Chapter 6/? Tattletale
"You know where the Admiral lives?" I asked on the way to the car.
"Yeah," he answered. "Mac had her engagement party there." He glanced at me to check my reaction.
My jaw dropped, and I was lucky Harm had already opened the door for me. I felt I was about to collapse from the shock. "When did this happen?"
"Awhile back." Harm stepped in his door, and put on his seatbelt. I numbly did the same.
"Is she married?"
Once Harm had turned the ignition, he turned towards me.
"Mac would have married Brumby except that on the eve of their wedding, I crashed the plane I had been flying to get back in the Atlantic. There was a storm, and Mac postponed the wedding. After they found me, she told Brumby that she couldn't go through with it. She still won't tell me why she said no."
"I'm sensing a lot of backstory here, so why don't we just get going?"
About midway to the Admiral's house, I noticed Harm was more than a little tense.
"Harm, she'll be fine. You don't have to worry about her. She can take care of herself, she's a marine, remember?"
"Yeah, but still."
"Calm down. I'm afraid you're going to get us into an accident."
"Calmed." He turned into a driveway, and we pulled up to the house.
"The Admiral has a nice house," I commented on our way to the front door.
"He does. Shannon, if you really want to know about the meaning behind the names, ask someone else. Or wait. I can't talk about them now." He reached out and knocked on the front door.
"Colonel! Commander!" exclaimed the Admiral. "What brings you out here? And at this time?"
"Sir, we're afraid Sarah has been kidnapped," I said without preliminaries.
A wide range of emotions passed over the Admiral's face before he composed himself. "It's AJ when we're off duty, and what makes you believe this?"
"We got a call from Sarah, and then another voice picked up that told us if we wanted to see her again to do what he demanded of us. But before he came on she gave us a message."
"Well? Out with it!" he snapped. I flashed back to memories of my very unpleasant childhood. "Oh, that was thoughtless of me,."
"Shannon," I supplied. "And it's okay, sir-I mean AJ. The message is 'tell Jr. Flyboy that ninja's in Bugme territory and she needs two star seals to come and help.' Right?"
"Yeah," answered Harm, who still appeared to be in a state of shock.
"Tell Harm that I'm in Australia and I need the Admirals help," mused AJ. "Who do you think it is, Harm?"
"Only one name that I recall from down under, mate." Harm put on a fake, and atrocious, Australian accent.
"Brumby," they announced.
"Does he really have a motive, though?" I asked. "Sure Sarah may have broke things off with him, but does he have a motive to do this?"
"I broke some of his ribs for him while we were down there," offered Harm.
"And I've pulled rank and other Admiral privileges against him while he was here."
"Okay, Brumby didn't like either of you. Why take Sarah?" I was still confused.
"Well." they started. The Admiral allowed Harm to continue, saying "You lived it, you should tell it."
"I'll do anything for Mac. Brumby knows that. Same with the Admiral. Take Mac away, and well.You see where I'm going with this."
"Yes. Sir, do you think Harm and I could go and get-no, wait, that wouldn't work. I couldn't put that burden on Maria, and leave Erin. Couldn't Harm go and find Sarah?"
"I don't see why not, but why can't you go too?"
Comprehension dawned on Harm's face. It was like someone turned on a lightbulb. "You don't want to leave Erin any longer than you have to, do you?" he asked. "And you don't want to have to make Maria take care of her any longer than need be."
"Yes, and if I left Erin any longer, she would become a very little girl in regard to her attitude."
"Why couldn't you take her with you?" asked AJ. "She could stay with someone here as well, if you don't want to take her along."
"I think that I should take her to meet her aunt, sir. If you give us some time, we should be able to make flight arrangements."
"Nonsense. I'll have a military jet fly the two of you over. No, Harm, no tomcats this time. I doubt Shannon would like to punch out like you and Mac did."
"Aye, sir."
"Be ready by 0900 tomorrow. I'll swing by to get you."
