Revenge
Chapter 2
Palmer guides the SUV through a maze of streets and alleys; their destination is a parking garage. He maneuvers the vehicle down to the lowest floor before beginning his search. Finally, in the farthest corner, he locates what he's looking for. Palmer pulls the SUV into an empty space next to an old van, white with green striping. A man climbs out of the driver seat and approaches Palmer's window. He is just over five feet tall, with a noticeable beer belly. His hair, once dark now mostly gray, is receding. Sharp blue eyes glance at the men in the SUV and a cigarette dangles from one corner of his mouth.
"I was beginning to think you weren't going to show," the man says to Palmer. "You were supposed to be here hours ago."
"We ran into a few problems Nabey," Palmer explains. "Rabb didn't have the files with him. We ended up searching his home and office and still didn't find them. How sure is the report?" he wants to know.
"Banes went in himself. He's positive Rabb has the information."
"We couldn't find anything. But we didn't come empty handed," he smirks.
"What do you mean?" the little man asks.
"See for yourself," Palmer says directing him to look in the back of the SUV.
Hodge and the third man have followed the conversation with interest, both men listening intently as they gather anything that might give away their presence in the vehicle. Palmer hands Hodge the keys who, understanding the unspoken request, exits the vehicle and circles around to the rear where Nabey is attempting to see into the vehicle. Hodge unlocks the rear of the vehicle and raises it, revealing a Harmon Rabb who's just beginning to stir.
Palmer and the third man join Hodge and Nabey at the rear of the vehicle. "Doesn't look like much, does he," Palmer smirks.
"Who is he?" Nabey asks.
"The object of our affection," Palmer answers, indicating himself and the other two.
"This is Rabb?"
"Yeah. Now when you bring Arams back, he won't have any reason not to give us the information straight. We'll have our own 'truth finder' here."
"From what I've heard, this guy isn't going to help us any. Especially if it means helping you Palmer." Nabey says sarcastically.
"Arams won't know that. Let's get moving since we're already behind schedule."
Hodge and the third man quickly retrieve their bags from the SUV and transfer them to the van. Nabey walks over to them. "Guess I should introduce myself. I'm Larry Nabey, DSD."
"Hodge," Hodge says quietly. "My last posting was as chief corpsman on the Watertown."
"Sturtevant," the third man says. "Formerly master-at-arms on the Suribachi."
"You're both Navy?" Nabey says shocked. "Palmer doesn't like the Navy."
"Actually, Palmer simply doesn't like a certain naval officer," the man in question says. "The rest of the Navy I could really care less about."
"Which officer would that be?" Nabey asks.
"That one," Palmer says pointing to Harm who has been listening to the conversation with interest. He manages to catch the name of the last of his kidnappers and understanding is slowly developing.
"So this is more than just business for you." It's a statement, not a question.
"Purely personal. It was just business in the beginning, but I'm way past that now." Palmer turns to Harm. "Come on Commander. Time to change vehicles…and clothes." He rummages around in the gear Hodge and Sturtevant have transferred from the SUV to the van and comes up with a pair of sweats. Harm carefully slides out of the rear of the SUV and climbs into the van, Hodge by his side to make sure he doesn't fall—or try to escape. Palmer tosses the sweats at Harm who changes without protest or comment, only his eyes betraying the rage he's feeling.
Harm surreptitiously looks around with while he's changing. The interior of the van has been partially furnished, with a loft taking up the back half of the vehicle. A soft, brown, fur-like carpet covers the loft making it very inviting for sleeping. Carpet covers the floor of the van, thick, orangeish shag that somehow doesn't look out of place. The space underneath the loft is used for storage, accessible from the rear of the van. The front of the storage space is taken by two cabinets and a small refrigerator. Supplies of food and drink have been provided—the van is stocked for a cross-country trip. Windows in the rear, side and side door have curtains—all tightly closed. There is also a curtain—open for the moment—hanging behind the front seats that will cut off any view of the road ahead when drawn.
Once Harm has finished changing, Palmer gathers his rumpled uniform. "I'd like the ring and watch as well," he says. Harm's eyes again flash with anger, but he hands over the requested items. Palmer exits with Harm's belongings and for a brief moment Harm wonders what his chances are for an escape. Almost before the thought is formed, his hopes are squashed. Sturtevant joins Hodge in the van, handing the other man a small case.
"Easy or hard, Commander. You choose," Hodge says opening the case.
Harm doesn't see the point in making trouble for himself at this time; he opts to go along and find out what they're up to before attempting to make his escape. Once again the only protests he lodges are with his eyes. Hodge notes the defeat behind the anger and hands Harm a cup of water after surreptitiously emptying the contents of a small packet in it. "Drink it all Commander," he instructs.
Harm does as he's told, suspecting but not knowing for sure, that Hodge has placed a strong sedative in the water. Combined with the sedative still in his system, it takes only a minute or two before Harm succumbs to the darkness once again.
Palmer joins them a couple of minutes later. Nabey has taken the SUV and left the keys to the van with them. "How long will that keep him out?"
"It's different than what I gave him before. He won't be out the entire time but he also won't be alert enough to give us any trouble," Hodge says. 'Or at least I hope not,' he says under his breath.
"Do you have enough for a couple of days?" Palmer asks.
"That and more," Hodge responds.
