Chapter 1

They had been stuck on a case for four days and Gibbs was getting upset.

A Naval supply clerk had been found strangled and they had over a dozen potential suspects, all of which worked with the victim, and they were all working to verify alibis.

The main problem was that the only real evidence, a small sheet of paper torn from a notepad and asking (in block letters) for the victim to meet the writer at the location where he had been found, had offered up no real clues as to who the perpetrator was.

In addition to all of this, it was the time of year when the local university sent over interns for a two week "hands-on" practical exercise designed to give forensic students real world experience.

McGee was looking at the files of the three who were "lucky" enough to be assigned to them.

"This can't be right." He said, although he was only thinking aloud.

"What's that, did they cancel your subscription to "Computer Weekly" again?" DiNozzo chided.

"I'm looking at the files of our three interns." McGee began.

"I did not realize it was that time again." Ziva said.

"What's the problem?" DiNozzo asked.

"Well, dates of birth for the medical and investigative major's are both early nineties…what one would expect from a college student." McGee answered.

"Sooooo?" Ziva asked.

"The one for the forensics major is 1970. Kind of old for a college student." McGee said.

"Probably just a typo." DiNozzo said. "Correct it when he gets here."

"What time will they be here?" Ziva asked.

"Just after lunch." Gibbs said as he rounded the corner.

"I got a call from the Dean that forensics will be a little late." McGee told him. "Has a Doctor's appointment that he can't reschedule."

Gibbs just looked at him.

"Maybe one of the interns can find me some evidence to crack this case." He said, causing them all to turn to their computers and start typing.

The two college students stood at his desk.

"Karen Johnson." McGee said. The medical major stood about 5 feet 5, with sandy blond hair.

"And Michael Thomas." The investigative major was about 5 foot 9, with brown hair.

"Welcome to N.C.I.S." McGee told them.

"Our Dean wanted us to remind you that grandpa would be late." Michael said.

"I'm sorry?" McGee looked at him with a puzzled expression. "Grandpa?"

"He means Jason." Karen said, elbowing Michael. "And he's not that old."

"Old enough." Michael retorted.

Ziva and DiNozzo look at each other and smiled.

"Well, thank you for the reminder." McGee said. "Why do the two of you want to be here?"

"To make a difference." They said in unison.

"Noble." McGee managed to keep a straight face. "Michael, your place of duty for the next two weeks is that desk right there." He pointed around the corner. "And Karen, yours is in the Autopsy Lab with Doctor Mallard."

"OK." Karen said. "Where is it?"

"Uhhh." McGee began. "You know, they keep moving it." He looked over at Ziva and DiNozzo. "Do either of you remember where it is this week?"

They each pointed in different directions.

"Sorry." McGee told Karen, who looked at each of them and headed to the elevator.

When she finally found Autopsy, Abby was there.

"Doctor Mallard?" Karen said.

"Can I help you?" Ducky asked.

"I'm Karen Johnson." She said holding out her hand. "Agent McGee sent me down here…I'm your intern."

"That time already?" Abby mumbled.

"Ahhh. Welcome to Autopsy." Ducky said, shaking her hand. "I am Doctor Mallard, but you may call me "Ducky", and this is our rather gifted Forensic Scientist, Miss Abigail Sciuto."

"Call me Abby." She said as they shook hands.

"Forensics." Karen said. "The guy you're getting is really good."

"Really?" Abby answered.

"Yeah." Karen replied. "He's helped a lot of us get passing grades."

"Do tell." Abby said and walked out.

McGee looked over to see a guard pointing him out to another person, about 6 feet tall, with jet black, shoulder length hair.

"You must be Jason Graham." He said, holding out his hand.

"Sorry." Jason said. "I'm…kind of paranoid about shaking hands."

DiNozzo and Ziva exchanged amused glances.

"Not a problem." McGee replied while dropping his hand. "I see you are majoring in Forensics."

"I am." He answered. "And I apologize for being late. Did the Dean call you and let you know?"

"He did." McGee nodded. "And Michael and Karen were kind enough to remind me."

"Aren't you a little old for a college student?" Ziva asked.

"Changing careers." Jason turned to her and replied.

"What did you do before?" She asked.

"Retired Army." He said, making Gibbs look up.

"Well, thank you for your service." McGee said. "But why do you want to be here?"

"To make a difference." He said.

