Silent Witness

by Lindsay McKenna

  “The hell it isn’t,” he barked, and stabbed his finger at her. “Kane was always perfect. Her uniform never had a wrinkle or a crease. Her desk always looked like it was ready for the I.G.” Resentment colored his tone. “She had everyone here at Top Gun thinking she was such a model of perfection. She flew like most of us dreamed of flying. She had all the right credentials, went to all the right schools and got 4.0s. She never picked up a drink. And worst of all, she never tried to fit into our world.” His mouth flattened. “She made me sick.”

  “But that wasn’t directed at you, Commander. Why did you take everything she did so personally? I don’t understand,” Ellen choked out in fury.

  “Navy brats are something else, Agent Tanner. Raised in luxury and privilege. Well, I came up the hard way,” he said hoarsely. “I didn’t have any Navy captain father helping me get all the plush assignments.”

  “You’re wrong, Mr. Hodges. It wasn’t like that for Susan at all,” Ellen protested. “And Susan was not like your mother!”

  He glared at her. “You keep my mother out of this!”

  “Susan earned everything she ever got in life—”

  “Well, so the hell did I! I’ve got dreams I want to fulfill, Agent Tanner. Dreams I’ve had since I was a kid. And no one’s going to stand in the way of them coming true. Once I make my rank, I’m up for assignment to a carrier as a squadron commander. I want that plum. I’ve earned it. After that I’m off to the war college, and later I’ll get placed on the captains list. I’ve got my life mapped out. I’ve gotten my ticket punched at all the right stops. And she was the only fly in the ointment. Because of what happened at Ares, Kane could have ruined my plans. She thought she was so smug, marching up to me on that patio and demanding I put two squadron mates on report for a little ass pinching.”

  “It was more than that and you know it!” Ellen struck the desk with her closed fist. “Why should any woman stand for that kind of humiliation and subjugation? You and your men were wrong, Mr. Hodges.”

  “Get real, will you? It’s been going on for years. It isn’t my fault Kane walked in blind, deaf and dumb. You play in the men’s house, you play by our rules. Those bitches got what they deserved. I commanded Kane to get her stuff in order. I told her she had to resign her commission within the next five days. It wasn’t up for discussion.”

  Ellen’s nostrils flared. “You’re part of what’s rotten within the military system—you know that, Commander Hodges? But you’re not only hurting women, you hurt good men, too, by your attitude and manipulation. Thank God not every Navy aviator is like you.”

  Coldly, Hodges growled, “There’s no room in this man’s Navy for women. Especially women like Kane, who won’t abide by the rules and traditions. She was willing to break the code of silence and ruin my career. We didn’t trust her to honor our system. Wake up and smell the coffee, Agent Tanner.” He jabbed a finger at the photo. “I warned Kane that if I didn’t hear of her resigning within five days, I was going to circulate copies of this photo to everyone I could think of—inside the Navy and to her family. I’ll bet her father would have died of shame. I told her that her two brothers’ careers would go down the tubes, as well. I reminded her that she would be the cause.”

  “Tell me, where are the photos now?” Cochrane asked, trying to throttle the fury in his voice.

  Hodges wiped his brow yet again. “They’re in a desk at my condo.”

  Cochrane saw the rage and tears in Ellen’s eyes. He saw her fighting to keep her temper from exploding directly at Hodges.

  “Does anyone else have access to these pictures?” Cochrane demanded.

  “Michelson and Bassett know I have them at my home. When we came back from Ares, we drove over there and I showed them where I put the photos. There were no secrets. We were all involved.”

  “So either of them could have gotten the photos at any time?” He saw Hodges’s eyes narrow with fury. Leaning back in his chair, Cochrane studied the sweating pilot. He was going to let Hodges think that Michelson had taken one and squealed on him. That the photo he’d seen earlier had been turned over by the lieutenant. Hodges couldn’t drive home to look for them. He had a TDY flight to catch in an hour. No, Hodges would have to wait until he arrived back at the base at noon tomorrow to find out for sure. Even though Hodges would find all four of them, but by that time, it would be too late; he’d already have spilled the beans to them, which was what Cochrane had wanted.

