Her hand almost disappeared inside the marine’s powerful grasp, but his grip was gentle in its firmness. “You give ’em hell, Skipper, and get back here fast. We got things to do.”
“That we have,” Amanda hesitated. “Stone, have you seen Commander Rendino around today?”
“I think I saw her up on the superstructure a little while back. She ain’t been happy about this situation either.”
“I know.” She lifted her hand to Quillain’s shoulder and let it rest for a moment. “Do me a favor and tell them on the flight deck that I’ll be along shortly. I have to take care of something.”
She found Christine Rendino at the isolated after end of the Carlson’s main deckhouse, the most private place on a ship where privacy was at a premium. The Intel was leaning at the rail, staring out across the Bonaparte Bay anchorage without seeing any of the ships there. Nor did she look around at Amanda’s approach.
“Chris, are you all right?” Amanda inquired softly, coming up beside her friend.
“No, I’m not. And I don’t think you are either.” Christine turned to face her. The Intel’s eyes were reddened as if she had been crying recently. “Amanda, please take me with you. Cook the books. Call in favors. Screw it, I’ll go AWOL if I have to, but let me go back to Hawaii with you.”
Amanda was taken-aback by the sheer desperation in Chris’s voice. “That’s impossible, Chris, you know that. Why? What’s the matter?”
“I think you’re going to need someone on your side when you get back there.”
“On my side? Chris, what do you mean?”
“I mean, something crazy is going on back at NAVSPECFORCE. I think you’re being set up for something.”
Amanda felt her eyebrows lift. “What kind of something?”
“Something like you getting your throat cut at a drumhead court-martial.”
“Chris, you’re not talking sense.”
“I am, Amanda, honest I am! Listen to me, please. I’ve been trying to get to the bottom of the Board of Inquiry business, to find
out who and what’s behind it all. I figured I could give you an edge going in. But all of my
contacts in NAVSPECFORCE HQ and 7th Fleet have been scared dry. Nobody’s talking. Nobody! All of a sudden, you’re like persona non grata back there. Nobody’s even willing to say your name out loud. The fix must already be in!”
The penny dropped with a loud, resounding clang.
Oh Lord, save us from our devoted friends, Amanda thought feverishly. Of course Chris would be concerned about her apparent situation, of course she would go under the table to try and help – and of course the Intel would slam right into the security wall put up around Amanda’s involvement in the Phantom Force project.
For once in her life, Christine Rendino was deducing all of the wrong conclusions.
“That doesn’t necessarily mean anything, Chris,” Amanda replied, trying to keep her voice casual. “Nobody’s supposed to talk about the evidence to be presented at a Board of Enquiry
before it convenes.”
Christine shook her head vehemently. “No, this is something more than that. I have a real nasty hunch that something
else may be going on. It’s the only thing that seems to make any sense.” She trailed off, fumbling for the right words. “Look, I’ve developed a pretty close working relationship with Admiral MacIntyre since
North Africa. One that’s sort of outside the box, like with you. Ever since this Board of Inquiry’s cropped up, I’ve been trying to get in contact with him. I wanted to find out if he knew who
was responsible and what we could do about setting up your defense. I figured
he’d be on your side. But he’s not! I think he’s the one selling you out.”
“Admiral MacIntyre? Chris, that’s frothing-at-the-mouth insane!”
The Intel shook her blonde head. “It’s not! If he was on your side, he’d be kicking ass and taking names trying to quash this thing. As it is, he’s on the horn all the time with JSOC and the Joint Chiefs – but he’s not talking to us. Look, Boss Ma’am, I know he’s the admiral and all, but I also think he’s setting you up for a court martial.”
Amanda put her hands on the younger woman’s shoulders. “Chris, this is just a Board of Inquiry, it’s not a court-martial.”
“Yet!” The word was spat out.
“Chris, believe me – for once, you’re making a wrong call. Admiral MacIntyre has no reason to sell me out over
anything.”
“Maybe he thinks he does.” The younger woman insisted.
“Why, for God sake?”
Chris pulled her voice lower. “Because of Makara Harconan.”
Amanda let her hands drop to her hips. “Well, I’ll admit that wasn’t my proudest moment, but I doubt Eddie Mac is going to cut my throat over it.”
“He might, Amanda. Believe me. He just might. Jealousy can make people act very
strange sometimes.”
Jealousy? “Chris, Clarify! Bottom-line this for me. Why should Elliot MacIntyre be jealous
of … anything?”
“Oh hell, because fa’sure he’s in love with you,” the Intel replied impatiently. “Or he was.”
For a moment, the Carlson seemed to go out of trim, the deck tilting under Amanda’s feet. She shook off the effect and shot a fast look around to ensure no one
was within hearing range. “Have you gone completely crazy, Chris? How can you say such a thing?”
“Because it’s the truth.” Christine swiped at her eyes then looked up defiantly. “Like I said, I’ve worked outside of the box with the Admiral and we’ve talked about a lot of things. Your name has come up in a lot of those
conversations.”
“You mean he’s actually said to you …”
Christine shook her head. “No, of course not. For the most part, he’s as big a straight edge as you are. But, while the Admiral may be a very cagey
individual in a lot of ways, he’s as transparent as any other male in others. I saw the way he acted when you
were Harconan’s prisoner, the way he sounded when he thought you might have sold out. Look, I
know what a man who’s gone over the edge for a woman looks like and Eddie Mac has been seriously
gone over you for a long time.”
Had the main pylon mast toppled over the side with no warning, Amanda could not have been more stunned. This was impossible. Elliot MacIntyre was her commanding officer and a comrade and she liked to think a friend. Yet Amanda was so accustomed to Christine Rendino being totally right about her pronouncements that she couldn’t automatically assume she was wrong.
“Your affair with Harconan might have hurt the Admiral enough that he might have
brooded himself into the mood for payback,” Christine continued with stark frankness. “That kind of thing happens. Damn it, he might even have been the one to blow the
whistle on you. In certain circles, your affair with Harconan could very well
be construed as ‘dereliction of duty and conduct unbecoming to an officer’.”
“Elliot is not that petty!” Amanda burst out before she could control the words.
“I didn’t think so either, Boss Ma’am,” Christine replied, openly grieving. “But it’s the only thing that makes any sense.”
