Drink in the sun.
Can you find the cocktails?
"Come in numero neuve." Tony shouted out over the lake, his hands clasped over his mouth like a loud hailer. "Come in number nine your time is up."
"Certainly is DiNozzo, there isn't a number nine. McGee… you got a problem?" Agent Gibbs shouted out over the pond. "And where is David?" He shouted looking about.
"Boss, she said she was going to be a submarine and have some fun." Tony replied.
"Look DiNozzo, I know it has been a cruel, cruel, summer. The hot summer streets, the burning sidewalks, the air so heavy and dry… strange voices saying…."
"Didn't know you were a Bananarama fan, Jethro? I personally liked "a walk in the park that can become a bad dream. People are staring and following me. This is my only escape from it all." Director Shepard now added approaching the pair.
"Watching a film even Director?" Tony added.
"Yep 'specially when, Robert De Niro's waiting, talking Italian, but I really like him in the Deer Hunter but he was better in The Godfather." Jen now added laughing.
"I agree Director, but I think McGee is now definitely swimming with the fishes." Tony said as he looked out over the lake and received a head slap from Gibbs.
"DiNozzo, find McGee! Even if you have to pull his ass back yourself." Gibbs snapped.
"Jethro look," as Jen pointed out over the pond, "Is that not a periscope?"
"Director, THAT is a snorkel tube. What have you been on today?" Gibbs shouted at Jen.
"Well..." as she put her finger to her chin and thought, "The bumper cars… I sure dodg'emed, the other section, and then there was the helter-skelter… the twister and of course the coconut shy." Jen replied.
"Shying from work then eh?" Dr Mallard added, now joining in the conversation laughing.
"Dr Mallard that, was not very funny, as was your comment Jethro. Unlike you, I do not carry a hip flask, but since you ask I have had a couple of cocktails. A sunny afternoon, and a…. you never know." Jenny smiled.
"That, like a tequila sunrise or a morning glory?" Gibbs asked, "And am I on a need to know now?" pouting.
"Cocktails Gibbs, cocktails." Jen hiccupped.
"I was thinking Kinks." Ducky replied, smiling now looking at everyone's faces, "You know the British pop group "the Kinks"… sunny afternoon… what did you think I meant?"
"Now I'm sitting here, sipping at my ice cold beer, lazing on a sunny afternoon." Tony began to sing, "Think I could do with a Coors, eh Boss?"
"Jethro I too like a swallie, of an afternoon." Ducky added, "And I think, if you would care to join me Director, we should go and find somewhere cool and maybe have a Pimms." He added as he offered Jen his arm.
Now dear readers, you must be asking or even wondering to yourselves, what, how and why was our intrepid team doing, in the middle of summer, in an Amusement Park instead of working. There had been a solar flare and the resulting effects on earth, had caused power grids to crash, the communication systems had collapsed, in fact it was like film 2012 but not so bad. SecNav had advised his Agencies to have skeleton staff run the Departments on a rota system, the rest could have time off. Get some fresh air, if they could. The generators couldn't last forever and so the until the Utility Companies could get the air conditioning, and other electrics up and running…they had time off. Now some of you are wondering how the fun fair was operating, well in olden days there were traction engines, steam powered, they drove a belt which produced electricity, they were mini generators. This then is how and why the team were having fun, but I digress and must return you to the story….Meanwhile what of Tim.
Tim had been torpedoed by Ziva, well she had pushed the boat plug up into the boat. Tim seeing the water rise through the hole in the keel, had stood up to see if he could see Ziva. Being top heavy now, and trying to avoid the water that was rising up his past his ankles and being absorbed into his jeans, he had tried to shake the water from his shoes, but had inadvertently tipped the boat over and he had become trapped underneath for a moment. Surfacing from the other side, he began to swim away from where Tony was shouting and Gibbs watching. Ziva…she just swam on.
Tim emerged from the pond and wandered off, he needed to get dry clothes but with the heat from the sun and the heat in the air, he might just survive.
Ziva had got bored, she had swum around and frightened a few children, who had run screaming back to their parents telling tales of a shark in the water. Now getting fed up, she swan over in the direction of Tim.
