PART 18

BUD AND HARRIETT’S HOUSE
ANDREW’S CLOSE
DOLLIS HILL
LONDON, NW2
23 JUNE 2007
1458 ZULU

“That’s insane! I don’t have a Swiss bank account!” Harm was imploring Gibbs with his eyes – willing him to see his innocence with everything he had.

“I beg to differ, Captain. You most certainly *do* have a Swiss bank account – with a pretty hefty sum of money in it I might add. Now if you’ll come with me – we can’t discuss this here anymore.”

“Where are you taking him?” Mac quickly stepped in.

Gibbs handed her a card. “Here is the address. Ask for me when you get there.”

Harm saw the flash of handcuffs and he looked at Gibbs with pain in his eyes. Gibbs put his hand on the other agent and shook his head. The panic was starting to rise in Harm. He knew from past experience that being innocent sometimes wasn’t enough – and he especially knew from experience with Gibbs that the man wouldn’t be here if he didn’t have a strong case. He was also keenly aware that he had to control his emotions this time or it could send everything spiralling out of control again.

“Just give me a minute.” Harm whispered numbly. Gibbs nodded.

Harm turned to Mac and took a deep breath.

“It’ll be alright Harm. This is all a big misunderstanding. I’ll get it straightened out – I swear I will.” Mac was trying to convince herself probably more than Harm.

Harm nodded his head and put his forehead against hers. “I know.” He closed his eyes. He inhaled her scent and ran his hands up and down her arms and back – as if trying to memorize everything about her.

“Daddy?” a small scared voice interrupted the scene. Harm thought his heart would shatter into a million pieces in that very moment. He gently squeezed Mac’s arms and walked over to where his son was standing and knelt down in front of him.

“It’s OK, Ev. Everything’s alright. Daddy just has to go away for awhile – but I’ll be back before you know it.”

“No! You juss got back!” Tears started falling down the little boys cheeks. He was a smart kid – he didn’t know what was going on, but he knew that something was definitely not right and it scared him.

Harm took his son in his arms. “It’s OK son – you have to…” he caught himself before he finished the sentence. ‘You have to be strong for your mommy’ he was going to say – but he knew he couldn’t do that to him. What if he never came back? Evan would live with those words for the rest of his life – just as Harm had. No, he definitely couldn’t do that. “Just don’t worry at all OK? Mommy and I will take care of everything and then I’ll be home in no time, alright?”

Evan just nodded his head and sniffed. “Don’t wan you ta go.”

“I know kiddo, I know.”

“You pwomissed me dinafore pangcates tonite.”

Bud walked up behind the little boy and put his hands on his shoulders. “It’s OK buddy – I can make you dinosaur pancakes – your daddy taught me how to make those a long time ago.”

“Wanned *Daddy* to mait them.” He sniffed again sadly.

“I know sweatheart – but I can’t tonight.” If Evan didn’t stop this, Harm thought they just might have to use those handcuffs to drag him out of there kicking and screaming. “Just give me a big hug and I’ll see you later, OK?”

Evan nodded sadly and threw his arms around his father. Harm hugged his son so tightly he had to forcefully remind himself not to hurt him. He stood up and ruffled the boys hair. He looked at Bud and spoke hoarsely.

“Take care of them for me, Bud.”

“You know I will.”

Harm turned to Mac again and they held one of their silent conversations. He took her hand and softly kissed her goodbye. He wanted to kiss her so much more but he was damned if he was going to put on a show for the agents.

“Harm I’m just going to get everything squared away here and then I’m going to be down to see you, OK?”

Harm nodded.

“We’re going to straighten this out.”

Harm just nodded again and turned towards Gibbs. “Alright, lets get this over with.”

The agents escorted him out of the yard and Harm couldn’t look back so he let out a sigh and looked to the sky instead.


