"How many Naval legal-service offices are there in the world, Papa?" "Fifteen." "And of those 15, how did you decide to visit the office in Gaeta for your inspection?" "I hadn't been here in a while." "Are you aware, admiral, that your only daughter lives in Milano, a city which can be reached from Gaeta in three hours on the autostrada?" "What do they call it when a witness does not answer the question, Papa?" "Non-responsive, daughter." "Non-responsive." "This is what you are, Papa." "You are non-responsive." "We both know that you arranged this inspection to visit me." "Harm and Mac are here for a court-martial." "Oh, really?" "An American Navy warrant officer named Ray Dillard stole five Stinger missiles to sell to Afghanistan." "It's a case with profound diplomatic implications." "I like your hair." "Marry me." "This will just take a minute." "Stand at attention." "What ship are you from, sailor?" "Show me an ID card." " What's happening?" "Papa!" "Papa!" " Francesca." "Admiral Chegwidden?" "Sergente Giovanni Cade." "Is there any word of my daughter?" "No, sir." "We found the VW van abandoned six blocks from here." "Three eyewitnesses saw the kidnappers get out of the van with the girl." "They got into a burnt-orange Mercedes with a dent in the left front bumper and they drove away." "Was Francesca hurt?" " She did not seem to be." " Thank God." "Perhaps the men who took her were American sailors with a grudge against you, admiral." "No, no, no, they weren't Americans, and they weren't sailors." "Wrong shoes, wrong haircuts, no IDs." "They knew who we were and how I'd react." "They were waiting for us, sergeant." "Francesca's stepfather, Vittorio Paretti, is a very wealthy man." " Maybe they grabbed her for ransom." " In Italy that is always possible, major." "Sir, maybe we should go to the hospital." "I'm fine, lieutenant." "I wanna talk to Dillard." "Admiral, if I may ask, who is this Dillard?" "I'm representing Chief Warrant Officer Dillard in a court-martial." "He's on trial for stealing Stinger missiles and attempting to sell them to Afghanistan." "And the major is the prosecuting attorney." "So you think that the Afghanis have taken the admiral's daughter to trade in exchange for this warrant officer's silence or his freedom?" " Well, it's definitely a possibility." " It's the only possibility." "Sir, this is Chief Warrant Officer Dillard." "At ease." "Gunner, the admiral would like to ask you some questions." " Yes, sir." " Before he can do that, you will need to waive your Article 31 rights against self-incrimination." "What's your advice, commander?" "The admiral wants to ask you questions concerning the disappearance of his daughter, Francesca." "If you admit guilt or complicity in her abduction, that makes you an accessory to kidnapping." "So my advice to you would be to invoke those rights." " I'll grant him immunity." " On all charges, sir?" "Just on new offences discovered, if he helps secure the release of Francesca." " Who took my daughter?" " I swear, sir, I don't know." "You can safely answer the question." " I just did, sir." " I'm asking you again." " Who took my daughter?" " Why are you sure I'm a part of this?" " Because you have the most to gain." " No, sir, the Afghan rebels do." "If they wanna ensure my silence and they took Francesca, they've secured a bargaining chip, sir." "Who's your contact in Afghanistan?" "Lieutenant, go down to the wardroom and get me a cup of decaf." "Yes, sir." "Decaf?" "Sugar, nondairy creamer." "Gunner, you may wanna rethink that position." "The admiral's offer of immunity is in your best interest." "Let me consider my options, sir." "If you save the admiral's daughter, you're looking at a lot less prison time, gunner." "I hope you get your daughter back, admiral." "I really do." "You'd better pray I do." "You handled that well, commander." "You're within your rights to file a motion for unlawful command." "I'd prefer not to do that, sir." "It's not about preference, it's about duty." "No one, including myself, is above the rule of the law." " Admiral, I had them make it fresh." " I don't drink decaf." "Thanks, Bud." "I should have been able to protect her." "Sir, you had no way of knowing what was gonna happen." "Let me ask you something, lieutenant." "What's more important?" "Dressing down a couple of sailors or spending time with my daughter?" "Admiral, you can't blame yourself, sir." " Where are you going, sir?" " Into the past." "Francesca told me you were in Italy, but I did not expect to see you, A.J." "Or is it "admiral"?" "Can we speak in private, please?" "You can do no wrong in my daughter's eyes." "But don't think that you can suddenly show up here and expect to be part of her life." "Marcella, Francesca has been abducted." " When?" " This