  “Yeah, that’s right. They could’ve retrieved the photos….”

  “Do you know Lieutenant Commander Brad Kane? Susan’s brother?”

  Hodges looked at him questioningly.

  “It seems to me,” Cochrane drawled, picking up a pen, “that you might know him.”

  Running his hand along the edge of his collar, Hodges croaked, “Yeah, I know him.”

  “Did you see him at the Ares Conference? At the Barstow?”

  “Yes…I did.”

  “Was he aware of what you did to Susan? Slipping her a drugged drink and then taking those inflammatory photos?”

  “Er…no, he wasn’t.”

  Cochrane shifted his gaze to Ellen, who had gone white. Below the edge of the table, her hands were clenching and unclenching in her lap. He wanted desperately to help her, but couldn’t. Their eyes met. He saw the anger, the unfairness of it all, in her green gaze. For the good of the investigation, Cochrane shifted his attention back to Hodges. “Reckon I’m curious,” he said. “We found one of Brad Kane’s fingerprints on the teddy bear that Susan Kane was holding when she died.” He drilled Hodges with a dark look. “What do you know about that?”

  “Hey!” Hodges said sharply, suddenly standing and shoving in his chair. “I didn’t kill her! I know that’s what you think, but I didn’t do it!”

  “How does Brad Kane fit into all of this, then?” Cochrane asked, keeping his voice deceptively soft.

  Pacing back and forth, Hodges muttered, “I contacted him on his carrier and told him that Susan was going to turn several of us in for a misunderstanding over a little bumping and kidding that took place at the defense contractor suites at Ares. I told him Susan was blowing our actions out of proportion, that she was using the sexual harassment boondoggle and was likely to squeal on us. We talked and I told him the only solution was for her to resign for the good of the Navy. He was to arrange emergency leave and talk her into resigning her commission.”

  “So, you lied to him. You made him think Susan was going to break the code of silence?”

  Bitterly, Hodges said, “Yes. He’s a brother aviator. He’s not about to let anyone break the code among us, not even his sister.”

  “Before talking to Susan, Brad Kane knew nothing of the photos you took of her. Is that correct?”

  “That’s right.”

  “Does he know about them now? Since she died?”

  Startled, Hodges retorted, “Hell, no! I didn’t think she’d tell him. I knew he wasn’t aware of them because of our conversations leading up to him going to see her.”

  “So Brad Kane took emergency leave. When did he arrive in La Mesa to see Susan?”

  Rubbing his brow, Hodges said, “He left the carrier on June 20th and he flew back on June 23rd. After he got back on the carrier, he called me to tell me he’d seen her and told her to resign.”

  “What else?”

  Hodges stopped pacing for a moment and clasped his hands behind his back, in the classic at-ease position. “I guess they’d had a fight. He didn’t give me any details.”

  “Was Susan going to resign?”

  “Yes, he said she would.”

  Ellen said tightly, “You set them both up. Brad went in thinking that Susan was going to tell all and ruin three aviators’ careers. Susan thought you were going to send those photos throughout the Navy community and to her family.”

  Hodges frowned. “Look, I didn’t know she was going to kill herself, for chrissakes. How was I to know? I wanted to put family pressure on her
because I wasn’t sure she was going to resign even under the threat of the photos. She comes from a military dynasty. I was relying on the fact she’d do it to protect her family. Okay?”

  Ellen glanced at Cochrane, and he could see tears in her eyes. He wanted to shield her from this kind of awful human behavior, but he couldn’t.

  He shook his head. “What was Commander Kane’s mood when he contacted you by phone?”

  “He was pretty clipped and uptight sounding.”

  “Susan hadn’t told him you’d taken those photos of her?”

  “No, apparently she didn’t.” Hodges shrugged. “I was sweating that part.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I wasn’t sure if Brad Kane would condone what we did. I knew he’d back us to keep the code of silence. But I wasn’t sure what he’d do if Susan spilled the beans on us. I knew their relationship was strained, so I hoped the photo wouldn’t be discussed. I knew about the bikini photo of Kane and that married pilot she’d had an affair with earlier. She was defensive about it, so I didn’t think she’d willingly tell her brother about a second sexual scandal. That was the risk in my plan.”

