Fate's Price
The junior officers waited patiently on the other side of her desk, and she considered them for a few moments, inwardly wondering when she had been as young as they. The double stripes on Davis's uniform, and the double silver bars on Gomez's, marked them as rank equals, but in every other way they were virtual opposites. Dark-complected and slim, Captain Gomez carried himself with the relaxed awareness of a panther. Mac doubted anything escaped his notice, including the light floral scent of his partner's perfume. Lieutenant Davis, on the other hand, was red haired and petite, with green eyes and a sprinkle of freckles that made her seem younger than her 28 years. "At ease, people. Have a seat." Mac watched them, concealing her amusement. If it was possible to sit at attention, these two were doing it. Spines stiff, eyes straight ahead, hands folded neatly in their laps – they might've been androids for all the outward emotion they showed. Their eyes, though… Their eyes gave them away. Davis's were shooting sparks, and Mac sincerely hoped the lieutenant's gaze wouldn't land on anything combustible. Gomez's eyes, on the other hand, held a twinkle of barely suppressed laughter, and Mac wondered what the two had been up to before she'd called them in here. She flipped open the file folder that lay on her desk, deciding abruptly that the less she knew about their interaction, the better off she'd be. "Tell me where we are on the Dorland case." Both officers began speaking at once, and Mac held up a hand, bringing them to a stumbling halt. She bit back a grin of amusement as the two exchanged a glare. Such fire these two had. If she could harness it, there'd be no stopping them. If she couldn't… well… that idea just didn't bear thinking about. "Lieutenant." Mac nodded at Davis. "You're lead. Suppose you fill me in." Mac pretended not to notice the look of veiled triumph Davis cast in Gomez's direction. "Yes, Ma'am." Davis leaned forward slightly in her seat. "As you know, Petty Officer Dorland failed to report for duty on the Bonhomme Richard last December." Mac tapped the case file on her desk. "That much I knew, yes." Davis flushed slightly. "Captain Gomez and I—" Here she spared another glare for her partner. "—can't seem to agree on an appropriate punitive recommendation." "Aren't you jumping the gun a little? The trial hasn't even started yet." "Ma'am, it's an open and shut case. Dorland was ordered to report and he didn't." "No extenuating circumstances?" Mac asked. "Not unless you count attendance at a protest rally as an extenuating circumstance," Captain Gomez said. "Excuse me?" Mac raised an eyebrow at him. "At the exact time the Bonhomme was scheduled to depart, Dorland was participating in an anti-war rally downtown." "In uniform?" Mac's eyebrows rose in disbelief. "Surely he wasn't that stupid." "No, ma'am. He was in civilian attire." "Thank God for small favors." Mac breathed a sigh of relief. "So what's the problem with the punitive recommendation?" "Well, ma'am, it appears that we disagree about the severity of Dorland's crime," said Davis. "Captain Gomez apparently feels Petty Officer Dorland should be returned to his unit with minimal disciplinary action." Gomez leaned forward, his expression earnest. "His crewmates will make his life hell, ma'am. They aren't going to have any sympathy for a guy who let them down because he suddenly found his conscience." Davis snapped around to look at him. "No punishment? You've got to be joking. What kind of message is that going to send to his crewmates – that it's okay to walk out on your responsibilities? That the military doesn't care?" She snorted derisively. "That'll help morale." "Watch the sarcasm, Lieutenant." Mac kept her tone mild. She rather agreed with Lieutenant Davis on this one. "Tell me, Captain Gomez, what do you think the punishment should be?" Gomez didn't hesitate. "Punitive letter of reprimand, extended tour of duty, and return to his billet, Ma'am." Mac tapped a pencil against her desk blotter. "And you think that's sufficient to convince the petty officer of the error of his ways?" "I don't think we need to convince him, Ma'am. I think his crewmates will do that for us." Mac leaned back in her chair, considering Gomez's words. "The Bonhomme Richard is in the middle of a six month tour. You're saying you think Dorland should ship out to meet them?" "Yes, ma'am. That's exactly what I'm saying." "I'm not sure the skipper would agree to that. There's bound to be a lot of animosity toward Dorland within the crew. Putting him back there could disrupt ship's operations." She