::  Murder In Baltimore  ::

Chapter Seventeen

When AJ finished his leisurely meal, he decided to go to the club even though it was early. It would allow him time to check out the "usual crowd". He knew he would stand out like a sore thumb, even dressed the part as he was, but he hoped that the longer he was there the more comfortable the crowd would be around him. He walked to the front door of the club and pushed it open. Even though it was just past 2100 hours, he was surprised that the place was already jumping. He had figured a place like this would not get rowdy until the early morning hours. He made his way through to the bar and was also surprised that most of the people there just ignored him. He made a small space for himself, caught the bartender’s eye and asked for a beer. He was not prepared to risk any of the open bottles of scotch behind the bar. After the bartender had given him his drink and he had paid, he turned back to survey the scene. It certainly was loud he thought. The only color he could make out that wasn’t black was the occasional flash of garish blood red. The bodies gyrated to music so discordant that it hurt AJ’s ears. He spied the metal stairs leading to the landing overlooking the crowded dance floor. He made his way back through the crowd and climbed the stairs. As he reached the top, he noticed that a couple was leaving one of the small tables along the railing and pushed his way towards it.

He sat and stretched out and watched the scene below. There were more colors of hair bouncing below him than God had ever intended. There were more shades of blue and green than most peacocks wore. Pinks and oranges crowded the same head and AJ was reminded of descriptions of really bad acid trips. Galindez and London had both described girl that Gunny had supposedly hooked up with as a blond. There were very few ‘just blondes’ below him. In fact, AJ couldn’t make out a single person that had just one color. He was concentrating so hard and the people below and around him that he was momentarily startled by the touch on his shoulder and the breathy request in his ear,

"You ready for another one?" He quickly looked up and found that he was staring at a young woman resplendent in very short, very multi-colored hair, short cropped tight skirt and a very tight black spandex lace blouse. The only thing that set her apart for the rest of the people was the small drink tray.

AJ looked at her for a moment and then nodded, but as she turned to go, he reached for her arm and pulled her back. The look that she gave him made him drop his hand immediately. When she saw that he wasn’t being fresh she leaned in to better hear him above the crowd. "Do you get a break soon?" AJ kept his voice neutral and continued, "I would like to ask you some questions and I would be happy to pay for your time."

She took a moment and looked him up and down and AJ could make out the derision in her face when she said, "What are you some kind of writer, wanting to get the feel for your next novel." AJ had been accused of many things in his life, but looking like a writer doing research was a new one. He grinned but shook his head no. Trying another track she said, "Let me guess, your daughter ran away and you are out scouring the clubs trying to find her?"

AJ stared into her eyes and found they weren’t quite has hard as her question had sounded and again shook his head no. He knew the girl was intrigued and wasn’t worried when she turned on her heel and made her way back down the steps towards the bar. He watched more and more people coming in to the bar but not one of them was blond except the occasional boy so covered in body art or piercing that AJ knew that Galindez had not made a gender error. Thirty minutes later he had begun to think that perhaps he had been wrong about the waitress, when the chair across from him was suddenly pulled out and she plopped down. Her timing was perfect for the music had changed tempo enough that by leaning forward, faces scant inches apart, they were able to hear each other. She had brought his beer and had sat a glass that looked suspiciously like cola in front of her. AJ reached for his wallet and his suspicions were confirmed when she said "Six bucks". A drink and his beer would have cost almost twice that much. When he raised is eyebrow in question, she merely shrugged and said, "I don’t drink booze." AJ had nodded, handed her a twenty and when she had reached for her change, he shook his head indicating her to keep it. Again she shrugged, pocketed the bill and got down to business "So what makes me so interesting?"

AJ allowed a small smile on his face. With her nose, eyebrow, and God knew what else pierced not to mention the rows of rings in her ears; the tattoos up and down both arms she was interesting on many levels. The fact that she didn’t drink and still had a look of innocence about her made her even more so. He would have like to ask her perspective on the whole scene around them and how she fit into it but he curbed his natural curiosity and got to the point. He pulled a picture of Victor Galindez, taken by Harriet at the last office party and showed it to the girl. She looked at it and at him and asked, "who are you and why do you want to know?"

AJ took out his military ID and showed it to her. She raised her eyebrow at him and muttered, "I’m Kelly and yeah, he was in here a couple of weeks ago."

She answered so quickly that AJ face registered his astonishment. She snorted and said, "Like we get a lot of Marines in here."

AJ grinned sheepishly and then asked, "So do you remember who he was with?"

She thought for a moment and he noticed that she was doodling on one of the napkins on her tray. He found himself staring at the doodle and realized what she was doing. With only the occasional glance at the napkin she was sketching him. She broke her reverie when she realized that he was watching her draw and she dropped the pencil and started to wad the napkin up. He grabbed her hand before she could and he picked up the napkin and studied it. It was an excellent likeness. More than that it captured the pensive look that he did not realize was apparent on his face. He looked at her again and said with some little awe "You are very good." She blushed and looked down at her drink, but he could see she was pleased with the compliment. He carefully folded the napkin and placed it in his pocket. Then he gently touched her hand, leaned in again and repeated his earlier question; "Do you remember anybody that he was with that night?"

She straightened and said, "You mean besides ‘The Candy Man’?"

AJ puzzlement was apparent, "Candy Man?"

She realized that he didn’t know and said, "Yeah, the other Marine that he was with."

AJ puzzlement continued, "Candy Man? You know Master Sergeant London?"

As if explaining where babies came from to a particularly stupid child she tried again, "No. I don’t know Master Sergeant London. That was the first time he had ever come in here not dressed like everybody else. At first I didn’t recognize him, but after a couple of minutes I realized it had to be him. I mean you can put on a wig and wear fake tattoos and can even fake a couple of body piercing, but hell, that nasty little smirk of his was a dead give away. Once I realized who he really was I studied him and I noticed other things about him. Here let me show you." She pulled a long piece of paper from her tray, the paper she usually took drink orders on and grabbed her pencil and quickly began to draw. AJ pulled his chair around to sit beside her and watched the images appear right side up this time. He was amazed. The likeness of London was unmistakable; clean-cut hair, slightly slanted eyes and supercilious smirk. He watched as another face began to grow Janus-like next to the first. This face showed several earrings, but he saw that the ears had the same shape as on the first. It also showed a short "Princess Valiant" haircut that could easily be a wig. When she was done he took the picture and looked at the two images closely, the same smirk was there and the eyes were the same too.