"Good. I want him to stay that way the entire trip. The less he knows about the trip the less trouble we should have with him." Palmer looks at the ceiling in the van and back down at the carpeting on the floor. He runs his hand over the carpet, smiling when he finds what he's looking for. He pulls the handcuffs out of his pocket and locks one of the ends around a ring mostly hidden in the carpeting. The other end he locks around Harm's right wrist, not caring for a moment that it will make the entire trip less comfortable for the officer. Harm is now lying with his head toward the front of the van, his legs bent with his feet partially curled under him, thanks to the minimal space on the floor of the van. "This will ensure he doesn't give us any trouble," he says.
"How can he give us any trouble if he's sedated?" Sturtevant asks.
"Trust me, he can," Hodge offers. Palmer and Sturtevant exchange a glance, wondering if there's more to the story between Hodge and Harm than they have heard.
"We'll go in shifts of four hours. That way at each change of shift Hodge can make sure Rabb has had his 'medicine'. Make sure when you're driving that you don't exceed the speed limit. We'll be traveling off the main roads as far as we can, but I still don't want to take any chances. Our route is marked on the map in the glove compartment. If there are no objections, I suggest we get going."
"Are there only the two seats?" Hodge wants to know as he's the first one in the back with Harm.
"Sorry, I completely forgot," Palmer says. He walks to the rear of the van and pulls out a peanut shaped wicker chair. Hodge and Sturtevant
realize what the rings in the floor and ceiling are for when Palmer attaches the clips on the chair to them. "I didn't really think anyone would want a chair back here. If you want to sleep, just unclip the chair and put it on the loft. It's not really safe to sleep up there when the van's moving," he says with a smile. When no further objections or questions are raised, the three men climb into their respective seats, Palmer driving, Sturtevant navigating and Hodge in back watching Harm. They pull out of the parking space, make their way out of the garage, stopping to pay the parking fee and are on the road in a few minutes.
xxx
Dawn has not yet begun to color the sky early Monday when Palmer pulls the van to the side of the road…
…It takes two days of nearly solid driving to reach this point. The only stops they make are for gas and the change shifts every four hours. Meals—consisting of sandwiches made of cold cuts and cheese or granola bars and snack foods found in the cupboards—are made by the man in back with Harm, passed to the driver and navigator when requested. Drinks are also passed up upon request, these more frequent being a good source of caffeine to remain awake when in the front seats.
Occasionally, when they stop along a deserted road to change shifts, Hodge and Sturtevant help a very groggy Harm out of the van to answer the call of nature. Palmer always makes sure the handcuffs are once again secure before the trip continues. This proves to be a wise precaution.
The problem starts when Sturtevant is taking a turn at driving. Hodge is in charge of navigating and Palmer is in the back with Harm. About two and a half hours into the shift the left front tire blows. Sturtevant manages to keep the vehicle under control and pull off the road. Even with all three men pitching in, it takes nearly 30 minutes to get the stubborn tire changed. Palmer is wide awake at the end of the tire session and suggests they do their shift change then. Neither of the others objects so the switch is made. In the excitement and aftermath, Hodge is so tired he falls asleep before giving Harm the next dose of sedative.
Hodge is sleeping peacefully when Harm rouses. Thoughts and memories trickle into his consciousness causing confusion until a low question followed by an answer in Palmer's voice brings it all back to him. He looks over and sees Hodge slumped in the peanut chair, a small packet grasped lightly in his right hand. Harm tries sitting up, only noticing the handcuff locked around his right wrist when he is jerked to a stop. He changes tactics and scoots around to look out the window beside him. The curtain is snapped down to keep it in place. Harm quietly undoes enough of the snaps to get a peek outside. It is pitch dark outside, offering no clues. Harm is not aware it has been more than 24 hours since Palmer, Hodge and Sturtevant kidnapped him. He is trying to get an idea of where he is, but nothing looks even remotely familiar. He is on the wrong side of the van to be able to see any road signs, and there is no light to see the ones on the other side of the road when they pass them by.
He must have let out a sigh of frustration because Hodge wakes suddenly. "Shit." Hodge says loudly. Sturtevant peeks through the curtain blocking the view of the road and sees Harm.
"He's awake," he hisses at Palmer.
"Who?" Palmer asks perplexed.
"Rabb. Hodge must've forgotten. I'm going to help him."
"Great," Palmer mutters, pulling off to the side of the road.
Sturtevant unbuckles his belt and lunges through the curtain at Harm just as he throws the cup of drugged water at Hodge. An unexpected pothole causes Sturtevant to lose his balance and fall into Harm. Taking advantage of the situation—and ignoring the elbow Sturtevant lands in his stomach—Harm is checking his pockets before he's even finished falling.
"Company coming," Palmer announces from the front when he sees the lights from the patrol car pull up behind them. "Get him under control."
Harm finds Sturtevant's keys and pushes the man away just as Hodge fishes out a preloaded syringe. It is a race to see who can move faster, and
this time Hodge wins. Much the same as Harm did to him on the sub, Hodge jams the syringe into Harm's back and empties the contents. Harm futily tries to get the handcuffs unlocked, but the sedative takes effect before he can complete the move.
"Everything all right?" the officer asks Palmer.
"Fine sir," Palmer replies. "Just thought we had an emergency. Fortunately it turned out not to be serious."
"Mind if I take a look?" the officer asks. He is a little suspicious, although he's not sure why.
