It was a cold fresh morning, 5 am, when the nineteen-year-old Annabella Jenkins jogged through the forest. Listening to 'Misery' by Maroon 5 improved her mood, but didn't give her eternal energy. She stopped to take some deeper breaths when reaching the half of her route. She was just about to lean against a ladder of a forester's tree house, when she recognized the body. The young girl frightened screamed.
"You see boss, and you thought I wouldn't find it", Tony said proudly.
"Yeah, I see, DiNozzo, but next time you could hurry a bit when driving us to a crime scene", Gibbs said after noticing that Ducky had arrived before them.
After getting out of the car, the forester came up to Gibbs' team.
"This is Annabella Jenkins, she found the body while jogging", the forester said, pointing to the brunette.
Gibbs nodded. "Tony, talk to her", Gibbs said, before Tony went over to her.
"Hi, I'm Special Agent DiNozzo", he said, getting all of the girls attention. Even though she was still outraged because of the dead navy man, Annie had to smile inside.
But instead of talking, she just nodded.
"Have you known the patty officer, Annabella?", Tony asked her.
"Yes", she just said.
McGee, who had to end a phone call in the navy yard first, joined the team to listen to Gibbs, telling him what happened. After he recognized Tony talking to Annie, he went over to them.
"Annie, is everything okay?", McGee asked her, and instead of answering, she just hugged him.
"I heard what happened, are you okay?", he asked the nineteen-year-old who nodded.
"I'm fine."
"You know each other?", Tony intervened.
"Yes Tony, that is Annie, the best friend of my sister", McGee answered.
Tony remembered McGee's sister. The first time he saw her was, when Tony went through his workmates iPod photos.
"Why do you never introduce me to the girls in your life?", Tony asked his workmate.
"What do you think would the reason be?", asked McGee.
The two men talked to Annie for five more minutes, before they had let her go.
Watching the young woman walk away into the second forest entrance, Tony was shocked. "Hey Probie", he said, hitting his workmate in the chest.
"Ouch, what was that about, Tony?", McGee asked Tony, who looked at him full of hope.
"Can you see what I see?", McGee followed Tony's view.
"Trees, Ground, Birds. Never been in a forest before?"
Tony shook his head from the sarcastic question.
"The forester couldn't tell us anything, Ducky and Jimmy are already driving back to the navy yard with the body. Gibbs wants us to go back there now, too!" Ziva said, interrupting Tony's thoughts.
"Alright, let's go", McGee answered, and the team went to the car, where their Boss was already waiting.
"What do we have?", Gibbs asked, standing in front of his desk.
"The only witness, Annabella Jenkins, saw the body as we found it, she couldn't tell us anything else", Tony answered his boss.
"Did she know the patty officer?", Gibbs then asked.
"Yes."
"Then why didn't you tell?"
"Must forgot, but since our McGeek knows her, he may be able to bring her here", Tony proposed.
"You know her, McGee?", Gibbs asked, looking at McGee.
"Yes."
"Then Bring her. And you Ziva, go to Abby, ask her what she got. Tony, you come with me", Gibbs said, walking to the elevators with Tony to get to Ducky.
"As you can seen, our Patty Officer is in good condition. And because of his uniform, he made it really easy for us to tell who he is: Patty Officer Ray Sprouse." the doctor explained shortly, with his Scottish accent.
"How did he die?" Gibbs asked, with his typical listening face expression.
"Well... there is a shot in the head, obviously, which makes it look like suicide, but..."
"But it's not suicide." Tony said, hoping it was the right answer and hoping not to get one of Gibbs' famous head slaps.
"I would say that it is, but... where is the weapon?", Ducky asked Tony.
"The murderer wasn't prepared for the murderer."
"Or he was in hurry", Gibbs said, before leaving autopsy.
"So, there is a bullet, but no gun", Ziva noticed, dubious.
"Yes, so it can't be suicide", the forensic scientist answered.
"That's how far we came, Abbs. Anything else?"
"Well, Gibbs, I have the bullet. But all I can tell you already is, that the bullet stems from a 'Glock 19' gun, with a length of 6.85 inches."
"That's a pretty common gun, Abby."
"Yes, but you know me, I'll find out from whose gun that bullet is."
"Good. Ziva, you help her", Gibbs said before leaving, again.
"So what do I have to do, Abby?"
"Yes... yes I know... Yeah, yea, I understand, Annie. But it's important... I know... But then my boss is gonna kill me... Alright... I appreciate it, thank you", McGee said to Annie on the phone, then hung up.
"Gonna kill you for what, McGee?", Gibbs that, starring at his co-worker.
"Annie... she works in a bar-café kinda thing and... well I convinced her to come now."
"Good, I'm gonna do the interrogation."
"Then what should I do, boss?"
"How about you find out why someone might killed the Patty Officer."
"Right... right", McGee said, turning away from Gibbs, typing something in his computer.
"McGee?", Gibbs said to get McGee to look at him.
"Yeah boss?"
"Tell me everything important about Annie."
"Umm, 19, she'll go to college in a few months, pretty smart, multi talent, the Patty Officer was the best friend of her dad who was a marine as well. But her dad was killed when she was very young."
"So she and the dad Patty Officer stayed in touch?"
"Yes, I think he's friends with her mom."
"Did they ever had something?"
"No, not that I'm aware of. But Annie doesn't tell a lot about her mom so I can't tell, boss."
"Any siblings?"
"No", McGee shortly answered and that was enough as an answer for Gibbs, who just left.