"How are you, ma'am?" "How are you doing?" "Hey, boys and girls." "I'm Master Chief Morris," " and I'm gonna be your guide." " All right." " I want you to form a line here." " That's all six." "Ready?" "Everybody just follow me." "Really?" "Well, we got a lot of planes, so be on the lookout." "So let's move over here and take a look at some of them." "See what we've got." " Lieutenant Roberts is here, sir." " Send him in." "I don't have all day." "Sir?" "I think you should read it, lieutenant." "The results of the D.C. Bar exam." ""Bradley, Riley." "Roberts, Bud J. Jr."" "You did it." "The first time." "I'm so proud of you." "All that hard work paid off." "Congratulations." " Damn fine work, lieutenant." " Thank you, sir." "Now, Lieutenant Sims, if you'll excuse us." " Your presence is no longer needed." " Sir, I'd like to help in any way I can." "I appreciate that, but I think we can handle it from here." "Aye, sir." "Have a seat." "Lieutenant, grab a chair." "Yes, sir." "Body of a dead child was discovered this morning at the Potomac Naval Annex." "She had been brutally beaten and strangled." " Who was she, sir?" " Identity unknown." "No one's reported a child missing?" "All the schoolchildren on a field trip from Marian Anderson Elementary School have been accounted for." "The dead child's body has been tagged right now as Jane Doe Number 37." "D.C. Police and the NCIS were both at the scene." "Who has jurisdiction, sir?" "Potomac Naval Annex is being handed over to the D.C. Government." "Now, there is some question as to who has primary jurisdiction." "I want you and the major to monitor the progress of this case." "I wanna make damn sure every aspect of this investigation is handled properly." " Yes, sir." " Yes, sir." "Agent Holland, I'm Major MacKenzie, JAG Corps." " This is Lieutenant Commander Rabb." " Major, commander." "Any clue yet as to the identity of this child?" "Given her condition prior to death, probably a throwaway." "She was malnourished, her clothes hadn't been washed, and there's evidence of physical abuse." "Excuse me." " Are you all right?" " Yeah." "Was she sexually abused?" "There are no obvious signs of sexual assault, commander." "But the autopsy report should tell us if there's a history of sexual abuse as well as internal injuries." " How long has she been here?" " Twenty-four hours, maybe less." "Well, that's certainly enough time for somebody to notice she was gone." " Excuse me." " You'd think." "We'll check with local law-enforcement agencies for missing-persons' reports." "We found an insignia with the body." "Master chief." "She was holding on to it real tight." "Like it was all she had left in the world." "Is it possible this pin belonged to her attacker or that it fell off during the attack?" "Anything's possible, major." "Hey, Holland, you on it?" "Too busy, Worton?" "The base transfer doesn't take place until the 17th of next month." "Till then, it belongs to the Navy." "Nevertheless, it was my understanding that the D.C. Police were assisting in this investigation, detective." "That means if you get a lead or a name, you give me a call, then I'll put some guys on it, I'll see what I can do." "Sorry." "My tax dollars at work." "Okay, that's it." "Word just came down." "The NCIS just came now." "We're gonna need some more cars." " Let's get out of here." " You go." "There's nothing more you can do here." " I'm staying with the kid." " Are you taking the car?" "No, I'll catch a ride with Agent Holland." "I'm sure she won't mind." "A deep ligature furrow encircles the neck." "The width of the furrow varies between 1 inch to 1 and a quarter inches." "It's horizontal in orientation." "There are bruises along the left side of the neck." "Dr. Vaughn, I'm Lieutenant Commander Rabb." "I'm with the JAG Corps." "I'm investigating this little girl's death." " Little busy just now, commander." " I'll wait." "There are fresh bruises on both arms, an inch above the wrist." "The unembalmed, poorly nourished and poorly developed female body measures 43 inches in length." "Weighs an estimated 36 pounds." "The external auditory canals are filled with blood." " How did she die?" " It's too early to tell." "Ligature furrow indicates the possibility of asphyxiation." "There's also evidence of major skull trauma." "I'd hazard a guess, there's internal haemorrhaging and severe brain damage." "You'll get my full report in the morning." "Well, you give it to me when you're finished, I'll be here." "Don't expect me to have answers I don't