FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA
1245 ZULU
Commander Sturgis Turner walks towards the front door to the building housing the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General's Headquarters. It is early summer, and he is wearing his white summer uniform along with the other Navy people. Walking into the lobby, he steps into the elwevator. He recognizes familar faces, including that of Lieutenant Commander Bud Roberts.
"Good morning, Bud," says Sturgis.
"Good morning, Commander," replies Bud.
"I heard the court-martial is today."
"I'd better get prepared. I'll be meeting with my client before we go to trial."
"Lieutenant Vukovic is known to pull a few tricks up his sleeve."
"I know."
As the elevator doors close, a woman's voice cries out. "Excuse me!" she shouts.
Bud presses the button to open the elevator, and the doors slide open. In steps a woman with shoulder length blond hair. She wears the white summer uniform of a female Navy officer. The rank markings on her shoulder indicate that she is a commander.
"Ma'am," says Bud.
"Thanks," says the commander.
"You new here?" asks Sturgis.
"I haven't been assigned here in years," says the woman. "I'm supposed to report to General Creswell. Today is my first day of my assignment here."
Apparently the woman had been assigned to JAG Headquarters before. Sturgis and Bush wonder if she knew Harm.
The elevator doors opne to the floor containing the courtroom and the Judge Advocate General's office.
"Welcome to JAG," says Sturgis. "Commander Sturgis Turner."
"Commander Meg Austin," says the woman, extending her hand.
ooooooooooooooo
Commander Meg Austin walks through the office. She sees a dozen people, none of whom she recognizes. In fact, she does not recognize the office. Someone redecorated since the last time she was here. She walks into an office. A woman with dark hair tied into a bun sits behind a desk.
"You must be Commander Austin," says the woman. "Petty Officer Coates. General Creswell is expecting you, ma'am."
"Thank you, Petty Officer," says the commander. She walks through a wooden door marked PRIVATE.
The inner office has a different atmosphere than the main office. A carpet covers the floor in contrast to thr white tiles outside. The walls are paneled with wood. The curtains are closed, dimming the room. Behind the desk is a man in an olive-green Marine dress uniform. There is a pair of silver stars on each shoulder. He speaks on the telephone for a few minutes, glancing towards the commander. Then he hangs up the phone.
"Commander Meg Austin reporting for duty, sir," says Meg as she salutes the general.
"Welcome to JAG, Commander," says Major General Gordon Creswell. "I understand you were assigned here before."
"Yes, sir. I was assigned here when Admiral Brovo was the JAG, and I stayed for two years. My previous assignment was deputy SJA of the Sixth Fleet under Captain Krennick."
"Petty Officer Coates will show you to your new office. I will have an assignment for you later today, so don't get too comfortable. Dismissed."
"Aye aye, sir," says Meg as she stands up straight.
oooooooooooooo
As Bud walks through the office holding manila folders for the upcoming trial, he sees Petty Officer Jennifer Coates leading Commander Meg Austin to her new office.
Which happens to be Harm's old office.
"We all have to move on, Bud," says Sturgis.
"I still miss Commander...I mean, Captain Rabb," says Bud. "I wonder what he is doing."
"Reviewing legal documents, preparing for his wedding with Mac."
"It's what, next year?"
"That's right."
"I thought neither of them would ever give up their career."
"Don't you have a trial to go to?"
"Yes, sir," says Bud.
Bud leaves the office to prepare for his trial.
"Commanders Turner and Austin, report to my office," says General Creswell, his voice carried over a speaker.
ooooooooooooo
Sturgis and Meg stand before General Creswell in his office.
"Seventeen years ago Kevin Miller, seaman first class, was convicted of six rapes," says the general. "He was sentenced to forty years in Leavenworth. He has made a request for a presidential pardon."
"You have to be kidding, sir," says Sturgis.
"I'm not kidding, Commander. He made the request."
"No way the President is gonna pardon a rapist after only sixteen years in prison," says Meg.