leaned forward again, making a decision. "Look. Here's the deal. You two are a team on this. Work together. Sort it out. Contact the skipper of the Bonhomme for his opinion if you decide you want to send Dorland back. Let me know what you come up with before you go in front of the judge. Understood?" They nodded. "And one more thing," Mac said. "Keep your personal feelings out of the courtroom. You two have to work together, so whatever it is that's causing the sparks to fly needs to be dealt with – yesterday. I won't tolerate it in the office. Understood?" Davis and Gomez exchanged startled glances, and then nodded at her. "Yes, ma'am." "Dismissed." She watched as they stood to leave, amused at the silent undercurrent of conversation that flowed between them. She shook her head. The more things change, the more they stay the same, she thought. Her intercom buzzed to life, and she glanced at it. "Yes, Petty Officer?" "Colonel, General Abramson's on line one." "Thank you." Mac pulled a legal pad out and grabbed a pen before picking up the handset. Abramson had requested one of her JAG officers for a case, and she suspected he was calling to discuss the details. "General Abramson, good morning." "Good morning, Colonel." Abramson wasn't a believer in social pleasantries, and he launched right into the issue at hand. "Your JAG officer over here is recommending an Article 32 hearing on this incident." "I've not spoken with Lieutenant Rankin yet today, General, but I trust his judgment. If he's recommending an Article 32, I'm sure he has cause." Abramson sighed heavily. "Dammit. Lance Corporal Allerton is one of my best men. This could ruin him." "I'm sure I'll be speaking with Lieutenant Rankin within the hour. If I find cause to overrule his recommendation, I'll be in touch." "I appreciate it, Colonel." Mac's computer beeped at her, and a reminder popped up. "I'm sorry, General. I have a meeting in fifteen minutes." "I'll be busy with a training exercise starting at 1600 hours, Colonel. I'd like to hear from you before that, regardless of the outcome of your discussion with Lieutenant Rankin." "Understood, sir." "I look forward to hearing from you." Mac keyed a reminder into her schedule and finished the call. She was on her way to the door when it opened and Jennifer Coates looked in. "Ma'am, I have some requisitions I need signed…" "Leave them on my desk, Jen. I'll look at them when I get back." "Yes, ma'am." "I don't expect this meeting to last more than half an hour. If there are any calls, just forward them to my voicemail." "Of course, ma'am." Mac smiled at Jen and hurried past. She was due to meet with Admiral Fredericks about some staffing changes, and she didn't want to be late. Forty-five minutes later, she slid back into her seat with a sigh. She'd have two new officers joining her staff within the month, and Lieutenant Rankin was being reassigned despite her best efforts to keep him. She hated that her staffing had been so unstable since she'd arrived, officers coming and going almost before she could get them trained for the billet. She'd been promised on more than one occasion that things would settle down, but so far, she'd not seen any sign of calm seas. She was reading over her email, sighing at the number of messages that had accumulated in the short time she'd been gone, when the intercom buzzed again. "Lieutenant Rankin on line three, ma'am. He says you're expecting his call?" "Thanks, Jen. Put him through." She picked up the handset before the first ring sounded. "Good morning, Lieutenant." "Good morning, ma'am." "I've already had a call from General Abramson this morning. I understand you're recommending an Article 32?" "Yes, ma'am. I am." "On what evidence?" "This isn't the first barroom brawl the lance corporal's been involved in, ma'am." "I'm aware of that, Captain, but the situation's always been handled in house before. What makes this one different?" "Ma'am I think there's more to this than your standard 'get drunk, beat up the guy standing closest to you, go home and sleep it off' routine." "Based on…" "Based on the fact that the lance corporal and his victim had a history. Ma'am, I think this was planned. I think the lance corporal went into that bar looking for trouble, and I think he had his sights trained on PFC Jenkins from the instant he walked in the door. The whole thing smells of premeditation, ma'am, and I'd like your permission to investigate further." "And to hold an Article 32." "Yes, ma'am." Mac sighed. "Fax me a summary of your evidence and interview notes. I'll take a look and get back to you." "Right away, ma'am." "How