"Glad you could join me." Tim shouted, "Did you have to upend me?"
"You stood up," Ziva replied, "Have you never been told not to stand up in a boat, you become top heavy."
"I'm wet." Tim whimpered.
"Yes, particularly behind the ears." As she watched Tim try to wipe his ears.
"No. I mean I have learnt enough American to know that wet behind the ears, means you are still a Probie at some things, particularly boats." Ziva continued.
"I don't know why you and Tony got me roped into that dingy, you know I hate boats." Tim now shivered, "Anyway, I need fresh clothes, or, I will being going down with something."
"And you expect to find a woman here?" Ziva questioned.
"Ziva…how could you say such a thing. Wash your mouth out." Tim added, "No I need a change of clothes and since you also seem to be wet, I think you do too."
"Ok stalls, there are plenty of stalls." Ziva laughed.
"My money, got wet, remember." Tim replied, "And I will not walk around like a drip."
"Which you are, but look, there are some lovely shirts and some shorts, and Jesus sandals." Ziva pointed.
"You want me to go around looking like a left over from 1968?" Tim questioned.
"I don't care McGee just change into something fresh before you smell."
"And you won't?" now seeing Ziva begin to steam in the hot air, "And where is your money, and phone?"
"McGee I'm Mossad, I have everything in a watertight pooch….."
"Pouch Ziva, a pouch, a pooch is a dog." Tim replied laughing.
"Whatever. Now let's go and get some clean clothes."
-oOo-
As Gibbs and Tony surveyed the horizon of the pond for life, they spied the upturned boat.
"Boss, Look?" Tony pointed.
"See it DiNozzo…..well go and see if you can find me a body." Gibbs shouted.
"Which way Boss?" as Tony crossed his arms, and pointed both ways, Gibbs gave him a headslap.
"I don't care DiNozzo, just go and find McGee." Gibbs answered.
"On it Boss." as Tony ran off.
Gibbs shook his head, took out his cell and dialled, "Where the hell are you Ziva?"
-oOo-
"I am on dry land….I know Gibbs….I am on the case Gibbs….and yes Gibbs I have McGee in my sights…..and yes he is quite a sight…..I will Gibbs." as she shut the cell.
"Who was that?" Tim questioned, as he saw Ziva put the cell back in the pouch.
"Who?...were you not listening to me?" Ziva shouted walking away.
"I am not like Tony, I do not listen to other peoples conversations." Tim pouted, as he raced after her.
"Fine…now we need to get new clothes, look at all these stalls, and when we have you fresh I need to eat, all that swimming has made me ravenous. I want a grasshopper and some jungle juice or maybe macaroni." Ziva announced.
"Ziva, what you talking about, I know that some military units are taught to eat them, and that Mexico does like something called Chapulines." Tim answered back.
"McGee, yes, when you have nothing else to eat and if they are deep fried and got some salt on them, can be very tasty. But we need to….."
"Ziva, what is that?" as Tim pointed to one of the traction engines.
"A mannequin dummy….." Ziva answered looking about for a shirt stall, but all she saw was hula hula skirts.
"No dummy, it is not a dummy, you dummy." Tim shouted now running to the mangled mess.
"Tim… I am not a humpty dumpty, I would say you are acting strange….and if I didn't know better, I would say water on the brain." Ziva retaliated
"Ziva, what we have is a body and look," as they saw the dog-tags hanging down, "That is a Marine. We need to call the Boss, and since my phone is wet through….."
"And mine is in the pooch, you want me to call Gibbs?" Ziva smiled," as she hit last caller," Gibbs I have a dead body…..no it is not McGee, although he is being extremely irritating and still very wet…over by the sidecars and the hoopla stalls….yes we will stay here and not wander off again, and please can you hurry McGee is starting to smell like a Frankenjack or a Jabberwock"
"I am not smelling…if" Tim started to say before he sneezed.
They didn't see Tony appear from behind the sidecar, "Ahha so this is where you are hiding and what have you got for me as senior field agent and at least I am dry."
"Where's the Boss?" Tim enquired looking about.
"The Boss is….."
"Behind you Tony, and I have the Director and Ducky." Tony heard Gibbs reply.
