Title: 'People vs. Chegwidden' - Part Nine
Author: Daenar
Disclaimer: See Part One
From part eight:
"Now I'll let you have your eye drops and then I'll lie down myself, right here. Claire should be here any minute to get our little one. Kiss Trisha goodnight, will you?" Mac had gotten up and neared the bundle to his face until her cheek touched his lips. "She's a miracle, isn't she, Daddy?"
Overwhelmed by the feel of Trisha's soft skin on his lips, Harm once again winked, trying to convey to Mac all that was going on inside him right now. Thank her, tell her that he loved her, that he loved Trisha, that he was glad to have found a way to her in spite of the chasm that was separating them.
As she softly kissed him goodnight, Mac's glance melted with his, and for the fraction of a second, she could read him. "We've made it this far, Harm. We'll make it through. I promise."
['So do I.']
Part Nine:
Wed, Feb. 24th 1534 ZULU Navy Yard Detention Facility Washington, D.C.
"Admiral, sir, you have visitors."
AJ looked up from 'Twelfth Night' and raised his eyebrows. Fred had just called him from the office an hour ago, not mentioning any intention to come and see him today. And Mac had the habit of telling him beforehand every time she intended to drop by. Who could it be?
The guards took him to the interrogation room. A moment later, AJ was surprised when he heard Mac's voice from the door that stood slightly ajar. "Can we come in, sir?"
"Colonel, now this is a nice surprise for a change. Who's with you? Lt. Prumetti?" AJ turned to see Mac's head between the door and the doorframe. She looked tired, he decided, but something about her made him look twice. She was beaming from within. 'Rabb is a lucky man,' AJ thought, only to mentally slap himself immediately after, as he remembered the commander's condition.
"No, sir." Mac's voice rang with suppressed laughter. "There's someone here who'd like to get to know you." She opened the door and stepped into the room. AJ's mouth dropped open at seeing the huge bundle she was carrying. He immediately sprang to his feet.
"Mac! Why didn't you call me?" Rushing over, he smiled at her and then looked down at JAG's newest addition. "How many layers did you wrap her in, Colonel?" he asked, frowning.
Mac smiled a little guiltily. "Well, sir, first: it's February outside. She was only born yesterday, and normally they wouldn't even let me take her out. But I absolutely had to go home and get back to my files so they grudgingly let me take her with me if I wrapped her up like this. I just thought I might as well step by and say hello."
AJ looked up, searching Mac's face. His eyes narrowed to thin slits when he spoke. "Spill it, Colonel. There's more, right?"
Letting out a sigh, Mac nodded. "You know me too well, sir. But..." she handed the bundle to the admiral and shut the door. "We shouldn't be talking about this while they can hear us. Sir, would you please take away the topmost blanket I wrapped her in?"
AJ, with raised eyebrows, did so. A folder slipped out from underneath and landed on the floor with a clear 'splat'. A deep vertical furrow was showing on AJ's forehead as he just stared at Mac, at a loss.
Mac quickly picked up the folder, placed it on the table and then took her daughter from her CO's arms again. "That..." she motioned to the folder, "Is something that I'll need to explain to you later. First: sir, meet Patricia Jeannine Rabb."
As Mac freed the little girl of the thick overcoat she had been wearing, AJ's heart melted instantly. She looked so much like her mother. "She's beautiful, Mac. Congratulations." Sobering, he then looked up at her. "How do you cope... I mean... with Harm not being able to see her?" Concern was clearly showing on his features.
To his surprise, Mac's face lit up to a somewhat teary smile. "He has, sir," she stated very low.
"What?" AJ's heart leapt. "Did he wake? How is he?"
"Pretty much the same, sir. But - and we have to keep this absolutely confidential - he was never really out of it. It's just that no one noticed."
Chegwidden was at a loss. "Could you please clarify that, Colonel?" he asked slowly.
"Well," Mac tried to explain, "From what I can tell he notices everything that goes on around him. He can see within his visual field. He can hear. He can feel. He understands and he thinks clearly. It's just that he can't move. There was absolutely no way for him to let us know that he was with us all this time..." her voice broke, telling how much she was still hurting for him, imagining what her husband must have gone through.
