Part 15
Next Day Mac's Apartment Georgetown 1728 Local
Mac had just finished with her hair when the phone rang. She snagged the handset off the nightstand while slipping into a pair of sandals, "Hello?"
"Hey Mac."
Harm's voice filled her ear and she smiled, "Hey yourself. What's up?"
"Not much. You were out pretty quick today and I didn't get a chance to ask if you had plans for dinner?"
Mac sighed, "Harm... do you remember what day this is?"
"It's Friday, what does... oh shoot. You're having dinner at the Walters tonight, aren't you?" Harm sounded a little chagrined. Normally, they kept each other apprised of any conflicting plans but it was fairly obvious that he'd forgotten.
"Uh-huh," Mac moved into the living room, grabbing a light jacket out of the closet and then heading for the kitchen to retrieve the dessert she was taking. "Did you talk to Mattie about the barbecue?"
"Yeah," Harm chuckled, "The desire for decadent food is waging war with the fact that she might be the only teenager there."
"Who's winning?" If Mac had to bet, she'd go with the food. Mattie was a kindred soul when it came to appetite. Fortunately, the young woman was active enough in sports that she didn't have to worry about calories.
"Food's got the upper hand right now. The fact that I will make the appropriate gagging noises while she rhapsodizes over barbecued dead pig is an added incentive."
"I'm impressed, Mr. Rabb," Mac laughed, "One would think you've been manipulating teenagers for years. So I'll assume you're going unless I hear otherwise?"
"That sounds safe."
She could hear the smile in his voice and was thankful he seemed reconciled to not getting together tonight. At least they still had the weekend. "Harm, I hate to cut this short but I have to get going."
"Okay, tell Dubby and his wife I said hi."
"Will do. Do you want to go running tomorrow morning?" Mac headed back to the bedroom.
"Sure, should I ask Mattie if she wants to go? We can come back to my place afterwards and I'll make everyone breakfast."
"Okay by me. Listen, I really do have to leave now." They exchanged goodbyes and a minute later, Mac was headed towards her car. She reached the Walters' home with about five minutes to spare. Gunny answered the door. He was just wearing a polo shirt and slacks but the effect was even more imposing than when he was in uniform. In his class A's, it wasn't as obvious that he still didn't carry an ounce of extra fat. Once again, Mac mentally gave his sons-in-law points for fortitude. They had to truly love his daughters to make it past this formidable guardian.
"Sarah, come in," Gunny smiled as he opened the door wider. "Let me take that. Robyn and Carlie are in the kitchen." He took the dessert container and led the way towards the back of the house. Neither of the Walters stood on ceremony and the kitchen was Mac's favorite place. It was not as big as Avis Payne's wonderful old kitchen but was just as warm and comfortable. Walters held the door open for her. Mac smiled a greeting to Robyn who was standing at the sink and then stopped in surprise. Carlie was busily working on the salad and helping her was Mo Dzurick.
The two young women looked up when Mac walked in. Carlie smiled at her, still a little nervous at dealing with a senior officer - friend of the family or not. Mo, on the other hand, came around the end of the island counter and launched herself into a hug. "Colonel Mac!"
"Mo!" Mac looked over to see Robyn and Gunny smiling widely, pleased with their surprise.
"Carlie invited me for the weekend but she didn't tell me you were coming over." Mo shot a good-natured glare over her shoulder at her friend, "Just for that, you get Calypso this summer."
Mac grinned, remembering the temperamental mare, "Oh, that's mean. Is the rest of the family going to be at Windswept, too?"
"Daddy will only come for two weeks but everyone else will be there for the summer." A slight shadow crossed her face at the mention of her father. Mac nodded sympathetically. Gheorghe had had a long and difficult recovery complicated by the knowledge that he'd been betrayed and his wife and children endangered by someone he'd looked upon as family. Carol had taken on a number of his administrative duties, as had Cat. It was becoming more and more likely that he would retire and Catalin would ascend the throne on her twenty-first birthday.
Mo gave her a hopeful look, "Do you think you and Commander Rabb could come out for a visit? Grandma and Grandpa ask about you all the time."
"We'll see. These days it's hard to say where I'll be from week to week but I would like to see all of you again." Mac looked back at Robyn, "Is there anything I can do?"
Robyn shook her head, pushing herself upright from where she'd been leaning against the sink, "Everything's just about ready." She gave her husband a look, "All we need now are the steaks."
