JAG Headquarters
Falls Church, VA
0840 Local
"Admiral?"
"Yes, Tiiner?" Chegwidden punched the intercom button and kept reading the file in front of him. With a little luck, he'd clear his desk and get an early start on his weekend with Meredith.
"Sir, there might be a problem with Judiciary this morning."
Chegwidden stopped reading, "Either there's a problem or there's not. Which is it?"
There was a brief silence and AJ sighed. Definitely a problem. He rested his forehead on his hand and looked at the intercom, "What is it, Tiner?"
"Sir, Admiral Morris called. Col. MacKenzie's due on the bench at 0900 and she's not there."
AJ raised his head and scowled, "What do you mean, 'she's not there'? Where is she?"
"I don't know, Admiral, I can't find her. I've looked everywhere."
What the hell? "Define everywhere, Tiner."
"I checked with security, Gunny Walters says she never logged in this morning. Her answering machine keeps picking up at her apartment and I'm only getting the voice mail on her cellphone."
Chegwidden rubbed his jaw, "Keep trying her phones, Tiner, and keep me posted. I talked with the Colonel last evening. She had to drive in from the Shenandoah Valley, it's possible she's just running late."
"Yes sir... Sir?" Tiner hesitated for a moment, "Should I call the State Highway Patrol?"
AJ started to say no and then stopped. It was probably jumping the gun to start thinking in that direction. Technically, Mac wasn't even late... yet. On the other hand, if she had had problems on the drive back, it would have happened last night. The sooner someone started looking, the better. Damn... He had a thought, "Tiner, check with the motor pool first and see if the Colonel turned in her car. Oh, and get me Admiral Morris." If they were going to have to do some juggling, it would be better not to wait. And if it turned out that the Colonel had merely overslept, he and Morris would have her ass.
Shenandoah Valley Northern Virginia 1235 Local
Axel looked from his niece to the foreign woman he'd been hearing so much about. After a week of listening to the ladies of the town gush over her elegance, it was hard to reconcile that image with this disheveled and decidedly dangerous looking woman wearing men's clothes. She had looked quite ready to shoot him, it was obvious that she was familiar with guns. Avis, on the other hand, looked like she'd been on the losing side of a brawl. Slowly lowering the shotgun, he decided to focus on his niece and ignore the foreigner altogether. "Avis, are you all right?"
Corinna pushed past him before Avis could answer and stopped short, "Merciful heavens!"
Mac tensed while Corinna stared at them both for several long seconds. Her eyes widened in surprise when Corinna whirled back towards Axel and glared at him, "She most obviously is not all right, Axel McNair. I daresay neither of them are." She pointed out of the room, "There's nothing for you to do here, why don't you go help Thomas?" She folded her arms and stared at him until he finally shrugged his shoulders and left. Corinna waited until the door had shut before turning back to the two women. She gestured towards a chair, "Sit down, Sasha, and put that gun away before you accidently shoot someone."
"Corinna! That's not fair," Avis protested, "If it hadn't been for Sa... Sasha, I wouldn't be here."
Corinna's expression softened, "So I've guessed and, believe me, I'm truly grateful. When Thomas ran into town to tell me he'd seen Judson Peavey and Hunter Milroy riding in this direction, I was terrified. I remember what Peavey tried to do two years ago." She glanced over at Mac who still hadn't moved, "Sit down, Sasha. You look like you need to. I'm going to put some water on for tea."
Mac glanced at Avis and then settled carefully in a chair, watching Corinna bustle around the kitchen. Once the fire was going in the stove and the kettle was on, Corinna retrieved the basin and put more water in it. Setting it on the table along with several towels, she headed to Avis' sewing basket and retrieved a pair of scissors. Dragging a chair around, she sat next to a startled Mac and gestured briskly at her, "Let me see that arm."
Avis stared at Mac, "You were hurt? I didn't... I'm so sorry, I should have seen... "
"It's barely a scratch and you have not been in any condition to notice. Please don't apologize. Ow!" Mac turned and glared at Corinna, "Sukin syn! Are you trying to pull it off at the shoulder?"
"If that's what it takes to get you to pay attention, young lady," Corinna said as she began cutting away the sleeve. She pulled away the material to reveal a shallow gouge that went diagonally across Mac's upper arm. It started low by her triceps and finished up by the shoulder.