"Doesn't sound very sincere." DiNozzo observed.

"It's what the counselor told us to say." Jason answered.

"But you don't believe it?" Ziva asked.

"Doesn't mean anything." Jason shrugged. "If a Soldier gave me an answer like that, I would give him fifteen minutes to come up with one that meant something."

"Yea, well, I don't have fifteen minutes." Gibbs interrupted. "So I will give you one minute before I have Agent McGee escort you from the building."

DiNozzo and Ziva stared each other.

Jason stared at McGee for a few seconds.

"Doesn't sound like he's joking." He finally said.

"He…doesn't joke." McGee replied.

"Fair enough." Jason shrugged and turned to Gibbs. "Your ball, your rules…There are moments in life that force you to take a long look in the mirror...and I didn't like what I saw. I've done some…really bad things that I wanted to atone for. But…some things, you can't atone for, and…some people, you can't apologize to…so I decided to help other people, in their memory. Unfortunately, all I knew how to do was fix computers, so I took a college class. Call it fate, call it luck…but the only one available was in forensics…which, to my surprise, I discovered I was very good at…so I took more. I guess the professor also thought I was good at it, because he asked me if I wanted this internship before the announcement was even made public. I took it as an opportunity to help real people, not just sit in a class. So…here I am."

Looking into his eyes, Gibbs could see a certain…determination…that he only saw in people who had a true motivation to do something they believed in.

"So…why are you here?" He finally asked.

Jason just cocked his head and stared at him.

"This doesn't look like a forensics lab to me." Gibbs said.

Jason stared for a few seconds, then laughed, grabbed his bag, and headed to the elevator.

"Aren't you going to ask where the lab is at?" Ziva called.

He paused and turned.

"If I did, would you tell me?" He asked.

She simply smiled and shook her head.

"What was your MOS?...Sergeant First Class." Gibbs asked.

"Cav Scout." He replied and turned to Gibbs. "And yours?...Gunny."

"Sniper." Gibbs said.

"Semper Fi." Jason said as he turned to leave.

"Be All You Can Be." Gibbs called after him.

"Don't expect any special treatment." Gibbs called as Jason entered the elevator.

"I won't accept any." Jason replied as the doors closed.

"What is a "Cav Scout"?" Ziva asked when he was gone.

"United States Cavalry." Gibbs answered without looking up from the report he was reading. "If you were in front of him, you were the enemy."

"And "Sergeant First Class"?" McGee asked.

"Army equivalent of "Gunny"."

He entered the lab to see Abby staring at the image of a piece of paper on the monitor. He set his bag down and walked up beside her.

"What am I missing?" She said.

"Forgive me, but I believe that the only dumb question is an unasked one." He said, making her jump. "You realize that the person who made that is left handed?"

"Who are you?" Abby demanded.

"Sorry…Agent Gibbs sent me down." He said. "I'm your intern."

"Aren't you a little old for a college student?" She asked.

"I get that a lot." He shrugged.

"We'll discuss it later." Abby continued, turning back to the monitor. "Why do you say that the person is left handed?"

"The indentations from how it was held." He said, pointing at the image. "And the tear pattern. A right handed person would hold it in the left hand and use their right hand to tear upwards to the right. This note was held in the right hand and torn upwards to the left."

Abby just stared at the monitor.

"I concur." She finally said and grabbed the bag that the note was in. "Let's go see Gibbs."

When she headed to the elevator, he sighed and followed.

They were gathered around the big screen briefing Gibbs.

"We've narrowed the suspect list to these three." DiNozzo was saying. "Lieutenant Byerly, and Petty Officers Jackman and Lowe."

"Each had means, motive, and opportunity." McGee added. "And none have a credible alibi."

"In fact." Ziva took over. "Jackman and Lowe are each other's alibi…claimed they spent the night barhopping, but we have not found any evidence that can substantiate that claim."

Gibbs looked over as the elevator chimed and Abby and Jason approached.

Jason nodded to Michael, who was standing behind everyone else, having just returned from making copies.

"Abby." He sighed. "We agreed you'd give him a day before you tried to get rid of him."

"What?" Abby replied. "No…that's not why we're here. We found something."

Gibbs just looked at her, waiting for her to continue.

"Actually, since…" She said, then paused and turned to Jason. "I don't even know your name."

"Jason." He smiled.