"Ma'am, yes ma'am," In moments, Gunny was out the door with a platter of meat, heading for the barbecue grill.
An hour later, five thoroughly sated people sat back. Robyn sipped her wine and looked at Mac. She'd been debating how to broach the subject and had finally decided on the blunt approach, "Sarah? Do you know anything about this rash of killings?" She glanced over at her husband, "Marty Sorenson called yesterday in near hysterics." She looked back at Mac, "Her husband, Bill, is a staff sergeant and she's managed to convince herself that someone is going to kill him. She's the first one I've heard from but I get the feeling she won't be the last. A lot of the wives are getting nervous."
"Honey," Gunny said warningly, "You know Sarah probably can't talk about it." Carlie and Mo exchanged looks and kept silent, hoping to hear more.
Mac fingered her napkin while she thought about it. Finally she sighed, "I really can't say much at this point. I'm assisting NCIS, it's their case." She ran a hand through her hair, "I would say that Mrs. Sorenson's husband is probably safe, this guy is very specific in who he's targeting."
"He's going after the SOBs." Gunny said flatly, earning a surprised look from everyone at the table.
"Dubby?" Mac queried softly. Mentally, she was slapping herself. She should have talked to Walters before this. The man had over thirty years of service in the Corps, a large percentage of that time as a Gunnery Sergeant. Naturally, he would know quite a bit about his peers. He looked over at her and she was puzzled to see the sympathy in his eyes. It was almost as if he knew how this might be affecting her but that couldn't be. She'd never said anything about her childhood to him or, for that matter, to anyone sitting at the table.
He looked back at his wife, "Remember Evan and Francie Mitchell?"
Robyn grimaced, "Oh."
Carlie and Mo looked at each other in confusion and then Carlie looked at her father, "Dad?"
Mac was the one who answered the young woman's unspoken question. She leveled a meaningful stare first at Mo and then at Carlie, "I trust that what you're about to hear will not be a topic of conversation outside this room?" The two cadets nodded. "It looks like we're tracking a serial killer. He's targeting Marine sergeants who have abused their families."
Mo's brow furrowed as she looked from Mac to Gunny and back, "But how does he know who's been doing something like that? Is it another Marine sergeant?"
Mac started to shake her head and then stopped. They didn't really have any solid leads and this theory was as good as any of the others. Simpler too, all that would be required was an intimate knowledge of Corps personnel - something someone with years of experience was bound to accumulate. Not only that, but it wouldn't take much to dovetail her theory onto this one. She looked over at Walters and Kate's voice suddenly echoed in her head, '... it's more likely that this is someone you know... that you've known.'
Mac tensed and then closed her eyes briefly. No. There was no way in the world that Gunny Walters would do anything like these killings. He was the quintessential Marine; someone who belonged on a recruiting poster in every enlistment office. He had a loving wife, three wonderful daughters and granddaughters for godsakes! She'd trusted him with her life and he'd never let her down. Never...
Her stomach clenched when she remembered the lengths he'd gone to to protect her. How far would he go? Why had he looked at her like that? Like he'd known what a nightmare growing up had been for her? Like he knew how hard it was for her to deal with abuse cases? It had to be because he DID know. Dammit, how had he found out? Harm wouldn't have said anything, he knew how she valued her privacy. If someone had queried him about her past, Harm would have told them to talk to her and probably would have alerted her that someone was asking.
No. Even if she caught Walters in the act with a gun in his hand, she'd have a hard time believing it. Mac took a deep breath, steadying herself and looked around the table. "I'm afraid there's not much to go on at this point. Whoever's doing this is damn clever. We think that this guy was abused himself and is on his own twisted little crusade. In his mind, he's rescuing others as well as avenging his own childhood."
"So he's military." This was from Robyn.
"Maybe." Mac qualified, "We're fairly certain that he's from a military family - probably the Marines. We don't know if he's actively serving."
"But if he was in the Corps, how hard would it be to find out if someone was, well... beating up on his wife and kids?" Mo directed her question to the Gunny.
He shrugged, "It would depend."
"What if he was someone like you? Not exactly like you," Mo amended quickly, "But a non-com with a lot of years in the service? Would it be hard then?"
Gunny Walters was silent for a long moment, "No, actually it wouldn't." He looked over at his wife, "Between the two of us, we probably know where most of the skeletons are buried."
