| Subject: Re: Little Details C3/8 |
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fananicfan
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Date Posted: 14:43:57 07/10/07 Tue
In reply to:
fananicfan
's message, "Little Details" on 11:25:09 07/08/07 Sun
My apologies to all. I posted chapter two that did not have the correction of the final edited version. The only difference in the two versions is in the last paragraph so I'll be posting that section only of chapter two immediately followed by chapter three.
Section of chapter two:
After talking with Ben, Harm and Bud left the club. They strolled up a few blocks to verify that the distance between the Tango Club and the Wild Waves Club was only five blocks. Ensign Rodgers would have turned right towards the Wild Waves Club while Lieutenant Stanton would have followed the sidewalk to the left to get to the diner. From the Tango Club, they took the walk their client said that he'd made around the block to the diner. Bud got one wiff of the homemade pie and had to have a slice. Ordering was a good way to hang around for a few minutes and ask some questions of the staff about the night that Tina was killed. So they ordered pie and decaf coffee, and asked a few questions before heading back to pick up the car at the Wild Waves Club. After getting the car, they drove passed the alley, making sure that they were traveling in the same direction that Mrs. Weathers would have been. They also made sure to stop at the light as Mrs. Weathers had said she'd done. Though it was earlier than she'd said she'd driven past, they were sure that it hadn't been lighter outside than it was now. Harm got out of the car and had Bud circle the block. Harm waited until he saw Bud's car coming towards the stoplight. He walked back into the alley at approximately the spot where the body had been and then walked out and around the front of the building the way Mrs. Weathers had said the man had done that night. The conclusion of their little experiment was that Mrs. Weathers was telling a plausible story, and that meant that they'd have to look for something else to prove that their client was innocent. With no theory to build on from here, it was time to report to their quarters and get some rest.
Although they had interviews with Tina's friends in the morning, both men wanted to wrap up this visit to Norfolk and get back to Washington at a reasonable hour tomorrow to spend time with their wives.
CHAPTER 3 – Interviews and Reunions
Saturday, January 14, 2006
The level of activity in the diner on a Saturday morning, combined with at least a dozen other men in uniform who were eating breakfast, brought back the conversation that they'd had here last night.
****Flashback****
Harm and Bud had come by to verify the diner's location and question anyone who might have been here the Friday night that Tina had been murdered. A few of the waitresses said that they'd talked to police and they wouldn't say anything else, but a thrity-something waitress with a nametag that said 'Milly' hadn't been able to take her eyes off Harm and she was willing to talk to them. Bud speculated that her cooperation had to do with her wanting to make points with Harm. She was practically drooling as she spoke to them.
Milly said, "The police came by a few days before I heard on the radio that they'd arrested a sailor for the murder. They had a picture and asked us if we'd seen him in here that night. We all told the detectives that we get uniformed men and women in here all the time and we didn't remember him being here, but we didn't remember him not being here either. Fridays are always busy here, especially around midnight to three or four in the morning. Drunks come in looking for coffee and a warm place to sober up after the bars close."
Harm was doing a good job at just being Harm, so it was up to Bud to ask the questions and let Harm's good looks keep her cooperative. "Since you see a lot of uniformed personnel, you'd probably spot someone whose uniform was torn or had a button missing or a spot of something on it. Do you remember seeing anyone that night whose uniform had any of those things?" Bud asked.
"No, nothing like that. I'm sorry, but it was just a regular Friday night for us. I'm sorry that woman is dead and I wish that I could help you, but for us, there was nothing unusal about that night."
She was still staring at Harm, and Bud thanked Milly for talking to them before they headed back to the Wild Waves to get the car.
******End Flashback******
Harm and Bud had finished breakfast and were drinking coffee and reviewing their notes on what they wanted to ask each of the women they were going to speak with today, when the first of the two they were meeting here arrived.
