Ducky was in a very happy mood most days. His relationship with Susan Burke, a biologist/widow that he had met through mutual friends, was nothing short of truly wonderful.
They had been dating for three months now, and Ducky was considering asking her to move in. While she was personally very wealthy from her work on poisonous secretions and her late husband's life insurance policy, their home had been only of modest size.
The lab phone rang. Mr. Palmer, his assistant, answered it. "Autopsy," he said crisply. He nodded. "The address?" he asked, flipping out a notepad. "We're on our way, Agent Gibbs," he confirmed as he hung up the phone. Palmer looked up at Ducky. "Dead lieutenant found in her home," he said.
Ducky's mood subsided a bit. "Well, let's get to it, then," he said, taking his coat and off the rack.
The team secured the area. It was actually an apartment in a fairly nice section of town. Ducky and Palmer got there a few minutes later, as the team was taking a statement from the apartment manager, who had reported the body, to find out who she was. No one touched the body until Ducky had had a chance to examine it, not even to look for ID.
"Lori Diamond," the apartment manager informed them. "She's been here about two years now."
"Kind of a bit nicer than what a lieutenant can afford, isn't it?" Gibbs asked.
The manager put up his hands. "Hey, I don't ask those kind of questions. All I know was that she said she had a rich boyfriend."
"Baby?" Four pairs of eyes glared at him.
"Yea, she has a baby. I took it over to the neighbor's when I found her like that," he explained.
"Why did you open the door?" Gibbs asked again.
"Her mail hadn't been picked up for a couple of days, and all the tenants tell me when they're going on vacation or something," he said. "I was worried."
Gibbs nodded and left him to Ziva. He walked over to where Ducky was on his knees.
"Anything interesting, Duck?"
"Yes, I'd say so, Jethro," Ducky replied enthusiastically. "There are no wounds other than a few cuts as the poor girl hit the floor. From the number of them, however, I'd say she thrashed around a bit. We'll have to make a tox screen a priority, and I most likely will not be able to determine the cause of death until I perform the autopsy, but I'm rather sure that it was not a pain-free death."
"She had a baby. It's at the neighbors."
"Then one might have the tad checked out as soon as possible, in case whatever it was that killed the mother also has affected the child."
Gibbs nodded his agreement. Ziva walked over. "Boss, the manager remembered a name that Lieutenant Diamond mentioned as being the baby's father. A Danny Burke."
The name made Ducky's head jerk up. Gibbs noticed. "Know him, Ducky?"
"No, not exactly…" Ducky said vaguely. He turned to Palmer. "Keep her here for a moment, Mr. Palmer, while I make a phone call."
"Yes, Dr. Mallard." Jimmy said, a little disappointed.
Ducky walked off to the side and pulled out his cell phone. "Susan, I need you to come over to the west side right away. There's been an accident."
Susan got out of her car at the Carrington Apartments. Ducky's voice had been indescribable, and she hadn't asked any questions. The team, all of which she had met several times, was waiting for her.
"This way, Dr. Burke," Gibbs guided her to one of the apartments.
"What is this all about?" Susan asked as she went through the door. She winced as she saw a woman lying on the floor, clearly dead. Ducky was standing over her, looking at Susan's reaction.
"Do you know her, Susan?" Ducky said quietly, but with a hardness to his voice that made Susan look at him, startled.
"No, should I?"
Ziva walked in with a six-month old baby. Susan gasped with recognition that she lacked with the mother. Those eyes had lied to her for over 20 years.
She looked over at Ducky, pain and desperation on her face pleading with him to tell her that what she knew in her heart wasn't true.
"This is Daniel Burke's child, Susan," he said.