All Clued Out
They arrived at the house. The style was an old ex-colonial, English. It was late in the evening. He pulled the old brass door bell. Somewhere he thought he heard it ring. They waited. It opened slightly and a middle aged woman stood there.
"Special Agent Gibbs, NCIS." he said, showing the woman his ID.
She opened the door fully to allow them entry. They heard wailing coming from one of the rooms.
"Please" she replied, showing them the open door to the left. They moved to the door as Gibbs pushed it further ajar and entered. A woman sat sobbing uncontrollably, a Reverend was comforting her.
"Agent Gibbs NCIS." he said, showing him his ID.
"Reverend Greene." offering Jethro his hand.
"I say, slight bit of bother, would you not say." an elderly distinguished gentleman remarked in a very English accent. He was leaning on the mantle piece, smoking a cigarette.
"And you are who?" Gibbs requested, looking disgustedly at the man.
"Sorry, Professor Plum. We play chess every Thursday. Only tonight we won't be." as he took his arm from the mantelpiece and went to find an ashtray.
"DiNozzo who are you talking to?" he asked, spying Tony getting rather friendly with a brunette.
"Boss, Scarlett. The deceased's daughter." now looking at Gibbs.
"So I have, you Reverend Greene, and you Professor Plum, the woman crying is?" now looking at the two men.
"Mrs White, a widow, but she was engaged to, my father, the Lieutenant Commander." Scarlett responded. Giving her future step mom a glare. She stepped away from DiNozzo and sided towards Gibbs.
"You married? I bet you were the Marines too. I just love a man in uniform." as she passed behind Gibbs. Her perfume lingering.
"I loved him." Mrs White sobbed.
"All we need now is the Doctor." Tony whispered to Ziva.
"I don't understand. You mean Dr Mallard."
"No, the medical Doctor."
The bell rang again. The mystery woman, glided to the door and showed another woman into the study.
"Dr Black, so nice of you to come so soon." Scarlett replied.
"Your father is where?" she questioned, as the door bell rang again.
"That will be our Doctor Mallard." Gibbs responded, beginning to look extremely annoyed. "I have to ask, who is that woman and what does she do?"
"That is Mrs Bird, a sweet woman. She is the daily cleaner. But comes in every Thursday to do sandwiches and clean up afterwards." the Reverend replied.
"DiNozzo, where is McGee?" now looking about and generally feeling uneasy. Had they walked into a Twilight Zone.
"Thought he was with you, Boss."
"Ziva, go and search for McGee. Has anyone got any idea where he might be? And where is the body?" he shouted, as Ziva made a move to the door only to be blocked by Ducky and Jimmy.
"Ahh, Jethro there you are. Mrs Bird here was just telling me that Tim is in the library. He saw the door was open and thought he saw a 1st edition of his book. Wanted to sign it. So where is Lieutenant Commander Mustarde." he asked.
"Knew it Ziva." Tony whispered. "The whole board game. But you don't have a clue do ya?" receiving a slap on the head.
"I make the funnies round here, DiNozzo. But will someone answer the question. Where is the body?"
"Agent Gibbs, my father is lying in the pool room."
"Knew it Ziva, and it will be the cue up the……………" Tony smiled knowingly.
"No, Agent DiNozzo, the pool and spa room. Vanessa, Mrs Bird found him, face down in the water." Scarlett answered "She came to tell us."
"So drowning then?" Gibbs questioned.
"Jethro, never surmise anything until I've done the autopsy. But probably."
"I have to apologise. We, that would be Professor Plum and I pulled the body, sorry Jeremy from the pool. After Vanessa here had informed us. It was not a pretty sight. I'm afraid Vanessa was behind us."
"You tampered with the body?" Ducky almost shouted at the two men.
"We wanted to see if he was still alive. To do CPR. Unfortunately he wasn't. The body was too badly burnt."
"Burnt as in, fire?" Ducky asked.
"No, as in, well red. Sunburnt." the Reverend replied.
