... " Singer paused.
"What is it Lieutenant?" He really wasn't in the mood for games.
"Sir, have you heard from Col. MacKenzie?"
AJ sat up a little bit, "No Lieutenant. Is there some reason I should have?"
Lauren sighed, "I was hoping she had contacted you. I seem to have lost track of her after she blew up at Admiral Crowley."
"Excuse me Lieutenant?" AJ said incredulously, "Colonel MacKenzie did what?"
"Well... 'blew up' is maybe a little strong," Singer hedged, "Admiral Crowley invited us to lunch with his Chief of Staff, Captain Koslov. We were chatting. I didn't hear everything, when suddenly Col. MacKenzie stood up and pretty much told the Admiral to butt out and that he had no authority over her. Then she left. I tried to smooth things over, sir. I know she's been under a lot of stress these past couple of months. By the time I got outside, she was gone."
"I see," Admiral Chegwidden said slowly. "Thank you for calling Lieutenant. I'll look into it."
Lt. Singer hung up with a satisfied smile. The ball was rolling.
Memphis NAS
Millington, TN
1150 Local
As they entered the base, Tyler looked over at Mac. "Where to, ma'am? I can take you to the VOQ first, if you prefer."
"Why don't you take us to Headquarters, Tyler? We need to make our manners with the post commander. Afterwards you can drop us at the military police CP and I'd appreciate it if you would take our bags to our quarters. Then go get yourself some lunch."
"Yes, ma'am." He paused and then asked, "Colonel? Would you like me to bring you and the Lieutenant something to eat when I come back?"
"Thank you Ensign. I may take you up on that." Mac said as they pulled into a parking space in front of the Headquarters building. Tyler jumped out and hurried around to open doors for the two officers. He watched them stride into the building and leaned back against the fender to wait.
Mac saw the yeoman pop to attention as she approached his desk, "As you were, Petty Officer. Lt. Col. MacKenzie and Lt. Singer to see Admiral Crowley, if he has a moment."
"Yes ma'am." As the petty officer reached for his phone, the door to the Admiral's office opened. All three came to attention as Admiral Crowley and another officer walked into the outer office.
Admiral Crowley stopped and looked at them. "As you were," he said. "You must be the JAG officers from DC."
"Yes sir," Mac replied, "Lt. Col. MacKenzie and Lt. Singer. We were just reporting in."
"I see," the Admiral turned and gestured to the other officer, "This is my chief of staff, Captain Koslov. We were just on our way to lunch. Join us, won't you?"
"Thank you, sir." Mac glanced back at Singer, who gave a minute shrug. It hadn't been a request.
O Club
Memphis NAS
1215 Local
After they were seated, the four officers gave their lunch orders to the waiter. The Admiral and Captain Koslov both ordered bourbon with their meals. Crowley raised his eyebrows when Mac asked for water. "You'd better be careful, Colonel. You'll damage the reputation of the Corps... or was that some sort of backhanded criticism of myself and Captain Koslov for drinking on duty?"
Mac shot him a quick look of surprise and then said carefully, "No sir, all it means is that I don't drink."
"I see," the Admiral said. He sat and looked at her, then continued abruptly. "I understand you're Admiral Chegwidden's chief of staff. I'm surprised AJ could spare you from your duties." He smiled and indicated Captain Koslov, "Eric barely has time to turn around. You two should get together and compare war stories about dealing with irascible old men."
Mac nodded and gave a small, wary smile. Beyond the inference that she was somehow remiss in her duties, there'd been that edge to his voice again. The Admiral definitely had a burr under his saddle about something. She wasn't sure if it was resentment on his part for the invasion of his turf or a problem he had with her personally. Either way, she planned to tread lightly.
Lt. Singer sat back and watched with a certain amount of glee. Finally, someone who was less than impressed with the high and mighty Col. MacKenzie. This could work to her advantage.
The food arrived and they all devoted the next few minutes to eating. Then the Admiral dabbed at his mouth with a napkin and remarked, "I believe I saw you on CourtTV last year, Colonel. You made quite a spectacle of yourself."
Mac froze for a second and then said calmly, "It wasn't by choice, Admiral." She wondered what the hell was going on, this was remarkable behavior for a superior officer.
"Of course, Colonel," he said smoothly. "You certainly manage to find yourself in all sorts of situations, don't you? I understand you were right in the middle of this debacle involving that allegedly illegal covert operation." Ignoring the look on Mac's face, he continued, "It was quite a blow to hear about Charlie Jacobs' death. We went back a long way, he and I were roommates at the Academy. My two boys are... were his godsons. He was fine man and an outstanding officer. It's reprehensible how his name is now being dragged through the mud, don't you think?"
Mac sat perfectly still, not trusting herself to speak. She was still having nightmares because of that bastard. They'd gotten so bad that she had started going to a therapist that Emma Fine had recommended. Only Admiral Chegwidden had been aware of it. She had decided he needed to know in case he felt it necessary to replace his possibly unstable chief of staff... . Finally, Mac carefully folded her napkin and placed it on the table. She stood up and came to attention, "If you'll excuse me, Admiral, that's an ongoing investigation. I'm not at liberty to discuss it."