soon can you get something to me?" There was a pause while he considered her question. "Is thirty minutes okay?" "Works for me. I'll be waiting, Lieutenant." "Yes, ma'am." Mac hung up the phone and leaned back in her chair, letting out a long sigh. She took a sip from her nearly full coffee mug and made a face. Cold. She shook her head and picked up a pen, reaching for the pile of requisitions Jen had left. She might as well get something done while she waited for Rankin's call. ******** Harm dropped his pen on the desk with a sigh, half convinced he'd be writing his name in his sleep tonight. He spun his chair around to the window, staring out across the London skyline without really seeing it. He'd been back for nearly six weeks since bringing Mattie over, and although the city was starting to feel vaguely familiar to him, he knew it wouldn't feel like home until Mac joined him and Mattie was on her feet again. Since he'd been here, he'd acquainted himself with taxis and the tube, gotten used to buying milk in two-liter cartons, and decided that London traffic was worse than DC traffic. He'd hired a real estate agent and spent his weekends being hauled from one flat to the next until he'd seen so many that they were all starting to look the same. He'd even visited a couple of famous tourist attractions, but all he'd been able to think of while he'd been there was how much fun it would be to show them to Mac and Mattie. His telephone rang, and he swiveled around to reach for it. Time to get back to work. ******** Mac picked up the phone, pleased to see that Rankin's call had come in right on schedule. She was going to miss him. He'd slid into his position at JLS with barely a ripple, almost as though the billet had been made for him. They wanted him in Hawaii, though, and there wasn't a thing she could do about it. "Colonel MacKenzie." "Colonel, this is Lieutenant Rankin. I've just sent over the information you requested." Mac's office door opened, and Jennifer came in. She slid a handful of papers onto the desk before slipping just as quietly back out the door, closing it behind her with a soft click. Mac glanced down. Sure enough: Rankin's notes. "I've got them right here, Lieutenant. Give me a second to glance through these." "Take your time, ma'am." Mac glanced quickly through the papers in front of her, pleased with Rankin's attention to detail. He was thorough, she had to say that for him, and it was one of the reasons she so hated having to let him go. That attention to detail was part of what helped distinguish a good lawyer from a truly great one, and she suspected Rankin had the makings of one of the best. "According to this," she said finally, "There's been trouble between Jenkins and Allerton for a while, right?" "Yes, ma'am. Ever since they were assigned to the same unit." "And you think Allerton knew Jenkins was going to be at that particular bar that night? That he went there on purpose looking for trouble?" "That's what my witnesses tell me, ma'am." "And how reliable are these witnesses? I see you have two listed." "As far as I've been able to tell, ma'am, they're excellent. Both of them have clean records and good reputations with the rest of the crew. Their fit reps are top-notch." Mac sighed. "Your research looks solid, Lieutenant. Go ahead with the Article 32. I'll break the news to General Abramson myself." "He isn't going to take it well. He's made it pretty clear that he doesn't want charges filed against the lance corporal." "You've got a pretty strong case here, Lieutenant. There isn't much Abramson can do to stop it at this point." "Agreed, ma'am. I'll get the hearing scheduled and email you with the details." "Thank you, Lieutenant." Mac disconnected the phone and hit her intercom button. "Jen? Would you get General Abramson on the line for me?" "Yes, ma'am." Mac turned to her email while she waited for the call. She'd just spotted a message from Harm when her telephone rang. "General Abramson?" "I appreciate your efficiency, Colonel. I trust you have news for me?" "Yes, sir. I do. I'm afraid I agree with Lieutenant Rankin's assessment of the case." Abramson sighed. "Damn it. The case is that strong, huh?" "Yes, sir. It doesn't appear to have been just a simple barroom brawl. The evidence points to premeditation." "When will they hold the hearing?" "Depends on how backed up they are, General. Probably within two weeks." "And Allerton's to be confined to the base brig until then?" "Yes, sir." "You leaving Rankin here until the hearing?" "I'm afraid not, sir. I need him back here. I'll reassign the case to local JAG staff, but I'll