"Not at all, help yourself," Palmer answers, hoping the quiet from the back means Hodge and Sturtevant have gotten Harm sedated again. He is also thankful he had Harm change out of his uniform. The handcuffs they can hide, a rumpled naval officer would be much harder to hide and even harder still to explain.
Hodge has followed the conversation with the officer and opens the sliding door before asked. The officer looks in to see one man sitting in the peanut chair, one sleeping on the floor of the van and a third getting a bottle of water out of a small cooler. Although his gut is still telling him there is something wrong, he can't find anything to back it up. He returns to Palmer's window. "Sorry for the inconvenience," he says. "Just wanted to make sure you folks were all okay."
"Thank you officer," Palmer answers. "We appreciate your concern."
The officer nods in acceptance and walks back to his cruiser. For some reason he can't explain, he records the license number of the van in his notebook.
There are no further incidents on the rest of the drive. Hodge does not forget again to give Harm the drugged water when they stop. He looks at his watch when Palmer pulls off the road, thinking it can't have been 4 hours yet for the current shift. Palmer confirms his thought a moment later.
"Hodge, will you come up here and take the wheel? I need Sturtevant to help me move the roadblocks."
Hodge moves into the driver's seat. He is a bit perplexed as he doesn't see anything that looks like a roadblock, just a bunch of underbrush mixed in with the trees. He realizes a minute later it is not all underbrush as Palmer directs Sturtevant to take hold of one end of a 'bush' and move it aside. Palmer does the same with a 'bush' on his side and a dirt path large enough for the van is revealed. Palmer waves Hodge forward, waiting for the van to clear the roadblock before he and Sturtevant replace the 'bushes'.
Palmer reclaims his place behind the wheel. Before he puts the van in gear again, Hodge speaks up. "It's nearly time for another dose," he announces. "You'd said you would like him to be more alert when we arrived…"
"Yeah, you can skip this one. Just get him ready to move before he becomes too alert. We don't need a repeat of yesterday even without the prying eyes of a cop."
xxx
JAG HQ
1258 Zulu
Monday, June 3, 2002
Clayton Webb, looking very annoyed, stalks through the bullpen to Admiral Chegwidden's office. He doesn't stop to wait for Tiner to let AJ know he's there. He walks in on AJ in the middle of a telephone call.
"I'll call you back," AJ says into the handset upon seeing the irate CIA agent. "No manners this morning Mr. Webb?" he growls, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms.
"Where's Rabb?" Webb asks without preamble.
Somewhat taken aback—Webb had promised to have a team meet Harm if the problem hadn't been resolved over the weekend—AJ checks the time. "Should be on his way in. He's usually a little bit late, especially on Mondays," he replies.
"I hope so," Webb mutters.
"Webb, is there something you're not telling me?" AJ asks, beginning to get alarmed.
Webb briefly considers not answering, but changes his mind on seeing AJ's face. He'd really like to avoid another broken nose. "I thought Rabb
was flying to Miramar this weekend," he begins.
"That's correct. You were here when he left on Friday." AJ is now confused; Webb was aware of the plans and had okayed them.
"He didn't come back last night," Webb explains. "My team waited two hours before they decided to check with the flight line. They were told Rabb wasn't on the roster to fly in." His face shows he is getting angrier with every word. "They didn't find it necessary to report this to me until this morning," he thunders.
AJ is stunned. "As far as I know, he flew out Friday as planned. I didn't get any messages to the contrary," he says.
"Well he sure as hell didn't come back as planned!"
"We'll check on it Webb," AJ says calmly. "What else is bothering you?"
"Arams committed suicide over the weekend."
"So now there's no case?"
"Against Arams, no."
"I assume since your agents were at Andrews to meet Rabb that you haven't identified your mole yet." AJ comments.
"Actually, I've identified him. I just wasn't able to catch him."
"Who is he?" AJ asks.
"One of the former directors of the DSD. A man by the name of Donald Banes. He had a pretty good cover set to be able to get into the Company," Webb replies.
"Okay. With Arams dead, where does that leave us?" AJ asks.
"First, we still don't know who his buyer was. I'm still hoping Rabb will find something to indicate that. Second, Banes knows that Harm has cracked at least part of the code Arams was using. What we don't know is how important this information is to the DSD. Third, although I can't prove it, I am sure there were other deliveries before this one."
"Without knowledge of the code used, I'm not sure how useful the information would be to anyone," AJ muses. "What Rabb has done so far seems to indicate you are correct in thinking there were previous deliveries."
"So this in itself might not be all that useful to the DSD," Webb reasons.
"Not unless the DSD managed to get some of the other information Arams has sent." AJ pauses before continuing, getting his thoughts in order. "Is there any possibility that these former DSD agents might be the intended buyers?"
Webb takes a moment to consider the question. "I'll check into it on my end," he says finally. "That could explain why there wasn't any indication until Arams was arrested. Without foreign buyers it would be a lot easier to keep low profile. And if they are after this information, Rabb could be in even more trouble than we originally thought. Damn, we never even considered a domestic buyer." Webb glances at his watch. "Speaking of which, where is Rabb?"
"Tiner, check to see if Commander Rabb has arrived yet," AJ asks over the intercom.
A moment later, "No sir. Commander Rabb has not arrived yet."
"See if you can reach him on his cell or at home."
"Aye sir." The next few minutes pass in silence. Both men are tensely waiting for Tiner to report back. "Sir there is no answer either at his home or on his cell," Tiner says finally.