  Ellen shook her head and slowly stood up. “What you did is despicable! You make all good Navy officers, men and women, look bad, Hodges.” The therapist in her knew her attack was wrong, but dammit, she didn’t care. He’d killed Susan by railroading her into a corner. The son of a bitch!

  He glared back. “I did what I felt was necessary to protect us. It’s that simple. You don’t break the code of silence. No officer rats on another.”

  Curling her fingers into her palms, Ellen whispered unsteadily, “Yes, and to make sure that happened, you murdered an innocent woman.”

  “I didn’t murder anybody! How the hell did I know this chick would take her life? She seemed stable. In control. I never saw her break down in tears or act like a woman. I didn’t plan for her to die. We just wanted her out of our backyard. Out of the Navy.”

  “When you heard about her death, how did you feel?” Cochrane asked.

  Hodges closed his eyes. “I was in shock.”

  “Maybe a little relieved? After all, Susan wouldn’t be around to tell anyone what happened to her. Everyone’s career was safe when she took her life.”

  Hodges opened his eyes. His voice cracked. “Look, I didn’t think anything like this would happen. Not in a million years! Hey, our world is a tough business. How could I know there was a flaw in her that would make her take her life?”

  “Do you ever think she could be pushed only so far before she went over the edge?”

  “No, I didn’t.”

  “So your first interview with us today was filled with half-truths, faulty memory lapses and flat-out stonewalling?” Cochrane asked.

  Hodges glared. “Yeah.”

  “You lied.”

  “I’m not giving up my brothers, Lieutenant Cochrane.”

  “Even if you were the catalyst that took Susan’s life?”

  His mouth flattened. “I told you—it wasn’t planned. We just wanted her out of the Navy. She could have gotten a nice cushy job as a commercial airline pilot. That’s what I thought she’d do.”

  “Hodges, this little unofficial session is over as of this moment. Get the hell out of my sight before I kick your sorry ass clear across this station.”

  Hodges glared, then spun around. He slammed the door shut as he left to catch his TDY flight.

  COCHRANE TOOK an unsteady breath as he looked at Ellen. “Reckon we need a break. Shall we?”

  She sat there breathing raggedly. “That lowlife son of a bitch killed Susan.”

  “Technically, no.” Cochrane said it slowly as he closed his laptop. Absently, he moved a few papers around. “But the evil bastard certainly set the train in motion.”

  “There’s no way we can nail him?”

  “No, because Hodges told us this off-the-record. Even with this information there’s still no firm proof that we can tie him to the blackmail. We would have to break Michelson and Bassett. Hodges could claim he had nothing to do with the picture taking. Instead he could argue he was the superior officer of the three, trying to resolve a people issue between subordinates. We already know Lieutenant Morgan can’t identify the man in the elevator with Susan. On top of that, we have Bassett identifying Susan with an unknown man an hour later.”

  “This is terrible,” Ellen said, her voice choked with anger.

  “Hell’s bells,” Cochrane muttered in frustration. “Hodges could claim he took Susan back to her own room after trying to sober her up at his. Then she went back out to party. And we’d be out of luck—again. Susan isn’t here to tell a jury the identities of the guilty parties involved. She’s dead. All the media would do or remember is Susan lying naked on that bed.”

  Running her fingers through her hair, Ellen rasped, “Who is going to speak for Susan? I don’t believe he’s going to get off scot-free. What kind of justice system do we have in this country? Hodges blackmailed Susan, pure and simple. Then he set up Brad Kane to push her out of the Navy. My God!” Throwing up her hands, she stalked angrily around the desk. “It’s so wrong!”

  Cochrane sat down. “Hodges would probably end up getting off,” he told her.

  “Can’t you get him on any charge?” Ellen demanded, her voice wobbling with disbelief.

  “We need reliable witnesses and an airtight case.” Jim felt a wave of frustration and helplessness. “Other than throwing a punch into the bastard’s face and breaking his nose and having him file assault charges against me, I reckon I don’t know of any way to get valid charges filed.”

