Part 14
Mac's Apartment Georgetown 2115 Local
To Mac's surprise, the explosion didn't come. If anything, Harm looked resigned and even a little sheepish. He scrubbed a hand through his hair, "Yeah, about that... I read over those files you let me have and I'm beginning to think you might be on to something." He held up a hand, "Not totally convinced, mind you, but it probably wouldn't hurt to check it out. I was thinking I might just tag along in the morning - I've been wanting to meet the Congresswoman."
"Harm, no." She reached out and put a hand on his arm, "I don't think that's the best approach to this. If our shooter is part of Mike's staff, I don't want to send any flags up. This guy kills more often when he's upset and I can't take that chance."
Harm scowled, "You shouldn't be in there without some sort of back-up. What if this guy realizes you're on to him and panics?"
"I doubt that would happen." Mac leaned back into the pillows again. "I've been getting to know the staff gradually anyway, so hopefully no one will notice the direction I'll be taking now."
Harm continued to frown, "I still don't like it..." He stared down at his hands. He knew he was being irrational about it. She had been working with Elbert for a month and when you got right down to it, all they had were suspicions. There was no reason to expect the staff to act differently towards Mac and she had too much experience to tip her hand prematurely. Harm exhaled heavily, "I suppose Kate will be checking everyone's backgrounds?"
"Yeah," Mac smiled, a glint of mischief in her eye, "Better her than me. She's going to have to look at the staff, their families AND their friends - that's going to be tedious as hell."
"You're telling me," Harm finally grinned, too. "Look, just promise me you won't go haring off on leads by yourself."
"Marines don't go 'haring off', we adjust to new targets of opportunity," Mac informed him in a prim tone, raising an eyebrow.
Harm shook his head, "Now I know you're feeling better." Leaning forward, he gave her a quick kiss before getting up. He reached for the tray, "Let me get this cleaned up and then Mattie and I will be on our way. It's a school night, y'know."
Mac reached out to stop him, "Don't worry about the dishes, I can take care of it." She tugged on his hand and Harm willingly sat back down. They shared another longer, lingering kiss. Breaking apart, Mac ran her hand through his hair, coming to rest on the back of his neck, "You know you're pretty special, don't you?"
Harm grinned at her, his eyes twinkling, "Never hurts to hear it again." He reached for her and they kissed again. Finally, he straightened with a sigh, "As much as I'd like to continue this, I really do have to get Mattie home." Standing up, he snagged the tray and pulled it out of her reach, chuckling at her yelp of protest. "This'll only take a minute, stay put."
Mac watched him stride out of the room and leaned back again with a small smile. She really did feel better. Her headache was down to a manageable level and while she knew Harm would always support her, it was comforting to know that he agreed with her as well. Tomorrow would be a better day.
Congresswoman Elbert's office Washington, D.C.
1025 Local
Mac finished up another file and then picked up the stack. She was headed for Marnie Terschulte, a gregarious young woman who was also the office gossip. "Got some more files for you, Marnie." She grinned at the groan of protest, "Sorry, but somebody's got to enter this stuff. I can't help it if you're faster than everyone else."
"Don't mind me, Colonel," Marnie sighed, "I'm just feeling put upon." She directed a jaundiced look towards some of the other staffers who were busily typing as well. "Some people would get a lot more done if they didn't spend more time reading the files than they do typing them. I mean, why would you want to dwell on this stuff? It's horrible."
Mac perched on the desk, "It is, isn't it? I just keep reminding myself that these are the ones that got caught. They're paying for their crimes." She shook her head, "It's the ones that are still out there that really bother me."
"Oh, I know," Marnie agreed fervently. "That's why I'm so glad Congresswoman Elbert has decided to take this on. It needs to be done." She looked down at the keyboard, "I just feel so bad for these women and their kids." She glanced around and then whispered, "You know, sometimes when I get home, I just cry and cry. It's awful but I can't help it."
"Oh Marnie, I'm so sorry." Concern washed through Mac's voice and she was silent for a few seconds, "Do you know if anyone else is having trouble with this? Maybe the Congresswoman and I need to sit down with all of you and talk about it."
"That might be a good idea," Marnie chewed her lower lip in thought, "If you'd like, I could mention it to the others and see how they feel about it. I know for sure that Lisa, Vicky and Alan are bothered by these cases."
