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Part 19
JAG Headquarters Falls Church 1226 Local
"Commander Rabb."
Harm looked up and his expression hardened, "Agent Gibbs."
The two men stared at each other until Gibbs finally made an abrupt gesture, "Mind if I sit down?" Without waiting for a reply, he walked in and gingerly lowered himself into a chair.
They resumed staring at each other until Harm tilted his head towards the sling Gibbs was wearing, "What happened to you?'
Gibbs' eyes narrowed as he contemplated the question. He knew that MacKenzie had heard the story, if not from Kate then from Ducky. Apparently, she wasn't given to gossiping. He leaned back a little further in the chair and half-smiled, "None of your business."
Harm leaned back as well, looking exasperated and annoyed, "I don't have time for games. What the hell do you want, Gibbs?"
Gibbs let his gaze travel around Harm's office before finally coming to rest on the tall Commander, "A hacker broke into our database this morning, started deleting files."
Harm raised an eyebrow, "So?" He started to frown, "Are you accusing someone here at JAG?"
"No, Commander, I'm not." Gibbs answered with exaggerated patience. "This was an expert." They stared at each other again until the NCIS agent sighed, "Aren't you curious about what files were deleted?"
Harm swiveled back and forth in his chair, "No." In truth, he was but damned if he would admit anything of the sort to the man sitting across from him.
"You oughtta be," Gibbs' tone was acerbic, "Considering that among the files deleted were Kate's notes on that serial killer she and MacKenzie are tracking."
"What?" Harm rocked forward, suddenly intent. "Did you catch the hacker?"
"Not yet," Gibbs shook his head, "But Abby and McGee will get him."
"Uh-huh," Harm sounded dubious. He drummed his fingers on the desk, "You said that Kate's notes were only some of the files deleted. Do you think it was just a coincidence?" Even as he asked the question, Harm didn't really believe it but he was willing to grasp at straws. There was no way in hell Chegwidden was going to let him go chasing after Mac because of a computer break-in at NCIS.
Gibbs raised an eyebrow, "What do you think?"
Harm stared at him for a long moment before conceding with a frown, "Alright, so this nut waits for Mac and Kate to leave town and then trashes the case files. Why? What's the point? Mac's got the same... " He stopped in mid-sentence and shot to his feet, heading for Mac's office.
Swearing softly to himself, Gibbs struggled out of the chair and followed after the tall Commander. He caught up with Rabb in MacKenzie's office. The Commander was leaning down and tapping on the keyboard while staring intently at the screen. He looked up when Gibbs appeared in the doorway and then reached for Mac's phone, "Commander Roberts? Would you come to Colonel MacKenzie's office, please?" When the NCIS agent looked like he was about to say something, Harm scowled, "Unless you happen to be some sort of computer geek, we're going to need Bud. I can't find Mac's files and I don't know how else to go about looking for them."
Gibbs didn't bother answering. Instead, he walked in and settled himself in one of Mac's chairs. The shoulder wound was taking a lot more out of him than he cared to admit, to himself and especially to Rabb.
Bud appeared in the doorway and Harm motioned him in, "Bud, I can't find some files on Mac's computer. Would you see what you can do?" He stepped back and let the younger man sit down, positioning himself to look over Bud's shoulder. Harm figured Bud would lose him very quickly but it gave him an excuse not to deal with Gibbs.
"Yes sir." Bud glanced over his shoulder, "What's the name of the file?"
"Hitchcock." Harm didn't even glance in Gibbs' direction. There was no way he was going to explain Mac's penchant for naming odd files after movie directors. It wasn't that often that she had a non-JAG related case so it was a good a method as any. 'Hitchcock' obviously meant that she hadn't figured out where the trail was leading. 'Hawks' or 'Edwards' was usually reserved for the typical comedy of errors that encompassed CIA cases.
Bud nodded, already becoming immersed in his task. A few minutes later, he looked over at Harm, "Sir, it's not there."
Harm glanced at Gibbs and then looked back to Bud, "Is possible to tell if someone's hacked into the Colonel's computer? That file was from an outside investigation. She wouldn't have deleted it."
Bud frowned slightly, studiously ignoring the NCIS agent. He had no idea what Special Agent Gibbs was doing here and no wish to know. He'd had more than his fill of the man on previous occasions. "Sir, if this is an investigation outside of JAG, then the Colonel will have a back-up CD of it. She's been a little paranoid about that sort of thing since 'Archangel'."
