“Listen, Eric, for what it’s worth, this is a great thing you’re doing for Abby.”
Long after he left, Eric watched the bedroom door, looking in to where and Abby and Rachel were sheltered, protected. It was the safest place for them to be, under his care, his watch, and no one could get to them.
Chapter Twenty Four
“So, what time are you meeting with Mary-Jo?” Joe asked.
Joan lowered her coffee back to the table in the wardroom with a soft thud. She watched as Joe walked over to the thermos of coffee and poured himself one, turning to her with a careful, concealed expectation in his eyes. She was aware of a lot of things about Joe. First, there was the fact that he was the sexiest man—next to the captain, that is—that she’d ever seen. He was well muscled, tall, and ruggedly handsome, with a boyish mischievous grin and smile that knocked her on her ass and did all kinds of fluttery things to her heart. She loved talking to him, being around him, and she enjoyed the banter that went back and forth between them.
“Soon. I presume you’d like to be present?” Joan asked, smiling as she took another sip of coffee.
Grinning, he lifted his coffee to take a quick sip, swallowing. “Yeah, if you don’t mind, I know this is your investigation, but I’d kind of like to be there.”
“Sure, that’s fine. Just let me lead the questions, and please don’t interrupt,” she muttered, unable to contain the smile that pulled at the corner of her mouth.
Quirking his brows, he winked, and she wondered if he was flirting with her. “Okay, thanks.” He sat right across from her.
Pushing away from the table, Joan walked over to the thermos to refill her own coffee. With her back to him, she struggled to suppress the way her body seemed to have a mind of its own, with the physical attraction she felt toward him. From the moment they met, the attraction, the chemistry had been there. He was handsome in a softer way, with a charm and charisma surrounding him, though not ruggedly, so like the captain.
Her hand was shaking when she picked up her mug, took a sip, and then walked around the other side, catching a whiff of his scent. Damn, the man didn’t even have to wear cologne to drive her half wild. She felt her cheeks heat, and then she glanced over at him as he appeared lost in thought, scribbling notes on a piece of paper. Then he slid his chair back and picked up the phone behind him. She didn’t have a clue who he was calling.
“Listen, I need to get a call out to my wife. Can you set it up, Chief?” he asked.
Her heart plummeted right down to her toes, and her stomach felt as if it was full of lead. So he was married after all. She wondered now if she had imagined the whole thing. Maybe he was just being nice to pathetic old Joan instead of flirting. Hell, the last time she’d had a date was a few years ago, so she was definitely rusty. She sat like an old lady in the chair across from him and lowered her head, staring down at the page of notes, but she couldn’t read a damn thing.
“That would be great. I’m down in the wardroom right now. Great, thanks, Chief.” He hung up the phone and scooted his chair back over.
Married, he was married. It kept running through her mind, and she couldn’t look at him because she’d almost done something stupid, and she wasn’t ever going down that road again, chasing a married man.
“We didn’t have a chance to talk about the statement you got from the other two ladies. Did anything come from them?” Joe leaned on the table, and she could feel him watching her. She didn’t look up at him as she shook her head. Instead, she pretended to read. “Commander, is everything okay?” Joe asked, and he really did sound concerned.
Don’t let him see you’re upset. The warning raced through her mind, so she pasted the best smile she could on her face and looked across the table at his puzzled expression. “Sorry, Joe, just preoccupied with this. You know, one thing is that when I talked to the two ladies, Mary-Jo and Jennifer both said they left before Gail started speaking of a plan to get back at the captain. And, just for the record, they both used the term ‘get back at him.’”
Joe had this look about him, as he gave her all of his attention, that had her wondering what it would be like to be married and have someone give all of himself to her.
