"Well, there are only eight or nine people in this office," Lynn said.
"Assuming that the same eight or nine are here every day," Mac said, but then her eyes widened, "And assuming that the code doesn't change."
When the Petty Officer returned, Harm asked. "Does the code to the secure file room stay the same?"
The Petty Officer still looked confused, but more skeptical. He finally said, "It's changed on the first of every month, sir."
"Thank you, Petty Officer, carry on." Harm walked back over to Mac and Lynn, who were waiting where he had left them. "It changes monthly."
"Then we need a duty roster for everyone who has worked in this office since the first," Mac said with sigh and Harm nodded in agreement.
"I'll go get a duty roster from Corporal Carlson and meet you back in the conference room," Lynn offered.
"I'll grab you a cup of coffee," Mac said as they all walked down the steps together.
After they had separated, and the two officers were alone in the conference room, Harm turned to Mac. "I still get a creepy feeling about Miss O'Connor, Mac."
"Why?" Mac asked, "I'm usually the one with 'creepy feelings', and I think she's fine."
"It's more than that. She seemed to know exactly what we were thinking this morning, and how did could she know all that she does?"
Mac shook her head, "I though she explained herself very well."
"And how do you explain that she was in the hallway at just the right time to 'bump' into whoever it was last night?"
"Are you suggesting that she's the leak?"
Harm made a face that said, 'well, yeah'.
"Harm, I trust her," Mac waved him off, "I think you're trying to make something out of nothing."
"It's a woman thing isn't it?" Harm asked a little hurt that Mac wouldn't even consider his theory.
"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that," Mac replied.
"Come on, Mac. There's a weird set of circumstances around her," Harm explained, "She was going to the head alone."
"Like many other women," Mac interjected.
"She didn't come back with you."
"She had to fix her hair," Mac explained.
Harm shook his head and went on, "She and the leak were the only two people in the hall and she claims to have bumped into him, but not seen his face."
"You were wrestling with him and you didn't see his face," Mac defended.
"She said she reviewed the procedures for handling classified materials, but where did she get that information? How was she able to identify the same five people that we did?"
"She probably read it at the Embassy, where her office is. And she's been working here for a long time; it's understandable that she'd know some of the people and procedures. Furthermore, our theory wasn't too developed, and it is plausible that she could have had the same one."
Harm understood that even though he knew Mac's explanations weren't entirely convincing, he also knew that she wasn't going to budge. "I'm just saying that she doesn't feel right," he said.
Just then Lynn returned carrying a sheet of paper. She was immediately aware of the tension in the room. Mac and Harm stood at opposite ends of the table, Mac looking agitated and Harm looking cross and pained.
"Here's the duty roster."
"Thank you, Lynn," Mac said, throwing an icy glance at Harm, "Let's get to it, shall we?"
"Well, the Corporal said that everyone on that list was also working yesterday," Lynn said trying to sound upbeat, but she looked questioningly from Mac to Harm, "Which means, we only have those eight people who work up there to go through."
"Well, let's start going over them," Mac said, "Harm, you and I can start interviewing them this afternoon, and we'll see if we can't nail it down."
Harm nodded coldly.
"We have to be finished by 1700 so we can all get ready for the ball tonight," Lynn reminded them.
Harm's head snapped up and Mac looked at her in disbelief. "I think national security takes precedence over a ball," Harm said, the chill still in his voice.
"I would agree, sir," Lynn said a little taken aback, "Except if you don't go to the ball tonight the press will notice and then you're original mission will be a failure."
Mac had to agree with Lynn, even if she really didn't like the idea. "She's right, Harm. We can't forget our original objective."
Harm finally nodded sourly in submission. "Well, we can at least try to get through as many of these as we can."
Five hours and four extra strength Tylenol later, at 1730, Harm, Mac, and Lynn had completed seven interviews, and had determined that either all of the people they had interviewed were either not involved or they were exceptional liars. None of them had ever noticed Petty Officer Cartwright putting the code into the keypad, and none of them ever filed classified information. They occasionally used the files in their work, but they received the files from Cartwright and gave them back to him.
"I can't believe this," Harm said, "We're no closer than we were at the beginning."
"We even have more suspects," Lynn said glumly, "Admiral Grant, Petty Officer Cartwright, Corporal Carlson, and the only person we didn't interview- Lieutenant Penn."
"Like I said, we're no closer," Harm repeated, his voice more tired and short.
"We need to get going," Mac said, ignoring Harm's attitude, "It's 1732 and we'll be late getting to the ball if we don't get out of here."
Lynn stared at her. "How do you do that?" she asked genuinely surprised.