Harm's eyebrows rose, "I didn't know that. How did you find out? Do you know where the CD is?" He had a sudden of vision of he and Gibbs mutilating every book in Mac's library. Hard on that thought was the certainty that he would die a slow and painful death if she caught him ruining any of her paleontology books.
"We were both working late one evening and I walked in as Col. MacKenzie was pulling the CD out. I think she was a bit embarrassed about it because she started to explain." Bud shook his head a little at the memory. It had happened during the period when Harm was with the CIA, everyone had been off-kilter. He turned towards a small CD holder and started pulling out cases.
Harm looked down at them, "Music CDs?"
Bud nodded, reading the titles written neatly across the disks, "Even though they're sold as recordable music CDs, you can still put whatever you want on them. Ah, here, sir." He held up a CD.
Harm took it and then looked at Bud, "'Soundtrack to The McGuffin Man'? What in blazes is that? A kid's movie?"
"It's Hitchcock, sir," Bud grinned, "A McGuffin is what Hitchcock called a useless plot device that got everyone looking in the wrong direction. The Colonel must be pretty frustrated."
"You've got that right," Harm chuckled. "Thanks Bud." He turned to Gibbs, holding up the CD, "Well, here's the file. Now what?"
Gibbs shifted slightly. "Don't you think you ought to check and make sure that that CD really does have the files?" he asked dryly. More than likely it did, but it never paid to assume anything. He gave the Colonel points for paranoia.
Harm stared at him silently and then handed the CD to Bud who popped it into the computer. A few seconds later, the icon came up on the desktop. Bud double-clicked on it and sat back, "Here you go, sir, Hitchcock."
Leaning over, Harm opened the file and scanned through it. He patted Roberts on the shoulder, "This is it, thanks Bud."
Bud knew a dismissal when he heard one and stood up, "You're welcome, sir." He walked out.
Gibbs watched him leave and then turned back to find Rabb staring at him, "What?"
Harm ejected the CD, put it back in its case and replaced it in the holder, "I was going to ask you that. Now what? Whatever the hacker was trying to accomplish has failed."
"Yeah, but he doesn't know that," Gibbs countered. "Think about it, Rabb. You're a stone-cold killer, you know they're looking for you and you've just eliminated the electronic files that might be pointing in your direction. What do you do next?"
Harm's face got a little paler, "You go after the investigator."
He reached for the phone again and Gibbs shook his head, "If you're calling the Colonel, don't bother. I called Kate when Abby told me what files were missing. They know what's happened and to be more careful."
"More careful? That's it? How the hell do they get more careful when they don't know what this guy looks like?" Harm glared at the agent and stood up, "Maybe you don't give a damn about what happens to your people but Admiral Chegwidden does. I'm going to tell him about this latest fiasco and get him to pull Mac out of the investigation."
"You mean like he did in Paraguay?" Gibbs' voice was soft and his tone lethal. "Planning on resigning again if he says no?"
Harm froze in mid-stride and turned slowly towards Gibbs, his expression murderous, "You son of a bitch."
He started towards Gibbs and for a moment, the NCIS agent wondered if he'd finally pushed too far. Rabb's crack about not caring about his people had hit him where the guilt was strongest. He'd been powerless to help them. It was a bitter pill to take knowing that he was indebted to that terrorist bastard for sparing Kate, Ducky and Gerald. Gibbs held up a hand, "Power down, Commander. I had something else in mind."
Sanitary Restaurant and Fish Market Morehead City 1935 Local
"This place is huge," Kate looked around after they'd been seated. They'd gotten a table in the back, under a sign that read 'No Fishing From Windows'. She jerked a thumb at the placard, "I can't decide if that's a joke or not."
Mac glanced up from her menu and looked out the window. A Laughing Gull, sitting atop a piling, looked back. "Well, it is built out over the water. It wouldn't surprise me if someone gave it a shot." She went back to the menu, "Everything looks good. I think I'll go with the combo platter. Have you decided yet?"
Kate gave her menu a quick scan, "Shrimp panned in butter." She rested her elbows on the table and massaged her temples, "What a day. I can't believe someone hacked into our files."