"Did you know the three sergeants that have been killed?" Mac hated herself for asking. Hated that niggling little bit of doubt that kept pointing out the coincidences that could make Gunny a suspect. Hated that the same qualities that made him a fine Marine would serve him equally well if he had wanted to commit these murders. What the hell would she do if Kate or Gibbs suddenly focused on him?
Walters nodded, "Yeah, didn't like them much and they knew it. They kept out of my way for the most part."
"For the most part?" Carlie looked at her father, eyebrows raised.
Gunny shot a look at Robyn who was looking equally curious, "Chaka Alvaro thought I needed taking down a notch."
"That skinny, little loudmouth?" Robyn asked skeptically, "Was he feeling suicidal?"
"He tried to even things up a bit with a billyclub, I took it away from him and then we had a discussion about fair play. He steered clear after that." Walters looked just the tiniest bit smug.
That faded when Robyn glared at him, folding her arms across her chest, "Uh-huh. And when were you planning to tell me about all this?"
"Now hon... , " Gunny gave her a placating smile.
"Don't you 'honey' me! Some nitwit tries to brain you... you didn't even turn him in, did you?" She glanced around the table at the other women, her expression clearly stating 'Men!'
"When was this?" Mac asked during the lull. She was remembering that Gunny had been at JAG HQ during the CourtTV fiasco although she hadn't known him all that well.
"About nine months ago," Walters said mildly with just the barest of glances at Robyn. Obviously, he was hoping that keeping his manner low-key would defuse his wife's ire.
"No contact with him after that?"
Gunny shook his head, "No. I'd see him occasionally at the NCO club but we ignored each other." He was watching her more carefully now, realizing that her questions were no longer casual.
"Dubby, how many others knew what Alvaro was like at home?" Mac had to force herself to present a calm facade. It couldn't be him. It couldn't.
"Hard to say," he shrugged apologetically, "It wasn't like anyone discussed it. I know the MPs busted him at least once. His CO talked to him about it - that's standard procedure. If I had to guess, I'd say at least a dozen or so." He rubbed his jaw, throwing another look at Robyn, "I did confront him once about 4 months ago. I ran into his wife, Patty, at the commissary store. She was reaching for a can on a top shelf and her sleeve slid back. There was this nasty bruise on her arm. She covered it right away, made some excuse about banging into a table and took off." He paused for a moment, scowling, "If I could have gotten my hands on Alvaro right then, I think I'd have broken his neck." Walters glanced at his wife, "I kept thinking, 'what if this had been Della or Jackie?' Anyway, I didn't see him until a couple of days later. I pulled him aside and told him that the next time he smacked his wife around, I would return the favor and then some."
"What did he do?" Mo asked, a little wide-eyed. This sort of thing was totally beyond her experience.
"Blustered a little. There wasn't much he could do. We both knew what he'd done and he knew I wasn't kidding. He was mad as hell but he was also scared of me." Gunny sighed, staring at the table, "I don't think he touched her after that but who knows? You can still hurt someone without leaving marks. I don't know if I made things better or worse for that poor woman. When I heard he'd been killed, all I could think was 'Good riddance.'"
There was silence after that and Mac looked around the table. Taking a deep breath, she said, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have had this conversation here. I didn't mean to ruin a wonderful evening."
Robyn waved a hand, "Sarah honey, it's not your fault. I was the one who brought the subject up." She shook her head, "I don't know how you deal with this sort of thing, day in and day out." She stood up and retrieved the dessert Mac had brought, "I think we could all stand to have some sweets." She put the chocolate cheesecake in front of her husband and then pulled out plates and forks, "You serve and I'll get the coffee started. It just needs to be turned on."
Five minutes later, they were digging into their dessert. Robyn looked around the table with a smile, "So, has anyone else heard the names that Della and Colby have decided on?"
Mac's Apartment Georgetown 2350 Local
After returning home and preparing for bed, Mac pulled on a robe and headed for her desk. Even though she had to be up in six hours and ten minutes, she had to satisfy herself that Gunny Walters wasn't a viable suspect. She knew, at some point, Kate would get around to checking him out and she wanted irrefutable proof on hand to derail any suspicion. She would have to prove his innocence by other means and bypass the alibis. There was no way to get them without tipping her hand to the Walters family and she didn't want them to know what she was doing. Even thinking that he could have done this felt like a betrayal.