"Alan?" Mac glanced towards a tow-headed young man across the room. "I'm a little surprised. Most guys hate to admit to the 'touchy-feely' stuff."
"Well, he is sort of different - not in a bad way," Marnie added hastily. She lowered her voice into the 'confidential' mode, "I heard that his father was a real jerk... and I think his sister died young under mysterious circumstances. It was all hushed up - his dad has pull in high places. I don't think Alan's ever gotten over it, he and his sister were close."
Mac's eyes narrowed, "That's terrible. Who's his father?"
"Brigadier General Arthur Romblin. Word is that he's got friends in the Pentagon."
Nodding thoughtfully, Mac stood up, "Well, check with the others and let me know what all of you decide. I'll help if I can." She glanced over to see Mike watching her. Excusing herself to Marnie, she made her way over to the Congresswoman.
Mike tilted her head towards the young staffer, "You're not having a problem with Marnie, are you?"
Mac smiled reassuringly, "On the contrary, Ms. Terschulte has been quite helpful." Gesturing towards the outer office, she asked, "May I have a few moments with you in private?"
"Sure," Mike walked out to the other room and then turned around, "What's on your mind?" She let a look of mock alarm cross her face, "You don't have any more ground rules, do you?"
Mac chuckled, "No, darn the luck." She grew more serious, "Your staff is getting a little stressed from the nature of the files they're uploading. I took the liberty of telling Marnie that we would talk to them about it if they wanted. If you'd rather not, I can certainly handle it for you. At any rate, she's going to bring it up with the others and see what they think."
Mike folded her arms, giving Mac a thoughtful look, "You know, I hadn't really considered that my people might have problems with this." She frowned quietly to herself for a few moments and then looked back at Mac, "They've been working pretty hard and actually, I've been planning to reward them. Perhaps I should do it sooner rather than later." She grinned at the Marine Colonel, "Ever been to a pig-pickin?"
"A what?" Mac had visions of lines of pigs waiting anxiously to be chosen for a new home.
Mike looked like she had a pretty good idea of what Mac was thinking. Her grin grew wider, "A pig-pickin'. It's what folks back home call a barbecue. Say, next weekend? You're invited, of course."
"Sounds like fun. May I bring a friend of mine and his ward?" She knew Harm would leap at the chance to meet Elbert's staff and she felt safe inviting Mattie to go along. This would be a relaxed, social setting with tons of people around. No doubt the most serious consequences would be overeating and mosquito bites.
"Certainly, the more the merrier. I'm inviting Emma as well. I owe her a thank you for getting us together." Mike glanced at her watch, "Oh damn, we need to wrap this up. I have a committee meeting in half an hour and you have to get back to JAG." They walked into the main conference area where Mike gestured her office manager over and suggested that she give the staff something else to work on for the rest of the day.
JAG Headquarters Falls Church, VA 1347 Local
Mac was in the break room grabbing a bottle of water when Harm walked in. She gave him a smile, "Hi, how was your morning?"
He grinned and shrugged, "Kinda of like Alice in Wonderland. I'm prosecuting two brothers charged with Drunk & Disorderly, Destruction of Property and Assaulting a Police Officer. They're twins serving on two different ships that happened to be in port at the same time."
"Sounds pretty straightforward, what's the problem?" Mac leaned against the counter.
Harm rummaged through the refrigerator and came up with a bottle of juice, "The problem is that I can't get a positive ID from the victims. One brother wrecked the bar while the other took out the Shore Patrolman."
Mac frowned for a second, "But... ohhh." She chuckled, "Let me guess, these guys are identical."
"Oh yeah." Harm took a swig of his drink, "And nobody's talking. I can get them both for Drunk & Disorderly but I can only charge one each with the other stuff. Sturgis is laughing himself silly over this." Harm shook his head, "Can't blame him, if I didn't have to prosecute I'd be laughing, too." He looked over at Mac and finally asked the question he'd been itching to ever since he walked into the break room, "How'd it go with the Congresswoman's staff?"
"Fine," Mac replied with an air of nonchalance. She couldn't resist teasing him just a little - he could be so painfully obvious about some things.