"Yeah, but it does narrow the field a little, doesn't it?" Mac wasn't that happy about the break-in at NCIS either but the knowledge that she had backed up her files meant she hadn't been nearly as upset as Kate. Since this guy had already demonstrated his skill when he hacked into Mac's CIA file and the files at JAG, it wasn't that surprising to Mac that he'd gone after NCIS. More worrisome to her was the timing and the fact that this bastard had been so bold as to announce his presence by deleting files. This was definitely an 'in-your-face' move. "I think we can eliminate Sabatino from the list. You said McGee had him in Baltimore last night, there's no way he could have known when we left for North Carolina."
"You left a message for Elbert, so she knows." Something about the Congresswoman was bugging Kate but at the moment, she couldn't bring it into focus.
"True," Mac agreed, "but so would Karen, her receptionist. I doubt she'd see any reason to keep it a secret if someone wanted to know where I was. That still leaves Garrick and Romblin on our list." She propped an elbow and rested her chin, "Joost is an unknown. She might have found out from Russo but I can't imagine how she could have asked without raising questions about why."
Kate stared out the window at a passing boat, "Yeah, but what's bothering me is how quickly this guy moved." She looked back at Mac, "You realize that he could have hacked into NCIS from practically anywhere."
"Which means he could be here now," Mac nodded. That thought had occurred to her also. The only real surprise was the fact that Harm hadn't called or shown up. Either he didn't know, which would make for a fun call this evening when she told him, or Chegwidden had jumped on him about his responsibilities at JAG. She didn't think he'd go so far as to resign. This wasn't Paraguay by any means. She watched Kate fiddle with a bottle of hot sauce, "We didn't make a hell of a lot of progress today."
"You're telling me." Kate put the bottle down with a thump and leaned back with a sigh, "I swear, sometimes I just want to strangle local cops. Do you think the Atlantic Beach PD really lost those files or are they just yanking us around?"
Mac caught their waitress' attention, "I don't know. Mike said they would be difficult." Once they given their order and the waitress had left, she leaned back also and stared out the window, "They've got us in a box and they know it. We can't very well accuse them of obstructing our investigation. If those files aren't truly lost, they will be before we can get a judge to do anything about it." She looked back at Kate, scowling slightly, "You know, you'd think they'd want to clear that case off their files."
"You'd think." Kate drummed her fingers on the table for a few moments and then looked at Mac, "You know what? Screw 'em. Let's just treat this like a new investigation. We're here, we've got a list of suspects and most of the witnesses that lived here at the time are still here. The local PD couldn't figure it out the first time so their files are probably worthless anyway."
Mac grinned and raised her glass of ice water, "Girl, I like the way you think." They discussed their strategy until the food arrived.
Forty minutes later, they strolled out of the restaurant and stopped for a moment, looking up and down the street. Mac glanced at Kate, "Want to look around a bit? I don't feel like going back to the hotel just yet."
Kate gave her an innocent smile, "You mean, play 'tourist'?"
Mac raised an eyebrow, "YOU can be a tourist, I'M going shopping."
She crossed the street, intent on a line of boutiques that faced the row of restaurants along the waterfront. Kate fell in alongside, "Shopping for anything in particular?"
Mac glanced at her and shrugged, "Books, shoes... information. These places are staffed by locals. I'll bet some of them might remember a shooting over on the island."
Kate looked at her in surprise, "You might have something there. How do you want to play this?"
Opening the door to a shop, Mac said over her shoulder, "Very casually."
Kate nodded and followed her inside. She let Mac take the lead, hovering discreetly nearby. By the time they reached the fifth shop, she was willing to concede that the Colonel was very good at getting people to open up. Knowing how forthright Mac could be, it was fascinating as hell to watch her maneuver the conversation where she wanted it to go. She'd ask the shopkeeper about a book or a piece of jewelry and the next thing Kate knew they would be chatting about life in coastal North Carolina. Occasionally, Mac would end a conversation after getting no further than a comparison of the weather. Sometimes she brought Kate into the discussion, sometimes not.
One thing Kate noticed was that Mac never really volunteered much information about themselves. If they asked, she said that she and Kate were co-workers down here on business and that they'd decided to take advantage of the trip and add a day or two to enjoy themselves. That invariably led to a recitation of various points of interest and things they simply had to try. It was then Mac usually brought up the safety issue... "Two women alone... unfamiliar with the area, was it safe at night? ...Living in DC, naturally, there were just some places you didn't go after dark ...Of course, you'd expect that in a big city. Crime and violence, drugs on every corner ... Here too? Well, I suppose it's true, people are the same wherever you go. If you want to get into trouble...Yes, yes, I know. Kids these days, don't know what the world is coming to. ...No, not all kids are like that but the ones that are... ...You're so right, they're just running wild. ...The military? Hadn't thought about it but that's a good idea. ...Camp Lejeune's not far away? That's the Marines, right? ...Yes, I would imagine attitudes have changed since 9/11. ...Were there problems before? ...No. Really? A Marine was killed during a robbery? How awful. When did that happen? ...Did they ever catch who did it? ...No? ...Well, we'll certainly be careful. ...It's been lovely talking to you. Thanks so much... hopefully, we'll have time to stop in again before we leave."