Mac tried to get a better look at it, only to be shooed away. She gave Corinna an indignant stare, "It's my arm."
"And look what you did to it." Corinna was unperturbed, "You were blocking my light." She dipped a towel in the water, wrung it out and started wiping away the dried blood. "It looks like it's stopped bleeding." She continued to dab at it, making Mac grit her teeth. It might not be anything more than a scratch but it was still sore. Corinna continued to concentrate on the wound and then asked quietly, "So it was you, Sasha, who killed Hunter and Peavey?"
"Yes," Mac ground out and then breathed a sigh of relief when Corinna finally released her arm, "The third man is tied up in the tackroom."
Corinna's eyebrows rose, "There was a third?" She was quiet for a moment and Mac tensed. Finally, Corinna asked, "Are all Russian ladies so capable with a gun?"
Mac glanced over at Avis and then shook her head, "No, my uncle taught me to shoot. He's in the military."
"I see," Corinna paused, eyeing Avis, and then looked at the two of them, "I think you both better tell me the whole story, if you can. No one will say anything about Peavey, but Hunter has family and friends here. I would just as soon head off any trouble before it gets started."
Mac leaned back with a sigh and rubbed her eyes. Suddenly she was feeling very tired. In the back of her mind, she knew there'd be repercussions... there were always repercussions. Dropping her hand, she took a quick look at Avis. The young woman had her eyes fixed on the tabletop. Mac looked back at Corinna and took a deep breath, "I was in the tackroom... "
Ten minutes later, Mac listened as Avis told her side of the story. When she got to the part about Stafford going into the house to search for 'the foreign lady', Corinna interrupted her, "His name was Stafford? Timothy Stafford?"
Avis shook her head slowly and carefully. She was beginning to develop a massive headache, "I don't know, they only called him Stafford. Do you know him?"
The anger that suffused Corinna's face was surprising. "If it's Timothy Stafford, he's a cousin of Eudora Dickerson. He came to work for Eudora's husband with their freighting company about a year ago. She brags on him constantly."
"You don't think she had anything to do with this, do you?" Avis looked shocked.
"No, but I wouldn't put it past her to start trouble with Milroy's family as soon as this gets out," Corinna stated flatly.
"But why? What would she gain? It doesn't make sense," Avis rubbed her forehead and grimaced.
"Causing trouble with the Milroys would take attention away from Stafford, assuming this is her cousin," Mac glanced at Corinna for confirmation.
The older woman shook her head, "She's more devious than that. I'll lay odds that Stafford's story will somehow manage to blame you, Sasha. Probably some idiotic tale about Avis' foreign guest going berserk and ambushing them with a gun."
Mac stared at Corinna in disbelief, "That's the most ridiculous... Why would anyone believe a story like that?"
Corinna gave her a grim look, "Folks would rather blame a stranger than one of their own. Besides, who'd believe one unarmed woman would successfully defend herself against three men and ultimately kill two of them?" Silence followed that remark for several long minutes. Finally, Corinna stood up, "Well, I'll make sure Axel and Thomas know the truth and then we'll just have to wait and see. We may be worrying over nothing." She moved over to Avis, "You, young lady, are going to lay down. I believe I'll stay on for a spell. I'll have Thomas come fetch me this evening."
Mac got up also and moved to assist Corinna, "I'll sit with her, Corinna. She shouldn't be left alone."
Corinna raised an eyebrow, "You will not. You're going to lie down as well. I'll keep an eye on both of you."
JAG Headquarters Falls Church, VA 1330 Local
"That will be all, dismissed." Chegwidden raised his eyebrows and sighed when everyone continued to watch him expectantly. He had called for a staff meeting to redistribute the workload. By now, word of the Colonel's disappearance was all over the office. Her government car had never been turned in, her 'vette was still at the motor pool. The State Patrol had reported numerous accidents. There'd been a ferocious storm in the Blue Ridge Mountains last night. Power was out in a wide area, phone lines were down, clean-up and repairs were ongoing. Fortunately, or unfortunately - depending on how you looked at it, none of the reported accidents had involved government vehicles or military personnel. It was a relief to know Mac hadn't been in a crash; on the other hand, she seemed to have vanished. Jen Coates had gone to her apartment and gotten the landlord to open it up. There was no sign that the Colonel had been home the night before.
