Special agent Anthony Dinozzo walked into the bullpen, on this Saturday morning in May 2008, without his usual swagger and witty remarks. Tim and Ziva were both assembling their gear, neither looking very pleased to be here on their first Saturday off in weeks.
"What took you so long, Dinozzo, the call went out forty-five minutes ago?"
Tony met the eyes of his boss, Special agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, and inwardly cringed from the heated glare he was receiving from said boss.
"Umm, had some trouble getting my car started boss" Tony lied but Gibbs didn't have to know that. The truth was he had imbibed in too many Martinis at the night club he found himself at the night before.
"Do ya think you can get the truck started Dinozzo?" Gibbs asked while violently tossing Tony the keys to the crime scene truck.
"On it boss" Dinozzo whimpered as he shook the sting from his hand. Tony hurried out of the bullpen mumbling something about Nolan Ryan and angry Marines.
Timothy McGee slowly turned and looking at his boss awaiting further instruction while Ziva David inspected her nails and quietly observed Gibbs surlier than usual manner.
Gibbs turned taking a long drink of his coffee and lifted his brows.
"Well, are you two planning on walking to the crime scene or are you gonna ride with Dinozzo?" Gibbs tore a slip of paper from his notepad and handed it to Ziva.
"Address might be helpful, I will meet you there. It seems our esteemed director wants to ride along on this one"
Ziva pursed her lips and recognized the root of Gibbs bad mood. She glanced down and noted an address in Vienna, Va., not their usual area for crime scenes.
"What is the nature of the crime here Gibbs?" Ziva asked, curious as to what could have gone wrong in such a quaint community as Vienna.
"Murder and kidnapping, one body at the scene. Ducky is on his way in. I have no idea how it involves NCIS but I am counting on the Director to fill me in" Gibbs grumbled as he observed Director Leon Vance exit the lush corner office dressed in an NCIS windbreaker and started his descent down the stairs.
McGee and Ziva shared a knowing look and decided to make their exit and catch up to Tony in the parking lot.
Gibbs had never been especially fond of Leon Vance. The first time he had met Leon was in the San Diego field office just before he had gone to Europe to work black ops. Vance was arrogant and had an air of superiority that never set right with Jethro. Of course if he were honest with himself Gibbs knew part of his annoyance with Vance was because he had successfully replaced the former Director Jenny Shepard.
Shepard, whose green eyes haunted his dreams nearly as often as Shannon and Kelly. Jenny, his former partner and lover, had resigned quietly in December of 2007. There had been rumors of various job offers in the private sector and hints of high positions within the government, but the fact was Jennifer Shepard had essentially dropped out of sight. Gibbs had gone around to her Georgetown home only to find it locked and uninhabited, Noemi wasn't even on the premises.
"Are we ready Agent Gibbs?" Leon asked as he took in Gibbs somewhat melancholy look.
"Waiting on you Director, you gonna tell me why NCIS needs to investigate a civilian kidnapping and murder?"
Leon looked at Gibbs and thought to himself that there would be hell to pay before the day was done.
"In the car Jethro" Vance replied and walked towards the elevator.
Gibbs knew that something was wrong, his gut was churning and Leon had called this morning, himself, interrupting what was looking to be quite a pleasant time in bed with Hollis.
Twenty minutes into the drive to Vienna Gibbs received a call from Tony informing him that the FBI was already on scene and NCIS were not being allowed into the house yet. After he told Dinozzo to sit still and wait for him Gibbs turned to Leon with his usual glare and set jaw.
"What the hell is going on Leon, the FBI won't let my people in. How are we involved in this?" Gibbs was out of patience and Leon knew it.
Vance took a deep breath and proceeded to fill in Gibbs as much as he knew.
