Part 18: A Journey of Separate Hearts – Two Men to help Them
AN: Just a warning...I used some cursing words in it...
February 13th 2003, Thursday
0000 Zulu (01:00 hrs West EDT)
Right in front of the Hilton Paris Hotel
18 avenue de Suffren
Paris, France
Harm didn't realize that the cab had finally stopped – he had been so deep in thought that the driver's voice woke him from his trance.
"Monsieur, we are here!" he said with a strong French accent. "Can I help you any further?"
"What…oh no, that's fine. Thank you!"
Harm paid the driver and before he could open the door, the porter of the Hilton Paris Hotel did so.
"Bonjour Monsieur!"
"Bonjour…thank you!"
"You are welcome. Is there any luggage the hotel boy should take care of?" asked the older, friendly man, whose hair had turned gray.
"No, thank you."
With that, Harm hurried into the foyer, suddenly remembering that time was precious and that time was running out quickly.
Reaching the reception desk, Harm was greeted by a friendly looking old man, who seemed to have a lot of experiences in the hotel business.
"Hello, my name is Harmon Rabb and I need to get into my room as quickly as possible," requested Harm impatiently.
"Bonjour, Monsieur Rabb. I'm Louis Moreu. Louis for everyone here."
Louis gave him a friendly smile. He would never understand why young people needed to be in such a hurry. But something in the eyes of this Monsieur Rabb told him that there was a very good reason for the impatience of this young, tall, handsome man.
"Oui, oui, monsieur. Let me take a look at the reservation system. Then I can tell you your room number."
After a short pause: "Well, Monsieur Rabb. Your room number is 306. Take the elevator to the third floor."
He handed Harm the room key just as Harm remembered the envelope that should be there for him.
"Oh, Louis, I was informed that there is a letter that should have been left for me by now. Is that right?"
Louis tuned 180 degrees and walked to a shelf on which all the incoming mail was sorted.
He came back just a moment later. "You are right, there is something for you. Here is it." Louis handed the brown envelope to Harm.
"I wish you a wonderful night at our hotel. Take a look out of the window before you go to sleep. Our hotel is next to the Eiffel Tower. You will have a wonderful view! Enjoy your stay in the City of Lights."
"Good night and thank you, Louis." Harm turned on his heels and headed to the elevator, when Louis' voice called after him.
"Monsieur Rabb, just one question, please."
When Harm walked back to him, Louis continued, "Excuse me, Monsieur Rabb, can I ask you when Mademoiselle MacKenzie will arrive?"
Startled and shocked, Harm gazed at the hotel employee. He hadn't expected the question. Again it hit him how obvious Mac's absence was, even though Louis surely didn't know why Mac wasn't here yet. Unsure about what to say, Harm feverishly searched for a believable apology. Then Harm remembered the excuse Pete had used when he had called Martha.
"Well, Louis, she will arrive late this evening or tomorrow morning. I needed to be here earlier than Miss MacKenzie because I want to surprise her. You know, it's Valentine's Day tomorrow."
Louis smiled knowingly and said, "If you need anything or if there's anything I can help with, let me know. I'm sure I can be useful."
"I'll let you know then. Thank you again."
With that Harm quickly walked away. This time he reached the elevator without any further interruption.
The elevator attendant pushed the third floor button and the doors opened a moment later at the third floor.
February 13th 2003, Thursday
0030 Zulu (01:30 hrs West EDT)
Hilton Paris Hotel
Harm's room, number 306
Paris, France
Quickly locating his room, Harm opened his door and looked around. He spotted all the necessary things he would need: telephone, fax and an internet connection. He'd ask Louis for a laptop in the morning.
In the bathroom, he took a quick shower to freshen up. With a towel around his waist and damp hair, he finally sat down on his bed – the envelope next to him.
What would be in it?
He was afraid to open it, but hesitation and insecurity weren't allowed. Harm ripped the envelope open to find a videotape in it.
Surprised, he put it into the VCR. Within seconds the silhouette of a man was visible. It was impossible to see any exact details of the man, because a strong, dazzling light was behind the man's body, so the front of the man was completely in the dark.