“She never came right out and said she was filing this accusation against him, but the conversation in their quarters supposedly took place after the incident. Gail brought up the name of a lady commander whom she wanted to replace the captain on this ship.” Joan took her pen and tapped the file folder. “According to both their statements, Gail asked for their support if she filed a grievance against him. She even went so far as to ask them to simply agree with what she put in the statement. Now, for the record, both Cassie and Brandy said they told her they would never do anything so malicious. At the time, that had been the end of it.”
An abrupt knock at the door startled them both. “Enter,” Joe responded, swiveling his chair toward the door.
Mary-Jo appeared unruffled and in control. “Petty Officer Mary-Jo Johnson, sir, ma’am.”
“At ease, sailor. Sit down,” said Joan as she directed Mary-Jo to a chair at the head of the table, between both her and Joe. As Mary-Jo sat, she remained at attention. “At ease. I presume you know why I summoned you here,” Joan said.
It was not a question, but Mary-Jo gave a stern nod and then glanced at Joe, who gestured toward the commander. She faced the commander. “Yes, ma’am.”
“I understand that on Friday, June nineteenth, at about twenty-one hundred hours, in your bunkroom, a conversation was initiated by Gail Carruthers.”
Nodding to the commander, Mary-Jo retained the annoyance in her composure.
“I would like you to tell me the details of the conversation.” Joan kept her voice even and steady. Even a fool could pick up the anger that flickered in Mary-Jo’s eyes just at the mention of Gail’s name.
“She was mouthing off,” Mary-Jo began. “She’s trouble, that one. She was pissed off with the captain over something, and she ran off at the mouth about the way he treated her, saying the only reason he did it was because she was a woman.”
“Treated what way, Johnson?” Joan reined in her curiosity so as not to lead Mary-Jo in her questioning. Doing her best to appear neutral, she needed to keep the conversation on track and gather facts.
“I’m not sure of everything. She didn’t really say, but something happened that pissed her off. She did say she wanted to knock him off his high horse. Then she reminded us of his hatred of women.”
Joan directed a questioning look at Joe. He waved his hand and said, “Later.” Mary-Jo’s eyes danced with a hint of smile from that remark, Joan noted.
“Can you tell me anything about the plan she was hinting at?” she asked.
“She said she wanted to file a discrimination suit against him and wanted our help. She also spoke of some lady commander she would like to have here on the ship in his place.”
Joan nodded as she scribbled notes on a piece of paper under Mary-Jo’s name, making note of the date and time of this interview. “What did she mean about a discrimination suit?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t give her a chance to talk about it. I lit into that girl and told her to drop it. Then I left. I never heard another word until I heard about her charges against the cap’n.” Pausing briefly, she licked her lips, leaned forward, and hesitatingly asked, “Ma’am, sir, may I speak freely?”
Both Joe and Joan nodded and gestured with open hands. “Please go ahead,” Joan said, and she put down her pen, clasped her hands, and leaned forward on the table, giving the girl her full attention.
“That girl is trouble, and I knew it from the first time we met. I don’t know the captain well, just what I heard of him and some sharp remarks he made to me when I first came on board. But from what I do know, there’s no way this is true. That girl made the story up as sure as I’m sittin’ here. She’s a schemer. I know her type. I don’t know what else I can say to help, but I hope it’s enough to get the cap’n of
f the hook. She’s poison just to have around, and she’s good at getting people to do what she wants. We all know it. Everyone on board does. We just avoid her.”
The more she spoke, the more pronounced her southern accent became. Joan noticed the accent was something the girl had worked on.
“Thank you for your statement, Mary-Jo. I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t discuss it with anyone, and I may want to talk to you again.”
She stood up and offered a quick salute, acknowledging both Joe and Joan before taking her leave. After Mary-Jo pulled the door closed behind her, Joan just stared at Joe.
“Well, well, well, it isn’t looking too good for Miss Carruthers. If anything, let’s just suppose it to say that it appears to be a personal vendetta, which can be motive enough for her to create this story. The statements we have so far corroborate that she was looking to get back at him, from this alone. This goes a long way to poke holes in her story. He’s a decorated officer. She has trouble even fitting in. We could probably make this go away, but I think we owe it to the man to try to get his name cleared.”
