A/N: A special thank you to Saissa, for your help in getting me unstuck. A thousand thanks.
To all the reviewers, your words are appreciated more than you can possibly know. They make the time spent writing these stories worthwhile.
Grove End Road – London, England
2037 Greenwich/ 1537 Eastern
Harm trudged through the door, happy that the day was finally over. After seeing Meg, he'd not had a moment's rest until he'd finally left just before 2000. First had been Admiral Kieso, wanting an update on the situation involving the USS Bunker Hill. So, he'd had to get in touch with his team on the ship and see where that investigation was at, which he knew looked like he didn't trust them to do their jobs and also only served to delay them in actually accomplishing things. Still, when a full Admiral asked, Captains wisely just snap to and get it done.
After that had been Lieutenant Walker with the accident case. The local authorities had been very helpful in giving her all the reports involving the accident. It was when she'd called the other person's barrister that she'd run into her first problem, namely he refused to see her or any American attorney. The case, he told her, was a matter of the British court system and he would only deal with someone competent to argue in a British court.
So, Harm and Annette had been forced to spend the afternoon combing through international law books. Firstly, there was the matter of diplomatic immunity, which they discovered did not extend to this type of incident. That then required a secondary search, looking to find a barrister who would assist the office with the case. Harm also had Annette contact the local hospitals, looking to see if the victim had gone to an emergency room for treatment after the accident. While she was doing that, he contacted both of the insurance companies involved and requested any claims information relating to the accident.
Just as he was getting finished with that and about to call it a day, Simpkins opened the door.
"Captain, Commander Coleman is holding on line one," he said.
"Commander Faith Coleman?" Harm asked as his eyebrows rose.
"Yes, Sir. She's the DFJA stationed down in Naples."
'Oh, God. This just keeps getting better and better,' Harm thought as he reached for the telephone.
"Rabb."
"Captain, Commander Coleman. I've got an update on the Lieutenant Stone case and you're not going to like it, Sir," came a voice he'd honestly wished never to hear again.
"What is it, Commander?" Harm asked, trying to move this along as fast as possible.
"Another female Lieutenant, found this morning by the local police. Same MO and traces of semen matches to Lieutenant Stone's attacker."
"Have you asked the local authorities if this MO matches to any unsolved cases they have?"
"They're still searching, both locally and through the Carabinieri. If they find some, they'll let us know. NCIS is also searching their files for possible matches and has ask Interpol to do the same," Coleman told him.
"I would strongly suggest issuing a warning to all naval personnel in the area. I really don't want to get a third report about this guy, unless it's to tell me he's in custody," Harm said.
"Already being done, Sir. We're currently trying to backtrack the victims' movements from discovery until they left the ship."
"Wait a minute. Was this second victim off the same ship as Lieutenant Stone, Commander?"
"Uh, yes, Sir. Lieutenant Marks was a CIC Watch Office. She and Lieutenant Stone shared a berth, given they were the only two female officers aboard the Mahan," Coleman replied.
"Alright, have NCIS stick with what they're doing. I want your office to pull the disciplinary records for the entire crew of the Mahan. Look for anyone who had a history with either of the two officers or a female officer in their past. Start with the officers and work your way down."
"You do realize you're talking about almost 300 officers and crew?"
"Yes, I am fully aware of that, Commander. But I'm not going to take the fact that both victims are from the same ship and just dismiss it as a coincidence, are you?" Harm asked, an edge to his voice. "NCIS can handle the broader suspect pool, I want us to look at that ship."
"Understood, Sir," Coleman said, mentally cursing at the task before her and her staff.
"If you have any evidence that might help eliminate suspects, use it, but I have a feeling our guy is aboard that ship," Harm told her.
"Yes, Sir. I'll get right on it," was her only reply before hanging up the telephone.
Harm sighed. Commander Coleman had not impressed him the first time they'd met and their conversation just now had only reinforced the feeling. Maybe her expertise was in a different area of the law, but investigating rapes and murders sure didn't seem to be it. A part of him wished he could fly down there and work the case, before drawing back at the realization that he was the administrator now, not the investigator. Plus, with the Krennick case going on as well as the Bunker Hill investigation, he really couldn't afford to leave London at the moment.