"Admiral?" Sturgis, apparently, had been elected spokesperson, "Have you heard anything else about Colonel MacKenzie?"
AJ shook his head, "Nothing as yet. The State Patrol is still searching."
"Do they even know where to look, sir?" Bud asked, his frustration was evident, "Her last known location was Palos. There must be a dozen routes Colonel MacKenzie could have taken to get through the mountains."
Chegwidden fixed him with a glare, "If you've got a better idea, Mr. Roberts, I'm willing to listen."
Sturgis jumped back in, "Sir? Has anyone considered the possibility of... well, foul play? The Colonel has been involved in a number of high-profile cases."
"It's a little early to be heading in that direction, Commander," AJ stood up and the staff came to their feet as well. "It's time to get to work. I'll keep you apprised of any new information." He turned around and left the room. As he passed through the outer office, he looked over at Tiner, "Get Clayton Webb on the phone, Tiner."
"Yes sir!" Jason found himself talking to the door of the Admiral's office. Shaking his head, he picked up the phone.
AJ walked to one of the windows. Folding his arms, he stared outside. What the hell had happened to Mac? Heaven help him, right now, he was even willing to hear she'd been in an accident if it meant finding her. Even though he'd dismissed Sturgis' concern in front of the staff, it didn't mean it hadn't occurred to him; that it wasn't scaring the hell out of him. Goddammit! They'd had at least six months of normal JAG business. Well... as normal as life could be considering his top officers' penchant for trouble, as well as the world being the way it was. Surely that was long enough to preclude some nut wanting to settle a score with the Colonel.
Hopefully, Webb would be able to confirm or discount anything deliberate. AJ frowned, he had also better be able to prove he wasn't somehow involved. Mac wouldn't just disappear on one of Webb's ops without notifying him - unless no one had given her a chance. Turning back to his desk, Chegwidden sat down heavily. The next crisis would manifest itself in approximately 44 hours if Mac didn't turn up. Rabb would be back from his assignment.
Shenandoah Valley Northern Virginia 1335 Local
Josiah dismissed his staff and then motioned Fitzgerald in, "Did Mr. Turner have any problems, Tommy?"
"No sir," Fitzgerald hesitated a moment, "Sir, I ran him past the quartermaster and gave him a couple of sacks of coffee, salt and sugar. I figured it was the least we could do."
Rabb eyed him for a moment and then shook his head with a wry grin, "Thank you, Sergeant. I was remiss in my hospitality."
"It was quite a shock, sir," Fitzgerald offered carefully. The Colonel had been unpredictably volatile on the subject of Sarah MacKenzie. "If I may, sir, did she say she was coming back?"
"No, she did not. ...I imagine it's probably difficult to arrange transportation," Josiah sighed, he couldn't very well tell Fitzgerald that Sarah wouldn't be back because she was trying to return to the 21st century.
"Are you going to try to bring her back, sir?" Fitzgerald was even more tentative. He knew Josiah had strong feelings, but he wasn't quite as sure about Mac. Oh, he was pretty sure she was somewhat in love but whatever it was that was bothering Sarah had also kept her from committing herself completely to the Colonel. Tommy was beginning to suspect that Josiah knew what the problem was and had decided to overcome it by direct assault.
Rabb stared at him for a long moment and Tommy tried not to fidget. He had no doubts that Josiah would willingly scuttle his career and risk his life to retrieve Sarah. Probably the only thing holding him back was the danger to her; that would be something he would not risk.
"No, not yet, Tommy," Josiah gestured towards his desk, "Orders have come through, we're on our way to Winchester. After that, we'll see where we stand." Reports had confirmed that the Rebel army was concentrating in that area and Sheridan was finally becoming more aggressive. Word through the grapevine was that Grant had come up and given Little Phil a proverbial kick in the pants. It was probably too much to hope for that they could hand Early a resounding defeat and take control of the Valley. It would make getting to Sarah much easier - and safer - for both of them. He looked over at Fitzgerald, "Start getting things ready, Sergeant, we'll be moving before dawn."
