Work Text:
Harm and Mac Songbook: Thriller
by Rising Sun
jag@lucianstuff.every1.net
http://www.geocities.com/jagrslc
Darkness falls across the land
The midnight hour is close at hand
Creatures crawl in search of blood
To terrorize y'awl's neighborhood
And whosoever shall be found
Without the soul for getting down
Must stand and face the hounds of hell
And rot inside a corpse's shell
The foulest stench is in the air
The funk of forty thousand years
And grizzly ghouls from every tomb
Are closing in to seal your doom
And though you fight to stay alive
Your body starts to shiver
For no mere mortal can resist
The evil of the thriller
1145 LOCAL - OCTOBER 31
OFFICE OF THE JUDGE ADVOCATE GENERAL
Harm and Mac sat and waited patiently as their Commanding Officer Admiral AJ Chegwidden finished signing the pile of papers before him. With a flourish he signed the final one and handed the entire stack to Petty Officer Tiner who had been standing the whole time also awaiting the CO to finish. He recovered the bundle saluted and left closing the door behind him.
"Your case should finish today." AJ began.
"Actually we finished about two hours ago." Mac confirmed.
"Good… cause I have a new case for you." He handed the file to her. "A Staff Sergeant went missing two days ago."
"A missing person’s case sir?" Harm was curious. "NCIS is not handling this?"
"They were. Staff Sergeant Olivier Valmont went home to New Orleans to visit his family. Didn’t report back to base, hasn’t been seen in two days until today… when his body showed up. People I don’t like Navy personnel dying even in wartime. Go down there and find out what happened before the press gives this its own spin."
"The press sir." Mac said
"Today is Halloween Colonel … the press are itching to make much ado about nothing."
"Understood sir." She replied.
"Commander."
"Sir"
"This will be your last case with us before you transfer out."
"Aye sir." Harm felt a little regret at leaving JAG again. But this time the circumstances were different. He and Mac were to be married and couldn’t continue to serve together. So he had finally accepted Congresswoman Bobbie Lathum’s offer to work with her on Capitol Hill. It meant that Mac and not he would become the Judge Advocate General one day. A small price to pay.
"As your last case please conduct it quickly and quietly." AJ asked.
Mac grinned … Harm was infamous in the corps; even the SECNAV called him Harmful Rabb.
"Yes sir." Harm replied.
"Good. Go home and pack you leave in two hours for New Orleans."
"Aye sir." They chorused, snapped to and left.
========================================================
2318 LOCAL - OCTOBER 31
HOTEL NEW ORLEANS
MAC’S ROOM
Harm had made arrangement to meet with the investigating reporter the next morning. In the meantime they had checked into adjoining rooms, which had been immediately addressed by Mac unlocking the door. She and her fiancé were now entangled in her bed.
Harm kissed her forehead. "You ok?"
"Yeah." She said as she watched the light dance on the wall. She finally figured it was the diamond on her left hand that was presently resting on Harm’s chest. Every time he inhaled and exhaled her hand rose and fell and the diamond reflected and refracted the moonlight.
"You sure? You seem quiet."
She adjusted herself to look at him. "It’s our last case together."
"I know." He replied softly "But leaving JAG is a small price to pay to be with you."
"I love you flyboy." She confessed.
"You’d better or all this is for nothing." He grinned "I love you too ninja girl."
She snuggled up to him and fell asleep.
[DREAM SEQUENCE]
0600 LOCAL
MAC’S HOTEL ROOM
"Coming!" she called in response to the knock on her door. She opened it and there stood a little old lady of African American descent. Mac judged her to be about eighty years old.
"May I help you?"
"Come see me Cherie." She said. "Ask fro Mama Ma Ladee."
"Why don’t you come in?" Mac offered. "Then I won’t have to come looking for you."
The crone shook her finger at Mac. "Do as you are told Cherie. Come see Mama Ma Ladee." She turned and scuffled down the hall.
[END OF DREAM SEQUENCE]
0600 LOCAL
MAC’S HOTEL ROOM
"Mac." Harm was shaking her. "Mac!"
She awoke with a start. "What!"
"You were having a dream and for once couldn’t wake."
Mac reflected on the dream. "This place is creepy Harm. Let’s wrap up this case and get the hell out of here." She headed for the shower.
0730 LOCAL – NOVEMBER 1
HOTEL LOBBY
They had finished breakfast and were about to leave when Mac veered off to the front desk leaving Harm and the entrance. He waited.
She approached the front desk. "Excuse me ... do you know a Mama Ma Ladee?" she was compelled to ask.
The clerk made the sign of the cross instantly. "What you want with the likes of her!"
