Title: Things to Do in D.C. When You're Dead
Written for the If Today Was Your Last Day Challenge
Disclaimer: Still don't own, and still just playing. Yadda freaking yadda.
Chapter 2
Gibbs must have broken his own land-speed record, McGee thought wryly as he got up to respond to the loud knock at his apartment door. Then again, hearing 'I've just been poisoned and have less than twenty-four hours left to live' might have had something to do with it. He looked through the peephole and then unlocked the door to allow the lead agent entrance.
"Thanks for coming, Boss."
"Tony, Ziva, and Ducky are on their way." Gibbs studied Tim's face. "You alright?"
Tim let out a shaky laugh. "So far."
"What happened?"
"I was working on my computer, cleaning up old files, and, well, you know how I am when I'm working… I never even heard him come in. The next thing I knew I woke up tied to my chair. He told me that he was doing this for revenge…for his sister."
"Erin Kendall."
Tim nodded. "I checked into it after he let me go." He pointed to his computer screen. "Evan Kendall: youngest son of Richard and Elena Kendall. One older brother, Richard , Jr., and one sister, Erin. Deceased." Tim took a deep breath and continued. "B.S. in biochemical engineering from Johns Hopkins. He graduated summa cum laude, three years before I did. He then went on to get a Ph.D. in biochemistry." Tim met Gibbs' gaze. "He certainly has the capability to do what he said he did, Boss."
"The question is, did he?"
Tim pointed to the stack of papers on his desk. "I just read the top page. It looks…legit."
"Ducky will check it out, just to make sure. I called Abby and told her to meet us at the lab." He held up a hand as Tim started to protest. "I didn't tell her why, at least not yet."
Tim slumped in relief. "Thanks, Boss."
"No sense in getting her worked up if it's for nothing."
Tim's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You think this is a bluff?"
Gibbs shook his head. "I don't know, McGee. I guess I'm going to wait and see."
Tim sighed. "I wish it were that simple…You know, I always wondered when that case would catch up with me. I guess I know the answer now."
"McGee, what happened to Erin Kendall was not your fault. You know that. You were following protocol."
"Yeah," said Tim with a humorless laugh. "I was following protocol when I shot Benedict, too." Suddenly he winced and looked up at Gibbs, surprised that he had just been on the receiving end of a headslap. "What?"
"You almost sound like you agree with this guy, McGee. Do you really think you deserve this?"
Before he could answer there was another knock on the door. After sending the younger man a glare, Gibbs opened the door to reveal Tony and Ziva, each carrying a scene kit, and followed by Ducky.
"What's going on, Boss?" asked Tony as soon as the door was shut behind them and he looked around. "Why is McGee's apartment a crime scene?"
"Because someone broke in and attacked McGee."
Tony turned to stare at Tim and a puzzled expression crossed his face. "He looks OK to me. What did the guy do to you, McGee?"
"Knocked me out, tied me up, and injected me with a poison designed to kill me in twenty-four hours."
Tony laughed. "You're kidding, right?"
"Do I look like I'm kidding, Tony?"
"No, but…seriously?" His smile faded. "Damn, it's like D.O.A.… You know, the movie? It starred Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan-"
"I thought that was Innerspace?"
"No, different movie, some of the same actors…" He reached up and rubbed the back of his head. "Thanks, Boss."
"Did he say what this toxin was?" asked Ducky as he approached Tim and started to check his vital signs.
"No, just that is was synthetic, and I wouldn't even feel it working for about twenty-two hours. He left his notes behind, I guess to prove that it is what he says. He claims he's killed others with it. I guess I'll check…" Tim paused, and then chuckled weakly. "I never thought I'd be investigating my own murder."
"Who was this man?" asked Ziva. "Can you identify him?"
"His name is Evan Kendall."
"Kendall? Why does that name sound familiar?" asked Tony.
"He's Erin Kendall's brother."
"Erin Kendall…wasn't that the witness who…oh. Crap."
"Yeah, exactly."
"What happened?" asked Ziva and she glanced back and forth between the two men.
"Before your time, Ziva. She was a witness that was killed."