Mac smiled, and repeated the same words in Farsi she had said to Harm years ago, but she was shocked when Lynn's eyes widened and she replied, "Oh, that's amazing."
"You speak Farsi?" Mac asked disbelieving.
"Yeah. My father was a diplomat in Iran, and I picked up while I was here with him," she explained.
Harm made a sound that was between a grunt and an exasperated sigh, and he skulked out of the room.
Lynn raised her eyebrows and looked uncertainly at Mac. Harm's cold and unfriendly attitude over the last few hours had apparently baffled her. Mac gave her a weak smiled and tried to waive her off assuringly. They collected the papers that lay strewn across the desk, along with the many Styrofoam coffee cups. Lynn put the papers into several manila folders and placed them in her briefcase. Together, they walked out of the conference room and down to the ground floor, where they caught up with Harm. When they stepped outside, it was snowing. Big, heavy white snowflakes drifted down from the sky and seemed to float around them.
"It's beautiful," Mac whispered.
All Harm could do was nod. He knew that he had been a jerk all afternoon, and that Mac was still angry with him. But the snow seemed to clear his mind and cool his temperament. He looked at Mac, the cold air had made her cheeks rosy and her eyes sparkle. She breathtaking.
"See, it doesn't rain here all the time," Lynn remarked lightly, as she saw the look on Harm's face. Mac smiled at her, but Harm's wary look returned.
Fifteen minutes later they were headed up to Harm and Mac's rooms where they would dress for the ball, at which point Harm left Mac and Lynn to change on their own. Mac slipped out of her uniform, but before she slipped into her gown, she threw on a robe and let Lynn style her hair. Lynn pulled it up as she had done the night before, but this time she curled the ends under to create a subtle elegance. Mac looked at herself in the mirror and hardly recognized herself. She had always gelled her hair on formal occasions because it never did what she wanted it to when she needed it to. Mac watched Lynn do her own hair for a moment, but soon disappeared to change into her dress.
"Lynn, are you really an attache?"
Lynn, who had also changed and finished her hair and turned to face Mac. "Of course," she answered, looking bewildered. Mac regretted asking, but she went on.
"How did you get the information about handling classified materials?"
Lynn continued to look unsure, but answered, "There's a binder at the Embassy about how to handle them, I took it from the reference library there and read it. Have I done something wrong?"
"No, no. Not at all," Mac answered quickly, "It's just a little strange that you know so much about it."
"I understand, ma'am," Lynn said, formality creeping back into her voice, "You think that I'm a suspect."
Mac looked crushed. Harm, who had entered to room unnoticed, was standing behind Lynn, looking at Mac. He felt his chest ache, not from his ribs, but from his heart. Mac stood before him dressed in her finery, looking more beautiful that he had ever seen her, accusing a woman she had so faithfully defended only hours before.
"No, Lynn," he said, and both woman turned surprised faces to him, "I suspected that there was more to you than you were telling us. Mac was just going on my suspicions."
Lynn looked confused and a little hurt. "Commander, I have been working with the Admiral and his staff for a long time now, and."
"And it's only natural that you have broad understanding of how things work there," Harm finished, truly believing what he was saying. He trusted Mac's gut. "I don't know how to apologize for suspecting you. If I blame it on the pain meds will you forgive me?"
Lynn glanced at Mac, who smiled at her. "Yes," she said, and the tension that had filled their day finally faded between the three of them.
"I can't blame it on anything," Mac said, "But I can apologize. Forgive?"
"Of course, Mac," Lynn answered and hugged her, "You can blame Harm."
And they all laughed. Lynn went to gather their coats and handbags while Mac stepped forward to straighten Harm's already perfectly positioned ribbons. They didn't say anything to each other because they both knew that whatever had passed between them that afternoon was gone now. All that remained was the newly declared affection between them. Their eyes spoke every word that they didn't need to say.
Lynn watched them from near the door and knew that they had forgotten that she was still there. She smiled, and though she hated to end the moment, she cleared her throat quietly. Harm and Mac jolted out of their dreamlike state and looked sheepishly at her.
Lynn smiled back at them, "As long as it stays here."
Harm smiled, but looked like a teenager who'd just been busted. Mac grinned and nodded.
"We've got to get going if you want to eat before we pick up the Admiral" Lynn said, tying the sash to her off-white formal jacket. Mac put on the faux fur wrap, Harm threw on his coat and cover, and they all walked to the elevator, through the lobby to the little restaurant they had eaten in on their first night. The other diners frequently threw looks their way, but the small, finely dressed group didn't notice. After a quick meal, they crossed the lobby again, wished the doormen a pleasant evening, and stepped outside and into the waiting limousine. They drove first to the officer's quarters to collect the Admiral, and then there were off to the ball.