Rising from her chair, Joan shone a broad smile, which widened as she paced the floor, back and forth in front of the table. “I also would like to bring charges against this lady for filing a false report. You know, Lieutenant, it’s not okay for any woman or a man to lie and bring a false charge. All this is going to do is hurt a lot of women in the military now who are being brutalized and assaulted. No, she has to be held accountable, but I’ll need more concrete evidence before I can do that. I would also like to talk to this Abby today, if possible.”
Shaking his head, Joe held up his hand, palm forward, to stop her. “I’m sure you heard Abby just had her baby last night.”
Joan leaned against the table and crossed her arms “Actually, no, I didn’t. I’m afraid I haven’t talked to anyone this morning yet.”
“Late last night, she had a baby girl. She’s resting in the captain’s cabin.”
Joan’s brows rose, but she said nothing, instead giving Joe her full attention.
He leaned forward on his elbows on the table. “She went into labor late last night with no one around.” He shrugged. “I don’t know why she didn’t call me—the phone was within easy reach. Anyway, she made her way to the captain’s cabin, where she delivered her daughter. She’ll be moved back to sickbay at the end of the week. We can talk to her then.”
Joe pushed himself out of the chair, walked to where she sat, and then crossed his arms in front of him. “You should know the captain insists on being present when you talk to her. She is under his protection right now.”
“Protection? Is there something I haven’t been told?”
“I’d better let the captain tell you. He knows more about it than me.”
“It is totally inappropriate for him to be present, and you know that,” she snapped.
His voice softened. “Please, Joan, this is important. I would appreciate it if you would concede on this. He wants to make sure you don’t upset her.”
She was stumped as to who this woman was. She’d met the captain, heard stories about him, too. Why was he so protective of this woman? “Fine, just make sure he understands that I’ll be conducting the interview and I want no interference from him. And, by the way, I’m curious: Who is she? I mean, a pregnant woman here on a US military ship in hostile territory? She’s not in the Navy, because there are regulations that pregnant sailors aren’t allowed on ships, but now there is a newborn baby here, too? Come on, Joe. A lot of holes need to be filled in here about her and exactly what the captain’s relationship is with her.”
“Look, Joan, you need to ask the captain these questions.” Clasping his hands, he leaned forward. “Eric’s a good man. I haven’t known you very long, and I would never try to influence this investigation, but you need to understand that he didn’t do this. I’d appreciate it if you cut him some slack, especially where Abby’s concerned. He cares for her very much and is very protective of her.”
With a heavy sigh, she shook her head. “You’re trying to tell me he’s going to make this interview with Abby difficult, aren’t you?” She was hypnotized by his charming smile even though she knew he was married. “Okay, I hear you. I’ll cut him some slack.” Joan stood up, walked back over to the table, reached down, and picked up the file. She gazed up and fixed Joe with a questioning glance. “I want to ask you something, off the record, of course. What exactly did Mary-Jo mean by ‘his reputation’?” She gestured toward the door with her hand.
Flinching, Joe scraped a rough hand over his forehead. He laughed, walked back to his chair, and plopped into it while gesturing for her to do the same. “I’m surprised you didn’t already know.”
Joan pulled out her chair and sank back into the leather, scooting the chair forward. “Fill me in.”
“Eric is old school. Actually, probably not even from this century. He believes women have no place in the military. He’s never made it a secret, either. He believes a woman’s place is in the home, looking after her husband and family. He has very strong views on men as providers and protectors of their women and children. He doesn’t hate women, as you might think, but unfortunately he has gone on the record stating that they break all the gender rules by wanting a career in the military. I believe this may be the reason, or one of them, that Gail Carruthers filed her accusation. The Captain has pissed off a lot of women over the years. I mean, look at your first meeting with him.”
