At His Command

by Karen Anders

  “Do you know anything about Washington harassing Lieutenant Susan Cotes?”

  Monroe sighed. “Eli was shocked when he discovered the woman wasn’t interested and it wasn’t because of his good looks. Eli never had a problem with the ladies. He said she was into him, but he didn’t say why.”

  “And that’s why he was shocked when she filed the sexual harassment charge?”

  “Yes, when she told him, he was floored. He called her crazy and accused her of giving him mixed signals.”

  “He didn’t elaborate on what the mixed signals were, though?”

  “No. He didn’t say. He might have been a ladies man, but he was closemouthed about his exploits.”

  “A true gentleman, huh?”

  “Yeah.” Monroe paused. “The scuttlebutt floating around is pilot error. I hope that’s not the case. With Saunders’s crash and now Eli, there’s going to be some serious consequences for us if this is pilot error. A lot of scrutiny.”

  “Our investigation isn’t complete. Let me know if you can think of anything else that might be important.”

  “Will do.”

  * * *

  Sia navigated her way to the captain’s quarters and knocked on the door. He answered and she stepped inside. “I have a few questions regarding a sexual harassment charge Lieutenant Susan Cotes filed against Washington.”

  “You think this is relevant in Washington’s death?”

  “We still don’t have enough evidence he was murdered and we’re following the leads we find. Cotes had a beef with Washington.”

  “She did. She was pretty upset when she came to me about it. It seems she was confused with the way he was harassing her.”

  “The notes?”

  “Yes.”

  “Could I see them?”

  The captain went to his desk and pulled a file.

  Sia opened the file and found the notes were typewritten, with lascivious messages printed on them. They were signed simply “Eli.”

  “These are not handwritten. If you’re wooing a woman, seems like you’d pull out all the stops.”

  “I’m not sure. I didn’t get an opportunity to talk to him before he died.”

  “Could I have permission to search his rack?”

  “Yes, go ahead.”

  When she turned to leave, the captain’s voice stopped her.

  “Before you go, Commander, footage of both crashes your partner wanted to review are on this flash drive. I’ve had some pushback from Senator Washington. He wants answers about his son’s death. Unless you want the senator touching down on this carrier, you’d better wrap this up.” She reached for the flash drive, but he didn’t immediately let go of it. She looked into his piercing blue eyes and realized why he was in command of an aircraft carrier. “He’s not alone, Commander. I want them, too.”

  He let go of the flash drive and Sia tucked it into her briefcase.

  “With all due respect, sir, rushing an investigation is counterproductive.”

  “Noted. Do it right, Commander, and do it fast.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Sia left and headed right to Washington’s rack. Donning gloves, she began to search. It wasn’t long before she came across folded papers tucked under his mattress. After she opened them and read them, Sia realized they shed a whole new light on Susan Cotes and her sexual harassment story.

  In lieu of the evidence she had in her hand, she had a couple more questions for the captain. But once she got to his quarters, she found he wasn’t there. When she bumped into the XO on the way to the bridge, he told her the captain had been called to the bridge.

  She headed there, and as she was going to ascend the ladder she heard the sound of a helo. It was a large one and it hovered over the deck for only a few seconds before touching down.

  She saw that the captain was on the flight deck waiting for the helo to land and she changed directions, making her way down to the flight deck. Her stomach dropped when she saw the official government emblem on the side of the helo.

  When she reached the small knot of men hovering around a tall, distinguished man, Sia felt a jolt.

  Senator Washington had landed on the deck of the U.S.S. James McCloud, and from the determined look on his face, she could tell he wanted answers.

  And he wanted them now.

  Chapter 7

  She approached the captain, and the steely brown eyes of the senator turned her way. “Is this the JAG handling the case?” he demanded.

  “Sir,” Sia said, reaching out a hand to him, but he just eyed her, the grief of his son’s death plain in his eyes.

  “I’m not here for a social visit, Commander. I’m here for who is responsible for my son’s death. I’ve heard that it may not have been an accident.”

  “We do have some leads, sir. But our investigation is still ongoing and I don’t—”

  “You will brief me in fifteen minutes, Commander, in the captain’s conference room.”

  “Sir.”

  “Is that a problem?”

  “No, sir.”

  He indicated for the captain to show him the way, and with a knowing look, he left with his entourage and the captain.

  Scowling, Sia turned back to the interior of the ship. She needed to get back to Legal and talk to Chris before he was blindsided by the senator. He wouldn’t be pleased to find out that she’d already had a run-in with him without Chris present. As the lead investigator, it was a responsibility he would consider his. If there was one thing she knew about Chris, it was that he wouldn’t shirk this responsibility. She’d better get a move on and find him right away.

  Sia headed back to the legal office. As she got to the top of the ladder, she felt two hands in the middle of her back. Before she could react, she was shoved violently. Losing her footing, she tumbled down the first three ladder steps before grabbing on to the handrail to stop herself from falling farther. Looking up, she caught a glimpse of something yellow ducking around the corner of the bulkhead.

  “Ma’am. Are you all right?”