morning, in Gaeta." "Why did you wait to tell me?" "Your husband was notified four hours ago." "Vittorio said nothing." "You were with her?" "I believe the kidnapping may be related to a court-martial that begins tomorrow." "She's my daughter, A.J. She's mine." "I kept her safe for 26 years." "And now you come here, and in one day, she's gone?" "That's what I hated about you, the violence." " Leave your trail of blood behind you." " I was a Navy SEAL." "It's dirty work." "You knew that when you married me." "No, I knew that you looked splendid in your dress whites and that you had a good heart." " Vietnam changed you." " It changed everybody." "You are Francesca's admiral?" " I'm her father." " Of course." "Vittorio Paretti." " Have you any word of her?" " No." "No one has contacted me." "We can talk in my study." "Do you know what this is about?" "I think it has something to do with the theft of Stinger missiles." "I see." "I have contacted my bankers." "There is a million dollars cash waiting day or night." "I am willing to give everything I have to get her back." "Are you willing to do the same?" "The kidnappers may want something the United States government's unwilling to give." "I did not ask about the government, admiral, I asked about you." "What are you willing to give?" "On my way out in the ship's launch, it occurred to me:" "Nothing has changed here in 2000 years, not since Cicero was in Gaeta." " I'll explain it to you." " Very famous, full of ships." "They teach Italian naval history at the academy." "Yeah." "Bravo." " I spoke with Francesca's father..." " Stepfather." " At his office in Naples again this morning." "No one has approached him." " There is no ransom demand." " It's not about money, sergeant." "I'm confused, commander." "No offer by the Afghan rebels to trade Francesca Paretti's life for Warrant Officer Dillard's freedom from prosecution?" "Not yet." "Then why was Signorina Paretti abducted?" "Writing about the world of high fashion does not make Francesca dangerous." "Well, that seems to be the question." "Who knew you were in Gaeta, admiral?" "Who knew what your plans with Francesca were?" "It had to be someone close to you or to her." "Just what are you saying, sergeant?" "I have only questions, Major MacKenzie, not answers." " What the hell is it with that guy?" " He's just doing his job, sir." "Well, it loses something in the translation." "Wardroom, Lieutenant Roberts." "Admiral, it's for you." "It's Mrs. Paretti." "Marcella?" "Sure." "Sure, say about an hour?" "Yeah, that'll be fine." "Okay, bye." "Commander, I want you and the lieutenant to personally escort Dillard from the Belknap to the courtroom." " Yes, sir." " Do not let him out of your sight." "Major, once he's in the courtroom, I want you to nail his ass to the wall." "Be my pleasure, sir." " How do I get out of this, sir?" " Help us find Francesca's kidnappers." "It's covered under attorney-client privilege, gunner." "Maybe we can work something out on the other charges." "Commander," "I don't know who took her or what they want." "You have to believe me." "Well, I believe you're between a rock and a hard place, gunner." "You may not know who the kidnappers are for sure, but you do possess information that could lead us to them." "Help me find a way out of this." "I can probably get you a reduced sentence, but you're gonna have to take some responsibility for what you did." "I asked you to come here to beg your forgiveness." " I am sorry." " There's no need." "Allow me my guilt, A.J." "An occasional confession, you know, is good for the soul." "It cleanses." "I..." "I know that you love Francesca as much as I do and that you did everything possible to protect her, and that you would do anything to get her back." "Well, maybe we should start over." "It's a little late for that, A.J." "I meant this visit." "Marcella, I want you to tell me everything you know about Francesca:" "Who her friends are, how she spends her time." "Is there any reason someone might have taken her or wanna hurt her?" "Is there a man in her life?" "Yes." "Well, at least there was until she broke up with him a year ago." "But I never met her lover." "And she never said anything to you about him?" "Francesca keeps things to herself." "In that way, she reminds me of you." "Marcella, I need you to take me to Francesca's apartment in Milan." "I need to see how she lives." "You've done very well for yourself, Marcella." "So have you, admiral." "Prosecution will prove that Chief Warrant Officer Raymond Dillard, in his capacity as ordnance officer for the Sixth Fleet, is guilty of the following violations of the UCMJ:" "Article 121, the wrongful taking of five Stinger missiles which were military property." "Article108, the attempted sale of the Stinger