On impulse, AJ put his arm around her, squeezing her back. "How did you find out?" he finally asked.
Sniffling embarrassedly, Mac let out a slight chuckle. "Please excuse my behavior, sir. I guess it's one last round on the pregnancy roller coaster."
"Nonsense. You're entitled to be confused, to say the least, Colonel." AJ let the old gruffness return to his voice, knowing it helped his Chief of Staff to regain her composure. "So, how did he make himself known?"
"He somehow managed to wink, sir. He can move his left eyelid. And we even established a communication routine. Binary. It takes time, but it works perfectly, as long as I ask the right questions," Mac told him, smiling.
Relief welled up inside the admiral. His big kid was back on track. Had he ever thought he could get rid of Rabb? 'Obviously not...' he silently told himself, chuckling inwardly. "He'll be alright, Mac," AJ told her. "He's made it this far. And he's stubborn."
"I know, sir. And it's not the first time that I'm grateful that he's so thickheaded." She bent down and gently stroked Trisha's cheek. "She won't wake, sir, I'm sorry. I wanted you to see that she's got Harm's eyes."
"Let her sleep. I'll still have the opportunity to see her. Uhm..." AJ wasn't sure how to approach the subject.
Mac just smiled. She had seen this expression once too often on Harm's face whenever little AJ was around. "You want to hold her, sir?"
AJ grinned a little sheepishly. "If I may?"
"Of course." Mac gently placed the tiny baby into AJ's broad arms.
For a minute, the admiral just looked at the girl, smiling. Then, never looking up, he addressed Mac. "So what's in the folder, Colonel?"
"Your salvation, sir."
AJ looked up in surprise. "What day is today?"
"February 24th, sir."
"Remind me to call it my personal lucky day once I get out of here. First this little girl and now..." He frowned, suddenly suspicious. "Why so secretive, Colonel?"
Mac sighed. "Harm found out first. And he instantly managed to convince me that secrecy is the only thing that may insure his or my or even Trisha's personal safety."
"How so?"
Mac took a deep breath and then started to relate the events to her CO. How she had told Harm about the folder she and Fred had been given at Sydney's practice. How Harm had then told her about his own findings on the Cramer case. How she had searched and finally found the evidence in Harm's car. "I photocopied the most important things for you, sir. And I diminished them so they fit in your Shakespeare edition. You, me, Harm and Fred are the only ones who know. Cramer thinks Harm is out for good. So we must keep this quiet until we come up with the decisive piece of evidence that proves the link that we have theoretically established between Minton Greenwood and the North-Star data Branwick obviously received from Cramer. We just thought you might want to have the facts printed out. Four minds might work better than three. And we might be forced to include Bud, too, because we might need his computer expertise. Anyway, my time's almost up. I have to get going. Please, think over the facts, sir. We don't have much time left until the trial. Whatever you come up with might be important."
AJ rose again. "Thanks, Mac," he said quietly. "I hadn't really hoped for something like this."
Meeting her CO's glance openly, Mac nodded. "Honestly, neither did we, sir."
"Tell Harm hello, will you?"
"Sure. He'll be pleased to hear from you, sir. Trisha, say goodbye to Uncle AJ." Mac, with her fingertips, gently wiped a thin strand of dark hair from her daughter's forehead.
"Bye, Cadet Rabb," AJ murmured with a smile. "Hope to see you awake soon."
Wrapping the now empty folder into the blanket again, Mac summoned the guard to open the door. In the doorway she turned, noticing that AJ was putting the sheets under his T-shirt. "Hurry up, please, sir," she whispered. He only winked, smiled and re-closed his coverall.
"Bye, Colonel. Now go home and spend some quality time with your daughter, will you?"
"Aye, sir." Waving a quick goodbye, Mac left the room.
'I wonder if I'll ever see Francesca with a child,' AJ mused as he was being escorted back to his cell.
Wed, Feb 24th 2212 ZULU Bethesda Naval Hospital Washington, D.C.
"Hey, sailor. How are you doing?"