have." "Anything you can tell me helps, doctor." "What's this kid mean to you that you're willing to spend the night?" "Don't want her to be alone." "She's dead, commander." "She doesn't know the difference." "There are what appear to be burns on the back and arms." "Seven in all." "Each is about a centimetre in diameter." "The burns appear to have been caused by a lit cigarette." "There are bruises on the buttocks, backs of the thighs, calves and soles of the feet." "Admiral, I'd like to stay with this case." "Well, what do you have on your plate, commander?" "Well, sir, there's the four sailors charged with trespassing for staging a sit-down protest in Captain Tony's bar." "Is this the bar in San Diego that the bank's repossessing?" "Yes, sir, and the Alvarez deposition." "Alvarez." "Gunner's mate in Mayport, sir, told his C.O. He was moonlighting as a bouncer in a dance club." "Turns out he was working in a strip joint." " That's the bouncer?" " Well, not exactly, sir." "He billed himself as the Mighty Maverick." "Apparently, he had a rather large following." "Well, it sounds like you have plenty to keep you busy." "Sir, about this case." "Well, the D.C. Cops don't feel it's their jurisdiction, and the autopsy was less than routine, sir." "Point, please." "Well, I feel that someone should be in her corner, admiral." "Sir." "If you have a need to continue on this, go ahead." "I'll have Lieutenant Roberts and Lieutenant Sims handle the Alvarez and the San Diego Four." " Major can supervise." " Thank you, sir." "I'd like to stay on the case as well, sir." " I've made my decision." " Yes, sir." "Dismissed." " I know that look." " What look?" "The one you had when we went to Russia to look for your father." "The one when you insisted on representing Roscoe Martin, and we know how that turned out." "You're just ticked because you and Bud got stuck with the Alvarez case." "Oh, yeah, my dream in law school was prosecuting a gunner's mate for dropping trou." "Bud, will you contact the FBI, get me a list of all registered sex offenders in D.C. Area?" "Right away, sir." "Get me a list of all civilian and Naval personnel working at the Potomac Naval Annex and living in the surrounding area." "Get a sketch artist to get me a likeness of the child just prior to death." "Child was murdered, sir?" "Yes." "You're not letting NCIS handle this, commander?" "We're working closely with NCIS on this, lieutenant." "Ever heard of an office?" "A telephone?" "Hell, we can sit in the car." "I got the heater on high." "Any word yet on the identity of the child?" "I checked with the Center for Missing and Exploited Children three times a day, and so far, there's no report of a missing child who fits her description." "Well, how does a child just disappear without anybody reporting her missing?" "It doesn't happen." "Don't get personal with this, commander." "It'll eat you alive." "Who was she?" "Where does she live?" "How did she get on this base?" "The body gets released tonight." "The burial is tomorrow." "And the D.C. Government's going to spring for a plot in Glenwood Cemetery." "Pauper's grave." " That's the way it's done." " Delay it." "Have the D.C. Coroner release the body to you." "I'm bringing someone in." "Ma'am." " Commander." " Commander." " I'll take that." " Thank you." "So just how did you arrange this on six hours' notice?" "Told them I'll hold my breath till I turn blue." "You still on the cigar waggon?" "Yeah, I've been on it for about a year." "How about you?" " No, I'm still hooked." " Time to quit." " I know." " How was Graceland?" "Well, there are so many dead, they had to bring in a refrigerated truck just to handle the overload." "I hope you're gonna tell me you've got something less depressing." "I was hoping you'd find something they didn't." "It's a little girl." "I like to start fresh." "I don't wanna be influenced by previous findings." "Fair enough." "You know, you and I had some success working together last time." "But you know I've got my own way of doing things." "Well, that's why you're here, commander." "I need you." "Wherever it leads us." "This break occurred immediately before or just after death." "These here are anvil abrasions." "I don't remember that being in the medical examiner's report." "Well, see the faint parallel scratches?" "What's the cause?" "Well, her head was placed against a hard surface and struck with a blunt instrument." "The force of the blow caused the skull to slip." "And that, in turn, produced the abrasions." "So, what