"That's it? Fine? Give me a break here, Mac. Did you find out anything at all?" Harm looked at her in exasperation.
"Possibly," Mac relented and gave him a grin, "You'll get to judge for yourself if you want. You and Mattie can be my guests at a pig-pickin'."
Harm stared at her, not sure if she was pulling his leg or not, "A pig-picking? What's that? Some sort of feminist 'bring your male chauvinist to work' day?"
Mac choked on the swallow of water she was taking, trying not to spray the break room. While she coughed and wheezed, Harm solicitously patted her back. When she rolled an eye at him, he grinned, "I've always heard paybacks are hell."
"Everything all right in here?" AJ strolled in and watched his two senior attorneys straighten up. Mac was red-faced and trying hard not to cough, Harm looked downright smug. He answered since it was obvious that Mac couldn't. "It's fine, sir. Colonel MacKenzie just had some water go down the wrong pipe."
"I see... well, I've heard that's a common problem with Marines. I suppose that explains why the Navy's in charge of moving them from place to place whenever water's involved." Still straight-faced, AJ snagged a pastry and headed back out.
Harm chuckled, "That went well, don't you think?" He glanced over to see Mac glaring at him and his smile grew wider. "Hey, when was the last time you heard the Admiral make a joke around here? We might have to take this show on the road."
"You..." Mac wheezed again as she advanced towards the tall Commander.
Harm started backing towards the door, grin still in place, "Honest, this could be great. Any time we need to lighten things up, we'll hand you a bottle of water..." His eyes widened slightly as she picked up speed and he quickly made his escape. Mac stopped at the doorway, she could hear his low, rumbling laugh growing fainter as he retreated to his office.
With a muttered depreciation about squids in general and hers in particular, Mac retrieved the bottle of water and headed for her own office. As she sat down, she shot a speculative look in the direction of Harm's office and smiled. She would have to think carefully about revenge. Dinner and possibly dancing were definitely on the board and she might even increase her demands to include flowers. Of course, half the fun would be 'negotiating'. Now that Mattie was on the same page, it was even possible that the negotiations could take a great deal of the evening. Sighing gustily, she pulled her attention back to the stack of files on her desk and settled in to work. She made a mental note to remember to pin Harm down about attending the barbecue.
NCIS Washington, D.C.
1425 Local
Gibbs stopped by Kate's desk, "How's it going?"
Kate looked up from her computer, "Interesting, actually. So far, out of the nine staffers and part-time workers in Congresswoman Elbert's office, five of them are from military families." She picked up a legal pad and handed it to him, "We've got three men and two women."
Gibbs' eyebrows rose, "Elbert is one of the five? I never figured her for a military brat. Guess that explains her pro-military voting record." He handed back the pad, "Any likely suspects?"
"Not sure yet," Kate shrugged while glancing at the screen, "Mac called and said that Alan Romblin could be a possible. According to the office gossip, he's at odds with his father - Brigadier General Arthur Romblin. He's having problems dealing with the abuse files and his sister died when they were both still kids."
"Well, he doesn't fit your profile exactly but he's not bad. Any reason why you wouldn't like him for this?" Gibbs folded his arms.
"Not really", Kate's brow furrowed, "or I should say, not yet, other than it seems too obvious. Our guy's been very careful not to get caught and then he blabs all this stuff? If Romblin's not the shooter, he'd be the perfect fall guy." She sighed, "I haven't had time yet to dig deeper on any of these. I don't know if he's got an alibi for here or if I'll be able to put him in Carolina during the first killings."
"Well, keep at it. If this guy's starting to hit every two weeks, we don't have much time left." Gibbs started to turn away and then glanced back, "I'm going to call McGhee in, this kind of research is right up his alley."
"Okay," Kate's reply was somewhat distracted, her attention already back on her computer. Three hours later, she felt a presence and looked up expecting to see Gibbs or McGhee. Instead, she found Mac holding several large bags of Chinese takeout. Leaning back and stretching, she grinned up at the Marine Colonel, "Did you bring anything for me?"
Mac quirked an eyebrow, "Heavens no, I'm going to plow through all this while watching you drool and listening to your stomach growl. It'll be the perfect dinner ambiance I've been searching for all these years." She handed a bag to the NCIS agent.