"Just getting the initial observations, for you, Boss." as Tony began to take some pictures with his camera.
"You always carry a pocket camera with you?" Ziva enquired.
"Only, when I am on vacation my little Za-Za." Tony leered.
"Now what do we have here. Has anyone touched anything? The dog tags Jethro, I will give you the honour of naming our victim. Do you know Director, I haven't seen anything like this since mother tried to stuff a ham shank into the mincer." as Ducky looked at the mangled body.
As Gibbs took the tags from round the body's neck he looked at them, "We got a Jon Dempsey, Seaman off the USS Princeton."
"Boss, what is someone from San Diego doing in Washington?" Tim ventured.
"Tim, has your brain really gone soggy, have all your files disintegrated into paper mache," now getting a head-slap, "Get back to the vehicles, get changed and get on your computer thingies and find out girl-friends, family….. any reason why he would be here, and yes maybe DiNozzo he could have been on vacation, now shoo, go and get me some information." as Gibbs indicated Tim to go, "What you got Duks?"
"Definitely a screwdriver to the heart, but that rusty nail, the one sticking out of his hip, don't think he died of old age, maybe a little septicaemia."
"How long has he been dead?" Gibbs ventured.
"Since I do not have my liver probe and the fact that the heat is stifling….I have no idea, but since no-one seems to have found the body or if they have and don't care, I have no idea, now who has a cell I can call Palmer?" as he heard Gibbs cell ring.
"McGee where you get a cell….?" Gibbs shouted down the phone, "Well get hold of Palmer and get him here prompto with the truck…" as he slammed the cell shut yet again.
"How come McGee has a cell when his last one got wet?" Tony asked.
"Seems he keeps a spare in the car…..any car…..all cars. Now can we get back to my body." Gibbs shouted.
"Any time Jethro," as Jenny gave Gibbs the glad eye.
"Call me old fashioned," Dr Mallard, continued to say, "But I think that it was the sharp instrument, that rendered him unconscious and then he passed out he falling into the mechanism of the traction engine. The nail I think,…. if you investigators look around will be from one of the gypsy caravans."
"But we need a motive, a reason for his death." Ziva answered.
"Could it be self-inflicted?" Tony ventured.
"Self-inflicted?" Gibbs shouted.
"Well….yes, what if he was doing something with said sharp instrument and it slipped or hit off something and stabbed him in the neck. I mean you not had any of your tools take a life of their own and injure you?" Tony asked now looking at Gibbs.
"Nope, I'm careful." as he saw Tim roll up in the van with Jimmy.
"Wow, what am I missing or did I miss," Jimmy cried," This guy looks like a Zombie." as he pointed to the body, "Bet he could do with a Corpse reviver."
"That Mr Palmer is in extremely bad taste, but by the looks of our Director," Ducky said pointing to Jenny who was now sleeping peacefully on the grass, "Might not be a bad thing. But Jethro, help our Director into the van, and see if we have any sal volatile lurking in a drawer."
"I would have thought this," as Gibbs produced his hip flask, opened and let the fumes waft under Jen's nose.
Jen sniffed and coughed and yawned., "Now as Director what is happening and have we found the culprit yet."
"McGee did you dind out anything?" Gibbs shouted.
"Jon Dempsey, his uncle and aunt, John and Joan Collins…..and his cousin Tom Collins…"
"McGee…you jest?" Tony enquired laughing, "I mean Joan Collins?"
"Boss…it isn't the real Joan Collins, but they have an ice cream business, and have a stall here, and…" Tim began to add stammering.
"Ice cream stall….McGee lets' start at the beginning shall we?" Gibbs shouted.
"1926… a Giuseppe Macari arrived Ellis Island from Italy. Moved to New York and then the following year….." now getting a slap from Gibbs.
"Fast forward McGee, like yesterday." Gibbs continued his patience running thin.
"Sorry Boss…Dempsey, arrived in Washington, he is married to a Margarita, who is pregnant and is staying with the Collins family."
"Why?" Gibbs shouted.
"Margarita is Joan Collins niece." Tim continued to stutter.
"Ahha….very much the black widow then." Tony began to say before getting a slap on the head.
"Niece?" Gibbs now questioned.
"Yes, Joans' sister is Margarita's mother."