missiles to a foreign power, in this case, Afghan rebels." "Article 106-Alpha, espionage by providing the above-stated weapons." "Your Honour, may I confer with my client, sir?" "Briefly." "Prosecution has you dead to rights, gunner." "My job is to assure the best outcome possible considering the circumstances." "I can delay the proceedings if you wanna try for a plea bargain." "How do we know the offer's still open?" "Your Honour, I need to confer with trial counsel, sir." " Make it quick, counsellor." " Thank you." "You still open to a plea bargain?" "Now is the best time to get a deal, before I nail his butt to the wall." "You wanna try to make a deal?" "Not just yet, sir." "Let's see how today goes in court." "She took this apartment a year ago." "I didn't approve." "How did you know that would be there?" "I didn't." "Then why did you go right for the drawer?" "Years ago, I defended a Navy chief who was a safecracker in civilian life." "One time he told me, "Whatever you wanna know gets hidden right here."" "Combination to a safe, phone number of your husband's mistress..." "Or a photograph that you don't want anyone to see." "Looks like she's got your temper." "I remember when you tore my picture in half." "I don't know his name." "Francesca met him at university." "He was a history major and the love of her life." "Well, why didn't she bring him home?" "She thought that Vittorio and I would not approve of him." " Why?" " I don't know, A.J." "Her friends were always welcome at our house." " Her diary." " Why did she stop seeing him?" "Francesca said that they had..." "I don't know." "How do you say it in English?" " Irresponsible difference." " Irreconcilable?" "Yes, I'm sorry." "My English is a little rusty." "My Italian's a little rusty." "You wanna?" "Okay." ""Today was the fall showing of Paulo D'affil-Meyer." "His creations were raw-edged, as usual." "So tensile, so..." What is the word?" ""...muscular." "Tomorrow I drive to Gaeta to spend the day with my father." "My real father, the admiral, not the man who raised me and gave me his name." "I love them both." "I have a deep connection to my American father." "That surprises me." "I have only known him a few years, but I feel I have known him all my life." "That's the way I felt about Luscino." "The year I spent in his arms was the happiest time of my life." "Leaving him broke my heart." "I wonder if it was like that for my mother." "I sometimes wonder why the admiral and my mother ended their marriage so early and abruptly." "They are a good fit." "I know my mother still cares for him."" " You never found another wife?" " No." "I cured you of marriage, eh?" "Pretty much." "I sometimes wonder what would have happened if I had stayed with you." "Well, you'd be living in a cabin in the woods, married to a man who's never home." "Not much difference than the way it is now." "Really?" "My house would fit in your front hallway." "Vittorio." "Oh, I'm so sorry." "Did you find out anything?" "I know only what you know." "Perhaps less." "Signore Paretti, I asked your wife's permission to look through Francesca's apartment." "And what did you find?" "There is nothing of interest there, Vittorio, at least not for now." "Just mostly notes Francesca made of the fall fashions." "She brings her work home with her." "I wonder what else she brings home." "He is a stupid and loathsome man." "Tell him to get out of this house." "Don't make this harder than it has to be, Francesca, eh?" " End it now, Luscino." " I can't, Francesca." "It's gone too far." "There has been too much killing." "There's a lot at stake, Francesca." "What do you want from me?" "I'm trading you for a truckload of oranges." "I won't hurt you." "What you are doing to my family is wrong." "No one needs to die, Francesca, not if everyone does as they are told." "And that includes you." "If you try to leave this cabin," "I cannot guarantee your safety or that of your family." "Stay here and you will see them again." "You have my word." "Well, you had your day in court, gunner." " So, what do you think?" " Get in touch with Major MacKenzie." "I'll give her the name of the middlemen in Italy and the buyers in Afghanistan." "That's a wise choice, gunner." " Why'd you do it?" " Love." "Love?" "That's why I did it." "I met Leila sitting on the steps of the San Giovanni a Mare." "How'd you contact the Afghanis?" "Leila is Afghani." "She put me in touch with their embassy." "How'd you arrange to have the missiles stolen?" "Embassy contact put me in touch with an Italian middleman." "The missiles were stolen while they were being offloaded from a freighter transporting from the States." "Gun!" "Ray?" "Ray." "Damn it." "Ray, help me." "Help me find Francesca." "Who stole the weapons, Ray?" " Who stole them?" " Luscino