"We will, sir."
"You know where the Admiral lives?" I asked on the way to the car.
"Yeah," he answered. "Mac had her engagement party there." He glanced at me to check my reaction.
My jaw dropped, and I was lucky Harm had already opened the door for me. I felt I was about to collapse from the shock. "When did this happen?"
"Awhile back." Harm stepped in his door, and put on his seatbelt. I numbly did the same.
"Is she married?"
Once Harm had turned the ignition, he turned towards me.
"Mac would have married Brumby except that on the eve of their wedding, I crashed the plane I had been flying to get back in the Atlantic. There was a storm, and Mac postponed the wedding. After they found me, she told Brumby that she couldn't go through with it. She still won't tell me why she said no."
"I'm sensing a lot of backstory here, so why don't we just get going?"
About midway to the Admiral's house, I noticed Harm was more than a little tense.
"Harm, she'll be fine. You don't have to worry about her. She can take care of herself, she's a marine, remember?"
"Yeah, but still."
"Calm down. I'm afraid you're going to get us into an accident."
"Calmed." He turned into a driveway, and we pulled up to the house.
"The Admiral has a nice house," I commented on our way to the front door.
"He does. Shannon, if you really want to know about the meaning behind the names, ask someone else. Or wait. I can't talk about them now." He reached out and knocked on the front door.
"Colonel! Commander!" exclaimed the Admiral. "What brings you out here? And at this time?"
"Sir, we're afraid Sarah has been kidnapped," I said without preliminaries.
A wide range of emotions passed over the Admiral's face before he composed himself. "It's AJ when we're off duty, and what makes you believe this?"
"We got a call from Sarah, and then another voice picked up that told us if we wanted to see her again to do what he demanded of us. But before he came on she gave us a message."
"Well? Out with it!" he snapped. I flashed back to memories of my very unpleasant childhood. "Oh, that was thoughtless of me,."
"Shannon," I supplied. "And it's okay, sir-I mean AJ. The message is 'tell Jr. Flyboy that ninja's in Bugme territory and she needs two star seals to come and help.' Right?"
"Yeah," answered Harm, who still appeared to be in a state of shock.
"Tell Harm that I'm in Australia and I need the Admirals help," mused AJ. "Who do you think it is, Harm?"
"Only one name that I recall from down under, mate." Harm put on a fake, and atrocious, Australian accent.
"Brumby," they announced.
"Does he really have a motive, though?" I asked. "Sure Sarah may have broke things off with him, but does he have a motive to do this?"
"I broke some of his ribs for him while we were down there," offered Harm.
"And I've pulled rank and other Admiral privileges against him while he was here."
"Okay, Brumby didn't like either of you. Why take Sarah?" I was still confused.
"Well." they started. The Admiral allowed Harm to continue, saying "You lived it, you should tell it."
"I'll do anything for Mac. Brumby knows that. Same with the Admiral. Take Mac away, and well.You see where I'm going with this."
"Yes. Sir, do you think Harm and I could go and get-no, wait, that wouldn't work. I couldn't put that burden on Maria, and leave Erin. Couldn't Harm go and find Sarah?"
"I don't see why not, but why can't you go too?"
Comprehension dawned on Harm's face. It was like someone turned on a lightbulb. "You don't want to leave Erin any longer than you have to, do you?" he asked. "And you don't want to have to make Maria take care of her any longer than need be."
"Yes, and if I left Erin any longer, she would become a very little girl in regard to her attitude."
"Why couldn't you take her with you?" asked AJ. "She could stay with someone here as well, if you don't want to take her along."
"I think that I should take her to meet her aunt, sir. If you give us some time, we should be able to make flight arrangements."
"Nonsense. I'll have a military jet fly the two of you over. No, Harm, no tomcats this time. I doubt Shannon would like to punch out like you and Mac did."
"Aye, sir."
"Be ready by 0900 tomorrow. I'll swing by to get you."
"We will, sir."