This is my fifteenth NCIS Mystery and the fourth of my Second Season. The list of stories was getting so extensive I moved them, with synopses, to my profile.
When Jimmy Palmer was wounded in 'Butterfly Affair', Ducky took on a temporary assistant until his return to active duty. Since Jimmy left the hospital in 'Salarium' and immediately got married, Samantha Sky's tenure with NCIS has been briefly extended.
Therefore, there are a lot more Ducky scenes in 'Salarium', 'Nosferatu' and here than in my previous stories, since I now have the opportunity to show him as a teacher.
The usual legal disclaimers apply.
Please Review - but don't give away the surprises.
Rating: T or NCis-17. Death, Intrigue and Mystery.
The Autopsy Atrocities
By JMK758
Chapter One
Cause of Death
"Finally!" Annette Sollecito exclaims as Paul angles their car into the driveway under the banner proclaiming 'Welcome Home, Kevin'. Every minute of these past seven hours has been a torment, and the fact that she'd agreed to them doesn't help her mood. "You are never going to talk me into this ever again. Three years he's been gone, and you drag me out of the house three days after he's–"
"Now Anni, we agreed. Christine's a nice girl and she's waited as long as we have. It didn't hurt much to allow them a few hours privacy to get reacquainted after the boy spent a year in that hell hole they call Iraq."
"'Reacquainted' you call it. They probably spent the day f–"
"I'd be disappointed if they didn't, I gave them the chance."
"Paul!"
"The boy's twenty one years old, and the note we left said quite clearly we'll be back at three. If we interrupt anything, they've got no one to blame but themselves. Now come on," he opens the door, "let's get in there and continue the reunion," he gets out and turns back to his frowning wife, "before they make us grandparents."
"Paul Sollecito, you are the worst–!"
"Yes, dear."
x
He goes to the side door of the house, giving her little choice but to follow. Stepping under the ivy covered trellis he unlocks the door, opens it and reaches for the kitchen light. "We're back!" he announces loudly, giving the young couple fair warning.
"Come on," Annette says behind them, "you sound like you expect them to be jumping into their pan–"
They freeze, horrified by the sight of Kevin Sollecito laying upon the round kitchen table, his bare legs draped over the left edge. He's naked, his torso cut open and spread wide, but his body is empty. Blood covers everything; body, table, floor and the ropes that bind his ankles to the table legs, others secure his wrists above his head.
Annette's shriek is deafening. Paul feels her body slump against his back and slide to the floor, but he can't take his eyes off the still body of his son, splayed wide and awash in blood.
xxx
When Leroy Jethro Gibbs enters the bullpen he finds his team gathered before the plasma screen between DiNozzo and McGee's desks, watching a news bulletin. "What's so interesting?" It had better be work-related.
Tony uses the remote control to raise the volume another point. The scene is a helicopter view of a highway where four Maryland Police units and an ambulance surround an eighteen wheel tractor trailer. Though traffic moves slowly on the opposite side, all cars are cut off from the right side of the highway. The vantage is wide enough to show a long white sheet about ten feet behind the truck.
"…and police have not charged the driver of the trailer in what is described as a horrendous accident." DiNozzo mutes the sound and reports in his succinct though non-stop manner.
"Highway 1, Maryland heading north to College Park, blue van was traveling 65 on the right and half a length ahead of the tractor trailer. Nothing special until the side door slides open and this woman comes flying out; she barely hits the road when she's under nine wheels. Driver didn't have any time to react; by the time he could stop she was squished behind him."
"No one has a description of the van beyond the general," Ziva puts in. "The truck driver was the only one to see it and he could not provide a license number or anything else. He was too busy standing on the brake."
"Tragic. Gear up." He's annoyed when three faces turn to him, all bearing equally surprised looks, as though by coincidence they had stumbled upon their next case. "Corporal up in Petworth was found murdered in his kitchen."
As they turn, McGee catches sight of the clock on the wall across the room: 1600. Quitting time.
xxx
Gibbs and McGee are in the Charger, leading the blue and white MCRT van with Tony behind the wheel. DiNozzo had pulled rank to get there. The only thing worse than Ziva David's driving is when she is driving while she's mad and today she's renewed her attack upon McGee.
He had been reticent to discuss any of the details of last night's date with Siobhan O'Mallory, which had actually been a more unfortunate choice than giving in to Tony's probing questions. There had been no way at all to avoid angering his former love, something McGee is certain that Tony had known in advance.
While they travel, followed by the black and white M.E. van driven by Ducky, McGee sets up a speaker phone link between the three vehicles and Gibbs fills them in on what he has on the case.
It's a short conversation.
xx
When they arrive at the house, the first thing of note is the huge welcoming banner spread across the driveway. Waiting almost under it is a tall man with a thin brown moustache and a trench coat that could easily be cliché, but nothing about the man seems to allow that impression. The hard driving force that characterizes him is like a slap to the face.
"What've you got, Carp?"
MPDC Homicide Lieutenant Jeffrey Carpenter shakes his head, addressing his words to Ducky. "A bloody mess. Looks like someone started without you."
Ducky glances up at the banner stretched across the driveway before the garage before asking Carpenter: "In what way did he start without me?"
Carpenter just shakes his head, apparently not wanting to say how until they get inside. When he turns to Gibbs the taller man confirms: "He came through three years in the service including a year in combat in Iraq without a scratch to be killed in his own kitchen."
x
"Hi, Detective Carpenter!" Samantha Sky, carrying a black satchel from the back of the M.E. van, adds greetings just as enthusiastic to the members of the MCR team. She takes a half-step toward the tall man but Ducky's firm expression halts her, makes her take that step back again.
