This Chapter is around 1000 words shorter than the last. I pushed myself to try and drag it out, but everything I wanted to happen in this chapter seemed to unfold quicker than I thought. Also I apologise about the portrayal of DiNizzo. I tried my best but I can't help but think I missed by a long shot.
The drive over to Quantico was a lot easier than Haley's last trip, mainly because the traffic had died down and this time Haley was not driving. DiNozzo seemed like a good driver, he knew his limits even if he did on occasion like to roar the engine up. Not that Haley cared for it much, purely because it wasn't his car. He was expecting the drive to be quiet but apparently it wasn't going to be like that, DiNozzo seemed to like talking.
"So... get you probie, first ever case and you already have SECNAV talking to you. Not bad, a positive sign for things to come"
"Trust me, I didn't plan for this. I just wanted a simple and easy textbook first case" Haley looked forward, keeping an eye on the traffic even though he wasn't driving.
"There is one thing you learn while doing cases here at NCIS, there is no such thing as a textbook case. There is always one little plot twist" DiNozzo sniggered as he started to think back on some old cases. "Then if you work with Gibbs you have to solve a million cases where nothing is ever straight forward and simple. The person you least suspect is always your delinquent… or not in some cases."
"We don't even know what has happened yet. Hopefully it is nothing bad and this is just a case of mistaken identity and at worst a marine is standing outside Quantico trying to get in without his access card"
"You are way too optimistic for this job y'know? But don't worry, as you work more and more cases you will come to realise that some humans can things that you could never even think of imagining. As you solve more and more cases you find that the optimism gets sucked out of you like blood with a vampire" Haley would look over at DiNozzo with a confused expression plastered to his face. What kind of analogy was that?
"Well, maybe i am just hopeful that things won't end with blood" Haley looked out of the passenger window, noting that they had now turned off the main road and were going down the Quantico base access road.
"Don't get me wrong it is good to be hopeful like that. Guess there's some justice in the world. You suffer, you go through hell. Then happiness comes along for everyone" DiNozzo smiled to himself, clearly smug and impressed with himself. Haley just looked even more confused. DiNozzo turned his head and noticed the perplexed look on Haley's face. "It's a movie reference?" Haley now looked even more confused "The Nights of Cabiria. 1957. Italian classic. One of the best optimism films out there"
"I just never pinned you for a classic international movie type" Haley commented as they had finally reached their destination, the gates of Quantico marine base. DiNozzo pulled the car over into one of the visitor parking bays, both of them exiting the sedan at the same time.
"You clearly haven't been observing me very carefully have you probie? Classic movies is all me. It is what i am about." DiNozzo spoke out in pride about his movie loving culture, the sort of proud voice that to someone like Haley came across as a bit snobbish.
"Really, cause most of the women i speak to the office seem to mention that you like to flirt and pretend you are James Bond" Haley moved forward alongside DiNozzo as they walked the short distance to the main gate.
"Oh come now…" DiNozzo started with his Sean Connery impression. Haley immediately regretted saying anything. "... The ladies love this. Everyone loves a little Bond" Haley couldn't help but smile from his impression. Even if it was slightly cheesy and childish, DiNozzo had managed to both cheer Haley up and annoy him at the same time. The only real positive of this impression however, was the fact that it passed the time it took to walk to the front gates.
Haley knew that Quantico was a hard place to get into, Haley just didn't have any idea as to how hard. For DiNozzo who had been there so many times he had lost count, it was a simple task. All he had to do was show his ID and be searched. For a probationary agent however on their first visit, it was a nightmare. First you had to fill in declaration forms to say you were who you said you were. Then you had to be briefed on base security and protocol. Just to make it worse you had to have a biometric scan at the end, which most likely fed into AFIS. Once he had passed every security check, and proved he was not some gung-ho terrorist trying to destroy a marine base he was allowed inside. The whole time DiNozzo had a childish smirk pasted to his face. Almost as if in some sadistic way he was enjoying it.