"So they are all cousins…technically?" Gibbs asked.
"Yes, but not blood relatives." Tim finished saying.
"Sounds like Dynasty or Dallas, why could they not be called the Colbys' instead of the Collins," Jen added, now also getting a head-slap, "Ouch Jethro, but now ice-cream stall, OK lets' find…..as I could do with a Knickerbocker glory…..and then we can eat as we investigate." Jen answered wandering off.
"Oi Jen, this way." as Gibbs waved his arm, at her.
The team left Ducky and Jimmy trying prise the body from the machine, and place in a body bag, "Mr Palmer, please be respective of the dead, I would like to see the body as it would be on our table, but look you've missed a finger." as Ducky pointed, to the ground.
As Jen and her entourage walked round the fairground they spied a big sign for Macari's Ice Cream. "I think we have the suspect in sight," Jen announced, as she marched to the stall.
Gibbs and the team followed but raised voices made Ziva stop, she turned and carefully walked round the side of the shy.
"Why did you have to kill him. I told him about us and the fact I was pregnant. I…" Ziva heard the woman shout.
"Oh yeh, how do you think babies are made, you told me you were on the pill." the man shouted back.
"I was but I came off, I wanted Jon's and it was, I got the DNA back, yesterday Jon knew all about us, and I begged his forgiveness. He said he was going to look for you and tell you not to see me again ever. I was going to tell you it was over when I found out the baby was Jon's." Margarita replied, the tears streaming down her face.
"Well too late now isn't it." Bobby replied, as he hit Margarita on the face.
"Freeze, Federal Agent, "Ziva shouted, as she pointed her gun at the two.
"You are Margarita Dempsey?" she enquired, "And then who are you?" she asked the man.
"That's Bobby Burns, my ex-lover," Margarita whispered, they didn't see the team appear all licking ice cream.
"Ziva, what you doing?" Gibbs shouted, dropping his cone, and running to her side.
"I came upon voices, these two were arguing, they mentioned Jon, this Bobby Burns hit Margarita." Ziva continued, "This Bobby has got something to do with Jon's death."
"Right, I'll get MPD to come down, and detain, I'll maybe sit in and view." Gibbs replied getting on his cell, "So Tony….get Burns here into your car, we'll give him the….."
"Third degree, or maybe the fourth degree" Tony grinned, as he cuffed Bobby, and began to lead him to the vehicle, as they waited for the Police.
As he Police arrived at the scene, and Gibbs gave them the rough outline of the crime, they nodded thanked and took both Burns and Margarita down town for interrogation. Gibbs had been advised he would not be needed unless urgent.
"Well…..all I can say," Gibbs began to say, as he got into his car, "Is, thank goodness we have a leap year next year."
"Is that something I should maybe look into?" Jen asked as she got in and sat beside Gibbs.
"I hope not, but maybe Ziva has got an idea…but if Abby asks the answer is no, definitely a no-no." Gibbs replied smiling.
"Is anyone staying here or are we all going out separate ways?" the Director asked, winding the window down and looking at her team.
"I need to change and get a bath." Tim announced, as he watched the thundery storm clouds now begin to materialise, "Damn the weather." He muttered.
"I'll go with Tim; he can drop me off in town." Tony added, "Ziva?" he asked looking at her.
"I think I will go and walk round this fair, it is all very strange to me," she answered.
"Ok, see you back at work tomorrow," the Director finished saying, as Gibbs started the engine and they drove off.
Ziva watched as the boys also got into a car and drove off.
"What did they say, things I can't understand, it's too close for comfort this heat has got right out of hand,"
Ziva began to sing, "It's a cruel ... cruel ... cruel summer Leaving me here on my own, It's a cruel ... it's a cruel ... cruel summer, now you've gone." as she turned and walked away into the fun-fair.. "The city is crowded my friends are away and I'm on my own, It's too hot to handle so I gotta get up and go." as she heard Bananarama echo from over the air.
The End.
I apologise to anyone who does not understand this story. There are a few cocktails involved, if you care to find. Also to drink in, is a play on words, meaning absorbing, absorbing the sun, so to drink in the sun, means to take a sun tan, the suns' rays.