| Subject: 'Carnival' - Conclusion |
Author:
Daenar
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Date Posted: 14:43:27 07/24/02 Wed
In reply to:
Daenar
's message, "'Carnival' - Part Six" on 14:41:24 07/24/02 Wed
‘Carnival’ – Conclusion
Author: Daenar
Disclaimer: See Part One
0941 ZULU
A side canal behind the Danieli hotel
Near Campo S.Zaccaria
San Marco, Venice
A police motorboat was moored at the stairs that led down to the small canal. Three divers were sitting on the shore, taking off their equipment, which meant they had either found what they had been looking for or they had given up the search. Mac hoped it was the first alternative they would encounter on arriving. She was walking ahead with De Carlo while Harm and Fred were following a little behind.
“’Dere is my friend and right hand, Sergente Andreatta,” De Carlo indicated the policeman that was talking to the motorboat driver. “Whenever he’s involved I know I get ‘torough work when I arrive.”
“Glad to hear it, Amedeo,” Mac said before quickly lunging into her pockets and desperately searching for a handkerchief.
Harm had seen her actions, took out his own pack and ran up to her, offering it just in time for Mac to prepare for a heavy sneeze.
“You know, Harm,” she said sniffing, “I do like presents and I do like to share, but you didn’t need to offer me my share of your cold.”
Harm immediately took his hands up in defense. “Hey, easy, didja-girl. If I rebebber well, I offered to stay away frob you. But you idsisted od sealing our deal with a kiss, right?”
“Yeah, right,” Mac reluctantly conceded. “I’m sorry. Well, at least my m’s and n’s don’t yet turn out b’s and d’s.” She giggled. “I love you, Harbod.”
“Ha ha...” made Harm, grinning.
They had joined the police team. De Carlo immediately asked Andreatta if he had any news. He had. De Carlo followed him aboard the motorboat, entered the cabin and a moment later came out again with a translucent plastic bag. He triumphantly held it out to Harm and Mac.
“’De murder weapon. ‘Dey found it stuck in a heap of mud on ‘de side of ‘de canal. Apparently our killer just tossed it away wid’out caring to check if it vanished into ‘de water. He must have been in a hurry.”
“Did they check it for figgerpridts?” Harm asked.
“’Dey did a quick first check, yes, and it seems ‘dat ‘dere are still enough of ‘dem left to identify ‘de murderer. If you want we can take you on a little boat cruise around ‘de lagoon now as we ship ‘de evidence to ‘de laboratory. Care to join us, Sarah, Harm?”
“Sure,” they answered together and got on the boat. Fred consented to come half of the way if they’d drop him at the Zattere.
“So I guess we’re done here, then,” Mac said with a hint of sadness in her voice as the boat bumped over the waves of the open lagoon. This trip had been even more wonderful than she’d ever have expected.
“Seebs so,” Harm agreed, casting her a quick loving look when he thought the others wouldn’t notice. When his cell-phone started to ring he withdrew into the cabin.
“When will you go back, ma’am?” Fred asked.
“I still have to call Admiral Chegwidden but I think we’re due tomorrow morning, so we can take the Frankfurt flight to Washington around 1300,” Mac presumed.
“I just got off the phone with Admiral Della Rosa,” Fred told her. “He would like to invite you two and the admiral and his daughter to dinner tonight. To celebrate,” he added, smiling, “And he even included Claire and me and the commissario and his wife.”
“That would be nice,” Mac replied. “When and where and how?”
“Claire and I will pick you up at the hotel at 1930. We are to be at the restaurant ‘Do Forni’ at 2000. It’s a very fine Venetian place, but you need not dress up too formal. Casual elegance will do,” Fred explained.
“That was the adbiral,” Harm said as he joined them outside. “He has beed idforbed by Della Rosa that they dropped burder charges agaidst Berrider add Quidd. Add they dropped theft, too, because of their help id the odgoing police ivvestigatiod add also because Calvi add his friedds idduced the Abericads to their deed. ‘Drukk add disorderly’ will do, according to Chegwidded. Berrider add Quidd are released add will fly to the U.S. od a military aircraft toborrow afterdood.” He sniffed and, with an excusing look, blew his nose. “Chegwidded’s giving us the day off, Bac. What’d you like to do?”
Mac smiled all over her face at the prospect of a day off with Harm, even if he was on the verge of being ill. “Beach?” she asked. “It’s cold, okay, but it’s sunny and I’d really like to see the famous Lido.”
“Souds good,” Harm agreed, suppressing a sneeze.
