'Sure. Can I ask what you're going to do with it?'
'Take it to the captain. He needs to know this.'
Rose nodded, smiling grimly. 'That he does. I'll write it up here for you. Just give me a few minutes.'
'No problem. Hand it to the Sheriff when you're done. I need to check some references in my stateroom.'
Paul started out of Combat, pausing as Sharpe held a hand before him. 'Thanks again, Mr. Sinclair.'
'For what, Sheriff? Like I said, I don't have a choice.'
'Yes, you do, sir. And in my book you made the right one.'
Less than an hour later, Warrant Officer Rose's report in one hand, Paul waited in the line outside of the captain's stateroom. A line almost always existed there, as officers waited to get messages approved or to deliver personal reports the captain had requested, as enlisted brought by other routine reports which still required the captain's okay, and as those seeking approval or orders waited for their turn to plead or explain their case. Paul tried not to let any nervousness show, his experience on the bridge helping a great deal in that effort. One of the first things he'd learned was the need to project calm and certainty. As long as you sounded like you knew exactly what you were doing, everybody else tended to believe you did as well.
The last supplicant before Paul left through the hatch. 'The captain says to go right in, sir.'
'Thanks.' Paul stepped through the hatch. 'Sir, request permission for a private conference.'
Captain Hayes examined Paul closely, then nodded. 'Very well. Close the hatch. Take a seat.'
Paul did both, sitting as erect as possible, as if he were still at attention even when seated.
Hayes looked at Paul, his eyes sharp. 'What private issue brings you here, Mr. Sinclair?'
'Sir, I… I…'
'Spit it out, mister.'
'Sir, I have reason to believe the investigation into the fire onboard the USS Michaelson missed important information.'
Hayes leaned back, his face now questioning. 'Is this some sort of personal appraisal? I think you got a bit of a raw deal in that investigation, Paul, but nobody wanted to go to the mat to change those findings about a junior officer. I did try.'
'Thank you, sir. And no, sir. There's evidence involved.' Paul let his distress show for a moment. 'Serious evidence.'
Captain Hayes leaned forward. 'Talk to me. What've you got? Any hard evidence, or just speculation about it?'
Paul spoke cautiously, aware of the stakes in what he was saying and how he said it. 'I had a computer expert check the engineering maintenance logs. He said they'd been hacked. Not damaged in the accident, but deliberately hacked.'
Hayes' eyes narrowed. 'The investigation reported they couldn't find any evidence of what'd caused the data loss in those logs. Who's this expert of yours?'
'Chief Warrant Officer Rose, sir.'
'Bob Rose? From Fleet Staff?'
'Yes, sir.'
Hayes rubbed his forehead with the fingertips of his right hand. 'I know Rose. He's good. Very good. He says the logs were hacked?'
'Yes, sir. He's willing to swear to it.' Paul held out the report Rose had prepared. 'He gave me this.'
Hayes read swiftly, his eyes darting back and forth. 'Not just gun-decking to falsify data. Deliberate destruction of data. Damn. What else have you got?'
'The only other thing at this point is Petty Officer Sharpe, sir. He says Asher was mad that morning, and said something about 'just do it.' Sharpe thinks Chief Asher had been told to do something Asher didn't like.'
'I don't remember seeing anything like that in the investigation report.'
'Sharpe says he turned in a sworn statement, sir. But it's not listed in the attachments to the investigation, and there's no copy of it there.'
'You think Captain Shen concealed it?'
'No, sir. That's not my impression of Captain Shen. I think Captain Shen never saw that statement. He didn't call Sharpe in for an interview, and he surely would've done that if he was aware Sharpe knew something.'
'Sharpe's a cocky son-of-a-bitch, but he's also a good sailor.' Hayes stood up, pacing back and forth within the small confines of his cabin. 'A very good cop, too. He's got good instincts.' The captain stopped pacing and focused on Paul. 'And you're not Admiral Spruance, but you're also not a fool. What's the bottom line here, Mr. Sinclair? You're talking about the investigation being deliberately impeded, aren't you? To ensure it wouldn't reach the correct conclusions.'
'Yes, sir. I think there's a chance that may have happened.'
Hayes stared at the bulkhead above Paul's head. 'The investigation results have already been officially approved. That means a lot of heavy-weights have signed off on them and attested to their accuracy.'
'Yes, sir.'
'And you and I are both aware of the personal issues involved regarding Lieutenant Silver. I was informally made aware that Vice Admiral Silver was following events.'
'That's… that's illegal, sir.'
'It is if there's any record of it, Mr. Sinclair. In any event, that investigation gave Lieutenant Silver a clean bill of health.'
'Yes, sir.'
'But he was also Chief Asher's division officer. The Main Propulsion Assistant. That was Silver's equipment in Forward Engineering. But you don't have any evidence implicating Silver?'
Paul shook his head to emphasize his reply. 'No, sir. At this point, it implicates no particular individual. I have no idea who might be involved, either in misleading the investigation or possibly in the original accident.'
Hayes nodded, his face pensive. 'There's an awful lot of people who would be very unhappy to have the results of that investigation questioned. Even I might suffer if a reinvestigation finds me at fault.'
'Yes, sir.'
Hayes locked his gaze back on Paul. 'But I'm captain of this ship. One of my sailors died. And, if your suspicions are right, at least one of my crew lied or falsified evidence. I have to be able to trust my crew, Mr. Sinclair.' He sat down slowly, then gave Paul a sidelong look. 'You and Petty Officer Sharpe keep looking. Quietly. Have you ever gone hunting, Mr. Sinclair?'
'Uh, no, sir. Not really.'
'The first rule is not to make a lot of noise or fuss. Because if you do, whatever you're hunting is going to hide. So you don't make a lot of noise, Mr. Sinclair. Keep it quiet. Check out these things that don't add up. If it turns out to be nothing, or nothing you can substantiate, I want you to tell me that as soon as you're comfortable with that conclusion. If you find something more, I want to know that, too.'
'And if anyone questions what I'm doing, sir?'
'Refer them to me. That's not a blank check. Act with discretion and forethought. If I hear you're running around like a loose cannon, I'll come down on you like a ton of bricks and you'll wish you'd never started this. Comprende? '
'Yes, sir.'
'But if you're on the track of something important, I'll back you.' Hayes smiled without humor. 'Here's your chance to prove the quality of your professional judgment, Mr. Sinclair.'
And if I'm wrong, the chance to drop-kick my career out of the nearest airlock. 'Yes, sir.'
'If you're right, if you find that evidence, then we'll make noise, Mr. Sinclair. We'll flush our prey and nail him or her to the bulkhead.' Hayes' face flushed slightly, his mouth a thin, tight line. 'Accidents happen. They're an ugly fact of life. But if someone caused this one, and if someone covered up their involvement, I want that someone off my ship and preferably out of the Navy.'
Paul simply nodded back, unsure of the proper reply.
Hayes used one hand to indicate the hatch. 'If that's all, Mr. Sinclair, we both have plenty of other things to do.' He paused, causing Paul to hesitate in mid-reach for the hatch handle. 'Quite frankly, I don't know whether I want you to be right or wrong about this.'