After Tommy left, Josiah sat down at his desk again and pulled out Sarah's letter. He hadn't really had time to digest everything. Five minutes after he had pushed Fitzgerald and Turner out of his tent, a courier had come in with orders for Winchester. That had necessitated gathering his staff to organize the issuing of orders for rations and ammunition, coordinating baggage wagons and making sure his brigade would be in the right place at the right time for the order of march. Now, perhaps, he could steal some time for himself and try to decide on a course of action. He re-read the letter again. Sarah barely touched on the events of the kidnapping and skipped any mention of injuries. Instead, she had concentrated on the good fortune that had placed her with Deacon Turner and Avis Payne. Apparently, this Miss Payne was rather special. She'd figured out, almost from the beginning, that Sarah was not from this time. Incredibly, not only did this not throw her, the woman had come up with a plan to get Sarah back to her century. Josiah decided he didn't much like Avis Payne. Sarah had closed the letter telling him how special he was to her, that she would miss him and that if he did anything foolish and got himself killed, she'd kick his six. He re-read that part again and smiled. Just from the context, he could guess what a 'six' was. He leaned back in his chair, thinking. What she'd written was a farewell. Obviously, she didn't believe there was any way for him to reach her before this Miss Avis' plan went into effect. Well, he would prove her wrong.
Leave was probably out of the question, not with the campaign finally heating up. He ran a hand through his hair in frustration, there weren't a lot of options open to him. First, though, he needed to get through the coming battle. Josiah didn't think Early could win - he was badly outnumbered and he simply wasn't of the caliber of a Lee or Jackson. However, he was canny enough not to let his entire command be annihilated or captured. If Sheridan stayed aggressive, Josiah was hoping to take advantage. He would try to attach himself to one of the cavalry commands on the premise of getting a first-hand look at terrain he would eventually be fighting over. It was unorthodox and unusual and he intended to call in as many favors and twist whatever arms he needed to, in order to make it work. The cavalry units were ranging up and down the Valley, keeping the Rebs busy. He would find the command that was heading towards Harrisonburg and go along. From there, it wouldn't be far from Keezletown. It wasn't the best plan he'd ever come up with but he'd just have to try. If all else failed, he would simply resign.
"Admiral?"
"Yes, Tiiner?" Chegwidden punched the intercom button and kept reading the file in front of him. With a little luck, he'd clear his desk and get an early start on his weekend with Meredith.
"Sir, there might be a problem with Judiciary this morning."
Chegwidden stopped reading, "Either there's a problem or there's not. Which is it?"
There was a brief silence and AJ sighed. Definitely a problem. He rested his forehead on his hand and looked at the intercom, "What is it, Tiner?"
"Sir, Admiral Morris called. Col. MacKenzie's due on the bench at 0900 and she's not there."
AJ raised his head and scowled, "What do you mean, 'she's not there'? Where is she?"
"I don't know, Admiral, I can't find her. I've looked everywhere."
What the hell? "Define everywhere, Tiner."
"I checked with security, Gunny Walters says she never logged in this morning. Her answering machine keeps picking up at her apartment and I'm only getting the voice mail on her cellphone."
Chegwidden rubbed his jaw, "Keep trying her phones, Tiner, and keep me posted. I talked with the Colonel last evening. She had to drive in from the Shenandoah Valley, it's possible she's just running late."
"Yes sir... Sir?" Tiner hesitated for a moment, "Should I call the State Highway Patrol?"
AJ started to say no and then stopped. It was probably jumping the gun to start thinking in that direction. Technically, Mac wasn't even late... yet. On the other hand, if she had had problems on the drive back, it would have happened last night. The sooner someone started looking, the better. Damn... He had a thought, "Tiner, check with the motor pool first and see if the Colonel turned in her car. Oh, and get me Admiral Morris." If they were going to have to do some juggling, it would be better not to wait. And if it turned out that the Colonel had merely overslept, he and Morris would have her ass.
Shenandoah Valley Northern Virginia 1235 Local
Axel looked from his niece to the foreign woman he'd been hearing so much about. After a week of listening to the ladies of the town gush over her elegance, it was hard to reconcile that image with this disheveled and decidedly dangerous looking woman wearing men's clothes. She had looked quite ready to shoot him, it was obvious that she was familiar with guns. Avis, on the other hand, looked like she'd been on the losing side of a brawl. Slowly lowering the shotgun, he decided to focus on his niece and ignore the foreigner altogether. "Avis, are you all right?"
