Team Gibbs sat in the conference room at the NCIS New Orleans offices; on the screen were some of the most disturbing images any of the team has seen in a long time.
They were called in to assist the New Orleans office capture a serial killer. This serial killer was particularly brutal he would kidnap young women in their mid to late 20's and he would dismember them and spread their remains all over the city. Leading police and NCIS on some wild macabre wild goose chase.
NCIS got involved when 4 of his victims turned out to be Marines. The teams had worked together and found the remains of what Ducky guessed to be 6 women.
It was going to be a challenge identifying each body part but that is why Gibbs brought Ducky, Palmer and Abby along with them.
They were all determined to put this maniac behind bars and help the women of New Orleans feel safe again. Up to this point in the investigation they were nowhere. They haven't even been able to successfully identify all of the victims. The Butcher, as he was dubbed, was too good at mutilating his victims.
Gibbs asked McGee to search the database for any missing persons in the New Orleans area that would match with the victimology of their perp. He told McGee "Be sure to include reports from all of New Orleans and the neighboring states as well."
McGee dutifully nodded and set to work. Gibbs recognizing Tony needed to het out of the office ordered him to go back to the scene and reinterview the people that owned the land where the last batch of body parts where found. Tony nodded and was thankful to be able to get out of the office for a bit.
Ducky was hard at work gathering and cataloging samples from each of the body parts. He would apologize to each part for not being able to immediately reunite them with the rest of their bodies but promised that now that team Gibbs on the job that the villain that did this to each of you will be caught and punished.
While everyone was bustling around Gibbs sat looking at the board with all the crime scene photos and the large map of New Orleans with pin marks in it to indicate where body parts had been found. He mindlessly rubbed his face trying to recognize a pattern or a missed clue. Something that would help them find this maniac.
McGee interrupted Gibbs thoughts, "Boss, I may have found something. Faith Montegue filed a missing persons report for Esther Montegue who is 31 years old but she looks younger and she almost fits exactly the kind of women this thing is killing." He looked closely at Esther's picture and thought to himself, "She looked familiar"
Gibbs patted him on the back and said, "Call DiNozzo and have him stop by and give Faith a visit and maybe she will give us her DNA, that might help Ducky and Abby find a familial match to one of the parts in autopsy."
McGee offered an "On it Boss" then picked up the phone and called Tony and gave him the scoop on Faith and Esther and what Gibbs said. Tony was just leaving the home of the people that owned the land and so he headed straight for Faith's place.
Tony pulled up to this small wood frame home it was a happy little home at first glance but he noticed painted skulls on the flower pots and a skeleton scare crow. Tony took out his phone and took a picture and texted it to Abby with the message, "I think I must have found a long lost relatives house."
Abby smiled when she got the text, "COOL! Tell the person in the house I dig their garden."
Tony smiled at the chipper response from Abby and went toward the house. He knocked three times on the door and waited. It took the person in the house about three minutes to get to the door. Tony unclasped his weapon preparing for the worst but he didn't need it. A half-awake older woman who reeked of beer opened the door with a terse, "What do ya want?"
Tony grimaced at the woman, "Faith Montegue?"
Faith shook her head yes
Tony continued, "I am Tony DiNozzo from NCIS, I have come to ask you some questions about your daughter Esther."
Faith didn't offer for him to come in she just turned and went back into the house leaving the front door open for Tony to follow. Tony rolled his eyes and followed the very inebriated woman.
They both sat down on opposite sides of a table and Faith began, "Esther aint my daughter, she is my baby sister. She disappeared a week ago while she was walking home from her job at the grocery store. She is a real pretty girl she is over 30 but she only looked about 22. She was a real good girl. I knows she is dead, I can feel it. Esther and I were always close. She could feel my pain and I could feel hers."
Tony noticing some tears in the older woman's eyes, "I am so sorry you are going through this. I hate to tell you this but they found some more body parts from the serial killer that has been terrorizing New Orleans and since Esther had no record and was never in the military, he DNA is not on file. We were hoping you would agree to me collecting your DNA so we can try and identify if any of the remains we found are Esther's."
Faith seemed to sober up at Tony's words, "Okay, what do you have to do to get my DNA?"
Tony smiled as he put on the rubber gloves and retrieved the kit from his backpack, "All I have to do is swab the inside of your cheek and it will be approximately 36 hours before we can tell if any of the body parts are a familial match to you."
Faith smiled a half hearted smile and said, "Well lets get on with it handsome." And then she sat there with her mouth open waiting for Tony to swab her cheek.
The sample only took a moment to gather and he tucked it safetly back in to his pack and offered Faith his card and told her to call him if she had any questions or concerns.
Back at NCIS headquarters Tony stopped by Abby's temporary Labby and gave her the DNA sample from Faith. Abby smiled, "So is this sample from the lady with the skeleton scare crow?"
Tony snickered, "Yes, she is an interesting lady, I told her that her baby sister may be a victim of the butcher and he needed her DNA and she flirted with me."
Abby smiled slyly, "Well Tony boy you are Tony, I mean you absolutely ooze sex appeal. She may be grieving but it is nice to know her eyes are still working fine. Face it Tony you are eye candy."
Tony shook his head and left the temporary lab giggling.
Gibbs gave everyone the night off and told everyone to regroup at 0700 in the morning. By the time they all had a chance to clean up and sleep a little another dumping ground of the Butcher was found. Ducky was not able to tell them if these parts belonged to the same women as not.
It had been almost 24 hours since Abby started the DNA testing so Gibbs and Tony met her in the lab to check on results. As soon as Gibbs walked in the door the machine dinged with a result. Abby shook her head, "You're a magical creature Gibbs. I don't know what power you have over these machines but they obey you."
Gibbs smiled a half smile, "Just tell me if we have a match Abs."
A couple of more clicks Abby reported that there is a 68% familial match to body parts 3,6,9 and 12. So unfortunately skull lady was right Esther is dead. Wait a minute this is weird."
Gibbs and Tony stood beside her looking over her shoulder, "What is weird?"
Abby clicked a few times and absently said, "AFIS found a match from another person in the database (she clicked the result button and her badge picture came in the screen.) Oh my God Gibbs she matches me. Faith Montegue is my birth mother."
The three stood there for what felt like hours. Abby was beginning to sway so Gibbs helped ease her down onto a chair.
He patted her face, "You sure Abbs."
Abby whose cheeks were being held by Gibbs just shook her head yea"
Gibbs sat hard on the stool beside her, "Wow Abby, I am sorry you found your birth family like this. What do you want to do with this information?"
Abby looked at him like he was from Mars, "