"On my watch…"
"Tim, damn it-"
"Enough! Tony, Ziva, get to work. McGee, Ducky will need samples from you. After that, I'll need your written statement. We'll figure out if this whole thing is legit, and then we'll deal with it. We'll figure something out, McGee. We will."
"If you say so..." Tim was desperately trying to keep his game face on, but the truth was that he was terrified.
"Hey!" Gibbs stepped in front of Tim so that they were practically nose to nose. He glared at the younger man for a brief moment, then reached up and, with surprising gentleness, gripped the back of Tim's neck. "Listen to me, Tim. You will make it through this. Is that understood?"
Tim met his gaze for several moments before looking away, blinking his eyes rapidly to push back the tears.
"Yes, Boss."
XXX
Abby was practically bouncing off the walls when Tim and Ziva entered her lab. Ziva was carrying the box of evidence, as well as Tim's blood samples, as Tim himself couldn't be part of the chain of custody. The only piece of evidence he carried was the stopwatch. It had been set with the timer function and was counting down the minutes left until midnight. Tim gave it a quick glance and saw that he had slightly less than twenty-two hours left, a fact which did not improve his mood in the slightest.
"What's going on, guys? Gibbs said you have a new case and he needed me here right away, but it's been almost two hours since he called and—"
"We are here now." Ziva handed the box and cooler with the blood samples to Abby. "We need you to determine if the substance in the syringe is in the blood, and we need to confirm its identity." She took the stack of notes out of the box and set them on the lab table. "After you have checked these for prints, you need to see if these notes accurately describe the compound and its effects."
"That last part sounds like it's more up Ducky and Palmer's alley. Or maybe McGee's." She glanced at him but he quickly looked away. "What's wrong, Tim?"
"I'm sorry, Abby, but I can't help with this, at least not right now." He tried to sneak another look at the clock but Abby caught him.
"What's that?"
"Nothing."
She tried to grab it but Ziva stopped her. "It is not important, Abby. Just do what we asked. Please." She released Abby and stepped back. "Ducky will be up to help as soon as he can. He is doing his own research right now."
"What aren't you guys telling me?"
"Just do your job, Abby," Tim snapped. Before he could completely register her shocked and hurt expression, he turned and left the lab. He hit the button to call the elevator, and after a few seconds he opened the door to the stairs and started the climb to the bullpen.
XXX
"What the hell is his problem?" Abby turned to Ziva, obviously in full-on rant mode. "I asked a simple question and he bites my head off!"
"Abby, please. We need the evidence tested. You may yell at McGee later." Ziva winced, realizing what 'later' could actually mean.
"But-"
"All I can tell you is that this case is personal for McGee." Very personal. "It is not a good idea to bother him about it right now."
"OK, fine. But someone is going to tell me, sooner or later."
"We will, I promise."
Without another word, Abby signed the chain of custody form and then started to unpack the box. When Ziva saw that the forensic scientist had found the syringe and was starting to test it, she left the lab and headed for the elevator. When she arrived at the bullpen, the doors opened to reveal Tim.
"Gibbs wants us in Interrogation," he said as soon as he saw her. "He and Tony are bringing Kendall in. Apparently he was waiting for them."
She caught the look on his face as he entered the elevator. He turned to face the closing doors and she put a hand on his arm.
"Are you sure you want to do this?"
He snorted softly and pulled away. "What do I have to lose?"
She flipped the emergency switch and turned to him. "McGee…" She saw a flicker of fear in his eyes as he tried to gain control. "Talk to me."
"What is there to say, Ziva?" he asked heatedly. "If it's a bluff, then everything's fine, right? And if not…there's probably nothing we can do about it, despite what Gibbs says." Ziva was surprised to see that her friend was actually shaking.
"I…I never expected to see you like this, McGee. This isn't you."
"Stage two."
"What?"
"The stages of grief: stage two is anger. You guys are still in stage one: denial. I guess you could also say I'm on my way to stage five, acceptance."
"No, you are not. You have not accepted this McGee. I know you. You do not give up." She moved her hand up to touch his face. "And I am not giving up on you."
He slumped against the wall of the elevator and sighed. "I'm sorry, Ziva. It's just…I guess I thought if I…pushed everyone away, then-"
"It would not bother us so much if you were gone."
