| Subject: Sleight of Hand, Part 17 |
Author:
Incatnito
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Date Posted: 06:35:29 08/11/02 Sun
In reply to:
Incatnito
's message, "Sleight of Hand, Part 1" on 23:35:30 07/28/02 Sun
Washington, DC
0840 Local
Harm looked up at a tap on the door. A moment later, James stuck his head, "Everybody decent?"
Harm rolled his eyes and motioned James in. He continued talking on the cellphone, "Yeah Clay, he just got here." He looked at the items James was carrying and noticed the questioning look on his face. Harm gestured with his head towards the bathroom. "Yes, it looks like he has everything. You figure it's going to happen today? Uh-huh... look Clay, we've got all the angles covered, don't we? Yes, I realize that... Dammit, I just don't want anything to go wrong... All right, okay, fine... " Harm took the phone away from his ear and looked at it, Webb had hung up on him.
James moved further into the room and listened, he could hear the shower running. He dumped most of the items on the bed and turned back in time to see Harm staring at the phone. He looked at James, "He hung up on me."
James shrugged and held up a bag, "Breakfast. Egg and cheese biscuit for you, bacon, egg and cheese biscuits for me and the Colonel. There's coffee in there too." They both turned towards the bathroom when they heard the door open.
Mac stood in the doorway, fastening her robe, her hair was still wet. "That felt good. Harm, I'm going to need some help putting the dressings..." Her voice trailed off as she looked up. "Oops. Morning, James. Ooo, breakfast? Tell me you brought coffee." She was pulling a cup out when she looked up and saw the bemused looks on both men. "What?"
"Ummm... " James made a vague gesture towards the bathrobe. Webb had gotten the hotel room and had also supplied a wardrobe for Mac. The robe was silk and on the Colonel, the effect was... well... breathtaking. His fiancee would have grounds for justifiable homicide. "Are you always... "
"Such an exhibitionist?" Mac's voice was growing colder, Harm cringed a little - he knew that tone.
He jumped in, as much to protect Mac from herself as to rescue James. She was teetering on the edge of an incredible explosion of temper and he knew it was because of the unrelenting stress she'd been under. He pasted a small smile on his face and said mildly, "I think the phrase he was looking for was 'so spectacular.'" He didn't flinch when she turned to glare at him. He was a fighter pilot, he'd faced worse... maybe.
The silence stretched out, when Mac smiled. The whole tableau had finally triggered her sense of the ridiculous. 'Men.' That seemed to cover it. She crossed her arms and eyed them both, "Spectacular?"
"Stupendous?" "Incredible?" Both men were grinning now, apparently they weren't going to die.
Mac shook her head, "You jerks. Now my breakfast is getting cold." She sailed between them, snagged her coffee and food and perched on the chair. "What did Webb have to say?"
"He said the mice have been nibbling." Harm said.
James looked at them, "I don't do spyspeak. What exactly does that mean?"
"Jacobs has put his operatives in motion to try and confirm the story we're selling." Mac replied. Suddenly, she wasn't that hungry. She looked over at Harm, "He thinks it's going to go down soon?"
"Depends on your next conversation with Jacobs. If things work out, it could happen today." Harm looked at the floor. 'If things work out... goddammit, he didn't want it to work at all, but they had no choice. For two cents, he'd walk into Jacobs' office and blow his damn head off. That would end it.' Harm became aware that Mac was speaking to him. He looked up to see them both watching him.
"... Harm? It'll be okay," Mac regarded him worriedly, then her expression changed and with a sideways glance, she said, "Besides, I have you and James watching my six... "
James suddenly erupted in a fit of coughing. Mac got up and pounded on his back solicitously, "Something go down the wrong way?"
He glared at her, unable to speak for the moment. Finally he managed to croak in an outraged tone, "I think coffee came out my nose!"
"That's more than I wanted to know." Mac looked over at Harm, "I'm going to get dressed. I will need some help with the bandages. I'll yell when I'm ready."
James glared at Harm as he continued to wipe his face with a napkin. Harm shrugged, "You started it."
JAG Headquarters
Falls Church
0920 Local
AJ looked at Sturgis, "Well?"
"It seems to be working, sir. A kind of ripple effect, if you will. Webb has identified seven more operatives. He's coming in this morning." Sturgis hesitated, "He says he knows who the mole is here at JAG."
AJ leaned forward, "Who?"
"He wouldn't say, sir." Sturgis sighed, "He doesn't want to tip his hand, he thinks this whole thing is going to come to a head today."
Chegwidden rubbed the back of his neck, "I hope we get enough lead time to get into position. I'd like to get Mac through this in one piece." He looked at Sturgis and smiled, "Bobbie ready to go?"
Sturgis winced in spite of himself, Bobbie had had a number of things to say to him after meeting with the Admiral yesterday, "Oh yes, sir. I assume I'll be acting as her liaison for JAG?"
"Wouldn't have it any other way, Commander."