"There is a complication," says Creswell. "One of his victims, Valerie Pullman, became pregnant as a result of the rape. She had a baby girl named Angela three months after Miller was convicted. A few months ago, Angela became sick. She had kidney failure and her doctors were trying to find a donor. There were no matching donors on her mother's side, so Valerie Pullman hired a lawyer and authorized neogatiations with Kevin Miller. Two weeks ago, negotiations began with Leavenworth's staff judge advocate mediating."
"Imagine asking the man who raped you for help," says Meg.
"Miller agreed to a test. Preliminary tests showed that Miller would be a match for Angela. He then demanded a presidential pardon in exchange for his kidney. His lawyer drafted the request and sent it to the White House. The White House spoke with SecNav, who then informed me. A preliminary investigation indicates that the story checks out."
"So Miller wants an immediate release," says Sturgis.
"It's more than that," says Meg. "A pardon means he will be eligible for an honorable discharge and veterans' benefits. He will not be required to register as a sex offender in any state. He can move in in any neighborhood and he does not have to tell any authorities."
"A girl will die unless she gets a replacement kidney," says Creswell. "A pardon for Miller is unrealistic, and yet the White House feels obliged to make an effort to save the girl's life. You two will investigate it further, see if Kevin Miller will settle for something else or if you can find another match for Angela. Dismissed."
Aye aye, sir," say Sturgis and Meg. They then leave the office.
oooooooooooooooo
"Ladies and gentlemen," says Lieutenant Gregory Vukovic, "you are here to decide whether or not Gunnery Sergeant Leeka is guilty of double murder. We will present evidence to you, evidence that Sergeant Leeka, as an ROTC instructor, used his authority to coerce female students into sex acts. We will show you evidence that he murdered two ROTC students who confronted him about this sexual abuse, snapping their necks. We will show you evidence that he covered it up, making it look like one of them killed the other. When all is said and done, it will be your duty to find Gunnery Sergeant Leeka guilty of two counts of premeditated murder."
The lieutenant sits down beside his partner in the JAG Headquarters courtroom.
Lieutenant Commander Bud Roberts stands up to address the panel.
"We are not here to deny nor defend Gunnery Sergeant Leeka's indiscretions or his resisting arrest," says Bud. "His judgment was poor, and he will pay for it. We are disputing the evidence that he murdered two people. The evidence in this case is far from certain. We will show how the NCIS team doing the investigation missed critical clues that pointed to other suspects. We will show that their forensic results can be reasonably interpreted to point to another killer. We will show that the evidence does not prove Gunnery Sergeant Leeka's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, and it will be your duty to find him not guilty."
Bud sits down next to his co-counsel, Marine Captain Carlos Bullrider. He looks towards the trial ahead. They would have a hell of a time trying to convince the jury of reasonable doubt. But that is where they must go, since Gunnery Sergeant Leeka had refused to plead guilty to second degree murder.
ooooooooooooo
MANASSAS, VIRGINIA
2233 ZULU
"So you worked with Harm for over a year?' asks Sturgis as he drives the Ford Crown Victoria along Sudley Road approaching Mannasas, Virginia.
"We worked on a few cases," says Meg. "We were sent to a sub to deal with a man who threatened to blow up a cruise liner, we investigated the fatal crash of a Tomcat. I was once even held hostage during a brig break. Did Harm ever investigate pardon requests before?"
"he got a pardon for one of his clients who was convicted of manslaughter," says Sturgis. "I assisted him. He was Lieutenant Commander Andrew Keegan. Back in July of 2001, he was a passenger on an airplane. One of the passengers got unruly, and he was about to open the door in mid-flight, threatening everyone's safety, so Commander Keegan used force and ended up killing him. He was convicted on manslaughter and managed to avoid prison."
"He was convicted of mansalughter for killing someone threatening an airplane?" asked Meg.
"Afteer September 11, Harm decided to request a pardon for the commander. In December, the President issued a pardon for Commander Keegan, wiping the conviction from his record."