Silently, he nodded, and she put her arms around his waist. He leaned against her and closed his eyes.
After a few minutes, he straightened up and gave her a weak smile. "Thank you, Ziva. I'm sorry…"
"You do not need to apologize to me, McGee." She flipped the switch to start the elevator moving again, then turned back to Tim and gave him a wry smile in return. "Abby, on the other hand…"
"Yeah…yeah, I know."
XXX
Tony stood in the observation room, silently watching the man on the other side of the glass. He had to admit that Kendall didn't look like a crazed killer. The brown-haired, blue-eyed man was perfectly calm, with the barest hint of a smile on his face. He had worn almost the same expression when Tony and Gibbs had showed up at his house with a warrant for his arrest, and he had simply held out his hands to be cuffed. He had not said a word the entire time.
The door to the observation room opened and Ziva entered, followed by McGee. Tony turned to the younger man.
"Are you OK?"
"I'm fine, Tony."
"You sure?"
McGee didn't answer and turned to stare at Kendall. "Has he said anything?"
"No."
The door to Interrogation opened and Gibbs stepped into the room, seating himself across from Kendall, who met his gaze and smiled.
"Agent Gibbs. You know, I considered going after you, at first. After all, you're the one responsible for sending an inexperienced 'Probie' to watch my sister. In the end, I decided the loss of your agent would be a more suitable punishment."
"Well, he's not denying it," said Tony.
"I didn't expect him to," replied McGee. Tony sent him a questioning look but the younger man was focused on the two men in Interrogation.
"Agent McGee was doing what he had been trained to do."
"Pity. How is he? Has your agent abandoned all hope?"
"No."
"He will. They all do. When they day is almost over, and they're still feeling fine, they think they're out of the woods." He smiled. "But when the last hour hits, they find they're smack in the middle of those woods, but of a different sort than they expected."
McGee's eyebrows shot up in surprise.
"What is it?" asked Tony.
"It's…nothing. Just reminded me of something, but it's not really related to the case." He lapsed back into silence, and Tony reluctantly returned his attention to the window.
"You mentioned these others to Agent McGee. How many?"
"Three: Gordon Markham, September 18, 2008; Jesse DuChamp, January 31st, 2009 and Erik Holst, July 15, 2010. Do you need their social security numbers as well?" Tony saw McGee pull out his iPhone and start to enter the information.
"Why did you kill them?" Kendal just smirked. "You told Agent McGee it was because they had hurt your sister. Something tells me that's not the real reason."
"Maybe, maybe not. Why don't you ask what you really want to know?"
"And what's that?"
"'Is Agent McGee going to die?'" Kendall grinned. "The answer is 'yes'." He looked at his watch. "In a little more than twenty hours, he'll know the pain my sister felt, only much, much worse. Then maybe I'll write his parents a sympathy note."
Out of the corner of his eye, Tony saw McGee stiffen. He remembered, after the case which involved Erin Kendall, he and Kate had been horsing around in the bullpen and Tim had asked them to be quiet. Instead of working on the expected report, he had been trying to compose a note to Mr. and Mrs. Kendall. It had given Tony a good look at the type of person McGee was and he had been strangely humbled. The thought of that gesture being thrown back in McGee's face made his blood boil.
McGee abruptly turned and left observation before Tony could think of something to say to call him back. Ziva shot Tony a look and followed McGee, leaving Tony alone in observation. He was about to follow when the door opened and Gibbs entered. One look at his face and Tony knew the only reason Gibbs had left Interrogation was to keep from killing Kendall.
"Where are McGee and Ziva?"
"They…I think they went to check on the names Kendall gave you."
"You think?"
Tony nodded, unwilling to say anything to further anger his boss. He glanced through the window at Kendall, who was still sitting in Interrogation with a smug look on his face. Finally, Tony asked the question he had been waiting to ask since the whole thing started.
"Do you really think he…did what he says, Boss?"
"He seems to think so."
"Damn it…"
"We'll see what Abby and Ducky turn up."
"But, Boss, what if…?" He caught Gibbs' glare. "We'll wait for Abby and Ducky."
