After she left, Paul slapped his forehead. 'Where does she think she's going to get the time to continuously monitor every detail in our divisions? That's our job.'
Taylor popped a wad of a synthetic substance the sailors called 'chew' into her mouth. 'Haven't you figured out Commander Migraine, yet, college boy?'
'No. You tell me.'
'She's nervous. Real nervous. Nervous she'll miss something. Because if she misses something she'll get in trouble.'
'If she tries to track everything,' Kris noted, 'she's not going to be able to do it. She'll be overwhelmed.'
'Bingo to the college girl! Tell me who's fault it'll be if Migraine tries to do our jobs in addition to her own and gets overwhelmed.'
Paul rubbed his forehead. 'Ours.'
'Bingo again! Kids these days sure know a lot.'
'Fine,' Paul agreed. 'What can we do?'
Taylor shrugged. 'Our jobs. That's all.'
'Why does Moraine look at me different from the way she looks at you guys?'
'You noticed that, too, Paul?' Taylor grinned. 'I could say it's because she likes your hot bod.'
'But you won't.'
'Hell, no. That'd be crude and unsophisticated and I'm an officer now.' Taylor sobered. 'She's scared of you, Paul.'
'Scared of me?'
'Yup. Think about it. You're the guy who nailed that little jerk Silver. You're the guy who speaks up when he sees something's wrong. Now, imagine you're Ms. Migraine, scared to death of getting caught with your pants down. How'd you like to have you working for you?'
Paul made a fist and rapped his forehead this time. 'I don't go looking for reasons to turn people in! How could she-'
'I ain't saying she's right.' Taylor shrugged again. 'Just do your best and try to avoid taking lots of notes when she's talking or doing something. Hey, on second thought, maybe if you did that when she gives her morning speeches she'd clam up real quick. Do that for me and I'll teach you some tricks next time we're on liberty together.'
'Would you?' Paul asked with mock sincerity. 'I bet Jen would be really grateful.'
'That she would! Heck, it's no fun yanking your chain anymore. Any other wisdom you need from me?'
'Yeah. Why do you chew that awful stuff?'
Taylor spat the chew into her palm and frowned down at it for a moment. 'Hell if I know.' Then she popped it back into her mouth and waved. 'Later, kids.'
Kris clapped Paul on the shoulder. 'Just a few more months, Paul. Keep telling yourself that.'
'Speaking of time left onboard, where's your relief?'
'Pullman?' At the last instant, Pullman had been shifted from taking over as weapons officer to relieving Kris Denaldo. 'He's got the quarterdeck watch.'
Paul met with his division, giving them assignments for the day, then headed back for his stateroom. He hadn't made it there when he was paged to see the captain.
For once, there wasn't a line outside the captain's cabin. Paul knocked, announcing himself.
'Come on in, Paul.'
Captain Hayes looked slightly uncomfortable, Paul realized. Bad news? For me? Why else would he look like that?
But Hayes just passed Paul a note slip with a compartment address on it. 'I need you to go there and see the people who'll be waiting for you. Just tell the front desk who you are.'
Paul frowned down at the compartment designation. The numbers and letters were only vaguely familiar, telling him the compartment was located somewhere well inside Franklin's administrative decks. 'Can I ask what this is about, sir?'
'No.' Hayes grinned briefly to take any sting from the reply. 'Just go there and do what you can.'
'Aye, aye, sir.' Do what I can about what? I guess I'll find out. Paul turned to go but was halted by a sharp command from Captain Hayes.
'I'll let your department head know you left the ship. Don't check out with her, or anybody else.'
'Aye, aye, sir.' It all made Paul very uneasy inside. A personal direction from the captain to do something off-ship and not to tell anyone else. He found himself checking his conscience for any actions which might conceivably have merited the sort of treatment he thought Jen might have experienced when she was arrested for the incident on the Maury. But that was ridiculous. Hayes wouldn't do that.
Still, Paul's unease grew as he drew nearer to the compartment, and settled into a hard, cold lump in his stomach as he stared at the sign on the compartment. Navy Criminal Investigative Service. Why did the Captain send me to the NCIS offices on Franklin? Why am I seeing the fleet cops?
A harassed-looking petty officer looked up as Paul entered. 'Yes, sir?'
Paul swallowed to ensure his voice wouldn't betray any nervousness. 'Lieutenant Paul Sinclair.'
The petty officer waited a moment as if expecting something more. 'Yes, sir?'
'From the USS Michaelson. My CO sent me here. He said there'd be someone waiting.'
' Michaelson…' The petty officer's eyes fastened on something on her desk. 'Oh. Okay, sir. Wait one, please.' She stood and hustled back into the NCIS offices, leaving Paul alone with her desk and a few battered standard issue office waiting chairs. Paul measured the discomfort of standing against the discomfort of sitting in the chairs and decided to keep standing.
A moment later the petty officer returned with two individuals in civilian jumpsuits in tow, one a middle-aged man and the other a younger woman. The petty officer indicated Paul, then sat back down as if he and the two civilians had ceased to exist.
The male civilian gestured Paul to follow, his face solemn. Paul considered asking for an explanation then and there, but decided against it. He followed the man, the woman taking up the rear, as they wound their way through a small maze of offices until they reached one with a fairly substantial door. The man fumbled out a key card, opened the door, and waved Paul in.
Fighting down images of himself being sealed away in a secret confinement facility, Paul went inside. As the two civilians entered behind him and swung the door shut, Paul's data pad chirped. He checked it, seeing it was informing him that he'd lost contact with Franklin's internal comm net. 'A sealed room?' he said aloud.
The man nodded, his face now slightly apologetic. 'Yes. This room's secured against electronic signals. And anything else that might allow someone to hear what's going on inside.' He gestured to one of the chairs at the table which dominated the small room. 'Have a seat, please.'
Paul sat carefully, keeping his back erect and not relaxing in the least. 'What's this about?'
Instead of answering directly, the man pulled out an ID wallet and proffered it to Paul. 'Special Agent Bob Gonzales. This is Special Agent Pam Connally.'
Paul looked the badges and cards over carefully, even though he knew he wouldn't have recognized fakes. 'Okay.'
Gonzales and Connally sat, watching Paul. Paul watched them. Finally, Gonzales sighed. 'Sorry. Can I get you anything? Water?'
'I'm okay, thanks.'
'You're not suspected or accused of anything. Nada. Period. That's not why you're here.'
'That's a relief.'
Connally grinned. As she shifted her seat, Paul noticed a slight bulge under one arm and realized she was carrying a weapon in a shoulder holster.
Gonzales quirked a brief smile, then went completely solemn again. 'We need to ask you some things about your fellow officers. On the, uh, Michaelson.'
Paul felt barriers going up in his mind. Is this how they tried to railroad Jen? What do they want me to say about any of the other officers? 'I can't imagine what I could tell you.'
Perhaps sensing Paul's reflexive suspicion, Connally leaned forward. 'This is important. We'd appreciate your cooperation. Your captain said you were the best person to contact.'