Antinori." "Ray." "Francesca." "I will kill you, Luscino." "It's not in your nature, Francesca." "You're kind, gentle." "You've changed." " So have you." " You're right." "I don't mind killing now." "Not even you, if I have to." "The shooter's name was Angelo Marchetti." "He has no known ties with any Afghan or Italian terrorist groups." "Admiral, right now none of this makes any sense." " Maybe it does, ma'am." " Explain, lieutenant." "Well, it's like a puzzle." "You know, if you look at it one way, you see a cat, and if you turn it around, you see a dog." "The point?" "Well, maybe we've been looking so hard at the cat that we've missed the dog." "That's very enlightening, Dr. Dolittle." "What I mean, sir, is that perhaps your daughter's kidnapping is a matter of coincidence rather than causality." "I need sleep." "He's starting to make sense." "There are a lot of unanswered questions, sir." "Dillard swears he didn't know who kidnapped Francesca." "Still no ransom demands." "There were never demands for his release from the Afghan rebels, and his killer was an Italian motor-scooter driver." " And who the hell is Luscino Antinori?" " My daughter's lover." "Thank you, sir." "That was Mr. Webb." "CIA intel says that the Stinger missiles never got into Afghanistan." "Get in contact with the Sixth Fleet commander." "Alert him to the change in status of Chief Warrant Officer Dillard." "But he's dead, sir." "Not a lot gets by you, does it, lieutenant?" "Talk to Sergeant Cade." "See what he knows." " Admiral..." " That'll be all." "Yes, sir." " You have something to say, major?" " No, sir." "I..." "I thought maybe you would want someone to talk to." "What precisely would we talk about?" "May I speak freely, sir?" "Seems like you're bound and determined to." "Well, I know that this is difficult for you, and I thought maybe a friendly shoulder to cry on?" "This isn't going very well, is it, sir?" "You have a gift for the understatement, major." " Just forget about this?" " Already have." " Close the hatch on your way out." " Yes, sir." "Thanks, Sarah." "Sergeant, you've known all along that Francesca was not kidnapped by the Afghans, haven't you?" "I've only had my suspicions." "So why not tell us?" "Because I didn't know if I could trust the admiral." "My boss is a two-star admiral, the judge advocate general of the United States Navy." "He is also Francesca's father." "I didn't know if that would impair his judgement." "Angelo Marchetti, the Vespa driver who killed Chief Warrant Officer Dillard, and Luscino Antinori:" "What do these two men have in common?" "They are both members of the Camorra, organised crime." "The gunman was a person of little consequence." "He just followed orders." "Luscino Antinori was his capo." "So Dillard was killed to silence him." " Antinori stole the Stinger missiles." " I would like to say yes." "Any thought to bringing Antinori in and asking him a few questions?" "Well, it's not that easy." "He disappeared the day Francesca was taken." "What does Luscino have to do with Francesca's disappearance?" "There is history of bad blood between the Parettis and the Antinoris." "A year ago Francesca's uncle, Franco Paretti, killed Luscino's father." " In revenge, Luscino killed Franco." " So this is about a Mafia vendetta." "Franco's death changed Vittorio Paretti." "For the first time, he takes a place in the family business and vows to avenge his brother's death." "CIA intel indicates that these Stingers are still here in Italy." "The latest trouble between the two families began three weeks ago, when Vittorio Paretti hijacked one of Antinori's trucks." "It had a cargo of Algerian oranges, or so the manifest said." "I think maybe Paretti stole the missiles from Antinori." " Where's Vittorio?" " He's out of town, on business." "Where?" "I didn't ask, he didn't say." "That is our arrangement." "What do you know about this man you're married to?" "What any wife knows about the man she's been living with for 20 years." "Damn it, Marcella." "We are talking about our daughter's life." "I don't know anything, A.J. I made sure I didn't." "I don't know about Franco, I don't know about Vittorio, and I don't know about the family business." "But you had your suspicions." "Vittorio has been a good husband to me." "He's been a good father to your daughter." "This man, Luscino Antinori, who our daughter was seeing." "Nothing wrong with him except he killed a couple of people." "A.J." "Vittorio got a telephone call yesterday." "He left shortly after." "I think maybe it was about Francesca." "Would you wait a moment?" "You will need this." "This is why you left me." "Yes." "And now everything has come full circle." "Still, I don't know why, when I left, you did not come after me." " You wanted that?" " I