Ding Dong Merrily
(Hosannas in the Highest)
Merry Christmas Sally (Salmon)
"So McGee, Christmas………..you and your sister? She going home or going to spend with you? Tony enquired, looking around, making sure Gibbs wasn't about.
"Why would she want to stay with me?"
"Don't know." Tony replied, now biting into a burger. "I just thought………end of college semester. Show her a few shows……….I could…….."
"Lay a finger on my sister and I'll……" Tim shouted, standing and looking Tony in the eye.
"You'll do what?" Tony replied, rising up and placing his hands on the desk, staring Tim in the face.
"And what are you doing DiNozzo?" Gibbs remarked now entering the bullpen.
"Boss………..I was thinking."
"You think DiNozzo?" Gibbs questioned, as he sat at his desk, now pushing papers about, he was bored.
"I was being polite. Friendly. Finding out how everyone was spending Christmas."
"How you fancy spending it with me?" he now asked smiling the Gibbs smile, and looking at Tony.
"Ahh Boss, I didn't know you cared."
"I don't, but I put in for covering, thought you might like to join me."
"I think I might pass on that." Tony replied now sitting down.
"Exactly……..no I'm going to Mexico. I have a bottle of Tequila to finish with Mike. So you can cover without me. Ziva has offered to work. That make it anymore inviting?" he now asked, looking at the boys.
"I heard Abby is spending time with the nuns. She says she will be helping them with the poor and needy." Tony answered.
"Which you are not Tony." Tim retorted, looking at Tony's designer clothing.
"Ok, that's sorted. I can put you both down for duties and I can go and get a few days peace with Franks." Gibbs had replied, thinking how easy it been to persuade the boys to work. They both looked at each other. They knew they had been Gibbs conned. As they looked at the smile that emanated from their Boss.
****
He was sanding the boat, no planning, the shavings falling silently, lying like butter curls on the floor. It was so therapeutic.
Oh yes Mike had said, "Be good, finish that bottle………heh my roof's leaking…ok another time Probie."
It had been 18years. He remembered them as they had been not as they would have. The cell interrupted his thoughts. "Yeh, Gibbs…….wooh slow down Abbs……..steady, slowly tell me…….ABBY." he listened further. "Ok give me 20minutes." he closed the call and dialled Tony. Explained the situation, they would pick him up. He downed the Jack, slipped on his jacket and waited.
****
They found the body hanging from the rafters……well the rope from the bell tower, the body dangling, swinging gently. Ziva was already there with Doctor Mallard.
"Ah Ziva and I were just having lunch……..a very nice lamb casserole, with seasonal vegetables."
"Too much information Duks, what you got for me?" Gibbs now questioned taking his notepad from his back pocket.
"Strangulation springs to mind, but who and why. That is what I need to find out. And no I don't think she hanged herself. This is only to hide the true cause." as he turned away and allowed the boys to cut down the body.
Gibbs went to find Abby.
****
She was sitting in the chapel. No, she was hunched up, her knees to her chest, she was rocking back and forward.
"Abby." Gibbs whispered, it reverberated round the small room.
"Gibbs" she replied quietly. It came out "GIBBS"
"Shhhhh……." it came out "SHHHHHHHHHHH"
The whispering gallery, no the chapel was built for the voice to resound, carry to all corners.. He thought of something Ducky had once said, about the church in Bowmore, Islay. It had been built round, so the "deil", the devil, could not find a corner to hide in. Bowmore was also a good malt he thought to himself.
"Ahh Jethro……….."
AHHH JETHRO, the words resounded off the chapel walls.
"Sorry………SORRY." Ducky indicated they move outside.
"I think the Nun was not strangled initially. She had a mark on her arm. On the artery , and I don't think she was a current user, no someone I think drugged her first…That" now looking at Gibbs' face and then at Abby's, "Is what I will endeavour to find out when I get her home. Abby, if you are able, I need blood tests." now looking at her. She nodded.
"Good, settled then, " as he turned to leave, he added, "Merry Christmas Jethro."
****
She was in the lab doing the tests. Sister Mary……..Mary, mother of Jesus. She shivered. Yes it was Christmas and yes it was supposed to be a happy time. But her she was doing tests on her dead friend. At least Ducky had done the autopsy. She hadn't seen the body, just been given the samples. She saw the screen flash, she had a match.
****
Sister Mary had just enrolled as a novice. She was a good Catholic girl, but had been through the proverbial mill. Drugs, tried. Prostitution, tried, as she need the drugs. She had met Abby, and the Nuns, at one of their bowling night outs. Mary had been intrigued as to why someone as strange as Abby had got involved with the Church. She had joined them for the evening. Mary had enjoyed and had asked how she went about becoming a nun. She wanted to help her fellow druggies and girls of the street. She had started to do a course in Social Work. The Church would help, but she still needed some money. Mary had started to do a part-time job. Dancing in the clubs she knew so well. She had taken tips from Abby on how to dress and had got a fake tattoo, "Maybe see how it goes and get a real one. I don't do pain, needles……." they had laughed. Still Mary was giving encouragement to her fellow friends. She had started to give a gentle love. They, that would be Nuns, were not happy. But they too could see the good she was spreading among the addicts.