Corinna pushed past him before Avis could answer and stopped short, "Merciful heavens!"
Mac tensed while Corinna stared at them both for several long seconds. Her eyes widened in surprise when Corinna whirled back towards Axel and glared at him, "She most obviously is not all right, Axel McNair. I daresay neither of them are." She pointed out of the room, "There's nothing for you to do here, why don't you go help Thomas?" She folded her arms and stared at him until he finally shrugged his shoulders and left. Corinna waited until the door had shut before turning back to the two women. She gestured towards a chair, "Sit down, Sasha, and put that gun away before you accidently shoot someone."
"Corinna! That's not fair," Avis protested, "If it hadn't been for Sa... Sasha, I wouldn't be here."
Corinna's expression softened, "So I've guessed and, believe me, I'm truly grateful. When Thomas ran into town to tell me he'd seen Judson Peavey and Hunter Milroy riding in this direction, I was terrified. I remember what Peavey tried to do two years ago." She glanced over at Mac who still hadn't moved, "Sit down, Sasha. You look like you need to. I'm going to put some water on for tea."
Mac glanced at Avis and then settled carefully in a chair, watching Corinna bustle around the kitchen. Once the fire was going in the stove and the kettle was on, Corinna retrieved the basin and put more water in it. Setting it on the table along with several towels, she headed to Avis' sewing basket and retrieved a pair of scissors. Dragging a chair around, she sat next to a startled Mac and gestured briskly at her, "Let me see that arm."
Avis stared at Mac, "You were hurt? I didn't... I'm so sorry, I should have seen... "
"It's barely a scratch and you have not been in any condition to notice. Please don't apologize. Ow!" Mac turned and glared at Corinna, "Sukin syn! Are you trying to pull it off at the shoulder?"
"If that's what it takes to get you to pay attention, young lady," Corinna said as she began cutting away the sleeve. She pulled away the material to reveal a shallow gouge that went diagonally across Mac's upper arm. It started low by her triceps and finished up by the shoulder.
Mac tried to get a better look at it, only to be shooed away. She gave Corinna an indignant stare, "It's my arm."
"And look what you did to it." Corinna was unperturbed, "You were blocking my light." She dipped a towel in the water, wrung it out and started wiping away the dried blood. "It looks like it's stopped bleeding." She continued to dab at it, making Mac grit her teeth. It might not be anything more than a scratch but it was still sore. Corinna continued to concentrate on the wound and then asked quietly, "So it was you, Sasha, who killed Hunter and Peavey?"
"Yes," Mac ground out and then breathed a sigh of relief when Corinna finally released her arm, "The third man is tied up in the tackroom."
Corinna's eyebrows rose, "There was a third?" She was quiet for a moment and Mac tensed. Finally, Corinna asked, "Are all Russian ladies so capable with a gun?"
Mac glanced over at Avis and then shook her head, "No, my uncle taught me to shoot. He's in the military."
"I see," Corinna paused, eyeing Avis, and then looked at the two of them, "I think you both better tell me the whole story, if you can. No one will say anything about Peavey, but Hunter has family and friends here. I would just as soon head off any trouble before it gets started."
Mac leaned back with a sigh and rubbed her eyes. Suddenly she was feeling very tired. In the back of her mind, she knew there'd be repercussions... there were always repercussions. Dropping her hand, she took a quick look at Avis. The young woman had her eyes fixed on the tabletop. Mac looked back at Corinna and took a deep breath, "I was in the tackroom... "
Ten minutes later, Mac listened as Avis told her side of the story. When she got to the part about Stafford going into the house to search for 'the foreign lady', Corinna interrupted her, "His name was Stafford? Timothy Stafford?"
Avis shook her head slowly and carefully. She was beginning to develop a massive headache, "I don't know, they only called him Stafford. Do you know him?"
The anger that suffused Corinna's face was surprising. "If it's Timothy Stafford, he's a cousin of Eudora Dickerson. He came to work for Eudora's husband with their freighting company about a year ago. She brags on him constantly."
"You don't think she had anything to do with this, do you?" Avis looked shocked.