does that tell us?" "Well, there are a couple of possibilities." "Sadism, ritual murder." "Was she sexually molested?" "I don't know for sure." "You can read it either way." "Her ribs are also broken, so she couldn't have had the chance to run away." "Her strength would have been sapped." "Instead of crying out, she could probably do no more than bleat." "You wanna know why that child died alone, don't you?" "And they brought young children to Jesus that he should touch them." "And his disciples rebuked those that brought them." "But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and he said to them," ""Suffer the little children to come unto me and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of God."" "Whoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein." "And Jesus took them up in his arms and put his hands on them and blessed them." "O God, whose beloved son did take the little children into his arms and bless them, give us grace, we beseech thee, to entrust this child to thy never failing care and love." "And here's the list of registered sex offenders living in proximity to the Potomac Naval Annex, sir." "Now, I've come up with a couple of names." "One in particular caught my attention, a William Randall Hawkins." "Now, he has a couple convictions on child molestation, and he lives with his brother Bradley." "Now, his brother is a master chief at the Naval Air Facility, but he's been deployed to the Patrick Henry right now." "And as you know, the little girl was found with a master-chief collar insignia in her hand." "That's right." ""Violating D.C. Code 224108, first degree child abuse, 224110, enticing a child."" "I wanna speak to this William Randall Hawkins, Bud." " Can you...?" " I'll take care of it, sir." "Thank you." "Sir, where's Commander Coulter?" "Supervising toxicology tests at Bethesda." "Is this the screen for opiates?" "Came up negative." "And blood-ethanol." "It's also negative." "Commander, you know what?" "This one, I really think you should take a look at." "Take a peek." "Could you hand me the printout?" "Dear God." "Excuse me, sir." "Major MacKenzie needs the Alvarez file." "And Bud needs the depositions for the San Diego forum." " Lieutenant Commander Rabb." " Rabb, Detective Lang." "Detective, thanks for calling me back." "Listen, could you hang on one second?" " Sure." " Thank you." "Can you ask Bud to come and see me ASAP?" "He's in with the admiral right now discussing his new trial responsibilities." " I'll send him as soon as he's finished." " Lieutenant, yes." "I'll get those." "How can you look at pictures like this?" " It comes with the territory, lieutenant." " What territory?" "How can you even tolerate this?" "Commander, you didn't have to do this." "You asked for it." "You're supposed to be working on Alvarez." "Now you have Bud involved." " Don't." " Mr. Roberts." "Hey." "I'll talk to her, sir." "It's not your fault." "Aren't you the one that warned me about taking this in the first place?" "I was wrong." "When we were at the Potomac Naval Annex, something happened." " Nothing out of the ordinary, Mac." " We've worked together three years." "We've travelled together, we've slept together..." "In the same room." "I know you." "When we worked with Lieutenant Commander Coulter on the Navajo reservation, she moved beyond science." "She was starting to think differently." "That's why you called her in, isn't it?" "Because you believe there's something deeper happening here." "I'm a lawyer, Mac." "I believe in facts." "Talk to me." "Some things that won't be in my report." "Things I believe, but I can't quantify or prove." "I'm listening." "Well, I know how you feel about the unexplained." "But I'm convinced this child is trying to tell me something." "Go on." "Well, I can tell you how she lived, Harm." "I mean, in misery." "She was burned with cigarettes." "She was beaten, she was starved." "I mean, not all her life, but certainly in the last few months of it." "I can tell you how she was killed." "She was choked." "She was probably still alive when she got the side of her head bashed in." "But that's not what you need to know." "I mean, whoever killed her hated her." " How do you know that?" " Well, her injuries." "I mean, her assailant beat her into nothingness." "Whoever did this simply didn't want her to exist anymore." "You mind if I ask you something personal?" "Well, you'll know if I do." "You once told me that your father killed your mother." "He beat her to death in a drunken rage when