XXX
After they had returned to the bullpen, McGee had been working steadily at his computer, not saying a word, not even when Gibbs and Tony had joined them. Finally Gibbs stepped in front of his desk to get his attention.
"What do ya got, McGee?"
"I've only managed to find the first name so far. Gordon Markham, found dead on September 19, 2008, in Rock Creek Park. Cause of death is listed as a gunshot wound to the head, self inflicted. I requested the autopsy and toxicology reports from the Maryland State Police." He turned his attention back to his computer screen without another word.
"Suicide?" said Tony. "Maybe this guy is bluffing after all: Kendall completely convinced him of what was coming and he decided to take the easy way out." He winced in anticipation of a headslap, but it never came. He opened his eyes and saw that Gibbs was watching McGee, but the younger man never looked up from his computer. After several moments, Gibbs returned to his desk, and they all settled down to wait for McGee to find the other two men mentioned by Kendall. Soon he had the answers.
"Boss, I found them: Jesse DuChamp, found dead in his garage on February 1st, 2009, by a neighbor. Cause of death is listed as carbon monoxide poisoning. Erik Holst, July 15, 2010, jumped in front of a Metro train."
"All three were suicides. That's a Hell of a coincidence," said Tony. "And you know what we think of those."
"Yes, but without the toxicology report, we do not know if these were true victims or if they were picked at random to support Kendall's story," said Ziva, a faint glimmer of hope evident in her voice. "Maybe it really is a bluff." She gave McGee an encouraging smile, but he never looked away from his computer. "Gibbs?" She caught his expression and her smile faded. "We will try to find a connection between the men and Kendall."
"Already working on it," said McGee, his tone flat and expressionless.
"Let them help, McGee."
"Yes, Boss." He lapsed back into silence, seemingly unaware of the looks his co-workers were giving him. Finally they tried to focus on the search, but their minds were on the reports they were expecting from Ducky and Abby.
It was almost 0600 when the two of them arrived in the bull pen. Abby was her usual hyper self, while Ducky was somber. When Gibbs saw the older man's expression, he felt his heart sink.
"Gibbs," Abby began, "I isolated the compound from both the syringe and the blood. It wasn't in Major Mass Spec's library, so it took me a little longer to figure out the structure. It looks like the same one described in the notes."
"What can you tell me about it?" asked Gibbs, after a quick glance at McGee. He never even looked up from his work, but Gibbs could tell he was listening.
"It's similar in structure to the amatoxins, which are found in Amanita phalloides and other Amanita species, as well asConocybe, Galerina and Lepiota…toxic mushrooms."
"How toxic?"
"A. phalloides is commonly known as the Death Cap," Ducky replied. "It's the major cause of fatal mushroom poisoning, primarily as a hepatotoxin. It causes irreversible liver damage."
"So this poison…will it do what Kendall says?"
Ducky sighed. "Unfortunately, from what I can determine, it appears our suspect was telling the truth. However, I feel I do need some more time to research this." He, too, glanced at McGee, who still gave the appearance of ignoring them. "We are relying on notes from the same source as the claim, which is not the best procedure, as I am sure you know."
"But the notes are really detailed," Abby explained. "I mean, he was meticulous in describing all aspects of the synthesis of the compound, as well its chemical characterization and toxicity. It wasn't a simple synthesis, either. This guy has some hot lab skills."
"He's down in interrogation if you want his autograph", snapped McGee, sounding angrier than they had ever heard him. Abby turned to him and sent him a glare worthy of Gibbs.
"Geez, McGee, what is your problem?" Abby spat, quickly returning to her earlier ill humor. "It's not like you got a dose of this stuff."
Stunned silence followed her statement and as she glanced around at the faces of her team, her anger slowly started to seep away when she started to realize what their silence meant.
"Guys? It's not…I mean, he didn't…?"
McGee stood, then slowly reached down and opened his desk drawer to remove his gun. He pulled out his badge and ID, set them on top of the holster, and walked over to place the items on Gibbs' desk before turning and walking out of the bullpen.
TBC…
A/N: Oh, don't look at me like that. You know they'll make up in the next chapter…