****
"Gibbs." Abby shouted down the phone. "I gotta show you this."
"What?" as he entered the lab.
"You know sometimes I think you just loiter and lurk out there, waiting for me to do something."
"So what you got that's so important?" he looked, as Abby pointed to the screen. "Good girl Abbs." as he left to find Ducky.
****
"Duks?"
"Ah Jethro, got what you need? I have just had this in too." now pointing at the body. "But I think natural causes."
"You knew?"
"No surmised. The puncture mark was too fresh. So what did Abigail come up with?"
"Insulin, well Humalin, to be precise." Gibbs now answered.
"In an excess amount…….. insulin causes severe hypoglycaemia which can lead to death. When synthetic insulin, Humalin, is used it causes more severe side effects such as……….
"Comas, seizures, convulsions." Gibbs now added.
"But solely through injection…………. the lethal dose is 800 – 3200 units."
"So we know how……. we just need to know who." Gibbs replied, "But I need to see someone and see if she will be a willing participant." As he left the room and back up to the lab.
****
"So what do you say?" Gibbs asked, now looking at Abby, and smiling.
"No………no way Gibbs. No."
"Hell, Abbs you've met them."
"But Gibbs, I can think of better things to do at Christmas."
"I'll make sure DiNozzo looks out for you." he replied.
****
She stood on the corner of the street. DiNozzo was watching from the car. It had been unanimously decided, well Gibbs had said and everyone had agreed, that Abby should go undercover. She had agreed to meet some of the girls. No, she would not dance, but she would talk if men wanted to.
The Clubs' management had agreed that NCIS could "Cover the joint" and the girls, "It's bad for business when someone kills one of our own." Yes they would watch each others backs. This was why, and how, Abby had ended up dressed as a good time girl outside the club. As she had waited for some of the other girls, she had already had some offers. Tony wondered if he should assist, being the pimp, but Abbs had seen them off. One had hobbled away.
****
The inside of the club was hot. The testosterone filled air was over-powering. Men jostling for the front row to ogle the girls. Ziva and Tim were at the bar sipping cocktails.
"Why am I here?" she questioned, "I could be in the car with Tony. Gibbs should be holding up the bar."
"Yes I know." he too had wondered, why Gibbs had not been here. They watched in horror as they saw Abby walking down the stair, Gibbs at her back. She, that would be Abby was smiling. She looked different. They saw some men turn and look. Gibbs glowered. He guided her to a cubicle. The skimpily clad waitress asked what they wanted to drink. "Dry champagne, sweet champagne or pink champagne?" It was one of those clubs. Gibbs ordered dry.
"Ok Gibbs," she asked as she sipped the bubbles and the burped, " Sorry champers always does that to me. But what do you want me to do?"
"I want you to sit here and smile sweetly. You know the score. Your card is marked. If they want to buy you a drink accept. You get 25% of the cost, and the management take the rest. I want you to ask about Mary. Say she was your cousin or something. I'm going to the main office." he answered before she could ask. He kissed her head as he left.
Abby settled into the seat. She looked about, sipping the champagne and burping, as she did.
"Hello." a voice said. She looked up into the eyes of a devil.
"Hello." she stammered.
"May I join you?" he asked. Abby nodded and blushed. Standing before he was the most handsome man she had ever seen. The eyes were so dark they were hypnotic. He indicated to the waitress and pointed to the bottle.
"So do you have a name?" he asked seductively.
"Abigail……….but my friends call me Abby."
"A good name for a friend of the convent."
"How do you know I'm a friend of the Nuns."
"I've seen you bowling with them. You have stayed sometimes. You were a friend of Marys'." he replied as the waitress brought the champagne. He signed the check.
"So how do you know Mary?" Abby now asked.
"I used to see her in here. Haven't for a while. I was hoping she was Ok, and well it's Christmas, wanted to give her some festive cheer." he replied sipping the drink., "Still maybe we could get to know each other better." he now enquired.
"I……I..would like that." Abby answered smiling, "But I don't know your name?"
"Michael………….Michael MacKechnie." the stranger replied.
****
"I don't like that man." Ziva said to Tim, "There is something creepy about his eyes. He has such an air of………….superiority about him. As if he is a chosen one."
"I think you mean Gods' gift to women." Tim now replied. "I wonder where Gibbs is?" now looking about.
"I'm in the office McGee, watching you both. If you look at the security camera at 02.00 you'll see me wave to you."