I was 22." "I came home an hour later and found the body." "It was like my world blew to pieces and all I wanted to do was find out why." "It was as if that would somehow make the pain go away." "Yeah." "That why you became a pathologist?" "I think maybe I thought I'd find some answers." "And I didn't, of course." "At least, not in the usual places." "No name, no family." "Nobody's child." "How did you find this guy anyway, Bud?" "I checked with the DMV to get his brother's licence plate number." "I figured that Mr. Hawkins would borrow the chief's car while he was away in the gulf, and I located the nearest schools and scoped them out." "Nice job." "I know you've moved past this kind of work, Bud, so thank you." "I think I'm gonna have a talk with Mr. Hawkins." "Can you do that, sir?" "He's just sitting in his car minding his own business." "Well, he might be having bad thoughts, Bud." "Well, I don't know if that gives you probable cause." "You know what I say?" "To hell with it." "William Randolph Hawkins?" " I didn't do anything." " Nobody said you did." " Then give me my keys back." " What's going on, Willie?" "Who are you?" "Well, I'm a guy that knows exactly what you were thinking." " Are you some kind of cop?" " Yeah, Willie, I'm the thought police." "Are you still molesting little girls, Willie?" "Come here." "No, no, no." "I didn't do anything." "What were you doing in that car, Willie?" "Nothing." "You can't go around bothering people." " I'm gonna call the cops." " Go right ahead." "We'll tell them you've been hanging around schoolyards." "Well, you made me violate my parole." "You chased me here." "You ran away from me, Willie." " Sir, are you making a citizen's arrest?" " No, Bud." "Mr. Hawkins is coming with us voluntarily as a material witness." " The hell I am." " We just wanna talk, Willie." "About what?" "Well, I wanna know everything you know about the murder of a 5-year-old girl." "And believe me, it's in your best interest to talk to me." "I wanna talk to a lawyer." "You're talking to one." " I've got rights." " I respect those rights." "The way I see it, Mr. Hawkins, you have two choices." "You can talk to me voluntarily, citizen to citizen." "You tell me the truth." "If I like your story, I'll put in a good word about how you helped solve a homicide." "Or I can call my friend Detective Lang down at Sex Crimes, tell him you've been a bad boy." "Your parole is violated, you serve out the last seven years of your sentence at Lorden." "First question I don't like, I'm out of here." "Fair enough." "So, what were you doing in that car outside of Anderson Elementary School?" "Making new friends?" "I was listening to the Vienna Boys' Choir on the radio." "Catchy tune." " You ever seen this little girl before?" " Is she dead?" " How did you know that?" " You mentioned a homicide." "Twice." "I'm not a violent person." " I would never hurt a child." " Have you seen her before?" "I will neither confirm nor deny, commander." " Yeah, I think maybe you killed her." " No." "Well, you know something about her." "Now, you either have seen her before, or you know where she lived, or you saw her with somebody else." "You're getting to a very sensitive area, commander." "I am not a stalker." "Well, you got a problem, pal." "You do bad things to little girls." "August 4th, 1993, you abducted Mary Bunche from a schoolyard." " Mary came to me willingly." " You sodomised her." "There's some dispute about that." "I only plead to the charges to keep out of Lorden for 15 years." "As proof, I've been good since I've been out." "Well, less than a month ago, you were picked up loitering outside of Bethune Middle School." "That was a misunderstanding." "No charges were filed." "You know what I think?" "I think you did murder this child." " No." " How do I know that?" "You hang around schoolyards, you follow children." "I did not admit to that." "That would be a violation of my parole." "I don't like this line of questioning." " I don't see Hawkins doing it." " He fits the profile." "There was something in my analysis of the digestive system that I didn't understand until just now." "I found about 10 cc's of paper pulp in the child's stomach and intestines." "That didn't make sense to me." "Unless she was locked away somewhere, and that's how she kept herself alive." "Eating cardboard." "That man in there doesn't have that kind of hatred in his soul." "Do you want me in there with you?" "Why, are you afraid of what I might do?" "No, I'm afraid of what I might