He sat back stunned. He thought for a moment and then he pushed the paper back at her and pointed to the empty space and said, "Was he with a blond?" He hated to lead a witness but he wanted desperately to get out of there and get back to D.C. He needed to discuss this with Mac and Rabb and yes even Webb. She thought for a moment and then nodded. She put the end of the pencil to her mouth and chewed on it for a moment before she began to draw again. A girl began to take shape, her mouth opened in a smile that showed off the filed-down incisors. The sweep of her hair was more dramatic than most of the girls in the club and AJ thought he had a real lead to go on. He leaned over and said loud enough to be heard over the din, "Do you know her name?" Of course because he had raised his voice, the DJ had decided to give the eardrums of the crowd a break and had changed songs again. AJ’s voice boomed across the room. Several people looked over at them.

Kelly smiled at him in amusement, but before she could answer him a picture dropped between them from above and a voice that AJ had begun hearing in his dreams asked dramatically, "Annie Fitzpatrick, yes?"

Kelly stared up at the newcomer in astonishment, but AJ merely closed his eyes in pain at this new development and when he opened them again he looked at the mug shot of the woman he was looking for.

Not turning to face her, he asked loud enough to be heard, "What brings you here, Detective O’Brien?"

Kelly looked first at AJ then at the cop still standing behind him and said, "Well breaks over, I gotta get back to work." Before Bridget could stop her, she was gone down the stairs, her tray firmly in hand, the drawing of London and the blond left on the table, which AJ picked up and put in his inside coat pocket.

Bridget moved to take the chair vacated by the waitress. AJ had not moved his chair back across to the other side of the table so she found that as she sat down, her right breast brushed his arm. The jolt that went through her went immediately from her breast to her groin, tightening her stomach on the way. She closed her eyes at the sensation and when she opened them again, she found that AJ had moved his chair to its place across from hers and found their eyes were locked onto one another. She forced them to stay open and asked, "What are doing here Admiral?"

AJ was struggling to get his breathing under control and trying desperately to keep his erection at half-mast as it were. He had taken the opportunity to study her attire when she had shut her eyes before. That had been a huge mistake. She had obviously opted, as he had, to try and blend in with the crowd. Only she had been more successful. She had streaked her auburn hair with several shades of blue and green; AJ thought it was adorable. Her outfit blended in too, unfortunately, and that was what was causing him problems now. AJ had caught a glimpse of the tops of her lacy, thigh hi when she had sat down and her tight black leather skirt had rose accordingly. Her thin camisole black top, with its tiny spaghetti straps advertised the fact that she wore no bra and her full breasts showed that she was equally aroused by his presence; her nipples stood out in relief against the clingy black silk. She had thrown her black leather jacket over the back of the chair before she had sat down. He hadn’t had time to notice but if he had to have guess he would have laid money on the fact that her shoes had at least 4 inches of spiked heel on them. Hell she’s a walking wet dream, he allowed himself the thought. In an effort to gain a little more time, he threw the question back at her, "I could ask you the same question, detective."

While he had been studying her she had taken a moment to get her thoughts under control, Damn, he looks like he should be at the bondage club down the street, Oh shit, girl do not go there. She shook her head trying to regain the control she had taken when she had thrown the picture down on the table. Towards that end, she picked up the picture and studied it. She remembered the detail of the body laying there on the cold stainless steel autopsy table. She forced herself to remember the pathologist’s swift sure cuts. After a few such images, she was able to look back up at the man across from her. She made sure that she didn’t look back into his eyes. Instead, she focused on the corner of his mouth, but realized where that was heading and then knowing it was hopeless, she dropped her gaze back to the photo and said, "Annie Fitzpatrick appears to be the woman you are looking for Admiral. Of course I can’t be sure. The mug shot doesn’t really look like the sex kitten that the waitress drew." Risking a chance, she glanced at him for a moment and said, "She really is quite good isn’t she? The waitress I mean."

AJ called upon more than 30 years of control and managed to reign his thoughts in and replied in a surprising normal voice, "No, there is probably no mistake that it’s her. That still doesn’t explain why you are looking for her."

Bridget, also back in control of her raging hormones, suddenly made a decision, she got up and grabbed her coat. Before she left she looked down at him and said, "I’m just doing my job Admiral, Annie Fitzpatrick’s body was found down by the wharf this morning. I tracked her through her fingerprints and a lot of leg work led me here." With that she spun and pushed through the crowd and down the steps.

AJ was stunned and for just a second allowed this latest setback to weigh him down, then something broke and he stood up and threw his own coat on and moved through the crowd and down the stairs. He reached the bottom and made a decision and pushed through the front door. He looked both ways and saw her retreating form storming down the street. He yelled out, "Bridget." She continued on in walking as fast as her 4" inch spike heels would allow. He was able to catch up to her within the block but stopped short of grabbing her. "Bridget?" His pace hadn’t winded him, but he found that he could barely gasp out the name. She stopped then but wouldn’t turn and face him. He saw that her shoulders were trembling and he longed only to reach out and grab her too him. He forced himself to stand there and wait.

Finally she did turn and the look in her eyes could only be called haunted. He didn’t understand but he could see fear and longing for a brief moment before her emotions retreated back to where ever it was that she kept them locked up so tight. "What?" The word barely made it past her clenched teeth.

AJ drew a ragged breath and then closed his eyes dredging up the last bit of control that he could muster. He forced himself to focus on Galindez and what it was like to be behind those bars and then said softly, "Why were you there tonight, Detective." Yes, detective was easier than Bridget, "What information do you have to connect Annie Fitzpatrick to my client?"

Bridget stare in wonder as she watch the passionate enraged man of a few seconds ago change before her eyes. Hell even dressed the way he was she saw the uniform and definitely the bearing that had made this man and Admiral. She thought for a moment to stand on formality Yeah girl, dressed like a tarted-up vampire. Instead she said simply. "Until right now, Admiral Chegwidden I had no idea there was any connection between Sergeant Galindez and Annie Fitzpatrick. What makes you think there is one? Why were you in that club tonight with that waitress?" She blushed when she realized how catty that last had sounded.

