From Drifting On A Lonely Sea Chapter III – Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad…

"Colonel," Sturgis said patiently, "some questions have come up in the course of my discussions with the mishap investigator, and I think you can shed some light on the answers."

"What kind of questions, Commander?" she asked, trying to ignore the heavy weight in the pit of her stomach. She was getting the feeling that she was not going to like where he was heading with this.

Sturgis sighed and looked down at the floor, as if pondering his answer. Finally, he looked back up and said, "The mishap investigator has some information that suggests Harm should never have been in the air that night, and that he insisted on flying, despite the risk from the weather."

"Are you trying to tell me, Commander," Mac demanded, "that it's been suggested that Harm purposely risked his life – and Skates' life – to get back to D.C. to me?"

MONDAY MORNING

11 JUNE 2001

JAG HEADQUARTERS

FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA

Mac's gaze bore into Sturgis, and he shifted uncomfortably in his chair at the intense scrutiny. He'd thought it would be better to approach Mac rather than a still recovering Harm, but he now doubted the wisdom of his choice. However, now that he'd started this, he had no choice but to press on. "Who is Mic Brumby?" he asked.

"If you know enough to ask that question, Commander," Mac said with barely concealed anger, "then I'm sure you already know the answer to that. Mic is my ex-fiancé."

"Unfortunately, Colonel," Sturgis said, "that's not what Mr. Brumby told the mishap investigator."

"Mic did what?!" she demanded, her voice raised.

Turning his head, Sturgis could see activity in the bullpen come to a sudden stop at her exclamation. It wasn't really surprising. He'd been hearing whispers ever since he'd started at JAG, whispers about Harm and Mac, although he'd tried to pay no attention to what they were saying, telling himself it was none of his business. Now, it was going to be impossible to avoid. Deciding not to add grist to the gossip mill, he got up and closed Mac's office door while she took a moment to compose herself.

As he sat back down, Mac seemed even more furious, her eyes flashing in rage. "Why don't you tell me *exactly* what Mic told the mishap investigator, Commander," she insisted.

Quietly, he summarized Mic's statement for her. "He doesn't come right out and say it," he finished, "but he insinuates that Harm probably insisted on leaving the carrier so he could get back in time to stop the wedding."

"That – that..." She sputtered, and then surprised Sturgis by letting loose with a string of what he assumed were curses in a foreign language. He listened impassively, deciding it was best to just let her fury burn out.

After a moment, her tirade died out, and she leaned back in her chair, rubbing her forehead as if to ward off a headache. "If you think about it, Commander," she said, "it makes no sense. Even if I'd still planned to marry Mic that day, Harm could have waited out the storm and still made it back to D.C. in time for the wedding. It doesn't matter, though. Harm wouldn't have stopped the wedding. I would've thought you knew him well enough to know that."

Sturgis remained silent, holding back the thought that the Harm he knew would hardly have gotten married under these circumstances. A statement like that would only make Mac angrier and would do nothing to help him figure out how to defend against this. "What do you mean 'if you'd still planned to marry'?" he asked, suddenly realizing what she'd said.

"I'd decided the night before to call off the wedding," she said, her voice calmer. She turned her chair, staring out the window. "I told Harm before he left the carrier. I even told him he could wait until morning to return to D.C, and that he should spend the night in Norfolk. I was worried that he'd be too tired to drive home. He'd said the storms were out of his flight path, so it never occurred to me…"

Sturgis considered this information as Mac fell silent, apparently lost in the memories of that night. He now had two people who could say the wedding was off, but he wasn't sure that was going to be of much help to the case. Yes, Mic Brumby could be painted as vengeful and angry, but it would be just as easy for Fleming to paint Harm and Mac as desperate to say anything to save Harm's career. Although the mishap board might not see it that way, Sturgis could never believe that Harm would lie; he did know Harm well enough to be able to say that about him. "Did you tell anyone else that the wedding had been called off?" he asked.

Mac turned back around, her eyes suspiciously moist. "Harriet, my matron of honor," she replied, "and Chloe, my little sister. They were both in my apartment when Harm called to say he was leaving the carrier, and I told them after I got off the phone with him. I'd tried to call Mic, but he was out at his bachelor party. I didn't know where. I left messages on both his home and cell phones – Harriet even called Bud's cell phone trying to find the men and I'd called Alan Mattoni's wife Jackie - but Mic hadn't called me back by the time I went to bed, and then Captain Ingles called a few hours later…" She turned away again as her voice broke.

Sturgis made a note on the legal pad in his lap to get Mac's phone records. Although it could be turned to suggest that Mac just wanted to talk to her fiancé before the big day, those records would support her version of events, especially since Mic wasn't the only person she'd tried to call. He just wished he had a more impartial witness who could testify to the cancelled wedding instead of just the best friend and the sister of the bride.

Regardless, he made a note to make sure that he asked Harriet about the conversation when she was interviewed by Fleming that afternoon. Chloe was going to be trickier. He knew from Mic's statement that she'd already returned to her home in Vermont and that she was only fourteen. He couldn't just call her back to Washington to get a statement from her. Perhaps he could get someone from Brunswick or Groton to travel to Vermont and talk to her. He wrote down a reminder to inquire with one of the JAG branch offices up there.

Mac turned to face him again, her expression calmer. "What do you need from me, Commander?" she asked.