  Ellen leaned down and picked up her knapsack. Tears ran freely down her cheeks and she searched for a tissue. “This is one of those times when I’d be sorely tempted to take the law into my own hands and see that bastard pay. No one can speak for Susan, for the terrible torture and misery that she suffered.”

  “I don’t disagree with you,” Jim said softly. “Look, I’ve got to get a yeoman to type this up. Even though we can’t put any of it in the system, because it was off-the-record.” He tapped the appointment book. “When’s the Kane family coming in tomorrow?”

  “At 1100, remember? We’re setting up here at Giddings for that interview?”

  Grimacing, Jim said, “I reckon that whole thing is going to become a keg of nitroglycerin.” The meeting had been arranged at the insistence of Captain Kane, Susan’s father, who had heard that the police had closed the case. Dornier had approved the family-update meeting without notifying Cochrane first.

  Maybe Commander Dornier wanted to force him to close the Kane case and get rid of it and Navy involvement at the same time. The CNO, Admiral Caruthers, would have his legal answer, but not the reason why, and Jim knew he’d have to supply the “why”—through back channels—or else. Susan Kane had a sponsor. Jim suspected it was the CNO himself. And he’d have to tell the Admiral everything. At that point, it would be up to the higher ranking officer as to whether Susan’s photos ever surfaced. Many times, information became compartmentalized or for certain “eyes only” and he knew this was one of them. His job was to give the CNO and Commander Dornier all the info and let the cards fall where they must.

  “Maybe the family knows more than they’re telling us,” Ellen said. “Brad Kane has already lied by not admitting he visited Susan just before her death.”

  “Why should we assume he doesn’t know about the blackmail?”

  “Then, he’d be a worse bastard than Hodges,” Ellen snapped.

  Nodding, Cochrane released a long, painful breath. “That’s true. Maybe we can get Brad to roll over on Hodges—if he knows anything.”

  “That may be a blind alley. But after what’s happened to Susan, I’m willing to try.” Ellen sighed. “What a terrible loss of an innocent, fine life. All she tried to do was be a good citizen and follow her dream of being a naval aviator. She was a humanitarian. She loved children. What a waste.”

  “Hodges is
totally self-absorbed. He’s doing what he thinks best for him and his brother aviators. He’s pretty secure behind the code of silence. It’s going to allow him to skate right through this thing.”

  “He shouldn’t even be called a human being.” Ellen clenched the tissue in her hand, her lower lip trembling. “Oh, I know I’m an analyst and I shouldn’t be saying things like this. I see how his upbringing helped turn him into who he is. But dammit, not every foster child becomes a borderline personality like Hodges. He can’t distinguish right from wrong. He plays by his own set of laws. It’s a matter of choice.” Her voice fell. “It’s always about choice….”

  “At least we’ve got a better idea of why Susan took her life. But there are still a lot of unanswered questions. What did Brad Kane say to her? Did she spill the truth about that photo to him? If she did, did he even care?”

  Releasing a tense breath, Ellen whispered, “I don’t know, maybe we’ll find out tomorrow.” She shook her head. “This is just too bizarre, Jim.”

  “Well, we’re gonna find out soon enough, gal,” he said. “I think we should be prepared for a lot of fireworks with the Kane family. We don’t know what they do or don’t know.”

  With a shrug, Ellen stated, “Your plan to talk to Hodges off-the-record sure worked.” She gave him a look of appreciation. “Breaking up Hodges’s interview threw him off balance. And your Plan B, bringing in Michelson to sign those authorization papers, which could have been signed at any time, was nothing short of brilliant. Did you see how those two looked at one another?”

  “Yes,” Cochrane said. “Betrayal was written across both their faces.”

  “I love how synchronicity has occurred. Maybe a higher justice is at work,” Ellen murmured.

  “Did Michelson say anything to you when he laid eyes on Hodges out there in the passageway?”

  Ellen smiled tightly at the memory. “He was angry and really came unglued when we stepped into our office here to sign the papers.”

  “Oh? Why?”

  “When Walter Rapaport came in to tell me goodbye and that he was leaving, Michelson about jumped out of his skin. He asked Rapaport why, and the attorney told him that Hodges no longer needed his services. Michelson went positively white. He started throwing questions at Rapaport.”