And so it went. Mac usually bought something and judging from the items, Kate suspected the Colonel was indulging in some early Christmas shopping as well. It certainly helped cement their story and whenever they left, the goodbyes sounded like two old friends parting company. They got variations of the same story wherever she decided to press the issue. No one really knew much more than had been in the papers. It was the ninth shop that something new popped up. The conversation had followed the usual lines until Mac had mentioned hearing about a Marine shot and killed during a robbery over on the island some years back. The shopowner, a pleasant sixtyish woman by the name of Eudora Whitaker, had shook her head, "That was a terrible thing and the timing couldn't have been worse, what with the Senate race being so close and the debate scheduled for a few days later." At Mac's curious look, she lowered her voice, leaning forward a little, "Some folks went so far as to say he was deliberately killed as a threat to Michelle Elbert. A warning against re-election because she was known for her support of law enforcement and the military." She straightened up again, "That's just silly, of course. Anybody who knows Mike knows she won't be bullied that way. I think it was just what the paper said it was, a robbery gone bad."
Mac couldn't keep the surprise off her face, "You mean Congresswoman Elbert?"
Eudora smiled, "Now a Congresswoman, then a State Senator, tomorrow - who knows?" She laughed pleasantly, "I suppose you can tell we're staunch supporters. My mother taught high school over in Beaufort, she had Mike in several of her classes. Quieter than she is now but smart as a whip even then. Mama always thought she'd be somebody someday. Do you know her?"
Refraining from looking at Kate, Mac smiled, "Yes, as a matter of fact. I met her recently at a birthday party for a mutual friend. She was very easy to talk to but I got the feeling she could be a force of nature if she wanted."
"You're so right," Eudora agreed, "Ponder Atkins found that out during that debate. He swaggered in, all set to patronize and Hurricane Mike just flattened him. Caught him up at every turn, pinned his ears back and sent him packing with his tail between his legs. It was a sight to behold. After that, I don't think that man could have been elected dogcatcher if he'd paid the voters. I guess he knew it because he didn't even have the gumption to stick around for the election. Left the county, would you believe, without a word of goodbye to anyone. Just scurried away in the night, leaving a note saying he was heading up North to start over. Never heard from again although, personally, I don't think that was any great loss. Yankees are welcome to him. No offense."
"None taken," Mac continued to smile brightly even though the conversation had left her shaken. Mike? She forced herself to focus even though her thoughts were swirling. Had they just heard of an unsolved murder or was this case affecting their perception of everything else? It just didn't make sense. Elbert had obviously cleaned this guy's clock in a public forum. What possible reason would she have to kill the man? Why take such an unnecessary chance? Could somebody else have done it in reprisal to the supposed threat to Mike? Mac wanted nothing more than to sit down and think everything through but they needed to get as much information as they could while Eudora was in a talkative mood.
Thirty-five minutes later, they left the shop. Mac didn't say anything but it was obvious to Kate that she'd had enough 'shopping'. They walked back towards the hotel in silence. Shooting surreptitious glances at the taller woman, Kate finally spoke up, "I'm sorry about this, Mac. I know you and the Congresswoman are friends."
Mac frowned and shook her head, "Don't start jumping to conclusions just yet, we need to check this out. It might be nothing at all. Atkins could very well be alive and well and living in some small town in upstate New York."
Kate raised an eyebrow. "I suppose that's true," she said carefully. "I'll call and have McGee track him down." They continued walking and were almost to the hotel entry when Mac stopped dead. Kate looked at her in surprise. The Marine's own expression of surprise was quickly shifting towards anger. Baffled, Kate followed Mac's gaze and saw a large, black man relaxing on the bench just outside the hotel doorway. "Mac? What's wrong? You know this guy?"
"Oh yeah," Mac said through gritted teeth. She started striding purposefully forward, making Kate almost jog to keep up. "You might want to look the other way, Agent Todd, because the Marine Corps is about to lose another Sergeant."