"Hey, don't forget I've seen you eat," Kate retorted while inspecting the contents. She pulled out a container and sank into her chair with a happy sigh, "Thank you. I worked right through lunch today."
"There's probably enough in there for Tony, too." Mac grabbed a chair and began sorting through her own dinner. Her lunch had been pretty skimpy by her standards. Traffic had been surprisingly heavy on the way back to Falls Church. Being pressed for time, she'd been reduced to relying on vending machine food. Despite Harm's claims to the contrary, not even her stomach could handle that much. After a minute or so of serious attention to her food, she glanced up to find Kate watching her, "What?" She looked down at herself, "Did I spill something?"
"What? Oh no, you're fine," Kate trailed off for a moment and then blurted, "Abby didn't have any trouble hacking into your file."
Mac froze for a second and then nodded warily, "Okay, so we know it can be done." Kate continued to stare at her and she began to feel the first vestiges of irritation. She put down her food with a small sigh, "Did you want to ask me something?"
Finally realizing that she'd been staring, Kate looked down briefly in embarrassment, "I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't have read it."
"Don't apologize," Mac rested her chin on her hand, "I figured you would. I know I would have. So what's the problem?"
Kate stared at her. What was the problem? How about a major inferiority complex? The woman sitting in front of her was infinitely more qualified to be an NCIS investigator than she herself. What the hell was Mac doing as a military lawyer? About the only thing that made sense was the CIA's constant 'borrowing'. For all that, Kate didn't envy the Marine colonel one bit. No one needed that much excitement in their lives. After reading about all the near escapes, the real surprise was that Mac was still breathing. Kate had the uncomfortable feeling she wouldn't have been so lucky. Of course, she didn't have Commander Incredible as back-up either.
"Kate?"
"Are you somehow descended from cats?" Kate's eyes widened as she heard herself utter the words. Dammit, she hadn't intended to say that out loud. She held her breath while she waited for Mac's reaction.
Mac stared for a moment and then started to laugh. Quietly, to be sure, but it took her a few moments to regain control. Finally, she leaned back and wiped her eyes. "Oh god, I needed that." She smiled at Kate who grinned back in obvious relief, "I don't think anybody's ever asked me that before." She paused to chuckle again, "All things considered, maybe I should check it out." They fell back into a companionable silence while both continued to eat. After a minute, Mac looked up and pointed her fork towards Kate's computer, "Any progress?"
Kate nodded as she chewed and swallowed, "Yeah, get a load of this." She gestured at her screen, "Alan Romblin, Mark Garrick, Dave Russo, Vicky Hamman and Michelle Elbert all had parents in the military. Marnie Terschulte and Lisa Cleary are married to men whose fathers were in the military."
Mac let out a low whistle, "Seventy percent of the people in that office are tied to the military? That's remarkable - hell, it's scary. How many were in the Marine Corps?"
"All but one," Kate leaned back to watch Mac's reaction, "Wanna guess who the loner is?"
"Elbert," Mac said it without thinking.
Kate looked at her in surprise, "What did you do, peek?"
Now it was Mac's turn to look surprised, "I was right?"
"Oh yeah," Kate frowned slightly, "It's pretty strange, though, having all those people connected that way." She took another bite from a different container and waved her fork, "I mean, what did they do? Make it a job requirement?"
"Sure," Mac grinned, "There was probably a sign out in front of the personnel office: You must be this tall and have family in the armed forces to continue." Finishing up a carton, she grabbed another and started on it, "You know what? They probably did this to inconvenience NCIS. Why have one suspect when the whole office can be incriminated?" As soon as Mac said it, she paused for a moment. What if...
She jumped when DiNozzo's voice sounded loudly behind her, "Oh man! Food! I'm starving!" Turning, she glared at Tony causing him to freeze in mid-grab.
He pulled his hand back, looking somewhat pitiful, "You aren't going to share?"
Mac smiled sweetly, "Of course we are." She pointed to several containers, "Those are yours."
"Hah! ... um, I mean, thanks!," Tony hastily amended when Mac raised an eyebrow. Deciding it might be a little safer at his own desk, he gathered the cartons and retreated to his chair.
Kate leaned forward with a quiet grin, "Training with food? I never thought of that."