Pulling out a legal pad, she wrote 'Alibis?' at the top and then started listing the pros and cons. Fifteen minutes later, she sat back and frowned. There were far more cons than pros. Gunny had been at JAG before the CourtTV case. He was from Raleigh, NC and still had family there. Raleigh was only 90 minutes or so from Lejune. He was the son of a Marine Gunnery Sergeant. Not only had he been stationed at Lejune during his own career, he'd spent some of his childhood there as well and was quite familar with the area. He was an expert marksman with a number of weapons. He was smart. He knew how crime scenes were investigated. He knew what kind of men the three sergeants were. With three daughters and a wonderful wife, he was used to being protective of women. These last few years, he'd almost made a career out of rescuing her. He liked her personally. (Mac stopped for a moment and re-read that part. She was beginning to think that both Robyn and Dubby were looking at her like family. It gave her a wonderfully warm feeling even as it made her feel more guilty for just considering her suspicions.) And finally, somehow, he knew about her childhood.
She looked at the pro side. There wasn't as much there but as far as she was concerned, they far outweighed the cons. First was character. Gunny Walters was not the type to slink around and ambush people. He met them head-on. His sense of honor and justice would not lend itself to vigilantism and certainly not murder. As far as she could recall from bits of conversation, he had a good relationship with his father and his childhood had been a happy one. The only thing Robyn had mentioned once in passing, was that the elder Gunny Walters had been aghast at the entry of women into the Corps. Fortunately, his son didn't have that attitude. Finally, and most important, there was their eyewitness. As bad as he was, if it had been the Gunny in the sweatshirt and pants, he would have noticed. Walters was a big man. He would have dwarfed Alvaro and that would have stood out.
Mac stood up, that was it. As far as she was concerned, and she was sure she would convince Kate as well, Gunny Walters was in the clear. She'd known it in her heart, now she knew it in her head. Tearing the sheet off the pad, she crumpled it up and chucked it into the wastebasket. It was time for bed. She had to be up in five hours and twenty-five minutes.
Walters Residence Alexandria 2300 Local
Robyn sighed as she felt the bed shift yet again. It was never a good sign when her husband was this restless. Finally, she sat up and scooted up against the headboard, "Do you want to talk about it?"
"I'm sorry, hon." He sounded contrite.
"Should I be worried about you? Is there something you and Sarah haven't told me?" Robyn felt a little twinge of panic. Now what? It would be just like Dubby to downplay any kind of danger. She thanked God daily that he hadn't sought a transfer into one of the companies that deployed for Iraq like Galindez had. She knew he thought about it, but they had talked it over and decided that while he would obviously go if ordered, he wouldn't actively pursue it.
"No, I'm fine. You heard what Sarah told us. I don't know much more than that."
"But you're worried about her, aren't you?" Robyn stifled another sigh. She truly liked the Marine colonel even though the woman had an absolute talent for trouble. Maybe that was because she never tried to avoid it. It was an admirable trait for heroines in stories but damned scary in real-life.
Walters shifted until he was also leaning against the headboard, "I've got a bad feeling about this investigation she's on." He sounded frustrated, "I don't know. Something's off. I've done some checking on my own and it's not adding up like it should."
He didn't have to see to know when she fastened a gimlet eye on him. Her voice came out in measured tones, "You've been running your own investigation while NCIS is running theirs? Rudy Jackson Walters, have you lost your mind?"
"Baby, it's not like that. I've asked a few questions. You know I wouldn't compromise Sarah that way." He rubbed his head, "I am worried about her. You know what kind of a year it's been. I don't think she realizes that she's still not on top of her game. Hell, I don't think Rabb sees it either or if he does, he's figuring to be there to handle it. I can't help feeling that whatever we're missing is going to rise up and bite us in the ass. And Sarah and that little bitty gal from NCIS are going to be at the head of the line."
She could hear it coming a mile away and folded her arms, "Uh-huh... and just what are you planning to do about it?"
"Now sweetie, I haven't got anything planned. I'm just going with the flow." Dubby's voice deepened as he slid down in the bed and turned so he could caress her. Three kids and two grandkids and she was still the sexiest thing he'd ever laid eyes on.
Robyn shivered a little. Even after all these years of marriage, he still had the magic touch. Let the young folks go on about make-up sex, debate sex was more fun and a helluva lot less stressful. Of course, sometimes they never really made it to the debate part. She slid down in the bed to join him, "Don't you dare do anything stupid, Dubby." She pulled him in closer, her voice down to a husky whisper, "And don't let anything happen to Sarah either."Thank you to everyone who's taken the time to write reviews! I'm truly grateful for the support.