Part 19
JAG Headquarters Falls Church 1226 Local
"Commander Rabb."
Harm looked up and his expression hardened, "Agent Gibbs."
The two men stared at each other until Gibbs finally made an abrupt gesture, "Mind if I sit down?" Without waiting for a reply, he walked in and gingerly lowered himself into a chair.
They resumed staring at each other until Harm tilted his head towards the sling Gibbs was wearing, "What happened to you?'
Gibbs' eyes narrowed as he contemplated the question. He knew that MacKenzie had heard the story, if not from Kate then from Ducky. Apparently, she wasn't given to gossiping. He leaned back a little further in the chair and half-smiled, "None of your business."
Harm leaned back as well, looking exasperated and annoyed, "I don't have time for games. What the hell do you want, Gibbs?"
Gibbs let his gaze travel around Harm's office before finally coming to rest on the tall Commander, "A hacker broke into our database this morning, started deleting files."
Harm raised an eyebrow, "So?" He started to frown, "Are you accusing someone here at JAG?"
"No, Commander, I'm not." Gibbs answered with exaggerated patience. "This was an expert." They stared at each other again until the NCIS agent sighed, "Aren't you curious about what files were deleted?"
Harm swiveled back and forth in his chair, "No." In truth, he was but damned if he would admit anything of the sort to the man sitting across from him.
"You oughtta be," Gibbs' tone was acerbic, "Considering that among the files deleted were Kate's notes on that serial killer she and MacKenzie are tracking."
"What?" Harm rocked forward, suddenly intent. "Did you catch the hacker?"
"Not yet," Gibbs shook his head, "But Abby and McGee will get him."
"Uh-huh," Harm sounded dubious. He drummed his fingers on the desk, "You said that Kate's notes were only some of the files deleted. Do you think it was just a coincidence?" Even as he asked the question, Harm didn't really believe it but he was willing to grasp at straws. There was no way in hell Chegwidden was going to let him go chasing after Mac because of a computer break-in at NCIS.
Gibbs raised an eyebrow, "What do you think?"
Harm stared at him for a long moment before conceding with a frown, "Alright, so this nut waits for Mac and Kate to leave town and then trashes the case files. Why? What's the point? Mac's got the same... " He stopped in mid-sentence and shot to his feet, heading for Mac's office.
Swearing softly to himself, Gibbs struggled out of the chair and followed after the tall Commander. He caught up with Rabb in MacKenzie's office. The Commander was leaning down and tapping on the keyboard while staring intently at the screen. He looked up when Gibbs appeared in the doorway and then reached for Mac's phone, "Commander Roberts? Would you come to Colonel MacKenzie's office, please?" When the NCIS agent looked like he was about to say something, Harm scowled, "Unless you happen to be some sort of computer geek, we're going to need Bud. I can't find Mac's files and I don't know how else to go about looking for them."
Gibbs didn't bother answering. Instead, he walked in and settled himself in one of Mac's chairs. The shoulder wound was taking a lot more out of him than he cared to admit, to himself and especially to Rabb.
Bud appeared in the doorway and Harm motioned him in, "Bud, I can't find some files on Mac's computer. Would you see what you can do?" He stepped back and let the younger man sit down, positioning himself to look over Bud's shoulder. Harm figured Bud would lose him very quickly but it gave him an excuse not to deal with Gibbs.
"Yes sir." Bud glanced over his shoulder, "What's the name of the file?"
"Hitchcock." Harm didn't even glance in Gibbs' direction. There was no way he was going to explain Mac's penchant for naming odd files after movie directors. It wasn't that often that she had a non-JAG related case so it was a good a method as any. 'Hitchcock' obviously meant that she hadn't figured out where the trail was leading. 'Hawks' or 'Edwards' was usually reserved for the typical comedy of errors that encompassed CIA cases.
Bud nodded, already becoming immersed in his task. A few minutes later, he looked over at Harm, "Sir, it's not there."
Harm glanced at Gibbs and then looked back to Bud, "Is possible to tell if someone's hacked into the Colonel's computer? That file was from an outside investigation. She wouldn't have deleted it."
Bud frowned slightly, studiously ignoring the NCIS agent. He had no idea what Special Agent Gibbs was doing here and no wish to know. He'd had more than his fill of the man on previous occasions. "Sir, if this is an investigation outside of JAG, then the Colonel will have a back-up CD of it. She's been a little paranoid about that sort of thing since 'Archangel'."