AJ and Webb exchange worried glances. "We're going to have to get some help on this," AJ says. "It's not like Rabb to be this late and not call."
"Don't forget he didn't land at Andrews last night," Webb adds. "Who did you have in mind?"
"Tiner will you tell Colonel MacKenzie and Commander Turner I would like to see them ASAP?" AJ orders his yeoman by way of answer. "Turner is a friend of Rabb's. I know you haven't met him yet, but I believe he can be trusted."
Less than 2 minutes later Mac and Sturgis knock on AJ's door. "Enter," he calls.
Turner holds the door for Mac, much like Harm would. "You wanted to see us sir?" Mac says as they reach AJ's desk.
"Colonel, I know you are familiar with Mr. Webb."
Mac nods and turns to Webb. "Webb, nice to see you again."
"Colonel MacKenzie," Webb greets her.
"Commander Turner, this is Clayton Webb, CIA. Webb, Commander Turner."
Webb doesn't get a chance to study the new officer. "Sturgis. I've heard a few things about you Webb," Sturgis says offering his hand.
"From Rabb?" he asks returning the handshake.
"And Colonel MacKenzie," Sturgis affirms. "Like how Harm owes you well into the next century," he says with a laugh.
"Things are more even than you might think, Commander," Webb mutters under his breath.
"What kind of trouble do you need us to bail you out of this time Webb?" Mac asks.
"Before we get into that, have either of you seen or heard from Rabb this weekend?" AJ breaks in.
"No sir," they both answer. "He said he was going to visit his mother this weekend, with your blessing," Mac adds, growing concerned that they are even asking.
"Admiral," Tiner's voice comes over the intercom, forestalling any comment AJ was about to make. "Sir, there's a call for you on line one. It's
Mrs. Burnett."
Sighs of relief are nearly audible in the office. Everyone is sure Harm's mother is calling to let them know he'd been delayed. AJ picks up the phone. "Admiral Chegwidden," he says.
"Admiral," Trish begins hesitantly. "I hate to bother you, but have you seen my son?" AJ's face blanches and the three others exchange a worried glance. "I'm sorry Admiral," Trish continues oblivious to the turmoil her statement will cause. "I'm sure there is an innocent explanation to this, but it's just not like Harm to forget to call when his plans change."
AJ finally finds his voice. "When did you last hear from him, Mrs. Burnett?"
"Thursday evening when he called to let us know when he'd be arriving."
"Ma'am," AJ says reluctantly. "Harm left here at 1700 Friday. He had specific orders from me to spend the weekend in La Jolla with you."
There is a stunned silence on the other end of the line.
"Admiral…AJ," she amends remembering the conversation they had when her son was lost at sea. "I'm sure you will do everything you can to find out why Harm didn't come home. If I thought it would help, Frank and I would be on the next plane to DC…"
Before she can complete the sentence AJ breaks in, "Trish I will let you know as soon as I have any information." He is also thinking of the conversation they had the past May. "You may contact me, Colonel MacKenzie or Commander Turner whenever you would like for an update if you don't hear from us, okay?"
"Thank you AJ," she says tearfully.
"I will let you know if you and Frank are needed here," AJ consoles. He hangs up the phone after saying goodbye and turns to his two officers and the CIA agent who have remained silent waiting on the other side of his desk.
Webb is the first to speak. "I gather from your conversation with Mrs. Burnett that Rabb has been missing all weekend."
Before he can respond Tiner's voice announces the captain of the Seahawk is on the phone for him. At the same time Webb's cell phone rings. Webb moves to the corner of the room to give himself and AJ as much quiet as possible. Mac and Sturgis share a bemused glance as they wait for the men to finish their respective calls.
AJ's expression, already pale from his previous conversation, blanches even further. His conversation is relatively quick, ending with, "thank you Captain. Please keep me informed." He hangs up the phone and stares at it sightlessly, lost to the presence of the others in the room. He remains motionless for a full minute. About the time Sturgis or Mac is ready to ask if there is something wrong he snaps out of it. Looking at the two senior officers he says quietly, "that was the skipper of the Seahawk. Lt. Roberts was in country and stepped on a land mine. He's in surgery to save what they can of his leg and his life as we speak." He allows them a moment to process the information. "Why don't the two of you see if there's anything you can find in Rabb's office? Take Webb with you. I need to tell Lt. Sims. Would you tell her I need to see her Colonel?"
"Yes sir," Mac says. Sturgis leads the way out of the office. Mac detours to the corner where Webb is still on his cell phone, pausing only long enough to take hold of his sleeve and tug him along. He gives her a puzzled look which Mac returns with a minute shake of her head.
Webb follows Sturgis to Harm's office. Mac heads for Harriet's desk. "Harriet, the Admiral asked me to tell you he'd like to see you," Mac says to the younger woman.
Harriet looks up from her computer, "thank you ma'am," she says immediately leaving her desk to report. Mac follows her path with sad eyes, sighs and turns to join Sturgis and Webb in Harm's office.
xxx
In his office, AJ is standing at the window staring outside. He doesn't know how he's going to break the news to Harriet that because he thought duty away from JAG would help Bud's chances of promotion, a very capable and well-liked officer is fighting for his life in Afghanistan. Although he still feels it is beneficial to Bud's career, he feels guilty as hell that the man is now injured.
"Lt. Sims reporting as ordered sir," Harriet's soft voice breaks into his thoughts.