AJ eyed the woman before him and made a quick decision, which he prayed silently that he would not regret. "Galindez and the waitress, Kelly, both remember that he was with her the Saturday night before the murder. Now why are you looking for her?"

Bridget stared at him wide-eyed, not sure what to tell him but she had realized that the admission had cost him much. She just wasn’t sure how her information would affect him. "The body of Annie Fitzpatrick was found very early this morning caught between two pilings down by the docks. There was one shot to the back of the head."

AJ’s face paled to a sickly euchre in the light from the vapor lamps. He whispered, "The time of death?"

At this Bridget was able to give him a small smile, "Oh, Galindez didn’t do this one Admiral. The Coroner put the time of death between 11:30 last night when a police launch had been tied up at that very piling and

5:30 this morning." She started to add something when suddenly a tinny beep-beep came from inside AJ coat pocket.

AJ reached in and pulled out his cell phone and snapped, "Chegwidden." Bridget listened and watched his expression change so fast from anger at being interrupted, to horror and then an almost cautionary relief. "What? Where? Well why the hell didn’t you call me sooner? Oh. I must not have heard it in the, uhm, where I was at; it was really noisy. Where are you? He is going to be all right though? Yes, yes, I’m on my way, I will be there in 20 minutes max. Rabb, did you call Mac? Okay, I’m leaving right now."

He flipped the phone closed and stood for just a moment trying to get his emotions under control. Bridget reached out to touch his arm. He looked down at her and saw the concern and the question. "A friend was shot earlier this evening, I’ve got to go." Then he turned and walked out of the alleyway and turned down the street.

Bridget waited several minutes and finally the large Expedition turn out onto the street and head away from her. She walked up to the curb and within a minute a dark black sedan pulled up along side of her. She looked into the passenger window, sighed, opened the door and got in. The car was already pulling away from the curb before she got the door shut.

::  Chapter 18  ::

Mac and Kate reached Mac’s apartment a little after 1600 hours. Their arms were loaded with work. In addition, they carried the sandwiches they had picked up at the local deli for their early supper. Mac was thankful she already had soft drinks and coffee upstairs. They laughed heartily as Mac juggled her load trying to get at her keys. Finally getting the door opened, they stumbled into the living room of the roomy apartment.

"Just drop everything on the table," Mac said. "We’ll sort it out in a minute. Let me take your coat." Kate had worn her khakis to the office that day so she was fairly comfortable in her slacks and shirt. Mac, however, had opted to wear her Alphas. "Hey, why don’t you go to the fridge and get something to drink? I’m going to get some comfortable clothes on, okay?"

Kate turned toward what could only be the kitchen. "Sure, I’ll make myself right at home. You want something?"

As she entered the bedroom, Mac called over her shoulder, "Yeah that would be great. I think there's a 7-up in there." She didn't waste any time stripping down to her bra and panties. She went to her closet and while she wanted nothing more than to get really comfortable in sweats, she felt that it wasn’t really fair to be that relaxed while Kate had only her uniform to wear. An idea struck her and she grabbed a robe and opened the door to the front room. "Hey Kate, I’ve got an extra set of sweats if you want to get really comfortable."

Kate peered around the kitchen entryway and looked at Mac for a moment and then down at her still fairly starched and pressed uniform. "That would be great. I think they would fit."

Mac smiled. "Let me finish and then I'll leave out a set." She ducked back into the bedroom and quickly changed into a set of well-worn sweats - the Marine Corps emblem barely legible across the front. She rummaged in the bottom drawers of her deep dresser. She knew the exact set she would leave out for Kate. She found the pants and top and laid them out on the bed. It was a set of Harm’s that he had lent her to wear home when she had been stuck in a rainstorm one night. She remembered she had gone to his place to work much like she and Kate were doing now. She stood there for a minute trying to conjure up the feelings that used to haunt her whenever she would pull them out and wear them but now she only saw clothing. Smiling, she allowed an image of Clayton Webb to skitter across her mind before turning to the bedroom door.

She entered the kitchen table where Kate was making room for their drinks. "I laid them out for you on the bed. Feel free to use the bathroom if you want. Oh and by the way, I think that you'll find the pants a little long and the top a little big, but at least they're the correct branch of the service for you."

Kate raised an eyebrow at the last cryptic remark but refrained from asking Mac what she meant. She turned toward the bedroom and allowed Mac to finish the task of sorting the paperwork and putting away the sandwiches for later. When she entered the bedroom and saw what Mac had lain out alarms when off in her head. The sweats could only be Harmon Rabb’s, the gold Navy Aviator Wings appliqué was still smooth and almost new looking. Kate looked at the sweats and then at the bedroom door and then back at the sweats. Oh Rabb, not another one. Are you going to break her heart too? Is she trying to tell me something?

Kate sighed deeply and slowly began to unbutton her blouse. She noticed that Mac had also put a wooden hanger on the bed, obviously for her use. She quickly removed her uniform and hung it neatly on the hanger, and hooked the hanger over the closet door. Finally, she went back to the bed, sighed deeply again and picked up the sweat pants and pulled them on. Fortunately the legs had elastic in the bottoms and a tie string at the waist so she was able to make them fit. The top, while really roomy, was still very comfortable. She had almost expected to smell his scent on them, but all she could make out was the faint smell of Downy. She left her socks on and returned to the living room.

As soon as Kate left the living room, Mac realized just how it might look to Kate and she had almost gone to the door to say something but decided to wait. When Kate came back out, Mac was sitting on the couch waiting for her. She looked up and saw a myriad of questions in Kate’s eyes. Smiling she said, "I’ve had those for almost a year. I’m glad somebody can finally get some use out of them. I meant to take them back months ago but then..." Mac was so used to being around people who knew all about the awful mess that she was actually surprised to be faced with someone who didn’t have a clue.

Kate sensed the other woman’s intense embarrassment and said lightly, "Hey don’t worry about it. What happened between Harm and me was over years ago. Besides, it was never that intense." She noticed that her statement had only added confusion to Mac’s already pink face.

