Jag HQ
"Oh, Commander Rabb, I didn't know you were back." Bud says to me as I join him walking across the bullpen to Sturgis's office.
"I just got back from the hospital. What is going on here? How are you and Sturgis handling this investigation?" I look down at Bud and suddenly I flash back to the awkward naive man he was when he first stepped foot into JAG. Even with all that is currently going on I have to smile at that memory.
Not looking up from the file he is skimming Bud replies, "We have established that Dalton's sister, one Chief Petty Officer Karen Lowne, was discharge from the Navy in June of 1997."
"Whoa," I stop in mid-stride, "She was in the Navy?"
"Yes, sir." Bud continues to walk towards Sturgis's office door. "If you will just come into Commander Turner's office we will bring you up to speed.
I look at Bud, amazed at how different he is now compared to my first memories of him. He has grown into a fine officer and competent lawyer and investigator.
Ten minutes later I have been briefed on what is going on. Det. Adams had obtained the last known address for Karen Lowne, and had sent units checked it out only to find it deserted. This isn't very surprising to me. He also found out where she worked and learned, by talking to her employer, that she hadn't been into work for the previous three days.
"Sirs, this fax just arrived from D.C.P.D." Tiner looks at us waiting to see which one to give the paper too. Sturgis has just returned from getting coffee and is still standing closest to the door. He reaches out and begins to read the fax aloud.
"It is the lab report on the sweatshirt and the knife. Approximately a pint of blood had soaked into the sweatshirt, type O positive, no other fibers could be-"
"Wait, that has to be wrong." I interrupt him.
"What has to be wrong, Harm?" Sturgis looks over at me questioningly.
"What did you say the blood type was?" I try not to get my hopes up.
"O positive. Why?"
"Then it isn't Chloe's." I am growing more confident with every second that Chloe is still alive and not seriously injured.
"How do you know that for certain?" Sturgis is staring intently at me now.
"Because, Sturgis, Chloe and I have the same blood type, AB. We use to joke that we were on the most wanted list. Most wanted blood anyway."
"So if it isn't Chloe's blood, whose is it?" Bud asks not really expecting an answer.
"That Lt. Roberts is the million dollar question. We know it isn't Mac's she wasn't bleeding when they found her." Sturgis is thinking aloud.
"Well, that and the fact that Mac isn't O positive either." I say more to myself than to anyone else.
Sturgis looks at me strangely, "You know Mac's blood type?"
"Yeah, we both know each others medical information. It started when she went to Russia with me. Coming back to the question at hand, whose blood is on that sweatshirt?"
"Excuse me sirs, but did the lab report say if the blood on the knife matched the blood on the sweatshirt?" Bud looks at us expectantly.
Turner looks down at the sheet of paper he still holds. Scanning through it quickly he comes to what we are looking for.
"Yes the blood on the knife matches the blood on the shirt, and apparently the CSI's who examined it don't believe that the blood on the knife is from a stab wound. Something about the way in which the blood is dried on the knife, it looks like blood was poured on to it and left to dry. The dried blood is pooled not smeared, and it appears to be mostly on one side of the blade."
"So someone was trying to stage the evidence to make us think that Chloe had been hurt." Bud states.
"And apparently not doing a very convincing job of it." I snort.
"So, so whoever wants us to think Chloe has been hurt apparently doesn't know much about forensics. Otherwise they would have known that we would be able to tell it isn't Chloe's blood, and that the blood on the knife staged. The question is whose blood is it and why was it on the knife and shirt?" Bud was thinking aloud while working out the problem in his head, "Knowing the Colonel she wouldn't have gone down without a fight. Karen Lowne had to deal with Colonel Mackenzie first, get her out of the way so she could get to Chloe. To do this she would have had to taken her by surprise." Bud paused to search through the stacks of paper on the desk, looking for something specific within the piles.
"Here, yes, according to her service record Lowne was four inches shorter than the Colonel, and didn't have a strong hand-to-hand combat back ground. Commander Rabb, did the toxicology report at the hospital find anything unusual in Colonel Mackenzie's blood?"
"They didn't mention anything, but I didn't ask about it either. I think I will call Dr. Kevinson and ask him to double check that. I see where you're going with this Bud, someone like Lowne would probably have had to use some form of sedative against the Colonel." I pull out my cell phone, grateful to finally have it back, and dial the hospital while Bud and Sturgis continue to discuss theories.
I step out of the office to complete my call.
The door shuts behind Commander Rabb before Bud changes the subject.
"Commander, do you think Commander Rabb is alright?"
Sturgis stops flipping through the files he is looking at and sighs. "I think he is doing as well as he can be."
Bud nods in understanding still looking concerned, "It's just that in the past he has always been two steps ahead of me in thinking, now I am leading him through things."
Sturgis chuckles at that.
"Bud, I don't think there is anything wrong with Rabb in that regard. Don't sell yourself short, Lieutenant. The past is just that, past! You have grown into an incredible investigator, and lawyer. You are no longer Harm's student, you are his peer."
At this Bud appears shocked and then, gradually, pleased. "Thank you Commander. That means a lot to me."
"It's nothing but the truth." The phone on Sturgis's desk rings and he picks it up.
"Turner. Yes Sir. We are on our way."