Joan snapped the pencil she had picked up in half. She was still stuck on the part where a woman’s place was in the home. Joe appeared so serious, and she realized as she watched him that he was serious. She couldn’t help it when she leaned back and laughed.
It took her a minute to catch her breath. “Well, that tells me a lot. Frankly, I don’t think I’ve ever met any man who shares those beliefs. Actually, let me rephrase that, because it’s not true. I’ve never met anyone who is open enough to voice his opinion like that, and, if I understand you correctly, he has no problem voicing that opinion to anyone, male or female. Correct?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “He’s honest, and you should know he doesn’t sugarcoat anything. What you see is what you get.”
She shook her head, then covered her mouth with the palm of her hand, desperate but unsuccessful in suppressing further laughter. Finally, she finished and wiped at the tears in her eyes with the back of her hand. “Well, you know what? I’m okay with that, and I respect that because it’s honest. Well, he must really love me, then—a woman conducting the investigation. That certainly fills in a lot of unanswered questions for me. Thanks, Joe.” She threw him a mock salute.
Joe gave an awkward smile. “You’re welcome, I think.”
“What does your wife think about the captain? I mean, you’re good friends and all.”
“She just smiles when he jams his foot in his mouth about a woman’s place, then laughs and walks away.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
“Excuse me, Captain. Do you have a minute?” Joan asked as she peered around the corner in the captain’s quarters. It was dusk, after the dinner hour, a time Joan knew Eric was less likely to be disturbed. He looked up with tired kindness, then gestured with his hand to one of the chairs in front of his desk.
“Absolutely, Commander. Come on in, have a seat.” He sorted his papers together and shoved them in the bottom drawer of his desk.
Joan was aware that Abby had been moved back to sickbay that day after spending four nights in his quarters. She was thankful for that, because she had a feeling the captain cared very much for this young lady, and this was a conversation she didn’t want her to overhear.
“Is there something going on with the investigation, something new you have come up with?” Eric asked.
“Actually, I have a few questions regarding Abby that I am not quite clear on.” She watched as he tensed, then locked his whiskey-color eyes on her. For a moment, she thought he was shooting her a warning
.
“Oh, and what questions are those?”
Here it goes, she thought. “I’m curious: Why is Abby under your protection, and who is she? I mean, where did she come from? A pregnant Caucasian woman out here, why?
Eric sighed heavily as he hefted himself out of the chair and walked around the desk. He shut the door before returning to his seat, resting his hands before him on the desk and then clasping them together. “We found Abby in a dinghy. She had been there for a while, beaten up. She is an American citizen who was kidnapped in Paris. What we have been able to piece together from Intel and Abby is that she was sold at an auction to an Arab man.”
Joan felt the bile burn in her stomach. She was aware this happened to women, but she feared what Eric was going to say next. She wondered just how bad it was for her, what she may have had to endure, and for a moment she didn’t want to know. She felt tears burn in her eyes, and she fought to hold them back as she listened to his account of what she had survived, and her escape.
Joan closed her eyes, trying to shut out the abused image that appeared in her mind. She knew whatever she was picturing would have been a blessing compared to what Abby had actually withstood. She felt the warm tear drench her cheek. She quickly wiped it away as she roughly cleared her throat. “Thank you for sharing that, Captain. I didn’t know.” He didn’t need to say any more. She understood now why he was so protective of her, and it made her want help him more than she already was. “So what happens to her now? Will she go home?”
“Eventually. I’m making arrangements for her now,” he said. He was ending the conversation. Joan saw the hardness in his jaw as he leaned forward. He said nothing further, and Joan took the cue to leave. Emotionally battered herself, she needed to think and put some perspective on this.
“Thank you, Captain. I appreciate your candor. How is Abby doing emotionally?”
He looked away, and everything about him softened. “She’s going to be okay. I’ll make sure of it.”
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