Mac nervously got up and walked to the table and moved some of the papers around. She really didn’t want to talk about this anymore. Dr. Witson had been a huge help and she was comfortable with her feelings but Kate Pike was a stranger and someone who obviously knew Harm a lot better than Mac did, at least in one way. Suddenly she looked up and studied the woman before her. Is she the reason why Harm would never get involved with me? Was Kate the ‘office romance’ that had burned Harm so badly? She said the relationship wasn’t that intense but maybe... only to her.

Kate saw the confusion and even pain on Mac's face. Good going Pike. What hornet’s nest have you stirred up? Kate Pike was never one to just let things slide so she sat on the couch and patted it, "Come, sit. We need to talk about this. That stuff on the table can wait a little while."

Almost three hours later, they were still sitting there, only now they were laughing so hard they were holding their sides. Mac finished, "...and here he thought he was making this huge offer to have a kid with me. I mean, I know he meant well but I swear he had no idea how it sounded." Kate looked at the woman who she had known less than a day and realized that she had made a friend for life. Kate was glad they had cleared the air but she had one final question for her new friend.

"So after the Alpha males made fools out of themselves, Clayton Webb got you out of there. What is he... your white knight?"

First, Mac snorted at the imagery and then grew very quiet. She didn’t have many friends outside of the Marine Corps and Navy and even fewer girlfriends - Caroline Imes and Harriet. She sat and thought a moment and was about to tell Kate of her confusion whenever she thought about Clayton Webb but was interrupted when the phone rang. She picked up the receiver. "Hello? Hey! Speak of the devil. What’s... What? Oh my God! I... I... oh God..."

Kate watched in horror as the cheerful grin left Mac’s face and how she had suddenly paled. She stood up and went to stand by Mac who had lowered the phone and stood there. Kate gently took the phone from her and said, "Harm? It’s Kate, what’s going on." Harm explained again that he was with Clayton Webb at the emergency room after Webb had been shot while they were in Baltimore. Kate looked quickly at Mac, and asked softly. "Is he...?" She breathed a sigh of relief at his answer. "Tell me how to get there?" She took some quick notes on the pad Mac kept by her phone and said briskly, "We’re on our way." She found her shoes and as she was slipping them on, looked at herself, and shrugged. She went up to Mac and said gently, "Come on Sarah. He's still alive. Let’s get there and find out how bad it is. Okay?" Sarah shook herself, looked at Kate, and nodded.

Twenty minutes later, they left the Georgetown neighborhood behind, negotiated the early evening traffic and finally got onto I-95 heading toward Baltimore. Kate had taken the keys to the Corvette and Mac hadn’t even bothered to argue with her about it. As they drove through Washington, Mac sat in the passenger seat lost in her thoughts. It was happening again; every man who had ever meant anything to her ended up getting hurt or killed.  She closed her eyes in pain. The part of her brain that was still rational tried to assert that none of it was really her fault. She forced herself to use the tools that Dr. Witson had given her but still found herself struggling for control. She felt Kate’s hand on her arm. As she turned, she felt her friend take her hand and hold it.

Even though Kate’s eyes never left the road, she gently squeezed Mac’s cold fingers. "It’s going to be all right Mac. You’ll see. Tell me about him. I mean we’ve spent the past hour or so dissecting Harmon Rabb, Jr.; now, tell me about this Clayton Webb guy."

Mac started out slowly. "Well, for years I really didn’t like him all that much. I certainly didn’t trust him. He’s a... well... um..." Mac stumbled for words that would explain Webb and yet not betray his confidence.

Once again, Kate surprised her, "He’s a spy for the CIA isn’t he? Hey, I may be out there in the boonies, but I read reports. His name has popped up once or twice. I mean... nothing blatant. Nothing that said Clayton Webb, double "o" spy or anything." She said this last in a pompous deep voice and it had the desired effect. She glanced over at her companion and saw a small smile crack Mac's veneer and a slight sound that might be considered a giggle erupt from her throat. "I mean I’m not stupid. I can put two and two together and occasionally, come up with four. But, when did your feelings change?"

Mac sighed and thought back. She knew exactly when, but for a long time she hadn’t realized it. "It was when we thought he was dead." Kate had to release Mac's hand to make the turn off the highway on to the Baltimore City streets and Mac hugged herself tightly. "After Harm found him alive, I made myself believe that it was just more Webb lies. But I’ve tried to be more honest with myself lately and I knew that I was really upset when I thought he was dead. You should have seen the slap I gave him the first time I saw him after he was resurrected. I bet his cheek was red for a week." She allowed herself another small smile before she continued. "But, then we went to Russia together looking for an assassin and he had a chance to get mad at me."

Kate interrupted. "Why?"

Mac smiled. "I ditched him to go look for Harm." Mac leaned back into the seat and sighed. "Christ, Kate, everything is so complicated. It’s not like it would be simple with Clay. I mean I think I have known for a while how he feels about me. But damn it, he's going to up and die on me one of these days. And it is going to hurt so bad." They turned onto the street where the hospital was located.

Kate said one last thing to Mac as they pulled into the visitors' parking lot by the emergency room door. "Well yeah, but how are you going to feel in twenty or thirty years if you just walk away from him?" She put the car into park, unbuckled her seat belt and opened her door and then turned to look at Sarah who hadn’t made a move. "Buck up, Marine and get out of the car." She said briskly.

The receptionist directed them to the back of the emergency room. Kate noticed a harried air about the woman even though the emergency room looked pretty quiet for a Saturday night. As they walked to the back of the room, they noticed several men in ‘Government’ suits milling about. And, when they finally reached their destination, a tall man with a tiny earphone stuck in one ear, its thin wire trailing down his neck into his suit coat, stopped them and said, "Sorry Ladies, there is no one allowed back here." Kate reached for her military ID, when a voice from behind the man spoke.

"It’s okay, Agent Deichmann, they're friends of Mr. Webb." Harmon Rabb stood in the open doorway, leading to the exam rooms. His uniform was the worse for wear and his cheek was still smudged with dirt. He walked up to Mac and gently lifted her chin to meet his eyes. He noticed the single tear streak down her cheek. "Mac, he’s going to be fine. Really, really sore for a while, but fine."

"What happened?" Her voice was very small; the tears held tenuously in check.