Shelia said that she wasn't as close to Tina as the other two women were. They'd all gone to school together, but she hadn't become one of the foursome until their junior year and that Tina and the other two had been friends since their freshman year. Tammy, according to Shelia, was Tina's best friend. Tammy was their last interview this morning. Shelia said that Eric had approached their table, introduced himself and asked any of them if they wanted to dance. They all talked to him for a few minutes while they were waiting to see which one of them would 'pick' him. After a few minutes, it was Tina who'd said that she'd dance with him, so that was a sign for the rest of them to keep looking - she'd picked him. If she'd come back to the table and said that she was through dancing with him, then someone else would be free to take a shot at him. Tina hadn't come back to the table until about midnight. She'd said that she was going to give the shipping-out-sailor a memory to take with him. As Tina had turned to walk towards the door where the sailor was waiting, Tammy had walked with her for a few steps while they'd exchanged a few words, and then Tina and the sailor had left. After thanking Shelia for meeting with them, she was on her way.
There wasn't anything in Shelia's statement to give them anything to discuss while they waited for their next appointment. They did use the time to decide if it was necessary to interview Tina's father, Bradford Rodgers. They reviewed the statement that Mr. Rodgers had given the police. Bradford Rodgers was the registered owner of the car that Tina had been driving that night, and that was what had led them to seeking him out for questioning. The interview had ended up giving them the ID of the victim, his daughter, Tina. Tina had borrowed his car to meet friends from college and hadn't returned. Tina's college graduation picture from Old Dominion College two years prior, confirmed the identity of the body that the detectives had seen earlier with her throat cut. Her father had told police that, after Tina had graduated, she'd felt an obligation to serve her country and had chosen the Navy as her branch of service. She'd been home on leave for several days and had asked to borrow his car that night to go meet some girlfriends from college.
Tina's father had been the one who'd supplied the names of the women with whom Harm and Bud were meeting this morning. They agreed that, with what Mr. Rodgers had been through, they didn't see a reason for them to interview him, at least at this time.
Melinda was the next interview, and she arrived five minutes late. Her story was much the same as Shelia's, but she added that she thought that he was a good dancer and she'd wished that Tina had decided against him and thrown him back into the pond for someone else to have a shot at.
The two naval lawyers found Tina's friend, Melinda, to be a little strange, but there was no law against that. Having spoken with both women with whom they were scheduled to meet here, they paid the breakfast tab and left the waitress a healthy tip for taking up the booth for so long.
It was a little early, but that would give them time to find the office building where they were to have their next interview. Tammy had asked them to meet her at her office because she was a graphic designer and was on a deadline, so it was more convenient for her. Tammy, according to both of the other ladies, had been closer to Tina, so the two of them might have spoken about Eric at some point of which the other two were unaware.
Tammy's statement didn't veer much from the others, but she seemed to be able to add a few more personal details. For example, she said that she could tell in the few minutes that Eric was standing at their table and they were all talking that Tina was 'really into him.' She didn't know why, but Tina seemed to fall for him right in front of their eyes, and that just wasn't like Tina. Tammy said that, after Tina had come over to announce that she was leaving with the guy, she'd taken a few steps with Tina and asked her why, if she saw sailors everyday, she wanted this one. Her answer had been: 'he’s different...he's special.'
Tammy continued. "I don't believe in that 'love at first sight' business, but the look in her eyes...I think she fell for him. Kind of ruins love, doesn't it? I mean, falling in love with a guy who kills you?"
Bud asked, "You said that Eric spoke to all of you for a few minutes. Did you get the impression that he was dangerous or did Tina say anything to give you any idea that she felt threatened by him?”
"No, but if he didn’t do it, the police wouldn’t have arrested him, right?"
Harm and Bud breathed a little easier, knowing that she didn’t know anything that they didn’t.
A portion of a conversation from yesterday between Harm and Bud, caused Bud to ask, “Do you remember seeing any other men in the club that night who were in uniform?”
“I don’t remember any, but that doesn’t mean that they weren’t there. Sailors aren’t my type. No offense.”
“None taken, ma’am,” Bud replied before Harm thanked Tammy for her time and asked her if they could call her if they had any more questions.
A brief discussion in the car outside Tammy’s office resulted in a change of plans. A trip to the brig was next. Eric had said that some of his buddies had asked him to go out. Bud and Harm wanted to know if Eric was the only one who'd taken the seasoned sailor's advice and gone out in uniform.