Next Day Mac's Apartment Georgetown 1728 Local
Mac had just finished with her hair when the phone rang. She snagged the handset off the nightstand while slipping into a pair of sandals, "Hello?"
"Hey Mac."
Harm's voice filled her ear and she smiled, "Hey yourself. What's up?"
"Not much. You were out pretty quick today and I didn't get a chance to ask if you had plans for dinner?"
Mac sighed, "Harm... do you remember what day this is?"
"It's Friday, what does... oh shoot. You're having dinner at the Walters tonight, aren't you?" Harm sounded a little chagrined. Normally, they kept each other apprised of any conflicting plans but it was fairly obvious that he'd forgotten.
"Uh-huh," Mac moved into the living room, grabbing a light jacket out of the closet and then heading for the kitchen to retrieve the dessert she was taking. "Did you talk to Mattie about the barbecue?"
"Yeah," Harm chuckled, "The desire for decadent food is waging war with the fact that she might be the only teenager there."
"Who's winning?" If Mac had to bet, she'd go with the food. Mattie was a kindred soul when it came to appetite. Fortunately, the young woman was active enough in sports that she didn't have to worry about calories.
"Food's got the upper hand right now. The fact that I will make the appropriate gagging noises while she rhapsodizes over barbecued dead pig is an added incentive."
"I'm impressed, Mr. Rabb," Mac laughed, "One would think you've been manipulating teenagers for years. So I'll assume you're going unless I hear otherwise?"
"That sounds safe."
She could hear the smile in his voice and was thankful he seemed reconciled to not getting together tonight. At least they still had the weekend. "Harm, I hate to cut this short but I have to get going."
"Okay, tell Dubby and his wife I said hi."
"Will do. Do you want to go running tomorrow morning?" Mac headed back to the bedroom.
"Sure, should I ask Mattie if she wants to go? We can come back to my place afterwards and I'll make everyone breakfast."
"Okay by me. Listen, I really do have to leave now." They exchanged goodbyes and a minute later, Mac was headed towards her car. She reached the Walters' home with about five minutes to spare. Gunny answered the door. He was just wearing a polo shirt and slacks but the effect was even more imposing than when he was in uniform. In his class A's, it wasn't as obvious that he still didn't carry an ounce of extra fat. Once again, Mac mentally gave his sons-in-law points for fortitude. They had to truly love his daughters to make it past this formidable guardian.
"Sarah, come in," Gunny smiled as he opened the door wider. "Let me take that. Robyn and Carlie are in the kitchen." He took the dessert container and led the way towards the back of the house. Neither of the Walters stood on ceremony and the kitchen was Mac's favorite place. It was not as big as Avis Payne's wonderful old kitchen but was just as warm and comfortable. Walters held the door open for her. Mac smiled a greeting to Robyn who was standing at the sink and then stopped in surprise. Carlie was busily working on the salad and helping her was Mo Dzurick.
The two young women looked up when Mac walked in. Carlie smiled at her, still a little nervous at dealing with a senior officer - friend of the family or not. Mo, on the other hand, came around the end of the island counter and launched herself into a hug. "Colonel Mac!"
"Mo!" Mac looked over to see Robyn and Gunny smiling widely, pleased with their surprise.
"Carlie invited me for the weekend but she didn't tell me you were coming over." Mo shot a good-natured glare over her shoulder at her friend, "Just for that, you get Calypso this summer."
Mac grinned, remembering the temperamental mare, "Oh, that's mean. Is the rest of the family going to be at Windswept, too?"
"Daddy will only come for two weeks but everyone else will be there for the summer." A slight shadow crossed her face at the mention of her father. Mac nodded sympathetically. Gheorghe had had a long and difficult recovery complicated by the knowledge that he'd been betrayed and his wife and children endangered by someone he'd looked upon as family. Carol had taken on a number of his administrative duties, as had Cat. It was becoming more and more likely that he would retire and Catalin would ascend the throne on her twenty-first birthday.
Mo gave her a hopeful look, "Do you think you and Commander Rabb could come out for a visit? Grandma and Grandpa ask about you all the time."
"We'll see. These days it's hard to say where I'll be from week to week but I would like to see all of you again." Mac looked back at Robyn, "Is there anything I can do?"
Robyn shook her head, pushing herself upright from where she'd been leaning against the sink, "Everything's just about ready." She gave her husband a look, "All we need now are the steaks."