"The police say it was a drive-by shooting."

At this, Kate came up to stand behind Mac. She put her hand on Mac’s shoulder, barely brushing Harm’s. The look she gave him was incredulous and almost in unison the two women said, "What? You can’t believe that."

Agent Deichmann, who had been watching the rather interesting scene before him, quietly cut in. "Actually, Commander Rabb is right. After the shooting, the two cars full of gang-bangers careened down the street and around the corner smack into three fire trucks and four police cars that had been cleaning up from an earlier fire. The cops nabbed the suspects and the unneeded ambulance that had just been leaving the scene was able to be diverted right to Mr. Webb." Deichmann snorted and shook his head. "Clayton Webb, taken out by a 12-year old trying to make his 'jones.'" He's never going to live *that* down."

At this last remark, Mac whirled on the man and snapped, "Dead is dead Agent. It doesn’t matter how." She allowed herself to be calmed by Harm’s hand still resting on her shoulder.

"Easy Marine. The doctor is in there right now, but if you want to wait I’m sure they'll let you go in to see him." Mac turned back to meet Rabb’s gaze. Finally noticing the blood on Harm’s shirt, she fingered it and looked up into his eyes and swallowed. Before she could voice the question, Harm said gently, "This?" He bit his lip on the way down. "Mac, it’s okay. The bullet was deflected by his suspender buckle." At her wide-eyed expression, he added, "Hey, I never said he wasn’t one lucky son-of-a-bitch."

Over an hour later, the doctor came out shaking his head. They stood as he approached them. "Luckiest bastard I've ever seen" he muttered. "Oh um, sorry, friend of yours?" At the questioning looks he continued, "It would appear that the lowly ‘wanna' be’ who shot Mister Webb was not only a awful shot, he couldn’t even afford to buy a real gun. It was a zip gun, which can be deadly if fired at a close enough range. But in this case, the bullet, a .22 by the way, had lost some of its velocity by the time it reached Mr. Webb’s back. It still would have done some major damage I suspect, except that Mr. Webb was wearing a rather old-fashioned pair of suspenders. They had a heavy metal adjustment buckle instead of the usual flimsy ones you see today. The bullet hit the buckle and deflected off. Of course, the impact was still pretty stiff. The buckle cut through his shirt and undershirt and left a gash but nothing that I even had to stitch; and, I guess it knocked him down and out as it were. Isn’t that right young man?" Rabb nodded and the doctor continued, "He's going to be very sore. The muscles in his back took real trauma and it will be painful to even move his arms for the next day or two. But, he will heal just fine."

With that, Mac breathed a deep sigh of relief and slowly approached the examining room. As she entered, Kate came up behind Rabb and wrapped one arm around his waist. He responded by putting his arm around her shoulder but said to the man, "Thanks Doc."

The doctor nodded. "Do I need to look at you now?" At Harm’s shake of his head, he nodded to Kate and proceeded down the hall.

Rabb looked down at Kate and said softly, "Hey, how 'bout a cup of coffee?" She nodded and as they turned together, he finally recognized what she had on and added, "By the way, nice outfit." At that, she giggled and broke away from his embrace, but kept a firm grasp on his hand and led him toward the hallway with ‘Cafeteria this way’ painted on it.

Mac entered the exam room with some trepidation. He was faced away from her, standing, trying to get his shirt back on - only one arm in its sleeve. She saw the square of gauze and sighed audibly with relief. He still didn’t turn to face her, but said almost in a whisper, "Can you believe it? A drive-by! A twelve-year old for God’s sake!" He winced as he tried to maneuver his other arm into its sleeve. Mac put down her small purse and walked up behind him. She took the shirt, eased it down so that he could keep both arms straight and not have to use so many back muscles. After he inserted the other arm, she slowly pulled it up toward his neck, allowing her fingers to trail along his bare back. She smiled slightly as she watched goose bumps appear. After she adjusted the neck, she walked around him and saw that he was trying to button it. She gently moved his hands out of the way and began to do it for him, keeping her eyes on the task, starting at the bottom working her way up. By the time she was half way done, Clay managed to croak out, "I can do this, you know."

"I know." She whispered and continued her task. When she reached the second to last button right below his collar she finally raised her yes to his. The look in his eyes was, for once, unguarded. She saw fear there. Fear that she would reject him. Fear that the danger that came with his work would finally kill whatever small spark of feeling that was there. She turned and reached for his vest and threw it on top of his undershirt. "So many layers, Clay." Her voice was still so soft and he knew she wasn’t referring to his choice in clothes. She picked up his jacket and held it for him so he could slip into it without flexing his arms. She pulled that up too and finally turned him to her. He was standing so close to her that his hands naturally came up, even with the twinge of pain, and rested on her hips.

She raised herself slightly and let her lips brush his. She had meant it to be a promise of "later" but Clay had other ideas. He deepened the kiss, perhaps fearing that this would be his only chance to show her exactly how he felt. She let his tongue gently play over her slightly parted lips before breaking the contact. "You through here?" she asked, indicated the bright room. He could only nod. "Your watchdog gonna' try and stop you or something?" He shook his head. "Good. Then, let's go home." She took his arm and let him set the pace.

Outside in the hallway, Agent Deichmann met them. "There's a car waiting outside to take you home, Webb." He paused and looked at the very determined looking woman next to him and added, "The lady is welcome to ride with us, but the Director himself said that we were to drive you home."

Clay looked over at Mac who took a deep breath and then nodded her agreement. She looked pointedly at Deichmann. "Where did our friends go?" Deichmann indicated the hallway leading to the cafeteria. She looked over at Clay and said, "I’ll meet you at the car. Don’t leave without me."

She was halfway down the hall so she failed to hear his whispered, "Never."

Mac paused at the doorway of the cafeteria and looked upon the scene before her. Kate had Harm's hands in hers and it appeared that he was holding on for dear life. Kate’s head was bent and she was speaking to him earnestly. Mac realized that regardless of the facts of the case, Harmon Rabb, Jr. felt guilty that Webb's getting hurt was his fault. She walked into the cafeteria.

Harm heard her and immediately pulled his hand from Kate’s and stood up. "Mac, hey! Pull up a chair. You want a cup of coffee? Are they going to keep him much longer?"