Mac's Apartment Georgetown 2115 Local
To Mac's surprise, the explosion didn't come. If anything, Harm looked resigned and even a little sheepish. He scrubbed a hand through his hair, "Yeah, about that... I read over those files you let me have and I'm beginning to think you might be on to something." He held up a hand, "Not totally convinced, mind you, but it probably wouldn't hurt to check it out. I was thinking I might just tag along in the morning - I've been wanting to meet the Congresswoman."
"Harm, no." She reached out and put a hand on his arm, "I don't think that's the best approach to this. If our shooter is part of Mike's staff, I don't want to send any flags up. This guy kills more often when he's upset and I can't take that chance."
Harm scowled, "You shouldn't be in there without some sort of back-up. What if this guy realizes you're on to him and panics?"
"I doubt that would happen." Mac leaned back into the pillows again. "I've been getting to know the staff gradually anyway, so hopefully no one will notice the direction I'll be taking now."
Harm continued to frown, "I still don't like it..." He stared down at his hands. He knew he was being irrational about it. She had been working with Elbert for a month and when you got right down to it, all they had were suspicions. There was no reason to expect the staff to act differently towards Mac and she had too much experience to tip her hand prematurely. Harm exhaled heavily, "I suppose Kate will be checking everyone's backgrounds?"
"Yeah," Mac smiled, a glint of mischief in her eye, "Better her than me. She's going to have to look at the staff, their families AND their friends - that's going to be tedious as hell."
"You're telling me," Harm finally grinned, too. "Look, just promise me you won't go haring off on leads by yourself."
"Marines don't go 'haring off', we adjust to new targets of opportunity," Mac informed him in a prim tone, raising an eyebrow.
Harm shook his head, "Now I know you're feeling better." Leaning forward, he gave her a quick kiss before getting up. He reached for the tray, "Let me get this cleaned up and then Mattie and I will be on our way. It's a school night, y'know."
Mac reached out to stop him, "Don't worry about the dishes, I can take care of it." She tugged on his hand and Harm willingly sat back down. They shared another longer, lingering kiss. Breaking apart, Mac ran her hand through his hair, coming to rest on the back of his neck, "You know you're pretty special, don't you?"
Harm grinned at her, his eyes twinkling, "Never hurts to hear it again." He reached for her and they kissed again. Finally, he straightened with a sigh, "As much as I'd like to continue this, I really do have to get Mattie home." Standing up, he snagged the tray and pulled it out of her reach, chuckling at her yelp of protest. "This'll only take a minute, stay put."
Mac watched him stride out of the room and leaned back again with a small smile. She really did feel better. Her headache was down to a manageable level and while she knew Harm would always support her, it was comforting to know that he agreed with her as well. Tomorrow would be a better day.
Congresswoman Elbert's office Washington, D.C.
1025 Local
Mac finished up another file and then picked up the stack. She was headed for Marnie Terschulte, a gregarious young woman who was also the office gossip. "Got some more files for you, Marnie." She grinned at the groan of protest, "Sorry, but somebody's got to enter this stuff. I can't help it if you're faster than everyone else."
"Don't mind me, Colonel," Marnie sighed, "I'm just feeling put upon." She directed a jaundiced look towards some of the other staffers who were busily typing as well. "Some people would get a lot more done if they didn't spend more time reading the files than they do typing them. I mean, why would you want to dwell on this stuff? It's horrible."
Mac perched on the desk, "It is, isn't it? I just keep reminding myself that these are the ones that got caught. They're paying for their crimes." She shook her head, "It's the ones that are still out there that really bother me."
"Oh, I know," Marnie agreed fervently. "That's why I'm so glad Congresswoman Elbert has decided to take this on. It needs to be done." She looked down at the keyboard, "I just feel so bad for these women and their kids." She glanced around and then whispered, "You know, sometimes when I get home, I just cry and cry. It's awful but I can't help it."
"Oh Marnie, I'm so sorry." Concern washed through Mac's voice and she was silent for a few seconds, "Do you know if anyone else is having trouble with this? Maybe the Congresswoman and I need to sit down with all of you and talk about it."
"That might be a good idea," Marnie chewed her lower lip in thought, "If you'd like, I could mention it to the others and see how they feel about it. I know for sure that Lisa, Vicky and Alan are bothered by these cases."