"Ma'am, yes ma'am," In moments, Gunny was out the door with a platter of meat, heading for the barbecue grill.
An hour later, five thoroughly sated people sat back. Robyn sipped her wine and looked at Mac. She'd been debating how to broach the subject and had finally decided on the blunt approach, "Sarah? Do you know anything about this rash of killings?" She glanced over at her husband, "Marty Sorenson called yesterday in near hysterics." She looked back at Mac, "Her husband, Bill, is a staff sergeant and she's managed to convince herself that someone is going to kill him. She's the first one I've heard from but I get the feeling she won't be the last. A lot of the wives are getting nervous."
"Honey," Gunny said warningly, "You know Sarah probably can't talk about it." Carlie and Mo exchanged looks and kept silent, hoping to hear more.
Mac fingered her napkin while she thought about it. Finally she sighed, "I really can't say much at this point. I'm assisting NCIS, it's their case." She ran a hand through her hair, "I would say that Mrs. Sorenson's husband is probably safe, this guy is very specific in who he's targeting."
"He's going after the SOBs." Gunny said flatly, earning a surprised look from everyone at the table.
"Dubby?" Mac queried softly. Mentally, she was slapping herself. She should have talked to Walters before this. The man had over thirty years of service in the Corps, a large percentage of that time as a Gunnery Sergeant. Naturally, he would know quite a bit about his peers. He looked over at her and she was puzzled to see the sympathy in his eyes. It was almost as if he knew how this might be affecting her but that couldn't be. She'd never said anything about her childhood to him or, for that matter, to anyone sitting at the table.
He looked back at his wife, "Remember Evan and Francie Mitchell?"
Robyn grimaced, "Oh."
Carlie and Mo looked at each other in confusion and then Carlie looked at her father, "Dad?"
Mac was the one who answered the young woman's unspoken question. She leveled a meaningful stare first at Mo and then at Carlie, "I trust that what you're about to hear will not be a topic of conversation outside this room?" The two cadets nodded. "It looks like we're tracking a serial killer. He's targeting Marine sergeants who have abused their families."
Mo's brow furrowed as she looked from Mac to Gunny and back, "But how does he know who's been doing something like that? Is it another Marine sergeant?"
Mac started to shake her head and then stopped. They didn't really have any solid leads and this theory was as good as any of the others. Simpler too, all that would be required was an intimate knowledge of Corps personnel - something someone with years of experience was bound to accumulate. Not only that, but it wouldn't take much to dovetail her theory onto this one. She looked over at Walters and Kate's voice suddenly echoed in her head, '... it's more likely that this is someone you know... that you've known.'
Mac tensed and then closed her eyes briefly. No. There was no way in the world that Gunny Walters would do anything like these killings. He was the quintessential Marine; someone who belonged on a recruiting poster in every enlistment office. He had a loving wife, three wonderful daughters and granddaughters for godsakes! She'd trusted him with her life and he'd never let her down. Never...
Her stomach clenched when she remembered the lengths he'd gone to to protect her. How far would he go? Why had he looked at her like that? Like he'd known what a nightmare growing up had been for her? Like he knew how hard it was for her to deal with abuse cases? It had to be because he DID know. Dammit, how had he found out? Harm wouldn't have said anything, he knew how she valued her privacy. If someone had queried him about her past, Harm would have told them to talk to her and probably would have alerted her that someone was asking.
No. Even if she caught Walters in the act with a gun in his hand, she'd have a hard time believing it. Mac took a deep breath, steadying herself and looked around the table. "I'm afraid there's not much to go on at this point. Whoever's doing this is damn clever. We think that this guy was abused himself and is on his own twisted little crusade. In his mind, he's rescuing others as well as avenging his own childhood."
"So he's military." This was from Robyn.
"Maybe." Mac qualified, "We're fairly certain that he's from a military family - probably the Marines. We don't know if he's actively serving."
"But if he was in the Corps, how hard would it be to find out if someone was, well... beating up on his wife and kids?" Mo directed her question to the Gunny.
He shrugged, "It would depend."
"What if he was someone like you? Not exactly like you," Mo amended quickly, "But a non-com with a lot of years in the service? Would it be hard then?"
Gunny Walters was silent for a long moment, "No, actually it wouldn't." He looked over at his wife, "Between the two of us, we probably know where most of the skeletons are buried."