be sending Rankin out a few days before the hearing to make sure everything's in order. I know your staff's a little inexperienced." Abramson snorted. "Inexperienced? They're about as green as a watermelon rind, Colonel, but I suppose they can handle the prep on this one." "My office will stay in touch with them, General. We'll make sure they're prepared." "I appreciate that, Colonel. Goodbye." "Goodbye, General." Mac hung up the phone and glanced at the clock. Davis and Gomez should be giving their opening arguments right about now. She was curious to see how well they worked together in the courtroom. She cast a regretful eye at her computer. Email would have to wait. She clicked off the monitor and stood up. ******** Harm reached for the doorknob, but before he could pull it open, it was wrenched from his hand, and Petty Officer Emerson almost bowled him over. Harm noticed with some amusement that Emerson actually blushed. "Oh! Excuse me, sir! I didn't know you were there!" "It's okay, Petty Officer. I was just on my way out for a late meeting." The petty officer handed him an envelope. "This just arrived, sir. It's marked urgent, so I thought I should bring it right in." Harm glanced down at the envelope, noting the distinctive red lettering. He sighed. "Thank you, Emerson. I'll take care of this right away." Dismissing the young officer, he moved back to his desk, sitting down and flipping the computer monitor back on. He keyed in his password and watched the screen flicker to life. The email icon blinked at him, indicating a new message, and he toggled open the program, slitting the envelope with a letter opener while he waited to see what the message was. It turned out to be an encrypted message from Germany, and he keyed in his password, and then pulled out the contents of the envelope while he waited for the message to open. He glanced at the news articles, and then read over the short note that accompanied them. That done, he skimmed the email message on his monitor, and then keyed open the intercom. "Petty Officer?" "Yes, sir?" "Would you mind getting me a sandwich from that shop on the corner? It looks like I'm going to be working late again." "No problem, sir. The usual?" "Please." "Right away, sir." The intercom went silent, and Harm turned back to the papers on his desk. Time to put out a few fires. Hopefully Mattie would understand. ******** Mac shuffled the papers back into a pile and tucked them into the folder with a sigh of relief. For once, she was caught up on case files, and even though she knew the status wouldn't last for more than an hour or so, it felt good. She looked up at the knock on her door. "Enter," she called. Jennifer looked in. "Judge Harris is here, ma'am. He says he needs to talk to you right away." "Send him in, Jen." "Yes, ma'am." Jen backed out, and Judge Harris came in. Mac stood to meet him. "Good afternoon, sir." "Not such a good afternoon for me I'm afraid, Colonel. It seems my courtroom isn't exciting enough for your lawyers." "Excuse me?" "Lieutenant Davis is one of yours, isn't she?" "She is." "Do you routinely train your lawyers to use air horns in the courtroom?" "Air horns?" Mac asked incredulously, not quite believing Judge Harris's words. "Tell me you're joking." "I only wish I were," he said, "but my headache says otherwise." "I don't know what she was thinking, sir, but I'll get to the bottom it." Inwardly, Mac was fuming. Davis was a decent attorney, and a bit of a firebrand, but there was no excuse for that type of behavior in the courtroom. "I'll count on that, Colonel." He filled her in on the details, and then left to track down some Tylenol for his headache. Mac called Jennifer in. "Get Lieutenant Davis in here right away." "Lieutenant Davis is out of the office right now, ma'am. She said she was going to interview a witness for the Dorland case." "I want her in my office the instant she returns, Petty Officer." Mac kept her voice low, but it still thrummed with anger, and Jennifer nodded. "I also brought you these, ma'am. You said to let you know as soon as they arrived." Mac took the papers without glancing at them. "What are these?" "They're your separation papers, ma'am. I guess you and Captain Rabb can finally set a wedding date." Jennifer smiled and backed quickly out of the office, closing the door softly behind her. Mac stood in the center of the suddenly quiet room. The papers felt heavy in her hand, as though they bore the imprint of every military experience she'd ever had within their fibers. Slowly, she lifted them to eye level.
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