"No, but I wouldn't put it past her to start trouble with Milroy's family as soon as this gets out," Corinna stated flatly.
"But why? What would she gain? It doesn't make sense," Avis rubbed her forehead and grimaced.
"Causing trouble with the Milroys would take attention away from Stafford, assuming this is her cousin," Mac glanced at Corinna for confirmation.
The older woman shook her head, "She's more devious than that. I'll lay odds that Stafford's story will somehow manage to blame you, Sasha. Probably some idiotic tale about Avis' foreign guest going berserk and ambushing them with a gun."
Mac stared at Corinna in disbelief, "That's the most ridiculous... Why would anyone believe a story like that?"
Corinna gave her a grim look, "Folks would rather blame a stranger than one of their own. Besides, who'd believe one unarmed woman would successfully defend herself against three men and ultimately kill two of them?" Silence followed that remark for several long minutes. Finally, Corinna stood up, "Well, I'll make sure Axel and Thomas know the truth and then we'll just have to wait and see. We may be worrying over nothing." She moved over to Avis, "You, young lady, are going to lay down. I believe I'll stay on for a spell. I'll have Thomas come fetch me this evening."
Mac got up also and moved to assist Corinna, "I'll sit with her, Corinna. She shouldn't be left alone."
Corinna raised an eyebrow, "You will not. You're going to lie down as well. I'll keep an eye on both of you."
JAG Headquarters Falls Church, VA 1330 Local
"That will be all, dismissed." Chegwidden raised his eyebrows and sighed when everyone continued to watch him expectantly. He had called for a staff meeting to redistribute the workload. By now, word of the Colonel's disappearance was all over the office. Her government car had never been turned in, her 'vette was still at the motor pool. The State Patrol had reported numerous accidents. There'd been a ferocious storm in the Blue Ridge Mountains last night. Power was out in a wide area, phone lines were down, clean-up and repairs were ongoing. Fortunately, or unfortunately - depending on how you looked at it, none of the reported accidents had involved government vehicles or military personnel. It was a relief to know Mac hadn't been in a crash; on the other hand, she seemed to have vanished. Jen Coates had gone to her apartment and gotten the landlord to open it up. There was no sign that the Colonel had been home the night before.
"Admiral?" Sturgis, apparently, had been elected spokesperson, "Have you heard anything else about Colonel MacKenzie?"
AJ shook his head, "Nothing as yet. The State Patrol is still searching."
"Do they even know where to look, sir?" Bud asked, his frustration was evident, "Her last known location was Palos. There must be a dozen routes Colonel MacKenzie could have taken to get through the mountains."
Chegwidden fixed him with a glare, "If you've got a better idea, Mr. Roberts, I'm willing to listen."
Sturgis jumped back in, "Sir? Has anyone considered the possibility of... well, foul play? The Colonel has been involved in a number of high-profile cases."
"It's a little early to be heading in that direction, Commander," AJ stood up and the staff came to their feet as well. "It's time to get to work. I'll keep you apprised of any new information." He turned around and left the room. As he passed through the outer office, he looked over at Tiner, "Get Clayton Webb on the phone, Tiner."
"Yes sir!" Jason found himself talking to the door of the Admiral's office. Shaking his head, he picked up the phone.
AJ walked to one of the windows. Folding his arms, he stared outside. What the hell had happened to Mac? Heaven help him, right now, he was even willing to hear she'd been in an accident if it meant finding her. Even though he'd dismissed Sturgis' concern in front of the staff, it didn't mean it hadn't occurred to him; that it wasn't scaring the hell out of him. Goddammit! They'd had at least six months of normal JAG business. Well... as normal as life could be considering his top officers' penchant for trouble, as well as the world being the way it was. Surely that was long enough to preclude some nut wanting to settle a score with the Colonel.
Hopefully, Webb would be able to confirm or discount anything deliberate. AJ frowned, he had also better be able to prove he wasn't somehow involved. Mac wouldn't just disappear on one of Webb's ops without notifying him - unless no one had given her a chance. Turning back to his desk, Chegwidden sat down heavily. The next crisis would manifest itself in approximately 44 hours if Mac didn't turn up. Rabb would be back from his assignment.