“We can drop you off,” De Carlo said, having overheard their exchange in joining them at the back of the boat. “And Harm,” he added with a smile, handing him a small drugstore bag, “If we’re to dine wid’ Della Rosa tonight at ‘Do Forni’, you’d better make your nose return to normal size. I’d be a shame if you failed to enjoy all ‘de formidable food just because you fell into ‘de Grand Canal.”
Harm, with a mock frown, looked into the bag and found a little spray flacon. ‘Respirfree,’ he read, and underneath ‘Di’ al Tuo naso che respiri quandunque vuoi Tu!’ [Tell your nose you breathe whenever you want to!] Harm succeeded in guessing the sense. He began to laugh heartily and immediately tried the medicine. Within minutes he was able to breathe with his mouth shut.
“Thank you, Amedeo,” he sighed, “I’ve been missing my m’s and n’s!”
“You’re welcome.” They had arrived at the Lido island that served as a natural barrier between the lagoon and the Adriatic. “Now enjoy your day off. See you tonight!”
Harm and Mac stepped onto the shore and the motorboat roared off.
1453 ZULU
Beach near the Excelsior hotel
Lido, Venice
Harm had dug himself in between two small dunes, thus avoiding the wind. Mac lay snuggled up to him, both tightly wrapped up in a large and thick woolen blanket they had bought on their way to the beach. ‘It’s a pity we took the time to change into our uniforms before leaving this morning,’ Harm thought. They would have been much more comfortable now, had they been in civvies.
Given the low temperatures, there were however quite a few people out on the beach today. But as the sun was shining brilliantly, Harm didn’t wonder too much about it. When they had arrived at the Adriatic shore, they had taken in the wonderful view of miles of white sand and blue sea. They had walked a little until they had found the spot they were lying on now. Spooned together and wrapped in the blanket they had almost immediately fallen asleep, resuming last night’s lost recreation. They had been quite a sight for people passing by – two officers in full uniform cuddled together and sleeping on the beach.
Harm watched Mac as she slept. ‘Bingo,’ he said to himself, smiling. ‘What on earth did you do to deserve her, Hammer?’ Gently caressing her side, he waited for her to wake up.
“Hey, Mac, it’s time to get up,” he said softly when he felt her stir.
“No work today...” Her slurring voice trailed away as she again drifted off to sleep.
“No,” Harm agreed. “But dinner with Admiral Della Rosa,” he said loud enough to really wake her. “Hey, did you sleep well?”
Mac smiled at him, then pressed her face to his chest. “Yep. Could get used to waking up in your arms.”
“Same goes for me,” Harm replied, gathering her into a tight embrace.
“Isn’t it incredible that we’re actually doing this?” Mac asked.
“Definitely,” Harm said with a chuckle. “By the way, how do we act in front of the admiral?”
“I’d go for hiding it as long as we are working on it,” Mac said, thoughtfully placing a kiss on his lips.
“Agreed for the present.” He returned her kiss with one of his flyboy-grins. “And our friends back home?”
“The same, for now, I’d say,” she answered.
“Okay, agreed,” he consented. Then he kissed her once again. “Come on, my favorite Marine, let’s get back to the hotel and clean up for tonight.”
They rose and headed back to catch a vaporetto waterbus to the main city.
1837 ZULU
Hotel Bartolini
Near the Arsenale
Castello, Venice
“Ready to go!” Harm shouted gleefully as he straightened his tie and put on his jacket. He was wearing a dark gray suit with a fitting waistcoat. Mac would have conceded that he looked remarkable if it hadn’t been for the time again.
“Oh, ready already?” she asked, frowning. “We’re only seven minutes and thirty-four seconds late.”
Harm decided to bite back his comment. The day had been beautiful and he had no inclination to ruin it now. He turned to Mac who looked stunning once again in her simple light green ladies’ suit and black body shirt underneath that was cut dangerously low to her bust.
“The admiral, Francesca, Fred and Claire will be waiting in the hall. Let’s go, mia bella.” Harm opened the door for her.
Mac smiled, against her will forgiving him once again for his bad timing as he very tenderly brushed a kiss to her lips and gave her half a flyboy-grin. Together they left the room and descended the stairs. They found their friends waiting for them as they had expected. AJ shot Harm a warning glare, indicating his watch, and suppressed a chuckle as he saw the commander wince. They set off for ‘Do Forni’, Harm and Mac trying very hard to stay alert and not subconsciously let their hands find each other while walking. It was a trying experience, but it was also fun, they found, knowing they had a big, beautiful secret to hide and share. They would exchange glances, smiles and winks whenever the others didn’t notice.