She turned to leave when the Admiral's icy voice stopped her in her tracks. "I don't recall dismissing you, Colonel." Reluctantly, she turned back and came to attention again. He eyed her for a moment and then said, "You're a loose cannon, Colonel. I don't know how you've managed to survive this long in the military, but I won't stand for it on my base. You will toe the line and to that end, I will be overseeing all facets of your investigation while you're here, is that understood?"
Mac was silent and then said in a tightly controlled voice, "With all due respect sir, the Lieutenant and I answer to the Judge Advocate General. You have no jurisdiction over a JAGman investigation. It will be my privilege to keep you informed of our progress and I hope to have your cooperation, but you do not have the authority to intervene." She paused and looked him in the eye, "Permission to withdraw, sir?"
White-faced with anger, Admiral Crowley gave an abrupt nod.
Mac turned and marched out of the O Club. Singer followed a minute later. She found the Colonel standing at the curb, talking to a chief petty officer. After he had saluted and left, Mac looked at Singer, "Well Lieutenant, this is going to make our job a little more difficult. The MP's post is about a mile from here. Ensign Tyler isn't due back here for another thirty-eight minutes. You can wait or walk." With that, she headed down the street.
Singer watched the Colonel walk away. MacKenzie had to be insane if she thought for one minute Lauren would consider walking a mile anywhere. And that scene with the Admiral... admittedly he was out of line, but to spit in his eye like that was certifiable. Singer's eyebrows rose and a slow smile crept across her face. '... Yes, it must have been the terrible stress of the last few months. It's not surprising that poor Colonel MacKenzie might begin to crack... '
Mac settled into an easy stride. She intended to walk off her anger before she got to the MPs. She'd been here one hour and forty-six minutes and things had already gone to hell. Had Chegwidden known about Crowley's relationship with Jacobs? She thought about it and dismissed the idea. The Admiral wouldn't have done that to her without some sort of heads-up. It would be difficult, but not impossible to work around the irate post commander. Mac didn't truly expect a lot of help from Singer, but some sort of ambush wouldn't be out of the question. She smiled sourly to herself, there was nothing quite as invigorating as being beset by allies as well as enemies.
Military Police
Memphis NAS
1305 Local
Mac walked into the lobby and up to the front desk. The lance corporal came to attention as she approached. "As you were, Corporal," Mac said, "I'm here about the case involving Cmdr. Brighton. Is Capt. Perez available?"
"Let me check, ma'am." The corporal scanned through a paper on his desk. He looked up, "Yes ma'am, would you like me to have him come down?" He reached for the phone as he spoke.
"No thank you, corporal." Mac said. "If you would tell me how to find the captain's office, you can call and let him know I'm on my way up." After listening to his directions, Mac made her way to the elevators. Several minutes later, she stood in the open doorway, "Capt. Perez?"
A short, heavily-muscled young man came to attention and then smiled, "Col. MacKenzie? Please, come in and have a seat." They shook hands and Mac settled down in a chair. The captain picked up a folder and handed it to her. "This is the report about the bust, ma'am. I don't know how familiar you are with the details."
Mac accepted the folder and opened it up. "I've read the case report. How did you find out about Cmdr. Brighton?"
Capt. Perez sighed, "Actually, the FBI contacted us. They had an operation in place that they'd been working on for the last six weeks or so. When they realized they had some military personnel, they brought us in to coordinate the arrests."
"How many others besides Cmdr. Brighton?"
"Four, ma'am. Two petty officers, a staff sergeant and a seaman recruit. Would you like some coffee?"
She shook her head, "No thanks." She read through the report, "Well, Captain, everything seems to be pretty straightforward. You and your people did a good job. I suppose now I need to head for the JAG office, is it far from here?"
Capt. Perez beamed, it was nice to be complimented once in a while. Normally, what they heard while doing their job wasn't printable. "No ma'am, it's not." He hesitated, "Colonel?" Mac looked at him. "I'm sorry ma'am, I just remembered - when Cmdr. Brighton heard that JAGs from Headquarters were coming, he asked if he could speak with you. He's here in the brig."
Mac raised an eyebrow, "Very well. Would you take me to him?"
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church
1335 Local
Admiral Chegwidden glanced at his phone as Tiner's voice came over the speaker, "Admiral? Lt. Singer is on line three. She'd like to speak to you."
"Thank you, Tiner." The Admiral sat for a second, then sighed and picked up the phone, "Chegwidden."
"Admiral, I'm sorry to bother you... " Singer paused.
"What is it Lieutenant?" He really wasn't in the mood for games.
"Sir, have you heard from Col. MacKenzie?"
AJ sat up a little bit, "No Lieutenant. Is there some reason I should have?"
Lauren sighed, "I was hoping she had contacted you. I seem to have lost track of her after she blew up at Admiral Crowley."
"Excuse me Lieutenant?" AJ said incredulously, "Colonel MacKenzie did what?"
"Well... 'blew up' is maybe a little strong," Singer hedged, "Admiral Crowley invited us to lunch with his Chief of Staff, Captain Koslov. We were chatting. I didn't hear everything, when suddenly Col. MacKenzie stood up and pretty much told the Admiral to butt out and that he had no authority over her. Then she left. I tried to smooth things over, sir. I know she's been under a lot of stress these past couple of months. By the time I got outside, she was gone."
"I see," Admiral Chegwidden said slowly. "Thank you for calling Lieutenant. I'll look into it."
Lt. Singer hung up with a satisfied smile. The ball was rolling.