['Rephrase, Mac, rephrase.'] Harm was feeling the slightest bit of exasperation.
"Sorry." Mac had noticed by herself. "Are you feeling okay?"
He winked.
"All pretty much the same, right?" She gave him something between a smile and a frown, waiting for his wink. It didn't come.
"Hey, you alright?" Mac's face showed immediate concern.
He winked, inwardly grinning widely.
"Okay, sailor. Is there something I should know?" Her voice was rather stern.
He winked.
Mac let out a groan. "Where am I supposed to start asking? Okay. Is it about the case?"
His face was perfectly still.
"Good... about your condition?"
He winked.
"Any problems?"
He willed his eye to stay open, making Mac release the breath she had been holding.
"I wish you could just tell me," she sighed, preparing herself for a long and detailed interrogation.
['Look at me, Mac,'] he tried to tell her. Eventually, she did so. Gathering all of his strength and focus, just like he had when he had first winked at her, he simultaneously closed both eyes and opened them again.
"Wow! Harm, that's... that's marvelous! You've been very busy, right?" Mac's brilliant smile immediately made Harm decide that it had been worth the hours he had spent practicing.
Mac got up from the bed, stepped close to him and gently kissed him. "You deserved a reward, squid," she explained, grinning.
['Then prepare for another,'] he thought, ['hopefully...']
Mac had again taken a seat on his bed where he could see her. Smiling, she gently stroked his cheek.
['Okay, Hammer, let's do it.'] Feeling as if he were hauling a huge stone up a hill like Sysiphus, he slowly willed the corners of his mouth to stretch upward. It was only the shadow of a smile, but Mac's heart skipped a beat.
"Oh my God..." She took his hand and brought it to her cheek. "Thanks, Harm," she whispered. "Thanks for never giving up."
['I told you, you'll see Trisha and me play baseball, or basketball, or whatever.'] Harm decided he had never yet been so proud of himself as he felt right now.
Just then the room door clicked open. Harm instantly let his mouth relax and prepared to keep his eyes strictly immobile. A moment later, Fred stepped into the room.
['Hey, junior, nice to see you!']
Fred at once approached the little crib on wheels that Trisha was sleeping in. He had seen her the day before when he, together with Bud, Harriet and Tiner, had come to see Harm and had found Mac and Claire sitting by his side with Trisha.
"Ciao piccia!" he said softly, "Come va? Sei una brava ragazza, vero?" [Ciao, little one! How are you? You're a good girl, right?] "I'm sorry, Mac." He straightened and smiled, finally letting slip formality as they had once been used to back in Venice.
'Must be the influence of a kid on an Italian heart,' Mac thought, grinning.
"I don't know why but Italian just comes to me naturally when I'm talking to children," he apologized.
"That's okay, Fred. Now, did you study the files I sent you?"
"Yeah, I did. And I kept everything confidential. But how on earth did you figure that out?" His frown was impressive.
Chuckling, Mac motioned for him to step close to her. "I couldn't tell you yesterday, with all the others in the room. They mustn't know," she went on, sobering, "Because Harm's life might be in danger if anyone found out. That's why we decided to limit the circle of people who know."
"We?" Fred's face was one huge question-mark.
"Yep," Mac replied happily. "Right, Harm?" She made an obvious show of turning her head into Harm's direction, making Fred immediately follow her glance.
Harm reveled in the expression on Fred's face as he slowly winked his consent.
"Sir!"
['This is just like you, Fred,'] Harm thought with a virtual grin, ['Let something unexpected happen and you'll immediately become formal.']
"He's still Harm to you, Fred," Mac admonished him gently.
"Uhm, yes." Fred still tried to gather his thoughts. "Harm, do you hear me?"
['Loud and clear, boy.'] He winked.
"Wow. Mac," Fred turned to her, suddenly understanding, "Harm found out about the connection, didn't he?"
"Yes, he did. You, me and the admiral are the only ones who know. And I'll tell Bud later on, because I have an idea where to look for further evidence. We'll need him there."
"Just what do you have in mind?" Fred's voice was suddenly wary.