They weren't expected at the brig, so it took a few minutes for a guard to bring Eric to the interview room. Eric said that he and two others had left the ship in uniform. The other two had opted for civilian attire. Harm then asked Eric if the five of them had stayed together at one club or if they'd split up. Eric said that they'd all ridden into town together and had all gone into the Tango Club. He couldn't remember which one of the others had said it, but around 2200, one of them had said something about there being 'no action' at the Tango Club. He'd said that there were enough strip clubs within walking distance that he'd be able to see every type of woman there was to be seen before he got back on the ship. Eric said that he and Lieutenant Williams had stayed at the Tango Club, but that the other three had left, he assumed to check out the strip clubs down the block. Eric said that he'd gone onto the dance floor to tell Sean, Lieutenant Williams, that he was leaving with Tina. Harm then asked, "Was Lieutenant Williams in uniform that night?" Harm and Bud left the brig with the knowledge that at least two other sailors in the area were out that night in uniform, and with the names of the other four sailors in hand.
Today wasn't going as they'd planned. They'd hoped to wrap up before lunchtime and head back to Washington, but after searching the files to be sure they hadn't overlooked statements from the other sailors, they were on their way to the pier in Norfolk to see if any of the sailors were on board so they could have a little talk. Two of the remaining four sailors were on board. One was on duty, and Lieutenant Williams was in his quarters. The other two didn't live aboard ship and neither had duty, so they weren't scheduled to be back aboard until Tuesday. Harm and Bud talked to the two sailors, and Bud got the recall information for the other two. A call to one of the residences resulted in talking to an answering machine. A call to the other sailor's house got a wife who informed them that he and the other officer for whom they were looking were on a camping trip and wouldn't be back until late Monday night. She gave them a cell phone number, but said that it often didn't work in the remote area where they camped, so she'd be surprised if they got through.
Once they were on the road back to Washington, Harm dialed the cell number that the officer's wife had given him and left a message for them to call him ASAP. After leaving the message, Harm looked at his watch. They wouldn't be back in Washington before 1600 at best. To save Bud a few minutes by not having to drive into the city to drop him off and then back out to his home, Harm asked Bud if he'd mind dropping him off some place else.
On the way to their stop, they discussed the case and their client. Both believed that their client was telling the truth, but believing it and proving it were two very different things. Neither of them thought that either of the sailor's to whom they'd spoken today was the killer either. However, there were two sailors to whom they hadn't talked and at least one of them had been in the Wild Waves Club that night...and in uniform. It certainly didn't make either of them the killer, but it sure gave the defense possibilties to work with.
When Bud reached the outskirts of town, Harm gave him directions to their stop. As Bud pulled into the storage unit lot, Harm's heart skipped a beat from just the thought of being reunited with his classic car.
Because the car had been stored for more than just a few weeks, there was no way that Bud was leaving until Harm had made sure that the car would run. Bud watched as Harm pulled the cover off the car and gave it a once over. After giving the car a 'pre-flight check,' Harm was ready to start it up. The engine noise was music to Harm's ears. The weather outside was too cold to put the top down. As the engine warmed up, Harm scanned the ground for signs of any type of fluid leak. Satisfied that his car had survived its time in storage, he was ready to pull the car out of the unit. He pulled it carefully out and alongside Bud's car to transfer his gear. Harm tucked his briefcase behind the passenger's seat before placing his sea bag in the passenger's seat while he let the engine continue to warm up. Not hearing any strange noises, the load switched from Bud's car to his, and another inspection for leaks revealing nothing, it was time to head to his apartment, and, hopefully, Mac would be there.
Harm pulled out onto the street, and Bud followed for several blocks until their destinations caused them to have to go in different directions.
Harm wasn't aware of the time passing or the hour that is was as he drove towards Union Station because his mind was very busy. It ran through scenarios of the murder that he'd been sent here to investigate and a wide range of ideas of why Mac wanted to talk to him, and last but not least, his mind analyzed the practicality of his car.
Almost before Harm realized that he was there, he pulled up in front of his building. Being behind the wheel of his car had made the trip seem like two minutes instead of thirty. As he took his belongings out of the car, he again thought about how impractical his car was now that he and Mac were married and Mattie was with them. He'd save a lot of money by not having to pay storage fees, too. Maybe it was time to seriously consider getting rid of his costly and impractical toys...his car and his plane.
Inside the building, he reached his floor and, as he slid back the gate to get off the elevator, he realized that his old apartment was yet another thing that he'd been holding onto since he'd married that would save some money if he got rid of it.
