Harm’s
Hotel Room
San Diego
The next morning Mac woke up with a heavy weight on her chest. Forcing her eyes open, she glanced over at the warmth beside her. She couldn’t help the wide grin that spread across her face. Closing her eyes briefly, she indulged herself a little longer, allowing her fingers to doodle along the length of the arm lovingly draped across her.
Instinctively Harm tightened his hold on Mac. The soft caress of her delicate fingers across his arm was slowly waking up every part of his body. Shifting his weight closer to the source of his contentment, Harm’s eyes flew open wide when recognition dawned, this was not a dream, this was really Mac at his side. Slowly remembering the movie and her falling asleep in his arms, he was instantly filled with the same comfortable warmth that Mac had been enjoying since she’d woken up a short time earlier.
“Morning, beautiful.” Harm carefully leaned forward and gave Mac a short kiss on the cheek. “How’d you sleep?”
“Best night’s sleep I’ve had in a long time. You make a wonderful pillow.” Mac tried to hold back a giggle.
“I’m delighted you find me so amusing.” Harm mumbled, not wanting to move or let go of her.
Mac shook her head, if he only knew.
“Unfortunately, we need to get started if we’re going to look over those files, interview a few more people and go check out the lab.” Harm sat up, grudgingly releasing his hold on her.
“I’ll order breakfast in and get started if you want to hop in the shower first.” Mac suggested, not ready to move from her spot next to him on the bed just yet.
Harm seriously considered joking about sharing the shower but a twitching in his loins at the thought gave him good reason to quickly reconsider.
“Works for me.” Harm hurriedly turned his back to her in an attempt to avoid embarrassing himself.
A few minutes later Harm was out of the shower and ready to go to work.
“Breakfast isn’t here yet. I looked over the statements of some of the other pilots in his squadron, but no mention of a drinking problem. I think I’ll let you take over while I run and take a shower. Knock when breakfast gets here.” Mac slipped through the adjoining door to her room unaware of Harm’s eyes following her every step until the door closed shut quietly behind her.
Mac and breakfast arrived at pretty much the same time. Despite all their efforts, not a single thing stood out from any of the reports they’d read to support either claim.
“It would save time if you went to talk to the pilots and I went over to the lab.” Mac started packing up all the files while Harm set the breakfast trays outside the door.
“Normally, I’d agree. In this case I think I might stand a better chance of bonding with the pilots if I have a fellow marine by my side.” Harm shrugged and grinned at her.
“Maybe. Okay. We’ll hit the field first, then the lab.”
By 1300 they’d interviewed every pilot and RIO in Smith’s air group. Several were obviously, and perhaps grudgingly trying to cover for their friend, but not one was willing to deliver the blow that would cost Tom Smith his career.
They caught a quick bite to eat at a local dive hoping they might run into someone who would corroborate the bartender’s story from the night before.
Mac kicked Harm under the table when she saw a group of young female Ensigns come in accompanied by a Petty Officer.
“What do you suppose the odds are of two different Petty Officers hanging around with officers?” Mac’s eyes closely followed the group of sailors.
“I think we should ask the ladies a few questions.” Harm nodded and rose to follow Mac over to the other table.
“Excuse us, but we were hoping you could help us.” Immediately Mac noticed the Petty Officer dropped her gaze appearing very uncomfortable.
“We’re investigating the mishap with Majors Smith and Beardsley. We understand Major Smith frequented the O club. Would any of you happen to know him?”
Bingo! Even with her head down both Harm and Mac could see the flush rising in her cheeks.
The heads all turned to look at the Petty Officer before looking at each other and back again to Harm and Mac. “Sure we know him. Doesn’t everyone?” One of the women replied.
“Do they?” Harm smiled back. He was turning the charm on full force and both he and Mac knew it.
“Tom’s especially well known. It’s a shame about Jim. He was a nice guy. He didn’t deserve what happened to him.” Another from the group volunteered.
“Why especially Tom?” Harm continued. Mac had silently agreed it might be best to let him do the asking.