do." " Who's she?" " Major MacKenzie." "Why bring her in?" "This may come as a surprise, Mr. Hawkins." "He really doesn't like you." "So far, I don't have an opinion." " You the good cop?" " I'm a Marine lawyer." "Help me out here, Willie." "Give us something to work with." "Have you seen her?" " I'm conflicted, commander." " Yeah?" "You see this?" "Somebody wrapped a belt around this little girl's neck and pulled so tight she couldn't breathe." " Was that you?" "Was it your belt?" " That's enough already." "What's he trying to do to me?" " How else do we get your attention?" " I'm not some kind of monster." "That song you were listening to:" ""As I Watch Over My Sheep." Is that what you do?" "I love children." "Well, your rap sheet indicates that, Willie." " I like you better than him." " Yeah, most people do." "I've done a lot of bad things in the past, major." "Maybe I'm trying to make up for them." "So I watch out for the kids in the neighbourhood, make sure nothing bad happens to them." " Sort of a community service?" " Someone has to." "Have you seen this girl?" "I'm not admitting any improper behaviour." "I'm speaking only as a material witness." "By chance, I saw her." "She was dirty, tiny and frail." "I was watching out for the child when no one else cared." " Where?" " Over by the Tubman projects." "What, did she live there?" "Visiting, I think." "I saw her once on the playground." "And it looked like someone had worked her over." "When you saw that she was in trouble, why didn't you call somebody?" " Why didn't you step forward?" " I'm a convicted molester." "What happens when I call and tell them I've been watching a child and something's about to happen?" "What do you think happens to me then?" "Make an anonymous call, Willie." "It took more than one person to do that to her." "I'm sorry to bother you, sir." "Always have time for you, lieutenant." "Sir, it's about yesterday." "I'm sorry, I'm ashamed." "And I'm resigning my commission effective immediately." "I'm sorry, did you say something about resigning your commission?" "Because I don't recall anything that would call for your resignation." "But" "Besides that, what in the hell are you apologising for?" "Because you saw something that no one should ever have to see?" "That it hit a little too close to home?" "Because of that, you had a temporary lapse of protocol?" "Sir, I struck a senior officer." "Lieutenant, I was there." "I saw you make an emphatic hand gesture that, by chance, struck the commander with a glancing blow." "Sir, I was emotional and irrational, and there is no excuse." "Lieutenant, let me be the judge of that." "Give me the letter." "Are you tired of your service with JAG, lieutenant?" "No, sir." "I love my work, sir." " Personal problems?" " No, sir." "I love Bud to death." "That's to say that Lieutenant Roberts and I are very well-suited for one another, sir." " Anything else bothering you?" " No, sir." "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some work to do." " Thank you, admiral." " Dismissed." "Aye, aye, sir." "I can't count the number of times I thought about hitting Rabb." "Excuse me, ma'am." "Could I ask you a few questions?" " Is this about Harry?" " Harry?" "My husband, Harry, was on the Saratoga before he ran off and left me." "Well, I'm sorry to hear that, ma'am." "His allowances are hardly enough to make ends meet." "I don't know what I'd do if it wasn't for double coupons." "Well, that's true for a lot of us, ma'am." "When was the last time you saw this little girl, ma'am?" "I can't really say I've ever seen her, for sure." "Are you sure you're not here about Harry?" "What was your husband's full name and rank, ma'am?" "Harold Poplin, P-O-P-L-l-N, Springs." "Master chief." "Well, I'll look into the master chief's obligations, ma'am, and see if I can find something more for you." " You can do that?" " If I'm properly motivated, yes, I can." "Let me see that picture." " I might have seen her." " When?" "The last time was maybe six, seven days ago." " Where?" " She lived in the building." "At least, she was staying here with her aunt." " Well, what is her aunt's name?" " Marjorie Lewis." "I heard she was from over in North Mountain in Maryland." "They took shameful care of that little girl." "Running around all hours of the day and night, and she was always dirty." " Where does Marjorie live, ma'am?" " Upstairs in 2B." "At least, she did." " She moved?" " About a week ago, in a big hurry." "Didn't give any notice or anything." "One minute, she was