"Assuming that the same eight or nine are here every day," Mac said, but then her eyes widened, "And assuming that the code doesn't change."
When the Petty Officer returned, Harm asked. "Does the code to the secure file room stay the same?"
The Petty Officer still looked confused, but more skeptical. He finally said, "It's changed on the first of every month, sir."
"Thank you, Petty Officer, carry on." Harm walked back over to Mac and Lynn, who were waiting where he had left them. "It changes monthly."
"Then we need a duty roster for everyone who has worked in this office since the first," Mac said with sigh and Harm nodded in agreement.
"I'll go get a duty roster from Corporal Carlson and meet you back in the conference room," Lynn offered.
"I'll grab you a cup of coffee," Mac said as they all walked down the steps together.
After they had separated, and the two officers were alone in the conference room, Harm turned to Mac. "I still get a creepy feeling about Miss O'Connor, Mac."
"Why?" Mac asked, "I'm usually the one with 'creepy feelings', and I think she's fine."
"It's more than that. She seemed to know exactly what we were thinking this morning, and how did could she know all that she does?"
Mac shook her head, "I though she explained herself very well."
"And how do you explain that she was in the hallway at just the right time to 'bump' into whoever it was last night?"
"Are you suggesting that she's the leak?"
Harm made a face that said, 'well, yeah'.
"Harm, I trust her," Mac waved him off, "I think you're trying to make something out of nothing."
"It's a woman thing isn't it?" Harm asked a little hurt that Mac wouldn't even consider his theory.
"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that," Mac replied.
"Come on, Mac. There's a weird set of circumstances around her," Harm explained, "She was going to the head alone."
"Like many other women," Mac interjected.
"She didn't come back with you."
"She had to fix her hair," Mac explained.
Harm shook his head and went on, "She and the leak were the only two people in the hall and she claims to have bumped into him, but not seen his face."
"You were wrestling with him and you didn't see his face," Mac defended.
"She said she reviewed the procedures for handling classified materials, but where did she get that information? How was she able to identify the same five people that we did?"
"She probably read it at the Embassy, where her office is. And she's been working here for a long time; it's understandable that she'd know some of the people and procedures. Furthermore, our theory wasn't too developed, and it is plausible that she could have had the same one."
Harm understood that even though he knew Mac's explanations weren't entirely convincing, he also knew that she wasn't going to budge. "I'm just saying that she doesn't feel right," he said.
Just then Lynn returned carrying a sheet of paper. She was immediately aware of the tension in the room. Mac and Harm stood at opposite ends of the table, Mac looking agitated and Harm looking cross and pained.
"Here's the duty roster."
"Thank you, Lynn," Mac said, throwing an icy glance at Harm, "Let's get to it, shall we?"
"Well, the Corporal said that everyone on that list was also working yesterday," Lynn said trying to sound upbeat, but she looked questioningly from Mac to Harm, "Which means, we only have those eight people who work up there to go through."
"Well, let's start going over them," Mac said, "Harm, you and I can start interviewing them this afternoon, and we'll see if we can't nail it down."
Harm nodded coldly.
"We have to be finished by 1700 so we can all get ready for the ball tonight," Lynn reminded them.
Harm's head snapped up and Mac looked at her in disbelief. "I think national security takes precedence over a ball," Harm said, the chill still in his voice.
"I would agree, sir," Lynn said a little taken aback, "Except if you don't go to the ball tonight the press will notice and then you're original mission will be a failure."
Mac had to agree with Lynn, even if she really didn't like the idea. "She's right, Harm. We can't forget our original objective."
Harm finally nodded sourly in submission. "Well, we can at least try to get through as many of these as we can."
Five hours and four extra strength Tylenol later, at 1730, Harm, Mac, and Lynn had completed seven interviews, and had determined that either all of the people they had interviewed were either not involved or they were exceptional liars. None of them had ever noticed Petty Officer Cartwright putting the code into the keypad, and none of them ever filed classified information. They occasionally used the files in their work, but they received the files from Cartwright and gave them back to him.
"I can't believe this," Harm said, "We're no closer than we were at the beginning."
"We even have more suspects," Lynn said glumly, "Admiral Grant, Petty Officer Cartwright, Corporal Carlson, and the only person we didn't interview- Lieutenant Penn."
"Like I said, we're no closer," Harm repeated, his voice more tired and short.
"We need to get going," Mac said, ignoring Harm's attitude, "It's 1732 and we'll be late getting to the ball if we don't get out of here."
Lynn stared at her. "How do you do that?" she asked genuinely surprised.
Mac smiled, and repeated the same words in Farsi she had said to Harm years ago, but she was shocked when Lynn's eyes widened and she replied, "Oh, that's amazing."
