course, since it appeared he’d be the one briefing them on their mission, the lieutenant commander would have read their service records.
“Could I get you something to drink?” He gestured toward a minirefrigerator against the wall.
“No, thank you, sir,” she said. “I’d just as soon hear the reason I’ve been sent here to Pearl.”
“Fine.” He gestured toward the second of the chairs on the visitor’s side of the Navy-issue desk. “Have a seat and we’ll get right to it.” He picked up a manila folder. “How much have you been told?”
“Only that there was a suspicious death aboard a carrier. I was assured I’d be filled in on the details once I arrived here.”
“Those details remain sketchy,” he said. He tapped the manila folder with the eraser end of a yellow pencil. “A female pilot is reported to have had problems with her final landing.”
“Problems?”
“She was waved off twice. There appear to be contradictory points of view as to whether the wave-offs were valid, or sexual intimidation on the part of the LSO. That’s landing signal officer,” he explained to O’Halloran, who, having been in the Air Force, had probably never been on a carrier and might have been unfamiliar with the terminology.
He went on to briefly explain the landing procedure.
“There was reportedly a brief confrontation. After the pilot’s body was discovered, an anonymous note was sent to command suggesting that she may have angered some of the more radical members of a group of Muslims on board.”
“Even if such alleged note does actually point to terrorism, the NCIS is charged with detecting, deterring, and disrupting terrorism against the Department of the Navy, personnel, and its assets worldwide.” Julianne, who’d worked with the agency on several JAG cases, quoted the agency’s mission statement.
“Granted. But while NCIS can stretch the boundaries, it’s still a military organization. The government doesn’t want to be caught with its pants down the way it was on 9/11,” the naval officer said.
“Any possible connection has to be explored,” he continued. “Using any means available. Which is why THOR, which has authority to go deep black and is answerable solely to the president and commander in chief, was created in the first place.”
From the edge in his voice when he’d stated the name of the new agency, and from the way his jaw was set, Julianne got the impression that he was less than thrilled by its inception.
She exchanged a brief look with O’Halloran. His expression suggested that for once they were on the same wavelength.
“As you’ve both been told, the original cause of death was suicide. But now that’s been put on hold. I wish I could tell you more, but apparently it’s on a need-to-know basis.”
And he obviously hadn’t been invited into the loop. Change “less than thrilled” to “totally pissed off.”
“Of course, the Navy is more than willing to assist our government in any way possible.” The hardness of his eyes and the muscle jumping in his temple did not even begin to match his words. “We also welcome an investigation into whatever occurred on the O’Halloran .”
“The O’Halloran ?” Surely he couldn’t be serious. “That’s the name of the carrier?”
“Named after Captain Declan Cormac O’Halloran,” he confirmed, “A naval hero in the War of 1812.”
Well. Wasn’t that going to be just nifty? Going aboard the carrier with the former Air Force CCT who carried the same name as their boat would probably be like showing up with Bono.
Then again, Julianne thought, maybe that would make people more likely to talk to them.
“I’ve got to admit,” the bane of her existence spoke up, “other than the name coincidence, which I have no idea whether or not has anything to do with my family, I can’t quite understand why I’ve been assigned to the case.”
“I hear you’re an expert at computers,” the commander
“Could I get you something to drink?” He gestured toward a minirefrigerator against the wall.
“No, thank you, sir,” she said. “I’d just as soon hear the reason I’ve been sent here to Pearl.”
“Fine.” He gestured toward the second of the chairs on the visitor’s side of the Navy-issue desk. “Have a seat and we’ll get right to it.” He picked up a manila folder. “How much have you been told?”
“Only that there was a suspicious death aboard a carrier. I was assured I’d be filled in on the details once I arrived here.”
“Those details remain sketchy,” he said. He tapped the manila folder with the eraser end of a yellow pencil. “A female pilot is reported to have had problems with her final landing.”
“Problems?”
“She was waved off twice. There appear to be contradictory points of view as to whether the wave-offs were valid, or sexual intimidation on the part of the LSO. That’s landing signal officer,” he explained to O’Halloran, who, having been in the Air Force, had probably never been on a carrier and might have been unfamiliar with the terminology.
He went on to briefly explain the landing procedure.
“There was reportedly a brief confrontation. After the pilot’s body was discovered, an anonymous note was sent to command suggesting that she may have angered some of the more radical members of a group of Muslims on board.”
“Even if such alleged note does actually point to terrorism, the NCIS is charged with detecting, deterring, and disrupting terrorism against the Department of the Navy, personnel, and its assets worldwide.” Julianne, who’d worked with the agency on several JAG cases, quoted the agency’s mission statement.
“Granted. But while NCIS can stretch the boundaries, it’s still a military organization. The government doesn’t want to be caught with its pants down the way it was on 9/11,” the naval officer said.
“Any possible connection has to be explored,” he continued. “Using any means available. Which is why THOR, which has authority to go deep black and is answerable solely to the president and commander in chief, was created in the first place.”
From the edge in his voice when he’d stated the name of the new agency, and from the way his jaw was set, Julianne got the impression that he was less than thrilled by its inception.
She exchanged a brief look with O’Halloran. His expression suggested that for once they were on the same wavelength.
“As you’ve both been told, the original cause of death was suicide. But now that’s been put on hold. I wish I could tell you more, but apparently it’s on a need-to-know basis.”
And he obviously hadn’t been invited into the loop. Change “less than thrilled” to “totally pissed off.”
“Of course, the Navy is more than willing to assist our government in any way possible.” The hardness of his eyes and the muscle jumping in his temple did not even begin to match his words. “We also welcome an investigation into whatever occurred on the O’Halloran .”
“The O’Halloran ?” Surely he couldn’t be serious. “That’s the name of the carrier?”
“Named after Captain Declan Cormac O’Halloran,” he confirmed, “A naval hero in the War of 1812.”
Well. Wasn’t that going to be just nifty? Going aboard the carrier with the former Air Force CCT who carried the same name as their boat would probably be like showing up with Bono.
Then again, Julianne thought, maybe that would make people more likely to talk to them.
“I’ve got to admit,” the bane of her existence spoke up, “other than the name coincidence, which I have no idea whether or not has anything to do with my family, I can’t quite understand why I’ve been assigned to the case.”
“I hear you’re an expert at computers,” the commander
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