At that moment, he had looked at the clock and realized how late the time was. Standing up, he walked over to the coat tree and removed his trench coat and cover. Putting the coat on, he went back to the desk, collected his briefcase and left the office. Once outside, he put his cover on and flagged down a taxi for the short ride home.
Going straight through to the kitchen, he saw that Beth and Mattie had already eaten. So, he helped himself to a plate of leftovers, putting it into the microwave to heat. While he was waiting, Beth came in and sat down at the table.
"So, how was your day, darling," she asked sweetly, drawing Harm's attention away from the running microwave to her.
"Why does that tone of voice worry me so?" Harm asked.
"Because you're a lawyer and suspicious by trade?"
Harm just rolled his eyes at that comment. "Alright, I'll play. My day, aside from seeing an old friend, was miserable. Admiral Kieso is all over my six about the Bunker Hill case, the Naval Attaché's wife has a British lawyer after her for an accident she was in but he will only discuss the matter with another British lawyer and we have two murdered female Lieutenants down in Naples, both off the same ship. Oh, and the icing on the cake is I just found out my deputy is the idiot defense attorney I was assigned when I was on trial for Lieutenant Singer's murder."
"Oh, you poor baby," Beth cooed, struggling to keep from laughing at the look on his face. She wasn't making light of the murders or really any of the cases, just how her husband acted as if the world was against him sometimes struck her as humorous.
"Well, maybe if Mommy kissed it, it would make it better," Harm replied, seeing the look on her face and knowing he'd sounded like a little kid crying about how mean his teacher was.
"I thought you'd never ask."
However, the microwave had other ideas, as it announced that Harm's dinner was ready. Taking it out and carrying it to the table, he sat down and quickly ate.
"So, how was your day?" Harm asked.
"Oh, aside from a certain Captain Bitch stopping by this morning, my day was sweetness and light," Beth replied, a huge grin on her face.
"I'm sorry you had to go through that, Beth."
"I'm not. I wanted her to know, in no uncertain terms, that you are mine and that she can't have you. Plus, listening to her lies and fantasies was sort of entertaining. Once she gets out of prison, maybe she can get a job writing scripts for television shows."
Harm had to laugh a little at that, trying to picture Alison working in Hollywood. Beth kept smiling, glad to see an improvement in her husband's mood. She'd dealt with surly Harm a time or two on the Patrick Henry and she planned on doing her best to see that man never took up residence in her house.
"So, Mattie upstairs doing homework?" Harm asked.
"Yeah. She was on the telephone earlier with Hillary or Heather or maybe both and they want to know if they can come over this weekend and hang out. Mattie told them she'd have to ask," Beth replied, raising an eyebrow at her husband.
"I don't see a problem with that. I'm not supposed to be going anywhere and I think it would be nice to meet Mattie's friends."
"I thought so, that's why I told Mattie that they could spend the weekend if they want. I also gave her the rules, too."
"Let me guess: no boys, no booze and no all-night partying," Harm said with a grin.
"Close, dear. Definitely no boys allowed and no drugs of any kind. The partying, though. I just told her they needed to keep the noise down overnight. But homework needs to be caught up, too," Beth told him. "They're teenagers, Harm, not little kids. We can give them a little room to just be teens."
Harm just looked at her, reflecting on the difference in their backgrounds. When he'd been just a couple of years older than Mattie, he'd been slogging through the jungles of Southeast Asia with Colonel Striker looking for his father. Maybe one day he'd tell Beth about that summer, about how he'd deceived his mother and Frank and just disappeared. About the worry he'd put them through. Oh, the things an obsession could make you do, especially when you're too young to realize the danger.