She's in typical high spirits; Gibbs is reminded by the girl of the overenthusiastic puppy his daughter Kelly had once owned. She's also proven herself to be a more frequent hugger than even Abby, but under Ducky's guidance she's toned that down to more appropriate occasions, though she does seem to have trouble keeping her natural inclinations in check. He's annoyed to see that under her open coat she wears a brief green dress and equally inappropriate high heeled shoes to the scene. They may add three inches to her five - two stature but Ducky is still taller than she. "This is how you dress for a crime scene?"
"No, this is how I dress for a date," she counters, brushing a windblown lock of pale blonde hair from her pale blue eyes. "I was halfway out the door when you called, no time to get into my jumper." She's limited to a choice of extra-small scrubs or the small coveralls; the scrubs are actually a better fit.
x
"Good afternoon, Sammy," DiNozzo's voice is melting butter as he tries to defuse the tension, having no problem with her attire. He'd seen that aborted motion and wouldn't have minded a hug, but he'll conspire to get two later. He still doesn't hide his continuing attraction for the petite woman, despite Ziva's clear attentions. Sammy had shot down his attempts in the first day of their acquaintance, but he hasn't given up; though she's turned him down nine times in these past three weeks, he's intrigued by the challenge. He notes that in those heels she's only nine inches shorter than he. He wonders if she'd give in, despite her stated intent not to date someone as tall as he, if she had stilettos. "How are you?"
"Just ducky, thanks," she replies with a broad grin, her initial annoyance switched off.
He has to restrain himself from wincing – that'd do nothing for his chances, but with this young woman, the attraction game has its interesting challenges, her bright, unflagging good humor being one of them.
Then again, if he can keep her in a good mood (hardly a challenge) when he asks her next time, maybe ten will be the charm.
xx
The sight that greets them as they enter through the side door is enough to dampen everyone's spirits. Kevin Sollecito is tied on the sturdy table by ropes that secure ankles and wrists to the table legs. His arms reach over his head, bent at the elbows. His torso is spread wide; the sternum and ribs are missing, as are almost all of the organs from his body. There's a tall trash bin beyond the head of the table, but no one wants to be the first to look inside.
There's a lot of blood on table and floor, but no clear footprints, only smears upon the floor.
Ducky doesn't get closer to the body as Ziva commences taking pictures.
"My people have a load of pictures already," Carpenter days. "I'll e-mail them to you."
"Thanks, Carp." Gibbs is glad of the detective's cooperation; his work with Carpenter is vastly different from the turf wars he has had with other agencies. Theirs is a long cooperative history, each having helped the other with numerous cases through the years. He turns to the M.E. "What do you think, Duck?"
"Well, as you no doubt perceive, it is a classic post mortem. Commence with a 'Y' cut from each shoulder to upper chest, then divide the body from sternum to groin, use bolt cutters or saw to remove the sternum and ribs and proceed from there."
Samantha, standing beside him, says "I never imagined coming to a crime scene and having the killer start our jobs for us." Ducky turns to her, his expression sharp. "Inappropriate?"
"Extremely." He has to admit, however, that if she hadn't said it, Agent DiNozzo might have.
He takes the black bag from Sammy, sets it on the counter beside the sink and pulls out a set of face masks. "Everybody staying in this room put on one of these. We must be particularly cautious of infectious germs, particularly as the intestines are missing." Some of the uniformed officers take the opportunity to depart into the next room where the parents sit sequestered.
x
Mallard closes to get a better view of the body as Sammy goes around the other side of the table, the M.E.s taking over the scene. They find the lungs, heart, diaphragm, liver, kidneys, stomach, pancreas, large and small intestines are missing, but they needn't look far for them; a glance into the tall wastebasket beside the table seems to account for most if not all. A vast amount of blood covers the body, has run down the sides to cover the table and drip down to the smeared floor.
Samantha can't get too close, not wanting to get blood on her green shoes and regretting the oversight of not changing back when the call had come in. Embarrassed, she decides to go out and change in the van after the initial examination.
"There is considerable chaffing to the ankles and wrists," Ducky reports grimly. "Corporal Sollecito apparently struggled violently before his demise."
"An awful lot of blood," Gibbs steps around the table to come up beside Sky.
"Indeed, far more than you will ever see at a post mortem, and I think you can understand why," he looks up. "Our young Corporal was alive when the procedure was begun, that is the reason for the abundance of blood. My initial finding for Cause of Death, Jethro, is 'Autopsy'."
x
"I called you as soon as we settled the scene," Jeffrey Carpenter says, standing opposite and a few feet behind Ducky and speaking through his blue mask. "I knew you'd want to see it right away, seeing how you're involved."
NCIS had been called because Sollecito is a Marine, so "What do you mean?" Gibbs asks.
"Wasn't talking to you, LeeJay, I was talking to the doc."
Ducky looks back, having no love of extra mysteries. "In what way am I involved?"
The detective steps closer and pulls from an evidence bag a clipboard enclosed in plastic, several pages attached to the brown wood. "The guy who did this autopsy, he signed the report."
"He did what?" Gibbs demands. It's never this easy.
"We were wondering if you might actually save us some work and bring him, though I'd've been amazed if he came."
"And why would we bring him?" Gibbs is losing patience with the foreplay, about to reach across the table and grab the board but Carpenter holds it so Ducky can see the first page.
"It's your Assistant M.E., Jimmy Palmer."