  A seaman helped her to stand. Feeling shaky, Sia held on to the handrail until she felt more solid. “Can I escort you to sick bay, ma’am?”

  “No, that won’t be necessary, but thank you for your help.” When she faced the young man, she recognized him from yesterday. “Oh, Ensign Brant. We talked yesterday in the Carrier Air Traffic Control Center.”

  “Yes, ma’am, I remember. I know how easy it is to fall. Takes some time to get used to the movement of a ship. When Lieutenant Cotes was training me…”

  She grabbed his arm. The information he’d so innocently given her made her forget about her pain from the fall. “You replaced Lieutenant Cotes?”

  Her reaction made his voice hesitate. “Yes, she went on to handling and I filled her vacancy.”

  Sia’s hand tightened on his arm. “She’s knowledgeable in radar systems?”

  He looked down at her hand and up to her face. He nodded. “I’d say. She’s a whiz.”

  “Thank you, Ensign. I appreciate your help.”

  This time she was sure she had been pushed and she was now sure she had herself a prime suspect, but that would have to wait until after she spoke to the senator. At least they had something solid to move the investigation forward. She was sure they would soon have a person in custody. Back at the legal office, she initiated contact with her legalman.

  “McBride, how are you coming with that search for me on Master Chief Walker?”

  His look was apologetic. “I got pulled off it, ma’am, by the captain, but I can get back to it tomorrow,” he promised.

  “Tomorrow?”

  “It’s almost closing time here. Remember, a six-hour difference.”

  “Of course. It’s only morning here. If the captain tries to commandeer you again, tell him this is for the Washington case. He’ll understand.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Sia couldn’t keep the excitement out of her voice. “I want you to extend that s
earch for me. In fact, make it a priority over the master chief. Search previous billets for Lieutenant Susan Cotes, and I want to know about any pilot deaths, no matter what they are.”

  “Yes, ma’am. First thing tomorrow morning.”

  “You found something on Cotes?”

  She turned to find Chris standing behind her and he sounded peeved. “Yes, when I searched Washington’s rack, I discovered these.”

  Chris rifled through the pages and his head popped up, his eyes gleaming. “Typewritten notes from Cotes?”

  “Yes, which means she was participating in this game they were playing and if the captain had talked to Washington, then he would have discovered her sexual harassment charge was bogus.” The more evidence she gathered on this woman, the clearer it looked that she was the one they were looking for.

  “She lied to us,” Chris said, his voice a growl. “We’ll need her back in here.”

  “The captain gave me the footage you requested.” She pulled the flash drive out of her pocket. He took it out of her resisting fingers. “It would have been nice to know you requested access so I don’t look like an idiot.”

  “Just like you withheld the autopsy from me?” He shot the words back at her like a bullet from a smoking gun.

  She shrugged. “It’s not the same thing.”

  He snorted. “Yes, it is. You admitted you still blame me. That’s the real reason you’re chafing at my control of this case. Admit it.”

  Sia brought up her arm to press her fingers against her suddenly throbbing temples. The man had a way of giving her a headache.

  He grabbed her wrist. His eyes were stormy. “You’re bleeding.”

  “What?” She looked at him as if she’d gone dumb.

  “Your arm. You’re bleeding. What happened?”

  The concern in his eyes was genuine. After all they had been through and were still going through, Chris never changed. She felt the warmth of his body, the strength that poured effortlessly out of him, while he did nothing more than stand there. And she wanted to wrap herself in it, just for a moment or two, just long enough to draw strength from him and get her bearings back. But genuine or not, there was too much between them for a simple tug and hug. “I got pushed—again.”

  He scowled. “Then the first time was no accident.”

  She tried to get her wrist back, but he wouldn’t let go. “No, it wasn’t, and when I looked up I caught a glimpse of yellow.”

  His eyes flashed. “Like Cotes’s yellow tunic?”

  “Yes.”

  “Be careful, you’re going to smear it all over your uniform.” He pulled her over to a first-aid kit.

  “You know, I can handle this myself,” she said wryly.

  He shrugged off her words and opened the kit, selecting a small, square package. Ripping it open, he unfolded the small pad inside. “It’s in a hard-to-reach place on your forearm. I’ll get it.”

  He wiped away the blood with the alcohol pad and it stung a bit. Sia went to pull away, but his grip was too strong. “What were you talking to McBride about?”

  “I asked him to compile a list of all pilots who have died aboard the McCloud. Everything, including deaths ruled as accidents.” He placed a bandage over the cut, his touch branding her with little licks of fire. “She lied about sending Washington notes and I discovered from Ensign Brant in air traffic control she was previously in that position and had been his training officer.”

  He raised his head from his work and looked at her, understanding dawning. “So she’s familiar with radar.”

  The pain diminished to a dull throb now that the cut had been treated. Sia was happy to put some distance between them. “Yes, that’s as far as I’ve gotten. I was going to look at her file more closely.”

  “We can do that now.”

  “No. That’s going to have to wait,” Sia said.

  “Why?”

  “Senator Washington is here and he wants to meet with us in the captain’s conference room, now.”

  Chris sighed. “It’s counterproductive for him to come here and demand answers when we haven’t finished the investigation.”