['Yeah, I'd like to hear that myself,'] Harm doubled him, not liking the excited expression on his Marine's face.
"Break into Minton Greenwood." She grinned, preparing for the impact.
Harm's heart monitor instantly made itself known. ['Oh, no, you won't, lady!'] he threatened her, cursing the fact that she could so easily ignore him.
"Mac, are you crazy?" Fred blurted out, only to immediately excuse himself. "I mean... I'm sorry, ma'am... but... well... uhm... permission to speak freely, ma'am?"
Laughing, Mac waved consent.
"That's suicide! And what do you hope to find?"
"Oh, that's quite simple, Fred," she explained. "If you had illegally acquired documents in your possession, wouldn't you hide them in a safe place, like another firm that no one suspects to be connected with the case, where no one would possibly look for them, where they would just be one more folder among others?"
He nodded. Harm, too, was beginning to understand.
"As Baxter and Connelly is situated somewhere down in South Carolina, that leaves Minton Greenwood as the only logical place. There's no other firm in the consortium, and they won't keep the North Star carbon copies or whatever Cramer gave them at Branwick Industries."
"I see your point," Fred acknowledged thoughtfully. Harm just winked, although he was reluctant to let her do it. "What's your plan?" Fred finally asked, defeated.
"We'll have you go on a tourist tour through the firm, spying on the security facilities. Bud will instruct you what to look for. Then we'll go there at night, have Bud somehow take out the surveillance system, sneak in, get the copies and sneak out again."
Fred let out a skeptical laugh. "You make it sound easy!"
"Trust me, it will work. Harm and I even stole a MIG once."
"You did what?" Fred's jaw dropped open. He turned to Harm. "She's kidding, right?"
Harm let his eyes stay open and curled the corners of his mouth instead, making Fred gasp.
The young lieutenant let his stare wander from one to the other and back, eyes open wide. "Madonna mia, mi pentirò di tutto questo..." he murmured. [Madonna mia, I'm going to regret all this...]
['Live and learn, Lieutenant,'] Harm only thought.
To be continued... (Feedback always appreciated!)
From part eight:
"Now I'll let you have your eye drops and then I'll lie down myself, right here. Claire should be here any minute to get our little one. Kiss Trisha goodnight, will you?" Mac had gotten up and neared the bundle to his face until her cheek touched his lips. "She's a miracle, isn't she, Daddy?"
Overwhelmed by the feel of Trisha's soft skin on his lips, Harm once again winked, trying to convey to Mac all that was going on inside him right now. Thank her, tell her that he loved her, that he loved Trisha, that he was glad to have found a way to her in spite of the chasm that was separating them.
As she softly kissed him goodnight, Mac's glance melted with his, and for the fraction of a second, she could read him. "We've made it this far, Harm. We'll make it through. I promise."
['So do I.']
Part Nine:
Wed, Feb. 24th 1534 ZULU Navy Yard Detention Facility Washington, D.C.
"Admiral, sir, you have visitors."
AJ looked up from 'Twelfth Night' and raised his eyebrows. Fred had just called him from the office an hour ago, not mentioning any intention to come and see him today. And Mac had the habit of telling him beforehand every time she intended to drop by. Who could it be?
The guards took him to the interrogation room. A moment later, AJ was surprised when he heard Mac's voice from the door that stood slightly ajar. "Can we come in, sir?"
"Colonel, now this is a nice surprise for a change. Who's with you? Lt. Prumetti?" AJ turned to see Mac's head between the door and the doorframe. She looked tired, he decided, but something about her made him look twice. She was beaming from within. 'Rabb is a lucky man,' AJ thought, only to mentally slap himself immediately after, as he remembered the commander's condition.
"No, sir." Mac's voice rang with suppressed laughter. "There's someone here who'd like to get to know you." She opened the door and stepped into the room. AJ's mouth dropped open at seeing the huge bundle she was carrying. He immediately sprang to his feet.
"Mac! Why didn't you call me?" Rushing over, he smiled at her and then looked down at JAG's newest addition. "How many layers did you wrap her in, Colonel?" he asked, frowning.
