The team had been called to a death a body of a Marine Sergeant at the rail yard near Union Station; it hadn't been a long journey, just round the corner and along the road, so to speak. The Sergeant had been stationed at the Marine Barracks, located on the corners of 8th & I Streets in southeast. He had been in the Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon. The weather was warm and sultry for the time of year.
"This reminds me of the summer of 1959. I had just finished my schooling at Eton and was awaiting the autumn to start at Edinburgh Medical School," Ducky had announced as he and Jimmy made their way to the body, and to where the team had assembled.
"Yes, it was the summer of my 18th year; my grandfather had given me a Eurail pass to celebrate my advancement to university. I travelled to nine different countries. I met an Austrian girl, named Gisella, who left her fingerprints on my heart. I visited all the major museums of Europe. The artwork was extraordinary. Ah, Da Vinci, Rembrandt, Van Gough, Renoir, Botticelli…" Dr Mallard had continued as he looked down at the body and then Gibbs.
"I like Botticelli, particularly their Rotini and Rigatoni," Tony cut in.
"Antony I'm talking about the painter not the Pasta makers, but yes you can buy their products from Safeway Eastern, the nearest one from here is….."
"1100 4th St Southwest," Jimmy now butted in, "I do go there on my home quite often, in fact I must text Breena and see if…." Jimmy didn't finish as he saw the look in Gibbs' eye. "But then again."
"Hey you two, Duks what did my Sergeant die of?"
"Would that be before he was hit by the train?" Ducky replied sarcastically.
"Yes," Gibbs roared.
"I have no idea until I get him home."
-oOo-
As Dr Mallard and Jimmy cleaned up the Sergeant, ready for autopsy Ducky continued on his tale.
"The original Eurail Pass, was introduced in March 1959, you know," as Ducky watched Jimmy, "It allowed one to travel through 13 countries during a two-month period. As I said I travelled to 9 different ones. Starting in London, St Pancras," as Ducky now began to mark up the body. "I suppose you could say I followed the "Grand Tour" of Europe, a little bit like following George Bradshaw," as Ducky looked at the blank expression on Jimmy's face, "I explain about him later, but where was I," now picking up the scalpel and beginning to slice the flesh.
"Bradshaw, he did some wonderful train guide books in Victorian Times, but I digress…..oh yes from Dover I travelled to Ostend, which you know is in Belgium…..visited the Flanders Field Museum, thought I should, since relatives were buried there and then continued to Holland, the Netherlands."
"I had of course missed the tulips but the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam was a wonderful place, and from there I travelled north to Denmark, the Nationalmuseet in Copenhagen it is particularly striking. Didn't stay too long in Denmark before double backing to Belgium and into Germany," Ducky continued, as they now folded back the skin from the chest to expose the rib cage.
"Not your new Germany, this was the old West Germany, I stopped briefly visiting the Museumsinsel, the Museum Island in Berlin, and of course looked at the Brandenburg Gate, before again jumping on a train to Munich and the Alte Pinakothek."
Jimmy handed Dr Mallard the rib shears, and watched as Ducky began to cut the ribs.
"My next country was Austria and Vienna. The Osterreichische Galerie Belvedere, that was where I met Gisella, sweet girl from Innsbruck, she was on a summer tour herself but had stopped in Vienna. We enjoyed each other's company, she was going to art college. I did in fact go back to Innsbruck and met her family, but I couldn't dally, as they say, and continued into Switzerland, Basel and the Kunstmuseum. Ahha now what do we have here?" as Ducky looked into the rib cage, "An extra rib well there you go, looks like this one pierced your lung," as Dr Mallard pointed it out to Jimmy.
"I think that was post mortem, Doctor," Jimmy now replied.
"I believe so," as Ducky continued to prise open the rib cage to expose the internal organs, "Now where was I?"
"Switzerland."
"Oh yes, very expensive, but then the museum was lovely. My next country was Italy, I loved Venice, and the Gallerie dell'Accademia is exceptionally beautiful, before moving to the Galleria degli Uffizi in Florence. Italy is truly a wonderful country and I just wish I could have spent more time there. I briefly visited Rome, and saw all the tourist sites and of course had to visit the Vatican and its mueums," Ducky continued now handing the liver to jimmy to be weighed, "I think our guest liked the red wine by the look of his liver…Italian wine is so very palatable."
"Dr Mallard, maybe you could visit Italy again if you ever retire?"
"I may just do that, but I only had two months to use the pass, so crossed the French border at Savona, and took the Riviera coast route to Perpignan and into Spain. I really didn't do Spain justice. I just really did the northern triangle Girona, Barcelona, Madrid, and the Museo del Prado, then back to Zaragosa, would have loved to have visited the Guggenheim Museum, in Bilboa, but as I said had dallied too long in Innsbruck. Now all this chat has made me thirsty so put the kettle on, and let us have a brew," Ducky now finished looking at Jimmy.
Ducky watched, as Jimmy cleaned up and put the kettle on before he too washed his hands and arms before sitting down and pouring the tea.
"So where did you go after Zaragosa Doctor Mallard."
"I travelled back to Marseilles, and from there caught the train to Paris. I actually paid for this journey, you see, mother always wanted to travel the Calais-Mediterranee Express, it was a luxury night express, and it gained international fame as the preferred train of the wealthy and famous. It was colloquially referred to as Le Train Bleu because of its dark blue sleeping cars."
"Oh Agatha Christie wrote the book "Mystery of the Blue Train," Jimmy added.
"She did indeed, but there were no murders on my journey and I arrived in Paris refreshed, ready to visit the Palace of Versailles and of course the Louvre. That was in the days before they built that pyramid outside. That glass monstrosity is an offence to good taste," Ducky continued as they heard the door to autopsy slide open and Gibbs appear.
"Sitting down on the job, Ducks?"
"Jethro, no I was just telling Mr Palmer the rest of my story, when I went to Europe before going to University."
"It is fascinating Agent Gibbs, Dr Mallard should really regale you of the tale, it was certainly a Grand Tour."
Gibbs' eye twitched, "Ducky cause of death."
As Ducky rose to walk over to the deceased, he remarked, "Oh that was easy. He was stabbed in the back. Being Silent Drill Platoon, he was stabbed through the heart with a bayonet. The reason, and the killers are up to you, I mean, how he got to the rail yard would need more than one person," as Ducky now smiled sweetly at Gibbs who just turned and walked back out the door.
"Well thank you Ducky," was all Dr Mallard could say, but turning now looked at Jimmy and said, "Do you know why they drive on the left hand side of the road in England? Dates back to medieval times, most people were, and still are, right handed. It allowed them to slash at one another when passing on horseback. Why, you might ask, doesn't this hold true for the rest of Europe?"
"Fascinating Dr Mallard and I'm sure you will enlighten me later," Jimmy replied with a smile.
The End (for now)