"In February? Where is McGee?" Gibbs said, now getting really annoyed, and looking about. The wood panelling, he wondered was it real or a veneer finish. His mind began to play tricks. He felt he was being watched. His eyes moved round the room. The pictures on the wall. He thought he saw eyes boring into his very soul .A shiver moved down his back
"Or, steamed to death. Saw a lot of it in the far east and Borneo. You know a good steaming. I believe the North American Indians do something similar, and of course the Turkish baths." the Professor now piped in.
"So true Professor." Ducky replied.
"Agent DiNozzo, I have a sunbed down there and we have the sauna. I don't suppose I could interest any of you, in joining me later. I could really do with being cleansed tonight."
"DiNozzo……….. soap and water." Gibbs retorted as he shot a look at Tony, "But has anyone seen McGee."
"Yes Boss." looking sheepish. "But you're right where is McGee?"
"Please, could we stop talking about where Timothy is, and could I be directed to the body?" Dr Mallard now asked. "Dr Black, I presume you will sign the death certificate, so I can remove the body back to Washington?"
"Of course, Doctor……….."
"Mallard. But you can call me Ducky." as he held the door open to allow her to leave first. The entourage followed. Mrs Bird, just watched and smiled.
****
They entered the pool room through the gym. The gym had the panels similar to the study. He looked at the wood, he touched, this was definitely veneer. It didn't have the same warmth that real wood had. He still felt he was being watched. The body lay where the two men had left it, on it's back. Rigor Mortis was setting in. The door of the sauna was open, the sun bed was off.
"I want prints. Should be easy enough to get off the panelling and the switches." Gibbs shouted. "And where is McGee?"
"Here Boss." Tim replied from behind, making Gibbs jump.
"Don't do that. But where the hell have you been?"
"Watching. The Library is a very interesting place. You would never have known that it had a secret."
"And that would be what McGee?" Gibbs questioned, getting even more angry. "Is everyone playing games here?"
"Yes and no." Tony replied.
"Yes and no, what?" now shouting.
"You have three guesses Boss."
"Ok, I guess I'm going to get even more angry. I guess I need coffee, now. And finally if we don't solve this there will be no weekend off, I guess. Satisfied?"
"He really is angry." Ziva replied.
"Agent McGee, what was so interesting about the Library?"
"Not about, Boss, in. I was looking about and saw a very early edition of Arthur Conan Doyle's The Study in Scarlet…………"
" Ahha, He was, born Edinburgh, went on to study medicine at Edinburgh University, wrote many fine works." as Ducky pottered about with the body, and as usual, adding his knowledge whether anyone was interested or not. As he zipped the body bag up, "That's me, so I will see you all later. Goodnight Doctor Black." tipping his hat to her. He indicated to the paramedics of the ambulance, "Mr Palmer could you please help to get the deceased to the vehicle please. See you later Jethro." as he left the room.
Gibbs turned to Tim "So McGee, you were saying."
"I went to touch it, you know, to feel inspiration, to feel…………."
"McGee you will feel the power of my hand if you don't get on with it."
"Sorry, Boss. I lent forward to touch and pull it out, you know just to feel….Ouch…..what was that for?"
"I warned you."
"Make that McGee in the gym with the dreaded hand."
"DiNozzo you're next."
"Boss, it moved."
"Yes books do move off shelves."
"No it moved forward, no tilted forward and the panel slid open."
"It was you who was watching me wasn't it?"
"..sss."
"And you are going to tell us what you saw?"
"More heard Boss."
"McGEE" Gibbs said now shouting.
"Ok. The passage went behind the study and into the kitchen. After you and the Doctors' left, Scarlett and Mrs White moved to the kitchen. Funny thing was, Mrs White seemed now to be laughing not crying. I heard her say {did you get rid of the powder} to Mrs Bird."
"But did they say what the powder was?" as he took his cell phone from his pocket and dialled.
"Ducky, do a blood test. ……………I don't care where you are now, when you get to Washington. Tim says that there could be drugs………….. white powder……….hell you and Abby tell me." as he hung up.
"Good work McGee. Now lets get some prints and wait for Ducky to get back to us."
****
They didn't have too long to wait.
"Gibbs……….yep……..good………..will do…………." as he shut the phone.
