Part Four
The Admiral was not very happy, I was not very happy, and though it was hard to tell by looking at him, Clayton Webb was probably not very happy either.
I had been bending Webb's ear all morning, pleading my case and he'd finally, reluctantly agreed to help me. At the Admiral's command to enter, I marched into his office with Webb in tow.
"Sir," I announced, "Mr. Webb has something he would like to ask you."
The Admiral looked at Clayton Webb, then at me, and then back at Clayton again.
"Well, what is it?" he barked. A.J. Chegwidden had not been in a good mood since my return from Paraguay. He wouldn't say as much to me, but he had seemed shocked, and then angry, and maybe even hurt when Harm had made no attempt to return to JAG. I had never been told the complete story about why he wouldn't allow Harm to go after me, and I felt certain that there was more to the story. But if he felt guilty about it at all, I was not above using it to my advantage.
"Well, Admiral-I want to borrow Mac again." Webb winced when AJ rounded on him and got within an inch of his face.
"You're feeling brave for a man just out of the hospital." A lesser man would have run right out the door.
Clayton stood fast and glanced at me. I gave him a pointed look and he took a deep breath and said. "Believe it or not there are worse things than facing your wrath, Admiral."
"Why do I get the feeling that this is not your idea, Webb?" The Admiral was still glaring at him. Turning to me he added, "And why do I get the feeling that this has something to do with Rabb?"
When neither of us responded he turned his back to us and then said quietly, "The answer is no."
"But, sir-"
He turned back around so quickly I jumped. "Are you going to quit on me now too? Let me help you fill out the paper work, Colonel. This is not a recruiting office for the CIA, damn it."
"I can't leave him behind, sir." I stood at attention and stared straight ahead.
"Webb, would you excuse us for just a minute." The Admiral moved into my line of vision and his eyes locked onto mine. I heard the door close as Clayton left the room.
"So, this is about Rabb."
"Yes, sir."
He sighed and said, "Have a seat, Mac."
I sat down and he leaned against the front of his desk. "It was his choice to move on."
"Was it? I think the CIA used his loyalty to me so that he would do their dirty work, and I think he is still being used."
"And you think I am partly responsible?" He walked around his desk and sat down heavily.
"What I think, Admiral, is that you knew Harm would go after me, and you also knew that his best chance of finding me was with the help of the CIA. Certain agreements had to be reached for that to happen."
"Those certain agreements did not include him joining the CIA permanently."
"All I know is that he is in this situation because of me. He is going undercover as a follow up to leads he found in Paraguay, and I need to be there to back him up."
"And he's okay with your involvement?"
"He doesn't know yet, sir. In fact, after I convince you, I still have to convince Catherine Gale that this is a good idea."
He studied me before remarking, "Nothing would have stopped him from going after you. You know that don't you?"
"He's stubborn that way."
"And nothing is going to stop you either, is it Mac?"
"No, sir."
He brooded for a few more minutes, and then stood up and said decisively, "Permission granted, Colonel. And I am going to make a few phone calls to remind some people that at JAG we take care of our own. I don't think you will get much of an argument from Ms. Gale by the time I'm finished."
"Thank you, sir." I was flooded with relief. Knowing the Admiral was on my side only added to my determination.
"Oh, and Mac, when you talk to Harm, tell him that when this case is over I expect him to come see me."
"Yes sir." His words made me want to jump for joy, but that would have to wait until later.
I nearly skipped out the door, and grabbed Clayton who was perched on the edge of Tiner's desk and pulled him toward my office.
"I take it from your giddy demeanor that he okayed this crazy idea." Webb said as he lounged against the doorframe.
"You only think it's crazy because it wasn't your idea."
"So what now? I don't have much influence with this case, Mac. Catherine already has a plan in place and there's no guarantee that she will agree to let you help."
"I'm on my way to talk to her now. You don't have to come with me, but do you have any advice on how to approach her?" I gathered my briefcase and cover and headed back out the door.
"Are you kidding? This is one meeting I wouldn't miss for the world." Webb chuckled and followed me out of the bullpen.
***
"Come in, Colonel McKenzie. I've been expecting you." Catherine Gale rose from behind her desk. "Clayton," she acknowledged him and invited us both to sit down.
"So if you were expecting me then I guess you know why I'm here?" I was impressed. The Admiral worked fast.
"Even without the phone calls from upstairs I am not really surprised to see you. When you were undercover with Clay, Harm was ready to do just about anything to find out where you were, so I guess I realized then that the two of you were a packaged deal."
"So does that mean you're going to make this easy?"
"Oh, it will be easy enough for me. I can always use an extra pair of eyes and ears on an operation like this, but I don't know how easy it will be for you."
"What do you mean?"
"How much do you know, Colonel?"
"Just that Harm is going undercover and that it involves a lawyer in Maryland."
"We have reason to believe that this lawyer is somehow involved in financing terrorist activities. Harm will be going undercover as a family law attorney. He has just moved into the same legal building where our target has an office."
"Ok. Send me in as his receptionist-or as a paralegal. That should be easier than pretending to be a diamond expert." I smirked at Webb who hadn't said a word since we sat down.
"I can do that. That makes sense with your legal background. There's just one problem." She looked at me sympathetically.
"What's that?"
"The lawyer-Frankie Mitchell-is a woman. Harm's job is to seduce her. Do you think you can handle that?"