"Very good, Commander Rabb. You've done just right up until now and I hope you keep your cooperative attitude, Harmon! Now here's what you have to do next: I know your stepfather, Frank Burnett, is a prosperous man. So call him and ask for $500,000. That will be enough to preserve your partner and best friend from receiving some bad, bad treatment – for the moment. I will ask for more later. Be a good boy, Harmon Rabb Jr. and react quickly. You don't have much time. Transfer the money to a bank account by 3 am today. The information about that account is in the envelope, too. I really hope you have left behind all the reasons why you hated your step dad so that it will be easier to get the money from him. But I'm sure even if there are still some issues between you two; he will willingly give the money to you. I know he would do anything to prove that he loves you as if you were his own son." A sarcastic laugh from the 'shadow man' interrupted his own speech.
"So, don't screw up like you usually do. This time nobody's there to support you or sweep up the broken pieces behind you as in the past. Oh, and one last thing: don't even just think about doing something stupid like searching for me or calling the police or some of your Navy friends. I will know about it. So be a good little officer and do what I've ordered. Have a good night, Commander. I'll give your Sarah a good night kiss from you!"
The man laughed crazily and shrilly, then the TV screen turned black.
He wanted to throw away the tape, destroy it. He wanted to shout out his anger…
"You bastard, you son of a …" Harm trailed off, cursing and yelling wouldn't help him, wouldn't solve his misery, wouldn't bring Mac back.
He needed to make a call.
In another European country there was another man, who needed to make a call, too…
February 13th 2003, Thursday
0030 Zulu (00:30 hrs GMT)
Meanwhile in Pete's house
A small village near to London
UK
It had taken Pete a long time to finally arrive at his house. His workday was over now and today he had the day off. He had hurried home as fast as he could without ignoring every traffic regulation and putting himself or others in danger.
Now he sat in his living room, the phone in front of him, the photo next to it and Harm's note with the number of Admiral Chegwidden in his right hand.
He took the receiver in his left hand and dialed the number with his right index finger. Pete knew it was just 0730 in the evening, so it wasn't too late to call the admiral.
He heard the ringing tone: once, twice, three times, four times…
"Chegwidden."
"Good evening, Admiral Chegwidden. My name is Pete Williams, Sir. And I'm calling on Mr. Harmon Rabb's instructions. I met him and Miss MacKenzie during their stay in London. I was their driver and we became friends."
"Good evening, Mr. Williams. Yes, I know you – at least your name, because Martha Robin mentioned your name while planning the vacation for the Colonel and Commander. What can I do for you?"
"On their first day in London, Harm and Sarah…I mean the Colonel and the Commander went on a sightseeing tour. They wanted to start with Buckingham Palace. I drove them to it and got them into a tour a friend of mine led. Harm told Albert – my friend – that Sarah lost contact with the group and he was sure that Sarah only had been distracted by some paintings or something else and he would find her. But after the tour was over and Harm was still missing, we went back only to find Harm still looking for the Colonel. He said he couldn't find her. So Albert informed security, while Harm and I waited outside the palace. Before Albert returned, Harm got a call on his cell phone. But unfortunately it wasn't Sarah. It…it…was…"
Silence. Pete couldn't say out loud what had happened.
"Mr. Williams, who was it? What happened?"
Pete took a deep breath, "It was someone who told Harm that we wouldn't find her, because this person had kidnapped Sarah."
"What? Who?" asked the admiral in shock.
"Harm doesn't know – the voice on the phone was altered. But he ordered Harm back to the Kensington Hotel to wait there for more information. I drove him back. At about six thirty, Harm called me again and asked me to call Martha and ask her to change his reservation for Paris. Then I drove to the hotel again and we drove immediately to the airport. He got in the next flight to Paris like the stranger ordered him to do. At the airport he gave me a book. In it was a note with your number and the advice to be very careful. Oh, and a photo. He asked me to fax it to you."
"What's on that photo?"
"I think, it's better if you look at it on your own. Harm was sure that you'd know what to do."
"Ok, I'll give you the number. So where's Harm now?" Admiral Chegwidden was now focused on his mission and hid his true emotions behind the trained SEAL skills.
