Chapter Two
A/N: Our general is now just a lieutenant. I figured it'd be more factual.
"Ew," Tony shuddered as he looked at the dead body, "Someone really wanted to make sure she didn't live to see tomorrow."
Ziva looked at him, wishing he would just shut up. He always had something to say. The woman was lying crumpled on the floor, her eyes were puffs of swollen red sacks, blood had dried around her nose and mouth, her arms were black with bruises, her legs were confettied in cuts. Ziva had seen a lot as NCIS and Massob but nothing like this.
"Any DNA?" She asked.
Gibbs nodded, "Under her fingernails but it is unidentifiable. Her husband, Lieutenant Mary…"
"He-he, Mary."
Gibbs slapped Tony in the head and continued without missing a beat, "has his DNA in the system. But who knows where she could have contracted this from. Most of it consists of fibers from a something red, a jacket or coat maybe."
"Little red riding hood should have been more careful and not let the big bad wolf into her house," Tony snapped a picture of the body.
"What do you mean?" ZIva asked.
"The frame of the door was not crooked and the hinges were not bent. Whoever did this was here under Mrs. Mary's own will."
"Her name is Rita," Gibbs corrected, "And forensics already noted that, DiNozzo."
"Ha!" Ziva pointed to him as if his personal embarrassment was her own accomplishment.
"Nice, Zi," Tony growled.
A police officer approached them with a tired look upon his weary, sunken face. He shook, Gibbs' hand.
"I am Officer Dominguez. I came right when we got the call. Pretty bad, huh? Body decomp. has already sunk in and she is in pretty bad shape."
"Do you mind if we have her sent to our lab?" Gibbs asked, "Our forensic psychologist is good with things like this."
"Of course. Our medical examiner had a look at her for the TOD but this is your jurisdiction given the status of her husband."
Gibbs and the officer talked some more while Tony and Ziva snapped some pictures.
"Murder weapon," Tony nodded towards the broken lamp on the floor, splattered with dried blood.
"Bag it," Ziva instructed.
"How long do you think it lasted?"
"How long do I think what lasted?"
"The…beating."
"Thirty minutes to an hour," Ziva glanced at the body again, "Based on the bruising. It's deep, but not enough to kill her at once."
"Most likely internal bleeding?"
"Most likely," ZIva nodded, "She's so young."
"Mom too."
"What?"
"Look at the pictures."
Tony was right. Pictures of Rita with a little girl scattered the walls.
"Damn it," Ziva cursed, "Where is she?"
As if on cue, Gibbs met up with them in the living room where the body was. He grimaced at the pictures.
"We got to find the kid," he said, "Who knows where she is or what she has seen."
"Looks no more than five. Think she's alive."
"Yeah," Gibbs nodded, "I do. But who knows what kind of shape she is in. We gotta get an Amber out on this girl, alright? Call McGee and let him know."
"Sure thing, Boss."
After informing McGee, squaring things away with the officers, the trio headed back out on the road. Everyone was silent, the same thing upon their minds – the little daughter.
"Hey, Boss?"
"Yeah, DiNozzo?"
"Why did we take your car?" Well...almost everyone.
"Why do you think?"
"Because you are cruel and sadistic and wanted to see as squirm with confusion and worry that you would drop us off in the middle of a forest and chop us to bits?"
"Meh," Gibbs mumbled, but didn't deny it.
"Gibbs isn't sadistic," Ziva rolled her eyes.
"Brown-noser."
"Thank you, Agent David," Gibbs almost smiled at her.
"How come you get such special treatment?" Tony demanded.
"You smell like compost mixed with fresh forest air freshener, mixed with vanilla Lysol and you're wondering why you don't get respect or special treatment?" Ziva asked.
"I swear, Ziva, you will pay for that sandwich."
"If you say so, Tony."