Mac smiled and shook her head, "Harm, I’m going to take Clay home. His mother is in Europe and I... Well I don’t want him to be alone. You understand don’t you, Harm?" She knew that her declaration hurt him, but there was nothing she could do about it. "I need you guys to do me a couple of favors. Okay?"

Kate nodded, but Harm was barely able to gulp out a "Sure, whatever you need Mac."

"The guys from the agency are insisting that they drive Clay home in a company car. Kate could you..."

Before she could finish Kate smiled and said, "Don’t worry about it. I’ll take good care of your car. You may never see it again, but you will know it's in good hands."

Mac grinned. "Thanks Kate." She looked at Harm. "Have you called the Admiral yet?"

Rabb nodded. "Yeah, it took a couple of times, but he finally answered. He didn’t seem real pleased, but he's on his way over here now. You going to wait for him?"

"Nah. Explain it to him, Harm. Clay is really beat and I just want to make sure that he gets some rest. Even though they've caught the kid that did it, I'm sure he's going to spend most of tomorrow answering questions and I don’t think they're going to be real pleased when they find out what he was doing there."

Harm gave her a sly smile. "Hey Mac, don’t worry about it. We were coming out of a restaurant. Can I help it if Webb's got lousy taste in food?" Mac nodded her approval, and then gave him a big hug.

"Thanks, flyboy. See you Monday," she whispered before letting him go.

Rabb realized that she had made her decision and while one part of him would never stop caring for her, he knew her decision was best for her. At least it’s not that damn Australian. "Sure Mac, I’ll be in bright and early. You need anything before then - you know how to reach me."

Mac smiled in relief. It’s going to be okay. He's going to be okay with this. And, as she turned, "Yeah, I know how to reach you."

::  Chapter 19  ::

Harm watched Mac walk through the swinging doors and felt a light touch on his arm. He looked over at Kate. "Well, we better go meet the Admiral out front. He didn’t sound real happy on the phone and I have a feeling that when he finds out that Webb has gone home, he's going to be even less happy."

Kate scrunched up her forehead at that. "I would think he would be happy that he was okay."

Harm put his arm around her shoulder again and continued, "Oh I’m sure he will be happy when he finds out that Webb's okay. But, after making the trip from wherever he was, he was probably looking forward to hearing what Clay had to say."

Kate wasn’t sure exactly who Harm was holding onto, but he was nice and she had always like him, so she let his arm stay where it was. "Well I guess we’ll just have to do the best we can then, won’t we?"

They walked back into the front of the emergency room in time to see Mac get into the agency car. And, then went into the waiting room to watch for the admiral. They didn’t have to wait long.

Kate noticed the tall bald man dressed in black first, but it wasn’t until he marched up to them, glaring at Rabb that she realized who she was seeing and immediately stood up.

"What the hell happened, Rabb?" Harm gulped and also stood quickly, his eyes widened in shock as AJ got into his personal space. "Uh, Sir, it appears to be a drive-by shooting."

AJ looked at him with the same expression that Kate had when she had heard the news but Kate knew better than to interrupt at this juncture. Rabb nodded and continued, "Yes, sir. They already have the kid in custody. They’re checking out his story, but if this was planned, it was too sloppy to remain covered up for long." AJ glared and turned as if to go deeper into the hospital and Kate decided to give Harm a small respite.

"Uh, Admiral... he’s already left." She managed to say in a calm and steady voice but the way he whirled around, his coat flowing around behind him, almost threw her for a minute. She strove to maintain control and continued, "Sir, the bullet grazed off his suspender buckle and while he was momentarily stunned... and he *will* be pretty sore for the next couple of days - he's going to be all right. They’ve already released him."

She looked at Harm as if to say, ‘There, I’ve done my part. If you think I’m telling him the rest, you’re nuts.’

AJ saw her expression and surprised them both when he said, "And I suppose Colonel MacKenzie drove him home?" AJ watched as Kate’s eyes grew to resemble Harm’s shocked expression, but it was Rabb that finally nodded. AJ sighed deeply. "Well, then what are we doing here? Let’s get the hell out of this god-forsaken town." He wheeled around and Kate watched his coat in fascination as he stomped back out of the building.

"Damn, you think he would break the rules and go out with me?" She breathed, never taking her eyes off the commanding presence that had turned and glared at both of them from outside the emergency room doors.

Harm looked down in shock at this final insult to his manhood and groaned, "Tell me you did *not* just say what I thought I heard you say."

She grinned up at him. "OOPS! Did I say that out loud? Come on, before he gets really mad." She grabbed his arm and pulled him outside.

It was agreed that they drive to McLean and talk at AJ’s house. Harm had given the keys to the agency car to Agent Deichmann who had assigned one of the other agents to get it back to Langley. Kate offered him a lift in Mac’s ‘vette - back to the admiral’s house - with the excuse to AJ that if she got lost, Harm could ensure that they got there. Harm had never been so grateful for such a small kindness in his life. He had no desire to ride with the still obviously angry man.

During the drive back, AJ forced himself to get his emotions under control. He could still see her standing before him and he knew that the phone call had been a blessing. He could not remember the last time he had become this obsessed with any woman - not even Marcella. He knew that she was too young for him but more importantly she was the "enemy." She was part of the group that he was going to have to prove wrong if he was to get Gunny off. In fact, it was beginning to look like he was going to end up destroying a couple of careers if he could trust his gut feeling. He sighed and decided that he was very glad that the phone call had come through.

He waited for Kate to pull up to the house before he went to the door and unlocked it. By the time they reached the porch, he had turned all the lights on and was in the kitchen making coffee. As Rabb came to stand by the small kitchen bar, AJ noticed just how beat up the man looked. "Commander, help yourself to the bathroom down the hall. There are wash cloths and towels under the sink. You look like you could use them."

Harm smiled wanly. "Thank you, Sir I’ll do that. Do you mind if I take off my tie, sir?"

AJ smiled. "Hell, Commander. If you want, I’ll loan you a pair of sweats."

Harm started to loosen his tie but shook his head. "That’s okay, sir. The uniform’s pretty ruined anyway. I’ll just wash up and then we can go over what Webb and I found out today. Perhaps, you'll share with us what you discovered?"