"Did you know the three sergeants that have been killed?" Mac hated herself for asking. Hated that niggling little bit of doubt that kept pointing out the coincidences that could make Gunny a suspect. Hated that the same qualities that made him a fine Marine would serve him equally well if he had wanted to commit these murders. What the hell would she do if Kate or Gibbs suddenly focused on him?
Walters nodded, "Yeah, didn't like them much and they knew it. They kept out of my way for the most part."
"For the most part?" Carlie looked at her father, eyebrows raised.
Gunny shot a look at Robyn who was looking equally curious, "Chaka Alvaro thought I needed taking down a notch."
"That skinny, little loudmouth?" Robyn asked skeptically, "Was he feeling suicidal?"
"He tried to even things up a bit with a billyclub, I took it away from him and then we had a discussion about fair play. He steered clear after that." Walters looked just the tiniest bit smug.
That faded when Robyn glared at him, folding her arms across her chest, "Uh-huh. And when were you planning to tell me about all this?"
"Now hon... , " Gunny gave her a placating smile.
"Don't you 'honey' me! Some nitwit tries to brain you... you didn't even turn him in, did you?" She glanced around the table at the other women, her expression clearly stating 'Men!'
"When was this?" Mac asked during the lull. She was remembering that Gunny had been at JAG HQ during the CourtTV fiasco although she hadn't known him all that well.
"About nine months ago," Walters said mildly with just the barest of glances at Robyn. Obviously, he was hoping that keeping his manner low-key would defuse his wife's ire.
"No contact with him after that?"
Gunny shook his head, "No. I'd see him occasionally at the NCO club but we ignored each other." He was watching her more carefully now, realizing that her questions were no longer casual.
"Dubby, how many others knew what Alvaro was like at home?" Mac had to force herself to present a calm facade. It couldn't be him. It couldn't.
"Hard to say," he shrugged apologetically, "It wasn't like anyone discussed it. I know the MPs busted him at least once. His CO talked to him about it - that's standard procedure. If I had to guess, I'd say at least a dozen or so." He rubbed his jaw, throwing another look at Robyn, "I did confront him once about 4 months ago. I ran into his wife, Patty, at the commissary store. She was reaching for a can on a top shelf and her sleeve slid back. There was this nasty bruise on her arm. She covered it right away, made some excuse about banging into a table and took off." He paused for a moment, scowling, "If I could have gotten my hands on Alvaro right then, I think I'd have broken his neck." Walters glanced at his wife, "I kept thinking, 'what if this had been Della or Jackie?' Anyway, I didn't see him until a couple of days later. I pulled him aside and told him that the next time he smacked his wife around, I would return the favor and then some."
"What did he do?" Mo asked, a little wide-eyed. This sort of thing was totally beyond her experience.
"Blustered a little. There wasn't much he could do. We both knew what he'd done and he knew I wasn't kidding. He was mad as hell but he was also scared of me." Gunny sighed, staring at the table, "I don't think he touched her after that but who knows? You can still hurt someone without leaving marks. I don't know if I made things better or worse for that poor woman. When I heard he'd been killed, all I could think was 'Good riddance.'"
There was silence after that and Mac looked around the table. Taking a deep breath, she said, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have had this conversation here. I didn't mean to ruin a wonderful evening."
Robyn waved a hand, "Sarah honey, it's not your fault. I was the one who brought the subject up." She shook her head, "I don't know how you deal with this sort of thing, day in and day out." She stood up and retrieved the dessert Mac had brought, "I think we could all stand to have some sweets." She put the chocolate cheesecake in front of her husband and then pulled out plates and forks, "You serve and I'll get the coffee started. It just needs to be turned on."
Five minutes later, they were digging into their dessert. Robyn looked around the table with a smile, "So, has anyone else heard the names that Della and Colby have decided on?"
Mac's Apartment Georgetown 2350 Local
After returning home and preparing for bed, Mac pulled on a robe and headed for her desk. Even though she had to be up in six hours and ten minutes, she had to satisfy herself that Gunny Walters wasn't a viable suspect. She knew, at some point, Kate would get around to checking him out and she wanted irrefutable proof on hand to derail any suspicion. She would have to prove his innocence by other means and bypass the alibis. There was no way to get them without tipping her hand to the Walters family and she didn't want them to know what she was doing. Even thinking that he could have done this felt like a betrayal.