"Alan?" Mac glanced towards a tow-headed young man across the room. "I'm a little surprised. Most guys hate to admit to the 'touchy-feely' stuff."
"Well, he is sort of different - not in a bad way," Marnie added hastily. She lowered her voice into the 'confidential' mode, "I heard that his father was a real jerk... and I think his sister died young under mysterious circumstances. It was all hushed up - his dad has pull in high places. I don't think Alan's ever gotten over it, he and his sister were close."
Mac's eyes narrowed, "That's terrible. Who's his father?"
"Brigadier General Arthur Romblin. Word is that he's got friends in the Pentagon."
Nodding thoughtfully, Mac stood up, "Well, check with the others and let me know what all of you decide. I'll help if I can." She glanced over to see Mike watching her. Excusing herself to Marnie, she made her way over to the Congresswoman.
Mike tilted her head towards the young staffer, "You're not having a problem with Marnie, are you?"
Mac smiled reassuringly, "On the contrary, Ms. Terschulte has been quite helpful." Gesturing towards the outer office, she asked, "May I have a few moments with you in private?"
"Sure," Mike walked out to the other room and then turned around, "What's on your mind?" She let a look of mock alarm cross her face, "You don't have any more ground rules, do you?"
Mac chuckled, "No, darn the luck." She grew more serious, "Your staff is getting a little stressed from the nature of the files they're uploading. I took the liberty of telling Marnie that we would talk to them about it if they wanted. If you'd rather not, I can certainly handle it for you. At any rate, she's going to bring it up with the others and see what they think."
Mike folded her arms, giving Mac a thoughtful look, "You know, I hadn't really considered that my people might have problems with this." She frowned quietly to herself for a few moments and then looked back at Mac, "They've been working pretty hard and actually, I've been planning to reward them. Perhaps I should do it sooner rather than later." She grinned at the Marine Colonel, "Ever been to a pig-pickin?"
"A what?" Mac had visions of lines of pigs waiting anxiously to be chosen for a new home.
Mike looked like she had a pretty good idea of what Mac was thinking. Her grin grew wider, "A pig-pickin'. It's what folks back home call a barbecue. Say, next weekend? You're invited, of course."
"Sounds like fun. May I bring a friend of mine and his ward?" She knew Harm would leap at the chance to meet Elbert's staff and she felt safe inviting Mattie to go along. This would be a relaxed, social setting with tons of people around. No doubt the most serious consequences would be overeating and mosquito bites.
"Certainly, the more the merrier. I'm inviting Emma as well. I owe her a thank you for getting us together." Mike glanced at her watch, "Oh damn, we need to wrap this up. I have a committee meeting in half an hour and you have to get back to JAG." They walked into the main conference area where Mike gestured her office manager over and suggested that she give the staff something else to work on for the rest of the day.
JAG Headquarters Falls Church, VA 1347 Local
Mac was in the break room grabbing a bottle of water when Harm walked in. She gave him a smile, "Hi, how was your morning?"
He grinned and shrugged, "Kinda of like Alice in Wonderland. I'm prosecuting two brothers charged with Drunk & Disorderly, Destruction of Property and Assaulting a Police Officer. They're twins serving on two different ships that happened to be in port at the same time."
"Sounds pretty straightforward, what's the problem?" Mac leaned against the counter.
Harm rummaged through the refrigerator and came up with a bottle of juice, "The problem is that I can't get a positive ID from the victims. One brother wrecked the bar while the other took out the Shore Patrolman."
Mac frowned for a second, "But... ohhh." She chuckled, "Let me guess, these guys are identical."
"Oh yeah." Harm took a swig of his drink, "And nobody's talking. I can get them both for Drunk & Disorderly but I can only charge one each with the other stuff. Sturgis is laughing himself silly over this." Harm shook his head, "Can't blame him, if I didn't have to prosecute I'd be laughing, too." He looked over at Mac and finally asked the question he'd been itching to ever since he walked into the break room, "How'd it go with the Congresswoman's staff?"
"Fine," Mac replied with an air of nonchalance. She couldn't resist teasing him just a little - he could be so painfully obvious about some things.