After being let in and getting directions to the Master Sergeant, DiNozzo would laugh. "You were having loads of fun there weren't you probie? If it is any help we all had to go through the same thing when we first arrived here. You have to do the same no matter which marine base you go to" The Master Sergeant was in one of of the many firing ranges that littered the it was only a short walk from the main gate. It could've been a lot worse and the range could of been all the way on the other side. As they approached the range, the sound of rifle fire intensified. It seemed the Master Sergeant was busy teaching a group of marines the basics of rifle usage.
"Maybe we should come back later? When he isn't drilling people on how to hold a rifle correctly?" Hayley was not used to the firing of rifles. He had never shot anything more than a pistol in his life and the only reason he had done that was because he had to to join NCIS. It wasn't because he didn't like using a gun. It was more about the confidence he had when using said firearm.
"Nah. We wait. Tip number One: Always speak to the CO as soon as possible. Nine times out of ten they won't be your suspect, but a good CO knows everything about his men and therefore can help give you pointers on where to look. Besides we are in no rush at the moment. Take a second to enjoy the sound of fully automatic weaponry" DiNozzo had seemed to picked up on the fact that Haley wasn't used to the sounds of gunfire. The pair stood casually at the side of the Master Sergeant, making sure that they were in the Sergeants peripheral vision, but not close enough that he could talk without having move. "Let's just wait, he will come to us when he sees that we are not going to go away" At first Haley thought DiNozzo was crazy, but surely enough after a few minutes he ordered his men to make their weapons 'safe' and to leave the range for a few minutes.
Master Sergeant Bristol Clifton seemed almost like a model American marine. Mid-aged with buzzcut hair along with the usual rough face and sculpted muscles. Haley was sure the walk he was doing was designed to intimidate them. While it worked a little on Haley it seemed to have no effect on DiNozzo. As he got closer the Marine would salute, most likely out of protocol than out of respect. There was something about this guy that rubbed Haley the wrong way. Something that made him uncomfortable. Maybe it was the fact he was a killing machine?
"Master Sergeant Clifton?..." DiNozzo started the conversation "I am Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo and this is Probationary Agent Haley… I can't remember his first name… Anyway…" DiNozzo took a step back, leaving Haley to talk to the Sergeant. It would take a few seconds for Haley to get his train of thought together and produce a sentence.
"Has Staff Sergeant Keefe Eliott reported for duty this morning?" The question was direct and to the point. There was no point trying to sweet talk a marine.
"No, he hasn't. I was going to give him until lunch til i reported him UA. Why has something happened?" The Sergeant seemed concerned, though like all marines he had been taught to keep a lid on his emotions and to remain calm. Nothing was worse than a panicked marine while in a firefight. Maybe that was why Haley was so suspicious of him? Not showing emotion was a sign of a guilty person afterall. By that merit however he would have to suspect everyone on this entire marine base.
"We don't know. He seems to have gone missing. Do you know anyone who want to do something to harm or hurt him?" Haley kept the questions on track and direct. Just the way he liked them.
" No Sir, not that i am aware of. I mean everyone one in the squad loves Eliott. Always a bit of a practical joker, always keeping the morale of the men up. I can't think of anyone who would want to hurt him" Now the Sergeant was starting to let some emotions through. His voice was breaking slightly, the wall of toughness was starting to break down as the thought of not seeing his friend again dawned on him. Before Haley could say anything DiNozzo took his step forward again and asked his own question.
"Do you think anyone could have maybe taken one of Eliott's jokes the wrong way and that has spurred them on to actually do something?" Good question. One that Haley had not even considered.