Harm's eyebrows rose, "I didn't know that. How did you find out? Do you know where the CD is?" He had a sudden of vision of he and Gibbs mutilating every book in Mac's library. Hard on that thought was the certainty that he would die a slow and painful death if she caught him ruining any of her paleontology books.
"We were both working late one evening and I walked in as Col. MacKenzie was pulling the CD out. I think she was a bit embarrassed about it because she started to explain." Bud shook his head a little at the memory. It had happened during the period when Harm was with the CIA, everyone had been off-kilter. He turned towards a small CD holder and started pulling out cases.
Harm looked down at them, "Music CDs?"
Bud nodded, reading the titles written neatly across the disks, "Even though they're sold as recordable music CDs, you can still put whatever you want on them. Ah, here, sir." He held up a CD.
Harm took it and then looked at Bud, "'Soundtrack to The McGuffin Man'? What in blazes is that? A kid's movie?"
"It's Hitchcock, sir," Bud grinned, "A McGuffin is what Hitchcock called a useless plot device that got everyone looking in the wrong direction. The Colonel must be pretty frustrated."
"You've got that right," Harm chuckled. "Thanks Bud." He turned to Gibbs, holding up the CD, "Well, here's the file. Now what?"
Gibbs shifted slightly. "Don't you think you ought to check and make sure that that CD really does have the files?" he asked dryly. More than likely it did, but it never paid to assume anything. He gave the Colonel points for paranoia.
Harm stared at him silently and then handed the CD to Bud who popped it into the computer. A few seconds later, the icon came up on the desktop. Bud double-clicked on it and sat back, "Here you go, sir, Hitchcock."
Leaning over, Harm opened the file and scanned through it. He patted Roberts on the shoulder, "This is it, thanks Bud."
Bud knew a dismissal when he heard one and stood up, "You're welcome, sir." He walked out.
Gibbs watched him leave and then turned back to find Rabb staring at him, "What?"
Harm ejected the CD, put it back in its case and replaced it in the holder, "I was going to ask you that. Now what? Whatever the hacker was trying to accomplish has failed."
"Yeah, but he doesn't know that," Gibbs countered. "Think about it, Rabb. You're a stone-cold killer, you know they're looking for you and you've just eliminated the electronic files that might be pointing in your direction. What do you do next?"
Harm's face got a little paler, "You go after the investigator."
He reached for the phone again and Gibbs shook his head, "If you're calling the Colonel, don't bother. I called Kate when Abby told me what files were missing. They know what's happened and to be more careful."
"More careful? That's it? How the hell do they get more careful when they don't know what this guy looks like?" Harm glared at the agent and stood up, "Maybe you don't give a damn about what happens to your people but Admiral Chegwidden does. I'm going to tell him about this latest fiasco and get him to pull Mac out of the investigation."
"You mean like he did in Paraguay?" Gibbs' voice was soft and his tone lethal. "Planning on resigning again if he says no?"
Harm froze in mid-stride and turned slowly towards Gibbs, his expression murderous, "You son of a bitch."
He started towards Gibbs and for a moment, the NCIS agent wondered if he'd finally pushed too far. Rabb's crack about not caring about his people had hit him where the guilt was strongest. He'd been powerless to help them. It was a bitter pill to take knowing that he was indebted to that terrorist bastard for sparing Kate, Ducky and Gerald. Gibbs held up a hand, "Power down, Commander. I had something else in mind."
Sanitary Restaurant and Fish Market Morehead City 1935 Local
"This place is huge," Kate looked around after they'd been seated. They'd gotten a table in the back, under a sign that read 'No Fishing From Windows'. She jerked a thumb at the placard, "I can't decide if that's a joke or not."
Mac glanced up from her menu and looked out the window. A Laughing Gull, sitting atop a piling, looked back. "Well, it is built out over the water. It wouldn't surprise me if someone gave it a shot." She went back to the menu, "Everything looks good. I think I'll go with the combo platter. Have you decided yet?"
Kate gave her menu a quick scan, "Shrimp panned in butter." She rested her elbows on the table and massaged her temples, "What a day. I can't believe someone hacked into our files."