"You speak Farsi?" Mac asked disbelieving.
"Yeah. My father was a diplomat in Iran, and I picked up while I was here with him," she explained.
Harm made a sound that was between a grunt and an exasperated sigh, and he skulked out of the room.
Lynn raised her eyebrows and looked uncertainly at Mac. Harm's cold and unfriendly attitude over the last few hours had apparently baffled her. Mac gave her a weak smiled and tried to waive her off assuringly. They collected the papers that lay strewn across the desk, along with the many Styrofoam coffee cups. Lynn put the papers into several manila folders and placed them in her briefcase. Together, they walked out of the conference room and down to the ground floor, where they caught up with Harm. When they stepped outside, it was snowing. Big, heavy white snowflakes drifted down from the sky and seemed to float around them.
"It's beautiful," Mac whispered.
All Harm could do was nod. He knew that he had been a jerk all afternoon, and that Mac was still angry with him. But the snow seemed to clear his mind and cool his temperament. He looked at Mac, the cold air had made her cheeks rosy and her eyes sparkle. She breathtaking.
"See, it doesn't rain here all the time," Lynn remarked lightly, as she saw the look on Harm's face. Mac smiled at her, but Harm's wary look returned.
Fifteen minutes later they were headed up to Harm and Mac's rooms where they would dress for the ball, at which point Harm left Mac and Lynn to change on their own. Mac slipped out of her uniform, but before she slipped into her gown, she threw on a robe and let Lynn style her hair. Lynn pulled it up as she had done the night before, but this time she curled the ends under to create a subtle elegance. Mac looked at herself in the mirror and hardly recognized herself. She had always gelled her hair on formal occasions because it never did what she wanted it to when she needed it to. Mac watched Lynn do her own hair for a moment, but soon disappeared to change into her dress.
"Lynn, are you really an attache?"
Lynn, who had also changed and finished her hair and turned to face Mac. "Of course," she answered, looking bewildered. Mac regretted asking, but she went on.
"How did you get the information about handling classified materials?"
Lynn continued to look unsure, but answered, "There's a binder at the Embassy about how to handle them, I took it from the reference library there and read it. Have I done something wrong?"
"No, no. Not at all," Mac answered quickly, "It's just a little strange that you know so much about it."
"I understand, ma'am," Lynn said, formality creeping back into her voice, "You think that I'm a suspect."
Mac looked crushed. Harm, who had entered to room unnoticed, was standing behind Lynn, looking at Mac. He felt his chest ache, not from his ribs, but from his heart. Mac stood before him dressed in her finery, looking more beautiful that he had ever seen her, accusing a woman she had so faithfully defended only hours before.
"No, Lynn," he said, and both woman turned surprised faces to him, "I suspected that there was more to you than you were telling us. Mac was just going on my suspicions."
Lynn looked confused and a little hurt. "Commander, I have been working with the Admiral and his staff for a long time now, and."
"And it's only natural that you have broad understanding of how things work there," Harm finished, truly believing what he was saying. He trusted Mac's gut. "I don't know how to apologize for suspecting you. If I blame it on the pain meds will you forgive me?"
Lynn glanced at Mac, who smiled at her. "Yes," she said, and the tension that had filled their day finally faded between the three of them.
"I can't blame it on anything," Mac said, "But I can apologize. Forgive?"
"Of course, Mac," Lynn answered and hugged her, "You can blame Harm."
And they all laughed. Lynn went to gather their coats and handbags while Mac stepped forward to straighten Harm's already perfectly positioned ribbons. They didn't say anything to each other because they both knew that whatever had passed between them that afternoon was gone now. All that remained was the newly declared affection between them. Their eyes spoke every word that they didn't need to say.
Lynn watched them from near the door and knew that they had forgotten that she was still there. She smiled, and though she hated to end the moment, she cleared her throat quietly. Harm and Mac jolted out of their dreamlike state and looked sheepishly at her.
Lynn smiled back at them, "As long as it stays here."
Harm smiled, but looked like a teenager who'd just been busted. Mac grinned and nodded.
"We've got to get going if you want to eat before we pick up the Admiral" Lynn said, tying the sash to her off-white formal jacket. Mac put on the faux fur wrap, Harm threw on his coat and cover, and they all walked to the elevator, through the lobby to the little restaurant they had eaten in on their first night. The other diners frequently threw looks their way, but the small, finely dressed group didn't notice. After a quick meal, they crossed the lobby again, wished the doormen a pleasant evening, and stepped outside and into the waiting limousine. They drove first to the officer's quarters to collect the Admiral, and then there were off to the ball.