"Well if that was the case then i can most certainly say that it wasn't anyone in my unit. all my men keep their heads screwed on right. I couldn't comment on anyone else though on the base. I never really kept tabs on who else Eliott talked to around here"
"Alright then. Back to it Master Sergeant. We will call you if we need anything else" DiNozzo managed to pull everything off as if he really was James Bond, even to the swivel turn to leave. He just seemed completely comfortable with himself. Haley on the other hand would take a bit longer to turn and walk away, leaving the Master Sergeant to his duties. Haley had to speed walk to catch up with DiNozzo.
"So do you think he is lying then?" Haley asked DiNozzo. As per usual DiNozzo would reply in a suave manner.
"Why would he lie. I think he was being honest and knows nothing. Which is a shame for us" As if on cue DiNozzo's phone would ring. Sliding out of his pocket he would look at the caller ID and grin "I think we are about to get a new lead however" Haley looked perplexed as DiNozzo answered, however everything was about to become clear. "Hey Abbs, had any luck?" It did feel weird not being able to hear the reply, he was able to work out what the reply was however, purely by the look of shock on DiNozzo's face. Something along the lines of 'I don't do luck around here!' . He didn't have time to ask however as DiNozzo thrust the phone at him. "It is for you" Haley would grab the phone and smile, even though Abby couldn't see him.
"Hi Abby. Guessing you have managed to find something useful out of those pieces of scrap?"
"Oh yes, a few things actually. Not sure if they are going to help you not. Some of it will be like 'Woah that is groundbreaking' and then the rest will all be like 'meh' " Haley wanted to interrupt, however he knew that it was rude of him and he needed to be extra respectful on his first case. "Anyway, i managed to get an idea of what the vehicle is. based on the two parts i have worked out that it must be a either a 1959 or 1960 Cadillac. The colour if you are interested is known as American Rose. It is a type of vivid red that was really popular back in the late fifties. I decided to look to see if our missing marine owned this beauty and i found out that he most certainly did own such a stunning classic car" Haley was impressed. From just two parts she had managed to find a vehicle match and even go as far as see if it related to the case.
"That is fantastic work there Abby.." Before he could say anymore however she interjected.
"That is not the only thing I have found. The two pieces you found were way too pristine to have been removed in a accident. The boot lid was carefully removed from its hinge. None of the screw holes have been warped in anyway. So I thought that maybe the vehicle was being stripped for parts. It seems I was right, mainly because there was a set of fingerprints on the parts that did not belong to Staff Sergeant Eliott. They belonged to a Mr Finley Harrell. He is a scrap dealer who makes money by buying things off people second hand then he strips them and sells them for a healthy profit. I have texted the address of both Finley and Staff Sergeant Eliott. I hope that helps you Haley" It seemed that Abby really had managed to help things afterall. He was still in shock and awe form how much she had managed to get off the junk he had bought to her. Realistically he wasn't expecting anything and was expecting the case was about to go cold.
"Yeah Abby, that is brilliant. Thank you so much" Abby swiftly hung up and Haley passed the phone back to DiNozzo.
"So what did Abby get for you?" DiNozzo asked. Hayley picked up on the fact that DiNozzo had asked him what 'he' got rather than what 'we' got.
"Well she gave me a few little things, nothing that gives us a break, but at least gives us somewhere to look. She found fingerprints on the parts that match with a local scrap dealer. She also thinks that the car was stripped down for parts"
"Do you think that is why the Staff Sergeant has gone missing? Maybe the dealer whacked him off so he could get the car?" DiNozzo seemed to be asking the right questions. Not the correct questions. Haley could see that DiNozzo was testing him. Seeing if he would grab the bait and try and take a easy way out. Thankfully Haley wasn't going to bite.
"Why kill him though? Surely it would be easy and a lot less messier if you just stole the car in the middle of the night. With the car being broken down you would never find it again" The duo would reach the gates of the marine base and would sign out. This time the process was quick and painless, they were out in less than a minute.
"You have a good point there. Something here doesn't add up. Something is missing" DiNozzo would unlock the sedan and get inside, letting Haley walk around and get into the passenger seat. Once they were both comfortable Haley would speak again.