"That's it? Fine? Give me a break here, Mac. Did you find out anything at all?" Harm looked at her in exasperation.
"Possibly," Mac relented and gave him a grin, "You'll get to judge for yourself if you want. You and Mattie can be my guests at a pig-pickin'."
Harm stared at her, not sure if she was pulling his leg or not, "A pig-picking? What's that? Some sort of feminist 'bring your male chauvinist to work' day?"
Mac choked on the swallow of water she was taking, trying not to spray the break room. While she coughed and wheezed, Harm solicitously patted her back. When she rolled an eye at him, he grinned, "I've always heard paybacks are hell."
"Everything all right in here?" AJ strolled in and watched his two senior attorneys straighten up. Mac was red-faced and trying hard not to cough, Harm looked downright smug. He answered since it was obvious that Mac couldn't. "It's fine, sir. Colonel MacKenzie just had some water go down the wrong pipe."
"I see... well, I've heard that's a common problem with Marines. I suppose that explains why the Navy's in charge of moving them from place to place whenever water's involved." Still straight-faced, AJ snagged a pastry and headed back out.
Harm chuckled, "That went well, don't you think?" He glanced over to see Mac glaring at him and his smile grew wider. "Hey, when was the last time you heard the Admiral make a joke around here? We might have to take this show on the road."
"You..." Mac wheezed again as she advanced towards the tall Commander.
Harm started backing towards the door, grin still in place, "Honest, this could be great. Any time we need to lighten things up, we'll hand you a bottle of water..." His eyes widened slightly as she picked up speed and he quickly made his escape. Mac stopped at the doorway, she could hear his low, rumbling laugh growing fainter as he retreated to his office.
With a muttered depreciation about squids in general and hers in particular, Mac retrieved the bottle of water and headed for her own office. As she sat down, she shot a speculative look in the direction of Harm's office and smiled. She would have to think carefully about revenge. Dinner and possibly dancing were definitely on the board and she might even increase her demands to include flowers. Of course, half the fun would be 'negotiating'. Now that Mattie was on the same page, it was even possible that the negotiations could take a great deal of the evening. Sighing gustily, she pulled her attention back to the stack of files on her desk and settled in to work. She made a mental note to remember to pin Harm down about attending the barbecue.
NCIS Washington, D.C.
1425 Local
Gibbs stopped by Kate's desk, "How's it going?"
Kate looked up from her computer, "Interesting, actually. So far, out of the nine staffers and part-time workers in Congresswoman Elbert's office, five of them are from military families." She picked up a legal pad and handed it to him, "We've got three men and two women."
Gibbs' eyebrows rose, "Elbert is one of the five? I never figured her for a military brat. Guess that explains her pro-military voting record." He handed back the pad, "Any likely suspects?"
"Not sure yet," Kate shrugged while glancing at the screen, "Mac called and said that Alan Romblin could be a possible. According to the office gossip, he's at odds with his father - Brigadier General Arthur Romblin. He's having problems dealing with the abuse files and his sister died when they were both still kids."
"Well, he doesn't fit your profile exactly but he's not bad. Any reason why you wouldn't like him for this?" Gibbs folded his arms.
"Not really", Kate's brow furrowed, "or I should say, not yet, other than it seems too obvious. Our guy's been very careful not to get caught and then he blabs all this stuff? If Romblin's not the shooter, he'd be the perfect fall guy." She sighed, "I haven't had time yet to dig deeper on any of these. I don't know if he's got an alibi for here or if I'll be able to put him in Carolina during the first killings."
"Well, keep at it. If this guy's starting to hit every two weeks, we don't have much time left." Gibbs started to turn away and then glanced back, "I'm going to call McGhee in, this kind of research is right up his alley."
"Okay," Kate's reply was somewhat distracted, her attention already back on her computer. Three hours later, she felt a presence and looked up expecting to see Gibbs or McGhee. Instead, she found Mac holding several large bags of Chinese takeout. Leaning back and stretching, she grinned up at the Marine Colonel, "Did you bring anything for me?"
Mac quirked an eyebrow, "Heavens no, I'm going to plow through all this while watching you drool and listening to your stomach growl. It'll be the perfect dinner ambiance I've been searching for all these years." She handed a bag to the NCIS agent.