January 15, 2004
Courtroom, NAVFOREUR – London, England
0853 Greenwich/ 0353 Eastern
Having been apprised that both side were already present, Admiral Morris had decided to get started a few minutes early today. After the fireworks of yesterday, he wondered what might happen today and figured he might need the extra time to deal with that. Now, upon entering the courtroom, he kept his expression neutral as he settled himself in his seat. Once he was seated, the others sat down as well.
"Are we prepared to proceed today?" he asked both sides.
"Yes, Your Honor," both Commander Alexander and Alison said.
"Very well. I'll hear opening arguments."
"Your Honor, the government will show that the defendant, Captain Alison Krennick, did willfully and knowingly violate numerous Articles of the UCMJ. That is, she stalked Captain Harmon Rabb over a period of several years. That, after he again failed to respond to her desires for a sexual relationship, the defendant did engage in unlawfully obtaining information that was intended to either coerce Captain Rabb into giving in to her or to punish him for his failure to do so. As well, these actions were conduct unbecoming of an officer. By these actions, she is in violation of Articles 92, 98, 120a, 127, 133 and 134 and must be found guilty," Commander Alexander said.
"Your Honor, the defense contends that what exists in a simple case of misunderstanding on the parts of both Captains Rabb and Krennick. When this began, there was a mutual attraction that existed between the two officers and flirting occurred on more than one occasion, as well as other things. When Captain Rabb was posted to London, the defendant decided to see if that attraction still existed and having cause to believe it did, wanted to see where it might lead. Again, a misunderstanding between the two officers, which could have and should have been dealt with between them. As to her digging through various records, the defendant contends that she was simply following up on information she remembered and that it was not meant to coerce or extort Captain Rabb, but rather to determine if cause existed to charge Captain Rabb with fraternization with former subordinates and that the Article 92 and 98 violations arise from an excess in zeal rather than from any malice. Given these facts, the only possible verdict is not guilty," Alison said, sitting back down once she had finished.
"Very well," Admiral Morris said, fighting to keep from raising an eyebrow at Alison's assertions. "Commander Alexander, you may call your first witness."
"The government calls Agent Carl Weber," Commander Alexander said.
A door was opened by a bailiff who called for the NCIS Agent. A moment later, he was seating on the stand and sworn in.
"Please, state your name and duty station?" Alexander asked.
"Carl Weber and I'm the lead NCIS agent assigned to NAVFOREUR," the agent said.
"And who long have you been assigned here and with NCIS?"
"I've been with NCIS for 10 years, assigned to London for 2 of them. Before NCIS, I was with the NYPD for 20 years."
"Your Honor?" Alison asked.
"Yes, Captain."
"In the interest of time, the defense is willing to stipulate to it being the defendant who accessed the various records at issue."
"Commander, did you have any other topic to cover with this witness?" Admiral Morris asked.
"No, Sir," Alexander said.
"Very well, then. Agent Weber, you're excused. Call your next witness, Commander."
"The government calls Captain Harmon Rabb."
The bailiff, who was holding the door open, let Agent Weber pass before motioning for Harm to enter the courtroom. Walking to the stand, Harm kept his eyes straight ahead until he was seated. Then, he neither looked at Alison nor away from her, instead choosing to look back up the aisle towards the door. By doing this, he could see both tables as well as Admiral Morris out of the corner of his eye. Once he was sworn in, Commander Alexander approached.
"Please, state your name, rank and current duty station."
"Captain Harmon Rabb Junior, Judge Advocate's General Corps. I'm the Force Judge Advocate for NAVFOREUR," Harm replied.
"When did you first meet the defendant, Captain?"
"In March of 1996. She was then a Commander and assigned as trial counsel for a court-martial I was defense counsel of. At the time, I was a newly promoted Lieutenant Commander."
"And was that also when she began to sexually harass you, Captain?"
"No, that occurred after she was assigned to JAG Headquarters as aide to Admiral Chegwidden. She showed up at my apartment unannounced as I was making breakfast. When she knocked, I announced that the door was open, not realizing that it was Commander Krennick on the other side. She was out for a bike ride, wearing a skintight riding outfit. When she was inside my apartment was the first time she let me know she wanted to have a sexual relationship with me," Harm said.