"Actually," She said, turning back to Gibbs, "since Jason found it, I will let him tell you."

"He's only been gone five minutes." DiNozzo said to Ziva, who shrugged.

Gibbs turned to Jason.

"Based on how the note was held and torn, the person you're looking for is left handed." He said.

"Which, since it's estimated that only seven to fifteen percent of the population are lefty's." Abby added, smiling. "Your search just became easier."

"Lieutenant Byerly is the only left handed person on our list of suspects that I noticed." McGee said.

"Get him in here." Gibbs said, and Ziva and Tony headed to the elevator. He turned back to Abby and Jason. "Good work, you two."

When they were back in the lab, Abby turned on him.

"OK." She began. "Since you've already helped solve a case, I will go easy on you."

"You'll give me two days?" He smiled.

"Never mind that." She said, waving her hand. "By the way, I'm Abby Sciuto." She said, holding out her hand.

"Jason Graham." He said, but hesitated before holding out his own.

"You never did answer my question."

"I'm retired Army." He said, rubbing his wrist. "Trying to find a second career."

Abby considered this for a few seconds.

"I can accept that…for now." She said. "Question number two. Ducky's intern was here for almost an hour before you showed up…why were you late?"

"Ducky?" He asked.

"Doctor Mallard…our Medical Examiner." She explained.

"Ahhh. Karen." He said. "They first told us to be here this morning at nine, which would have been perfect. But then they changed it to one…and I have a Doctor's appointment every Monday at twelve thirty that I can't miss or reschedule. The Dean was supposed to let you know."

"And he might have told McGee." She admitted, then paused. "Is everything alright?"

"A personal matter." He shrugged.

"OK." She said, and began fidgeting. "Look, I have a lot of rules for this lab. Which, because even I can't remember them all, you will probably have to break them before you find out what they are."

"Sounds like fun." He said.

"And you have already broken rule number seven: No sneaking up on me." She scolded. "Don't. Do it. Again. You are to let me know you are around before you get within ten feet of me."

"Will do." He said.

"I mean it." She said. "I made my last intern wear bells." She paused and looked at him. "No. You have already helped solve a murder, so I will give you another chance."

"Thank you." He said.

"You're…desk…will be over there." He looked where she pointed. "You can keep all your personal effects there, but the drawer doesn't lock…not that we have any thieves here…because we don't…so you don't have to worry about that...if you were."

"Thank you." He repeated.

"Our hours are eight thirty to five…though, depending on a case, we might have to come in early or work late, which, you being Army, should be used to."

"I am." He smiled.

"Do you have any questions of me?" She asked.

He shook his head.

"I think she likes you." She said.

He gave her a confused look.

"Karen." She said.

He just smiled.

"I do have one question." He said.

She looked at him expectantly.

"You have a mass spectrometer." He smiled, pointing behind him. "I've only seen them in books…can I?"

She smiled and spent the next hour teaching him how to operate it.

Several hours later, Gibbs walked in to find Abby reading and Jason mopping.

"Gibbs." Abby said, causing Jason to look up.

"Don't stop." She told Jason when she noticed him pausing, and he smiled and continued to mop.

"Byerly has confessed." Gibbs laughed. "Go home."

"He has an hour to make up for being late." She told him.

"OK." Gibbs shrugged. "See you tomorrow."

When Gibbs left, she turned to Jason.

"The lefty confessed." She said. "I think you've earned a reprieve. What you got planned for the evening?"

"Dinner." He shrugged. "Watch some T.V."

"I don't see a ring." She said. "Why aren't you having dinner with Karen?"

"I'm old enough to be her father." He laughed.

"Some women like older men." She said.

He just smiled and put the mop back in the bucket.

"Do you have any children?" She asked.

"One." He said. "A daughter."

"How old is she?"

"Seventeen." He said. "Look, I don't want to sound rude, but I'd like to finish mopping."

"You failed." Abby told him.

He just looked at her.

"If you weren't trying to sound rude." She elaborated. "You failed."

He looked down and sighed.

"I'm sorry." He said, looking at her. "It's just that…she lives with my ex-wife and I haven't seen her in five years…it's…kind of painful to talk about."

"I'm sorry." Abby said. "I didn't know."

He shrugged.

"Like I said, you've earned a reprieve." She told him. "Put that stuff away and let's get out of here."