"The kidnapping victim is a seven year old boy; his nanny was murdered during the crime. The victim's mother was out, on a date. She returned home around two this morning and found the nanny, dead, in a pool of blood in the kitchen. The child has not been found"
Gibbs listened to Vance reel off the barest facts of the case but he knew there was much more to this judging from the amount of government vehicles lining the driveway of the old yet elegant home. Tobias Fornell was standing in the neighbor's driveway speaking with an older woman who looked as if she were dressed for the golf course. There were FBI agents at every house in the quiet cul-de-sac. A group of kids were hanging around the mailbox of the home across the street. A large black lab was lying underneath the white SUV, the only vehicle that wasn't dark and government issued. Scenes such as this were probably very rare in this neighborhood.
"Again, why are we here Leon?" Gibbs growled as he exited the car and stared at the serene looking front porch, cluttered with toys. He noticed a boy's bike lying on its side in the driveway and then he caught sight of Dinozzo, David, and McGee awaiting instruction. Something about this was off, Gibbs felt sick with dread. He couldn't place the feeling in his gut but it was an unpleasant experience. He suddenly felt the need to escape this place. He wasn't sure if he could go in that house and face a mother who may have possibly lost her child and for some inexplicable reason Leroy Jethro Gibbs was afraid.
"The reason we are here Agent Gibbs is because the house belongs to Jennifer Shepard, your former Director, and the kidnap victim is her son"
If Gibbs was shocked by this news he didn't show it. His face was a blank mask as he stared at Director Vance and then silently followed him up the driveway leading to the front porch. He turned to the team and instructed them to sit still until he told them otherwise. Out of the corner of his eye Gibbs noticed Ducky's van backing up the drive, being guided by local Leo's. Although the surrounding area was crawling with agents he could tell that very few people had been on the porch or inside the house. Someone had done a damn good job at securing the scene. Probably the victims mother Gibbs thought with a grimace.
Leon stopped just inside the foyer and handed Gibbs a pair of booties and latex gloves. The house looked elegant yet comfortable, not unlike the owner's former Georgetown residence. Everywhere you looked there was evidence of a child. Dirty sneakers and a baseball glove were lying in the corner next to the front door. A transformers back pack was thrown to the side of the bottom step of the staircase, and there were pictures. The churning in Gibbs gut grew exponentially as he saw her, in the picture, holding a newborn. It was as if he had gone back in time -long red hair, and bright green eyes full of what he identified as a mothers love. Next to that picture was another showing a little boy with dark hair and his mothers eyes smiling up at what could only be described as Director Shepard, her hair was short and spiky. Jenny had been dressed in cut off shorts and a tank top, obviously not a day at the office.
"Gibbs" Leon was speaking to him but Jethro was too immersed in the pictures on the walls, ones of a little boy in a baseball uniform and another of him in soccer apparel, and some of a baby boy in the arms of his mother, the mother he had once known so well.
"How old did you say the kid is Leon?" The question was asked in a tone unlike the one usually used by Special agent Gibbs at a crime scene.
"He is seven, Agent Gibbs, are you ready to talk to the mother?" Leon asked, obviously trying to remove himself from the personal aspects of the case. The fact that they knew Jenny Shepard was going to make this case personal for all involved, especially Leroy Jethro Gibbs.
Jethro was busy calculating dates; seven years would put the child being born in 2001. Jenny had left him in January of 2000. He shook off the queer sense of disappointment and walked into the living room, ready to get some answers.
Jenny Shepard had been in many situations during her career as a NCIS agent. There had been times when she wasn't sure if she would survive and she had been afraid
She had never before known the type of debilitating fear that gripped her now. She could hear voices all around her as she stood at the window watching the parade of agents canvass the neighborhood. Trey Gunterson and his little brother Troy were standing in their driveway, along with other neighborhood kids, watching the spectacle that had encompassed the cul-de-sac.