"Yeah, but it does narrow the field a little, doesn't it?" Mac wasn't that happy about the break-in at NCIS either but the knowledge that she had backed up her files meant she hadn't been nearly as upset as Kate. Since this guy had already demonstrated his skill when he hacked into Mac's CIA file and the files at JAG, it wasn't that surprising to Mac that he'd gone after NCIS. More worrisome to her was the timing and the fact that this bastard had been so bold as to announce his presence by deleting files. This was definitely an 'in-your-face' move. "I think we can eliminate Sabatino from the list. You said McGee had him in Baltimore last night, there's no way he could have known when we left for North Carolina."
"You left a message for Elbert, so she knows." Something about the Congresswoman was bugging Kate but at the moment, she couldn't bring it into focus.
"True," Mac agreed, "but so would Karen, her receptionist. I doubt she'd see any reason to keep it a secret if someone wanted to know where I was. That still leaves Garrick and Romblin on our list." She propped an elbow and rested her chin, "Joost is an unknown. She might have found out from Russo but I can't imagine how she could have asked without raising questions about why."
Kate stared out the window at a passing boat, "Yeah, but what's bothering me is how quickly this guy moved." She looked back at Mac, "You realize that he could have hacked into NCIS from practically anywhere."
"Which means he could be here now," Mac nodded. That thought had occurred to her also. The only real surprise was the fact that Harm hadn't called or shown up. Either he didn't know, which would make for a fun call this evening when she told him, or Chegwidden had jumped on him about his responsibilities at JAG. She didn't think he'd go so far as to resign. This wasn't Paraguay by any means. She watched Kate fiddle with a bottle of hot sauce, "We didn't make a hell of a lot of progress today."
"You're telling me." Kate put the bottle down with a thump and leaned back with a sigh, "I swear, sometimes I just want to strangle local cops. Do you think the Atlantic Beach PD really lost those files or are they just yanking us around?"
Mac caught their waitress' attention, "I don't know. Mike said they would be difficult." Once they given their order and the waitress had left, she leaned back also and stared out the window, "They've got us in a box and they know it. We can't very well accuse them of obstructing our investigation. If those files aren't truly lost, they will be before we can get a judge to do anything about it." She looked back at Kate, scowling slightly, "You know, you'd think they'd want to clear that case off their files."
"You'd think." Kate drummed her fingers on the table for a few moments and then looked at Mac, "You know what? Screw 'em. Let's just treat this like a new investigation. We're here, we've got a list of suspects and most of the witnesses that lived here at the time are still here. The local PD couldn't figure it out the first time so their files are probably worthless anyway."
Mac grinned and raised her glass of ice water, "Girl, I like the way you think." They discussed their strategy until the food arrived.
Forty minutes later, they strolled out of the restaurant and stopped for a moment, looking up and down the street. Mac glanced at Kate, "Want to look around a bit? I don't feel like going back to the hotel just yet."
Kate gave her an innocent smile, "You mean, play 'tourist'?"
Mac raised an eyebrow, "YOU can be a tourist, I'M going shopping."
She crossed the street, intent on a line of boutiques that faced the row of restaurants along the waterfront. Kate fell in alongside, "Shopping for anything in particular?"
Mac glanced at her and shrugged, "Books, shoes... information. These places are staffed by locals. I'll bet some of them might remember a shooting over on the island."
Kate looked at her in surprise, "You might have something there. How do you want to play this?"
Opening the door to a shop, Mac said over her shoulder, "Very casually."
Kate nodded and followed her inside. She let Mac take the lead, hovering discreetly nearby. By the time they reached the fifth shop, she was willing to concede that the Colonel was very good at getting people to open up. Knowing how forthright Mac could be, it was fascinating as hell to watch her maneuver the conversation where she wanted it to go. She'd ask the shopkeeper about a book or a piece of jewelry and the next thing Kate knew they would be chatting about life in coastal North Carolina. Occasionally, Mac would end a conversation after getting no further than a comparison of the weather. Sometimes she brought Kate into the discussion, sometimes not.
One thing Kate noticed was that Mac never really volunteered much information about themselves. If they asked, she said that she and Kate were co-workers down here on business and that they'd decided to take advantage of the trip and add a day or two to enjoy themselves. That invariably led to a recitation of various points of interest and things they simply had to try. It was then Mac usually brought up the safety issue... "Two women alone... unfamiliar with the area, was it safe at night? ...Living in DC, naturally, there were just some places you didn't go after dark ...Of course, you'd expect that in a big city. Crime and violence, drugs on every corner ... Here too? Well, I suppose it's true, people are the same wherever you go. If you want to get into trouble...Yes, yes, I know. Kids these days, don't know what the world is coming to. ...No, not all kids are like that but the ones that are... ...You're so right, they're just running wild. ...The military? Hadn't thought about it but that's a good idea. ...Camp Lejeune's not far away? That's the Marines, right? ...Yes, I would imagine attitudes have changed since 9/11. ...Were there problems before? ...No. Really? A Marine was killed during a robbery? How awful. When did that happen? ...Did they ever catch who did it? ...No? ...Well, we'll certainly be careful. ...It's been lovely talking to you. Thanks so much... hopefully, we'll have time to stop in again before we leave."