To be continued.
The Admiral was not very happy, I was not very happy, and though it was hard to tell by looking at him, Clayton Webb was probably not very happy either.
I had been bending Webb's ear all morning, pleading my case and he'd finally, reluctantly agreed to help me. At the Admiral's command to enter, I marched into his office with Webb in tow.
"Sir," I announced, "Mr. Webb has something he would like to ask you."
The Admiral looked at Clayton Webb, then at me, and then back at Clayton again.
"Well, what is it?" he barked. A.J. Chegwidden had not been in a good mood since my return from Paraguay. He wouldn't say as much to me, but he had seemed shocked, and then angry, and maybe even hurt when Harm had made no attempt to return to JAG. I had never been told the complete story about why he wouldn't allow Harm to go after me, and I felt certain that there was more to the story. But if he felt guilty about it at all, I was not above using it to my advantage.
"Well, Admiral-I want to borrow Mac again." Webb winced when AJ rounded on him and got within an inch of his face.
"You're feeling brave for a man just out of the hospital." A lesser man would have run right out the door.
Clayton stood fast and glanced at me. I gave him a pointed look and he took a deep breath and said. "Believe it or not there are worse things than facing your wrath, Admiral."
"Why do I get the feeling that this is not your idea, Webb?" The Admiral was still glaring at him. Turning to me he added, "And why do I get the feeling that this has something to do with Rabb?"
When neither of us responded he turned his back to us and then said quietly, "The answer is no."
"But, sir-"
He turned back around so quickly I jumped. "Are you going to quit on me now too? Let me help you fill out the paper work, Colonel. This is not a recruiting office for the CIA, damn it."
"I can't leave him behind, sir." I stood at attention and stared straight ahead.
"Webb, would you excuse us for just a minute." The Admiral moved into my line of vision and his eyes locked onto mine. I heard the door close as Clayton left the room.
"So, this is about Rabb."
"Yes, sir."
He sighed and said, "Have a seat, Mac."
I sat down and he leaned against the front of his desk. "It was his choice to move on."
"Was it? I think the CIA used his loyalty to me so that he would do their dirty work, and I think he is still being used."
"And you think I am partly responsible?" He walked around his desk and sat down heavily.
"What I think, Admiral, is that you knew Harm would go after me, and you also knew that his best chance of finding me was with the help of the CIA. Certain agreements had to be reached for that to happen."
"Those certain agreements did not include him joining the CIA permanently."
"All I know is that he is in this situation because of me. He is going undercover as a follow up to leads he found in Paraguay, and I need to be there to back him up."
"And he's okay with your involvement?"
"He doesn't know yet, sir. In fact, after I convince you, I still have to convince Catherine Gale that this is a good idea."
He studied me before remarking, "Nothing would have stopped him from going after you. You know that don't you?"
"He's stubborn that way."
"And nothing is going to stop you either, is it Mac?"
"No, sir."
He brooded for a few more minutes, and then stood up and said decisively, "Permission granted, Colonel. And I am going to make a few phone calls to remind some people that at JAG we take care of our own. I don't think you will get much of an argument from Ms. Gale by the time I'm finished."
"Thank you, sir." I was flooded with relief. Knowing the Admiral was on my side only added to my determination.
"Oh, and Mac, when you talk to Harm, tell him that when this case is over I expect him to come see me."
"Yes sir." His words made me want to jump for joy, but that would have to wait until later.
I nearly skipped out the door, and grabbed Clayton who was perched on the edge of Tiner's desk and pulled him toward my office.
"I take it from your giddy demeanor that he okayed this crazy idea." Webb said as he lounged against the doorframe.
"You only think it's crazy because it wasn't your idea."
"So what now? I don't have much influence with this case, Mac. Catherine already has a plan in place and there's no guarantee that she will agree to let you help."
"I'm on my way to talk to her now. You don't have to come with me, but do you have any advice on how to approach her?" I gathered my briefcase and cover and headed back out the door.
"Are you kidding? This is one meeting I wouldn't miss for the world." Webb chuckled and followed me out of the bullpen.
***
"Come in, Colonel McKenzie. I've been expecting you." Catherine Gale rose from behind her desk. "Clayton," she acknowledged him and invited us both to sit down.
"So if you were expecting me then I guess you know why I'm here?" I was impressed. The Admiral worked fast.
"Even without the phone calls from upstairs I am not really surprised to see you. When you were undercover with Clay, Harm was ready to do just about anything to find out where you were, so I guess I realized then that the two of you were a packaged deal."
"So does that mean you're going to make this easy?"
"Oh, it will be easy enough for me. I can always use an extra pair of eyes and ears on an operation like this, but I don't know how easy it will be for you."
"What do you mean?"
"How much do you know, Colonel?"
"Just that Harm is going undercover and that it involves a lawyer in Maryland."
"We have reason to believe that this lawyer is somehow involved in financing terrorist activities. Harm will be going undercover as a family law attorney. He has just moved into the same legal building where our target has an office."
"Ok. Send me in as his receptionist-or as a paralegal. That should be easier than pretending to be a diamond expert." I smirked at Webb who hadn't said a word since we sat down.
"I can do that. That makes sense with your legal background. There's just one problem." She looked at me sympathetically.
"What's that?"
"The lawyer-Frankie Mitchell-is a woman. Harm's job is to seduce her. Do you think you can handle that?"
To be continued.