Mac smiled a little guiltily. "Well, sir, first: it's February outside. She was only born yesterday, and normally they wouldn't even let me take her out. But I absolutely had to go home and get back to my files so they grudgingly let me take her with me if I wrapped her up like this. I just thought I might as well step by and say hello."
AJ looked up, searching Mac's face. His eyes narrowed to thin slits when he spoke. "Spill it, Colonel. There's more, right?"
Letting out a sigh, Mac nodded. "You know me too well, sir. But..." she handed the bundle to the admiral and shut the door. "We shouldn't be talking about this while they can hear us. Sir, would you please take away the topmost blanket I wrapped her in?"
AJ, with raised eyebrows, did so. A folder slipped out from underneath and landed on the floor with a clear 'splat'. A deep vertical furrow was showing on AJ's forehead as he just stared at Mac, at a loss.
Mac quickly picked up the folder, placed it on the table and then took her daughter from her CO's arms again. "That..." she motioned to the folder, "Is something that I'll need to explain to you later. First: sir, meet Patricia Jeannine Rabb."
As Mac freed the little girl of the thick overcoat she had been wearing, AJ's heart melted instantly. She looked so much like her mother. "She's beautiful, Mac. Congratulations." Sobering, he then looked up at her. "How do you cope... I mean... with Harm not being able to see her?" Concern was clearly showing on his features.
To his surprise, Mac's face lit up to a somewhat teary smile. "He has, sir," she stated very low.
"What?" AJ's heart leapt. "Did he wake? How is he?"
"Pretty much the same, sir. But - and we have to keep this absolutely confidential - he was never really out of it. It's just that no one noticed."
Chegwidden was at a loss. "Could you please clarify that, Colonel?" he asked slowly.
"Well," Mac tried to explain, "From what I can tell he notices everything that goes on around him. He can see within his visual field. He can hear. He can feel. He understands and he thinks clearly. It's just that he can't move. There was absolutely no way for him to let us know that he was with us all this time..." her voice broke, telling how much she was still hurting for him, imagining what her husband must have gone through.
On impulse, AJ put his arm around her, squeezing her back. "How did you find out?" he finally asked.
Sniffling embarrassedly, Mac let out a slight chuckle. "Please excuse my behavior, sir. I guess it's one last round on the pregnancy roller coaster."
"Nonsense. You're entitled to be confused, to say the least, Colonel." AJ let the old gruffness return to his voice, knowing it helped his Chief of Staff to regain her composure. "So, how did he make himself known?"
"He somehow managed to wink, sir. He can move his left eyelid. And we even established a communication routine. Binary. It takes time, but it works perfectly, as long as I ask the right questions," Mac told him, smiling.
Relief welled up inside the admiral. His big kid was back on track. Had he ever thought he could get rid of Rabb? 'Obviously not...' he silently told himself, chuckling inwardly. "He'll be alright, Mac," AJ told her. "He's made it this far. And he's stubborn."
"I know, sir. And it's not the first time that I'm grateful that he's so thickheaded." She bent down and gently stroked Trisha's cheek. "She won't wake, sir, I'm sorry. I wanted you to see that she's got Harm's eyes."
"Let her sleep. I'll still have the opportunity to see her. Uhm..." AJ wasn't sure how to approach the subject.
Mac just smiled. She had seen this expression once too often on Harm's face whenever little AJ was around. "You want to hold her, sir?"
AJ grinned a little sheepishly. "If I may?"
"Of course." Mac gently placed the tiny baby into AJ's broad arms.
For a minute, the admiral just looked at the girl, smiling. Then, never looking up, he addressed Mac. "So what's in the folder, Colonel?"
"Your salvation, sir."
AJ looked up in surprise. "What day is today?"
"February 24th, sir."
"Remind me to call it my personal lucky day once I get out of here. First this little girl and now..." He frowned, suddenly suspicious. "Why so secretive, Colonel?"
Mac sighed. "Harm found out first. And he instantly managed to convince me that secrecy is the only thing that may insure his or my or even Trisha's personal safety."
"How so?"
