Trust Fall
Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS
Music blared from the radio in the tiny house as a woman stood in the kitchen, unwrapping a bag of popcorn. She glanced at the clock as she heard the bedroom window creak open, letting the sound of the pouring rain intrude into the house.
"Hannah. I know it's you. No use sneaking around. You're dealing with a naval officer, remember?" She chuckled at the last part. "Go dry off and come get some popcorn. You want to talk about what happened at school today?" She turned to get a large bowl from the cabinet. "I got a call from your principal about teachers complaining about your wardrobe again."
She heard footsteps into the narrow carpeted hallway. She froze. That was not her daughter. She instinctively grabbed a knife from the block and whirled around, ready for the fight.
The girl walked down the sidewalk, her head bowed and completely drenched. The PVC peacoat kept her body dry, but the same could not be said for the rest of her. She looked up as headlights raced towards her. She dove into the yard of her neighbors as the van veered back on the street. She sat up shaking and saw the mailbox broken and the door wide open on her house. She leapt up and raced towards the house.
"Mom?" She called as she flung open the glass door. The place was a mess and it smelled like burnt popcorn. She started shaking. "Mom? Where are you? Mom?" She walked into the kitchen. "MOM!" She screamed as she found her mother in a pool of blood on the kitchen floor.
….
"Name's Lieutenant Andrea Jammeran, boss." Tony diNozzo informed the grey haired man now striding down the wet pavement. "Found by her daughter."
"Husband?"
"Died five years ago."
Gibbs glanced at the teenager now huddled on the sidewalk with a blanket and a towel. She was white and shaking. The neighbors merely stared from across the lawn with looks of pity and whispered amongst themselves.
"Daughter's name?"
"Oh, yeah. Hannah Jammeran. Age seventeen. They were moved here about a month ago according to the neighbors. The girl won't talk to me."
Gibbs snorted. "Anyone coming to pick her up?"
"No family. Grandparents died and the Lieutenant was an only child. Father's family refused to get involved after his death." Tony reviewed his notes. "Neighbors said she complained regularly about it."
They walked into the house where Tim McGee was snapping away with his camera.
"Anything interesting McGee?"
"We found a possible weapon." He gestured towards a large bloody kitchen knife.
"Bag it." Gibbs ordered. "What you got for me Duck?"
The medical examiner glanced up at him from the woman's body.
"Well, cause of death was definitely stabbing. They went on overkill with her, I'm afraid Jethro." He moved her shirt aside to show multiple stab wounds. "Dead less than an hour. Terribly tragic. Reminds me of a case I once had about twenty years ago."
"Tell me later Duck." Gibbs walked back outside.
"Neighbors said they just heard the girl screaming over and over again." Ziva approached Gibbs. "They called the cops when one of them ran over to find her next to the body covered in blood sobbing and screaming."
"Lovely." Tony commented, glancing at Hannah. "Should we take her back to HQ boss?"
"Yeah, get her cleaned up." Gibbs stated. He started walking back in the house before turning. "I don't want her back in that house." He ordered.
"You think she would contaminate the crime scene?" Ziva questioned.
Ducky and Palmer started wheeling the body bag out. The girl stared at it before she slumped over onto the pavement. Several agents rushed over to her.
"No, that's why." Gibbs snapped.