Pulling out a legal pad, she wrote 'Alibis?' at the top and then started listing the pros and cons. Fifteen minutes later, she sat back and frowned. There were far more cons than pros. Gunny had been at JAG before the CourtTV case. He was from Raleigh, NC and still had family there. Raleigh was only 90 minutes or so from Lejune. He was the son of a Marine Gunnery Sergeant. Not only had he been stationed at Lejune during his own career, he'd spent some of his childhood there as well and was quite familar with the area. He was an expert marksman with a number of weapons. He was smart. He knew how crime scenes were investigated. He knew what kind of men the three sergeants were. With three daughters and a wonderful wife, he was used to being protective of women. These last few years, he'd almost made a career out of rescuing her. He liked her personally. (Mac stopped for a moment and re-read that part. She was beginning to think that both Robyn and Dubby were looking at her like family. It gave her a wonderfully warm feeling even as it made her feel more guilty for just considering her suspicions.) And finally, somehow, he knew about her childhood.
She looked at the pro side. There wasn't as much there but as far as she was concerned, they far outweighed the cons. First was character. Gunny Walters was not the type to slink around and ambush people. He met them head-on. His sense of honor and justice would not lend itself to vigilantism and certainly not murder. As far as she could recall from bits of conversation, he had a good relationship with his father and his childhood had been a happy one. The only thing Robyn had mentioned once in passing, was that the elder Gunny Walters had been aghast at the entry of women into the Corps. Fortunately, his son didn't have that attitude. Finally, and most important, there was their eyewitness. As bad as he was, if it had been the Gunny in the sweatshirt and pants, he would have noticed. Walters was a big man. He would have dwarfed Alvaro and that would have stood out.
Mac stood up, that was it. As far as she was concerned, and she was sure she would convince Kate as well, Gunny Walters was in the clear. She'd known it in her heart, now she knew it in her head. Tearing the sheet off the pad, she crumpled it up and chucked it into the wastebasket. It was time for bed. She had to be up in five hours and twenty-five minutes.
Walters Residence Alexandria 2300 Local
Robyn sighed as she felt the bed shift yet again. It was never a good sign when her husband was this restless. Finally, she sat up and scooted up against the headboard, "Do you want to talk about it?"
"I'm sorry, hon." He sounded contrite.
"Should I be worried about you? Is there something you and Sarah haven't told me?" Robyn felt a little twinge of panic. Now what? It would be just like Dubby to downplay any kind of danger. She thanked God daily that he hadn't sought a transfer into one of the companies that deployed for Iraq like Galindez had. She knew he thought about it, but they had talked it over and decided that while he would obviously go if ordered, he wouldn't actively pursue it.
"No, I'm fine. You heard what Sarah told us. I don't know much more than that."
"But you're worried about her, aren't you?" Robyn stifled another sigh. She truly liked the Marine colonel even though the woman had an absolute talent for trouble. Maybe that was because she never tried to avoid it. It was an admirable trait for heroines in stories but damned scary in real-life.
Walters shifted until he was also leaning against the headboard, "I've got a bad feeling about this investigation she's on." He sounded frustrated, "I don't know. Something's off. I've done some checking on my own and it's not adding up like it should."
He didn't have to see to know when she fastened a gimlet eye on him. Her voice came out in measured tones, "You've been running your own investigation while NCIS is running theirs? Rudy Jackson Walters, have you lost your mind?"
"Baby, it's not like that. I've asked a few questions. You know I wouldn't compromise Sarah that way." He rubbed his head, "I am worried about her. You know what kind of a year it's been. I don't think she realizes that she's still not on top of her game. Hell, I don't think Rabb sees it either or if he does, he's figuring to be there to handle it. I can't help feeling that whatever we're missing is going to rise up and bite us in the ass. And Sarah and that little bitty gal from NCIS are going to be at the head of the line."
She could hear it coming a mile away and folded her arms, "Uh-huh... and just what are you planning to do about it?"
"Now sweetie, I haven't got anything planned. I'm just going with the flow." Dubby's voice deepened as he slid down in the bed and turned so he could caress her. Three kids and two grandkids and she was still the sexiest thing he'd ever laid eyes on.
Robyn shivered a little. Even after all these years of marriage, he still had the magic touch. Let the young folks go on about make-up sex, debate sex was more fun and a helluva lot less stressful. Of course, sometimes they never really made it to the debate part. She slid down in the bed to join him, "Don't you dare do anything stupid, Dubby." She pulled him in closer, her voice down to a husky whisper, "And don't let anything happen to Sarah either."Thank you to everyone who's taken the time to write reviews! I'm truly grateful for the support.