  “We both know that. But he’s grieving, Chris. We…we both know what that feels like. I can’t say that I don’t sympathize with him. In his shoes, I’d want answers, too.”

  “All right, but I want to come back here afterward and look up her file.”

  “We need to look at that footage, too, before we bring her back in here.”

  “Agreed. Can we agree on something else?”

  “What’s that?”

  “You stick close to me or, at the very least, call for a master-at-arms if I’m not available or we have to split up?”

  “All right. That’s something I can agree to.” When they reached the conference room, Chris knocked on the door. The captain said, “Enter.”

  Sia and Chris walked through the door. The senator was sitting at the head of the table, his two aides on either side of him. One was working on a laptop and the other one was speaking to the senator in low tones.

  Sia stood at attention until the captain asked her and Chris to sit down.

  “I want to know what progress you’ve made on the investigation into my son’s death. I can’t sit in Washington anymore and get no report.”

  “Sir, as Commander Soto has told you, we are working on some solid leads.”

  “What are these leads? Did someone murder my boy?” His voice was authoritative, but underlined in raw sorrow.

  Sia shifted uncomfortably. She remembered what had happened at the graveside when her father had verbally and physically attacked Chris. She knew he was remembering that day. He had to be.

  She just hoped he didn’t lose his cool, as he had back then.

  She expected Chris to close down, to get tough, but instead his eyes went soft, filled with a knowing sympathy. “Sir, I know how you feel. I’ve been there. But at this time, we can’t really reveal what we know because we haven’t fully investigated what we have.”

  “You damn well will tell me what you know! You’ll tell me now!” the senator bellowed.

  When Chris didn’t answer immediately, the senator rose. “Are you refusing to tell me what you know?”

  “It’s more complicated than that, sir.”

  “Complicated? Either someone killed my boy or not! There’s nothing complicated about it and I want to know who it is.”

  Sia understood why Chris was being closemouthed about their leads. It wouldn’t be conducive to the investigation if the obviously agitated senator went after Susan Cotes before they could question her.

  “We have a suspect that we have identified.”

  Snarling, the senator rounded the table. Chris rose to face him. The senator jabbed at Chris’s sternum hard with his forefinger. “I’m going to ask politely once more.”

  “Senator…”

  “You stay out of this, Captain.”

  Sia rose, too, and stood shoulder to shoulder with Chris.

  Chris’s voice sliced the thick air like a lethal knife. “With all due respect, Senator Washington, that information will remain confidential until we have gathered all our evidence.”

  The senator, fueled by grief and anger, shoved Chris hard against the bulkhead. Both aides and the captain went to intervene, but Chris held up his hand to them. Softly he said, “I know what you’re going through. But if you push this, you could ruin the investigation, taint our suspect and derail our interrogation. The suspect could walk. I know you want justice for Eli. That’s what we want, too, and we’ll do everything in our power to make it happen. We think Eli is worth that consideration and time. Do you?”

  Everything inside the senator crumbled. The anger that had cloaked him vanished, leaving him naked and vulnerable.

  “I just want my boy back,” he whispered. The captain ushered the shocked aides out of the conference room and shut the door behind him.

  Sia put a hand on the senator’s arm. His face crumpled and tears ra
n down his face. Sia’s heart squeezed tight and she wrapped her arms around the inconsolable man.

  Her eyes met Chris’s over the senator’s shoulder. He was the one she wanted to hold. The bleak look in his eyes told her that keeping information from the senator about his son’s possible killer had taken a toll. But the courage and the skillful way he’d defused the situation made her heart catch in her chest. Hollis surely had been right.

  It only made Sia more ashamed of how she’d treated him six years ago.

  After seeing the senator to the helo and assuring him that he would have answers soon, Chris and Sia watched him take off. They headed back to the legal office, but found Billy had a few people inside that made it a bit crowded. Since Chris was bunking with a roommate, Sia suggested they go to her stateroom.

  Once inside, Sia booted up her computer to check for emails. “Nothing from him yet.” She looked at her watch. “Oh, damn. He’s probably gone home. I’ll check with him tomorrow. Let’s review the footage.”

  Sia plugged the flash drive into her computer and started the file. They watched as the jets approached. It was easy to see which plane was Monroe’s and which one was Washington’s. It was clear the second plane’s pilot was in distress. Monroe landed his craft without incident, just as he’d said.

  “Washington is flying too low,” Chris said. He watched closely as the jet clipped the edge of the ship and skidded.

  As she watched Sia couldn’t help thinking about her brother. How it must have been for him at the end. Seeing the crash also made her think of Chris. How it had been for him when his jet had collided with her brother’s. Tears gathered in her eyes and she quickly brushed them away. She minimized the footage.

  She looked at Chris, but instead of the emotion she expected to see, he looked puzzled and unsettled. She replayed the footage and paused it just as the jets came alongside each other, their wings almost touching.

  She could almost imagine the plane on the right was her brother’s and the one on the left Chris’s. She could also imagine how they must have collided.

  Back then it had seemed cut-and-dried. Pilot error. But now in light of the two pilot deaths, Sia wasn’t so sure anymore.