Shenandoah Valley Northern Virginia 1335 Local
Josiah dismissed his staff and then motioned Fitzgerald in, "Did Mr. Turner have any problems, Tommy?"
"No sir," Fitzgerald hesitated a moment, "Sir, I ran him past the quartermaster and gave him a couple of sacks of coffee, salt and sugar. I figured it was the least we could do."
Rabb eyed him for a moment and then shook his head with a wry grin, "Thank you, Sergeant. I was remiss in my hospitality."
"It was quite a shock, sir," Fitzgerald offered carefully. The Colonel had been unpredictably volatile on the subject of Sarah MacKenzie. "If I may, sir, did she say she was coming back?"
"No, she did not. ...I imagine it's probably difficult to arrange transportation," Josiah sighed, he couldn't very well tell Fitzgerald that Sarah wouldn't be back because she was trying to return to the 21st century.
"Are you going to try to bring her back, sir?" Fitzgerald was even more tentative. He knew Josiah had strong feelings, but he wasn't quite as sure about Mac. Oh, he was pretty sure she was somewhat in love but whatever it was that was bothering Sarah had also kept her from committing herself completely to the Colonel. Tommy was beginning to suspect that Josiah knew what the problem was and had decided to overcome it by direct assault.
Rabb stared at him for a long moment and Tommy tried not to fidget. He had no doubts that Josiah would willingly scuttle his career and risk his life to retrieve Sarah. Probably the only thing holding him back was the danger to her; that would be something he would not risk.
"No, not yet, Tommy," Josiah gestured towards his desk, "Orders have come through, we're on our way to Winchester. After that, we'll see where we stand." Reports had confirmed that the Rebel army was concentrating in that area and Sheridan was finally becoming more aggressive. Word through the grapevine was that Grant had come up and given Little Phil a proverbial kick in the pants. It was probably too much to hope for that they could hand Early a resounding defeat and take control of the Valley. It would make getting to Sarah much easier - and safer - for both of them. He looked over at Fitzgerald, "Start getting things ready, Sergeant, we'll be moving before dawn."
After Tommy left, Josiah sat down at his desk again and pulled out Sarah's letter. He hadn't really had time to digest everything. Five minutes after he had pushed Fitzgerald and Turner out of his tent, a courier had come in with orders for Winchester. That had necessitated gathering his staff to organize the issuing of orders for rations and ammunition, coordinating baggage wagons and making sure his brigade would be in the right place at the right time for the order of march. Now, perhaps, he could steal some time for himself and try to decide on a course of action. He re-read the letter again. Sarah barely touched on the events of the kidnapping and skipped any mention of injuries. Instead, she had concentrated on the good fortune that had placed her with Deacon Turner and Avis Payne. Apparently, this Miss Payne was rather special. She'd figured out, almost from the beginning, that Sarah was not from this time. Incredibly, not only did this not throw her, the woman had come up with a plan to get Sarah back to her century. Josiah decided he didn't much like Avis Payne. Sarah had closed the letter telling him how special he was to her, that she would miss him and that if he did anything foolish and got himself killed, she'd kick his six. He re-read that part again and smiled. Just from the context, he could guess what a 'six' was. He leaned back in his chair, thinking. What she'd written was a farewell. Obviously, she didn't believe there was any way for him to reach her before this Miss Avis' plan went into effect. Well, he would prove her wrong.
Leave was probably out of the question, not with the campaign finally heating up. He ran a hand through his hair in frustration, there weren't a lot of options open to him. First, though, he needed to get through the coming battle. Josiah didn't think Early could win - he was badly outnumbered and he simply wasn't of the caliber of a Lee or Jackson. However, he was canny enough not to let his entire command be annihilated or captured. If Sheridan stayed aggressive, Josiah was hoping to take advantage. He would try to attach himself to one of the cavalry commands on the premise of getting a first-hand look at terrain he would eventually be fighting over. It was unorthodox and unusual and he intended to call in as many favors and twist whatever arms he needed to, in order to make it work. The cavalry units were ranging up and down the Valley, keeping the Rebs busy. He would find the command that was heading towards Harrisonburg and go along. From there, it wouldn't be far from Keezletown. It wasn't the best plan he'd ever come up with but he'd just have to try. If all else failed, he would simply resign.