"How do I find her?" Mac ignored the reaction.
He paused, reluctant to answer. She repeated.
"I can make arrangements." He finally revealed.
"Great can you do so for 1800 hours? Sorry six o'clock?" She requested. He nodded. "Good." She walked back to Harm.
========================================================
1815 LOCAL – NOVEMBER 1
SOMEWHERE OUTSIDE NEW ORLEANS
Bearing in mind the caution by the Admiral about her growing physic abilities Mac played down how she came across the character they were about to visit.
After speaking with the NCIS Officer they had spent the day interviewing people. Harm had interviewed colleagues while Mac had talked with family and friends. The story was as on file. The Staff Sergeant had gone home for a couple days of rest and relaxation. Had arrived, rested, left but never arrived at base.
The two partners were stumped … for now.
The taxi pulled up at the gate to a cottage. He made the sign of the cross and refused to go any further. Yes, he'd wait but down the road. He could see when they returned and he'd come pack them up.
As Harm and Mac walked up the path a tall, beautiful, ebony smooth skinned woman opened the door. "Enter Cherie." She said. "I'm glad you came. I am Mama Ma Ladee. Sit."
Mac was surprised. The young woman spotted the astonishment.
"Vous êtes étonnés." She said. [You are surprised.]
"Oui" Mac matched the language.
"Dans les rêves je deviens beaucoup de choses à beaucoup de gens." [In dreams I become many things to many people.] She smiled, "Vous recherchez le tueur de l'un Valmont" [You seek the killer of the one Valmont.]
Harm had had enough and said so. "In English please."
"Pardon Cherie. Of course in English." Mama Ma Ladee apologized. "You know that Valmont was killed between 11:30 and 12:30 in the night no?"
"How do you know that!" Harm demanded.
The woman winked "I have my ways Cherie." Then she got serious "This is the bewitching hour.
Half an hour before midnight for good spirits and half an hour after midnight for evil spirits." She explained.
"Oh please!" Mac exclaimed.
"Ah you do not believe Cherie. These three days are central. The spirits can help but after that you will solve this with no help from them."
"What is so special about these three days?" Harm demanded.
"One is already gone." She told him "Yesterday was Halloween: Day of the Dead, today is the
Feast of the All Saints and tomorrow is the Feast of the All Souls. The magic is powerful these days, use it to help you."
"I'll tell you one thing a spirit did not kill Valmont." Mac pronounced.
"On that we agree Cherie. But Valmont will not rest till justice is done."
"If you know who did this…" Harm started.
"… I would tell you Cherie." She finished.
Mac stood, she'd heard enough. "Adieu Madam." She said.
"Adieu Cherie." The woman drawled.
The partners stopped outside and waved to the taxi at the end of the street. "Don't even say it." She said to Harm.
========================================================
2200 LOCAL – NOVEMBER 1
MAC'S HOTEL ROOM
Harm had had one last interview to conduct and the Gunnery Sergeant would only be available late. So Mac returned to the hotel alone. It had been her intension to wait for him but she fell asleep.
[DREAM SEQUENCE]
2100 LOCAL
HOTEL DINING ROOM
There was a lull in the stream of patrons and Mac found herself alone in the dining hall.
"Colonel?" A slurred voice called. She looked up and nearly had a heart attack. She jumped up. Her sudden movement capsized the table, the dinner crashed to the floor and the chair she was on faired no better.
Before her was Staff Sergeant Valmont, complete with stashed throat and stomach. He was holding his spilled entrails with his left hand and reaching for her with his right. He spoke … how she couldn't tell for his throat was cut. Blood poured freely from both gashes.
"Colonel help me." He said.
He stepped forward. She stepped back and fell over the chair. First she crawled, then stumbled and finally rose to her feet and ran.
Valmont collected his intestines and followed her. "Colonel; look at what they did to me! Look at how they laid me out!"
Mac fled from the horror and looking backward more than forward to ensure she wasn't being followed. She ran to her room, turned to place the key in the door and found Valmont standing there. She screamed.
"Colonel! Listen to me I won't hurt you!" He pleaded.
She managed to get inside and lock him out. He began to pound on the door. "Colonel! Open the door… Mac!"
[END OF DREAM SEQUENCE]
Harm was walking by when he heard Mac scream. He stopped short and tried the door. It was locked. He began pounding "Mac open the door! Colonel… Mac!" He stopped and ran to his room and through the adjoining door.
He ran in to find Mac sitting on the bed, shivering. He held her. She was cold and her teeth were chattering. "Mac… oh honey it's over I'm here it's ok." Harm soothed her. He held her close both to reassure her and to warm her up. After a while the shivering and the chattering stopped.