"After reading your fiancé's…" He broke off at the angry glare she shot him and quickly amended, "ex-fiancé's statement, I made a list of questions that I need to ask you. I don't know if you've heard yet, but Mr. Brumby gave Commander Fleming a list of everyone who was at your rehearsal that Friday night. Fleming is going to be down here this afternoon to interview everyone on the list, except for you, of course. He can't compel you to testify against Harm, but I need to get a statement from you so that I can work out a defense against this."

"A defense against this?" Mac demanded. "I just told you that Harm, Harriet, Chloe and I can all tell you what happened. Shouldn't that be enough?"

"Colonel, with all due respect," Sturgis replied, "you're not thinking like an attorney right now. Commander Fleming can say that you and Harm are willing to say anything to protect him, and that you've gotten your best friend and sister to lie for you."

"I can't believe that you would suggest…" she began, her voice growing angry again. Sturgis began to realize that he'd badly miscalculated in his last statement. "It sounds to me like you think that I'd have a reason to ask them to lie. You think it's my fault that Harm crashed."

"Listen, Colonel," Sturgis said, beginning to lose his composure, "unlike you, I am thinking like an attorney right now. It's my job to get Harm through this investigation. This isn't about you, or what I think about you. He's facing an inquiry, and if I can't refute Mr. Brumby's statement, Commander Fleming said that he's probably going to recommend charges under Articles 108, 133 and 134. I know I don't have to tell you what that means. At the very least, he could have his wings yanked permanently. I'm sure I don't have to tell you what the worst-case scenario is."

"That won't happen, Commander," Mac said firmly. "I know my husband. I know that he has never let personal feelings interfere…" Her voice trailed off, and for a brief moment, Sturgis caught a hint of something in her expression that made him wonder what the history was there. He shook his head. Harm and Mac's relationship wasn't any of his business, outside of how it affected the mishap investigation. Other than that, he didn't want to think about it. He didn't want to know about it. "If you don't believe in Harm, then maybe he needs to find another representative."

"I do believe in Harm, Colonel," he said, leaning forward in his chair. His gaze met hers and he put every bit of persuasion he could into his voice. "Help me refute Mr. Brumby's statement. If we can do that, then I can get this investigation focused back where it belongs – on the condition of the Tomcat. From what I've heard from the engineers, that jet was quite possibly in no condition to be in the air. The rest of this is just clouding the real issue here."

"Commander," she began with a sigh, interrupted by the ringing of her phone. Holding a hand up in a silent signal, she picked up the handset. "Colonel Rabb."

She listened, an intent look on her face. "Yes, I spoke to the Admiral," she said, opening a folder on her desk. "I think that would be fine, Commander. I've got someone in my office right now, so give me a few minutes to finish up here and I'll meet you downstairs in about ten minutes…Yes, I've heard about that. I'm sure we can get back by then."

Mac set the phone back down and turned her attention back to Sturgis. "I'm going to be heading down to Quantico with Commander Mattoni," she explained. "He needs to meet with his client, and I should talk to the MPs about this case the Admiral assigned me. We'll need to talk about this later. I should be back early this afternoon so that Alan is back in time for his interview with Commander Fleming."

"This afternoon won't be good for me, Colonel," Sturgis said. "I told Commander Fleming that I wanted to be in on the interviews when he speaks to the people here this afternoon."

"Let me get back to you then, Commander," Mac said, setting her briefcase on her desk and opening it, tossing a folder inside. She closed it again with a snap. "Depending on how things go in Quantico today, maybe I'll have some time tomorrow to sit down with you."

"Good, Colonel," Sturgis said. He hesitated a moment, then added, "I'd also like a chance to talk to Harm as soon as possible."

"I'll see if he's up to it," Mac said protectively. "That's all I can promise right now."

Sturgis decided not to press that issue – yet. He realized that he'd already gotten off on the wrong foot with Mac and didn't want to stir things up further. All bets were off if he felt that she was stonewalling him, but he'd play it her way for now. If she believed in Harm as much as she claimed to, then she wouldn't keep him from defending Harm to the best of his ability. "That's acceptable," he agreed. "Even if it's not to talk about the investigation, I still would like to stop by and see Harm sometime."

"I'll check with Harm tonight," she said. "Since he's been out of the hospital, he's only seen the family, although just about everyone from the office has checked up on him by phone."

Sturgis knew that, as he'd called a couple of times himself. The first time, there had been clear signs of fatigue in Harm's voice, so Sturgis had cut the conversation short. The second time, Harm had ended the conversation after a few minutes when his family had arrived for dinner.

"I'm sure Harm would be happy to see an old friend," Mac continued. "Maybe we can have you over for dinner one evening."

"I'd like that, Colonel," Sturgis said, smiling. The expression dropped from his face when she stared at him stonily. He decided to take the hint. "Why don't you get with me before the end of the day, and we can work out a time when we can talk." He stood, tucking his notepad under his arm.

"I'll do that, Commander," Mac agreed. "If you'll excuse me…"

"Of course, Colonel," he replied before opening her office door and leaving, closing the door behind him. As he turned toward Harm's office, he could see Mac through the blinds, slumping in her chair, a hand covering her eyes. For a moment, he wished that he had his father's way of comforting people. Maybe then he could have kept control of the conversation, helped Mac realize that he wasn't her enemy. There was no reason for him and Mac to be at cross purposes, since they both had Harm's best interests at heart.