Kate approached the breakfast bar as Harm made his way toward the bathroom. Shyly, she asked, "Sir, if you aren’t comfortable with me being here, I'll be happy to..."

AJ cut her off. "Nonsense, Commander. I see no reason not to get your take on what we have - unless of course, you need to be somewhere."

Kate shook her head. "No sir, I’m happy to help out. If nothing else, I can take notes. Where do you want to set up shop? Do you have paper and pencils? What can I do?"

AJ thought briefly that Commander Pike would be a great addition to his Washington staff. He liked a go-getter and she had none of the false airs about her that Singer seemed to bring to every conversation. <<<Maybe I can make a trade. Barney Edwards owes me a favor.>>> "Tell you what, Commander. The cups are in the middle cabinet in here and there is a carafe next to them. If you don’t mind coffee duty, I’ll go into my office and grab some tablets and pens."

Kate had already begun to move into the kitchen and she said, "No problem. I'll set up on the table out there, okay?"

"That’s fine, Commander." AJ walked into his office, opened the bottom desk drawer and withdrew three pads of paper. He grabbed a handful of pens out of the cup holder and walked back to the dining room. Kate had already moved the centerpiece to one end of the table and was laying out coffee cups. She placed the coffee carafe in the center of the table near the other end. "So, Commander, how is the Pacific JAG treating you?"

At this apparent non sequitur, Kate looked up. "Sir, Admiral Edwards is a great boss. It is a pleasure to work under his command, sir."

AJ nodded glumly. "If you will excuse me, Commander, I’m going to get rid of some of this black," indicating his garb. Kate’s eyes followed him as he went back to his bedroom and she sighed. She really did like the black.

Twenty minutes later, the three of them were sitting comfortably around the table. Rabb and AJ discussed the day's events - Kate making copious notes. AJ had removed the black turtleneck, and exchanged it for a Annapolis sweatshirt. The boots had been toed off and been replaced by an old pair of loafers. Kate thought the change was dramatic and Harm had relaxed tenfold as the sleek black menacing panther returned to a more familiar form.

An hour later, AJ sat back and cleared his throat before recapping the combined information. "It looks like the prosecution’s case isn’t as airtight as we originally thought. We're going to have to get all the information that we can about this ‘Tino’ because I agree with you, he probably is the key to all of this. At least the other two witnesses should be fairly easy to discredit. ‘Tino’ obviously has a rap sheet. Get it pulled and see if it’s any help."

Kate spoke up for the first time, "Sir I’ve been listening to everything and I have a couple of questions." AJ signaled for her to continue. "Well, first of all, the old lady. Harm feels she really did see someone who was dressed in a Marine uniform. And, the porno shop owner. Why would he make up that story? Maybe, someone did come in to his shop and show him GSgt. Galindez’s ID? If we are going to suppose that someone set up Galindez, we have to ask ourselves why? And, if it wasn’t Galindez in the shop and in the hallway, then whom did Mrs. Geraldi see and who did the porno owner harass? Even if her eyesight was poor, she would have had to have seen someone that met Galindez’s general description. And Koshigan said something about the "Damn spics," didn’t he, Harm?"

Rabb nodded and AJ sat up straighter and exchanged a glance with his chief investigator; they both thought they knew where she was going with this. "So, it would have had to have been someone with at least the general characteristics, build, coloring, stance, as Galindez. Who better than another Marine?" She left her statement on the table before them, unwilling to take it all the way home. They did not disappoint.

In unison, they said, "London." AJ got up and went to where he had laid the leather coat and reached into the inside coat pocket. He not only pulled out the picture of Galindez, but the drawings that the waitress Kelly had made as well. He walked back to the table and showed them both to Rabb and Pike and they both nodded.

It was Kate who said, "If he was good enough to change from a clean cut Marine to this guy," pointing to an ear-ringed, wig attired Goth drawing, "then posing as Galindez wouldn’t have been that big a stretch."

AJ looked down at his watch. It was almost 0100 hours. Damn I'm making a habit of this. "Commander, it’s getting very late, I assume that you will see that Commander Pike gets home safely and that Colonel MacKenzie gets her car back." Kate made a mock face at this last statement that AJ didn’t understand but Rabb laughed. "I hate to call you in tomorrow, but I want London’s records pulled. I want to know everything about MSgt. London from the time he was old enough to be potty trained. Am I understood?"

Harm and Kate stood and looked at AJ. Harm said "Yes, sir. I’ll be on it first thing tomorrow morning." Kate had come around and grabbed her coat and Harm helped her on with it before grabbing his own. "Good night, sir," Harm said.

Kate echoed the good night just as Harm closed the door behind him. AJ stretched his neck from side to side and stood up. He knew that he should go for another run. But, he decided to take a hot shower instead. He wanted nothing more than to get back to his normal routine; he would go for that run tomorrow morning.

After his shower, he got into bed and turned off the light on his nightstand. As he lay there on his back, his arms behind his head, contemplating the moonlight playing across the bed, he felt his eyes begin to get heavy and he knew that he would dream of her.

::  Chapter 20  ::

The black car sped through the Maryland landscape. In the rear, Mac leaned back in the seat and watched Clay try to get comfortable. He couldn’t lay back and he couldn’t lean forward for very long so he tried to sit very straight, keeping his back as still as possible. They hadn’t spoken three words to each other since they had gotten into the car. It wasn’t a limo; just a Crown Victoria, but still, it was a comfortable ride. It was also not very private; the two agents in the front seat could hear everything they would say to each other. So, they sat. Finally, at his last grimace of pain, she couldn’t take it anymore. "Christ, Webb. Didn’t the doctor give you something for the pain?"

He twisted his head toward her and smiled shyly. "Don’t you know it’s against the rules."

Her eyebrow lifted, not sure really what he was getting at, "Rules? Against what rules?"

One of the agents in the front seat snorted. "The powers that be are afraid that we will give away secrets. So, we can’t take any pain medication or anesthesia."

Mac knew when she was being teased but decided to play along if only to keep Clay’s mind off his back so she breathed, "Really!"

Then, the other one piped up. "Yeah. Last year I had my appendix out and didn’t even have a local." At that ridiculous remark, she cackled happily and even Webb made a sound that could have been misconstrued as a laugh. Then, he ruined the effect by groaning softly. She was afraid to touch him; he seemed to be in so much pain.