"Please close the door and have a seat Lieutenant," AJ says without turning around.
Harriet complies, shutting the door softly and sitting nervously on the edge of the chair recently vacated by Mac. Upon hearing her sit AJ turns from the window and faces her, his eyes full of badly concealed pain and guilt—this is one of the hardest things he has ever had to do as Judge Advocate.
"Harriet," he begins, finally deciding the best way is to come right out and say it all. "I just received a call from the captain of the Seahawk. Lt. Roberts, Bud, was in Afghanistan for the ground-breaking of a new school to replace one destroyed in the air strikes. He saw a boy playing outside of the village. He had been briefed that the only area cleared of land mines was the road. Bud was trying to keep the boy from stepping on a land mine, as he wasn't on the road but along side it…" he pauses, unsure how he's going to be able to continue.
"Did Bud step on a land mine sir?" Harriet asks quietly.
"Yes," he says simply.
"Is he alive?"
"He lost part of his right leg. When I talked to the skipper the last report he had was Bud is holding his own. He's being transported to the Guadalcanal as we speak. When they have him stabilized, he'll be transferred to Germany. I can arrange transport for you if you would like to be with him."
"I would like to be with him sir, but I think I should be with AJ here. If I change my mind later…" she starts timidly.
"Just say the word and I'll arrange transport for you."
"Thank you sir," Harriet says sincerely.
"You're dismissed…unless there's something else," AJ says noticing her hesitation.
"Sir, I don't want to seem out of line, but I saw Mr. Webb here with Colonel MacKenzie and Commander Turner and they went into Commander Rabb's office… Is there anything I can do to help?"
AJ isn't sure what to say to her for the second time in the day. She just found out her husband has stepped on a land mine and is fighting for his life, and she's concerned about another officer as well. He doesn't want to overwhelm her, but since she asked… "Right now we're not sure what's going on. Why don't you join us in Rabb's office? I'll take any help I can get at this point," he says.
xxx
Meanwhile in Harm's office…
Webb has finished his call by the time Mac makes her way into the office. Sturgis is rifling through the files on Harm's desk. "Bad news Webb?" Mac asks noting the scowl on his face.
"Yes," he says. "I'd rather wait for AJ to join us so I don't have to go over it twice though. What made him clear us all out of his office so fast?"
"Lt. Roberts stepped on a land mine in Afghanistan," Sturgis informs him.
"I don't think he was as lucky as Harm was when he did the same after we inadvertently entered a mine field," Mac puts in to the astonishment of the men in the room. The mine incident wasn't anything they shared with anyone but the admiral.
The atmosphere in the room is charged with tension. He never really liked Bud, but Webb feels he should say something.
"Find anything Sturgis?" Mac asks, breaking the mood and saving Webb from his dilemma.
"Just a couple of current cases," Sturgis answers. "He didn't have much other than the Arams file on his plate, so there's not much here."
"Anything personal going on?" Webb asks even though he's pretty sure he knows the answer to that one.
This time it's Mac who answers. "Nothing that I know of. He seemed very happy to have the chance to fly to California and visit his mom, even though it was with your blessing Webb," she teases. "He said you told him you were trying not to get him involved…"
Webb realizes then that Harm and AJ hadn't filled Mac or Sturgis in. He's glad they didn't expand the number of people involved, but at the same time it means he's going to have to explain this all to them. He grabs Harm's chair to sit in and motions for the others to make themselves comfortable as well. "Friday morning I found evidence of a mole in my section." He changes his mind about sitting, instead using the back of Harm's chair to lean on. "I wanted time to ferret him out. He was after the information we had on Arams. Now when Rabb was given the task of deciphering Arams' code—or codes as it turns out—all pertinent information was turned over to him as well. I thought if we could get him out of town I'd have plenty of time to find whoever it is that was trying to find that information." While he waits for a reaction he continues to himself, 'and now I'm doubly sure getting Rabb out of town was a wise move; I'm just afraid it came up too late to mean anything.'
"Did you find your mole?" Sturgis asks finally.
"I know who it is, but he disappeared before I could catch him."
"Would you have used Harm as bait to draw him out if you hadn't found him over the weekend?" Mac asks.
Webb contemplates the question for a moment. "Properly protected, yes I would have," he admits.
"Webb, even carefully planned, things you drag Harm and I into hardly ever go as planned."
Webb sighs heavily, crossing around in front of Harm's chair. "It's not intentional," he protests finally sitting down. "Ouch," he yelps
immediately and jumps up rubbing his rear. Mac and Sturgis stifle a laugh, AJ and Harriet, arrive at that moment and attempt to do the same. "It's not funny," Webb whines glaring at the four officers. "Something poked me in the ass when I sat down." He runs his hands over the seam of the seat, finally locating the pen and message wrapped around it.
"What is it Webb?" AJ demands.
Webb glances at the phone message. Before handing it to AJ he flips it over, the two words written there confirming his suspicions from his phone call. As he hands the note to AJ he begins to explain the phone call. "The call I had was from an agent stationed in Kansas. It seems two weeks ago there was a brawl at Leavenworth. About a dozen inmates were placed into solitary. When the 10 days were over the inmates were released to return to their regular cells. But sometime between the brawl and the end of the 10 days 3 of the inmates escaped. There were three other men in their places." He pauses at Mac's indrawn breath, and continues when he realizes she isn't going to say anything. "The inmates that escaped—obviously with inside help—are known to you and the Colonel, Admiral. As you can see by the names written on the back of that phone message, Clark Palmer has once again managed to slip away from Leavenworth. This time he took with him two former naval personnel; Chief Corpsman Hodge and Chief Master-at-arms Sturtevant.