don't know what I wanted." "I never stopped loving you." "Someday I will tell you about the nights that I cried over you, listening for your footsteps." "Lieutenant, get me the Sixth Fleet commander." "Aye, sir." " You were right, lieutenant." " I was?" "Thank you, sir." "Comm, this is Lieutenant J.G. Roberts aboard with JAG." "I need a secure line to the Sixth Fleet CO for the admiral ASAP." " What was I right about, sir?" " It was a dog instead of a cat." "Admiral Chegwidden for Admiral Evans." " Sixth Fleet commander, sir." " Harry, A.J." "I got a problem I need your help with." "I need you to authorise an EP-3 overflight in the region of Umbria, near the town of Monte Santa Maria Tiberina." "Also, I may need to request the Italian government send in their G.I.S. Special forces." "Absolutely, Harry, I'll keep you in the loop." "You got it." " Sergeant, what can I do for you?" " I come to offer my service." "Well, we've got things pretty much under control." "Monte Santa Maria Tiberina." "About 20 miles from Spoleto." "There's a pretty Romanesque church in the town square." "Well, not that it matters." "See, that's a winding two-lane road leading in." "Eagle 2 to Delta Charlie 1, approaching coordinates." "Delta Charlie 1 to Eagle 2." "Roger that." "You are clear to proceed." "Engaging GPS." "Engaging infrared." "There are three best possibilities at Monte Santa Maria Tiberina." " That is the Mercedes." " There's a dent in the front fender." "Infrared imaging indicates the presence of four humans." "I need to see this on a higher resolution." " That'll take a few minutes in the lab." " Do it." "Very impressive, admiral." "In Gaeta we still go house to house, knocking on doors." " Hell, we may still have to do that." " Bye, ma'am." "That was Major MacKenzie." "The Italian Defence Ministry is convening a special session in order to discuss deploying the Groupe Interventional Speciale." "The meeting starts in approximately 93 minutes." "Stay on top of it." "Once they authorise that G.I.S. Team, coordinate their efforts with the major." "Rabb, you're with me." "You don't know what you're up against, admiral." "La Cosa Nostra has been in Italy 500 years, and they will be here 500 more." "Well, not all of them." "Here's your high-resolution blowup, admiral." "This is my daughter's scarf, so this has gotta be where they're holding her." " Your names?" " Rear Admiral A.J. Chegwidden." "Lieutenant Commander Harmon Rabb." " Purpose, sir?" " Rapid-fire-qualification small arms." "How long are you gonna keep the weapon?" "Well, chief, with any luck, we'll have them back in the morning." "What weapons do you need?" "Two 9 mm Beretta semiautomatic pistols." "How many rounds, admiral?" "Hundred and fifty rounds, semi-jacketed hollow point, and eight extra magazines." "Two M590A1 shotguns with speed-feed stocks." "Purpose?" "We wanna hone our skills on the skeet range, chief." "What exactly are you hunting, sir?" "Fifty rounds of double-aught buck and another 50 rounds of sabot slugs." "A slug round, that's for short-range hunting, admiral." "It would stop a Buick." "It's really not appropriate for skeet." "Humour me, chief." "Just every once in a while, I like to blow the hell out of something." "I know the feeling, sir." "That's a hell of a lot of firepower for a lawyer, commander." "Obviously you've never seen him in the courtroom." "That's Antinori's truck." "That's Paretti." "He must have the Stinger missiles with him." "He's gonna trade them for Francesca." "How do you wanna play this, admiral?" "I'm going in." "You wait for the G.I.S. Team." "That's your plan?" "Sir?" " You got a better one?" " Well..." "We both go in." "It worked for us before." " You don't have to do this." " The hell I don't, sir." "Well, by my last count, we're about to violate at least seven separate provisions of the status-of-forces agreement with Italy." " Hell, you'd better call me A.J." " All right, A.J." "Let's do it." " I'll take the far side." " Yes, sir." "Papa!" " Admiral." " Papa, help." "Sir, how do we know she didn't go with Luscino willingly?" "How well do you really know her?" "Can you trust her?" " With my life." " I will guarantee your safety, admiral." "Well, I sure the hell won't guarantee yours." "Freeze." " Put down your weapons." " That's not gonna happen." "Put down your weapons or she's going to be buried right here." "Now!" "Papa, please." "Now move where I can see you." "Let her go, Luscino." "Leave her here." "Antinori." " Papa." " Francesca, no." "Don't do it, Antinori." "Put it down." " No." " Papa, Papa." "Papa, your leg." "Put it down, Antinori." "Put it down." "I knew you would come for me, Papa." "He's dead." "Are you hurt?" "I will never be the same again." "Admiral, you all right, sir?" "It's time to go home."