Tiner looked up and watched Clayton Webb stride towards the Admiral's office. He didn't bother trying to stop the CIA operative. The day was about to go downhill, he would just accept the inevitable. He hadn't thought yesterday could get much worse after Webb had broken the news about the Colonel, but then Commander Rabb had returned from Norfolk. Admiral Chegwidden had called him into his office. Five minutes later, the bullpen was startled to hear yelling. They couldn't make out the words but it didn't sound good. Then there'd been an ominous minute or two of silence. Rabb came out the Admiral's office like he'd just been launched off a carrier. He had gone to his office, collected his cover and briefcase and walked out without a word to anyone. Admiral Chegwidden had stuck his head out of the office and told Tiner that Rabb was on leave for the next several days. The look on his face precluded any answer but 'Yes Sir.'
Now here was Webb again...
AJ and Sturgis turned and looked as Webb walked into the office. "Don't you knock?" AJ asked.
"Ordinarily yes, but Tiner is looking more and more like a deer caught in the headlights. I couldn't resist." Clay smiled, "When this is over, you're going to have a helluva time making it up to him."
"I know, I know," AJ growled. "Maybe I'll just make him an admiral, then he can run this asylum."
"God, Admiral." Clay said, still smiling, "I thought you liked him... "
AJ snorted in amusement, shaking his head. He grew serious as he looked over at Webb. "You think it's all coming together today?"
Webb nodded, "It depends on how Jacobs reacts to this next conversation. Mac's going to try to push him into moving, one way or another."
"Isn't that dangerous?" Sturgis asked. "You could be forcing him to become unpredictable."
Clay looked at him, "It's a calculated risk." He turned back to the Admiral, "I've contacted the DC police about the meeting site. They'll have it wired for sound and have people stationed throughout the area. I told them it was a drug smuggling bust with possible ties to the Middle East."
"The rest of us are the contingency plan?" AJ asked. After Webb nodded, the Admiral continued, "How is Mac getting to the site?"
Clay looked uncomfortable, this was a potential weak point. "She's going to have to get there on her own. He's going to be watching the approaches. We can't afford to compromise the set-up by helping her get to the site or having people too obviously shadowing her."
"She's going to be vulnerable as hell on her way there, Webb." AJ pointed out with a scowl.
"It won't be as bad as that, Harm and Lt. Fine won't be far away." Webb mentally crossed his fingers and hoped this would satisfy the Admiral. He'd taken some additional measures as well but he was a cautious man. He'd only discussed it with Mac. She was walking into this with her eyes open because she trusted him. It was an uncomfortable feeling.
Admiral Chegwidden sighed, "When is this thing with Charlie taking place?"
Clay looked at his watch, "Anytime, actually." He reached into one of his coat pockets and pulled out a small transmitter. Turning it on, he set it on AJ's desk. "We... adapted... a payphone for this call. It will just about quadruple the time needed to get a trace on the phone's location. And," he smiled smugly, "we can hear the conversation."
They sat and stared at the transmitter until AJ started to feel silly, "Webb... " He stopped when the sound of a phone ringing came over the small speaker.
"Admiral Jacobs' office, Petty Officer Danzer speaking."
"This is Col. MacKenzie, I need to speak with the Admiral."
"Yes Ma'am, one moment please."
"Colonel, I was hoping to hear from you."
"Were you? It's time to fish or cut bait, Admiral."
"I don't know what you mean... May I call you Sarah?"
"No. All right Admiral, in that case, my next call is to Admiral Chegwidden. I'm sure he'll be interested."
"Now let's not be hasty, Colonel. Hypothetically speaking, if you had information I might need, what were you thinking would be a fair exchange?"
"How about what I'm already accused of? Give me the bank account number and authorization to the half million dollars. Do it now and when I return your 'property', you can add another half million."
Jacobs chuckled, "You're not shy, are you?"
"Why should I be? You've wrecked my career, I'll probably be disbarred as well. Not to mention a possible stay in a lovely Federal facility. I prefer a quiet retirement in the islands."
Jacobs was silent a moment, "Okay, if this were theoretically possible, how would I acquire the 'property'?"
"There's an abandoned warehouse at the edge of the industrial district." She gave him the address. "Meet me there at 1530 today. Come alone."
"I don't think so, Colonel. For all I know, this could be an elaborate plot to frame me and get you off the hook."
There was silence for a moment and then Mac laughed, "Well, you're partially right. The place is wired from top to bottom and I'd be surprised if you could swing a stick and not hit a DC policeman."
AJ, Sturgis and Webb looked at each other, thunderstruck. "What the hell is she doing?!" AJ exclaimed. Webb motioned him for silence. Jacobs was speaking again.
He was clearly taken aback. "That's... ummm... rather forthright of you, Colonel. What are you hoping to accomplish?"
"I'm cutting to the chase, Admiral. I've made a deal with the police to surrender. I will be calling Admiral Chegwidden next. You're both clever men; first one to reach me gets the prize. You and I both know what you're capable of and I'm sure you're aware of the consequences if it's Chegwidden. I won't be the only one going down." Mac hung up.
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