BELMARSH PRISON
SOUTHEAST LONDON
26 JUNE 2007
1305 ZULU

Mac bit her lip as she watched Harm being escorted into the room and shoved into the seat on the other side of the Plexiglas from her. He looked awful. There were dark, puffy circles under his eyes and a small cut above one eyebrow. They sat there and briefly conversed with their eyes before Mac reached for the phone and Harm followed suit.

“Harm – I’m sorry. They wouldn’t let me see you. I only found out where you were being held this morning. They’re giving me the royal run-around here.” She was a little un-nerved at his lack of response. He was just staring at her. “Harm? Are you OK?”

Harm just looked at her sadly for a moment and then tried to smile. “No, I’m not really OK – but I’m at little better now.” He paused briefly and then added quietly, “I thought you’d forgotten about me again.”

Mac pushed her fist into her upper lip as she tried to control her emotions. She knew Harm was referring to the time he was accused of Singer’s murder and she hadn’t been allowed to see him. She had told him afterwards that the Admiral had ordered them all to stay away, but she couldn’t imagine how Harm must have felt at the time – rotting in prison and no friends coming to give him support – not knowing that they had all been barred from seeing him.

“Harm you know that isn’t possible.” She stopped to let a tear slip down her cheek. “You know that there’s no possible way that would ever happen…”

Harm looked down at the table. “I’m sorry, Mac – I know. That was mean. I… I guess I’m just feeling a little sorry for myself.” He looked up at her. “God I miss you.” He sighed.

Mac swiped another errant tear from her cheek. “I know, Harm – I miss you too.” She had to get a handle on this – had to get his spirits up somehow.

“I’ve got a meeting with Gibbs this afternoon. I’m hoping we can get to the bottom of these charges then.”

“Have they officially released them yet?”

“Yes.” She looked down at the small notepad she had with her and read from it. ‘Conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists; conspiracy to provide money to support terrorist activities; and conspiracy to support designated terrorist groups.’ She looked up with a small smile. “Well at least they seemed to have dropped the treason charge for the moment.”

Harm looked down again, trying to control his anger. “I don’t know about that Mac. I think I’d rather be dead than spend the rest of my life in here without you.”

“Harm don’t…”

Harm just looked up briefly under one eyebrow. “Sorry. I guess I’m two for two already.” There was a long pause where neither of them knew what to say. “Well, I guess I can kiss my job good-bye at the very least.”

“Actually no, Harm. I’ve been talking to some of the other Agents and they let me know that this has been purposely kept on the QT. Gibbs didn’t want any political pressure being put on him to solve this case one way or another, so he was apparently adamant that they find some way to keep this out of the press. That’s why they came and got you on a weekend instead of arresting you at your office on Monday.”

“Well, that’s hopeful I guess.”

“Yes, Bud has taken over for you and as far as everyone else at the office knows, you’re on temporary medical leave for a back injury.” She looked down sullenly for a moment and then returned her gaze to him hesitantly. “Unfortunately, in reality you’ve been temporarily removed from duty and are on 'Leave without pay'.”

Harm’s eyes flashed anger. “Dammit, Mac. How am I supposed to support you guys? I can’t have my family starving to death while I rot in here for who knows how long!”

“Harm, calm down – we’ll be fine.”

“Mac – sell the cars. Get a hold of Sturgis and tell him to get whatever he can for them.”

“Harm!” Mac had to interrupt him. “I said - *don’t worry*! We’ll sort it out, OK?”

Harm put his face in his hand and rubbed it up and down, before looking back up at Mac, “You know I can’t not worry about you, Mac.”

Mac smiled sadly and cocked her head to the side. “I know, Harm. But please try. Remember – I’m still a Marine. I can handle it.”
They held their eyes for a long moment.

“You know,” Harm finally spoke softly, “I think I’d be alright… I mean, … “ Harm reached up and waived angrily at the Plexiglas, “… if there wasn’t this damn divider between us.” He looked her in the eyes, “I need to touch you, Mac… to smell you…” he looked down in embarrassment and shook his head. “I know it sounds crazy but…” he looked back up at her and she could see his eyes were glassy. He suddenly seemed like a lost little boy. “…you give me strength, Mac – you always have. Not being able to touch you is like…” he brushed his knuckle quickly under his nose and sniffed in exasperation as he looked away. “It’s like Samson having his hair cut off.”