there, the next minute, just packed up that car and drove away." "She took the child with her?" "I didn't see her with them." "And it wouldn't surprise me if they did leave her behind." "They?" "She was with someone else?" "Charlie." "I don't know his name." "Well, could you describe him, ma'am?" "Big man, maybe 6'2"." "One more thing." "The little girl, did she have a name?" "Everybody has a name, commander." "What was hers, ma'am?" "I don't know." "She never ever talked." "Didn't even say thank you when I gave her one of Harry's old insignias." "Thank you." "The dead child's name was Annie Lewis." "Why did she go to live with her aunt Marjorie in D.C.?" "I don't know how that happened." "Where's her mother?" "The mother?" "Wanda Lewis." "She passed away three years ago, age 22." "Cause of death?" " Bad living, bad company." " Overdose?" "Crack." "Oh, hi, Mrs. Dandy." "Look, could you wait for me over there for a bit?" "I'll be with you as soon as I can, thanks." " Hiya, kids." " Come on." "Wanda, yeah, Wanda was assigned to this office when she was 15." " She was unmarried, pregnant." " What about the father?" "Wanda had no idea who the father was." "That's why when they placed the child, they put her with the grandmother, and the grandmother's been dead six months." "Well, who got custody of the child after the grandmother died?" "Well, it's not in the report." "The family had been broken up." "There's nothing about how Annie ended up with her aunt?" "No." "The grandmother had not needed our services, so technically, Annie was no longer the concern of this office." "This is a small town, Mrs. Rawlings." "How hard can it be to keep an eye on a family in trouble?" "Look, I have a caseload of over 200." "Sometimes things fall between the cracks." "We're not talking about things, Mrs. Rawlings." "We're talking about a little girl." "You know, there's a lot of sadness in this line of work, commander." "You either get used to it or you move on." "What is her grandmother's address?" "Well, I can't give you that information." "Not without a court order." "There are privacy issues involved." "Five sugars." "It's about five miles down that way, second right." "Are you trying to read my mind?" " Well, you're not that hard to figure." " Everybody's trying to read my mind." "Well, you're a very interesting specimen, commander." "I mean, does anybody get close?" "Yeah, people get close." "Somebody's close right now." "Of course, she has an unfair advantage." " It's her line of work." " What is she, a shrink?" "Yeah, but I'm not seeing her as a shrink." "It's a shrink that I'm seeing." "I think, if that makes any sense." "You tell her about this?" "No, I didn't wanna spoil her day." "But you had no problem ruining my day." "Sorry." "Annie Lewis." "She speaks to you." "Not in words, but..." "I feel she's close." " Let's head out, commander." " Yeah." "What's wrong?" "The child was here." "This is where Annie was kept." "I'm ready to take some samples." "Looks like there's some hair fibres mixed in with the dried blood." "And maybe some bits of skin." "Annie?" "Please don't hurt me." "Honey, I'm not gonna hurt you." "I'm here to help you." "Is Charlie with you?" "No, sweetie, Charlie's far, far away from here." " Who's she?" " She's a friend." "You'd like her." "What are you gonna do with me?" "We're gonna take you someplace safe and warm." "Do you have a sister?" "You do." " What's her name?" " Annie." " Who's older?" " We're the same age." "But I came first." "What's your name?" " Dar-Lin." " That's a nice name." "Who is Charlie, Dar-Lin?" "He live with us." "Is he the one who hurt you and locked you in the closet?" "He told me and Annie that unless we was good, he was gonna stomp us right on our head." " Why didn't they take you, Dar-Lin?" " They grabbed Annie, but I got away." "How long has it been since you had something to eat?" "Yesterday, maybe." "I want to see Annie." " I know." " Annie dead?" " Yes, she is, Dar-Lin." " Charlie kill her?" "I don't know, but I am going to find out." "I didn't want her to die." " I know." " Oh, don't cry, Dar-Lin." "Why don't you come out of there, sweetheart?" "Are you cold?" "Here." "I'll bet you're cold." "Here." "Now, you don't need to be afraid anymore." "I'm gonna make sure that you're safe, okay?" "I promise." "Hey, Annie." "I found Dar-Lin." "She's safe." "Now I'm gonna find Charlie." "I don't care how long it takes, I don't care what I have to do." "I'm gonna find him and make sure that he never hurts anybody ever again."