The Return of Katie Brown
Part IV - Suspicions
Rodney settled Jennifer in her quarters with orders to call if she needed anything. He refused to leave until she agreed which she did reluctantly. She didn't need to know he was going to stand watch.
As he paced the corridors outside of Jennifer's door he realized he wanted, no, needed to talk to someone about his suspicions. In the past he might have gone to see Carson but he was off world giving medical assistance to a village ravaged by a virus similar to influenza to which most of the expedition members were immune. Maybe he could arrange to run into Sheppard and casually bring the subject up. No, that wouldn't work. Sheppard, as he'd mentioned on more than one occasion, could read him like a kid's book. Then again, maybe that was a good thing. He wouldn't even have to mention it. Yeah, that was it. He'd find Sheppard and…
"If you keep making that face it'll freeze that way."
Rodney, deep in thought, barely heard the words responding automatically. "Mm-hm."
"Later we can all go to the mainland and dance naked in the moonlight."
"Okay."
"After that we can shave our heads and have a Chinese fire drill."
"Whatever you want."
"Rodney!" A strong hand grabbed his shoulder and turned him around.
"What?" His eyes finally focused on the man in front of him. Sheppard.
"You didn't hear a word I said, did you?"
"Sorry. I was thinking."
"Obviously. What about?" Sheppard sensed that his friend needed to talk and obliged him.
"Katie." He paced a few steps away and turned. "She wants us to get back together."
Sheppard's stunned looked was only the barest hint of the shock Rodney had felt himself. "You're not considering it, are you?"
"No, of course not." He leveled his gaze at his friend. "There's more. Jennifer is certain that she was pushed down the stairs."
"Pushed? Then you're thinking what I'm thinking." A statement.
Rodney nodded. "If you're thinking it's not a coincidence that Jennifer was pushed down the stairs the same night I turned Katie down then yes, we're thinking the same thing. John, if you had seen the look in Katie's eyes when she saw Jennifer and me together, it was almost…frightening."
John arranged for two of his men to stand guard then motioned for Rodney to follow him. "Before we start making accusations, let's see if there's anyone else in Atlantis that might have a grudge against you or Keller or both."
They went to John's office and called up a list of the current staff compliment plus those on temporary assignment and visitors from the Daedalus. Both men saw the same name at the same time. "Did he really think I wouldn't find out he was here? But what could he possibly have against Jennifer?"
"He could have hurt her to get back at you."
Rodney was shaking his head. "Peter Kavanagh is not creative or sneaky enough to think of doing something as underhanded as pushing someone down the stairs in the middle of the night. Public humiliation is more his style."
John thought that over. "Well, aside from Katie, he's our only other suspect."
"So what's our next move?"
Pushing back from the desk, John got to his feet. "We check alibis.
*****
"Zelenka assigned Kavanagh to the science lab on level 12 west. He's been working nights while he's here so he won't run into you and says he was alone but there's no video feed in those corridors so no way to verify." John was telling Rodney the next afternoon. "Katie on the other hand claims to have been in her quarters from 2100 on, also unconfirmed. And that leaves us…"
"Where?" Rodney leaned both hands on his desk in the main science lab.
"In the same place. They can't prove they were where they said they were and we can't prove they weren't." John paced in a circle. "We need to draw the guilty party out, get him or her to…"
The physicist was already shaking his head. "No! There is no way I am letting Jennifer be put in harms way again. She's already injured and won't be able to adequately defend herself if something should go wrong. There has to be another way."
"Relax, Rodney. You're the preacher. I'm the choir." He ran a hand through his hair as he paced. Not for the first time Rodney felt that rubbing his head had as much to do with helping his friend think as the pacing. John came to an abrupt halt and swung around. The physicist recognized the gleam in his eyes. This was going to be good! "I've got an idea but we're gonna need some help."
"Like who?"
John looked at his watch. "We'll need Lorne, Teyla, Ronon, Radek and Carter for this little pajama party. And, since every party needs a chaperone, we should probably invite Woolsey too."
"Pajama party? What're you talking about?"
John contacted everyone and, as they made their way to Woolsey's office, he outlined his plan. And Rodney was right. It was a good one!
TBC