Mac thought she might break any moment, but she had to be strong and she had to find some way to strengthen him without physical contact. “Well,” she smiled jokingly, “You probably don’t want to smell me right now – I haven’t showered in days.” This was almost true… she’d been too busy trying to track down the whereabouts of Gibbs and Harm and everyone else associated with this case.

Harm glanced at her sideways and gave her a small smile. He looked down in his lap for a moment and then raised his eyebrows and smiled shyly at her. “I think you’d smell heavenly anyway.”

Mac fought back the tears welling in her eyes and smiled sweetly. “Yeah – I’m a regular bottle of perfume, Harm – ‘Eau de Homeless Person’”

Harm and her both laughed for the first time in nearly 3 days and then just stared at each other with watery smiles.

Harm’s smile suddenly evaporated when he realized what was about to happen. “Oh God, don’t go yet Mac. Please – just a little longer.”

“Harm, I wish I could – but you know they won’t let me. Besides – I’m on a mission to get you out of here. I don’t have time for idle chit-chat.” She was trying to be light-hearted but she was afraid she may have come off as flippant.

Harm hated being such a baby about this, but he was literally addicted to her and going cold turkey was making him act like a junky. He could only ever remember being addicted to one thing before and that was his cigars – but he’d *wanted* to stop smoking. How the hell do you just stop doing something that you have no intention of ever giving up?”

“Mac – promise me you’ll come back soon.”

“Harm you know I’ll try, but they keep snowing me.”

“Yeah – they keep moving me around.”

“Why?”

“I’m not sure – I think maybe an attempt to disorient me… wear me down…”

The guards entered the room at that moment to end their discussion.

“I love you Harm.”

“Love you too Mac.” He whispered.

And then he was gone.


BELMARSH PRISON COURT OFFICES
SOUTHEAST LONDON
28 JUNE 2007
1025 ZULU

“Agent Gibbs, what the hell is going on?” Mac was on a rampage and in definite Marine mode.

Gibbs just stared at the table as if his pencil was the most interesting thing he’d ever seen. He was waiting for this tirade to pass. Hell – he wasn’t a dumb squid like Rabb – he knew better than to argue with a fully riled Marine. When he thought she was through, he slowly lifted his eyes to meet hers.

“Colonel MacKenzie…”

“It’s *Rabb* God damn it! And I’m not a Colonel anymore. I’m on inactive Reserve status!” This guy’s calmness was driving her insane – no wonder Harm went ballistic during the Singer investigation.

“Well what would you like me to call you then? Mrs. Rabb?”

Mac was pacing furiously now and she was seriously considering tackling the man and beating him senseless – purely to get a reaction of some kind. She finally just snapped.

“Oh… would you just call me Mac for God’s sake!”

Gibbs was a little taken aback. He didn’t like the idea of calling her Mac – it was too familiar – it might cause him to get too close - too soft. He opted to address her as nothing at all.

“Listen, I can understand your frustration, but you have to understand what’s going on here. We’re talking about terrorism – that’s a real hot button. And a lot of it is being handled by the British Anti-Terrorism Squad and MI5. They don’t take kindly to being told what to do by NCIS agents – especially American ones.”

Mac just eyed him suspiciously. “Well, then how come I can’t even track *you* down for a meeting? I was supposed to see you two days ago and you never showed!”

“I know, but you have to understand that sometimes things happen fast around here. I have to move quickly sometimes to put out fires – I really don’t want this getting out to the press – as I’m sure you don’t either. There would be no way for the SECNAV to keep Captain Rabb in his position if it was ever known to the public that he’d been charged with terrorist activities – even if he was cleared of them.”

When Mac didn’t answer, Jethro moved forward and placed both his elbows on the desk in front of him, lightly tapping the eraser of his pencil on the metal surface. He raised his eyebrows and looked at Mac.