Mac took a deep breath and then started to relate the events to her CO. How she had told Harm about the folder she and Fred had been given at Sydney's practice. How Harm had then told her about his own findings on the Cramer case. How she had searched and finally found the evidence in Harm's car. "I photocopied the most important things for you, sir. And I diminished them so they fit in your Shakespeare edition. You, me, Harm and Fred are the only ones who know. Cramer thinks Harm is out for good. So we must keep this quiet until we come up with the decisive piece of evidence that proves the link that we have theoretically established between Minton Greenwood and the North-Star data Branwick obviously received from Cramer. We just thought you might want to have the facts printed out. Four minds might work better than three. And we might be forced to include Bud, too, because we might need his computer expertise. Anyway, my time's almost up. I have to get going. Please, think over the facts, sir. We don't have much time left until the trial. Whatever you come up with might be important."
AJ rose again. "Thanks, Mac," he said quietly. "I hadn't really hoped for something like this."
Meeting her CO's glance openly, Mac nodded. "Honestly, neither did we, sir."
"Tell Harm hello, will you?"
"Sure. He'll be pleased to hear from you, sir. Trisha, say goodbye to Uncle AJ." Mac, with her fingertips, gently wiped a thin strand of dark hair from her daughter's forehead.
"Bye, Cadet Rabb," AJ murmured with a smile. "Hope to see you awake soon."
Wrapping the now empty folder into the blanket again, Mac summoned the guard to open the door. In the doorway she turned, noticing that AJ was putting the sheets under his T-shirt. "Hurry up, please, sir," she whispered. He only winked, smiled and re-closed his coverall.
"Bye, Colonel. Now go home and spend some quality time with your daughter, will you?"
"Aye, sir." Waving a quick goodbye, Mac left the room.
'I wonder if I'll ever see Francesca with a child,' AJ mused as he was being escorted back to his cell.
Wed, Feb 24th 2212 ZULU Bethesda Naval Hospital Washington, D.C.
"Hey, sailor. How are you doing?"
['Rephrase, Mac, rephrase.'] Harm was feeling the slightest bit of exasperation.
"Sorry." Mac had noticed by herself. "Are you feeling okay?"
He winked.
"All pretty much the same, right?" She gave him something between a smile and a frown, waiting for his wink. It didn't come.
"Hey, you alright?" Mac's face showed immediate concern.
He winked, inwardly grinning widely.
"Okay, sailor. Is there something I should know?" Her voice was rather stern.
He winked.
Mac let out a groan. "Where am I supposed to start asking? Okay. Is it about the case?"
His face was perfectly still.
"Good... about your condition?"
He winked.
"Any problems?"
He willed his eye to stay open, making Mac release the breath she had been holding.
"I wish you could just tell me," she sighed, preparing herself for a long and detailed interrogation.
['Look at me, Mac,'] he tried to tell her. Eventually, she did so. Gathering all of his strength and focus, just like he had when he had first winked at her, he simultaneously closed both eyes and opened them again.
"Wow! Harm, that's... that's marvelous! You've been very busy, right?" Mac's brilliant smile immediately made Harm decide that it had been worth the hours he had spent practicing.
Mac got up from the bed, stepped close to him and gently kissed him. "You deserved a reward, squid," she explained, grinning.
['Then prepare for another,'] he thought, ['hopefully...']
Mac had again taken a seat on his bed where he could see her. Smiling, she gently stroked his cheek.
['Okay, Hammer, let's do it.'] Feeling as if he were hauling a huge stone up a hill like Sysiphus, he slowly willed the corners of his mouth to stretch upward. It was only the shadow of a smile, but Mac's heart skipped a beat.
"Oh my God..." She took his hand and brought it to her cheek. "Thanks, Harm," she whispered. "Thanks for never giving up."
['I told you, you'll see Trisha and me play baseball, or basketball, or whatever.'] Harm decided he had never yet been so proud of himself as he felt right now.
Just then the room door clicked open. Harm instantly let his mouth relax and prepared to keep his eyes strictly immobile. A moment later, Fred stepped into the room.
