Part 16: A Journey of Separate Hearts – Suddenly
AN to part 16: I don't know, if there's a security service in Buckingham Palace and how they work or what they would do in such a case I describe.
And a special thanks to all of you who still stuck with story, even though it took me a while to continue it. You're the best. ;)
February 12th 2003, Wednesday
1200 Zulu (12:00 hrs GMT)
Buckingham Palace
London, UK
Half an hour.
Half an hour searching.
Half an hour of looking in every part, in every corner he could reach.
Half an hour of shouting out her beautiful name, but the only answer he got was silence.
Deep never ending silence – a silence that ripped painful through his heart.
A silence that found its way into his mind, body and soul.
A silence that constricted his throat, so he had the feeling he no longer was able to breath.
And that silence raised another feeling: fear.
They had gotten so close since they started this journey – a closeness he was realizing now he never wanted to lose again.
But now exactly that seemed to happen…it seemed he had lost her.
But by whom? Whom or what had Mac taken away from him?
Without warning, without a sign…
He was afraid he was never going to find her. Mac not being by his side scared him to death. But even worse was the undeniable thought: a fear that something might have happened to her. And that he might not be able to help her, to protect her…
Suddenly a hand touched his shoulder. In shock he jerked it away and turned around at the same time hoping inside that it was Mac finally coming out of her hiding-place because she had realized that he hadn't found her. He wanted to yell at her that her hide-and-seek-game wasn't that funny, but inside he clearly knew that he would simply take her into his arms, hold her tightly and never let go.
"Ma..." he started, but the name never fully left his mouth.
In front of him wasn't the tough, feisty marine colonel he had known for so long. He didn't look into her dark, deep, brown orbs and her beautiful face.
It wasn't Mac standing in front of him.
Only Albert and Pete.
"Hell, Harm, where have you been? Albert got worried when the tour was over and you never rejoined the group. So he called me and told me you were looking for Sarah and never got back. Speaking of Sarah, where's she? What's going on?"
"Mac…Sarah…I…I…" Harm trailed off unable to express the fact of Mac's disappearance because all this would suddenly become real. Then he couldn't pretend anymore that all this was only a bad nightmare from which he would soon wake up.
"What happened to her?" now Albert was asking.
Taking a deep breath to calm himself he told them, "I…I can't find her. Mac's not here – at least, not anymore. I searched in every corner, walked the whole way of the tour back…I shouted…I screamed out her name…but there…there was nothing. She's not here…Mac's gone…and…I don't know what to do…I can't lose…"
"Ok, Harm, calm down. We…"
"Calm down? Me calm down when the woman who's the most precious part of my life and whom I love more than anything in the world isn't here anymore…disappeared suddenly with no sign? Calm down? Are you kidding me…?" Harm's anger mixed with his fears burst out at once. Nothing besides Mac being in his arms again – safe and protected – could calm him down.
"Wow, Harm…I know that. But yelling at us won't bring her back. So you need to swallow down your emotions for some clearly moments so we can figure out what to do. We'll find her! Be sure about it."
Harm knew Pete was right and he needed a cool head to get Mac back from wherever she was.
So he continued in a quieter voice, "You're right, Pete. Sorry for my outburst. But you have to understand that I can't live without this woman – even though I haven't been able to open my mouth to say exactly that to her out loud. I need to find her."
"Yes, you do. So when was the last time you saw her? And where was it?"
"Over half an hour ago in the first big hall with all those paintings of former royals."
"The gallery…right? All right, this is what's going to happen: I'll inform security and they'll look for her again in all the rooms we've been during the tour and more – even the toilets if we need to," Albert told him now. "You wait here with Pete. Does she have a cell phone with her?"
"Yes, I think she took it with her…Oh my god, I hadn't even thought about calling her. Sorry, I haven't been thinking straight…maybe it was just a bad misunderstanding and she only lost contact with the group and didn't know where to go. So she asked someone here and is already waiting outside. Probably worried about where I am…"
"Maybe… Call her now and we'll know," Albert said, honestly hoping what Harm had described was what really had happened.
Harm immediately grabbed his own cell phone and hit the #1 of his speed dial.
Impatiently he waited until he heard the dial tone then a click and then a metallic voice saying:
"The person you're calling is momentarily not available. Please call again later. The person you're …"
He cut off the connection. This metallic unemotional computer voice hadn't ever sounded so annoying and unwelcome.
Two pairs of asking eyes looked at him.
"She didn't answer. In fact, it seems that the cell is out, even her mailbox is off. There's something wrong – very wrong."
"Ok, Harm, we'll find her. I go to security and I'm sure we'll find her within minutes. Just wait outside the visitor's entrance with Pete. I'll meet you both there."
Pete nearly forced Harm to move and they waited where Albert had asked them.
Waiting was the worst thing that could happen to Harm. He hated being so useless and helpless. He needed to do something. He needed to distract himself from thinking. When he had time to think, he could only imagine the worst. It made him crazy.