As he puts the phone down he grabs his jacket, "Come on Bud the Admiral wants to see all three of us ASAP."
"What about?"
"He didn't say, he just told me to get our collective butts to his office NOW!"
Admiral AJ Chegwidden's Office
A knock sounds on the door.
"Enter" The Admiral barks out.
"Commanders Rabb and Turner, and Lt. Roberts reporting as ordered, Sir." I say as all three of us come to attention in front of Chegwidden's desk.
"At ease, all of you. Please take a seat gentleman." AJ waited until we had settled ourselves.
"This just arrived," He held up a video tape, "It was addressed to Colonel Mackenzie care of Admiral Chegwidden. The return address reads only Chloe Madison. I assume it is from Karen Lowne, if she is indeed the one who took Chloe. Lt. Roberts, will you please put this in the VCR?" Saying this the Admiral held the tape out to Bud.
Bud stood and did as requested. A close up image of Chloe appeared on the screen. Her face was dirty and tear streaked. She had a nasty bruise on her right cheekbone, near her eye, but other than that looked unharmed. She looked past the camera at the operator with anger blazing in her eyes. From off camera a harsh female voice barked an instruction at her.
"Go ahead, tell them what I told you to. Now little lady, you don't want to make me mad again...do you?"
At this the fire in Chloe's eyes grew hotter. In a calm and steady voice she began to speak, never taking her eyes off of whoever was operating the camera.
"I name is Chloe Madison. Birth date: June 8 1990. Social Security Number: 555-55-4286."
"Damnit! Let's not start this crap again! You are really pushing it, you little whore!" The off camera voice yelled at her.
I clamp my jaw shut and clench my fists not to react to this woman calling Chloe a whore. While at the same time I am proud of the way Chloe is handling herself.
The image on the screen abruptly ends, as the camera is turned off, but just as abruptly comes back. It is obvious from the image that not much time has passed between the camera being shutoff and turned back on. Chloe is still framed in the middle of the shot, only now she has a new bright red mark on her left cheekbone, and her bottom lip is puffy, a small trickle of blood escaping from the corner of her mouth. New tears silently slid down her cheeks, but the fire has not left her eyes.
"Now tell them!" The off camera voice is shrill and almost hysterical. The woman, presumably Karen Lowne, sounds as if she is close to losing control.
"My name is Chloe Madison. My Birthday is June 8, 1990. My social security number is 555-55-4286."
"Damn! Remind me to make sure she attends the Academy when the time comes." Chegwidden openly admires Chloe's spunk. "But right now I wish she would just cooperate with this woman. Chloe doesn't realize how unstable this Karen Lowne is."
"My thoughts exactly, Sir. As far as the Academy goes, I think Mac will have something to say about that." The others all smile at that comment, then one by one the smiles fade as we all realize that if Mac's condition doesn't improve she may NOT have anything to say about Chloe's future.
Voices from the video draw our attention back to the screen.
"Tell them what I told you to say, or you will regret this behaviour. I will not ask you again." Some movement can be heard in the background, off camera.
Whatever Karen has shown Chloe, makes an impression. Chloe's eyes grow wide and while the fire is still present, there is a new wariness evident in them as well. Chloe takes a deep breath and squares her shoulders before speaking.
"You aren't going to get away with this you know." She tells the woman off camera before looking directly into the camera and continuing, "I have been taken to teach Mac the pain loose a sibling. Karen Lowne says she is planning on killing me, but there is one way to prevent this from happening. She wants Mac charged with murder, and tried in front of a jury. She wants the world to know that it's Mac's fault that her brother is dead. Harm this place makes me think of you and Sarah."
"That is enough! You have 24 hours, I want to read about the charges against the Colonel in tomorrow evenings papers, or Chloe here will lose more blood."
After that comment the tape end.
"The person responsible for Dalton Lowne's death has already been tried and convicted!" I look over at Bud as he speaks, the anger and indignation he radiates take me aback.
"We know that Lieutenant, unfortunately this woman is not in a sane state of mind. We need to buy some time to find Chloe. I will call the SecNav and explain the situation. I am sure he can arrange for some dummy article to be printed in several of the local papers." AJ stops and looks at the three men sitting across from him. "Are there any leads so far?"
"Yes, Sir, a big one!" I tell him emphatically. Sturgis and Bud both look at me a bit surprised.
"Harm the blood is an interesting insight into Karen Lowne but I am not sure I would call it a big lead." Sturgis tells me calmly.
"I'm not talking about that, but we do need to fill the Admiral in on that. I am talking about the lead Chloe gave us, well me specifically."
I have the complete attention off all three men in the office with me.
"Well Commander are you going to share with us or are you going to keep this to yourself?" AJ asks me dryly.
"I remember, she told you the place she was at reminded her of you and Sarah. But how is that a lead? Certainly there are lots of place that would remind her of you and the Colonel. You guys have taken her to a lot of places over the years." Bud inquired, picking up on the message Chloe had managed to get out.
"No Bud, she wasn't talking about Colonel Mackenzie. Chloe always referred to Mac as Mac, never anything else. She directed that comment at me specifically, me and Sarah. Not me and Mac." I stare intently at Bud as the answer finally dawns on him.