"I don't think this scrap dealer is a good lead. I think we should go and check the house out first and see if the Staff Sergeant is there" Haley would buckle his belt while DiNozzo broke out into a light chuckle.
"Don't you mean that you should go to the Staff Sergeants home? I was only told to babysit you while you were at Quantico and now, behold! we are on longer in Quantico. My duties are complete" Haley would look over at DiNozzo with an iron stare. Something that didn't suit his face very well.
"But I suppose, being a senior field agent it should be my solemn duty to guide the field agents of tomorrow" DiNozzo still had a childish and goofy smirk glued to his face he was clearly enjoying this way too much. Despite the goofiness there was a aura of respect about the man. He clearly knew what he was doing and his playfulness was just a device to make the people around him more comfortable. Or at least that was what he was trying to achieve.
"Why thank you Lord DiNozzo, where are we off to now then pray tell?" Haley used his posh tone for the last sentence, which worked rather well. DiNozzo just laughed.
"Well I think you were mostly correct. I still think though we should speak to the scrap dealer at some point. Find out how those parts got to where they got to" DiNozzo would turn the engine on and begin the drive out of Quantico and back to DC. For the entire trip DiNozzo probed Haley with questions about his personal life. Questions that Haley quickly diverted, much to the displeasure of DiNozzo. The drive back to DC after that was peaceful for the most part. With the traffic now at full flow, nothing slowed them down.
Pulling up to the house of Master Sergeant Eliott, one thing was clear to Haley. The place where the parts were found was only one block away. Pulling up onto the drive, both men exited the sedan and DiNozzo took a few seconds to look around the place. The house was a classic American suburban house, detached with a garage, white siding and a nice front porch spanning the length of the house. Just like all the other houses in the neighbourhood.
"Looks like a dream doesn't it? Birds chirping, nice well kept lawn. This is the sorta place i wanna retire to. Close to the city, but a nice quiet place to relax." Haley commented as the pair began the walk upto the front door.
"It is alright I suppose. A bit too quiet for my tastes though. Maybe living in an apartment has distorted my perception of suburban living somewhat. To me it is always the 1950's man in a suit going to work at the office sorta thing. Seems too old fashioned for my tastes." Both men climbed up the couple of steps leading up to the porch. Haley was getting ready to knock when DiNozzo silently stopped him and pointed to the door handle. The door was slightly ajar, the wood was also slightly chipped, suggesting forced entry. Haley inwardly sighed to himself as he pulled out his M1911A1 pistol. It was a old style firearm but was one of the few handguns he had felt truly comfortable with. Pushing the door open slowly, making sure not to force the hinges to creak, both DiNozzo and Haley crept inside the house. DiNozzo used hand signals to show he was going to go left and look into the bedroom and bathroom. Haley signalled he was going straight on into the lounge.
Inside the lounge Haley first scanned for targets, which there were none. there was however a lot of bullet holes on the far wall, several pieces of glass furniture were also smashed. It also seemed that every photo frame had been smashed as well, almost as if someone had been in a rage. Something had most certainly gone on here. Turning around and walking over to the dining room shock would take over Haley, freezing him in place. Before he could do anything else he would shout for DiNozzo. DiNozzo walked over to him and looked into the dining room cringing almost at what he saw.
"I will call Gibbs" He holstered his pistol and pulled out his phone as he began to walk outside. His attitude was very calm and collected. He had afterall seen all this before.
"I will call Doctor Mallard" Haley put his own pistol away and pulled his own phone out. His eyes however could never be pulled away from what was staring back at him: The body of a middle aged, bearded man, sitting against a wall in a pool of his own blood. His first dead body. On his first case. Shock set in a bit more. The only peice of relief that consoled Haley was the fact that the body was not that of Staff Sergeant Eliott. So who was this mystery person, and why were they killed in the house of a marine. Haley felt a sinking feeling in his stomach as the thought of having to brief the Director and SECNAV set in.