Harm's keys were in his hand as he approached the door, but he noticed that the door was slightly ajar. He pushed the door open with his foot. Her back was to him. He didn't want to startle her, so he elimanted dropping his bags or slamming the door as a means of announcing himself. He gently put down his bags, turned and quietly closed the door, and then turned back around to watch her while he removed his winter coat. Once he'd hung up his coat next to hers on the hooks by the door, it was time for him to say or do something to let her know that he was there.
She was holding the refrigerator door open with one hand and looking into it. She was checking her grocery list to make sure that she'd gotten everything that she'd wanted at the store. She'd run through the same list after putting away a handful of cabinet items. She was looking over the items that she'd purchased from the produce department when she felt it. Only one person could cause that sensation in her. Harm was near, and then she heard his voice. "I'm glad you're here," he said.
Mac turned and closed the refrigerator door in one motion. They rushed into each other's arms, and Harm picked her up and spun her around in a circle before lowering her enough that their lips could meet.
After a welcoming kiss, he let her feet touch the floor again. "Hey, sailor, I missed you, too."
Harm couldn't bring himself to acknowledge how much he'd missed her when tomorrow would have made it only two weeks since he'd seen her last. "What was so interesting about an empty refrigerator?"
"It isn't empty anymore. I just got back from the store. My plane leaves Thursday afternoon, but I didn't know how long or how much you'd be here. Over lunch, Harriet told me that your case was in Norfolk. I bought a few drinks and some fruit for snacks. After I left the grocery store, I stopped to pick up a take-out order from one of your favorite places. I have a new reason to like the place. They put take-out orders in aluminum pans with paper lids - excellent for reheating, and you can even eat out of them. And that's good, because we left some small appliances that we had duplicates of, but we didn't leave any cookware or dishes except for those two coffee cups from our first morning together."
Harm didn't say anything. He just tightened his grip on her.
"Harm, are you okay?"
He gave her body a squeeze before easing his grip on her and pulling back to look her in the eye. "I've been a little anxious. I guess I've just had a lot of things on my mind, but I'm good now."
"Anxious about moving your office from London to Naples in March?"
"No, not since my plan for the move and transition services was approved. When I left, everything was on track."
"Then what is it?"
"The case I'm on, seeing you and what you want to talk to me about, but were here together now, and I'm feeling better already." He didn't mention his realization about his expensive toys.
Mac smiled. "It's a little early, but we could eat dinner or we could leave it in the frig and eat later." Her hands moved up the front of his chest and her voice sounded suggestive as she continued, "We could see if we can ease some more of that anxiety of yours...as long as you promise that you won't think that it's the only thing that I missed about you."
His voice was low and sexy when he responded, "I think you were reading my mind, but I thought we needed to talk."
"We do, but..." She leaned into him and placed her lips on his, administering a firm but caring kiss. "...we're alone, and I think we should seize the moment. We can talk over dinner."
His lips covered hers, and he delivered a passionate kiss that left her wanting more. Mac pulled away from him, took his hand and led him up to the bedroom, much like she'd done the first time they'd come together. It was hard for her to believe that, in just weeks, that first time would be a whole year ago.
Once upstairs, it wasn't like the first time, but like the last time they'd been together, no uncertainty or hesitation. They kissed and touched as they worked at removing each other's clothing until, stripped of all garments, they came together in a fury of passion and want that culminated in a physical release that left them each satisfied and breathless.
They stayed wrapped up in each other after lovemaking, not able to talk or move for several minutes. Mac didn't want to break the mood, but with both of them here in Washington to work, they didn't have a lot of time for just lying around. She couldn't see his face with her head on his chest, but to her, it seemed that his breathing had more than evened out from the passionate pants of a few minutes ago. She lifted her head and found that his eyes were closed. After whispering his name a few times, she moved her body and got no response. He was asleep. No doubt his internal clock was still on London time where it was five hours later than it was here. He'd admitted to feeling anxious and, for him to admit that, he must be really anxious, but repressing most of it. She found that she wasn't upset that he'd fallen asleep. In fact, she was happy that their loving each other had eased enough of his anxiety that he was able to fall asleep. She stayed beside him, watching him sleep until her stomach growled. She got out of bed and retrieved a robe from her bag before moving into the kitchen to reheat dinner.