A stricken look crosses Mac's face, but once again she remains silent. "I know who Palmer and Sturtevant are," AJ says, "but I can't seem to recall Hodge."
"The Watertown sir," Mac says quietly.
That one word is all it takes for understanding dawn on AJ. Sturgis looks from his CO to friend to Harriet. She gives him a barely perceptible nod indicating she knows what's going on, and then tilts her head toward Mac indicating he should ask her for an explanation. Sturgis returns a faint smile of acknowledgement.
AJ observes the exchange between Sturgis and Harriet and silently agrees Mac should be the one to fill Sturgis in on the three escapees. "I'm going to check on this end of things," he says indicating the message about Harm missing his flight. "Lt. Sims, would you find the duty personnel from Friday evening. Both the gate guard and the officer at the front. Then I'd like you to track down the records of the escapees."
"Aye sir," Harriet says happy to do her part.
"Colonel, Commander, I'd like the two of you to go to Commander Rabb's apartment and see if you can find anything there. Check with his neighbors to see if they saw anything. I don't know how you'll get in. I'm not sure Rabb would appreciate replacing his windows again," AJ says thoughtfully.
"That won't be a problem sir," Mac says quietly. "I have a key. We look after each other's apartments when one of us is out of town," she explains quickly when she notes the look that passes between the others.
AJ is not sure what to think of that revelation. His two senior officers have had a very unexplainable relationship over the past six years. 'As long as it doesn't affect their performance at work I could even deal with it if they were sleeping together,' he has told himself several times. This one is no exception. "One more thing Colonel," AJ says. "Commander Turner is the only one in this room who doesn't know anything about the three escapees. I know he could learn the basics from their files, but I would like you to fill him in since you are most familiar with the situations."
Mac knows AJ is right, although she would like to protest and ask that he have someone else do it. 'Suck it up Marine,' she tells herself. "Yes sir," she says aloud, hiding her inner turmoil.
"Webb," AJ says turning to the last person of the group. "I don't have to remind you to inform me as soon as you know something, do I?" he practically growls at the CIA agent.
"As soon as I know something, you'll know," Webb responds, not wanting to risk AJ's wrath and have a repeat of Russia.
"I don't need to remind any of you that this is not to go beyond the five of us," AJ says looking each one in the eyes. "You may talk freely amongst yourselves, but please make sure to do so out of the hearing of anyone else. My office will be open at all times. Colonel, Commander, Lieutenant, I'll have to ask that you maintain your regular duties in addition to whatever we turn up here. If for some reason this drags out, I will attempt to lighten your loads if I possibly can. Any questions?"
A round of 'no sir's' is heard from each of the others in the office including Webb. "All right then, dismissed," AJ says effectively terminating the meeting.
Harriet heads directly to her desk, Webb makes a beeline for the exit, AJ makes his way to the break room for a cup of coffee while Mac and Sturgis split up to grab their covers from their respective offices before meeting at the elevator.
"Colonel," Harriet calls to Mac as soon as the Marine exits her office.
"Yes Harriet," Mac inquires.
"Thought you might need these," Harriet says handing her a set of keys. "It's a trick I learned from Gunny, ma'am," she says smiling.
"Thank you Lieutenant," Mac says. "I'm glad you're in on this Harriet. But I also want you to know if you need anything…"
"Thank you Colonel. Helping out and keeping busy here is what I want to do now. I'll take you up on that offer if I feel I need it."
"Anytime Harriet, anytime," Mac then hurries to meet Sturgis at the elevator.
xxx
Mac and Sturgis ride to the ground floor in silence. Sturgis starts for their personal cars but stops, suddenly realizing Mac is no longer with him. He turns to see her waiting to head into the lot containing the pool cars, a set of keys dangling from one finger.
"Where'd you get these so fast?" Sturgis inquires as he slides into the passenger seat of the dark sedan.
"Harriet," Mac answers with a small smile. "She and Gunny apparently traded secrets."
They ride in silence for a few minutes before Sturgis breaks the silence. "So who do you want to tell me about first?"
Reluctantly Mac suggests they begin with the navy guys first. "Which one would you like me to start with?" she asks.
"How about the one that wasn't on the list Harm left. Who was it…?"
"Chief Master-at-arms Sturtevant formerly of the Suribachi," Mac supplies. "You didn't hear what happened to her a couple of years ago did you?"
"I heard she got caught on an uncharted reef and had to have a tow off."
"Did you hear anything about what happened on board at the same time?"
"Nothing."
"Harm and I were on board when she ran aground. Harm was in the Master-at-arms shack with Sturtevant and a petty officer Sturtevant had framed for a murder he committed. When the Suribachi ran aground they were locked in down there. The captain immediately ordered rescue operations started, but they kept running into problems. When they were finally towed, Harm was still trapped. Unbeknownst to anyone, when they tried to bully the Suribachi off the reef she started taking on water. What was worse was the compartment it was flooding—the brig."
"With Harm and the others down there?"