Along with fear Jenny was also feeling intense guilt. She had not intended to stay out so late the night before but she had been enjoying having adult time with Cynthia, her former assistant, catching up and doing what single women do on Friday nights. Noemi had agreed to stay the night with LJ so Jenny had felt like it would be ok to relax and enjoy herself for once.. She couldn't have been more wrong because the first thing she saw when she walked through the kitchen door that morning had been Noemi's body lying lifeless on the floor, an at close range gunshot wound to the back of the poor woman's head. Panic had immediately set in; Jenny had run to her son's bedroom recklessly without pulling a weapon from the various different hiding spots around the house. His door was left open and blankets from the bed were thrown haphazardly aside. No precious child sleeping as he normally did, curled into a ball with his beloved dog at his feet. Jenny shook herself from her reverie when she thought of Arthur the dog. He wasn't in the house; he was always in the house at night.
"The dog is missing" Jenny croaked out hoarsely. Her voice ragged from the fear and frustration.
She moved away from the window and started towards the door.
"LJ's dog is not in the house, he should be in" She stopped as the door opened and she came face to face with the man she had been expecting but had not even begun to prepare herself for.
Leroy Jethro Gibbs had seen Jenny Shepard in various different moods and states of duress during the time he had known her but he was not prepared for this. She was obviously still dressed in last nights clothes, a green silk wrap dress with dark stains on the front, probably blood. Her face was pale and her eyes were red and puffy from wiping the tears that hadn't fell yet... The hair, which had grown longer and was back to the natural shade of red, had fallen out of whatever style she had it fixed in and was now framing her face.
"Jethro, the dog, Arthur.-he's not in the house. You have to find the dog. LJ loves that dog" She collapsed just as he reached her, sobbing into his blazer. She was mumbling incoherently about a dog.
"There is a black Lab in the driveway under a white SUV" he said to whoever was listening. He heard Vance shout out the front door to Dinozzo, telling him to find the dog. Leon started clearing the room of the FBI agents that had been allowed inside. Gibbs walked Jenny over to the comfortable looking sofa and sat them both down. She was still sobbing quietly into his chest and he wondered if this was the first time she had let go since the nightmare began.
"Jen, Jenny" he spoke to her in a quiet subdued tone. He gently raised her chin up so he could see her face. The pain in her eyes was something he knew, and would never wish on another person.
"Jenny, are you hurt? Is this your blood?" He asked while pointing to the stains on her dress. She raised her hand and shakily wiped her eyes while trying to catch her breath.
"Noemi" Jenny shuddered when she spoke her name. She had been with the Colonel and then Jenny after his death. Noemi had been the only caregiver LJ had ever known besides herself. A vision of Noemi's body lying in the pool of blood shook her to the core and brought with it the fear that she may never see her son alive again.
"Jenny, I need you to tell me everything you know, starting with when you came home. Did you notice anything out of the ordinary or odd before you came in the house? Were there any strange cars on the street?" Gibbs had decided the best way to do this was to bring the agent out in her. She needed to be Special Agent Shepard right now and help him find her son. Time was not on their side as no one knew exactly how long the boy had been gone.
"Leon, get Ducky in here we need a TOD" Agent Gibbs was in charge now, he had to put Jethro aside and find the boy, the boy she called LJ.
Jenny proceeded to tell Gibbs about finding Noemi dead and then finding LJ gone. She had immediately called the local police and then Leon. She had also tried to call the boys father, but had not gotten an answer. Apparently agents from NCIS L.A. were trying to locate him now as he apparently lived in L.A.
The mention of a father twisted Gibbs gut even more. He had never liked thinking of Jenny with other men and now faced with the fact that there had been someone else, someone she would have a child with hurt him more than he would ever admit-even to himself.
The foyer was now swarming with not only NCIS, but also Tobias Fornell and a few of his agents. Ducky had been shown to the kitchen and Ziva was kneeling in front of the dog swabbing what appeared to be blood from his paws. Jenny had walked out behind him and everyone stopped to stare, Gibbs glared menacingly and work resumed.
"Local police issued a missing persons report on the boy earlier this morning Gibbs" Vance spoke as he hung up his phone and eyed Jenny warily and wondered how much she had told Gibbs when he questioned her.
"We need some DNA, just in case" Leon stopped as Jenny's eyes widened and she raised her hand to her mouth shakily. She knew the procedure, just in case positive identification was needed on a body, DNA would be helpful.