"Even though she both outranked you and, as aide to your commanding officer, could be considered a part of your chain of command?" Commander Alexander asked.
"Yes."
"And did this behavior continue, Captain?"
"Yes, it did. On a case I was assigned, I needed to ask for some assistance from Commander Krennick. When she came down to bring me the information I needed, she mentioned an officer's retreat at Admiral Chegwidden's beach house on Hilton Head for that weekend. When I said I might have to give my regrets to the Admiral, she said that she and I were going to be the only two there," Harm said.
"And you took that to mean?" Commander Alexander asked.
"That my services as stud were the price she was demanding for the information she'd gotten for me and that the use of the Admiral's beach house was intended as cover, in case anyone asked questions. Not to mention the implication that Admiral Chegwidden had to have known and approved of her version of what was scheduled, cutting me off for filing any complaint with him."
"Objection, your Honor. Captain Rabb has no way of knowing what Admiral Chegwidden might have known about our use of the beach house," Alison said.
"Overruled, Captain. Captain Rabb is stating a belief that he held, based on what he inferred. Continue, Commander."
"Were there other occasions similar to that?"
"Yes. After a case in Cuba, she came over to my apartment unannounced and suggest that she needed a hot bath, a good breakfast and a long weekend in bed as she headed for my bathroom, clearly intending to take her bath there. She asked if I was up for it," Harm replied.
"All of those incidents you've mentioned were from 1996, were there any more recently?"
"When I was first assigned here, she made a comment about how I would have enjoyed her being in charge, sexually speaking."
"I have nothing further for this witness, your Honor," Commander Alexander said.
"Captain, you may proceed," Admiral Morris said to Alison.
"Yes, your Honor. Captain Rabb, do you remember remarking to me that you found me attractive?" Alison asked.
"Yes, I remember that. I also said…" Harm started to say, before Alison stopped him.
"A simple yes or no is all that is required, Captain. Now, was this a new opinion?"
"No, it is not."
"So, back in 1996, you thought of me as an attractive woman?"
"Yes."
"At one point, when I suggested that we take a bath together, you asked for a rain check, did you not?" Alison asked.
"Yes, but …" Harm again tried to add, seeing clearly where she was going.
"Again, Captain, a simple yes or no is all that's required. So, if I noticed your attraction and remembered the offered rain check, would it have been unreasonable for me to have suggested a means for us to get together without it coming to most people's attentions?"
"No."
"And, when I stated my intention to sleep with you, did you give me a yellow or red light at that time?"
"No, I did not," Harm said.
"So, with the previous questions in mind, would it have been reasonable for me to believe that you wanted a sexually relationship with me?" Alison asked.
"In that light, possibly."
"Come now, Captain. Only possibly? A woman sees that a man finds her attractive, she tells the man she wants to sleep with him and the man doesn't say no. How would you view that in my shoes?"
"Well, Captain, I can't speak for your shoes. But, I believed that I could handle the situation. That in the Navy at that time, a man announcing that he was being sexually harassed was tantamount to saying he was homosexual. That to have done so would have ended my career. So, I did my best after that to avoid situations where we might be alone together," Harm said.
"So, why did you go to Hilton Head with me?" Alison asked.
"I didn't go to Hilton Head with you."
"Well, I'm sorry that the weekend wasn't, apparently, as memorable for you as it was for me. Because I remember every detail of our time together there. Not to mention, I have bank records confirming we were down there."
Alison went to the defense table, picked up a folder and handed it to Admiral Morris.
"This is a copy of my bank statement for the time period in question, with the specific purchases highlighted. Note the location listed for those purchases," Alison told the Judge.
"Objection, your Honor. The defense has not been given a copy of this," Commander Alexander said.
"I am merely attempting to refute Captain Rabb's assertion that he and I did not have a consensual sexual relationship at that time, your Honor."
"I agree, the defense has the right to produce documents challenging the statements of a witness. Your questioning in direct opened the door for this, Commander. Overruled," Admiral Morris said.