"He is staying at the Hilton Paris Hotel. He said you'd know, how to contact him."
"All right, fax me the photo immediately. Thanks for informing me."
"I hope you can help him. Please let me know if I can help in any way or when you've found her. And, admiral, tell Harm I'll pray for him and Sarah. They are a very special couple."
"I will. Thanks, Pete!"
"Good night, Sir."
"Good night." With that, the phone call was over.
A short time later, AJ had the fax in his hands.
"Oh, my god. Damn, what the hell has happened there and who did this?"
He sat on his couch for a while not knowing how to deal with the fact that one of his senior officers had been kidnapped. Not only an officer under his command, but also a close friend he cared a lot about. Harm and Mac were a part of the JAG family – his family…
Then AJ grabbed the phone again – he needed to call in some favors.
February 13th 2003, Thursday
0100 Zulu (02:00 hrs West EDT)
Hilton Paris Hotel
Harm's room, number 306
Paris, France
Harm looked at his watch. It should be nearly five o'clock in the evening in La Jolla. Mac surely would know the exact time. He missed that…hell he missed everything about her: her eyes, her smile, even her teasing about squids and jarheads. Just everything!
Anyway, he hoped he could reach Frank at his office so he wouldn't need to call his mom. She didn't need to know anything about it.
It took a while until someone answered his call.
"Frank Burnett's office. Emily Jenkins. May I ask who's calling?" Frank's secretary answered.
"Hello, Mrs. Jenkins, it's Harmon Rabb. Is Frank available?" Harm greeted the older woman.
"Hello, Harm, nice to hear from you. And you're lucky today. He's not in a meeting at the moment. I'll let him know that you're calling and put you through to him. Have a nice day, Harm."
"Thank you, Mrs. Jenkins. Have a nice day yourself."
The well-known waiting melody played.
"Hello, Harm. What a nice surprise. How are you doing?"
"Hello, Frank, I'm glad that I reached you and I'm not doing very well at the moment, but I don't have the time to explain everything to you. Every minute counts now. Listen, Frank, Mac was kidnapped while we were in London yesterday. And the person who did that contacted me. He's demanded $500,000 now and probably more later. But first I have to transfer the $500,000 to a bank account by 3 am Paris Time, that's at six o'clock in your time zone. If the money isn't in that account by that time, he will hurt Mac. Please, I know it's short notice, but can you help me?"
Frank didn't answer for a long moment and Harm thought that Frank may have disconnected the line when he finally spoke: "Oh, my god, Harm. That is impossible…I can't believe it. Who the hell would do that to you?"
"I really don't know, Frank. And I'm terrified – I can't stand it. If I lose her or she gets hurt, I would never forgive myself. Please, Frank, help me!"
"Of course, son, tell me the account number and I'll get it transferred immediately."
Harm's last and only hope was Frank and he didn't reject him. He could slap himself for the way he had treated Frank all those years. He was such a lucky child – he had two fathers who loved him more than their lives and he had acted so stupidly only because he thought that Frank had wanted to replace Harmon Rabb, Senior. But again Harm could count on Frank. He didn't disappoint him. Frank acted like a real father. His father – the man who loved his mother and him without any doubts.
He let out a deep sigh of relief.
"Thank you so much, Frank. You're saving Sarah's life. I can't thank you enough."
"It's ok, Harm. I would always help you if I can. That's what are parents for. You will do the same when you have your own children."
"No, you're doing so much more right now. Thank you. Oh, and, Frank, this is between you and me. Mom doesn't need to know anything about it. She would only be worried and scared and I don't want that."
"All right, Harm. Take care and bring Sarah back – safe and sound."
"Thank you again."
"You're welcome. Bye, son!"
Harm only hesitated for a second before he said, "Bye, Dad. Love ya."
Frank Burnett didn't know if he had understood Harm's last words right. But it seemed that he had called him dad for the very first time and had told him that he loved him.
Frank was touched and tried to keep the tears at bay. By saying that, Harm couldn't have given him a better gift.
That was his son!
A soft smile curled around his mouth. But only a few seconds before his thoughts went back to his son and the woman Harm cared so much about. He sent a silent prayer to God, asking Him to keep both of them safe.