With only five minutes left before the main course was ready, she pulled the container of salad out of the frig and didn't hear him come down the steps. She closed the refrigerator door and turned to put the container of salad on the counter.
"I get an F in husband 101 for falling asleep, don't I?"
Mac looked up to see his sleepy eyes trying to stay open. He was standing where his dining room table once sat, in only the pants that she'd gotten him out of earlier. She smiled at him. "No you don't." She moved over to put her arms around him. "I'll bet you have a little case of jet lag, and with the extra exertion of making me a very happy Marine, you just needed to rest."
"You're happy?"
"Yes, now let's get some dinner in you. That'll help you feel better. We'll talk and we'll turn in early and, in the morning, you'll be feeling like your old self again."
"Did you have to blow it by saying old?"
"Sorry, how about you'll get your super powers back?"
"Better."
"Well, dinner's ready. No plates, so grab a plastic fork, and we'll share out of the containers." She released her hold on him and moved back into the kitchen.
Mac set the containers close to each other on the counter, and Harm got each of them a fork. They sat next to each other and took a few bites from each container before either one of them spoke.
"Harm, earlier, you said that you had a lot of things on your mind. Is there anything that I can do to help?"
"Tell me what you and Mattie have been discussing that you wanted to talk to me about."
She hadn't realized that Harm had been feeling the pressure of his position until he'd admitted being anxious. It was hard to monitor that kind of thing from 5,489 miles away. Realizing only this evening how much Harm had on his plate, she didn't feel that she should tell him the entire story, but he needed to be clued in. "I told you that she and I have been doing a lot of talking since Christmas. I'm not putting in as many hours as before, and we talk over dinner. When we got back, her report card had come in the mail while we were in London. As you know, her grades were one C and the rest B's. She was upset because she used to be an A student and, because of the C, she didn't think that she'd get her drvier's permit. I told her that you and I had talked about it before Christmas and, as long as she passed, she could get her permit. I told her that we understood that some of her grades may have slipped because of the move and other changes in her life that she had no control over, but that she should be settled by now and that we expect her to improve. I also reminded her that, if she found herself struggling again, she was to say something so that we could help...get her a tutor or something. I also pointed out that the doctor could nix the license issue, grades aside. She went back to school without any arguments, but almost every conversation that we've had in the last two weeks seems to be about her permit or license."
Harm put his hand on her arm. "I know about this stuff from either her or your emails."
"I know, but I wanted you to know that I'm not sure that it's a big deal because it isn't something that she talks about a lot like her driver's license, but I want your input on how to handle it." Mac took in a deep breath. "During all of these conversations about school, the license, and the doctor, I don't know how we ended up on the subject, but we talked about Tyler, the little boy whom you said that she sent a postcard to from London. She said that she was worried about him because he didn't have any family at Christmas. Well, I got Mrs. Potter's number, and we called to check on him."
"He was okay, right?"
"Yeah, but she wanted me to check on him while I was here. That's why I made plans to come earlier than I needed to for my meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday. There's an open house tomorrow. The way it was explained to me, they have punch and cookies, and the children who're ready for adoption are brought together to meet with potential parents. Tyler will be there tomorrow. Agreeing to go by there was the easiest way for me to get to see him. Mattie seems really worried about him, so I was wondering if you had any suggestions about how to ease her mind."
"No idea right now. Maybe after a good night's sleep, I'll come up with something."
"Harriet wants us to come to dinner tomorrow night. Are you and Bud working tomorrow?"
"No, I'm sure if we're going to dinner there, we'll discuss the case at some point, but no interviews or anything tomorrow. Why?"
"I thought you might like to come to Blacksburg with me. Checking on Tyler shouldn't take more than a few minutes. Mattie asked if I'd see if her father was home while I was out that way, too. You could go by and check on your plane. We could make a day of it and then stop by Bud and Harriet's for dinner on the way home. Harm, you look like you could use a little R&R. What do you say? Up to spending the day with your wife?"
"Absolutely!"
Cleaning up took only a minute or two because everything was disposable. After wiping down the counter, they moved to the bedroom where they cuddled together until sleep overtook them both.
AN: Thanks to Janlaw for the information that the office Harm was sent to in FWFS had moved to Naples. When she made me aware of this several months ago, I was working on this story and it was the perfect way to set something else in motion for another story. Thanks Janlaw!!
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