And so it went. Mac usually bought something and judging from the items, Kate suspected the Colonel was indulging in some early Christmas shopping as well. It certainly helped cement their story and whenever they left, the goodbyes sounded like two old friends parting company. They got variations of the same story wherever she decided to press the issue. No one really knew much more than had been in the papers. It was the ninth shop that something new popped up. The conversation had followed the usual lines until Mac had mentioned hearing about a Marine shot and killed during a robbery over on the island some years back. The shopowner, a pleasant sixtyish woman by the name of Eudora Whitaker, had shook her head, "That was a terrible thing and the timing couldn't have been worse, what with the Senate race being so close and the debate scheduled for a few days later." At Mac's curious look, she lowered her voice, leaning forward a little, "Some folks went so far as to say he was deliberately killed as a threat to Michelle Elbert. A warning against re-election because she was known for her support of law enforcement and the military." She straightened up again, "That's just silly, of course. Anybody who knows Mike knows she won't be bullied that way. I think it was just what the paper said it was, a robbery gone bad."
Mac couldn't keep the surprise off her face, "You mean Congresswoman Elbert?"
Eudora smiled, "Now a Congresswoman, then a State Senator, tomorrow - who knows?" She laughed pleasantly, "I suppose you can tell we're staunch supporters. My mother taught high school over in Beaufort, she had Mike in several of her classes. Quieter than she is now but smart as a whip even then. Mama always thought she'd be somebody someday. Do you know her?"
Refraining from looking at Kate, Mac smiled, "Yes, as a matter of fact. I met her recently at a birthday party for a mutual friend. She was very easy to talk to but I got the feeling she could be a force of nature if she wanted."
"You're so right," Eudora agreed, "Ponder Atkins found that out during that debate. He swaggered in, all set to patronize and Hurricane Mike just flattened him. Caught him up at every turn, pinned his ears back and sent him packing with his tail between his legs. It was a sight to behold. After that, I don't think that man could have been elected dogcatcher if he'd paid the voters. I guess he knew it because he didn't even have the gumption to stick around for the election. Left the county, would you believe, without a word of goodbye to anyone. Just scurried away in the night, leaving a note saying he was heading up North to start over. Never heard from again although, personally, I don't think that was any great loss. Yankees are welcome to him. No offense."
"None taken," Mac continued to smile brightly even though the conversation had left her shaken. Mike? She forced herself to focus even though her thoughts were swirling. Had they just heard of an unsolved murder or was this case affecting their perception of everything else? It just didn't make sense. Elbert had obviously cleaned this guy's clock in a public forum. What possible reason would she have to kill the man? Why take such an unnecessary chance? Could somebody else have done it in reprisal to the supposed threat to Mike? Mac wanted nothing more than to sit down and think everything through but they needed to get as much information as they could while Eudora was in a talkative mood.
Thirty-five minutes later, they left the shop. Mac didn't say anything but it was obvious to Kate that she'd had enough 'shopping'. They walked back towards the hotel in silence. Shooting surreptitious glances at the taller woman, Kate finally spoke up, "I'm sorry about this, Mac. I know you and the Congresswoman are friends."
Mac frowned and shook her head, "Don't start jumping to conclusions just yet, we need to check this out. It might be nothing at all. Atkins could very well be alive and well and living in some small town in upstate New York."
Kate raised an eyebrow. "I suppose that's true," she said carefully. "I'll call and have McGee track him down." They continued walking and were almost to the hotel entry when Mac stopped dead. Kate looked at her in surprise. The Marine's own expression of surprise was quickly shifting towards anger. Baffled, Kate followed Mac's gaze and saw a large, black man relaxing on the bench just outside the hotel doorway. "Mac? What's wrong? You know this guy?"
"Oh yeah," Mac said through gritted teeth. She started striding purposefully forward, making Kate almost jog to keep up. "You might want to look the other way, Agent Todd, because the Marine Corps is about to lose another Sergeant."
