Chapter 1

"It was a routine case. Nothing very special. It took us three days to find out who the killer was."

"Start at the beginning, please."

"It was a Monday morning and we were called to the Baltimore woods. A Naval officer was found by two joggers. He was stabbed, it seemed like a very personal matter. She was called Paloma Jenkins. But I assume you know that part already."

"Continue."

"Doesn't that affect you a little bit…at least?"

"Please, Tony. Don't make it any harder than it already is."

"Any harder? What can be made harder? Have you any idea how it is to-"

"Please focus on the report."

"Okay…It was a personal issue. So we searched her environment. Her parents lived in New York, so McGee and Ziva visited them there. She had worked on the Naval Base in Norfolk. Had many friends, some very close. The research brought us to her boyfriend."

"Coincidentally?"

"Yes…how else? You know how this works."

"I have a note pad with questions here, Tony. I didn't make them."

"Why not?"

"This is complicated."

"Explain."

"Tony…everything in this case is complicated. I have to interrogate each of you, ask the same questions."

"Who wrote them down?"

"CIA."

Tony looked up. He sighed. "So now it's a matter of CIA. Why?"

"You know why."

"No. CIA deals with foreign policy. This is not."

"It is – Tony, I'm not here to argue with you. I'm here to interrogate you."

"Why? Everything is clear already. You only need to lay the blame on someone, don't you?"

"We don't blame anybody. It wasn't predictable. It was bad luck…Before you say anything, Tony, just go on with the story."

Tony sighed again. He was sweating in the warm and small NCIS interrogation room. "We found out about this ex-boyfriend. It seemed so obvious and typical. They split up, they quarreled, he stabbed her. He drove her to the forest and dumped her there. He had a criminal record including disposition to violence, several complaints of women concerning abusive stuff…but why the hell am I telling you? Shouldn't I get to the point?"

Agent Fornell remained calm and starred at the Very Special Agent. It was obvious that the FBI-agent had had a long night, too and that he dealt with emotions as well. Tony's dried tears shimmered in the pale light of the ceiling lamp.

Tony continued: "Gibbs told us to drive to John's house, the boyfriend and bring him in for interrogation."

"Why didn't he accompany you?"

"I assume you asked him that, too but he was summoned by director Vance to assist him on a video conference. Some kind of…top secret stuff or whatever."

"Okay, then you and agent David drove to the boyfriend's house, right?"

"Yes…he lived in Norfolk, so it was half an hour drive…"

It was dark night already when Tony and Ziva stepped into the black car and started their drive to the address McGee had sent him to his cell phone. Ziva was driving and Tony tried to get some sleep which he hadn't had enough of for the last two days.

"Tony, wake up," Ziva then said. "We'll soon be there."

All of sudden, he was completely awake again and checked his gun and badge. They drove around in the small suburb. It was five pm and finally they stopped in front of the house.

"Okay, let's go," Tony decided and the two agents stepped out of the car. Slowly, they walked over to the cheap house. There was a light lit in the living room and Tony rang the bell. It took a few seconds before it was opened. John Liam, a twenty-six years old man with a part-time job at the local gas station stood in front of them. He was unshaven, had a beard, wore a t-shirt and jeans although outside there were about eight degrees centigrade.

"NCIS. Special Agents David and DiNozzo," Ziva said and showed her identity card and badge. Seconds passed, then, suddenly, John decided to run for it. He turned around, while his face has already gone pale. Tony and Ziva hesitated for about a second before they came after him. John has turned into his living room, opened the draw of the desk and pulled out a gun. He turned around and pointed his weapon at the special agents who, in turn, pointed their revolvers at him as well.

"Okay, stay calm, okay? Nobody's gonna do anything," Tony said.

"Put down your gun!" Ziva ordered.

"And what? You gonna arrest me?" he screamed. His hand trembled and he helped out with his left hand.

"We just want to bring you in for interrogation," Tony answered. But it was already clear that they found their murderer.

"Ha! You want to arrest me, put me into jail forever."

"You kill Lieutenant Jenkins," Ziva stated out the obvious.

"Yes!" John hissed. "Yes, I did! This filthy bitch! She betrayed me! And then I asked her and she played her game with me!"

"Please explain this at NCIS headquarters," Tony said. "I'm sure we can find a solution. But first please put down the gun."

The man shook his head. "No…I'm not crazy. I saw how she met this guy."

"What guy?"

"What do I know? I surprised them together."

Ziva and Tony exchanged glances. A typical drama. At least it was what they thought…

"Continue," Ziva demanded. They still needed to figure out how to solve this situation.

"Well, I came in and saw this other guy. He was tall, skinny. I shouted that this son of a bitch should get out of my house. She answered I understood this all wrong. He tried to calm me down that he was just a working partner. I didn't believe him. I shooed him out of my house and Paloma said she'd call him later. That was the last straw. While I heard the guy driving away I walked over to the kitchen. I asked her and she still denied any affaire."

"Did it ever come to your mind that they were really working colleagues?" Tony asked.

The man didn't know an answer, but Ziva did. "Tony, when he was, we would have met him at Naval Base. Then he would have told us about this incident."

"That's true," the Special Agent considered. "This doesn't make any sense." Not yet for them. He turned back to the man with the gun in his hand. He was very stirred up and sweat pearls ran down his front head.

"Hey, you don't accuse me of lying?" he asked nervously.

"We only accuse you of murder…" Ziva said.

"I did not lie!", the man shouted. He repeated this and then pointed his gun against his head.

"No!" Ziva shouted and wanted to run toward him. She lunged out at him and they fell down to the floor. Tony put back his gun and also ran to the struggling agent and the suspect with the gun in the hand. But before he could reach the two persons, a gun shot was fired. For about a moment, everything was in slow motion. Tony stared at Ziva, who had sit on the suspect before, now she seemed to fall backwards, her mouth was opened and her eyes so widely. The man let his gun fall next to his head and pulled the trigger once more. Tony was close enough and felt the hot blood sprinkled his face. He let himself fall down next to the two persons lying on the floor.

"Ziva!" he screamed and threw himself on her body. Her eyes looked at him. "Tony…" she muttered with her last strength and before Tony could whisper something like 'I'll get help' or 'Hang in there!', she closed her eyes and her head fell down on the carpet.

"NO!" Tony screamed in pain and disbelief. He cowered over the body, twenty minutes later he was found like that by police that stormed in, having been alarmed by a concerned neighbor who had heard two gun shots.

"This is how it happened?" Agent Fornell asked.

"Well, you don't have any other witnesses, do you?" Tony answered and continued starring on the ground.

It was the following day, again late in the evening and he had spent the last hours waiting in an isolated room for his interrogation and giving an official report.

Fornell leaned forward. "I'm sorry, Tony…first Kate, then Ziva…"

"You don't understand…" Tony said with an angry voice.

"No, I don't…but life's going on. I hope you don't forget this…We're done here. Go home, DiNozzo. Tomorrow you don't need to come. Sleep over it and if you can't, here…" he gave him a call card.

"A therapist?" Tony laughed.

"Would be the best for you…"

"I don't need a shrink," Tony said and stood up. He put the card on the table and left the room. Fornell sighed and looked at the mirror of the interrogation room. Vance and Gibbs standing there, both starred back.

"Something tells me this is not over yet," Gibbs mentioned.

"Why?" the director asked.

"We haven't found out anything about that guy the suspect had talked about…"

"Forget this. He had been labile, mentally crazy. You shouldn't believe a word of that…"

"You maybe not. But I do…" And Gibbs was right. This was not over yet.