"I don;'t think anyone would be convicted under those circumstances again."
"Here we are."
Sturgis depresses the brake pedal and parks the Ford Crown Victoria in a parking lot next to a Chevrolet Tahoe. They get out and look upon Prince William Hospital, located at the corner of Sudley Road and Diggs Road. They had called Valerie Pullman's residence and they were informed she and her husband were going to visit her daughter Angela in the hospital.
The two of them walk in. The interior is like any other hospital, with white walls and white tiled floors and nurses and doctors in white outfits. An orderly pushes a wheelchair carrying an elderly man dressed in a blue gown.
"Excuse me," says Meg. "Commander Meg Austin, JAG Corps. We're looking for Angela Pullman."
"She's in the ICU," says the nurse sitting at the nurse's station.
The two of them get directions to the intensive care unit and they walk and ride elevators there. They walk into an observation room where visitors can gaze upon patients receiving critical care.
"Miss Pullman?" asks Meg.
"Call me Mrs. Ward" says a woman with red hair. "Valerie Pullman Ward. Denny Ward is my husband."
"Hi there," says a man with brown hair and a beard. "Denny Ward. Valerie's husband. We knew someone from the Navy would visit us, considering our request."
"Tell us about what happened," asks Sturgis.
Valerie looks at the two Navy officers and then her husband.
"Come with me, Billy," Denny says to a little boy who is their son. "Your mom needs to talk to these people alone"
"It started eighteen years ago," says Valerie after her husband and son leave the room. "I was sixteen at the time. I was going home from school, taking a shortcut along this railroad, when this man pushed me down. He held a knife to me. I was so scared. I thought he would kill me. He raped me and ran off. I ran home and just cowered in my room. I didn't know what to do. I didn't report the rape until the next day."
"I'm sorry," says Meg.
"I found out I was pregnant a few months later. Once again I felt all these terriblke and confused feelings. There was this baby inside me, created by this ugly act. How could I bring myself to give birth? Then the police told me they made an arrest. I went to the station with my parents and I identified the man who raped me. I later learned he was a sailor, and the Navy would try him. I was six months pregnant when I took the stand. I looked into Kevin Miller's eyes. I could tell he took pleasure in hearing me recount the rape. I was there when the verdict was in. I was so relieved. Three months later, I gave birth to a baby girl. I decided to keep her. It sounds crazy, raising a baby created by rape, but I nursed her and raised her."
"When did she get sick?" asks Sturgis.
"Three months ago," says Valerie. "We took her to some doctors, ran some tests. We then found out she needed a kidney transplant. My family and I had tests to find out if we could donate. None of us could. That was when I told the doctor about how Angela was conceived. We hired a lawyer- we even had to borrow from the equity of our house to do so. She went to the prison where Kevin Miller was held to ask him to find out if he could donate. She called us and told us that Kevin Miller was a match and that he wanted a pardon in exchange for his kidney."
"This must be hard," says Meg.
"I took the stand to make sure he could never hurt anyone again. Now he is the only one who can save my daughter, and he demands release in exchange. He might hurt someone, ruin another girl's life. But Angela will die if we don't release him."
"We're hoping he can accept something else in exchange," says Sturgis. "Or we can find another donor for Angela"
"You should speak with my husband before you say no," says Valerie. She leads the two commanders to the hallway where Denny waits.
"We're sorry to hear about what is happening," says Meg. "Your wife told us how Angela came to be, and what happened to her."
"I love Angela almost as much as I love my mother," says Denny. "She's such a sweet girl. She was the flower girl when Valerie and I were married. I love her as if she were my own daughter."
"Do you realize what the donor is asking in exchange," says Sturgis.
"It pisses me off," says Denny. "I wish I could cut the kidney out of him and give it to Angela. She deserves it more than he does."
"Code Blue!" someone yells.
They look, and suddenly a stretcher is rolled out of the ICU. On the stretcher is a teenage girl.
"Angela," gasps Valerie.