Tim and Ziva looked to the camera and McGee almost, just almost went to wave.
"You are a nincompoop……..Tim." Ziva whispered.
"He is, isn't he. Now get back to work. Keep an eye on Abby." Gibbs shouted.
They turned and went back to watching Abby.
****
Tony was getting bored. It was cold and he had run out of food. He wondered if he should get out and go to the café he saw on the corner, and his legs had gone to sleep. Five minutes wouldn't do any harm. He opened the car door, and eased himself out. He stretched his legs and started to walk.
"Going somewhere DiNozzo?" he heard a voice in his ear.
"No Boss, just got cramp." Now looking about searching for the camera.
"On the lamp outside the club, and another on the corner." Gibbs replied looking at the screens. Tony was sure he could hear Gibbs smile.
As Tony got into the car he saw one draw up. It stopped and a tall gentleman got out. He was wearing black and in the street light he was sure he could observe something white round his neck. Tony watched as the man pulled it off and threw it into the car. The man looked about and entered the club. Tony didn't think anymore about it.
****
"I was wondering if you would like to go somewhere more comfortable. I know a discrete little restaurant…. we could get a bite to eat and you could tell me how a lovely girl as yourself comes to be in a place like this."
"That would be lovely." Abby giggled, yes the champagne was going to her head. She looked across at Tim and Ziva. They acknowledged eye contact. Michael helped Abby on with her jacket. Gibbs was watching.
"I want you to follow," he ordered. "Tony wake up. Abby's leaving with someone. Ziva, you with Tony, don't loose. McGee get the car and wait for me outside I won't be a moment." as he thanked the management and tore down the back stairs, through the fire exit and into the alley behind. Tim was at the wheel.
"Ziva which way are you going?" as he switched the GPS on hoping to pick up Abby.
"That guy Abby's leaving with. I saw something." as Tony now explained what he had seen to Ziva. She called Gibbs.
****
"I thought we were going to a restaurant?" Abby giggled.
"I thought I'd take you to my place. My housekeeper has probably left some cold fare out for me. I won't harm you. You see I'm a Father."
"I don't go out with married men." she now replied. "So if you could just drop me off somewhere near a bus stop, I'll hail a cab."
"It's Christmas, I think you'll find it hard to get one. As I said, I'm a Father, a man of the cloth, I'll take care of you. I'll make sure that no-one harms you. You could stay with me." Michael now shouted.
"Stop the car………I want to get out." as she undid her seat belt. As she did she glanced in the side mirror. She just thought she spied a car, and she just thought she recognised it. Michael grabbed her arm.
"You aren't going anywhere………..whore." he shouted as he brought his hand across her face. "You sluts' are all the same. You make men fall in love with you. I will cleanse your souls. Mary thought she could worm her way into my affections. I saved her from a life of misery. I will save you as well…………"
He didn't see the car ahead. The head lights on full beam blinding him. He covered his face as they hit the fire hydrant and then come to rest against the tree. The horn blaring and the air bags taking up the full space of the car. Gibbs jumped out the car and raced to the stationary vehicle He opened the passenger door, and pulled a hysterical Abby from the front. McGee opened the drivers' and pointed the gun inside.
"Federal Agents, move very slowly, and get out the car." he shouted.
The second car drove up behind the Fathers, and Tony and Ziva got out.
****
Gibbs drove Abby back to the Convent. She didn't want to go home. And she didn't, didn't want to stay with Gibbs……….or Tony……….or Tim……….or Ziva. She had wanted to stay with the Nuns. She needed their calming sanctuary. She wanted to sit in the Chapel and reflect. She didn't know what she wanted. She cried. Gibbs didn't say anything. He was ready to interview Father Michael MacKechnie. He was just trying to think how he could interview without loosing his temper. No, Ziva could interview and find out why the Father had committed the crime, and had he committed murder in other States. Tim and Tony had their work cut out finding that out.
****
A week later, they went to see if Abby was Ok. She had been in the retreat for a week The Nuns had taken care of her. Father MacKechnie had confessed the killing of Mary, and to three other murders. What he hadn't counted on was that Abby belonged to NCIS and they looked after their own. In any other situation he might just have got away with it. They had turned him over to the FBI. Gibbs thanked the Nuns for looking after Abby and gave them a check from NCIS, and the girls from the club. Their Management had given an evening takings. It had come to a few dollars. The Mother Superior had thanked them all for their contribution.
"Well now that that's over, I need to……celibate here and celibate there, as long as I make a buck." Abby had laughed. The Nuns and Ziva, of course didn't catch the joke. Gibbs just smiled the Gibbs smile and gently slapped her head. They walked out in to the New Year air. As they did Gibbs' cell rang, " Yep Gibbs…………no peace for the wicked then" he smiled as he shut the phone down, "Dead Marine, Quantico…lets go guys."
The End.