"Duk says benzodiazepine. Sleeping tablets. I want someone to find out how it was administered, but you can bet they have poured the evidence away, but I want the decanter and any other glasses you can find." looking at Ziva, "And yes DiNozzo you can take the U bend apart for any residue." now looking at Tony.
"Why do I get all the dirty jobs."
"Senior Field Agent………….I need your expertise." beginning to smile the Gibbs smile.
"What about me Boss" McGee questioned.
"I want you, to show me the secret passage, and then you and I can question the women."
****
As McGee showed Gibbs the secret passage he wondered if the women knew of its existence. They passed the study where Ziva was taking finger prints and generally asking questions. Tim showing Gibbs the picture with the eyes. They moved on and round to the kitchen. They watched as the three women, sat round the table sipping champagne. Tony was no-where to be seen. Gibbs wondered had he finished, or was he skiving off.
"I think the Medical Examiner will find it hard the prove the exact cause of death." they heard Mrs White say "I mean, Jeremy was taking sleeping tablets and tranquillisers. He fell asleep and staggered into the water."
"That would be after the sun bed. I mean he had the sauna first. It made him relax and the sun bed just made him more so." Scarlett replied beginning to laugh.
"Just as well you found the will Vanessa."
"I didn't expect to find it in {Jamaica Inn.} I just wanted something to read" Gibbs just hoped Tim had the brains to record on his phone.
"He gave me the job of cleaner because I was a widow and my son always sent me something home." Mr Bird interrupted. " I didn't know he would have left me that much. Now I can live the dream."
Gibbs indicated to Tim to move on. They had to confront the women. He wanted Abby to find out as much as possible about Mrs Bird's son.
****
They entered the kitchen. The women stopped talking.
"Can I help you Agent Gibbs?" Scarlett enquired.
"Sure can. I would like to ask a few questions."
"Of course. Here or in the study?"
"Here, and if you, Mrs Bird, and Mrs White would go with Agent McGee." The two women followed McGee out of the kitchen.
"So Agent Gibbs." as Scarlett moved close to Gibbs, "What would you like to know?"
"For a start, why kill your father?"
Scarlett looked Gibbs in the eye and then turned away. She needed to think quick and on her feet. She made the tears start.
"Agent Gibbs, why do you think that? I loved dad. He was everything to me."
Gibbs smiled, oh yes she was good, the crocodile tears. He wondered how the others would react.
"I'm sorry," Scarlett cried "I can't bear to answer any more questions if that's what you think." as she ran past him, and up the stairs to her room. Gibbs smiled. He knew from years of experience she was lying and needed to think. He went to look for Vanessa. He didn't have far to go, as she entered the kitchen.
"What you say to her?" Vanessa questioned, the look of fear in her eyes.
"Just asked her a question, the same as I will you. Why did you kill him. I mean you were in line for some of the inheritance. You to get the house?"
"Not exactly." Vanessa replied. She knew the game was up, as she looked into the cold blue eyes of one Agent Gibbs. "I have to ask you a question. How did you find out?"
"As they say, careless talk costs lives, and the walls have eyes and ears." as he took his phone from his pocket and dialled the local police department.
****
"I suspected it was Professor Plum, with the wrench in the dining room." Tony remarked as they left the house.
"Nope, the gardener, Derek, he was my thought." Ziva replied.
"Why?"
"Hoe, hoe, hoe, Tony."
"It was good of Tim to find the secret passage. If he hadn't, we wouldn't have known it was Mrs Bird, Scarlett and Vanessa. The three women, who would have benefited from the inheritance." Gibbs replied. "Mrs Bird, who actually was the mother of a marine who had been killed in Iraq, in an explosion, that the Lieutenant Commander had ordered. He had always felt bad. Shouldn't have. That's war. Accidents happen."
"So The Lieutenant Commander was drugged, steamed and finally sunburnt. And just for good measure thrown in the pool?" Tim asked trying to get his head round the situation.
"Yep. Really don't underestimate women." Gibbs had replied. "I've been married four times and hate to think how they would have killed me off, if they'd had a chance." as he walked away to the car. For one moment he wondered if he should check underneath for a bomb, looking at Ziva smiling.
THE END