"Toothbrush" was all she said as she turned and started up the stairs well aware of Gibbs presence behind her. He followed her down the hall and was shocked yet impressed by how homey her house was. There were more pictures lining the hallway, some formal some not. An open door at the end of the hall led to a room, a little boy's personal haven full of toys and drawings-and a Childs imagination-not unlike Kelly's room had been. Tony and McGee were inside taking photos, dusting for prints and generally looking for clues.
"Oh hey Boss" Dinozzo greeted as he lowered the camera from his face. "Director erm Jenny" Tony stumbled on his words, not sure how to navigate this situation and still somewhat shocked to discover his former director had a child she had apparently kept a secret from everyone.
"Hello Tony" She gave him a wan smile and nodded her head at McGee in greeting as she passed into the adjoining bathroom.
"Boss, we have blood drops over here" Tony directed Gibbs attention to the floor next to the bed. The covers were strewn over the foot of the bed and into the floor. It was not a lot of blood, but any blood this far from the dead body downstairs was a flashing warning that time was of the essence and the clock was ticking.
Jenny stepped out of the bathroom and her eyes were drawn to Gibbs kneeling on the floor examining the blood stains. She gasped as she realized that she hadn't noticed them earlier when she found her son missing. The knuckles on her hand were turning white as Jenny grasped the toothbrush tightly, trying to hold on, trying to not break down again.
"McGee, get a sample to take back to Abby" He directed the younger agent as he noticed Jenny standing in the doorway of the bathroom mesmerized by the blood on the floor. Tony reached out with an evidence bag and took the toothbrush from Jenny, sealing and labeling it after it was secured.
"DNA boss?" Dinozzo asked as he put the evidence bag with the toothbrush, along with the swabs McGee had done, in his kit. As Abby would say there was definitely something "hinky" about this whole situation. Tony had already been in the kitchen and seen the Latina house keeper's body that was an execution if he had ever seen one. Jenny Shepard wasn't your typical suburban, soccer mom; she had been a lot of places and met a lot of important people as well as some very dangerous people. This whole situation made Tony uneasy and afraid for the missing child.
McGee had been on his phone alerting Abby of the situation. She had suggested that as a former Naval dependent the boy would have records on file she could access and go ahead and get dental records and everything else, just in case.
"Ma'm" Tim had no idea how to approach this woman and decided the best way was to treat her like every other parent of a missing child.
"Ma'am, we need some info about your son. Abby thought you might have had him listed as a dependent and we could get a head start on accessing his info"
Jenny looked at Timothy McGee and was honestly quite surprised that he had been the first one to ask the important question, they needed a name and birth date. She glanced at Jethro who was still looking at her with a curious mix of concern and confusion. He hadn't figured it out yet but he was about to.
"His name is Lucas Jasper Shepard and he was born on September 10, 2000 in Rota, Spain." Jenny let out a shaky breath all the while watching Gibbs process the information, his brows furrowed and she could see him calculating it in his head. Just as his eyes widened and she saw the hint of understanding on his face Leon Vance walked in looking agitated and concerned
"William Decker was discovered dead in his pool by the agents from the L.A. field office a little while ago"
Jenny gasped and closed her eyes tightly, it was happening, her failure was coming back to bite her and it would likely cost her more than she was ever willing to give up.
"What the hell Leon?" Gibbs barked. Jenny didn't need to hear about this now. "This couldn't have waited until later Director?" His blue eyes smoldering with anger and confusion and concern, more emotion than he could withstand right now.
"It could be tied to the case Gibbs, or don't you think a man found floating in his pool on the same day his son is kidnapped relevant?" Van shot back at Gibbs turning to Jenny.
"You didn't tell him?" He asked as he arched a brow sticking a damn toothpick between his teeth. Jenny looked at Gibbs and saw all the questions playing out in his expression. It was time to come clean and she hoped to God it wasn't too late.
"William Decker and I were married in the summer of 2000, he is LJ's dad" There, she said it in many ways the truth but in so many other ways a lie.