Disclaimer: JAG belongs to DPB, Paramount, CBS et al. This is for fun, no copyright infringement is intended.


- JAG Headquarters, nearly one hour later

Mac rubbed her eyes and sat back in Harm's desk chair. She put her hands down and glared angry at the piles of paper in front of her. With Manetti and some other lawyers investigating cases out of town, Singer sent away to the Seahawk, Bud again in hospital for a three-days check and Harriet on leave during that time ... there was more than enough work for the remaining staff. She didn't dare thinking of her own desk or the files on the chairs, not to mention the files on the floor ... So she really didn't blame Harm for the mess in his office. But she couldn't find that damned Carmichael-file!

"Damn you, Harm. Why did you have to take all with you? I wasted forty-seven minutes for nothing!" she muttered under her breath.

"I'm sorry, Mac. I can't remember leaving the office. I can't remember what I've done afterwards. Lord, I can't even remember the case itself!" murmured Harm quietly. He had watched his partner getting more and more frantic the last hour. But that was the only thing he was able to do: Stand and watch. He couldn't touch anything. He couldn't say anything, at least nothing she was able to hear. He couldn't lean against the wall because he was falling through it (it nearly caused him a heart-attack, just the floor seamed to be as solid as before this nightmare began - his back still hurt like hell). He waved his hands in despair.

"I'm getting insane here!" he yelled suddenly. Mac shivered and looked around but he didn't notice it. "I can't do anything to help you - to help me!"

His phone rang. Mac picked up the receiver.

"Judge Advocate General, Colonel Mackenzie's speaking ... Hello?" The line went dead.

Mac hung up and eyed the phone carefully. She frowned then got up and left the office, Harm directly at her tail. She walked over to Tiner debating with Commander Turner.

"Tiner, were there any ... strange ... phone calls for Commander Rabb today? I mean phone calls you can't link to a case? Or somebody wanted to talk to the Commander but give no name or reason?"

"No, Ma'am." Then he thought again and swallowed. "Uhm, well, Ma'am - maybe yes, Ma'am."

Two - actually three - startled glares aimed at him. The young man blushed.

"Petty Officer Lee mentioned two calls for the Commander. A man wanted to speak to him and hung up when told he's not available." He saw the expression on Mac's face. "Ma'am, I'm sorry. I didn't - I haven't thought straight. I'm very sorry," he repeated.

Harm circled the small group. "You better be! Where is Lee?" he muttered.

Mac took a clearing breath. "It's okay, Tiner, I should have asked earlier. Where is Petty Officer Lee?"

Tiner looked even more crumbled. "She left early today. She's on vacation tomorrow and wanted to catch a plane."

Mac cursed in a low voice. "Did she mention the time of the phone calls?"

"I think, she said something about half past one and four o'clock. The last call came just before she left."

Mac shared a quick glance with Turner. "I need to talk to the Admiral."


- Admiral Chegwidden's office

"Half past one," repeated Chegwidden slowly, thinking over Mac's report. "And your meeting was arranged for three o'clock. I don't like that."

Harm paced the room behind Mac and Turner.

"Oh, I don't like that either. I'm just glad the hospitals and the police haven't found my body yet. On the other hand ... hanging in the air like this isn't very funny."

"Somebody was already searching for the Commander, Sir. Admiral, I want to talk to Petty Officer Carmichael and then visit the bar where the incident happened. I've already arranged that I'm allowed to see him immediately. But first I'm planning to check Commander Rabb's apartment. Maybe he returned there and then something happened."

Chegwidden tapped his fingers and looked between the two lawyers back and forth. Finally he came to a decision.

"Permission granted. But Commander Turner is going with you. And Colonel -" he raised his voice to stop Mac who started to object, "- don't tell me you can handle this on your own because I know that. But as I said earlier: One missing officer is more than enough!"

"Yes, Sir!" Both Officers stood at attention, turned and left, an invisible Navy Pilot in tow.

Harm was relieved. He wouldn't have liked the thought of Mac running into danger. She sure was able to protect herself but to know Turner at her side was somehow comforting. He followed them into the elevator, weakly eying the floor of the cabin. But it was no problem to ride down with them. Actually he was able to sit in the back seat of the car too, but he had to slip through the door to get there. The hairs on his neck stood for the next five miles after this experience.

They rode in silence until they reached Harm's apartment. The two - well, actually three - lawyers climbed up the steps and knocked several times at the door. Dead silence was the only answer. Harm considered briefly walking in but voted against it. Instead, he turned around and froze. The shadow of a human being touched the top of the stairs leading up to the next floor. Somebody was hiding there.

"Mac!" Harm whispered scared. "Sturgis! Look there! Damn it, can't you see that!"

The shadow moved back a few inches without a sound.

"We better go and see Carmichael now," Turner suggested gently. Mac nodded but remained standing.

"Mac, go!" pleaded Harm. "Please, you have to go!"

Mac snapped out of her musing and slowly started down the steps. The shadow came forward again.

"Hurry, Mac, damn you!" Harm panicked. He ran upstairs to face the owner of the shadow. "Don't come near her! Or I will - YOU!"

The two officers left the house and at the sound of the door closing behind them Clayton Webb bent over the rail and made sure he was now alone in the staircase.


To be continued ...