“Despite what you may think of me, I *do* have an open mind you know.” That was as close as he dared tell her that he thought he might believe them. He just wished he knew how to tell her he had no way of disproving the charges.

Mac continued to eye him suspiciously but, finally acquiescing to his admittance, she concluded her pacing and fell into the nearest chair with a frustrated sigh.

“So why are these charges so hard to disprove?”

“Well, that’s the brunt of it, Mac.” Damn, *that* had slipped out. He was definitely going to regret that – he just knew it. “I mean, usually it’s almost impossible to trace these kinds of funds. There are usually layer upon layer of pseudonyms, false businesses and fake charities. It takes forensic accountants years to pry away at all the layers sometimes, and then they still often come up empty handed – and it’s almost impossible to trace the money once it gets into Afghanistan.” He paused in frustration. “*This* was so obvious – you can trace the money right from the bank account with Rabb’s name on it, pretty much directly to freaking ‘Abdul’s Bomb Making Supplies’!”

Mac raised her eyebrows in disbelief.

Gibbs shrunk back in his seat slightly. “Well, not exactly, but I’m not at liberty to say what the exact connection is right now. Suffice it to say that it’s a pretty clear cut trail and a significant smoking gun.”

Mac was finally feeling hopeful for the first time in almost a week. She looked at Gibbs with the most calm and serious expression she could muster. “Which tells you *what* Jethro?”

Damn, now she’d used his first name – how the hell had he let himself get into this? She was right though and it certainly wasn’t the first time he had thought of it. It was the reason he had taken this case in the first place. “It tells me that someone wanted us to find it.”

“Give the man a meat pie.”

Gibbs had to smile inwardly. She was good – no wonder Rabb loved her. “Yeah – I’m just not sure what I can do about it.” He tapped the pencil a few more times, looked at Mac and stood up. “There are a lot of people that would love to use your husband as a scapegoat – to prove to the British and American public that we’re actively catching and prosecuting those responsible. Rabb’s case in the press would be open and shut. Unfortunately, there’s a fine line on this one because of the fear of scaring the crap out of that same public with the knowledge that one of their own could have been so involved and so close. People are used to suspecting the obvious candidates – not your trusted friend and neighbour and definitely not someone who had sworn to protect you. That’s the only thing that’s keeping us afloat right now, Mac.” Damn, he did it again. She is very good.

Mac took a deep breath and considered Gibbs’s words. “So you’re saying that you don’t believe that Harm is guilty, but you have no evidence or any way of disproving the charges.”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying.” OK – so she’d gotten him to admit it. How bad could that be?

Mac twisted in her chair and finally met Gibbs’s eyes. “I think I know someone who can help.”

BELMARSH PRISON
SOUTHEAST LONDON
4 JULY 2007
1405 ZULU

Harm looked even worse than the last time she saw him. He looked pale and tired. She couldn’t tell through the dirty glass – but she was sure that it wasn’t just a dark circle under his left eye, but the remnants of a bruise. He wouldn’t tell her about it though – he kept brushing her off whenever she’d asked him about how he was being treated. He would only tell her the general stuff.

“They moved me around a lot this time. They took me on a plane. I was scared Mac – I thought they were taking me to Gitmo.”

“Where did they take you?”

“I don’t know.”

His voice was flat and emotionless. Mac knew he was shutting down. It was one of his coping mechanisms. She wasn’t sure which hurt more, to have seen him so upset and emotional like last time, or to see him like this.

She finally got a flicker of emotion from him. “I came everyday, Harm.” His eyes shot to hers and she saw a flicker of pain. Maybe she shouldn’t have said that – but she couldn’t have him thinking like he did the last time. “Sometimes they make me wait hours before they tell me they’re not going to let me in.” She was speaking quietly, as if she was afraid anything she said might set him off.

He just shaded his eyes with his hand and shook his head slowly – not allowing her to see his eyes.

“Evan’s outside.”