"Yes. We had lost communication with him shortly after the first attempt to rock the Suribachi off—before the skipper called for the tow. Harm was trying to deal with DeMara, the petty officer, but it turns out he was crashing from Black Beauty. Once the water got a couple of inches deep, Harm suggested Sturtevant let DeMara out of the cell since that's where the water was coming in. Sturtevant tripped and DeMara ended up with his gun. With the water rising and DeMara holding the gun, Harm started speculating on what might have happened. DeMara said he still had the note that prompted him to go to where the other petty officer was killed. Since DeMara had threatened to strangle him, and the petty officer was strangled, everyone assumed he did it. Harm offered to check the note for fingerprints and run them. Harm says about that time was when the Suribachi was towed. It knocked over a storage locker and pinned DeMara and opened the hole in the hull. Water was now gushing into the brig and DeMara was pinned. Harm and Sturtevant tried to get the locker off, but it was too heavy."
"Wait, where was the rescue team? And how long was this?"
"A couple of hours and the rescue team was still working on trying to get them out. They did finally get in, saw the water and called down instead of trying to go into the water. They were also dealing with chlorine gas coming from a compartment next to them. Sturtevant heard the rescuers and told Harm he'd go get help. Instead he got himself out, told them Harm and DeMara were dead and it was too risky to get the bodies. He left them down there to die."
"Sounds pretty callous. Did you know at that time that he had killed the petty officer?"
"When he didn't come back for them Harm had a pretty good idea. He kept trying to get DeMara free even though he had checked the hatch and found it stuck once again. The Admiral had arrived with the tow ship and was bugging the skipper about getting Harm rescued—this was before they got Sturtevant out. Once we found out Harm was dead—at least according to Sturtevant—we questioned him. From what he said we were both suspicious. The skipper had forbidden anyone from going back for the bodies, but Admiral Chegwidden simply disregarded those orders and went back down, taking the crew member from the rescue party who wanted to retrieve the bodies earlier. They were having problems with the hatch and Harm was still unable to get the locker off DeMara. A course change to avoid a civilian ship shifted enough to enable the hatch to be freed and moved the locker off DeMara. He and Harm made their way to the ladder and a moment later it opened to reveal Admiral Chegwidden. Harm said the look on Sturtevant's face when he walked into his quarters dripping wet and asked for a towel was priceless."
"If the Admiral hadn't pulled rank, Harm and DeMara would have died and Sturtevant would have gotten away with three murders. How did you know Harm was still alive?" Sturgis asks.
"Like I said what Sturtevant said about how he died just didn't sound right. The skipper asked the same question," Mac says, laughing. "Admiral Chegwidden asked him if he had ever tried to get gum off his shoe. I think Harm was a bit offended by that analogy," she says laughing harder. Sturgis laughs picturing his friend responding to a comment like that.
By this time they have arrived at Harm's apartment. Harm's SUV is parked in its usual spot. "I'd also like to double check that the 'vette is in the garage before heading back to HQ," Sturgis says.
"Good idea," Mac agrees readily. "Do you want to start with the apartment or neighbors first?"
"Apartment first, then neighbors," Sturgis suggests.
Mac leads the way up and cautiously unlocks the door. "You'll understand when I tell you about Palmer, but for now be careful. He's left explosives tied to a motion detector before. "
"And you're planning on going in there?" Sturgis says incredously.
"Yeah. The circumstances were a lot different then," she says, finally stepping slowly through the doorway. A quick glance tells her Harm is not home—unless he's in the bedroom or bathroom—and that Palmer has not left any obvious surprises. She convinces Sturgis to enter and they commence their search.
"He must have gotten home at least," Mac observes. "His briefcase is here." And after a moment, "So is his cell phone."
They start in the living room, gradually working their way through the kitchen/dining area to the bedroom.
"His bag's still here," Sturgis says. "What would that suggest to you?"
"That they were waiting for him when he came home—or arrived before he was ready to leave for Andrews."
"It doesn't really sound like Harm to have packed ahead of time, but he also had very little time to spare to get to Andrews."
"To fly a Tomcat and spend the weekend with his mother, especially since this was a planned trip, I think he was packed already," Mac disagrees.
"You're probably right," he concedes. "So other than the briefcase and bag being here we didn't really find anything."
"Let's visit his neighbors and see if they saw anything before we begin making assumptions," Mac suggests.
It is only their uniforms that allow Mac and Sturgis to interview Harm's neighbors—they're all leery about talking to strangers. Unfortunately they don't turn up any useful information—none of the neighbors were home Friday evening. Mac and Sturgis thank them for their help and prepare to leave. As the do so, a woman who lives on the first floor enters the building.
"You looking for that handsome sailor from the third floor?" she asks.
"Yes we are; have you seen him?" Mac inquires.
"Not since Friday. He looked a bit out of it since he… Well I guess you could say the three men with him loaded him into an SUV and drove off. He was still in his uniform although he looked like he had slept in it. I've never seen him look so bad," she confides.
"Can you remember what time this was?" Sturgis asks.
"I was just getting ready for bed. It must've been around 11, 11:30," she answers.
"Did you see any of them arrive?"
"No. It was 9 or so when I got back from bingo. The driver was with the SUV then, I think. I remember watching to see if he was going to try anything when I went from my car to the building."
Sturgis and Mac exchange a look meant to ask if the other needs any more information. A slight shake of their heads meets their respective glances.
"Thank you for your time and the information, ma'am," Sturgis says.
"He's not going to get into any trouble because of what I told you, is he?" she asks concerned.