They arrived just in time to meet Della Rosa, De Carlo and their wives in front of the restaurant. They entered and were seated in a corner, the non-Venetians wondering why no menus were handed out. Then a waiter approached and told them what the restaurant freshly offered that day. Fred translated the information to the JAG officers. “They don’t leave you much of a choice,” he admitted, “But everything is really excellent!”
All of them enjoyed a gorgeous menu of insalata di asparagi verdi [green asparagus salad], crema di zucca [pumpkin cream soup], tagliatelle al salmone [tagliatelle with salmon] and scaloppine ai funghi [cutlets with mushroom sauce], Harm and Claire donating their meat to Mac and Fred. Conversation was easy and sociable.
“So you leave us tomorrow,” Della Rosa stated, as they all shared a huge platter of assorted cheese.
“I’m afraid we have to,” AJ said, “Although I hate parting with my daughter. But it can’t be helped. Cmdr. Turner, who during our absence is in charge of JAG headquarters, informed me this afternoon that the caseloads do get heavy without us three around.”
“Did you have time to get to know Venice a little?” Della Rosa asked.
“Thankfully, yes, sir,” Harm replied, sharing a quick smile with Mac.
“That reminds me,” cut in Claire, opening her purse and pulling out a small object, “That I wanted to give you this.” She handed Mac the DV videotape of their gondola ride. “Fred explained to me that the evidence was no longer necessary, so I thought you might just like to have it.”
“What’s this?” AJ asked, suspicion rising.
“It’s... uhm... that’s classified, sir,” Mac tried, knowing it wouldn’t help.
“That’s nonsense, Colonel, and you know it,” AJ scolded her as he would have his four-year-old daughter. “Again, what’s this?”
“It’s the reason for my cold, sir,” said Harm, at the same moment turning and sneezing into his handkerchief.
“Sir, we wanted to prove that Merriner and Quinn wouldn’t have been able to row from the crime scene to Rialto in half an hour as they would have had to, had they murdered the girl,” Mac explained.
“And how did you pull that off?” AJ was getting more and more curious.
“Well, the lieutenant was kind enough to let us row his gondola, sir,” Harm reluctantly pointed out.
“And that’s on the tape?” AJ’s mouth twitched.
“Yes, sir.”
At that, AJ quickly grabbed the small cassette and slid it into his pocket. “Confiscated,” he commented, grinning broadly at the horrified faces of his officers. The rest of the group tried to stifle their laughter. Harm felt Mac take his hand under the table and squeeze it in barely contained frustration. He gently stroked her palm with his thumb and felt her relax a little. At that moment De Carlo’s cell-phone beeped. He rose. “Excuse me, please.” As he exited the room they heard him say: “Pronto?”
Della Rosa gave them a mocking frown and shrugged. Then he addressed Fred. “Did you tell your colleagues what happened in the afternoon, Lieutenant?”
“Not yet, sir. But as you speak of it,” Fred turned to Harm and Mac, excitement showing in his eyes. “Calvi, Corvo and Manin want me to defend them in court. I have no idea why they ask for a beginner but anyway, the admiral requested for my position to be upgraded. If Rome won’t object I’ll be liaisons officer and Venice Port Authority’s counsel regarding legal affairs, ma’am, sir. Thanks to you.”
“That’s great!” Mac was happy for their young friend. “But what do Harm and I have to do with it?”
“Oh, that’s quite simple, ma’am.” Even though they were off duty, with two admirals at the table Prumetti stayed formal. “Your presence has been inspiring. I’ve observed how you handle your investigations and I’ve learned a lot in these past few days. I no longer doubt I’m up to the challenge.”
“I’m sure you are, Lieutenant,” Harm agreed, patting Fred on the shoulder. Just then De Carlo stepped back in and took his seat, ‘triumph’ written all over his face.
“Che c’è, Commissario?” Della Rosa’s wife asked. [What is it, Commissario?]
“Sergeant Andreatta called to inform me ‘dat ‘de police have arrested Paola Rossi’s murderer. Wid’ ‘de help of ‘de fingerprints on ‘de knife ‘dey identified him as her sister’s former husband who seems to always have ‘trown an eye on her. He was obsessed, claims his former wife. ‘Dey found him in Paola Rossi’s apartment as he was collecting certain personal belongings of his victim. He confessed. Case wrapped up.” De Carlo smiled.
AJ raised his glass of wine. “To truth and justice. May they always shine.”
The other nine took up their glasses as well. “To truth and justice.”