“Well, he likes being ‘social’. He’s probably made a pass at least once at every single female on base.” The forth member of the group rolled her eyes. “Maybe even the married ones.” She snorted.
“Even the enlisted?” Mac couldn’t resist chiming in.
“Sure, ask Sally here.” The first woman added again.
Harm and Mac turned to the timid Petty Officer just as she found the courage to look them in the eye.
“Is this true?” Harm asked, turning down the charm a few notches in an attempt to make her more comfortable. If she’d been chased by one pilot, she didn’t need another one laying it on thick.
“Yes, sir.” She answered softly.
It didn’t take long to get all the corroboration they needed. According to the ladies, everything the bartender had told them seemed to be common knowledge amongst just about everyone on the base. The only question nagging at Harm and Mac was why hadn’t any superior officers intervened.
They marched into the lab facility with a new mission, both convinced the problem had to be in the tox screen. It took pulling rank on a handful of people but eventually they were led to the technician who had done the lab work on Major Smith’s blood after the crash.
“May I help you.” The tech continued to stare into his microscope.
“Yes, we need information on the Smith blood work up. The tox screen in particular.” Mac spoke up. She smiled to herself inwardly, this man wasn’t fooling anyone but himself. He was hiding behind that microscope and both she and Harm knew it the moment they walked in the door.
“I’ve already filed my reports.” The young man replied unsuccessfully hiding the crack in his voice.
“We’ve seen it. We want to send the sample to an independent lab for reevaluation.” Mac glanced quickly at Harm to ensure they were both on the same page. The idea had only just occurred to her and she was hoping Harm would go with the bluff.
“There appears to be several discrepancies with eyewitness reports of Major Smith’s behavior and the results of your tox screen.” Harm added rather forcefully.
The immediate slump of his shoulders under the white lab coat was obvious. It was as though someone had just pulled the cap off an air valve. You could almost see him visibly deflate.
“I knew it wouldn’t work.” The man almost cried as he pulled himself away from behind the microscope. “As soon as I heard JAG was coming out I knew it wasn’t going to fly. When I heard you were asking everyone questions from the field house to the O club, I knew we were cooked.” The man turned to open a file cabinet behind him.
“Here, this is the correct report. Tom should never have taken off in the first place.” He let out a quiet sigh as he handed the file over to Mac.
“Why’d you do it?” Harm asked looking at the correct results over Mac’s shoulder.
“Money. My wife doesn’t like living on a military budget. Tom convinced me Jim was already gone and grounding him wouldn’t bring Jim back. I did make him swear on a stack of bibles he’d stop drinking before I agreed to anything. I just wasn’t thinking clearly.” He sighed.
By 1700 hours they were back in their room putting together their final report. Mac had already called Mrs. Beardsley to inform her of their findings. It was a small consolation, but knowing Tom Smith would never put another RIO’s life at risk was something for her to hang on to.
Mac was typing away on her laptop when Harm finished his call to Sturgis.
“Well it looks as though Captain Bligh isn’t so awful after all. Since we can’t get back to DC before tomorrow, he’s given us the rest of the week off.” Harm grinned mischievously.
“Just like that? No rants about the paperwork piling up?” Mac curled her eyebrows into one solid question mark.
“Well, there was one stipulation.” Harm shrugged one shoulder. “We’re supposed to say hi to my mom from him.”
“You're kidding? I guess it makes sense, if you two spent four years together at the academy, he would know your mother. Had I only known that’s all it took to soften him up, I’d have offered to come visit her sooner.” Mac laughed loudly, still somewhat incredulous at Sturgis’ generous offer.
“Now that we’ve settled that, what do you say to getting out of this place and having a nice seafood dinner?”
“You won’t have to twist my arm.” Mac smiled.
“Good,
you go put on something that’ll work for dinner and dancing, and
we’ll make a night of it. Then, we can drive to La Jolla tomorrow
morning and spend the next three days basking in the southern California
sun.”