['Hey, junior, nice to see you!']
Fred at once approached the little crib on wheels that Trisha was sleeping in. He had seen her the day before when he, together with Bud, Harriet and Tiner, had come to see Harm and had found Mac and Claire sitting by his side with Trisha.
"Ciao piccia!" he said softly, "Come va? Sei una brava ragazza, vero?" [Ciao, little one! How are you? You're a good girl, right?] "I'm sorry, Mac." He straightened and smiled, finally letting slip formality as they had once been used to back in Venice.
'Must be the influence of a kid on an Italian heart,' Mac thought, grinning.
"I don't know why but Italian just comes to me naturally when I'm talking to children," he apologized.
"That's okay, Fred. Now, did you study the files I sent you?"
"Yeah, I did. And I kept everything confidential. But how on earth did you figure that out?" His frown was impressive.
Chuckling, Mac motioned for him to step close to her. "I couldn't tell you yesterday, with all the others in the room. They mustn't know," she went on, sobering, "Because Harm's life might be in danger if anyone found out. That's why we decided to limit the circle of people who know."
"We?" Fred's face was one huge question-mark.
"Yep," Mac replied happily. "Right, Harm?" She made an obvious show of turning her head into Harm's direction, making Fred immediately follow her glance.
Harm reveled in the expression on Fred's face as he slowly winked his consent.
"Sir!"
['This is just like you, Fred,'] Harm thought with a virtual grin, ['Let something unexpected happen and you'll immediately become formal.']
"He's still Harm to you, Fred," Mac admonished him gently.
"Uhm, yes." Fred still tried to gather his thoughts. "Harm, do you hear me?"
['Loud and clear, boy.'] He winked.
"Wow. Mac," Fred turned to her, suddenly understanding, "Harm found out about the connection, didn't he?"
"Yes, he did. You, me and the admiral are the only ones who know. And I'll tell Bud later on, because I have an idea where to look for further evidence. We'll need him there."
"Just what do you have in mind?" Fred's voice was suddenly wary.
['Yeah, I'd like to hear that myself,'] Harm doubled him, not liking the excited expression on his Marine's face.
"Break into Minton Greenwood." She grinned, preparing for the impact.
Harm's heart monitor instantly made itself known. ['Oh, no, you won't, lady!'] he threatened her, cursing the fact that she could so easily ignore him.
"Mac, are you crazy?" Fred blurted out, only to immediately excuse himself. "I mean... I'm sorry, ma'am... but... well... uhm... permission to speak freely, ma'am?"
Laughing, Mac waved consent.
"That's suicide! And what do you hope to find?"
"Oh, that's quite simple, Fred," she explained. "If you had illegally acquired documents in your possession, wouldn't you hide them in a safe place, like another firm that no one suspects to be connected with the case, where no one would possibly look for them, where they would just be one more folder among others?"
He nodded. Harm, too, was beginning to understand.
"As Baxter and Connelly is situated somewhere down in South Carolina, that leaves Minton Greenwood as the only logical place. There's no other firm in the consortium, and they won't keep the North Star carbon copies or whatever Cramer gave them at Branwick Industries."
"I see your point," Fred acknowledged thoughtfully. Harm just winked, although he was reluctant to let her do it. "What's your plan?" Fred finally asked, defeated.
"We'll have you go on a tourist tour through the firm, spying on the security facilities. Bud will instruct you what to look for. Then we'll go there at night, have Bud somehow take out the surveillance system, sneak in, get the copies and sneak out again."
Fred let out a skeptical laugh. "You make it sound easy!"
"Trust me, it will work. Harm and I even stole a MIG once."
"You did what?" Fred's jaw dropped open. He turned to Harm. "She's kidding, right?"
Harm let his eyes stay open and curled the corners of his mouth instead, making Fred gasp.
The young lieutenant let his stare wander from one to the other and back, eyes open wide. "Madonna mia, mi pentirò di tutto questo..." he murmured. [Madonna mia, I'm going to regret all this...]
['Live and learn, Lieutenant,'] Harm only thought.
To be continued... (Feedback always appreciated!)