"Not at all," Mac answers. A sudden thought strikes her. "If you see him or the men he was with on Friday would you give me a call?" she asks handing the woman a business card with the number for JAG. "We'd really appreciate it."
The woman accepts the card and tucks it into her purse. "I'll do that," she says before heading to her apartment.
xxx
Once back in his office after gathering his coffee, AJ places the call to Andrews. He receives confirmation that Harm never arrived for his flight. Not wanting to raise any suspicions this early, he apologizes for not notifying them that Harm wouldn't be able to make his flight. The CO offers his understanding that things get out of control sometimes—especially for someone with Harm's record.
Shortly after hanging up the phone Tiner announces Lt. Sims would like to see him. "Send her in Tiner," AJ instructs.
Harriet enters followed by two young marines. She hands a sheaf of papers to AJ before coming to attention in front of his desk.
"At ease. These would be the two on duty Friday?" AJ asks Harriet.
"Yes sir. Corporals Carter and Torrey," she says indicating each in turn. "Corporal Torrey was on duty in the guard shack, Corporal Carter in the building."
"Thank you lieutenant. Have a seat. You too Corporals."
"Sir," Harriet says, "the papers I gave you are copies of both logbooks from the weekend."
"Corporal Carter, Corporal Torrey, what I am about to discuss with you will not leave these walls. Is that understood?"
"Both men jump to their feet and come to attention. "Yes sir," they reply as one.
"Good. Now sit down." He waits until both have resumed their seats. "Now I'm going to start by asking a few questions. I want honest answers no matter what you think the consequences of those answers might be."
"Yes sir," the chorus again.
"Corporal Torrey, did you see Commander Rabb over the weekend, after hours?"
"Yes sir. He returned at 0013 on Fri…Saturday," he answers.
"Describe for me what you saw."
"He looked real tense sir. There were three other men in the vehicle with him. His uniform was kind or rumpled and he looked a bit pale and out of it too."
"The three men with him; were any of them in uniform?"
"No sir."
"What time did they leave?"
"A little under an hour later. 0106."
"Who was driving?"
"Commander Rabb sir."
"Did you see him enter the building?"
"One of the civilians went with him inside. Before they got out of the vehicle, the man took hold of the commander's arm and they spoke for a minute. Commander Rabb appeared upset when he got out of the vehicle; and maybe a little unsteady on his feet."
"All right. Corporal Carter, did you see Commander Rabb Friday evening?"
"Yes sir."
"Was there anyone with him?"
"One man in civilian clothes sir."
"What did they do?"
"Commander Rabb approached and signed in. He asked for a visitor's pass for the man with him. Said he was helping him with a case and just came along for the ride to find some papers he needed for the case. I gave him the pass sir," he puts in hesitantly.
"Where did they go?"
"Directly to Commander Rabb's office. Sir, I also gave the commander a message from Andrews. Something about missing a flight."
AJ nods to indicate he heard the comment. "Did anything unusual happen while they were here?"
"I wasn't watching real closely at first, but it seemed the civilian pushed the commander into his office. I also saw him, not the commander, closing the blinds."
"Did you hear anything?"
"No sir. A little less than an hour later the exited the office. It seemed to me as they turned in the visitor's pass that Commander Rabb seemed…well almost smug about something. And the man with him clearly was unhappy."
"I want to thank you both for your candor," AJ says after a moment to digest the information. Neither man would ever dream of lying to an officer, and especially not to the JAG. Harriet has taken notes throughout the interviews so he can be sure to check the details. "I have just one more thing to ask of you. I'm going to show each of you several photos. I want you to pick out the men you saw," he says handing each man an identical stack of pictures. Mixed in with pictures of Palmer, Hodge and Sturtevant are recent defendants and regular JAG staff.
Both men flip through the photos. Corporal Carter stops, pulls one out of the pile and continues to look through the rest before handing the one to AJ. "This is the man who came in with Commander Rabb sir," he says. He has handed AJ the picture of Palmer.
Just then Corporal Torrey hands AJ three pictures, the one of Palmer at the top. "The top one is the man who was in the front seat beside Commander Rabb. I'm sure he's the one who went inside with him. The others were seated in the back. They remained in the vehicle the entire time." Hodge and Sturtevant are the other two photos he's handed to AJ.
"Thank you again Corporals," AJ says. "Remember none of this is to leave this room. If you think of anything you might have left out you may come to me, Colonel MacKenzie, Commander Turner or Lieutenant Sims only."
"Aye sir," both men say coming to attention.
"Sir, is something going on with Commander Rabb?" Corporal Carter asks nervously. "I'd like to help in any way I can. Commander Rabb has always been nice to the enlisted personnel."
"Me too, sir," Corporal Torrey chimes in.
"Because you're already involved simply by being here Friday evening I will tell you this: We're not sure what's going on, but the 3 men the two of you identified escaped from Leavenworth sometime in the past two weeks. The only other thing they have in common is Commander Rabb's testimony put them there."
"His testimony, sir? He's a lawyer," Torrey protests.
"He was the key witness in each of their cases. Furthermore, they are all serving for attempted murder."
"The commander?" Carter asks, quickly putting two and two together.
"That is correct. Now remember what I said," AJ admonishes them. "Dismissed." He leaves them to their thoughts. They both snap to attention one last time before leaving the room, 'although with less grace than Harm usually manages without half trying,' AJ muses.