"Hey, don't forget I've seen you eat," Kate retorted while inspecting the contents. She pulled out a container and sank into her chair with a happy sigh, "Thank you. I worked right through lunch today."
"There's probably enough in there for Tony, too." Mac grabbed a chair and began sorting through her own dinner. Her lunch had been pretty skimpy by her standards. Traffic had been surprisingly heavy on the way back to Falls Church. Being pressed for time, she'd been reduced to relying on vending machine food. Despite Harm's claims to the contrary, not even her stomach could handle that much. After a minute or so of serious attention to her food, she glanced up to find Kate watching her, "What?" She looked down at herself, "Did I spill something?"
"What? Oh no, you're fine," Kate trailed off for a moment and then blurted, "Abby didn't have any trouble hacking into your file."
Mac froze for a second and then nodded warily, "Okay, so we know it can be done." Kate continued to stare at her and she began to feel the first vestiges of irritation. She put down her food with a small sigh, "Did you want to ask me something?"
Finally realizing that she'd been staring, Kate looked down briefly in embarrassment, "I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't have read it."
"Don't apologize," Mac rested her chin on her hand, "I figured you would. I know I would have. So what's the problem?"
Kate stared at her. What was the problem? How about a major inferiority complex? The woman sitting in front of her was infinitely more qualified to be an NCIS investigator than she herself. What the hell was Mac doing as a military lawyer? About the only thing that made sense was the CIA's constant 'borrowing'. For all that, Kate didn't envy the Marine colonel one bit. No one needed that much excitement in their lives. After reading about all the near escapes, the real surprise was that Mac was still breathing. Kate had the uncomfortable feeling she wouldn't have been so lucky. Of course, she didn't have Commander Incredible as back-up either.
"Kate?"
"Are you somehow descended from cats?" Kate's eyes widened as she heard herself utter the words. Dammit, she hadn't intended to say that out loud. She held her breath while she waited for Mac's reaction.
Mac stared for a moment and then started to laugh. Quietly, to be sure, but it took her a few moments to regain control. Finally, she leaned back and wiped her eyes. "Oh god, I needed that." She smiled at Kate who grinned back in obvious relief, "I don't think anybody's ever asked me that before." She paused to chuckle again, "All things considered, maybe I should check it out." They fell back into a companionable silence while both continued to eat. After a minute, Mac looked up and pointed her fork towards Kate's computer, "Any progress?"
Kate nodded as she chewed and swallowed, "Yeah, get a load of this." She gestured at her screen, "Alan Romblin, Mark Garrick, Dave Russo, Vicky Hamman and Michelle Elbert all had parents in the military. Marnie Terschulte and Lisa Cleary are married to men whose fathers were in the military."
Mac let out a low whistle, "Seventy percent of the people in that office are tied to the military? That's remarkable - hell, it's scary. How many were in the Marine Corps?"
"All but one," Kate leaned back to watch Mac's reaction, "Wanna guess who the loner is?"
"Elbert," Mac said it without thinking.
Kate looked at her in surprise, "What did you do, peek?"
Now it was Mac's turn to look surprised, "I was right?"
"Oh yeah," Kate frowned slightly, "It's pretty strange, though, having all those people connected that way." She took another bite from a different container and waved her fork, "I mean, what did they do? Make it a job requirement?"
"Sure," Mac grinned, "There was probably a sign out in front of the personnel office: You must be this tall and have family in the armed forces to continue." Finishing up a carton, she grabbed another and started on it, "You know what? They probably did this to inconvenience NCIS. Why have one suspect when the whole office can be incriminated?" As soon as Mac said it, she paused for a moment. What if...
She jumped when DiNozzo's voice sounded loudly behind her, "Oh man! Food! I'm starving!" Turning, she glared at Tony causing him to freeze in mid-grab.
He pulled his hand back, looking somewhat pitiful, "You aren't going to share?"
Mac smiled sweetly, "Of course we are." She pointed to several containers, "Those are yours."
"Hah! ... um, I mean, thanks!," Tony hastily amended when Mac raised an eyebrow. Deciding it might be a little safer at his own desk, he gathered the cartons and retreated to his chair.
Kate leaned forward with a quiet grin, "Training with food? I never thought of that."