He started pacing around, the cell phone clutched in his hand.
Pete looked at him sadly knowing that nothing that he might say could ease Harm's strain. But he needed to do or say something that would give this young man some hope or distract him from his worst fears.
"Harm, tell me something about Sarah. She's a marine, right?"
Harm – interrupted in his own thoughts – smiled only a bit, almost invisible, when the image of Lt. Colonel Sarah "Mac" MacKenzie appeared in his mind.
"She's not only a marine. She's a marine Lt. Colonel – tough, honest, brave, passionate, beautiful, smart and the best feisty kick ass jarhead I know. She's as good in courtroom as in combat. Mac has survived incredibly terrible times. But these times couldn't beat her. She fought with all her strength and life and she won. She's the most amazing woman I've ever met. Mac knows me inside and out – better than I know myself and she's my best friend and so much more…"
Speaking about Mac helped to forget all his fears for a time. It helped to tell someone like Pete how he saw Mac. And so he didn't realize that forty-five minutes had already gone by when suddenly his cell phone rang.
Harm looked immediately at the display and froze for just a moment. Pete looked at him surprised.
"It's Mac…" Harm said then quickly answered the call. "Mac, god, where have you been? Your little hide-and-seek scared the hell out of me. And, marine, that wasn't a bit funn…"
Within a second Harm's face changed from relieved and happy to totally shocked and scared. All life seemed to have disappeared from his face. Harm suddenly looked pale and old.
"Where the hell is she?"
Again a pause.
"I swear, if I find out that you touched her, you're a dead man. Don't play the fool with me. If she has one little bruise or scratch, I swear I'll follow you your whole life and beyond until you get what you deserve…you bastard…"
Another pause then Harm's hand withdrew the phone from his ear.
"Harm, what happened? What's with Sarah? Harm…" asked Pete but got no response.
It was then that Albert appeared in front of them.
"Harm, we didn't find h..."
"I know." He interrupted him, his voice toneless and emotionless.
"How can you know…?" wondered Albert.
"She…she called…"
"She called? Then she's fine? That's good to hear!" replied Albert relieved, but neither Harm nor Pete looked that relieved.
Even though Pete didn't know exactly who had called Harm, he was absolutely sure it wasn't Sarah.
"No…no…it was here cell phone, but…it…wasn't Mac. It was a man…or at least it sounded like a man…the voice was altered by a machine or something…Mac…Sarah was kidnapped."
They nearly didn't hear him, his voice was so low.
"What?" "Who did it?" questioned Pete and Albert simultaneously. They couldn't believe it.
"I don't know who the kidnapper is or why she was kidnapped? He ordered me to go back to our hotel and wait for new orders. If I do exactly what he wants and leave the police out of it, nothing will happen to Mac." The last of the sentence was spoken with sarcasm in his voice.
"Harm, I'm sorry…I…don't know what to say." Pete said in shock.
"Please, Pete, drive me to the Kensington Hotel…" Harm knew that was the only thing he could do. Suddenly he felt numb…it seemed that with Mac gone away, all emotions in him didn't exist anymore.
"Sure, Harm, let's go…" Pete was glad that he could finally do something even if it meant, that he could only drive him back to the hotel. At least he could do something.
They started to leave Albert when Harm turned once more to face him.
"Albert, thank you so much for your help. I'm sorry if I caused any trouble…" he trailed off.
"Harm, there's nothing you have to be sorry for. I only feel badly that we couldn't do more…please, keep me informed and I'll pray that you find her soon and safe."
"Thanks again – for everything."
With that, Pete and Harm hurried to Pete's cab.
February 12th 2003, Wednesday
1700 Zulu (17:00 hrs GMT)
Kensington Hotel
Mac's room, number 225
Notting Hill
London, UK
It had taken them over an hour to reach the hotel and Pete had finally left him after Harm had promised him as soon as something happen that he would call him.
Then he had gone straight to his room only to pace around. He couldn't sit still. He needed to feel her, at least smell her.
So he had gone down to the reception desk and the employee had willingly given him Mac's room key, because the woman had recognized him from the morning.
Harm let himself in and inhaled everything in her room. The bed was now made and everything was cleaned up.
No sign of them.
No sign that they, in fact, had spent the night together – cuddled in each other's arms.
But one of Mac's shirts lay on a chair. He took it and sat down on the bed. He placed his cell phone on the nightstand so it was within his reach.
He leaned back and brought the shirt close to his face. He could smell – even feel her.
The scent was all her.
He closed his eyes and inhaled the smell of the shirt…of her. He lost himself in it. And again he saw his Mac in his mind – memories of her from past years passed by: Mac in court, during investigations, during their dinners, at her engagement party, in Russia, in Sidney – tough, soft, happy, sad, teasing, serious….
He didn't know how long he'd been sitting on her bed dreaming, but a sudden annoying ringing tone startled him. He jerked from the bed and grabbed his cell phone.
"Hallo, Commander Rabb…"