March 1st
0843 ZULU
Marco Polo Airport
Venice
Mac was running like she couldn’t remember ever running with high heels and luggage. Where the devil was the right check-in counter? She tried one that read ‘Frankfurt’, only to be sent over to another at the far end of the hall. The clerk eyed her suspiciously as she passed over her passport and military ID. Couldn’t that woman make a little haste? Finally, after endless minutes, Mac received her boarding pass and set off to the departure terminal. As she stood in the queue for security check-up, she thought she’d go insane. Only one checkpoint was open and three guys in the queue had to have their carry-on checked manually. At last she passed the guards and hastened over to where her ‘Lufthansa’ flight was due to depart. As she located her company she felt the strong urge to turn on her heel and walk away. But it could not be helped – she had to face her destiny.
Harm was sitting in a chair, a newspaper on his lap, a cup of coffee in his hand and an incredibly wide triumphant and innocent grin across his face. His eyes were sparkling with mischief. AJ was sitting next to him, trying hard to hide his smile. As Mac approached, both rose and she came to attention in front of AJ.
“Commander,” AJ addressed Harm, sensing the younger man desperately needed to do this, “go ahead.”
Harm slowly raised his left arm, glanced at his watch and then locked his eyes with Mac. “That’s twenty-one minutes and thirty-eight seconds, Colonel. Too bad.” He turned, sneezing and hiding his laughter at her defeated and enraged expression.
AJ took over. “Would you care to explain why you risk missing our flight?”
“I’m sorry, sir, no excuse,” Mac said, her eyes straight ahead, staring right through the admiral.
“Any explanations?”
“I was about to leave the hotel together with Cmdr. Rabb, sir, when I noted that I had forgotten to pick up my... my false plait that I had, by mistake, sent back to the costume shop, together with my dress. I told the commander to go ahead. I would follow taking the airport bus. I went to the costume shop and got on the bus in time. But traffic on the road was too dense, sir...”
“Traffic, right?” AJ stated icily, remembering a similar conversation not even a week ago.
“Yes, sir.” Harm could tell that Mac was mentally slapping and punching herself. ‘Well, there goes the image of immaculate,’ he thought, enjoying the moment to no end. Although he loved her with every piece of his heart, somehow he felt that justice had now been done to him and that she had – just a tiny little bit – deserved this.
“Well, Colonel, don’t let that happen again. I expect all of my officers to take timing deadly serious. Do I make myself clear?” AJ thundered.
“Yes, sir.”
“Dismissed.”
“Aye, sir.” Mac turned, slumped into a chair and dried the sweat on her forehead with a handkerchief. As she felt a sneeze rise up, she quickly buried her nose into the tissue.
“Commander, I was told only you fell in the canal,” AJ ventured carefully. “How come the colonel seems to be developing a cold as well?”
Harm blanched slightly and desperately searched for an answer. Mac’s reaction was quite similar, AJ noted. He suppressed a knowing smile. After all, should they really have come to terms with their feelings, he wouldn’t be the one to spoil their secret happiness. At least not yet.
“I can’t spare my top lawyers for long. See to it that you get rid of those infections ASAP. You, Colonel, and you, Commander, will take the rest of the week off when we get home. I want you to stay at home and get well. And to make sure no one neglects my orders, I want you to watch each other’s sixes. 24 hours a day. At the commander’s place or at the colonel’s place, I don’t care. Just see that you do. That’s an order.” With that AJ grabbed his bag and marched off in the direction of the gate that had just been opened, grinning broadly, now that they couldn’t see him.
“Aye, sir...” Harm and Mac stared at his back, open-mouthed. Then they turned and stared at each other. They couldn’t believe that AJ had just all but ordered them to get involved. Mac started to forget her anger about Harm’s triumphant grin at her being late. As she saw laughter beginning to brighten the eyes of her friend, she couldn’t refrain from joining in when it broke through. Laughing, Harm fiercely hugged his Marine and whirled her around several times. Then he carefully set her down on her feet and smiled at her.
“I guess that was one of the weirdest investigations we ever handled,” he said, chuckling and shaking his head.
“True,” she acknowledged. “But I loved every single minute of it!”
Their lips met in a feathery kiss, lingering for some endless seconds. Then Harm broke the contact, gave her a king size flyboy-grin and took their luggage. “Come on, jarhead, let’s go home and get well.”
THE END (Feedback always appreciated!)
A.N.: So, that’s it. I hope you liked it. I wanted to thank all of you who wrote reviews – you managed to make me keep going. Thank you for your encouragement! I think someone asked where I learnt my Italian. Well, I went to university in Venice for six months and have been engaged to an Italian ever since...
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