"So, Captain. In the light of this, would you care to change your answer?" Alison asked sweetly.
"No, I would not. I don't know who went to Hilton Head with you that weekend, but it was not me."
"Why, because you would never engage in fraternization?"
"No, because I wouldn't with you, Captain," Harm replied harshly, his anger rising. "Because, for you, the relationship was about two things and two things only. You saw me then as an obstacle to your ambitions that you wanted something on, in order to control me, and you were just looking for someone to take care of your sexual needs."
"So, if, as you claim, you weren't going to engage in fraternization with me, was it because you were already engaged in fraternizing with Lieutenant Caitlin Pike and Lieutenant Megan Austin?" Alison asked.
"I never had a sexual relationship with Meg. And while I did have one with Kate, it began while we were both Lieutenants and therefore no fraternization occurred."
"And it did not continue after you were promoted to Lieutenant Commander?"
"It did, but by that point, Kate had been transferred from JAG HQ and was not in my chain of command," Harm replied.
"So, in the face of the evidence and your own testimony, we're really supposed to believe that you never engaged in sex with me?" Alison asked.
"Captain, I have never had sex with you."
"I have nothing further for this witness."
"Commander?" Admiral Morris asked.
"Not at this time, but I do reserve the right to recall him," Commander Alexander told the Admiral, looking down at her hands. She knew what Krennick had been trying to do, establish doubts about Rabb's credibility. Given the story Krennick had told, she may have succeeded in doing so. So, now it would require some digging to find evidence that it had not been Rabb down in Hilton Head with her, otherwise the Admiral would probably side with the evidence. The one positive, if you could call it that, was that if Admiral Morris did believe the story, then Krennick had just confessed to fraternization. Unfortunately, in order to charge her, Rabb would also have to be charged.
Admiral Morris, for his part, looked towards the clock and saw it was almost 1200. He figured that now would be a good time for lunch, with the case restarting at 1330, rather than moving on to another witness.
"Court will be in recess until 1330. Captain Rabb, you're excused pending possible recall. Remember, you are still under oath and are not to speak with anyone about this case."
"Aye, aye, Sir," Harm responded, rising as did everyone else as Admiral Morris exited the courtroom. Once the Admiral was gone, he happened to look over at the defense table and caught a wide grin spread out over Alison's face. Walking out of the courtroom, Harm made straight for his office and slammed the door behind him. The lies by Alison had infuriated him and worse was the way Admiral Morris seemed to be eating them up.
A knock on the door brought Harm from his thoughts.
"Enter!" he bellowed, not realizing how much like Admiral Chegwidden he'd just sounded.
"Well, that was a disaster," Commander Alexander said after she'd entered the room and closed the door behind her. "Harm, do you have any proof you weren't in Hilton Head with her?"
"Let me see if I can find my day planner from 1996, I'm sure I've got it notated right there."
"I can really do without the sarcasm, thank you."
"Sorry, Commander," Harm said, knowing in his heart that she didn't deserve the abuse. The problem was, he simply didn't have the evidence. He doubted whether he had bank records from eight years ago and even if he did, they'd be at the house in Falls Church. One thing living in the loft had taught him, get rid of things you don't need and useless paper was one thing he didn't need.
"I've got an hour to pull a rabbit out of my hat. Can you call your bank and see if they'll either fax a certified copy of your statements from back then or overnight them? While you're doing that, I'll see what I can come up with based on her bank statement."
"It will have to be in a couple of hours, considering it's only a little after 0700 and the bank doesn't open until 0900."
"Still, see if you can get that as soon as possible, please," Commander Alexander said, before leaving the office and heading for a quick lunch, then those records.
For his part, Harm had absolutely no desire for lunch. Rather, he just sat back in his chair and closed his eyes, wishing the migraine that was starting would go away. Knowing that wishing wouldn't help, he opened the desk drawer and removed a bottle of aspirin. Shaking two out, he forced them down before closing his eyes again. The day could not end soon enough for him.