He finally looked at her then, slowly moved his hand so that she could take it in hers. "The only pain medication they could give me would have knocked me out completely and then they wouldn’t have let me go home. The doctor gave me some pills for tonight so I can get some sleep. It'll be okay, Mac." He squeezed her fingertips.

They finally reached his townhouse and the agents both got out of the car prepared to help Webb up the steps. He shook them off. "Piece of cake. Mac, you want them to drive you home?" He gave her an opportunity to back away. She shook her head and reached into his pants pocket and pulled out his keys. Then, she ran up the steps and unlocked the door. Once it was slightly ajar, she turned around and sat on the top step.

"Let’s get a move on, Mr. Webb. You won’t let anybody help you up the damn things so I guess we're going to be here all night?" Her tone was light and bantering and set just the mood he needed. He walked gingerly up to the first step and then he locked his eyes on hers and proceeded to take one step at a time. He made it up the seven steps quicker than any of them had thought he would. As he reached the top step, Mac looked up into his eyes and said in wonder. "You are one stubborn man, Mr. Webb. Now tell me this, what floor is your bedroom on?"

If the fine sheen of sweat on his brow, even in the cold November air hadn’t been the giveaway to his exertion, the panting response left no doubt exactly what that climb had taken out of him. "Doesn’t, matter. Guest room's on the ground floor." Mac quickly stood, took his arm and led him into the foyer. The stairway to the next level was right there and as she looked straight up she was immensely pleased that he wouldn’t have to navigate them tonight.

As he walked past her, she looked down on the two agents. "Guys, I’ll take it from here. Goodnight and thanks," she said as she closed the door. She didn’t bother to see if they drove off or if they had pulled guard duty. She really didn’t care about anything right now except getting Clay comfortable in bed - even if she couldn’t be there with him.

After she threw the deadbolt lock and turned back to him, she realized that he was already halfway down the hall. She caught up to him and asked, "Is the bed in the guest room made up?" He didn’t waste any breath answering her; he just nodded. "Are you okay?" Again, he nodded. She quickly walked down the hallway, barely noticing the luxuriously appointed living room or the den as she passed the open doors. Under the stairway was a closed door and she figured that it led into the dining room. She finally reached the door at the back of the hall and pushed on it. She was in a beautifully appointed kitchen and she looked back at Clay questioningly. He was keeping up fairly well, but all his concentration was into getting one foot in front of the other. He motioned for her to keep going and she waited only until he was able to hold onto the door as he walked through it.

Finally, they came to a door to the left of the kitchen. She assumed it was a pantry, but he indicated for her to open it. She turned the knob and stepped into a simply appointed room with a double bed, a night stand and lamp, a large comfortable reading chair, dresser and two doors besides the one she was standing at. She realized the room had been the maid’s room fifty years ago. Most homeowners would probably have turned the room into any number of things - pantry - computer room - kids' toy room. But then most people would have remodeled the rest of the house, too. Clay had been content to leave the house in its original beauty. She turned as she heard him at the door. Standing quietly in the middle of the room, she said, "Tell me what you want."

He groaned then and gathered the last of his strength. He walked up to her and gently raised both of his hands up her arms. "What I want? What I want is to slowly undress you and make love to you all night long. What I want is to kiss every part of your body until you are moaning and then screaming my name. What I want is for you to make me forget that there is anything outside that door." He jerked his head towards the kitchen.

She stood there with tears in her eyes and he gently smiled, bent slightly and kissed her lightly on the lips. "What I will settle for is for you to turn down the bed and help me get in it. I’m going to go to the bathroom now. Will you wait?" She nodded. Twenty minutes later, she was almost ready to barge in on him when the door opened and he stepped back into the room. He had managed to get his pants off; she saw them lying in the middle of the bathroom floor. She figured his shoes must be under them, because they were no longer on his feet. He walked gingerly to the bed and stood staring down at it, trying to figure out exactly how he was going to lower his sore body into it.

She heard him mutter. "Maybe I can sleep leaning against the wall."

She came up behind him and gently turned him around. The coat was easily disposed of but she felt the slight weight in the one pocket and reached in to pull out a small medical vial. "These the pills?" He nodded. She reached for his shirt buttons and began to undo what she had done over two hours ago at the hospital.

He managed to raise his arm high enough to grab her wrist and whispered, "Don’t."

She smiled at him and keeping her eyes locked on his, continued her task, his hand still grasped tightly around her wrist. When the job was complete, she pushed back his shirt and pulled it down his arms, finally loosening his grip. She looked at him, keeping her mind firmly off the fact that he was standing before her in only his socks and briefs. "There is no easy way to do this Clay. Sit down. I’m going to get a cup of water and give you the pill." At his look, she glared at him. "Don’t mess with me Mister. Sit!" She turned into the bathroom, picked up his pants, found a hook on the back of the bathroom door and hung them there. She located a cup and filled it with water from the tap. Turning off the bathroom light, she entered the room, pleased to find that he had accomplished the task that she had set out for him and noticed that he had even managed to somehow toe off his socks. She opened the small bottle and took out the yellow pill. "Open."

He eyed her for a moment, but opened his mouth and as she placed the pill on his tongue and then bit down lightly on her finger. Mac giggled at that and brought the cup to his lips waiting for him to release it. He did, reluctantly, and then allowed her to help him drink the water. "Okay, here’s the plan," she said. But, before she could explain her idea, he reached out and grabbed her and slowly tugged her face down until it was inches from his. She took his head into her hands and kissed him.

He broke the kiss and sighed, "Go upstairs, Sarah. There's a comfortable room at the top of the stairs with it own bath." She stood back and looked down at him ready to force him to allow her to help him, when he smiled and in one not-so-fluid motion, lay back and turned his body so that his legs naturally followed. Mac stood and watched him struggle to get comfortable and then she reached out and pulled the covers up over his shoulders. She turned off the light and sat down in the large comfortable chair, her feet pulled up to her body and proceeded to watch over the man who had somehow managed to steal her heart. She waited until she heard his breathing even out and within moments, they were both sound asleep.

Chapter 21 - 23

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