Another flicker of pain as his eyes shot up to hers. “You didn’t tell him he could see me?” He looked horrified.

“No, I wasn’t sure if I could get in so I didn’t say anything.” She paused and tried to steel her voice. “Harm, he has to see you – he has to know you’re OK.”

“No!” Harm stared stone-faced through the glass. “I won’t allow him to see me like this.”

“Harm – he’s not even 2 years old yet! He’s not going to remember this!” she gestured her arms around the room in frustration. “None of *THIS* is going to mean anything to him! He just needs to see that his Daddy is alright. He doesn’t understand why you’re not home and it’s scaring him!” She couldn’t help raising her voice in frustration.

“And *THIS* isn’t going to scare the hell out of him?” Harm smacked the glass in front of him in anger.

Mac looked away to regroup and then said quietly. “Honestly Harm – I have no idea. But I’m willing to take the chance so that he can see you for himself and know that you’re alright.”

“But I’m *NOT* alright, Mac!” Harm was barely containing his anger. “And I don’t have the energy to put up a front for him and pretend!” He stared at her with his stone face. “If you try to bring him in here I will leave the room.”

Mac sighed in frustration and sunk her head into her hand.

Harm just stared at the top of her head for a moment before he finally spoke quietly. “I don’t want to argue with you, Mac. This is hurting worse than the incarceration.”

Mac raised her head and put her fist to her mouth again to try and stop the welling tears. “OK – new topic.” She cleared her throat and finally spoke with an attempted smile. “I got a chance to speak to Gibbs last week.”

“What did he say?”

“Well – let’s just say, I think we actually have an ally in him but his hands are pretty tied.”

“So he believes me?”

“I think so”

“Well thank God for small miracles.”

“The only problem is, it’s not enough. Whoever set you up has left a pretty indisputable trail. It’s only because it’s so bloody obvious that Gibbs believes you at all. He wants to know who we think might responsible.”

“Yeah – I’ve been thinking a lot about that too. I’ve made a few enemies in my time, Mac – but I can only think of one that would pull off something like this…”

“Palmer.”

“Give the girl a meat pie.”

Mac and Harm looked at each other with a slight twinkle in their eyes for a second. For some reason – even though they’d gotten it from Brumby – that had become one of their favourite expressions over the past few years because it almost never failed to make them smile.

Harm finally broke contact and scrubbed his hand over his face. “So how are we going to catch him, Mac?”

“Leave that to me, Harm. I have an idea.”

“Tell me what you’re thinking, Mac.”

“Harm…”

“Maaaac.”

Mac looked at her husband seriously for a moment. “I’m going to call Webb.”

“No!”

“Harm – you know he’s the only one who’s in a position to help us!”

“I thought he came in from the cold?” He spat viciously.

“Well even if that’s so, at least he still has contacts.”

Harm pounded his fist on the table in frustration, “Damn it, Mac – can you do anything else to make me feel absolutely impotent?!”

“Harm – don’t even go there!"

“It’s just…” he threw his hands up in frustration. “…why does it have to be *Webb*? Of all people…”

“Harm, I don’t *want* to talk to Webb – believe me. It’s just, he’s the only one who might be in a position to help.” She paused briefly. “Harm – you know I would do anything for you.”

Harm looked up at her with cold eyes and said softly. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

Mac was suddenly overwhelmed with indignation, “How *DARE* you!” She slammed the phone down on the cradle and turned her back on him to storm out. She heard the muted crash as Harm threw the receiver against the Plexiglas, and turned to see him being dragged out of his chair by two oversized guards. Her heart immediately softened and she regretted her outburst – especially since she had no idea how long it would be before she got to see him again. Their eyes met and she thought she lip-read him saying, “I’m sorry Mac – forgive me?” But she didn’t need to see his lips to know what he’d said – she’d read it all in his eyes. She hoped to God that he had been able to read her affirmative reply in her own eyes because she didn’t have time to respond any other way before he was gone behind a large metal door.

END PART 18