"Where is the case file?" She asked.
"You want the case file now!" he couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"Yes."
He shook his head; "OK." He went to his room and returned with it.
She laid the photos out. "Harm. This was a ritual killing." She pointed to each photo. "He wasn't just killed and dumped. His throat was cut, his stomach sliced both in one fluid motion." The nightmare had had its purpose but she was not about to reveal that. Not even to Harm.
In the mean time he was studying the photos hard.
"… and he's laid out in a Greek cross." She finished.
"Greek?"
"An ex formation. The Christian cross is in a tee pattern the Greek in an ex. Wanna bet he's facing East?"
"That significant?" he asked.
"I don't know but most places of worship are built with the entrance facing the rising sun … East."
"OK" He said. "Tomorrow we go down to NCIS to find out the orientation of the body." He looked at her… really looked at her. "Mac I'm worried about you."
"I know." She caressed his cheek. "I'm ok. It'll take more than a couple of nightmares to stop this Marine.
0800 LOCAL – NOVEMBER 2
COURTYARD TO NCIS OFFICE
Harm wanted this case over and done in a way he had never felt before. There was something about the case he didn’t like and though not one to believe in the supernatural there was no denying the effect on his partner and soon to be wife.
As they headed for the offices they walked by a newly installed birdbath. Harm looked at it. [I can’t believe Uncle Sam sprung for a birdbath.] He grinned at the thought.
Mac glanced at it then stopped to stare. Harm hadn’t noticed by the time he did he was deep into the building and it was too late.
Mac walked up to the structure and continued to stare.
"Pretty isn’t it ma’am." A Gunnery Sergeant said to her.
"Yes it is Gunny." She had a though. "Gunny when was this put up it looks new."
"About four to five days ago. Ma’am."
[Dig it up.] Staff Sergeant Valmont whispered.
[Dig it up.] Mama Ma Ladee said.
"Dig it up." Colonel Mackenzie ordered.
"Ma’am?" The Gunny was taken aback.
She oriented fully on the Gunnery Sergeant "You heard me Gunnery Sergeant!" She snapped.
"Yes ma’am!"
+ + +
Harm realized that he had gotten separated from Mac. He figured she’d make her way to the office so he did the same. He spoke with the officer who had had the case and got the confirmation that the body had indeed been facing east. By the time he was done there was still no sign of Mac. He retraced his steps and found her still outside. He walked up to her to find her watching the dismantling of the birdbath.
"Mac." He said. She silenced him with a waive of her hand. There was a Private in the hole where the stand had been.
"There is something down here Gunny." The Private reported, "Wrapped in plastic."
"Be careful Frost." Gunny said, "Can you see what it is?"
"Looks like a knife sir."
"Can you pick it up without hurting yourself?" Mac asked.
"Yes ma’am"
"Then do it Frost." The Gunny ordered.
They watched the private bend and pick up the package. He passed it to the Gunnery Sergeant who passed it to Mac.
"There you are ma’am. What is it ma’am?" He asked.
"The possible murder weapon of Staff Sergeant Valmont. Gunny." Harm replied.
"Sorry about the birdbath Gunny." Mac apologized.
"Not a problem ma’am." He replied shocked by Harm’s answer back.
The pair of investigators walked away and headed back toward the NCIS building. "We leave town tonight." Harm said in a voice that brokered no argument.
"Getting the hell out of Dodge Commander?" She teased.
"I don’t care what you call it but we are leaving."
========================================================
2135 LOCAL – NOVEMBER 2
HOTEL LOBBY
Mac was waiting for Harm who was settling the hotel bill.
Mama Ma Ladee waltzed in through the doors. "Ah Cherie you are leaving?" She asked in French.
As before Mac replied in French "Yes the case is over."
The conversation continued in the European Language. "I heard that four have been arrested."
"You hear much. What else have you heard?"
"That it was a case of voodoo sacrifice so as to guarantee promotion." Mama Ma Ladee revealed.
"I have a friend in the CIA who could use you." Mac laughed.
"Ah no Cherie. I know my place and it knows me." She smiled. "But know this. This was not a case of voodoo. This was evil…"
"Many think it’s one and the same."
"Yes is true many believe such." Mama Ma Ladee conceded "But these four are killers and because it happened here voodoo is blamed. But voodoo is not to blame. Ah here comes your Amore."
Harm walked up to Mac "You ready?"
Still thinking in French she replied "Oui… sorry Yes." She turned to tell the woman goodbye but she was gone. Mac sighed, "Let’s get the hell out of Dodge partner."
THE END
Author’s Note: Can you not hear the mechanical laughter of Vincent Price?